Well this happened surprisingly fast, but I'm not shocked at all that it did come to pass.
An old acquaintance and ex-employee from work who is very good at posting political links on facebook, but not so great at articulating his own thoughts beyond the Kool-aid drenched party line of the American left, has de-friended me, without so much as a word through e-mail or a phone call.
He's the one a few posts below who suggested to me that we shouldn't draw Mohammed because radical Muslims might blow something up if we do.
This has happened before, and it will happen again.
Eventually people realize with amazement that I am a person of conviction, who has ideas and principles outside of the narrow and decadent paradigm of liberal elites.
Even more incredulous to them, is that I don't go away and I don't back down. When this happens, things get personal really fast and they almost always take the cowards way out. First the cryptic chirping, then the personal insults, and then finally turning tail and running away like the babies they are.
Funny how I could care less when they bash the Iraq war (in my mind they are bashing the troops) or say Universal Health Care is a really great idea. I don't for one second get mad. My pulse rate doesn't quicken. I am bemused, and sometimes amused.
And this is simply because - I don't think my friends are idiots, or evil. I just think they're wrong.
In fact, I'm so confident in my views - I actually can get a good actual laugh when someone tells me that we need BIGGER government, MORE regulations, LESS military spending, ZERO tolerance of faith in the public sector unless it's Islamic. I think this idiocy is hilarious, and I'm not threatened by it at all - because I know I'm right.
If I were to get mad, throw insults, cut off discussion - I would be one of them.
I have literally been told on separate occasions by different friends, and even a relative- I'm endangering a friendship, I should just shut up, I should go away, I am an idiot, I am a racist and I am uneducated.
Not for one instant did it enter my mind that any of these labels applied to my accuser. Not for one instant did I consider insulting them, beyond a good natured barb of sarcasm or condescension (hey, I am human).
Anger and fear really do seem to only flow one way - out of the hearts and minds of those who disagree with me.
I'm used to it.
It is true, I routinely intellectually beat up on liberals like a red-headed step-child, and I guess it's pretty tough to stand up to to an overwhelming barrage of principle and common sense that doesn't involve smug self-loathing. My passion is driven by relentless patriotism and exhaustive experience in traveling the globe - it's gotta be tough for anyone who worships the State to process the truth when it comes out of my mouth .
Ah well, another one down.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Perspective
So this crazy asshole in Florida plans to burn the Quran on September 11th.
What a jerk.
It will probably incite hatred, possibly violence and maybe even put American soldiers lives at risk.
I don't agree with this guy - I think what he is doing is wrong.
But I believe he has every right to do it without interference from our government.
The first amendment does not take sides, the Constitution is (thank God) impartial.
And as crazy and as wrong as this so called man of the cloth is, he's no worse than the radical Imam who seeks to divide Americans and incite hatred and fear by building an indoctrination center for Sharia law at Ground Zero.
Nor is he worse than the New York Times when they publish military secrets that put our troops in harms way.
He's just a lone kook.
The Imam has real power and influence over a large group of followers who will hang on his every word, and possibly even react violently if the GZ mosque has to be relocated.
The New York Times has an audience of millions who still believe that they are objective - and that they do no harm by exposing military intelligence and emboldening the enemy.
That so much attention has been paid to this lone nut ball, with even our president imploring him to restrain himself, and liberal elites falling all over themselves with anguish at the prospect of a few books being burned - strikes me as pretty ridiculous.
I am very skeptical that the elite bloggers and media stooges are genuinely righteous about protecting the Quran - to me it seems more like they are afraid of a violent reaction, that is - they are playing right into the hands of the radical Islamists.
People burn American flags all the time. No one raises an eyebrow.
Christ is routinely blasphemed in movies and television shows. Meh. So what?
But one jerk-off in Florida wants to torch a couple of books and it's the end of the world? Give me a break.
Muslims, even radical ones, have to learn that there is a price for freedom. All religions in a free society are targets, even theirs.
I wish they could get on board, like the rest of us have to, and fucking deal with it.
What a jerk.
It will probably incite hatred, possibly violence and maybe even put American soldiers lives at risk.
I don't agree with this guy - I think what he is doing is wrong.
But I believe he has every right to do it without interference from our government.
The first amendment does not take sides, the Constitution is (thank God) impartial.
And as crazy and as wrong as this so called man of the cloth is, he's no worse than the radical Imam who seeks to divide Americans and incite hatred and fear by building an indoctrination center for Sharia law at Ground Zero.
Nor is he worse than the New York Times when they publish military secrets that put our troops in harms way.
He's just a lone kook.
The Imam has real power and influence over a large group of followers who will hang on his every word, and possibly even react violently if the GZ mosque has to be relocated.
The New York Times has an audience of millions who still believe that they are objective - and that they do no harm by exposing military intelligence and emboldening the enemy.
That so much attention has been paid to this lone nut ball, with even our president imploring him to restrain himself, and liberal elites falling all over themselves with anguish at the prospect of a few books being burned - strikes me as pretty ridiculous.
I am very skeptical that the elite bloggers and media stooges are genuinely righteous about protecting the Quran - to me it seems more like they are afraid of a violent reaction, that is - they are playing right into the hands of the radical Islamists.
People burn American flags all the time. No one raises an eyebrow.
Christ is routinely blasphemed in movies and television shows. Meh. So what?
But one jerk-off in Florida wants to torch a couple of books and it's the end of the world? Give me a break.
Muslims, even radical ones, have to learn that there is a price for freedom. All religions in a free society are targets, even theirs.
I wish they could get on board, like the rest of us have to, and fucking deal with it.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Not quite good enough.
Tonight Obama gave a speech about Iraq. He basically got across that the combat phase has ended and that the Iraqi's need to step up to the plate. I'm with him on these two points.
He also praised our soldiers to a great extent, for which I am glad. And of course, this is what a president must do.
He also strayed a bit, pointing out early on that he was fulfilling his campaign promise to wind the operation down.
Um, no one gives a shit about your campaign promise sir, this isn't about you.
But overall, the speech was a good one. Beautifully written as always, and Obama is a master speaker. If his aim was to inspire Americans, overall, he succeeded.
So well done troops, well done Iraq, well done everyone and God bless us all.
And Columbo turns back at the last second...
Oh, one other thing. Two other things actually.
First of all, he gave zero, and I mean ZERO credit to George W. Bush.
No mention that the surge, which Obama said would fail, actually succeeded.
No mention that the entire drawdown plan, soup to nuts, was and still is entirely GWB's. Obama has literally kept exactly with the Bush blue print presented to him on his first day in office by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Fine. I didn't really expect our president to show grace in this matter. It's academic really, Bush will forever be the Dark Knight - hated, but ultimately 100% right when it came to winning the war and keeping us safe.
Second of all, and FAR more importantly.
He withheld from our troops a real victory by not specifically saying that they have achieved it.
He did praise the US and coalition forces profusely, which I thought was great, and despite my gut instincts, I don't judge his heart - I take him at his word. But he didn't go far enough.
Regardless of how one views the war, the simple fact is that our soldiers succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Iraq is stable, and has a real shot at remaining so. That, to me, is an indisputable victory.
Because as a Senator Obama was against the war, against the surge, and in my view against our soldiers, he now refuses to swallow his pride and do his job as president - give our soldiers the full honor they deserve - calling a victory a victory.
I understand he doesn't want to look like Bush on an aircraft carrier with a big banner of "Mission Accomplished" behind him.
But this isn't really about him, and tonight he failed to see that in spectacular fashion.
Edit: Here is a great little blurb from Hot Air that beautifully encapsulates what I wrote last night. I'm pretty proud that it basically restates (though much more elegantly) what I already came up with.
He also praised our soldiers to a great extent, for which I am glad. And of course, this is what a president must do.
He also strayed a bit, pointing out early on that he was fulfilling his campaign promise to wind the operation down.
Um, no one gives a shit about your campaign promise sir, this isn't about you.
But overall, the speech was a good one. Beautifully written as always, and Obama is a master speaker. If his aim was to inspire Americans, overall, he succeeded.
So well done troops, well done Iraq, well done everyone and God bless us all.
And Columbo turns back at the last second...
Oh, one other thing. Two other things actually.
First of all, he gave zero, and I mean ZERO credit to George W. Bush.
No mention that the surge, which Obama said would fail, actually succeeded.
No mention that the entire drawdown plan, soup to nuts, was and still is entirely GWB's. Obama has literally kept exactly with the Bush blue print presented to him on his first day in office by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Fine. I didn't really expect our president to show grace in this matter. It's academic really, Bush will forever be the Dark Knight - hated, but ultimately 100% right when it came to winning the war and keeping us safe.
Second of all, and FAR more importantly.
He withheld from our troops a real victory by not specifically saying that they have achieved it.
He did praise the US and coalition forces profusely, which I thought was great, and despite my gut instincts, I don't judge his heart - I take him at his word. But he didn't go far enough.
Regardless of how one views the war, the simple fact is that our soldiers succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Iraq is stable, and has a real shot at remaining so. That, to me, is an indisputable victory.
Because as a Senator Obama was against the war, against the surge, and in my view against our soldiers, he now refuses to swallow his pride and do his job as president - give our soldiers the full honor they deserve - calling a victory a victory.
I understand he doesn't want to look like Bush on an aircraft carrier with a big banner of "Mission Accomplished" behind him.
But this isn't really about him, and tonight he failed to see that in spectacular fashion.
Edit: Here is a great little blurb from Hot Air that beautifully encapsulates what I wrote last night. I'm pretty proud that it basically restates (though much more elegantly) what I already came up with.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
"Tolerance"
This whole ground zero mosque business seems to have inflamed passions all around. The idea of a mosque not too far from the rubble of the WTC isn't that repugnant to me, if anything it seems like it might be a good idea to help build a bridge between cultures and demonstrate to the world that America values religious freedom above bigotry.
But this "Cultural Center" that is being planned is anything but just a mosque - it is a garish 13 story behemoth that will be the American headquarters for promoting Sharia law and will be spear headed by an Imam who blames the US for 9/11.
It is these facts, along with the mainstream media calling anyone who bristles at them Islamo-phobic, that have firmly placed me in the anti-ground zero mosque camp.
This is an issue that is, underneath, not at all about religious freedom. The forces behind this mosque are provocateurs of the most insidious kind. Their choice of location (the site of a building damaged during the 9/11 attacks) is just the first step at dividing Americans.
The planned "activities" for the center, which will likely include a sex segregated worshipping area, a non-admittance policy to non-Muslims into the mosque, and stern lectures from Sharia pushing Imams, will vividly illustrate the one way street that is "tolerance" in the "moderate" Muslim world.
Cultural elites view those of us who oppose the location of this indoctrination center (excuse me, I meant mosque) as intolerant bigots. The fact that women in most Muslim countries are at best second class citizens seems to be lost on them.
Can you imagine non-Catholics, or even non-Christians, being turned away from St. Paul's cathedral? Did you know that non-Muslims aren't allowed anywhere near the Haj in Mecca?
I've been to Muslim countries. A few hardcore (Egypt, Jordan) and a few moderate (Morocco, Indonesia). It was while I was in Indonesia early on a Friday morning that I asked our guide Mr. Malik if I could join him for services. He laughed and smiled. Absolutely not. I was "an infidel" (his exact words) in the eyes of his faith. Though he was kind to me and took great pains to explain and professed to not believe this himself, he was very clear. Absolutely not.
Indonesia is supposedly the most liberal Muslim country in the world.
Am I the intolerant one for thinking that the GZ mosque Imam is a bit of an asshole for wanting to plant his flag on the graves of people who were blown up in the name of his religion?
The main thing that seems to be missing from the pro-GZ mosque bunch is common sense.
I could care less about a radical dick-head wanting to build a center for his religion. He can go ahead and build it. It's what our country is all about. The right to be a douche, and have a douchey religion. But please, pick a different location. Try a mile or two away. Knock yourself out. If a radical Christian asshole, like the guy in Gainesville Florida who is going to have a Koran book burning this weekend wanted to build a church on or near Ground Zero, I'd say hell to the no as well.
Let's use our brains and not our knee-jerk politically correct self-loathing passions to guide us to the correct choice.
Show a little respect for the dead. Show a little class.
But this "Cultural Center" that is being planned is anything but just a mosque - it is a garish 13 story behemoth that will be the American headquarters for promoting Sharia law and will be spear headed by an Imam who blames the US for 9/11.
It is these facts, along with the mainstream media calling anyone who bristles at them Islamo-phobic, that have firmly placed me in the anti-ground zero mosque camp.
This is an issue that is, underneath, not at all about religious freedom. The forces behind this mosque are provocateurs of the most insidious kind. Their choice of location (the site of a building damaged during the 9/11 attacks) is just the first step at dividing Americans.
The planned "activities" for the center, which will likely include a sex segregated worshipping area, a non-admittance policy to non-Muslims into the mosque, and stern lectures from Sharia pushing Imams, will vividly illustrate the one way street that is "tolerance" in the "moderate" Muslim world.
Cultural elites view those of us who oppose the location of this indoctrination center (excuse me, I meant mosque) as intolerant bigots. The fact that women in most Muslim countries are at best second class citizens seems to be lost on them.
Can you imagine non-Catholics, or even non-Christians, being turned away from St. Paul's cathedral? Did you know that non-Muslims aren't allowed anywhere near the Haj in Mecca?
I've been to Muslim countries. A few hardcore (Egypt, Jordan) and a few moderate (Morocco, Indonesia). It was while I was in Indonesia early on a Friday morning that I asked our guide Mr. Malik if I could join him for services. He laughed and smiled. Absolutely not. I was "an infidel" (his exact words) in the eyes of his faith. Though he was kind to me and took great pains to explain and professed to not believe this himself, he was very clear. Absolutely not.
Indonesia is supposedly the most liberal Muslim country in the world.
