cynicschism

       On the first day of March, in the mountains of western North Carolina, a strange phenomena occurred-a small “snowstorm.”  Snowfall does vary quite a bit from one area to another, but we wound up with a staggering 2 or 3″.  Guess we can survive that.  However little it may have been, it’s nice to see snow this late in the year.

       It seems to get quieter when the snow is on the ground and it surely improves the scenery, giving everything a blanket of white. Then there is the increasing brightness as the sun is reflected off the snow. But perhaps best of all we can sit inside our warm cozy house and watch the frozen doings outside. Have a good cup of tea and enjoy.

       Perhaps one reason that it’s so easy to enjoy the snow is that, in this neck of the woods, it’s apt to be gone in a couple of days, not a couple of weeks. The sun has been out and already a lot of green is back. The kiddies will have to hurry, cause it won’t be around long for them to play in.  Let it snow for a little bit, because before you know it, it’s all gone.

       President Barack Obama recently outlined his plan to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq over a period of three years.  The bulk of the troops will return in 2010, leaving  about 50,000 remaining in Iraq as trainers.  By the end of 2011, all U.S. troops will be out.  This timetable is the basic one agreed on with Iraq.  It also tracks closely to Obama’s campaign rhetoric, though he had a slighly quicker withdrawal in mind.  It’s not likely anyone is going to argue over a few months difference.

       Obama has also left open the possibility that there could be changes in the plan if the facts on the ground change and things get worse.  This seems to be a wise withdrawal plan, taking things are they are, but prepared to make changes if necessary. 

      The Monterey Pop Festival, held at Monterey, California on three days in June of 1967 was probably the first major rock festival in the U.S., pre-dating its more famous cousin, Woodstock, by two years.  A variety of music acts and genres were represented, including soul, fusion, rock and pop, though most of the players would be categorized in the pop/rock category.  Of course June 1967 was also the Summer of Love, so there were lots of hippies and wannabes in attendance.

       What would a rock festival be without a documntary to record what happened there?  As Monterey was the first big U.S. rock festival, the 1968 film Monterey Pop was the first important festival movie when it was released a year and a half after the festival, in late 1968.

       With so many acts performing, only the highlights made it into the rather short film, which in only 79 minutes long.  Among the better known acts on film were The Mamas and Papas,  Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin with Big Brother, performing an intense all-out version of Ball and Chain,  Otis Reding, who appeared only six months before his death, Simon and Garfunkel.  Two of the most famous parts of the film feature two acts from England, The Who and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Both feature guitar smashings-Pete Townsend smashing his into pieces, and Jimi Hendrix, adding a new twist by setting his guitar on fire before smashing it apart.  Both acts won a large new following after their performance at Monterey.  The movie concludes with a long raga by Ravi Shankar.

       The movie was directed by D.A. Pennebaker, who had just released his documentary about Bob Dylan, Don’t Look Back.  Pennebaker made good use of hand-held cameras to get a record of the experience.  Between the actual performances, there are shots of the attendees, some dressed in the new hippie costume, others who aren’t quite there yet and are wearing their old square duds.  It really is a time capsule from the 1960’s.  Anyone who wants to take a look back at the times or wants to see and hear some of the most famous acts of classic rock will truly enjoy this movie.

       Prior to his election, all kinds of nutty rumors spread about what would happen if Barack Obama won the presidency. Most of these rumors came from the usual wingnut suspects, especially in the form of viral e-mails that were spread quickly by the nutjob faithfull.  Of course none of them came true, and it’s unlikely they ever will, but it’s a good idea to recall what was circulating, and being taken seriously by many folks not so long ago.

       Obama had family connections in the African nation of Kenya.  So, the email rumors said he would be importing a large quantity of Kenyas to the U.S. to enjoy a new lifestyle. Well, seems they never arrived.

       Then there was the fact of Obama being from Chicago, maybe even a Chicago thug, as the emails put it.  Obama would bring the Windy City ethos right into DC, with gunfire, hits and all.  Well, Chicago probably doesn’t have much on DC when it comes to political corruption, but the rumored hit men never did make it to DC. 

       The biggest  fearmongering rumor was that Obama was a Muslim who would help Islamic terrorists take over America from the inside.  Ridiculous?Yes. But a whole lot of people seemed to have believed it.  Now that Obama has been in office for a month, it’s clear that none of these patently nonsensical events have come to pass, and are not likely to.  It was hard to think anybody would  fall for such obvious misinformation, but some did.  Obama’s election and actions in office were all it took to dispel them, and send them back to wingnutville, where they originated,

       Sahara is your basic WWII action movie, and a good one at that. After the German offensive in North Africa, a three-man tank crew finds itself cut off from the lines and must head south ahead of German forces.  The sergeant in command is played by Humphrey Bogart, his two men by Bruce Bennett and Dan Duryea.  As they head south they pick up a half dozen British Commonwealth soldiers from a bombed-out field hospital.  The small tank is getting crowded fast, but everybody climbs on for the ride, the alternative being dangerous.  The first priority is to head for a desert well to get water.  The first well is dry, so they head for another well.  When they reach it there is just a steady trickle of water, but’s it’s enough to give everybody some water.

