Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Friday, September 08, 2006

One man's terrorist...



I was recently forced into recalling the cliche about "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" by a comment made by that eminent philospher Bugs Bunny in his film Haredevil Hare (1948) when Bugs meets the Marvin the Martian for the first time and observes Marvin setting up a weapon:
Bugs Bunny: Eh, what's up doc?
Marvin the Martian: Oh, I'm going to blow up the Earth.
Bugs Bunny: Yeah? Well, you sure picked a nice day for it. Hey, nice looking weapon you got there. Well, I'll be seeing you around, Shorty! Adios! (walks away)
Bugs Bunny: Now there's a brainy little guy. Probably get ahead on the moon.
Bugs Bunny: (back to Marvin) Eh, pardon me, Marconi, but did you say you were going to blow up the Earth?
Marvin the Martian: Uh? Oh, yes, I did.
Bugs Bunny: Yeah, that's what I thought you said. (walks away)
Bugs Bunny: One man's meat is another man's poison, I always say. It's his business if he wants to blow up the Earth. Hey, what... Whoa!
[Bugs runs back to Marvin, defuses weapon]
Bugs Bunny: You can't do that! All the people I know are on the Earth! The nerve of this character! "
Which, of course, gets to the nub of the matter...
when it gets personal, it's terrorism.

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