Let's talk about Sons of Anarchy for a minute.
Now that the season finale is done, there's a lot to say. I started watching because there was nothing on and being sans-satellite I was trolling through the on demand archives and figured I'd give it a shot. The first episode was described by TWOP as being a white trash biker version of the Sopranos. I can't speak for the Sopranos because it was never a show that I really got into, but I like SoA.
SoA keeps you from completely cheering their group of anti-heroes on by giving you an antihero who has serious and continual moral qualms guided by the manuscript of his deceased father. The protagonist operates outside of the law and is entrenched in a world he seeks to change. He does bad things and not always for the right reasons, but tries to do as much good as he can. It's a story of flawed people. And the people progress. Realistically. Even the primary antagonist isn't without virtue. If BSG is about redemption, then SoA is about damnation.
In BSG you watch characters struggle to save themselves from hell in every sense, but SoA is the story of people damning themselves for the most part. Don't get me wrong, SoA is of nowhere near the quality as BSG, but it shares some cross points. SoA lives closer to the alter than BSG does, but it's still about what takes place between the temple and the alter.
SoA is on a larger scale about fixing a dream gone wrong. It's about a biker gang founded to be essentially a libertarian commune operating by its own rules outside of society mainly by distance and influence upon the small town it calls home. The idea went wrong primarily due to the influence of one of the founding members. The son of a murdered founder starts having second doubts because he has a new born son. His doubts are fed by his discovery of his father's manuscript which detail his dreams for the purpose of the club upon its founding and how it went astray. That son, Jax, oscillates between his fathers dreams and the influence of his stepfather, Samcrow, who was founding member who drew the club down the wrong path.
SoA has a very Hamlet feel during the first season, despit the fact that Jax's mother, Samcrow's wife, very clearly knows what happened to Jax's father and sides with Samcrow (though the season finale throws a smidgeon of doubt upon the driving force behind their releationship). In fact, I would go so far as to say that the first season of SoA is essentially Hamlet being confronted with his father's ghost and trying to figure out what to do about it.
I didn't want to write about this show until now because I wasn't sure I could do it without making iti a recap. Tonight made it big league. Hell, I just told you it was Hamlet. It's not BSG level so far, but there will be more posts about SoA if FX picks it up for another season. I hope they do. And I hope they continue the Hamlet mirror. It's hard to go wrong from Shakespear, yall. Really.
That's all for tonight. I recommend that you check out SoA. Start from the beginning because it's that kind of show and give a chance up through the episode with the clown. You'll know which one I mean. That's the one that moved it from casual to must see watching for me. And not just becuase I freaking hate clowns.
I'll close with this: imagine The Sopranos+Hamlet+biker gang, how could that now= awesome? Try it.
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving.
11.26.2008
11.13.2008
And The Lunacy Continues....
For those of you (okay, I was one) who tried to pull a silver lining from election day's cloud by hoping that Democrat control over both the legislative and executive branches of government would somehow spark a return to sanity and civility, it looks like crazy is harder to cure.
And Congressional Democrats say that they are determined to pursue their investigations — and that they expect career officials to disclose other issues after the Bush administration leaves. “We could spend the entire next four years investigating the Bush years,” Mr. Whitehouse said.
Where to begin? With Obama's staff stating that they'll keep much of President Bush's intelligence policies? Or with the fact that investigating out going presidents based purely and obviously on partisan grudges or policy disputes establishes a completely absurd precedent? Maybe with the fact that we currently have a multi-front war, an economic crisis, China, Russia, North Korea, and the potential of a nuclear Iran to deal with and they want to spend time pursuing an agenda that will only increase the divisiveness of political discourse? There's too much to chose from. I don't know. You decide. What's more insane?
Hat tip, Roger L. Simon
And Congressional Democrats say that they are determined to pursue their investigations — and that they expect career officials to disclose other issues after the Bush administration leaves. “We could spend the entire next four years investigating the Bush years,” Mr. Whitehouse said.
Where to begin? With Obama's staff stating that they'll keep much of President Bush's intelligence policies? Or with the fact that investigating out going presidents based purely and obviously on partisan grudges or policy disputes establishes a completely absurd precedent? Maybe with the fact that we currently have a multi-front war, an economic crisis, China, Russia, North Korea, and the potential of a nuclear Iran to deal with and they want to spend time pursuing an agenda that will only increase the divisiveness of political discourse? There's too much to chose from. I don't know. You decide. What's more insane?
Hat tip, Roger L. Simon
11.12.2008
The Wonders Of Editing....
