Suspect #2 is in custody and is never seeing the light of day again. I'm indifferent to whether he gets the death penalty or not. It is however, my fondest wish that he get no miranda and no trial. He should be interrogated swiftly and firmly and then be sent to gitmo without a second thought.
Evil has been stopped today, now it should be vanquished. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Bring on the water board.
Enough with the kid gloves, enough with the bullshit. The drones are a good start, but we can do more. We can always do more. We must stop at nothing to keep our shores and our children safe. This is war.
And while I'm not surprised that this act of terror, this slipshod barbarity, was yet another jihad, I'm not happy about it. Well, maybe a little, because I said from the very beginning that there would be an al qaeda connection. But I'm not nearly as happy as the liberals in my life are disappointed.
Don't believe me? This article from Salon pretty much sums up the left and the MSM's true feelings in the matter. I know they are relieved as I am that the bad guys are caught and Americans are safe, but I also know deep down they are in anguish that once again evil came with a prayer rug. And even deeper down, they know this evil is here not because of what we have done but because of who we are.
Oh, and I won the bet with my wife that these terrorists would be radical Muslims. I proclaimed, in our living room on Monday "This is radical Islam, no doubt." The love of my life raised an eyebrow skeptically, not because she claims to be any expert or even cares really, but because she loves to cool me off when I think I'm hot shit and know everything. "Alright, you're on. A hundred bucks says this is some crazy white guy."
I got the text this morning, "Ok, and I owe you a hundred bucks." Like I said, only happy a little.
And yet I am still mystified. Mystified that it's okay to call every fringe group on the planet crazy and fucked up - except the one that has killed the most innocents. Pro-lifers are fanatics. Tea Party people are scary. Right wingers are Fascists. Gun advocates are violent. Radical Muslims are... WAIT A MINUTE HOLD ON YOU RACIST PIECE OF SHIT!!!
And yes, liberals are also reading comprehension impaired. Read the next sentence very slowly.
I HAVE NEVER SAID THAT MUSLIMS ARE CRAZY AND FUCKED UP. I HAVE ONLY SAID THAT RADICAL MUSLIMS ARE CRAZY AND FUCKED UP.
No matter how many times I say this - it doesn't seem to get through. Oh well. I guess I'm racist. Whatever. Don't care.
Radical Muslims are crazy and fucked up. And they are far crazier and more fucked up than all the homegrown American idiots put together.
Radical Muslims mutilate women. They chop off limbs. They terrorize villages and chop off heads. They rape young boys - systematically. They are genuinely and truly deranged and terrifying. And there are millions of them.
Take the worst of the worst from our shores. The Westbero Baptist Church assholes are crazy and could be called evil - but last I checked they haven't been lopping off limbs or throwing acid in school girl's faces. There's also less than 100 of them.
And then let's look at the home grown evil doers that have actually raped and killed people. Like say, Occupy Wall Street. There's thousands of these knuckle heads and they have actually done some real damage. And if the seemingly never ending list of crimes from these folks doesn't impress, how about an actual plot to blow up a bridge and kill innocent people?
Still not impressed? Alright, then how about the Weather Underground, who more than once succeeded in killing people, including cops. Of course, their members are now all rotting in prison for their crimes. Oh wait, no scratch that. They're actually out and highly successful, in positions of power and influence, including tenured faculty at Columbia University. They get a pass because their socialist beliefs fall in line with the infantile progressives that sip latte's and text on their i-phones while bemoaning corporations.
So because there are these few rotten apples that have done evil of course means that I view ALL left wingers as murdering rapists, right? Oh wait, no... I'm not a MASSIVE IDIOT.
And when I say that Radical Islam is evil, people couldn't possibly think that I meant ALL MUSLIMS were evil. They would have to be MASSIVE IDIOTS to believe that.
Anyway...
I call evil evil when I see it, and I call it by it's name. I am not uncomfortable saying that radical Islam is the greatest threat to our freedom on the planet and that we must fight it.
I'm dismayed at those who squirm at these words but are perfectly comfortable slandering pro-life or pro-gun people as lunatics and "just as bad" as the taliban. That's like me saying Michael Moore is just as bad as al qaeda. He's crazy, he's an asshole - but he ain't evil. He's just a moron.
Now if he were to pull out a gun and blow Rush Limbaugh away, then we might have an argument to say he was "just as bad" as a suicide bomber.
And when a lone nutball kills an abortionist, as has happened in the past, a grand total of 8 times since Roe v. Wade - I can concede that he's evil and even that he's "just as bad" as the pieces of shit that bombed Boston on Monday. But he's one guy.
But the pro-life movement is NOT evil. Radical Islam IS.
Despite the isolated incidents of sexual assaults (a LOT more than 8) and even two murders in it's brief history and a plot to bomb and kill hundreds, Occupy Wall Street is NOT evil. Radical Islam IS.
Radical Islam is a systematic system of beliefs in which the primary focus is the destruction of Israel and ultimately the United States and the end result for all western countries to come under a caliphate of a twisted version of the Muslim faith.
It has millions of followers who celebrate in the streets when Americans die.
It is evil.
I have no ill will to the real religion of Islam, and I in fact (unlike most of my liberal friends) have been to several Muslim countries and have made actual Muslim friends that I still keep in touch with. I am a lover of all people and have a deep belief and faith that most all, including Muslims, ultimately want peace and prosperity for themselves and their children.
Just because angry liberals in this country make shrill condemnations that anyone who speaks out against the radical version of Islam is a xenophobe or a racist - doesn't make it so. But if that's the only argument they have against those of us to speak the truth, then so be it.
I am happy to wear the names "racist" or "hate monger" as badges of honor if they come from cowards.
And I am content in my beliefs, so much so that I forgive the self loathing decadence of those who are quick to condemn my country and yet slow to recognize true malice that festers overseas and occasionally infects our shores.
Tonight I will sleep soundly, knowing that Suspect #2 is going away forever, a footnote in the long story that is our war against terror. But tomorrow is another day and no doubt future challenges await. There are those among us who through their jejune tantrums seek to intimidate those of us, the majority, who can recognize true evil when they see it and have the fortitude to call it as such.
These childish screechers are of little concern, because I know when the shit really hits the fan, as it did on 9/11, they will (much like the toddler who has his sippy cup snatched away) for a while, wake up and realize that the time for foolishness has ended, and they will join the rest of us, united as Americans.
Then peace time will likely return and they'll head back into the ball pit of self-doubt and selfishness. But the grown ups will still be here for them if things should go bad again, with love in our hearts and malice towards none.
Except those that are actually evil.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Radicalized.
As I sit here Wolf Blitzer is speculating that the "right wing" may very well be behind the bombings at the Boston Marathon. But my mind hasn't grasped just yet that we are under attack once again and the likely result will be little or no change in the world view from Wolf and other idiots like him.
No, I'm not ready to talk about this terrorism yet, as it is so fresh. However...
Lately I have been thinking about Kermit Gosnall. Click here at your own risk for a detailed summary of this monster's crimes. Suffice it to say, because of the MSM's blatant non-coverage of this story, I am slowly but surely giving up hope that I can be reasonable with liberals over their sacred cow which is abortion on demand. The Gosnall case contains more than enough murder and mayhem to warrant bombastic front page wall-to-wall coverage from the usual suspects, Nancy Grace and her ilk, and yet they mostly remain inexplicably silent, focusing instead on the murder trial of a psycho liar who happens to be a reasonably good looking young woman. Is the liberal press' silence political? Is the Pope Catholic?
I have always declared myself "pro-choice" here and to my friends, recognizing intellectually that as abhorrent as the procedure is - we are bound to have far less of them if we keep it safe and legal. But the Gosnall case has me reconsidering my cavalier views. If the result of a blind adherence to the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy at any time and for any reason - is that we willfully ignore the most heinous and outrageous abuse of this dictum, then where does true evil lie? And where does that leave someone like myself who is God fearing and has a deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong?
This man butchered baby after baby after baby after baby. Mostly black babies. Mostly poor babies. It boggles my mind that so many are turning a blind eye to this great evil. Not because it they are too revolted to speak of it - we have entire museums devoted to equally horrific atrocities - but because it doesn't quite fit the liberal idea of freedom. Witness this piece of brilliance sent to me by my good friend Cali.
No, I'm not ready to talk about this terrorism yet, as it is so fresh. However...
Lately I have been thinking about Kermit Gosnall. Click here at your own risk for a detailed summary of this monster's crimes. Suffice it to say, because of the MSM's blatant non-coverage of this story, I am slowly but surely giving up hope that I can be reasonable with liberals over their sacred cow which is abortion on demand. The Gosnall case contains more than enough murder and mayhem to warrant bombastic front page wall-to-wall coverage from the usual suspects, Nancy Grace and her ilk, and yet they mostly remain inexplicably silent, focusing instead on the murder trial of a psycho liar who happens to be a reasonably good looking young woman. Is the liberal press' silence political? Is the Pope Catholic?
I have always declared myself "pro-choice" here and to my friends, recognizing intellectually that as abhorrent as the procedure is - we are bound to have far less of them if we keep it safe and legal. But the Gosnall case has me reconsidering my cavalier views. If the result of a blind adherence to the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy at any time and for any reason - is that we willfully ignore the most heinous and outrageous abuse of this dictum, then where does true evil lie? And where does that leave someone like myself who is God fearing and has a deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong?
This man butchered baby after baby after baby after baby. Mostly black babies. Mostly poor babies. It boggles my mind that so many are turning a blind eye to this great evil. Not because it they are too revolted to speak of it - we have entire museums devoted to equally horrific atrocities - but because it doesn't quite fit the liberal idea of freedom. Witness this piece of brilliance sent to me by my good friend Cali.
I finally may be coming around to radicalization. I refuse to be on the side that is casual about killing a baby. Planned Parenthood's official stance is that if a baby's spinal cord is snapped inside the womb, it is a medical procedure. Outside the womb, they could charitably be called "hazy on their stance". I cannot, in good conscience, share either of these views - even if it means that I find myself in the company of "crazy" people who believe that new life is innocent and sacred and should be defended.
I'll concede that the waters are a bit murkier in the early months of a pregnancy. My wife and I gave the nickname "rice grain" to the zygote inside her belly when we learned she was pregnant. I knew from google, that my future child was literally the size of a grain of rice at less than 2 months after conception. And yet, had Beverly miscarried at that point, I have no doubt that we both would have been devastated. We were so proud and happy that we had made a child, even one as small as a speck, and that it would grow and emerge. To lose that life, even a "rice grain" would surely have been traumatic.
And yes, I have been to Africa - I have seen the devastation of AIDS and abandoned babies that a society without adequate reproductive health care can bring upon the world. I saw a baby, starving to death in front of me in her mother's arms. What is the humane path here? Would it be more humane of the mother to have aborted this child? It is a blunt question that I wrestle with often, reflecting on the most desperate of circumstances and the sheer volume of children on this planet who suffer because they emerge into a sphere of poverty and desperation.
There are no easy answers on this issue. In the real world, it is complicated, it is difficult.
But God has been helping me find my way.
I often take my little girl to a park 3 blocks from our house. It is a softball field, next to nice basketball and tennis courts, next to a great playground, next to a beautiful field of grass and trees that is not quite large enough for idiot soccer players to ruin. The park is made even more peaceful and serene because it is directly adjacent to Valhalla Cemetery, an enormous but old and beautiful graveyard which is home to a large military contingent from World War I, as well as a fair amount of the old guard from Hollywood including Oliver Hardy.
