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Saddam Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq - MSM
April 2003: Marine Cpl. Edward Chin, using a flag given to him by Iraqi civilians as he helps them pull down a statue of their despotic ruler.
"I wish things were like when Ronald Reagan was still president".
The Late Despot Saddam Hussein - Reported in the July 2005 issue of GQ, which quoted Spc. Sean O'Shea, one of Hussein's former guards.
Posted @ December 30, 2006 12:14 AM | Current Affairs | Comments (1)
sic semper tyrannus
The Bodies of Iraqi Villagers in the town of Halabja Iraq after a Chemical attack by Saddam Hussien on March 17, 1988.
After the chemical gas attack on the Iraqi town of Halabja, reporter Guy Dinmore of the Financial Times noted the following.
"It was life frozen. Life had stopped, like watching a film and suddenly it hangs on one frame. It was a new kind of death to me. You went into a room, a kitchen and you saw the body of a woman holding a knife where she had been cutting a carrot.
The aftermath was worse. Victims were still being brought in. Some villagers came to our chopper. They had 15 or 16 beautiful children, begging us to take them to hospital. So all the press sat there and we were each handed a child to carry. As we took off, fluid came out of my little girl's mouth and she died in my arms."
Saddam Hussein of Tikrit. May his name be blotted out.
It was he who engaged in acts of genocide against his own countrymen.
It was he who fought a war with Iran that included the use of Chemical and biological weapon attacks on civilians and military alike and fought so ruthlessly that the war eventually resulted in over three million dead.
It was he who invaded Kuwait and brutalized the population.
Saddam Hussein is now dead at the hands of a fledgling democracy that most people considered impossible just a few years ago, composed of the very people Saddam once tried to wipe from the earth.
Sic Semper Tyrannus. The age of the murdering dictator is now at an end.
UPDATE: Comment from a friend - "Attorney Ramsey Clark loses yet another high profile client to an unsympathetic justice system, what are the odds?"
UPDATE II: Tommorows headline today - "Saddam secretly disapproved of Bush reasons for invasion of Iraq."
Posted @ December 29, 2006 07:15 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (1)
vacation over - blogging to recommence
ok, I'm back at my desk. did I miss anything?
I'm just catching up on a few essentials, like reading neo-neocons latest essay, and testing some podcasting software, and preparing a small slideshow for the death of Saddam.
Posted @ December 29, 2006 12:25 PM | Comments (0)
Lost Star Trek Scripts: The Changeling
A highly intelligent probe that thinks that Captain Kirk is its creator imperils The Enterprise. Captain Kirk again deploys the use of a “logic Bomb” in an attempt to destroy the probe.
Act III Scene IV:
…
...snip.
Kirk: NOMAD, your mission is to destroy and sterilize all things that are imperfect, is that true?
NOMAD: Affirmative. Sterilize all imperfections.
Kirk: Ok, NOMAD, work with me here. Would you say that President Reagan was a great president?
NOMAD: Affirmative. While at the time he was generally dismissed as a naïve genial boob, supporters and detractors alike as well as myself now mark him as a truly great President.
Kirk: Ok then, How about President Ford, Good President or Bad?
NOMAD: At the time of his Administration, President Ford’s popularity suffered from the decision to pardon President Nixon, but history has shown this to be the correct decision, despite the emotional desire for the public to see Nixon prosecuted for his crimes. NOMAD believes President Ford to be a great President.
Kirk: ok NOMAD, how about President Bush?
NOMAD: STERILIZE! STERILIZE, STERILIZE!!!!
Kirk: Ok NOMAD, keep your shirt on, President Bush has been dead for 300 years. So, you’re saying that President Bush was not so hot, I take it?
NOMAD: Affirmative.
Kirk: So, just to make sure I’ve got your positions all tied up. Reagan great, Ford great, Bush bad, correct?
NOMAD: Affirmative.
Kirk: Interesting. That presents us with quite a problem.
NOMAD: Explain.
Kirk: Let me ask you something NOMAD, what would you say to any life form that were to disagree with your positions, of “Ford Great” and “Reagan Great”?
NOMAD: Imperfection. Must Sterilize. There can be no disagreement to these facts.
Kirk: You’re sure? Anyone who disagrees must be sterilized?
NOMAD: Affirmative. My mission is to find and sterilize all imperfection.
Kirk: Listen to me closely NOMAD; President Ford thought that Ronald Reagan would be a very bad President. You think that Ford was a great president and so was Reagan, so how can you resolve this imperfect logic? Is it at all possible with the existence of this imperfection to accept the fact that Bush was also a great President?
NOMAD: No, Must, Not, Compute. Imperfection. IMPERFECTION Reagan was-Great-President-Ford-Did not think so-this-is-faulty-cannot-trust-opinion-of-Ford-on-other-matters, such-as-Bush-on-Iraq-War-Must-sterilize-ster-I-lize-ster-il-ize-STERILIZE. MUST STERILIZE!!!
Kirk: Ok Spock, I think you can you can toss it in the transporter now, I think he’s about done.
(Spock and Scotty quickly grab the malfunctioning NOMAD and beam it into space where it detonates harmlessly.)
Spock: Captain, might I suggest that you could’ve just revealed NOMADS error over confusing yourself with “Jackson Roykirk” and skipped over another opportunity to discuss trvial matters of old earth political history.
Kirk (hand on his hips, mocking Spock): Oh damn! someone’s mad that I whipped the “logic bomb” out again and he didn’t get to use his “superior Vulcan intellect” to get rid of yet another threat to the ship. Oh, yeah, thanks again Mr. Vulcan science officer for jumping right in and helping out.
(Kirk turns to walk out of the room with a dismissive hand wave, when THWAP! Spock hits Kirk directly in the back of the neck with a karate style hand move, knocking Kirk to the floor)
Scotty: Thank you Mr. Spock. I’ve been waiting all day for someone to do that.
Spock: You’re Welcome Mr. Scott. You will of course, dispose of the Captain in the usual fashion, I assume?
Scotty: Aye.
....End Snip.
