And the Oscar goes to...

It has been nearly a week since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for 2015 films in the next Oscars telecast on February 28.  This will be the 89th annual Academy Awards ceremony, the most prestigious and important night for the motion picture industry centered in Hollywood.  It also happens to be one of the few awards shows I tend to watch as much as I can: they easily run overtime.  So, what do I think of the nominations this year?

For the past three years, after Roger Ebert passed away, I have been attempting to see movies that I know will be excellent.  That fortunately results in getting to look at movies year round that are quite good and are easily Oscar caliber.  That is not to say there were some clunkers I saw this past year, but they were few and far between.  In this regard, I was able to see many of the nominated movies this past year; the most recent of which is the Lenny Abrahamson movie Room, which I highly recommend though it is not for the faint of heart.  A great deal of these movies that I saw have one thing in common:  the filmmakers and people involved with these movies are lily white mostly.  Half of the films I saw this year only had white people.  This was not a choice of mine; the fact is the bulk of what is considered best in 2015 were what we may consider white movies.  There are exceptions: the newest Spike Lee masterwork Chi-Raq, Straight Outta Compton, Creed, possibly Sicario, and I would surmise Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Those movies dealt with issues and people that are minorities.  Let it be known, I have not yet seen Quentin Tarantino's new film The Hateful Eight.

I want to take notice of Chi-Raq for a moment.  Any one that has seen Spike Lee's latest joint would immediately consider this not only among the best of 2015, yet perhaps Mr. Lee's most coherent and innovative movie in recent years.  I tend to think all of Spike Lee's movies, including recent films like Oldboy, are interesting and innovative.  By the way, I hope the three hour plus director's cut of Oldboy is released soon enough.  Back to Chi-Raq, it was a marvelous film; Teyonah Parris is a star in the making, Nick Cannon can actually act, and anytime Angela Basset, Jennifer Hudson and Samuel L. Jackson appear in a movie of this sort you know to expect some of the best method acting around.

And I watched it on Amazon Prime.

Yes, Amazon Prime.  Indeed, Jeff Bezos of Amazon teamed with Spike Lee's 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks along with Roadside Attractions in financing this film.  Rather than what would be perceived as a one time deal; online streaming and financing is going to be the future of how we view movies.  We are seeing this in the realm of American television, wherein Netflix, Amazon, Vimeo, YouTube, Apple and other providers are not only distributing shows; these businesses are financing newer talent and taking the risks to produce quality series that networks are not prone to carry.  As a result of the web's omnipresence, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmys) have allowed web shows to qualify for their respective awards.

Up to now, there has not been a need for the Oscars to look at this web presence.  However, that is going to change; what with Chi-Raq being shown on Amazon and Netflix co-financing Beasts Of No Nations, a movie I have not yet seen.  Rest assured, as the trend continues for most multiplexes to show only the movies guaranteed to fill the box office, more important and thoughtful films will be exhibited online first.  And I am sad to say, this will affect African-American cinema; notably non-action based films by African-Americans.  It is already a rare sight when a black culture film like Dear White People is able to be released to theaters nationwide, much less been seen willingly by white people.  I mentioned that when I saw that movie, which by the way also starred Teyonah Parris, there were about a dozen or so in the theater seeing it; maybe two people in there were white, including me.

This brings me to something that has been brought to my attention, along with others recently.  The membership of the Academy happens to be some 80% white, and 76% of that 80% being men.  The average minimal age for most Academy members is 60.  As well, as much as we do not like to admit this, nearly all Academy members have not gotten over the end of the New Hollywood era; that period of time when the studios and their parent companies allowed free reign in what movies were made. Thus, the voting members tend to look at awarding people from that time (1963-1993) or those that remind the voters of that time period.  A noble and understandable gesture; yet it has been 23 years since what I consider the end of New Hollywood, when Steven Spielberg changed course in his movies starting with Schindler's List.  I hope to explain why I think it marked an end of an era later on.

It is rather obvious that, in this post Roger Ebert, post movie house era of films, AMPAS will need to alter their membership and outlook.  There have been small steps recently, including Spike Lee receiving an honorary Oscar and Cheryl Boone Isaacs becoming the first female African American President of the Academy.  Yet those are just small measures; far more important will be issues pertaining to qualifications for movies shown online or on demand first.  This will go along with a greater emphasis on independent films and more avant garde choices.  Perhaps there will be a newer New Hollywood that can emerge.

That being said, what are my Oscar predictions?  Well in short, I thought the best movie of 2015 was the Tom McCarthy directed Spotlight.  Quite obviously, Spotlight is a movie that fits the paradigm of what New Hollywood represented, and has the ability to show risk taking in a blockbuster or nothing environment.  It is my hope that Spotlight wins Best Picture, Tom McCarthy wins Best Director, and Mr. McCarthy along with Josh Singer win Best Original Screenplay at least.  I would like to see Leonardo Dicaprio win Best Actor in The Revenant, and I do hope Brie Larson or Soairse Ronan win Best Actress in either Room or Brooklyn, respectively.  I have not yet seen the Charlotte Rampling movie 45 years, yet I do consider Ms. Rampling to be one of the more iconic screen presences in her lifetime.  I think Rooney Mara should win Best Supporting Actress in Carol, though I have yet to see the Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight which nabbed Jennifer Jason Leigh her first nomination.  Mind you, I did like Rachel McAdams in Spotlight.  And this might be a bit controversial; yet I think Tom Hardy is most deserving of a Best Supporting Actor win in The Revenant. Though of course, Mark Ruffalo is a great actor himself, particularly in Spotlight.

  Best Adapted Screenplay is a bit of a push: I liked what Emma Donoghue accomplished in writing her own screenplay to Room based on her novel.  I was also amazed at Adam McKay and Charles Randolph adapting Michael Lewis' book The Big Short into an impressive film.  Either one would be fine by me.  Best Cinematography should go to Roger Deakins who shot Sicario, though I would also think John Seale for his involvement with Mad Max: Fury Road would be a wise choice.  Best Editing should go to Margaret Sixel who edited Mad Max: Fury Road, though I was impressed with Tom McArdle and his approach to cutting Spotlight.  And I would like to see Carter Burwell finally win an Oscar for his musical score used in Carol.

There are of course other nominees and other categories to consider.  And I will be doing that in the week or so running up to the February 28 awards ceremony.  Right now, these are my inferences and hopes for who will take home the prize.  Just to let it be known: I will be watching and I do hope to either live blog the event or perhaps even record my reactions on video while it is still ongoing.  I commit to not delaying the live blogging like what happened last year; albeit that was also due to getting laid off from my previous job the day after last year's Oscars.  This time should be quite different.

One other thing I want to mention.  I am a subscriber to YouTube's Red paid membership site.  I am pleased that I can see content that otherwise would be restricted or ad driven on the free site.  None the less, I am hoping YouTube Red will be allowed to start streaming movies through the subscription service.  As of now, some movies of importance are allowed without paying extra.  Most of these films though are of this quality.

These are the sorts of films I watch when snow weekends are here.

One more week until the first primaries: stay tuned for my thoughts,

Robert

Anyone for Idiocracy, wouldn't that be nice?

Some 12 years ago, a retired businessman and budding novelist was in the process of revising his political thriller "Bush 2004".  His name is Dr. Lawrence Britt; the Doctorate was for political science.  As a result of what the world was seeing in a rightward shift that was increasingly war-like and nationalistic, Dr. Britt wrote an article in Free Inquiry magazine taking notice of totalitarian dictatorships and adapted t what was happening in the US.  The article, Fascism Anyone?, was posted and reposted to many different websites and was considered one of the defining political statements of 2003.