In the park there are a couple of trees suitable for climbing, but the one Natalie likes best is right along the chain-link fence at the cemetery border. Just on the other side of the links is a very long row of truncated grave sites, seemingly crammed in against the fence. But they are not crammed in, they are short graves because these are the graves of babies. Infants. Most were only on this earth for a few days at most.
Most of these babies died ages ago. The majority of the graves are dated in the 1960's with only a handful from the 70's. One grave in particular caught my eye two Saturdays ago. It was the grave of a baby who had only lived 2 days in 1965. The grave caught my eye because atop of it sat a pristine white vase holding a batch of fresh spring flowers.
This angel had just had a visitor, like, probably earlier in the morning. I looked closer. October 6th, 1965, was the date of death. This baby died in October - exactly 48 years and 6 months ago. Nearly half a century ago this baby was born and died two days later. And 48 years and 6 months to the day later, fresh flowers had arrived right on schedule.
Not even a yearly anniversary, 48 1/2 years precisely. The love for this angel was still no doubt as fresh in someone's heart as those flowers.
And then there's Kermit Gosnall. And then there are those of us who are flippant about "terminating a pregnancy". I have been in this group at times. It's easy to fall into the trap.
"Who is going to care for that baby? Republicans?"
This is an actual argument I've heard from pro-choicers.
In the face of Kermit Gosnall, in the face of those flowers, it seems to be an absurd position.
Intellectually, I have already been radicalized past the point of any sympathy at all for people in this country who use abortion as a form of birth control. If you are privileged, as most people who are born in this country are, there really is no excuse for not stepping up and doing what is right. That one to me is easy. Sandra Fluke and other idiots like her who demand free birth control and free abortion on demand so they can do what feels good at any time without consequences are plainly despicable.
But in the cases of rape and incest, again the waters are murkier .
How can I tell someone who has endured unspeakable violence what her choice should be? On the other hand, are we really blaming an unborn baby for the crimes of violence and/or sickness perpetrated against it's mother?
This is the part where many pro-choicers FLIP out for someone even daring to ask this. I think it's a legitimate question, at the very least worthy of dialogue and discussion. My heart tells me that the baby is innocent and should be protected, but my heart also tells me that a woman who has been subject to the life altering horror of rape, in any of it's awful forms, has rights too. And I really can't speak for a woman who has endured this. I don't understand how pro-lifers can't honestly address this quandary.
Rape is soul shattering. I've never been down that road of pain - I can say the baby is innocent and should be protected, but realistically I can never walk in the shoes of a woman who bears the scars of rape or incest, and I cannot deny her a say in the matter. What about the baby's choice? Yes, people should speak for the baby - but ultimately the mother must decide. I would pray that she would choose life - but I cannot interfere with her decision, for history shows us that she will make it, legal or not.
This is my honest truth. I don't have an easy answer for this one - but I also think it is absurd for someone who calls themselves "pro-choice" to blindly proclaim anyone who puts out the question of protecting an innocent baby as "crazy" or "anti-woman".
The real war on women is carried out every day across the globe by millions of zealots who still practice female genital mutilation and honor killings. The war on women is not the compassionate pro-lifer whose heart tells them that an unborn baby is innocent.
And as for the third world, which I have been to and experienced more than a few times in my life - I cannot condone the starvation and depravation I have seen before my eyes. If birth control and adequate health care was made available in these places, suffering would be greatly reduced. This is a simple fact.
It does not take away the simple truth that the unborn are innocent - but it does no good for pro-lifers to blindly proclaim that every pregnancy must come to term and every baby must be born NO MATTER WHAT. People who say this sort of thing without any thought or introspection are not wrong in the most basic sense, but they are absent of any critical understanding of the real world.
Still, more often than not these days, I find myself leaning their way. Especially when it comes to my country and all the resources we have at our disposal. Does this mean I think African babies have less value than American ones? Of course not. But someone who lives in a shack with surrounded by raw sewage and filled with starving children, has a legitimate need for actual and practical mercy and compassion. Not platitudes without actual assistance.
And someone in the first world who has been brutalized into pregnancy, while their baby may be innocent, has the right to do what they feel they must do. I cannot speak to their horror and they alone must decide. Does this mean I'm okay with murdering babies? I don't know. Maybe it does. I pray that it does not. I pray for God to help me with this.
No easy answers. That's just the way it is. The abortion question is not a simple matter. If it were, most of us would be on one side of the issue.
Still, I keep going back to those flowers.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Movies 2012
2012 was a GREAT year for movies. As readers of this blog know, I'm a big movie fan, and I also enjoy films from time to time. What's the difference you ask? Read the first two paragraphs here for the lowdown.
Before we start, the usual disclaimer - I don't get out much these days, so you're getting a pretty limited view of 2012 (especially when you see my list at the bottom of movies I still want to see).
Here's my top 10 for 2012 so far.
10. The Hunger Games
As someone who has never read the books and has zero interest in doing so, I was pleasantly bowled over by the craft displayed in this surprisingly low budget blockbuster. Every element, from story to acting to production design was handled expertly and efficiently - and made for a compelling narrative in the best of sci-fi movie traditions. Reminded me in a good way of classics like Logan's Run and the original Planet of the Apes.
9. The Dark Knight Rises
This one suffers greatly in comparison to it's predecessor, which is simply the best superhero movie ever made - but it still has a lot to offer. If you've read my treatise on The Dark Knight, then you know I'm a bit of a right wing nut-ball about this stuff, but in both TDK and the TDKR there are tons of unmistakable conservative paradigms. Particularly powerful in this latest Batman movie are the indictments against Occupy Wall Street and a completely unsubtle comparison with the movie bad guys and al qaeda via' haunting images of bodies being hung from a bridge. I don't care what you say Chris Nolan - I know you're one of the good ones in Hollywood.
8. Skyfall
Probably the best Bond movie ever, but then I was never a huge Bond fan. I've always liked JB but not loved him. Up until this film I'd say "True Lies" was my favorite Bond movie, which tells you how I feel about the franchise. Still, this one is a triumph of story, production design and cinematography - all rooted in a deep love of the character and his legacy. I admit I am a bit put off by the idea of peeling back the layers of Bond's background... no, I don't want to know that he is an orphan thanks. Just like I don't want to know about Michael Meyer's childhood, my imagination works better than some random pedestrian explanation - but I forgive this contrivance, as the movie is so darn good.
7. Django Unchained
I have often said that I like my entertainment to be entertaining, and that there is enough misery in real life that I don't need to be subjected to it in a movie theater. This movie stomps right through that line and blurs it in gleeful bloody fashion and in the end absolutely cannot be taken too seriously. It is a righteous and moral film, as QT's work always has been, but it is also an indulgent revenge fantasy (as his last few movies have been) that is not for the squeamish or those uninitiated to grind-house cinema. I for one never took the violence as anything more than cartoonish and had a hell of a good time.
4. The Hobbit
I have nothing but love for Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth. This is a very dense movie for a very simple story and I very much want to see it again even though I've seen it twice already. As an editor and geek I was both enraptured and repulsed at the HFR (high frame rate) version I saw. Loved the level of detail and clarity that I had never seen before, disliked the video-like frame rate. Not sure if I'm sold on this format. As for the story/characters, etc. I can't tell you if it was genuinely good or not. I'm too much of a fan. If you liked Lord of the Rings very much, then this is for sure a must see. If you are ambivalent about LOTR then you can safely pass.
3. Argo
Amazing old school movie that works on every level. Best of all it is firmly pro-American, despite one clumsy liberal-pandering scene of American protesters beating up a cowering Muslim. Yeah, who could forget all the footage of that stuff happening? Oh wait.... But in any case, this misstep is easily forgivable, as the rest of the movie is a damning indictment of those crazy motherfuckers in Iran (despite what liberals are sure to perceive as an American indictment over the brutality of the Shah) AND, even better, a great caper movie that my dad would have loved. Ben Affleck. Who knew? And of course he is snubbed by the Oscars, which by now has about as much credibility as I do in saying which movies are the best. On the other hand, I think I'm a lot more sensible than they are. Smiley face wink.
2. Avengers
The Dark Knight is still the best superhero movie ever - but this one is probably the best comic book movie ever. Works on every level - spectacle, character, heart and especially humor. Joss Whedon finally brings it home and knocks it out of the park like all us Buffy geeks knew he would. And the hulk is the star! How bad ass is that! One for the ages.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
Not even close. This is the best and most important film of the year. Like all great "war" movies both sides of the political spectrum have seized on the "message" of this story, and they are both correct. A great quote from liberal critic at the SF Chronicle sums up the left's praise....
"The lesson is unmistakable: Mess with the United States, and not only will the CIA and the special forces find you, but your story will be subsumed and commodified by American culture in the most obvious and thorough way possible - as first-rate, mass-market entertainment." -Mick Lasalle
And I'm like, "Yeah, that's right." USA = good guys. Terrorists = bad guys. And it works just because Bigelow is an honest filmmaker. She can shine the light of truth on everything, from enhanced interrogation (which you can call torture if you wish) to the business like dispatch of OBL, two taps to the chest and skull. It all comes out the same. In the end, the USA emerges from the shit of sin as the greatest moral force on the planet, and yes, Bigelow pays tribute to those who willingly sacrifice - giving either their lives or pieces of their souls - to insure that the United States continues to be a beacon of liberty and greatness to the rest of the world.
America. Fuck yeah.
Again, as with Lincoln, most of this movie is talking in offices - but as with that film, it is engrossing and powerful. Jessica Chastain and Kathryn Bigelow are my heroes - bringing light to darkness on the horrors of our world.
But not all on the left and right have embraced this movie. Senators McCain and Feinstein have claimed the film's link of harsh interrogation to killing OBL as false. I have all the respect in the world for Senator McCain, I actually met him once for an interview I shot - but I respectfully have to wonder if he, as someone who indeed endured true and pointless torture for three years, is seeing the big picture clearly enough. I would never presume to doubt his sincerity, but I think it is fair to say his objectivity is clouded.
And others on the farther reaches of the left have called this entire enterprise Fox News propaganda. This to me pretty much seals ZD30 as a great movie.
In the end it will be up to the viewers to decide whether this movie makes them ashamed or proud to be American. As a patriot who also recognizes and embraces the simple truth of endlessly complex and utterly grey shades of the world - I can proudly say that I was inspired by this film. As with the fictional Frodo who treks to Mordor and who is never the same when he returns, bearing scars from sins both external and of his own making - the real life heroes of ZD30, the CIA operatives, Seal Team Six, and countless others have willingly taken a journey with no return so that the rest of us can be free.
And in the end, whether or not sheltered Americans waste their time with decadent self-loathing, we can deep down all thank God that selfless men and women are still on that wall for all of us. Protecting the right of many to be blissfully unaware of the world and for the rest of us to stand and applaud at the conclusion of this film. Most of the theater sat in awed silence. Not me, I was exhilarated.
*******
As I said, 2012 had a lot of great movies. Here is a surprisingly long list of movies that I also enjoyed, but just didn't quite crack the top 10.
Brave
Probably number 11 on the list. Very moving and expertly crafted - once you accept the rather strange direction the story takes about half way in. I kind of like it after seeing it a few times. It does work, but it is unusual.
