Holy Hollywood, Batman

I was advised at a tender age that one should refrain from arguing politics and religion at all costs I have never been afraid to argue both, because I usually kept an open mind and had facts to support my supposition. But then again I remember being thrown out of a little bar in Florida for espousing my beliefs and also for depositing coin after coin in the juke box to play a song by Anne Murray that no one wanted to hear any longer.

The advice against arguing about the two subjects becomes even more fundamental when they are combined and the discussion turns to the politics of religion. If I had argued that subject in that little bar, I most likely would have been sharing a plot in Michigan with Mr. Hoffa. Hence, the debate about the “DaVinci Code”.

The movie debuted in this country today to mixed reviews. More like mixed concrete of bad reviews. But the subject matter of the movie is the crux of the issue and not the artistic merit of the film. DaVinci has been to religious sects what “Brokeback Mountain” was to the homophobic construction worker from New York Labeling DaVinci as a pure work of fiction is much like tagging Brokeback as the all American love story. Kind of like Jell-O made with sand.

Millions upon millions have read the book by Mr. Brown. These will be the same people that having been able to fork over the price of the hardcover copy will be able to put down the price of admission at the movie theater. Most likely, a redundant audience. But supply and demand of Hollywood blockbusters is similar to the price at the gas pump. We gripe about the high prices, but we still take in our fill. And so we flock to the theaters to watch the affluent whites and the pitiable black gangster thugs. We cheer on the underdog kids led to victory by the alcoholic coach. Israeli gun slinging assassins become heroes. Men are macho; women are bimbos. The examples go on and on.

The work by Brown is fiction and should be viewed as such. A true believer in their faith will not nor should not be swayed by a media presentation. I, like William Donohue of the Catholic League, find all the uproar concerning the movie as much to do about nothing. Mr. Donohue , in an interview this morning stated, that he had only asked that a disclaimer be inserted to clarify that the movie was indeed fiction. While I hardly ever agree with Mr. Donohue’s position, I don’t think that was too much to ask. Then the audience would truly have known that they shouldn’t be taking this all that seriously. Perhaps this idea of the “fiction disclaimer” could extend on to the next James Bond epic.

Yet we take up our swords and arrows to fight for this nonsense when we are engaged in a war which sees no end and genocide runs rampant in Dafur. We only pay lip service to these issues.

Another Country, Another Notch

The immigration issue is still the hot topic in Washington D.C. Hotter than a habanero pepper. The President’s plan to curb the illegal entry of Mexican immigrants is to call out the National Guard to augment the Border Patrol agents. The Guard would only be utilized for a short period of time until additional professional patrol agents could be trained. That is a relief since the Guard , as the President puts it, are not trained to perform these duties. Were they more trained to travel off to Iraq? But the positioning of the Guard on the border disturbs me for a couple of reasons.

We know of the present administration’s problems when it comes to reading intelligence data. Even when accurate information is given it is disregarded. We also know how bureaucratic logic can become mind boggling. Who knows what could happen.

It is generally understood that democratic countries have a fairly sound economy. People flee their homelands to seek political asylum in countries with democratic forms of government. Mexico is supposedly a democratic country, but we don’t hear any stories of people fleeing Cuba to go to Mexico. And since Mexico is a democratic country, it should have a fairly stable economy. That can only mean that the immigrants are not fleeing Mexico and entering the U.S. for economic reasons, but must be seeking political asylum. The great numbers of those fleeing to the U.S. has caused alarm on Capitol Hill, but the real reason is kept secret. The politicos can’t come out and denounce the Mexican President as a Saddam like figure since he is supposedly a friend. Another plan, a more surreptitious plan, must be placed.

Each day the Guard units would take five steps south of the border. Each day closer and closer to the Mexican capitol. Eventually we would be on the doorstep of the Presidential Palace. The tanks would roll in and we would liberate the poor and downtrodden. We could then proceed to help the people form a new government. No-bid contracts would be awarded to Halliburton. American companies will build their plants and Wal~Mart and McDonald’s will abound. The economy would thrive. Illegal immigrants would return to their beloved country secure in the knowledge that they have won a great freedom. Employers will seek cheap labor from north of the border.

Then the people will grow to distrust us and hate us. Militants will attack our troops. Casualties will soar. Having no exit strategy, we are once again stuck in political quicksand.