August+06

Select any of the links below to begin:
[|Takes One to know One] [|Tipper's Movie Reviews] [|Enough Irony; Now, Some Humor] [|General Jesus Kicks Some Butt and Takes Some Names] [|An Inconvenient Review-Tipper's Movie Reviews] [|Bomb Them All!] [|Habeas Schmabeas II: The Return]



Takes One to know One
8/30/06 dconlay

There's been a lot of [|"fascism" in the news lately,] and while this may simply be an attempt to bolster waning support for the war in Iraq by linking to the heroic nature of our fight during world war two there does come a point where certain lines are drawn that should not be crossed.

One of the most fundamental rights that we hold as citizens is the right to dissent--it is quite possibly //**the**// defining characteristic of the United States and its citizens. How absurd then, that the Secretary of Defense of the United States, [|Donald Rumsfeld,] should choose to link those who speak out against the war to a "rising threat of a new type of fascism." (read the full article [|here])

Keith Olberman gives a scathing response to Rumsfeld's remarks in the following video clip.





Tipper's Movie Reviews: //**Quinceanera**//, //**Scoop**//
8/15/06 ctipper

Dear Wonderful Students, Family and Friends,

I am loving my summer. After spending 3 weeks without a working washing machine, I now have my new washer and I have never enjoyed doing laundry quite so much. Doing laundry at home with no need for quarters has kept me entertained for more than a week now. Clean towels....very nice.

Quinceanera Emily Rios plays Magdalena, a 14 year old Latina headed toward her quinceanera celebration. She lives with her family in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. Magdalena is faced with superficial as well as serious issues as she moves from her childhood to her womanhood. This film lets us get to know her family members, her parents, uncle, cousin and assorted aunts. Quinceanera is generous about letting us see the color, texture and rhythm of her life and neighborhood. It reminded me of Raising Victor Vargas and Real Women Have Curves which were also low budget films that communicated character and culture. I appreciated the fact that this movie did not offer any easy answers, it just let us see the issues and challenges in Magdalena's life. We see her strength and watch her grow. I enjoyed Quiceanera.

Scoop If you are really a Woody Allen fan, you will find many entertaining quips and observations in this movie. While I did enjoy the movie, I found Scarlett Johansson's character to be distracting and inconsistent. It seemed that at times she was voicing Woody and at other times she was trying to communicate stronger dramatic moods. It just didn't hang together for me. Even though I didn't buy her character, I did laugh a lot with this movie.

If you are not already a Woody Allen fan, instead of going to Scoop, I recommend that you rent these classics:

Take the Money and Run - one of Woody's first and funniest Sleeper - silly and wonderful science fiction comedy Annie Hall - Classic Woody Zelig - unique and funny The Purple Rose of Cairo - very romantic. Woody is not in this one, but you can hear his voice in the direction. Sweet and Lowdown - Sean Penn plays a disagreeable jazz guitarist. Unusual and fascinating.

Enjoy your summer movies.

Mrs. Tipper ctipper@cox.net



Enough Irony; Now, Some Humor
8/8/06 dconlay

How about a break? Here's a Classic.



[|Who's On First?]

Enjoy.



General Jesus Kicks Some Butt and Takes Some Names
8/8/06 dconlay

"Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and a yawning chasm opened in the earth, stretching far and wide enough to swallow all of them. They tumbled in, howling and screeching, but their wailing was soon quashed and all was silent when the earth closed itself again." ([|Glorious Appearing]-Tim F. LaHaye,Jerry B. Jenkins)

I wrote recently about the [|lack of humanity] shown in the responses of several decent people to the current carnage in the Middle East. I've spent some time thinking about how such a bloodlust could be fostered in those who are normally peaceful, generous people. Then, while doing research online, I came across this [|op-ed:]

> If the latest in the "Left Behind" series of evangelical thrillers is to be believed, Jesus will return to Earth, gather non-Christians to his left and toss them into everlasting fire...[The Left Behind books] are the best-selling novels for adults in the United States, and they have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. The latest is "Glorious Appearing," which has Jesus returning to Earth to wipe all non-Christians from the planet. **It's disconcerting to find ethnic cleansing celebrated as the height of piety**. (Emphasis added)

How does that line go about enemies? You know the one, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? What happens when you pair that with "love thine enemy"? What do you get then? Probably not this:

> Jesus merely speaks and the bodies of the enemy are ripped open. Christians have to drive carefully to avoid "hitting splayed and filleted bodies of men and women and horses." > "The riders not thrown," the novel continues, "leaped from their horses and tried to control them with the reins, but even as they struggled, their own flesh dissolved, their eyes melted and their tongues disintegrated. . . . Seconds later the same plague afflicted the horses, their flesh and eyes and tongues melting away, leaving grotesque skeletons standing, before they, too, rattled to the pavement."