At its heart was what Dr. Britt considered the 14 defining characteristics of fascism.  Interestingly, it was found that the Cheney-Bush administration had enacted all 14 characteristics.  Although it would take another 5 years and the 2004 election to alter the course of leadership, people became aware of the growing nationalistic and fascist tendencies of the right wing in America.  And now it appears we are witnessing this yet again; this time under the rubric of the Republican candidates for President.  In particular, we focus on one Donald Trump; currently leading both the Primary and General Election polls (!).  So, does Mr. Trump and his people and travelers define the 14 characteristics?  Well let us have a look.

Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 
Well, the slogan for the Trump campaign is "Make America Great Again", which is also followed by massive generalizations of important topics.  The same goes true for many of the other Presidential campaigns in the Republican field, and some in the Democratic field included.  We see this often in campaigns and rhetoric that invoke the United States as being something it is not.  Any time I hear phrases such as "greatest country" and "freedom" applied to the US, I tend to respond in more thoughtful approaches.  In short, the US is not, has never been and could never be the greatest country.  Why is that?  It is because America is currently at war.

Disdain for the importance of human rights. 
This is shown in spades.  Donald Trump, along with many right wingers, have managed to alienate and belittle any and every person that is not a white rich man.  For myself, the Trump campaign has not shown even One ounce of dignity and support toward people with special needs, including individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and/or are on the Autistic Spectrum.  Indeed, we have seen utter ridicule and belittling when these issues are brought forth.  If this is how Asperger's Syndrome are perceived by Trump, other groupings are clearly given worse considerations.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 
The easiest sorts of scapegoats we have seen these past 14 years have been Arabs, Muslims, Islamists and Middle Easterners.  At any point a false flag occurs, Arabs are given the immediate blame, particularly by the Republican Party.  The knee jerk reaction these past weeks has been to tell any Muslim they are not welcome into the US.  Donald Trump has been the sole candidate mentioning this proposal; yet you can bet your sweet bippy that Every Republican candidate is agreeing to this, even if they will publicly be against such proposals.

The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
The political class on the whole have never met a war they did not want.  The Trump campaign seems intent on altering the current and future international policies of the US.  Shockingly, there are worse Republican candidates that feel war is the first option of foreign policy.  Rest assured, if we get a Republican president; we will be at war within one year of the election.

Rampant sexism. 
Each and every campaign for the presidency on the Republican side has espoused anti-abortion, anti-women and sexist rhetoric.  Donald Trump is obviously not someone that understands women.  Being on your third wife is a big giveaway.  This is to say nothing of espousing anti-abortion views that would easily reverse 100+ years of women's equality.

A controlled mass media.
We often hear that the mainstream media is liberal minded.  Well, for each liberal minded viewpoint, I notice two conservative viewpoints given longer time to be presented.  To provide a more potent example:  Sen. Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, may get a mention and some air time on the news channels if Sec. of State Clinton is on a campaign stop.  Donald Trump, along with other Republicans, will have an entire half-hour at least devoted to whatever speech they are giving; and if not a speech, news coverage will be devoted to live footage of Trump attending the opening of a napkin.  I would not be surprised if some form of payola among news organizations for access to the Trump campaign has been approved.

Obsession with national security.
An unfortunate rule of thumb present in ideal lacking campaigns is when your domestic policy is horrid or, worse, invalid; it is time to whip up the threat of the boogeyman luring at your front lawn.  I find it disgusting that a great deal of people willingly fall for this malarkey; only temporarily gaining their sanity back when their money runs out.  And as I mentioned before, it is easy to put blame on the other when the problem is and has always been the self.

Power of corporations protected.
Donald Trump has had the gall to put his name on most services and goods, including bottled water! While it would not be a surprise to see The Trump Organization expand in a Trump presidency should it happen, corporate expansion and claims of corporate person hood will be front and center in any Republican presidency.  What is worse is many of these corporations provide non-informational goods and services that only provide benefit for the corporations.  And none of these corporations give a flying fig about either you or me.

Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
The labor movement as it is now is rather fractured, as we see in unions and trade organizations splitting their endorsements for whom their leadership want to see become president.  However, it is certain not one of the labor unions will support a Donald Trump presidency, and with good cause.  Mr. Trump's business practices, or lack thereof, has caused stagnant wages and at least 5 businesses going bankrupt, while the Donald expands his riches.

Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Donald Trump currently leads the polling demographic in people willing to vote for him that were never university educated; to say nothing of those without a formal education of any sort.  Incidentally, a dumb person tends to be far more religious than a smart person.  Mixing those two, negative feelings arise when confronted with intellectuals and people involved in the arts; which also incidentally happen to coalesce as well.  I should know, because for someone that is on the Spectrum, I do happen to think of myself as an intellectual and a patron of the arts in the limited scope I may have.

Obsession with crime and punishment. 
This also extends to disdain for attorneys and simplification of laws and regulations to mere children's tantrums.  The sorts of laws that are in the likeness of "well, if I cannot do this, then Nobody can!"  Indeed, there will be an increase in people being charged for one thing while it is really for a matter of ignorant plebs wanting to be rid of someone that reminds them of their collective guilt.

Rampant cronyism and corruption.
With a name like Trump, we could expect nearly every member of the family to gain an executive cabinet level position.  Not only that, we could expect business people to be appointed to governmental offices or even downright elected who have no clue whatsoever about public policy.  As it is now, Donald Trump has no damn clue what he is talking about.

Fraudulent elections.
The votes and opinion polls are completely rigged for a number of candidates.  Donald Trump has been polling at the top of national polls since July, and it is usually anywhere between 27% and 40% of the vote.  Extend this to general election mode, and Donald Trump can pull off an election miracle at the last minute using e-votes and effectively buying his way into the presidency.  Sure, it could be done by all sides, and we have seen this time and again most recently in the 2012 election when both sides used e-voting tactics to inflate votes.  Yet, a man like Donald Trump with nothing to lose will stand to do anything to win a race and claim his perceived kingdom.

In short, of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism present in our lives; Donald Trump, his campaign, and much of the Republican field has sadly been confirmed to invoke all 14.

In a related matter, in the 10 years since Idiocracy was completed, some 30%  of Mike Judge's observations and inferences have come true.  This seems to be not a coincidence that we are witnessing a potential presidency of Donald Trump which may be just as problematic as a Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho presidency.

Knowledge will be our awakening.  Ignorance, and will ignorance, will be our undoing.  And yet, so few care about the ills and needs of our planet.

On a positive note for the moment, a worldwide treaty was drafted to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming.  We now need to initiate the next important step and have a carbon tax.  I say this because right now, it is night in the lower 50s in December.  December weather needs to be below zero with snow.  Otherwise, our children and their children will never know what Christmas was like.

I will be writing more sooner than later.  Indeed, I will have a lot to say on my favorite movies, music, events, TV shows, websites and books for 2015 as soon as can be.  Hope you are looking forward to these opinions, and you might be a bit surprised.

Say no to Trump!,

Robert

An update on last week's elections

Well, I would have posted this earlier, yet other matters came to the forefront.  Since then, while most in the US and the world were focused on the 2016 Presidential Race, in particular the Republican candidates Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson; actual elections took place.

As expected, Gov. Phil Bryant (R-MS) was re-elected: Mayor James Kenney (D-Philadelphia, PA) was officially elected: and possible Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) won the Jungle Primary with 39% of the vote.  I should point out that the Jungle Primary had actually took place on October 24; I mistakenly thought it was Election Day itself.  None the less, it looks like Bel Edwards will win the runoff on November 21, albeit the race is now tightening a bit.  What will happen to Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) afterwards remains to be seen.  I do think Sen. Vitter will remain in the Senate.

Although not a surprise, Gov. Matt Bevin was elected the Republican Governor of Kentucky.  Thus, Kentucky state politics is now mostly led by Republicans in a rather conservative state.