Am I the intolerant one for thinking that the GZ mosque Imam is a bit of an asshole for wanting to plant his flag on the graves of people who were blown up in the name of his religion?
The main thing that seems to be missing from the pro-GZ mosque bunch is common sense.
I could care less about a radical dick-head wanting to build a center for his religion. He can go ahead and build it. It's what our country is all about. The right to be a douche, and have a douchey religion. But please, pick a different location. Try a mile or two away. Knock yourself out. If a radical Christian asshole, like the guy in Gainesville Florida who is going to have a Koran book burning this weekend wanted to build a church on or near Ground Zero, I'd say hell to the no as well.
Let's use our brains and not our knee-jerk politically correct self-loathing passions to guide us to the correct choice.
Show a little respect for the dead. Show a little class.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 may be the best movie of the trilogy because the stakes are so high.
This is the endgame for the toys - the pay off, the culmination of all the arcs and themes of the first two chapters.
And they don't drop the ball.
Star Wars. The Matrix. Spider-man. Three great movie trilogies - three substandard final installments.
Return of the Jedi is probably the first "epic fail". Planet of the teddy bears ending with a teddy bear picnic.
Matrix Revolutions - takes all the clunky dialogue from the first two movies and doubles it, then finishes with a tepid action set piece and kills off Trinity.
Spider-man 3 - yeesh.
But it's hard to write a good ending - probably the hardest part of any story.
Toy Story 3 somehow pulls it off, respecting and honoring the first two films, but it also striving to be great on it's own.
Some spoilers follow, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, bookmark this for later.
I love that this movie comes out 10 years after the previous one, and it is also that way IN the movie itself. Instinctively, the movie feels right.
The opening is spectacular and hilarious - Andy's imagination come to life before our eyes. Then it is revealed, after a heart-tugging montage of nostalgia infused home videos, that time has passed and Andy has grown up. But he has not forgotten his playthings, nor how important they have been to him.
We feel this and we know this because we have been with the toys on their journey through the first two movies and we recognize, both consciously and unconsciously the heavy matters these movies deal with.
Toy Story presents to us that a child's play is faith - and the faith is real. The toys are faith, come to life.
Our imagination is powerful and limitless, and Toy Story gives us a fantastical glimpse of this in action.
TS3 is loaded with clever peril and slapstick gags that propel the story - through a series of expertly staged mishaps and misunderstandings the toys find themselves narrowly missing the garbage pile and ending up in a day care center.
One of the biggest themes in TS3 is loyalty, more specifically - fidelity.
It's easy for the toys to think they're in heaven when presented with the idea of an endless buffet of kids, who when they grow old are replaced right away. No fear of loss, no attachment and so - no heartache. Easy and painless. But also empty. Woody knows right away that he has to go home to Andy, to be there in case he is needed. Woody is faithful.
The day care center turns out not to be heaven, but a hellish prison - which makes for an engaging send up of "The Great Escape" and many other highly entertaining prison movies. Loaded with gags and puzzles, the middle stretch of TS3 is great at doing what Pixar does best. It's all about the story, painstakingly researched and executed with every piece fitting perfectly into place.
The movie's villain, Lotso (a strawberry scented teddy bear) is, like Stinky Pete from TS2, a toy that is broken on the inside after being abandoned. But Lotso is a much more flushed out character. He makes for a perfectly nasty foil who is beyond redemption - a strong choice that I applaud. All too often in this touchy-feely day and age there is a false effort to "humanize" the bad guys at the expense of realism. Lotso is perfect, because we see his story and we do feel bad for him, but he's still very much twisted and evil beyond repair.
The great escape goes awry, and our heroes, thanks to a final betrayal from Lotso, end up sliding down a mountain of landfill, facing the open mouth of a furnace and their doom. As the end approaches, they look to each other and reach out to hold hands. They are out of tricks and clever schemes, this is the end, and they face it together. They are afraid, but their love for each other sustains them even in their darkest hour.
This sequence, in all it's naked terror, for me was the highlight of the film. Very powerful. We all will ultimately face our maker, our end, and the small plastic objects in this story show how we need to do it. With love in our hearts and a submission to the great unknown.
When the toys are rescued at the last possible instant, it is a great Hollywood moment - and it works because it is driven by emotional resonance and hope. Yes, the toys will be gone someday, but not today.
But for Andy, it IS time to let go. He eventually gets his toys back and thanks to Woody's quick thinking, finds himself donating his precious possessions to a little girl named Bonnie.
It is yet another spectacular tear-inducing moment; 17 year old Andy introducing the toys to a wide eyed 4 year old who happily embraces them.
Andy was planning on taking Woody with him to college, but the little girl sees the cowboy in the box and reaches for him. Andy hesitates, but then he knows - it's time to move on and grow up. Andy and Bonnie play together with the toys, laughing and screaming with fun and delight.
Andy will hold on to his toys in his heart, but he has passed on to grown up land. His passing on of the toys, and his spirited play with the little girl, reaffirms his faith while at the same time acknowledges that he must step into a larger world of responsibility where his actions and choices, not the albeit necessary self indulgence of child's play, will bring the love in his heart to bear on the people around him and the world at large.
This is the endgame for the toys - the pay off, the culmination of all the arcs and themes of the first two chapters.
And they don't drop the ball.
Star Wars. The Matrix. Spider-man. Three great movie trilogies - three substandard final installments.
Return of the Jedi is probably the first "epic fail". Planet of the teddy bears ending with a teddy bear picnic.
Matrix Revolutions - takes all the clunky dialogue from the first two movies and doubles it, then finishes with a tepid action set piece and kills off Trinity.
Spider-man 3 - yeesh.
But it's hard to write a good ending - probably the hardest part of any story.
Toy Story 3 somehow pulls it off, respecting and honoring the first two films, but it also striving to be great on it's own.
Some spoilers follow, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, bookmark this for later.
I love that this movie comes out 10 years after the previous one, and it is also that way IN the movie itself. Instinctively, the movie feels right.
The opening is spectacular and hilarious - Andy's imagination come to life before our eyes. Then it is revealed, after a heart-tugging montage of nostalgia infused home videos, that time has passed and Andy has grown up. But he has not forgotten his playthings, nor how important they have been to him.
We feel this and we know this because we have been with the toys on their journey through the first two movies and we recognize, both consciously and unconsciously the heavy matters these movies deal with.
Toy Story presents to us that a child's play is faith - and the faith is real. The toys are faith, come to life.
Our imagination is powerful and limitless, and Toy Story gives us a fantastical glimpse of this in action.
TS3 is loaded with clever peril and slapstick gags that propel the story - through a series of expertly staged mishaps and misunderstandings the toys find themselves narrowly missing the garbage pile and ending up in a day care center.
One of the biggest themes in TS3 is loyalty, more specifically - fidelity.
It's easy for the toys to think they're in heaven when presented with the idea of an endless buffet of kids, who when they grow old are replaced right away. No fear of loss, no attachment and so - no heartache. Easy and painless. But also empty. Woody knows right away that he has to go home to Andy, to be there in case he is needed. Woody is faithful.
The day care center turns out not to be heaven, but a hellish prison - which makes for an engaging send up of "The Great Escape" and many other highly entertaining prison movies. Loaded with gags and puzzles, the middle stretch of TS3 is great at doing what Pixar does best. It's all about the story, painstakingly researched and executed with every piece fitting perfectly into place.
The movie's villain, Lotso (a strawberry scented teddy bear) is, like Stinky Pete from TS2, a toy that is broken on the inside after being abandoned. But Lotso is a much more flushed out character. He makes for a perfectly nasty foil who is beyond redemption - a strong choice that I applaud. All too often in this touchy-feely day and age there is a false effort to "humanize" the bad guys at the expense of realism. Lotso is perfect, because we see his story and we do feel bad for him, but he's still very much twisted and evil beyond repair.
The great escape goes awry, and our heroes, thanks to a final betrayal from Lotso, end up sliding down a mountain of landfill, facing the open mouth of a furnace and their doom. As the end approaches, they look to each other and reach out to hold hands. They are out of tricks and clever schemes, this is the end, and they face it together. They are afraid, but their love for each other sustains them even in their darkest hour.
This sequence, in all it's naked terror, for me was the highlight of the film. Very powerful. We all will ultimately face our maker, our end, and the small plastic objects in this story show how we need to do it. With love in our hearts and a submission to the great unknown.
When the toys are rescued at the last possible instant, it is a great Hollywood moment - and it works because it is driven by emotional resonance and hope. Yes, the toys will be gone someday, but not today.
But for Andy, it IS time to let go. He eventually gets his toys back and thanks to Woody's quick thinking, finds himself donating his precious possessions to a little girl named Bonnie.
It is yet another spectacular tear-inducing moment; 17 year old Andy introducing the toys to a wide eyed 4 year old who happily embraces them.
Andy was planning on taking Woody with him to college, but the little girl sees the cowboy in the box and reaches for him. Andy hesitates, but then he knows - it's time to move on and grow up. Andy and Bonnie play together with the toys, laughing and screaming with fun and delight.
Andy will hold on to his toys in his heart, but he has passed on to grown up land. His passing on of the toys, and his spirited play with the little girl, reaffirms his faith while at the same time acknowledges that he must step into a larger world of responsibility where his actions and choices, not the albeit necessary self indulgence of child's play, will bring the love in his heart to bear on the people around him and the world at large.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Helping or hurting? Don't really care.
This morning I posted a link on Facebook from one of my favorite libertarian sites, reason.com.
It talks about "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" and the reasons behind it. It is well thought out and illuminates that the point is not to "make fun" of a particular religion but rather to stand up to intimidation by crazy people.
My Facebook post that accompanied the link:
"Everybody draw Mohammed! I know I will! This is what the very best part of Berkeley is all about - freedom of expression and ideas. I refuse to be intimidated by real or implied threats of violence by religious fanatics."
Then, within minutes, I got someone responding. A left of center friend who is usually pretty moderate and sensible when it comes to social issues and matters of foreign policy.
He said:
"I'm torn by this. While I totally agree that we have every right to exercise our freedom of speech, I don't know if this is something we should ridicule. I mean I see stories everyday about how our troops are over there trying to win the hearts and the minds of the Islamic community by showing that we all aren't just racially and culturally insensitive bastards there to oppress. I don't see how belittling their religion is going to support our troops and help the war effort. Just my thoughts, would love feedback."
My response:
"That's kind of the whole point - we (meaning most secular Americans) ARE culturally insensitive bastards and Muslims just have to fucking deal with it. Just as Jews and Christians have had to for the past half century.
Islamic facists don't get a pass just because they are the most comfortable with cutting people's heads off and blowing shit up.
Obama has taken any and all references to Islam out of all the DOJ literature on terrorism.
Guess what?
They still hate us. And they always will.
Everybody draw Mohammed day is not about "ridiculing" a particular religion. It's about freedom. Freedom of thought and freedom of ideas, even offensive ones.
I'm not going to play nice. I'm not going back down from my right to be a total idiot - no matter who I am making fun of.
It is my God given right to be an asshole, and it is protected by the US Constitution. Many men greater than I have died defending it, and I'll be damned if I'm going to cower in fear because some nut-bag has it in his head that his particular religion deserves special treatment.
Radical Islam can suck it and so can Mohammed."
So now it's official - I said Mohammed can suck it. Both here and on Facebook.
(Kathy Griffin said Jesus could suck it on national television, but that's neither here nor there of course.)
These are just words, but I can't help but feel a faint chill of fear run down my back at the thought of some crazy person stumbling across my remarks and taking action. This makes me sad, and angry.
Much as with flipping some random person off on the 405, it doesn't seem worth it to exercise my right to free speech, if a random wacko is going to be so offended as to want to do me or a loved one bodily harm. The 405 road-rager because he's probably on drugs and had a shitty childhood, the radical Muslim because he's got a massive inferiority complex about his God.
But yes, I am so pissed off about this quashing of freedom - freedom of speaking one's mind, that I am willing to risk my life (though it's very unlikely that anything will come from this) just to exercise my right to be a dick.
Imagine that.
It talks about "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" and the reasons behind it. It is well thought out and illuminates that the point is not to "make fun" of a particular religion but rather to stand up to intimidation by crazy people.
My Facebook post that accompanied the link:
"Everybody draw Mohammed! I know I will! This is what the very best part of Berkeley is all about - freedom of expression and ideas. I refuse to be intimidated by real or implied threats of violence by religious fanatics."
Then, within minutes, I got someone responding. A left of center friend who is usually pretty moderate and sensible when it comes to social issues and matters of foreign policy.
He said:
"I'm torn by this. While I totally agree that we have every right to exercise our freedom of speech, I don't know if this is something we should ridicule. I mean I see stories everyday about how our troops are over there trying to win the hearts and the minds of the Islamic community by showing that we all aren't just racially and culturally insensitive bastards there to oppress. I don't see how belittling their religion is going to support our troops and help the war effort. Just my thoughts, would love feedback."
My response:
"That's kind of the whole point - we (meaning most secular Americans) ARE culturally insensitive bastards and Muslims just have to fucking deal with it. Just as Jews and Christians have had to for the past half century.
Islamic facists don't get a pass just because they are the most comfortable with cutting people's heads off and blowing shit up.
Obama has taken any and all references to Islam out of all the DOJ literature on terrorism.
Guess what?
They still hate us. And they always will.
Everybody draw Mohammed day is not about "ridiculing" a particular religion. It's about freedom. Freedom of thought and freedom of ideas, even offensive ones.
I'm not going to play nice. I'm not going back down from my right to be a total idiot - no matter who I am making fun of.
It is my God given right to be an asshole, and it is protected by the US Constitution. Many men greater than I have died defending it, and I'll be damned if I'm going to cower in fear because some nut-bag has it in his head that his particular religion deserves special treatment.
Radical Islam can suck it and so can Mohammed."
So now it's official - I said Mohammed can suck it. Both here and on Facebook.
