Firing Line With William F. Buckley: Norman Mailer- 'Crime & Punishment: Gary Gilmore'

Source:Firing Line With William F. Buckley- Author Norman Mailer, talking about his book about convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, in 1979.

"Episode S0390, Recorded on October 11, 1979, Guest: Norman Mailer"

From Firing Line With William F. Buckley

This is about convicted serial murderer Gary Gilmore who was obviously guilty of multiple murders out in Utah in the mid 1970s. Gilmore, not only admitted to his murders, but wanted to take responsibility for all of them by paying the ultimate price for them with his life and getting the death penalty for them.

Most convicted murderers who are facing the death penalty fight to the very end and even if they admit to their murders, they at least try to get their death sentence overturned and get life in prison instead. But Gary Gilmore perhaps similar to a cancer patient who perhaps knows they can be alive indefinitely, but will be in pain the rest of their lives, or at least under heavy medication for the rest of their lives, to relieve the pain and be able to stay alive and decide that its not worth it to them and decide to end their own life through physician assisted suicide, Gilmore knew he was a murderer and believed his life wasn’t worth saving or preserving and fought to get the death penalty.

Gilmore, was sentenced to death for the two murders that he committed and instead of appealing his death sentence, he instead decided that he would just accept and be put to death. And anti-death penalty groups in the mid 1970s fought to get his death sentence overturned and his case gets to the Supreme Court where they decided that would be put to death. And I guess Gilmore in a sense and won that case even though the prize was the death penalty, but that’s exactly what he wanted to begin with.

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Big Education Ape: George McGovern For President (1972)

Source:The Big Education Ape- Senator George McGovern, running for President in 1972. Actor Warren Beatty in the background.

"George McGovern - a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain.

Nixonland: An unpopular war, an economy in the dumps, a President with low approval ratings, his opponent revitalizing his base: How did the democrats lose in 1972, and by a historic margin?"

From Big Education Ape

"NBC News’ Dasha Burns looks back at the 1972 presidential race between George McGovern and Richard Nixon and how it compares it to the liberal message of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign...

Source:NBC News- Senator George McGovern, accepting the 1972 Democratic Party nomination for President.

From NBC News

If self-described Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders, is even unelectable in the Democratic Party in 2020, where their young voters tell pollsters that they like socialism, imagine what it was like for Senator George McGovern (the Bernie Sanders of the 1970s) to run for President as a Democrat in 1972. In 1972 being called a Socialist or Communist in America, was like being called a rapist, or murderer, terrorist, etc. No mainstream politician in America and even fringe politicians in the Democratic Party, wanted anything to do with Socialist or Communist to describe their politics.

Except that Bernie is very honest about his politics, at least as far as how he self-describes himself. George, called himself a Liberal, meaning the pop culture and mainstream media stereotypical version of a Liberal: the guy who doesn't shave, doesn't get hair cuts, has a government program and tax increase for every problem known to man, as well as problems that haven't even been invented yet. Wears military fatigues, even though he claims to be anti-military. Wears Che Guevara t-shirts that have the peace symbol on them, (even though Che wasn't a pacifist) claims communism is a good thing and that capitalism is racist, even though he does everything that he can to subsidize American capitalism with everything that he buys and the way he lives.

George McGovern, obviously wasn't a hippie, but he was a proud and devout leftist (some would even say Socialist) whose version of what the American economy would look like is very similar to what Senator Bernie Sanders believes in today: American capitalist economy, with a strong regulatory state, as well as a welfare state that would be universal to provide the employee benefits that most Americans get from their employers today.

George McGovern, wasn't a Liberal, at least in the political sense as someone who believed in liberal democracy and individual liberty. (Which is what liberal is actually about) George, believed in liberty, but he believed that it had to be supplemented by a large welfare state and tax system, so people didn't become what he and Bernie would call too independent and wealthy, while others were struggling just to survive. Social Democrat or Democratic Socialist would be the best ways to describe both George McGovern's and Bernie Sanders politics, which is why Bernie Sanders is called the George McGovern of his time. 

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Danny White: Dallas Cowboys (1980-88)

Source:Getty Images- Dallas Cowboys QB Danny White, against the Redskins in 1983.

"IRVING, TX - DECEMBER 11: Quarterback Danny White #11 of the Dallas Cowboys passing in a game against the Washington Redskins on December 11, l983 in Irving, Texas. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)"

From Getty Images

"Danny White career highlights. I do not own any of the audio or footage shown in this video."

