Sunday, March 4, 2012

Chasing Andrew



In 2000, something astonishing happened to me.

I was running an insurance brokerage by day, setting up and servicing health, dental and disability plans for a book of clients in the private and public sectors, from around 5 to 5,000 employees. Off hours, I was writing screenplays.

For a hobby, I was doing okay. I'd sold a couple scripts, even seeing one, Blind Justice, go into production in 1992. As my very droll brother, Paul, once put it, "Not bad. Nobody's paid me a dime for playing a round of golf." (Now, to get an idea of just how droll Paul is, you need to imagine Robert Wagner in his prime, only an octave lower in his delivery)

I'd promised myself when I started writing that if I didn't achieve a very specific level of success with writing screenplays by the time I was 40, I'd hang it up and try something else. Novels, maybe. After all, everyone knows that show-business is is a young man's game, and nobody (except for Charles Durning, maybe) breaks in after 40.

In any case, things had dried up on the writing front, and I was coming up on four decades, so my promise to call it quits and hang up my spurs was fast-changing from an oh-yeah-whenever kind of thing into an uh-oh-looks-like-I'm-really-gonna-have-to-admit-I-failed thing.

Now here's the thing you need to know about us Knaufs. We are sore losers. We are tennis-racket-smashed-on-the-clay losers. We are take-all-my-fucking-chips-I'm-outta-here losers. We are fuck-you-and-your-stupid-hotel-on-Boardwalk-I'm-flipping-this-fucking-board losers.

Or, as my brother Paul puts it, "Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."

In any case, I decided to give myself a reprieve. Though I had spent literally thousands of hours honing my craft over the prior ten years, I'd spent maybe ten minutes marketing it. Rather than throwing in the towel, I decided to give it one more big shot. I decided to create a website on which to post all the first acts of all my unsold babies--sort of an online clearing house for writing samples.

When prompted to name it, I decided to go with "unmovies.com." That was, after all, what all my work was--well, at least most of it.

So up went the scripts and, cutting quickly to the chase, about a year later, I was meeting with a young producer, Robert Keghobad,  to discuss developing Carnivale as the next TV project for his boss, director (and all-around terrific guy) Scott Winant.

I was now officially in The Belly of the Beast.

I should state right here that when I first started off on my Grand Hollywood Adventure, I was a socially left leaning, moderate fiscal conservative, proudly independent, ignoring party affiliations and casting my ballot for whoever I thought was best for--or, in any case, would do the least damage to--my beloved country.

Had I been born a generation earlier, I would have described myself as a Kennedy Democrat. As it was, I suppose the Libertarian tag might fit, but I've always borne a healthy suspicion of anything that smacks of an "ideology."

All that said, I was pretty much apolitical. The closest I came to studying issues was to pick up one of P.J. O'Rourke's books for a giggle or two. But then, I also got a kick out of Michael Moore's first film, Roger and Me. Politically, I was the proverbial wise-ass kid with a permanent seat in the rear of the classroom where I could safely heckle the nuns without collecting too many stripes across the back of my knuckles.

Then, on September 11th, 2001, everything changed.

I remember watching the collapse of the first tower and feeling--literally feeling the breath just leave my lungs, my chest filling with a terrible, ghastly void; a sense of distant screams in a windswept wasteland and loss loss loss oh my God all those people all those people they murdered all those thousands of people...

Though it was but seconds, it seemed minutes, many long minutes before I could draw a breath. I quietly excused myself and hurried to the bedroom to spare my young children the memory of seeing Daddy collapse helplessly into a series of horrified, aching, gut-wrenching sobs.

As soon as I'd composed myself, I rejoined my family.  I really have no memory of the ensuing hours, only that my wife and I decided I should go to work, that we'd try to keep the kids calm by maintaining our normal schedules. Only God knew what the future held...

I was working my first network series gig as a staff writer on a show called Wolf Lake while Carnivale was in development at HBO.

Like every American that morning, I was greeted by coworkers in various states of shock, portable TVs turned to the news in all the offices. Over the days following the attack, like every American, I was approached by a number of colleagues who wished to vent and commiserate.

But unlike every American,  my coworkers expressed little or no anger toward the terrorists who had committed this atrocity. Rather, they directed their vitriol towards American Imperialism, American foreign policy, American arrogance, American warmongering, American racism and, most of all, our American President, the evil, unfathomably stupid, idiot-Christian, bumbling Texan oaf, George W. Bush.

And what did I say?

Nothing.

Not a damn thing.

I was just shocked silent. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Were these people crazy?

At one point, one of my fellow writers must've noticed that I wasn't expressing my state-mandated, required ration of Bush-hatred, and confronted me like some rabid Dominican at the height of the Spanish Inquisition,

"So what do you think?" she hissed, eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me, as if vetting me for any possible variance from the accepted party ideology, "What would you do if you were the President?"

"If I was President, I would make a speech before a joint session of Congress, demanding that Bin Laden be delivered within 48 hours to the steps of the White House--alive, dead or just his fucking head in a burlap bag, I don't care. If not, then I suggest that all you assholes in Kabul lather up with some SPF 5,000, strap on some welding goggles and take a gander to the East, because we're gonna fire a little 400 kiloton shot over the bow, so to speak. And that's where the sun's gonna rise--out there just East of your capitol, in a relatively uninhabited patch of shit you call a country. Let's call that a preview of coming attractions, shall we? Because if another 24 hours passes after the deployment of our first missile, and I'm not trading bon-mots with your boy's head here in the Oval Office, we will fire another, and this time it will be targeted to explode, oh, about 200 meters above the center of the rat-hole you call a capitol. Which is why I'm really, really glad that I'm not the President, because I'm pissed-off crazy as Hell."

Actually, I didn't say that.

Well... not all of it.

What I actually said, after a bit of hemming and hawing and averting of the eyes, was, "I'm just really, really glad that I'm not the President, because I don't know what I'd do."

(NOTE: Deliver the above in a Goofy uh-huh-yuk-yuk dopey-aww-shucks drawl to appreciate the full "Who, Me? No Ma'am!" gutlessness inherent in the speaker.)

She glared at me for a moment, as if attempting to x-ray my soul to determine whether I was a fellow-traveler, or something... else. Finally, she walked out to go write a check to PETA or shit herself over Global Warming or something. I was, for the moment anyway, safe.

Over the ensuing years, I continued to remain silent whenever confronted by the toxic, batshit-crazy, knee-jerk, anti-intellectual, when-in-doubt-blame-America Leftism that pervades Hollywood. I saw what happened to others if they spoke up or disagreed with the party line. I actually witnessed one writer, who foolishly expressed his support for the war in Iraq, set-upon and viciously berated by no less than six crew-members for almost 20 minutes straight.

That night, he found his car had been keyed in our secure lot.

Hmm... must've been a random vandal.

Incidentally, though he had a storied career, an amazing list of credits and is one of the most versatile, talented writer-producers I know, the jobs gradually dried up for him and now he can't, as they say, get arrested in this town.

Toadies in the MSM assert that there is no Blacklist in Hollywood.

And they're right.

It's not necessary because Hollywood is a very, very small, very, very ruthless town, where a few key words spoken in the right ears can absolutely wreck a career--code-words like "difficult," "high-maintenance" and "uneven."  When you can obliterate a fellow professional with a few well-chosen phrases, why maintain something as crude and inelegant as a Blacklist?

How dare anyone even suggest that there's a Blacklist against conservative artists and performers?

Blacklists are for mouth-breathers.

Blacklists are for knuckle-draggers.

Blacklists are so... so... Republican.

And so I kept my mouth shut. And a funny thing happened: The longer I was forced to withhold my opinions and beliefs, the brighter they burned in me. Funny. Oppression has a way of doing that to the oppressed.

Ask any Soviet defector...

