After much consideration, I’ve decided, since Ron Paul clearly won’t be getting the GOP nomination, and has no plans to run as an independent or third party, that I will be supporting Bob Barr for the Libertarian nomination.
To be sure, it amounts to little more than a protest vote, but the sad truth of the matter is that more and more these days, it seems voting for constitutional principles is always a protest vote.
Since I don’t make it out to the movies that often, I’m focusing on movies that are currently out on video.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
A documentary about two guys competing for the world record in Donkey Kong. I went into it thinking it was gonna be a total goof, some kind of satirical documentary along the lines of Spinal Tap, only with real people. I was surprised to find not only is it a serious movie, it’s friggin’ RIVETING.
Rescue Dawn
About POW’s in Laos during the conflict leading up to the Vietnam War. This is what I grew up thinking a movie is supposed to be. Real human drama, characters you come to genuinely care about, and enough artistic flair to make it memorable without being condescending or pretentious. Turns on a dime from being light-hearted and uplifting to being utterly heartbreaking and back again, and the transition is completely seamless. And I’ve yet to be disappointed in a Christian Bale performance. If you haven’t seen this yet, seriously, get off your ass and rent it.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
A sympathetic portrayal of Jesse James’ killer Robert Ford, the man who subsequently, and perhaps undeservedly, became one of the most hated figures in American history. Beautifully shot, every scene looks like it was painted on a canvas. Great performances all around, despite some unfortunate typecasting of a couple of Deadwood alums. Brad Pitt not only manages to avoid annoying the piss out of me for over two hours (a tremendous feat in itself) but actually chews the scenery as Jesse James. Definitely not a traditional Western, those expecting one may find it a little too “artsy”. But I loved it.
So I was reading the paper today, when I came across an article on the race for the District 1 Senate seat, the seat Bobby Jindal vacated when he became governor. I had heard absolutely nothing about this guy in the news until now, but apparently there is this guy David Simpson, a lawyer from Mandeville, who is running on Ron Paul’s platform, pretty much word for word.
I think we are going to be seeing a lot more of this, and it’s very encouraging. I had read a while back that there was some guy running for office in Maryland (don’t remember his name or what he was running for) who proclaimed himself as a “Ron Paul Republican”. Something tells me we will be seeing more candidates popping up all over the country, pushing the paleoconservative/libertarian view.
I’ve said before that the most likely victory of the Ron Paul campaign will not be in winning the presidency, but in igniting a movement. Glad to see I was right.
I already signed up to volunteer for Dave Simpson.
*Sorry for the dearth of new material here. I realize this is the first post in months, as I’ve been busy in the meatworld. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start updating more regularly.*
My name is Orenthal, and I am a bald man.
I firmly believe that behind all pandering, there is a little bit of contempt. Or at the very least, cynicism. I have to believe that for every TV commercial geared specifically to a particular racial minority or pop culture sect, there is some ad exec with a bit of a P.T. Barnum streak. A sucker born every minute, indeed.
“Our sales seem to be lagging among the African-American demographic.”
“Well, they all like that rap music, right? Put some rapping in the commercial. And people dancing to the rapping. They like dancing, too.”
The truth is, simple-minded people yearn for a group identity. It gives them the illusion of a sense of purpose, and saves them from having to engage in a lot of unnecessary independent thought. It gives them a quick and easy way to define themselves. Most assume a group identity based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Big business has long been hip to the notion that if they can somehow relate their products and/or services to the wants and expectations of these identifier groups, the simple-minded will flock to that product like chimps to their first fire.
And of course, what could be more simple-minded than a hipster?
Dr. Mary’s Monkey by Edward T. Haslam
How the unsolved murder of a doctor, a secret laboratory in New Orleans and cancer-causing monkey viruses are linked to Lee Harvey Oswald, the JFK assassination and emerging global epidemics
I’ve recently discovered Scott Meyer’s Basic Instructions. Really funny stuff. Here are a couple of my favorites:
You may have to be a poker player to appreciate it, but I still get a kick out of Bill Fillmaff’s Secret System. Fillmaff is a caricature of professional poker player Phil Hellmuth, and I believe (don’t quote me on this) another creation of SomethingAwful.com.
The first two episodes are the best, as the gag starts to lose steam after that, and the true payoff in each episode doesn’t come until near the end. But they are still pretty funny throughout, and worth a look.
Or: “Why I Don’t Give a Shit About Any ‘Boy Wizards’.”
Note: The following entry has been been voluntarily censored by yours truly, because apparently the very mention of a particular boy wizard’s name draws a veritable army of spambots to the site. Hopefully by blotting out some of the letters I can stem the flow of “MAEK UR PEENIS BIGGAR!!1!1″ journal comments.
When the whole H***y P****r phenomenon started several years back, I largely ignored it. Why? Because it’s a fucking children’s book, for starters; and I am, as they say, “all growed up”. But as more and more of my adult friends started raving about how awesome these books were, I started to think there was something to it.