What I do want to focus on are the local elections that took place where I live in the Town of Oyster Bay, New York.  A fair deal of the incumbents running for a re-election bid were indeed re-elected.  It was not all bad; in Suffolk County, Steve Bellone, a Democrat, was re-elected County Executive.  however, Oyster Bay Republican Council members were all re-elected, and Republican operative Angie Carpenter managed to get elected Town of Islip Supervisor.  Yet, I had mentioned two important elections that were to take place last Tuesday, and did occur.

First and foremost, Madeline Singas, a Democrat, was fully elected Nassau County District Attorney against her Republican opponent, Kate Murray.  It was not even a close race; Singas won with some 54% of the vote!  It was obviously clear to a majority of voters that Kate Murray was uniquely unqualified to be District Attorney; and I could go on and name countless reasons why Ms. Murray had no reason to run.  Indeed, I am absolutely most ashamed at the endorsements from the leadership of Nassau University Medical Center, along with the policemen's unions in the region, that were full fledged in supporting Ms. Murray.  I can somewhat understand Rudy Giuliani's endorsement, as a statement of decreased relevance.

Fortunately, the voting public, and much of the New York papers, saw right through this flim-flam and voted for Ms. Singas.  This is a very pleasing vote.

Now, onto the Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor election.  It appears that Republican John Venditto, who also happens to be a medical doctor, was defeated for re-election by Democrat John Mangelli.  I say appears to be due to the fact that both Venditto and Mangelli received 50% of the vote, and Mr. Mangelli held a 68 vote lead.  This race, though, is likely to be protracted beyond reproach and might not be decided on until well after Thanksgiving.  That would be enough time for Mr. Venditto to bring forth absentee ballots showing a lead in votes for the incumbent.  However, I have been hearing that the absentee ballots came from within the town, thus Mr. Mangelli could also have his votes increase.  I am not surprised this came to be a close race; a changing of leadership usually does not involve a more clear-cut outcome.

In short, it appears that in some instances, voters in Nassau County, even in a record of low voter turnout, are welcoming a change in their leadership offices by electing Democrats to replace long standing and complacent Republicans.  For much of the rest of the country, not much has changed in the elections last Tuesday.  I would be rather shocked and stunned if the Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff is won by Sen. Vitter, although I am not expecting that to happen.  I will have a lot more to say on the Town of Oyster Bay situations soon enough.

In a related note, I am watching Sunday Night Football, and it is the Cowboys vs. the Eagles.  Cowboys Defensive player Greg Hardy is playing; a fairly alright player though like most athletes not a decent man.  I am seeing NBC Sports people condemn Mr. Hardy's abuse of a white female last year under a psychotic episode.  And yet, with one month to go until the NFL's day of reckoning (the release of the Will Smith-Sir Ridley Scott movie Concussion), NBC Sports is whitewashing the situation.  So has much of the NFL and its media people.  Dollars before people, bros before women, violence before reason, patriotism before intellectualism, and ratings before innovation.

But that's none of my business.




I do wonder what Jim Henson would think of this image popping up.

Talk to you all sooner rather than later,

Robert

Miscavige's Successor

 Recently, I have written my thoughts and concerns regarding the Church of Scientology.  I have noticed that since the release of the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear, the Church is now effectively in an crisis of its own doing.  Membership is down to 50,000 at best; and any attempts at smearing the whistleblowers have been met with needed ridicule.  I cannot say for certain if David Miscavige is about to have his religion be relegated to the status of outright cult.  I do however believe there has ben a successor religion to pick up where Scientology left off.  And indeed, a leader has already been chosen.

The religion I refer to is the Roman Catholic Church, and its leader(s) are Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger, retired/deposed) and most notably Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Brogolia, active).  It is Pope Francis and his leadership capabilities which I am concerned about. Now, people that know me know that I am considered a Catholic, having gone through all the official rites of church membership and living nearby an important diocese with offices in Rockville Centre.  Yet, I have not been to a Sunday Mass in quite a number of years, for quite a number of reasons too numerous to mention.  Indeed, if you were to press me on the issue, I would say Roger Ebert's memoir Life Itself explains best my antipathy towards the religious hierarchy.  It does not, however, mean I am in tune with Church doctrine; for one thing, I am pro-choice. Many Catholics sadly are not pro-choice.  As well, I am of the belief that a female can be just as important of a religious leader in the Catholic order as any male. 

Yet, those are only minor issues at this time.  My leading concern, and one I think is shared by many, is the intertwined relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and our secular world we live in.  In the two years since the installation of Pope Francis, the Church has seen a massive publicity campaign that did not occur for decades earlier.  What gets me is that not one year before, Alex Gibney had directed and produced a documentary regarding the abuses the Church has done to younger men; focusing mainly on those that were abused at a Catholic school for the hearing impaired.  If you can look for it, Mea Maxima Culpa was shown on HBO and might be found on Blu-Ray and DVD at Amazon. 

This push for a Catholic revival has occurred just under a decade after questions regarding the Church's financial properties and management of banking institutions came to the forefront.  As of today, the Church owns more property and businesses outright than what we can imagine.  In effect, membership in the Church does require a hefty frigging fee every time the collection plate gets passed during Sunday Mass; the more you pay, the more you get to obtain their version of Clear, or perhaps OT VIII. 

So for me, I have a problem with a religion that demands your money for their wisdom.  Yet you know what else; I am deeply aghast at the child abuse that goes on with younger men.  My disgust has been with me in that regard for some two decades, after seeing the Canadian TV miniseries The Boys Of St. Vincent.  I remember it only aired a few times in the mid 1990s on A&E in the US; yet I did find a decent web transfer of the complete 3+ hour miniseries on a Japanese hosted video site.  Here is the link at the bottom of the essay.

I post the link only because there is not a way to embed the video on this site.  None the less, it is downright disturbing, and on a different note it is still Henry Czerny's most iconic role. 

Even with all that has been mentioned, I am concerned that the Roman Catholic Church is on a path of obtaining world political leadership.  We may not have seen this in our lifetimes; yet it was not that long ago in human history that the Church was the globalist order in this world.  For hundreds of years, particularly the Middle Ages and Dark Ages prior to the Renaissance and even afterward, Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchesses, Princes and Princesses, Military leaders and Civilian leaders, Legislators and Judges alike, all bowed down and pledged their allegiances and lives to the Church.  Whomever was Pope had final say on all social, political, economic and war decisions.  Clergymen gave their opinions and statements on issues; and governments were set forth to do the deeds of the Church.  This began to thaw slowly but surely with the German Lutheran Reformation, along with the establishment of the Church of England and Anglicanism. 

Now, under Pope Francis' leadership, more so than in any other time, the Catholic Church is now seemingly the final arbiter and ruler on all matters relating to mainland Europe.  Interestingly, that includes Germany; whose Chancellor, Angela Merkel, might not have been re-elected had not the Pope endorsed her and her Conservative minded party.  This order, for instance, that all Catholics must house the Syrian refugees in Europe seems more akin to a forced political maneuver rather than a recommendation.  I, for instance, would not be too certain to house a refugee, for reasons too varied to list here.  It now appears that the Church now dictates policy in Cuba.  I do not believe this was ever the intention of the Castro brothers when the 1959 Revolution took place. 

This public relations program the Church is now engaged in seems to the layman a good and decent success; if only one considers the public humbleness and more liberal minded attitudes and beliefs Pope Francis espouses.  But you see, that is the problem with Pope worship; only in the last year have Catholics overall been willing to accept LGBTQ people, for instance.  Just because the Pope says so, Now they can accept.  Well, I and many of my family and friends accepted the LGBTQ community long before it was considered cool to be accepting these groups of people.  In fact, so did many others become supporters and advocates of LGBTQ individuals prior to 2014.  I never needed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI or Pope Francis to tell me When to accept the LBGTQ community.  I do have a brain and use it regularly.  Nor do I then or now need a Catholic leader to tell me to support their agenda regarding their anti-abortion and anti-contraceptives dogma.  To me, being pro-choice is being pro-life; for I choose the life of the female rather than the implied life of a fetus.  As I have often said, our birthdays do not come on the anniversary of the date when our parents "did it". 

