DON'T Free the 'Jena 6'

POST TOMORROW ... STAY TUNED

The Stupidity of Sally Field

Regrettably I was working last night so I was unable to witness this for myself, though to be quite honest I don’t believe I would have felt compelled to watch the Emmys anyway – I mean, Ryan ‘OUT! Of the Closet’ Seacrest was hosting for Pete’s sake, but there was apparently this whole brouhaha over Sally ‘Flying Nun’ Field’s acceptance speech in which she criticized the Iraq War.

Here is the video of her acceptance speech UNEDITED:

In addition Sally Field commented backstage (audio below) that she was serious of her controversial statement during her acceptance speech …

I am not even going to bother addressing the conspiratorial theories of liberal activists who claim Sally Field’s anti-Iraq War statement was censored because of a calculated assault by the right-wing operated Fox network. Deadline Hollywood points out correctly that Ray Romano was censored earlier in the evening for saying his former co-star Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammar were ‘screwing’ in their new comedy series as was Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl who mouthed ‘Oh, shit’.

Sally Field’s argument that ‘if mothers ruled the world there would be no goddamn wars’ is the equivalent of the age-ol’ Neo-femi-Nazi argument that men are the source of all wars and death in the world and that if women ruled the world then the world would be a more peaceful place. They say this of course all the while blatantly ignoring Elizabeth I, Joan of Arc, Boudica (queen of the Brythonic Celtic Iceni people of Norfolk in Eastern Britain who led a major uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire … yes, I am a Latin geek), and others who led their nations to war. Simply put statements like hers are ignorant, naïve, and just plain devoid of any conscionable thought whatsoever.

I’ll leave you with Keven McCullough and News Busters deconstructing what little support structure there was for Sally Field’s comment last night.

Who's Your Candidate?

Big surprise! For me it was Fred Thompson, the Republican candidate I am leaning the most toward. While this is certainly far from definitive (you, not a computer program, should decide who you support in the 2008 presidential election), it is fun and should give the more apolitical American citizens a small idea where they might stand in terms of the presidential primaries.

Click here to take the political quiz for yourself.

10:28 am - North Tower of the World Trade Center Collapses

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

10:06 am - United Airlines Flight 93 Crashes Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania

We pray today that from the ashes will rise a new spirit of beauty and unity in America. Already, all across this nation our hearts have been knit together into a new tapestry of one America. Because of this tragedy, we have been bound together by a silver chord of hope and brotherhood and sisterhood. What was meant to drive us apart has really drawn us together.

May we always remember.

And so today we ask, God, that you would wipe the tears of all in need of comfort. That you would warm the heart of one who would grow cold from bitterness. That you would lift the head of that one who is bowed down in sadness. That you would touch the discouraged and remind them that love will always conquer hate.

We thank you, God, for making us such a resilient people. We know that we are.

And we pray now for the strength to rise again, to build again, and to live free from fear. We pray that you will help us rebuild our broken lives and mend our broken hearts. We pray that you will give us the courage to face evil and the faith to believe that good will never be defeated.

Hold us close to your heart.

And through our tears, and through our sorrow, may we all see a new vision of a new tomorrow.

9:59 am - South Tower of the World Trade Center Collapses

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when september ends

Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when september ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when september ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when september ends

Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when september ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when september ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when september ends

Like my father's come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when september ends
Wake me up when september ends
Wake me up when september ends

9:37 am - American Airlines Flight 77 Impacts the Pentagon

May the Blessed Virgin bring comfort and hope to those who suffer on account of the tragic attack of the terrorists, that last week seriously harmed the beloved American people.

To all the children of this great Nation I direct my heartbroken and heartfelt consideration.

May Mary welcome the dead, console the survivors, support those families who are particularly tried, help all to resist the temptation to hatred and violence, and to dedicate themselves to the service of justice and peace.

May the Virgin Mary nourish in the hearts of all young persons, above all, high human and spiritual ideals and the necessary perseverance to achieve them. May She remind them of the primacy of eternal values, especially in these difficult moments, so that in their daily engagements and activities they may ever continue to be turned toward God and to his kingdom of solidarity and peace.

9:02 am - United Airlines Flight 175 Impacts the South Tower

Brothers and Sisters, in great dismay, before the horror of destructive violence, but strong in the faith that has always guided our fathers, we turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, salvation of his people, and with the confidence of children, pray that He will come to our aid in these days of mourning and innocent suffering.

