USMil INVOLVED IN ARISTIDE'S DEPARTURE?

It seems that once again the USMil is being used to change a country's government. The only difference between Iraq and this situation is that there are no embedded reporters that covered it when USMil soldiers ushered the (at least in theory) properly elected Jean Bertrand Aristide from his home at 2 in the morning.

Oh and I have a feeling that the UN didn't approve of this little mission, either.

Also, this is how it is being reported by News.Com.Au, down in Austrailia:

US troops 'made Aristide leave'

From correspondents in Paris
March 1, 2004

HAITIAN leader Jean Bertrand Aristide was taken away from his home by US soldiers, it was claimed today.

A man who said he was a caretaker for the now exiled president told France's RTL radio station the troops forced Aristide out.

"The American army came to take him away at two in the morning," the man said.

"The Americans forced him out with weapons.

"It was American soldiers. They came with a helicopter and they took the security guards.

"(Aristide) was not happy. He did not want to be taken away. He did not want to leave. He was not able to fight against the Americans."

The RTL journalist who carried out the interview described the man as a "frightened old man, crouched in a corner" who said he was the "caretaker of the residence".

Aristide fled Haiti today in the face of an armed revolt. The United States has ordered Marines to the Caribbean state to help restore order.

Agence France-Presse

That's it. That's the whole article. Hopefully more news on this will be forthcoming. Somehow I doubt this, though...

Read the article at the News.Com.Au website for yourself.

THE "PASSION" REVIEW THAT SAYS IT ALL

One of the most frustrating things being a movie fan is sitting through Mel's The Passion of the Christ and then hearing all of these people either think it's a fine film or bag on it for it's anti-semitism. But no one seems to be talking about how it's a crappy film. It doesn't establish the world Jesus lives in. It doesn't establish character. It doesn't establish the rules that govern Jewish behavior of the time. It's irrelevant as to whether or not Mel's intention was to present these elements or not. If a gun is manufactured without the chamber in it, it is a bad gun even if it was intentionally made without a chamber. The same goes here, Mel has said he stuck to the last 12 hours and that was it. But that doesn't mean he isn't responsible for creating more than just a chain of events with little real justification for that chain not busting apart.

The other thing that is annoying the crap out of me is this odd belief that this film is somehow about love. Just showing a mom and a girlfriend crying about Jesus being crucified does not make this film about love. Showing one or 2 lines of dialogue where Jesus says "love each other" does not make this movie about love.

Finally, I found a critic that addresses these issues and feels the same way I do. Here's an excerpt from Gene Seymour's review from New York Newsday:

Where, one wonders throughout, is the "tolerance, love and forgiveness" that Gibson has promised his audience? Where, beyond some furtive snatches of backstory, is the buoyant embrace of life and hope that Christ's message represents to millions? This movie is little else besides a depiction of punishment so ruthless and unyielding that watching it unfold feels like punishment. (And what, one wonders, did we do to deserve such punishment?) It's this dour, castigating tone that, by itself, may have aroused much of the clamor preceding "Passion's" release.

The rest is along those lines. It's a very good review because it looks at the movie as just that - a movie and not some divinely created new gospel to be added to every Bible.

It's a MOVIE and it's FLAWED just like those people who created it!! Like it or not it has these flaws as a movie. Even if they're intentional, that's NO EXCUSE. I've seen a LOT of crappy films that were made crappy on purpose - THEY'RE STILL CRAPPY!

Ugh... maybe I should reinstitute the Bitch Page, after all...

Read Seymour's complete review.

GREENDALE (2003)

Entertaining? Yes, but it helps if you like Neil Young's music. It's not a bad first film, but it's not a great film, in general, sadly...
Technically any good? Very stylistic, but the extreme graininess of the film is hard to sit through. Kind of looks like it was shot on a webcam. It's also slow and it was annoying watching the actors just sitting there until the lyrics continued.
How did I feel as the credits rolled? Reasonably statisfied. It could have been much better but was interesting regardless. It's considered a musical, but really it's a string of music videos tied together with a story. He made some nice points and the story was followable, but the plot was a little thin.
Final Rating? SIYL (An interesting experiment, but really only worth it if you're a Neil Young fan or a fan of interesting experiments.)

BIN LADEN (NOT) CAPTURED?

Big surprise - as the months count down to November's presidential election in the US, there is talk that the USMil has captured Osama bin Laden and is holding him in secret until we're a little closer to the election in November. There were rumors about this kind of thing with Sadam's capture, as well. Many pointed to the fact that he was hiding in a hole that wasn't tall enough to stand in - what former leader of a nation would submit himself to that, unless he was at gunpoint?

