My Review of The Dallas Buyers Club Movie

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto

Los Angeles, CA—This screenplay languished in Movie Purgatory for years before it broke out and was finally turned into a feature film.   It’s the biographical story of rodeo cowboy, electrician and small time hustler Ron Woodroof.  

In the early 1980s Woodroof was a homophobic that practiced unsafe heterosexual relations and abused drugs.  After getting diagnosed with HIV and soon AIDs,  he began serious research into the experimental drug therapies.  They were all experimental then, because drug protocols had not yet been developed to combat this deadly plague.  

Because of the incredibly slow action and outright obstruction of the FDA Woodroof began importing and distributing the non-narcotic drugs himself.  Rather than sell the drugs he circumvented the law by forming The Dallas Buyers Club and selling memberships.

Woodroof proved to be e hero to those suffering from HIV and AIDS along with their loved ones.   Of course tens of thousands of hemophiliacs were infected by tainted blood despite not engaging in risky behavior.

Matthew McConaughey gave a commanding performance as Woodroof.   He deliberately lost 30 pounds to fit the role of an emaciated AIDs victim.  Actor Jared Leto was incredible as an infected and drug-addicted transgender that won Woodroof’s respect as a fellow soldier in the fight of the deadly disease.   Actress Jennifer Garner shines in her role as a frustrated physician and fellow AIDs warrior.  

Jean-Marc Vall’ee directed this cinematic masterpiece.   Go see this film, it’s well worth the price of admission.   

Obamacare, a Cancer on Our Healthcare, Economy and Way of Life

Washington, DC—Our economy was once sound and people were working.  After decades of expanded entitlements and extortionate taxation American productivity is at a standstill. They can claim unemployment is down but the number of Americans on food stamps is up, way up.

As long as the boot of government is on the neck of every employer in the land there cannot be relief.  Jobs outside of government meaningless jobs programs like the TSA and the Obamacare bureaucracy are dead like Dillinger. Without meaningful employment, health insurance is unobtainable.  Obamacre is a lot of things but free or affordable is not one of them. 

Medical professionals are nearly universal in their disdain for a government cure far worse than the disease. Government officials and politicians want Obamacare for anyone but themselves.  Even the Leftist unions that led the way with supportive propaganda has dodged Obamacare at every opportunity.

When the very officials forcing this bitter Obamacare pill down our throats wouldn’t dare push the poison on their own families and selves how could any American accept this crap in good faith?  WTF is wrong that Americans have not stormed the Whitehouse and purged these despots? How is Obamacare any better then the Kool-Aid of the Socialist Utopia of Jonestown?  Americans need what they don’t have, spines! 

The Obama Administration has this dying monster on life support until after the 2014 elections.  The mainstream media Obama lapdogs have been sidestepping reality at every opportunity pretending along as the abandon any minimal effort at real journalism.

Americans need to stop the Obamacare cancer now. 

Extreme Political Correctness is the Politics of Division

Chicago, IL—The biggest lie ever told was that, all men are created equal.   That may have been the first recorded politically correct statement.  It was simply designed to make anyone who felt inadequate feel better about being shortchanged by life.  It only served to strengthen the fact that someone is indeed inadequate!

When you think about it some folks are always taller, stronger, faster, smarter, wealthier, healthier and more attractive.  We all have our strong points and weaknesses.  Life is not fair, not by a long shot.

We humans are not clones but come in all shapes, sizes and colors with educations, sexual proclivities and cultures that are widely diverse.  Humans are drawn to different faiths and subscribe to them with different levels allegiance.  Most of this is determined at birth.

We all have a stereotype and some of us seem stranger to each other or even comical.  That’s not hate, ill will or some evil manifestation, its reality.

When religions and cultures clash it can get really ugly. We need to find ways to voluntarily accept our differences rather than to be forced into tolerance.   Coercion, threats, punishment and hatred over our most basic differences serves only to further divide the human race.

In America’s past, children would call each other names to thoughtlessly demean each other.  If you became a victim of this behavior you’d go running home crying to an understanding mother.   She’d tell you that sticks and stones rhyme.  Hurt feelings were just not the same as broken bones.  The children would soon get back into the mix and become fast friends forgetting those differences entirely.

