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And does anybody know the movie that supposedly inspired Hinkley to do what he did? "Taxi Driver" (1976) starring Robert DeNiro. In this classic film,DeNiro plays a psychotic loner/cab driver who meets a teenage prostitute played by Jodie Foster. He tries to murder a senator,and fails in the attempt. He kills Jodie's pimp,and becomes a local celebrity when the press announces that he rescued her from gangsters. A little too close to reality,don't ya think?  :o Sincerely,Steve.
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Taxi Driver is a big favorite of mine, but I don't identify with Travis Bickle!  I wouldn't say Hinkley was trying to copy Travis verbatim, but people with psychiatric issues often have weak identities and impressionable minds.  I'd say Hinkley absorbed the Travis character as he got obsessed with Foster's "Iris" character.  The "Taxi Driver" narrative was obviously a strong one in Hinkley's mind, but who knows what other material he used to construct his twisted persona?
It's like Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's assassin.  Chapman was wrapped up in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.  He called himself "The Holden Caulfield of the 1980s."  Holden Caulfield was disillusion with the grownup world, and so was Chapman.  Chapman decided that his hero, Lennon, was a "phony," as Holden would say.  So what's there left to do?  Kill John Lennon.
The violent psychoses of both men germinated long before they met their narrative vehicles.  Had it not been for "Taxi Driver" and "Catcher in the Rye," there would have been others instead.

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For some reason I can't remember?

What year was it?


SmithsGirl
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1981

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Oh, I was misspelling the assassin's name, it's spelled with a "c," Hinckley.
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Do you remeber that they changed the Williams Katt's character on "Greatest American Hero" because it was by chance also Hinckley? His students called him Mr. H for almost a season then changed the name completely the next season without so much as an explanation..very nervous those network execs..

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Too bad RR broke the curse. ;) ;D
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You know what?  It amazes me how the "loving-hearted" liberals (and yes, that's what I'm logically assuming you all are) are so darn NASTY and mean-spirited whenever anything bad/beyond the control of some hated (oh no, libs don't hate!!!) conservative happens, much less generally making fun of them personally, completely unprovoked (a`la the Margaret Thatcher thread some time ago here).

I've never seen any nastiness about liberals in trouble on these type of forums.  I've seen nastiness about Rush Limbaugh w/his hearing, Charlton Heston w/his Alzheimer's (not to mention Reagan), and the just-plain-mean "old hag/tranvestite" Thatcher thread.  But no, liberals aren't mean.  They never wish ill, or express glee over it.  They don't do personal slights, either.  Oh, no.   ::)

Being gleeful about some1 dying - unless he's a Hitler or Stalin, which frankly I wouldn't care about and mite even be quite happy - is simply cruel, nasty, mean, and evil.    >:(

Quoting:I've never seen any nastiness about liberals in trouble on these type of forums.  I've seen nastiness about Rush Limbaugh w/his hearing, Charlton Heston w/his Alzheimer's (not to mention Reagan), and the just-plain-mean "old hag/tranvestite" Thatcher thread.  But no, liberals aren't mean.  They never wish ill, or express glee over it.  They don't do personal slights, either.  Oh, no.   ::)End Quote

That's why I stipulated that I didn't think the jokes were funny.  I brought them up because people were telling them at the time.  If this were a political forum, I would consider it my challenge to CHANGE the mind of someone who sees the Ronald Reagan "conservative" agenda as good for the country.  I get nowhere if I sneer at poke fun at someone with whom I disagree.  That's what Rush Limbaugh does.  The reason he got sooo popular was that corporate America made him omnipresent because his views favor the big corporate agenda.  America's consent to have him on 600+ radio stations is a manufactured myth in the manner of Orwell's "1984."  BTW, Rush would still have his hearing if he took the personal responsibility to stay off the drugs he was telling everybody else to take the personal responsibility to stay off of.

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Didn't Reagan forgive the man that shot him?

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Hmmm...I thought that was Pope John Paul II. Not sure about Reagan.

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That's why I stipulated that I didn't think the jokes were funny.  I brought them up because people were telling them at the time.  If this were a political forum, I would consider it my challenge to CHANGE the mind of someone who sees the Ronald Reagan "conservative" agenda as good for the country.  I get nowhere if I sneer at poke fun at someone with whom I disagree.  End Quote

I'll ignore that last part.   ;)

It wasn't directed at you, MS, just the myriad who have indeed poured their venom on the forum, not to mention many others I frequent - sometimes unrelated (i.e., having nothing to do w/the original subject matter - see my thread on "pivotal 1980 song" going off topic).  I'm tired of it and by God, I'm going to call a spade a spade.