And yet, after this trip to Cuba, Pope Francis will make his way to the United States and will pretty much dictate the lives and beliefs of some 69.4 million Catholics; this includes Jeb Bush.  I often half jokingly wonder if, say in Washington DC or in New York, the Pope says a command like "eat a stick of butter" and many though not all would do it in fear of being excommunicated if refused.  Again it is a joke, and I know some may be saying to me "well Robert, if your favored political figure or celebrity said it, you would do it too".  No, because there is a difference.  They are not religious leaders and thus if I choose not to eat a stick of butter, they cannot force me to do otherwise.  A religious leader, such as a Pope or Cardinal or Archbishop, has this unique sway in allowing people to do things just by saying "Do It".  So if Pope Francis goes up on his pulpit and tells Catholics to vote for Jeb Bush or any other candidate beholden to the Church; I am concerned these fellow Catholics will be like lemmings willingly falling down to their premature grave. 

Well, now that I have made my concerns known, I would like to hear from you.  I have noticed that while I am getting page views, something seems to be wrong with the comments and interactivity.  Do any of you fellow readers have any suggestions?  I do have a Facebook page, search keyword Robert Kelly.  You can mention your concerns there, or even here if possible.  Might I need to change the website to a new server or hosting platform?  It does get a bit lonely only talking to myself at times.  Let me know if anything can be done about this.  I would really like to hear your views. 

I end with a rather problematic yet pertinent question.  If you were invited to the house of any of these three people:

Pope Francis
David Miscavige
Robert Durst

Which one would be honest with you?  Well, for me there is no definite answer, except maybe a fourth opinion.  Choose neither and free your mind.

It is a TED talk, yes.  But since the other choices were David Icke (an acquired taste I know) or a song which sounds a heck of a lot like Queen Of The Night (Whitney Houston off of The Bodyguard), this will suffice.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Robert






http://www.56.com/w33/play_album-aid-9150379_vid-NTY5NDg3MzY.html

Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy.

This past Sunday night, while many my age and a number of others were watching the MTV VMAs in a year that did not honor the types of music you find on Fordham University's radio station; I was watching the concluding two hours of what I think is HBO's third important television event of the year.  The first two were the Andrew Jarecki documentary miniseries The Jinx and the Alex Gibney film Going Clear.  I could possibly add a third already in Andy Samberg's brilliant sports faux biography 7 Days In Hell.  Yet, this might have outclassed all three of them.

David Simon is clearly one of the most inventive writers and producers of TV out there today.  Show Me A Hero, a collaboration of ideas between Simon and his team along with noted filmmaker and Oscar winner Paul Haggis, is easily the best television program to have been shown this year.  It may not be at the same groundbreaking and innovative functions set forth in The Wire; yet this does come quite close in miniseries form.  Like many of Mr. Simon's projects, this delves in relations in a community in changing times.  However, this story told is one that is entirely true.

When Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was first elected to the US Senate in 1976, one of his goals relative to his home state of New York was to see implementation of housing for families and individuals with lower income levels relative to the norm in the state.  It was not until the 1982 election of Gov. Mario Cuomo, a fellow New York Democrat and political figure with a working class background, that Sen. Moynihan was able to have a statewide ally in housing plans.  At the time, New York was a state where there were an equalization between liberal minded areas and conservative minded areas.  Usually in the cities like Manhattan and the Five Boroughs, then as now, projects like public housing were given wide support. 

However, the suburbs and rural sections of the state were far more conservative and Republican oriented.  None the less, some of these enclaves like Long Island (namely Nassau County) were able to acquiesce to federal mandates for housing; willing to go along due to Republican Sen. Al D'Amato's approval of the projects.  A noted suburb that held out in initiating public housing was the Westchester County city of Yonkers.  Yonkers at that time, and now even, is a location for city dwellers without having to actually live in the city; that would include the Bronx.  Not making derogatory statements; just mentioning a fact that people who want to be close to NYC yet are not living there will prefer the housing locations in Westchester County as a more family friendly alternative.  Much of the demographics of Yonkers in the 1980s were for the most part well-to-do white families. 

That all began to change by 1987.  As a result of federally funded legislation to desegregate public housing, New York Southern District Court Judge Leonard B. Sand declared the city of Yonkers in contempt of court.  This was followed by an order to develop 200 housing quarters for lower income families in Yonkers' east side.  Many of the people living in Yonkers did not take this order lightly.  As I mentioned before, it was a predominately Republican community rejecting the more Democratic minded policies that needed to be done.  It is here that Show Me A Hero offers the stories and glimpses of many of these people who were either directly involved with providing the housing or were tenants for these projects.

Like many of David Simon's series, there is not one central person to look at when so many lives are intertwined.  Yet if there is a central figure, it would need to be Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasiscko, a Democrat who was elected to the city Council in 1985 at just 26.  Two years later, Wasiscko was elected as the youngest Mayor in the history of Yonkers at only 28.  In this miniseries, Oscar Isaac portrays Nick Wasicko in a role that were there any justice in this world he would have been given the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie straight away.  In some respects, Mr. Isaac shows us a multi-tiered look at Wasiscko that does not make him look like the second coming of a Lincoln or a Roosevelt.  In fact, Wasiscko was elected Mayor on a platform of rejecting the housing decision.  Yet, after Wasiscko's election, the City of Yonkers' appeal was lost. 

There is a line in the miniseries that Oscar Isaac says during one of the more raucous council meetings which I think sums up the need to press forward with the housing projects.  The line, "Majority rules but it cannot rule contrary to the law", does give the noted conundrum on how certain matters of law need to be accepted.  And admittedly, the first three parts of this miniseries might be found by non political people to be a bit dry; what with the emphasis placed on the city council as well as the federal circuit courts.  Yet, there are not too many movies or shows that relate to the inner workings of local government when it is usually the decisions of a town council or city ordinance that will directly affect the needs and desires of its populace. 

As I mentioned earlier, Oscar Isaac and his portrayal of Nick Wasiscko may seem to be the central focus of this miniseries.  Yet, there are of course many other actor involved that merit recognition.

Catherine Keener:  her portrayal of Yonkers resident and advocate Mary Dorman would also be worthy of at least an Emmy nomination.  Keener does not show up until part two; yet it is an interesting yet understated role that reflects Mrs. Dorman's evolution from being against the public housing initiative to becoming one of the few white homeowners outside of public office willing to become friends and partners with the African-American and Hispanic communities.  There is no dramatic epiphany or any sort of emotional outburst making the change known.  Rather, similar to the gradual evolution of characters we saw on The Wire (and I am particularly thinking of Andre Royo's brilliant Bubbles), the eventual reversal of ideals comes without forewarning and yet feels as if these ideals were already in the making.

Alfred Molina:  Molina plays Mayor Hank Spallone, whom defeated Wasiscko for the job in 1989 before Spallone himself was defeated two years later.  Mayor Spallone was a brash sort of political figure that felt more at ease with being the antagonistic pest, rather than running a city.  Mr. Molina is one of our greatest actors, and even in a kind of smaller scale role, when Molina is on screen, he owns the scene. 

Ilfenesh Hadera:  she is a newly minted actress that portrays Alma Febles; a single mother from Puerto Rico that would over the years become a success story in earning a decent living and providing well for her children and now grandchildren.

Natalie Paul:  another new actress who plays Doreen Henderson.  Ms. Henderson started out having drug problems which intensified after the death of a male companion in the inner cities (played by one of the kids from season four of The Wire; I think the one that played Namond.)  She did become a success story in effectively being the leading advocate for people living in public housing, similar to what Mary Dorman was for her community. 

LaTanya Richardson Jackson:  her portrayal of Norma O'Neal is rather interesting.  Ms. O'Neal was a nurse practitioner who eventually went blind due to diabetes.  She also was very much involved in matters relating to housing, yet did not fully integrate due to different forms of opinions with newer generations of civil rights leaders. 