Source:DC 4 Life- Dallas Cowboys QB Danny White, playing the Los Angeles Rams.

From DC 4 Life

When I was growing up in the 1980s the Redskins (I still say that) and the Dallas Cowboys was not just the premier rivalry in the NFL, but perhaps in all of professional sports. Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics, or Celtic-Los Angeles Lakers rivalries in the NBA were better, but the Redskins-Cowboys was right there with those rivalries.

The term hate when it comes to rivalries gets thrown around a lot in sports, but it's not the same type of hate that would be between, racial, ethnic, religious, or even political factions. Sports hate is more about respect than anything else, that you hate your arch-rivals as much as you respect them. You hate and respect them so much that every time you play them, you don't just want to beat them, but beat them. Beat them so badly that you and they remember how badly you beat them, because you know how good the other team is.

In the 1980s, the Redskins knew that the Cowboys were very good and the Cowboys knew that the Redskins were very good. Every time they played each other at least after Joe Gibbs arrived in Washington, it seemed like it was a battle for the NFC East and to get top position in the NFC as well so you would be in great position in the NFC Playoffs to get to the Super Bowl.

Cowboys QB Danny White, is a big reason why I hated the Cowboys so much back then when I was growing up, because he was so good. I mean every time the Redskins played the Cowboys, it seemed like White was hitting WR Tony Hill for a big play down the sidelines for a touchdown. Or hitting TE Doug Cosbie down the middle of the field for a big play. When White had time and protection, he was as good a QB in the NFL as there was back them. He was so accurate and had an excellent arm, as well as mobility.

In the 1980s the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry were no longer the premiere franchise in the NFC, let alone in the NFL. They no longer had their doomsday defense, their receivers, weren't as good as they had been. Their DL wasn't as dominant, and the secondary wasn't as good either. And I believe Danny White took a lot of the blame from Tom Landry for the fall of the Cowboys. And even though White wasn't as good as Roger Staubach, but no other QB was back then.

The Cowboys were still consistent winners in the 1980s, as well as Super Bowl contenders: 3 straight NFC Final appearances from 1980-82, 12-4 in 1983 and just win shy of winning the NFC East that year. Danny White, is not the reason for the decline or fall of the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry, but a big reason for why they remained one of the best franchises in the NFC, as well as NFL during the 1980s and he deserves more credit for that, because he was about as good as any other QB in the NFL back then when he was healthy and you gave him time to throw the ball.

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You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on Blogger.

Dan Marino: The Best Pure Passer Ever

Source:Lee G- throwing for 5000 yards and 48 TD's when teams were still allowed to play great defense and get to the QB.

"Dan Marino's "Quick Release" Career Highlights! The NFL Throwback is your home for all things NFL history."

Source:NFL Throwback- Dan The Man Marino.

From NFL Throwback

People can talk about statistics, especially wins and championships and if that's how they judge NFL QB's, there are several better than Dan Marino, like Joe Montana, John Elway, and John Unitas, perhaps even Brett Favre. And if you were born in the 21st Century or barely even remember the 1990s, stats and wins are probably all you judge NFL QB's by and Tom Brady would probably be your pick for the greatest QB ever.

But if you judge QB's individually by what they personally accomplished and what they're personally responsible for and by their talent, their physical and mental abilities, I think you're going to have a helluva hard time finding a better QB than Dan Marino from the Miami Dolphins. Forget about stats for a second (which is almost impossible for Millennial's) no one threw the ball better or as well as Dan Marino.

He really was the Dan The Man in Miami, because the Dolphins were almost completely reliant on him to not just play well, but play great, and lead the team down the field late in the game to win the game for the Dolphins. And doing this without a good defense and running game ( forget about great) for most of his career and doing it when he knew the opposing defense were targeting him with the attitude: "If we get to Marino and stop him, the Dolphins can't beat us."

Dan Marino is the best pure passer and perhaps even best passing QB the NFL has ever had, simply because of his arm, his accuracy, his touch, his leadership, and accomplishing almost everything that he did in his career, including 147 wins (155 including playoffs) without much of a defense and running game for most of his great career.

Like to have seen Joe Montana have the same kind of success without those great 49er defenses and running backs, and o-lines. With Dan Marino, the San Francisco 49ers might have won 5-6 Super Bowls in the 1980s, because he wouldn't have gotten hurt as often. 

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Salman Rushdie: Freedom of Speech

Source:Imgur- Author Salman Rushdie, making the case for free speech.

