The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Banning the Burka' Edition...
Belgium may be the first European country to ban the full-covering Islamic veils from being worn in public... The Belgian parliament's home affairs unanimously backed a proposal to ban the so-called burka and niqab, two forms of the Muslim veil covering the entire body and face. If the law is enacted, women who wear this in public would be fined 15-25 euros and may face a jail sentence of up to seven days.
EUobserver / Belgium moves towards banning the burka
Would you support or oppose such a ban here in the US? (and why?)
A.) Support ______
B.) Oppose ______
C.) WTF? I gots more important things to worry about, dagnabbit! _______
Would you support or oppose such a ban here in the US? (and why?)
A.) Supporters
Boston Jane
After some thought, my answer is A. This country does offer freedom of religion. But in reality the burqa is not a form of religious expression but a form of (male-imposed) social repression, religion being used as a cover for dominance and control. It's no accident that most forms of Islamic religious law forbids women from going to school, working at a business, or even walking down the street by themselves or talking to an unrelated male. And if they do, they are potentially subject to honor killing. This is anathema to U.S. conceptions of freedom and justice; allowing a potent symbol of this repression here would be bad.
Second, people from societies that use the burqa have some choices about where they emigrate to. If they move to a developed Western country they should expect to make some adjustments. They presumably are moving to Europe and North America for freedom, so it's bizarre to bring their repressive system with them. The obvious exception is for those fleeing war or violence, who need to go to anyone who will take them.
Third, as a visible symbol of an often brutally repressive, backward system--keeping women in the Dark Ages--the burqa just does not belong on American streets.
I see Muslim women with colorful head scarves in Massachusetts but have yet to see a burqa.
Adam in NoHo
A- yes, and at the same time, courts need to stop allowing Sharia Law to
be enforced. Sharia Law has been upheld in pretty stupid instances around Europe, in contravention to already established non-religious-type law.
Ban the Burqa and the rest of this stupid religious nonsense.
Jim in Texas
"A" Let's take it all the way to its' logical conclusion, though. If a burqa is illegal, so is a dress, so is a bikini, so is any clothing. All women would have to be nude all the time, at least in public. Picture Betty White or Phyllis Diller in the altogether (shudders). And, then due to the equal protection clause (nobody can be exempt) men couldn't cover up either (Rush or the Governator anyone?) Sometimes a little textile can decidedly improve the scenery.
Gary D.
A. Support
DC Madman
Burka banning is a good place to start. This is the 21st Century in the US,
not the 13th Century in the Middle East. Next we can move on to taxing the
Catholic Church and locking up pedophile priests, they never really paid a
price for the Inquisition. Locking up Fred Phelps and his minions for being
a public nuisance would be wonderful. Kind of work our way backwards
bringing the most fundamental of religions to heel first. Perhaps we can
spare the Unitarian Universalists at the opposite end. The sooner we bring
these backward thinking and "ungodly" people under control the better.
Cranks and the crazed should be ridiculed, not revered.
maw
A. Mildly support. Any thing that may jack those stuck in the 7th century into the 21st is worth a try.
DanD
Actually, I would support banning all religiously mandated, cultural obligations.
BadtotheboneBob
Support... The issue is the covering of the face in security-sensitive situations, not robes, scarves or other head coverings that are meant to cover only a woman's hair. Islam is not alone in that regard with their hijab that is merely a head covering leaving the face exposed. Amish women wear bonnets that hide their hair and some nuns wear Coifs (mostly the older ones now here in the heavily Polish Catholic area where I live). Then there is the male Sikh turban which is a requirement of all Sikh men (The US Army has recently allowed a newly commissioned Sikh officer to wear his while in uniform). The forcing of women to wear a burka is a cultural mandate based upon misogyny, not religion. The 'veiling' of women is only done by certain fundamentalistic Muslim sects as is pointed out in this link by the Chairman of the Muslim Educational Center of Oxford in the UK and is not a universal Islamic requirement as is often believed... The Koran does not put women in burkas -Times Online
B.) Opposers
DRD
Hello Bob, good question. The same question could conceivably be applied to include other religious garb such as priests, nuns, etc. The Pope travels in a very decorative outfit as well as some traveling alongside him. What happens when someone demands that all religious ornaments such as necklaces pins, bracelets not be worn in public? Sound extreme? Not really! From all over the former Soviet Union we read reports of persons being arrested, mistreated, their Bible literature confiscated, places of worship being forfeited to the State to be sold simply for the 'terrorist-acts' of sharing Bible literature with others.