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I was hanging around the media center (library) after school in the 7th grade (middle school).
Had a terrible crush on the librarians daughter, and we were flirting like mad. ;D
The TV was on & the news broke to show the details.
I remember it was surreal, because the girl CHEERED when she heard the news. She was glad it happened and wished he was dead.
All this comming from a 12 yr old girl.
Kinda chilling, I'm mean, I didn't like Reagan (or his voodoo policies) by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't wish him to die...
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:o :oI wonder where she is today.Anyway I was in school in the ninth grade.cheers!

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You know what?  It amazes me how the "loving-hearted" liberals (and yes, that's what I'm logically assuming you all are) are so darn NASTY and mean-spirited whenever anything bad/beyond the control of some hated (oh no, libs don't hate!!!) conservative happens, much less generally making fun of them personally, completely unprovoked (a`la the Margaret Thatcher thread some time ago here).

I've never seen any nastiness about liberals in trouble on these type of forums.  I've seen nastiness about Rush Limbaugh w/his hearing, Charlton Heston w/his Alzheimer's (not to mention Reagan), and the just-plain-mean "old hag/tranvestite" Thatcher thread.  But no, liberals aren't mean.  They never wish ill, or express glee over it.  They don't do personal slights, either.  Oh, no.   ::)

Being gleeful about some1 dying - unless he's a Hitler or Stalin, which frankly I wouldn't care about and mite even be quite happy - is simply cruel, nasty, mean, and evil.    >:(
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Thank you!  I agree 100%

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Boy, that Ronald Reagan, he sure is a polarizing figure.  I just wish more people understood the Supply Side Economics swindle.  It's a myth still alive today.  As with the 1981 tax cuts, unless you are extravagantly wealthy, the Bush tax cuts ARE GOING TO HURT YOU!!!  I am recommending a book to EVERYBODY regarding this issue:
Perfectly Legal
by David Cay Johnston
http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/031228johnston.htm
This issue is of paramount importance to all our lives, but don't take my word for it, take Mr. Johnston's.  And, as Forrest Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that.
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I find it interesting that those of the liberal persuasion seem to think that tax cuts only benefeit the wealthy. The primary driving factor of our economy is supply and demand. When the demand exceeds the supply, suppliers must generate product to meet the demand placed upon them by consumers. What causes consumers to demand more? The ability to purchase more! When the consumer demands more, the suppliers must produce more. The byproduct of this over demand is that suppliers must meet the demands of the consumer, which drives the creation of JOBS. I can tell you what I will do with the money that I receive from President Bush's tax cuts, can you tell me what the goverment will do with your money, otherwise?
Back to the subject at hand, I was 10 years old when  Reagan was shot, and it was the first time that I remember feeling vulnerable and angry.

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I find it interesting that those of the liberal persuasion seem to think that tax cuts only benefeit the wealthy. The primary driving factor of our economy is supply and demand. When the demand exceeds the supply, suppliers must generate product to meet the demand placed upon them by consumers. What causes consumers to demand more? The ability to purchase more! When the consumer demands more, the suppliers must produce more. The byproduct of this over demand is that suppliers must meet the demands of the consumer, which drives the creation of JOBS. I can tell you what I will do with the money that I receive from President Bush's tax cuts, can you tell me what the goverment will do with your money, otherwise?
Back to the subject at hand, I was 10 years old when  Reagan was shot, and it was the first time that I remember feeling vulnerable and angry.
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Liberal's got nothing to do with it.  The supply side theory you just outlined is a fraud.  Like I say, don't take my word for it, take Mr. Johnston's, or numerous other experts who have disproved the theory over the years.  Heck, you can see the lies right in front of your eyes if you're willing to take a cold, empirical look at what's going on.  Labels such as "liberal,"  "conservative," "Democrat," "Republican" are used by Rush Limbaugh types to fog the real issues.  When you find out the truth about the Bush tax cuts, you'll again feel vulnerable and angry.

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I was in 6th grade, my mom picked me up from school and told me. we listen on the car radio.

On tv they showed the video of him getting shot over and over and over...

Remember when Sat Night Live had Buckwheat get shot? LOL
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Yes!  That SNL skit was probably the all time best!  They cut in about 15 times during the show and showed the footage of Buckwheat being shot.  The shooter ended up being John David Stutts (which was also Eddie Murphy).  What cracked me up the most was when they interviewed everyone that knew him.  They would ask, "Do you feel that John David Stutts shot Buckwheat?"  They all said, "Oh definitely.  That's all he ever talked about."  Then they showed his high school yearbook and he was named "Most likely to shoot Buckwheat."  CLASSIC! ;D ;D ;D ;D