"Kill the Messenger" with Jeremy Renner and Andy Garcia (2014)

This film; based on the true story of reporter Gary Webb; exposes the machinations which take place in our society; often by our own government; to stifle the truth even as they accelerate the decline of that society in some of the most callous and insidious ways. Such is the history of the crack epidemic which began with the Reagan Administration taking an end run around the Boland Amendment to arm the Contras in Nicaragua in the 1980’s.

Though the actual events of the story took place in the 1980’s it wasn’t until the 1990’s that Gary Webb was able to piece together all of the events and publicize the story. It was the beginning of an arduous and dangerous road for the young journalist.  Although the seeds for the story had been sown in the public’s mind for several years already, he was the first one to go public with the story. And when he did, he incurred the wrath of the Intelligence Community and his own government.

The story is a very simple one, the United States; through the operations of the CIA and it’s contacts in the world of organized crime; began to import cocaine in huge amounts to fund the not so secret war against the Nicaraguan government. The money from the cocaine was to be used to fund the Contras; which was the rebel army. Actually, this was nothing new; it had been done before; but never on such a large scale. This is the operation that brought Governor Bill Clinton and Vice President George Bush together in an unholy alliance which later made it possible for Clinton to become President. The transport of the arms and drugs went through the state of Arkansas, with the full knowledge of the Governor.

As is often true with any operation of such scope, things quickly got out of hand. When someone discovered that cocaine could be “cooked” with baking soda to form what is known as “crack cocaine”, all hell broke loose on the streets of Los Angeles; most notably in the Compton area, which was decimated by the epidemic. A whole generation was destroyed, along with the economic viability of the area, bringing problems with crime and addiction that persist to this day.

The reward for Gary Webb’s efforts was that he was driven to the point of suicide by the government smear campaign launched against him. His sanity was called into question as he was called upon to defend the facts of his story; an impossible task due to the very nature of clandestine operations. They are cloaked in layer upon layer of secrecy and subject to the effects of “sheep dipping” and the use of “cutouts” to throw off chance of real detection. There can only be speculation; and no one goes to jail for “speculating”.  Just look at Wall Street.

This film delivers on several levels, beginning with the story itself. As we struggle to fight crime; much of which is caused by drug addiction; it is hard to understand the motives of a government which, on one hand, calls for an all-out war on drugs and terror; and then fuels the former with an influx of drugs; all while helping to fund the latter.

The casting of the film is also notable. Jeremy Renner plays Gary Webb, the ill-fated reporter. Veteran actors Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta and Tim Blake Nelson are also expertly casted in their roles as some of the faces behind the scenes.  

Gary Webb’s “Dark Alliance” articles sparked the book “Kill the Messenger” by Nick Shou which became this film of the same name. Directed tautly by Michael Cuesta it will both inform and infuriate you.

"The Rise of ISIS" - PBS Frontline (2014)

The basic message of this film is that our policy failures under the Bush; and later Obama; administrations are the primary cause of the radical Sunnis going berserk; cutting off heads, burning schools and going back to Sharia law. They ask you to believe that this is all due  Iraqi President Maliki; who is Shiite; double crossing the US and persecuting the Sunnis in violation of the Constitution worked out with the US for governing Iraq after we left. Remember, we had deposed Saddam Hussein; who ruled with an iron fist in order to avoid the chaos which you are seeing now; which is nothing more than the rise of Al Qaeda on steroids, masquerading as ISIS.

This film asks me to believe that the stupidity of Bush and Obama is a legitimate excuse for the barbaric behavior by ISIS. The premise that this is solely in response to Maliki’s double cross is absurd. This is simply the true agenda of Radical Islam unmasked. Maliki and the US aside; this is the chance that the radical Islamics have been waiting for. That we provided them with that opportunity is no excuse for their behavior; either before or after the fact.

