Charlton Heston died in Saturday night of April 5, 2008.

He passed with his wife

Lydia at his side in his Beverly Hills home. I remember many of his movies. In
terms of cinema history and American acting, he was an icon. My mother brought
a book on the career (that spanning numerous decades) including the life of
Charlton Heston. Ive seen the film "The Ten Commandments" yearly describing
the story of Moses along with the Exodus. The movie conveyed strong emotions. It
exposed the lesson that oppression against any people is immoral. The triumph of
a person in spite the tyranny of an Empire is one out of many critical lessons that
exist within the components of that film. To me, it was one of the greatest films
that Ive ever seen in my life. "Ben Hur" was another story about the Roman
Empire and Jesus Christ that Heston starred him. Ben Hur described 2 people
with different politics existing in the Roman Empires authoritarian reign. Heston
became an Oscar winner in his prominent career. Also, he turned into politics. He
stood side by side with Sidney Portier, Marlon Brando, and other actors to express
opposition to segregation and discrimination that occurred against black
Americans. He agreed with Dr. Martin Luther King and supported environmental
rights in the 1960s. As time went on, he acquired a more conservative viewpoint
on issues (although he still believed in civil rights until he died). He even once led
the NRA.

Heston believed that the Second Amendment was an individual right for citizens to
acquire. The NRA had gone in a more reactionary direction by even opposing
legitimate regulations on gun ownerships. Some NRA members support microchips
in bullets and the NRA supported a diversity of laws, but they have moved in a
very rightward direction in the past 30 years. Heston wasnt perfect as all human
beings arent perfect in every manner, shape or form. Yet, imperfections are no
excuse to advance massive reactionary policies.

Obviously, I dont agree with the far right direction that Heston has turned in the
past few last decades of his life. At first, Charlton campaigned for the Democratic
Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson in 1956 and he campaigned for John F.
Kennedy in 1960 when the anti-freedom blacklist ended. In 1961, he joined a
picket line outside a segregated Oklahoma movie theater that was premiering Ben-
Hur in the face of strong disapproval from the studio heads. Heston had already
won an Oscar for the film. He went on, famously, to participate in the 1963 March
on Washington, after Martin Luther King, Jr., persuaded Hollywood craft guilds to
open their ranks to black workers. In response, a committee calling itself the Arts
Group was formed at Brandos home. Heston, who referred to King as a 20th
Century Moses for his people, was elected its chair.
The original group numbered only 10 artists, including Heston, Brando, Curtis,
Lancaster and Mel Ferrer, but quickly attracted such leading actors as Shirley
MacLaine, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Gene Kelly, Paul Newman,
Joanne Woodward, Debbie Reynolds, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas and Judy
Garland. As early as 1964, Heston sympathized with the views of Barry Goldwater
(who opposed the Civil Rights bill before it was passed). He later supported the
Vietnam War. Once, Heston supported gun control in 1968, but then opposed it by
the 1980s. Once, he supported progressive civil rights legislation, he supported
opposing affirmative action later on. Me personally, I oppose the Vietnam War and
I believe in affirmative action. He voted for Richard Nixon in 1972. He disagreed
with George McGovern (who opposed the Vietnam War, believed in civil rights, and
believed in womens rights). He allied with the very reactionary Ronald Reagan.

Heston suffered from Alzheimers. Hestons life story should inspire us to do better,
to promote the right of gun rights (while not deifying guns and making sure that
legitimate gun regulations are in existence), and to be for individual liberty (while
not violating the collective rights of black people, and other minorities). I believe in
justice for all. I believe in the freedom of choice in schools, health, education,
guns, etc. Likewise, I do not believe in suppressing the social safety net or any
legitimate public resources that are a necessity to assist the poor or the
disadvantaged anywhere in life. Certainly, its been time to treat our neighbor as
ourselves (of every background) period. We have to rectify our errors with Gods
help. Many people have different views on abortion, but we should promote human
autonomy and develop ways for people to have social and economic justice. Not to
mention that numerous dictators or horrendous human beings disarmed the guns
from innocent private citizens like Mussolini, Stalin, etc. Charlton Heston rejected
manmade global warming when climate change is very real. We should always take
a stand on issues and stand in favor of liberty, justice, and tranquility within the
confines of American society (including the world).

By Timothy