Today in America if someone has a beer too many and publishes an ill-advised tweet that offends someone sensibilities, it becomes a hate milestone.  It’s treated like a major crime and can mobilize millions into absolute frenzy.  The misdeed becomes so blown out of proportion that jobs are lost and lives become threatened.  How is this anyway productive?  Every hypersensitive over-reaction invites more division and hatred always becomes the victor.

The recent Duck Dynasty silliness has pitted free speech and religion against the shrill screaming of some but not all in the Gay community.  Why can’t some Gays accept that most religions of the world view that lifestyle as sinful? 

We really have no right to inspect each other’s bedrooms so why does that matter?  I consider sexual preference something that’s programed into our DNA.  If most Humans were born Gay we as a species would not have survived.  Does that make it wrong?  I just don’t see a reason that deserves any of my concern.

Whether we know it or not we all have Gay friends.  Friends are those we will fight for and help.  I need all the friends I can get.  Sharing and kindness is what friendship is all about.  

Any human that is kind to me qualifies to be my friend.  Intolerance and insensitive remarks should be avoided but they will always happen.  Instead of throwing gasoline on such fires that is the very best time to spread good will, forgiveness and kindness with the offender.

Political correctness is nothing less than a meaningless effort that cannot succeed.  Being a politically correct bigot does not make anyone superior to a Nazi or KKK member.  We can celebrate our differences and still learn to laugh with each other rather than at each other.  Political correctness is nothing less than a bar to genuine brotherly love.

Killer Cops are the Result of Militarization of Local Police Forces.

Los Angeles, CA—Police training has taken a fascist turn here along with our political leadership.  One only has to look at the prison population to understand we are in a police state growing by the second into something no rational human beings will want.

Police work is sometimes dangerous.  Criminals despite laws and every kind of gun ban still rape rob and murder.  We insist of maintaining the miserably failed Drug War keeping illicit profits and government corruption at an all time high.   Our liberty and freedom has been at an all time low as a direct result.

We’ve turned street cops into urban commandos raiding homes (many by mistake) at all hours.  The result is far more dangerous than the outlawed drugs themselves.

We want our cops alive and train them to take no chances.  The hero cop is really an endangered species.

I was trained differently.  We had no ballistic vests and carried six-shot service revolvers as we worked the mean streets of Chicago.  We understood two things; deadly force was to be a last resort and to weigh the moral consequences of any deadly force used.

We were taught that mental illness often brought on people’s violent reactions and that we need to be as humane as possible.  Bringing suspects to justice alive was the goal.  Bringing them in dead was always considered a serious failure. 

Frankly the average Chicago cop in a busy district could kill as many as 12 suspects a year with complete justification.  Instead cops looked for every reason not to pull the trigger.  Of course where there was no option whatsoever bullets must fly.

In the early 1970s then, New York City Police Detective and psychologist Harvey Schlossberg became the father of modern police hostage negotiation in American police work.  His efforts saved countless lives of cops, hostages and suspects.  The result was his hostage negotiation training that really exemplified the sanctity of human life.  The negotiator that had the fewest injuries or fatalities on his watch won.

Now cops are armed to the teeth with heavier weapons and are protected with military armor and vehicles.  The negotiations end once there is a clear shot, all in the name of officer safety.  Schlossberg’s model has been for the most part replaced with military rules of engagement.  Modern military training that so many vets have has changed the direction of police agencies to quicker use of deadly force at every level.

Something has gone wrong here.  I see no turning back to the days of police heroes like former Chicago Police Superintendent James Rochford.  Rochford brought in mentally deranged war vet, Frank Kulak alive after he used bombs and guns killing both civilians and cops.  Rochford used his own skill and bravery beyond the call of duty as a negotiator to successfully end this prolonged siege. 

Today, Frank Kulak would have been taken out like the Waco, TX Branch Davidians were with firebombs and helicopters under scorched earth rules of engagement.

Don’t have a Dog? Go to a Shelter and Let one Rescue You Today!

If you never owned a dog your life has been incomplete.  Owning a dog is not difficult or burdensome.  The only bar to dog ownership are serious allergies, landlord prohibitions or you’re gone away from home for long periods of time. 

