Georgia's Dark Side - "...of particular concern...constitutional changes...executive authority at the cost of the legislative and judicial branches

Georgian police outside the Tbilisi prison on March 27 (Interpressnews)

This is a report from Radio Free Europe. This is 2006. The previous government was removed in 2003. I don't want to hear it, okay? If a country incarcerates enough people then there are no riots !

Georgia: Prison Riot Fuels Destabilization Theory
March 29, 2006 (click here)
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Georgian police on March 27 used force to suppress a prison riot that purportedly aimed at aiding the escape of thousands of inmates. The authorities claim what they describe as an aborted jailbreak was part of plans to destabilize the country. They also suggest the criminal underworld and the opposition have a common interest in the alleged conspiracy. This is not the first time the government and its allies have leveled such accusations. But they have become more frequent lately, as the country's leaders face mounting domestic criticism.
PRAGUE, March 29, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- It took security forces some three hours to quell the riot at Tbilisi's Prison No. 5....

Not really Mushy's style. He usually 'power plays' and dukes it out to the end. But. His days as Prez are numbered.

The Bush Neocon Network is crumbling (click here).

Will there be a Hillary Coup at the Democratic Convention?

NO !

She has a place in history and it is her right to claim it.

Poland's aggression is not a good idea.

Poland has signed a preliminary deal with the US on plans to host part of its new missile defence shield.

The attitude of the Bush White House in regard to continued escalation of tensions by allowing this ? deal ? to be broached is one of the worst, if not the worst, ideas rendered in that last few days.

Everyone needs to 'chill' over this episode with Georgia and keep their 'international eye' on the ball when it comes to nuclear proliferation. I have stated before, this 'type' of aggression simply ratches-up the tensions globally and actually escalates nuclear proliferation leading to war.

How is the USA going to justify this one when it is attempting to negotiate a peace settlement between Moscow and Tbilisi?

I want to know how the Bush/Cheney/Rice Executive Branch explains the continued escalation in tensions between countries by allowing a preliminary agreement to be signed?

The good news is that Congress hasn't approved any of this mess !!!!

Bush wants war. Either that or he is the biggest moron that ever walked the grounds of Washington, DC !

A Path to Peace in the Caucasus

The implosion of Russia, which spawned the circumstances facing us today, was sparked by more than simply George H. W. Bush USA policy.
It was a result of many issues, including that of Chernobyl. However, Boris Yeltsin played a roll in Russia's disintegration when he allowed pervasive corruption which lead to economic collapse. Sound familiar? You know the 'economic strategies' for any country are really finite. They have 'new' potential with discoveries in science and cultural expansion, but, if a government becomes corrupt it moves outside the 'science' of economics and allows internal destruction of its own bouyancy. No different than Russia under Yeltsin, the USA now faces similar circumstances.

Regardless, Mr. Gorbachev has lead Russia during difficult transitions and understands not only Russia but the Soviet States that once lined Russia's borders. I trust his judgement. He provided an interview last night and all he says can't be wrong. The world needs to reflect seriously on the struggles of the people that are a part of a former Georgian state and their desire to leave that leadership for the protections of Russia. The Russian peacekeepers were there for a reason after all.

Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev found their roles dramatically reversed


The Gorbachev Foundation (click here)

The Gorbachev Foundation in the USA is located at Northeastern University. They will soon be holding a seminar regarding Democracy and its energy crisis (click here). I would hardly call that someone that didn't care about democracy or the people of the USA.

His words during the interview last night are below. I found them rather remarkable.

President Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union -- he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1990 -- wrote a "Washington Post" op-ed earlier this week titled "The Path To Peace in the Caucasus."




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Well, this is all lies from beginning to end. And I am -- really, I really think this is really beyond comprehension. I have heard the opinion of Eduard Shevardnadze. He knows what the situation is on their side.