1. For the Churches of the East and the West, and in particular for the Church in the United States of America so that, though humbled by loss and mourning, yet inspired by the Mother of the Lord, strong woman beside the cross of her Son, they may foster the will for reconciliation, peace, and the building of the civilization of love.

2. For all those who bear the name of Christian, so that, in the midst of many persons who are tempted to hatred and doubt, they will be witnesses to the presence of God in history and the victory of Christ over death.

3. For the leaders of nations, so that they will not allow themselves to be guided by hatred and the spirit of retaliation, but may do everything possible to prevent new hatred and death, by bringing forth works of peace.

4. For those who are weeping in sorrow over the loss of relatives and friends, that in this hour of suffering they will not be overcome by sadness, despair and vengeance, but continue to have faith in the victory of good over evil, of life over death.

5. For those suffering and wounded by the terrorist acts, that they may return to stability and health and, appreciating the gift of life, may generously foster the will to contribute to the well being of every human being.

6. For our brothers and sisters who met death in the folly of violence, that they find sure joy and life everlasting in the peace of the Lord, that their death may not be in vain but become a leaven bringing forth a season of brotherhood and collaboration among peoples.

O Almighty and merciful God, you cannot be understood by one who sows discord, you cannot be accepted by one who loves violence: look upon our painful human condition tried by cruel acts of terror and death, comfort your children and open our hearts to hope, so that our time may again know days of serenity and peace.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

[Pope John Paul II's Address on September 12th, 2001]

8:46 am - American Airlines Flight 11 Impacts the North Side of the North Tower

Almighty God, the past five years will be indelibly inscribed in our memories.

We looked with horror on the terrorist attacks of September 11th. But we looked with honor on acts of courage by ordinary peoplewho sacrificed themselves to prevent further death and destruction.

We shed our tears in a common bond of grief for those we loved and lost.We journeyed through a dark valley, but your light has led us to a place of hope.You have turned our grief into determination.We are resolved to do what is good, and right, and just.

Help us to remember what it means to be Americans—a people endowed with abundant blessings. Help us to cherish the freedoms we enjoy and inspire us to standwith courage, united as one Nation in the midst of any adversity.

Lord, hear this prayer for our Nation.

Amen.

Muslim Day Parade

It might just be me but this simply screams inclusive.

Please Sign the 'Support the Mission' Petition!

McDonald's Employee Jailed for Over-Salting Burger

Talk about abuse of authority.

Conservative Superhero, Iron Man, Coming to Theatres May 2008

To think, there was a politically conservative comic-book superhero out there and I wasn’t aware of it. I mean, I know who Iron Man is but I never pictured him as being entrenched in politics. This combined with the mouth-watering (from the perspective of a comic-book geek/movie buff point of view) teaser trailer places the upcoming feature-film adaptation, starring Robert Downey, Jr., among the top films I want to see next summer.

It Makes It Rather Difficult

Giuliani: Illegal Immigration Not a Crime, Should Not Be

Well, I was on shaky ground with former-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the GOP presidential candidate before but now, after this interview conducted on Glenn Beck’s radio program, it is definitely looking less likely I’ll throw my support behind him. It’s not ‘John McCain’ bad, but close.

Here’s an excerpt:

GLENN: Right. But isn't illegal immigration a crime in and of itself?

GIULIANI: No.

GLENN: Aren't you saying --

GIULIANI: Glenn --

GLENN: You're protecting criminals by saying that being treated as a criminal is unfair.

GIULIANI: Glenn, it's not a crime. I know that's very hard for people to understand, but it's not a federal crime.

GLENN: It's a misdemeanor but if you've been nailed, it is a crime. If you've been nailed, ship back and come back, it is a crime

........

GLENN: Should it be?

GIULIANI: Should it be? No, it shouldn't be because the government wouldn't be able to prosecute it. We couldn't prosecute 12 million people. We have only 2 million people in jail right now for all the crimes that are committed in the country, 2.5 million. If you were to make it a crime, you would have to take the resources of the criminal justice system and increase it by about 6. In other words, you'd have to take all the 800,000 police, and who knows how many police we would have to have.

Fred Thompson FINALLY Announces Candidacy

Madison City Council Bush Impeachment Vote Defeated

Via Michelle Malkin

The sole voice of reason and sanity ...