Hotel Transylvania
The kid and I had a blast with this one. Plus it touches on daddy/daughter stuff that resonates pretty well with me. Frantic cutting, but lots of fun.
Prometheus
Ambitious but flawed. Holds up better on repeated viewings.
Ghost Rider 2
Pure schlock that loses momentum greatly in the final act. Still a fun ride.
Twilight Saga BD2
The best of the saga for me - meaning it had the most action. A Twilight movie that for once I would not mind watching again.
21 Jump Street
Flippin' hilarious. Ice Cube rules.
Pitch Perfect
Glee as I wish it was. Gross and obnoxious, with people that you actually root for.
Rise of the Guardians
Similar to Prometheus in it's ambition, falls down occasionally but when it soars it really soars. Dream Works really needed to pull back on the editor a bit, there's lots of majesty here but we don't get to see it because the cuts are so quick.
Looper
I really need to see this again to see if it really holds up. Time travel is always tricky. Then again, maybe I should just let it be and remember it fondly as a kick butt action movie that gave me a great ride and surprised me more than once.
And lastly, there is a GANG of movies from 2012 that I still very much want to see. These are at the top of the list.
The Impossible
Ted
Les Miserables
Act of Valor
Cabin in the Woods (Can't believe I haven't seen this yet!)
Life of Pi
Paranorman
Frankenweenie
The Bourne Legacy
Amazing Spider Man
(I've already seen this story, but people keep telling me that this version has some value.)
The Grey
The older I get, the faster the time goes. We have "The Grey" on our coffee table in it's Netflix sleeve as I write this. Hopefully I'll have the energy to watch it soon.
Before we start, the usual disclaimer - I don't get out much these days, so you're getting a pretty limited view of 2012 (especially when you see my list at the bottom of movies I still want to see).
Here's my top 10 for 2012 so far.
10. The Hunger Games
As someone who has never read the books and has zero interest in doing so, I was pleasantly bowled over by the craft displayed in this surprisingly low budget blockbuster. Every element, from story to acting to production design was handled expertly and efficiently - and made for a compelling narrative in the best of sci-fi movie traditions. Reminded me in a good way of classics like Logan's Run and the original Planet of the Apes.
9. The Dark Knight Rises
This one suffers greatly in comparison to it's predecessor, which is simply the best superhero movie ever made - but it still has a lot to offer. If you've read my treatise on The Dark Knight, then you know I'm a bit of a right wing nut-ball about this stuff, but in both TDK and the TDKR there are tons of unmistakable conservative paradigms. Particularly powerful in this latest Batman movie are the indictments against Occupy Wall Street and a completely unsubtle comparison with the movie bad guys and al qaeda via' haunting images of bodies being hung from a bridge. I don't care what you say Chris Nolan - I know you're one of the good ones in Hollywood.
8. Skyfall
Probably the best Bond movie ever, but then I was never a huge Bond fan. I've always liked JB but not loved him. Up until this film I'd say "True Lies" was my favorite Bond movie, which tells you how I feel about the franchise. Still, this one is a triumph of story, production design and cinematography - all rooted in a deep love of the character and his legacy. I admit I am a bit put off by the idea of peeling back the layers of Bond's background... no, I don't want to know that he is an orphan thanks. Just like I don't want to know about Michael Meyer's childhood, my imagination works better than some random pedestrian explanation - but I forgive this contrivance, as the movie is so darn good.
7. Django Unchained
I have often said that I like my entertainment to be entertaining, and that there is enough misery in real life that I don't need to be subjected to it in a movie theater. This movie stomps right through that line and blurs it in gleeful bloody fashion and in the end absolutely cannot be taken too seriously. It is a righteous and moral film, as QT's work always has been, but it is also an indulgent revenge fantasy (as his last few movies have been) that is not for the squeamish or those uninitiated to grind-house cinema. I for one never took the violence as anything more than cartoonish and had a hell of a good time.
6. Wreck-It-Ralph
It was bound to happen, the Disney animation group finally put out a better film than their PIXAR brethren. I liked Brave a lot, but Wreck-It-Ralph is amazing. I admit, I'm a bit biased because the love this movie has for old school video games hits me right in my wheelhouse (I'm the perfect age for this nostalgic shit) but I also see that people of all ages will be able to appreciate Wreck-It's heart and compelling characters. The story is also top notch, dare I say... Pixar quality. I love Ralph. I love the Glitch. I love, love, LOVE this movie.
5. Lincoln
Simply a powerhouse movie. Spielberg at his best as Daniel Day Lewis once again emerges from the shadows as a completely different person to collect his Oscar. History comes to life, and though most of it involves people talking in close quarters - it is truly gripping.
4. The Hobbit
I have nothing but love for Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth. This is a very dense movie for a very simple story and I very much want to see it again even though I've seen it twice already. As an editor and geek I was both enraptured and repulsed at the HFR (high frame rate) version I saw. Loved the level of detail and clarity that I had never seen before, disliked the video-like frame rate. Not sure if I'm sold on this format. As for the story/characters, etc. I can't tell you if it was genuinely good or not. I'm too much of a fan. If you liked Lord of the Rings very much, then this is for sure a must see. If you are ambivalent about LOTR then you can safely pass.
3. Argo
Amazing old school movie that works on every level. Best of all it is firmly pro-American, despite one clumsy liberal-pandering scene of American protesters beating up a cowering Muslim. Yeah, who could forget all the footage of that stuff happening? Oh wait.... But in any case, this misstep is easily forgivable, as the rest of the movie is a damning indictment of those crazy motherfuckers in Iran (despite what liberals are sure to perceive as an American indictment over the brutality of the Shah) AND, even better, a great caper movie that my dad would have loved. Ben Affleck. Who knew? And of course he is snubbed by the Oscars, which by now has about as much credibility as I do in saying which movies are the best. On the other hand, I think I'm a lot more sensible than they are. Smiley face wink.
2. Avengers
The Dark Knight is still the best superhero movie ever - but this one is probably the best comic book movie ever. Works on every level - spectacle, character, heart and especially humor. Joss Whedon finally brings it home and knocks it out of the park like all us Buffy geeks knew he would. And the hulk is the star! How bad ass is that! One for the ages.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
Not even close. This is the best and most important film of the year. Like all great "war" movies both sides of the political spectrum have seized on the "message" of this story, and they are both correct. A great quote from liberal critic at the SF Chronicle sums up the left's praise....
"The lesson is unmistakable: Mess with the United States, and not only will the CIA and the special forces find you, but your story will be subsumed and commodified by American culture in the most obvious and thorough way possible - as first-rate, mass-market entertainment." -Mick Lasalle
And I'm like, "Yeah, that's right." USA = good guys. Terrorists = bad guys. And it works just because Bigelow is an honest filmmaker. She can shine the light of truth on everything, from enhanced interrogation (which you can call torture if you wish) to the business like dispatch of OBL, two taps to the chest and skull. It all comes out the same. In the end, the USA emerges from the shit of sin as the greatest moral force on the planet, and yes, Bigelow pays tribute to those who willingly sacrifice - giving either their lives or pieces of their souls - to insure that the United States continues to be a beacon of liberty and greatness to the rest of the world.
America. Fuck yeah.
Again, as with Lincoln, most of this movie is talking in offices - but as with that film, it is engrossing and powerful. Jessica Chastain and Kathryn Bigelow are my heroes - bringing light to darkness on the horrors of our world.
But not all on the left and right have embraced this movie. Senators McCain and Feinstein have claimed the film's link of harsh interrogation to killing OBL as false. I have all the respect in the world for Senator McCain, I actually met him once for an interview I shot - but I respectfully have to wonder if he, as someone who indeed endured true and pointless torture for three years, is seeing the big picture clearly enough. I would never presume to doubt his sincerity, but I think it is fair to say his objectivity is clouded.
And others on the farther reaches of the left have called this entire enterprise Fox News propaganda. This to me pretty much seals ZD30 as a great movie.
In the end it will be up to the viewers to decide whether this movie makes them ashamed or proud to be American. As a patriot who also recognizes and embraces the simple truth of endlessly complex and utterly grey shades of the world - I can proudly say that I was inspired by this film. As with the fictional Frodo who treks to Mordor and who is never the same when he returns, bearing scars from sins both external and of his own making - the real life heroes of ZD30, the CIA operatives, Seal Team Six, and countless others have willingly taken a journey with no return so that the rest of us can be free.
And in the end, whether or not sheltered Americans waste their time with decadent self-loathing, we can deep down all thank God that selfless men and women are still on that wall for all of us. Protecting the right of many to be blissfully unaware of the world and for the rest of us to stand and applaud at the conclusion of this film. Most of the theater sat in awed silence. Not me, I was exhilarated.
*******
As I said, 2012 had a lot of great movies. Here is a surprisingly long list of movies that I also enjoyed, but just didn't quite crack the top 10.
Brave
Probably number 11 on the list. Very moving and expertly crafted - once you accept the rather strange direction the story takes about half way in. I kind of like it after seeing it a few times. It does work, but it is unusual.
Hotel Transylvania
The kid and I had a blast with this one. Plus it touches on daddy/daughter stuff that resonates pretty well with me. Frantic cutting, but lots of fun.
Prometheus
Ambitious but flawed. Holds up better on repeated viewings.
Ghost Rider 2
Pure schlock that loses momentum greatly in the final act. Still a fun ride.
Twilight Saga BD2
The best of the saga for me - meaning it had the most action. A Twilight movie that for once I would not mind watching again.
21 Jump Street
Flippin' hilarious. Ice Cube rules.
Pitch Perfect
Glee as I wish it was. Gross and obnoxious, with people that you actually root for.
Rise of the Guardians
Similar to Prometheus in it's ambition, falls down occasionally but when it soars it really soars. Dream Works really needed to pull back on the editor a bit, there's lots of majesty here but we don't get to see it because the cuts are so quick.
Looper
I really need to see this again to see if it really holds up. Time travel is always tricky. Then again, maybe I should just let it be and remember it fondly as a kick butt action movie that gave me a great ride and surprised me more than once.
And lastly, there is a GANG of movies from 2012 that I still very much want to see. These are at the top of the list.
The Impossible
Ted
Les Miserables
Act of Valor
Cabin in the Woods (Can't believe I haven't seen this yet!)
Life of Pi
Paranorman
Frankenweenie
The Bourne Legacy
Amazing Spider Man
(I've already seen this story, but people keep telling me that this version has some value.)
The Grey
The older I get, the faster the time goes. We have "The Grey" on our coffee table in it's Netflix sleeve as I write this. Hopefully I'll have the energy to watch it soon.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Children
Like all Americans I was horrified and deeply saddened at the events that unfolded on Friday, a mass shooting at an elementary school that resulted in 28 deaths. 20 of them 6 and 7 year old children.
This kind of unspeakable evil is the worst kind of tragedy to endure, even 3000 miles away, because it is certainly at the top of every parents list of worst nightmare scenarios. As a parent myself I cannot help but have a visceral reaction, a physical revulsion at the details of this mind numbing series of events.
I have prayed every night since the shooting - prayed for the peace of the souls that have passed on and even more so for the permanently damaged souls of those left behind.
I have been awestruck and humbled by the courage displayed by both the teachers who acted heroically to save lives and by some of the parents of killed children who have bravely stepped forward to pay tribute to their fallen angels and comfort a nation.
