I saw a murder today. Right in front of me. A ghastly, cruel, bloody, inhuman, agonizing murder. Excruciating, in fact. And I saw it. On purpose.
I'm speaking of course of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ". The crucifiction of Jesus Christ shown in the full cinematic power of Hollywood.
It's more than a movie, far more than "entertainment". It succeeds at all the criteria for a movie if that's what you're looking for. It's beautifully filmed and masterfully written, directed, and acted. It's a really a top-notch piece of cinema apart from the message and content.
But the message - "Profound" does not begin to describe it. Gibson's stated purpose was to confront the viewer with "the enormity of the sacrifice" of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. And confronted I am.
What can I say. I've been following the buildup to this movie for months now. I had advance tickets for today's showing. I knew what was going to happen. And I know the "backstory" so to speak. I'm a Christian man and I know the Bible stories. But Gibson really brought it alive. He brought meaning to the Gospels and told a familiar story in such a profound way that I found myself constantly thinking "Wow, I never thought of it that way".
For example, in the opening when Satan is tempting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane I was drawn in. I've read of course of Satan tempting Jesus, but to see the physical manifestation talking so close to him was to realize that the knew each other! That there was a relationship there prior to that moment. That Jesus had been in the direct presence of evil before and that it was a real thing for him to be tempted and mocked by Satan himself. Wow! I'd never fleshed that out in my mind that way. And it was like that for the whole movie in scene after scene.
And the violence. I've seen murders in movies before. How can you not with the bodycount in Hollywood movies anymore. But this was different. Profoundly different. I witnessed the deliberate,calculated, political decision to murder a living, innocent man in the most painful and degrading way possible. A murder carried out by flesh and blood people. Taking a man whole in body and spirit and killing him over several gruesome hours. It's beyond the capacity of the modern day man's mind to comprehend. Almost.
I was struck by:
- Satan first and foremost as constant evil fleshly presence during that awful day
- Jesus and his otherwordly focus on a heavenly agenda even as this horror was happening to his flesh
-the strength of the two Mary's
- the cowardice of the elders as they could not watch what they had brought about. They walked out on the scourging before it was done, and they left the crosses before it was done
- the cruelty of the Roman soldiers who were evidently so steeped in blood that this was just another day's work to find amusement in
- the foreknowledge Jesus had in what to "lay down your life" would mean for him
- the presence Jesus had to make contact with the people around him that showed faith (Simon, the woman with the water, etc.)
And much, much more.
It will take days and months of letting this movie soak in to fully understand it. Of course I'm glad I saw it. But I'm not done seeing it. There is so much there to review in my mind. And I'm sure it will not let go of me. Nor would I want it to.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Monday, February 23, 2004
So many topics - So little time
I'll have to step up my posting rate! This is an election year and it's a target rich environment to blather on about.
I'm struck this week by how upside down the world is lately. Has it all gone mad? You have only to look at the news.
Pick any story and marvel at the ways the participants are viewed and judged. Can two groups of people really look at a set of circumstances and come to such radically different conclusions? Can you doubt Bill O'Reilly's conclusion that we're in a war of the Secularists vs. Traditional values? Can you doubt that Pat Buchanan's warning in 1984 of a "culture war" has come to pass in spades.
* Mel Gibson makes a daring movie faithful to Christian Orthodoxy on the Passion of Christ, and is vilified as a "wacko" and a racist. I conclude differently.
* The mayor of San Francisco goes off the reservation and unlawfully issues thousands of illegal marriage licenses, and is praised as a brave and compassionate progressive. I conclude differently. Conclude what you will about gay marriage, but can you justify the savaging of the rule of law?
* George Bush withstands weeks of withering unfounded press hounding on his alleged AWOL status, in spite of his honorable service and discharge, and is then accused by John Kerry of "making Vietnam an issue in this campaign" as a cheap shot. Are you kidding me?
What happened to the reasoning capacity of adults in America? Sad, really.
It could almost make me despair that the country is going to make the wrong choice in November and elect a Democrat who totally lacks an understanding of national defense, and thinks it's all a law enforcement matter to deal with terrorists. A man who thinks US troops should only be deployed around the globe under the direction of the UN. A frightening prospect.
