I Bet Todd Went Fishing

Tags

Election 2012, Entertainment, judiciary, Mitt Romney, Movies, Sarah Palin, teabaggers

 

 

Dat man and the kids have gone camping some place where the crazy lady don’t know. He knew better than to be around when Sistah Sarah learned that the TV movie, Game Changer did pretty darn well at the Emmys last night.

Oh she was no doubt throwing things, maybe so far that they landed in Russia. Who knows. The lamestream media skewered her once again, reminding America that she was such a ditz-douche, and played a good share in the reason why the old warrior and war-mongering senile mean guy, John S. McCain was not destined to occupy the White House.

I would have liked to have witnessed her ire when Julianna Moore won as best actress. Ms. Moore, laughed and thanked everyone for the validation because as she reported, Ms. Palin had given her performance a “thumbs down.”

But actually she might be secretly pleased, since she loves to play the poor victim, which can be witnessed almost any time she is on Foxy Noise, which I’m guessin’ won’t be too much longer since nobody gives a flying FuManchu what she has to say about nuttin.’ Ahh, fame, thy life can be brief.

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I don’t know if you watched the Great Wonder Willard on 60 Minutes last night or not. But Wiggly Willard actually said that the vast numbers of uninsured under his “non-health care plan” could go to the emergency rooms for treatment. He smiled when he said it. Next question?

Sarah Kliff, writing on Ezra Klein’s blog, Wonk Blog,  points out the fallacy of that stupid answer.

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We keep bringing this up because latest numbers suggest that as many as 10 million people could be prevented from voting across the nation. There are number of brilliant reports on it, and you can find them all listed again at Ezra Klein’s blog. And he has a list of other good reads for the day as well, so go take a scroll down the page!

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Having been on the inside, I know something about the justice system in this country. I know it is filled with unfairness and the rich do better than the poor for sure. I know all about extraordinary judges and incompetent idiots who have all the talent required to affix a widget with a screwdriver and little more. I KNOW there is incompetence, fraud, and a whole lot of cutting of corners to get it done.

That said, NO democracy is gonna be worth a hill of beans if the population at large doesn’t basically accept the judiciary as the final arbiter of LEGAL. You may disagree with a decision, you may think a number of the judges are akin to hyenas. But you accept that whatever is the decision, it was reached because the judge in question REALLY believes that the law should be what he/she says. In other words, their decisions have finality and certitude. They have VALIDITY.

This is now under assault my friends. It started in a big way in Iowa when the Supreme Court there unanimously held that the state had presented absolutely no evidence that validated their decision to refuse same-sex marriage. The Constitution, both state and local, provides that all persons be given due process of law and equal protection of the law. Iowa, could not produce the most anything to justify treating the gay community differently.

Whereupon they struck down the law, and the crazy began. A group set about to make sure that those justices who were up for re-election were defeated. In that they succeeded. I’m told that the move to take out the next three this year, is not doing as well, and perhaps they will fail.

However, there is talk that the Tea Party in Pennsylvania, and the GOP in Florida, plan to attack running Justices of their respective courts for not going along with the GOP desire to prevent as many people from voting as possible.

Worse, it seems that when we await a decision from some court on some important issue, we soon learn which justices are
“Democrats” and which “Republicans”. We are frighteningly, now contemplating that most tough cases are coming down to whether the judge is a Democrat or Republican. We are clearly already there for the most part when it comes to the SCOTUS.

Once the electorate concludes that decisions are not made based on judicial philosophy and law, but merely based on party affiliation, then the rule of law is dead. Witness Rand Paul’s remarks about the AHCA decision by SCOTUS, that it was basically just the “opinion” of a few people.

This issue could prove to be a huge threat to democracy. At least as I see it.

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Finally John Cassidy, over at the New Yorker, asks and answers the question, “Why is Romney Such a Loser?”

