http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:28:29 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/26/132829.php Steve SThere is a price this country is paying, for the way discourse has changed today. From Rush Limbaugh, FoxNews pundits Hannity and Vetter, to the likes of Ann Coulter, WorldNetDaily, the Free Republic and on and on, there has been an outcry of faith, specifically the Christian faith, being under attack. From Godless liberals, European nations, gay people, secularists, the ACLU, the NPR, planned parenthood, school teachers and who can forget those dear sweet librarians with their demonic internet computers, it's all always presented as an attack on faith, on Christianity. What used to be the trend of saying 'Happy Holidays', in order to be all-inclusive, is now turned around to be an attempt to be specifically exclusive against Christianity. After years of this paranoid rhetoric, is it any wonder the sheep want to chew their way out of the pen and seek blood?Now we have fundamentalist Senator Frist and his new television show 'Justice Sunday' portraying faith as being under attack via filibusters. The whole purpose of the Democratic filibustering in the Senate is nothing more than an attack on Christian values by Frist's reasoning. apparently, filibustering has nothing to do with politics, it's all about gettin the faith. Bringin it down.There is a consequence to us all, as long as moderate mainstream Christians allow this mentality and abuse of their principles to go unchecked, and it is compounded by allowing a President to so closely align his office with a particular religion. It is also compounded by politicians like Tom DeLay, and like Jeb Bush and the whole Florida Legislature who jump into the fray, attempting to impose their religiously based ideological principles upon a man and the wishes of his wife. It was the Terri Schiavo case, that should have been the watershed moment for many people. It was the Schiavo case where far right murderers and terrorists came out of the woodwork and were embraced by the mainstream conservative platform.WorldNetDaily portrays Bo Gritz, of Ruby Ridge fame, as a hero. Hal Turner, the author of the book that inspired McVeigh to blow up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and his ideology of terror and murder, was the topic du jour on right wing forums for months. But it was Randall Terry that should have opened peoples eyes. On all the major news networks, it was Randall Terry who was the chief spokesman for the Schindler family. They actually tracked him down to be their spokesperson.This Washington Post article from 1995, which showcases how Operation Rescue, (founded by Randall Terry, an anti-abortion organization involved in the deaths of two doctors, two clinic workers and one volunteer), was even back in 95, lamenting 'It's all about silence -- silencing the Christian message."Randall Terry: "I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you... I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good... Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country."Randall Terry: "When I, or people like me, are running the country, you'd better flee, because we will find you, we will try you, and we'll execute you. I mean every word of it. ... I will make it part of my mission to see to it that they are tried and executed.And as to how he rationalizes his intolerance: "You say, 'This is extreme!' Yeah, you're right. But imagine God Almighty sending people to hell just because they didn't follow His son? That's extreme. That's intolerance. Imagine Jesus saying that all other religions are false. Christianity claims to be the only way."God is intolerant, therefore it is justifiable for Man to be. And this man was chosen to be one of the primary, legitimate spokesmen for the ideological Right in the Schiavo case. This empowers the ideologically fringe element that subscribes to Terry's Dantean ways.On Fox News, Pat Boone suggested that Schiavo's vegetative state was possibly a homicide attempt by her own husband. Larry Klayman, former Chairman of Judicial Watch and 2004 U.S. Senate Candidate in Florida, and Alan Keyes, former Presidential Candidate, publicly imply that Terri Schiavo has received a death sentence from our judicial system. This political fiasco that the conservative Republican party aligned itself with, put the mainstream conservative element of America hand-in-hand with the most radical leaders, most of them Pro-Aryan, of the far Right extreme fringe. This new deadly tango of ideological lovers has emboldened the extremists to step up their terror.As Nancy Goldstein put it: You'd better get to know these folks, because Schiavo was a coming-out party for an emboldened radical right wing, not an isolated incident. The GOP gave theo-cons every indication that they would be allowed to set the agenda. The news media gave them carte blanche, never once explicitly connecting prime players like Randall Terry to their violent pasts. And the Democrats went limp. Now theo-cons are going to be taking their show on the road whenever and wherever they want: over the judiciary, gay marriage, and abortion -- whatever God wills.Death and Darkness Close the city and tell the people that something's coming to call Death and darkness are rushing forward to take a bite from the wall, ohOne good example of what is happening, can be seen with the MinuteMan Project. We've seen countless pundits on the