       Naturally the much larger German force is also desperately in need of water and are heading for the same well.  So, at the climax of the movie, Bogie’s small crew will have to put up a defense against the much larger German force.  This is a plot familiar to anyone who has seen other WWII films.  As the small Allied force is picked off one by one by the Germans, Bogie sends Bruce Bennett out to try to get help from the nearest British army emplacement.  At the end Bogie is down to just one British Commonwealth soldier.  Then an German shell opens up the well and water gushes forth.  The Germans, desperate for water, now agree to accept Bogart’s earlier proposal of a pint of water for every surrendered German gun.  The Germans give up their arms and Bogie lines them up as POW’s and marches them out of the well head, meeting up with the British forces that Bruce Bennett had finally reached.  As the movie ends, the graves of those who died are shown, to remind all of the individual scarifice made so that the others could survive and go on to fight the war against Nazism.

       The films moves along at a good pace with enough conflict among the characters to keep things interesting when there is a lull in the fighting.  And the tank, despite numerous mechanical problems, just keeps on going along all throughout the movie.   Sahara is a fine WWII action movie on a small scale that still maintains a viewer’s interest and attention.

     After passing in the House of Representatives a week ago,  with not a single Republican aye vote,a revised stimulus bill made it through the Senate with only three Republican votes. No matter. The voters in November chose an overwhemingly Democratic Congress, and that’s where the power now resides.  Republicans will just have to learn to live with that.  It was good to see that their stubborness yielded no result.

       Funny thing. When the Republicans were in control just a few years ago, they spent like sailors on a spree, and didn’t seem to mind running up the deficit.  It was just a number.  Now that the Democrats have come forward with an attempt to help the economy, the Republicans are born-again deficit hawks. 

       Now the bill will go to conference, so that the differences between the House and Senate version can be ironed out.  As Obama has said, the bill is not perfect, and what legislation is?   But in the current awful economic environment, some action must be taken to help stimulate the economy before things only get worse.  This stimulus bill will hopefully accomplish as least the beginning of that goal.

       Hamas has declared victory in the latest Gaza fight.  If one defines victory as defeating the enemy, clearly Hamas was not victorious.  But if one defines victory in a more relative way, such as surviving the punishing Zionist onslaught, then Hamas has a point.  Like Hezbollah in 2006, Hamas was able to survive an attack by a far better equipped and trained enemy, one that has the latest technology at their disposal and money to burn.  But Hamas did survive, and apparently still remains in control in Gaza.

       That would mean that the Israelis’ supposed goal of putting Hamas out of business was not achieved.  Their other goal of killing as many people as they could, fighters or civilians, was achieved.  The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, including children, ground on, day after day, under the IDF.  That’s what they do best.

       And now it looks like all those civilians were killed in vain.  Great swaths of the small territory were destoyred, some Hamas leaders and  fighters were killed, but at the end of the day, the Zionists’ goal of overthrowing Hamas was not achieved. And the Israelis’ got a black eye due to their attacks on civilians.  It’s failure all over again, just as it was in 2006 against Hezbollah.  The superior technology of the IDF will always win the battle, but it cannot win the war against the people it displaced over 60 years ago.  They aren’t going anywhere, much to the Zionists’ regret.  Resistance will continue as long as there is a usurping Zionist power to fight against.

       Well, that’s why they play the game.  Prior to game time, the consensus seemed to be that the Pittsburgh Steelers would probably win by a margin of 7 to 10 points, that the Steelers D would be just too good for the Cardinals to overcome.  Didn’t turn out that way.

       It all came down to a final two-minute drill by the Steelers, ending with Big Ben completing a touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone to Santonio Holmes with 35 second left in the game.  The Cardinals could not score again, and the Steelers won their record sixth Lombardi trophy by defeating the Cardinals 27 to 23.

       Things started out very well.  For the first quarter, this looked like it might turn into a blowout.  The Steelers controlled the ball during most of the first quarter.  But toward the end of the first half, the Cardinals were threatening to score a second touchdown.  On a Kurt Warner pass into the end zone, James Harrison, defensive player of the year, intercepted the pass and ran it back for a hundred yards, a new Super Bowl record, huffing and puffing at the end and happy to have made it to the end zone. With the end of the first half, the Steelers were up by ten points 17 to 7.

