Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Payne
... (and Bill... both of us count Starship as one of our favorite films)
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Sorry to hear that, Eric. I thought you guys had better taste. Virginia Heinlein should have sued the studio, the screen-writers, and the director for fraud. About the only correlations between the novel and the movie were the name of the protagonist and the fact that they were fighting bugs. Not much else from the book was put on-screen. One of the most juvenile films I've ever seen.
Not only my opinion - Pulitzer Prize winning reviewer Roger Ebert wrote of it:
"``
Starship Troopers'' is the most violent kiddie movie ever made. I call it a kiddie movie not to be insulting, but to be accurate: Its action, characters and values are pitched at 11-year-old science-fiction fans." And Kenneth Turan described it as
"…jaw-dropping experience, so rigorously one-dimensional and free from even the pretense of intelligence."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Payne
... I realize some ... are unaware that the same line touted by the current Administration of negative comments about the Administration is tantamount to treason ... that belief - speaking out against the President, during a time of war, would, simply, be illegal.
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In fact, if you are a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces (including those drawing retired pay, such as the above mentioned Lt.Col Kwiatkowski), it
is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice - specifically Article 88 - and there is no requirement that it be in time of war.
ART. 88 - CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
and also see DoD Directive 1325.6:
Guidelines for Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members
of the Armed Forces
http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/c...df/132506p.pdf for further guidance.
So, while I suspect you were making a statement about the general populace, there is a significant number that ARE constrained from making such comments. And the penalties can be significant -- loss of all pay and benefits as well as confinement in prison.