Right, as well as Republican Senators praise these individuals as good American activists. Sen. Wayne Allard, a Colorado Republican, wants to deputize these citizens. Neo-con Lou Dobbs of CNN recently interviewed Minuteman organizer Chris Simcox.In the interview, Simcox says "We've been very careful, Lou, to screen the volunteers as thoroughly as we can. They go through phone interviews, personal interviews, background checks. We've made sure we have no one with a felony background."But what is left out of the interview, where Lou Dobbs praises Simcox for being a fine American, is the fact that Simcox promotes conspiracy theories such as this one linking Latino immigrants to the Chinese Army and has a history of militia organizing. He also has a conviction for carrying a loaded firearm in a National Park. So much for screening the supporters, even the organizer fails his own test. And KPHO recently did an undercover story on the Minutemen patrolling our border. Some choice comments from their investigation:A lady on Hidden cam says, "We don't want the press to find out where the information is being handed out because we'll have CNN and FOX and yeah. They're controlling what you hear, from why some of these volunteers "really" came to southern Arizona."John says, "If the border's gone, they're going to be pushing drugs on every one of our kids at school."The video link at the story has some scary footage and the anchor, Morgan Lowe, comments that the crew heard plenty of racial remarks out in the field, including one from a volunteer who told him he looked forward to "hunting a certain group of people."And there's a poster on Free Republic who relates his tale from the 'front lines' of America's borders:"Nine days of blockade has begun to result in desperation. We believe 500-700 illegals and their coyotes are bottled up in the Huachuca Mountains at present. They are running out of food and water. We have also figured out the system used here for putting out food and water caches and have been routinely using them to add some variety to our dogs' diets. Our canine companions are most appreciative."What he is telling us, is that people hide food and water in the desert in order to keep people crossing the border from starving and dying in the heat. The Minutemen are ENJOYING giving that food to their dogs. How many souls will wither and die in our deserts because of this? While it might be wrong to enter this country illegally, since when did it become the American way to deal with those seeking the promised land by giving them death? Here's an article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, interviewing Minuteman Joe McCutchen:Armed with binoculars, a video camera and a.22-caliber pistol... "Something is going to happen here," said Joe McCutchen, 73, of Fort Smith, Ark. "We are hopeful."One People's Project documents Joe McCutchen's involvement with white-supremacist organizations like American Renaissance and the Council of Conservative Citizens. President Bush calls it 'vigilantism', while the mainstream media portray them as American heroes.Emboldened by the misrepresentation of the conservative mainstream media, supporters of the MinuteMen are working to step up the aggressive behavior, for no one is speaking out to stop this travesty.This report confirms the word on the street of my town. People have been killed by these racist extremists who are hellbent on turning this into an Aryan Christian Nation. Note also, the report ends with "A Border Patrol says civilians running around in the desert at night is putting agents at risk." I am all for immigration reform, but our vigilantism, which is now manifesting itself on our border, to the open embrace of ideological murderers as the legitimate spokesmen for the conservative movement should scare us all, but it doesn't stop there.At the conference "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith," organized by a bunch of right wingers, including Phyllis Schlafly, author Edwin Vieira told the gathering that Supreme Court Justice Kennedy should be impeached because his philosophy, evidenced in his opinion striking down an anti-sodomy statute, "upholds Marxist, Leninist, satanic principles drawn from foreign law." People say they want a Federal Amendment to limit marriage to a man and a woman. This has the extremists frothing at the mouth, NOT because they hate gay people so much (although they certainly do hate us!), it's because the extremists KNOW that an amendment will pass, and they get to tack on all sorts of goodies to it, that America will unwittingly vote into place just out of desperation of keeping two men from marrying. Attached to the Federal Amendment are the Religious Liberties Restoration Act and the Constitution Restoraction Act. The Religious Liberties Act would legalize public display of the Ten Commandments and the use of "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Constitution Restoration Act would ensure "the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an element of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official personal capacity), by reason of that element's or officer's acknowledgement of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government." In other words, the law would forbid any court to review cases involving the invocation of God in the courtroom, or the placement therein of the Ten CommandmentsThere you have it. Christianity becomes ABOVE American law. Before