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THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

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The Passion of the Righteous

So my best friend is in town and has asked me to accompany her to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. I'll admit, as a lapsed Catholic, I almost agreed. But I'm stuck on one thing: Does this film have a point? There's the "see it for yourself before you judge" school of thought as well as the "I know all about it because I've seen the commercials" stream.

I was raised seeing the Black Hills passion play nearly every year of elementary school. As a Catholic I feel I have been well-taught in my catechism. But what is Mel's point? Showing how horribly the Christ suffered because...? Could Mel actually have an underlying desire to convert non-Catholics? Of course, if this was true, he could NEVER say it out loud. That would be just wrong. So we are left to wonder just what he's trying to get us to think about.

And the Jewish backlash is nothing short of ridiculous. In an era where Janet Jackson bares her breast on national television to deflect attention from her sicko brother we still have people who would revile you if you called them oversensitive. I read about a rabbi opining about what will happen to Jews worldwide after this film opens. Seems to me the only anti-Semites are some Jews themselves: pointing out that there is a character in the movie with a "hooked nose." Oh, come ON! Protesting outside theatres wearing replicas of concentration camp uniforms. Puleeze.

Everyone needs to step back for a minute and take a deep breath. It's a MOVIE. A movie that has caused much divisivness because it discusses the fate of a man who claimed to be the Son of God. An innocent man, God-child or not. But everyone wants to get into the act because this world is full of people who are more comfortable being victims, people who are so certain of their rightness that, rather than honor the differences among us, they feel the need to convince everyone else that they are, indeed, correct and have God on their side to prove it.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at February 26, 2004 12:31 | link | comments

Bush Administration Identifies New Terrorist Organization

Yup. The teacher's lobby, the National Education Association, has been discovered by Bush Secretary of Education Roderick Paige to be a terrorist organization. The information was disclosed by Paige recently after a NEA spokesman had the temerity to speak out against Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy. Paige attempted to bring to bear what has become typical of Bush administration tactics when opposition is encountered: question the person or organization's patriotism.

Pathetically, Paige, in a contorted effort to excuse the fact that he was "misquoted," and "misunderstood," tried to use his skin color to mitigate his comments, that "as a black man" who had "endured racism," he "should have been more sensitive."

Here's to Rod Paige: in charge of our kids' education and calling their teachers terrorists. But it's ok. He's black.

I know. It even looks ignorant in print.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at February 25, 2004 17:21 | link | comments

Top Ten Reasons This Blog Has Been Idle:

10. Your blogger has been in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.

9.   Your blogger has been in Iraq fighting the armies of Saddam.

8.   Your blogger has been in North Korea secretly fighting the Evil Empire.

7.   Your blogger has been in George Steinbrenner's offices fighting the Evil Empire.

6.   Your blogger has been in Brentwood searching for "the real killers."

5.   Your blogger has been in Alabama sleuthing for Capt. George W. Bush's piloting career.

4.   Your blogger has been in Haiti on a "fact-finding mission."

3.   Your blogger has been to hell and back trying to find Janet Jackson's other breast.

2.   Your modest blogger has been trying to write a play.

And the number one reason this blog has been idle: After reviewing 2003, your adoring blogger took a nice, long, hot bath.

But I'm baaack.

Woot!

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at February 19, 2004 16:43 | link | comments (1)