All Things Pertinent

Well, I was asked to give my thoughts on the Arizona immigration law, and here they are.

First of all, I want to hash out the stereotype of an illegal immigrant: An un- or undereducated brigand/interloper who may or may not bring either drugs, weapons, or both over the border, and in addition to this, "steals" jobs away from the average, everyday American.

That is likely only the case in less than 1% of all undocumented citizens.

The typical illegal immigrant is simply an impoverished person looking for ways to improve his/her life and his/her family's life, and is willing to take whatever simple job is necessary to support them. The jobs they take are typically those that the average American wouldn't take, such as farm worker, house cleaner, maid, etc. In fact, United Farm Workers, along with the support of Stephen Colbert, has started a "Take Our Jobs" campaign, where migrant workers will literally give up their jobs of picking food during a harvest to any Americans who are interested. ((www.takeourjobs.org)

Now, Arizona; home to miles and miles of sand, some cacti, and an immigration law that is reminiscent of racial profiling. Oh, wait, it basically is.

The law requires legal immigrants to carry their immigration papers on them at all times and requires police to question subjects whom they believe to be in the country illegally.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I believe that carrying around one's immigration documents in order to prove that one is a citizen casts an undue burden on the legal immigrant. Also, there isn't exactly a criterion for discriminating between an illegal immigrant and a second-generation citizen, namely an Hispanic one. Both likely speak Spanish and both likely fit the profile for a suspected illegal immigrant. What happens when a cop suspects an American-born Hispanic person of being an illegal immigrant, and that person has no immigration documentation?

It seems that this law is the culmination of all the repressed frustration felt by Americans, especially by those recently unemployed or those who have to work under immigrants or those of different races. In a recent study I read, 60% of Caucasians support the law, while 30% of other races support it (+ or - a few percentage points). The law, xenophobic in its nature, has already been challenged by the ACLU and will eventually reach the Supreme Court, which, if holding to prior Civil Rights cases, will strike down the law.

Jon Stewart had a great bit on this. Enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Law & Border<
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

That's all for now,
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P.S. VAMOS VAMOS, ARGENTINA, VAMOS VAMOS, A GANAR! Sorry US, need to go with my roots.

Sarah Palin, the World Cup, and Jeffster all in one

So, this is going to be a crowded post. Well, suck it up.

Anyway, last night, in my usual pastime of being bored at night and talking to people on Omegle, I happened to start talking to a member of the Tea Party. He asked me of my opinions on the party, and I told him that it is basically the party of Palin, essentially a subsidiary of the Fox network and an uber-conservative party that promotes partisanship; I also may have thrown in "anti-government" and "distrust of Obama" into that mix as well. The guy kept telling me "you could not be more wrong," which, in colloquial English, is extraordinarily incorrect, as "wrong" is an absolute; one cannot be "more" or "less" wrong. He also spouted to me the credo of the Tea Party, which I have heard many times from the exalted queen Sarah Palin herself: government has overstepped its bounds, and the objective of the party is to "reel it in." Just like Palin, the guy wasn't very specific about how the party will achieve anything, and talking to him was giving me a migraine, so I disconnected.

So, brief history of the Tea Party: Obama proposes raising taxes on those making more than 250k, Glenn Beck, in his infinite wisdom, says that this is like the British raising taxes on the American colonies, calls for "tea party" rallies, eventually turns into an organized party spearheaded by Sarah Palin, Palin reads off of her hand in some convention.



Do I have to describe how stupid, obstinate, obtuse, ignorant and arrogant Sarah Palin is? I hope not.

Anyway, World Cup. One of the most memorable moments is the obvious Robert Greene error that caused the US to tie the Kingdom; notably, he didn't play in the next game against Algeria. He should probably change his name to John Red, or Corbin Blue. VAMOS ARGENTINA!

And, finally, Jeffster.



That's all for now,
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Movie Review: Defendor

I've always been a fan of Woody Harrelson. He's proven himself to be a good actor, especially in more comedic situations. In Defendor, he outdid himself.

