Not PC, just common decency is what should make you think twice about using certain kinds of insults, says Tuomas at Creative Destruction. Hear, hear. And also from the estimable CD, Ampersand - no bushbot he - insists that, contra Rolling Stone, the Ohio election wasn't stolen ... but "fair" is another matter, and Amp raises some questions about Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.
Patti at White Pebble links to an inspiring coming-out story.
Alcibiades at Kesher Talk asks some important technical questions but forgets one: Is the damn thing pronounced "rooter" or "rowter"?
"The tide of the war in the Pacific was turned in the time it took a few squadrons of American dive bombers to make their runs on this day 64 years ago." From a thought-provoking post at Winds of Change on the aptly-named Midway battle; and go check out the photo of the ill-fated Yorktown.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
2006-06-04
Uprisings Escalate in Iran
Gateway Pundit:
Go read the full post, with photos and links.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Protesters Torch Buildings in Iran, Students Arrested
The Iranian Mayor of Ardebil says that the destruction has cost the city 7 billion Riyals.
Protesters torched banks and government buildings on Saturday in northwest Iran in continued demonstrations against the regime:
Yaqobzadeh, the mayor of Ardebil said, "The troching of banks and government buildings on Saturday cost the city seven billion Riyals in damages."
He also admitted that young people had set on fire a corrupt loan center known as Imam Jafarsadeq, NCRI informs. ...
Go read the full post, with photos and links.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
JPost: Euro support for Palestinians "crashes".
Jerusalem Post (h/t LGF):
As if to underscore recent discussions on victimology, Greenberg explains what's changed over the last three years:
Go to the link for the full article. Especially noteworthy for moderates: the change in perceptions of Ariel Sharon, and the reasons for this change.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
New public opinion surveys conducted among "opinion elites" in Europe show that support for the Palestinians has fallen precipitously, according to a leading international pollster, Stan Greenberg, who has been briefing Israeli leaders on his findings in the past few days. There has not necessarily been "a rush to Israel" but there has been a "crash" in backing for the Palestinians, he noted.
Greenberg, a key pollster for president Clinton who also worked with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, conducted the surveys for the Israel Project, a US-based non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel.
Greenberg told The Jerusalem Post that the shifts in attitudes reflected in the surveys were so dramatic that he "redid" some of the polls to ensure there had been no error.
As if to underscore recent discussions on victimology, Greenberg explains what's changed over the last three years:
Three years ago, he said, the conflict was perceived "in a post-colonial framework."
There was a sense "that Europe could cancel out its own colonial history by taking the 'right' side" - the Palestinian side. ...
Today, by contrast, the Europeans "are focused on fundamentalist Islam and its impact on them," he said. The Europeans were now asking themselves "who is the moderate in this conflict, and who is the extremist? And suddenly it is the Palestinians who may be the extremists, or who are allied with extremists who threaten Europe's own society."
Go to the link for the full article. Especially noteworthy for moderates: the change in perceptions of Ariel Sharon, and the reasons for this change.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
In the Land of the Living
My sister would have been 42 years old last Friday.
I try to imagine Stephanie at age 42. Would she still be writing? Would she still wear leather jackets? Would she still have that michievous smile? I try to imagine how she would look now, if she had lived.
She died in 1992, a couple of weeks after her 28th birthday, in her apartment in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. She had given up heroin about a year earlier, and despite some setbacks, she was struggling bravely with the agonies of withdrawal. But she was also drinking heavily to ease the pain, and was probably anorexic as well. She knew that the alcohol was harming her, and she resolved to give that up, too, after she had the narcotic addiction under control; but her time ran out. The coroner said she died of liver failure.
I remember her body on the steel table, how small it looked.
She did not want to die. She even wrote it in her diary:
When we were growing up, we didn't have much exposure to death. I don't believe we ever went to a funeral as kids. As I grew older, I began to think - with all the sophistication of a young adult - that this kind of insulation was unhealthy and stultifying; and that, therefore, people who had had contact with death must be privy to some insights that were denied to me. Now I know that this was wrong and stupid; that you do not learn anything from death, you only learn from life.