But I'm confident that it will work out. I think the cultural war will clarify by then and the traditional values folks will stand up and be counted. And I think the passion engendered by "The Passion of the Christ" will be a catalyst.
Next post - I'll have some thoughts on the gay marriage question. Some that may surprise you.
I'm struck this week by how upside down the world is lately. Has it all gone mad? You have only to look at the news.
Pick any story and marvel at the ways the participants are viewed and judged. Can two groups of people really look at a set of circumstances and come to such radically different conclusions? Can you doubt Bill O'Reilly's conclusion that we're in a war of the Secularists vs. Traditional values? Can you doubt that Pat Buchanan's warning in 1984 of a "culture war" has come to pass in spades.
* Mel Gibson makes a daring movie faithful to Christian Orthodoxy on the Passion of Christ, and is vilified as a "wacko" and a racist. I conclude differently.
* The mayor of San Francisco goes off the reservation and unlawfully issues thousands of illegal marriage licenses, and is praised as a brave and compassionate progressive. I conclude differently. Conclude what you will about gay marriage, but can you justify the savaging of the rule of law?
* George Bush withstands weeks of withering unfounded press hounding on his alleged AWOL status, in spite of his honorable service and discharge, and is then accused by John Kerry of "making Vietnam an issue in this campaign" as a cheap shot. Are you kidding me?
What happened to the reasoning capacity of adults in America? Sad, really.
It could almost make me despair that the country is going to make the wrong choice in November and elect a Democrat who totally lacks an understanding of national defense, and thinks it's all a law enforcement matter to deal with terrorists. A man who thinks US troops should only be deployed around the globe under the direction of the UN. A frightening prospect.
But I'm confident that it will work out. I think the cultural war will clarify by then and the traditional values folks will stand up and be counted. And I think the passion engendered by "The Passion of the Christ" will be a catalyst.
Next post - I'll have some thoughts on the gay marriage question. Some that may surprise you.
Sunday, February 15, 2004
No liberal bias in the media?
It's not really hard to see examples of liberal bias in the media every day. You just have to be tuned in.
Here's an example from this week. It's regarding the whirlwind of scurrilous allegations about President Bush's service in the National Guard during the Vietnam war period. Reckless allegations that have already been trotted out in the 2000 campaign. But the Democrats are still throwing the charges that he didn't show up for duty. So the White House releases his pay records from that period showing that he did. The radio headline for that story:
"White House releases evidence, controversy still swirls".
Nice bland headline, with a bias. It's only controversial to those making the charges. It's not controversial to me.
The correct headline should be:
"White House releases evidence: Democrats continue unfounded scurrilous accusations".
By the way. We don't need to rehash Bush's military service to know what kind of wartime Commander-in-Chief he would be. We already know. And I approve.
Here's an example from this week. It's regarding the whirlwind of scurrilous allegations about President Bush's service in the National Guard during the Vietnam war period. Reckless allegations that have already been trotted out in the 2000 campaign. But the Democrats are still throwing the charges that he didn't show up for duty. So the White House releases his pay records from that period showing that he did. The radio headline for that story:
"White House releases evidence, controversy still swirls".
Nice bland headline, with a bias. It's only controversial to those making the charges. It's not controversial to me.
The correct headline should be:
"White House releases evidence: Democrats continue unfounded scurrilous accusations".
By the way. We don't need to rehash Bush's military service to know what kind of wartime Commander-in-Chief he would be. We already know. And I approve.
Saturday, February 07, 2004
Carlie's story - So Tragic and Sad
A story like the tragic kidnap and murder of Carlie Bruscia in Florida this week wipes all the other news off the map for me. So tragic and sad. Indescribably so. It's put me in a funk for a couple of days. 11 years old, just walking home, and some monster ends her life for a moment of pleasure. Evil exists, no doubt.
How could this monster be walking around? I hear on the news that he's been arrested 13 times in 10 years! Some judge and/or parole board needs to resign immediately. I want to know right now who appointed the judge who failed to return him to jail when he violated his parole. 10:1 odds that it was a Democratic appointment.
Do the other news stories matter this week? Missing WMD? Superbowl nipplegate? Democratic primaries? Ricin mailed to the Senate? Gay marriage in Massachusets. All background noise.