you tell me that the Constitution Restoration Act has little chance of passing, I would tell you that in my lifetime, people coming to this country to find a better life would never be killed. I would tell you it is not possible for Americans to want to vote discrimination into our historical documents. But now, in the America I live in, apparently anything is possible. And when the theo-cons gain control of the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade will be a speck on the bottom of their Christian boot, thanks to the Constitution Restoration Act. But as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram points out, the bill would also declare that federal judges interpreting the Constitution may not rely on anything besides "English constitutional and common law."Judges, even those on the Supreme Court, could not look to other court rulings, administrative rules, executive orders and no foreign law. Any judge who entertains a legal claim based on a public official's "acknowledgement of God" would be committing an impeachable offense.You will give all this up, just so my household won't be called a family? According to the Conservative Right, if I declare love for my partner and want to commit to him proudly, it will be the downfall of civilization. But if I was a male whore who put pictures of myself online buck-ass naked posing like a husky ballerina trying out for the Nutcracker, then I'd probably get paid and even get to go into the White House Press Room, with their complete support for my personal choices.This assault on judges, or as the Right likes to refer to it "A stealth stake through the left's heart", is probably the most damaging aspect to American Democracy that this rise of religiously based and racist vigilantism is doing.Judge Richard Kramer, a married heterosexual Roman Catholic who was appointed by a Republican Governor, is the jurist who recently ruled against California's state ban on same gender marriage. Today Judge Kramer is being followed 24/7 by bodyguards to protect him after receiving death threats and hate mail. The same for Judge Greer in the Schiavo case. His whole family still needs 24/7 protection for upholding American law. Don't like a judge's ruling? The vigilante mentality is now to try to impeach or even kill.Hardline Christian intolerance against Democracy and the principles of America also takes place subtly with the passing of legislation that allows medical treatment to be contingent on the religious belief of the health care professional. The same with dispensing EMERGENCY contraception. It is no coincidence that the passing of pro-discrimination policies, ironically done under the pretense of religion being attacked, coincides with the rise in vigilantism. Whether it is via legislation or via physical harm in the California desert, oppression and violence in the name of faith is alive and well in America. Living under a theocracy isn't a possibility for many of us, as much as it is already a reality.Vigilantism. The President called the MinuteMen that. People are dying. Our Border Patrol agents are less safe than before. We're dangerously tampering with every American's ability to receive quality health care, contraception and we are on the precipe of writing discrimination into our historical documents, for the first time ever. Meanwhile, the constant perception of Christianity being under attack continues unabated, now complete with Senators and their own television shows promoting the concept.Note here, that John Eldredge, one of the most influential gurus of the Christian men's movement, has this to say about his faith: "A boy wants to attack something," he writes with approval, "and so does a man." Such hostility is not a sin to overcome, but the heart of headship, "a man's heart, his passions, his true nature, which he has been given by God."The Gospel according to John Eldredge: "Contrary to what you may have been led to believe," he tells his male audiences, "the Incarnation of grace, meekness, and love is not Mister Rogers with a beard! He is more like Maximus in the movie Gladiator or William Wallace in Braveheart."Playing With Fire Kill the spirit and you'll be blinded, the end is always the same Play with fire, you burn your fingers and lose your hold of the flame, oh It's over, it's done The end is begun If you listen to fools...People say that there is no problem with a President who professes his faith and who relies upon it to set policy. When it becomes heavily promoted and constantly linked to the White House, then it becomes impossible to reject the policy without rejecting the faith. Compound that with the fact that YOU KNOW that the conservative mainstream media will certainly go on about how the Left is attacking the faith. And if a President promotes that he sets a policy contingent upon his faith, then how can he compromise with the opposing side, without looking like he's compromising his faith? Politics and religion cannot mix, there is no feasible way for them to mix in a true democratic society. I'm sorry, but it just isn't possible.The America that I was raised to believe in, the America we all strive for, is crumbling into a theocratic nightmare for some of us, and extremist groups are running full steam ahead with their ideological terror, with the apparent complete blessing of the mainstream media. The Right Wing Conservative Propaganda Machine is still churning out thousands of emails to