... Thuy Pham-Remmele, an immigrant from Vietnam, who said she would resign from the city council if it voted to recommend impeachment.

"I have been through war more than any of you can imagine," Pham-Remmele said.

Recounting her premature birth after her mother fell as the family was fleeing the French in 1948, she proceeded to speak of America's exit from the Vietnam War as a turning point in world opinion against the United States.

"It's the part you chose not to look at that should haunt you forever," Pham-Remmele said.
Saying she had not been home in 34 years and characterizing her decision to become a naturalized U.S. citizen as painful, Pham-Remmele said she knew the atrocities of war.

While lauding impeachment advocates' good intentions, she asked, "Do you think Congress will listen to you?"

Looking directly at the spectator gallery, Pham-Remmele said, "It is easy to be like Jane Fonda and walk with the communists … and feel good about it. If you really want to save lives, think of something more concrete."

McCain: "Thanks for the Question, You Little Jerk ... You're Drafted"

Yes, this was meant in jest but for as much scrutiny as McCain’s campaign has been under, mostly stemming from the right rather then the left, ironically, you’d have thought he’d be smarter then this. Then you examine how his campaign has been run since the get-go and you think to yourself, ‘Man, this guy’s an idiot’. The ‘little jerk’ part was funny but adding the ‘you’re drafted’ part was cocky and biting off far more then he could chew. McCain has success, the tiniest success he has had in months, and he goes and blows it by getting greedy.

MUCR Meeting Tonight at 8pm!!

Don’t forget, the first meeting of the Marquette University College Republicans, chaired by newly-elected senior John Connors with Lucas Fuller as VP, will be held tonight at 8pm (expect it to last at least till 9pm) in the Alumni Union, Rm. 442. Plans for the new school year will discussed, including Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s re-election campaign as well as prospects for a new conservative speaker to be brought to campus.

Hope to see you all there, especially the freshmen!!

Cutting Joe Down to Size

Another piece of my childhood shrivels and dies. First Kellogg’s bans Toucan Sam and the other cereal-based cartoon characters (the Food Nazis strike again) and now this. It’s bad enough Stephen Sommers, the director of the insufferable Van Helsing and mediocre Mummy franchise, has been tapped to direct the live-action feature film based on the Mattel toy, but now it seems his identity as a symbol of American heroism and bravery will be dropped entirely.

That’s right. G.I. Joe will now be “G.I. JOE” an acronym for “Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity” and ‘Joe’ will no longer be an American soldier but a member ‘international operations team’.

The reason for this decision comes down to two factors – greed and shame. According to Paramount, the studio producing the live-action adaptation, the film would be too difficult to market internationally if ‘Joe’ was an American soldier because of the Iraq war. The international box office receipts are the equivolent of crack to the Hollywood studios. They can release slop which makes only half its money back domestically yet still eke out a profit, more often a pretty decent return, when the world-wide totals come in. This is just the latest example of liberally-biased movie studios who live and work in America and enjoy all the freedoms and comforts it provides being ashamed of being Americans. Let’s not forget when the producers of ‘Superman Returns’ dropped ‘…the American way’ from the famous catch-phrase, ‘Truth, justice, and the American way’.

Silencing Opus

Originally posted on Cox and Forkum on August 30th, 2007

The Washington Post and several other newspapers pulled the August 26th and the September 2nd edition of the Sunday comic-strip 'Opus' because of a storyline which publishers thought would offend radical Islamists.

Below is the August 26th edition of the comic-strip:


You know there is something wrong with the PCers of the world when they beginning to silence the more liberal commentators of the world.

Rats!

Okay, this article has very little, if anything, to do with actual politics (Hollywood politics, yes, but not in the way many of you might be thinking it as) but I thought since this is my first post after being absent from the political rant/soap-box/blog scene for several months now I would start off slow and steady.

With that said, let’s move on. In spite of the large amount of time I spent over the summer either at work or in school I was able to see a fair number of movies, though significantly less then I had anticipated. Ratatouille, the latest computer-animated marvel from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, however stood out as my personal favorite for the summer season, if not the entire year so far. At first I wasn’t as enthusiastic for it as the rest of my family was – I still thought as good as it was it was still behind the quality of The Incredibles and Toy Story 2 – but after another viewing I recanted on my original judgment and considered it to be the best feature film the computer animation studio had produced to date. It is one of those rare films, animated or otherwise, that improves, at least in your mind, after each successful viewing. It is even more amazing to see how well put together this production is considering it has been in the pipeline since 2000 and that its original director Jan Pinkava, who directed the Pixar animated short, Gerri’s Game, was replaced very late in the game by Brad Bird who scrapped practically the entire original storyline for the one seen in the film today.