While this film is an important one to see; if only to gather some facts; it is important also to realize that it has an agenda. It seems to be aimed squarely at blaming the current reign of ISIS on the Obama and Bush administrations; and hence the West in general; for the terror and insanity of Radical Islam; which ISIS represents. But remember that Islamic extremists have been terrorizing the world for decades now; long before the current state of events. Keep that in mind when watching this film.

NAFTA - Who Started It?

I am so sick of hearing that Bill Clinton started NAFTA. I distinctly remember Ronald Reagan campaigning for what he termed the North American Accord in 1979. Though the details were yet to be hammered out, it was during Reagan’s 2 terms in office that the agreement was first proposed and drafted. The torch was then passed to President Bush, Sr.

The finished product arrived on Clinton’s desk in 1993. He did approve it, sending it on to Congress, where the bill was passed by a Republican dominated chamber in 1994 and then signed by the President, who would have lost a Veto fight even if he were against it; which he was not.

The point here is that the divisive politics of our current era tend to distort and mislead us all. And the real kicker is that neither side will listen to the cold, hard facts of the matter.

NAFTA was a huge benefit to politicians of both parties due to the large amounts of cash funneled to both sides by various lobbyists’ intent on getting the bill passed in order to benefit large corporations with cheap labor. Thus, both sides are filthy with guilt. To not understand this is to be blinded by ignorance.

"The Dictator" with Sasha Baron Cohen (2012)

This is the first film I have seen by Sacha Cohen. I wasn’t really interested in the Borat films he has released in the past, but this one seemed more along the lines of “An American Carol”, so I figured I would give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

It is also a  reeling, fast paced film which explores, in a comedic fashion, the actual events which take place each day and drive the insanity of world politics. Sadly; though the film is hysterically funny; much of it is not too far-fetched. Watching this film, with the Iraq War still fresh in our minds, helps call attention to the strange and haphazard way in which our leaders sometimes deal with world politics.

The plot is simple; it concerns a Mid-Eastern dictator from the fictional country of Wadiyah named Aladeen, played by Sacha Cohen. He has been threatening the world with a nuclear weapon which may, or my not exist. When he is summoned to New York for a conference at the United Nations, things don’t go as planned. His second in command, Tamir, played by Ben Kingsley in a delightful departure from his more “serious” roles, secretly wants Aladeen gone, and helps to engineer the plot that finds the great dictator beardless and without any means of support in the greatest city in the world. 

Because of his opposition to a peace treaty he is marked for death by one side, and also sought by his own military. In addition he has all of the many enemies he has created during his years in power in Wadiyah to worry about.

Adopting the name Efawadh, he finds himself in Brooklyn with a pretty young American woman who has no idea who he is. She owns an organic food store and is very independent, which is something Aladeen is not used to. But there is something about her that makes him want to understand more about life.

Soon he discovers that the neighborhood he is living in is inhabited by all of the people he has formerly ordered executed. It seems that his trusted guards were not carrying out those executions, which were not justified in the first place, and sending the condemned to settle in Brooklyn. He begins to recognize them, as they do him. Clearly, the great Aladeen is in a bind.

When the time for the vote comes at the United Nations, a “double” has been prepared to take his place and sign an historic peace treaty with the world. If Aladeen can get into the General Assembly and denounce the impostor, then he will be the feared dictator again, with the whole world groveling at his feet. Finding the impostor and taking his place is no challenge, and he mounts the podium to nullify the treaty.

As he begins to declare all that is wrong with democracy, the girl from Brooklyn manages to arrive at the General Assembly. Upon seeing her, he begins to glorify all of the things that he finds so imperfect about democracy, realizing that only the imperfections of true freedom could have created a woman as wonderful as the one he has found.

Directed by Larry Charles, and written by Sacha Cohen and Alec Berg, this film is a wonderful satire about the fools and clowns who run our planet. It’s also about the humanity that they may not realize exists in us all; perhaps even them-selves. This is a very funny, and true to life film.