As a person of faith, I am always reminded in these the darkest of times, of God's love, as the very worst of one person inevitably and quickly brings out the very best of everyone else, regardless of how closely they are connected to whatever atrocity has occurred.
But this time there have been a few exceptions.
I hoped, prayed and even assumed that the media vultures and ghouls that prey on fear and seek to politicize rather than to pause, grieve and reflect would stay their hands for at least the weekend. Unfortunately, in this age of instant information and gratification, I was very wrong.
The shrill cries began almost immediately, both from media outlets and even on my facebook feed. An infantile petulance, like a toddler who doesn't like broccoli - "Guns are nasty and mean and I don't like them - therefore no one should have them!"
Never mind that the number of mass shootings in the US has dropped in half over the past ten years as compared to the 1990's.
Never mind that EVERY SINGLE ONE of these events in the US with the single exception of the Gifford shooting in Tucson has taken place in a "Gun-Free Zone".
Why did the Aurora shooter pick a theater that was farther away from his house than the ones closer to him? Because it was the only theater in the area that banned concealed handguns.
Never mind that the odds of getting caught up in a mass shooting are about the same as being struck by lighting.
Never mind that the worst mass shooting in recent history took place in a country where private citizen ownership of guns is highly restricted to only sport and hunting firearms.
Never mind that the worst mass school killing in US history didn't involve firearms and took place nearly 90 years ago.
Never mind that until last Friday the two worst mass school shootings ever took place in Germany and the U.K.
No, never mind facts, reasoning or logic.
Once again, the liberal brain damage, the regressive infantilism of intellect has broiled to the surface, bubbling over in shrieking absolutisms that have no basis in rational thought.
Where are the highest murder rates in the country? Oh yeah, that would be Chicago and Washington DC, two of the strictest gun controlled cities in the world.
Already I can hear the whining and indignation. Take a breath and untwist your panties.
I'm not saying that gun control shouldn't be part of the national conversation - but get this fact through your head -
You aren't taking our guns. Be they high capacity magazine pistols or semi-automatic assault rifles.
Read, rinse and repeat.
It just isn't going to happen.
Not because we are "crazy" Americans who LOVE our guns. But because we are Americans who understand the fundamentals of history and of freedom.
An armed citizenry is essential to liberty, period.
The first thing the USSR did was disarm the populace.
The first thing the Nazi's did was disarm the populace. The Chinese. The North Koreans. And on and on.
It ain't going to happen here.
"Well by that logic we should all have nuclear war-heads and aircraft carriers!"
Sorry. This is simply stupid. And not true. It wasn't true in Vietnam and it certainly isn't true in the middle east.
If my government decides to run rough shod over my home and family, I can fight back with an AR15. That is a plain fact.
And I speak as a non-gun owner. A child of Berkeley who has never had firearms in his life and had never actually fired a gun until well into his adulthood.
I have never really felt a desire to purchase a firearm, until the last 10 years of my life.
I feel that pressure more and more now, as the childish cries of outrage from the left increase. Mostly from buffoons who surround themselves with gun packing body guards.
If this insane rhetoric about banning hand-guns or high powered rifles starts to look like it's turning into actionable and serious restrictions on firearm ownership, you will quickly see this gun-free flower child in front of you heading to the gun store - without hesitation.
And once I'm armed then you can try to take my guns away.
Just try.
This kind of unspeakable evil is the worst kind of tragedy to endure, even 3000 miles away, because it is certainly at the top of every parents list of worst nightmare scenarios. As a parent myself I cannot help but have a visceral reaction, a physical revulsion at the details of this mind numbing series of events.
I have prayed every night since the shooting - prayed for the peace of the souls that have passed on and even more so for the permanently damaged souls of those left behind.
I have been awestruck and humbled by the courage displayed by both the teachers who acted heroically to save lives and by some of the parents of killed children who have bravely stepped forward to pay tribute to their fallen angels and comfort a nation.
As a person of faith, I am always reminded in these the darkest of times, of God's love, as the very worst of one person inevitably and quickly brings out the very best of everyone else, regardless of how closely they are connected to whatever atrocity has occurred.
But this time there have been a few exceptions.
I hoped, prayed and even assumed that the media vultures and ghouls that prey on fear and seek to politicize rather than to pause, grieve and reflect would stay their hands for at least the weekend. Unfortunately, in this age of instant information and gratification, I was very wrong.
The shrill cries began almost immediately, both from media outlets and even on my facebook feed. An infantile petulance, like a toddler who doesn't like broccoli - "Guns are nasty and mean and I don't like them - therefore no one should have them!"
Never mind that the number of mass shootings in the US has dropped in half over the past ten years as compared to the 1990's.
Never mind that EVERY SINGLE ONE of these events in the US with the single exception of the Gifford shooting in Tucson has taken place in a "Gun-Free Zone".
Why did the Aurora shooter pick a theater that was farther away from his house than the ones closer to him? Because it was the only theater in the area that banned concealed handguns.
Never mind that the odds of getting caught up in a mass shooting are about the same as being struck by lighting.
Never mind that the worst mass shooting in recent history took place in a country where private citizen ownership of guns is highly restricted to only sport and hunting firearms.
Never mind that the worst mass school killing in US history didn't involve firearms and took place nearly 90 years ago.
Never mind that until last Friday the two worst mass school shootings ever took place in Germany and the U.K.
No, never mind facts, reasoning or logic.
Once again, the liberal brain damage, the regressive infantilism of intellect has broiled to the surface, bubbling over in shrieking absolutisms that have no basis in rational thought.
Where are the highest murder rates in the country? Oh yeah, that would be Chicago and Washington DC, two of the strictest gun controlled cities in the world.
Already I can hear the whining and indignation. Take a breath and untwist your panties.
I'm not saying that gun control shouldn't be part of the national conversation - but get this fact through your head -
You aren't taking our guns. Be they high capacity magazine pistols or semi-automatic assault rifles.
Read, rinse and repeat.
It just isn't going to happen.
Not because we are "crazy" Americans who LOVE our guns. But because we are Americans who understand the fundamentals of history and of freedom.
An armed citizenry is essential to liberty, period.
The first thing the USSR did was disarm the populace.
The first thing the Nazi's did was disarm the populace. The Chinese. The North Koreans. And on and on.
It ain't going to happen here.
"Well by that logic we should all have nuclear war-heads and aircraft carriers!"
Sorry. This is simply stupid. And not true. It wasn't true in Vietnam and it certainly isn't true in the middle east.
If my government decides to run rough shod over my home and family, I can fight back with an AR15. That is a plain fact.
And I speak as a non-gun owner. A child of Berkeley who has never had firearms in his life and had never actually fired a gun until well into his adulthood.
I have never really felt a desire to purchase a firearm, until the last 10 years of my life.
I feel that pressure more and more now, as the childish cries of outrage from the left increase. Mostly from buffoons who surround themselves with gun packing body guards.
If this insane rhetoric about banning hand-guns or high powered rifles starts to look like it's turning into actionable and serious restrictions on firearm ownership, you will quickly see this gun-free flower child in front of you heading to the gun store - without hesitation.
And once I'm armed then you can try to take my guns away.
Just try.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
No excuses.
Dear Mr. President,
Alrighty, the American people have spoken. And I am truly grateful there was no controversy as there was in 2000. A clear cut winner, even if it's you, is better than a nail biter with the other guy on top.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can actually format a plan now that you have no one to spend 100 million dollars attacking.
The campaign is over son, time to put your big boy britches on.
Will you play another 100 rounds of golf? Will Michelle continue to vacation relentlessly, everywhere from a multi million dollar Italian villa to the slopes of Switzerland with her entourage of friends and groupies?
Who knows. Who cares.
Once again, the campaign is over - now it's time to do your job.
I pray for your safety and success. You're going to need it.
And I don't want to hear about Bush, I don't want to hear about the Republican House of Representatives. I want you to man up and own these next four years.
And make no mistake, the numbers don't lie - you have failed miserably on nearly every point so far, especially on our floundering economy, which is still slowly recovering despite your best efforts.
I'm glad you killed Bin Laden, and I'm glad you continue to follow the Bush doctrine overseas, again - despite your best efforts. Whatever happens, don't stop with the drones and don't take your foot off the gas of our soldiers killing bad guys. But I fear that your foreign policy naivete', though endearing in the eyes of self-loathing Jews and porridge brained liberals, might just be too strong. Four more years is a long time to try and keep bullshitting now that most of the world is on to your appeasement/apology game.
I also despair that knee deep into your second term, the light bulb might never go on, that you might never get it. That your old fall mantra of"millionaires and billionaires" needing to pay their "fair share" is probably the biggest load of horseshit unleashed upon the American people since Woodrow Wilson tried to strong arm and crush free enterprise through legislative thuggery. I know that eventually the majority of the country will wake up to this, but I fear you may not.
But for now I will put these fears aside. It is morning in America, after all.
In the end, I have just one wish for you. I wish that you know, if you don't already, that the United States of America is the greatest country on God's green earth with the greatest system of free enterprise ever known and should NEVER apologize for this. America is exceptional, period. We are blessed more than any other nation, and with this blessing comes the responsibility to embrace and protect our greatness. We should not strive to be "more like Europe" or "less arrogant" or any other childish platitude. As I said, it's time to man up. It's time to grow up.
No excuses.
Alrighty, the American people have spoken. And I am truly grateful there was no controversy as there was in 2000. A clear cut winner, even if it's you, is better than a nail biter with the other guy on top.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can actually format a plan now that you have no one to spend 100 million dollars attacking.
The campaign is over son, time to put your big boy britches on.
Will you play another 100 rounds of golf? Will Michelle continue to vacation relentlessly, everywhere from a multi million dollar Italian villa to the slopes of Switzerland with her entourage of friends and groupies?
Who knows. Who cares.
Once again, the campaign is over - now it's time to do your job.
I pray for your safety and success. You're going to need it.
And I don't want to hear about Bush, I don't want to hear about the Republican House of Representatives. I want you to man up and own these next four years.
And make no mistake, the numbers don't lie - you have failed miserably on nearly every point so far, especially on our floundering economy, which is still slowly recovering despite your best efforts.
I'm glad you killed Bin Laden, and I'm glad you continue to follow the Bush doctrine overseas, again - despite your best efforts. Whatever happens, don't stop with the drones and don't take your foot off the gas of our soldiers killing bad guys. But I fear that your foreign policy naivete', though endearing in the eyes of self-loathing Jews and porridge brained liberals, might just be too strong. Four more years is a long time to try and keep bullshitting now that most of the world is on to your appeasement/apology game.
I also despair that knee deep into your second term, the light bulb might never go on, that you might never get it. That your old fall mantra of"millionaires and billionaires" needing to pay their "fair share" is probably the biggest load of horseshit unleashed upon the American people since Woodrow Wilson tried to strong arm and crush free enterprise through legislative thuggery. I know that eventually the majority of the country will wake up to this, but I fear you may not.
But for now I will put these fears aside. It is morning in America, after all.
In the end, I have just one wish for you. I wish that you know, if you don't already, that the United States of America is the greatest country on God's green earth with the greatest system of free enterprise ever known and should NEVER apologize for this. America is exceptional, period. We are blessed more than any other nation, and with this blessing comes the responsibility to embrace and protect our greatness. We should not strive to be "more like Europe" or "less arrogant" or any other childish platitude. As I said, it's time to man up. It's time to grow up.