I expect this to be the first and last post about Sci-Fi's new series Chase. Whatever else there is to say about this show, the editing is amazing on two levels. The first level is that the introduction of the hunters is just ridiculously action movie. However, more importantly, the contestant interviews are placed for sheer comedy gold. In the first 13 minutes two contestants have had fantastic comedy placement for their interviews. A girl who had just indulged in being completely clueless interviews about how she's actually really smart. Then a guy interviews how he's in good shape, only to immediately trip over a fallen lamp post. A lamp post, people. It's not like it was uneven pavement. It was a goddamn street light.
That is all.
That is all.
11.11.2008
And The Great Whitewash Begins....
....I mean, hey, it's never too early to start shoring up the legacy.
JamieWearingFool links to the full story.
So the President-in-Training gets hundreds of millions in dubious credit card money, but McCain follows the rules and he gets punished.
JamieWearingFool links to the full story.
Memories....
John Hawkins over at Right Wing News remembers the North American Union and pays homage to the paranoid idiots who parroted it.
Well, Barack Obama is our new President-elect and George Bush is twiddling his thumbs and waiting for January so he can go back to Crawford. Shockingly, well to incredibly gullible people who don't understand the basics of how the country works, Bush has not merged our country with Mexico and Canada.
The funny thing about conspiracy theorists is that they never let a little thing like proof get in the way of their ideas. Don't expect people to shut up about it now, just because it hasn't happened.
Hat tip, Steven Green.
Well, Barack Obama is our new President-elect and George Bush is twiddling his thumbs and waiting for January so he can go back to Crawford. Shockingly, well to incredibly gullible people who don't understand the basics of how the country works, Bush has not merged our country with Mexico and Canada.
The funny thing about conspiracy theorists is that they never let a little thing like proof get in the way of their ideas. Don't expect people to shut up about it now, just because it hasn't happened.
Hat tip, Steven Green.
The First Step....
I've long held that history will treat President Bush far kinder than his contemporaries have. Could this be the first step (of many) towards that eventuality? I hope so.
11.10.2008
New Conservative Brand?
Cassandra over at Villainous Company discusses the future of the conservative brand:
....We need to start making the case that nearly all of these issues are ones which have traditionally been resolved at the state and local level. We need to frame this as a "freedom" issue: when the federal government imposes a one-size-fits-all moral code upon 50 very different states, we LOSE the freedom to decide and debate amongst ourselves how we want to live....
....There may be better words for this, but in broad, overarching terms conservatives need to frame the choice facing voters as being between a Party of Opportunity and Freedom which maximizes individual dignity, responsibility, and choice and minimizes government interference in the lives of citizens a Party of Pessimism and Control which maximizes dependency on government, waste and inefficiency and minimizes productivity, opportunity, and accountability.
It seems to me that that's pretty much the conservative brand as it once was. The vast majority of conservatives who I know are "conservative because [they're] classical liberal[s]". But that's just a way of saying that you don't believe in turning your (or anyone else's) morals into legislation. (This could lead to another entire post about how a moral decision stops being moral, when it's made at gun point.) I forgot where I was going with this. Anyway, check it out.
....We need to start making the case that nearly all of these issues are ones which have traditionally been resolved at the state and local level. We need to frame this as a "freedom" issue: when the federal government imposes a one-size-fits-all moral code upon 50 very different states, we LOSE the freedom to decide and debate amongst ourselves how we want to live....
....There may be better words for this, but in broad, overarching terms conservatives need to frame the choice facing voters as being between a Party of Opportunity and Freedom which maximizes individual dignity, responsibility, and choice and minimizes government interference in the lives of citizens a Party of Pessimism and Control which maximizes dependency on government, waste and inefficiency and minimizes productivity, opportunity, and accountability.
It seems to me that that's pretty much the conservative brand as it once was. The vast majority of conservatives who I know are "conservative because [they're] classical liberal[s]". But that's just a way of saying that you don't believe in turning your (or anyone else's) morals into legislation. (This could lead to another entire post about how a moral decision stops being moral, when it's made at gun point.) I forgot where I was going with this. Anyway, check it out.
11.08.2008
Oh For Fuck's Sake....
Thursday I received a text message from an associate in California asking me to petition the governor to overturn the vote on proposition 8. My first response was to ask why the hell they were asking me, a Marylander, to petition the governor of California on an amendment to the California state constitution. I was told to "think positive". That, boys and girls, was the proverbial straw. I've been stewing on the situation for several days and goddamnit I'm not holding back any more.
RESPECT DEMOCRACY, ASSHOLES!
I mean really, the voters of California turned out and had their say. Democracy means you don't always get your way. And if you do get it, it might not be on your time table. If proposition 8 failed and its supporters tried the kind of shit its opponents are currently trying we'd be hearing about republican/conservative/religious fascism until out ears and eyes bled.