You can read Stephanie's poetry here and her fiction and prose here.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
I try to imagine Stephanie at age 42. Would she still be writing? Would she still wear leather jackets? Would she still have that michievous smile? I try to imagine how she would look now, if she had lived.
She died in 1992, a couple of weeks after her 28th birthday, in her apartment in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. She had given up heroin about a year earlier, and despite some setbacks, she was struggling bravely with the agonies of withdrawal. But she was also drinking heavily to ease the pain, and was probably anorexic as well. She knew that the alcohol was harming her, and she resolved to give that up, too, after she had the narcotic addiction under control; but her time ran out. The coroner said she died of liver failure.
I remember her body on the steel table, how small it looked.
She did not want to die. She even wrote it in her diary:
I don't wanna die. I was thinking the other day that I should have that tattooed someplace on my person, somewhere in small letters, like
I dont
wanna
die
maybe in the middle of my chest or inside my arm or my ankle, inconspicuous and small. I was thinking about the undertaker who with my cold and white body laying stiff on his stainless steel table would find the small tattoo and read it. I don't wanna die. A message for the undertaker, for my lover, for God, for my aging skin. I would like to see his face, the undertaker's.
When we were growing up, we didn't have much exposure to death. I don't believe we ever went to a funeral as kids. As I grew older, I began to think - with all the sophistication of a young adult - that this kind of insulation was unhealthy and stultifying; and that, therefore, people who had had contact with death must be privy to some insights that were denied to me. Now I know that this was wrong and stupid; that you do not learn anything from death, you only learn from life.
You can read Stephanie's poetry here and her fiction and prose here.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
2006-06-01
Ted Nugent's Liberalism
Ted Nugent:
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
I consider myself a true liberal. I am armed in order to stop good people being destroyed by bad people. Liberalism is assisting quality of life, whatever you may choose. I think that homosexuality is wrong. I think that people who drink, smoke and take drugs are doing wrong.
But I'll tell you how I judge people. The people that ran up those burning towers on September 11 were my heroes. And among those warriors who ran back to save their fellow human beings, you know what there were? Homosexuals. Smokers. Drinkers. People I wouldn't agree with on numerous conduct levels. I judge people on this: are they in the asset column, or the liability column?
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
2006-05-15
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Coming to the US
Thanks to the invaluable Little Green Footballs for breaking the good news. LGF:
That report:
Peaktalk:
Volksrant (in Dutch).
Follow the links to the original posts for updates.
More than 20 people emailed this morning about the report that Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali is resigning from Parliament and moving to the United States, to work at the American Enterprise Institute. Liberty and Justice has translations of the Dutch report: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Heading To The US.
That report:
According to De Volkskrant she will she will leave to the US September 1, 2006.
Exactly what I was afraid of. She will be welcomed into the US and she will get the respect she deserves there, but it is a crying shame that we force people like her to leave our country.
Do we, finally, have someone who defends our freedom of speech, even putting her life on the line, we force her to leave our country and move to the US. It is making me all sick.
Peaktalk:
Well, that didn't take long. Ayaan Hirsi Ali will in September leave The Netherlands and join the AEI. This outcome was expected and in a way I think it is very good news for her, but it is not all that good for the Dutch. Not only will they lose a talented, vocal and original thinker, they allowed - quite probably deliberately - her to fall in a very public manner and I don't think she deserved that. ...
Volksrant (in Dutch).
Follow the links to the original posts for updates.
2006-05-14
Iran Report
Taheri: Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush. Amir Taheri, after a brief history of the art of letter-writing in the Persian/Islamic world, concludes:
Khomeinist regime faces "challenges". Writing in the Arab News, Taheri has this to say:
Workers' protests, unlike student protests, could have an impact on the economy. Ahmadinejad has responded with a "buy-in" program in which workers can buy stock in state-owned companies (most of which are operating at a loss); and by filling the workers' ranks with strikebreakers. Labor Minister Jaromi, believing the oil sector paramount to Iran's economy, goes the head chief one better and recruits only regime loyalists to the oil industry.
