- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
One difference for those old programs you mention is that they are fictional portrayals of the "wild West", where it is known that there is no law. In fact, Marshall Dillon is brought in to be "the law", and from my recollections of the program, it seems he often did what he could to move things away from vigilantism to more law-based behavior. This discussion, of course, then gives further perspective on Bush's "dead or alive" language where he intentionally tried to move us back to the "wild West" mentality of there being no laws.
I've also seen suggestions that the "Dirty Harry" series pioneered the modern concept of the authority figure who has a disdain for the niceties of the law. I'd like to see Hollywood move now to a new era of hero who finds that laws are actually good things that work in society's favor. Bringing back the hero who obtains information from the prisoner of war through treatment with respect or the police officer who intervenes to prevent abuse of a prisoner by an out of control partner would be a good move for our society.
