Sony’s goof came long before now
It goes without saying that none of us are fans of Kim Jong-un, but that doesn’t erase the complications of what’s taking place with the movie “The Interview.” If Sony had shown the movie, and the threatened terrorist attacks had materialized, I suspect Sony would have been ripped to shreds in the court of public opinion for being consumed with greed and not caring about public safety. Likewise, I sympathize with the concerns that we shouldn’t be acquiescing to threats. And, of course, this is by no means the first time we’ve been confronted with the contradictions of protecting freedom of speech and public safety. Remember Florida pastor Terry Jones, who attempted to burn 2,998 Korans? When he was arrested, most people seemed to think it was a good idea to stop him, including myself.
When the U.S. starts talking about an appropriate response to North Korea and a retaliatory cyber attack is suggested, I can’t help but think that’s ultimately going to accelerate cyber warfare between countries (and, yes, I do realize that’s already happening, and it’s going to escalate no matter what we do). The only thing I am sure of is that Seth Rogen and James Franco haven’t done much of merit since 1999, with “Freaks and Geeks,” and Sony’s biggest mistake was getting involved with them in the first place.
GLENN PHILLIPS, ATLANTA
Is assassination really that funny?
I have to say Sony provoked North Korea, and North Korea responded. Everyone knows there are limits on free speech. Yelling “Fire!” as a joke in a movie theater is not covered by free speech. Do we really think it’s funny to make a comedy about assassinating the legitimate ruler of a foreign country? What if North Korea had made a comedy about killing a U.S. president? Would we find that amusing ? I think not. Sony acted “stupidly ” (to borrow a word from President Obama), and now this incident could escalate into something far more serious. Thanks, Sony; your childish, juvenile behavior has endangered us all.
PAT MURPHY, FAYETTEVILLE
Cuba remarks play to Rubio’s base
In response to Mike Luckovich’s editorial cartoon, “Cold War Relics” (Opinion, Dec. 19), Sen. Marco Rubio’s sour grapes toward normalizing relations with Cuba is most likely to appease Grand Old Party members. After all, Rubio is a man with presidential aspirations and needs the support of his party. But how will he ever explain his xenophobic knee-jerk reaction to the Cuban community? Oops! Maybe Rubio will have better luck in 2020.
JOANN LEE FRANK, CLEARWATER, FLA.
