Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
You Aren’t Kirk, And Kirk Wasn’t Always Right
How many times have we seen this…
Captain Kirk quickly determines that a planet must be explored, and takes two or three of the highest-ranking officers on his entire starship, plus a guy in a red shirt never seen before, to the surface. They happen to “beam down” to a point on that surface within fifty feet of the guy in charge of running the entire planet, some distinguished-looking caucasian geezer, who promptly introduces himself and speaks perfect English. The guy who runs the planet is a Viceroy, or a Proconsul, or a Tsar, or an Emperor, or an Ambassador, and wears Old-Testament style flowing robes. He has exactly one (1) gorgeous, nubile daughter who has never seen men before and finds Captain Kirk fascinating. The planet is completely lacking in old women, young men, and handrails. The guy in the red shirt dies a horrible, gruesome death. Kirk demands answers. Kirk teaches the nubile daughter how to kiss.
Then the show gets philosophical. Viceroy Flowing-Robes blames some monster, or underclass, or political dissident faction, for the plague, famine, drought, disease, lack of access to vital medicines, violence, or climate change. Kirk thinks it’s possible to reason with the monster/underclass/faction, and Viceroy Flowing-Robes insists that physical force is the only way to prevail. They argue. At this point of the show, there is some plot twist that varies from one episode to the next, culminating in some tricky situation Kirk and Spock can’t possibly survive. Break for commercial. After the commercial, Kirk and Spock triumph against the odds, and as frosting on the cake Kirk manages to negotiate a seemingly-impossible truce between Viceroy Flowing-Robes and the monster/underclass/faction. Viceroy Flowing-Robes bows to Kirk’s superior wisdom, and after Kirk and Spock beam up, McCoy makes some smartass remark. Credits roll.
I’m reading through the letters to the editor about the missile strike in Pakistan, and I’m also reading some of the postings in response to the film clips that show the things Saddam did before he was removed from power (shocking video, not safe for work, view in private, turn down volume, not for squeamish). When the events in our news get ugly, I’m seeing a common theme in the comments offered by those who take the “ostrich approach” to the ugliness. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it has a lot to do with “not descending to their level.” Lots of finger-waggling. Lots of cluck-clucking. Lots of “catch more flies with honey than vinegar” sermonizing.
I think we need to round up all the old episodes of Star Trek, and do something with them. Bury them in a time capsule until we’re mature enough to watch them again. I’m not saying Captain Kirk’s message wasn’t good, for the time in which it was produced. Racial tensions, civil rights issues, war protests…in a climate like that, it has a beneficial effect on society when you can get the word out that “just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t make it automatically evil.” It’s a good message, one for the ages.
But probably not a good message for this age. Or more precisely, for the enemy we face. Call me nuts, but I’m having a hard time looking at a fellow with darker skin who is trying to secure the right to vote that was guaranteed to him a century before…or a jew trying to escape persecution, or a woman trying to earn a fair wage, or a homosexual who doesn’t want to be beaten up…and seeing them on equal footing with terrorists. I think since anything that’s a “dialog” by definition involves two parties, you need two votes to keep that dialog on a higher moral road. Pacifism on one side, isn’t good enough. One of the signs that you’ve fallen short of those two votes, is when the other guy is killing innocent civilians just to make a political point. There are other signs, too. Lack of participation in a higher dialog, or demonstrated lack of capacity. If this were not true, we wouldn’t order exterminators when we find termite damage or ant infestation. Sometimes you need two votes…or else, down to the “lower level” you go, and you shouldn’t lose sleep over it.
So yeah, in real life sometimes I think Captain Kirk is wrong and High Commissioner Flowing-Robes has the right idea. In fact, in real life, there would be more than a few episodes where Spock would take the side of Flowing-Robes, and lecture his peacenik boss about the folly of subordinating logic to emotion. We’re living in one of those episodes now…and the people who have obsessed too much about the social messages from Star Trek, are very likely to get some of us killed.
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