subscribers, still ranting and raving on cable news about the evils of Godlessness, still misleading Christians into thinking THEY are the ones under attack. The counter cable news network from the Left is years away. The counter propaganda machine from the Left would take years to construct.And the Christian Right continues on with their promises of violence, aggression, and unwillingness to stop at anything less than turning this country into a nightmare for those of us who do not fit their perception of an ideal human. Whenever someone talks about theophobia or how I am paranoid about this country going back to it's puritan roots, I just tell myself that they aren't knocking on YOUR door, they haven't come for YOU....yet. For some of us, they are already here. And they want us to know they are here on behalf of YOUR God, and that they have YOUR support.Stop the Movement Break the circle and stop the movement, the wheel is thrown to the ground Just remember it might start rolling and take you right back around You're all fools! The Mob Rules! Politics28665@blogcritics.org Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:28:29 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/08/040305.php Steve SThe Trip is a courageous and ambitious gay epic romance that follows two men from their meeting as teenagers in the early 70's through the mid-80's. Alan, played by Larry Sullivan (Rush Hour/Catwoman), is a Young Republican who is an aspiring journalist working on a book about the evils of homosexuality. He meets Tommy, played by Steve Braun (The Immortal tv series and the soon-to-be-released Blade:Trinity), who is a gay rights activist and invites him over to dinner for an interview for the book.The wit in the film I found refreshing and a great break from the usual gay fare. During the dinner, Tommy asks Alan "So what made you want to become a writer?" Alan replies, "It's always been my dream since a child. When did you first realize you were gay?" "It's always been my dream since a child." The ice is broken and the friendship begins.The friendship develops, then leads to a love affair brilliantly intermeshed with actual historical gay footage including rarely seen episodes of Anita Bryant's televised ravings (and a great pie in the face), and the emerging gay rights movement. These elements mix in with the story in a 'Forrest Gump' sort of way, adding realism and a nostalgic feel to those of us who were growing up at that time. I hit 18 in 1983, so many of the scenes here, I can remember from actual history and first time director, Miles Swain did an excellent job of capturing the mood of the hostile atmosphere at the time.Split into chronological segments that expand a decade, it is interesting to see the characters mature and change, as well as the fashions, society's tolerance level and music all develop over time.The Republican/gay aspect, and the incompatibility of the two elements during that time in our history plays out in many ways and is one of the central elements of the film. However, most of it is romance that all couples can relate to and the film does features lighter moments. Still beautiful, Jill St. John plays an understanding mom with comedic wit and a preference for the bottle. Julie Brown plays a Madonna wanna-be receptionist at a gay support group, while Alexis Arquette plays a stereotypical flamer. Sirena Irwin (the voice of Mrs. Squarepants in the Spongebob tv series as well as the voice of several characters in the forthcoming Spongebob movie) starts off as the hippy girlfriend of Alan the Republican, and after the initial anger of rejection, becomes a life long friend. Her phases from a Chrissie-from-Three's-Company ditz to a scientologist fitness guru, ala Jane Fonda, to a businessperson with a heart of gold, mirrors the film's progressional maturity through the decade. Ray Baker (What Lies Beneath/Holes) as the stoic, controlling center of the myriad of characters is perfectly cast.Historic Falcon Lair Estate, the setting for much of the film was once the home to Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson. The Trip has travelled the gay and lesbian festival circuit through all of 2003, wracking up 8 awards along the way. The script was originally written as a short about an urban legend of two guys in Mexico trying to get across the border. Miles then went back and wrote out their backstory in script format to figure out who these characters were, and ended up with an entire brilliant screenplay.One of the funniest lines of the movie is given by Mary Oakley (Jill St. John), when she is asked "Could you be any more of an alcoholic?" Her prompt and cherubic reply of "I'll give it a shot, but I'm not making any promises." will have you laughing at it's witty, comedic timing.The Trip really doesn't break any new ground, but rather expertly covers historical ground and has some great comedic and emotionally taut moments that will have you rooting for the couple near the film's end. This is one trip that is definitely worth the ride.This review also appears on the Adamant Sun. Video23043@blogcritics.org Wed, 8 Dec 2004 04:03:05 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/05/043724.php Steve SA study done in North Dakota (but apparently only covered by the British press right now), concludes that women who take diet pills or thyroid problem pills during pregnancy are 8 times more likely to have a lesbian child.This would substantiate the theory of being