(Kathy Griffin said Jesus could suck it on national television, but that's neither here nor there of course.)
These are just words, but I can't help but feel a faint chill of fear run down my back at the thought of some crazy person stumbling across my remarks and taking action. This makes me sad, and angry.
Much as with flipping some random person off on the 405, it doesn't seem worth it to exercise my right to free speech, if a random wacko is going to be so offended as to want to do me or a loved one bodily harm. The 405 road-rager because he's probably on drugs and had a shitty childhood, the radical Muslim because he's got a massive inferiority complex about his God.
But yes, I am so pissed off about this quashing of freedom - freedom of speaking one's mind, that I am willing to risk my life (though it's very unlikely that anything will come from this) just to exercise my right to be a dick.
Imagine that.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
How Quickly We Forget
Seems like only yesterday that Bush 43 was being demonized for his failures, both at war and on the domestic front. That Iraq turned into a success and that his deficit is dwarfed by our current president's, is beside the point.
Bush was Satan incarnate - Hitler's spawn. The worst president of all time and a truly evil man. We could all pretty much agree on that.
Now Barack is in office, and seeks to take over a sixth of our economy (that would be health care) and has projected a 13 TRILLION dollar deficit by the year 2012. He'd also like to punish Wall Street (big business, rich fat cats, etc.) by over-regulating and taxing them into oblivion.
He's also escalated Bush's war in Afghanistan and is skeptical over the latest efforts by Arizona to stem the tide of illegal immigrants. He'd very much like to pass immigration reform first, before securing our borders, and give everyone who's snuck in here a path to citizenship. And actually, securing the borders, he probably won't bother with that.
He's also stated that a VAT (Value Added Tax, aka a National Sales Tax) is on the table as an option to help plug the deficit hole (okay, canyon). Excellent. More taxes will definitely help.
But remember, dear children, lest we forget - if you disagree with the ONE or say anything bad about him, you are a racist.
Clearly, I am a racist because I disagree with him, and think that a tenfold government expansion and an eightfold deficit expansion are bad ideas.
Not only am I racist, but I clearly I am inciting violence by speaking out.
Clearly, if Barack were white, and people disagreed with him, they would be much more respectful then they have been.
Like they were with Bush.
Oh wait... that's right, they were unhinged with Bush. Bush-deraingement syndrome, I think it was called.
Bush was: Hitler. Satan. Evil. Worst president ever.
If you believe this, you are exercising your right to free speech.
Obama is: Wrong. Socialist. Inexperienced. Naive. Incompetent. A charismatic speaker.
Clearly, if you believe this, you are a hate-mongering racist and you are inciting violence.
Glad we cleared that up.
Since I am a defacto hate-mongering, violence loving racist, it makes it much easier. Now we don't have to talk about the issues. You can just demonize me, the way you demonized Bush, and maybe even throw me in jail for sedition.
Damn, that first Amendment sure is pesky when it protects a clearly deranged tea-bagging bigot like myself.
We'll have to do something about that.
Bush was Satan incarnate - Hitler's spawn. The worst president of all time and a truly evil man. We could all pretty much agree on that.
Now Barack is in office, and seeks to take over a sixth of our economy (that would be health care) and has projected a 13 TRILLION dollar deficit by the year 2012. He'd also like to punish Wall Street (big business, rich fat cats, etc.) by over-regulating and taxing them into oblivion.
He's also escalated Bush's war in Afghanistan and is skeptical over the latest efforts by Arizona to stem the tide of illegal immigrants. He'd very much like to pass immigration reform first, before securing our borders, and give everyone who's snuck in here a path to citizenship. And actually, securing the borders, he probably won't bother with that.
He's also stated that a VAT (Value Added Tax, aka a National Sales Tax) is on the table as an option to help plug the deficit hole (okay, canyon). Excellent. More taxes will definitely help.
But remember, dear children, lest we forget - if you disagree with the ONE or say anything bad about him, you are a racist.
Clearly, I am a racist because I disagree with him, and think that a tenfold government expansion and an eightfold deficit expansion are bad ideas.
Not only am I racist, but I clearly I am inciting violence by speaking out.
Clearly, if Barack were white, and people disagreed with him, they would be much more respectful then they have been.
Like they were with Bush.
Oh wait... that's right, they were unhinged with Bush. Bush-deraingement syndrome, I think it was called.
Bush was: Hitler. Satan. Evil. Worst president ever.
If you believe this, you are exercising your right to free speech.
Obama is: Wrong. Socialist. Inexperienced. Naive. Incompetent. A charismatic speaker.
Clearly, if you believe this, you are a hate-mongering racist and you are inciting violence.
Glad we cleared that up.
Since I am a defacto hate-mongering, violence loving racist, it makes it much easier. Now we don't have to talk about the issues. You can just demonize me, the way you demonized Bush, and maybe even throw me in jail for sedition.
Damn, that first Amendment sure is pesky when it protects a clearly deranged tea-bagging bigot like myself.
We'll have to do something about that.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Movies 2009
As long time readers (all five of you) of this blog know, I love movies. Not films, though I like them very much - but movies. Explosions, profanity, bare breasts, mythical creatures, loud music, and endless tracking shots.
The art house stuff is fine and dandy, if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I like my entertainment to be, oh I don't know, entertaining? I've got enough angst in my life, and there is enough pain in the real world, I generally don't need to subject myself to it for $12 in an uncomfortable seat while someone can't shut up two rows behind me.
I also don't get out much - so you're getting a pretty slim view of 2009 overall; for the most part these are the flicks that I actually dragged my ass out of the house for - and happened to enjoy. There are a few exceptions where I had to wait for Netflix.
My Top Ten MOVIES of 2009
11. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Okay, this one is number 11 - but I couldn't resist mentioning it, because it's so dern good!
Yes, I have a five year old. So whenever I get a chance to see a movie with her, and she absolutely loves it, it changes my perspective a bit. I can even tolerate watching the entire "Alvin and the Chipmunks" crapathon because my daughter thinks it's the greatest.
Thankfully, I probably would have loved "Meatballs" even if I was childless. It is a fun hoot and a holler, with great not so sub sub-text on our gluttony as Americans. Plus it's loaded with amazing non-eye-straining 3D and fantastic gags. And it's got Mr. T!
10. Whip It
A recent rental, this is one of the sweetest pro-female movies I can remember. Under Drew Berrymore's gifted light touch in her first directorial debut, along with that Juno chick's ultra-natural performance, this coming of age story quietly soars without even a hint of the inevitable dread (you know, that something TERRIBLE is about to happen) that usually infects such fare. This alone makes "Whip-It" highly enjoyable, but a great supporting cast and an a-typically unpretentious script along with an amazingly three dimensional antagonist (Juno chick's mom) make this one to savor. Plus, it's about roller-derby!
9. Where the Wild Things Are
Very pretentious throughout (that is, up it's own ass) and slow in parts - Spike Jonez is such a talented filmmaker that this movie still works. It, like the book, is quietly heart wrenching - I have to see this again.
8. Adventureland
Like "Whip It" this is a fairly realistic but very sweet coming of age tale. There's quite a bit more angst here - and this time, as told from a male perspective, it can be a bit painful to watch occasionally. But the emotional resonance, and ultimately the positive outlook of this film make the journey well worth it. Plus, it has some very funny (to me, meaning either gross or broad) moments. A far, far, FAR better take on growing up 30 years ago than the incredibly overrated "Dazed and Confused".
7. Drag Me To Hell
If you love over the top horror, and in any way shape or form are a fan of Sam Raimi, this one is automatic. I did manage to sneak away and see this in the theater. Somehow they got away with a PG-13, but the gags are huge and gross in the best tradition of hard R scare-fests. It WILL make you jump.
Before I continue, let me just say, I really like the bottom five here - but the remaining top 6 of 2010 are the very best to come along in a long time. Any one of these films could easily make the top spot in other years over the last decade.
6. Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino returns to top form, though I've loved his recent works almost as much as his classics. This is a great war/satire adventure - of dialogue, suspense, shock and awe. The A-Story actually has naught to do with the titles namesakes; a rag tag bunch of Jewish nazi killers, and it is mesmerizing. Only Tarantino, master of tongue in cheek schlock, could pull off such an over the top and historically deviant circus. The climax has to be seen to be believed.
5. Star Trek
As a life-long Trekker, yes I've been to conventions, I have to say that the team behind this one got it and even more impressive - they didn't fuck it up.
It is, and remember I love Star Trek - including all the other movies, even the bad ones - BY FAR, the best Star Trek film.
By far.
It moves, it has emotion beyond the scope of any of it's predecessors. The gags and VFX are first rate. The story is tight. The supporting cast is WAY more fleshed out than the old gang. The leads, with the exception of Nimoy, are all better actors than those who came before.
Most importantly, this movie succeeds because it is great on it's own, whether you are a fan or not, and still is at it's heart 100% Trek. Hallelujah, they got it. The biggest money maker by far, so far, for the franchise. My great love is back and better than ever.
4. The Hurt Locker
Though many troops have decried this film as an un-realistic portrayal - I was deeply moved by how powerful and how intense the scenes of a US IED bomb squad in action were.
I also love how finally, a film did not demonize our troops. It humanizes them, for sure, but great stories have to have this. I can say that I love this movie because it is not political, but I can also say that I love this movie because it very much IS political - in the very best of ways.
The bad guys are the terrorists. Period. They do horrible things in this movie - and Kathryn Bigelow does not flinch from showing us this. God bless you Kathryn, for shining light on what really goes on over there, and giving a truthful (and therefore sympathetic) insight into the soul wrenching sacrifices that our men and women overseas make so that the rest of us can be free.
Great movie.
3. District 9
Staggering; perhaps one of the best science-fiction movies ever made. A great message movie, that still delivers kick-ass action sequences and a tight story structure driven by first class actors and a unique hybrid film-style of documentary and traditional narrative.
The CGI is remarkable, and when it's combined with jaw-dropping location filming in the slums of Soweto, "District 9" is transformed from a story with potential to a classic for the ages. A purchase for sure.
2. Avatar
Another triumph for the king of modern movie story telling. Avatar is a masterpiece of visuals wrapped around a classic tale. The dialogue can be clunky, but no line or scene for that matter, is wasted. At just under 3 hours, "Avatar" flies by, releasing us from it's grasp of wonder all too quickly.
It is powerful, it is great. It is a movie experience unlike any other this year.
I love "The Hurt Locker" - it's another great movie. And of course you all know I love the troops, more than just about anything that isn't God or my family. But the Academy was wrong on this one. THL is an important movie. Avatar is ground breaking and has changed the game.
At least the Oscars are consistent - they did it before in 1977, preposterously giving Annie Hall best picture over Star Wars. What a joke. This time it isn't quite so egregious, but still a pretty big blunder that will be looked back on with a similar eye-roll as the Annie Hall idiocy.
1. Up
So after all my gushing praise for Avatar and how ground breaking it is, how could another movie top it?
Simple - have the best movie studio, with 9 perfect movies so far, put out their best movie ever.
Up, is a remarkable adventure for the heart and soul. It makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. Even Avatar can't do that. Up, in all ways that matter the most - is the perfect movie, and the perfect film.
If you've seen it, you know I need not say more. If you haven't seen it, do so.
Runners Up...
I also enjoyed...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
While I was initially disappointed in the theatrical release, I've watched it a couple of times on DVD, and there is a lot of good stuff to chew on - and it's very faithful to the spirit of the book, which is one of my favorites in the series.
Coraline
Saw it in 2D at home, and really enjoyed it. It's not great like Nightmare Before Christmas, but it has lots of fun stuff to look at - and an interesting subtext to ponder.
The Hangover
Overrated? Sure. Funny as hell? Absolutely. My kind of comedy - ridiculous and crude. My favorite character - one that I still quote, is the crazy Asian guy who jumps out of the trunk naked. Good stuff.
And my biggest disappointment...
Transformers 2
Though again, this one fares much better on DVD - it still pales in comparison to the original, which was an absolute blast. Trans2 is just too loud and explosion-y for too long - and for me to say that, you know it has to be BAD. :)
The art house stuff is fine and dandy, if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I like my entertainment to be, oh I don't know, entertaining? I've got enough angst in my life, and there is enough pain in the real world, I generally don't need to subject myself to it for $12 in an uncomfortable seat while someone can't shut up two rows behind me.
I also don't get out much - so you're getting a pretty slim view of 2009 overall; for the most part these are the flicks that I actually dragged my ass out of the house for - and happened to enjoy. There are a few exceptions where I had to wait for Netflix.
My Top Ten MOVIES of 2009
11. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Okay, this one is number 11 - but I couldn't resist mentioning it, because it's so dern good!
Yes, I have a five year old. So whenever I get a chance to see a movie with her, and she absolutely loves it, it changes my perspective a bit. I can even tolerate watching the entire "Alvin and the Chipmunks" crapathon because my daughter thinks it's the greatest.
Thankfully, I probably would have loved "Meatballs" even if I was childless. It is a fun hoot and a holler, with great not so sub sub-text on our gluttony as Americans. Plus it's loaded with amazing non-eye-straining 3D and fantastic gags. And it's got Mr. T!
10. Whip It
A recent rental, this is one of the sweetest pro-female movies I can remember. Under Drew Berrymore's gifted light touch in her first directorial debut, along with that Juno chick's ultra-natural performance, this coming of age story quietly soars without even a hint of the inevitable dread (you know, that something TERRIBLE is about to happen) that usually infects such fare. This alone makes "Whip-It" highly enjoyable, but a great supporting cast and an a-typically unpretentious script along with an amazingly three dimensional antagonist (Juno chick's mom) make this one to savor. Plus, it's about roller-derby!
9. Where the Wild Things Are
Very pretentious throughout (that is, up it's own ass) and slow in parts - Spike Jonez is such a talented filmmaker that this movie still works. It, like the book, is quietly heart wrenching - I have to see this again.