For years, I bit my tongue, nodding and making non-committal sounds while listening to the most virulently noxious Leftist spew imaginable: Explicit rape-murder fantasies directed toward Palin, Coulter, Malkin and Ingraham; blithely expressed wishes of cancer, assassination and mutilation of Bush, Cheney and Limbaugh; the snide denigration of "civilians" (i.e. anyone not in the entertainment business) in the "flyover states" (i.e. everywhere except New York and east of the Golden State Freeway--Pasadena, for instance is a "flyover state"); and, of course, the endless venomous, profanity-laced screeds against the Tea Party.

Even more shocking was the rampant hypocrisy, the endemic corruption, the casual thievery--from producers ordering custom built doors and windows for their homes from the construction department, to having their Beemers and Benzos topped daily with gas by transpo. All on the studio dime.

Meanwhile, any actress, female writer or exec can tell you that the Casting Couch is alive and well in contemporary Hollywood. And it's absolutely fascinating just how many male producers and execs time their set-visits to coincide with nude-scenes...

And forget about "diversity."

Visit a set, and you can't help but notice that the overwhelming majority of the crew is male and white. It's even worse above the line. Any bank, chain restaurant or box-store that exercised such brazenly monochromatic patterns of hire would have been sued and fined into oblivion decades ago.

And, by the way, it helps to be under 40. Or look under 40. Or at least affect the breathlessly chatty verbal affect of a 17 year old, Ritalin-amped high-school kid.

And through it all, I kept my head down. Every day, I grew more disgusted by my cowardice.  But the most intolerable aspect of living under a self-imposed gag order by far was the loneliness, alienation and isolation.

Then I met Andrew Breitbart.

Andrew introduced me to others--lots of others--in the industry who shared my belief in the exquisite beauty of the American Constitution, my love for this country and my firm conviction in its exceptionalism.

Not dozens of people, mind you. Not even hundreds.

There are thousands of us.

But there are tens of thousands of them.

So we keep a low profile, quietly taking heart when the Gary Sinises, the Patricia Heatons, the Lionel Chetwynds, the Adam Baldwins achieve a degree of success so solid, so bulletproof, that they can step out into the light and openly express their opinions without fear of crippling reprisal from the Trolls. Not that they don't pay a price--imagine how much more famous and wealthy each would be if they were strident Liberals.

And God help them if they stumble in their personal lives. Safety-nets and PR shields are strictly reserved for the Obama-Loving-Fur-Is-Murder-Christians-Are-Evil-Bush-Lied-Truther-OWS-Fuck-the-Teabaggers set (if you don't believe me, compare and contrast: Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson).

I only met Andrew three or four times.

The last time we communicated, it was through Twitter. I publicly wished him a Happy Birthday. In subsequent DMs, I joked about him "dragging another Hollywood guy out of the closet." Misunderstanding me, his reply was one of concern for my professional welfare. I assured him that I was just kidding and signed off.

When he died, my first thought was, "Oh my God. What're we gonna do now?"

We are in the middle of a War of Ideas. At stake is nothing less than the principles of inalienable rights and freedom upon which the United States was founded.

And Andrew Breitbart is dead.

Since the Wilson Administration, the Socialist Left has sustained a slow, inexorable push toward a Big Government, by the Government, for the Government, by transforming a once-free people into a whining, needy nation of suckling dependents.

And Andrew Breitbart is dead.

Corrupt European and Canadian socialism is touted as a shining exemplar. Hustlers, gold-brickers, union thugs and corporate moochers have hijacked the system. Half of us pay no tax at all. The other half pays more onerous rates than those levied by Medieval Lords on their serfs.

And Andrew Breitbart is dead.

A seated President is openly demonizing our best and brightest, stoking the embers of class-envy, courting mob violence and racial animus, ruling by fiat, bypassing Congress, brazenly defying court orders, and publicly expressing admiration for the "efficiency" of totalitarianism.

And Andrew Breitbart is dead.

Such were my thoughts last night as I was having a quiet drink at the Huntington Langham Hotel.  I saw the hashtag thread #IAmAndrewBreitbart and drew some cheer from it. I mentally debated whether to add to the thread and thought, "Ahh, to hell with it. One tweet. Nobody'll even notice."

Besides, I had no choice. The tag was a play on the signature line from Spartacus, and I was a writer-producer on the first season of Sparatcus: Blood and Sand. It seemed preordained.

And thusly I tweeped:

"I wrote Spartacus, and #IAmAndrewBreitbart"

I got a response. Clever stuff. Typically mindless Leftist-style zombie-chant:

"HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIED HE LIED AND HE DIEDHE LIED AND HE DIED"

Stupid stuff. A bullshit schoolyard taunt designed to get a rise out of me. Wouldn't have phased me any other night.

But last night, something snapped.

12 years of silence. 12 years of cowardice. 12 years of humiliating self-censorship. 12 years of hiding what I think, who I am and what I believe in order to protect my livelihood.

And Andrew Breitbart is dead.

It all just started bleeding out of me, white hot, 140 characters at a time. All my rage. All my indignation. Like the jetting pulse from a slashed carotid, for the whole world to see.

Then came the emails. And the Follows. 1,000 in about an hour. My jaws clenched, tears blurred my vision as I typed (as they blur them now as I type): My hero is dead. Andrew Breitbart is dead.

Long live Andrew Breitbart.

#IAmAndrewBreitbart.


173 comments:

  1. God bless you, Daniel. Your courage and honesty inspires us all.

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  2. Gave me goosebumps reading that. God bless you.

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  3. Awesome post. I wish Patricia Heaton was still on Twitter. I hope she gets this and see that we have the strength together to prevail.

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    1. She is back on! I have been sending loving tweets her way...trying to make up for the haters.

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  4. #weareallbreitbart. Have faith in yourself.

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  5. Compelling and moving. You are a powerful gift to our cause and I'm glad you're here with us.

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  6. Awesome! We have your back brother! You are not alone. Andrew is an inspiration and the reason we are finding our voice. Now is our time, circle the wagons and give them hell!

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    1. AMEN to what John Said. You will NEVER be alone with us, and your friendship and the loyalty will be FOR REAL, not just for show.

      xoxoxo
      MsU

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  7. Sir, I applaud you for your stance. All of us have had to go through similar situations to protect our jobs, or not upset family, or to just avoid an encounter with someone we had to put up with who was unhinged.

    I stand with you. You will see soon, thousands who will stand with you as well.

    God bless you and stay strong. #BreitbartIsHere

    Your friend @Tots4Masses

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  8. Such a great tribute to Andrew and perfect telling of your life experience which has been felt by us all in some way or another. Loved this.

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  9. The honesty in your words was so refreshing. Thanks for sharing! Have faith and don't give up fighting!

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  10. I witnessed this in real-time, and aside from the outpouring for Breitbart himself, it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen on twitter.

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    1. My thoughts exactly... last few days have been inspiring.

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  11. Brilliant. And thanks. (A couple of typos. Screeds instead of scree. Fiat instead of caveat. Delete this if you want.)

    Keep going, Daniel. You have friends out here.

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    1. Thanks. It's nice to get helpful editorial notes for a change. Normally, I'd be getting "Does it have to be Andrew? Couldn't it be Steve?" or "It would be really good if it was set on a submarine!"

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  12. Greetings from Colorado. I dearly hope the wrath of liberal Hollywood spares you, but in the meantime, know that you have stood to be counted among the righteous. The rest doesn't count for a hill of beans.

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  14. Kudos to you, fellow patriot. What a brave thing you are doing. Bravo!

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  15. Addendum: You paint a vivid portrait of Hollywood-as-snakepit, and while the principle of the thing moves me to root for your career, there is the thought that being driven out for your heresy might just be the best thing for your soul, metaphorically if not literally.

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  16. The Breitbart Badge of Honor is won by being scorned and reviled by the so-called "mainstream" media elite.

    Wear it proudly.

    (You do have full-coverage on your car, though, right?)