IRI: No talks with US over Iraq. The party's over. All hopes for a coridal dialog between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the fate of Iraq have been dashed. We are shocked. Iran Focus reports: ' Iran announced on Sunday that it will not hold direct talks with the United States on the issue of Iraq. “The issue of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Iraq is no longer on the table”, Iran’s newly-appointed ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi told the official new agency. Qomi said that the issue of Iran-U.S. talks over Iraq had been raised for close to a year but had been repeatedly rejected by Tehran until it was formally proposed by Iraqi officials. “Following the establishment of a permanent government in Iraq, we have no issue to negotiate about”, he said.' A terrible shame; those talks showed such promise.
German embassy next? A subscription article at Debka suggests a seizure of Germany's embassy in Iran may be in the works, a nostalgic recollection of the "444 days" of 1979. An alleged American spy ring operating out of the German embassy is said to be the pretext. They are hoping that the stunt would bring German pressure on the US in Iran's favor and distract attention from the nuclear crisis, perhaps yielding secret back-channel negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Good luck with that.
Hadley: No direct talks with Iran. From Stratfor (subscription): 'Direct engagement between Iran and several other countries within the framework of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is the best way to resolve the current standoff regarding Iran's nuclear program, U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said May 14. Hadley dismissed suggestions that the United States should engage in direct talks with Iran, calling the UNSC the preferred forum for talks at this time.'
Iran: That goes for us, too. Iran Focus: ' Iran announced on Sunday that it will not hold direct talks with the United States on the issue of Iraq. “The issue of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Iraq is no longer on the table”, Iran’s newly-appointed ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi told the official new agency.'
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Ahmadinejad believes that the Hidden Imam is about to return and that it is the duty of the Islamic Republic to provoke a "clash of civilizations" to hasten that return. As he asserts in his letter, Ahmadinejad also believes that the liberal democratic model of market-based capitalist societies has failed and is rejected even in its traditional homeland. Ahmadinejad has been impressed by the extent of recent riots in France in which the extreme Left provided the leadership while the Muslim sub-proletariat offered much of the muscle in the streets.
Rather than ignoring Ahmadinejad's letter, President Bush should reply to him by inviting him to abandon Khomeinism and convert to liberal democracy. For, when all is said and done, the fight over Iran today is not about real or imagined nuclear weapons; it is about the kind of Iran with which the Middle East, indeed the whole world, can feel comfortable. Ahmadinejad's letter shows that a majority of Iranians, let alone the world as a whole, cannot feel comfortable with the kind of Iran he represents.
Khomeinist regime faces "challenges". Writing in the Arab News, Taheri has this to say:
Talk to any "Iran specialist" about opposition to the present regime and you are likely to hear that it is marginal, exists largely in exile, and affects segments of the urban middle classes, especially students, mainly in Tehran.
The conclusion, therefore, is that the system now headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is firmly entrenched with no credible challenge looming on the horizon.
However, that picture, largely accurate for much of the past two decades, may be about to change as the system created by the late Ayatollah Khomeini faces new challenges.
These new challenges come from several sources.
The first, and possibly the most important, is the urban working class that has just started to flex its muscles. ...
Workers' protests, unlike student protests, could have an impact on the economy. Ahmadinejad has responded with a "buy-in" program in which workers can buy stock in state-owned companies (most of which are operating at a loss); and by filling the workers' ranks with strikebreakers. Labor Minister Jaromi, believing the oil sector paramount to Iran's economy, goes the head chief one better and recruits only regime loyalists to the oil industry.
IRI: No talks with US over Iraq. The party's over. All hopes for a coridal dialog between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the fate of Iraq have been dashed. We are shocked. Iran Focus reports: ' Iran announced on Sunday that it will not hold direct talks with the United States on the issue of Iraq. “The issue of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Iraq is no longer on the table”, Iran’s newly-appointed ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi told the official new agency. Qomi said that the issue of Iran-U.S. talks over Iraq had been raised for close to a year but had been repeatedly rejected by Tehran until it was formally proposed by Iraqi officials. “Following the establishment of a permanent government in Iraq, we have no issue to negotiate about”, he said.' A terrible shame; those talks showed such promise.
German embassy next? A subscription article at Debka suggests a seizure of Germany's embassy in Iran may be in the works, a nostalgic recollection of the "444 days" of 1979. An alleged American spy ring operating out of the German embassy is said to be the pretext. They are hoping that the stunt would bring German pressure on the US in Iran's favor and distract attention from the nuclear crisis, perhaps yielding secret back-channel negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Good luck with that.
