By Debbie Schlussel

It was repeatedly panned by the critics.  But movie-goers loved it.  And thirty-five years later, it remains a cult classic.

“Death Wish” celebrates 35 years, this summer.  It was released in theaters on July 24, 1974, and was directed by Michael Winner and produced by the Dino De Laurentiis Company

I watched it again over the weekend, and it stands the test of time (thought it’s funny to take Jeff Goldblum seriously as a murderous gang thug).  In fact, now in the Obama administration–with police called “stupid” and impliedly racist by the President and our Second Amendment gun rights under attack–the movie is more relevant than ever.

Liberals hated “Death Wish,” because of its message that vengeance and vigilantism works.  They hated that the hero of the movie is a liberal pacifist who realizes his way is the wrong way.  And they hated Charles Bronson for the rest of his life–the rest of his acting career–for playing Paul Kersey, “Death Wish’s” sly, silent, and clever protagonist who shoots criminals after his wife is murdered and his daughter raped into a state of catatonia. They never forgave him for it. (Ironically, the role was meant for Steve McQueen, but he turned it down.) And Hollywood never forgave him, giving him few good roles after the fact (his role in the TV movie, “Raid on Entebbe” comes to mind as one of the good ones).

Watch the “Death Wish” Trailer:

I first learned about “Death Wish,” from my father, who really liked the movie.  It was 1984, I was in senior high, and, in New York, Bernhard Goetz had just shot violent subway thugs trying to rob him (and who were about to stab him with sharpened screwdrivers they had on them).  My dad told me about the “Death Wish” movie (of which the Goetz story reminded him) and how the liberals hated that movie.  It made my father–a liberal who became conservative when he served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam–a life-long Charles Bronson fan.  And I became a Charles Bronson fan, too.

They say that a conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged.  And “Death Wish’s” Paul Kersey was exactly that.  A liberal, upper class New York City architect, Kersey goes to fancy parties, and he wants to make affordable housing for poor in prime New York real estate. He was a conscientious objector in the Korean War because he’s against guns like his mother was. He wants to have sex with his wife on the Maui beach out in the open in the middle of the day (instead of their hotel room), but the wife tells him they’re too civilized. When he returns from Hawaii and his colleague at work tells him about the acceleration of the New York City murder rate, he responds,

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By Debbie Schlussel

Over the last several years, I’ve told you about Ibrahim Parlak, an Islamic terrorist in PKK (a Marxist-Leninist Kurdish Islamic terrorist group allied with Al-Qaeda), who trained in terrorist training camps in Syria and lied on at least five applications to gain entry and citizenship benefits in the United States.  He was also involved in the murder of a Turkish border guard and was involved with explosives.  His own lawyer, Noel Saleh, openly admitted that he (Saleh) funded Hezbollah.

Sixth Circuit: Islamic Terrorist Ibrahim Parlak Must Go

The dedicated agents and lawyers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its deportation operation haven’t wavered on the need to deport this terrorist and liar from our shores.  And, today, the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed, yet again, Immigration Judge Elizabeth Hacker’s decision that Parlak is, indeed, an Islamic terrorist, and that he must be deported.  Congrats to ICE Senior Counsel Mark Jebson who did a masterful job in the initial immigration trial against Parlak (I’ve seen Jebson in action–he’s good).

Despite all of the overwhelming evidence against Parlak, a cadre of liberals and liberal Republicans have taken up Parlak’s cause, as I’ve noted on this site.  They include film critic Roger Ebert (who felt that Parlak was not a terrorist and caused no threat because he liked the guy’s food at  his Western Michigan Middle Eastern restaurant, Cafe Gulistan) and an Andy Warhol wannabe.  Then, there are liberal Democrat U.S. Senator Carl Levin and Barack Obama’s favorite wimpy liberal Republican Congressman, Fred Upton.  The two spineless, Islamo-pandering politicos introduced a private bill to give Parlak citizenship.  And finally, there was Parlak’s ex-concubine and illegitimate daughter whom he fathered while here.

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By Debbie Schlussel

News that Barack Hussein Obama only filled 43% of top positions in the federal government is good news.  The less of his political appointee ideologues in there, the better.  Let’s hope he continues to fill them at a snail’s pace.