The biggest supporters of proposition 8 (the ones who made a difference really) were the blacks and hispanics who turned out to vote for Obama (who is also against gay marriage). Does this mean that gays will finally tire of being thrown under the democrats' post election bus? Doubtful. But it is fun to watch the chickens of identity politics come home to roost.
Look, gay marriage will come to be in this country. Maybe not rightthismoment, but it will happen. And it will happen sooner if people stop pushing for it to happen yesterday. Frankly (preemptive no pun intended), I think the best solution resembles the situation in France (see?). And if I'm lauding the French government it's either a cold day in hell indeed, or a time to seriously prick up your ears. My solution is this: civil unions become the government recognized institution. Whatever your persuasion/orientation, your committed 1:1 thing will be called a civil union under the law. Marriage will be taken up with your/the/a church/temple/whatever. Given the number of republican delegates at this year's convention who were amiable to civil unions, I suspect that that compromise will be a relatively easy legislative battle to win. The republican presidential and vice-presidential nominees were both against banning.
But all of that is beside the point. The point is simply this: The Union, this country, is bigger than ohmygodiwantitnow! The fact that this is even a subject of national debate is huge in and of itself. This isn't about shutting up and moving to the back of the bus, it's about understanding that at this juncture reasoning with those who disagree is a better tactic than trying to use the guns of the government to persuade them. It's about the fact that, the system which you extole and villify as it suits your purpose has held together a rag-tag band of miscreants, rabble-rousers, and apostatic reprobates for over 200 years, and it has done so in a manner which has produced prosperity and freedom to such a degree that it should (and does which is why they hate us) shame the rest of the world. And in your selfish need for instant gratification and unconditional surrender you seek to hobble it. Moreover, you cripple the good faith that must exist between citizens for the system to function.
Good faith between citizens is crucial for the survival of a democracy. It's the understanding that the other side will not seek to circumvent, impare, or destroy the system in order to get their way when they lose or maintain power when they win.
By any serious accounting this stopped being a debate about if years ago. It's a debate about when. If a little patience is excersised, it'll probably happen within the next 10 years, and it won't be court ordered, but chosen by the American people. Now stop pissing in the fucking well.
RESPECT DEMOCRACY, ASSHOLES!
I mean really, the voters of California turned out and had their say. Democracy means you don't always get your way. And if you do get it, it might not be on your time table. If proposition 8 failed and its supporters tried the kind of shit its opponents are currently trying we'd be hearing about republican/conservative/religious fascism until out ears and eyes bled.
The biggest supporters of proposition 8 (the ones who made a difference really) were the blacks and hispanics who turned out to vote for Obama (who is also against gay marriage). Does this mean that gays will finally tire of being thrown under the democrats' post election bus? Doubtful. But it is fun to watch the chickens of identity politics come home to roost.
Look, gay marriage will come to be in this country. Maybe not rightthismoment, but it will happen. And it will happen sooner if people stop pushing for it to happen yesterday. Frankly (preemptive no pun intended), I think the best solution resembles the situation in France (see?). And if I'm lauding the French government it's either a cold day in hell indeed, or a time to seriously prick up your ears. My solution is this: civil unions become the government recognized institution. Whatever your persuasion/orientation, your committed 1:1 thing will be called a civil union under the law. Marriage will be taken up with your/the/a church/temple/whatever. Given the number of republican delegates at this year's convention who were amiable to civil unions, I suspect that that compromise will be a relatively easy legislative battle to win. The republican presidential and vice-presidential nominees were both against banning.
But all of that is beside the point. The point is simply this: The Union, this country, is bigger than ohmygodiwantitnow! The fact that this is even a subject of national debate is huge in and of itself. This isn't about shutting up and moving to the back of the bus, it's about understanding that at this juncture reasoning with those who disagree is a better tactic than trying to use the guns of the government to persuade them. It's about the fact that, the system which you extole and villify as it suits your purpose has held together a rag-tag band of miscreants, rabble-rousers, and apostatic reprobates for over 200 years, and it has done so in a manner which has produced prosperity and freedom to such a degree that it should (and does which is why they hate us) shame the rest of the world. And in your selfish need for instant gratification and unconditional surrender you seek to hobble it. Moreover, you cripple the good faith that must exist between citizens for the system to function.
Good faith between citizens is crucial for the survival of a democracy. It's the understanding that the other side will not seek to circumvent, impare, or destroy the system in order to get their way when they lose or maintain power when they win.
