As if breaking up the Beatles wasn’t bad enough, now the perennially irksome Yoko Ono is suing Ben Stein. More specifically, she is suing the producers of Ben Stein’s documentary Expelled because they critique the lyrics to the atheistic / darwinistic hymn by Yoko’s late husband John Lennon, Imagine.
In the movie they play a 15 second clip of the song and critique its message.
[CNA]Walt Ruloff, Executive Producer of the documentary and CEO of Premise Media, said the lyrics represent “everything that the neo-Darwinists want. ‘Imagine there’s no Heaven…No hell below us…Nothing to kill or die for… And no religion too…’ That’s exactly what the Darwinist establishment wants to do: get rid of religion.
Now, one would presume that Ono’s lawyers have informed her that such use is well established within the fair use doctrine that gives the public the right to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for the purposes of commentary and criticism. So if she knows this, why is suing?
Ono is suing simply to voice her displeasure at the message that the movie explores. The court system, however, is not a place to make such statements. Be annoying on your own time.
Ben Stein, in his typically sardonic way, turns the table on Ono and asks:
“So Yoko Ono is suing over the brief constitutionally protected use of a song that wants us to ‘Imagine no possessions’?” Stein asked. “Maybe instead of wasting everyone’s time trying to silence a documentary she should give the song to the world for free? After all, ‘imagine all the people sharing all the world…You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the World can live as one.’”
Imagine there’s no Yoko. Its easy if you try.
April 26, 2008 at 3:03 pm
“Imagine there’s no Yoko.” What a great line.
April 26, 2008 at 3:27 pm
It’s interesting to note that the “sales flyers” for Richard Dawkin’s book The God Delusion, incorporates the line “Imagine No Religion, superimposed on the background of the the Twin Towers with the sun streaming through providing an outline of a cross…(you can see an example on my blog under my review of Expelled.
I doubt there were any cries of outrage over that image…
The atheist are crawling out the woodwork now that someone has dared to disturb their cozy little nest.
April 26, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Better yet, imagine there’s a Yoko who believes in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Pray for Yoko. We don’t need her to be a soldier for the enemy.
April 26, 2008 at 5:10 pm
You know, someone should make a video of that song. They should include quotes from Nietzche and stuff, and show clips of Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, the Khmer Rouge, etc…, throughout the piece.
I don’t have the technical expertise, but I think it’d be easy to do, if you try. I’m not the only one who dreams of this video, and I hope someday soon it comes true.
Whoever does take up the challenge, try and make the still photos and film clips correspond to the lyrics. For example, soldiers burning villages when Lennon sings about no possessions, and pictures of body fields when he sings about no hell below us, and pictures of bombed out and destroyed churches when he sings about no heaven above us.
Bottom line, be graphic, and make his lyrics seem as Satanic as they really are.
April 29, 2008 at 5:41 pm
ON THE BLOG, THE DAWN PATROL,SHE HAS A VIDEO…THE DATE IS I THINK APRIL 26 or 27.