       There was only one score made in the third quarter-a field goal by Pittsburghs’ Jeff Reed.  So with the final quarter about to start, it looked like Pittsburgh was in control of the game, leading Arizona by 13 points.  But in the fourth quarter, the Steelers D faultered.  They allowed the Cardinals to score two touchdown and a safety within five minutes, lettting the Cardinals to take their first lead of the game, 23 to 17.  With only a little under three minutes left, it seemed that the Steelers had blown a solid lead in the fourth quarter.  The Steelers’ offense was also of little help, going four and out, and not taking much time off the clock.  So now the Steelers would have to score a touchdown to win or kick a field goal to tie.  But this time, Big Ben and WR Santonio Holmes got busy.  They drove down the field to the six-year line. With only 35 seconds left, Roethlisberger connected with Holmes in the right corner of the end zone for a just in bounds touchdown.  The extra point made it 27 to 23, Steelers.  The Cardinals still had time for a few pass plays and a final Hail Mary, if necessary.  But the Steelers D again came to life, and recovered a fumble by Cardinals’ QB Kurt Warner.  Time ran out and the Steelers won a record sixth Lombardi trophy, bearting the Cardinals 27 to 23.

       The fourth quarter was disappointing.  Not even the top-rated defense in the NFL can stop a combination like Warner-Fitzgerald, but allowing them to score two touchdowns within five minutes should not happen.  The offense was also poor for most of the quarter.  It could not pick up first downs, and at the end of the third, it could not score on first and goal in two attempts.  So, as was the case in the regular season, the Steelers offense just managed, but was not outstanding.  I thought Willie Parker would have had more success against the Cardnals’ defense, but he ran for only 54 yards on 19 carries.  Hoepfully Willie will be back in better form next season. 

      For now though, all fans of the black and gold will be happy to celebrate another Super Bowl win, and a special one at that.  Pittsburgh is now the only team to have won six Super Bowls.  As Coach Mike Tomlin said, it wasn’t pretty or perfect, but in the end it was enough.  Congratulations Steelers on winning Super Bowl XLIII.

       Tomorrow all the talk and predictions will end, and the game will be played, and we’ll see who is the better team.  There is a story  arc for this Super Bowl, just as there always is, and it’s pretty accurate: The long woebegone Cardinals against the dynastic Steelers.  The hot offensive team against the stalwart defensive one.  Newness versus experience. 

       There’s no doubt the Cardinals have been hot throughout the playoffs.  Will this momentum swing the game? Who knows.  The Steelers defense must perform as it has done all year, and find a way to stop the Kurt Warner-Larry Fitzgerald connection.  That will be key.  Most of the Cardinals do not have Super Bowl experience, but Warner does.  Will his veteran abilities be enough to offset the playoff inexperience of most of the team? 

       Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has done well in the playoff round.  His numbers are not overly impressive, but he has performed solidly and got the job done.  Especially important, he has not thrown interceptions in the playoff games, as he was prone to do during the regular season.  If he can remain cool that will be a big advantage for Pittsburgh.  There is also the question of WR Hines Ward’s injury.  He sprained a knee ligament in the first quarter of the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.  He has had two week to rest, and Ward says he will definitely play in the Super Bowl.  The big question is, at what level?  Is he 100%, or much less?  A truly effective Ward will go a long way to help the Steelers.  A final piece of the Steelers’ puzzle is running back Fast Willie Parker.  He had a tough game against the high-ranked defense of the Ravens, but should do better against the weaker Cardinals’ defense.  The Steelers depend on the run, and if Parker is in good form, the run will work.

       It appears most folks are favoring the Steelers by around a touchdown.  That seems about right, but we’ll find out Sunday night.  If the Pittsburgh defense can clamp down on the Cardinals, and prevent a lot of scoring, and if Big Ben is careful with his passing and doesn’t throw interceptions, the Steelers should win.  We’ll know for sure tomorrow night, starting around 6 o’clock on the NBC network.  Go Steelers.

       President Obama was correct to start the process of having some kind of trial system for the detainees currently being held at the Guantanamo Naval Base.  Holding people, no matter what their exact legal status, without any kind of trial for such a long period of time, is simply wrong.  And some of the detainees have been held  for nearly seven years.  It is long past due for them to be afforded the opportunity to have their day in court. 

       This will probably result in a long judicial process, which is just as well.  There must be two important outcomes of whatever type of process is undertaken:  They must carefully weigh all the relevant evidence in a fair way, and make sure that none of the suspected terrorists are let go before such an examination has occurred, and they are found not guilty.  This will both assure there are fair proceedings, and that the country is protected.

       The United States likes to present itself  as a country that is always goes the extra mile in matters of justice.  By giving the Guantanamo detainees fair trials, it can both live up to this ideal, and gain some rare good publicity in the international community, making the closing of Guantanamo a win-win for the U.S.