So it was all at night, a little past midnight, when the city was asleep. Then from all sides, it was shelled with shells of enormous power. They used artillery. They used aircraft. They used all weapons of killing. And this is really amazing.


Tskhinvali, in fact, was devastated by fire from multiple rocket launchers against people, against housing, against hospitals, against water and sanitation, against the energy and communication infrastructure. All of that was destroyed. The old monuments were destroyed. And they were among the oldest in the Caucasus. The ancestral graves were ruined -- were then trampled by tanks.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Yes, indeed. There is no doubt about it (that Georgia stated this).What is more, the response required the movement of additional forces into South Ossetia because Tskhinvali was attacked by a powerful force, by an armada. And I remember the Second World War. I remember the front. I remember the occupation. I saw terrible weapons used. But this was the use of sophisticated weapons against a small town, against sleeping people. This was a barbaric assault.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): No. Russia was responding to what happened in Tskhinvali. Russia needed to address this. Russia could not avoid addressing this assault and this devastation and the killings of people, the devastation of the city. The peacekeepers had been there for some time. There were all kinds of things happening. But there were still possibilities for dialogue. And there was some dialogue going on and they were considering certain options and possibilities.


So Russia was ready to continue to fulfill its functions. There is just no doubt about it. And I don't know why it's happened that it has been presented that Russia invaded Georgia. This is really disinformation. This is all lies. It means that this plan -- there was a plan to attack Ossetia and also to misinform people. It's a kind of information war. I think now that they are showing the city, it is becoming clearer what happened.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Russia has a mandate. And after events like these, Russia should stay, but certainly within the mandate, within the peacekeeping mandate.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Well, I think that what is really important is -- well, we can understand what people are saying and what people are saying with regard to Saakashvili, because Saakashvili had misled Europe. He misled the United States, unless were to think that it was all an American project and that Saakashvili just implemented it.


This was a total surprise as regards the peacekeeping contingent there. So he's a person who certainly does not deserve trust. But this is for the Georgians to decide.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I think that both have powers in accordance with the constitution (referring to the current Russian President and Prime Minister). In accordance with the constitution, their powers, their competence is constitutional. Those are people who have known each other politically and in human terms for 15 years. And so no one should expect things in Russia to kind of go haywire.


It started when our prime minister was in Beijing during the opening of the Olympics. The president was taking decisions. He acted confidently and calmly, although this was a difficult emotional experience for him.


We have now seen what happened. Western television didn't show what happened in Tskhinvali. Only now, they're beginning to show some pictures of the destruction.


So this looks to me like it was a well prepared project and with any outcome they wanted to put the blame on Russia. I believe I can say responsibly, and I have a person who has a moral right to say so, Russia, in this situation, acted in responding to Georgian aggression.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Certainly. Certainly, yes )the USA can trust the two leaders of Russia). And I have to tell you, I am pleased that even though dramatic and tragic things happened, there are still human relations between Russians and Georgians. And that mutual affection that developed over centuries is still there. It's now up to the politicians.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Well, you know, it's been some time, for a couple of years, two or three years there's been talk about this, because we have seen -- we are seeing what is happening in Europe, in the Middle East and some other regions. We also see some things that are happening in the south, in Asia, in the south of Russia. And this is of some concern.


And what is of particular concern to me -- and this is something that I will be writing about in a special article -- and that is that we are witnessing -- definitely witnessing a process of militarization in the world today. And this is a big danger.


Military budgets are growing. Weapons trade is going on at a hectic pace. Look at Georgia. Had Georgia not been armed to the teeth, it wouldn't have done what it has done. A small state has a $1 billion military budget. All kinds of countries participated, but particularly the United States armed Georgia with sophisticated weapons -- aircraft, land weapons. Mountains of weapons were supplied to Georgia.


And I think that this is the inevitable outcome, when weapons budgets -- military budgets grow, when weapons pile up, it works one day. It actually shoots one day. And this is what happened.


So I think that the signs of a cold war are present. But we still have time to prevent it.


