"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."
Such was ominously stated by the fictional character Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) in "Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith" as she watched Emperor Palpatine tell a cheering Senate that he had taken all power away from them to form a Galactic Empire (h/t NBer bradbenj5952).
As the film was released in May 2005 shortly after George W. Bush's second inauguration, there were many in the media who saw a parallel between the events depicted and what was going on in our nation.
A former Wall Street Journal editor asked "Is Bush a Sith Lord?" Years later, Hillary Clinton called Dick Cheney Darth Vader.
Yet, if you watch this scene now, given what transpired during the presidential campaign last year and the cheering masses at Tuesday's inauguration, mightn't this have been a rather prescient foreshadowing of events in the future (video embedded below the fold):
With the massive explosion in government control proposed by the new administration, and people gratefully applauding such, maybe George Lucas was predicting the future rather than commenting about the present.
If so, is Padmé Sarah Palin...or Ann Coulter?
Regardless, a Google search of "Bush is Palpatine" produces 118,000 results. "Cheney is Darth Vader" garners almost 95,000.
What are the odds Obama-loving media members will ever compare him or Vice President Joe Biden to these two movie villains or any such nefarious fictional characters?
Seems highly unlikely, doesn't it?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments Policy
That's what has always
January 23, 2009 - 12:07 ET by mattmThat's what has always gotten to me about liberals: when they accuse conservatives/republicans, they are describing themselves.
They accuse the "right" of nazism, when the Nazi Party platform more closely resembles the Dem platform. They accuse the "right" of being heartless in their pursuit of war because of the deaths of thousands, yet they care nothing for the deaths of millions of innocent pre-born human beings...I could go on and on....
They point their fingers at the "right" and three fingers are pointing right back at them.
Highly unlikely?
January 23, 2009 - 12:11 ET by MichelleCWhen is heck freezing over? Nah, probably not even then.
(Oh wait, it's so cold lately that maybe heck did freeze)
Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July. Democrats believe every day is April 15th ~ Ronald Reagan
Pharisees
January 23, 2009 - 12:32 ET by cvgbuckeyeIf you want to see a perfect depiction of leftists/dems/msm in this country, one must only read about the Pharisee party in the New Testament. They are all there: The high priests, chief priests, scribes and all the Sanhedrin.
It is all probably by supernatural design, and the source of the supernatural design is exactly what you think it is. And it ain't good. What's that leave?
Right, CVG. I've used
January 26, 2009 - 10:02 ET by WolfremRight, CVG. I've used that example for years.
And in the Gospel, Jesus also called them hypocrites. That rightly applies as well to the double standard left.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana
"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." - Padme, Star Wars 3
A couple 3000-year-old quotes
January 23, 2009 - 12:34 ET by suburbaniteIsa 3:4 (KJV): And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
From Barnes: And I will give children - Not children in respect to age so much as in regard to talent for governing. I will commit the land to the government of weak and imbecile princes. This would naturally occur when the wise and great were removed; compare Ecc_10:16 : ‘Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a child;’ compare Isa_3:12.
And babes shall rule ... - That is, babes in experience and knowledge. This was fully accomplished in the succession of weak and wicked princes that succeeded Isaiah, until the time of Zedekiah, the last of them, when the temple was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. - “Lowth.”
Zep 3:3 (KJV): Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
This is generally accepted to mean that her rulers have been corrupted by greed.
"Fight the good fight every moment
It's your only way" Triumph
Goodness I almost forgot
January 23, 2009 - 12:37 ET by wiwfGoodness I almost forgot about this scene. Good parallel Noel!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
If and when democracy
January 23, 2009 - 12:49 ET by balboaIf and when democracy actually "dies," then I'll draw comparisons to crappy George Lucas movies.
bal, heres one dead democracy, right here in the "new world"
January 23, 2009 - 13:44 ET by upcountrywaterThe truth about Venezuela
It takes years, TO KILL democracy ; it called ... INCREMENTALISM
FREEDOM
(D)
Please.
January 23, 2009 - 15:04 ET by balboaPlease.
Wake up man!
January 23, 2009 - 14:58 ET by MightyMouthIn a few years you wont be able to buy a light bulb!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Bal,
January 23, 2009 - 18:10 ET by Roger the ShrubberI am impressed you are able to concentrate on this thread, considerinng the picture at the top of the page :)
I didn't see it, someone
January 23, 2009 - 12:53 ET by seaniepI didn't see it, someone told me about it, apparently John Stewart did something on his show with Dick Cheney/Darth Vader and then Joe Biden/Dark Helmet from Spaceballs . . . I am heading off to look for it on youtube
Liberty Dies
January 23, 2009 - 12:57 ET by SemusThis is a very successful tactic used by the left, simply accuse the other side of exactly what you're doing, works evertime, on idiots. Which is a fair description of the liberal base.
Funny
January 23, 2009 - 13:19 ET by choselife3xThat's exactly what I quoted to my husband on Tuesday.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Seizing presidential power
January 23, 2009 - 13:29 ET by Smoking HotThe heart of this comparison between Bush and Palpatine is how the two of them seized power from legislative bodies. There was an article in the Washington Post a few days ago that touched on this very subject. The gist is Obama may not turn out to be so different from Bush in that regard.
