Shirley Temple Black, iconic child star, dies at 85

Shirley Temple Black, iconic child star, dies at 85: One of the few child stars to make a successful transition into productive adulthood. She will be missed.

Kip Hooker:

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  • Then smoking, drinking, gambling, eating too much fast food and candy and not wearing seat belts affect you and the rest of society also. It's good then that you can rely on Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Obama and Al Gore to keep you safe, thin and comfortable.

    You have a puritanical view of law and society. I have an agrarian view of law and society. I don't think either one of us is going to change the views of the other.

    • Nope. You're not going to change my mind. And, yes, I am a Puritan, very much like the Puritans who helped build a fantastic country.

      And, yes, having to live in a world of junk food affects me, as my choices shrink and shrink and more and more food is "treated" and "improved" by assholes who worship science, think Nature screwed up and they need to fix it. Smoking affects me; drinking definitely affects me as I've lost a couple of friends who were killed by people who thought making themselves retarded was a form of entertainment.

      A thread on Shirley Temple is no place for this. I guess I'll just have to write that book on how much I despise the adolescent fantasy that is libertarianism.

      • Of course, TRUE Libertarianism isn't the same thing as anarchy. Libertarian rights stop when they intrude upon your rights. No Libertarian is trying to stop the jailing of those who drive drunk, that does affect YOUR rights. Junk food? Yes, people who want it can buy it, but Libertarians, unlike Republicrats, won't work to shut down suppliers of natural foods.

      • Drugs? Humans have ALWAYS used intoxicants and ALWAYS will.
        Democrats? We have had and always will have a certain segment of the population that is parasitic and stupid.
        Reality TV? It only exists because there is a market for it, sustained by the parasitic and stupid.

        I will, however, agree that our education system has been influenced to heavily by intellectuals who tend to be over-educated, but lacking in basic, worldly intelligence.

        • Humans have always used intoxicants, but whether or not that use is despised, discouraged, lauded or held in high esteem by the mainstream culture makes all the difference in the world. (I've always noticed that every time a stone age tribe is discovered living in a jungle somewhere, untouched by the march of time, they are shamanistic and consider drug use to be "holy.")

          And, yes, every culture has "a certain segment of the population that is parasitic and stupid." But when that certain segment crosses the 60% mark you're in bad, bad trouble.

          Every element that goes into the soup of societal destruction can be presented as "something that's always been with us." (There really is nothing new under the sun.) Pedophilia has always been with us. But when it goes mainstream, then your nation is a goner. That's only the most extreme example. Other vices are the same: when marginalized or quashed, they aren't a threat; when allowed into the public forum, they become lethal to civilization.

          • " despised, discouraged, lauded or held in high esteem by the mainstream culture"

            Why should any of that matter in the scheme of a free society? We don't need to condone it, we can even discourage it, but why do we outlaw it? I get the feeling that you think that keeping substance use by adults outlawed is the way to diminish use. The "War on Drugs" has done nothing to curb the use of any substance and has only filled the court system and prisons with non-violent and sometimes productive citizens. And created a wealthy and violent crime syndicate, just like prohibition. I just don't understand the puritanical need to control what people do in their private lives. And who decides what is "right" and what is "wrong"? If we MUST do this, then why should we not outlaw smoking, gambling and alcohol or any number of other vices? If a user becomes unproductive and irresponsible that should fall on the individual user, not on society. I know that currently our society has a desire to pamper these individuals and treat them as though this is an uncontrollable "disease", but that is a failure of modern thought.

            I don't think we have quite reached the 60% parasite level, maybe 20%. And the other 40%, if taken off of Government assistance would eventually begin to support themselves. A small percentage that are truly in need could be dealt with through charities and private aid programs. I think that a large majority of Americans still believe in the American dream and just want to be left alone to make their own way.

            Comparing pedophilia to substance use is not legitimate. Pedophilia has direct harm to another individual and should be punished severely. As should ANYONE under the influence of any substance that violates another individuals natural rights. Substance use only harms the user, when it's allowed to take over the users life. When that user becomes harmful to other individuals, then he should become a target of law.

            In a truly free society we would be allowed to act as we please unless those actions violate another individuals rights. I don't see how smoking a joint or snorting cocaine has any effect on your life whatsoever, unless that person violates your natural rights. Then we bring the law and hell with it!