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  17. God bless you! My faith and hope for this country is fading fast, especially when I read in the paper about the "wonderful" play "8", where Jane Lynch is chosen to play the character that represents conservatives. Do you really think we got a fair a balanced portrayal? Or were we portrayed as intolerant buffoons? Please keep up the good work, and please don't let them bully you into silence. I will be praying for you and your family, and for all the others like you in Hollywood. God bless you.

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  18. I have an addendum to my comment above: I know that there are talents like Breitbart out there, who will fill the void. Perhaps it is for this purpose that you were put into the position that you are now in. Please consider taking up the mantle.

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  19. Best ever expression of the sense of loss I felt after heariing the sad news. Spot on! Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Excellent!

    Greetings from your friends cowering in the underground in higher ed.

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    1. Good grief, Devon... if ever there was a time to reveal yourself, it is NOW in the rising Phoenix that IS #AndrewBreitbart!

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  21. You've done a wonderful, very brave thing. I feel very inspired. I know what it's like to self-censor. You're right. We've all got to step up - each take our turn at bat. I have hope that with new media that we can break the Left's stranglehold on the movies. But technology won't do the job if we aren't courageous enough and creative enough to put it to work for us. Thanks for setting the example. Andrew would be proud!

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  22. We punk rock Republicans are here, all over this country. I knew AB a little, not as much as I would have liked, and he made a big impression on my life. And yes, #WeAreBreitbart

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  23. This story shall the good man teach his son;
    And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
    From this day to the ending of the world,
    But we in it shall be remembered-
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
    This day shall gentle his condition;
    And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
    Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
    And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
    That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

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  24. Bless you, sir!

    They say that nature abhors a vacuum. When Breitbart passed away he left behind a gaping, sucking void that demanded to be filled, but his personality was such that one man alone couldn't replace him. Instead it's slowly begun to fill with individual stands for liberty and American exceptionalism from people who otherwise might not have stood up and spoken out.

    While Mr. Breitbart's loss will be mourned and his presence missed for many years to come, I like to believe that he's upstairs right now, looking down at the ripples of influence he's cast out into the world and smiling as they gather strength to become a tsunami.

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  25. Have courage. Oppression, tyranny, and mindless hatred will never have the last word. Not while anyone who thought well of him are alive.

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  26. You are a more courageous person than you give yourself credit for, Daniel. Thank you for sharing this post.

    Andrew may be gone, but his spirit lives on. No one can replace him, but we can pick up the banner and carry it forward together, each of us doing what he can.

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  27. Kudos. And thanks. He lives.........

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  28. Spartacus Blood and Sand was pure genius and I have been looking forward to watching it again. Knowing you were part of the creation of it will make it even more interesting to view again. I imagine the arena of ideology being similar in the no quarter asked and none given mentality to what happened with the gladiators way back when. The raucous howling spectators cheering defeat, yet victory is within our reach.

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  29. You are a good man,.. never let them make you believe otherwise.

    I've not had to put up with the nitemare work enviroment you have, mostly folks around me when I still worked were moderate republicans and dems.. the kind you speak of, the insanely batshit crazy America haters, I did meet on occasion.

    We have a liberal arts college, an OSU annex,... both places the worst kind of leftwinger loves to hide out in. Pretending to be normal, till politics come up, then even if it's them against 50 they double down on "you people are ignorant scum, racist teabaggin homophobes"....

    They just can't help being insects..

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  30. Absolutely wonderful Daniel. Thank you...

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  31. What a great, inspiring read. Thank you.

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  32. More entertaining, relateable, and, most of all, succinct than Mamet's "closet, coming out of" as seen in the Village Voice (and then The Unit was cancelled, sigh. As if we needed another NCIS. . . . But if that's what it took to (eventually) end up with Jim Caviezel KATN in Person of Interest, so be it, but I, as usual, digress).

    As a former enviro-statist (albeit many years ago), I can certainly relate.

    Mr. Knauf, I wish you luck, Godspeed, ect.

    Anyone who hasn't caught Evan Sayet's essay, speech of his "conversion", do so.

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  33. Seems like you Andy reincarnates are in the wrong line of work...come on back to Oklamoma and get immersed in the rw mind set you think is so laking in Hollywood. We torture liberals and those who associate with em, been to college?! can read and write? don't carry a hand gun? got a dental plan? You SURE you ain't a liberal?!

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    1. Wow. You signed up on Blogger just to say . . .that?.

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  34. Great piece and congratulations on finding your footing.

    Never hide from liberals. In my publishing career I was always the lone conservative, but I never hid it and over time my lefty colleagues eventually toned down the anti-conservative BS though the atmosphere of every meeting was perfumed with it.

    Time to step out into the light folks.
    Time to speak up.

    RIP Breitbart.

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  35. We must stop calling it the "Main Stream Media." They are anything but that, they are the Establishment Media of the progressive/left. They are part of the political apparatus. When I was a kid out of college working in Washington DC, I ran into this -- the "five W's" of journalism didn't apply, these people are happy to lie, fabricate and obfuscate to meet their goals while presenting themselves as neutral guardians of truth. That's what Brietbart *knew* and that's how he treated them. In order to get headway we must remember this, and use his tactics and others to get past them, these self-appointed gatekeepers of information and culture, to the broader public.

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    1. Agreed, I quit calling them the MSM long ago. I've been known to use the LameStream Media, LeftStream Media, State-Run Media, Ministry of Truth, American TASS. Actually, I reserve that last one for the Associated Press, the source of 95% of our "news". Perhaps we should have a contest. Lets see... The Mindless Sycophant Media? The Mendacious Shill Media? The FFJ (Federation of Fake Journalists)? So many possibilities. Anything but "Mainstream"!

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    2. How about just caling them "Presstitutes." Sums it up, doesn't it?

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  36. I think we were separated at birth. My story exactly. Thank you for that bit of catharsis and know "you've got brothers around, you're a family man."

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  37. Given how moving your writing in this was, I'll have to go back and view works of yours I've missed. G-d bless.

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  38. Fabulous read! I can totally relate but it didn't take me 12 years to boil up and speak out. Being a feisty Polynesian girl, I tend to lash out when provoked. Keep writing and posting on your blog because I am now one of your big fans!

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  39. This made me cry - the good kind of cry. Congratulations on finding your courage and welcome to the party. Outside of Hollywood, there are MANY more of US than there are of them, and we welcome people in the entertainment industry who we can wholeheartedly support! If you have trouble now finding work in the traditional venues, we will help you in new ones as we are tired of not going to the movies or if we do, trying to forget what vile hateful things the people on the screen and behind the scenes have said about us so we can try to enjoy the story. May your coming out be a beacon to others to stop being afraid of getting ostracized - let them know that we are waiting to embrace them!
    God bless you sir, thank you for coming out, please never ever go back "in"!

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  40. Welcome to the family. :) We are very happy to have you.

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  41. Wow! Thank you for writing that Mr. Knauf. What a huge thrill to visit one of Breitbart's sites where it's highlighting a story written by one Daniel Knauf and then to realize, 'Hey that name sounds familiar! Wait, I know that name! His name always shows up at the end a dazzling opening credit for a beloved show. He's a writer and creator for one of my favorite shows!'

    Over the past 2-3 years I've defected from the political Left to a more classical Liberal slash Libertarian view. And some of that political conversion was occurring while I was discovering Carnivale for the first time. I own all the episodes, and, I won't lie, I watch both seasons once a year. Some of my political identity crisis took place at the same time as I was watching Carnivale; as the forces of light and dark discovered their nature.

    Because of the native Leftism of the entertainment industry, I deliberately chose not to think about the political leanings of the show; I enjoyed the show too much and didn't want to read anything into it that might unintentionally put a damper on it. I chose to look at the show more in terms of good and evil, and hoped the show was prescribing a particular party ID with one of those sides.