But this does seem to be a prevailing view among many Christians today. At a wedding last summer I heard a breathless admirer of a Christian historian declare the [|Crusades] to be the greatest thing to ever happen to those poor uncivilzed barbarian Muslims. On country radio, popular artists such as [|Toby Keith] sing [|angry songs] about Muslims, linking war and patriotism to religion and God. In churches all across this country, religious services are being used to [|support the war] in Iraq; and while some only play armed services [|themed|videos] in support of the troops, the repeated usage of such media in the church can only serve to reinforce the dualistic "good versus evil," "us against them" scenario that paints the soldier on the other side as something evil or demonic, certainly something less than human.

And //**this**// is the dangerous part. The //**"them"**// in this scenario //are// entirely human. Maybe the've been taught that //**we**// are the //**"devils"**//; but in the end, when we deny them their humanity, isn't that really a reflection of //our own devolution// to something less?

 8/7/06 ptipper/ctipper (reposted with permission from the author)
 * An Inconvenient Review-Tipper's Movie Reviews**

(**An introduction:** Last Thursday I went with my father to see the movie //An Inconvenient Truth//. Since then I've been trying to figure out how to respond to the movie. I'm not sure that I could put into words just how I was affected. Fortunately, I don't have to. For many years now Estancia's own Carol Tipper has been sharing with a very lucky audience her reviews of the movies that she sees, with occasional guest reviews from Husband Phil. I asked Mrs. Tipper for her permission to re-post her reviews here on **The Wall**. Graciously she has said yes. So here is the first of what I hope will be a regular feature on **The Wall**. Enjoy, and be moved. -dconlay)

"An Inconvenient Truth" shook my complacency. I see myself as someone who is environmentally aware. I recycle. I care about animals. I want to pollute less. I buy appliances with that Energy Star sticker. Aren't I doing enough to help to make the world liveable for my grandchildren? No, I'm not.Even though I'm a scientist, I admit that I want to believe that the world is too big and ancient for us to really change it much. I want to believe that our climate can't change much in the next 50 years. The world has always been pretty much the same in our lifetimes, hasn't it? What makes Al Gore and most scientists think that it is really changing? Do I dare really ask that question and then really listen to the answer?

That is the question that I am asking you to ask yourself. Please dare. Please listen. Powerful trends are progressing every year toward an outcome that I don't want my children and their children to witness. Americans are in the most powerful position of any people in the world to help to reverse this trend. But we have to begin to care, and we have to begin to act.I'm making this movie sound like seeing it is unpleasant. It isn't an unpleasant movie. There is humor, personal insight, and information about the most important thing to all of us, our home. Please go and see "An Inconvenient Truth", and then go to [|www.climatecrisis.net] and learn how you can make a difference for your future and the future of the people you care about. It may not be as much fun as "Cars", but it may be the most important movie that you will see in a long time.

Husband Phil

(**Update: A Follow-up from Mrs. Tipper**)

Dear Wonderful Students, Family and Friends,I am sending you this follow-up to my review of the movie **An Inconvenient Truth**. Because I am very concerned about how we are treating our environment and how we are contributing to global warming, I am writing to my national and state representatives today.I am requesting that the United States and California listen carefully to the scientists and take the lead in reducing CO2 emissions and find ways to avoid further global warming. Here are some links that will help you communicate with your legislators:

http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

(My friend tells me that there are some people who think that the whole issue is political rather that scientific. She says that because it is Al Gore, a politician, giving the talk in the movie that people will question the facts presented. So, I offer these websites from respected scientific universities and organizations to add to your information.) More Information about Global Warming: From Stanford:
 * "Global warming -- a gradual increase in planet-wide temperatures -- is now well documented and accepted by scientists as fact."

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm.html From the Goddard Institute for Space Studies:** Hansen et al. 2005

Hansen, J., L. Nazarenko, R. Ruedy, Mki. Sato, J. Willis, A. Del Genio, D. Koch, A. Lacis, K. Lo, S. Menon, T. Novakov, Ju. Perlwitz, G. Russell, G.A. Schmidt, and N. Tausnev 2005. Earth's energy imbalance: Confirmation and implications. Science 308, 1431-1435, doi:10.1126/science.1110252. "Our climate model, driven mainly by increasing human-made greenhouse gases and aerosols among other forcings, calculates that Earth is now absorbing 0.85±0.15 W/m2 more energy from the Sun than it is emitting to space. This imbalance is confirmed by precise measurements of increasing ocean heat content over the past 10 years. Implications include: (i) expectation of additional global warming of about 0.6°C without further change of atmospheric composition; (ii) confirmation of the climate system's lag in responding to forcings, implying the **need for anticipatory actions to avoid any specified level of climate change**; and (iii) likelihood of acceleration of ice sheet disintegration and sea level rise." The Discovery Channel** has a very informative documentary that you may want to catch in August. I saw it in July and it is being rebroadcast.Global Warming: What You Need to Know, with Tom Brokaw