On a related note, there is this e-mail from Brian McNamara, who listens to  “The Mike Church Show” (on which I do movie reviews every Friday Morning).  He notes that, just seven months into the Obama administration, most of the uber-lefty extremists and nutjobs who were “banished” from the Obama campaign are now in the thick of the Obama administration.

Obama to Extremists:  “You’re Fired” But Not Really

Has anyone ever taken a “where they are now” look at all of these figures who had to be cast out during the campaign because they were such unsuitable people?  Many are in or around the administration now that he has been elected.

*  Samantha “Hillary is a monster” Power – resigned from campaign in March, 2008 – on transition team in Nov, 2008 – Now a member of the National Security Council.

*  James A. Johnson – “countrywide mortgage, Fannie Mae problems” – resigned as VP vetter in-chief in June, 2008 – can’t find too much information on him, but he was Obama’s guest at the big “Ted Kennedy is the Greatest Lib of Them All gala”

*  Mazen Asbahi – the Muslim outreach advisor who had to resign because of some very dubious ties to Muslim investment funds and shady characters – he was a Chicago lawyer with a big firm, and now suddenly he’s a solo lawyer in Washington D.C. – wonder where he’s getting his business?

*  Robert Malley – this is the guy I can’t track down.  He was punted because of his anti-Israel viewpoints in foreign policy.  I wonder if he has found his way back into the inner circle?  [DS:  As I noted back in November, he wasn’t really fired and was back in the Obama administration.]

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By Debbie Schlussel

Too bad it’s not really just rewards week for Swedish anti-Semites and Israel-haters.

As you may know, last week, Swedish newspaper “Aftonbladet” did a “special report” rehearsing old anti-Semitic blood libel canards, claiming that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians to harvest their organs.  We’ve heard this before . . . mostly from Muslim countries (which Sweden is fast becoming–get ready for Al-IKEAllah) and their anti-Semitic government-sponsored propaganda (like “Kurtlar Vadisi – Irak,” the Turkish movie starring Gary Busey and Billy Zane).

Are Amputated Stinky Feet Flavoring Your Swedish Gravlax?

The article was despicable.  But the Swedes don’t care.  Because anti-Semitism is now acceptable there, just as it was during World War II, when the great Raoul Wallenberg was among the few brave Swedes to do something to save Jews from the Nazis.

But now, it seems, the Swedes are getting a taste of their own medicine . . . with less effective fake legends of hate (which, unlike in Swedish newspapers, are actually labeled as such).  In this case it’s a report about what’s really in their gravlax and why it, um, “tastes” the way it does.  This truly is a case of putting someone else’s foot in your mouth.  Yuck!

Arnolf Lillehammer, a resident of the Norwegian village of Idiben, located near the Swedish border, will never forget the last time he saw his father alive. . . .

Three weeks later, Arnolf’s fears were replaced by pure horror, after finding his father’s corpse buried in the snow, with both his feet cut off. . . .

This was not the only disappearance in the area. In fact, dozens of cases of fishermen failing to return home at the end of the day were recorded in eastern Norway in recent years. . . .

Residents of east Norway villages, known for not changing socks for long months, were therefore an obvious target. And so, Sweden established the Strumpor Stinkande elite unit, responsible for fresh supply of stinky human feet for the Swedish salmon industry.

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By Debbie Schlussel

The usual cadre of ignorant prominent conservatives is urging us to support of Whole Foods because left-wingers are boycotting the overpriced gourmet food chain since CEO John Mackey wrote an op-ed against ObamaCare in the Wall Street Journal.  Sorry, but I have no sympathy for the guy.  What goes around in his store’s behavior, comes around, even in organics.

Terrorist U: These Companies & Products Fund . . .