Clarke Peters:  the important gem in any David Simon series.  Mr. Peters only shows up in the last two parts, yet it is his portrayal of Robert Mayhawk (possibly not an actual person) that provides the conscience and wisdom of the matters relating to housing and integration.  And like in previous roles, Clarke Peters has the lines which I think matter most.

Carla Quevedo:  her portrayal of Nay Wasiscko is quite important, namely as the eventual better half of the relationship.  I do hope we hear more from Ms. Quevedo to come.

There are of course other roles and many other actors to note for this miniseries.  Winona Ryder doing excellent work as Vinni Restiano, Jim Belushi in a rare dramatic role as Mayor Angelo Martinelli, Bob Balaban doing superbly as Judge Leonard B. Sand, Jon Bernthal providing some important ideals as NAACP lawyer Mike Sussman, Peter Riegert in the role of Oscar Newman that is an important insight into how housing plans are developed.  Dominique Fishback is another up and comer portraying young single mother Billie Rowan. 

I will have a second essay to explain a lot more on many of the interesting touches made to this miniseries.  Perhaps this one is quite long as is.  None the less, it is a great miniseries; one that I think should be required viewing for anyone involved with community services pertaining to local matters.

More coming; stay tuned,

Robert

PS.  I am liking the new Google logo.  And I am keenly interested in what Alphabet will bring to the table of new ideas.

Must I write about this again?

Earlier today, there was a shooting of two youngish news reporters and photographers from a local station in Virginia.  The victims' names were Alison Parker (24) and Adam Ward (27); two individuals whose lives were cut short without any concern for their futures.

The gunman was Vester Flanagan (41), better known by his reporter name Bryce Williams.  Mr. Flanagan, a fellow news reporter, was dismissed from his position recently after complaints regarding his work ethic and unfounded allegations of racism and homophobia.  You see, Mr. Flanagan was both an African-American and identified as a gay man.  This was not the first time accusations were made by Mr. Flanagan regarding fellow employees.  As a result of his dismissal, Mr. Flanagan this morning disturbed an interview Ms. Parker was doing and Mr. Ward was filming; by shooting Mr. Ward and then Ms. Parker and Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed live.  Fortunately, Ms. Gardner is alive, though in intensive care.  As for Mr. Flanagan, he live messaged and Tweeted his reasoning while being pursued by law enforcement.  He then died from what amounted to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  ABC News has obtained a copy of a 23 page statement from Mr. Flanagan which has not been fully released at this time.

I will have more to say on this shortly.  None the less, along with the obvious need for the banning of guns and automatic weaponry; we are going to need to provide mandatory evaluations for people under some form of distress.  Failure to do this could result in more of these tragic circumstances.  This needs to stop!

As I mentioned before, I will have more on my opinions when possible.  I just really detest saying the same reasonable idea yet getting a reply of "meh". 

Talk to you pretty soon,

Robert

A constant shame

Every person that gives a worth for their fellow human needs to see this CBS News Sunday Morning report.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-navajo-water-lady/

My apologies once again for forgetting to embed the video.  I will need to do a lot better next time. 

None the less, the continued negation and shaming of the Native Americans is resoundingly disgusting.  Not one other news organization has made mention of this problem.  Why is that?  Since it is rather late, I will have another multimedia essay on this issue at a date sooner than expected.  None the less, you need to see this; and then contemplate about who you are and what you have done for these people.  How would You like it if you could not afford clean water? 

Thank you for understanding,

Robert

The one sane choice

It may be hard to believe, given not many alive now lived or remember this time period. Yet, the 1980s were not halcyon days for the United States or even the rest of the world. If or when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman decide to do a documentary series about the eighties, I would expect people's perception of so called good times to be completely shattered. A great deal of the Republican mindset that engulfed America in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to a 1979 Address to the Nation from then President Jimmy Carter. Nominally, it was the 14th in a series of Addresses involving energy usage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakFDUeoJKM My apologies for not directly embedding the video; I am using Microsoft Windows 10 and its new browser Microsoft Edge. I will see if Chrome does things differently. None the less, the speech I linked to was and still is unique in that President Carter pretty much told the American people to stop blaming their leaders for their problems and start blaming themselves. What a concept: taking responsibility for one's own actions and thoughts! How it related to energy was effectively consume less and perhaps, maybe, turning off the heater once in a while and wearing an extra sweater. Well, within the next year, much of the American public rejected these recommendations for self preservation and much like someone being told not to do anything stupid; they tripled down on their stupidity and elected President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan era lasted a total of 12 long years. I think the only reason why it lasted this long was because it became clear, after the Iran-Contra scandal blew up in everyone's face, that an actual third term campaign for President Reagan would have resulted in a defeat. So in came George H.W. Bush to be President in 1988, retaining many of the Reagan brain trust without the public image of a failed leader. Four years later, and with the "Cold War" now extinct, the Republican Party, and with that much of the bipartisan bull crap in maintaining a "war" mindset, began to shatter immensely. I can remember those times; Dan Rather every night for a month in early 1992 introduced reports on a false and troubling U.S. financial economy. Lawrence Walsh, independent counsel investigating Iran-Contra, obtained grand jury indictments for key Reagan-Bush officials, and likely was going to indict both Presidents if possible. I do remember on Halloween Eve a re-indictment of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was obtained. It was also the year of the South Central L.A. Riots, among other social justice issues coming into view. Into this social political chaos emerged then Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas and by all accounts a Southern Centrist Democrat. And for the first time in 12 years, people were not only needing to hear the truth about their lives; they were willing to listen and make changes. If you need a visual aide on why the Clinton campaign and subsequent Presidency from 1992-2000 was successful; I would suggest watching once again the D.A. Pennebaker film The War Room, now a part of the Criterion Collection. Also of interest is Robert Downey Jr.'s opinion documentary The Last Party; though be aware this was when Downey was zonked out on booze and pills half the time. I have already alluded to and made note of the eight years of relative peace and security when William Jefferson Clinton was President. I, like you, are aware of what the past 15 years post-Clinton have been like. In short, apart from flashes of sanity within the Senate and the State Department, nothing good has come forward. You know, in only my second week as a student at Hofstra University, 9/11 occurred. One of my fellow travelers saw, like nearly all of us, the aftermath of the destruction and she said out loud "This would have never happened if Clinton was still President." And this woman, whose name I forget, was right. Indeed, there are certain times I play a what if game. That being, what if Bill Clinton decided to run for a third term? We know President Clinton would have easily been re-elected. Yet, as we know, a Clinton third term was set aside to focus on Hillary Clinton's 1999-2000 run for the Senate. She of course was elected. And I would say from that point forward, many of us that effectively were given the double deuce by the Cheney-Bush people, culminating in the 9/11 Inside Job, wanted to have the tide turn in favor of us once more. I had hoped Sen. Hillary Clinton would have ran for President in 2004. She did not, instead focusing on her 2006 Senate re-election bid. Fortunately after that election, Sen. Clinton began a process of running for the Presidency to which she was and still is entitled to I might add. In 2008, Sen. Clinton won the national Democratic Primary. Yet due to a myriad of reasons all found to be not worth my time, Clinton was barred from receiving the nomination in what amounted to a retread of the old back-room party bosses deals. We were left with then Sen. Barack Obama, the perpetual disappointment. None the less, President Obama was elected in 2008: the Clinton family's endorsement and a certainty for Sen. Hillary Clinton to be involved in the Cabinet was what sealed the deal for at least my voting for him. Yet Sec. Of State Clinton would not be in that title at the State Department for that long of a time. Sec. Of State Clinton left in 2012, which was followed as we see today of another Presidential run. Now, let me remind you I did vote for President Barack Obama again in 2012. However, I voted for Pres. Obama thinking that he would be defeated. It was more of an approval of the four years having gone by rather than the four years to come. We have seen though a continuation of a weak, egotistical, self-centered prick being a President more in line with wanting to be a celebrity more than anything. I do not know what a Republican presidency would have been like if one was elected in 2012. I sure as shit was not going to give the Romney and Paul people there fantasies. And I frankly have never liked Gov. Chris Christie; Now most people hate him, but it was not that easy being a lone voice at the time showing my disapproval on that lard. None the less, Pres. Obama winning re-election in 2012 assured a continuation of Democratic leadership for decades to come. We all were convinced after eight years of Obama there would be: Eight years of Hillary Clinton Eight years of Cory Booker Eight years of Chelsea Clinton Eight years of one of the Obama daughters. Well, now once again, there is a probability this will not happen. I have said before that Pres. Obama is actively seeking a third term. With the likelihood that he might lose, Obama and his people are setting up Vice President Joe Biden to fill the void. Interestingly, I think after Beau Biden passed away, there has been more of an incentive for VP Biden to run; fulfilling the last wishes of his son to have a Biden become President. I am not pleased with VP Biden running. This now means at least 8 Democrats are running for President! I expect Mayor Bill De Blasio to announce his candidacy shortly, and I am thinking there will be a Donald Trump equivalent for Democrats to consider before the year is out. My money is on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make a move. By the way, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out in support of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. So too has Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Indeed, most of the Senate Democrats and nearly half of all House Democrats are endorsing Hillary Clinton. Same goes for several Diplomats, a number of businesspeople and quite a huge list of celebrities. Go look at the Clinton 2016 page on Wikipedia for an ever evolving list of endorsements. Each of these endorsees have one mindset in common: they want their political party back to where it can be in being effective in its leadership and trustworthiness. In short, they want the 1990s back. As do I. In 2008, after being given the double deuce by party bosses, we were assured that President Barack Obama would promise us everything us Clinton Democrats wanted and even more. Apart from the four years of relative decent International Diplomacy, we have been disappointed in most areas. Even certain beneficial acts like "Obama Care" were compromised from its needed intentions. I for one will not be led down a path of abject disappointment and voting for style over substance, celebrity over leadership. Taking a page from the misguided fanatics Dr. Ron Paul still continues to have, albeit in a mercifully dwindling number; my choice for President, the Only Same Choice for President, is Hillary Clinton. Should Sen. Clinton not receive the nomination, even before the primaries, if possible I will write her name in. If a write-in is not possible, then I will vote for the Democrat; albeit it will be nothing more than a protest vote. Hillary Clinton for President 2016 or no one at all. Our lives may just depend on it, Robert

