ampdead

"So that others may live"

DrewM posts about the De Palma tripe over at Ace of Spades.  The sentiment is fairly the same across the blogs I regularly read.  Frankly, it's a bit infuriating.  That he's harping on De Palma?  No, of course not.  That he's not harping on someone or some people who have the ability to at least balance the De Palmas of the world, yes.

Let's see.  AoS, HotAir, Michelle Malkin, etc. all had a huge hand in destroying that so-called immigration bill awhile back.  Why?  Because they have clout.  They have managed to rip the power to influence away from traditional media, and have used it to good effect - as evidenced by the destruction of the so-called immigration bill.  It's probably more of a curse than a blessing in the sense that they will now be expected to get accomplished other things.  But I have faith.

I have faith because getting people to not see movies is arguably a hell of alot easier than getting people to call their Congressman or Senator.  The Law of Inertia alone dictates this.  Hell, if you can get someone to write a letter to their Congressman or Senator, you can probably get people to write letters to various Hollywood types - especially those who espouse an affinity for the efforts of the U.S. military.  Something simple like:  If you claim to support our troops and their mission then, GODDAMNIT, scream it from the mountaintop because, if you haven't noticed, we're going to lose the whole thing if you don't raise your voice against your fellows in the media.

Sure, go back to Vietnam if you must.  We all know there's a whole slew of stories waiting to be told - nay - immortalized in film.  Like this:  So that Others May Live. 

Considering the current mood in DC, maybe a story about the aftermath of Vietnam - the aftermath of the U.S. once again forsaking it's sacred honor.  Here's an easy script - 2,000 words worth.

FADE IN:

FADE OUT


Not so hard, I think.

Posted by: Jason at 11:05 PM in Zombiewood | No Comments | Add Comment
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What a difference a couple years make

Back in 2005:  Bruce Willis to take on career-killing endeavor.  The Times Online story Libertas linked to  has moved here.  He also attended the 'Punisher's Ball' where he, according to Michael Yon,

[...] gave the most impassioned speech I can remember, using clear terms—including some well-selected profanities to describe terrorists—to express his admiration and support for the troops. Bruce’s speech was so accurate in his description of the war, and so charged with emotion, that he seemed ready to lead the troops himself back to Iraq; and they were ready to go.

Sure, Willis is doing war movies.  According to IMDB he's doing The Last Full Measure

Thirty-three years after his death, during one of the bloodiest days of the Vietnam War, Air Force Para-rescue Jumper William H. Pitsenbarger is awarded the Medal of Honor after a young Washington bureaucrat and fellow veterans of Operation Abilene get Congress to reconsider the legacy of his sacrifice. From a true story.

and Pinkville - Oliver Stone's take on the My Lai Massacre.

So why not this 'Deuce Four' project?  Especially now with the current slate of vehemently anti-U.S., anti-military cinematic diatribes Hollywood is set to dump into theaters - like this and this.  Willis can give the "most impassioned speech" about the War to a gathering of distinguished veterans, but he can't take that passion into his own work, and present the story of those same distinguished veterans on film?  Instead he takes the lead role in an Oliver Stone flick?

Willis and others like him are in a perfect position to create an opposition to mainstream Hollywood tripe - to at least balance flicks like the ones I linked above.  They have the talent, the box office credibility, and the fan base.  More importantly, probably, they have the financial resources and the connections.  That is, the ability but, apparently, not the desire.  It makes Willis giving that speech reprehensible - these people are giving their lives while Willis and others aren't willing to take a chance on their careers.  Talk is cheap - so is praise when you have the ability to really support what the troops are doing yet do not.

Why are we losing the war in the media again?

Edit:  Here's another story ripe for dramatization:  Was a Crime Committed in Haditha?  Waiting, waiting.  (h/t Uncle Jimbo - nice letter to the NYT too)

Edit2:  Well, no, not really.  This edit was getting too long to include in this post.  That's why you read the edit to this post before this post.  It's like time traveling.  You've just messed with the laws of physics.  Feel good.

Posted by: Jason at 01:08 PM in Zombiewood | No Comments | Add Comment
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Fall '07 Day 3

On the second day of my latest attempt to obtain a shiny piece of paper Tammy Erickson wonders about the future worth of said document (h/t Instapundit).  The old musings about the same thing pop up again in my own mind today, the third day of this current college try.  Especially this thought from Erickson:

And finally, although I hate to say it: a perception that at least parts of today’s college education are actually not particularly relevant may pervade more and more young people’s (and older employers’) consciousness.

Not particularly relevant or flat out wrong.  Something along the lines my political science professor comparing Nixon and Reagan - as opposed to contrasting - in terms of the philosophies of each regarding the size of government.  With Nixon we have wage and price controls, an indexing of Social Security for inflation, the creation of Supplemental Security Income, implementation of the Philadelphia Plan (a federal affirmative action program), and the creation both the EPA and OSHA.  Not exactly Reagan.

There was also the imposition of the national speed limit - 55 mph - in 1974.  He brought this up, but failed to mention a date or a President - merely put it into the context of the energy crisis.  I wonder what the answer would be to a question like:  Who was President during the energy crisis?  More importantly, what was the actual effect of the federal speed limit?  Somewhere around a 1% reduction in gasoline consumption.  Blessed are the regulators.

I also found out John Edwards is more of a Republican than I am because the more education you have, the more money you make, and the more Republican you are.  Also, the more in debt you are, but only if the financial aid office can motivate itself to do something.  Funny that.

Now is between class time.  Next up is an English class. 

English teacher by day, rent-a-cop by night - drive-thru operator on the weekend.  He's a busy guy - not that there's anything wrong with that.  He does give off strong Trekkie vibes though, and of the four books we're scheduled to read I've already read three.  He's also really into issues.  Great.  The Jungle, Catcher in the Rye, and Death of Sales Man are chock full of issues.  A hotdog vendor kills himself by becoming his own product. 

Would it be a terribly bad idea for an English class to read something like Moby Dick or, maybe, something by Shakespeare?  Maybe A Modest Proposal to introduce us to satire so we don't fall into this sort of stupid (the Lewis excuse, not the Captain's Wookiee-like take down of Lewis).  Or is this all about the number of books you read (or buy) in a year as opposed to the type of books you read?  Quality or quantity - aspects of this education thing being wholly irrelevant.

Nuance.

Posted by: Jason at 01:32 PM in Edukated | No Comments | Add Comment
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