8. Adventureland
Like "Whip It" this is a fairly realistic but very sweet coming of age tale. There's quite a bit more angst here - and this time, as told from a male perspective, it can be a bit painful to watch occasionally. But the emotional resonance, and ultimately the positive outlook of this film make the journey well worth it. Plus, it has some very funny (to me, meaning either gross or broad) moments. A far, far, FAR better take on growing up 30 years ago than the incredibly overrated "Dazed and Confused".
7. Drag Me To Hell
If you love over the top horror, and in any way shape or form are a fan of Sam Raimi, this one is automatic. I did manage to sneak away and see this in the theater. Somehow they got away with a PG-13, but the gags are huge and gross in the best tradition of hard R scare-fests. It WILL make you jump.
Before I continue, let me just say, I really like the bottom five here - but the remaining top 6 of 2010 are the very best to come along in a long time. Any one of these films could easily make the top spot in other years over the last decade.
6. Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino returns to top form, though I've loved his recent works almost as much as his classics. This is a great war/satire adventure - of dialogue, suspense, shock and awe. The A-Story actually has naught to do with the titles namesakes; a rag tag bunch of Jewish nazi killers, and it is mesmerizing. Only Tarantino, master of tongue in cheek schlock, could pull off such an over the top and historically deviant circus. The climax has to be seen to be believed.
5. Star Trek
As a life-long Trekker, yes I've been to conventions, I have to say that the team behind this one got it and even more impressive - they didn't fuck it up.
It is, and remember I love Star Trek - including all the other movies, even the bad ones - BY FAR, the best Star Trek film.
By far.
It moves, it has emotion beyond the scope of any of it's predecessors. The gags and VFX are first rate. The story is tight. The supporting cast is WAY more fleshed out than the old gang. The leads, with the exception of Nimoy, are all better actors than those who came before.
Most importantly, this movie succeeds because it is great on it's own, whether you are a fan or not, and still is at it's heart 100% Trek. Hallelujah, they got it. The biggest money maker by far, so far, for the franchise. My great love is back and better than ever.
4. The Hurt Locker
Though many troops have decried this film as an un-realistic portrayal - I was deeply moved by how powerful and how intense the scenes of a US IED bomb squad in action were.
I also love how finally, a film did not demonize our troops. It humanizes them, for sure, but great stories have to have this. I can say that I love this movie because it is not political, but I can also say that I love this movie because it very much IS political - in the very best of ways.
The bad guys are the terrorists. Period. They do horrible things in this movie - and Kathryn Bigelow does not flinch from showing us this. God bless you Kathryn, for shining light on what really goes on over there, and giving a truthful (and therefore sympathetic) insight into the soul wrenching sacrifices that our men and women overseas make so that the rest of us can be free.
Great movie.
3. District 9
Staggering; perhaps one of the best science-fiction movies ever made. A great message movie, that still delivers kick-ass action sequences and a tight story structure driven by first class actors and a unique hybrid film-style of documentary and traditional narrative.
The CGI is remarkable, and when it's combined with jaw-dropping location filming in the slums of Soweto, "District 9" is transformed from a story with potential to a classic for the ages. A purchase for sure.
2. Avatar
Another triumph for the king of modern movie story telling. Avatar is a masterpiece of visuals wrapped around a classic tale. The dialogue can be clunky, but no line or scene for that matter, is wasted. At just under 3 hours, "Avatar" flies by, releasing us from it's grasp of wonder all too quickly.
It is powerful, it is great. It is a movie experience unlike any other this year.
I love "The Hurt Locker" - it's another great movie. And of course you all know I love the troops, more than just about anything that isn't God or my family. But the Academy was wrong on this one. THL is an important movie. Avatar is ground breaking and has changed the game.
At least the Oscars are consistent - they did it before in 1977, preposterously giving Annie Hall best picture over Star Wars. What a joke. This time it isn't quite so egregious, but still a pretty big blunder that will be looked back on with a similar eye-roll as the Annie Hall idiocy.
1. Up
So after all my gushing praise for Avatar and how ground breaking it is, how could another movie top it?
Simple - have the best movie studio, with 9 perfect movies so far, put out their best movie ever.
Up, is a remarkable adventure for the heart and soul. It makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. Even Avatar can't do that. Up, in all ways that matter the most - is the perfect movie, and the perfect film.
If you've seen it, you know I need not say more. If you haven't seen it, do so.
Runners Up...
I also enjoyed...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
While I was initially disappointed in the theatrical release, I've watched it a couple of times on DVD, and there is a lot of good stuff to chew on - and it's very faithful to the spirit of the book, which is one of my favorites in the series.
Coraline
Saw it in 2D at home, and really enjoyed it. It's not great like Nightmare Before Christmas, but it has lots of fun stuff to look at - and an interesting subtext to ponder.
The Hangover
Overrated? Sure. Funny as hell? Absolutely. My kind of comedy - ridiculous and crude. My favorite character - one that I still quote, is the crazy Asian guy who jumps out of the trunk naked. Good stuff.
And my biggest disappointment...
Transformers 2
Though again, this one fares much better on DVD - it still pales in comparison to the original, which was an absolute blast. Trans2 is just too loud and explosion-y for too long - and for me to say that, you know it has to be BAD. :)
Monday, February 08, 2010
Super Lousy
Memo to "The Who": You are old.
Too old to play the superbowl half time show.
Forget "dad" rock. You are "grandpa" rock. Get off the stage and let somebody, oh I don't know, under 40 maybe, have a chance. Ridiculous to have grandpas singing songs about teenage angst.
The band was okay, but that's because they were all quite a bit younger than the two founding members (the other half of the band is dead, lest we forget).
Old doesn't mean useless, but it does mean that your time as a rock and roller on a national showcase is OVER.
Sure, let people like me and my parents spend ridiculous amounts of money on tickets to see these geezers in concert - yes, by the way, I'm a fan of the Who and I love their music. But I don't agree with subjecting the poor young people to this dinosaur stuff.
Rock and roll is for the young. New talent, new faces.
Rock is young, rock is angry - rock is not icy hot patches and bladder infections.
Rock is not content with life. Rock is not settled.
Rock is political. Rock is infused with energy.
These guys were tired about half way through.
As for new music, I don't have to like it. It can sound like noise to me - in fact, IT'S SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE NOISE TO ME!!! I'm 39! I'm not supposed to like it, or even get it.
That half-time show was all kinds of wrong, because Rock and Roll, REAL Rock and Roll - is about rebellion.
The Who are not rock and roll. They are classical music. Great classical music. Meant to be listened to quietly and enjoyed. Still good, still relevant, in the same way that Beethoven is.
Get somebody young up there, please.
Someone who is 19, and will spit on the camera, kick over a marshall stack and flip the bird.
At least someone who doesn't look like he's about to keel over from one windmill too many.
Too old to play the superbowl half time show.
Forget "dad" rock. You are "grandpa" rock. Get off the stage and let somebody, oh I don't know, under 40 maybe, have a chance. Ridiculous to have grandpas singing songs about teenage angst.
The band was okay, but that's because they were all quite a bit younger than the two founding members (the other half of the band is dead, lest we forget).
Old doesn't mean useless, but it does mean that your time as a rock and roller on a national showcase is OVER.
Sure, let people like me and my parents spend ridiculous amounts of money on tickets to see these geezers in concert - yes, by the way, I'm a fan of the Who and I love their music. But I don't agree with subjecting the poor young people to this dinosaur stuff.
Rock and roll is for the young. New talent, new faces.
Rock is young, rock is angry - rock is not icy hot patches and bladder infections.
Rock is not content with life. Rock is not settled.
Rock is political. Rock is infused with energy.
These guys were tired about half way through.
As for new music, I don't have to like it. It can sound like noise to me - in fact, IT'S SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE NOISE TO ME!!! I'm 39! I'm not supposed to like it, or even get it.
That half-time show was all kinds of wrong, because Rock and Roll, REAL Rock and Roll - is about rebellion.
The Who are not rock and roll. They are classical music. Great classical music. Meant to be listened to quietly and enjoyed. Still good, still relevant, in the same way that Beethoven is.
Get somebody young up there, please.
Someone who is 19, and will spit on the camera, kick over a marshall stack and flip the bird.
At least someone who doesn't look like he's about to keel over from one windmill too many.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Stuff is NOT the problem.
Recently I was pointed towards this:
There are two other parts that you can find on YouTube, but you get the idea.
It's a very cute and pleasingly done piece, but it is ultimately a deceptive and fear driven rant against capitalism and consumerism.
The worst part of this is, it's being foisted on kids in public schools. I can only hope that my daughter will be spared such indoctrination, but in the event she is subjected to it (and in all likelihood she will be, if not directly from this particular video, from some other source - a professor or two, or three or twenty) I will do my best to give her the whole picture.
And it might sound something like this...
Well guess what lady, I've traveled a bit too, and somehow came away with a different perspective.
After 15 years of traveling abroad, I can safely say that I'm now more than ever, an American Exceptionalist.
Of the 28 countries I've been to, including more than a few third world, communist, socialist and first world "utopia"'s of western Europe, there is no place on earth that holds a candle in generosity and humanitarian spirit to the home stadium of the evil giant that is capitalism, the good old US of A.
I truthfully don't think we should aspire to be like any other place, especially places where you can't own a firearm, get a liver transplant if you're over 50 or keep more than 60% of your income. Or for that matter can't get ice in your drink or free refills.
And when it comes to the juggernaut that is big business, I don't deny that industrialization and corporate greed haven't caused a lot of problems. Pollution and child labor, especially in the third world places that I've been to like China, Kenya, India and Egypt run rampant and unchecked. But from what I have seen with my own eyes, it's the governments of these places, not private corporations, that have their boots firmly on the necks of these people and allow less scrupulous companies to enslave their children and contaminate their rivers and streams.
And from what I've seen first hand, the only reason hell holes like Kenya see any relief at all is from private sources of revenue. Were it not for commercial companies and individual entrepreneurs, private non-profit aid organizations that I have worked for like Feed The Children wouldn't be feeding a dozen kids a day in Nairobi, much less a quarter million like they actually do now. It sure as hell isn't the government of Kenya that gives hope to it's people. They rule over a country rich in resources with a thick coat of corruption and an iron fist.
Yes, aiming for the almighty dollar has caused a lot of misery in this world, but conversely. were it not for the pursuit of "stuff", Americans and other first worlders wouldn't have a fraction of the prosperity, innovation and high quality of life that all of us (even those who purport to hate corporations) enjoy.
Furthermore, were it not for the enterprising spirit of the individual that the American system fosters, I can only conclude that the third world would be infinitely worse off.
I agree that we need to be generous and ambitious in our pursuit of helping those less fortunate, but where I part ways with big government folks is that I believe people have to be moved in their hearts to give - people should not be mandated by the state to sacrifice the hard earned fruits of their labor.
The smug demonization of private industry by the affable but ultimately dim-witted lady in the "Story of Stuff", especially to our children who are living day to day under the blanket of prosperity wrought by the blood, sweat and unparalleled American work ethic of their parents and forefathers, does little to actually improve the lives of those trapped in despotic regimes.
It makes professors and students feel good about themselves in the halls of academia, and gives protestors something to crow about when political conventions roll around - but where the rubber meets the road, the ACTUAL back breaking work of getting food to the hungry and disaster relief to the stricken doesn't come from anti-capitalist regimes or their puppets. It comes from the greatest country on earth, and the power of big business behind it.
I have been blessed in the past five years, to work for an extraordinary private NGO, which gets 100% of it's funding entirely from the private sector.
Our government will be giving a hundred million dollars to Haiti. That is fantastic and good.
Feed The Children has pledged to commit nearly two hundred million in aid to Haiti for 2010. And they are not even the largest private aid group with boots on the ground right now.
Feed The Children typically receive a billion dollars annually, most of which comes from corporations and wealthy benefactors, one of which that I know personally, a man who I will not name (as he prefers to remain anonymous in his contributions) who is a highly paid lobbyist for the National Rifle Association. He has personally pledged over a million dollars to the southeast Asian countries that were hit by the tsunami, and I imagine he will commit a similar amount to Haiti. .
I understand that it makes us feel less guilty when we all chime in about how terrible big business is and how greedy and shitty we all are for wanting to play XBox and buy hundred dollar shoes; but we do it anyway. We live our lives as hypocrites - decrying the system, yet busting our asses for "the man" and plunking down hard earned dollars for big macs and porn.
I would not be able to live in America and be happy if I truly believed that big business was all or even mostly evil. I would leave. I actually know a co-worker who did leave, after Bush won in 2004, and I respect her highly for it. (She did eventually come back, growing up a bit and realizing how good she had it, but I still give her mad props for sticking to her principles until she was able to educate herself).
I try my best to live here with a clear conscience and enjoy the many blessings of this country, while still recognizing that we have problems and need to work hard to fix them.
Most of all, I do my utmost to avoid indulging in a counter productive and decadent daily dance of self-loathing. After seeing so much suffering, all over the world, with my own eyes, that is only relieved by private and mostly American money and people, I find it offensive to point the finger of blame at my country.
The gauntlet of experiences that I have gone through, has led me down the path of a deep and abiding faith.
Faith.
Faith that most Americans, even those in corporate suits, are ultimately working to make the world better, and it's only through the free marketplace, of both products AND ideas, that we may actually someday reach the "utopia" envisioned by big government proponents.
So, my daughter, I am not on board with "The Story of Stuff" which, much like the right wing nitwits such as Limbaugh and Beck, paint the world in black and white. I am not on board, and I will do my utmost to give you another side to the story, despite whatever indoctrination you might endure at the hands of your teachers. I will do this, simply because I have seen too much good undertaken with my own eyes to buy into the fable that big business is entirely or even mostly to blame for the suffering on this earth.
We are the greatest country on God's green earth, and no amount of moral relativism shrouded in hyperbole and self-hatred can obscure this truth.
