D'OH

It turns out Al Queda is a threat to American Safety again. Did I wake up in 2002?

My ass burns...does that mean anything?

GFY

Tonight We Dine In Hell....

Consider yourself warned. The following is the Prez’s official review of the Film “300” after two viewings. Spoilers and descriptions abound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gfZnWVoqZ8

For millions of Americans March 9th had long been marked on the calendar. Due to several amazing well placed trailers, “300” seemed to on the surface have a little bit of everything. A warrior epic depicting the famous standoff during the Battle of Thermopylae, the film comes to us from the graphic novel by Frank Miller of the same name. Like Miller’s last project “Sin City”, “300” includes many similar CGI blue screen techniques that enable the graphic novel to come to life in a visual spectacle.

The ability of director Zack Taylor to blend the visual and the storyline is very impressive. Even for crazy over analytical historians like me, it is easy to get wrapped up in the actions of the strong determined characters. It is an excellent movie.

It is certainly not perfect. The fact that all the Spartans, “The good guys”, are all light skinned while all the Persians, “The bad guys”, are dark skinned provides a racist undertone many will call ridiculous, me included. The image of Persians (Modern day Iranians) as sadistic mutants with a freaky streak for orgies may ruffle more then a few feathers. The viewer easily roots against them even though you know they win the battle against the “300”.

Historically the film is told from the Spartan perspective. This perspective is lost to history. Thus, the many inaccuracies can be set aside if you see it as a Spartan retelling, as opposed to that of the victorious Athenians who we now know and love. The Spartans may have somehow justified their actions, but “Freedom” and “Equality” were certainly not them. This was crucial to the storyline, but seemed so remarkably lazy to me.

Hey Hollywood, If every ancient or medieval war was fought for freedom, wouldn’t if have been actually been established and disseminated prior to 1776?

The Thespians never ran away. A thousand of them fought and died along with the “300”.

Spartan life actually celebrated inequality, something that was hinted at during the retelling of the early life of King Leonidas. The Spartan life also celebrated war. The warrior nature is depicted nicely, but its modern day resemblance to fanatical religious D-bag martyr-wannabes left this viewer with an uneasy acceptance of the Spartans, as a nessessary evil before the victory.

The Prez has always accepted the postmodern historical perspective, that the Athenians brought the critical thinking to the table, while the Spartans fashioned a fascistic obsession with combat that pushed along humanities ability to conquer mother nature.

This idea has always added to my dislike of Michigan State, which is nice.

However, somewhere along the way none of this matters. Maybe it is the sight of thousands of arrows blotting out the sun, or the creation of a wall out of the dead Persians, but the jingoism and nihilism at the heart of the film adds to the action of the film. Fake violence works when done right, and the “300” has it and then some.

Leonidas is portrayed as a fearless leader, not a D-bag. Thus, any comparisons to anyone in the current American administration should only be used for the purpose of satire. Can you imagine Cheney in leather underwear? Or Bush going to war under false pretences?

naaaa.....me either.

So go see "300". Then go to Hooters. Make an evening out of it.

Then snap back to reality, recognize it is 2007, and get back to the business of avoiding eviction.

Prez Out

State of the (Dis)Union

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaijfS5h73o

The State of the Union is now a slurpfest for the pundits and politicians alike. It is officially a pseudo-holiday of Super Bowl proportions for the cable news networks. It also wins for "Fakest Night of the Year". It is the moment the country seeks to hear a new message for the year to come and gets nothing but fake smiles, fake applause, jubilant congressional staffers/autograph seekers, and shout outs to the unlikely peeps in the house. I could have cared less until a friend e-mailed me a message that he was doing a running commentary of the event. A night of grading, reading, and sleep became one of high comedy, Nirvana clips, and big news from THE NIGHTWATCHMAN.

First off, the Message. The President is shitty and he knows it. Earlier in the day the VP was accused of trying to sacrifice Scooter Libby and save Karl Rove in a court of law. The war in Iraq has stripped him all credibility. For those of us who actually tallied up the votes of the 2000 election, the last 7 years have been a consistent case of the “chickens coming home to roost” for the entire administration. Now there is a call for “citizen reserves”. It is like these people are living in a dream world.

The complete lack of credibility made the message moot. I was more intrigued by the cut shots to the various dignitaries on hand for the occasion, including the several Democrats and Republicans already running for President in 2008. There was John McCain sleeping. Ditto for Joe Bidden and Ted Kennedy. It was interesting Bush brought up Africa, and the genocide in Darfur. It made Bono happy, so I was happy. However, not including a word on the reconstruction of New Orleans was at best an egregious error, and at worst the reason why he may be compared only to Emperor Nero in his ability to be callous and somehow revel in it. And forget about even a mention of Osama Bin Laden. He hasn’t been on Bush’s lips since they were seen riding bombs in a Music Video back in ‘03.

