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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Looks like we'll be in standing area. No
Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood's (as ever, tough but fair?, a hard outer misanthropic shell with morally superior filling) character, Walt, speaks in nothing but growls and racial slurs, even to long time friends. So when he comes upon some black guys while cruising his neighborhood in Detroit and the most famous slur of all never occurs to him, it's a chickening-out that only makes the rest of his grumping all the more unbelievable and pointless.
Unbelievable would be fine. Realism is not required of a film, but Eastwood always tries for it (or at least doesn't venture into any worthwhile fantasy) and fails in the goofiest ways. The boxer's family in Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby was just a little more cartoonishly evil than Walt's family here. The heartless greed of Walt's granddaughter asking for his car after he dies is some heavy-handed cheese that will not be outdone until the shot of Eastwood in his crucifixion pose complete with stigmata blood.
Our boy Clint keeps presenting these clumsy, preachy, ham-fisted, self-righteous hero/martyr death wishes with confidence. I blame Hollywood. I don't think anyone gives the poor guy an honest opinion. Take for example Roger Ebert's glowing review of Gran Torino in which he proclaims Clint Eastwood a star and then gives a plot synopsis. It's like a fifth-grader's book report on a biography of Angelina Jolie, but that's cool. We all have our weaknesses. I never saw a Dirty Harry movie so maybe I'm missing a loyalty to Clint that everyone else has. Of his films I've only seen Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino, but they both have: no real aesthetic value (and no, I'm not going to count the fact that Million Dollar Baby was in black and white), implausible characters, super cliché character development, and a story arc and resolution everyone sees a mile away.
What was the point of this movie? I believe Eastwood wants the world to be a better place, for everyone to do the right thing and to see beyond race and differences, but what is he doing? Does he really think he's capable of teaching the rest of us a lesson? What is it? This seems to be a conservative version of the liberal multiculturalism that we've been force fed for a while now. Does Eastwood think that we're missing the Republican half of the after-school-specials-as-film library? Art isn't a moral lesson and Gran Torino is not either. Three thumbs down. One for the film, one just for his song over the closing credits (yes, Clint Eastwood composes music now- and sings), and one for all the Hollywood sheep who love their industry's celebrities more than good movies.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Pre-Inauguration Celebration
We took in the pre-inauguration celebration today. So, we left Augusta at about 3:00am, picked a couple more people up in Columbia, SC, and then made it to Washington DC at about 11:00am. We found a place to park not too far from the White House, walked by the stands they had set up in front of the White House for the inaugural ceremonies, then kept walking down to the Lincoln Memorial. This was by far the largest crowd I have ever been a part of. As I posted earlier, the crowd stretched the length of the reflecting pool two hours before the event was supposed to kick off. We were near the front of the reflecting pond, but a big stage/bleacher thing that had been erected blocked our view. We were able to briefly see most of the performers as they walked off stage, but we were forced to view most of the program on the jumbotrons. Celebrities making appearances included, but are not limited to, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Pete Seger, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Shakira, Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Jack Black, Steve Carrell, Denzel Washington, dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
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<-- and this is where I passed out while typing this up.
I might get something posted tomorrow. If not, more will be posted Tuesday.
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<-- and this is where I passed out while typing this up.
I might get something posted tomorrow. If not, more will be posted Tuesday.
Text from DC
x_3mta3 says:
My pics aren't sending anymore! Its nuts. Crowd goes back i think all the way to end of reflecting pool. Maybe further. Still two hours til go time.
sent 12:29 1/18/09
My pics aren't sending anymore! Its nuts. Crowd goes back i think all the way to end of reflecting pool. Maybe further. Still two hours til go time.
sent 12:29 1/18/09
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Georgia Lawmakers Propose Divestment in Sudan
Democratic Rep. Tyrone Brooks and Republican Rep. Wendell Willard are sponsoring a bill in the Georgia House to pull public pension and retirement investments from companies that do business with or in Sudan. The bill was introduced in the Georgia State Senate last year by Republican Senator David Sharer.
From the Sudan Divestment Task Force:
"I approach the subject of divestment with a high degree of caution. I understand the arguments on both sides of the issue, and I am not dismissive of the concern about slippery slopes," Sen. Shafer said. "But I am persuaded that the atrocities being committed in Darfur are of such magnitude that simply doing nothing is not an option."
"Targeted divestment measures such as this helped end the apartheid policies in South Africa," Dr. Keisha Hoerrner, Darfur Urgent Action Coalition of Georgia chairperson, said. "While our citizens cannot take up arms and defend the Darfuri people in person, we can make sure that none of our key retirement investments are funding the genocide in Sudan."
Similar to targeted divestment policies adopted by 15 other states, SB 370 would require Georgia's public pension funds to divest from certain companies doing business in Sudan that substantially benefit the central government, provide no benefit to Sudan's citizens, and that have failed to address their role in facilitating Sudan's genocide.
With approximately $63 billion in total pension fund assets, Georgia's financial impact on the divestment effort on the Sudanese government would be substantial.