It is human nature to want others to imitate us in their daily actions and life styles, but, alas, that is not in the deck. As usual, it boils down to whom is being hurt by the rule! So, as a result of circumstances as this, I strongly oppose any and all bans on dress that is modest and well-kept in appearance wore as a form of worship!
Paul of Seattle
Freedom of religion means what it says. If they do ban it then they must ban Paul Crouch's wife from having pink or blue hair.
bebo
This is like shooting fish in a barrel. I would B. oppose the ban. Without appearing chauvinistic, I know a lot of women who would benefit from wearing a Muslim veil covering the entire face & body. Case in point; go to Walmart...
I think women should be allowed to wear a burka & niqab in public without being fined or jailed except around closing time.
Joe S.
I don't like the burka or the mind-set that created it but I would draw the line at passing laws to ban it. Where do we stop, pants on the ground, Nehru jackets, ribbon shirts? It's not the burka that oppresses women, it's the men who force women to wear burkas that oppress women. We need to prosecute men who oppress women, and men who oppress and endanger workers for obscene profits, and men who rape children.
Sally P...
Upon such reflection, I will say that my answer is B, meaning that I oppose the ban. While I understand some of the reasoning behind such a ban, I suspect the main reason (despite the socially acceptable front) for such a ban is to prevent suicide bombers from shielding their weapons from sight behind the dress... I say the better way is as the old adage goes, "How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?" (Meaning exposing the kids to the modern world...)
C.) WTFers
Richard McD...
"C" puts it just about right
That's it, then... Thanks to all... Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The 'Enemy of the State' Edition...
"The Obama administration has taken the extraordinary step of authorizing the targeted killing of an American citizen, the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have shifted from encouraging attacks on the United States to directly participating in them... officials say Mr. Awlaki is an operative of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the affiliate of the terror network in Yemen and Saudi Arabia...
It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for targeted killing, officials said..."
Confirmed: Obama authorizes assassination of U.S. citizen - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
Do you approve or disapprove of such an action?
A.) Approve
B.) Disapprove
C.) This is nothing new, it's been going on for years...
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
MAY 1968 GRAFFITI (bopsecrets.org)
Boredom is counterrevolutionary.
Paul Krugman: Georgia on My Mind (nytimes.com)
Bad behavior by many small banks can cause as much damage as misbehavior by a few giants.
Marilyn Preston: Why Wine? Uncork Your Creative Juices! (creators.com)
Living a healthier, happier lifestyle isn't just about the miles you run or the green beans you eat. It's about letting go of stress, relaxing with family and friends, and taking time to do the things that bring joy, passion and balance into your life.
Richard Lea: "Mick Jackson: 'Taking pity on the reader'" (guardian.co.uk)
Having begun his career setting out to write a Booker-shortlisted novel - and succeeding - the novelist tells Richard Lea that these days he's more worried about readers than prize judges.
Lucy Mangan: Heaven knows I'm miserable now (guardian.co.uk)
And so would you be if misery memoirs were your reading of choice. What, pray, is the point of them? Come to think of it, do they have a point at all?
Alison Flood: Stephenie Meyer to publish new Twilight novella (guardian.co.uk)
The bloodsucking sensation's new book, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, will be available online for free during June
Steve Mason: Out of the blackness (guardian.co.uk)
The last time Dave Simpson met Steve Mason, he went missing the next day. The ex-Beta Band singer reveals how self-harm and near suicide brought out the best in his music.
Richard Morrison: "Maxim Shostakovich: my father and I" (timesonline.co.uk)
The conductor son of the great Russian composer explains why he has devoted his life to his father's musical legacy.
George Varga: From the Mouths of Babes to the Black Eyed Peas (creators.com)
There's nothing elementary about conducting an interview with Fergie, the big-voiced singer and resident sex symbol in the Black Eyed Peas, one of the top-selling acts of the past decade.
ROSS DOUTHAT: Can CNN Be Saved? (nytimes.com)
Jon Stewart created problems for CNN six years ago, but the struggling network can learn from him now.