No excuses.
Monday, November 05, 2012
Evil Voting Guide 2012
Here's your handy dandy evil voting guide for 2012!
Romney, obviously. But I really don't think it will make that much difference. Mittens is too squishy on his numbers, and I seriously doubt he will implement the austerity necessary to get our nation back to the realm of fiscal solvency. Still, I'm not voting for the fruit loop.
Not voting for Feinstein, she of the uber-entitled entrenched politician.
Voting for her completely inexperienced opponent, Emken, who at least has the balls to say she would take on Fieney anytime and anywhere. Meanwhile Diane is a big fat chicken shit.
The propositions -
A HUGE no on 30. It will not go to schools, it will go to entirely to pensions. California spends a ton of money on education, 40 cents of every CSI tax dollar goes to schools and they still SUCK. Not doing it. Mostly because I hate children.
A NO on 31. Bureaucratic gobbledygook that is vague over what to do with a mountain of tax payer dollars. How about less taxes and getting your grubby paws off my GD money?
32 is a HUGE YES. Screw the public sector union leaders that are bankrupting this state. Finally a measure that says NO to cronyism and corruption and the stranglehold that union goons have on spineless Sacramento politicians.
33 - let's you keep your discount if you switch insurance companies. Mmmmm, gonna have to go with no. I hate insurance companies, but I hate our government regulating them even more.
34 - death penalty repeal to "save money". Nope. I am fairly anti-capital punishment, but I also respect the rule of law and see this measure as an absurd smokescreen for the nutty bleeding hearts who don't actually give a shit about saving money and even less of a shit about the rights of victims. We need to speed the appeal process and start executing the monsters on death row if we are serious about saving money.
35 - increases penalties for human trafficking. A big NO. Just kidding. This is the one prop that only a complete jackass would come out against. It's like saying, "absolutely pedophiles should be set free"or some such BS. If anything this prop isn't strong enough. You traffic people, especially kids, you should never see the light of day.
36 - revises 3 strikes to violent crimes only. HUGE FUCKING NO. I put this one above even voting no on 30 and yes on 32. 3 strikes is a God send and one of the biggest reasons crime rates are so low. Because authorities can now blast habitual offenders with 25 years for "non-violent" crimes, we have FAR less gang members amongst us. It's called the "broken window theory" and it works great for keeping us safe. For every idiot pot smoker languishing in jail who shouldn't be, there's a thousand or more truly dangerous criminals who have mercifully been taken out of society and can't commit the atrocities they were likely to commit. God bless our cops and God bless 3 strikes. I pray it keeps it's teeth.
37 - labeling law. A big ass NO. More needless and absurdly written regulation will cost business money and do little to keep us safer.
38 - NO. See 30 above. Though this bill is at least honest in that it will tax everyone and the money will go directly to local schools. Might be inclined to vote yes except my kid goes to Burbank public schools and they are already excellent because it is a small district that keeps a tight control on not pissing away it's funds on perks and wasteful pipe dreams.
39 - punishes multi-state businesses by requiring them to pay full California state tax on all profits from California. Do I really need to tell you how I'm voting on this one? Um... NO.
40. Redistricting for state senate. Yes, only because it can't really hurt at this point. Probably a scam, but our legislature is so beyond boned right now it's not even funny.
Measure A - turns county assessor from an elected to an appointed position. Um... NO. Bad idea jeans.
Measure B - requires adult film stars to wear a condom. Um... NO. Who cares? And why does the government?
Measure J - extends sales tax in L.A. If you wonder how I'm voting on this one then you haven't been paying attention!
Romney, obviously. But I really don't think it will make that much difference. Mittens is too squishy on his numbers, and I seriously doubt he will implement the austerity necessary to get our nation back to the realm of fiscal solvency. Still, I'm not voting for the fruit loop.
Not voting for Feinstein, she of the uber-entitled entrenched politician.
Voting for her completely inexperienced opponent, Emken, who at least has the balls to say she would take on Fieney anytime and anywhere. Meanwhile Diane is a big fat chicken shit.
The propositions -
A HUGE no on 30. It will not go to schools, it will go to entirely to pensions. California spends a ton of money on education, 40 cents of every CSI tax dollar goes to schools and they still SUCK. Not doing it. Mostly because I hate children.
A NO on 31. Bureaucratic gobbledygook that is vague over what to do with a mountain of tax payer dollars. How about less taxes and getting your grubby paws off my GD money?
32 is a HUGE YES. Screw the public sector union leaders that are bankrupting this state. Finally a measure that says NO to cronyism and corruption and the stranglehold that union goons have on spineless Sacramento politicians.
33 - let's you keep your discount if you switch insurance companies. Mmmmm, gonna have to go with no. I hate insurance companies, but I hate our government regulating them even more.
34 - death penalty repeal to "save money". Nope. I am fairly anti-capital punishment, but I also respect the rule of law and see this measure as an absurd smokescreen for the nutty bleeding hearts who don't actually give a shit about saving money and even less of a shit about the rights of victims. We need to speed the appeal process and start executing the monsters on death row if we are serious about saving money.
35 - increases penalties for human trafficking. A big NO. Just kidding. This is the one prop that only a complete jackass would come out against. It's like saying, "absolutely pedophiles should be set free"or some such BS. If anything this prop isn't strong enough. You traffic people, especially kids, you should never see the light of day.
36 - revises 3 strikes to violent crimes only. HUGE FUCKING NO. I put this one above even voting no on 30 and yes on 32. 3 strikes is a God send and one of the biggest reasons crime rates are so low. Because authorities can now blast habitual offenders with 25 years for "non-violent" crimes, we have FAR less gang members amongst us. It's called the "broken window theory" and it works great for keeping us safe. For every idiot pot smoker languishing in jail who shouldn't be, there's a thousand or more truly dangerous criminals who have mercifully been taken out of society and can't commit the atrocities they were likely to commit. God bless our cops and God bless 3 strikes. I pray it keeps it's teeth.
37 - labeling law. A big ass NO. More needless and absurdly written regulation will cost business money and do little to keep us safer.
38 - NO. See 30 above. Though this bill is at least honest in that it will tax everyone and the money will go directly to local schools. Might be inclined to vote yes except my kid goes to Burbank public schools and they are already excellent because it is a small district that keeps a tight control on not pissing away it's funds on perks and wasteful pipe dreams.
39 - punishes multi-state businesses by requiring them to pay full California state tax on all profits from California. Do I really need to tell you how I'm voting on this one? Um... NO.
40. Redistricting for state senate. Yes, only because it can't really hurt at this point. Probably a scam, but our legislature is so beyond boned right now it's not even funny.
Measure A - turns county assessor from an elected to an appointed position. Um... NO. Bad idea jeans.
Measure B - requires adult film stars to wear a condom. Um... NO. Who cares? And why does the government?
Measure J - extends sales tax in L.A. If you wonder how I'm voting on this one then you haven't been paying attention!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Voting with my pocketbook, thanks.
As you know if you read this blog at all, I am a big time proponent of the right for gays to marry whoever they want. I would even say, if I were a cynic and if my marriage was shitty, that gay people should have every right to be just as miserable as the rest of us, only I'm a big believer in the institution and I happen to have a marriage that for the most part is pretty damn great.
So instead I have to just fall back on the old libertarian principle that the sovereignty and liberty of the individual is sacred. Love who you want, live how you want, marry who you want. It is un-American and frankly un-Republican, if you really know what the term republicanism in the United States means, to deny such a fundamental component to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to anyone.
That said, I absolutely refuse to let this issue affect my choice in this presidential election. Mostly because Obama, until a few months ago, was expressly as anti-gay marriage as Romney. Actually, he was even MORE anti-gay marriage as Romney because he had been consistently opposed to it for his entire political career (including over 3 years of his presidency) whereas Romney at one time as a candidate for senate promoted himself as a proponent of gay rights. As Governor of Massachusetts he was firmly against gay marriage but quickly came around on civil unions and was endorsed by the Massachusetts Log Cabin Republicans.
Secondly, it is on it's face absurd to say that this issue is a deal breaker for a presidential candidate. Presidents don't make laws, they sign or veto them. They appoint supreme court justices, but even the most strident conservatives on the bench today say that gay marriage should be decided with a ballot box and not an amendment. A republican congress crafted it and Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage act into law, but what effect did it have really? Many courts have overturned it, more and more states are legalizing gay marriage anyway.
Really, I believe this issue is a big loser for social conservatives, just as abortion is. It's one of those things that in a few years everyone will wonder what all the fuss was about.
The military recently repealed it's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Obama takes a lot of credit for it, but he actually had little to do with this change. It was the Department of Defense itself that deemed the policy not only antiquated and disruptive, but ant-ethical to the principles of the US military in the first place. Cadets at West Point are drilled relentlessly on the tenets of Code and Honor. To have them encouraged to lie about who they are, that just doesn't wash.
And so it is with the majority of Americans, who apart from social conservatives, see this issue as a matter of people's own business and not the governments.
Those social conservatives, incidentally, as I have pointed out on this blog more than once before, include a big percentage of the African American population. The vast majority of people in California who voted for Obama in 2008 also voted "yes" on Prop. 8.
So no, the righteous indignation of the gay folks on facebook who can't imagine why anyone would vote for Romney because he is a racist, sexist, homophobic baby-eater, don't really persuade me one bit. If anything they make me like Romney more.
Obama made a campaign promise to end discrimination against gays in the military that he failed to keep in that he did very little other than proclaim his desire to see the end of DADT come to pass. Kind of like his latest position on gay marriage - he's got the whole rainbow and unicorn thing going, but just because you click your heels and wish for it doesn't make it happen.
You can't legislate people's hearts, our country will embrace gay marriage at some point - but there is no quick fix, certainly not one a president can manufacture.
So instead I have to just fall back on the old libertarian principle that the sovereignty and liberty of the individual is sacred. Love who you want, live how you want, marry who you want. It is un-American and frankly un-Republican, if you really know what the term republicanism in the United States means, to deny such a fundamental component to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to anyone.
That said, I absolutely refuse to let this issue affect my choice in this presidential election. Mostly because Obama, until a few months ago, was expressly as anti-gay marriage as Romney. Actually, he was even MORE anti-gay marriage as Romney because he had been consistently opposed to it for his entire political career (including over 3 years of his presidency) whereas Romney at one time as a candidate for senate promoted himself as a proponent of gay rights. As Governor of Massachusetts he was firmly against gay marriage but quickly came around on civil unions and was endorsed by the Massachusetts Log Cabin Republicans.
Secondly, it is on it's face absurd to say that this issue is a deal breaker for a presidential candidate. Presidents don't make laws, they sign or veto them. They appoint supreme court justices, but even the most strident conservatives on the bench today say that gay marriage should be decided with a ballot box and not an amendment. A republican congress crafted it and Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage act into law, but what effect did it have really? Many courts have overturned it, more and more states are legalizing gay marriage anyway.
Really, I believe this issue is a big loser for social conservatives, just as abortion is. It's one of those things that in a few years everyone will wonder what all the fuss was about.
The military recently repealed it's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Obama takes a lot of credit for it, but he actually had little to do with this change. It was the Department of Defense itself that deemed the policy not only antiquated and disruptive, but ant-ethical to the principles of the US military in the first place. Cadets at West Point are drilled relentlessly on the tenets of Code and Honor. To have them encouraged to lie about who they are, that just doesn't wash.