The Indecent Exposure Rule in Action
Augusta has recently considered and decided against criminalizing visible drawers. Watch this video of an Aiken County deputy stopping, striking, and arresting someone walking around not properly styled. (The officer was fired.) It's a look at how arbitrary arrests can be. And do we really need identification to walk around our neighborhoods, as the deputy demanded? Do we need our papers with us at all times? My boolean search in the Aiken County codes didn't turn up anything about citizens needing to carry identification or anything about underpants showing. (I tried "indecent exposure," "indecent," "exposure," "dress," and "underpants.")
Friday, January 16, 2009
Anonymous Comment on Cherry Tree Crossing
This comment was a response to my post about Cherry Tree Crossing.
I live in Augusta and grew up in the area where the incident took place and now I reside on the middle class side of town. I work with the youth in this area and talk to them regularly. I ALSO FREQUENT THEIR HANGOUTS AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE POORER NEIGHBORHOOD ARE PATROLLED DIFFERENTLY THAN THE OTHERS. I RIDE THROUGH THE POORER NEIGHBORHOODS AND SEE THE KIDS LYING ON THE GROUND BEING SEARCHED ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR LOITERING IN THEIR OWN AREA. WHILE THE WHITE KIDS SIT ON THEIR CARS PARKED IN SHOPPING LOTS AT NIGHT SMOKING AND DRINKING AND ONLY GET RAN OFF. BOTH GROUPS FREQUENT THE CHOSEN AREA, HOWEVER THE MINORITIES ARE THE ONLY ONES TO GET CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE NAMES, LOITERING, DISORDERLY CONDUCT, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE AND POSSESSION AS IS THE CASE WITH JUSTIN ELMORE. AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR THESE MINOR CHARGES A NUMBER OF TIMES, NOW YOU ARE CONSIDERED A CAREER CRIMINAL AS WAS JUSTIN ELMORE. THIS GUY NEVER RAN FROM THE POLICE WHILE DRIVING A VEHICLE IN OVER 10 TIMES BEING STOPPED AND ARRESTED FOR ANYTHING FROM DRIVING WITHOUT LICENSE. NO INSURANCE TO POSSESSION ALL OCCURRING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. HE ONLY GOT ARRESTED 1 TIME OUTSIDE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. HE WAS THOUGHT TO BE A DRUG DEALER BY OFFICERS BUT HE WAS NEVER CAUGHT SELLING DRUGS. IN GEORGIA IF YOU HAVE OVER 5 GRAMS OF COCAINE THEY CHARGE WITH INTENT TO SELL. THEY CAUGHT HIM WITH A LITTLE OVER ON EACH OF HIS INTENT TO SELL. THEY DID GET A CALL ABOUT GUNS AND DRUGS IN A STOLEN VEHICLE. THE CALL WAS ON ANOTHER GUY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND SAID THAT HE WAS IN A STOLEN VEHICLE WITH DRUGS AND GUNS IN IT. THE POLICE CONSIDERED HIM TO BE ARMED AND DANGEROUS AND THEY ALMOST CAUGHT HIM A DAY LATER IN A DARK SUV SIMILAR TO MR. ELMORE'S. a OFFICER ON THE SCENE WAS HEARD SAYING THAT THEY HAD THE WRONG TRUCK. EYE WITNESS STORIES DIFFER FROM THE OFFICERS STORY. THE WORD FROM INSIDE THE DEPARTMENT IS THAT IT WAS A BAD KILL BY SOME YOUNG UNDER TRAINED OFFICERS. Let's demand the tapes be shown in this case. Last they say the guy did not ram their car and only had his personal smoking weed in the car. Car was not stolen and no guns found in vehicle. The damaged tape shows that the under trained officers somehow managed to have Mr. Elmore on the ground and put him back in the car and that the officer that fired the kill shots put a gun to the head of the victims family member while throwing him to the ground and stepping on his back witness tell me. This was one scared young cop that never should have been placed in this situation by the Sheriff. Looks like bad news for Richmond County. We came together to fix the country by electing Obama, let's take another step and come together for justice for all people regardless of commits the crime. Let's also judge ourselves when we break God's laws as we judge people for breaking man made laws. I Pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Homicide of Oscar Grant
This probably shouldn't be seen except that it happened. Here is a video of the shooting of Oscar Grant in Oakland. He had been pulled off the train for fighting.
Here in Augusta we have an ongoing investigation of the fatal shooting of Justin Elmore by Richmond County deputies. My first time visiting Cherry Tree Crossing to ask about Justin Elmore, I was surprised that two big, young guys ran away from me. I understand fear of police, but I learned that there's mistrust of journalists, too. Residents of Cherry Tree Crossing tell me that the news distorts anything they say. Is there a problem with the news in Augusta?
Here in Augusta we have an ongoing investigation of the fatal shooting of Justin Elmore by Richmond County deputies. My first time visiting Cherry Tree Crossing to ask about Justin Elmore, I was surprised that two big, young guys ran away from me. I understand fear of police, but I learned that there's mistrust of journalists, too. Residents of Cherry Tree Crossing tell me that the news distorts anything they say. Is there a problem with the news in Augusta?
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