Carlie's story is so gripping it sweeps all of that away. The video of the monster taking her hand and leading her away to her death is so compelling you just want to pause the tape and yell STOP! and save her. Unconsolably sad. Was I the only parent sitting in a car this week for the 1st time watching my 10 year old get on the school bus? I doubt it.
I know that the Democrats are in a positive frame of mind these last few weeks. They have the news all to themselves in the election cycle right now. They've smartly avoided electoral suicide by kicking Howard Dean to the curb.
I don't know if they realize that all of these stories are playing against them. The sum total of all of these stories is the uneasy feeling that our country is careening out of control. Is there no justice? No security? No morality? Do the Democrats represent order or licentiousness? Do you trust them to keep this monster who killed Carlie Bruscia off the streets? In a word, no. And the American people will figure that out by November.
But this week, I just want to weep for Carlie.
How could this monster be walking around? I hear on the news that he's been arrested 13 times in 10 years! Some judge and/or parole board needs to resign immediately. I want to know right now who appointed the judge who failed to return him to jail when he violated his parole. 10:1 odds that it was a Democratic appointment.
Do the other news stories matter this week? Missing WMD? Superbowl nipplegate? Democratic primaries? Ricin mailed to the Senate? Gay marriage in Massachusets. All background noise.
Carlie's story is so gripping it sweeps all of that away. The video of the monster taking her hand and leading her away to her death is so compelling you just want to pause the tape and yell STOP! and save her. Unconsolably sad. Was I the only parent sitting in a car this week for the 1st time watching my 10 year old get on the school bus? I doubt it.
I know that the Democrats are in a positive frame of mind these last few weeks. They have the news all to themselves in the election cycle right now. They've smartly avoided electoral suicide by kicking Howard Dean to the curb.
I don't know if they realize that all of these stories are playing against them. The sum total of all of these stories is the uneasy feeling that our country is careening out of control. Is there no justice? No security? No morality? Do the Democrats represent order or licentiousness? Do you trust them to keep this monster who killed Carlie Bruscia off the streets? In a word, no. And the American people will figure that out by November.
But this week, I just want to weep for Carlie.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Wait until you share the microphone
Right now the Democrats have the news media microphones pretty much to themselves. They have an interesting horse race going in their primary elections with no corresponding news-generating events on the Republican side. So they are pretty much free to throw outlandish slander out there unopposed. Such as this week's flurry of innuendo's and allegations that Bush was a "deserter" during his time in the National Guard.
Wrong. Unproven. Scandalous. Outrageous. But unopposed.
I'll say this: I served both on active duty (U.S. Air Force, 1983-1992 during Desert Storm stateside) and in the Illinois Air National Guard (1992 - 1994, WG-12/TSgt). And my experience was that I was more exposed to being depolyed overseas into a hostile area in the Guard than I was on active duty. Anyone who knows anything about the total military component knows not to denigrate the service of guardsmen. They serve and are subject to sacrifice.
Not that most Democratic primary elites know that. It's just another symptom of that party's loating of the military. It's disgusting.
I sayto the Democrats: keep serving that up in the fall election season. The American people won't stand for you calling the Commander in Chief a "deserter" when you're sharing the microphone.
Wrong. Unproven. Scandalous. Outrageous. But unopposed.
I'll say this: I served both on active duty (U.S. Air Force, 1983-1992 during Desert Storm stateside) and in the Illinois Air National Guard (1992 - 1994, WG-12/TSgt). And my experience was that I was more exposed to being depolyed overseas into a hostile area in the Guard than I was on active duty. Anyone who knows anything about the total military component knows not to denigrate the service of guardsmen. They serve and are subject to sacrifice.
Not that most Democratic primary elites know that. It's just another symptom of that party's loating of the military. It's disgusting.
I sayto the Democrats: keep serving that up in the fall election season. The American people won't stand for you calling the Commander in Chief a "deserter" when you're sharing the microphone.
Monday, February 02, 2004
Out of Touch
Who's "Out of Touch" this week? Everyone it seems.