And so it is with the majority of Americans, who apart from social conservatives, see this issue as a matter of people's own business and not the governments.
Those social conservatives, incidentally, as I have pointed out on this blog more than once before, include a big percentage of the African American population. The vast majority of people in California who voted for Obama in 2008 also voted "yes" on Prop. 8.
So no, the righteous indignation of the gay folks on facebook who can't imagine why anyone would vote for Romney because he is a racist, sexist, homophobic baby-eater, don't really persuade me one bit. If anything they make me like Romney more.
Obama made a campaign promise to end discrimination against gays in the military that he failed to keep in that he did very little other than proclaim his desire to see the end of DADT come to pass. Kind of like his latest position on gay marriage - he's got the whole rainbow and unicorn thing going, but just because you click your heels and wish for it doesn't make it happen.
You can't legislate people's hearts, our country will embrace gay marriage at some point - but there is no quick fix, certainly not one a president can manufacture.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Inspired
Started writing this last night... finished it off after Mitt's speech.
Feeling very inspired tonight. Not going to heed the manic voices of fear and anger, even as they ramp up in a relentless cacophony with the approach of election day.
My favorite part of Ryan's speech at the RNC tonight...
"We believe that in every life there is goodness; for every person, there is hope. Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of Life.
Feeling very inspired tonight. Not going to heed the manic voices of fear and anger, even as they ramp up in a relentless cacophony with the approach of election day.
My favorite part of Ryan's speech at the RNC tonight...
"We believe that in every life there is goodness; for every person, there is hope. Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of Life.
We have responsibilities, one to another – we do not each face the world alone. And the greatest of all responsibilities, is that of the strong to protect the weak. The truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves.
Each of these great moral ideas is essential to democratic government – to the rule of law, to life in a humane and decent society. They are the moral creed of our country, as powerful in our time, as on the day of America’s founding. They are self-evident and unchanging, and sometimes, even presidents need reminding, that our rights come from nature and God, not from government. "
A powerful, powerful - tour de force of words from an intellectual superstar that has been long overdue the Republican circles. I pray that Ryan's compelling treatise will make a dent in the psyche of the undecideds. I know the choir on the left could care less and will likely lash out at his words in the form of personal attacks, rather than addressing the issues he raises.
I also loved this quote...
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.”
The perfect answer for the "Julia-ization" wrought by the Obama administration. A cradle to grave blanket of entitlement that in reality will stifle and suffocate the sovereignty of the individual while sapping the capital of the American public at large.
I was also blown away by this woman.
Enthralling and awe inspiring. And no teleprompter.
This remarkable lady is one of my heroes, and here she speaks to everything that is wrong with the left's hateful war of fear and anger against the right.
"And on a personal note, a little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham. The segregated city of the south where her parents cannot take her to a movie theater or to restaurants, but they have convinced that even if she cannot have it hamburger at Woolworths, she can be the president of the United States if she wanted to be, and she becomes the secretary of state."
She is, in fact, a liberal's worst nightmare. A thinking person of color, who was been confronted with the deepest and worst elements actual racism and has gone on to fully embrace the American dream - and in doing so has risen to one of the most powerful positions of leadership in the world.
Because she knows one inescapable fact...
"The essence of America, what really unites us, is not nationality or ethnicity or religion. It is an idea. And what an idea it is. That you can come from humble circumstances and you can do great things, that it does not matter where you came from, it matters where you are going.
My fellow Americans, ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have never believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well. We have never been jealous of one another and never envious of each others' successes."
The attacks from left touting the "War against women" disgust me on so many levels, it's hard to stay focused and articulate precisely what is wrong with them. But to hear them, and then to hear Condi... there isn't much I need to say at all, really.
But I will anyway. :)
Facebook has lately been a relentless slew of vitriolic articles from my friends, desperately trying to link first class Republican jackass, senate candidate Todd Akin, with the current GOP presidential candidate and his running mate.
This guy is a dumb shit and has been disavowed up and down by his own party, including most vociferously by Mitt Romney, who urged him to withdraw his candidacy immediately.
But he's just like Paul Ryan, according to the hearing and reading comprehension impaired democrats.
Look...
Saying you believe all unborn babies, including those conceived by rape or incest, are innocent is NOT the same as saying a woman's body will reject conception if she is "legitimately" raped.
The former, whether you agree or not, is a legitimate point of view that is rooted in compassion for the unborn. The latter is just sheer idiocy.
The first belief, has also been the GOP's party platform for 50 years. The dems are uncovering nothing new here.
The fact also is plain that a president cannot "make abortion illegal" as the shrill and infantile liberal super pac ads proclaim.
Romney and Ryan have both said flatly that regardless of their personal beliefs, they will respect how the courts rule on this matter. It doesn't mean that they won't look to appoint conservative justices to the court, but men and women of the SCOTUS have a pesky habit of thinking for themselves. G.W. Bush appointed two "conservatives", Souter and Roberts - and we all know how that worked out.
The main reason for the democrat's stubborn insistence on stupidly trying to link these entirely unrelated points of view is very simple.
They lose if they talk about what Americans are most concerned about. The economy and jobs.
They lose.
Period.
I am, at this point, so over the outrage and the bile, the refusal from the passionate voices on the left, to take their feet off the gas pedal of anger. They are ignorant, they are childish, and they are tiresome.
But after these last few nights, I'm starting to feel a flicker of inspiration about Romney and Ryan.
After a parade of minority and female speakers at the RNC, most of which were omitted by MSNBC in their coverage - it has become more clear than ever to me, that the democrats aren't merely misguided in their accusations of racism and misogyny.
They're fucking stupid.
They are so far off the mark it's not even funny. And the loathing, the personal attacks that will surely escalate through the next two months, will only get more and more pathetic.
It's sad, really.
Eschew the issues and make with the smears. The rage. The indignation. The resentment.
All of these raw (and primitive) emotions are fueled, I know, by bewilderment at the conservative mindset which is typically happy and content. Because we know we are right. Not perfect, but most assuredly pretty much on the side of truth.
There is very little ambiguity in our morals, our choices, our view of the world at large.
America is exceptional. Not a big deal, that's just the way it is. We get that way because we put our trust in God, and charge our government with the duty protect us and insure our liberty.
In turn, our military keeps us free. Yep. Without them, the dogs of war would come for us and our throats would be slit in the night - quickly. No great revelation there, just a fundamental truism.
God. Family. Country. In that order. Clear as crystal.
Meanwhile, adrift in a sea of moral relativism and ambiguity, liberals bang on their drums and play in the mud, smoke their weed and spew fury at us happy warriors.
Good luck with that y'all. Just remember that the vast majority of Americans don't play that shit. Some may buy into the rainbows and unicorns for awhile, but four long years later - there are many now who are coming out of the fog and recognizing that the next four years under Obama are very likely to get even worse.
And that, I have to say, is not a bad thing at all. I predicted awhile back, that Barry would take this election pretty handily - but thanks to the never ending childish tantrums of his campaign, I think I was wrong.
This one is going to right down to the wire.
I also loved this quote...
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.”
The perfect answer for the "Julia-ization" wrought by the Obama administration. A cradle to grave blanket of entitlement that in reality will stifle and suffocate the sovereignty of the individual while sapping the capital of the American public at large.
I was also blown away by this woman.
Enthralling and awe inspiring. And no teleprompter.
This remarkable lady is one of my heroes, and here she speaks to everything that is wrong with the left's hateful war of fear and anger against the right.
"And on a personal note, a little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham. The segregated city of the south where her parents cannot take her to a movie theater or to restaurants, but they have convinced that even if she cannot have it hamburger at Woolworths, she can be the president of the United States if she wanted to be, and she becomes the secretary of state."
She is, in fact, a liberal's worst nightmare. A thinking person of color, who was been confronted with the deepest and worst elements actual racism and has gone on to fully embrace the American dream - and in doing so has risen to one of the most powerful positions of leadership in the world.
Because she knows one inescapable fact...
"The essence of America, what really unites us, is not nationality or ethnicity or religion. It is an idea. And what an idea it is. That you can come from humble circumstances and you can do great things, that it does not matter where you came from, it matters where you are going.
My fellow Americans, ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have never believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well. We have never been jealous of one another and never envious of each others' successes."
The attacks from left touting the "War against women" disgust me on so many levels, it's hard to stay focused and articulate precisely what is wrong with them. But to hear them, and then to hear Condi... there isn't much I need to say at all, really.
But I will anyway. :)
Facebook has lately been a relentless slew of vitriolic articles from my friends, desperately trying to link first class Republican jackass, senate candidate Todd Akin, with the current GOP presidential candidate and his running mate.
This guy is a dumb shit and has been disavowed up and down by his own party, including most vociferously by Mitt Romney, who urged him to withdraw his candidacy immediately.
But he's just like Paul Ryan, according to the hearing and reading comprehension impaired democrats.
Look...
Saying you believe all unborn babies, including those conceived by rape or incest, are innocent is NOT the same as saying a woman's body will reject conception if she is "legitimately" raped.
The former, whether you agree or not, is a legitimate point of view that is rooted in compassion for the unborn. The latter is just sheer idiocy.
The first belief, has also been the GOP's party platform for 50 years. The dems are uncovering nothing new here.
The fact also is plain that a president cannot "make abortion illegal" as the shrill and infantile liberal super pac ads proclaim.
Romney and Ryan have both said flatly that regardless of their personal beliefs, they will respect how the courts rule on this matter. It doesn't mean that they won't look to appoint conservative justices to the court, but men and women of the SCOTUS have a pesky habit of thinking for themselves. G.W. Bush appointed two "conservatives", Souter and Roberts - and we all know how that worked out.
The main reason for the democrat's stubborn insistence on stupidly trying to link these entirely unrelated points of view is very simple.
They lose if they talk about what Americans are most concerned about. The economy and jobs.
They lose.
Period.
I am, at this point, so over the outrage and the bile, the refusal from the passionate voices on the left, to take their feet off the gas pedal of anger. They are ignorant, they are childish, and they are tiresome.
But after these last few nights, I'm starting to feel a flicker of inspiration about Romney and Ryan.
After a parade of minority and female speakers at the RNC, most of which were omitted by MSNBC in their coverage - it has become more clear than ever to me, that the democrats aren't merely misguided in their accusations of racism and misogyny.
They're fucking stupid.
They are so far off the mark it's not even funny. And the loathing, the personal attacks that will surely escalate through the next two months, will only get more and more pathetic.
It's sad, really.
Eschew the issues and make with the smears. The rage. The indignation. The resentment.
All of these raw (and primitive) emotions are fueled, I know, by bewilderment at the conservative mindset which is typically happy and content. Because we know we are right. Not perfect, but most assuredly pretty much on the side of truth.
There is very little ambiguity in our morals, our choices, our view of the world at large.
America is exceptional. Not a big deal, that's just the way it is. We get that way because we put our trust in God, and charge our government with the duty protect us and insure our liberty.
In turn, our military keeps us free. Yep. Without them, the dogs of war would come for us and our throats would be slit in the night - quickly. No great revelation there, just a fundamental truism.
God. Family. Country. In that order. Clear as crystal.
Meanwhile, adrift in a sea of moral relativism and ambiguity, liberals bang on their drums and play in the mud, smoke their weed and spew fury at us happy warriors.
