Not Just Another Spy Movie: ‘Fair Game’ Exposes Corrupt Washington Culture Then and Now

Most of us are familiar with the story. Valerie Plame Wilson, the CIA covert operative outed by Richard Armitage and Co. (Libby, Rove, Cheney and Bush) in the summer of 2003 and Joe Wilson, a former ambassador & diplomat who investigated the enriched uranium in Niger were victims of one of the nastiest smear campaigns in recent US history topped only by the vilifying of Julian Assange. After Valerie's husband, Joe Wilson found no evidence of the "yellowcake" in Niger, his “findings” were used to justify the invasion of Iraq. It was shortly after Mr. Wilson wrote his op-ed piece in the New York Times “What I Didn’t Find in Africa” http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/what-i-didn-t-find-in-africa.htm.  that the smear campaign was launched.

The story is interesting in itself! But then add an angry Sean Penn and a fierce Naomi Watts and you get one fascinating film worth seeing on the big screen. The intensity between the two keeps the viewer engaged and interested. Moreover, Director Doug Liman smartly portrays the Wilson’s story as a political, emotional and marital struggle of gargantuan proportion.

In one important scene, Sean Penn gives a speech to New Englanders and asks them who knew who put the famous “sixteen words” in Bush’s address to the nation. Nobody raised their hand. Then he asked who did not know the name of his wife, Valerie Plame and nobody raised their hand. Wilson responds passionately to the audience: “Nobody knows who put a lie in the president’s mouth but everyone knows the name of a covert CIA officer simply because she is married to a man who had the temerity to challenge the administration.” It was chilling and true. Many memorable scenes are taken from the writings of the Wilson’s themselves, which surely enrich the film. 

Fair Game exposes two true messages in both Joe and Valerie’s books: how reckless senior government officials went to absurd lengths to destroy lives in order to push an unnecessary war and the corrupt culture of Washington. This film possess unique suspense because it is a true story, of recent history, still fresh in the mind and still very relevant. In the summer of 2006, Valerie and Joe filed a lawsuit against Cheney, Rove, Libby and Armitage but the suit was dismissed by a judge. Obama’s Justice Department agreed with the Bush administration’s opinion that the Wilson’s had no grounds to sue. http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/39740. Someone once told me that each time history repeats itself, the price goes up. Except for those in Washington and in the corporate world, it looks like the price is going up for everyone. It makes me wonder, how far will the price go? Why hasn't anyone paid for these war crimes? More concretely, where are the investigations?  

 Valerie Plame Wilson with Naomi Watts

Link to Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SLn4a5W3lY

Why Inside Job is a Must-See

If you are an individual who likes to escape from reality when you go to the theatre than this film will be a worthwhile experience for you. Inside Job IS wildly entertaining. In a dark, satirical way. I found myself laughing out loud at corporate executives and economic advisors’ attempt to evade questions. Matt Damon narrates a very important documentary taking you on a dark comedic journey that enrages you, sparks short laughter, followed by gasps of horror. Erica Abeel of the Huffington Post said it was “the year’s most essential film, a must-see for anyone who cares about the health of this country,” and that is the truth. 

One of my favorite moments of the documentary is when Bush's former Chief Economic Advisor is being pressed by the director, Charles Ferguson, to simply answer his questions. Ultimately he barks back at Ferguson, "You have three more minutes. Give it your best shot!" In another interview, shown in the trailer, an AIG employee is demanding that the camera be turned off immediately. But one of the highlights of the documentary, the moment which made the whole audience erupt in laughter occurred after Ferguson’s interview with a former member of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors who resigned nearly a month before the actual market crashed because he wanted to revise a textbook. Ferguson is persistent as he responds, "I'm sorry, I'm sure that your textbook is important and widely read, but didn't you think that more important things were going on in the world?" LOL. 

For this reason, Inside Job is a must-see: it entertains and reminds, it enrages and delights. It explains the financial crisis through impressive interviews, delights many with more information and arms one with ample evidence. It is the most important film of the year not simply because of the film itself, but because of what it hopes to provoke: outrage and constructive action. I cannot think of a more important time to watch this film given the current debate over tax cuts for the wealthy. Last Friday, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders protested the tax cut deal in a long speech on the floor of the Senate. The many corporate criminals in Inside Job are members of the top 1% club, who control more wealth than the bottom 90% of us. Thank you, Bernie for reminding us of what it means to take a stand. He must have seen Inside Job. 




http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/

"This Season, Celebrate Reason" How Consumerism and Fantasy Stories Distract Many from Reality and Progress

The holidays are approaching us and most people are in a fucking frenzy to buy shit they don’t need and when they’re not buying shit they don’t need they’re trying to figure out what his or her friend or cousin or sister wants and ends up buying them shit they don’t need. Before you “Bah Humbug” me I’ll write the actual meaning of the phrase outside the Dickens reference: “something intended to deceive, a fraud; an impostor; rubbish; nonsense.” Well now who’s the humbug? You don’t see me in a reindeer hat with a decorated cat feigning happiness under the tree!