          • A society can be free and still call something a vice. As I stated, there are things that will drag a nation into a pit if allowed to go unchecked.

            Something will always be illegal. The creation of a black market is no reason to legalize anything. Look at ivory trade. If legal, the elephants get shot. If made illegal, the price goes up and the elephants get shot. At some point, we just say "It's wrong," and we put our foot down. Human trafficking is a black market, and we don't legalize sex with 8-year-olds.

            What you call a truly free society I call anarchy. Civilization is a balance between freedom and order; a balance between the old East Germany on the one extreme and Sodom on the other.

            You don't see how someone else's cocaine affects my life because I believe you're short-sighted. You don't want to see how it affects communities, neighborhoods, cities and cultures.

  • So often when celebrities go off to the big film studio in the sky, my only thought is "it's about damn time". Shirley Temple is NOT one of those people.
    Some of my fondest memories are of my wife and daughters watching Shirley Temple movies. Now my daughters are watching them with my grand-daughters and making a few fond memories of their own. Just knowing that she was still with us was soothing. She will be sorely missed. Just one more of the extremely rare "good ones" from Hollywood to move on.

  • I can't believe the hatred from the leftists.

    Well,.....yes. I can.

    I made some statements about what's his name, the junkie, when he died last week. But it had nothing to do with his political views. It was because I really don't care when a junkie dies.

  • I knew Shirley Temple. I moved her last time she was Ambassador to Czechoslovakia. While not personal friends, I can tell you she was a class act. No airs with this woman. I showed up first thing in the morning for the estimate and she was cleaning the pool, hadn't done her hair and was in her PJ's and robe.

    The house was tastefully decorated, but they didn't go out and buy a whole new house of furniture every year to be faddish.

    She was one of the few class acts that Hollywood has ever seen or ever will ever see.

    Her husband was a real nice guy, too. It's obvious why they remained married for half a century.

    I had to pickup a few items to send over awhile after the move and met her daughter who by my take was also a class act, just like mom.

    I moved a cheese from Yahoo into an adjacent house and when I told him Shirley Temple was one of his neighbors he told me she'd already come over to introduce herself to him and his wife. Now how many people do that anymore?

    God bless and RIP. The planet is a worse place without you.

  • Wow! A child star that didn't go through a "slut phase" and "drug addict phase!"

    Must have been a different planet entirely!

    • Speaking of child stars and different planets . . .
      . . .I am compelled to assure you that both Bill Mumy and my dearest Angela Cartwright, from Lost In Space, continued into maturity as quite successful and respectable adults. Miss Cartwright married in the mid-70s, I believe, and remains wed to the same man to this day (and has just recently become a grandmother.) She ran a small boutique in LA for many years before giving that up to pursue artistic pursuits full-time, and still makes the occasional appearance at celebrity shows. There is a Catholic church in Studio City, CA which is known for being the home parish of numerous celebrities, and it is widely reported that both she and her sister Veronica may be seen at services there. Her life has been highly creditable and scandal-free.

      Bill Mumy occasionally played guitar and sang on Lost In Space, and he has remained a professional musician. Although not widely known at the time, he was one of the duo who performed the novelty act "Barnes & Barnes" and was most often heard on the Dr. Demento show, playing the touching and soulful ballad, "Fish Heads." Musicians being what they are -- and Bill often appearing in very hippie-ish character over the years, one may only speculate as to his recreational habits, but he too has remained entirely scandal-free, and is likewise happily married with children and continues his career as a musician.

      And while I would not speculate as to the political persuasions of either, both seem to keep their mouths shut about politics, if only more would be so considerate, amen.

      • Ron Howard and his brother Clint turned out fairly sane as well. Though Ron's a lefty, Clint is on the right. Must be fun at Thanksgiving, huh?

        The "Leave it to Beaver" cast did alright as well. Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell) became a cop.

        • Just as much fun as the Beckel house. Blob is the chief leftist on FOX news and his brother is a conservative actor, and appeared in Atlas Shrugged.

      • Bill Mumy also had a supporting role in the SciFi series 'Babylon 5' as the aide to an alien ambassador.

  • Nothing but hate from the left for her, but meanwhile the druggie who overdosed due to stupidity is a hero to these pinko scumbags.

    • Astounding how many of those are basically just "She was a Republican, therefore evil."

      I guess none of them have any friends outside of their leftist bubble. And that's because they believe in "inclusivity" and "diversity."

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