By any serious accounting this stopped being a debate about if years ago. It's a debate about when. If a little patience is excersised, it'll probably happen within the next 10 years, and it won't be court ordered, but chosen by the American people. Now stop pissing in the fucking well.
11.07.2008
Wasted Opportunities
So I'm watching tonight's episode of Sanctuary and all I can think is how much I wish it was an episode of Supernatural instead. You could so totally rely on Dean to refer to the nubbins as predator-tribbles. Because I mean, really. A whole hour devoted to small furry rapidly breeding cute creatures who have natural active camouflage and eat everything (including people) and not one reference to Star Trek's The Trouble With Tribbles episode? Like how is that even possible?
11.05.2008
One More Thing....
After last night's drunken post it occurred to me that I left something out.
PALIN '12!!!
Also, for all of those no-neck, squid loving, rats piling on the Alaskan Governor, I have just one thing to say: you try to pin your failure or inadequacy on Palin, you join the general pile-on of ivy league elitist bullshit, and you will cripple the Republican party. Oh, and fuck you for trying.
PALIN '12!!!
Also, for all of those no-neck, squid loving, rats piling on the Alaskan Governor, I have just one thing to say: you try to pin your failure or inadequacy on Palin, you join the general pile-on of ivy league elitist bullshit, and you will cripple the Republican party. Oh, and fuck you for trying.
11.04.2008
A Few Words....
First, Congratulations to Senator Obama.
Second, John McCain gave an amazingly classy speech tonight. I'm proud of him and my ideological fellow travelers. I extend my heart felt thanks to John McCain, Sarah Palin, and their families for the efforts they put forth. I look forward to hearing from Governor Palin on the national stage in the future.
Third, I will be spending the next hour or two nursing a beer or two.
Now, there are many on the right who've already articulated what I'm about to say. I disagree with President-elect Obama on a great many issues. This is no secret. However, I applaud his victory and wish him the best of luck in these troubling times. I hope my concerns about him prove to be misplaced. I hope the next 4 years are peaceful and prosperous. I remain committed to doing my part to improve civility in political discourse in this country. My country.
I will do this by example. I will not fall into the mindless rage that has marked opposition political discourse for the past 8 years. John McCain and Sarah Palin campaigned on the slogan "Country First". I intend to demonstrate that that was not just a slogan, but an affirmation of a way of life. I will not hope for President-elect Obama and the Democrat controlled congress to fail over the next 2 to 4 years. Instead, I will hope that they rise above the bitterness and sheer contraryness that has marred the past 8 years of politics in this country and lead. Lead this country and its people to prosperity and victory.
We here, on the right, like to refer to ourselves as the party of adults. Let's demonstrate that. Let's be adult. We lost. They won. If my hopes fall short we will have hard work cut out for us, not just in doing everything in our power to work against what we understand to be wrong, but also to fight for what we know to be right. It is of the utmost importance that we now look to the future and begin to rebuild and reshape our party. Let's not spend these upcoming years being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Now we have an opportunity to build a new contract with America. Strengthen the bonds of the Regan coaliton.
Second, John McCain gave an amazingly classy speech tonight. I'm proud of him and my ideological fellow travelers. I extend my heart felt thanks to John McCain, Sarah Palin, and their families for the efforts they put forth. I look forward to hearing from Governor Palin on the national stage in the future.
Third, I will be spending the next hour or two nursing a beer or two.
Now, there are many on the right who've already articulated what I'm about to say. I disagree with President-elect Obama on a great many issues. This is no secret. However, I applaud his victory and wish him the best of luck in these troubling times. I hope my concerns about him prove to be misplaced. I hope the next 4 years are peaceful and prosperous. I remain committed to doing my part to improve civility in political discourse in this country. My country.
I will do this by example. I will not fall into the mindless rage that has marked opposition political discourse for the past 8 years. John McCain and Sarah Palin campaigned on the slogan "Country First". I intend to demonstrate that that was not just a slogan, but an affirmation of a way of life. I will not hope for President-elect Obama and the Democrat controlled congress to fail over the next 2 to 4 years. Instead, I will hope that they rise above the bitterness and sheer contraryness that has marred the past 8 years of politics in this country and lead. Lead this country and its people to prosperity and victory.
We here, on the right, like to refer to ourselves as the party of adults. Let's demonstrate that. Let's be adult. We lost. They won. If my hopes fall short we will have hard work cut out for us, not just in doing everything in our power to work against what we understand to be wrong, but also to fight for what we know to be right. It is of the utmost importance that we now look to the future and begin to rebuild and reshape our party. Let's not spend these upcoming years being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Now we have an opportunity to build a new contract with America. Strengthen the bonds of the Regan coaliton.
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