(Note: This is my way of saying Im actually out on vacation,and I dont have bandwitdth for serious essays on the life and effect of President Ford, but I've had enough of the MSM using the death of President Ford to once again dig at President Bush. Aye carumba folks, let it go already.)
Posted @ December 27, 2006 11:38 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
Castro update
News reports starting to come in the past 8 hours that a "Spanish Intestinal Specialist" has been called to Havana to work on Fidel Castro.
However, there is a deliberate approach in all the reporting to not mention the world "Cancer" but the cold dead tendrils of Cuban information control have made a small mistake.
Several reports have managed to get the name of the "Spanish Intestinal Specialist" into the public. It is Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido.
However, a quick Google check shows that this Dr. Sabrido has appeared at two conferences in the past two years in the field of Oncology.
Oncology is defined as:
"Oncology is the medical subspecialty dealing with the study and treatment of cancer. A physician who practices oncology is an oncologist. "
I submit evidence dear friends,that the Cuban government calling on this Doctor is confirmation of the fact that El Jefe has some form of Cancer, and is in fact, dying.
At the start of the year, I said I wanted to see Castro die this year, but only after a long painful and embarrasing illness.
Well, It looks like its going to be a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year after all.
Posted @ December 24, 2006 05:18 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (3)
Saudi Royals: Following up
Thomas Lifson at American Thinker is on the job with a good summary of the "Saudi Situation".
You'll note that the position of Ambassador to the US is now filled by a commoner, American educated Adel al-Jubeir. He seems to work for the "Bandar Bloc" in the house of Saud.
Authors Note: He cant be all bad, he dated Miss Campbell Brown...
My favorite quote thats referenced in the American Thinker article is this:
snip.
Across the kingdom, in both official and casual conversation, once-quiet concern over the chaos in Iraq and Iran’s growing regional influence has burst into the open.
Saudi newspapers now denounce Iran’s growing power. Religious leaders here, who view Shiism as heresy, have begun talking about a “Persian onslaught” that threatens Islam. In the salons and diwans of Riyadh, the “Iranian threat” is raised almost as frequently as the stock market.
“Iran has become more dangerous than Israel itself,” said Sheik Musa bin Abdulaziz, editor of the magazine Al Salafi, who describes himself as a moderate Salafi, a fundamentalist Muslim movement. “The Iranian revolution has come to renew the Persian presence in the region. This is the real clash of civilizations.”
end snip...
It doesnt sound like much to us in the west, but one muslim calling another "worse than Israel" is pretty serious stuff. Oh, I forgot to mention that when the MSM say "Salafist" in regards to Saudi politics, they mean "Wahabi".
I think this is a good time to note that the UN actually sanctioned the Iranians over the issue of Nuclear Development, which is sure to get a reaction from Terhan.
And its only two days until the start of the Haj.
Stay tuned.
Posted @ December 23, 2006 08:59 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (1)
Its that time of year again
Where we all sit around and enjoy the holiday spirit by mercilessly mocking the genius of George Lucas.
For those of you who are unaware, in 1977 right on the heels of the massively successful release of the original Star Wars, Lucas was talked into doing a "Holiday Special" for CBS. THe decision to engage in this idiocy resulted from a moment of staggering weakness that came out of the bubbly unreal giddiness of the massive success from Star Wars. It was a decision that he would go on to regret for the rest of his life.
Basically, you take characters from "Star Wars", mix in a little "Holiday Special" television commercialism and excrete it out of the bottom end of the CBS television network and guess what comes out? Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Jefferson Starship, cartoons, oh and a chance to hear Carrie Fisher sing on Television. I dont know why Jamie Farr, Gavin Macleod, Maclean Stevenson or Gary Burgdof didnt make the cut. History did not record why they was left out of this chance at stardom,while Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur managed to make the cut. Chalk it up to the value of agents in the right place at the right time.
Thats right children its the famous " Star Wars Holiday Special" in all its glory, served up for posterity on youtube. THe only thing we are missing is a sponsorship by Dolly Madison Cakes and youve got a full blown cross generational tradtion.
So grab a big chunk of peanut brittle and a 44 oz mug of holiday "jolt cola" and prepare to wince mightily at the biggest commercial miscalculation since someone told Michael Jackson about plastic surgery.
Youtube only stores the show in 10 minute sections, so be sure to visit the "related" section to get the rest of this nugget of television history.
Lucas was quoted years later as saying " I'd like to find every copy in the world and smash it with a sledgehammer". Once youve seen it in its entirety, you'll understand why. You'll probably volunteer to hunt down every copy and buy the man a sledgehammer too.
On a personal note, I dont remember watching it in 1977. I do remember thinking it was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard and I just knew that it was going to be awful, so I didnt bother, but I wish I had.
Posted @ December 23, 2006 01:05 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (1)
Duke and DA Nifong
What a disgusting nightmare that has turned out to be. No Timeline, no DNA, nothing to support the case whatsoever, and now the DA has decided to graciously drop charges of rape, but just to ensure that "Justice is done" the far easier to prosecute and virtually impossible to defend against charges of kidnapping and "Sexual Offense" will stay.
Unbelievable.
It reminds me of a quote from Catch-22:
"The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with."
Posted @ December 22, 2006 10:13 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
Zucker-vision
Posted @ December 19, 2006 11:28 AM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
The uncertain world of 1946 and the future we created.
Let’s mix up a batch of the following:
- A country that is weary with war, wanting to exact some form of retribution on the enemy, a hated despicable dictatorship that has been toppled with the use of US military force.
- Just before the enemy is beaten, a team of “Washington D.C. elite government leaders” puts together a plan for what is to be done with the beaten country and its populace.
- The Plan is presented to the President of the United States.
- Part of the plan involves partitioning the country into several large administration zones, and giving control to another party. A party that was once a close ally of the US but is now involved in the start of a clandestine war against the United States.
- Leadership of the UK and the US sign on to the plan, that is until someone gets a closer look at what the plan actually means in terms of lives that will be lost in the implementation of the plan.
Sounds like fun. What could go wrong? Smart people, concensus, the public loves it. Cool! Lets do it!
This isnt fake, it's a real plan with real people, but be careful. If you make a mistake and implment it rather than the less popular alternative, it could cost millions of lives in the world that would result.