Jonah Weiner: The Worst Movies Ever Made (slate.com)
'Birdemic,' 'The Room,' and what makes a horrible film great.
Dana Stevens: When Nudity Isn't Enough (slate.com)
Atom Egoyan's erotic thriller, 'Chloe.'
David Bruce: Free Writing Handouts with Anecdotes, Volume 2 (lulu.com)
Free download. This little pamphlet contains a number of handouts that teachers can use to teach their students how to avoid some common writing errors. Of course, students and other people can use this short pamphlet simply as a way to refresh their memory about some simple rules of writing. Feel free to make as many copies as you want to for educational purposes. Feel free to distribute this little pamphlet as a pdf file.
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Comment
Re: POGO
Hey, Uncle Sky ...
In your POGO invitation, You've professed: " ... that's how we keep out the Neanderthals who still, in this day and age, can't believe the south lost the civil war."
After nearly a decade of the last pResident, and continuing on into the current White House negro's term, you really believe that the South lost?
The only major difference now is that cotton-picking is corporately practiced as wage-slavery.
DanD
Er - thanks, I think, Dan.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Lots of rain in the early morning.
Happy birthday Baron Dave!
Online Sites Win
Pulitzers
ProPublica, in an historic first for online journalism, won a coveted Pulitzer Prize on Monday for investigative reporting about controversial deaths at a New Orleans medical center following Hurricane Katrina.
The chronicle of decisions by doctors caring for patients stranded by the flood, written by Sheri Fink of ProPublica in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, marked the first time an online service won a top journalism award given annually by the Pulitzer Prize Board at Columbia University.
In another online first, www.sfgate.com
A second Pulitzer for investigative reporting went to Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News for their expose of a rogue police narcotics squad.
Pulitzers
Interviews To Be Published
Jackie Kennedy
During the first half of 1964, just months after her husband was assassinated, Jacqueline Kennedy sat for seven interviews with historian and family friend Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Speaking at her home in Washington, D.C., the former first lady discussed her marriage and her White House years, election year campaigning and President Kennedy's thoughts about a second term. The interview is part of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library's Oral History and, at Mrs. Kennedy's request, was kept sealed for an indefinite time. Since the death of Jacqueline Kennedy, in 1994, and son John Kennedy, Jr., in 1999, decisions about the tapes have been handled by daughter Caroline Kennedy.
Now, with the 50th anniversary of her father's inauguration coming next year, Caroline Kennedy is allowing the conversations to come out.
According to two officials familiar with negotiations, Hyperion will issue the transcripts in September 2011 and release 6 1/2 hours of audiotape, providing a new and extended opportunity to hear the famously breathy voice of Jacqueline Kennedy, who never published a memoir, about subjects she rarely discussed in public.
Jackie Kennedy
TBS Late-Night
Conan O'Brien
Late-night mainstay Conan O'Brien is headed to TBS to resume his comedic duties with a talk show expected to debut in November, the network said Monday.
The program will air Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. Eastern, shifting TBS' "Lopez Tonight," starring George Lopez, to midnight.
The surprise announcement hit the same day O'Brien starts a two-month, nationwide comedy tour in Eugene, Ore., amid persistent reports that he was likely to claim Fox as his new late-night home.
Barring Fox, syndication was widely considered O'Brien's most likely option. Few if anyone mentioned TBS as a plausible destination.
Conan O'Brien
"Rescue Me" Comedy Tour
Denis Leary
Denis Leary puts out blazes on television, but the comedian and two castmates from the firefighter show "Rescue Me" will try to light a fire under audiences when they leave on a U.S. comedy tour next month.
Leary's representatives said on Monday that the tour will hit 11 cities, starting with a show May 22 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and ending June 27 in New York.
The "Rescue Me" Comedy Tour 2 is a sequel to a similar tour that Leary headlined last summer.
Adam Ferrera, who plays Chief "Needles" Nelson on the show, and Lenny Clarke, who portrays Gavin's uncle, Teddy, will join Leary on the comedy tour, as will musical guests The Enablers with the Rehab Horns.
Denis Leary
'Wall' Anniversary Tour
Roger Waters
It's been 30 years, but Pink Floyd's "The Wall" still means a great deal in the rock world - and to its co-creator Roger Waters.