Related articles

• Republicans Helped Create Romney’s “Taker Class” (duanegraham.wordpress.com)
• What Mitt Romney Doesn’t Get About Responsibility – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
• Mitt Romney Hoisted With His Own Contextless Petard (nymag.com)
• Worst Campaign Ever? (Guest Voice) (themoderatevoice.com)

 

Confessions of a Sci Fi Junkie

Tags

Entertainment, Literature, Movies, psychology, science, Science Fiction, Technology

Yes, it’s true. I confess. I’ve had an addiction of sorts for many years to science fiction. Actually, us “real” junkies don’t use the term sci fi, finding it trite and the phrase of choice for the truly uninitiated. You know the ones I mean, the kids who really watch Star Wars, and BattleStar Galactica only for the cowboy shoot ’em ups, and not for the deep sociological meaning.

Sociological meaning you ask? But of course. Real fans know that much of science fiction but masks a political statement by the author of the state of the world today. It is critical analysis of our “issues.” Anybody who watched the old Star Trek knows that. Roddenberry wrote scripts that addressed war, racism, sexism, and a plethora of social ills of his day. They are mostly still our ills lo these many years later.

I came to the genre in my late 20’s and held on fast for more than ten years. And this is somewhat surprising since I was never a fan of fantasy, even in my youth. I cannot tell you how many times I sat down to begin Alice in Wonderland, only to throw it aside in disgust as “weird” and “unbelievable nonsense.” I guess you could say I was not a child who had a great imagination.

When I joined the science fiction world, I tended to the hard science writers; those that took technology of the present and “futurized” it. Azimov was a favorite as was Heinlein, Clarke, and a host of others who dropped me into a universe of faster than light travel, robots, and other really neat things like portable phones and touch pads.

We, the science fiction followers, thought of ourselves as ahead of the curve, preparing ourselves intellectually and emotionally for the 21st century, still years away. It was much later that I broadened my landscape to include fantasy and it happened slowly and carefully, just a writer here and there. It broke wide open with Lord of the Rings. I distinctly recall going into the my office one day, and announcing “FRODO LIVES” to much laughter from those who had read the trilogy years before.

Television and movies were not to be found in quantity, and well, quality was even worse. To this day, I enjoy the thrill of really really bad sci fi movies. Sci fi is an apt description, since these were D list affairs, costing thousands to make rather than millions. The actors were either very new at their craft, or very old and still horrid. The plots were predictable, the aliens laughable. As I said, they remain  so bad they are hilarious to watch. (think of watching old episodes of Dark Shadows.)

Today, my but things have changed. Science fiction in all its permutations is big business today. That is true in the land of movie making and television fare. Weird is the new normal. From Lost, to Heroes to Caprica and Sanctuary, the airways are filled with distinctly not normal stories. And, it appears we are eating it up.

If you add together the science fiction/fantasy world and the “reality” TV world, you have cornered the market. What this says about us as humans is hard to gauge. It may be that we are hell bent on escaping reality but then isn’t all such creation just that anyway? Whether I’m entering into an alien futuristic world, or merely watching some other real human’s life, escapism is inevitable.

NASA must be sad these days. Their space traveling days, as creators of rockets and propulsion systems is seemingly over for the time being. We are ending our “adventure in space” in a sense. We will have to hitch a ride in the near future. We are not gearing up for Mars landings and building bigger and better ships to travel faster and further.

But we will, of that I have no doubt. We are a curious species. Not the only one, but the only one both curious and capable it seems to deeply alter their environment. The porpoise may wonder about the universe, but I suspect it has little hope of building a space ship. Our need to know will drive us inevitably into the cosmos. Our arrogance will push us to discover if in fact we are the most intelligent of species in the universe.

That is the promise that drives those of us who love to fall into this world of robots and faster than light travel. It is the dream we dream, yet know we cannot partake of it but in our minds. It is in part also the world of fantasy, since other worlds, we believe will be so incredibly different from us that indeed we may find talking rabbits and “plants” that giggle when touched.