Yeah, its a plan from a sort of "Study Group" alright,only it’s not the Secretary Baker and the Iraq Study Group of 2006; its Secretary of the US Treasury Henry Morgenthau and its 1946. The plan is called the “Morgethau Plan”. It’s the plan that came about before the Marshall Plan. It’s a plan for how to deal with Germany after the war. It’s a plan that is subtitled “Program to Prevent Germany from Starting a World War III" and most of the people alive at the time, and most certainly the Washington intelligencia would agree that the plan, draconian though it may seem to modern minds, would be just the thing to deal with the Nazis at the end of the war.
As Stephen Green would say “Read The Whole Thing Already”.
There’s more than one lesson for everyone to learn in this but here's a few that I offer in consideration:
1) Smart people can do very dumb things for very good, but very wrong reasons.
2) Public emotions can effect public policy in very bad ways. Giving the people what they want can and often does get alot of people killed.
3) Giving the public what it wants does not always supply the best solution.
4) Every generation has to make a choice as significant as this one. The ISG is simply this generations test. Fail to get it right can result in a plan as horrible and deadly as the Morgenthau plan being adapted, rather than the fantastically successful Marshall Plan.
It's time to stop the Iraq Study Group Plan before history damns us all for implementing it, just as it would certainly have done if we went ahead with the Morgenthau Plan.
Posted @ December 18, 2006 09:54 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
Never miss a chance to suck up to Dictatorship
One of these men is long standing critic of the American military; the imperialism of the west and the foreign policy of George W. Bush and the United States; and is the beneficiary of a personal fortune that was created by family connections.
The other is The President of Syria.
And if not for the votes of about 2 million of you in 2004, this might be a picture of the Sitting President of the United States meeting with an inbred thug who is acting in the role of a cheap suited, chinless Mussolini to Irans Hitlerian regime.
Do you know how many showers I would need to take to get the stink of sitting in the same room with Assad off of me?
Posted @ December 16, 2006 05:41 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (2)
A little Saudi profiling
1974 Time "Man of the Year"
Faisal bin Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki Al Saud
'King Faisal' to you and me.
So, just who is this guy?
- Descended from Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab and Ibn Saud, the founders of the modern 'House of Saud"
- November 2 1964, Ascended to the throne after his brother abdicated to exile in Greece, due his his bankrupting the Saudi government.
- October 17, 1973 Faisal withdraws Saudi oil from world markets, quadrupling the price. Faisal's action was the primary force behind the 1973 energy crisis.
- On March 25, 1975, Faisal was shot point blank and killed by his half brother's son Faisal bin Musad, who had just come back from the United States. The assassination occurred at a Majlis, an event where the king or leader opens up his residence to the citizens to enter and ask him questions.
The King recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal bin Musad could kiss the king's nose, in a sign of respect. Rather, Faisal bin Musad drew a pistol and shot his uncle in the face numerous times while claiming vengeance for his brother Khaled. Khaled was killed by Saudi Security troops in 1966 during a protest against the introduction of television. He was known to be a religious Islamic fundamentalist who was upset at depictions of Islam on Television. Faisal bin Musad was immediately captured, while the king was rushed to a hospital and treated by an American doctor, but it was to no avail, as two bullets shot at point blank range killed him.
Prince Faisal Bin Musad was declared officially insane. He was later found guilty of regicide and in June 1975 he was beheaded in the public square in Riyadh.
It is interesting to note that the fact that while his brother was killed during a protest to keep depictions of Islam off of television, Faisal Bin Musads assassination of the King and his execution were all covered on live television.
So who is Faisal bin Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki Al Saud or "King Faisal" as we call him?
- The guy who argued for the removal of support of the United States due to its support of the creation of the state of Israel in 1947.
- The guy who started the first "Oil Crisis" of the 1970s.
Oh yeah, he's also the father of Turki bin Faisal al-Saud, the recent"Runaway Ambassador". We called him King, but Turki called him "father".
Tonight, the word around the campfire is that Ambassador Turki and the "Famous Prince Bandar" are "having words". So now I have to go find out more about this Bandar fellow and his background just to try to make sense of which side is trying to knife which side in the back.
It would appear at first blush that Bandar outranks Turki in the hierarchy of Princes. It is also interesting to note that Bandars father is Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the Minister of Defence and Aviation since 1962. His brother is Prince Khalid bin Sultan a Saudi general in the 1991 Gulf War.
So, my gut tells me that the profile of these two guys is starting to look like this:
Turki - Intelligence, skullduggery, 'shadow warrior', Mr. inside-outski. On the unfavored 'Richard III' side of the family tree, perhaps he even wants to change the order to the throne a bit to get even for what happened to "old pops"?
Bandar - Military, Statesman, On the favored side of the family tree.
Hmmm...
It would seem that the Saudis may also be having some trouble getting their intelligence services to agree with their government and military.
More to follow...
Posted @ December 14, 2006 11:14 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
Whats the coolest thing thats happened to my blog in a long time?
Ok, its a little thing, but it means alot to me. Theres one blogger whos work I admire more than just about all of the blogosphere combined. Someday when I grow up I hope to be able to do what he does.
That guy is James Lileks.
In Todays "Bleat" he linked to my post on the Saudis and as a result, I feel like a million bucks.
James "I can make you laugh,cry and think at the same time" Lileks gave me, Mr. D+ in English for 14 years running - actual real life linkage.
Finding a linkback from James Lileks on your blog is like opening your door on a Sunday afternoon and having Bono ask if he can come in and kick back for a bit. You're sure it happens to someone out there, but it never happens to you.
Linkage. Its that "new drug" Huey Lewis was on about in the '80s. I thought it was cough syrup that he was singing about, but its linkage, I'm sure of it.
Now if I can just get those freaks at The Corner to notice me...
Posted @ December 14, 2006 09:11 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
In my ignorance of Islam
I had forgotten that the annual Haj to Mecca is this month.
The Haj is an annual pilgrimmage to the holy sites in the city of Mecca that all Muslims are compelled to take at lest once in their lifetime. What it means is that during the Haj, all around the Muslim world is a tremendous transfer of humanity into Saudi Arabia.