    Funny thing is, as Glenn Beck was at the zenith of his power on Fox News a couple of years back, he reminded me in some ways, not of Lonesome Rhodes of 'A Face In the Crowd' (as Olbermann described it), but of Brother Justin. I think of some of Brother Justin's proclamations (back in 2004), and see parallels to our current situation.

    Anyway, Breitbart was fantastic. I'm not sure what you're doing these days Mr. Knauf, but I hope you're well. Long live Andrew Breitbart.

    IAmAndrewBreitbart.

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  42. CORRECTION: I chose to look at the show more in terms of good and evil, and hoped the show was *NOT* prescribing a particular party ID with one of those sides.

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  43. You don't need my approval, but you are a hero Dan. I'm going to make a point of watching Spartacus on Netflix.

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  44. Yes, there are tens of thousands of leftists in Hollywood ... but there are MILLIONS in mainstream America who want nothing to do with their leftist agenda.

    So, in the spirit of Andrew Breitbart, I ask the question, how do we crush THEM? Who do we, the majority, hit THEM in the pocketbook, berate THEM into silence? Yes, we would rather talk, reason, coexist, work it out, etc. We have tried that for the last 40 years, and it doesn't work. And if we simply lay down and remain silent, then evil triumphs.

    So, how do we take the fight to THEM?

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    1. "And if we simply lay down and remain silent, then evil triumphs."

      Well, I guess that makes evil a VERY subjective and not-so-real thing. If you're living in America - for the most part, you know nothing of real evil.

      And it sounds like you've got a problem with giant ants - I'd call an exterminator.

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    2. Great question, my friend. I never write on the internet but your question is one I have been asking myself for quite awhile. It's funny I found this link by accident and I am mesmerized, because back in the 90's I worked in the film business for almost 10 years as a lighting technician. I was in NYC so I didn't have to deal with California liberal crazy, but the NYC arrogance and smugness were staggering in their intensity and intolerance. So yea, I kept my mouth shut about anything political and played along to get along.


      Actually, I have to run in a few, and your question deserves serious consideration, maybe I'll put up a blogger post with a list of responses, but I'll give you one now.


      You yourself said it, "in the spirit of Andrew Breibart". Well we already know how that spirit manifested itself. Hope, laughter, encouragement and optimism for his fellow "angry" conservatives. (Remember he was a great friend of the Tea Party movement.)
      And a focused and controlled white hot laser of contempt and disgust at the Lefts most potent weapon in it's war against America... the wizards of deceit in the "mainstream media".

      The media class is our enemy. Always has been, and its decades long assault on anything white, anything male, anything patriotic, anything Christian. anything traditionally female (the poor ladies get it the worst).... etc. you know the list as well as I do... Decades of lying. And now they are covering up the real story of how our economy was trashed by affirmative action banking and sociopathic wall street thieves. Covering up by constantly trying to ignite a new social issues distraction campaign every week. You don't think this is planned? All the while preaching about how "intolerant" we are... It's not merely insane, it's demonic. That's who we are dealing with folkes.

      Last night a show debuted on ABC TV (Anyone But Conservatives) called GBC --- Good Christian Bitches. This show will be on every Sunday night till God knows when.

      This, at the end of a week where the media tried to shut off Rush Limbaughs mic for good for calling a feminist pro sex advocate a slut. Once.

      And we are going to sit around watching a show demonizing the south, women, white women, blonde women, (evil is invariably blonde, don't you know?) christian women, christianity, capitalism, patriotism, Texas, I'm sure the men will come off even worse than the women. I.E. A culture war, or as Goebbels would have put it Kulturekampf... deliberately launched in an election year for the purpose of demonizing the Christian conservative South. That's chutzpah my friends. And we are going to need a whole lot more of it ourselves... That's what Andrew had, the passion and courage to go after the institution he saw as ruining, as well as, running our country.

      Got to run now.... sorry for ranting.... from nyc, my advice? GET FUCKING AGGRESSIVE... cheers...

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    3. We already are! Breitbart, Ailes, Beck, Limbaugh, Conservative Bloggers, etc. have all challenged the Cultural and Media Left and succeeded in their fields. Things are changing, but it won't be quick, and it won't be easy, and losing Breitbart doesn't help. The Left has lots of free time on their hands and the Right is often too busy raising kids and paying taxes. Keep the kids, but follow Dan Knauf and Andrew Breitbart's example by creating content. Content is the armament in this race! #IAmAndrewBreitbart

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  45. Love it, man!!! That brought a tear to my eye, and pride to my soul!

    Long live Breitbart!

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  46. So let me get this straight -

    "Such were my thoughts last night as I was having a quiet drink at the Huntington Langham Hotel."

    Didn't sound like such a quiet drink with all of that noise in your head. Secondly, it's not just the least bit creepy that your twitter account is you impersonating or thriving to be someone you've only met four times. That's psycho territory, buddy (or Misery territory if you're actually a woman). Sounds like you need to lay off the booze a bit..?

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  47. DK,
    I hear you. I spent a decade plus in MSM and see your war stories while raising you with my own.

    Do well,

    Roddy Boyd

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  48. The best "thank you" I can think of is #IamDanielKnauf.

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  49. Thank you sir for your story!
    I'm too old and jaded and cynical to find my heroes in the media world but Andrew Breitbart was just that to me. His fearlessness and ferocity in the face of opposition were and are truly inspirational to me!

    Keep going!

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  50. There are few people who pass away who leave such a void as to be noticed. Ronald Reagan was one. Milton Friedman was another. I consider Andrew Breitbart to be of that same mold. His passage was shocking and I applaud your courage in speaking out. I am on the liberal East Coast and I know exactly how you feel.

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  51. Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
    Sir Winston Churchill, Speech, 1941, Harrow School

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  52. Simply amazing! Just when I thought I was not going to have any more blurred vision moments (who am I kidding every new post, status, video or pic I come across of Andrew Breitbart makes me weep), I find this on my FB news feed! Ashamed to say I did not recognize the name at first...and then I read the line: "I was meeting with a young producer, Robert Keghobad, to discuss developing Carnivale....WOW the creator of Carnivale, I loved the series! I don't own it, but I can say I am now going to go out and purchase it! So glad you did not give up on writing. This post was just amazing...It was like reading a great suspense novel and not being able to put the book down! Every line was better than the one before! Thank you, God Bless you....Breitbart Lives!

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    2. Me too. My mom is dying from alzheimer's and I've shed more tears for Andrew. I just wish somehow we all could have said goodbye, and thank him. He was a hell of a man.

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  53. That was awesome! If there was a better word I'd used. What you typed is the way I felt after reading Breitbart's book. And still, well over a year ago, I have sat on the sidelines. I HAVE to do something. But I dont know what.

    And to you Megalon, screw you. You probably cried when Jack Dawson died and little miss so and so said, "dont ever let go jack"....

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  54. Thank you for writing this! Andrew Breitbart changed my life. And now as I pull on the threads that seem to have his initials on them, I see that he's affected my life in ways I'm only just beginning to fully appreciate.

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  55. I never got to meet Andrew, but he was my brother.

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  56. Welcome home. Andrew has been a hero to me too. My only accomplishment is raising 6 ultra conservative children....now working on my 16 grandbabies. We all have a role in saving our country...yours is on a grand scale. I am honored to know you.#Iamandrewbreitbart

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  57. Well done, sir. Good for you. (And btw, Carnivale was brilliant, brilliant. I loved it.)

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  58. I was working at a university when 9/11 happened, so I understand completely the spot you were in. For years it was the internet that kept me sane, because I knew there were plenty of other people out there who were as disgusted as I at the hate-America crap spewed by people who called themselves "liberals". Andrew Breitbart was our Braveheart, and we do him dishonor if we don't follow in his footsteps.

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    1. I think the best thing we could do to honor Andrew, would be for ALL of us to heed the clarion call to do whatever it takes to stand up for this exceptional nation and Her citizens. It will take THOUSANDS to make up for one Andrew Breitbart, but we have to start somewhere. So now, it starts with us.

