First, on Tuesday, September 8th, Sheen drew media attention by publishing a fictional (transcripted) interview between himself and President Obama online ("Twenty Minutes With the President"), which he then forwarded directly to the White House, an effort to get the actual President to grant him twenty "real" minutes and discuss the contents of the document. (I urge you to read Sheen's fictional interview by clicking here.)
Then on Wednesday, Sheen issued the following "video message to President Obama":
Before I spend any time outlining what I personally think of these obviously controversial efforts by Sheen, let me first give you a sense as to how the media has since reacted. Right now, as of Sunday evening, September 13th, there are exactly 194 articles online (excluding blogs) about Charlie Sheen's proposal to the President. Here is a sample of my findings:
Faith in conspiracy theories generally, it seems to me, is a powerful indicator of low self-esteem. Conspiracy theorists desperately want to believe the worst because it makes them feel that they know best, that they have special information to which the rest of us, the gullible unthinking herd, are not privy.
Sheen is the former husband of actress Denise Richards, who alleged that he was addicted to gambling, prescription drugs and prostitutes. While Sheen has openly discussed his previous struggles with drugs, he has denied Richards' allegations against him. Still, Richards used his beliefs about 9/11 as proof for a judge that he was "delusional. She later sought and received a restraining order against him.
Someone has clearly been in sitcoms too long: Give him a half-hour (minus commercial breaks) and there's no problem Chuck Sheen can't solve.
The Two and a Half Men star has loosed upon the Internet "Twenty Minutes with the President," an incredible piece of fantasy journalism (or a failed treatment from his dad's West Wing days, we can't be sure) imagining a meeting between himself and President Barack Obama in which Charlie Sheen schools the ruler of the free world about the government's real role in the Sept. 11 attacks "as perceived, that is, by the actor's conspiracy theorist mind.
From an Independent (Ireland) article:
So, here's the deal. You're rich, famous, have access to the kind of things the rest of us can only dream about -- and you are pissed off. Extremely pissed off.
In fact, you're so annoyed you want to set up a meeting. With the American President.
That's the latest development from the strange, parallel universe that is inhabited by Charlie Sheen, an actor as famous for his prodigious prostitute habit and heroic drug consumption as he is for any of his thespian skills.
It's difficult to determine, exactly, what the on-record opinions of the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, or any of the other high-profile, supposedly respected opinion-makers are, because not one of these newspapers has, as of yet, published an article addressing Sheen's efforts.
Neither can we discover much regarding the "news" programs on network television. I have discovered only two programs where Sheen's recent efforts are both recognized and commented upon.
Please watch the following conversation between Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera on The O'Reilly Factor:
And, now, from The View:If you pay close attention, what you will discover is that each of these pieces (and there are many more) absolutely REFUSES to approach even one sentence of the well-sourced information or resulting questions that Charlie Sheen has put forth, choosing instead, to comment upon:
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