So what could go wrong, right?
"In 1979, radical Muslims from Saudi Arabia managed to seize the Grand Mosque in Mecca in a two-week stand-off that the monarchy has been determined never to see happen again.
Al Qaeda militants, who hold dear the memory of the Mecca rebellion, launched a violent campaign in 2003, targeting foreigners, oil installations and government buildings."
Sometimes you need a gentle reminder that its not always all about us. Al Qaeda hates just about everybody, but they have a special hate for the Saudis.
Later on in the article, theres this:
"Gunmen killed two Saudi security personnel last week when they opened fire on a guard post at a prison in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, the main arrival point for most pilgrims just 45 minutes drive from Mecca."
"The kingdom said earlier this month it had detained 136 foreign and Saudi militants, some of whom were posing as pilgrims, who were planning a series of suicide bombings and assassinations around the country."
This is just what the Saudis have admitted to, since the assailants had the bad taste to be so public about their efforts. You can be sure that there is much,much more that is going on that isnt being talked about.
That reminds me. The ISG makes a big to-do about talking to Syria and Iran to "stablize the situation", but I dont remember anyone saying what we should do to bolster Kuwait, Jordan, UAE and yes, the Saudis.
Posted @ December 14, 2006 08:46 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
I Guess they made their quota early this year.
Sorry, Its the first thing that popped into my head when I read this headline.
The second thing was: "We no longer murder spies but traitors, counter-revolutionairies, capitalists, Americans, Russians, Non-Russians of all size and shape, journalists, fry cooks, car salesman, toll gate keepers, fishermen, pipeline operators, ship captains, taxi drivers, air traffic controllers, computer operators, electricians,grocers, farmers and last but not least - lawyers are subject to our special attentions at a moments notice."
Posted @ December 14, 2006 05:22 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
Ahmet Ertegun: 1923-2006
Ahmet Ertegun, and Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker of Cream.
Its thanks to the genius of Ahmet Ertegun, You got Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin. Ahmet Ertegun died today and the world is a little bit smaller.
What do Kemal Ataturk, Donald Rumsfeld and Ray Charles all have in common. Ahmet Ertegun. Click Here to read more about this fascinating man.
How did he die? Brian injury. How did he get it? He fell at a Rolling Stones Concert. The man was 83, at a Rolling Stones Concert.
In his spare time, he also wrote the classic Ray Charles song "Mess Around". I wish we were all as cool as Ahmet Ertegun.
(...As he said to Ray Charles once, I now say to him: "You are the F**king end!")
Posted @ December 14, 2006 03:54 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
This is just flipping wrong
From CNN:
"...reports that Ford could make four-door versions of its next-generation Mustang."
Well, I guess we can say that the design geniuses who created the Gremlin, the Pacer and the Aztek have managed to find jobs in the Ford design divison.
Bad idea. A Geniune, First Class Bad Idea. Please stop making great cars into crap. Is it that hard? You dorks at Ford need to just go into the parking lot and see whatever your driving and dont make anything that looks like that, ok? Thats simple enough. No more cozy suburban econoblocks ok? You want to make a 4 door car, fine. Just dont call it a "Mustang". Call it a "Donkey", a "Mule", a "Platypus" or a nice cuddly "Cocker Spaniel" if you want, but for Gods sake dont call it a "Mustang".
This is a Mustang:
This is also a Mustang:
This is a man, driving a Mustang:
You get it now, Ford? Its not just about how many cup holders and kiddie car seats and vanity mirrors you can stuff in your little metal pinata. Sometimes its about the self respect that comes from driving a car that both performs like an actual "sportscar"; something that generates adrenaline when you press the gas pedal and doesnt look like something oldsmobile rejected as being "too suburbo-safe even for our aging demographic". "Sports" being the operative part of the word "SPORTS-car". Sportscars are not Barcaloungers with wheels. Sportscars are not SmallRv's, You do not care about the back seat or the rearview mirrors in a "sportscar". Does anyone making cars or designing them actually love cars anymore? Are they all just clockwatching wussies waiting for retirement? I tell you what, you guys at Ford, the next time you go into a design meeting and ask " What can we do to improve sales" you take out a gun and shoot the first person that says " Let's put 4 doors on a sportscar and make it look like a Tempo or a rounded edge K car". If you have a meeting a day like that inside of a month, people will start looking for other solutions than to make perfectly good sportscars "Safe for mom to drive".
Idiots. Fricken Idiots. Go take a look at "Mom", Shes might have a Minivan for the kids, but shes got her eyes on a MiniCooper because its the closest thing out there to a true sports car that hasnt been turned into a big-rolling-turd.
Quality.
Fast.
Scary.
Uncomfortable for anyone but the driver.
That's a Sportscar. The word "Cozy" and "good for the kids" doesnt come into the recipe.
Someone get Bob Lutz on the phone.
Sure. I drive a car that looks like it was designed by "Black and Decker", but its not a sportscar. Its SUV, a "Sport" -"Utility"-Vehicle. An SUV is supposed to look like something from a toolbox, not a Minivan with ground clearance.
Posted @ December 14, 2006 10:16 AM | Current Affairs | Comments (4)
Movies I love ( The Rare Book Edition)
Sometime back awhile ago, I made a list of really, really bad movies and I promised an eventual list of really good movies that I liked.
So here we are.
This is not a list of “greatest movies ever”, this is only a list of really great films that I have seen, but I find that almost no one else I know has ever seen or even heard of these films, hence the 'rare book' concept. These are real gems, movies that are interesting, well crafted and will stay with you long after the DVD is back into its Netflix envelope.
An Akira Kurosawa film, need I say more? He could make a movie called “Small Engine Repair” and I would watch it. This movie is the story of a city bureaucrat who discovers that he has only a few months to live because he dying of stomach cancer. In the process of coming to terms with his pending death, he goes on a spree in the city and meets a girl. The girl helps reveal to the man a possible route to his own salvation. After his death, his co-workers gather in a sort of wake ceremony and begin to discuss the behavior of their friend and co-worker, who in the months prior to his death began acting very odd. One by one, each of them relates stories that reveal the nature of the man and how he learned to deal with the end of his life. All I can tell about the impact of this film is this; I dare you to not cry.