For once we sort of agree
January 23, 2009 - 13:57 ET by choselife3xOn something. Of course Obama won't give up any power.
I guarantee you he will grab as much as he can. Watch what he'll do to gun laws.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Hi choselife3x
January 23, 2009 - 14:04 ET by sherylsimsDid you see the John Stewart bit where he put Obama's speech up next to things Bush had said and how exactly the same they were? It was the first thing JS has done in a while that didn't make me irritated with him.
Also, it turns out Obama is behaving quite a bit like Bush did. Of course now that it is OBAMA'S war on terror it will all be ok.
Hey sheryl!
January 23, 2009 - 14:13 ET by choselife3xI couldn't find it on Youtube yet, this BlackBerry won't read flashplayer. So, no. :(
I think the biggest difference between Bush and Obama is that Obama's colossal arrogance is going to plunge us into war. One that will be far bloodier and much more far reaching than Iraq.
He's already p!ssing other countries off.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Yes cl3x
January 23, 2009 - 14:16 ET by sherylsimsArrogance combined with ignorance (or inexperience)... what a recipe for disaster!
choselife...
January 23, 2009 - 18:25 ET by Jer"[Obama's] already pissing other countries off."
Thank God Bush never did anything like THAT! ;-)
Jer
Unfortunately Jer, Obama
January 23, 2009 - 18:39 ET by BlazerUnfortunately Jer, Obama considers America as being, one of the " other countries".
jus' kiddin'. : )
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Blazer...
January 23, 2009 - 18:49 ET by JerBlazer...
He hasn't pissed ALL of them off. Wait until you hear what Fidel had to say about Obama. [I don't have the quote, but I am sure it will be posted here at some point, if it hasn't been already]
Jer
So much for "change"
January 23, 2009 - 18:39 ET by CobraManAnd The People thought they were voting for "change." Heh. Too bad we're just changing back to the Clinton Administration.
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
Ahh...yes, CobraMan
January 23, 2009 - 18:44 ET by JerAhh...yes, CobraMan...
Those were the days--eight years of peace and prosperity.
Jer
"eight years of peace and
January 23, 2009 - 18:51 ET by Blazer"eight years of peace and prosperity."
...for Al-Qaeda.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
for Al-Qaeda?
January 23, 2009 - 19:04 ET by Jereight years of peace and prosperity."
...for Al-Qaeda.
---------------------
Except for those who were killed or captured. And others in Al-Qaeda would have prospered less if the Republicans hadn't blocked Clinton's efforts to trace funding.
Jer
"Except for those who
January 23, 2009 - 19:11 ET by Blazer"Except for those who were killed or captured. And others in Al-Qaeda
would have prospered less if the Republicans hadn't blocked Clinton's
efforts to trace funding."
Before I start something very immature, I would just like to say, that The Masturbator In Chief had a chance to snuff out Bin-Laden before he snuffed out over 3000 American lives, but you you allready know that.
With that said:
"the Republicans hadn't blocked Clinton's
efforts to trace funding."
BWAAAHAAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!
8 months or 8 years Jer, who's to blame for the cheatin'.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Oh Blazer,
January 23, 2009 - 19:29 ET by JerOh Blazer, Blazer...
my poor misguided friend. Some day, grasshopper, you will understand.
Jer
"my poor misguided friend.
January 24, 2009 - 07:03 ET by Blazer"my poor misguided friend. Some day, grasshopper, you will understand."
Translation:
"Oh Blazer, Blazer you are right and I am so very wrong, and by posting something smarmy and cute, I concede to that fact."
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
"smarmy and cute"
January 24, 2009 - 07:13 ET by Jer"smarmy and cute" ?
Drat...I was going for "compassion" and "optimism".
Jer
Jer!!
January 23, 2009 - 19:35 ET by choselife3xFor the love of Obama, man......DUCK!!!!
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Jer
January 23, 2009 - 18:54 ET by choselife3xNobody cares if the French are p!ssed. :-O
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
"Nobody cares if the French
January 23, 2009 - 19:04 ET by Blazer"Nobody cares if the French are p!ssed. :-O"
C'mon Jer, aren't you just a little bit pissed that a French poodle got to Chirac, before,.... say a muslim.
maybe it was a muslim's poodle.
The only thing worse than a German brigade in front of you, is a French brigade behind you.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Barack Obama's
January 23, 2009 - 14:14 ET by Jack Herman"Empire of America" coming soon to this nation near you. Assimilate now or forever be restrained.
A Democrat from NY
January 23, 2009 - 18:27 ET by ahusserRep Jose Serrano has already introduced legislation to repeal the 22nd amendment which is the limiting the President to 2 terms.
Change: When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can become deadly projectiles. From a Poster
So This Is How Liberty Dies
January 23, 2009 - 14:18 ET by R D HelmMy thought, too, when I read what PrezBo's "stimulous" plan has in store for this country.