      #WeAreBreitbart

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  59. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Now that you've stepped into the breach, you MUST continue. Andrew may be gone, but his children are not.

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  60. Corrupt European and Canadian socialism is touted as a shining exemplar.

    And now the apprentice becomes the master. Time for you to shuck your old, outdated, vision of Canada as a socialist hellhole. Why? The trendlines between the US and Canada have reversed - Canada is becoming less socialist and the US has surpassed Canada in the race to socialist hellholedom.

    Behold:

    KPMG annual ranking of Tax Competitiveness "Competitive Alternatives – Highlights" places Canada at 2nd in the world and the US at 6th.

    The Heritage Foundation's annual country rankings on "Economic Freedom" placed Canada as the 6th most free economy in the world and placed the US at 10th, with Canada also scoring higher than the US on the issue of property rights (Thanks liberals, that Kelo decision probably played a part.)

    These aren't just blips that occurred due to Obama. These are trends which have slowly been working for the past decade or more. Canada certainly used to be more socialist than us, but it's time for us to wake up to reality - the US we used to know is no more - now we're more socialist than Canada.

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  61. I've learned more about AB in the days since his passing than I ever thought possible. He was truly the glue of conservative blogging, bringing together people of like mind and heart.

    I knew he would lurk occasionally over at Ace's place and could maybe have read a comment or two of mine, or possibly even visited my little slice of Internet heaven. I toyed with the idea of sending him an email for advice. That I didn't is now my greatest regret.

    Welcome to the fold. You have many friends who have found inspiration in AB's life and have a newfound energy and commitment to continue in his footsteps.

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  62. Welcome to the War, Daniel, thank you so much for courageously joining us! Your post brought tears to my eyes. I have it linked here:
    http://marezilla.com/2012/03/i-fight/
    It must be terrifying to "come out" when you are surrounded by aggressive hostiles, but know that most of the country is not only right of center, but we work and are happy to spend our earned money to pay for products we like, and we are sick of non-stop leftist barrage we get from our "entertainment" industry - you will find and eager and enthusiastic audience if you make movies WE can enjoy without. Many of us don't even bother going to movies any more because it is such a pain in the ass to try to ignore the awful things said about us by the people involved with most movies and we don't particularly like giving money to people who HATE US.
    I wish you greater success than your fondest dreams and highest aspirations. Godspeed.

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  63. God bless you Daniel. Thank you for your honesty and your courage. You've inspired me.

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  64. Welcome to the Dark Side, dear friend - we are honored to have one such as you on our team. As someone above said, perhaps you were put on this earth to take up Mr. Breitbart's mantle and keep his message alive.

    Here in Texas, we have a saying, "Remember the Alamo!" - those words allowed a rag-tag army of men to avenge their fallen comrades in a quick and decisive manner.

    Perhaps our battle cry going forth should be "Remember the Breitbart!"

    I look forward to great things from you in the future - given your body of work so far, I have a feeling you are going to do very well, indeed.....

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  65. Good stuff Daniel. Thank you for honoring Andrew like that. Keep up the good fight.

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  66. May the Valar protect you! Courage costs, but I pray it doesn't cost you too much. #IAmAndrewBreitbart!!!!!

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  67. The end of that felt like a moment from the OLD Spartacus just as much as the new.

    Powerful stuff. #IamAndrewBreitbart!

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  68. Daniel, I have to admit that I'd never heard of you or your work, since I don't watch much TV.

    But I read your Twitter feed from Saturday night yesterday. It was linked at Ace of Spades. Awesome! I found this post via a link at Transterrestrial Musings.

    I'm a former liberal too. Best of luck to you, and I'll keep an eye open for your name in the future.

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  69. Welcome out! How exciting! God bless Andrew for giving us the courage to do so! It is time! I am standing, I am speaking, I am Andrew Breitbart!

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  70. Bravo! Wonderful words, well written.

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  71. Those of us alive in the later 1960s remember something that happened after the Lord of the Rings books (Ballantine paperback edition) got wide circulation. This piece of graffiti started to appear: "Frodo lives!"

    BREITBART LIVES!

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  72. Thank you for your courage and wisdom, Mr. Knauf.

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  73. And...bookmarked.

    The day Andrew died I started my own blog. Just tired of continually being marginalized.

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  74. Awesome stuff. Be honest, be cheerful, be fierce. #IamAndrewBreitbart!

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  75. My God, that was a great piece of writing! You pushed a good number of my own hot buttons. Thank you for expressing so many of our concerns so well.

    Welcome from out of the darkness and into the light. As difficult as it might get, I think you'll prefer it here. We've all been asleep at the switch (or in hiding) for far too long. We have allowed the left to take control of public education, media, higher education, entertainment, governmental bureaucracy and even many facets of organized religion. We, in short, have ceded almost every aspect of our culture to them. Well, we're not asleep any more. We cede nothing anymore. Whatever it takes. We owe it to the generations to come. We owe it to Andrew.

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  76. Hey Daniel, having watched Drew become Breitbart, it is certainly scary, but our foes are pussies.

    As long as you scare them, you will win.

    Beating their arguments is easy, making them afraid of you, that's the task at hand.

    And take care of yourself. That is the other lesson.

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  77. Well said. Decidedly so. Funny, just today I caught up with the last issue of Written By, the Writer's Guild house organ, which recently had a long ode to Dalton Trumbo for having survived the blacklist. Letter after letter in the latest copy congratulated the writers for being so brave, all of them either unaware or unconcerned that the blacklist is alive and well...and emanating from their side.

    The funniest letter, btw, was from Kirk Douglas, patting himself on the back for giving Trumbo credit on...Spartacus--thus, he said, breaking the blacklist. Irony, thy name is Hollywood.

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  78. Folks, I'd be delighted if you'd visit my longstanding conservative blog at http://www.HopeNChangeCartoons.com. Breitbart was a hero of mine, and I miss him desperately. (And like Breitbart's sites, you'll find that mine is solid on the facts, fierce in the conservatism, and actually fun and funny). #IamAndrewBreitbart.

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  79. As I watched this unfold in real time, I was amazed and in awe of your candor and passion. Thank you for your commitment to the cause. BTW, Spartacus B&S is terrific.

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  80. No greater love hath a man than this; that he lay down his life for his brother. Thank you.

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  81. Push back. Respond. Don't let their lies go unanswered. It only takes a few minutes. BE BREITBART.

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  82. Inspirational.

    Most of us will never be as effectively confrontational as Andrew, but what delicious irony it would be if the WE’RE ALL BREITBART NOW movement is successful in finally dismantling the effete liberal dogma embedded in Hollywood (and elsewhere, across this great land of ours).

    Breitbart would like that.

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  83. I thought I had cried all my tears for Andrew last week, and then, dammit, Daniel! I read your breathtakingly fabulous post, and the floodgates opened again. I thought the same thing that you expressed, "What will we do now?"

    Meeting AB was a dream of mine, on my "bucket list," one that will never be realized. Thousands of us "little people" out across America considered Breitbart a friend, a family member, a hero. Leftists, understandably, are merrily urinating on his grave. It's what they do to those who don't agree with them, who don't embrace their Nanny State ideology.

    To quote Andrew: "We have an obligation to FIGHT BACK."

    Bless you, Daniel, and bless Andrew. We are ALL Breitbart now. We must be warriors without fear, must push back and expose and crush those who crave destroying the principles and freedoms provided in the Constitution. We don't back down, we don't cower, we don't accommodate. It is what Breitbart would be and do.

    Truly awesome post - the more hate and vitriol the left spews at you for writing this, the more effective you know you are. Proudly, #IAmAndrewBreitbart!