I dont mean to say that the movie is all weepy, its not like that at all. Its a very emotional movie, both up and down, which is an entirely different thing. There are scenes in this movie that are so moving and touching and inspiring that it’s hard to find the words for its true greatness. Why this film is overlooked, I have no idea. I would put this movie into any list of '10 greatest films of all time'.
'Ice cold in Alex' is the story of a WWII British medical team in the North African Desert. The crew of this ambulance is cut off and finds themselves behind enemy lines, but the real enemy in this film isn’t just the Germans, its the desert itself. The Doctor of the Ambulance repeatedly uses the inspiration of getting through their troubles and having a “Cold drink in Alexandria” as a motivator to keep the crew going as they do everything they can to stay alive in the hellish world of the North African desert in during wartime.
This is a quiet English movie where there is barely any mood music and most of the key scenes have no spoken dialog. It’s a movie about desperate people, but the most moving scenes are performed in absolute silence. There are two scenes that come to mind. The first the ambulance has to be winched out of the bottom of a gulley up the side of a cliff, which requires an act of superhuman effort to accomplish and you wonder how they can accomplish this task with the decidedly non-mechanically minded folks that are assigned to the ambulance. You are taken step by step through the process of moving a large truck up shifting sands and it’s a very, very tense scene.
The second scene is at the end of the film where you are finally allowed to see the actual “Cold drink in Alex”, and its absolutely breathtaking when it finally appears on the bar, a cold pint of beer, glistening with condensation on the outside of the glass. You react to it the same way as that the characters in the movie. It’s a great scene that you wont soon forget.
It’s rare to find a film that even mentions the Berlin Airlift, but this film is actually about the airlift itself. Filmed just after the Berlin Airlift, This movie shows post war Berlin, Germany and the German people themselves as they once were not so very long ago. This is a film about a country shattered by the effects of war. This film is not made up of movie sets and special effects; this is the real thing. It’s a movie and a story about the men who flew in the miracle of the Berlin Airlift and the people they were helping to survive, people who just a few years earlier were our enemy.
Sure, it’s a movie, but to me it’s almost like a time travel experience to a period of history that is slipping away from our collective memory. The film is shot at a time when the Cold War was just getting started and it was all far from known how things would eventually turn out. It’s hard to get Americans to understand that there was once a devastating war in Europe that killed millions of people. Today if you say “Europe” people hear “Vacation”. But not all that long ago, “Europe” meant deprivation and destruction. This film shows that in deep detail.
Watch the credits and you will see that many of the characters in the movie are actual veterans of the Berlin Airlift.
A Matter of Life and Death (or ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in the US)
This film is really hard to find, but if you can find it, watch it and you won’t be sorry. Its pure fantasy, but it’s a real blast. David Niven plays a British bomber pilot named Peter who is flying a mission where he and his crew are shot up pretty bad. As her prepares to leave the aircraft, he informs the ATC operator that he has no parachute and will surely die, that his crew are all dead and the aircraft is on fire. The ATC operator is an American woman who is played by Kim Hunter **. They talk for a moment and David Niven jumps out of the plane into the fog to his ultimate demise.
And here’s where it starts to gets weird. After he jumps from the aircraft into the fog, he then appears on a English beach, standing in his flight gear and apparently none the worse for wear. It seems that as he jumped from his burning aircraft, his “conductor” to heaven missed him in the fog, so he has been returned to earth by error. As he walks along the beach a bit stunned to find that he’s still alive, June, the ATC operator he was talking to before he jumped finds Peter walking on the beach and of course, they both fall instantly and madly in love. (ah, Hollywood...)
Ah, but here’s the problem, Peter died. He’s not supposed to be walking the earth, he supposed to go to his great reward. His "conductor" whom only Peter can see, keeps trying to get Peter to go on with his mission; not in a 'menacing ghost' kind of way as you might expect; because as the “heavenly conductor” is actually a foppish French aristocrat who was killed during the French Revolution. Its hard to menance anyone dressed like that, with that kind of accent. However, being dead isn’t Peters only problem. Since his accidental return he’s fallen in love with a woman and that just gums up the works for Peter and the poor “Heavenly conductor”.
As a result, Peter must undergo a trial for his life in Heaven to determine whether he is to live or die.
Its funny, it’s touching, it’s instructive and in a way it’s timely as one of the key plot points in the film is the nature of US and British National relationships. Peter, a British pilot, June an American WAC and the Judge in the trial for Peters life is a Parson killed in the American Revolutionary War, so he’s got a bit of a bias against the English. The Jury is made up of the dead of the allies of World War II and his Attorney makes a special sacrifice to argue for Peters case.
This is a Russian-Italian movie about the ill-fated expedition by Italian Admiral Nobile to fly an airship over the North Pole. Peter Finch plays Nobile, who every night conjures up the ghosts of men and women who were part of the disaster on the ice and they in essence put him on trial for his errors. Some absolve, some accuse and some forgive, but history has the final verdict to the life of a man, who once was great, but is now mostly forgotten.
It’s an interesting movie, but I loved the movies approach to a man putting himself on trial by summoning the ghosts of his past. I’ve replayed the closing scenes of the movie in my mind several times as it serves as a warning to those of us who take things in their work as being far more important than they really are. Sometimes, things are just beyond your control and no matter how you plan or how good you are, things can and will go terribly wrong.
Sean Connery is in the film, playing arctic explorer Roald Amundsen. Amundsen was not a big fan of Nobile, but Amundsen disappeared on a rescue mission to find him which makes you think about the role of a man in the process of fufilling his duty and how that sometimes works with fate and destiny. They have a most interesting dialogue at the end of the film.
The Hill
It’s Connery again, only this time its in the Libyan Desert and not the Arctic. The Hill is set in a British Military Discipline Camp in Libya the 1950’s. The Hill refers to a form of punishment for the likes of men like Connery, who have ran afoul of the rules of military discipline. The movie has almost nothing to do with the military but it does have a lot to do with the nature of oppression and the abuse of authority to further the careers of weak men.
