The Oscars

I've been watching Fox News (surprise) this morning and many of the commentators mentioned that they felt that American Sniper was snubbed because of its director, Clint Eastwood and that the awards show was very political.

I agree that it was very political, but isn't it every year?  Patricia Arquette's tirade about wage inequality and lack of rights for women was ridiculous.  As far as I know from my experience, women have been given equal chances for success, some even more than equal. 

My main problem with the complaints is their assumption that Bradley Cooper should have received the Oscar for American Sniper.  I have not seen any of the movies that were in contention, but from what I have read, Eddie Redmayne certainly deserved the award.  I've seen clips from The Theory of Everything, Steven Hawking's story and the likeness between the two people is amazing.  I've read that there were days when Mr. Redmayne did scenes from Mr. Hawking's days before he became ill and later in the day when he is wheelchair bound.  That certainly takes acting prowess. 

I'm sure Bradley Cooper did a wonderful job in American Sniper, but if there were any snub to be imagined, I would think it would have been of The Imitation Game.  I really thought that film would take all the honors because of the hero.  He broke the Nazi code, he was persecuted because he was gay and even committed suicide because of that persecution.  Honoring that film certainly would have been political.

There was one political statement that has me puzzled and it has bothered me for quite some time.  The winner for a documentary praised Edward Snowden for informing us of the government's spying on its citizens.  Maybe it's good that he did that, but if he thought that he was right to do so, he should have stayed here and proved his point.  In my eyes, he is not a hero, he is a coward.  If you believe that you are doing the right thing, you should stay and face the consequences, not run to another country.  Stand up for your beliefs and convictions.

My biggest disappointment  in the show however, was the omission, during the In Memoriam segment, of Joan Rivers.  Granted, she was not a huge movie star, but she was the subject of a documentary.  I would like to know why she was snubbed.

Is there a connection?

I just went online for my daily game of Scrabble.  I couldn't get on because pogo.com was busy.  Apparently many people feel the same as I.  They just couldn't stand to listen to another speech by the president, so they decided to exercise their minds and play Scrabble.

He stopped talking now.  Maybe I can get in my daily game.

I can't believe he said that

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard some of the remarks that the president made in his statement in closing the summit on countering violent extremism.  I thought that they had been edited by the "villains at Fox News".  So, this morning I went on whitehouse.gov and printed a copy of the president's remarks at the summit, before they get edited or deleted when a thinking person reads them.

Early in his speech, he said, "Of course the terrorists do not speak for over a billion Muslims who reject their hateful ideology.  They no more represent Islam than any madman who kills innocents in the name of God represents Christianity of Judaism or Buddhism or Hinduism.   No religion is responsible for terrorism.  People are responsible for violence and terrorism."

Of course, he had to get in a jab at Christians, Jews, Buddhists or Hindus.  I don't recall reading or hearing anything about any other civilized religions beheading or burning alive people who do not agree with their religious beliefs.

The real reason for my writing this is the president's statement that no religion is responsible for terrorism, people are responsible for violence and terrorism.  Mr. President, why don't you feel the same way about guns?  After all, guns don't kill people, people kill people.

I guess this is just another way that you use words to suit your agenda.  If religions don't inspire terrorism, then guns don't kill people.

Now I've Seen Everything

I've been quiet for a long time, but I can't take it any longer.

I haven't complained too much about the president's vacations and the fact that he takes all his friends, possibly at the taxpayers' expense.  I didn't complain when a wedding had to be moved at the last minute so the president could play a round of golf.  I even didn't say anything when he went out to play golf just minutes after announcing the beheading of an American citizen by the muslims.

Yesterday was the last straw.  When I saw that video he made in order to appeal to young people, I could hardly believe my eyes.  There he was making funny faces into a mirror and taking selfies.  This video was made (again) minutes after we received verification of the last murder of an American hostage who went to the middle east only because she wanted to help people.

I thought that when Lyndon Johnson lifted his shirt to show his scar to the press, our country and the rest of the word was the most tasteless act of an American president, but this recent performance by the president far surpasses that.

I was never a fan of the Kennedys, but I have always felt that they brought dignity to the White House, something that present day democrats do not.

As far as I'm concerned, the job of a leader is to bring people up, not to sink down to their level.