Whether we are escaping, as some suggest, into worlds that are less threatening, is still up for debate. The same can be said for golf and quilting or any “hobby” that becomes a favorite of leisure time. In the end, I’m not sure the debate is fruitful. I’m just mighty glad that I have this opportunity, for however long it lasts, to wallow in the glut of other worldly movies and such. Some suck, and others are true genius as one would expect.

So the next time you hear about sci fi being taught at our schools of higher learning, don’t shake your head and decry the “basket weaving” mentality of college curricula. There’s more to this than meets the eye. Or eyes, as the case may be. Engage!

Now That’s Some Good Entertainment

Tags

disaster movies, Entertainment, Flash Gordon, Killer Shrews, Movies, scifi movies, The Blob, Tornado

I’ve never kept it hidden that the Contrarian and myself are television watchers. But I have also pointed out, that a good deal of what we watch is “high brow.” I drop “Bill Moyer” and PBS around quite frequently just to make sure you are suitably impressed.

But I have a confession to make, actually two, . . . .well make that four. Only two for myself, but I’m confessing for the Contrarian as well. We are sorta, kinda, addicted to (oh the embarrassment!) old sci-fi movies.

The older the better too. The best are near 1950, that seminal year of my birth (key the trumpets please). The reason is quite simple: special effects were in their infancy and so the “special effects” are really special in that they look so darn funny.

With a few obvious exceptions such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” most were done on low budgets, perhaps out at the edge of Hollywood where the local dumps were located.

The directors, if you can call them that, were probably second year students at UCLA school of film, and were those least likely to succeed. The scripts were worse.

The acting was even worse, if that is possible, although there was a notable exception here and there, usually by someone getting their first break.

The subject matter of said genre can be just about anything. It can be mutant creatures that are generated here on good ole earth via “atomic” testing or through violent inner earth disturbances. Often, they result from alien invasion and can take the form of most any creature and often take human form.

Depending on just how short the budget was, (under $100?) you often didn’t get a very good look at the “creature” at all. Creatures have been known to be composed of parts of “suits” from King Kong and left over garage sale items.

My all time favorite in this genre is “The Killer Shrews.”  It was the lowest of the low budgets, and one never got much of a look at the killer creature. Most of the “attacks” were at night so that such things as “costuming” were kept to a minimum as a concern.

Generally speaking, there are a few requirements for all such movies. There must be at least one woman, fair and unsuitably dressed in high heels who of course then has to run like the dickens to escape the monster.

Next, a leading man, of no particular occupation who ends up being the savior of said girl.

Also the girl must have the ability to scream really long and loud. In fact that may be the only qualification for the job.

Occasionally there is a mad scientist who either “caused” the creature to arise out of it’s hidey hole, or knows how to kill it. He may or may not die before the end, but never before imparting the means of getting rid of the creature. All other “actors” (should you really wish to call them that) are fodder for the creature and are killed off along the way.

My other confessional is a deep addiction to “disaster movies.”

Here, you don’t go for the old stuff. Here good special effects matter, so look for the latest. Even the low budget stuff can afford to hire a “special effects” guru who can whip up some fine footage that is designed to please the palate of the most discerning of disaster movieophiles.

Here, plot is the key. They are all the same. First, you must have a scientist who is brilliant but for some reason has lost his/her job and is carrying on research as a loner. This person is often considered a misfit, not a team player, whistle blower type, or simply has off the wall claims.

This person “discovers” the impending disaster. At first nobody listens, and the first hour is spent trying to convince others (often with a “cried wolf” flavor).

There will always be one family. Part of the family could be the scientist, but doesn’t have to be. It can be a first responder, or other “good” person. There is a man and woman and one child. Never two. They will be separated during the disaster and will miraculously, in the midst of miles of rubble and chaos manage to find each other. All will be safe, the family often reunites after being separated by family disputes of the past.

There  must be a naysayer. This person is the “keep the beaches open” person from “Jaws” fame. He poo poos the warnings, for either personal gain or just because he’s trying to keep the “business” going whether as Mayor, or corporate bigwig, or governmental toady. He usually gets his in the end, for which you wait to cheer.