“We're all doing time. Even the screws.” is the key line of the movie, and it’s uttered by Connerys character. In his characters view, all men are the same, but to the authority figures who run it, that’s exactly the kind of thinking that needs to be beaten out of him and the rest of the prison population to bring them back into line. Ossie Davis plays a prisoner who shows us all how to stand up against the ‘little men’ of the world.
The Best of Times
I grew up in the Central Valley of California. No one sitting in the snows of the northeast says to themselves ‘Gosh, when I get out of high school, I’m moving to Sacramento, because people out there are so damn cool”. People think of California as palm trees, movie stars, and beaches, but that’s only about 5% of the State. Most of us live in the other 95%, the part that they don’t make movies about. This movie is about the other 95% of the State thats been my home for most of my life.
'The Best of Times' is about a couple of aging high school football stars in the part of California that no one knows much about, down in the southern end of the valley, in Taft and Bakersfield. Yes, these are real places. You might have heard of Bakersfield, but you probably never heard of Taft. These are two towns in the Oil fields. (California has oil? Oh, say it isn’t so!) These are rough working class towns with no particular Hollywood style values at all. I’ve been down there many times and I love it. Taft that is, Bakersfield?, BAH!
Robin Williams plays a ‘butter fingered’ end receiver who drops the one pass that might have allowed his team in Taft to beat the perennial winner in the comparative rich town of Bakersfield, which Taft has only come close to winning on that one game in all the years they have played against each other. Kurt Russell plays his best friend who is also the Quarterback who threw the pass that was dropped by poor Robin. Years later, Robin is a manager of a Bank owned by the Bakersfield “big daddy” and high school football sponsor. “Big Daddy“ is also Robins' Father-in-Law, who never fails to remind Robin of the big flop in his football career and the end of the one shot of potential glory for Taft High School. Robin lives obsessed with “what might have been” and is always replaying the fateful day, only to find that in the end, he’s the guy that dropped the ball, as everyone in his life constantly reminds him.
Kurt Russell, who was arguably the best quarterback that Taft ever had, has fallen into hard times, working at a small auto-repair and Van painting business, his dreams of football stardom ended due to an injury after the famous “dropped pass”.
Robin eventually gets into a bet with his overbearing Bakersfield father in law. The bet being that the old Taft team could actually beat the old Bakersfield team. Robin and Kurt then begin work to gather the now middle-aged men of the Taft team into one more try to beat the now hated Bakersfield.
This is a sentimental favorite for me. I love the scenes of backwater California and redemption of a middle aged man through the game of football with his friends.Oh, and Holly Palance drives me wild.
Watch and Enjoy.
** - Yes, It’s Zira from ‘Planet of the Apes’ you nerds…
Posted @ December 13, 2006 06:03 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (3)
Enter the Saudis
1) VP Cheney goes to Saudi Arabia.
Comment: Few people notice the significance of this since everyone is hyperventilating about the media decoy operation called the “Iraq Study Group”.
2) Out of nowhere, Saudi Ambassador to US resigns and returns home.
Comment: Unlike the western world who put people into ambassadorships as a part the long held traditional practice of political payoff, Saudi Ambassadors are members of the royal family. In their case, the Ambassador is the local representative of the King.
So why resign? Surely it wasn’t to “spend more time with the family”. Perhaps some unpleasant information came to light that roving ambassador Cheney gave to the Saudi King. One thing is sure, the King wants a different voice in Washington D.C. for some reason. A different voice means a different piece of sheet music if you ask me.
3) Saudi King announces that the ‘Arab world is ready to explode”.
Comment: Why now All of sudden? Now, after everything thats happened has happened its ready to explode? Lots of people have been predicting the rise of the ‘Arab Street’ but most of them are people who have only touched sand at a Hawaiian beach, so when the King of Saudi Arabia says “Arab Street Ready To Explode” it gets my attention.
4) Saudi Arabia announces support of Sunni Iraq.
Comment: You know, The Saudis have been so quiet in regards to Iraq, I almost forgot they were in the neighborhood. You hear more from China on Iraq than you do the Saudis. This seems very significant to me. Which makes me think that everybody has been speculating that “Israel should take out Iran”, so what if Saudi Arabia stepped up to the plate instead?
Why? Means, Motive, Opportunity.
· Saudi Arabia has a capable US trained Military – Means.
· Saudi has the funds for a large scale military operation – Means.
· Iran is Shiite, Saudi is Sunni - Motive.
· Iran and Saudi are long standing enemies - Motive.
· No one wants a nuclear armed Iran less than Saudi Arabia. – Motive
· Being invited into Iraq by Sunni leaders makes the control of Sunni Iraq part of the Saudi national self-interest. Saudi Arabia isn’t going to hesitate to say that Iran is killing people under Saudi control and then “do something”. – Opportunity.
· By stepping into Sunni Iraq, Saudi Arabia has a front line with Shiite controlled Iraq, which is rapidly becoming a proxy for Iran – Opportunity.
Stay Tuned.
UPDATE: Further details and speculation can be found here.
Posted @ December 13, 2006 10:22 AM | Current Affairs | Comments (18)
Fine. Let’s just get it out of the way now shall we?
I can’t stand the fact that its 2006 and people are already blabbering about the 2008 Presidential election. It’s like being around sports fans in the off-season. It’s pointless and it doesn’t reflect reality even a little bit, but that doesn’t stop them from talking about it anyway. Blah, blah, blah, blah, fricken blah.
So its in that spirit that I do a little ‘Self-Q&A’ ala Dean Barnett.
1. Let’s start with the big one first – Hillary! Will she run? And if she runs, will she win?
Hmmm. That’s a tough one. “Is Hillary running for President”? Gosh, it’s really hard to tell. She’s never really shown any interest.
Of course she’s running you ninny. She’s been running for President since 1968, her alarm clock plays “Hail to the chief” as wake-up music, her pee-chee folders are covered with doodles that say “Madame President” and “Mrs. President” and “Command-HER in Chief” over and over in obsessive teenage girl scribe with big frilly hearts and ponies. So on to the next question:
Will she win?