Today there are a surprising number of dog friendly employers that allow pets to be brought to work.  I’ve even seen this at locally owned TV stations.  I think many companies are learning that being dog friendly is actually good for business, productivity and certainly employee morale.  

Dogs are a tremendous cure for depression and walking them insures you get more exercise and perhaps a longer life. 

Dogs are also wonderful matchmakers for their unattached owners!  Dogs make it a lot easier for members of the opposite sex to approach each other on the street.  Egos always interfere with our first meetings but when a dog is present ego problems seem to simply vanish.    

A dog will bring a smile a minute to your face and that translates to improving your appearance and personality.  Dogs are fun, funny and lovable. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. 

A dog will always help you through a crisis, heartbreak or even a bad day.  Their loyalty to you is never in question.   They sense when you’re sad or lonely and will give you the special attention you need. The money spent on food and veterinary healthcare will bring you priceless joy in return.

I’ve seen good relationships and marriages saved simply because laughter is returned to a house house with the introduction of a new dog.  When laughter leaves a home that is a sign that divorce may not be far away.

Housebreaking and training your dog is easy.  The dog will be training you at the same time!  Instructions don’t come with a dog but pet stores have lots of books and the Internet is filled with lots of helpful information.

Shelters always have an abundance of dogs of every kind and size that are in desperate need of adoption.  The truth is that they adopt us asking for only love, kindness and some food in return.  

The only downside is that their lives are too short.  But when they pass on there is always another doggie that needs you as much as you needed the loyal friend that just crossed that Rainbow Bridge.

If you believe in Heaven and it’s reward you will see every critter you ever loved there or it would not be heaven. 

The last thing I will say is that dogs will bring out your best behavior.  When I was a cop arresting people, I always asked they if the had a dog when I was booking them.  I did this to make sure that the dog was not locked up in some dwelling without food and water.  I would help the arrestee notify friends and relatives to avoid a tragedy.  What I learned doing that was surprising.   Virtually none of the people I arrested owned dogs!

Perhaps it’s true that the Devil’s work is done with idle hands.  Dogs will keep their owners busy loving them and that seems to prevent and incredible amount of anti-social behavior.

If you don’t have a dog perhaps you need to be rescued!

Tolerating the Intolerable TSA Thugs

Los Angeles, CA—What to you call a sinking boatload of TSA bureaucrats and screeners?  It’s an excellent beginning!   Do I absolutely abhor the TSA?  That’s an understatement at best.  When I see them in their quasi police costumes I always view them as nasty Nazis.  They are simple minded, poorly trained goons that lack minimal tolerance for anyone or anything. Too many of them are thieves stealing valuable passenger’s property every day.

Factually, the TSA’s totally tyrannical mission is a violation of travelers Civil Rights under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.  The courts have wrongly held that travelers “voluntarily submit” to the searching and that somehow justifies the privacy invasion and seizures of property.

I say there is nothing voluntary about most people traveling by commercial airlines.  Americans must travel in order to earn money to feed themselves and families.  There really is no alternative.  Millions of people do avoid flying whenever they can because of this government tyranny and I’m one of them.  

I’d rather drive up to eight hours each way on highways to avoid the indignity of being X-Rayed, fondled and frisked by these low rent TSA thugs.

My biggest beef with the TSA is the 1,700 times a year or more that they cause the wrongful arrest people that simply forgot they had legal handguns in their carry on bags.

Before you say these forgetful people are stupid or criminal consider the millions of dollars of lotions and potions seized from passengers that forgot they had their expensive liquid cosmetics in carry on bags. 

We all forget especially when we must fly at the last minute and become preoccupied with serious business or personal matters like traveling because of the deaths of loved ones. We are humans and humans forget.

We place our bags on the conveyer belts knowing they will be X-Rayed and inspected.  Nobody would knowingly leave any item in such a bag that would cause distress to fellow passengers or anyone, especially themselves!

Often our bags are shared with or packed by our close family members increasing the likelihood that a gun could be left in some carry on bag.

When the TSA discovers a gun they contact police who are forced to arrest, the poor forgetful soul and what follows is never pretty.  They confiscate the gun that can easily cost upwards of $1,100.00 and then the arrestee is fingerprinted, photographed and jailed until they see a judge and post bail.  They must then hire a lawyer that can cost $10,000 or more.  If they have a business license that face more trouble after they are placed on probation or pay fines.  The criminal record in most jurisdictions is forever.  All for just being forgetful! 

