Spoon's Rant

Quick Hits & Reality

Okay, I haven't blogged here in awhile.. Real life happens to interrupt us sometimes.. Lots of political issues to cover.....

The WMD Jokes

Dubya made several jokes about not finding weapons of mass destruction recently at some media dinner party.. Yeah, real tactful as another handful of Marines get killed over in Iraq.. All we hear about is "we are at war!!" Pounded in our heads all the time by the conservative talk shows - now we're just supposed to roll over and go "ha ha" when the President makes jokes about the war?? Right.. Which is it folks?? Are we dancing to the right, or dancing to the left?? First, we can't criticize Dubya and the war effort, but he can make jokes about it instead.. Secondly, we are unpatriotic and unsympathetic for questioning Dubya's motives, but he can poke fun at WMD when our troops are being killed overseas on HIS mandate, on HIS order, under HIS administration.. Lastly, I don't like the 9/11 hearings being treated as though they are playing Texas hold'em Poker.. It's as though the hearings have turned into a political platform for Dubya's second term..

(yes, as much as it pains Me to admit it - I think Bush is going to be elected for a second term...)

Outsource

The latest catch phrase to avoid using the phrase: we're taking jobs over seas, have a nice day.. If conservatives are thumbing their nose at political correctness, then why use a confusing word like "outsource" when say what it really means??!?!? Moreover I heard one of the conservative pundits spouting off that outsourcing is a good thing.. That by taking the menial work away from here opens up the more up-scale jobs in a lot of companies.. I had to laugh when I heard that - yes I was driving and fought to stay on the road.. Because think about that: what class gets hit by these oursourced jobs?? How much do people at call centers and technical support make?? If those jobs are going over seas (regardless of geography - Bangledesh or Britian, who cares??) then aren't we taking jobs away from those on the lower rung of the ladder?? Further, aren't we rewarding those with college educations and higher learning degrees because we expect to see a sudden surge of these higher jobs opening up?? I see this outsourcing policy as being a divisive wedge that further separates the upper and lower classes.. *sighs*

Assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

Look.. Yassin is a terrorist, I get that.. But what in the hell was Sharon thinking?? If you don't think this is going to upset things in the Middle East even further - then pull your head out of the sand.. It's happening.. If you can equate this: the Assassination of Yassin would be the equivalent of doing the same thing to Bush Sr., Reagan, Kennedy, Clinton, or anyone who once held power - but really doesn't do much of anything anymore.. Just like how Bin Laden aimed those planes at targets that prominantly identify the US with the world, the assassination of Yassin is on that level of equivalent..

Even though we know Hamas and other Jihads have bombs and other weapons, why does Israel choose to strike against people that are throwing rocks with slingshots??

Isn't it going to make sense to SOMEONE SOMEDAY that the Palestinians are in the same position as the Israelis -- being pushed and told they are not welcome in their plot of land?? I don't care who wants to claim ownership of that area.. For me - it's a piece of land - find another locale and put up your flag.. The problem being - is that even the nearby Middle Eastern countries don't even want the influx of Palestinians in their countries either..... What is up with that??

I don't like our response: we veto a UN resolution condemning the assassination, but then we get Condoleezza Rice saying "It is very important that everyone step back now and try to be calm in the region..." WTF??!!??? THERE WOULD'VE BEEN MORE CALM IF YASSIN WAS NOT ASSASSINATED.... With Hamas and other Jihads now in a position to start plotting more bombings and terrorist acts, I have to say again: Where does Bush get off saying that the world is a safer place under his regime?? Please explain this one to me......

Gas Prices

Want proof that the turbulence in the Middle East isn't going to be affecting all of us -- look at the pump.. OPEC decided to cut back production and with sharp criticism about Saudi Arabia leading the charge for increasing oil prices, one cannot sit on idle hands honestly believing that the totality of events from the invasion of Iraq, to accusing the Saudis for being involved in 9/11, to the assassination on the Hamas founder -- to be a little indicative of the "peace" in the world today.. I'm not happy about it - nor will everyone else who has to fuel up be happy about it.. I don't see Bush exactly doing cartwheels trying to do something about it.. *sighs yet again*

The Passion

"Mel Gibson 'clearly a tortured soul' says France's main Jewish Group..." In what many say is an accurate depiction of the last days of Christ, the Jews are outraged that they are being portrayed in such a light.. I'm not a bible-thumper, but I am someone who believes in a principle of accuracy.. If Jewish Groups are upset, then My first question is: are you upset that Mel Gibson did not accurately portray the last days of Christ?? The International Herald Tribune had this quote: "the Jews' real complaint isn't with my film ('The Passion of the Christ') but with the Gospels." Okay - so if we're disagreeing with how history was written, then that's a real problem.. Think how history is going to reflect the war in Iraq - or the Liberation of Iraq - or the ousting of Saddam Hussein.. Regardless of who pens the history text, the message is going to be slanted according to that particular author's belief..

Which is why I did fall in love with history and which is why I do find a curiosity with Mel Gibson's movie.. History is interpretive.. Just like witnessing a car accident, we see things from a variety of vantage points and understandings.. Maybe we fixated our attention on one particular point and did not notice other details.. So what we have is a scale of interpretive events based on one's perception and understanding.. I may have been fixated on the left car, but did not notice when the right car entered the intersection.. Therefore my interpretation of events focuses around the left car.. I can offer a lot more details about the left car, and far fewer from the right car.. It's up to my interpretation of what transpired given whatever I personally witnessed..

That creates a larger difficulty when interviewing people who rely on that recall for information.. It's problematic.. Some people do have photographic memories.. Yet, I can't help but wonder how photographic it really is - or how much they are willing to notice something that may be unpopular to them.. Is that what happened when the Gospels were being written - or crafted in a way that was suited for a particular group's need or desire to reflect history..

The irony is that we can't write a book, an article, a movie, or a piece of music without having offended at some someone..

But I do comment Mel.. It's a brave project, and considering a lot of people are saying how real they thought the movie was.. Real..

Why are we afraid to look at things that are real??