The fact Hilary Clinton was sitting behind Obama was and interesting visual. However, the highlight of the evening was the “shout outs” portion of the speech that actually happened later then in most State of the Union addresses. My personal favorite was the out of nowhere appearance of Dikembe Mutumbo. I have enjoyed this geriatric since I was Elementary school. The site of him towering over Laura Bush was great. I immediately hoped someone would produce a basketball for him to hold and fake like he was grabbing a rebound, increasing the likelihood of Mutumbo accidentally clocking the first lady in the grill .......then waging his finger at her. The “humble Subway Hero” was also great. First because the networks threw up the “Subway Hero” graphic, allowing millions of witty Americans to come up with a joke that included that D**** B*** “Jared from Subway”. Then as the guy was being honored, he started pointing to Bush and doing the whole heart pound thing and lifting his arms in the air. Now, I have never been asked to sit in the Presidential Box at the State of the Union. However, when that day happens, I won’t soak up the moment like I was doing my best Cuba Gooding Jr. impression. Even in Spanish. Lets just call him he “Subway Hero” from now on. Oh yeah, since when do people get honored by the President for charitable work like that lady? Oprah must be pissed….

Where do we go from here? Only Chris Matthews really knows. We have another one of these things next year. My predictions, the war in Iraq will still be raging and escalating the conflict with more troops will be discussed again. That will just be sad. I say Bush should pre-tape it in 10 minutes sections while siting in his bed room and puts it on Youtube. He could be next years Lonelygirl15. Its better then his current legacy....

Oh yeah, circle April 24th on the Calendar. The Nightwatchman’s first album drops.


You know what that means…The Strength and Honor Revolution will have a soundtrack!

The Dumbest Thing I have Ever Seen?

No not the "President" lay out a "New Iraq stratedgy". Putting an extra 25,000 troops in Iraq is simply a case of an administration without a soul. They will all burn. This was their Butters-esque "Oh Hamburgers!" moment, and more people get to die because of it.

Getting to the actual reason for this post. Tonight Celtics guard Tony Allen probably ended his season after injuring his knee while trying to dunk the basketball...two dribbles down the lane after the whistle had been blown for a stoppage of play. Doc Rivers said it was probably his ACL. 10 weeks ago Allen was 10th on the depth chart. The last three weeks had seen him become the most consistent scorer on the team in the absence of The Truth. The moment it happen, my immediate response was "Fuck'in A...". In that moment, as a shocked Tony Allen lay on the parque floor grabing his knee in agony,... my heart sank. T.A. joined Robert Edward's beach football game, Carl Everett's headbutt, and Marty Barrett tripping over first base in the pantheon of "dumbest things/practically career ending moments" I have ever seen by a Boston Pro Sports athlete in my life time. Allen's game was peaking like no other time in his entire life, and this never would have happened if he had stopped when the whistle was blown. Now we can only wonder if he will ever be the same player again. Somehow I want to blame T.O., but all I can blame is T.A. Oh yeah, our Micheal Rappaport look alike Scal went down with an MCL as well. The 2006/2007 Boston Celtics...Fuck'in A....

The 1/20/09 Chronicles

While far more motivated and talented folks will be interpreting this matter in the next few weeks, months, and years, The Prez will continue to periodically comment on the race for the 2008 Presidential Election in elongated, bloated rants. Often times this commentary will be ill conceived and harsh, but will also seek to cut beyond the PC bull crap to the place where political spin and American zeal meld into an orgasm of truthiness so strong that it will cleanse the doors of perception and start the revolution.

“Rolling Down the Street Smoking Indo, Sipping on Gin and Juice…Laid Back”

It is great what alcohol does to people at holiday parties. This week I went to a couple, one for work and one for fun. Both ended up being great. At each party, I found that being around loose tongued Republicans can be very enlightening. When the topic of the 2008 Presidential Election was discussed they before bewildered and despondent. The unshakeable conviction that 2000 ushered in a neo-con revolution that would last for a thousand years has crumbled under the weight of the catastrophe in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the end of The Lord of the Rings movies saga, this war did not end at the logical conclusion point. The fall of Saddam Hussain did little to end the threat of terror for the American or Iraqi people. Some would logically suggest this fear has been made worse.

As my Gin (Bombay) and Juice (Cranberry) with a lime settled in, I posted the question.
“Who makes up the unbeatable team for the Democrats in 2008”. While I have spent the last 8 months foreseeing the creation of an unbeatable Republican juggernaut made of a combination of McCain/Jeb Bush/Guliani/Romney/ Rice etc…The last month has seen Republicans realize that the neo-con agenda has failed and that the Executive Branch is in line for a much needed market correction.