Good luck with that y'all. Just remember that the vast majority of Americans don't play that shit. Some may buy into the rainbows and unicorns for awhile, but four long years later - there are many now who are coming out of the fog and recognizing that the next four years under Obama are very likely to get even worse.
And that, I have to say, is not a bad thing at all. I predicted awhile back, that Barry would take this election pretty handily - but thanks to the never ending childish tantrums of his campaign, I think I was wrong.
This one is going to right down to the wire.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Masterful Game
I have often said here that I like my entertainment to be entertaining, that is, I don't need to see hyper realistic movies and tv shows - real life banalities don't interest me as much as going somewhere new. If I wanted to spend my time after a long days work watching joyless suffering I would simply turn on the local news. There's plenty of pointless misery in the real world, I have little use for subjecting myself to it by choice.
On the other side of the coin, there does have to be some commitment to reality in the shows I watch. If a movie is too self-reverential or wink-wink, or if the story is too light and frothy, I'm taken out of the story. A great example of grounding fantasy in truth is Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Cinematically and to a large extent story-wise, his edict from the very beginning was not to make a fantasy film, but to make as realistic a depiction of Tolkien's world as possible.
This is a great way to approach every genre of film making, as it also harkens back to every actors fundamental credo - the search for truth.
Remember the Brady Bunch? Robert Reed, who played the dad, used to drive everyone involved in the show bat-shit crazy, because he was always dogged and determined to find truth and reality in the characters and dialogue. Sherwood Shwartz, the creator and EP, would shake his head and roll his eyes (I'm paraphrasing) - "Bob, it's just a television show!" But Robert was adamant, about finding his motivation and making sense of the words that came out of his mouth.
As a result, if you watch those shows, especially the first season or so, his performance as a loving but firm dad of six, rings absolutely true and brings real power and emotional resonance to a show that was conceived and created primarily as silly escapism.
Anyway, the point I'm making here is - as much as I love explosions, dragons, pointless nudity, foul language, talking robots and so on; for a movie to really grab and enthrall me, it has to have a foundation of truth - both emotional and logical.
Lord of the Rings works on all the levels that I love, primarily because it is first and foremost about the characters and the story. Effects, cinematography, stunts, and all the rest of the gravy is first rate, which really helps enthrall and take us to another world - but without the love in our hearts for Frodo and Sam and the rest of the gang, the whole enterprise would be like an empty sugary snack. Delightful to look at and taste for a moment on the tongue, but soon altogether forgettable.
As a bonus, Lord of the Rings is entertainment that everyone from about 10 years old and up can enjoy. It is deeply moral and righteous and tells it's story in a highly old fashioned and accessible way. My little girl is now 8 and certainly old enough to handled the action and violence, but I'll probably wait a few more years before reading her The Hobbit simply so she can better appreciate the deeper themes therein.
The other side of this though is that Lord of the Rings, and other epic blockbuster series of movies that I love such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. etc. have to steer clear of the truly darker issues that infect our species. Sure there is subtext, all of these franchises and especially Harry Potter delve quite a bit into realms of sexual politics and the moral quandaries of crime and punishment. But of course nothing like this is ever dealt with directly, it is after all for kids.
Literature on the other hand for decades has often dug deep to explore the more primitive and base impulses of humanity. The fantasy genre especially, of which I am by no means an expert, has of late been able to explore all the complexities, many of them exceedingly unpleasant, of the human being.
At the forefront has been George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. Like a really good soap opera, but with dragons. The books also are not shy about laying bare (literally) all facets of humanity. I have not read them, but if they are at all like the HBO television series "Game of Thrones" (and I'm told they are) they are replete with explicit language, gore and sex.
Friends turned me on to the television adaptation, and from the first episode I have been deeply hooked. Strangely, the show is heavy with two of the things that I hate most in entertainment. Children in peril and sexual violence against women. Neither elements are explicit, for the most part - but the implied threat permeates just about every scene and line of dialogue. Maybe it's because I'm a huge history guy, and the middle ages fascinate me so, that I am able to weather these ever-present potential calamities and enjoy the show so much. Or maybe it's because the show, despite it's darker elements, is in the end deeply moral and even righteous.
Martin likes to say that all of his characters, even the most despicable ones, have enough shades of grey that we can't simply hate or love any of them. I can buy this, but I can also see plainly that there are still good guys and bad guys, albeit more human ones. Most importantly, because of the great writing (story and dialogue) I care very much about the characters I'm following, and when they falter or sin it resonates.
And yes, the show has dragons. This takes me out of the real world just enough, that I never forget that I'm being entertained. This, along with the shows fearlessness in tackling the murkier and strictly grown-up stuff, makes for a potent mix.
I never will dismiss family friendly entertainment - I hope The Hobbit is a smash hit and I can't wait for more Avatar adventures, but I have to say, this truly grown up stuff that HBO is serving up is awfully compelling. Game of Thrones delves into the muck of greed and lust in a medieval setting, but by doing so gives this viewer a lot to chew on as it relates to the modern world and the struggles of power and politics that unfold globally and in our daily lives.
By exploring all facets of the human spectrum, including the profane, Game of Thrones reaches a level of power and resonance heretofore unseen (for the most part) in the genre of the fantastic. The one recent exception to this I would say was the Battlestar Galactica remake, which also wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. Not coincidentally, it was also my favorite tv show at the time.
I guess for such a stuck up conservative I really like my shows to be nasty after all! But deep down I know that's not really the case. What I am drawn to is truth fueled by passion, and Game of Thrones has it in abundance.
I can't wait for season 3!
On the other side of the coin, there does have to be some commitment to reality in the shows I watch. If a movie is too self-reverential or wink-wink, or if the story is too light and frothy, I'm taken out of the story. A great example of grounding fantasy in truth is Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Cinematically and to a large extent story-wise, his edict from the very beginning was not to make a fantasy film, but to make as realistic a depiction of Tolkien's world as possible.
This is a great way to approach every genre of film making, as it also harkens back to every actors fundamental credo - the search for truth.
Remember the Brady Bunch? Robert Reed, who played the dad, used to drive everyone involved in the show bat-shit crazy, because he was always dogged and determined to find truth and reality in the characters and dialogue. Sherwood Shwartz, the creator and EP, would shake his head and roll his eyes (I'm paraphrasing) - "Bob, it's just a television show!" But Robert was adamant, about finding his motivation and making sense of the words that came out of his mouth.
As a result, if you watch those shows, especially the first season or so, his performance as a loving but firm dad of six, rings absolutely true and brings real power and emotional resonance to a show that was conceived and created primarily as silly escapism.
Anyway, the point I'm making here is - as much as I love explosions, dragons, pointless nudity, foul language, talking robots and so on; for a movie to really grab and enthrall me, it has to have a foundation of truth - both emotional and logical.
Lord of the Rings works on all the levels that I love, primarily because it is first and foremost about the characters and the story. Effects, cinematography, stunts, and all the rest of the gravy is first rate, which really helps enthrall and take us to another world - but without the love in our hearts for Frodo and Sam and the rest of the gang, the whole enterprise would be like an empty sugary snack. Delightful to look at and taste for a moment on the tongue, but soon altogether forgettable.
As a bonus, Lord of the Rings is entertainment that everyone from about 10 years old and up can enjoy. It is deeply moral and righteous and tells it's story in a highly old fashioned and accessible way. My little girl is now 8 and certainly old enough to handled the action and violence, but I'll probably wait a few more years before reading her The Hobbit simply so she can better appreciate the deeper themes therein.
The other side of this though is that Lord of the Rings, and other epic blockbuster series of movies that I love such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. etc. have to steer clear of the truly darker issues that infect our species. Sure there is subtext, all of these franchises and especially Harry Potter delve quite a bit into realms of sexual politics and the moral quandaries of crime and punishment. But of course nothing like this is ever dealt with directly, it is after all for kids.
Literature on the other hand for decades has often dug deep to explore the more primitive and base impulses of humanity. The fantasy genre especially, of which I am by no means an expert, has of late been able to explore all the complexities, many of them exceedingly unpleasant, of the human being.
At the forefront has been George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. Like a really good soap opera, but with dragons. The books also are not shy about laying bare (literally) all facets of humanity. I have not read them, but if they are at all like the HBO television series "Game of Thrones" (and I'm told they are) they are replete with explicit language, gore and sex.
Friends turned me on to the television adaptation, and from the first episode I have been deeply hooked. Strangely, the show is heavy with two of the things that I hate most in entertainment. Children in peril and sexual violence against women. Neither elements are explicit, for the most part - but the implied threat permeates just about every scene and line of dialogue. Maybe it's because I'm a huge history guy, and the middle ages fascinate me so, that I am able to weather these ever-present potential calamities and enjoy the show so much. Or maybe it's because the show, despite it's darker elements, is in the end deeply moral and even righteous.
Martin likes to say that all of his characters, even the most despicable ones, have enough shades of grey that we can't simply hate or love any of them. I can buy this, but I can also see plainly that there are still good guys and bad guys, albeit more human ones. Most importantly, because of the great writing (story and dialogue) I care very much about the characters I'm following, and when they falter or sin it resonates.
And yes, the show has dragons. This takes me out of the real world just enough, that I never forget that I'm being entertained. This, along with the shows fearlessness in tackling the murkier and strictly grown-up stuff, makes for a potent mix.
I never will dismiss family friendly entertainment - I hope The Hobbit is a smash hit and I can't wait for more Avatar adventures, but I have to say, this truly grown up stuff that HBO is serving up is awfully compelling. Game of Thrones delves into the muck of greed and lust in a medieval setting, but by doing so gives this viewer a lot to chew on as it relates to the modern world and the struggles of power and politics that unfold globally and in our daily lives.
By exploring all facets of the human spectrum, including the profane, Game of Thrones reaches a level of power and resonance heretofore unseen (for the most part) in the genre of the fantastic. The one recent exception to this I would say was the Battlestar Galactica remake, which also wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. Not coincidentally, it was also my favorite tv show at the time.
I guess for such a stuck up conservative I really like my shows to be nasty after all! But deep down I know that's not really the case. What I am drawn to is truth fueled by passion, and Game of Thrones has it in abundance.
I can't wait for season 3!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Blah blah blah... OUTRAGE!
So it seems a bunch of Secret Service agents as well as members of the US Military hired some hos down in Cartagggggena Columbia. (Love saying Cartagena - remember Romancing the Stone?)
I for one am shocked, shocked, SHOCKED that men who have chosen a career that involves intensive training with firearms, international travel and intrigue, not to mention prestige and frequent high pressure situations at great personal risk at the highest possible stakes - would ever entertain the idea of meaningless sex with attractive (or at least not super ugly) women.
Let's get real and get a grip.
Anyone who doesn't know or who can't comprehend that this sort of thing has been going on in the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NSA, military, etc. etc. etc. for decades on end is beyond naive.
Beyond that - this sort of behavior, from those in positions that involve soldiering and or body guarding or both - stretches back to time immemorial. They don't call it the world's oldest profession for nothing, and the feigned outrage by our government and the media is fairly ridiculous.
But that has been the theme so far in these last six months of politics across the country.
Blah blah blah... War on women... blah blah blah... Obama eats dogs... blah blah blah... Romney hates cookies... blah blah blah... OUTRAGE!
It is truly the time to be OUTRAGED, apparently. Because it's not enough to try and focus on the stuff that actually matters, like our floundering economy and lack of jobs and a president who is so far over his head that it's not even funny.