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  84. I can sympathize!
    I, too, worked in a field dominated by Leftists
    Though I was not on the receiving end of damage to personal property, once my political leanings became known, my workload became much heavier, trivial complaints piled up (including complaints for work other people had done), promised training never materialized, vacation time that I'd applied for was denied, the backbiting severely increased, and people stopped talking to me, I was "out of the loop". Eventually, the pressures caused a heart attack at a very young age. Once I returned to work, things slackened for a few weeks, but ONLY a few weeks. Soon, the environment was as black as ever. I decided to leave that company (ironically a Mental Health organization), but comparable jobs were not to be had.

    I had to quit a year later (could feel another heart attack coming on) and am now self-employed doing similar work.

    But the Black-List of the Left is pervasive and destructive. No prisoners are allowed. All that are non-compliant must be utterly destroyed, even if the associations are tenuous.

    As an example of the systematic destruction and utter hatred for all that is not Leftist, see this (Media Matters) list of advertisers that sponsor Rush:
    http://mediamatters.org/blog/201203050019

    No, if they want ideological War, then War they will get. I'm free, now, to express my opinion, and do so in various forms. We have an obligation to respond effectively, for the sake of our children and our Country, indeed to the World. The US often is the only obstacle between sanity and tyranny, and our current "leadership" chooses to appease tyranny, and, in fact, uses tyranny to cow those it can. It's past time for the Reid's, Selbelius's, Chu's, Holder's, and Obama's, to get slammed down, and HARD!

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  85. When the college students and the elderly voters wakeup to the totalitarian nature of the Democrats & I pray to God its this election (don't care who our candidate is) then we can start to turn back the radicals who have worked decades to destroy this damn fine Country, that we all have taken for granted, but which our children will certainly not know the joy of IF.WE.ARE.SILENT.

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  86. If the sneering lefties ever find themselves in that other place they don't believe in either, the sneering directed at them from the father of lies, along with either fierce cold or terrible fires, they will have no one left to sneer at but God. And by then, it will be too late to repent of calumny, hatred, envy, lust, and all the other Hollywood virtues.

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  87. One of the best tributes I have read to him...and there have been many. Semper Fideles.

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  88. What an inspiring, touching piece. He showed us the way, we must all be Breitbart now. Let a thousand flowers bloom.

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  89. Congratulations on your Instalanch, Daniel--very, very well deserved.

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  90. "Meanwhile, any actress, female writer or exec can tell you that the Casting Couch is alive and well in contemporary Hollywood."

    Daniel, I've heard that to some extent the casting couch has been replaced by mandatory participation in liberal political activities. To what extent do you see that to be the case? Has the casting couch problem decreased since the sixties and seventies? Or has politics simply been added on top as another layer of harassment and control?

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  91. "From every adversity comes the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit", a paraphrase from Napoleon Hill. Andrews death, a sad event, has brought forth many others to fight. They will stand and speak for him. Please get involved, join any party, vote every year, speak to truth and facts, support the military, become a school board member, a city council person. When your time comes to speak, you will know. The sea change is coming, liberalism or the progressive, being the same, is dieing. Obama spent their wade. Lincoln was right, they can't fool everybody every time. Hang tough, love ya. Sgt Pete

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  92. Truly fantastic, inspiring post. Thank you for each and every word.

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  93. God bless you! Keep up the good work. Thank you so much for this post. You made my day.

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  94. Um, NSFW language because I'm having a moment, thank you very much:

    Compared to Andrew, I feel like a spineless fuck, even though I "write" a conservative site. Whoopdeefuckingdo.

    My many libbie friends, hate my conservatism but tolerate me, and I try like hell to make my point and get out of the way, but it doesn't work. I'm always in the way. Lately, I am so tired of the conflict that comes with being a conservative. And then...i snapped as well.

    Fuck you, mindless, senseless, zombie drones of the left. Fuck you, "friends" who wish me silent. Fuck you, spineless self.

    I'm done trying to make a firm point, while keeping the truth muted in the mix. I'm through being an embarrassment and disappointment to myself.

    Andrew helped me remember who the hell I am and why I should use my gifts to help save something bigger than myself and for those who will come after me.

    Well, you and Andrew did that. Thanks, brother. Thanks for the meltdown heard 'round the Internets. You fucking nailed it.

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  95. That was lovely. I have been a huge fan of your work (without even realizing it) and I am now a huge fan of you. I've had the same dialog and desperate sense of loss swirling around in my head since I heard the news. There has never been anyone like Andrew on our side and I fear there never will be again.

    Thank you for articulating it so beautifully.

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  96. We were talking about you today, over at neoneocon ...neo kind of "collects" people of the left who have outed themselves (politically).

    Here: http://neoneocon.com/

    Welcome to the actually rational world btw. And thanks for sharing. America wept that day ...it can still bring us to tears when it becomes present again, in someone's writing, or conversation.

    ...leftist criticism, as I'm sure you're aware, is primarily projection.

    All you can say is j'accuse, and leave it at that (mostly, they won't get it anyways LOL).

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  97. I echo the recommendation of Neo-neocon. I almost linked the site in my comment last night, but I thought it might be presumptuous of me.

    Instead, I linked this post over there, and Neo wrote about it today. It's a good blog, with a good bunch of commenters. The proprietress and many commenters are political "changers". We've been there and done that. It's good reading even if you don't comment. See Neo's collection of posts in the right sidebar under "A Mind is a Difficult Thing to Change".

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  98. Loved your story. I will be looking for your work. I was/am so very sad to hear of Andrew's passing, but I am beginning to have hope that the hole that he left will be filled. Maybe not by one individual, but my many. An army of Andrew's.

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  99. I am a recovering Liberal, although it's been decades since my epiphany and I generally try to forget the evil in my past. Since then I have pulled a few other souls to free thought, my brother being the most important conversion, and I know that what you have written in this space will give courage to many to speak their minds and allow others to finally begin questioning their own Liberal beliefs. Take care.

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  100. Don't get all teary eyed on me you sweet young thing... We have only begun to fight. And there are not thousands of us.... There are millions of us. #IAmBriebart

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  102. Daniel, I love the article. You are indeed a talented writer. But I am depressed seeing how an intelligent man like yourself can consider someone like Breitbart a hero.

    He was a yellow journalist, no more, no less, and used the conservative sheeple as his tool for wealth and fame. His unscrupulous nature is well known. He regularly misquote people for his stories. He edits videos and presents it as original. He intentionally provokes people when talking to them, and records their response.

    But worst of all, he knows nothing of the spirit of the Constitution, and if you consider him a hero, I highly doubt you do too.

    Look up Cromwell. The Protestants. The Oranges. The Age of Enlightenment. The Monarchist. These are all the essence behind the formation of our nation.

    Breitbart is a psychopathic, abusive, lying drunk.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4od4QQVK1o&feature=player_embedded

    Do you have the courage for truth Daniel, or are you just seeking a convenient shelter to hide from your confusion? If you really do love this country, then you owe it yourself to seek the truth, instead of being lead by people and allowing yourself to be swallowed by their charisma.

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    1. I want you to leave here proof for all your allegations of what you say Breitbart did or said. You fool, you know NOTHING about what you speak. You, sir, are the yellow one who wants to come and do a drive-by smear of A TRUE MEDIA HERO!!!!!

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    2. No one who voted for Obama has the least right to criticize anyone else for being "swallowed by charisma".

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    3. Why don't you go see if you can look up the word decent Gemma.A? If you don't like Breitbart then fine. But the "preciousness" of you being unable to resist coming to this tribute to him to carve out your little piece of "specialness" because you are sooo much smarter than the rest of us and you "get it" like we never could. Do you feel cool now? Special?

      You are exactly the kind of venomous, small-minded, open-mouthed, waste of meat Breitbart would have loved re-tweeting.
      I miss him so much already.

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    4. "He...used the conservative sheeple..."

      That's very silly and shallow of you.

      "...as his tool for wealth and fame."

      Silly, you betray your ignorance: His behavior showed that he was *not* using this to become wealthy.