So what does this have to do with anything? As Stewie from Family Guy would say, “Hey ……. Shut-up” … kidding, I’m getting there kids.

There’s a gossip-ragger Jim Hill who primarily focuses on the house that Walt built. He likes to think he knows a lot more then most Disney insiders, that he is able to predict what Disney is going to do in terms of theme park attractions, movies, etc., and that he has ‘inside’ sources at the Mouse House. He has gotten on the nerves of me and every other Pixar defender ever Disney purchased Pixar back in January 2006. He riled on and on last summer about how Cars was (at the time) Pixar’s lowest grossing film to date (ignoring all the while that Cars ended up not only being the highest grossing animated film of the year but the third highest domestic grossing film of the year as well and continuing to remain blind to the fact that merchandise for the film still flies off the shelf more then a year after it was released) and that Disney paid too much for Pixar. All this of course after the fact and after he had been hammering then-Chairman/CEO Michael Eisner for not purchasing Pixar in the first place, prior or immediately after the release of Toy Story in 1995. This summer he has been beating the same tired ol’ drum, only this time it involves Ratatouille.

First things first, Jim. Numbers, in particular box office numbers, aren’t everything. Ratatouille is one of, if not THE, best reviewed film of the year so far. Out of a possible one-hundred and sixty-eight reviews, one-hundred and sixty-one were positive leading to a ninety-six percent fresh rating. Chances are Ratatouille will be nominated for Best Animated Film of the Year at the Academy Awards and will likely win, unless by chance the Academy decides to get political (again) and give the award to an undeserving competitor. Yes, I am still peeved that Cars was robbed last year.

Yes, Ratatouille is now ranked fifth in the list of slowest movies to reach the two-hundred million dollar mark. But, as the Disney Enquirer correctly points out, that category isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just look at the list itself. Back to the Future is number one (two sequels were produced), Home Alone, and Superman Returns (which already has a sequel in the works).

Second, while Ratatouille has been ranked fifteenth in the list of slowest movies to reach the two-hundred million dollar mark, the category is a bit deceiving, as the Disney Enquirer correctly points out. Just look at the list itself. Back to the Future is number one (two sequels were produced), Home Alone, and Superman Returns (which already has a sequel in the works). Far be it a list of losers.

Let’s examine the articles themselves, shall we?

As one Jim Hill Media reader points out, Jim in an earlier article stated without hesitation that he believed The Simpsons Movie seemed poised to surpass Ratatouille in terms of domestic receipts which at the time of this article’s publication stood at $188.2 million. Not only has The Simpsons Movie failed to achieve this task within Mr. Hill’s specified time-frame (three weeks), it seems now that the 20th Century Fox animated film will likely never accomplish this task having been knocked out of the Top 10 as of this past Labor Day weekend. There are other idiosyncrasies in this article to consider as well. For one the fact that executives at Disney would be naïve enough to assume that just because The Simpsons Movie in spite of the handicap of being hand-drawn rather then computer-animated was successful means The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s first real attempt to return to the field of traditional animation, will have a better chance of succeeding at the box office when it is released in 2009. The Simpsons has been on television for nineteen years and has a tremendous built-in audience. The only real surprise for analysts during its opening weekend was how many would show up given the dramatic erosion of the program’s target audience following 1997, the year many fans consider to be the beginning of the decline in the quality of the show. Or how about the fact that Mr. Hill while lavishing praise on The Simpsons Movie for beating out Ratatouille in terms of opening weekend numbers while conveniently failing to mention that The Simpsons dropped sixty-six percent vs. the thirty-eight percent drop Ratatouille had in its second frame. Further more, while The Simpsons Movie has a considerable head-start vs. the ‘Rat’ in the area of international receipts, the Brad Bird-directed flick has yet to open in major territories such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany and while it may not seem probable for Ratatouille to beat out The Simpsons in this particular field it is certainly far from impossible.