-Dave
“Them that’s going get on the wagon. Them that ain’t get out of the way.” -While there is still time.
"The last act of
January 23, 2009 - 14:42 ET by Glitch"The last act of a democracy is to elect a dictatorship."
-Benjamin Franklin
Do not command that which you cannot enforce.
Uh oh, Star Wars geek in the house
January 23, 2009 - 14:55 ET by greenfairieI tend to think Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are bit more like Princess Leia--plucky gals who can shoot really well and toss off some great one liners. Though Padme is no slouch herself. She managed to beat up that big cat thing and survive battles that kill scores of Jedi after all.
BTW, British playwright Tom Stoppard wrote some of the dialogue for Revenge of the Sith and according to SW urban legend/lore, "this is how liberty dies" is one of his lines. Stoppard is a Tory ;).
This isn't the only one
January 23, 2009 - 15:40 ET by kdizzydazeYou can take so much of what the libs have said and used over the last eight years in attacking Bush or any Republican and apply it to the events and actions of the Dems/Libs today and you will see that the shoe fits perfectly.
It only goes to show you how projection works - Hillary told us of a vast right wing conspiracy - well now we know why she brought that up, because in her world there existed a vast left wing conspiracy (MSM, George Soros, Hollywood) - it fits too well. Many other examples exist, but this one just stuck out for some reason.
A caveat in this theory is that when libs talk of things as evil or hateful in nature (negative things) they are describing themselves, but when they talk of things such as freedom, personal achievementor or naturally good things (positive things), they are talking about what they wish they could be but know in their heart of hearts that they are incapable of.
God made man, but he used a monkey to do it -- DEVO
When does the left ever talk
January 23, 2009 - 22:23 ET by MrSnugglesWhen does the left ever talk about freedom, anything personal, or anything good in general?
good point
January 23, 2009 - 15:54 ET by jazzact13I thought about that comment of Padme's on Tuesday.
"Thoroughly worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true."
Chesterton, Orthodoxy
JazzAct
January 23, 2009 - 18:13 ET by DoktorFrankenMy Leftist Phrase Detector is translating that comment to mean when someone says, ''Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.'' you are a ''stupid, lying SOB''.
I translate it as ''Leftist Screenwriter BS'' .
Biden could definitly be
January 23, 2009 - 16:23 ET by BlazerBiden could definitly be referred to as Grand Moff Retarded.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Ah, The Creative Left
January 23, 2009 - 18:06 ET by DoktorFrankenThey can make up their own stories with their own beliefs, dialog, and messages using make believe people, situations, and even magical powers (the Force) to make their ''Bad Guys'' look just like us - their enemies.
Then their disciples (the Great Unwashed Ignorant Masses) soak up this made up hogwash as if it were the real truth. They make the comparisons to real people and reality and, to them, it all makes perfect sense. Darth Cheney - How very clever they are! Aren't they clever? The Right can never be as clever!
This is one of the reasons I have given up on most all movies. Some of the foreign made films from New Zealand or Scotland are 'message free' - having not one iota of Bush Bashing. Television, especially ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, are all useless and have almost all Leftist slant, bent, tilt, sway - whatever. The History Channel is my biggest disappointment, though, since I love history. But I am tired of being told how I am changing the climate and killing everyone's children. And don't get me started on The Weather Channel.
No, Liberty dies when people stop caring about everything but themselves.
Google me this Sith Lovers
January 23, 2009 - 18:34 ET by jdubyaTry Obama is a sith lord...it got about 25,000 hits.
Try "biden is stupid", over 2,000,000. D'oh j'oh!
Great minds think alike...
January 23, 2009 - 21:38 ET by NosferatusCoffinIronically, I posted the exact same comparison over at my blog (http://www.asmallcor...) a few days ago. Have you been peeking over there? ;)
The resemblance is striking between OBurkha and Darth in both pomp and circumstance. However, it seems less likely that OBurkha is looking to a build Death Star-like empire, but rather a third-world dictatorship, ala Zimbabwe. He already is working on putting together his own private Ton Ton Macoutes army ala Papa and Baby Doc and is spouting the racial hatred rhetoric and Marxist class warfare/terror of Mugabe. Who I assume deep down, he most wants to emulate.
What I can't figure out is
January 24, 2009 - 01:06 ET by TN MomWhat I can't figure out is why Hollywood has not made a movie about Bill Clinton yet. It would be a blockbuster hit with all the sex, lies, missing files, and Sandy Berger stuffing Top Secret documents down his pants!
Hey, Noel, I've been using
January 26, 2009 - 09:52 ET by WolfremHey, Noel, I've been using that quote in my tagline since the November....hehehe.
Although, I haven't posted much. :(
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana
"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." - Padme, Star Wars 3
Noel,
November 7, 2009 - 23:24 ET by Candance MooreI appreciate you putting this up, but Christian modesty prevents me from making any actual comment.
Yes and there was a count down too, 5...4..3..2..1..ZERO
November 8, 2009 - 00:06 ET by upcountrywaterAloha America
EDIT NEW YOUTUBE LINK
State controlled health care ! music video.