Movin' on over!

I'm slowly moving over to my own hosted website, The Weekly Perspective. It's still a work in progress, but I'll only post at the new site from now on.
Cheers!
Doug

Examining "Amistad"

I watched “Amistad” this weekend. With Hopkins, Freeman, and Spielberg I don’t think you can go wrong. I was required to watch for a class assignment, but still, I thought it was a very good movie. As someone with a goal of law school and becoming a lawyer, I naturally picked up on matters around the court case.

After reading what others have written about the historical accuracy, two areas prove interesting. Some have pointed out inaccuracies such as where the African violet grows in relation to where Cinque would have come from, others have commented on naval uniforms or how the two Spanish sailors spoke with Mexican accents. I find the characters Theodore Joadson and Judge Coglin, two fictional characters, a little more interesting for examining.

Did Spielberg steal the idea for Joadson from Barbara Chase-Riboud’s Echo of Lions” as she claims he did? Why even put a fictional character? If Spielberg wanted to show the role of African American abolitionists in era, why integrate into the plot some examples of real people? Were there any significant personalities during that time? The cynical side of me wonders about the financial part of this. If no African American abolitionists worked closely with Lewis Tappan, was this a way to add a significant character to draw a big name actor who can draw even more moviegoers? Unfortunately Joadson’s character is not very developed. We know that he is from Georgia and that he knows a lot about John Quincy Adams. Spielberg does disservice to such abolitionists by not adding depth the Joadson.

The issue of Judge Coglin is interesting because of the political intrigue aspect of the movie. We see President Martin Van Buren pulling strings in the court case, and using the slaves as fodder, in order to remain in office. Van Buren blatantly violates the constitutional separation of powers by placing a ringer on the bench. This character is a “pure fantasy” according to Sally Hadden of Florida State University. Was it for, as Hadden puts it, “gratuitous shots of a Catholic church” and to show the potential church hypocrisy is the face of sanctioning slavery? One of my thoughts is perhaps it was for the purpose of telling a “broader truth” about politicians. According to imdb.com Van Buren did try to influence the case by writing a letter to Judge Judson, urging him to send the slaves back to Cuba. People already have a dim view of politicians, but a letter is hardly dramatic. But substitute the original judge for one who is likely to be a tool of a power hungry politician, then have him make defy all for what is right, and you have a makings of a minor heroic character.

Michigan Primary week

Another week out of the way and three state elections are behind us, well technically three and half if you count Wyoming. I think we could all agree that this week was a just a normal election week. There was rhetoric and mudslinging, candidates missing the point, and the move to yet another state in the march to the party conventions. To reward all these shenanigans, this week I'm making some of my own nominations for our beloved candidates.

For the left side of the aisle
This week I almost gave Bob Johnson the Bovine Scatology Award for the week with his comments, waffling, and then back peddling. Really, the whole episode between Clinton and Obama has been ridiculous. I’ll agree Clinton could have chosen different words, but she did have a valid point about the value of the political leaders who enacted legislation in the spirit of Dr. King. But the ensuing rhetoric was quite thick. Everyone was so offended and insulted over Clinton’s “disgusting” remarks. What was disgusting was the stench emanating from those around Bob Johnson. When referring to Barack Obama doing something in the neighborhood, Johnson didn’t actually refer to Obama’s drug use but to his being a community organizer. Predictably nobody bought that, not the Obama campaign, not the media, and not a lot of others in the news. After less than a week of hearing about it Johnson apologized, saying it was a poor attempt at being funny. In any case, it wouldn’t be an election without some sort of backstabbing and rhetoric. And what the hell, it keeps the media in business.
CNN report on Johnson's apology
Initial Fox interview of Clinton

And the award goes to both sides of the aisle
For their hard work I’ll bestow the Bovine Scatology Award to each of the major political parties for their poke in the eye to Michigan. Say what you will about the fight over who gets to be first in the nation to hold a primary or caucus, but both the party leadership and the political leaders of Michigan deserve to be dipped in their award for failing the state’s voters. As it stands, Michigan Democrats will have no spots at the convention, and the Republicans have lost half of their delegates. But let’s take it a step further and toss a little of the stinky goodness to the Democratic candidates for their action. The Democrats are supposed to be the defenders of the workers and labor unions, the unemployed and the impoverished. So what do they do? Pull their names from the ballots and pledge not to campaign in Michigan. So much for Obama and the hope for change. So much for Edwards and his crusade for the workers. So much for Clinton and her passion. Sure, she kept her name on the ballot, but she gets a hollow victory without the delegates. The Democratic Party sure lived up to their mascot this week.

The award for originality goes to. . .
Mitt Romney!! I’m electing him as Mr. Originality. Earlier this week Oliver Willis aptly pointed out the “change” in Romney’s campaign. As it turns out, Romney is all about change, too. If that weren’t enough, I’ll give you three guesses as to what I heard on Tuesday night. After he won the Michigan Primary, Mitt shared with the whole world that he too had found his voice. Déjà vu, folks! Is it me, or is there a pattern here? What’s next, Romney moves the voters with he believes “Tomorrow begins with today?”
Oliver Willis' post on Mitt