I wanted to add that I am greatly concerned about something that I've been watching. And, of course, I've been visiting the United States. I've been talking to people there. I've been talking to large audiences, groups of thousands of people. But I've been also talking to policy makers, business leaders and others. And I've been saying that we have not been able to establish a sound relationship between Russia and the United States after the end of the cold war.


I believe that the United States has made mistakes for which the people have to pay. For example, the military budget of the United States is over $600 billion. That's about half of the world's military budget. And I would say that we need a new agenda in relations of our two nations. There have been some attempts, some talk, but we've not been able to move things off the ground to sort out our relationship.


Often, under the guise of promoting national interests, so everything is forgotten. Everything is forgotten, such as the new realities of the world today, the interests of other countries. And then we see situations that lead to conflict.


Would Saakashvili have mustered the courage to create a situation that actually threatened a clash with Russia without support, without protection?


There was support and protection. And even now we see that the United States is trying to support and justify Saakashvili. I think you shouldn't be doing this, because this could cause even more complications. There is a chance for our two countries to develop a new agenda for cooperation so as to promote both U.S. and Russian interests, and the interests of other countries, and the interests of stability, particularly in the hot spots in different continents. And I welcomed the idea of creating a bipartisan commission on relations between Russia and the United States. I believe that this is a good idea and it will be useful for both of our countries.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Well (in regard to current course of relations between the countries), if things just are allowed to go on, if all of us just continue along the same lines of mistakes and illusions, without seeing the new realities to which we should adjust our policies -- I think we should do it on both sides. But if we don't do it, then it could really cause very severe complications.


The United States should not think that the attempt to decide every issue militarily will work. I believe that the United States -- the United States people don't want this. I wrote an article for "The Washington Post" and I have seen some of the more than 400 opinions of the people about this. And I was surprised that people are really seeing very clearly how important the relationship between Russia and the United States is. So let's listen to the people.




GORBACHEV (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Well, Russia doesn't need anything from Georgia. We just want this nation -- the people with whom we have been living for 300 years as friends and brothers, this friendship still continues. We don't want problems from there.


I don't think we have problems between our two nations. But outside interference pushes things in the wrong direction.


Of course, it's a big crossroads -- oil and oil pipelines, etc. And so we see competition. And I don't think that there's a need for so many weapons there and for conflicts.


In order to work things out, we need to reestablish trust and then we will be able to solve any problems. Without trust, no, that will not work. If we just have individual steps, that will not work.


In the second half of the 1980s, we worked together in a -- we created a new situation. We created trust. And based on that, we started to eliminate nuclear weapons. We started to reduce conventional weapons in Europe. We opened the way for people to choose -- to choose what they want to choose -- their regimes, their government, etc. And most of the regional conflicts were settled at that time, with the exception of the Middle East.




So trust is the key word.

Read my Lips, "No Time Table for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq."

...The galling hypocrisy of U.S. President Bush flanked by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who chose to lecture Russia during a press conference at the White House concerning the unethical behaviour of invading another country in the 21st Century was a glowing example of political theatre in the absurd.... (click title to entry, thank you)


British troops out of Iraq by spring (click here)
The vast majority of British troops serving in Iraq will be withdrawn in the next nine months, senior defence sources have revealed
By Thomas Harding Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:27AM BST 15 Aug 2008
Just a few hundred soldiers will remain after spring 2009 effectively bringing to an end this country’s involvement in Iraq after six years of fighting.
The Ministry of Defence insisted the move was backed by the US which it said is “intimately involved” in discussions about the British withdrawal.
There are still currently more than 4,000 British troops stationed in southern Iraq despite pledges from the Prime Minister that numbers would have reduced by now. Mr Brown has been careful over the past few months not to put a timetable on British withdrawal but sources gave the clearest indication yet that our involvement is poised to end.
The Iraqis are now close to agreeing a deal with the Americans - which could see all US soldiers leave within three years starting next summer....