So to commemorate the groundbreaking album's anniversary, Waters plans a tour this fall of the music from the concept album, with new staging that will bring the story - loosely inspired by his life - to a new generation.
"In the 30-odd years since I first performed this piece, it's taken on some new meanings for me," Waters, co-founder, bassist and main lyricist for Pink Floyd, said in an interview last week.
But Waters said he won't just be dusting off the show that the now-defunct Pink Floyd performed decades ago. In fact, Waters said part of the excitement surrounding his new staging of "The Wall" involves new technology that allows him to do things he could only dream about in the 1980s and '90s.
Roger Waters
Makes It Official
Kevin Eubanks
"Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin Eubanks is making it official: He's leaving as Jay Leno's sideman in May after 18 years with the late-night host.
He told Leno during Monday's taping of "Tonight" in Burbank, Calif., that he was ready for a career change of pace, but he didn't announce specific plans. Eubanks called the NBC late-night show his "home" and said it had been "a wonderful experience" working there.
The 52-year-old Eubanks, whose duties included comic sidekick to Leno as well as guitarist, has been aboard since Leno took over "Tonight" in 1992. Eubanks became musical director when Branford Marsalis left in 1995.
His final day on "Tonight" is May 28.
Kevin Eubanks
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep has another academy to thank.
The star of films such as "Sophie's Choice" and "Julie & Julia" has been named an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an elite club that includes Toni Morrison, Stephen Sondheim and Jasper Johns. Not even two Oscars, seven Golden Globes and a lifetime achievement prize from the American Film Institute prepared Streep for this.
The 112-year-old academy announced Monday that Streep and conductor James Levine had been elected to a special category, established in 1983, for "Americans of great distinction in the arts whose work falls outside the traditional departments" of music (composition), literature and art.
Directors Woody Allen (with whom Streep worked in "Manhattan") and Martin Scorsese and choreographers Twyla Tharp and Paul Taylor are among the current members. While Allen and former member Orson Welles both worked extensively on screen, Streep is the first to be chosen solely for acting.
Meryl Streep
Reveals Fling With Fellini
Germaine Greer
Australian-born feminist writer Germaine Greer revealed Monday she had an affair with legendary Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini in the 1970s.
The author of "The Female Eunuch" ended up in bed with the director of "La Dolce Vita" after being invited in the summer of 1975 to act in his movie "Casanova" about the famously amorous adventurer.
The then 36-year-old -- who had published the feminist bible "The Female Eunuch" five years previously -- drove to Rome amid steaming heat after being invited to act in Fellini's movie, even though she did not want the part.
"By the time I got there, my flimsy dress was stuck to my otherwise naked body and my hair was plastered to my skull. Fellini kept watching me as I chatted with the crew," she wrote in Britain's Guardian daily.
Fellini was clearly transfixed, and turned up unannounced at Greer's lodgings -- so confident of his conquest that he brought his pyjamas and dispensed with his driver until the next morning.
Germaine Greer
Gentle Giants Dog Food
Burt Ward
Former television star Burt Ward, who played Robin on the 1960s action TV series "Batman," has developed a dog food he says will keep canines living longer.
The former actor - he played Robin in the 1960s TV series "Batman" - and co-creator of the large breed dog organization Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions has developed a high-end dog food line that he says nearly doubles the lives of the animals he shelters.
The average life span of a large-breed dog is about seven years, Ward said.
Until recently, Ward cared for a 21-year-old Great Dane, and still has 18-, 16-, and 14-year-old dogs running around his property with canines half their age.
Ward and wife Tracy, who helps him run the rescue, started producing Gentle Giants dog food about 18 months ago.
Burt Ward
Dam Dispute A Real-Life 'Avatar'
James Cameron
Director James Cameron said Monday that a real-life "Avatar" battle is playing out in Brazil's Amazon rain forest, where indigenous groups are trying to halt the construction of a huge hydroelectric project.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Cameron said he was in Brazil's capital to support Indian and environmental groups as they stage protests against the Belo Monte dam project.
Cameron attended an environmental summit in the Amazon last month with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. He returned this week to Sao Paulo to promote the DVD version of his blockbuster movie "Avatar," in which the fictitious Na'vi race fights to protect its homeland, the forest-covered moon, Pandora, from plans to extract oil. He said he came to Brasilia on his own initiative because he was drawn to the activists' plight.
