***Repost, please read and be enlightened*

I think you 24-loving conservatives need to wake up. There was a time, i.e. season 3 and 4, when I thought 24 was the coolest thing ever–-and as I watched I often wondered “Why are so many liberals fans of this show? Jack Bauer tortures someone like every other episode, it’s a serious look at the war on terror, etc., how is it so critically acclaimed by the liberal TV critics?” Those questions were answered during S5 when I finally realized the politics of this show.

First of all, it ironically is VERY political correct, because the perception is the complete opposite. Many of us see it as a right-leaning show with a bold, real, unapologetic portrayal of the war on terror with the man Jack Bauer leading the charge. But how many times have our beloved CTU team been trying to thwart terrorist attacks by MUSLIMS, whom cause 99% of the terrorism in the world?! Let’s have a rundown season by season.

S1-First half the enemy were white Americans. Second half, eastern Europeans. Pre 9/11, not really the modern 24 mold of a counter-terror plot.

S2-The Muslim terrorists turn out to be mere pawns in a political game in which oil-greedy American businessmen are looking to cash in on a fabricated war (sound familiar?). In fact, many of the Muslims that were portrayed as (potential) bad guys turned out be very sympathetic characters, if not victims. 1-The prime terrorist, Syed Ali, gets killed, only after he witnesses his family (in his mind) being killed because he won’t reveal info; it also turns out he wasn’t all he was made up to be, and just another victim of the vast conspiracy. 2-A suspicious foreign Muslim, Yusef, supposedly looking to restore some dignity to his people, helps CTU and Jack on a mission, only to be lynched on the street by a couple of racist rednecks (and they really played up the redneck thing) in retaliation of the nuclear bomb. 3-Reza, the future son-in-law of Daddy Warner, is throughout the show portrayed as very suspicious and guilty of collaborating with the terrorists. He turns out to be completely innocent, and dies at the hands of his wacko white American wife-to-be. We also have a bunch of war-mongering generals and government officials that try to fabricate intelligence so they can rush into a war with three middle east countries (axis of evil?). These same people try to oust the judicious, ethical Democrat President David Palmer (the second premiere protagonist on the show) who wants all evidence at his disposal before making the decision to go to war. I had actually not realized the abundant shots at the Bush foreign policy, among other things, in this season until Season 5 when I started rethinking things.

S3-The first half the antagonists were Mexican drug lords. Second half, a single disgruntled British ex-special forces member.

S4-The only full season of actual Muslim terrorists waging jihad. This finally, only to have ads every episode with a disclaimer forced by the hand of CAIR et. al. saying something to the lines of it being purely fictional and not at all representative of Muslims or their ideology. The show did not delve very deep into the minds or agenda of the jihadists either. Republican President Keeler is portrayed to be a decent man, but a cold, flat character that the audience has no connection to. Then, of course, comes President Logan (R) is the most namby-pamby, incompetent loser ever. We see this in full (and then some) in season 5. On the other hand (and in the interest of being fair and balanced), “torture” is shown to be needed, and they are in many cases unapologetic about it; furthermore an ACLU-type group undermines CTU’s attempts to thwart the imminent terrorist attacks by trying to prevent them from interrogating a suspected terrorist. The suspected terrorist is guilty and information needs to be extracted from him immediately, and the ACLU-type group comes off very badly.

And finally, S5-the season that finally woke me up to the realities of this show. It was so crammed with far-left talking points and conspiracy theories it might as well have been written by the Daily Kos. Let’s see: Americans in high places in the government and military using rogue foreign terrorists to attack America–in essence, attack themselves–so we could have a legitimate excuse to go to war for oil in the region? Gee, where have I heard that one? This storyline, by far, is the most ludicrous, outlandish, and outrageous one they have ever come up with and it ruined the season for me. And it only got worse, with the ACTUAL PRESIDENT in collaboration with the conspiracy. And of course, Jack Bauer comes to save the day, and takes down the evil president who is abusing his power. Indeed, if there was such thing as political porn, this season would be the quintessence of it for the left; fantasies don’t get much better.

So, when you really look at the politics of the show, it is actually decidedly left and often a repudiation of the conservative doctrine in this era of combating terrorism. Crazy, and a tough pill to swallow–-I know–-I was (and still am to some extent) a big fan of this show. The setup and the delivery is brilliant, unprecedented, and riveting from purely a TV show standpoint. The politics, well, that’s a whole different story.

So instead of the question “Why do liberals like it so much?” the more appropriate question is “Why do you so many conservatives LOVE it?” We have Rush Limbaugh promoting it practically every week, and I’m beginning to wonder if he’s just a useful idiot for the producers he’s friends with. I also hear this upcoming season is more of the same with the thinly veiled political messages, now taking shots at the ostensible civil liberties violations by our government. I find it very odd how quick Rush Limbaugh, everyone here, and just about every other informed conservative can catch spin, agenda, and bias so quickly on any news report but astonishingly escapes them in an entertainment program. Food for thought.

Patriot33 on January 14, 2007 at 8:59 PM