None of this has been approved by the legislature and according to the agreement the USA troops are no longer an autonomous entity able to make decisions for themselves. So, it would be far better to leave Iraq with our ability to carry out our own defense rather than risk becoming an extension of an Iraqi government. That is a violation of USA Sovereignty.

US troops 'to pull out of Iraq in three years' (click here)
The US will withdraw from Iraq within three years under the terms of a draft deal with the Iraqi Government, it has been reported.
By Jon Swaine
Last Updated: 11:30AM BST 14 Aug 2008
American troops will pull out of cities across the country next summer and, if violence remains low, will be completely evacuated by 2011, Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, said.
Mr Zebari also said that the US military's ability to mount attacks inside the country will be tempered from next year, under the terms of the deal. A new US-Iraqi committee would be required to clear any operation...


Ill. soldier dies by roadside bomb in Iraq
By Carolyn Tuft
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/15/2008
The U.S. Department of Defense has reported that an Illinois soldier has died when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb while he was serving in Iraq.
The soldier was Corporal James M. Hale, 23, of Naperville. He died Wednesday in Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense.
On his second tour of duty, Hale had last been based at Fort Bliss, Texas. He was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion.
Hale was the second Illinois resident to die in Iraq in the past two weeks. Corporal Adam T. McKiski of Cherry Valley died last week while in combat in the Anbar province.
Hale left behind a wife and three children. He was awarded posthumously the Purple Heart, the Department of Defense reported.


A $100 billion bill (click here)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Washington is headed toward another dismal milestone in Iraq. With more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead and a conflict that's outlasted World War II, now add a $100 billion bill for private contractors by year's end.
The sum pays for a shadow military that provides security, builds bases and runs the chow line in mess halls. The 180,000 private employees, based in or around Iraq, match the number of American troops.
The figure is a high-water mark in the annals of privatized fighting. About 20 percent of the Iraq operations are done by for-hire outsiders, according to a Congressional Budget Office report....

Iraq bombing kills 17 (click here)
Last update: August 14, 2008 - 9:35 PM
A suicide bomber detonated her explosives Thursday among a group of Shiite pilgrims resting by a roadside in Iskandariyah, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 30 miles south of Baghdad. Women were cooking dinner, men were praying and children were playing nearby when the attacker struck, a witness said.
The U.S. military put the death toll at 17, including one policeman and 16 civilians, and said the lone female bomber was responsible. A senior provincial security officer said 26 people were killed and 75 wounded.

AFGHAN BLAST KILLS 3
An explosion targeting international troops on a foot patrol in southern Afghanistan killed three members of the U.S.-led coalition Thursday, an official statement said. No other details were released.
Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban insurgency. The last three months have been the deadliest for international troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

Zogby - Republicans are OUT OF THERE !!!!!

Obama - 273

McCain - 146

Too close to call - 119

I made my contribution today. Did you? (click here)

...a sincere thank you...

That was the last of the films I viewed at the Fourth Traverse City Film Festival. There was still another day to the festival, but, responsibilities were to call me home.
There were so many exceptional films I could have stayed easily one more day to the closing ceremonies and perhaps next year I will.
I want to thank all those involved with the festival, the State Theater restoration and the burgeoning film industry of Michigan for a completely enjoyable stay and a chance to find a higher conscience to events that shape the life and times I enjoy.
Until next year.

I Am Because We Are

Ubuntu is an African word. It is a noun. Its definition is humanity or fellow feeling; kindness. It orginates from the language spoken by the Nguni (click here). In translation it means, "I am because you are." (click here). It is a word used to relate the concept of 'society' we live in. Society is supposed to be benevolent. Kind.

