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HBO's "Boardwalk Empire": A Message About Prohibition?

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 02:01:19 PM EST
Tags: HBO, Boardwalk Empire (all tags)
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HBO's new original series, Boardwalk Empire, starring Steve Buscemi, takes place in Atlantic City in 1920. (Full cast and character descriptions here.)If it sounds like the Sopranos in an earlier time era, it may be because Terence Winter and Martin Scorcese are involved.

Will reliving Prohibition's spectacular failure every week reduce enthusiasm for the War on Drugs? It's hard to miss the connection.

The show starts Sept. 19, and from the many trailers, available on You Tube (I skipped the one in the Times, it's preceded by a long commercial), the show looks like a winner. HBO could use a winner after Treme, which I thought was a dud.

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    HBO's "Boardwalk Empire": A Message About Prohibition? | 10 comments (10 topical)

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    I can't wait for this (none / 0) (#1)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 05:16:17 PM EST


    Sounds good (none / 0) (#2)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 05:47:19 PM EST
    to me.  But I'm not optimistic that it will "reduce enthusiasm for the "War on Drugs."  Of course, there's a connection- a very strong one.  But we didn't learn from Viet Nam before we got ourselves mired in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I'm not optimistic that we'll learn from Prohibition.  "Those who do not remember history, are condemned to repeat it."  

    Maybe this is why this headline makes (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 06:31:16 PM EST
    me nervous:  The Guardian

    Parent
    Yes, well (none / 0) (#4)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 07:02:51 PM EST
    according to Tony Blair, Dick (and what an appropriate first name) Cheney wanted to invade, not just Iraq, but Iran and Syria, as well.

    Parent
    They quote David Albright, a "former (none / 0) (#7)
    by Jack E Lope on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 11:11:57 PM EST
    ...nuclear inspector".  His was one of the voices proclaiming that Iraq was a nuclear and biological weapons threat, and now he is speaking out about Iran....

    Google David Albright Iraq.

    When WMDs were not to be found, he claimed that he had just been mislead by the Bush Administration & Cronies...it wasn't his fault that he lent his credentials and credibility to a campaign of falsehood.

    Parent

    Nervous? (none / 0) (#8)
    by squeaky on Tue Sep 07, 2010 at 10:36:25 AM EST
    If Iraq had the bomb we would have never gone there. A nuclear free Iran is scarier than an Iran with the bomb, imo.

    ;

    Parent

    Nervous we might invade Iran (none / 0) (#9)
    by oculus on Tue Sep 07, 2010 at 12:55:13 PM EST
    on trumped-up evidence.

    Parent
    Well (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Tue Sep 07, 2010 at 01:15:41 PM EST
    They are not as weak as Iraq was after 10+ years of sanctions...

    Not to mention, even if you think Obama is just like Bush, the fact is he is not.

    Entirely different kettle of fish.. on many levels.

    Parent

    Looking forward to it (none / 0) (#5)
    by ruffian on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 07:44:28 PM EST
    Been seeing the previews on HBO for a long time now. Hard to believe it is already almost on. Interested to see how I  like Steve Buscemi in a leading role. I lIke him a lot in small doses.

    He is hard to take in (none / 0) (#6)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 09:12:58 PM EST
    big gulps. Not sure it's the best casting, and I'm hoping it's not all about him. His Soprano's character grew really tiresome.

    Parent
    HBO's "Boardwalk Empire": A Message About Prohibition? | 10 comments (10 topical)

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