In the end, the scientist is believed, and the most catastrophic disaster averted, though there should be sufficient destruction of the mini disaster genre  to engender lots of wows and OOhs.

Disaster can be just about anything. Tornadoes, comets, meteors, atomic fallout, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanche, flood, etc. Anything will do, but it must have lots and lots of buildings falling down, and cars flying through the air. Bridges should collapse, houses be swept away, and so forth. One of the better volcanic eruptions broke off a part of California and had it an island.

Why does such a person as myself watch this stuff? For the sheer joy of watching really really bad acting, cheap sets, finding all the flaws in logic, and a myriad of other reasons. Just great great fun. A bowl of popcorn, suspension of belief, and you are there!

Take it from me, this stuff doesn’t scare the pants off you like the typical horror movie, and isn’t filled with blood and gore. It’s just good clean fun, and we love it. We are always on the lookout for “Planet X” and oh my favorite, the original “Flash Gordon.” Now that was some fun with Ming the Merciless!

Who Knows?

Tags

bible, India, Jesus, Magi, Movies

I’m not big on conspiracy theories, or other “out” there stuff.

I don’t deny the possibility that we have been visited by an alien race from afar, but I don’t think that near space is crawling with alien spies all gathering up random humans to probe and poke them.

I watched the Divinci Code, but didn’t read the book. I thought it was an okay movie, never got it confused with reality, and still have no clue what all the hoopla was about. All I know is that certain religious groups sure helped make it a cinematic success by all their boycotting and wringing of hands. I would say that I have bothered to look around a little bit to find out about Opus Dei, and well, frankly, I find them a bit creepy, but certainly not masterminds of some conspiracy.

So, anyway, I ran across this report about a new movie coming out I guess soon. It’s called Jesus in India, and purports to explain the “hidden years” of Jesus’ life, those between the years of 12-30. It purports to be a well researched documentation of Jesus travels to India and what happened while he was there.

This is not new to me. I’ve read of this before, oddly enough in my foray into “New Thought” spirituality commonly referred to wrongly as “New Age.” Some NT philosophies believe that Jesus was not divine, at least any more so that we all are, but that he had achieved an extraordinary oneness with God, and that as such, he is a prophet to be emulated.

I recall reading in some book or other that there was some evidence at least that suggested that he might have traveled East and resided for some time in a monastery of either Buddhist or Hindu origin. There are claims of writings in India that support this idea that a very wise man came from the Middle East during the appropriate time frame, and lived with them for a time.

This seems to be essentially along the same lines. I haven’t a clue how good the evidence is. But it has always been  a mystery, why none of the Gospels speaks to Jesus’ whereabouts all those years. It’s as if he dropped off the face of the earth, disappearing after being found at the Temple at  age 12, and then suddenly reappearing at the Jordon to be baptized by John at age 30.

For some reason, this raises the ire and of course fear in the hearts of the religious right. I have no clue why this would be so, but you can expect the usual renting of clothes and flinging of ashes when this movie hits the screen. Somehow the “secularists” will be trying to do something evil and grotesque, though what that will be will never quite be explained. Just be sure it is awful, mostly because it doesn’t come from them, or apparently the only reliable Hollywood type, Mel Gibson, that Jew hating but very loyal orthodox Christian.

I think that if Jesus were determined to have spent some time in the East, it might explain a few things. The lost time of course would be one. Why the Magi (all considered to be Eastern astrologers) came to the Middle East to see him, why some of the gnostic Gospels sound oh so Eastern in their viewpoints at times. Things like that.

Like I said, I haven’t a clue whether any of this is tenable or not. The Shroud of Turin seemed so for hundreds of years, yet now is mostly  considered to be something created centuries after Christ. If there turns up any actual writing, it too will be subjected to a plethora of scientific examinations to determine its age and authenticity. And of course, as science progresses in its capabilities to determine age and that sort of thing, no doubt the controversy would continue.

It remains an interesting theory, one that I can see generating a lot of discussion. Read the article and see what you think. And if you have heard of this before and have other information, please do tell!