Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.com
As Star Wars: The Last Jedi takes over the box office this weekend, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz unwisely decided to mess with the film’s star over net neutrality.
And he got the business end of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber-sharp wit for his troubles.
On Saturday, Last Jedi star Mark Hamill tweeted a clever, Star Wars-themed rebuke of the Trump FCC’s gutting of net neutrality:
Cute video Ajit “Aren’t I Precious?” Pai 🤮-but you are profoundly unworthy 2 wield a lightsaber-A Jedi acts selflessly for the common man-NOT lie 2 enrich giant corporations. Btw-did you pay John Williams his royalty? @AjitPaiFCCorpShill #AJediYouAreNOT pic.twitter.com/SpIcOEySUY
— @HamillHimself (@HamillHimself) December 16, 2017
Given a full day to formulate a response, Cruz replied to Hamill on Sunday with a desperate attempt at spinning the undemocratic move as a blow for freedom:
.@HammillHimself Luke, I know Hollywood can be confusing, but it was Vader who supported govt power over everything said & done on the Internet. That’s why giant corps (Google, Facebook, Netflix) supported the FCC power grab of net neutrality. Reject the dark side: Free the net! https://t.co/nARkMvIEYk
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 17, 2017
Hamill was having none of it, and responded by cutting Cruz down like a first-year Sith Lord, throwing in a reference to Cruz’s apparent porn habit for good measure:
Thanks for smarm-spaining it to me @tedcruz I know politics can be confusing, but you’d have more credibility if you spelled my name correctly. I mean IT’S RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU! Maybe you’re just distracted from watching porn at the office again❤️-mh https://t.co/nHpJVG1Wpe
— @HamillHimself (@HamillHimself) December 17, 2017
In September, Cruz was scandalized when someone on his Twitter account “liked” a porn video. Ironically, the demise of net neutrality could result in greater difficulty accessing whatever sort of content Cruz and his staff enjoy, a practical example of the decision’s consequences.
Just as Luke Skywalker serves as a symbolic rallying point for the fictional Resistance, Mark Hamill speaks for many people in the real resistance, who want a free and open internet.
The Force of public opinion is with us, not Ted Cruz.