I was not one of the lucky winners to the tickets of this film at the State Theater. I was not one of the lucky winners of tickets to the simulcast at The City Opera House. I was however a lucky person willing to stand in line at The City Opera House hoping there would be a few seats not taken that might be accommodating people as unlucky as myself. I was not alone, there were others as unlucky as me. But. Alas. Even that wasn't my reality. So, how did I get in? A couple attending the simulcast literally walked up to myself and the gentleman in front of me and asked if we would like tickets to the film. It was that simple. I didn't pay a dime and I got to see the simulcast in its entirety. There is a god. I still have the ticket as a souvenir. I gave the $25.00 I would have paid at the State Theater, if I attended there, as a donation to Madonna's charity for these children.

The film was incredible and "No, it wasn't an ego trip for Madonna." She was absolutely lovely that evening. Her story was fascinating.

She states she received a phone call. Now, I am sure that is the case, but, I know for a fact if I tried to call Madonna she would not be available to me nor would I know where to begin to find a phone number for her.

She received a phone call from a person working with an NGO in Malawi (click here). The country was in a state of emergency due to the high number of deaths of adults caused by HIV/AIDS. The person at the other end of the phone stated, "Can you help. We need someone to bring attention to their plight and you would be a person with enough recognition to move people to focus on Malawi's children." Madonna stated back, "I would help, but, I don't even know where Malawi is." The woman phone caller stated, "Look it up." and hung up the phone. That was the beginning of Madonna's venture into a reality few people knew existed. Needless to say she fell in love with the children there and adopted a seriously ill boy (click here) whom will soon have an adopted sister.

Desmond Tutu appears in the film and helps explain the crisis in Malawi and why the world's attention is so critical. During most of the film I had this haunting reality lingering in my thoughts as to 'What the heck happened to the aid the USA was sending these people?" (click here)

The children are profoundly disaffected by HIV/AIDS as some were born with the disease subsequently losing their parents as well. A result were literally children attempting to care for children. They were in survival mode with no resources to sustain them or anyone to teach them how to survive. It was more than sad to realize the level of neglect these children existed in and it was a reassuring reality to come to that a single Pop Star would be their salvation.

I mean for real here. What if that phone call was never made? What if Madonna never had conscience enough to go to their assistance. Do you know the dangers that existed for her when entering a country without infectious disease controls enough to protect its children? There just aren't words enough to describe this reality.

Children now respond to the structure afforded them by Madonna's efforts and receive medicine if they need it, while turning away from survival to more joyous events such as learning and playing. Their childhood is not completely lost to them.

An entire nation of children survives of the ravages of HIV today because a SuperStar cared. It is a global responsiblity for people to now give these children a chance at life, learning and rebuilding a country they inherited, but, a country in shambles from disease. We should all be grateful Madonna received the call.

Redacted

It is a Brian De Palma film. Like. WOW.

I knew going into the festival I would be seeing at least one film about Iraq. I have seen fictious films about Iraq. Films that claimed to portray reality. I didn't bargain for this.

This was a low budget film by De Palma. I think the figure was $2 million. You couldn't prove it by me and there is something to be said about 'seasoned' film artists and getting the biggest bag for the buck.

The film captures the 'dirty potential' of Iraq. It was adapted from real headlines. One might say that Brian De Palma 'had had enough' of the censorship surrounding this war and he decided to throw a small budget film together to entertain the imagination of a nation excluded from a 'real discussion' regarding this war and its more heinous aspects.

The story takes place with GIs stressed by their own sad reality in a country where language barriers are half the issue of American deployments. These soldiers are isolated from any relief to their circumstances and on prolonged deployments without any reality checks.

The circumstances of the film are more than possible. Where American troops are 'law and order' in a country void of any other authority, there is nothing to prevent abuse of citizens for personal purpose and reward to any soldier.

Despite this being a work of fiction, there was so much potential to its circumstances the audience was completely disgusted with its content. One man was so angry at its potential he stood up and walked out while yelling, "Fuck you, America." One got the feeling he might have been a war veteran.