Hadley: No direct talks with Iran. From Stratfor (subscription): 'Direct engagement between Iran and several other countries within the framework of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is the best way to resolve the current standoff regarding Iran's nuclear program, U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said May 14. Hadley dismissed suggestions that the United States should engage in direct talks with Iran, calling the UNSC the preferred forum for talks at this time.'
Iran: That goes for us, too. Iran Focus: ' Iran announced on Sunday that it will not hold direct talks with the United States on the issue of Iraq. “The issue of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Iraq is no longer on the table”, Iran’s newly-appointed ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi told the official new agency.'
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Lavender Alert
Climate of fear for Iraqi gays. An April 17 BBC report paints a stark picture of gay life in post-Saddam Iraq:
The report cites an anti-gay proclamation Ayatollah Sistani's website, and SCIRI control of the Interior Ministry, as factors contributing to the climate of violence.
Meanwhile, the Washington Blade carries a report on the Iraqi teen recently murdered for homosexual activity:
US gays: Advances and setbacks. A court upholds Salt Lake City's partner plan: 'A judge on Friday upheld a Salt Lake City ordinance that extends health insurance benefits to "adult designees" of employees who live together but are not married. In a five-page ruling, 3rd District Judge Stephen Roth said the plan does not violate state law, nor the Utah Constitution.' The US House voted to restrict demonstrations at military funerals, a move meant to keep Fred Phelps and his band of psychotic goons at bay. Meanwhile, Virginia came closer to a gay marriage ban, but it's not just a "gay marriage ban": 'The amendment, if approved statewide on the Nov. 7 ballot, would write existing statutory bans on same-sex marriage and civil unions into the state Constitution. It also would prohibit any contracts or legal arrangements intended to approximate marriage. Critics, including Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), say it could broadly threaten the validity of other personal contracts.' All articles from Edge New York.
Danforth takes stand against FMA. Via Log Cabin Republicans:
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
"I don't want to be gay anymore. When I go out to buy bread, I'm afraid. When the doorbell rings, I think that they have come for me."
That is the fear that haunts Hussein, and other gay men in Iraq.
They say that since the US-led invasion, gay people are being killed because of their sexual orientation.
They blame the increase in violence on the growing influence of religious figures and militia groups in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was ousted.
The report cites an anti-gay proclamation Ayatollah Sistani's website, and SCIRI control of the Interior Ministry, as factors contributing to the climate of violence.
Hussein is 32 and lives in Baghdad with his brother, sister-in-law and nieces.
He says his effeminate appearance and demeanour make him stand out and attract hostility.
"My brother's friends told him: 'In the current chaos you could get away with killing your brother without retribution and get rid of this shame,'" Hussein said, after agreeing to speak to the BBC only if his real name was not used.
A transsexual friend of his, who had changed names from Haydar to Dina, was killed on her way to a party in Baghdad about six months ago, Hussein said.
Meanwhile, the Washington Blade carries a report on the Iraqi teen recently murdered for homosexual activity:
Human rights groups are condemning as "barbaric" the shooting of a 14-year-old male who allegedly slept with men for money to support his poverty-stricken family, the Independent reported May 5. Witnesses said the youth was shot after men in police uniforms accosted him based on the allegations, the newspaper reported. The teen’s death came during a surge in homophobic killings by Iraqi state security services and religious militias following an anti-gay fatwa issued by Iraq’s most prominent Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Ali Hili, the coordinator of Abu Nawas, a group of exiled Iraqi gay men who monitor homophobic attacks inside Iraq, told the Independent that the fatwa had instigated a "witch-hunt for lesbian and gay Iraqis, including violent beatings, kidnappings and assassinations." The boy’s family fled the area fearing further reprisals, the newspaper reported. Hili said U.S. coalition forces are unwilling to address the issue. "They just don’t want to upset the Iraqi government by bringing up the taboo of homosexuality even though homophobic murders have intensified," he said. Darla Jordan, from the U.S. State Department said, "The U.S. government continues to work closely with our Iraqi partners to ensure the protection of human rights and the safety of all Iraqi citizens."