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  103. Sorry to hear you're depressed over how I've been so thoroughly duped. I'd suggest a course of Zoloft, but that would require your pulling your head out of your ass. Tired accusations all. I'll be happy to address each as soon as you repeat them under your real name.

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    1. Do you see the shallowness of the responses I received here, Daniel? Have you looked at your own response, Daniel? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Daniel?

      Deep in your heart, you know everything I've said is true. It'll take anyone just a few minutes to confirm anything I've said. It's not rocket science. Until you regain your sense of self, you will never be able to address anything I wrote honestly - even if I gave you my home number.

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    2. Gemma,

      Smug, very smug.

      I suggest you slowly back away.

      You have NO CLUE of the Waking Giant who has just stood up and ROARED.

      Breitbart was hated because he held up a mirror and you lefties were forced to observe the deep well of nothingness that you are.

      A drunk psycho? Lord have mercy.

      The intellectual LAZINESS of the left is what continues to amaze me.

      I suggest you take a deep breath, walk into a book store and purchase a copy of Righteous Indignation. His words out him as the most brlliant political strategist of our time and you dismiss him as a lunatic.

      Banging my head against the monitor...

      Jenny Hatch

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  104. It was the best thing I have read in a very long time. I re-posted it for my friends to read. Thank you.
    Andrew will be missed dearly, but as loing as we have people like you, his fight was not wasted. We have to continue what he started, we owe him that much!

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  105. As a wise man from the 80's once said, "Welcome to the party, Pal!"
    :)
    Better late than never, brother.

    When you're polite in the Colosseum of the Progressive, the lions will sleep with full bellies. It's better to go down fighting. At least then, you've made them earn their appetite...

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  106. To Gemma.A.: you wrote "But worst of all, he knows nothing of the spirit of the Constitution, and if you consider him a hero, I highly doubt you do too."

    The 'spirit of the Constitution'??? It is exactly this kind of rhetoric that liberals engage in when they have absolutely no idea wtf they are talking about. The Constitution is NOT an evergreen document. It is the founding document of the greatest nation of FREE citizens in the history of the world...freedom that you hate-spewing libtards are working soooo hard to take from us.

    Go get an education.

    You and your hate-filled addled brain are not even qualified to tie Mr. Knauf's shoes, much less address him like you have. Nor have you earned the right to even speak about Andrew Breitbart, so stop while you're ahead...trust me on this.
    ---------------------

    "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Jonathan Swift

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  107. Excellent piece, sir. Though I did not know him and I never met him, I will miss Mr Breitbart in my corner.

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  108. While Andrew Breitbart was best know for his tweeting, he was also very big in the world of youtube. I know there have been a million tributes to him, but I like this one... but none are really worthy of him.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhqha8iN5W0

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  109. How serendipitous this post is. I was, very literally, watching the last episode of Carnivale (with the audio commentary, mind you) when I decided to go on to RealClearPolitics.com, and what popped up? A link to an article written by Daniel Knauf. I have become a devout fan of Carnivale (an absolutely original and thoughtful series, unlike any on television) since stumbling upon it this year, and hope for more work like it.

    And, more importantly, as a libertarian-leaning fellow, I applaud your well-written article. I know what it is like to have to silence your beliefs in order to avoid retribution from ideologues. Breitbart was a character, and while he will never be replaced, there will be others to take up his cause of highlighting hypocrisy. Kudos!

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  110. This is good, heartfelt writing. Not that I agree with much of it.

    Don't get me wrong. I love America, the Constitution and the many wonderful things this country stands for.

    But how can you complain about extreme liberals who say stupid things after 9-11 and hope that Palin et al will get cancer and die and then say this:

    "Since the Wilson Administration, the Socialist Left has sustained a slow, inexorable push toward a Big Government, by the Government, for the Government, by transforming a once-free people into a whining, needy nation of suckling dependents."

    I live in NYC and have plenty of liberal friends. They are extremely hard-working, they don't whine, and they earn what they have. And many of them nevertheless embrace liberal ideals. Please don't paint Americans with such a wide brush. How can you claim to think so highly of America, but think so poorly of so many Americans?

    As I'm sure you can agree, you've spent WAY too much time in Hollywood.

    But this was a well-written article and I wish you the best.

    --A liberal who you should have a rational conversation with (so you can avoid thinking of so many Americans in such an uncharitable way.)

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  111. Awesome! I lived the first 34 years of my life in LA until I could take it no longer (not just the politics, but crowds...). I married a very liberal woman with very liberal sisters and Mom. So even after moving to moderate Spokane, WA I continued to stay mostly silent for all of the reasons expressed.

    But partly due to Andrew's passing and mostly due to the ridiculous "culture-war" games Democrats are playing and winning with help of the ever-complicit media, I have started again debating with my wife and now grown (and very liberal) 18 and 19 year old girls.

    And not one hour before I read this, I put my foot down at the risk of being thrown out of my own house....and let my girls (and wife) know that the recent HHS regulation on BC is one of the biggest victories ever won by women for "womens' health" - but to hear all the uproar you'd think we'd been "returned to the dark ages". And believe it or not, the message actually got through to my wife - she said "wow, I'm so used to feeling like men are trying to take my rights away that I never realized how far we've come".

    Fortunately we also have sons, so when I told her that most men DO support "access", just not 100% free BC - she had to agree.

    Point is - if the MESSAGE is framed properly, even some die-hard liberals CAN see reason. But the media won't do it for us - WE HAVE TO SPEAK AND BE HEARD!!

    Thank you, Andrew for your contributions. We must regain our voices NOW to stop what is happening to our once-great nation.

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  112. Breitbart did what the mainstream media has been paid not to do. He and others like him in the independent free media are doing patriots work that's been neglected. They are and will continue to be targeted because they're hurting the beast. He deserves a 21 gun salute.

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  114. There was only one other person I knew that was brutally honest with himself like you have become Daniel and that was Andrew. It makes you a warrior because you don't give a crap what others think. It ignites you. It gives you clarity of thought. Thank you and welcome to the trenches.

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  115. I met Breitbart a few times, and he was helpful to me as well.

    All I can say after reading this is...

    #IamDanielKnauf

    God bless you sir.

    eric aka the Tygrrrr Express

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  116. I've worked in two different industries configured to appeal to the liberal Left. I've been a graphic designer for a newspaper and a teacher. In both cases these groups have been specifically impacted by the economy, but you would never know it by what they produce. Whereas there used to be a bevy of staff writers researching stories and writing what they observed, there's now a glorified copy boy or girl copy and pasting whatever AP or McLatchkey wants to offer. That narrows the ability of the people to know what is going on that applies to them because fewer people are controlling the message and most of them are liberal. So what is liberal, becomes conventional knowledge. But ask around in the writing industry and you will find bitter ex-news writers who have very different stories to tell than you hear from any of the main sources.

    You could say the same thing regarding education. I've been teaching for a long time only to see staffing cut as property values dropped. Teachers see the relationship between lower property values and income and lower revenue, but it seems that the folks in Washington do not. So while four years ago most of the bumpers in the faculty parking lot sported Obama stickers, none do now. And I mean NONE. Of course I live in a flyover states where we are assumed to be clinging to guns and religion, but the reality is that right now popular media (what some people call news media) is pushing an agenda as heavily as if they were hired writers for the administration press staff. They are deliberately glossing over details that would disprove their world view. But if the majority of citizens continue to get news from highly biased sources they will never really know what they are voting for until it is too late. That is what happened in 2008 and I fear it is what will happen in November.

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  117. When I first started reading your story, I thought it would be the sameold liberal bullsit hack job on Andrew. However, the further I read on, I was taken by surprise. I applaud you for your great article and yes I am #IAmAndrewBreitbart!!!

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  118. "State-mandated, required ration of Bush-hatred."

    That doesn't even make sense. Bush was the state.

    "Typical leftist zombie chant."

    Really?