The unforgivable crime

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!"

- A phrase you do not ever want to say to your children.


In life, there are people that we look at and think to ourselves "well, thankfully we're not these people".  We tend to collectively think of ourselves as morally superior and normal, whatever that word means nowadays.  A lot of the time, these people we criticize are known celebrities; people that seem to get away with their obtuseness and asshole tendencies. 

Yet, we as a collective are not ones to judge these celebrities.  Many of them have children, some more loyal to their parents than others.  None the less, these celebrities that are parents do indeed love their children, and would do anything to protect them and/or advance their own endeavors.  How I see it, one could be a pig, a drunkard, a philanderer, a cheapskate, an Anti-Semite, a druggie, a prisoner, or even a complete piece of shit.  So long as they are loving their children and their children love them; there is hope.  Yet that hope ends when the unforgiveable crime occurs.  That crime being allowing and/or directly participating in the killing of their child. 

For Dr. William H. Cosby Jr. Ed.D, any sense of redemption ended on January 16, 1997.  It was on that day that his son, Ennis, was killed in cold blood while near the Los Angeles Freeway changing a tire.  I am convinced Ennis' father, Bill Cosby, allowed and authorized a hit and run murder on his only son. 

How can you say that, you might be thinking?  Look at the evidence and the lies and the deceptions Cosby has done in his 78 years of his life.  Particularly up to 1997, these infractions included:

Raping and drugging by force 40 or more females of all races and economic classes.

Forming a false image by being the white man's black man.

Dissing former co-workers and friends when felt convenient.  Among those include:
Richard Pryor
Sir Sidney Poitier
Lisa Bonet
Malcolm Jamal-Warner
Harry Belafonte
Flip Wilson
Spike Lee
Stevie Wonder
Denise Johnson
Arthur Ashe
Jimmie Walker
Sherman Helmsley
Janice Dickinson
Robert Culp

Having the gall and temerity to go on television and dis his own movie Leonard Part 6; even though he wrote the script!

Removing socially and culturally important African-American entertainment shows like Amos and Andy.

Looking down on fellow African-Americans who did not have $400 million in the bank.

Fathering an untold number of illegitimate children in addition to his 5 own children.

Using his comedy shows as fodder for his bad deeds.

Bilking Temple University for unseemly amounts of money.

Forming a hatred on all races while trying to be post-racial.

Subjecting his wife, Camille, to 50 plus years of physical, emotional and mental abuse.

And most importantly:

Being a lousy parent to his five children.  Bonus points for his disgust with Ennis and Erinn.

We know that of his five children, Ennis and Erinn were the most concerned and upset over the coming revelations of Bill Cosby fathering Autumn Jackson.  We know the both of them confronted Cosby early that January to tell him to stop his ways and force a settlement and acknowledgement of past deeds.  We also know that Ennis had plans to take measures into his and his sisters' hands in order to have Bill Cosby be treated for sexual addiction at the least.  Yet, of course, a person like Bill Cosby would have none of it.  Especially from Ennis, whom he had a tense relationship. 

It is where the above quote went from a threat to a promise.  It is where January 16, 1997 happened.  A white immigrant was hired by Cosby to make a contract hit on Ennis Cosby; starting with mucking up the car Ennis was driving.  It was followed by the most obvious sort of drive by shooting one could imagine.  And with that, Ennis was gone.  The light of the Cosby family; the one who could right the wrongs of his father, was no more. 

I remember months after Ennis' killing when the Autumn Jackson lawsuit was put into place.  It was then that I knew; Bill Cosby had his son killed to distract from the revelations of his two-faced fucked up life.  Why it has taken 18 years and an unsealed admission of Cosby administering Quaaludes to more than one female rape victim is something that boggles my mind.  Many think the statute of limitations have run out on any charges Bill Cosby faces.  Perhaps that is true for rape and drugging.  It is not true for murder.  And if I am not mistaken, full punishment according to California Penal Code Law pertains to Cosby's actions that fateful day.

Bill Cosby: You Killed Your Only Son.  Admit it to all that had once cared for you and looked up to you like I did.  And then be Punished for these crimes for all the remainder of your life.  When you do pass on, I hope Ennis is there waiting for you to send you on your eternal damnation in the hell you made for yourself.  Ennis Cosby deserves justice after these 18 years.  Let us all hope this vile being, for whom I am almost tempted to use the N word on, gets the punishment he deserves.

Love your children and you will find peace.  Talk to you all later,

Robert

Why have one when you can have at least two?

This is getting beyond ridiculous and is frankly becoming saddening and maddening.  Sen. and Sec. Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should have been given the coronation she deserves, which I hope is still probable given the recent Quinnipiac poll indicating Mrs. Clinton leading all possible Republican Presidential contenders.  Here is the big problem: not only are the Republican and Independent candidates piling up, so are the Democrats. 

Earlier today, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley threw his hat into the ring as another candidate running to the left of Sen. Clinton.  A proposition which is impossible given Sec. Of State Clinton is the most liberal candidate running in decades.  None the less, the clown car seems to be adding Democrats to the field when there should not be any other Democrats.  This includes President Barack Obama whom we know plans on running for a third term.  And to add another person, Sen. Lincoln Chafee who was initially a Republican that lost his senate seat to a Democrat (Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse) and two years ago became himself a registered Democrat; Sen. Chafee is also running for President. 