Salman Rushdie: "Nothing should be immune from criticism."

From Imgur

"Author Salman Rushdie, who lived for years under a death threat after his 1988 book The Satanic Verses drew the wrath of Iranian religious leaders, said the right to free speech is absolute or else it isn't free.

Following a speech at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Rushdie on Wednesday addressed the killings last week of 12 people at the Paris satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. He said he was angered that, in the aftermath of the shootings, some from both the left and the right began to vilify the victims."

Source:Mashable- Author Salman Rushdie.

From Mashable

"Freedom of speech[2] is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The term "freedom of expression" is sometimes used synonymously but includes any act of seeking, receiving, and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used."

From Wikipedia

Saying that someone has the right to be an asshole, is not the same thing as saying that you agree with assholes. We all say stupid, ignorant, bigoted things from time to time which is one of the prices and yet rewards for being humans: the right to learn and grow. And of course assholes are more ignorant and unfeeling than regular people, otherwise they wouldn't be assholes.

Saying that people have the right to speak freely is exactly that. From the most enlightened, to the most ignorant. It doesn't mean we can wildly accuse people of rape and other felonies, or shout fire in movie theaters, or falsely advertise ourselves, our services, and products, or incite violence.

It means that we have a right to our own views and the have right to express ourselves and make our thoughts known. Even if they're critical of certain people or groups, including the government, politicians, and other public officials. And it also means that every American has the exact same free speech rights as every other American, with no exception to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, color, sexuality, or birthplace.

And with our liberal, constitutional right to free speech comes a liberal amount of responsibility to what we say and what we believe. It means that every American has a constitutional right to express how they feel about what every other American says and believes. That also means that assholes not only have the same free speech rights as the enlightened, but they have the same responsibilities as everyone else. And people who hate their ignorance can call bullshit on them and tell them exactly how ignorant they are.

Liberal democracy as great as it is, is never easy and it will always be hard and complicated and yet always rewarding. And we can only reach our full-potential and be as great as we can be as a liberal democracy and federal republic as long as everyone is not only taking advantage of their individual freedom, including their freedom of speech, but defending every other America's individual freedom, including their free speech. Especially the people that they not only disagree with, but hate what that person or those people have to say. Otherwise we'll never be anything other than clones of whatever the populist or in-crowd is at the time, or the government telling us what we have to believe and what we can say.  

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Mystery File: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour- Don't Look Behind You (1962) Starring Vera Miles & Jeffrey Hunter

Source:Mystery File- Hollywood Goddess Vera Miles and actor Jeffrey Hunter, on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1962.

"Don’t Look Behind You.” An episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (Season 1, Episode 2). First air date: 27 September 1962. Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Abraham Sofaer, Dick Sargent, Alf Kjellin, Ralph Roberts, Mary Scott, Madge Kennedy. Teleplay: Barr� Lyndon, based on a novel by Samuel Rogers. Director: John Brahm...

From Mystery File

"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour S01E02 Don't Look Behind You"

Source:Public Domain Television- Jeffrey Hunter as Harold.

From Public Domain Television

Harold (played by Jeffrey Hunter) I guess is a student of true crime who wants to become a criminal psychologist and is fascinated by it and the little crime spree that's going around his school at this time is perfect for him and he becomes consumed by it.

Daphne (played by Hollywood Goddess Vera Miles) is a doctor and plays Harold's boyfriend. She's late for a dinner party one night and her and her boyfriend arrive separately at the the party and ends up taking a walk in the woods where apparently the killer has been wandering through. Her friends and boyfriend find out about it and give her a hard time about it, even though she doesn't think it's a big deal.

Harold become obsess with this true crime story to the point that it consumes him and he wants to solve the case himself and find out why the killer is committing these crime and get into his head. He tries to get into the mind of the killer to the point that he becomes the killer himself as far as he's acting and at one point tries to kill his girlfriend Daphne and ends up getting arrested and sent to a mental institution.

Vera Miles, was perfect for Alfred Hitchcock, similar to Diana Dors or Grace Kelly, because she was drop-dead gorgeous and yet so adorable that she could seem childlike and yet very sexy as well, and also very smart and witty. Which is why she did both a lot of TV, as well as film work for Hitchcock in the 1950s and 1960s. And continued her career in television in the 1970s making a lot of guess appearances on detective shows, including Hawaii 50, Columbo, Cannon, Mannix, and other shows. 

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