US gays: Advances and setbacks. A court upholds Salt Lake City's partner plan: 'A judge on Friday upheld a Salt Lake City ordinance that extends health insurance benefits to "adult designees" of employees who live together but are not married. In a five-page ruling, 3rd District Judge Stephen Roth said the plan does not violate state law, nor the Utah Constitution.' The US House voted to restrict demonstrations at military funerals, a move meant to keep Fred Phelps and his band of psychotic goons at bay. Meanwhile, Virginia came closer to a gay marriage ban, but it's not just a "gay marriage ban": 'The amendment, if approved statewide on the Nov. 7 ballot, would write existing statutory bans on same-sex marriage and civil unions into the state Constitution. It also would prohibit any contracts or legal arrangements intended to approximate marriage. Critics, including Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), say it could broadly threaten the validity of other personal contracts.' All articles from Edge New York.
Danforth takes stand against FMA. Via Log Cabin Republicans:
Former U.S. Senator and former UN Ambassador John Danforth (R-MO) made a strong case against the anti-family constitutional amendment during the Log Cabin Republicans National Dinner on Saturday April 29th. Danforth, an ordained Episcopalian Priest, spoke to hundreds of Log Cabin members, allies, and supporters in Washington, DC at the organization's largest national convention in its history. "It is said that this [amendment] is necessary to protect marriage. Whose marriage is this going to protect?" asked Danforth. "How conceivably could it protect any marriage in the United States?"
"Some historian should really look at all of the proposals that have been put forth throughout the history of our country for possible Constitutional amendments," Danforth said. "Maybe at some point in time there was one that was sillier than this one, but I don't know of one."
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Daniel Wurtz dies.
Ha'Aretz:
Ocean Guy links to One Family Fund.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
An American teen wounded in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv last month died Sunday of organ failure, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Daniel Wultz, 16, of Weston, Florida, is to be flown home for burial on Monday, said Yael Tzuberi, a spokeswoman for Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he was hospitalized.
Wultz and his father, Tuly, were having lunch at the Rosh Ha'ir falafel stand in Tel Aviv's old central bus station when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated 5 kilograms (approximately 10 pounds) of explosives. Eleven people, including Wultz, died as a result of the attack.
Ocean Guy links to One Family Fund.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Military Roundup
Meet Captain Furat. Tom the Redhunter:
Here's the update from the Washington Times. And here's Michael Yon. Go read it all.
Tarin Kot, Afghanistan. Now in Afghanistan, Michael Yon reports on the bumpy road ahead. Go to the link to see the photos, and read about what one Pakistani engineer did that surprised everyone. Yon observes that
Why we fight. Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette brings us a refreshingly truthful article from the Washington Post:
Be sure to read Greyhawk's post for some final comments.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
After a few false starts, the new Iraqi Army is a force to be reconed with. While no doubt some units are still not up to speed or are not aggressive enough, many are doing their part and then some.
But armies consist of individuals, and as such there are many new heroes in this new Iraqi army, risking life and limb every day, whether they are on the job or at home visiting loved ones.
One of these new heroes is Captain Furat. ...
We would never have known about him had it not been for the brave reporting of Maya Alleruzzo of the Washington Times.
Last year, she went out with him on several very dangerous missions, one to act as a decoy in order to divert the terrorists attention from convoy that was transporting election materials. The decoy succeeded; Captain Furat's unit was attacked. He and his unit fought back bravely, fighting off the terrorists.
However, when visiting his family, he wasn't so lucky. The terrorists ambushed him, and although he fought back, one of their bullets severed his spine and paralyzed him below the waist. He was brought to the United States, and is now being treated pro bono at Atlanta's Shepherd Center.
Here's the update from the Washington Times. And here's Michael Yon. Go read it all.
Tarin Kot, Afghanistan. Now in Afghanistan, Michael Yon reports on the bumpy road ahead. Go to the link to see the photos, and read about what one Pakistani engineer did that surprised everyone. Yon observes that
There is deep distrust between Afghans and Pakistanis, yet the Afghans seem to hold Indians in high-regard, and when an Indian was murdered here recently, there was uproar in both India and Afghanistan. The Afghans who are not actively trying to kill Americans seem to hold us in high regard. Many Afghans – just like many Iraqis, especially the Kurds – asked me to tell the American people “thank you” and “please don’t leave yet.”