There are two other parts that you can find on YouTube, but you get the idea.
It's a very cute and pleasingly done piece, but it is ultimately a deceptive and fear driven rant against capitalism and consumerism.
The worst part of this is, it's being foisted on kids in public schools. I can only hope that my daughter will be spared such indoctrination, but in the event she is subjected to it (and in all likelihood she will be, if not directly from this particular video, from some other source - a professor or two, or three or twenty) I will do my best to give her the whole picture.
And it might sound something like this...
Well guess what lady, I've traveled a bit too, and somehow came away with a different perspective.
After 15 years of traveling abroad, I can safely say that I'm now more than ever, an American Exceptionalist.
Of the 28 countries I've been to, including more than a few third world, communist, socialist and first world "utopia"'s of western Europe, there is no place on earth that holds a candle in generosity and humanitarian spirit to the home stadium of the evil giant that is capitalism, the good old US of A.
I truthfully don't think we should aspire to be like any other place, especially places where you can't own a firearm, get a liver transplant if you're over 50 or keep more than 60% of your income. Or for that matter can't get ice in your drink or free refills.
And when it comes to the juggernaut that is big business, I don't deny that industrialization and corporate greed haven't caused a lot of problems. Pollution and child labor, especially in the third world places that I've been to like China, Kenya, India and Egypt run rampant and unchecked. But from what I have seen with my own eyes, it's the governments of these places, not private corporations, that have their boots firmly on the necks of these people and allow less scrupulous companies to enslave their children and contaminate their rivers and streams.
And from what I've seen first hand, the only reason hell holes like Kenya see any relief at all is from private sources of revenue. Were it not for commercial companies and individual entrepreneurs, private non-profit aid organizations that I have worked for like Feed The Children wouldn't be feeding a dozen kids a day in Nairobi, much less a quarter million like they actually do now. It sure as hell isn't the government of Kenya that gives hope to it's people. They rule over a country rich in resources with a thick coat of corruption and an iron fist.
Yes, aiming for the almighty dollar has caused a lot of misery in this world, but conversely. were it not for the pursuit of "stuff", Americans and other first worlders wouldn't have a fraction of the prosperity, innovation and high quality of life that all of us (even those who purport to hate corporations) enjoy.
Furthermore, were it not for the enterprising spirit of the individual that the American system fosters, I can only conclude that the third world would be infinitely worse off.
I agree that we need to be generous and ambitious in our pursuit of helping those less fortunate, but where I part ways with big government folks is that I believe people have to be moved in their hearts to give - people should not be mandated by the state to sacrifice the hard earned fruits of their labor.
The smug demonization of private industry by the affable but ultimately dim-witted lady in the "Story of Stuff", especially to our children who are living day to day under the blanket of prosperity wrought by the blood, sweat and unparalleled American work ethic of their parents and forefathers, does little to actually improve the lives of those trapped in despotic regimes.
It makes professors and students feel good about themselves in the halls of academia, and gives protestors something to crow about when political conventions roll around - but where the rubber meets the road, the ACTUAL back breaking work of getting food to the hungry and disaster relief to the stricken doesn't come from anti-capitalist regimes or their puppets. It comes from the greatest country on earth, and the power of big business behind it.
I have been blessed in the past five years, to work for an extraordinary private NGO, which gets 100% of it's funding entirely from the private sector.
Our government will be giving a hundred million dollars to Haiti. That is fantastic and good.
Feed The Children has pledged to commit nearly two hundred million in aid to Haiti for 2010. And they are not even the largest private aid group with boots on the ground right now.
Feed The Children typically receive a billion dollars annually, most of which comes from corporations and wealthy benefactors, one of which that I know personally, a man who I will not name (as he prefers to remain anonymous in his contributions) who is a highly paid lobbyist for the National Rifle Association. He has personally pledged over a million dollars to the southeast Asian countries that were hit by the tsunami, and I imagine he will commit a similar amount to Haiti. .
I understand that it makes us feel less guilty when we all chime in about how terrible big business is and how greedy and shitty we all are for wanting to play XBox and buy hundred dollar shoes; but we do it anyway. We live our lives as hypocrites - decrying the system, yet busting our asses for "the man" and plunking down hard earned dollars for big macs and porn.
I would not be able to live in America and be happy if I truly believed that big business was all or even mostly evil. I would leave. I actually know a co-worker who did leave, after Bush won in 2004, and I respect her highly for it. (She did eventually come back, growing up a bit and realizing how good she had it, but I still give her mad props for sticking to her principles until she was able to educate herself).
I try my best to live here with a clear conscience and enjoy the many blessings of this country, while still recognizing that we have problems and need to work hard to fix them.
Most of all, I do my utmost to avoid indulging in a counter productive and decadent daily dance of self-loathing. After seeing so much suffering, all over the world, with my own eyes, that is only relieved by private and mostly American money and people, I find it offensive to point the finger of blame at my country.
The gauntlet of experiences that I have gone through, has led me down the path of a deep and abiding faith.
Faith.
Faith that most Americans, even those in corporate suits, are ultimately working to make the world better, and it's only through the free marketplace, of both products AND ideas, that we may actually someday reach the "utopia" envisioned by big government proponents.
So, my daughter, I am not on board with "The Story of Stuff" which, much like the right wing nitwits such as Limbaugh and Beck, paint the world in black and white. I am not on board, and I will do my utmost to give you another side to the story, despite whatever indoctrination you might endure at the hands of your teachers. I will do this, simply because I have seen too much good undertaken with my own eyes to buy into the fable that big business is entirely or even mostly to blame for the suffering on this earth.
We are the greatest country on God's green earth, and no amount of moral relativism shrouded in hyperbole and self-hatred can obscure this truth.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A (tough) Year to Remember
This has been an especially memorable Christmas for me, mostly because of my little girl. She is five years old and full of wonder and awe over Santa and the deluge of presents and Christmas cheer he brings. Much of the fatigue and humdrum that I have endured as an adult through recent holiday seasons past is almost nowhere to be found, in the face of Natalie's innocent joy.
I've been hugging her extra tight of late - holding on to my little girl fiercely with a mixture of overwhelming love and of the equally powerful fear of ever losing her.
This is something that every parent endures on a daily basis. The mind races with unspeakable imaginings of what could happen. But at Christmastime, the fearful flights of my imagination seem to occur at an alarming rate.
This year has not been an easy one - I lost an old friend who was a police officer, he died in the line of duty at the hands of a mad man. I lost a dear man who was the spiritual leader of my company and a beacon of light in my life. He left this earth suddenly and without warning.
And on September 30th I lost someone who I had never met, yet her passing has left a hole in my soul. This is by far the most crushing loss I've ever had to bear in my life so far - and yet I know I don't feel 1/1000000th of the agony that her family does.
The best man at my wedding has a four year old niece who is now with the angels. She fell into her family's swimming pool. There was a fence. Yet somehow she got in, and in an instant it was over.
I never met this little girl, nor her father or three brothers. I probably haven't seen her mother in 15 years. But I think of them all every single day.
I tell everyone I know with small children what happened. I know very few details of the event, and I don't really need to. The point of the story isn't to depress people or to make them fearful, but to make them aware that those we love most can disappear suddenly - and we need to cherish them with all of our hearts every single day.
When I look at my little girl sometimes, I'm overwhelmed at the thought of losing her. My mind races and I literally shake in my shoes. My wife and I have cried ourselves to sleep more than once over the thought of what happened on that fateful day.
But then I turn to my faith - my belief that there is a power greater than all of us who has a plan beyond our comprehension, and I am comforted.
This little girl, who was only here for an instant, has already touched so many more lives than her parents will probably ever know. Every single person that I've shared this story with has been affected, deeply. From the owner of my company to random lighting techs and associate producers. The freelance teleprompter guy who has a 3 year old. The producer of the Daytime Emmy's who has a toddler son. All of them nearly moved to tears, quiet and contemplative. I know they will hug their kids extra hard and love them even more than they thought possible.
Margareta was her name. And she was a very real angel, sent here for a very real purpose. She was put on this earth to touch us profoundly and to teach us just how precious life is.
And I have no doubt that there are many other lessons she imparted as well. For me personally, the most powerful gift she has given me is to rejuvenate my relationship with God.
It is through God that I find comfort in the arms of my little one. She's about the same age as Margareta and no doubt just as sweet and precocious. This is probably why this event has been so tough on my wife and I. Every little thought and detail (real and imagined) that enters our heads about what happened, we can imagine it so easily happening to Natalie. I hold her impossibly tight, close my eyes and pray to God that she stays safe and happy. But with the anguish in my heart that Margareta's passing has brought, she has also brought me closer to the big man (or woman) upstairs - and in doing so has helped melt some of the adult hardness around my heart.
I recognize, as with Margareta, that Natalie is here on God's time. As are we all of course - but children, especially little children, are living breathing angels among us. Both Margareta and Natalie make it easier for me to let go of my adult cynicism and to recognize just how small I am in the face of my maker. As I turn the corner in my own mortality and recognize that in all likelihood I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me, I see that really - life is so precious and fleeting that every day is truly a gift.
I hope and pray that Natalie has a long and full life ahead of her, that she will touch people's lives profoundly as a fiesty teenager, a passionate young woman, a mellowed but still joyful middle aged go-getter and as a contented elderly sage of wisdom. But it is not up to her, nor me. She is on a mission, as are we all - to try and be the best we can be, to face every day with love and wonder in our hearts, to let go of fear and jaded disdain, to embrace the unknown and recognize that we have no control over our fate - only control of how much love we bring to bear on those around us.
This is the lesson that Margareta has taught me and I will be forever grateful to her for it.
I am overwhelmed with sadness and love for Margareta's entire family, and for anyone who ever had the gift of meeting her in person. I cannot begin to comprehend the anguish that they feel and that they will never fully recover from.
But I hope they find some small comfort in just how far and wide the love of this little girl has already spread, and will continue to spread, as ever expanding ripples in water - touching the hearts and minds of people who never even met her in a truly beautiful and profound way.
Peace and love to all of you this holiday season, and the very happiest of new years.
I've been hugging her extra tight of late - holding on to my little girl fiercely with a mixture of overwhelming love and of the equally powerful fear of ever losing her.
This is something that every parent endures on a daily basis. The mind races with unspeakable imaginings of what could happen. But at Christmastime, the fearful flights of my imagination seem to occur at an alarming rate.
This year has not been an easy one - I lost an old friend who was a police officer, he died in the line of duty at the hands of a mad man. I lost a dear man who was the spiritual leader of my company and a beacon of light in my life. He left this earth suddenly and without warning.
And on September 30th I lost someone who I had never met, yet her passing has left a hole in my soul. This is by far the most crushing loss I've ever had to bear in my life so far - and yet I know I don't feel 1/1000000th of the agony that her family does.
The best man at my wedding has a four year old niece who is now with the angels. She fell into her family's swimming pool. There was a fence. Yet somehow she got in, and in an instant it was over.
I never met this little girl, nor her father or three brothers. I probably haven't seen her mother in 15 years. But I think of them all every single day.
I tell everyone I know with small children what happened. I know very few details of the event, and I don't really need to. The point of the story isn't to depress people or to make them fearful, but to make them aware that those we love most can disappear suddenly - and we need to cherish them with all of our hearts every single day.
When I look at my little girl sometimes, I'm overwhelmed at the thought of losing her. My mind races and I literally shake in my shoes. My wife and I have cried ourselves to sleep more than once over the thought of what happened on that fateful day.
But then I turn to my faith - my belief that there is a power greater than all of us who has a plan beyond our comprehension, and I am comforted.
This little girl, who was only here for an instant, has already touched so many more lives than her parents will probably ever know. Every single person that I've shared this story with has been affected, deeply. From the owner of my company to random lighting techs and associate producers. The freelance teleprompter guy who has a 3 year old. The producer of the Daytime Emmy's who has a toddler son. All of them nearly moved to tears, quiet and contemplative. I know they will hug their kids extra hard and love them even more than they thought possible.
Margareta was her name. And she was a very real angel, sent here for a very real purpose. She was put on this earth to touch us profoundly and to teach us just how precious life is.
And I have no doubt that there are many other lessons she imparted as well. For me personally, the most powerful gift she has given me is to rejuvenate my relationship with God.
It is through God that I find comfort in the arms of my little one. She's about the same age as Margareta and no doubt just as sweet and precocious. This is probably why this event has been so tough on my wife and I. Every little thought and detail (real and imagined) that enters our heads about what happened, we can imagine it so easily happening to Natalie. I hold her impossibly tight, close my eyes and pray to God that she stays safe and happy. But with the anguish in my heart that Margareta's passing has brought, she has also brought me closer to the big man (or woman) upstairs - and in doing so has helped melt some of the adult hardness around my heart.
I recognize, as with Margareta, that Natalie is here on God's time. As are we all of course - but children, especially little children, are living breathing angels among us. Both Margareta and Natalie make it easier for me to let go of my adult cynicism and to recognize just how small I am in the face of my maker. As I turn the corner in my own mortality and recognize that in all likelihood I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me, I see that really - life is so precious and fleeting that every day is truly a gift.
I hope and pray that Natalie has a long and full life ahead of her, that she will touch people's lives profoundly as a fiesty teenager, a passionate young woman, a mellowed but still joyful middle aged go-getter and as a contented elderly sage of wisdom. But it is not up to her, nor me. She is on a mission, as are we all - to try and be the best we can be, to face every day with love and wonder in our hearts, to let go of fear and jaded disdain, to embrace the unknown and recognize that we have no control over our fate - only control of how much love we bring to bear on those around us.
This is the lesson that Margareta has taught me and I will be forever grateful to her for it.
I am overwhelmed with sadness and love for Margareta's entire family, and for anyone who ever had the gift of meeting her in person. I cannot begin to comprehend the anguish that they feel and that they will never fully recover from.