The 'sting' came at the end of this film where actual pictures of dead Iraqi civilians appear with one being the young girl victim of the film. The ending was very surreal.

It is a film any self respecting adult should attend with an open mind to the 'idea' of its reality. It gave profound credence to priorities to leave Iraq and to leave it to an authority 'of, by and for' the Iraqi people.

Thank you, Mr. De Palma.

The Shorts

Mike features 'short films' during the festival. They are shown before regular feature films. They are entertaining and help capture the 'adventurism of the mind' which is the real commodity Mike deals with during this festival.
Another feature of the experience is that it is 'commercial free.' Really commercial free, not like the cable station idea of commercial free, but, sincerely lacking any distraction from the purpose of attending great films.
There were always 'credits of the festival' at the beginning of any film at all the venues. These credits were 'Thank You Notes' to sponsors and to people no longer with the festival that were significant to its development.
It's nice at Traverse City for their annual film festival. Very nice.

A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy

It was a film about JFK. It showed his personality and his willingness to be The People's President. He was a great man. Our country has suffered immeasurably because of his assassination. His loss is palpable as is Bobby's death.

I can't say anything about this film that the subject doesn't already say. I simply loved this film and it was so very refreshing to see him and hear his voice again.

Trouble the Water

This was my last day at the festival while enjoying the dinner fare of the city.

The Day started with a quintessential film about Katrina survivors. This has to be the definitive film regarding the hideous priorities of a nation whereby over a thousand of its citizens died, many still missing and thousands more displaced from their homes.

One would almost say it wasn't necessary to make another Katrina film, but, this one had to be made.

The film used actual footage taken by the people in the picture above. They were stranded in the storm. The woman is Tia Lessin, a rap artist. She happened to have a camera and video taped many of the realities the people of New Orleans were faced with when attempting to stay alive.

She managed to protect her film footage, then next thing she knew she was speaking to people connected to films like Fahrenheit 911 and the rest is history.

The film is compelling. The American government completely failed people along the Gulf Coast. This storm was 'expected' by so many in that region of the country. People planned their survival for more than a decade by placing axes in their attics to hack through the roof of their homes to escape rising flood waters. That is NEGLECT of a government. The American people need to sincerely examine the chronic denial they live in as a result of poorly placed priorities.

The film should be a staple in everyone's home. This level of government neglect due to denial of the truth is more than just a 'Katrina thing,' it is a citizen thing. The next time it might be a Homeland Security issue that involves you and the ones you love. This film isn't about 'just' Katrina, it is about how well the government listens and responds to its citizens.

Are the Russians leaving?

NO !

There is not going to be a conflict between the USA and Russia over the emergency in Georgia. The President of Georgia created this emergency and now the Russians are going to contend with it.

Ever since the Soviet Union restructured into Russia and other smaller nations, Russia has fretted and worried about the people of these small nations. Georgia literally turned on its own people in the two break away regions.

Russia is not going to stand by and allow more of the same. Russia is interested in 'one thing' and 'one thing' only. They are interested in stable political states. Stable political states mean there is 'order.' Where there is order, people can live 'predictable' lives. Whether those lives reflect democracy or not isn't the priority of Russia. Any country that sees Russia as 'Anti-Democracy' is sadly mistaken and is raining propaganda in 'fear' of a Russian dominated global environment.

Russia is not going to leave Georgia. Just that simple. The Georgian President thought he could play god with his citizens' lives to invoke a Western backed war. HE WAS WRONG !

U.S. troops arrive with aid for Georgia (click here)

TBILISI, Georgia, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. military personnel arrived in Tblisi, Georgia, delivering humanitarian aid to thousands of people displaced by the Georgian-Russian conflict.
A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said the relief effort was meant to demonstrate to Russia that the United States "can come to the aid of a European ally and that we can do it at will, whenever and wherever we want," The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Thursday.
In ordering the mission, U.S. President George Bush said Wednesday he expected Russia to honor the cease-fire and ensure that "all lines" remained open for "the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for civilian transit."...