"Avatar" has struck a chord with environmentalists worldwide, from China, where millions have been displaced by major infrastructure projects, to Bolivia, where Evo Morales, the nation's first indigenous president, praised the film for sending the message of saving the environment from exploitation.
James Cameron
Claims Forgery In Card Lawsuit
Gene Kelly's Widow
The widow of "Singin' in the Rain" star Gene Kelly has filed a lawsuit claiming a company once run by the son of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall used a forged license to put her late husband's name and image on trading cards and other merchandise.
Patricia Ward Kelly filed suit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. She says she was approached in 2008 by Stephen Bogart, then president of a company called MODA, to license Kelly's image for a planned line of Donruss trading cards called "Americana Cinema Stars." The one-page deal allegedly required Patricia Kelly's approval of any images or text used on the cards.
But Kelly says she soon discovered that cards and other merchandise were being made by Donruss without her approval and contained a "swatch of material ... cut from an authentic item personally worn by Gene Kelly" that was "highly offensive and never would have been approved by the Trust," according to the complaint.
In another wrinkle, Stephen Bogart is said to have sued his former company in 2008 claiming the CEO assaulted him after Bogart overheard him saying the chairwoman of MODA "had forged the signature of the widow of a Hollywood dancing icon." A default judgment is alleged to have been issued against the company in November.
Gene Kelly's Widow
Owes Back Taxes
Pamela Anderson
California officials say former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson has failed to pay $493,000 in personal income tax.
Anderson is on the annual list of delinquent taxpayers released Monday by the California Franchise Tax Board.
The 42-year-old actress is currently competing on the television show "Dancing With the Stars."
Anderson is among 250 individual and business taxpayers that owe more than $100,000 in back taxes. State records show a tax lien for $493,144 was filed against Anderson in April 2009.
Pamela Anderson
Vatican't Makes Peace
Beatles
The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, "dissolute" lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past - while their music lives on.
Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano paid tribute to the Fab Four in its weekend editions, with two articles and a front-page cartoon reproducing the crosswalk immortalized on the cover of the band's album "Abbey Road."
Two years ago, Vatican media hailed the Beatles' musical legacy on the 40th anniversary of the "White Album." And last month the Vatican paper included "Revolver" in its semiserious list of top-10 albums.
Now, L'Osservatore says that the Beatles' songs have stood the test of time, and that the band remains "the longest-lasting, most consistent and representative phenomenon in the history of pop music."
Beatles
Another Auction
Marilyn Monroe
Just when you thought every last bit of Marilyn Monroe had been put up for auction, including the crypt above hers at a local cemetery, along comes the couch from her shrink's office.
Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions says the psychiatric sofa will be offered June 26-27 during the Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas.
Other Monroe-abilia up for grabs: her Chanel No. 5, personal photos, bank statements, scripts, signed checks and the chair used in the star's final photo shoot.
Marilyn Monroe
More Than 100
Chinese Names
A man in China's southern province of Jiangxi has spent the last 20 years compiling a list of unusual family names, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Most Chinese people share a few common surnames, like Zhang, Wang, Li, Liu and Chen. The Chinese expression for "ordinary people" literally means "the old one hundred surnames."
But Cheng Yinglian's interest was piqued after reading a newspaper many years ago and discovering a person with the surname Gui, meaning "ghost," CCTV said.
Since then, he has scoured newspapers, books and other publications to find similar rare surnames, coming up with about 2,000 to date.
Chinese Names
Weekend Box Office Recount
"Clash of the Titans"
"Clash of the Titans" has taken down "Date Night" at the weekend box office after all.
With final numbers in from the studios Monday, "Clash of the Titans" retained the No. 1 spot for a second-straight weekend with $26.6 million. "Date Night" debuted in second-place with $25.2 million, nearly $2 million less than distributor 20th Century Fox had reported a day earlier.
Flip-flops in the box-office rankings are rare, but they occasionally happen because Sunday figures are based on projections that can change when studios release final numbers Monday.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:
1. "Clash of the Titans," $26,633,209, 3,802 locations, $7,005 average, $110,226,524, two weeks.
2. "Date Night," Fox, $25,207,599, 3,374 locations, $7,471 average, $25,207,599, one week.