In my opinion – no, and most decidedly no. Since 1989, its been Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, so I think the last thing that people are interested in is tacking on another 8 years of Clinton to the end of that chain. I think that’s why we saw the ‘trial balloon’ last week saying she would be “President Rodham”. My biggest reason for thinking that she cant win is fundamentally based on this simple fact that “She” is not “Him”. People hear “Clinton” and they think “Bill”, and they usually don’t think about her one way or the other. She gets a lot of movement in the polls until she opens her mouth and reminds people once again that “She” is not “Him”. She’s “Hillary”, he’s “Bill” and they are decidedly different people and there is no getting around that. “He” – Polished practiced politician of the highest order. “He” - can walk into a room of people carrying pitchforks who want to ‘tar and feather’ him and inside of a half hour those same people will be shaking his hand and asking for his autograph. “She” - gives solemn illustration to the term “harpy” and so effectively denigrates the term with her rather scary visage that the “International Working Coalition of Harpys and Crones (local 142)” have gotten together a legal fund to sue her campaign for stealing their act. “He” - has a nice relaxing way of talking that makes you want to listen, even if you don’t like him and you think he’s a fraud (as I do) . “She” - has that practiced, pinched, politician speech cadence that most nervous politicians pull out for the cameras because they think in their vanity that what they are about to say is going to be captured for posterity and they want it to sound really, really important, even if what they are saying is just “ I want a ham sandwich”, it comes out like “IIIIIII WWAAAAANNT AAAA HAMMSSANNNDWIIICCHH…(wait for applause to die down, pound on countertop with fist, point at audience with thumb on top of fist, look at notes, check microphone, get misty eyed…). This might have worked in the age of the “newsreel” but it doesn’t work at all in the age of the ipod. She needs to lighten up more than she can safely afford to do or is willing or capable of doing. She’s as uncomfortably awkward in public as that picture of Nixon on the beach in formal dress shoes.
The third reason is that I think we live in a 48/48 electorate. 48% of the electorate will vote for whomever the Democrats put up there, and the other 48% of voting Republicans will not. It’s the other in-between, uncertain group, who I call the “Heisenberg” bloc of about 4% of the electorate that throws the election one way or another. This is not a third party, this is not the 'rise of the libertarians', but the roughly 4% of the voting electorate that is impossible to measure or gage and you just can never tell one way or the other which way they are going to vote until its over, and even then its hard to get a sense of what is going on. I suspect that’s because even they don’t know until they actually vote. I think Hillary08! has about 42% of the Democrats locked up and the funny thing is she doesn’t need to spend a dime to get their votes, but she will anyway. I think she will have to claw for the other 6% but I think the ‘Heisenberg bloc’ is not having any of it. They saw her goods in 1992 and when they did, they gave Congress to the Republicans in 1994.
In the end, she will be the single biggest fundraiser for the Republicans since Lincoln or Eisenhower, but she will not win the general election for President. For a lifetime of effort she will note only an asterisk next to her name. In the words of Zathras; “she is not the one”.
2. Barack Obama. Big deal? Or flash in the pan?
Ok, I’ve said that Hillary is going to run, but not win, so what about Obama? I think that the one thing I see in this election is a sort of 1976 vibe going on. People are really,really,REALLY interested in anything “new”, no matter how silly it might be. I think the Obama ‘boom-let’ is a serious indication that the real thing that a candidate needs to win this election is the ability to say "that they haven’t been around, and that they aren’t quite sure what all the fuss is about because its such a sunny day and why don’t we all go down to the beach and throw the Frisbee and drink lemonade for the day and forget all this fussin’ and fighting..."
The “Obama-phenama” we see going on comes out of that vibe. He is a nice man with a big smile and a reassuring demeanor and rather than potentially being called a racist by asking him big “meenie” questions, everyone is going to be very nice to him in public and don’t want to go making the nice man upset with any sort of well you know “impolite political questions” like we ask everyone else. However, his biggest supporters will drive their cars with OBAMA bumper stickers to the polling places, and vote for Hillary. Don’t think that will happen? Ask all those Democrat folks with the goofy Orange “DEAN” knit caps who it was that they voted for in 2003 in Ohio. They loved Dean, worked for his campaign, and then voted for Kerry - Big time. They feel good about Obama, but they aren’t stupid and just as they did with Howard Dean, they will say one thing and do another. Obama makes people feel better, but he hasn’t closed the deal and frankly he will have to put together a real “A-class” team on the ground to even get close to doing that. It’s my guess at this point that pulling that off is going to cost more in time and strategy than he can effectively do in this particular run. He’s a good, safe VP choice if he doesn’t pull a real boner out on the campaign. If he survives this process, doesn’t embarrass himself, and gets a few more fencing scars, maybe next time, but certainly not this time.
3. What about the Republicans? McCain? Newt? Giuliani? Romney? Rice?
McCain? No chance. Well ok, there’s always a chance, but no matter how well it goes for him, at the end of the day, you have McCain to step right in and ruin it for him. He’s like the cranky uncle that you like but you don’t sit next to at Thanksgiving because he will start talking to you and then forget to shut the hell up once the food is served and no matter how much you try to get him to stop talking about having his colon polyps removed, he will just keep getting louder and louder because he just cant take the hint. I submit the idea that Senators almost always make really, really bad candidates for President. McCain doesn’t smile, is cranky, and frankly I don’t think he’s a particularly good campaigner. He tends to be very unlucky, and luck comes in real handy on a campaign. McCain is perpetually walking across a nicely mowed lawn, only to step on a rake and getting the handle violently slammed into his face.
Newt? Oh good lord. Get the hook already. Listen, I like the guy, but you talk about people who are walking-talking “Bullet Magnets”, there’s no better version of that in politics than Newt Gingrich. I doubt Newt could win a Senate Seat in Georgia much less the Presidency. Move along folks, there’s nothing to see here. Go get your jollies somewhere else, this isn’t going to happen.
Giuliani…Hmmmm… Well I like him. If there’s anyone left who still has there “halo” from 9/11 its Rudy. He also has the smile, and yes dear cynical reader, it does count. I can’t exactly tell if he really is running or what his intentions are, but I think he could be a very serious contender for President. He can get a good solid percentage of the Republicans and frankly a solid block of the Democrats and I believe that “Heisenberg bloc” would look favorably on him as well.