Thus, my inquiry was met with varied responses. The conlusion knocked me off my seat. One neo-con party go-er named Lisa responded “If Gore runs, we are toast”. I was dumbfounded. My dislike for Gore runs deep, but to hear very conservative people discuss him with vitriolic anxiety was unexpectedly awesome. Forget that Gore failed to win Tennessee. Gore was against the war from the very beginning, while becoming the foremost figurehead in the fight against Global Warning. That’s right, it is ok to not use Prince Bush's term “Climate Change”. Thank You Mr. Gore. We will keep the lock box key ready if you run.

Another name that kept coming up was John Edwards. I was impressed by his discussion with Chris Matthews on the Hardball College Tour. He has so much going for him, but his lack of experience was seen as delightful by Dan, who envisioned a McCain vs. Edwards match up and became excited. So maybe Edwards is better off recognizing that his time may be farther down the road.

Hilary Clinton’s named was bandied about for a few minutes. The group seemed to take her more seriously then I do. She still strikes that whole “She is the Anti-Christ” vibe with the Republicans. Many think I should see this as a positive, but I think they may be right. Running a women for the top spot would be unprecedented. However, she is the Steinbrenner of the Democratic Party.

That makes Barack Obama the Red Sox. Obama Nation has received mad props by the liberal ans centrist media. He is right now seen as the biggest challenger to Hilary, and has shaken Republicans everywhere. His total lack of experience seemed to actually be seen as benefit in New Hampshire..... aka “The salty balls of New England”. I love Obama’s optimism. But I also love Egg Nog. However, Like Obama’s message, too much egg nog makes me violently ill. The elephant in the room is obviously the fact he is a black man. Jake, a member of the College Republicans at Wesleyan, was drinking a Harpoon IPA when he said “Look at Harold Ford Jr., a black guy will never be able to be President now. People are too scared”. I concur unfortunately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5UHs_6qhmc

I brought up Gen. Wesley Clark, who has disappeared. As many you know, I would love for him to emerge for the darkness, but the Republicans were not interested in him. They were sober enough to laugh off Kucinich, but I stood firmly by the diminutive progressive from Ohio. I even referenced Pulp Fiction, believing him actually to be a stealthy Winston Wolf type character who solves problems for the thugs that cause them. Al Sharpton should run as the Green Party Candidate. That’s right, I said it.More on this in the future. I mentioned Chris Dodd for effect. Despite having a house 20 minutes away, some had to be reminded of who he was. Not a good sign.

Sexy Jessica mentioned Lieberman. They love him. From his stance on he war to pornography, they see him as a symbol of something that is ok. They even look beyond the fact he is Jewish. Interesting for a group of pretty religious folks. This was never an issue for me before I moved to what can be considered Western Connecticut, were there is a definite increase in Anti-Semitism in the more rural communities thenin Eastern CT. Very disturbing. The group realized that as diverse as this election could/should be, American idealism is tempered in the face of instability and crushed in the face of reactionary fear . This coming from a group of people whose party’s ideology promotes a porfitable reactionary based brand of fear.

“...With My Mind on My Money and My Money on My Mind”

So the Democrats of most Republican interest came down to a combination of Gore/Rodham-Clinton/Edwards/Obama. Pretty typical in nature. Of this motley crew, the finely toasted group of Republicans agreed a Gore/Obama ticket was the team that would defeat the Republicans in 2008. I liked it. I was satisfied. I would hear it again.

The next day Hardball had the same discussion, but with no booze, and established the same conclusion. It was Déjà Vu without Denzel Washington (good, but not wonderful). My unique inquiry method, couple with the Republican “Committee of Nine” had constructed a piece of independent research whose results could stand strong.

Now on the surface, for such a team to be created, both would have to be brought together by a higher power. Paging George Soros….

It takes billions of man/women hours to run and win a Presidential Election. It helps to spend tens of millions of dollars. You have to whore yourself out to special interests and Big Militarism (Business, Oil, Unions, Defense, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Playstation 3). Beyond that it takes an unnatural thirst for power, and knowing the supreme mantra of the world, “Don’t Think You Are, Know You Are”.

“This is a time for American heroes, and we reach for the stars”.

Only in a world with a fake President can such words be taken seriously. They are without cynicism. But that is what this next presidential elections can be about. A McCain/Guliani vs. Gore/Obama match up would be incredible theater. Itwould be the most centrist campaign in over 180 years. It would enable tens of millions of American voters to see beyond the bullshit and recognize the role of ideas in our real world. That in reality, there is no spoon, possibilities do exist, and solutions can be created. All is takes it a few Progressive Liberals , a few Conservatives, festive holiday décor, and plenty of Gin and Juice to make it happen….
Hows that for optimism?

Strength and Honor Comrades....