Holy shit.  Why cannot the political world and much of the real world accept the fact that for the last 23 years, we needed the Clinton family running us all?  When is it ever going to get to these opponents' head that nobody in any political and social ideal can ever return to a 1992 or earlier world mindset?  The 1980s era has ended.  The era where anyone that was not a conservative would be fucked over is never coming back.  What Ron Silver said during President Bill Clinton's inauguration ceremonies is true then as it true now.  The White House now belongs to us, the oppressed.  Look; people my age were never supposed to live this long.  If President Ronald Reagan and his people had their way; the world would have ended by 1983 or 1984 due to nuclear war.  Those that survived would be living in a Mad Max society, where people would ask "Who Killed The World?" 

President Clinton was able to end this madness if only a short while.  Sad to say, these last 15 years have been bad for the world and for us all.  We need Sen. Clinton to reclaim the throne and become the President she needs to be.  And yet, there is this sinking feeling that we will not be getting a Clinton return.  For anyone that relishes in the idea of sabotaging the much needed coronation; you should be shutting up before your problems get revealed.  I know I have mentioned Michael Rivero recently; the person who just will not get over his life being "ruined" in the aftermath of Vincent Foster's death.  To this I say to him: the check did not clear 22 years ago.  What makes you think you will get it now? 

For those not aware, when someone doth protest much, there is usually a hidden reason why.  If I am complaining about something that I might be doing in private; do not be surprised if when my secrets are revealed, I am looked down upon regarding my hypocrisy.  I may have more to say on this; though I do not think it is necessary. 

In any event, having too many candidates running for one office will negate the relevancy of being a President.  This may not end well. 

And just like the era of 80s excess has ended, the era of sitcom paint-by-numbers has ended.

Talk to you soon,

Robert

PS.  As I was finishing this essay, word came that Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and a potential Gubernatorial nominee, has died of brain cancer.  This is a very shocking event that I did not see coming. My condolences to the Biden family and his loved ones. 

Victimizing the Agressors

This past Memorial Day Weekend, I became aware of a verdict in a case stretching back 3 years ago.  For those not aware, On November 1, 2012, 43 year old African American Timothy Russell of Cleveland, Ohio and his girlfriend, 30 year old African American Malissa Williams; were involved in a high-speed chase by Cleveland Police Department cops over a matter which remains unclear to this day.  One thing that is clear; the couple was unarmed.  This did not stop 13 different police officers firing there guns at the couple, fatally shooting them 137 times!  One of the officers, Michael Brelo who is currently 31 and a white male, jumped on the roof of their car and shot the couple 13 times in the head.  Sadly, both Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams were likely dead already when the shots were fired.

This resulted in Mr. Brelo being charged with voluntary manslaughter in the couple's deaths.  It only took 3 years to reach trial and a verdict; because, as I and you know, the halls of justice are as slow as molasses.  None the less, it was thought that perhaps with the subsequent cases of police brutality becoming well known to us all; justice for the Russell and Williams families would prevail.  Alas; we should have guessed differently.  Using the now widely discredited "I was in fear for my life from these crazy people" excuse, which for some reason still holds water to low-information people; Mr. Brelo was found not guilty on all charges.  Accordingly, outrage, protests, arrests and calls for police reform have ensued.  We can only hope that Mr. Brelo, along with the other 12 cops, get sued in civil courts and be held liable for damages at the least. 

I initially had little to no plans on remarking on this verdict; you fellow readers know where I stand on these issues pertaining to police brutality.  None the less, two things irked me to respond.  First, this verdict was a judge's verdict; not decided by a jury of one's peers.  For a case such as this, a jury trial verdict is needed.  The second and more upsetting for me issue was Pat D'Angelo, Mr. Brelo's defense attorney, having an impromptu press conference which I feel was insulting and racist.  Insulting in that Mr. D'Angelo's remarks were of the "cops can do no wrong" variety.  Racist due to the implied words of perceived entitlement that should come to people like Mr. Brelo just because one thinks so.  Here is the press conference for you to decide.

Now I understand Mr. D'Angelo was doing his job and did it with a decision benefiting him and his client.  Yet, he is wrong; completely wrong in his opinions.  Mr. Brelo as far as I am concerned does not show law abiding tendencies due in no small part to jumping on the roof of a car and shooting off 13 rounds on his gun in killing a couple!  Were I to do that; you would not be reading this blog.  I am also deeply troubled by the implied statements that because Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams had mental health difficulties, that everything related to the incident was their fault.  May I remind Mr. D'Angelo this important distinction:  I do have Asperger's Syndrome.  Living with Asperger's, indeed living with any mental health problem, is the equivalent of having a full time job.  From my experience, it is well known that any person deemed with having a mental health problem is prone to effectively being marginalized because of our differences. 

This is, once again, a mockery of what needs to be deemed appropriate and correct justice.  I know many will think differently.  Yet, it is time to stop this incessant need to defend police officers even in times when defending them is asinine.  Again, I ask you: if you or someone you knew and loved were doing even the minutest of actions Michael Brelo did or any of the cops in this case; would You be walking away scot clean?  Would You be getting a pass because one said so?  I know I certainly would not. 

Good Night and Keep Calm,

Robert

Regaining the public trust

In view of the recent killings and charges brought forth by police officers; a wide array of people are wondering what can be done to ensure protection and justice are measured out evenly.  Personally, I am not too certain.  We are now reaching a threshold in which African-Americans will privately and publically state an axiom that is similar to one used by right wing people when discussing purported terrorism. 

"Not all cops are murderers, but all murderers are cops."

What can be stated as a mere opinion today may well turn out to be a fact tomorrow.  In short, the burden of change and reform is and has always been on the side of the police.  They are clearly not helping matters with their obstinate behaviors we have been seeing. 

A few days ago, in the midst of the Baltimore riots, Sen. and Sec. Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a speech at Columbia University as the keynote for a conference on racial matters under the guidance of Mayor David Dinkins.  Sen. Clinton, who I believe needs to be President of the United States post haste, brought forth a great deal of wisdom and truth on these police issues.  Sadly though, after her initial comments, all the news networks, including C-Span, stopped showing the rest of Sec. Of State Clinton's speech.  I consider this a very shameful act on the part of the media; a media too busy to work in concert with others in ending Sen. Clinton's ascension to the Presidency before it even begins.  Here on this weblog, though, is the full speech Sen. Clinton made.  Heed these words wisely. 

I would like to go one step further in saying I agree with what other commentators are saying in that the hierarchy of the police departments need to change.  For that to happen, I would like to see the police nationalized and under the leadership of the federal government.  Only then can centralization come into place that will let cops know who they need to report to.  I would also like for most cops to not carry a gun during their patrol hours.  As we all know, though we tend to not acknowledge it, when one carries a gun; that person could lose all control of rationality if not careful enough.  In the end, the gun becomes an extension of the end; not unlike James Woods at the end of Videodrome. 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=videodrome+hand&id=1CC82535C4D402BF038939D837C0260BCE6CF0A7&FORM=IQFRBA

You know, it does not even matter that three of the six cops charged in the killing of Freddie Gray happen to be black.  They were taking their orders from white superiors; still making this a racial issue.  And one further thing; stop the canard of "I was in fear of my life"!  It rings hollow for me when one grouping of people have multiple weapons and another does not; yet the more armed section claims they are in danger.  It makes no sense and is patently wrong. 

Once again, the onus is on the cops to change and alter their approach.  It is on their end to be less violent and collectively be more tolerant of others. 

Talk to you again shortly,

Robert

PS.  To Michael Rivero:  Sen. and Sec. Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did not ruin your life.  You ruined Your life.  I will explain more later. 