And isn’t it amazing (if I were speaking this of course would be the place where the emphasis on sarcasm would be) that for as much as Jim Hill has riled on and on about how Ratatouille has failed to meet “Wall Street’s expectations”, as if those are now the standards from which we should all base our way of life on, he never once, not once, notes how Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End failed miserably to meet expectations set not only by Spider-Man 3’s returns earlier in the summer but by the franchise’s predecessor, Dead Man’s Chest, last year. Furthermore, while most analysts were predicting Pirates 3 to take the silver medal this box office season, with the final numbers tallied it has failed to achieve even bronze status, losing out to Michael Bay/Steven Spielberg’s Transformers.

And while Pixar has been far from perfect, let alone consistent in terms of the box office receipts their feature films bring in, you can’t argue with their success – eight-for-eight. As another Jim Hill Media reader pointed out that in terms of Disney’s own recent animated film history (traditional and other-wise) you’d have to go back as far as 1994 (The Lion King) to find a single film of their that grossed over, let alone close to, two-hundred million dollars. Not even Walt Disney himself enjoyed this level of success in the early hey-days of his animation studio. Not even close. Following the tremendous success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Disney had a string of box office failures – Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi – and while World War II could be blamed for the international numbers, that still doesn’t speak entirely for their underperformance domestically, particularly since the United States wasn’t actively, or at least publically, involved in the war until December 1941. It took till Cinderella in 1950 for animation studio at Disney to get out of their funk and even then they were sacrificing quality for quantity.

More importantly, in a year in which (so far) nineteen films have grossed over one-hundred million dollars (the Universal comedy-flop Evan Almighty and the low-budget Superbad are the most likely candidates to join this club), eight have brought in two-hundred million, and four have made three-hundred million with only two out of those nineteen films being truly original productions without a built-in fan base (300 and Ratatouille), executives at Disney should be estatic it did as well as it did in spite of the saturated market and piss-poor marketing job they did.

Did Disney pay too much for Pixar? To quote Rev. Lovejoy from The Simpsons, “Oh, short answer Yes with maybe, long answer No, with a but”. Yes, Disney did overpay for Pixar considering they could have gotten them much cheaper back in 1995 if Eisner had had a brain and picked them up instead of signing them to an extension of their picture contract. BUT the question you have to ask is whether Pixar would have been as successful as they were had they been picked up right away by Disney. Would Michael Eisner have been micro-managing Pixar as he did everything else at Disney and driven it into the ground as he did traditional animation or would Steve Job’s presence on the board have forced the company’s hand to oust Michael Eisner out earlier then he was? Rick Aristotle Munarriz at The Motley Fool argues that neither side really needed each other. I disagree with that. Disney clearly needed Pixar, if not John Lasseter, more then Pixar needed Disney. It is still a little early but Lasseter has re-energized Disney’s role in traditional animation (two or three 2-D animated films are in the works and there has been talk about putting new Mickey Mouse/Goofy/Donald shorts like in the ol’ days) as well as the theme parks (critics of Disney’s California Adventure will be particularly happy with the plans Uncle John has in store to revamp the fledgling California counterpart). Did Pixar save Disney? Far from, Disney would have survived without Pixar, though they would not be enjoying as much success as they are now. To all the Jim Hills of the world, shut-up! This isn’t about short-term gains, especially considering that the short-term gains they argue about aren’t as bad as they make them out to be, but long term ones and in the end Disney and fans of both Disney and Pixar are better off for it.

I'm Back!!

The title I was going to originally go with was, “Your Staunch Conservative Savior Has Returned!”, but I thought that might be over doing it … just a little bit.

Yes, after an absence of four to five months, depending on when you start counting, I return to posting regularly, or semi-regularly, on this site. The reason(s) for my absence are simple … work and academics. I was working the entire summer at one of the campus cafeterias and I was taking two summer courses as well, one of which I desperately needed to do well in so I spent a lot of my focus and time on that. Now, with the summer over and a return to a relatively routine schedule (twenty hours per week of work and 15 credits at school), I have just enough time on my hands to post at least once per day on this site again. I have slowly over the Labor Day weekend started rebuilding the site and bringing it up to speed. I still have a lot more to do, so please be patient during this (hopefully) brief transition period.

I am excited and look forward to returning to this site. In the upcoming months focus and time will be spent on Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s campaign for re-election and the 2008 presidential election, so please stay tuned for further updates.