I tell you what.

New Hurricane Potential.

Hm.

I realized these last few entries would begin to displace all the other entries from today off the front page of the blog. So, I'll end here for now and finish it tomorrow morning.

Let's hope the lid is still on nuclear war by then and Bush hasn't blown a gasket and done something stupid.

Russia took a day off, long enough to reflect on its priorities. I stated before, Georgia is destined for different sovereignty. The rest of the world needs to take responsibility for this escalation of Russian authority and step back from 'any brink' to ensure the humanitarian aid to Georgia reaches people that are still alive and not victimized as 'the front on global war.'

Good-bye for now.

Man in the Chair

Christopher Plummer propelled this film into its content. He made everything fall into place, includng the justifible lawlessness pervading the characters.

The film revolves around persons with talent and their lack of fiscal clout to express themselves. The youngest of the cast is a high school student longing to make a 'short film' that matters while in contest for a prize.

He meets an elderly man that lives with a group of 'old stage hands' in a home where they are pent up without venues for their continued desire for expression. Hence, the plot for a film that entertains the imagination for the potential of elder abuse as tempered by a young man seeking purpose beyond being pleasing to parents.

What surprised me was the degree violence was engaged as an aspect of content to this film. There are several times when violence intermingles with the story line and brings about the reality that poverty begets different priorities at any age.

Without giving the ending away, the story resounds in unusual content except for the heart warming reality time goes forward in the human condition and it is tempered by those we meet along the way.

Anvil - The Story of Anvil

If they were only better looking. That is the only conclusion I could possibly come to in reflecting on the exclusion of "Anvil" from the heavy metal success of groups such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Van Halen.

Maybe its because they were from Canada?

The movie is a hugely wonderful documentary that reaches the depths of friendship and the devasting feelings of ? failure ? resulting in a lives lived in love with their music and the struggle to be heard.

I am sorry folks, but, these guys are good.

The airing of their film might be another chapter if futility for Anvil, but, I would sincerely hope this is one of realizing the perfection years of dedication can bring to a performer.

Some would criticise them for existing at all 'at their age' but the reality is there are many artists from that era remaining on the stage and enjoying their continued popularity. In all honesty, they add to the bouyancy of Democracy whether anyone wants to realize it or not.

I purchased their CD after the appearance and performance following the film. I didn't 'stick around' for autographs as I had to get to the next film, but, many people stayed for signatures and photos as well.

Anvil generously played at Union Street Station that evening for those that just couldn't get enough.

The largest of the venues was packed. Perhaps, 'SOLD OUT' is a better set of words for the airing of this film. That should tell everyone something.

Sympathy for the Lobster

Sabina Guzzanti comes of age. She is brilliant. She more than adequaitely has directed a film thick with satire that maps out the frustration of independent artists involved in political content.

This film supports Sabina's love of film and desire to express political content within that media.

She is an important player in Italy if there is ever to be a replacement of the corrupt conservative right wing of that government which dominates 'the day.' She brings a 'stage/platform' for change in Italy that is a gathering place for ideas.

This film illuminates her skills and intellect while scaldingly assigns satire to the purpose of media activism. The artists involved, as Michael Moore will well testify, suffer immeasurably for their loyalty to 'the cause.' That suffering is based in 'preceived' lack of success of their films to change its audiences' priorities in political venues toward the moral content of the documentary.

Artists, by nature, are fluid in their expression. Due to that fact, they use humor and satire to portray issues that otherwise go unnoticed. They are brave and undaunted in perfecting their craft and if this film says anything about Sabina's talent than let it be the reassurance that Italy has a magnificent director of material very similar to the documentary style of Moore.

This work of fiction must have been a relief for Sabina to express herself without championing a cause while still making strong political statements regarding 'the state of her craft' and her personal growth within it.

I congratulate her. This is a captivating film that leaves you concerned for her while realizing she, if not someone else, simply 'had to make this film.'