The late actor and retired police detective Dennis Farina was handcuffed and jailed on a Sunday for over eight hours until he could gather $35,000 in cash for bail with the banks being closed!  His record was eventually expunged but he was treated like a common criminal that had committed some dreadful offense.

Celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme, NBA legend Bill Russell, actor Christian Slater and the wife of Rocker Ted Nugent, Shemane Nugent just to name a few more victims were all arrested and manhandled because of the outrageous TSA Zero Tolerance policy.

TSA head, John Pistole (no pun intended) recently conceded to ABC News that people arrested with guns in carry-on luggage are not terrorists or people trying to do harm.  He went on to say that, “ It’s just a matter of people not thinking about what they’re carrying… These are people who have simply forgotten and go through security checks and realize their mistakes.”

If the TSA is well aware that there is no criminal intent than why don’t they simply ask the passengers to remove the guns and place them in checked baggage the proper way? Why subject the forgetful passenger to the horror of jail and criminal prosecution?  Why waste so much taxpayer money on this tyranny?  

Should a few guns turn out to be stolen, have obliterated serial numbers or are being carried by felons, that is an entirely different matter.  Arrests under those circumstances are good public policy. 

In short if the TSA could show simple reasonableness and respect I would not want to see them all on a sinking boat.  They must realize their mission is to protect passengers from actual terrorists.  Instead the TSA itself has become a terrorist organization.  If they ever expect to gain my tolerance and respect they must first learn that forgetful passengers are not America’s enemies.

Today, Edward Snowden is a Genuine American Hero

Washington, DC--U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ruled today that the government NSA domestic telephone spying program was a violation of our rights under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

On June 5, 2013, UK publication, The Guardian dropped the Edward Snowden bombshell that our NSA and various telecommunication companies had a domestic spy program in place collecting our telephone conversations and other data.  This was without the pre-requisite search warrants or even minimal probable cause.

Government snoops can simply access any of our past calls and listen in at will! 

The group Judicial Watch and others, including Larry Klayman filed suit against Barack Obama in the D.C. U.S. District Court seeking an injunction halting the outlaw behavior. 

The Obama Administration claimed this lawless program was necessary to thwart terrorism but the government could not cite a single event where a terrorist act was interrupted because of the program.

Snowden told anyone who’d listen that this was really for gathering intelligence information against political enemies and others targeted by the Obama Administration.   Discovery and abuse of any illicit sexual or criminal activity by would definitely be used nefariously to sway Congressional votes, judicial decisions and control those who may or may not run for public office.  Could this be the cause of Supreme Court Justice John Roberts to make a surprise ruling on Obamacare?

We now have government by extortion and blackmail.  Imagine the shameful FBI COINTELPRO program today with this advanced technology!  This is COINTELPRO on steroids!

This phone snooping program was and is  Orwellian and criminal.  Anyone connected to this should be tried as common criminals.  Disgraced former Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano has been rotting in prison for the same behavior for nearly a decade and it will be several more years before he will be considered for release.

Our politicians and bureaucrats have no special legal immunity and those involved should be brought to justice for their crimes regardless of political party affiliation.

Judge Leon found the program was a violation of American’s rights and issued an injunction but stayed it subject to appeal.  This should set the stage for the Impeachment of Barack Obama and criminal prosecution for all of those involved.

Our freedom is much safer tonight because of Edward Snowden who left a lucrative job, risked his freedom and life exposing this tyranny.  We owe Snowden a lot for what he did.  To suggest that lives were jeopardized by Snowden’s leaks is outrageous. Every American is endangered by the Obama Administration's criminal conduct.  

Our job as American citizens is to now take whatever action is necessary to take charge of or nation and bring these political and government thugs to justice.  It may well take more than lip service but the force our founders gave us the right to use under the Second Amendment. Edward Snowden is deserving of our nations highest award for bravery.

Taking Stock of My Life Today, Things are positive!

Here I'm at Berlin's Reichstag

Earth—This planet we inhabit is quickly getting incredibly smaller.  We travel where we please easier than ever despite the thieves and thugs of the TSA.  When we can’t travel we make wonderful free video calls to our friends even internationally via Skype.com and can send e-mail.

