Angry Uncle Tom
I am a big fan of Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction was a (there are no 10’s) 9.5 for its blatant disregard for the tried and true formula of the first, second, and third act used in Hollywood since…forever. Kill Bill 2 was a 9, and Inglorious Basterds (my personal favorite was as close to a 10 as humanly possible: 9,9?) With that out of the way, I went in to the theater with the best intentions and in a wonderful mood only to come out befuddled and feeling let down. Jamie Fox all but called upon the spirit of Clint Eastwood (wait, is he still alive?), Leonardo DiCaprio played his Southern Dandy to a T, and the Jew Hunter is the greatest actor to spew dialogue since Kevin Spacey hit the scene. Much has been said of the overly spoken N-word throughout the film but I sincerely believe that Tarantino toned it down to what it could have been. This was 1858 you see, so the squeamish or easily offended need not knowingly buy a ticket to such a display and then claim insult. The blood, however, was a tad overdone I will admit. From the first scene of chattel slaves drudging through the cold and mud as they march to their fate, we are treated to blood spurts and splatters fit only for a gory horror film. I actually thought it unique at first; but alas, by film’s end, and especially the final gunfight with Fox, I felt like Stephen King did when he reviewed Kill Bill for Entertainment Weekly and panned its cartoon like amputations via Uma Thurman’s Hattori Hanzo. I am not squeamish myself mind you, but I just felt that it all took away from the weight of the material…which brings me to the soundtrack: Tupac and Rick Ross in 1858? Really?
On the evening of his farewell address to this great Nation of mine, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of loss, like that of losing my grandfather. For the past eight years I have felt safe in knowing the man who I am honored to call My President is looking out for me. A recent comment made by a colleague affirmed my true faith in My President. According to her, “the best thing Bush ever did was change daylight savings.” As the words passed her lips, I couldn’t help but recall all of the hatred that has vilified George W. Bush nearly all the days of his presidency. Such sentiments only served to damage and divide our country these past eight years. Really? The best thing? How about the fact that you have been able to sleep at night knowing that your children will live to see another day?
My President has risen to stare down unspeakable challenges and held fast to his convictions in the face of it all. I give Mr. Bush my deepest thanks. I am, and forever will be, eternally grateful for his service, his strength, his courage, his leadership, his resolve, his generosity, and his integrity. As he leaves office, my heart is heavy. But it is also full. Tonight, I’m saying goodbye to My President, my keeper, my ally, my fellow American. I take comfort in the fact that he’s still out there, under Texas skies, keeping us all in his prayers. May God Bless You and Keep You Mr. President.
~JLG
The only thing I will add to this, the only way I can possibly make the thick-skulled amongst us to truly understand what JLG is saying about her President is this 35 sec. clip:
I do not agree with 95% of what Obama stands for, his past voting records, his new health care initiatives, and so on…however…
This may seem radical to all of the boneheads who took to the streets with, “NOT MY PRESIDENT” signs after Bush won re-election in ’04, BUT, Obama is MY President. If dividing your home country was your intentions, good job! I applaud you. Taking to the streets with your own selfish agenda did nothing but create a divide that we are still living with today. I have high hopes for President Obama as I truly believe in the antiquated verbiage, Innocent until proven guilty. Let’s give the man a chance to prove himself and lend a moment for his programs promised on the election stump to find their feet. He will undoubtedly have a much easier go at the Presidency considering half the country voted him in, and the almost -fact, that most Republicans will not take to the streets with signs arguing to the contrary. Where would they find the time anyway, what with making money at the expensive of minorities and the disenfranchised, and the thinking up new social plagues to spread through America’s ghettos?