    If I was a reductive jackass, I might say that "a typical right wing kook zombie chant" is comprised of the refrain "typical leftist zombie chant."

    I think its sad that Brietbart, a man gifted with a PT Barnum-like genius, is "honored" by his followers with the most inane, repetitive, crap writing to populate online political outlets since 2008. It is mind boggling.

    btw: LOVED Carnivale. That s*&t was f*&#ing fabulous.

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  119. As a business owner in a small town, I cannot air my political views without fear of losing half of my clients. We are in a world now where you can scream at the top of your lungs, "I am a liberal Democrat," and flower petals will be thrown at your feet. But say "I am a proud Conservative," and you risk your livelihood - this is not just in Hollywood.

    When was the last time Conservatives were able to publicaly claim their leanings without fear of reprisals? Reagan years. That's almost 30 years ago!

    Well, to hell with them. This year, I will put a political bumper sticker on my car for the first time in 10 years. I will allow political signs in my yard. If a liberal doesn't like it, he can drive his Volt 35 mph down to the next town in protest.

    #IAmBriebart

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  120. Hope everyone is ready for a fight.

    And I do mean a fight, as in blows exchanged, injuries and death kind of fight.

    These people will not go away quietly. They have an agenda and mean to see it fulfilled. And they will use violence to see it fulfilled.

    Prepare yourself. Ugly is on the horizon and this may require far more than you think, and still may not be successful.

    There is nothing "United" about the United States of 2012 and beyond.

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  121. Daniel,

    Thank you for the wonderful piece. You speak the truth for so many of us maligned in the entertainment industry. My disgust for my misinformed, uneducated, unthinking, inexplicably angry, white, comfortably middle and upper class colleagues has even driven me to question my career choice. How can I share anything with these people-- even a career?

    Andrew Breitbart was my hero. His death has affected me deeply because he was so alive, so fearless, while the rest of us self-censored and tried to ignore the virulent hate and vitriol spewing from the LA-LA land idiots who surround us, who falsely tout themselves as all-accepting and freedom-loving.

    I have lived all over America and in Europe, and no where have I found the kind of hate-filled rhetoric and inability to consider any hint of a differing opinion as I have in the green rooms of LA.

    Well, no more. No more will I ignore the lies and no more will I allow the ignorant to make ME feel like I'm missing something. No more.

    All in the name of Andrew Breitbart. WWAD?

    With great respect,

    Sabina

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  122. Thank you. I have been sending this piece to everybody that I know. Like you, I work in the business. And like a lot of people in our line of work, I have been professionally crucified for straying from the Party Line; for believing in the inherent worth and dignity of the individual; for cherishing the notion of God-given (not government-given) Rights and Freedoms. I would rather be crucified with my fellow self-freed slaves along the length of the Appian Way than remain silent or passive as people are enslaved to a demonic ideology that offers people false "security" in exchange for their dignity and freedom. I am Andrew Breitbart.

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  123. I won't be able to write much because you got me crying. Wonderful!!!

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  124. I, too, knew Andrew a little...spent about 2 hours talking to him at Senise events (I take it you know what I mean here).......I ADORED him.
    I also had your same horrible gut-wrenching feeling when I awoke that morning, put TV on and, at that moment, heard "Breaking News; Andrew Breitbart is dead"
    I know his in-laws very, very well...so I was invited to the Luxe Hotel where people met to memorialize him after the funeral. I had to work and I'm pretty sure I haven't been as upset at missing anything as I was years ago when I skipped a wedding and found out George Harrison had actually attended.
    Andrew is dead. Long live Andrew. I probably put TOO much store in that wonderful, passionate man because I femerica may never get over it.
    Beautiful piece...thanks. I'm linking this to Orson Bean's wife so Susie Breitbart can see it.

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  125. I've been sharing this with all of my friends and family. Thank you for this eloquent, heartfelt, and much needed missive. I'd never seen Carnivale, but, because you wrote it, I'm gonna buy it on Blu-Ray, in the hopes that it lines your pocket.

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  126. Long live Andrew Breitbart indeed. I have an intense respect for people, like you, who buck their strongly liberal communities to express unpopular political beliefs. I wish you the best of luck and success in your hostile work environment. Keep up the good work!

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  127. I agree with the thrust of this piece--and I guess a little fiction is to be expected from a screenwriter--but Bin Laden wasn't implicated for a good while after 9/11...and certainly not the morning thereof.

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    1. I salute you, Captain Clarity! See the correction "Over the days following the attack," in paragraph 20.

      Such is my gratitude that I'll suppress my instinct to tell you to go fuck yourself over the snide, condescending dig at my profession and the value of what I, my brother and sister screenwriters, novelists, dramatists and poets, have to say regarding current events.

      On second thought, go fuck yourself.

      “Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

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  128. A very moving tribute. The reactions of the "creative types" in the media to 9/11 were disturbing in the extreme. It makes it impossible to get projects funded that go against the grain.
    I hope you all the success in all your projects.

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  129. Dan, It's Camryn. RM's assistant back when we were out in Santa Clarita.. I was your sister... then and now. I know precisely who you speak of in some of your stories of hatred here. I saw the hypocrisy, the venom, the squinted eyes. The wagging fingers from the so-called "open-minded" among us. Nice gals too, just so numb to their own vitriol. The anger. Anywho, I'm writing in riddles...but I have to, and you know why. I too knew and loved Andrew deeply. I had the same reaction as you. What do we do now? We're so f*cked. I actually punish myself for having thoughts that could have 'fated' his much-too-premature-death, because for the last 4.5 years, I've said to myself...."Thanks god there's Andrew. G*d, if anything happened to Andrew.... Oh. There's no one we NEED more than Andrew." And then what happened, he died.
    I'm so glad there's you.

    I also wrote about him on my blog. Hope you're well... hugs to you, your family!
    Camryn
    http://www.camrynincopenhagen.blogspot.com/

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  130. Hi Daniel,

    I was a big Carnivàle fan back in the day, and a some time poster on the Yahoo! fan group. I just re-posted this to my Facebook page with the following comment:

    I was surprised to read this pro-Breitbart tirade against liberal Hollywood by the creator of one of my all-time favorite series, Carnivàle. I can certainly sympathize with his narrative of being driven gradually crazy by constant demands from PC liberals that he adhere to their particular ideology, as this is more or less what happened to me in academia. I can't say that it motivated me to embrace their polar opposite in the form of the likes of Breitbart and the Tea Party, though. I just think they're phonies incapable of critical thought using Foucault's discourse of power and dominance to suppress dissent in the academy, and are in fact not liberals at all but totalitarian bullies. Nor did I bother concealing this opinion from them, which is why my presence is no longer tolerated there. But I won't stop being a big Daniel Knauf fan because of this difference of opinion. Nor do I intend to stop living authentically.

    I am not sure whether you are open to this perspective, Dan, but there it is.

    Cheers

    Conan

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  132. (Oops! A few typos in that last one! Take 2:)

    I am and, though I disagree, I respect your opinion. More importantly, unlike the fascists in Hollywood, I don't have a driving desire to obliterate you and deprive you from earning a livelihood for holding it.

    As for Breitbart being the "polar opposite" of the moonbat-left, I would suggest you take some time out to read his autobiography, "Righteous Indignation," which is not only honest, engaging and entertaining, but provides an important counterpoint to depictions of him in the mainstream press.

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  133. I've always the greatest respect for your opinion, so I will investigate. And I for one find it refreshing to see you letting it all hang out like this, as so many of my conservative friends do. I'm not going to answer from a liberal perspective, because I'm too busy relating right now. I hope we can agree to disagree on a few things, though.

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  134. The courage you have showed is great. Hats off to you for being so brave. Very inspiring post.

    Pharmacy Technician

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  135. I might not politically agree with you, but I'm completely with you on disliking the "If you don't agree with me, you're an idiot atmosphere, in Hollywood." Go you.

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