The movie revolves around Arthur Poppington (Woody), a man whose mental capacity would qualify him as less than able to care for his own needs, who dresses up in a black leotard with a duct tape "D" on his chest. He's adamant that he be called DefenDOR rather than Defender, most likely because Defendor has more "umph" to it. He is on the hunt for "Captain Industry" who, according to Arthur, killed his mother. Along the way, he befriends a young prostitute who only sells her body because it is the only way for her to make money in the destitute city. At first, she only resides with him because he is paying her for information on "Captain Industry," but over the course of the movie, the audience sees her grow fond of Arthur, just as many of his friends, including his psychologist, do the same. Woody does a great job playing the less than mentally-proficient Arthur, and some scenes are truly touching. It's only a shame that this movie wasn't distributed widely, as it is not the typical super hero movie. It is definitely unlike any other super hero movie (even Kick-Ass) that you will ever see.



The trailer implies this movie is a comedy, but it is best viewed from a more serious standpoint, although it does have its funnier moments.

I suppose the theme of my movie reviews this summer would have to be the movies that hardly anyone sees. I'm just esoteric like that.

That's all for now,
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P.S. Was anyone else impressed by North Korea's performance against Brazil? I was.

Avatar

I only recently watched Avatar (don't be surprised, I'm pretty sure that I might have had something else to do when it was out, don't remember what though) and enjoyed it. Sure, I could criticize Sam Worthington for being a terrible actor, but this isn't a movie review. Rather, it's what I'm taking away from the movie itself.

The movie, as most people already know, features a Native American-like people called the Na'vi who, as is the lore with many Native American tribes, have a spiritual connection to their planet Pandora and the animals around them. Humans, having overrun and pillaged all the resources of Earth, travel to Pandora in order to mine the rare ore Unobtainium (an old sci-fi movie joke) and must force the Na'vi from their sacred home. The ore, as reported in the movie, is worth "$20 million per kilogram"-enough to make any oil company CEO wet himself in euphoria. The question is, would you sell your conscience to become rich?

An almost perfect example is the current British Petroleum oil disaster which has ravaged the Gulf of Mexico and thrown the balance of wildlife into disarray. Over the last two years, BP has collected over 200 safety violations that had not been addressed until the spill. There was a certain group mentality to this: since nothing had gone wrong yet, and everyone was making money with relatively no repercussions, no one would feel the need to point out the glaring safety issues which caused this spill. While there may have been some who would have sought to rectify BP's safety record, social influence from complacent co-workers would have stifled any complaints. Obviously, the CEOs would not want to hear any information that proved to be contrary to their success, and collective ignorance would continue.

Sorry for the psychology spiel, but it was necessary.

This leads into the implicit danger of drilling for oil, especially in an ecologically-sensitive area such as the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf features several rare marine species and coral reefs, all of which have been in immense danger since the spill. Is it essentially immoral to risk the natural balance of the ocean and nature itself in order to mine an expensive and essential resource?

And no, this is not Obama's "Katrina." There was no sort of forewarning like there was for Katrina; it would be much appreciated if people could actually remember history as it really was.

That's all for now,
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Movie Review: Is Anybody There?

I would never have thought that a film about death could be so uplifting. Set in 1980s England, young Edward (played by Bill Milner) lives in a retirement home run by his overworked, beleaguered parents. Edward has a morbid fixation on death and the possibility of an afterlife, and continually records the last moments of dying residents in order to "hear" their spirits leaving their bodies, much to the chagrin of his parents and other residents. Clarence (played by Michael Caine), a new reluctant resident to the retirement home and professional magician, bonds with Edward over their mutual loneliness in a very well-played part by Caine. They develop an almost father-son relationship, as Edward's father, played by David Morrissey, is busy trying to seduce the 18-year old nurse who works with them.

Though the film focuses mainly on death, it has a very calm demeanor about it that leaves the audience with an appreciation for every moment we have. Many times in the film, as Michael Caine describes the regrets and disdains of his past, I felt that there were many moments in my life in which rectifying the situation would clear my conscience and leave me with an almost euphoric sense of placidity. However, we must realize that we can almost never rectify these regrets and must simply continue forward. This movie teaches you, above all else, that life is not so much about what we leave behind, but rather how we lived. I definitely recommend it.



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