That stuff is boring.
Secret Service members like to fuck strangers when they're overseas! OMG! OUTRAGE!
*****
Quick personal story that helped me recognize the way of the world.
I was 27 years old and on my first major solo shoot for my company in Venezuela.
It was me and one other camera operator, we were covering a treasure hunt, 22 miles off the coast on a large ship.
The deep sea crew, about 10 of them, who maintained and operated an ROV (remote operating vehicle) that traveled deep into the ocean to search for wreckage, were a fun bunch of boisterous guys who enjoyed regaling the rest of us at meal time with extremely graphic tales of their sexual conquests with the working girls of Caracas the previous week.
In tandem with the crew, were the investors. A half a dozen guys who were basically shmucks, but were rich. They paid for the prostitutes in Caracas, as well as the entire expedition itself. Both the crew and their benefactors enjoyed reminiscing about various activities, which often they were in the same room with each other to witness in the first place.
"Yeah, it was great getting our dicks sucked. We should do it again when we get back." one of the investors chimed in, clearly enjoying my wide eyed disbelief.
I have to admit, that I was pretty appalled at first. Many of these were married men. But I came to recognize pretty early on, in the way they talked about it, that this was absolutely not a big deal and fairly common for all of them in their travels across the world.
The master diver that commanded the ROV team was an enormous barrel chested man and ex-Navy seal.
He didn't talk much. But others on the team told me stories about him. These stories were not about sex, but just as graphic. The master diver had excelled at killing men, often with his bare hands, for our country. I had no doubt these stories were based on truth, but the men seemed to relish relaying them to me so much that I suspect that many of the details were added and/or embellished.
Regardless, upon meeting him, I had no doubt in my mind that the dive master was a genuine walking bad-ass. Other men on the team, most of who, were also ex-military, admired him and obviously were trying their best to live up to him.
By the way, the master diver, I was told, did not join the men in their whore sharing exploits,
In any event - the point of all this, is not that I approve of boning prostitutes in mass quantities with other guys in the room, but that it was pretty evident that it is exceedingly common among men who fancy themselves as alphas.
The real alphas (the ones who are at the top of their game in military and or mercenary matters) I suspect, don't waste their time too much with booze, women and other vices. But the ones who are driven to a life in pursuit of adrenaline without the talent and or drive to reach the apex of their chosen fields, are absolutely prone to excess, carnal and otherwise.
They want that high, that rush, be it from hurling their bodies in front of the president to take a bullet or hurling themselves on some crab infested hoochie south of the border.
It's not necessarily moral, right or even pleasant, but it's the way it is. "Wheels up, rings off" is the expression that the Secret Service uses when they're abroad, and I suspect that all military and military-esque groups from the US as well as around the world, have similar sayings.
Hell, even in video and film production, there's a very old line... "What goes on location, stays on location." Referring mostly to the propensity for crew members to hook up when out of town or abroad (not so much the prostitution thing as far as I know).
So the point to all of this, and it applies not just to this recent prostitution "scandal" but across the political spectrum as well.
RELAX. Save your phony outrage for something that matters, like the economy. Or jobs. I know it may be a slow news day, but after awhile all this righteous indignation begins to fade away as I tune it out.
A boy can cry wolf, or OUTRAGE, only so many times before it becomes meaningless.
I for one am shocked, shocked, SHOCKED that men who have chosen a career that involves intensive training with firearms, international travel and intrigue, not to mention prestige and frequent high pressure situations at great personal risk at the highest possible stakes - would ever entertain the idea of meaningless sex with attractive (or at least not super ugly) women.
Let's get real and get a grip.
Anyone who doesn't know or who can't comprehend that this sort of thing has been going on in the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NSA, military, etc. etc. etc. for decades on end is beyond naive.
Beyond that - this sort of behavior, from those in positions that involve soldiering and or body guarding or both - stretches back to time immemorial. They don't call it the world's oldest profession for nothing, and the feigned outrage by our government and the media is fairly ridiculous.
But that has been the theme so far in these last six months of politics across the country.
Blah blah blah... War on women... blah blah blah... Obama eats dogs... blah blah blah... Romney hates cookies... blah blah blah... OUTRAGE!
It is truly the time to be OUTRAGED, apparently. Because it's not enough to try and focus on the stuff that actually matters, like our floundering economy and lack of jobs and a president who is so far over his head that it's not even funny.
That stuff is boring.
Secret Service members like to fuck strangers when they're overseas! OMG! OUTRAGE!
*****
Quick personal story that helped me recognize the way of the world.
I was 27 years old and on my first major solo shoot for my company in Venezuela.
It was me and one other camera operator, we were covering a treasure hunt, 22 miles off the coast on a large ship.
The deep sea crew, about 10 of them, who maintained and operated an ROV (remote operating vehicle) that traveled deep into the ocean to search for wreckage, were a fun bunch of boisterous guys who enjoyed regaling the rest of us at meal time with extremely graphic tales of their sexual conquests with the working girls of Caracas the previous week.
In tandem with the crew, were the investors. A half a dozen guys who were basically shmucks, but were rich. They paid for the prostitutes in Caracas, as well as the entire expedition itself. Both the crew and their benefactors enjoyed reminiscing about various activities, which often they were in the same room with each other to witness in the first place.
"Yeah, it was great getting our dicks sucked. We should do it again when we get back." one of the investors chimed in, clearly enjoying my wide eyed disbelief.
I have to admit, that I was pretty appalled at first. Many of these were married men. But I came to recognize pretty early on, in the way they talked about it, that this was absolutely not a big deal and fairly common for all of them in their travels across the world.
The master diver that commanded the ROV team was an enormous barrel chested man and ex-Navy seal.
He didn't talk much. But others on the team told me stories about him. These stories were not about sex, but just as graphic. The master diver had excelled at killing men, often with his bare hands, for our country. I had no doubt these stories were based on truth, but the men seemed to relish relaying them to me so much that I suspect that many of the details were added and/or embellished.
Regardless, upon meeting him, I had no doubt in my mind that the dive master was a genuine walking bad-ass. Other men on the team, most of who, were also ex-military, admired him and obviously were trying their best to live up to him.
By the way, the master diver, I was told, did not join the men in their whore sharing exploits,
In any event - the point of all this, is not that I approve of boning prostitutes in mass quantities with other guys in the room, but that it was pretty evident that it is exceedingly common among men who fancy themselves as alphas.
The real alphas (the ones who are at the top of their game in military and or mercenary matters) I suspect, don't waste their time too much with booze, women and other vices. But the ones who are driven to a life in pursuit of adrenaline without the talent and or drive to reach the apex of their chosen fields, are absolutely prone to excess, carnal and otherwise.
They want that high, that rush, be it from hurling their bodies in front of the president to take a bullet or hurling themselves on some crab infested hoochie south of the border.
It's not necessarily moral, right or even pleasant, but it's the way it is. "Wheels up, rings off" is the expression that the Secret Service uses when they're abroad, and I suspect that all military and military-esque groups from the US as well as around the world, have similar sayings.
Hell, even in video and film production, there's a very old line... "What goes on location, stays on location." Referring mostly to the propensity for crew members to hook up when out of town or abroad (not so much the prostitution thing as far as I know).
So the point to all of this, and it applies not just to this recent prostitution "scandal" but across the political spectrum as well.
RELAX. Save your phony outrage for something that matters, like the economy. Or jobs. I know it may be a slow news day, but after awhile all this righteous indignation begins to fade away as I tune it out.
A boy can cry wolf, or OUTRAGE, only so many times before it becomes meaningless.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Not much to say...
So the Treyvon Martin case...
It's clearly a tragedy and it's clearly a case that should go to trial.
It's also clear that it has been blown WAY out of proportion by the MSM and even by right wing media outlets.
Why? The fact is, were Zimmerman black, no one would care.
Racialists and race baiters are delighting in this case; they are using it in a full court press to advance their own political causes and regressive world views on anyone they can.
Meanwhile they ignore the pervasive dysfunction in the African American community - namely black on black violence.
The numbers are shocking - While African Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. Population, 43% of all murder victims in 2007 were African American, 93.1% of whom were killed were African Americans.
And yet nobody seems to care, especially African American community "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
********
Someone asked me today if I was a fan of Ann Coultier.
I sighed and simply responded - "She's not helping..."
She is a loud mouthed demagogue who does way more damage to her cause than help.
I see Al Sharpton and other race bating extortionists like him in the same light. Ostensibly they want peace, understanding and a better world - but they choose to treat the flames of discontent with gasoline.
They are not helping, they are hurting.
When Spike Lee tweets what he thinks is the home address of George Zimmerman, he apologizes only when it appears that he sent out the wrong address.
Really? As if it would be okay if it was Zimmerman's home.
Him and others like him are happy to stay silent on the 50% drop out rate of African Americans in our schools, the 40% prison population rate of African Americans and the mind-blowing 72% of African American babies that are born out of wedlock.
Me - I'll go along with Bill Cosby thanks.
He rambles a bit, but you get the point.
Accountability and responsibility - two of my favorite words and much more likely to get me to get concerned and get involved.
As it is, when knuckleheads like these get involved...
I'm inclined to shrug my shoulders, give a big middle finger and get back to stuff that I care about.
Not much to say at that point - or after relentless, unending coverage of the Martin / Zimmerman case.
In fact, I'm inclined to say the same thing about this case as what most African American leaders say about black on black violence - which is nothing.
Don't care. And I don't lose a wink of sleep over it.
It's clearly a tragedy and it's clearly a case that should go to trial.
It's also clear that it has been blown WAY out of proportion by the MSM and even by right wing media outlets.
Why? The fact is, were Zimmerman black, no one would care.
Racialists and race baiters are delighting in this case; they are using it in a full court press to advance their own political causes and regressive world views on anyone they can.
Meanwhile they ignore the pervasive dysfunction in the African American community - namely black on black violence.
The numbers are shocking - While African Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. Population, 43% of all murder victims in 2007 were African American, 93.1% of whom were killed were African Americans.
And yet nobody seems to care, especially African American community "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
********
Someone asked me today if I was a fan of Ann Coultier.
I sighed and simply responded - "She's not helping..."
She is a loud mouthed demagogue who does way more damage to her cause than help.
I see Al Sharpton and other race bating extortionists like him in the same light. Ostensibly they want peace, understanding and a better world - but they choose to treat the flames of discontent with gasoline.
They are not helping, they are hurting.
When Spike Lee tweets what he thinks is the home address of George Zimmerman, he apologizes only when it appears that he sent out the wrong address.
Really? As if it would be okay if it was Zimmerman's home.
Him and others like him are happy to stay silent on the 50% drop out rate of African Americans in our schools, the 40% prison population rate of African Americans and the mind-blowing 72% of African American babies that are born out of wedlock.
Me - I'll go along with Bill Cosby thanks.
He rambles a bit, but you get the point.
Accountability and responsibility - two of my favorite words and much more likely to get me to get concerned and get involved.
As it is, when knuckleheads like these get involved...
I'm inclined to shrug my shoulders, give a big middle finger and get back to stuff that I care about.
Not much to say at that point - or after relentless, unending coverage of the Martin / Zimmerman case.
In fact, I'm inclined to say the same thing about this case as what most African American leaders say about black on black violence - which is nothing.
Don't care. And I don't lose a wink of sleep over it.
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