Why we fight. Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette brings us a refreshingly truthful article from the Washington Post:
Civilians. After the war, they seemed so different, no matter how many war movies or how much CNN they had watched.
Sometimes, they'd ask something so crazy there just wasn't any way to respond, such as when a friend asked Monika Dyrcakz, "Did you go clubbing in Iraq?"
"Some people have no idea," she said.
Sometimes they said: I support the troops but not the war. Or: Do you think we should be over there?
Which is such a dumb question, Tanner, the Army captain, would think. Soldiers don't make those decisions. They do what they're told. They bitch and moan, sure. But when the call comes, they pack their bags and go, knowing they may not come back.
But Tanner doesn't say all that. Instead, he responds this way: "Oh, so you were over there? Because you said, ' We .' Because, I mean, I know I was over there."
Be sure to read Greyhawk's post for some final comments.
Cross-posted at Dreams Into Lightning - TypePad.
Mary Cheney on FMA
"...support for a constitutional amendment banning [same-sex marriage] will prove to have an even shorter half-life. If the Republican Party fails to come around on this issue, I believe it will find itself on the wrong side of history and on a sharp decline into irrelevance."—Mary Cheney in her new book, "Now It's My Turn: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life."
Hat tip: Log Cabin via e-mail bulletin
2006-05-10
United 93: A Walk-On Part in the War
United 93 doesn't have a "plot" or "characters" in the conventional sense. Most of the characters are never named. Only one that I noticed - Ben Sliney - is ever identified by first and last name. Two we recognize - Mark Bingham and Todd Beamer - but most are simply there. They appear onscreen as people appear to us in life, without introduction or fanfare.
Many of the surviving characters are played by their real-life counterparts. Look at the cast list and the first thing you will notice, after the absence of "superstars", is the number of roles identified as "Himself/Herself". Many others are known only by their role titles, "Boston 5", "Herndon 1", "Cleveland Supervisor".
It is a cast of walk-ons - again, just as in life. And yet paradoxically, it's a movie about ordinary people who become actors: not "actors" in the sense of performers, but actors in the original sense - people who take action.
The movie does not try to "explain" United 93. It does not bother to fill you in on what everybody knows, because you already know it. It's very much like the classic horror device, where you (the viewer) know the danger awaiting the characters, but the characters themselves are blissfully ignorant. In other words, it is simply excruciating.
I like relationship films. I cry in movies. I cried in "United 93" because it is a movie full of ending relationships. To say that there is "no happy ending" doesn't begin to tell it. There is not one tragedy but many: the sundering of romances we have not seen develop, the bereavement of families we've never met, the goodbyes to people we will never know. There is no redeeming moment at the end; no "boy gets girl"; no tender embrace amid the smouldering rubble, pregnant with the hope of life renewed. No. There is only the spinning ground and the silent blackness.
Did I give away the ending? But you already knew how it would end.
*
Many of the surviving characters are played by their real-life counterparts. Look at the cast list and the first thing you will notice, after the absence of "superstars", is the number of roles identified as "Himself/Herself". Many others are known only by their role titles, "Boston 5", "Herndon 1", "Cleveland Supervisor".
It is a cast of walk-ons - again, just as in life. And yet paradoxically, it's a movie about ordinary people who become actors: not "actors" in the sense of performers, but actors in the original sense - people who take action.
The movie does not try to "explain" United 93. It does not bother to fill you in on what everybody knows, because you already know it. It's very much like the classic horror device, where you (the viewer) know the danger awaiting the characters, but the characters themselves are blissfully ignorant. In other words, it is simply excruciating.
I like relationship films. I cry in movies. I cried in "United 93" because it is a movie full of ending relationships. To say that there is "no happy ending" doesn't begin to tell it. There is not one tragedy but many: the sundering of romances we have not seen develop, the bereavement of families we've never met, the goodbyes to people we will never know. There is no redeeming moment at the end; no "boy gets girl"; no tender embrace amid the smouldering rubble, pregnant with the hope of life renewed. No. There is only the spinning ground and the silent blackness.
Did I give away the ending? But you already knew how it would end.
*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)