. . . Terrorist Re-Enactments Like These @ An-Najah University

An-Najah University Stages Re-enactments

Glorifying Sbarro Pizza Homicide Bombing

The “conservatives” who support Whole Foods are the same ones who look the other way in other areas when someone they like on some issues is a jihad-enabler.  You know who they are.  They’re the same ones who praised Jew-hating HAMASnik Robert Novak, promote Jihad Darrell a/k/a Darrell Issa (Hezbollah’s favorite Congressman), and lamented Sami Al-Arian/Islamic terrorist buddy Henry Hyde, because a conservative’s pan-jihadism can be overlooked in a convenient dose of double standards and hypocrisy.They’re group–not critical–“thinkers.”

But, unlike them, I look beneath the surface of silly, shallow talking points and principle-free partisan knee-jerking.  And I’m not upset that Whole Foods is being boycotted.  In fact, I love it.  It’s a great episode in poetic justice for a store chain that helps fund and promote jihad and anti-Semitic/anti-Israel radio programming.  And now they’re getting what they deserve . . . from their own crazy ideologues.

Yes, John Mackey and his store are now getting a taste of their own medicine–the very orthodoxy they practice against Israel is now being practiced against him.

A story I broke on this site documents how Whole Foods refuses to carry Israeli olive oil.  I documented how the store has, instead, chosen to carry, vigorously promote, and subsidize Palestinian olive oil made by extremists who support Islamic terrorism.  The olive oil, Canaan Fair Trade olive oil, sends its profits to fund scholarships at An-Najah University (and even worse “schools”), where the majority of the student body is in HAMAS and recruits for HAMAS, and where official school displays glorify the homicide bombing of innocent civilians at Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem, and mock its blown-up victims.

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By Debbie Schlussel

Earlier today, an immigration judge, Kenneth Hurewitz, threw out the government’s case to deport Youssef Megahed, one-half of the smiling terrorist team along with convicted terrorist Ahmed Mohamed. The two South Florida residents and University of South Florida were caught driving on a back highway in South Carolina, where they were stopped for speeding and questioned by a sharp, observant sheriff’s deputy near Goose Creek, South Carolina who found pipe bombs (which they said were “Just Fireworks!”) and encountered very suspicious behavior and lots of lying from the two.

Reports say Megahed and his family were “stunned” at the decision.  Sure they are.  Despite how stupid and gullible we are toward Muslims, they never cease to be amazed and how even more so we can continue to become despite evidence they want to kill us, of which there was plenty in this case.  I’ve written a great deal about it.

Yes, Hurewitz’s absurd decision was despite plenty of evidence that he was part of an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell, connections to Islamic Jihad founder and front-man Sami Al-Arian, and his partner, Mohamed, made videos on how to turn remote control toys into bombs.

That was the evidence presented.  But there was plenty of evidence that–for some strange reason–the government didn’t present, just as it had not done at a lame prosecution “attempt,” which it lost.

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By Debbie Schlussel

The movies are mostly average to horrid, this weekend, but for the exceptional “Inglourious Basterds,” my review of which was posted yesterday.  But that’s usually the box office scoop for August, the cemetery where bad movies are sent to die (like I said, “Basterds” is the exception).

*  “Inglourious Basterds“:  Best movie I’ve seen all year.  Jewish American soldiers and a French Jew, whose family was killed by the Nazis, take revenge on the Nazis.  Read my full review.

FOUR REAGANS

*  “Adam“:  This movie was strange.  And it had a little too much melodrama for me.  I didn’t like the ending either, which was very cold.  Still, it was interesting.  A woman dates her neighbor, who has Asperger’s syndrome.  She falls in love with him, but doesn’t know if she should spend her life with a man who can never feel or express emotions like those without the condition.  Has its funny moments, but was, ultimately, very sad.

ONE REAGAN

*  “Ponyo“:  A Japanese animated film for kids, this was dubbed in with the English-speaking voices of mostly American celebrities.  Many critics (and parents) raved over it, but while it was very cute and relaxing, for me it was just okay.  Nothing wrong with it.  But, after far better animated movies like “Up” (read my review), this was lackluster in comparison.  Still, it’s great for family entertainment if you have young kids.  But, at almost two hours, it’s kind of long for restless kids.

