Freedom at the Box Office

You’ve heard me say before that there is no such thing as a “mainstream media”. It’s more like a stream that flows through the People’s Republic of China. Only the so-called MSM could twist and turn a story about child sex trafficking into a story criticizing those who are tackling it and trying to free these children.

If you have not seen the movie, “Sound of Freedom,” I hope you’ll see it while it’s still at the theaters. There has been an orchestrated effort by many to sabotage the movie and pretend it isn’t real.

Wouldn’t you think that of all the things in the world to be partisan about, that sex trafficking of children would be one subject we could all agree on? It’s terribly wrong and sick and we need to do far more than is currently being done.

The movie was made more than five years ago. The makers of the film hit roadblocks while trying to find an entity in Hollywood to produce it. Somehow Mel Gibson got involved and the movie made it to theaters and has been a huge box office surprise.

Many theaters refused to book the film. It became a grassroots effort in which seats were pre-sold. It came out on July 4th and even beat out Indiana Jones on opening weekend. It has been a smash hit.

Angel Studios, who released the film, said the success was credited to word of mouth publicity. The head of the studio said, “We’re deeply grateful to AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and all our theater partners − and their hard-working theater staff members − for working with us to accommodate the surging demand for this film and having the courage to release ‘Sound of Freedom’ during the busiest movie season of the year,”

The star of the film is Jim Caviezel and he does an outstanding job. He plays the part of Tim Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security investigator. The movie is based on actual events that Ballard took part in and it is difficult to watch at times.

A CNN commentator claimed that the film was made from a “moral panic” and was based on “bogus statistics and fear.” Tim Ballard did not mince words striking back. He said, “As that guy is talking, and he’s nobody’s hero, by the way, I can’t imagine any kid looking at him thinking he’s going to help them out. But I think of the children that are really depicted in that film. I know what happened to them. Those children were the subjects of child rape videos. Those children were being sold for sex. In total, you see over 120 kids actually are rescued.”

Most major film critics boycotted the movie. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter refused to do reviews. It’s just as well. One can only imagine what they would have had to say.

Rolling Stone mocked the film and the audience by saying “Sound of Freedom is a Superhero Movie for Dads with Brainworms.” Why is there such hostility to a movie that is trying to bring awareness to a horrible subject?

Many liberal media outlets have such disdain for the movie and the stars that it does not make sense. They attribute it to being fodder for conspiracy theorists.

Tim Ballard said. “This is just some other agenda, who would want to get the backs or run interference for pedophiles and human traffickers? That’s the most important question in all this. Why would you want to lie to push an agenda whose goal is to have children be in captivity? It’s kind of sick.”

Child Sex Trafficking is real, and we must take a stand against anything that gets in the way of public awareness.

I attended a forum last week dealing with sex trafficking and some of the stories we heard were chilling. North Carolina is one of the top states for sex trafficking, much of it involving children. The statistics are alarming and there is a place in Hell for those who participate in this grotesque practice.

As a Legislator, I will do all in my power to stop this. It’s heartbreaking to think of the children that are imprisoned in this sick industry.