But I hope they find some small comfort in just how far and wide the love of this little girl has already spread, and will continue to spread, as ever expanding ripples in water - touching the hearts and minds of people who never even met her in a truly beautiful and profound way.
Peace and love to all of you this holiday season, and the very happiest of new years.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Country first.
I refuse to condemn our president for his long delayed and potentially inadequate troop surge in Afghanistan.
It's easy to look at his decision, a long time coming - nearly 9 months since his General's request for a minimum of 40,000 troops, as one directed more at appeasing his moderate constituents than towards winning the war. Obama's strategy will surely infuriate those on the left end of the spectrum, Michael Moore already has a ridiculous letter of condemnation up on his website, and those on the right side as well.
Speaking as a considerably right of center hawk, when it comes to our military and what our role should be in the war on terror, I can tell you that there is a lot that is troubling here.
Anything less than a whole hearted pursuit of total victory in Afghanistan I fear is guaranteed to fail.
We cannot sacrifice the lives of our soldiers with a plan that includes an exit date. Nor can we second guess the most qualified people on the planet, that would be the strategic minds and operational commanders of the US military, as to how to best kill al qaeda and the taliban. These two inescapable facts I fear, combined with the historical truism of Afghanistan as a graveyard of empires and a cesspool of corruption, may have already sealed our fate.
It very well might be possible that this war is already lost.
But I'll be God damned if I am going to treat the 44th president the way his far left supporters treated the 43rd.
I may disagree with Obama's approach - which smacks of fulfilling a campaign promise rather than fighting a war that we must win, but I will from this moment on, put my fears into the far back of my mind, and concentrate on positive hopes and prayers for the outcome of this - the most important conflict of our time.
Obama has said from the beginning that he supports killing terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I respect him for that, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Obama has said he will finish the job - while also acknowledging that the Afghans themselves must begin to take responsibility for their own peace and prosperity. I can get on board with this.
I also have a healthy respect for history, and I see that Obama is following in the footsteps of someone who got it right.
Same exact secretary of defense, same exact anti-insurgency plan of battle.
From www.michaelmoore.com comes an unintentionally brilliant series of side by side quotes.
Obama: "We Did Not Ask for This Fight"
Bush: "We Did Not Seek This Conflict"
Obama: "New Attacks are Being Plotted as I Speak"
Bush: "At This Moment ... Terrorists are Planning New Attacks"
Obama: "Our Cause is Just, Our Resolve Unwavering"
Bush: "Our Cause is Just, Our Coalition [is] Determined"
Obama: "This Is No Idle Danger, No Hypothetical Threat"
Bush: "The Enemies of Freedom Are Not Idle"
Obama: "We Have No Interest in Occupying Your Country"
Bush: "I Wouldn't Be Happy if I Were Occupied Either"
Who knew that Obama and Bush were two of a kind? Honestly, in a weird way, I'm relieved. Both men have been charged with protecting the free world, both men have risen to the challenge.
At this point it's obvious to me that the one topic that no one, especially not the liberal press, wants to mention is Iraq. Like it or not, believe it or not, we are leaving that country better than we found it with the day to day violence an ever fading memory.
Facts are facts, and no amount of anti-Bush vitriol can change hard numbers. Casualties, both civilian and military, right now are microscopic in comparison to the streets of Detroit or Washington DC.
Number of US Military killed in Iraq in November - 11.
Number of COMBAT related deaths of US Military killed in Iraq in November 2009 - 1.
That's right. This is NOT a typo. This is the biggest story you'll never read about. 1 US soldier lost his life in combat in Iraq last month. The rest were vehicle accidents.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_nov09.htm
Rant and rave all you like about the horrible costs of this war - I can't disagree with you. But face the inevitable - right here, right now, we are not losing in Iraq.
There is an argument to be made, though you may disagree, that we have already won.
Truly, I believe in my heart that thanks in large part to the convictions of George W. Bush, a man whom I never voted for, nor agreed with on many issues, we have achieved enough success in the region to declare victory and go home.
He was my president and I KNOW he put his country FIRST.
I would be honored to shake his hand.
Those who place the love of their country second to their political convictions will attempt to rewrite history and bring dishonor to Bush, our troops and our country's role in Iraq. But I have faith that intellectual honesty and hard numbers will somehow weather this fog of partisanship, and much like Harry Truman, who was reviled when he left office, George W. Bush - at least when it comes to the war on terror, will emerge as a man who got it right as far as conducting and winning the war in Iraq.
Now whether we should have been in Iraq in the first place is an entirely different issue, and one that I am less certain of. I can certainly concede that it might not have been the best idea, nor was it really related to 9/11.
However, seeing as how we hung the Iraqi people out to dry in the first gulf war (watch the movie "Three Kings" for an excellent treatise on this) I am ultimately glad we went back and righted what we did wrong - though the cost in civilian and military casualties does make me wonder sometimes if it truly was worth it. It's not a black and white matter - but evil has been vanquished, at least for now.
In the end, Iraq is not perfect, there are still violent stragglers, but al qaeda has been decimated and Iraq is slowly but surely returning to normal. The withdrawal plan, which was drawn up by Bush and Petraeus (not Obama as many probably have deluded themselves into believing) is underway and is proving not only workable but sustainable.
I have a great faith and hope that the same may some day be said for Afghanistan.
This is a war in which many on the left have said is a "good" war. Though many in congress have conveniently forgotten this, I have faith that our current president actually meant it when he said so. There is, even right now, far more support for our presence in Afghanistan, both from within the US and from international sources, than there ever was for Iraq.
As long as Obama doesn't waiver and wholeheartedly pursues this task, I have to believe he can succeed.
I will support him and our troops. I will pray for total victory and for an end to the drug trade and corruption that seem to have riddled the people that we helped put into power.
I will pray that the lives lost in the coming months will not be in vain.
Obama has done his job; he has decided that Americans WILL die for the protection of liberty and the defense of freedom. I cannot discount nor condemn him for this.
He is my president and I KNOW he will put his country FIRST.
I would be honored to shake his hand.
It's easy to look at his decision, a long time coming - nearly 9 months since his General's request for a minimum of 40,000 troops, as one directed more at appeasing his moderate constituents than towards winning the war. Obama's strategy will surely infuriate those on the left end of the spectrum, Michael Moore already has a ridiculous letter of condemnation up on his website, and those on the right side as well.
Speaking as a considerably right of center hawk, when it comes to our military and what our role should be in the war on terror, I can tell you that there is a lot that is troubling here.
Anything less than a whole hearted pursuit of total victory in Afghanistan I fear is guaranteed to fail.
We cannot sacrifice the lives of our soldiers with a plan that includes an exit date. Nor can we second guess the most qualified people on the planet, that would be the strategic minds and operational commanders of the US military, as to how to best kill al qaeda and the taliban. These two inescapable facts I fear, combined with the historical truism of Afghanistan as a graveyard of empires and a cesspool of corruption, may have already sealed our fate.
It very well might be possible that this war is already lost.
But I'll be God damned if I am going to treat the 44th president the way his far left supporters treated the 43rd.
I may disagree with Obama's approach - which smacks of fulfilling a campaign promise rather than fighting a war that we must win, but I will from this moment on, put my fears into the far back of my mind, and concentrate on positive hopes and prayers for the outcome of this - the most important conflict of our time.
Obama has said from the beginning that he supports killing terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I respect him for that, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Obama has said he will finish the job - while also acknowledging that the Afghans themselves must begin to take responsibility for their own peace and prosperity. I can get on board with this.
I also have a healthy respect for history, and I see that Obama is following in the footsteps of someone who got it right.
Same exact secretary of defense, same exact anti-insurgency plan of battle.
From www.michaelmoore.com comes an unintentionally brilliant series of side by side quotes.
Obama: "We Did Not Ask for This Fight"
Bush: "We Did Not Seek This Conflict"
Obama: "New Attacks are Being Plotted as I Speak"
Bush: "At This Moment ... Terrorists are Planning New Attacks"
Obama: "Our Cause is Just, Our Resolve Unwavering"
Bush: "Our Cause is Just, Our Coalition [is] Determined"
Obama: "This Is No Idle Danger, No Hypothetical Threat"
Bush: "The Enemies of Freedom Are Not Idle"
Obama: "We Have No Interest in Occupying Your Country"
Bush: "I Wouldn't Be Happy if I Were Occupied Either"
Who knew that Obama and Bush were two of a kind? Honestly, in a weird way, I'm relieved. Both men have been charged with protecting the free world, both men have risen to the challenge.
At this point it's obvious to me that the one topic that no one, especially not the liberal press, wants to mention is Iraq. Like it or not, believe it or not, we are leaving that country better than we found it with the day to day violence an ever fading memory.
Facts are facts, and no amount of anti-Bush vitriol can change hard numbers. Casualties, both civilian and military, right now are microscopic in comparison to the streets of Detroit or Washington DC.
Number of US Military killed in Iraq in November - 11.
Number of COMBAT related deaths of US Military killed in Iraq in November 2009 - 1.
That's right. This is NOT a typo. This is the biggest story you'll never read about. 1 US soldier lost his life in combat in Iraq last month. The rest were vehicle accidents.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_nov09.htm
Rant and rave all you like about the horrible costs of this war - I can't disagree with you. But face the inevitable - right here, right now, we are not losing in Iraq.
There is an argument to be made, though you may disagree, that we have already won.
Truly, I believe in my heart that thanks in large part to the convictions of George W. Bush, a man whom I never voted for, nor agreed with on many issues, we have achieved enough success in the region to declare victory and go home.
He was my president and I KNOW he put his country FIRST.
I would be honored to shake his hand.
Those who place the love of their country second to their political convictions will attempt to rewrite history and bring dishonor to Bush, our troops and our country's role in Iraq. But I have faith that intellectual honesty and hard numbers will somehow weather this fog of partisanship, and much like Harry Truman, who was reviled when he left office, George W. Bush - at least when it comes to the war on terror, will emerge as a man who got it right as far as conducting and winning the war in Iraq.
Now whether we should have been in Iraq in the first place is an entirely different issue, and one that I am less certain of. I can certainly concede that it might not have been the best idea, nor was it really related to 9/11.
However, seeing as how we hung the Iraqi people out to dry in the first gulf war (watch the movie "Three Kings" for an excellent treatise on this) I am ultimately glad we went back and righted what we did wrong - though the cost in civilian and military casualties does make me wonder sometimes if it truly was worth it. It's not a black and white matter - but evil has been vanquished, at least for now.
In the end, Iraq is not perfect, there are still violent stragglers, but al qaeda has been decimated and Iraq is slowly but surely returning to normal. The withdrawal plan, which was drawn up by Bush and Petraeus (not Obama as many probably have deluded themselves into believing) is underway and is proving not only workable but sustainable.
I have a great faith and hope that the same may some day be said for Afghanistan.
This is a war in which many on the left have said is a "good" war. Though many in congress have conveniently forgotten this, I have faith that our current president actually meant it when he said so. There is, even right now, far more support for our presence in Afghanistan, both from within the US and from international sources, than there ever was for Iraq.
As long as Obama doesn't waiver and wholeheartedly pursues this task, I have to believe he can succeed.
I will support him and our troops. I will pray for total victory and for an end to the drug trade and corruption that seem to have riddled the people that we helped put into power.
I will pray that the lives lost in the coming months will not be in vain.
Obama has done his job; he has decided that Americans WILL die for the protection of liberty and the defense of freedom. I cannot discount nor condemn him for this.
He is my president and I KNOW he will put his country FIRST.
I would be honored to shake his hand.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Enough already.
The shooting spree at Fort Hood was not a random tragic occurrence committed by a mentally ill lost soul, it was a pre-meditated act of terrorism by an Islamic extremist who knew exactly what he was doing, why he was doing it and who he was doing it for.
In other news, seems as though we now want to bring the mastermind of 9/11 into our civilian courts and treat him like a common criminal. Another great idea. Even better that we give him a platform in New York (of all places) to legitimize him and make sure that his "views" are heard.
In the meantime civilian judges, many of whom are like most Americans and just don't get it, can allow the spilling of plenty of information in the courtroom about our intelligence gathering techniques so that other Islamo-facists can use this info to expedite killing us.
Fundamentally, it's a refusal by the current administration to acknowledge that we are at war, and it turns my stomach.
Treating this as a criminal justice issue, as Clinton did with the first WTC bombing is a huge step backwards.
9/11 wasn't just terrorism, it was an act of war. These men are not just criminals, they are war criminals and deserve to be treated as such - as have all enemy combatants over the last 100 years. We didn't haul Goering into a local courtroom in 1945, and it's preposterous to consider such an act today with men who are just as crazy and on top of that refuse to wear a uniform.
There is no wiggle room here for the forces of evil to somehow escape from a criminal justice system rife with the rights, technicalities and loopholes that we afford citizens of a free society.
Nor is it acceptable to give these same forces a platform (on the sacred ground of NYC of all places) to voice their madness.
Most importantly, we cannot allow the courtroom to be turned into a circus, a vessel for defense attorneys to not only do their utmost to free these men but to grandstand and downplay the all too real war on terror.
I know it's fashionable right now to deny that such a war exists, but to do so is to disgrace the memories of those who died on that fateful day and to dishonor the forces overseas who are fighting to put down the disciples of the 9/11 mastermind.
This whole matter to me reeks of politicized opportunism, and a genuine lack of intellectual honesty from this administration. Not to mention a staggering ignorance of history and of the true nature of evil.
But none of this matters as much as one inescapable fact. Most of the relatives of those who died on 9/11 are very angry about this - so that's good enough for me to be too.
In other news, seems as though we now want to bring the mastermind of 9/11 into our civilian courts and treat him like a common criminal. Another great idea. Even better that we give him a platform in New York (of all places) to legitimize him and make sure that his "views" are heard.
In the meantime civilian judges, many of whom are like most Americans and just don't get it, can allow the spilling of plenty of information in the courtroom about our intelligence gathering techniques so that other Islamo-facists can use this info to expedite killing us.