Anyway, so after 'net rumors had suggested bin Laden was cornered several days ago, it only makes sense that similar rumors would now suggest he had been captured. Of course, the USMil and USGov is mum on the whole thing, saying that they have no information on it.

So, watch for bin Laden to be captured the next time Bush 43 really needs a distraction, or right before the election. Back on December 13, 2003, when Sadam was captured, Bush was pushing through some stealth legislation that contained pieces of the former Domestic Security Enhancement Act, aka Patriot Act 2.

Read more about these rumors at MyWay News.

Ahoy! Fill 'er Up with Unleaded!

Here's a neat pic from the news. It's a pic of some Cubans trying to escape to America in a boat they built from a car.



I didn't keep the link to the original article, but I think they got turned away by the US Coast Guard. Man, if I were them I'd have "driven" to Mexico and then snuck across the border that way. Seems like it's easier to go from Mexico to the US as opposed to going from Cuba to the US. Not that I've ever tried it, of course...

Can a Movie be Blamed for Murder?

OK, so it's not "murder" in a strict sense - more accidental death or manslaughter. But it is true - this woman in Kansas had a heart attack during a 9:30am screening of "The Passion of the Christ." She was rushed to the hospital and died.

Jeez, as an atheist, I'm not against believing in that sort of thing - but I think believing in anything THAT much is just, well, unhealthy. I mean, OBVIOUSLY, it's unhealthy!! She's dead!

What ever happened to "all things in moderation?"

Oh wait, that's the Protestants, isn't it?

Aw, hell, what do I know? I'm an atheist!!

Still, I hope Mel pays for the funeral.

WARNING: MEL'S MOVIE KILLS!

From DrudgeReport.Com:

HEART ATTACK DURING 'PASSION OF CHRIST'; WOMAN PRONOUNCED DEAD AFTER VIEWING FILM IN KANSAS

Wed Feb 25 2004 16:09:33 ET

KAKE TV in Wichita, Kansas set to report a woman, in her 50s, suffered a heart attack during a morning screening of Mel Gibson's controversial film PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

"She later died at the hospital," a station source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.

Scheduled to be lead story on the station's 5 PM news. "She went into seizure during one of the film's most dramatic moments," a station source explains.

The woman attended a 9:30am screening, first public viewing at Warren East Theaters in Wichita...

Developing...

Read more about this at the KAKE news website.

PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004)

Entertaining? Yes.
Technically any good? This is a tough one. Fans of good movies who either aren't religious or who can separate their beliefs in Christianity from their beliefs in what makes a good movie, will probably dislike this film. It assumes the average person is well versed with the specific details of the story of the Crucifiction and fails to fill us in on anything a story is traditionally required to fill us in on. I'm fine with most of it, but there wasn't much more than the basic stuff everybody knows.How did I feel as the credits rolled? Disappointed, I was hoping to see something new and maybe even see something that made me take a second look at Christianity instead of making me thinking twice about Mel Gibson's abilities as a filmmaker. As an athiest, I have nothing against Christianity or it's stories, I just wish Mel had made a better movie.
Final Rating? SIYL (If you're a believer, you'll most likely be moved by it.)

I AM A PUBLISHER!!!

I just registered as a publisher and bought my first ten ISBNs!!! I FEEL SO OFFICIAL!!

And it only cost me $240!! :crazy:

Well, watch for a new section of ThePete.Com - ThePete.Com/Press! I'm going to be publishing my novels, short stories and comics. Woohoo!! With a little luck and a lot of effort, they'll all be available at Amazon... :laugh:

Now I just have to wait 10 days for them to give me my numbers. Then I decide precisely what projects I'm going to publish first and then RUN FOR IT!!

Like I said, I feel so official! And strangely, I feel like dancing a jig!

Sorry for the Lack of Posts!

Ugh, wow - that was odd - yesterday I ran in to some trouble with my server, but all is good now and it was really no one's fault. Basically, my file limit had been reached but I got it doubled, so all is good. I also migrated to a new version of Grey Matter - the blogging software I use. I MUST say, GM ROCKS. The migration was SO easy and the new features are very cool. I'll be posting an archive page soon and maybe old versions of my main page. Since I tweaked my site YET again, today - I thought it would be cool to look back at the old versions of my site.

Anyway, please forgive any weirdness that's may be lingering while I tweak things. Everything should be stable now, but pretty much perfect in the next day or so. Please post comments if you spot something that's not working. Thanks! :D