Former Actor (Billy Jack) challenging Bush* in primary

[kskiska]

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) - Tom Laughlin, best known for helping bring martial arts into American pop culture with his 1970s "Billy Jack" films, is now throwing his punches in the political arena.

The 72-year-old actor, who lives in Camarillo, is one of 13 candidates running against President Bush (website - news - bio) in the Republican primary.

Laughlin, who first ran for president as a Democrat in 1992, said he's campaigning to draw attention to a two-party system he deemed "so corrupt it can't function anymore."

He described himself as a "messenger" candidate and said he wasn't disappointed by the New Hampshire primary, in which he earned 154 votes to Bush's nearly 34,000.

(snip)

Political themes have long been of interest to Laughlin, whose low-budget martial arts films pitted Billy Jack, a part Indian outlaw and Vietnam veteran, against racist, corrupt politicians and greedy businessmen.

"Billy Jack was always about the little guy going against the power brokers who are out to exploit and ruin," Laughlin said. "And that's why I'm running."

more…
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0204/123257.html

[spooky3]

1. Interesting!

[bloom]

2. I liked watching his films when I was in high school.

It's interesting that he is running.

[soup]

3. Tom Laughlin is 72 years old?!?

How can that be?

'Billy Jack' still fighting - and he got 154 votes in New Hampshire's primary. Cool.

[kskiska]

6. I just go berserk!

From his website:
http://igoberserk.billyjack.com/index.php?menuID=Page&pid=33

[xcentrik]

4. Oh, God, not him!!

For the record, he made his first film appearance in, I believe, 1959; he ain't young. Read some of his 70's interviews; he really thought he was some kind of great revolutionary leader.

[Terwilliger]

5. He's been running in every Presidential race that I can remember

how well did he ever do?

I think his biggest turnout was in 1992.

[KharmaTrain]

7. I Was Thinking The Same

If I'm not mistaken, McLaughlin has always been a Conservative. Those Billy Jack movies are loaded with "RW" values, if you look close enough at them (watching them today brings out a case of embarassement and chuckles for those of us who thought they were cool 30 years ago).

Also, I think he started running as a Repugnican in '88...then did draw some interest in '92. I think he jumped to Liberatarian or Reform in '96 '00. He's definitely out on the fringe right on guns and defense and black helicopters while being liberatarian, almost ultra liberal on drugs (pro legalization), privacy and sex/racial discrimination (one of the true believers that affirmative action is reverse discrimination). He's also in the hive with the anti-tax nuts who want the total abolishment of the IRS yesterday and no one pays taxes...services just magically appear.

I'm not surprised he's 72...he was no "kid" in those 70's movies. I think he's still married to Delores...the "earth mama" of his movies.

Seeing this post makes me kinda nostalgic...maybe I'll find a copy of The Trial Of Billy Jack this weekend...lately my second childhood is kicking in...<chuckle>

[Aristus]

8. Which Billy Jack movie was it where the woman gets shot by

National Guardsmen? I have a flickering memory of that from my childhood.

[Spirochete]

9. The Trial of Billy Jack

I once saw an open letter Tom Laughlin wrote to Ralph Nader on Salon, pleading with him not to run for president, because that would surely throw the election to Bush. He told him if he ran, he was a selfish egomaniac, and no longer a friend - stuff like that.