Fundamentally, it's a refusal by the current administration to acknowledge that we are at war, and it turns my stomach.
Treating this as a criminal justice issue, as Clinton did with the first WTC bombing is a huge step backwards.
9/11 wasn't just terrorism, it was an act of war. These men are not just criminals, they are war criminals and deserve to be treated as such - as have all enemy combatants over the last 100 years. We didn't haul Goering into a local courtroom in 1945, and it's preposterous to consider such an act today with men who are just as crazy and on top of that refuse to wear a uniform.
There is no wiggle room here for the forces of evil to somehow escape from a criminal justice system rife with the rights, technicalities and loopholes that we afford citizens of a free society.
Nor is it acceptable to give these same forces a platform (on the sacred ground of NYC of all places) to voice their madness.
Most importantly, we cannot allow the courtroom to be turned into a circus, a vessel for defense attorneys to not only do their utmost to free these men but to grandstand and downplay the all too real war on terror.
I know it's fashionable right now to deny that such a war exists, but to do so is to disgrace the memories of those who died on that fateful day and to dishonor the forces overseas who are fighting to put down the disciples of the 9/11 mastermind.
This whole matter to me reeks of politicized opportunism, and a genuine lack of intellectual honesty from this administration. Not to mention a staggering ignorance of history and of the true nature of evil.
But none of this matters as much as one inescapable fact. Most of the relatives of those who died on 9/11 are very angry about this - so that's good enough for me to be too.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Note to the Unknown Soldier
A little tribute video I cut together;
I was inspired by the Five for Fighting song
"Note to the Unknown Soldier"
Once the video starts, click on the lower right corner of the video to go to YouTube and see the video properly in widescreen.
I was inspired by the Five for Fighting song
"Note to the Unknown Soldier"
Once the video starts, click on the lower right corner of the video to go to YouTube and see the video properly in widescreen.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What If: A Beatles Reunion
Last night I went to a housewarming party at my brother's new place - he's recently moved in with his girlfriend who is lovely in every way. Kudos to him.
A big highlight to the gathering was everyone playing and enjoying his recently purchased Beatles Rockband game.
It's fun, it's silly, it's addictive. For those who don't know, Guitar Hero and Rockband are musical video games, that involve mimicking rock n' rollers with plastic pint-sized instruments. Rockband is especially goofy because it involves guitars, drums and a microphone.
Once dignity has been dispensed with, it's a heck of a lot of fun, not only for people actually playing, but for observers as well.
But what makes the recently released Beatles version of the game especially great is, well, The Beatles.
I was struck last night at how everyone in the party, playing or not, took time to enjoy the music. One great thing about the game, is that the music you hear is the actual Beatles - not a cover or close proximity. It's really the boys, thanks to the miracles of modern sound engineering, separated onto different tracks. So if you're on drums and flub a beat or two, you hear Ringo's drumming drop out while the guitars and bass keep going. It's very slick.
The graphics are kind of creepy at first - robotic looking Beatles strum and strut through the numbers. For the earlier music you're in the Cavern Club, the Ed Sullivan Show and various stadiums and arenas. Later tunes feature the fab four in studio, but as the songs get underway they transform into psychedelic dreamscapes.
Once I got past the fact that John, Paul, George and Ringo looked like mannequin androids, I was impressed at the attention to detail, both in the bands mannerisms and technical playing as well as the digitally crafted environments. The music and the imagery combined with an enthusiastic group of friends who happen to love the Beatles, creates a unique and surprisingly powerful interactive experience.
Beatles Rockband, as surreal and as ridiculous as it is - is actually very special. It brings the best band in the world to a whole new audience, in a completely original way. It was put together with a lot of thought and care, and carries the seal of approval from the band's surviving members and the widows of George and John.
The Beatles are quite simply, the most influential and most beloved rock and roll act of all time. And happily, I am part of the vast majority of earthlings who have been enthralled and forever affected by the fab four.
Their music has meant very much to me personally over the years - it was a big part of my childhood, and today I still get emotional over the memories that are induced when certain tunes are played. I'm also especially struck, now as an adult, at just how cohesive and perfect the overall arc of the Beatles music is.
13 outstanding albums. Zero reunion tours.
Yoko Ono said it best, shortly after the bands breakup. I'm paraphrasing - "The Beatles were like a perfect temple, that was destroyed right after being built. Now they will always be perfect."
And it's true, unlike certain other "legendary" British bands, they will never be a tired old joke. They will never "retire" only to resurface with a mediocre record and world tour two years later, strutting around the stage in their 60's after endless plastic surgery and pilates. They will always be perfect.
Whatever twinge of sadness we might feel over never having the chance to see The Beatles play live, ever again, we can take more than enough solace in the fact that they will forever and for always be great. And their ultimate message, their gift to the world - is love. This will likely not tarnish or be diminished for at least a millennia or more.
But I confess, one of the great recurring daydreams of my life, is what would have happened if John hadn't been taken from us so abruptly. Recently before George was diagnosed with cancer, the three remaining lads became not only amicable but friendly to the point where they collaborated intensely on The Beatles Anthology and even crafted 2 brand new songs using John's old vocals. It captured my imagination. What if John had been in that mix? Would they have gone on tour?
Entertainment Weekly recently ranked the 50 best Beatles songs. A preposterous and pointless exercise. So much greatness, how can they only pick 50? I think it's patently ridiculous to even try. But to imagine what a set list might have been at a Beatles concert were it held today, where there would be at least some logic to picking and choosing, now that's a great idea!
My dream Beatles concert would go something like this...
ACT I:
The stage and lighting would be bare bones. Dark except for the instruments illuminated by harsh overhead spotlights. The iconic drum kit on a small riser, the classic Hofner bass, Gretch Duo Jet and Rickenbacker guitars on stands and waiting for their masters. The arena is plunged into darkness. Over an ocean of screams the cyclorama is illuminated, and four men arrive in silhouette. Three picking up and strapping on their guitars, one sitting down at the drum kit, the blackened shapes meander a bit - and then the first chord is struck...
A Hard Day's Night
Get Back
Revolution
In My Life
Paperback Writer
I Feel Fine
Taxman
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Yesterday
Ticket to Ride
I've Just Seen a Face
Something
She Said, She Said
Back in the USSR
Ballad of John and Yoko
Help!
All Together Now
I Saw Her Standing There
The first act is entirely The Beatles only, no additional musicians or instrumentation. The production design is also very flat and basic. The focus is the music. There are no costume changes, and a minimum of instrument changes. When the curtain rises on Act II, however, there is a full Orchestra, as well as additional percussionists and of course, Billy Preston on Keyboards. The staging, especially lighting, is a lot more elaborate and colorful.
Act II
Here Comes the Sun
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart's Club Band
A Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds
Within Without You
Hello Goodbye
Penny Lane
Strawberry Fields Forever
A Day In the Life
Blackbird
Yellow Submarine
Let It Be
Norwegian Wood
I Am the Walrus
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
All You Need Is Love
Just a single encore, but what an encore. Once again, it's just the boys, stripped down and simplified.
ENCORE:
She Loves You
Please Please Me
From Me to You
Can't Buy Me Love
Love Me Do
Twist and Shout
I know, I know, not enough George and Ringo songs. Too many hits, not enough obscurities. Well tough. Make you're own! This one is mine! I really tried to make it feasible number of songs, in a non-chronological order (for the most part) that would have a very good rhythm of both upbeat and slower numbers, with nice builds towards the climaxes of each act and the encore.
I love the idea of a stripped down first act, a psychedelic second act, and a third mini-act that mimics the original set lists from those early stadium shows. About a 3 and a half hour show; a perfect evening that hits all the right notes and memories.
And one things for sure, this concert in my head is most likely WAY better than any actual show would have been.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
ACORN's going DOWN
When Jon Stewart, the most powerful political voice in the country as far as anyone 25 and younger is concerned, turns on your organization - it's time to go. This is an incredibly funny video, the humor is a bit crude and there are a few bleeped f-bombs, but hang in for the whole thing and be amazed.
In case you don't watch Fox News or listen to right wing radio, this ACORN deal is the biggest story ever that the mainstream press still refuses to cover. Maybe now that their poster boy of comedy has finally seen the light, this story might get some legs.
It basically confirms what "crazies" like Limbaugh and Hannity have been saying for years now - that ACORN is a fundamentally corrupt and criminal organization, funded largely by taxpayers. I'd say, it's days are numbered.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Audacity of Hos | ||||
| ||||
In case you don't watch Fox News or listen to right wing radio, this ACORN deal is the biggest story ever that the mainstream press still refuses to cover. Maybe now that their poster boy of comedy has finally seen the light, this story might get some legs.
It basically confirms what "crazies" like Limbaugh and Hannity have been saying for years now - that ACORN is a fundamentally corrupt and criminal organization, funded largely by taxpayers. I'd say, it's days are numbered.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Just About the Creepiest Thing I've Ever Seen
I know I just posted, be sure to read below this post, but OMFG.
Am I crazy? Is this not Mao? Castro? Chavez? This is insane.
Yes, 90% of it or so is fine, inspirational even. But the other 10%? Dear God.
Newsflash - I'm not here to serve the president, or any man. He's here to serve me.
I'm going to continue to flip people off who cut in front of me.
I'll drive whatever the hell I want.
I will not chant in unison with other pin-heads, even though I may be hopelessly in love with my own sanctimoniousness.
Am I a bad person because this video makes me very angry?
I pledge to play video games and internet poker.
I pledge to watch movies with lots of explosions and graphic violence.
I pledge to eat at the Olive Garden.
I pledge to eat Oreos, heavily laden with trans-fat.
I pledge to speak out against socialized medicine.
I pledge to recognize that I am smarter than Ashton Fucking Kutcher.
I pledge to support our military by supporting their mission.
YES, DO YOU THINK THEY COULD HAVE MENTIONED THE FACT THAT OUR TROOPS ARE FIGHTING AND DYING RIGHT NOW SO THAT THESE RICH ASSHOLES COULD MAKE THEIR SHITTY KIM JONG ILL-ESQUE VIDEO?
Sorry. This one definitely got my blood pressure up.
Creepy.
Sad.
FAIL.
Am I crazy? Is this not Mao? Castro? Chavez? This is insane.
Yes, 90% of it or so is fine, inspirational even. But the other 10%? Dear God.
Newsflash - I'm not here to serve the president, or any man. He's here to serve me.
I'm going to continue to flip people off who cut in front of me.
I'll drive whatever the hell I want.
I will not chant in unison with other pin-heads, even though I may be hopelessly in love with my own sanctimoniousness.
Am I a bad person because this video makes me very angry?
I pledge to play video games and internet poker.
I pledge to watch movies with lots of explosions and graphic violence.
I pledge to eat at the Olive Garden.
I pledge to eat Oreos, heavily laden with trans-fat.
I pledge to speak out against socialized medicine.
I pledge to recognize that I am smarter than Ashton Fucking Kutcher.
I pledge to support our military by supporting their mission.
YES, DO YOU THINK THEY COULD HAVE MENTIONED THE FACT THAT OUR TROOPS ARE FIGHTING AND DYING RIGHT NOW SO THAT THESE RICH ASSHOLES COULD MAKE THEIR SHITTY KIM JONG ILL-ESQUE VIDEO?
Sorry. This one definitely got my blood pressure up.
Creepy.
Sad.
FAIL.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Teach Your Children Well
So the president will be addressing our kids. Should be okay. I guess.
I doubt he'll try to push any of his policies or reforms explicitly on them, he's a pretty smart and savvy man. Even moderates probably wouldn't stand for such an overt indoctrination. But the cynic in me suspects that Obama realizes that most of our nation's public school teachers will do the dirty work for him anyway.
Here's an example; and if my little girl was a bit older and happened to be in a typical urban public school (thankfully she's in a school where they say the pledge of allegiance every morning) she could very well be up against something like this: (Skip ahead a little bit to the classroom).
Now, to be fair, I am a political junkie of sorts and certainly in my adulthood I find myself a bit to the right of center. My wife however, while not politically apathetic, could care less about the latest Michelle Malkin column or what Keith Olberman has been saying about healthcare.
With that in mind, when it comes to my child, I sincerely don't plan to directly indoctrinate her with my own views. No doubt she'll adopt some of them by osmosis, but my fondest hope is that she'll make up her own sensible mind about politics and at the same time become as big a fan as me on government happenings and social issues of the day. I pray that she spends her time surfing sights like hotair.com or moveon.org instead of TMZ or Perez Hilton.
And in my fondest partisan dreams, I hope she'll be a wide eyed liberal in her teens (showing she has a heart), then surprise herself by adopting conservative views as she enters adulthood (showing she has a brain) and eventually find herself somewhere in the middle ground of common sense where she is able to cast aside ideology for a more practical and thought fueled approach. Always asking questions, always being a healthy skeptic.
In any case, I hope she can at least recognize the shrill insanity of the woman in the video (as I was able to in my addle-brained teachers at Berkeley High school) and come to her own more fact based conclusions on stuff that matters.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Obama and Nixon
We now return to our regularly scheduled politically inflammatory blog.
UPDATE: Now apparently dissent is only patriotic when you're thrashing George W. Bush. If you dissent over health care, you're un-American.
The whole health care matter is complex, and I'm not necessarily on one side or another. I'll confess, my instinct is always for free enterprise and less government interference - but I'll concede that clearly our current system is badly damaged if not broken. It needs to be fixed yes, I'm just not sure that burning down the house (instead of a sensible renovation of the current system) is the way to go.
Having also been lectured on three different occasions in three different countries (Canada, the UK and New Zealand) about how shitty nationalized care is (rationed, endless waiting lists, a stifling of innovation, etc.) I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon when it hasn't worked anywhere else to any great effect that I can see. Michael Moore's movie notwithstanding where it did appear that the health care in Cuba was quite excellent, LOL. (Yes, I did watch sicko, it was entertaining if nothing else).