The Netanyahu Era

On November 1, 1988, Benjamin Netanyahu, a journalist, political scientist, educator and son of noted Israeli nationalist educator Ben Zion Netanyahu (1910-2012) was first elected to the Knesset representing the Likud Party.  On St. Patrick's Day 2015, Mr. Netanyahu was reelected to the Knesset for the ninth time; the fourth of which recognized as Prime Minister of Israel and leader of the Likud Party.  In these 27 years, the nearly 66 year old PM has been largely responsible in remaking Israel, and by extension the identity of the Jewish People themselves, into a mirror image of himself.

What I mean by that is Bibi, as he is known by admirers and detractors alike, has become the effective one person leader whose actions, statements, and beliefs are enacted as instantly as one can snap a finger.  Certainly other Israeli political leaders have come and gone during this time; most notably Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, each one representing three different political ideologies.  And yet, it has been Benjamin Netanyahu that has been defining the agenda for Israel at least throughout this time frame.  There can be little doubt that as of today, the political mind frame of the Israeli and Jewish identity has become more right leaning and nationalist in approach and needs. 

Why is that?  Sitting at my desk tonight, in a country that I hope has turned more leftward and inclusive though it could be easy to say on my end being in New York; the fact that the leadership of the Jewish State has been mainly right-wing conservative these years while many American Jews identify themselves as Democrats, seems odd.  Yet, that seems to be the kicker: the US is a land mass that has yet to be systemically attacked militarily and in forms of actual terrorism.  The US is surrounded east and west by two oceans.  It is not bordered by neighboring countries that have a claimant on the land for religious reasons, to say nothing of secular reasons.  It has not used nuclear ambiguity: officially denying nuclear weaponry while keeping a large supply in facilities over the decades such as Dimona. 

Moreover, the US, protestations from Christians notwithstanding, is mainly a secular nation.  Religion does not matter as political policy.  To put it another way, laws and guidelines from the great Jewish texts such as the Talmud and the Torah Is official political policy in Israel.  It is not stated in the Basic Law of the land; yet with at least four political parties that lean right and some of which are more conservative than Likud, you can see why Judaism plays a role in everyday life in Israel. 

There is another huge difference in the political leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu as opposed to other leaders.  Mr. Netanyahu is, like it or not, a theorist and educator first before anything.  In speeches and writings, the PM has referenced noted politicians and historians to make a point, valid or invalid.  One such historian mentioned is Bernard Lewis.  I can remember needing to read Bernard Lewis' writings in one of my Hofstra courses on International Relations; not everything was agreeable, yet I came away from Mr. Lewis' writings at least understanding his viewpoint.  One such viewpoint is the issue of Iran relative to its acquiring of a nuclear weapon.  The mindset of the current Iranian leadership, namely Ayatollah Khamenei and the leadership of the Supreme Council, views time not as how we view it in instances for days and weeks and months.  Time is viewed more fluidly; a day is but an hour, a year only a mere day.  Memories and remembrances persist, long after the forefathers pass away and the centuries continue.  Thus, acquiring a nuclear arsenal does not matter if it comes in 2015 or even 2115.  For the Iranian leadership, the idea will manifest and be enacted upon.  And once something is legally acquired; its usage is imminent when the time comes.  The Bernard Lewis quote is something to the extant of " Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon is not a deterrent; it is an inducement."  Not many politicians will say such things.  Benjamin Netanyahu is such a person who says these things.

And it is these ideas and statements from a geopolitical leader that draws attention to those that need the attention: the voters.  You know, it was a similar ideal taking place during the Iranian presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; A Muslim theorist and educator whose ideals and writings prompted Iranians from 2005-2013 to consider these processes.  The irony of it all is Mr. Ahmadinejad was a politically liberal minded President more in tune, so to speak, with our current leadership.  By contrast, Iran is now more directly in the hands of right-leaning clerics who do indeed feel acquiring nuclear technology as an inducement to be enacted upon when the time comes.  Knowing that, could it be any surprise that more turnout was present last Tuesday in the Knesset elections; with the idea that the very existence of the Jewish identity was being threatened, imaginary or otherwise.  Could it be a surprise to anyone that the idea of a Zionist Union led government, while far more preferred for myself and the world at large, would strike concern to more nationalist right-leaning Israelis that a surprising turnout, likely fueled by election fraud, would alter the predictions of many that would lead Likud to have the plurality in the Knesset once more. 

As I said, this was not the outcome many expected.  Yet, Benjamin Netanyahu is still Prime Minister of Israel; maybe the most influential PM Israel has put forth in its 68 year history.  I think this is mainly due to his educational and journalistic acumen; a rare feat these days.  So, now that Bibi is here to stay; what will the US and World response be?  If you want to, do leave comments below regarding this essay.  I do like being a bit more interactive in this approach.  I shall also in a later time look at what may come for the Middle East as it heads to a war which, sad to say, is imminent.  One can only hope peace breaks out.

Talk to you again shortly,

Robert

Vine crap

Social Media is a very important and transpiring form of journalism and enlightenment.  Places such as one's own personal blog, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Wikipedia and numerous social political economic websites are valuable hubs of information on our world and ourselves.  Yet, some aspects of Social Media is not acceptable.  A person could use Twitter or their weblog to announce to an unsuspecting populace their need to take a piss.  Indeed, Twitter says in short form what needs to be said in long form.

Vine is equally guilty of this short attention span aspect of our culture.  In Vine, one has between 6 and 10 seconds to do something asinine that maybe younger people find funny, yet I and others would fine disgusting.  This below is not only disgusting and shameful; it is Fucking Disgusting and Shaneful.

I do not know whom these people are.  Judging by the video, they appear to be white males, with maybe a female there or two.  It is apparently clear All on the bus on singing this faux sing a long chant.  It also seems they belong to a fraternity of all whites named the SAE (whatever that means) at the University Of Oklahoma.  They also appear drunk, rowdy, cocky, and perhaps thinking life at OU as being a real life Animal House.  Oh yes; they also hate African-Americans and Afro-Americans to such an extant to say the N word at least three times. 

You know, when I was a school kid, if one person in a classroom or part of a student body did even something remotely this offensive; we all got punished.  I did not always like it; indeed, much of the time only one or two classmates were pains in the rear end.  Yet, our educators would have none of this selective punishment ideal.  In their eyes, rightly or wrongly, we were all to blame.  I again state that I do not know who these SAE members are.  Yet in my view, their silence speaks of condoning this practice.  It says that because of being in a fraternity, they are above all morals and standards.  These frat people are dead fucking wrong.

It is why this day I applaud Sen. David L. Boren (D-OK), whom resigned in 1994 after 16 years upon accepting the position of President of OU where he still is to this day, with the actions taken to clean this filth.  This does include banning and dismembering the SAE.  Here below is Sen. Boren's press conference.

This needs to go further, in my opinion.  In my five years at Hofstra University, I did not join a fraternity.  And I felt I did not need to.  What was once a noble cause has turned into nothing more than a long term party which does not end well for anyone.  How I see it; the fraternity system nationwide needs to be abandoned.  If not abandoned, public registration on how is in these frats need to be revealed.  And yes, that would include the most secretive of societies at The University of Virginia, among other universities.  If you are in a fraternity, your identity must be known.

It is sad to think that in 50 years since the Voting Rights Act, racism including against Afro-Americans and African-Americans, exist and persist.  What is even more sadder is it is in the minds of people who are younger than me; I'm 32.  Last year, a movie was released that got little attention yet fully explores this issue of University fraternities and their racism.  It is named Dear White People.  I got the chance to see it in a theater last October; I enjoyed it and agreed with much of the sentiments.  Sadly, only a dozen or so people were watching the film with me that day; and I was practically one of two white people there.  Please, go see this movie; especially if you are thinking about joining a frat. 

As for those in the fraternity, saying something cursive and direct like piss off is even the tamest I can think at this moment.  Let your shame drag you for all times, unless repentance and reconciliation occurs.

Catch up with you all later,

Robert