3. "How to Train Your Dragon," Paramount-DreamWorks, $24,863,535, 4,007 locations, $6,205 average, $133,404,438, three weeks.
4. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?," Lionsgate, $11,017,379, 2,155 locations, $5,112 average, $48,537,039, two weeks.
5. "The Last Song," Disney, $9,832,326, 2,674 locations, $3,677 average, $42,255,196, two weeks.
6. "Hot Tub Time Machine," MGM, $5,431,021, 2,611 locations, $2,080 average, $36,969,649, three weeks.
7. "Alice in Wonderland," Disney, $5,301,730, 2,530 locations, $2,096 average, $319,009,518, six weeks.
8. "The Bounty Hunter," Sony, $4,215,156, 2,901 locations, $1,453 average, $55,916,622, four weeks.
9. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," Fox, $3,979,641, 2,453 locations, $1,622 average, $53,636,368, four weeks.
10. "Letters to God," Vivendi, $1,101,204, 897 locations, $1,228 average, $1,101,204, one week.
11. "Shutter Island," Paramount, $885,288, 869 locations, $1,019 average, $125,001,481, eight weeks.
12. "Avatar," Fox, $844,651, 454 locations, $1,860 average, $743,688,973, 17 weeks.
13. "The Ghost Writer," Summit, $822,351, 565 locations, $1,455 average, $12,293,735, eight weeks.
14. "She's Out of My League," Paramount, $645,893, 765 locations, $844 average, $30,122,867, five weeks.
15. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Music Box Films, $554,661, 126 locations, $4,402 average, $2,183,555, four weeks.
16. "Green Zone," Universal, $534,180, 614 locations, $870 average, $34,218,045, five weeks.
17. "The Runaways," Apparition, $469,260, 204 locations, $2,300 average, $2,517,227, four weeks.
18. "Greenberg," Focus, $420,938, 171 locations, $2,462 average, $2,943,653, four weeks.
19. "Our Family Wedding," Fox Searchlight, $386,291, 343 locations, $1,126 average, $19,360,257, five weeks.
20. "Hubble 3D," Warner Bros., $354,967, 41 locations, $8,658 average, $2,765,774, four weeks.
"Clash of the Titans"
In Memory
John "Jack" Agnew
John "Jack" Agnew, one of the original members of a U.S. Army unit that operated behind enemy lines in World War II and is often credited with having loosely inspired the movie "The Dirty Dozen," has died at age 88.
Agnew belonged to the Filthy Thirteen, an unofficial unit within the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was pronounced dead Thursday at Abington Memorial Hospital after becoming ill at his home in the Maple Village retirement community in Hatboro, where he and his wife moved about a year ago, his daughter Barbara Agnew Maloney said.
On D-Day, the Filthy Thirteen parachuted into France to take a bridge over the Douve River. It was "a mission that would cost most of the men their lives," according to an article in the winter 2008-09 edition of American Valour Quarterly, a publication of the nonprofit American Veterans Center.
Tales of the unit's exploits and a Stars and Stripes military newspaper photograph are said to have inspired "The Dirty Dozen," not because any of the unit's members were convicts like the movie's characters - they weren't - but because of their reputation for brawling, drinking and spending time in the stockade.
"We weren't murderers or anything, we just didn't do everything we were supposed to do in some ways and did a whole lot more than they wanted us to do in other ways," he told the quarterly. "We were always in trouble."
Agnew was among those interviewed in a documentary, "The Filthy Thirteen: Real Stories from Behind the Lines," that was included in a 2006 special edition DVD of "The Dirty Dozen."
The 1967 movie, about an Army major who has to train and lead 12 convicts into a mission targeting German officers, starred Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and Jim Brown.
Maloney said her father told her about 30 percent of the movie was true.
Two months ago, Maloney said, she accompanied her father to a military history convention in Louisville, Ky., where she met with three of the four surviving Filthy Thirteen members and three members of Easy Company, which was the focus of the HBO series "Band of Brothers."
Agnew will be buried with full military honors Tuesday at Forest Hills Cemetery in Huntingdon Valley, in the Philadelphia suburbs, where he and his wife, Elizabeth Agnew, lived for 56 years, Maloney said.
John "Jack" Agnew
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