Last month I read a New York Times article which discussed the atheist community’s outreach to non-believing do-gooders who want nothing to do with religious giving this season. Atheist do-gooders? Yes, they are out there, go find them and be inspired. The article also mentioned a New Jersey billboard with a picture of a nativity scene and the words “You Know it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason.” Ahhh reason, that sounds swell. Why don’t we see more billboards like that? Why don’t more ads expose the truth about religion, the fact that religion in the US is in sharp decline (according PEW statistics more millennials are less affiliated with religion than their parents) and the damage, yes, the damage it causes during the winter solstice. 

“What damage you say?!” the religious respond with passion and pep: “ We are believers so what?” So what? So what that you believe in a surveillance spirit in the sky that answers your prayer because you are soo important? So what that their self-importance causes them to believe in sin? As Bertrand Russell brilliantly stated: “Self-importance, individual or generic, is the source of most religious beliefs.” Once self-importance and over-consumption combine with an extreme media campaign, many individuals revert back to childhood, into seasonal fantasyland and some never return to reality. So are thoughtful progressives surprised when christmas conformists have not a pinch of energy left to even learn about the real world. After all, they have their ticket to heaven, right? 

Wrong. We are all in hell. Living our nightmare of over 26.1 million people unemployed and many underemployed. So before you think about purchasing that ipad, think about the struggling single woman who’s expected to feed her family with $12,000 this year. A little help? And in case the believer didn’t hear the news at his church concert, now Obama-approved bombs are killing young men and women in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan. Oh, and if the fat asses are too busy watching the latest holiday tv special, just wanna let y’all know that no state met the Healthy People 2010 goals. Yup, we’re still all fat.  And for all you shoppers out there (I know that is most of you) you may find comfort in knowing that your president is continuing a tax cut for the wealthiest folks in this country and that money will NOT trickle down to you. Oh Bah Humbug! 

Julian Assange, The Truth and Why WikiLeaks is Important

Julian Assange turned himself into British authorities yesterday. Lets explore all the pathetic claims against Mr. Assange in detail. He has not committed treason, he’s not even a US citizen so that claim is preposterous and can be dismissed immediately. Despite Mitch McConnell, Palin and other right wingers claims, Assange is neither a "terrorist" nor should be "hunted down". What intrepidity the illogical right have to label anyone who doesn’t adhere to their beliefs as a terrorist? A perpetrator of violent crimes? Mierda. 

The truth is that Assange has exposed the true terrorists: the US military and government. The sexual assault and rape charges we can see with the evidence put forth are probably false. Just follow the path of charge: an arrest warrant is out for Assange, then it is dropped, then it is un-dropped. What can we make of this inconsistent game of let’s get Assange? It turns out that initially the two women didn’t want to come forward with the charges. Were they pressured to talk? Probably. These charges are simply a distraction from the content of the leaks and a smear campaign against Assange. 

So why is the world after Assange? Why have drastic political maneuvers like PayPal’s freezing of Wikileaks account and recently the Swedish bank that was collecting funds from WikiLeaks occurred? Why was he arrested? Why is the US media failing to report this very important and pertinent story? There are two simple answers to these questions: Julian Assange has exposed many truths these truths threaten the central powers that be. I find it astonishing that more journalists and writers (mainly progressive truth reporters) are not in outrage over the demonizing of Assange, the reaction (or lack of in a sense) of the Obama administration and the important information WikiLeaks has provided for us. 

What information do we gain from WikiLeaks? Does it just as Arianna Huffington notes, “confirm what we already know.” Yes, it does confirm what we already know, but there’s is more to it than that. New information has been exposed and I would bet that much more is out there. More importantly, this has shed light on the reality that freedom of the press has been  undermined in the Age of Information. Where is the outrage? Where is the support of WikiLeaks and Assange? I call to all global citizens to write, blog and talk about this issue. If the mainstream media won’t, then online movers, shakers and troublemakers will.