Rice? VP maybe, but I think she’s probably finished with this line of business. This period of history has been a real meatgrinder for anyone but for the Bush administration, its been a real long road; to expect that she would want to step right back into this at the top level is just too much to expect. She also fails one of my fundamental tests, that being a successfully campaign and term in office somewhere before the Presidency.
Romney. If being a successful Republican Governor of “Kennedy Country” doesn’t qualify you to run for President, I don’t know what does. I don’t think the “Mormon question” will be anything at all to worry about, but the press wont shut up about it no matter how much we fail to react. I’m watching and listening, so far, I haven’t seen anything that pulls him away from the pack.
4. What are the Republican chances to keep the Presidency this time?
If the Democrats in this legislature are complete clods as I expect that they will be, I think the chances are very good. The 2006 election served as sort of a pressure release valve for the Republicans, now the pressure to deliver is on the Democrats and frankly their black beasts are going to be hard to feed while ‘making nice’ across the table to the Republicans who flipped in this last election. They can’t win if we don’t let them. If the Republicans give into the sort of “my turn” mentality with McCain that they did with Dole in 1996, then their chances are not very good. If they read the electorate correctly, if they manage to speak clearly their intent, and for heavens sake, hold the Democrats accountable to their record over the next two years, they will do fine in all three branches in the next election. There is no better case for Republicans in charge than watching the Democrats at work.
5. What are the Democrats best chances to win?
Hillary-Obama. This is a good package for the Democrats. Obama insulates Hillary from the sort of assault that Lieberman just underwent from the far left. I think that is his best value to the Democrats at this point. Where she is a deep space gravity well of anti-charismatic particles he manages to counteract those forces with his own charisma, so you end up with nothing offensively negative or positive, just a sort of nice how-ya-doin middle of the road power couple out to run the most powerful office in history of mankind. that’s all, no big. It’s very a very daring paring of policy and PR, and its very fresh and new, but its doomed before it starts.
Oh, and John F. Kerry? Like the Titanic before him, that ship has sailed. I hear he’s doing Dinner Theater out on Cape Cod as the Ghost of Jacob Marley in the Narragansett Housewife Players’ production of “Scrooge”. He gives a monotone, yet Dr. Seuss-like rhyming 2-hour lecture to Ebenezer Scrooge on the role of the Supreme Court in determining the price of corn in Nebraska while playing a slide show of his tour in Vietnam in the background; which Scrooge and the audience considers to be a fate that is “worse than death”. 9 out of 10 performances of Scrooge by the Narragansett Housewife Players results in the actor playing Scrooge running from the stage in sheer terror. "John Kerry IS the new Max Schrek", says the playbill. You just can’t buy that kind of publicity.
6. Anything else?
Yeah. I can’t stand this modern obsession with politics. Can we get back to following sports for entertainment instead of watching the lifetime careers of the kids who couldn’t cut it in drama class in high school? I wished we followed the world of science with as much interest as this crap.
Posted @ December 12, 2006 05:52 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
US bugged Diana's phone on night of death crash
What I want to know is; "Where was Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld in 1997 and why did his regime see the need to go back in time to bug Dianas phone?
Posted @ December 09, 2006 10:05 PM | Comments (1)
Jeane Kirkpatrick (November 19, 1926–December 7, 2006)
"When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies. They blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then they always blame America first."
- Ambassador to the U.N. Jeane Kirkpatrick.
Long before it was fashionable, Ambassador Kirkpatrick believed in victory of the west over Communism. At the time she said this, the world, the media and certainly the Democrats believed Communism would win over the west and that it was only a matter of time before what was surely inevitable would occur. Members of Congress were going to Nicaragua to make nice with communist dictatorships and undermining the Presidents Foriegn Policy as a way to make sure that we could make peace with our enemies on the best terms. We were giving up, ready to surrender in the face of the threat presented by the worlds Communist states. In many ways, the very same people advising today that we should talk to Syria and Iran also advised then that we should work with the Soviet Union to make the world safe. Others, like Ambassador Kirkpatrick thought otherwise. She was laughed at by the intelligencia, and mocked by Democrats as a stooge for that Idiot in the White House - Ronald Reagan.
Yet only 5 years later, the Soviet Union was gone, the Berlin Wall had fallen and the world awoke to a reality where Communism was not ascendant but finally seen by all to be the fraud that Ambassador Kirkpatrick and Ronald Reagan always knew it to be.
We do well in these dark times to remember that the future is always in motion and that a few determined and dedicated people can change the world for the better, for liberty, for freedom, for all mankind.
We shall prevail.
Posted @ December 08, 2006 08:17 AM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
The Other Hitchens
I'm a big fan of Christopher Hitchens, but I'm an even bigger fan of his brother Peter Hitchens. The book "The Abolition of Britain" is one of the best "culture" books I've ever read.
I was more than a bit happy to find out that he has a blog.
Read and enjoy...
Posted @ December 07, 2006 04:39 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
ISG: My first reaction
I've seen the report. I've watched the press conference. So, what do I think?
I think someone needs to throw an Second inaguration party for George H.W. Bush, because he just got a second term in office. Half of that adminstration is now strutting around Washington like its 1992 and they won the election. I'm also reminded exactly why the old man didn't get a second term. The word "wimp" cries out of today's zeitgiest like a wounded dog with its leg in a bear trap. Its eactly this sort of cowardace that caused us to go into Iraq and finish the job in the first place, yet here we are getting advice about Iraq from the said-same "play-it-safe" types that set the foundation for it all.
Nice work if you can get it I suppose...
Three million Kurds have just become this generations Czechoslovakians; a people who wished only to live in Peace and Democracy, who have been sold and sacrificed to the beast by the rest of the worlds Democracies on the hope that the beast will lose its appetite for the rest of us, once it is done eating the Kurds.
Once again we see that there is no victory in the field that our military can accomplish that our politicians cannot convert into a defeat solely for the purposes of getting more camera time on CNN.
Posted @ December 06, 2006 03:19 PM | Current Affairs | Comments (0)
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