[B5JMS] RISING STARS - Partisan Politics?

[b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu]

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From: biles at wf.net (Joe G. Biles)
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2002 07:02:08 GMT
Lines: 18

On Wed, 11 Dec 2002 15:53:52 -0600, "Greg Sirmon"
<gsirmon at bellsouth.net> wrote:

>(For those of you who don't know, George Bush has been inserted into the
>comic book as the baddie who is behind the effort to exterminate all the
>hero characters.  That's a really simplified, but accurate, synopsis.)

I for one am pretty shocked that there has been no indignation about
this. It borders on being libelous. Reminds me of George H.W. Bush's
book, "All The Best..." where he describes his indignation at the
constant malignment of Lyndon Johnson, whose policies Bush vigorously
opposed. And LBJ could not reasonably be described as anything less
than evil.

FWIW, I won't be reading "Rising Stars" anymore. I can't separate
myself from B5, but I also can't help but wonder if JMS even
understood what he was writing.


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 16 Dec 2002 02:28:56 GMT
Lines: 31

>I for one am pretty shocked that there has been no indignation about
>this. It borders on being libelous.

You cannot libel public figures in general, in particular when it's as science
fictional a context as this.

To the larger question...the story of Rising Stars is set in the real world. 
Bush is the president right now, hence he had to be the one in the hot seat.

I'm writing another book currently wherein we see events of this nature
affecting every president from Carter, through Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, and
Bush 2, all of whom are portrayed in the book as being involved in a particular
and wholly fictional conspieracy.  I don't apply a political litmus test to
these things.

The whole POINT of Rising Stars is that it's set in the real world, with real
problems, and real historical events, right now.  If I made up a fake president
it would totally compromise the book's integrity.  

If Al Gore had been certified by the Supremes, it would've been him instead.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)