I’m blessed with incredibly wonderful friends here in the USA, Europe and even India.  All of my friendships are threatened simply because because life itself is fragile.  Many of my friends have left me for the hereafter. Many died way too young.  

I’m in reasonably good health despite the reality that time is marching and I can’t reverse the aging process. 

I’ve been both blessed and cursed with more excitement in my life than most people will ever see.  Surviving a life changing shooting in 1987 and a career that brought me face to face with horrible violence, injustice, tyranny and some really wonderful experiences.   I'm by nature an adrenalin Junkie. I must always be where the action is. 

I have had to come to grips with my taking the wrong career direction as a young man.  After my stint as an Army medical corpsman I should have tackled medical school and not surrendered to a fear of advanced mathematics.   I had no parents to help me overcome the difficult financial issues associated with that kind of an education.

Life has thrown me some curve balls and fortunately I’ve not yet struck out.  I’m still carefully watching the ball.

I do regret returning to the USA to live after my incredible military obligation and love for life in Germany.  Those 18 months in Europe were truly the best times of my life.  I learned about kindness, art, music, and some incredibly elegant women. 

The United States has deteriorated dramatically.  People are only knowledgeable about inane pop culture crap, video games and reality TV.  Kindness here has all but disappeared, being replaced with suspicion, divisiveness and even hate.  As for elegance one need only check out the customers shopping at any local WalMart.  I can remember when people dressed up to go see a movie but not anymore.

My politics all but make me an anarchist.  I’m not fond of the heavy hand of government.  I’ve always resented authority and particularly those laws or regulations designed to protect me from myself.  I’m unhappy to see more and more of our hard won freedom stolen by politicians. We've replaced freedom with abject fascism.  

I don’t know what adventures or romances lay ahead for me.   Everyday is a new day and I must only look forward.  There is no going backward.  We don’t get to relive our lives and correct our mistakes.

All I know is that without my friends my life would be worthless and unbearable.   For all of those wonderful people that have been kind to me or befriended me I have two words, thank you.

NBC’s The Sound of Music Live, My Review

New York, NY—NBC put on two projects, the making of this project and then a week later the live play.

This was a classic film with Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews.  It was based on a great World War Two inspired story of the von Trapp family. 

Okay I much preferred the show about making the show better than the show itself. 

The first problem was ridicules miscasting of the talented singer Audra McDonald as Mother Abbess.  It was beyond dopy to cast an African-American woman as the Austrian Catholic Mother Superior.  Was this some sick idea of political correctness?  This was distracting to say the least.  

Carrie Underwood was wonderful as was Stephen Moyer.  Underwood is a versatile performer.  The cameras all loved her and she delivered.  This despite her pure American persona rather than being a European like the real deal. 

The Children were adorable and I can only imagine how their parents were on Cloud 9 beaming with pride.  I’m sure many of them bought the latest and greatest big screen TV to watch their kids in this event.

The great story and music carried this project even though it was somewhat awkward and stagy.  Parts of the show were reminiscent of bad community theater productions.

The real test was how many people including those tweeting criticisms those did not change the channel.  We all watched and no matter what were touched by parts of this production.

Audra McDonald has a great singing voice but seemed to lack needed acting chops.  It was like she knew that she just did not fit into this story.  I can’t blame McDonald for crappy casting.  I’d like to hope that African-Americans would not have been offended by not seeing their own in this production.

Should NBC continue with this kind of programing?  Certainly, but I hope they learn from mistakes.  Anything beats the reality crap that plays to the lowest common denominator of the typical low brow American audience.  The Cast:

Carrie Underwood - Maria von Trapp

Stephen Moyer - Captain von Trapp

Laura Benanti - Elsa Schrader

Christian Borle - Max Detweiler

Michael Campayno - Rolf Gruber

Sophia Anne Caruso - Brigitta von Trapp

Peyton Ella - Gretl von Trapp

Michael Nigro - Friedrich von Trapp

Ariane Rinehart - Liesl von Trapp

Grace Rundhaug - Marta von Trapp

Ella Watts-Gorman - Louisa von Trapp

Joe West - Kurt von Trapp