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Updated Friday, September 18, 2009 9:30 am TWN, The China Post news staff

All of 'Son of Taiwan's' men

“All the King's Men” is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by American author Robert Penn Warren. It was first published in 1946. A 1949 film adaptation directed by Robert Rossen and starring Broderick Crawford as protagonist Willie Stark won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

The title “All the King's Men,” of course, is drawn from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. The most common version is:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses,

And all the king's men,

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Humpty Dumpty is a political allegory. It implies that once a political leader has been discredited, nothing his spindoctors can say will ever restore his reputation again. It implies that once a king has been dethroned, nothing his minions can do will ever restore his power again.

The novel “All The King's Men” depicts the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a self-described hick lawyer in the Deep South whose commitment to clean government is swiftly jettisoned during his rise to power. He eventually becomes even more corrupt than the politicians he despised and succeeded in overthrowing.

The story begins with the ruling party political machine backing well-meaning rube Stark in a cynical move to “split the hick vote.” Realizing he has been used, Stark vows to see justice done.

He makes a dazzling comeback. But soon after he tastes power, he abandons his principles and begins lining his pockets. “All the King's Men” is a classic tale of “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

On Sept. 11, 2009, former Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian was convicted of four counts of corruption and sentenced to life imprisonment. A modern day Humpty Dumpty, a modern day Willie Stark, was toppled from his lofty pedestal as the “Son of Taiwan,” and discredited beyond hope of redemption.

“All the King's Men” is a work of fiction. But author Robert Penn Warren grounded it firmly in reality. The saga of Willie Stark was inspired by the real life rise and fall of Louisiana governor and one-time senator, Huey Long, aka “The Kingfish.”

That is why the parallels between fictional hick populist Willie Stark and real world hick populist Chen Shui-bian are so astonishing.

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September 22, 2009 linotw@

The taste of power has crippled and succumbed the former president to graft & corruption. "All the King's Men" can be entertaining, but the live action of "Son of Taiwan" runs for 8 years and continues to dungeon. The editorial of last July 23rd "Sorrow of being Taiwanese" when former Lee Teng-hui often spoke of “tai wan ren de bei ai,” or “the sorrow of being born Taiwanese,” I deeply feel sorry of being a Taiwanese.

September 23, 2009 err_co_eds@

Wonderful Editorial.

Two GOOD SON OF TAIWAN was born in the same island but with different time and both become the President of our country.

Chen Shui-bian become an "ICON OF CORRUPTION".

Lee Teng-hui became the Godfather for the DPP and frequent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. Forgetting how our martyr's fought and died against the Japanese Fanatics invader. And the most POIGNANT is Lee cause the untimely dead of a 5 year old little girl who survived the earthquake without any conscience to save her young life. Thats what "Tai Wan ren de ai".
Now another figure is emerging to be a Good Daughter of Taiwan in the South. Anybody can figure out who she is.

September 23, 2009 linotw@

Father and Son of Taiwan want to promote something very own individuals thoughts while enrich themselves, which let millions of people here living in dangerously for 20 years. They are better known as Tai Wan De Pei Ai.

Sound she is the mayor of Kaohsiung city. If is she the one you mean to, yes I agree with you. She is a very deceiving and tricky lady, showed her true double identity; taking fake video recording during election day to let her opponent fell and recent visit to China to draw a number of Chinese tourists to attend games. She later used Dalai Lama's visit and 10 Conditional Love movie to provoke and irritate people. Her motives are to serve people of Kaohsiung or her own political agenda that long forgot the original democratic movement.


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