But believe it or not, I can be persuaded that maybe national health care is the way to go. I don't know for sure. I'm not really that passionate about it, so I'm willing to listen. Both sides make good points.
But the issue that is gnawing at my craw of late is the Obama administration's Chicago style tactics in dismissing thousands of politically active Americans, many of whom are saying the things that I'm thinking.
Obama and Pelosi with her Nazi swastika comparison, don't just disagree with the protesters - they see them as illegitimate. Oh the Irony. How quickly they forget that the government subsidized Acorn recruited homeless people to their protests in exchange for box lunches.
I guess when in doubt - go for the classic tactic of attacking the messengers and ignoring the message. Especially when the messengers are an ANGRY MOB.
But once again, right wing tool Rich Lowry says it much better than I could. Hooray for right wing talking points.
In Pursuit of a Silent Majority
Obama wants the majority that opposes or questions his policies to stay silent.
By Rich Lowry, NRO
Like Richard Nixon, Barack Obama wants to govern on the strength of a silent majority, although with a twist. Obama wants the majority that opposes or questions his policies to stay silent.
Obama’s White House and its allies have unleashed a barrage of criticism and condescension at people daring to show up at town-hall meetings and ask their elected representatives pointed questions. “Fired up and ready to go!” apparently works only one way. If engaged citizens shower Obama with adoration at stage-managed rallies, they are the very stuff of American democracy. If they boo their congressman, they are a scandalous eruption of fake or hateful sentiment.
The Democratic National Committee has called the hostile questioners and protesters at town halls a “mob.” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that they represent “manufactured anger” ginned up by nefarious corporate interests, and referred to them as “the Brooks Brothers brigade.” California Sen. Barbara Boxer, too, took offense at the untoward lack of shabby dress, noting with disapproval that the protesters are “well-dressed.” It’s the attack of the haut polloi.
All of these Obama mouthpieces must forget that the president once was a community organizer. As a young man in Chicago, he got people to meetings and primed them with questions to ask city officials. By the Gibbs standard, when Obama prodded his community activists to get the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from a public-housing complex in the 1980s, it was contemptible “manufactured” outrage.
Conservative groups are publicizing the times and locations of town-hall meetings on the Internet. They are calling and e-mailing people on their membership lists and urging them to make their voices heard. No one prior to the troubled career of Obamacare thought town-hall meetings should be closely held secrets, or considered basic block-and-tackle political organizing as out of bounds.
Obama once extolled such organizing as one of the marvels of American democracy. The same DNC operative who attacked the “angry mobs of a small number of rabid right-wing extremists” ran a union-funded group in 2005 opposing Pres. George W. Bush’s Social Security reform. It organized protests and town-hall meetings, and ran TV ads. But never mind — it’s activism for me, not for thee.
The Obama team labors under the misapprehension that its sweeping, $1 trillion health-care plan is popular. Pluralities in almost every poll disapprove of the Democrats’ proposals and disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care. Polls show that opponents of Obamacare feel more intensely about the issue than supporters. It’s not surprising, then, that town-hall meetings would be uncomfortable for members of Congress plugging for Obamacare.
In politics, every action prompts a reaction. If Obama had had his way, health-care reform would have passed both houses of Congress a week ago in a pure power play. If Obama gets his maximalist version of reform through, he will depend less on persuasion than on sheer political muscle in Washington. Only a public quiescent to the point of obedience would meekly accept a rush to reorder one-sixth of the economy. And only a conservative opposition that had curled up and died wouldn’t raise holy hell.
The ultimate point of the attacks on the town-hall protesters is to define that opposition as illegitimate. Which is also why liberal opinion-makers are so obsessed with the “birther” conspiracy theorists who believe Obama was born in Kenya. The birthers have been denounced by every reputable conservative. But the Left still wants to use them to tar all Republicans as extreme in what it hopes will be a self-fulfilling narrative of conservative obsolescence.
This narrative will encounter the same difficulty as the health-care plan: reality. Obama is sinking toward a 50-percent presidency, with the public evenly divided over him. In New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races this year, Republicans are leading by 14 points in the latest polls and appealing to the center. No matter how fervently Obama may wish it to be so, his skeptics won’t be silent.
UPDATE: Now apparently dissent is only patriotic when you're thrashing George W. Bush. If you dissent over health care, you're un-American.
The whole health care matter is complex, and I'm not necessarily on one side or another. I'll confess, my instinct is always for free enterprise and less government interference - but I'll concede that clearly our current system is badly damaged if not broken. It needs to be fixed yes, I'm just not sure that burning down the house (instead of a sensible renovation of the current system) is the way to go.
Having also been lectured on three different occasions in three different countries (Canada, the UK and New Zealand) about how shitty nationalized care is (rationed, endless waiting lists, a stifling of innovation, etc.) I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon when it hasn't worked anywhere else to any great effect that I can see. Michael Moore's movie notwithstanding where it did appear that the health care in Cuba was quite excellent, LOL. (Yes, I did watch sicko, it was entertaining if nothing else).
But believe it or not, I can be persuaded that maybe national health care is the way to go. I don't know for sure. I'm not really that passionate about it, so I'm willing to listen. Both sides make good points.
But the issue that is gnawing at my craw of late is the Obama administration's Chicago style tactics in dismissing thousands of politically active Americans, many of whom are saying the things that I'm thinking.
Obama and Pelosi with her Nazi swastika comparison, don't just disagree with the protesters - they see them as illegitimate. Oh the Irony. How quickly they forget that the government subsidized Acorn recruited homeless people to their protests in exchange for box lunches.
I guess when in doubt - go for the classic tactic of attacking the messengers and ignoring the message. Especially when the messengers are an ANGRY MOB.
But once again, right wing tool Rich Lowry says it much better than I could. Hooray for right wing talking points.
In Pursuit of a Silent Majority
Obama wants the majority that opposes or questions his policies to stay silent.
By Rich Lowry, NRO
Like Richard Nixon, Barack Obama wants to govern on the strength of a silent majority, although with a twist. Obama wants the majority that opposes or questions his policies to stay silent.
Obama’s White House and its allies have unleashed a barrage of criticism and condescension at people daring to show up at town-hall meetings and ask their elected representatives pointed questions. “Fired up and ready to go!” apparently works only one way. If engaged citizens shower Obama with adoration at stage-managed rallies, they are the very stuff of American democracy. If they boo their congressman, they are a scandalous eruption of fake or hateful sentiment.
The Democratic National Committee has called the hostile questioners and protesters at town halls a “mob.” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that they represent “manufactured anger” ginned up by nefarious corporate interests, and referred to them as “the Brooks Brothers brigade.” California Sen. Barbara Boxer, too, took offense at the untoward lack of shabby dress, noting with disapproval that the protesters are “well-dressed.” It’s the attack of the haut polloi.
All of these Obama mouthpieces must forget that the president once was a community organizer. As a young man in Chicago, he got people to meetings and primed them with questions to ask city officials. By the Gibbs standard, when Obama prodded his community activists to get the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from a public-housing complex in the 1980s, it was contemptible “manufactured” outrage.
Conservative groups are publicizing the times and locations of town-hall meetings on the Internet. They are calling and e-mailing people on their membership lists and urging them to make their voices heard. No one prior to the troubled career of Obamacare thought town-hall meetings should be closely held secrets, or considered basic block-and-tackle political organizing as out of bounds.
Obama once extolled such organizing as one of the marvels of American democracy. The same DNC operative who attacked the “angry mobs of a small number of rabid right-wing extremists” ran a union-funded group in 2005 opposing Pres. George W. Bush’s Social Security reform. It organized protests and town-hall meetings, and ran TV ads. But never mind — it’s activism for me, not for thee.
The Obama team labors under the misapprehension that its sweeping, $1 trillion health-care plan is popular. Pluralities in almost every poll disapprove of the Democrats’ proposals and disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care. Polls show that opponents of Obamacare feel more intensely about the issue than supporters. It’s not surprising, then, that town-hall meetings would be uncomfortable for members of Congress plugging for Obamacare.
In politics, every action prompts a reaction. If Obama had had his way, health-care reform would have passed both houses of Congress a week ago in a pure power play. If Obama gets his maximalist version of reform through, he will depend less on persuasion than on sheer political muscle in Washington. Only a public quiescent to the point of obedience would meekly accept a rush to reorder one-sixth of the economy. And only a conservative opposition that had curled up and died wouldn’t raise holy hell.
The ultimate point of the attacks on the town-hall protesters is to define that opposition as illegitimate. Which is also why liberal opinion-makers are so obsessed with the “birther” conspiracy theorists who believe Obama was born in Kenya. The birthers have been denounced by every reputable conservative. But the Left still wants to use them to tar all Republicans as extreme in what it hopes will be a self-fulfilling narrative of conservative obsolescence.
This narrative will encounter the same difficulty as the health-care plan: reality. Obama is sinking toward a 50-percent presidency, with the public evenly divided over him. In New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races this year, Republicans are leading by 14 points in the latest polls and appealing to the center. No matter how fervently Obama may wish it to be so, his skeptics won’t be silent.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Touched by Greatness
I know a lot of people, and even love some of them. The ones I love are pretty much restricted to my family or closest of friends.
There is one exception to this.
One extraordinary soul that only departed this earth last Wednesday loomed large in my life - not just as an employer, but as a unique force in my life entire.
Paul Sharratt was 75 when he succumbed to a heart attack in the arms of his wife at 630 in the morning on May 27th, 2009.
He was a successful performer in his native land of Australia, with plenty of fame and awards to compliment his formidable skill set in the arts of comedy, song, dance and hosting. He was knighted. He has a park named after him. He won 12 "Logey" awards (the Australian equivalent of our Emmy).
He was an executive producer at my company, again with plenty of accolades and benchmarks of professional accomplishment. He has an American Emmy. He has traveled all over the world, not only for broadcast programming but for outstanding charity work in feeding hungry children. He has been instrumental in the success of my employer and by extension my employment.
But his legacy goes far, far, FAR beyond commercial achievement.
I have struggled for days and days on end to put into words just what made Paul Sharratt such an incredible force, not only in my life, but with everyone he encountered.
Honestly, I think he was touched by God.
He had a light in his spirit that was inescapable, and undeniable.
Don't get me wrong. He was not a saint, he was mortal. He had plenty of human faults and sins that were plainly visible at times. And yet, it didn't matter one bit. Everyone wanted to be around this man.
Case in point - an ex-employee (one of many) was at Paul's service. He drove across several states to be there. He had been personally fired 6 years ago BY PAUL. It didn't matter. He was there and he loved the man.
Everyone. And I mean everyone, loved Paul.
I've never met a man before quite like him, and I know I'll never meet one again.
I have been with my company for 13 years, and I've had the privilege of working with Paul on most days in that time period. Both in Los Angeles and all over the world, in locales as diverse as his homeland, Africa, China, southeast Asia and all across Europe.
By nature, especially at work and in my day to day interactions with the world, I am a private person. I save my inner thoughts and vulnerabilities for my wife, my brother, my mom and a small handful of my closest friends.
I rarely had any "deep" conversations with Paul, it was always pretty much work - good humored and good natured, but pretty much about business.
I loved the man, probably within a few months of meeting him, but I always respected his position as my employer and never sought to connect with him beyond my role as an employee who had a healthy respect for him.
There are two exceptions I can remember where my usual business-like manner was let down with him. I cling to these instances now fondly - as I wish with all my heart I could have had another conversation to tell him how much he meant to me.
The first instance was in Rome, after we had all enjoyed an audience with Pope JP II. I have written here before that I, not a religious person whatsoever, burst into quiet tears of joy upon seeing the holy father. I had a lovely talk with Paul that evening about the experience, and I could see that he was genuinely touched that I had been so moved (as had he) in seeing the pope.
The second instance was back in LA, when Paul had just returned from his cancer surgery. I looked into his eyes and told him how great it was to see him, he squeezed my shoulder gently and smiled with his usual magical warmth and a twinkle in his eyes, not saying a word, but clearly touched by my concern.
Reading back on what I've written, I think I've pretty much failed to convey what was so great about Paul.
I can say all sorts of wonderful things about him that are true and give you a sense about him as a person - but you really had to know him to understand that he was so much more than the sum of these parts.
He was warm. He was charming. He had a fun and wicked sense of humor. He had charisma, but still seemed down to earth.
He was a good listener, but generally had already formed an opinion - and yet, he didn't come off as close minded at all.
He could be irritable - and yet, somehow, people were still drawn to him, even when he was cross.
He didn't suck up to people. Ever. He didn't kiss ass - and yet, somehow, even people that he had to deal with professionally (yes, he did fire people on occasion) never held a grudge, never wished him ill. It sounds unbelievable, bizarre even, but it was true.
I honestly believe there was a light in him - that he could be fallible - and yet somehow never lose his connection with the divine.
I have been deeply affected over losing him - though as I say, I wasn't by any means a close friend of his. But I am overwhelmed and so deeply honored to have, as Ruta Lee so beautifully said at his memorial service, lived in close proximity to such an incredible thread in the tapestry of life.
I take great comfort from Paul's wife, who told me in private that Paul thought very highly of me.
My heart breaks for her, and Paul's daughters - one of which worked with her dad here in LA for many years. How hard it must be for her to come back to a place that is so much filled with Paul's presence.
All of Paul's girls (his wife and 2 daughters) are in my prayers - I know they will get through it, because Paul is with them and helping them along the way.
He is with me as well - and I know he doesn't want anyone to be overwhelmed with grief. He wants us to enjoy our lives.
I know those closest to him will eventually persevere. And the rest of us will get through as well.
Looking around at the people who knew him, it is very evident that Paul has left a little piece of his divine light behind - and it is shining in our hearts, as brilliant and as bright as the sun.
We are now, as he was in life, touched by greatness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)