born gay.It also raises the question of why would someone take a diet pill during pregnancy? Isn't that the one time you need to gain weight?The report also found that women who suffer prenatal stress are more likely to have a gay male child."It [the study] also revealed that some drugs can have the opposite effect -- mothers of heterosexual males were 70% more likely to have taken pills to combat nausea than those of gay men".As this report will be published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, next month, I suggest we all go out and buy stock in companies that make nausea combatting pills, as I can foresee Concerned Women for America and the 700 Club stockpiling the pills to hand out to their constituents to increase the chances that they will have a child predetermined to 'choose' heterosexuality.Seriously though, the Nature vs. Nurture quest always poses a conundrum for me. On the one hand, I want science to hurry up and prove what I already know - that I haven't chosen anything. On the other hand, once science can zero in on the exact cause of orientation, guess what happens? Sci/Tech22913@blogcritics.org Sun, 5 Dec 2004 04:37:24 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/11/27/040239.php Steve SLatter Days is a wonderful story about a young traveling Mormon missionary who moves in next door to a very out-of-the-closet young and single gay man. Their encounters turn into a friendship that in turn becomes something more, and while the missionary Elder Aaron Davis, wonderfully played by relative newcomer Steve Sandvoss must come to terms with the religious conflict his life has created, his new love interest, also well-played by Wes Ramsey (Sam Spencer from Guiding Light) as Christian Markelli, must also do some soul searching as he comes to an understanding of the shallow life that he has built for himself.Addressing the clash between being gay and religion, specifically the Mormon faith, Latter Days reminds us that not all families will come to accept their gay children. By the end of the movie it is clear that the now excommunicated Aaron must seek out and embrace a new family, one that accepts and celebrates human difference. (Note that this does not give away any plot, there never was any doubt as to the outcome if you are familiar with the Mormon faith, and it is not the central part of the plot, as much as finding one's own self is).Writer/director Jay C. Cox (who also wrote Sweet Home Alabama) bases his depictions of Mormon life on his own experiences with the church. One of the missionaries who travel with Elder Aaron, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, best known for the tv series Third Rock From the Sun exemplifies the intolerance and fear that drives many people to lash out, when someone they know comes out unexpectedly. Some parts of the show are weak, like when the mother becomes aware of the 'bet', (I won't say more so as not to spoil a plotline) I just found that highly unlikely she would find that out, but the film has few weak parts that can be overlooked though, as the rest of the film more than makes up for it.An intelligent script, overall fine acting and above quality direction make this the gay feel-good movie of the year. Additional fine acting performances include Jacqueline Bisset as the restaurant owner where Christian works, and Mary Kay Place as Aaron Davis's intolerant Mormon mother.I was sorry to see the film end, it would have made a great mini-series as I became interested in the two main characters, and would have loved to have seen more of their developing relationship. This is a gay romance film, complete with drama and comedic moments.One of the more memorable lines include Christian's moment of baring his soul, "You want revelations engraved in gold and angels trumpeting down from heaven. What if this is it instead? Me telling you I love you, right here in the snow? I think that is pretty miraculous."Another of the more moving moments, for those of us who can relate to familial alienation due to orientation came during the church excommunication when Aaron realized he had to choose one side, but there really wasn't a choice because the two options involved either being true to himself or denying himself.Elder Farron Davis (Aaron's father) says "This isn't easy for me Aaron. But in light of your abnormal and abominable state, and your refusal to see that you've been duped into some hogwash alternative lifestyle, I wish my shame was enough for the both of us. Not to mention the shame you've brought to our church, our family, our ancestors..."Aaron replies, "Wait a minute, our ancestors? Dad, your grandfather had at least a half dozen wives, and that goes for every single person in this room. I'd say we were the original definition of 'alternative lifestyle.'""Are you calling us hypocrites?" his father retorts. "Oh no," is the response, "we've gone way beyond hypocrisy, Dad; now, we're just being mean."For any person coming to terms with their orientation, or for those whom have had an incredible journey coming out, or even for those who wish to become publicly true to theirself, this movie is a bittersweet lovestory that reminds us all that any journey of self discovery contains both something gained and something lost. I heartily recommend it.Note that Amazon lists only the R-rated version as being widescreen. This review also appears on the Adamant Sun. Video22659@blogcritics.org Sat, 27 Nov 2004 04:02:39 EST