Starting with CBS. MTV producing the halftime show? Have they not been watching MTV lately and the scandalous one-upsmanship reigning on that network? How do you top the Britney - Madonna kiss - with a little breast bearing before millions at the halftime show, that's how. Not just that: Kid Rock desecrating the American Flag, Nelly crotch grabbing, etc. Probably went over well with the typical CBS demographic audience - not. Of course CBS claims to have no knowledge it was going to happen.
They debauched the Superbowl! The single biggest TV entertainment of the year. And they sleazed it up. Nice.
I give it 2 days before the resignation of the CBS executive who approved MTV producing the half time show. Max. The photo on The Drudge Report of Ms. Jackson's nipple jewelry on display makes it inevitable.
This is the same clueless network who just greenlighted the ideological hitpiece docudrama "The Reagans" and then had to pull it off the network in disgrace. Same answer - they didn't know what kind of movie was being produced for their dollar.
Does anyone at CBS know what content is going to show up on their network?
How about Howard Dean? I saw him on NBC's Meet the Press. He was droning on about how "this president" had intentionally alienated everyone in the world. How the rest of the world fears us but doesn't like us. How he would, "should I become president", start running around overseas and to the UN kissing up so they like us again.
It's called leadership, Dr. Dean. The president has it, you don't understand it. President Bush acted in the interest of the U.S. first, following the most devastating foreign attack on our soil, and took the fight to the terrorists. I applaud it. And I'll take it that the rest of the world fears us. And I'm not alone.
You want to court the good will of the French as a campaign tactic? How many times does it have to be pointed out to you that, in regards to Iraq, they were not our allies? They were taking oil money bribes to sabotage the UN resolutions and enforcement on Iraq's behalf. And you continue to care that they don't like us? Unbelievable.
How about President Bush. Also out-of-touch this week. My guy all the way, but ocasionally clueless. More funding for the NEA? Was anyone other than the far left clamoring for that? Will anyone on the far left give you credit for it? What are you thinking? You can watch the liberals and elites debase our culture (See # 1 above, Superbowl depravity) and decide that the right thing to do is give them more federal tax money? Pandering, and bad pandering at that.
Starting with CBS. MTV producing the halftime show? Have they not been watching MTV lately and the scandalous one-upsmanship reigning on that network? How do you top the Britney - Madonna kiss - with a little breast bearing before millions at the halftime show, that's how. Not just that: Kid Rock desecrating the American Flag, Nelly crotch grabbing, etc. Probably went over well with the typical CBS demographic audience - not. Of course CBS claims to have no knowledge it was going to happen.
They debauched the Superbowl! The single biggest TV entertainment of the year. And they sleazed it up. Nice.
I give it 2 days before the resignation of the CBS executive who approved MTV producing the half time show. Max. The photo on The Drudge Report of Ms. Jackson's nipple jewelry on display makes it inevitable.
This is the same clueless network who just greenlighted the ideological hitpiece docudrama "The Reagans" and then had to pull it off the network in disgrace. Same answer - they didn't know what kind of movie was being produced for their dollar.
Does anyone at CBS know what content is going to show up on their network?
How about Howard Dean? I saw him on NBC's Meet the Press. He was droning on about how "this president" had intentionally alienated everyone in the world. How the rest of the world fears us but doesn't like us. How he would, "should I become president", start running around overseas and to the UN kissing up so they like us again.
It's called leadership, Dr. Dean. The president has it, you don't understand it. President Bush acted in the interest of the U.S. first, following the most devastating foreign attack on our soil, and took the fight to the terrorists. I applaud it. And I'll take it that the rest of the world fears us. And I'm not alone.
You want to court the good will of the French as a campaign tactic? How many times does it have to be pointed out to you that, in regards to Iraq, they were not our allies? They were taking oil money bribes to sabotage the UN resolutions and enforcement on Iraq's behalf. And you continue to care that they don't like us? Unbelievable.
How about President Bush. Also out-of-touch this week. My guy all the way, but ocasionally clueless. More funding for the NEA? Was anyone other than the far left clamoring for that? Will anyone on the far left give you credit for it? What are you thinking? You can watch the liberals and elites debase our culture (See # 1 above, Superbowl depravity) and decide that the right thing to do is give them more federal tax money? Pandering, and bad pandering at that.
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