"Viewers travel to Patagonia where glacial ice caves are receding; then journey to the Amazon where clear evidence exists the jungle may be drying out, vastly reducing the Earth's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Tom Brokaw separates fact from fiction."

http://dsc.discovery.com/tvlistings/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=25252&gid=0&channel=DSC

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change** brings together business leaders, policy makers, scientists, and other experts to bring a new approach to a complex and often controversial issue. Our approach is based on sound science, straight talk, and a belief that we can work together to protect the climate while sustaining economic growth.

"The scientific community has reached a strong consensus regarding the science of global climate change. The world is undoubtedly warming. This warming is largely the result of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities including industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and changes in land use, such as deforestation. Continuation of historical trends of greenhouse gas emissions will result in additional warming over the 21st century, with current projections of a global increase of 2.5ºF to 10.4ºF by 2100, with warming in the U.S. expected to be even higher."

http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/ http://www.pewclimate.org/policy_center/analyses/s_1151_summary.cfm http://www.pewclimate.org/about/board_members/

The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America publishes their proceedings online. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/search?fulltext=global+warming&submit.x=9&submit.y=11 MIT expert says...**[|http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/hurricanes.html]

I hope this follow-up email of mine helps us to focus our attention to improve our environmental policies and personal decisions. Let's take action. Shall we?

Mrs. Tipper



Bomb Them All!
8/2/06 dconlay


 * //"Bomb them all!"//**

I've heard it too many times as of late.

I've been bothered recently by the number of people whom I consider to be friends, good, decent, rational people, who have been extremely **//excited//** by the on-going events in the Middle East, who cheered when Israel began dropping bombs on both military //**and**// [|civilian targets.] I don't know how to react when I hear people I respect and love cheering for the destruction of cities, [|civilians, women and children.] It doesn't matter who started what--it doesn't matter that peace is difficult and probably won't last even given that a cease fire could be possible. It does matter that people are dying right now.

How can they laugh and "whoop it up" at the slaughter. **//People are dying. For real.//** [|And this is how they react.]

> Apparently the only thing more valuable than dead [|Jewish kids to militant Islamist terrorist is dead Muslim kids for which the deaths they can blame on the Israelis.] I have never seen a [|group of people more willing to sacrifice their own children to advance their ideology -- well, I don't know of one that's ever done it, not in my lifetime, not in my historical understanding.] Dead Muslim kids are obviously more valuable to these barbarians than even dead Israeli children are. The Israelis can't go touting this kind of thing, they can't play the PR game this way, they'd never be allowed to get away with it. But it's clear, ladies and gentlemen, there are forces arrayed as I have been telling you constantly that seek to sabotage victory over this enemy, the Islamofascists. And if we don't stop listening to the Lindsey Grahams of the world and the Arlen Specters of the world here at home, who -- I don't know whether they're doing it on purpose or not, whether they're just misguided, but they seek to weaken our ability to find and interrogate the enemy. (Rush Limbaugh, 7/31 [|Read it here])

Arthur at Once Upon a Time has more on this [|here] and [|here] and [|here.] As a side note to the rampant talk of religious warfare, of a clash between Islam and Christianity, in other words a return to the [|Crusades,] read [|this.]


 * Update
 * 8/7/06-Read [|this] this morning. It's a great example of the hateful, misguided rhetoric floating around out there propagated by the faithful.

> //I believe that we are in the last days as indicated by the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John. We will be in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East because it is in God's plan. To condemn President Bush ... is naive. Muslim terrorists will not respond to the love of Christ because they are evil, they have always been evil and they will remain evil. Their hatred cannot be assuaged by compromise, gift, or any form of negotiation. We should kill them and continue to kill them until their blood flows through the Valley of Megiddo as high as the horse's bridles.// -- Ron Schott, Counselor/Consultant



Habeas Schmabeas II: The Return
8/1/06 dconlay

I know it's summer, the time for sequals (don't get me started on [|Pirates II]) and re-runs, but I thought that we had dealt with [|this] (okay, only partially) in the recent [|Supreme Court Hamden decision.]

Apparently, [|we haven't:]

> U.S. citizens suspected of terror ties might be detained indefinitely and barred from access to civilian courts under legislation proposed by the Bush administration, say legal experts reviewing an early version of the bill.

Now I'm all for catching the bad guys and putting them away for crimes that they have committed, but in light of the government's sometimes overly broad definition of [|terrorist suspects] and the equally broad scope of this current legislation, I'm just a bit worried about the current state of our [|dystopia] (err, I mean democracy).