Can I have his guns?
Evolving Thoughts
One man's struggle against impermanence
Search
Profile
John Wilkins is an eternal student, who thinks philosophy of biology is at least as interesting as politics or sport and twice as important. He has a PhD from the University of Melbourne and worked at the University of Queensland, in Australia, before taking up a research fellowship at the University of Sydney. After a varied career, involving factories, gardening, civil service, publishing, graphics, public relations but not, unfortunately for the CV, driving a truck, John finally completed his thesis on species concepts in 2004, which he has worked into two books.
This blog is designed evolved to host any random thoughts that happen to be passing through my forebrain at a given moment. So there will be errors...
Recent Posts
- My new blog
- Evolving Thoughts moves
- We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- No, it's not an ancestor either (probably)
- Alpha Fail
- Philosophy and evolution
- Creative Commons and textbooks
- Punnett on Mendelism and species
- Quote
- Moral atheists
Recent Comments
- Thony C. on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- Susan Silberstein on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- Thony C. on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- Bob O'H on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- Chirs' Wills on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- Karen James on No, it's not an ancestor either (probably)
- John S. Wilkins on Philosophy and evolution
- John Dupre on Philosophy and evolution
- cromercrox on We will resume transmission as soon as we can
- zayıflama on There is no missing link
Archives
- August 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
Blogroll
- Aetiology
- Afarensis
- Bad Astronomy
- Brooke McEldowney's blog
- Darwin Central
- De Rerum Natura
- Deanne Taylor's Blog at Nature
- Dienekes' Anthropology Blog
- Dispatches from the Culture Wars
- Ediacaran
- Galactic Interactions
- Ether Wave Propaganda
- Genomicron
- John Hawks Anthropology Weblog
- Laelaps
- Musgrave's Astroblogger
- NASA Watch
- National Center for Science Education
- Pharyngula
- Rationally Speaking
- Sandwalk
- Scott Page's All-too-common dissent
- Siris
- Small Things Considered
- Sunbeams from Cucumbers
- The End of the Pier
- The Lippard Blog
- The Loom
- The Panda's Thumb
- The Questionable Authority
- The Thinking Meat Project
- Thoughts in a Haystack
- u n d e r v e r s e
- Unscrewing The Inscrutable
- When Pigs Fly Returns
I also have an Australia-focussed blog: The Drought Resistant Philosopher
Search old and new blogs
Other Information
The previous instantiation of this blog is accessible here.
« A good German site | Main | A slight diversion »
Charlton Heston is dead
Category: Humor
Posted on: April 6, 2008 1:53 AM, by John S. Wilkins
Did you like this post? If so, please click on the "Share this" link above and add it to your favourite social bookmarking service, or submit it to the Open Laboratory 2009 via the link on the left bottom of the page. Many thanks. John.
Comments
Well, whatever you say about the man's politics, he made one of the most iconic scenes in movie history.
Posted by: Aaron Clausen | April 6, 2008 2:55 AM
Well, he didn't, Cecil B. de Mille and others did. He was the eye candy. Damn dirty ape.
Posted by: John S. Wilkins | April 6, 2008 3:03 AM
He was a decent enough actor who did plenty of live theatre after the age of 60 when most Hollywood types are in early retirement, reasonably well-read and politically committed.
Unfortunately, much of his attitudes about gun ownership were shaped by being the victim of crime earlier in life and as he aged he became a one-note johnny on this particular theme. And, it's sad to realize after the fact that his halting, confused and somewhat damning interview in Michael Moore's film came during the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. I don't have much in common with him politically, but he was more than eye candy for much of his career. I imagine a creationist several decades from now interviewing me in my dotage, and I could well imagine how I might stub my toe.
Posted by: Scott Hatfield, OM | April 6, 2008 4:38 AM
You can have his guns but you'll have to prise them from his cold dead fingers. So I'd wait another few minutes if I were you. And by the way, Damn you, God damn you all to hell!
Posted by: Sigmund | April 6, 2008 5:02 AM
Technically you have to wait until rigor sets in and he's in the ground, that way he'll be cold enough for you to be technically prying them from his cold dead hands.
As for his guns, I think they should be sold as a collection and the money given to the families of victims of gun crime. THAT would be a legacy worthy of the actor, if not the man.
Posted by: stuart denham | April 6, 2008 6:01 AM
I think he was a better actor than he was often given credit for and he starred in a number of films that have stood the test of time. He had the courage to stand up for his political views whether they were popular or not and, although unquestionably right-wing, he was not the caricature beloved of the left as an iconic conservative bogeyman. I think Moore's interview with Heston probably did as much damage to Moore as it did to Heston.
He appeared in a lot of films that I have enjoyed. I am sorry he is dead and my condolences go out to Lydia, his wife of 4 years, his family and friends.
Posted by: Ian H Spedding FCD | April 6, 2008 9:26 AM
Oops! I meant, of course, "Lydia, his wife of 64 years..."
You can have my computer when you can pry the keyboard from my cold, dead hands!
Posted by: Ian H Spedding FCD | April 6, 2008 9:30 AM
You know all his guns will be buried with him. They'll probably need a pyramid to make them all fit.
Posted by: Romeo Vitelli | April 6, 2008 9:47 AM
I have discovered a new profession. I shall become a Neoologist; the contemporary version of an Archeologist.
Now, where's that pyramid?
Posted by: John S. Wilkins | April 6, 2008 8:46 PM
"As for his guns, I think they should be sold as a collection and the money given to the families of victims of gun crime."
Nice poltical statement using his still warm corpse as a soap box.
Graceless.
Posted by: Lance | April 7, 2008 3:24 PM
But remember that guns don't kill people, erm... a long life of privilege kills people?
Posted by: Ed Yong | April 8, 2008 7:38 AM
"Can I have his guns?"
You'll need a prybar.
Posted by: Paul Murray | April 8, 2008 6:41 PM
"From my cold, dead hands."
At last, they are ours!
Posted by: Inoculated Mind | April 9, 2008 5:19 PM
Watch out. With comments like that you might get Expelled
from the NRA. LOLZ
Posted by: john t. | April 15, 2008 5:59 PM
I have always been of the opinion that Chuck was a bit over the top as far as his acting, but that never stopped me from watching his movies (multiple times, dare I say!)
"Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!"
Soylent Green (duh)
"Just build coffins, that's all you'll need."
Omega Man (Neville was cool, but Matthias was the Man!)
Posted by: BobbyEarle | April 16, 2008 10:42 AM