It’s the story of a young boy, Sosuke, whose father is a ship’s captain, and his mother works at a nursing home.  They live in a house on a cliff, next to the sea.  The boyfinds a cute goldfish (Ponyo) who wants to become a human girl.  Her evil wizard father, who lives underwater, holds Ponyo and her sister fish captive and plots to keep her.  Soon he sends waves of ocean to flood the land.  And the story continues with the Sosuke and Ponyo on the flooded land trying to find Sosuke’s mother and and Ponyo trying to and partially becoming human.

ONE-AND-A-HALF REAGANS

*  “Shorts“:  A giant booger chases kids in this movie.  Yup, a giant booger.  Need I say more about this movie and how awful it was?

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By Debbie Schlussel

You’ve probably read or heard on TV News about the outrageous release of Abdel Basset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi–convicted in the 1988 Islamic terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland–to a hero’s welcome in Libya.  I don’t blame most of the families for being upset.

Al-Megrahi Wasn’t Alone; Dearbornistan Muslim Passenger Helped

But you probably don’t know the whole story about Pan-Am Flight 103’s bombing, including the Dearbornistan connection.  In fact, as I’ve noted previously on this site, the bombing operation was not originally a Libyan one.  More on that later.

It’s not really being reported much, but the flight was chosen not just because it had Americans on board, but many Jewish Americans.  As I noted last year:

The plane was chosen because terrorists knew many Americans would be on board, a good number of them American Jews, with surnames like Cohen and Bernstein. A group of 35 students from Syracuse University were on the flight. Some federal officials apparently knew about the likelihood the plane would be attacked, as they canceled their own reservations on that flight. Yet, not a word of it was breathed to innocent civilians who were sacrificed in jihad and in the U.S. government’s silence about it.

Though not reported in any of the coverage of the Megrahi release, the bombing of Pan Am 103 was planned and begun by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.  And a Dearborn Shi’ite Muslim drug dealer who was on the plane was thought to have been involved in the bombing, using explosives in his Walkman. So, I can understand why some believe that al-Megrahi was wrongly convicted.  I don’t share that belief (because strong evidence ties him to the bombing), but I know that only one person got the blame for something a deceased guy in Dearborn was involved in.

All of that was swept under the rug, as al-Megrahi took all the blame.  But, for weeks, the Detroit media in 1988 was covering the steps and travels of Khalid Nazir Jaafar, a Dearborn-based passenger on the flight, and then went out of its way to whitewash his involvement.  From my previous work on this:

The attack has a Michigan connection, which betrays the claim that Muslim-Americans haven’t attacked Americans in terrorist attacks. A Muslim drug dealer, Khalid Nazir Jaafar, of Dearbornistan, at the last minute, changed his flight to get on Pan Am 103. It’s believed a bomb inside his Walkman in his gym bag blew up the plane. Jaafar was a Shi’ite whose family came from Hezbollah-stronghold Ba’albek in the Bekaa Valley. That story, however, was covered up and swept under the rug in succeeding years and the trial of Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence officer also in on the plan.

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By Debbie Schlussel

Since it’s Friday, it’s Free Chocolate Friday. As regular readers know, every Friday through the end of September is Free Chocolate Friday, meaning that under Mars’ “Real Chocolate Relief Act” promotion, you can get a coupon for a free Mars chocolate candy bar.

Go here for the details and link to free chocolate.

By Debbie Schlussel

As readers know, on Monday, I remarked on the absurdity of an ABC News story that ran on “World News Tonight,” in which Yosemite’s only Black ranger, Shelton Johnson, claimed that Blacks are afraid to go to America’s national parks because the soil reminds them of slavery. (Watch the video.)

Now, ABC News’ “20/20” anchor and reporter John Stossel cites me on the absurdity of that ABC News story and the comments about the soil:

ABC News’ John Stossel Cites DebbieSchlussel.com

Blogger Debbie Schlussel thinks the idea that blacks don’t visit national parks because of racism is ridiculous:

This has to be the most absurd claim of racism and intimidation of Blacks I’ve heard yet–that America’s national parks are racist and that Blacks don’t visit because the dirt and the soil remind them of slavery.  Hilarious.  Blacks have been farmers in America for centuries.  But now, soil and dirt at parks reminds them of slavery?

Why must racism be the first thing to which some people assign blame for every problem, real or imagined?

Thanks, John.  And Amen.