Dinner with the President - A Nation's Journey

This was also a must see film for me. I passed up a 'to die for' film about Antarctica to specifically see this film. It answered a myriad of questions for me.

The most profound question it answered is why a government backed with enormous amounts of USA cash would result in a resurgence of Taliban that would propagate further war in Afghanistan.

The reality of 'the truth' regarding the role Pakistan plays in continued proliferation of terrorists and their networks, which twice attacked a Former Prime Minister and successfully killed her, is found in the destructuring of the former Pakistan government by the Musharraf coup.

His own words, coming from his own mouth during his interactions with the author to this film indicts him.

The film seeks the reasons why women are so victimized as political icons burdened with 'veils' as opposed to the reality that they long to live without them and the freedom that accompanies that. The author does not give the former Prime Minister Benazir a free pass either as she states, "...but, she wears one as well."

During the interview with Musharraf the 'organizational' level of the Pakistan government is revealed. Literally, Musharraf took an organized government and decentralized it to the tribal level while calling it 'Democracy.' It turned loose hugely varying philosophies and diatribes of authority rather than 'the rule of law.' It also explains why there have been attempts to assassinate him.

There is no relief for the Pakistani people from the anarchy Musharraf flourishes. And to think he wrote a book to entertain the American public with 'ideas' of his political justification; is to realize the isolation he literally has been able to secure for himself that protects him from the reality of 'The Pakistan Street.'

Perez Musharraf is a war lord and the monies paid to Pakistan by the Rumsfeld military strategy helped secure a dictator/general for Pakistan that has turned loose every available resource to facilitate terrorist havens.

Musharraf's 'definition' of DEMOCRACY is to provide 'local authority' with ultimate authority. There is no 'representative' government in Pakistan which is why it has been nearly impossible to hold elections within that country.

ANY ELECTION OTHER THAN PRESIDENT is completely meaningless unless you are tribal elder. There exists no 'rule of law' in Pakistan under Musharraf, but, only 'continued class struggles' at the local level which feeds local militias and nurtures global terrorists.

If it weren't for the generous words of criticism by Benazir Bhutto of Bush in regard to the Presidential elections in Pakistan, we would still be allowing the government of a war lord and coup leader to propagate terrorism. She was more than a friend to the USA, she was a pivotal ally.

The film is a charming inquistion into political dynamics that are boasted to by Musharraf whereby women are excluded in very real mechanisms to change in Pakistan.

The most impressive aspect to this film, other than the President indicting himself, is the discourse that occurs with a tribal conclave between elders and the author. It was a female risk to even confront the tribal conclave, yet alone succeed in disbanding it in disgust for its ridicule of female freedoms.

It is completely obvious how 'inherited' slavery exists in Pakistan and how 'sentencing' of enforcable rape takes place. The Pakistan tribal conclaves are based in vengeance and not in national laws enforced equitably by dedicated authority. It is more than possible the Taliban flourished in anarchy among these tribes and an even greater possiblity Bin Laden is among them.

Let the Right One In

The long existing question as to how vampires survive has been answered.
Man, what a blastedly good thriller film this was.
This Swedish interpretation of survival of modern day vampires felt as though there was blood in the aisles. No lie. There was no lack of frankly obvious blood and decaying bodies.
The real clincher to this thriller was the 'child' element. For all my life I have envisioned vampires as adults. Well, guess what? They can be children, too.
The logic in this thriller jars the conscious and compels the viewer. The victimization of the pschye by the reality of a child vampire and what that means to parenting became all to imposing.
Magnificent work.
Within this thriller existed the Michael Moore theme of 'justice of the underdog' and that was more amazing than any other aspect of the festival that blended an emotional rollercoaster into its content and interest.
I could not believe this film was conceived and actually existed. It was entertainment unexpected and refreshing at a point in the festival where distraction served to return me to reality 'of the moment.'