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"Official Secrets" - Yeah, it's political

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Posted on September 23, 2019 at 02:30:38
Chris from Lafayette
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 I've seen it twice in two weeks (it's in limited release) - I found it emotionally powerful, even though I more or less knew what to expect from the actual events on which the movie is based (the lead up to the Iraq war, told from a UK point of view - especially that of whistleblower Katherine Gun (Keira Knightley) and her legal team, as well as the staff of the London Observer, who finally decided to publish Gun's leaked NSA memo, which asks for UK help in amassing evidence to be used to blackmail the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, so that they'll vote in favor of a UN resolution justifying an Iraq invasion). I suppose one's reaction to the film depends somewhat on one's political persuasion - for myself, I'm glad that the script doesn't shy away from terms such as "war crimes" and "war criminals" (for that is what the unpunished little deep-state-turd elites still running around at this moment really are). As of today on Rotten Tomatoes, critics rate it as 81%, with audiences rating it as 90%.

 

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RE: "Official Secrets" - Yeah, it's political, posted on September 27, 2019 at 02:31:36
beach cruiser
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 I might check this one out. Political subjects can go either way, I just recently saw "Dr. Strangelove" again, essentially an observation about nuclear war.

I thought Keira Knightley was wildly miscast in "Pirates of the Caribbean " A little shrimp of a woman in fist fights with pirates , but she did the job well. Saw her in " the black swan" and she was very good. With dynamic material such as these events might present, it should be quite a show with her in the lead.

I also have a personal interest having lived through those days, and would like to get a more developed perspective. I well remember when i was working a supertanker in the persian gulf and the lading master told me to mark his words, the big guys are pi@@ed and want to teach these guys a lesson once and for all, not to nationalize their s##t. Years later, shock and awe, oil contracts locked down for the seven sisters. now i think it is down to five major players.

 

It's of course very interesting if you lived through that time. . . , posted on September 27, 2019 at 12:20:23
Chris from Lafayette
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 . . . and were aware enough to have an intimation as to what was going on.

BTW, I think that was Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in Black Swan? (Even Winona Ryder got a part.)

In any case, I think Keira Knightly did well in Official Secrets - in fact, the entire cast seemed to be on their A game. Of course, this is the kind of effort/story that the Brits can do in their sleep and still get compelling results!

 

many thanks, posted on September 28, 2019 at 02:53:20
beach cruiser
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 Thanks for the correction. I really thought I knew what I was talking about and had no intention to mislead.

I enjoy movies vey much, but never was big on actors as celebrity. I don''t know if that explains anything , but stating facts incorrectly is embarrassing.

I hope it is just a sign that I need to tighten up my game, and not a sign that the upstairs cogs are slipping. With stuff I care about, I manage a better grip on facts, but never consider ignorance interchangeable with knowledge.

 

Thanks..., posted on September 28, 2019 at 09:40:53
Jay Buridan
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 As much as I dislike our current president, I believe that he's not a war monger for the simple reason that he's not invested in the MIC, whereas the Bushes have heavy ownership of MIC stocks going back to the days of Frank Carlucci and Casper Weinberger.

"John's known as a tough guy. He's so tough he got us into Iraq. That's tough..."
Donald Trump

"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. "
― W.C. Fields

 

Wow! I'm impressed by your obsequiousness!, posted on September 28, 2019 at 11:41:43
Chris from Lafayette
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 Let me just say that I now realize that I committed a micro-aggression by noting that Keira Knightly did not appear in "Black Swan". I should have left well enough alone, even though, like you, I never consider ignorance interchangeable with knowledge. It's these kinds of considerations that keep me up at night, and I caution myself to be better aware of the impacts my "corrections" (such as they are, and however rudely I express them) on the feelings of others. I would consider it an inestimable gift if you could find within yourself to forgive me!

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

 

If nobody notices, is it still a micro-aggression?, posted on September 28, 2019 at 11:51:27
Jay Buridan
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 Especially if not even the aggressor notices?

These are questions that keep social scientists up at night.

"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. "
― W.C. Fields

 

Not only the social scientists! [nt] ;-), posted on September 28, 2019 at 12:09:56
Chris from Lafayette
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RE: Wow! I'm impressed by your obsequiousness!, posted on September 28, 2019 at 12:34:19
pictureguy
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 Is Micro-Aggression less or more severe than Mini-Aggression? Or Pico-Aggression? Or perhaps

Pseudo-Aggression?

I'm sure social scientists are wringing their collective hands over this issue. Instead of wondering

why the human race is marching Lemming-Like off a cliff. Or is that some kind of aggressive

behavior and I shouldn't have put it on paper?
Too much is never enough

 

RE: Wow! I'm impressed by your obsequiousness!, posted on October 4, 2019 at 16:33:44
beach cruiser
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 The obsequiousness is by design.

I tend to have odd results when I post on my natural voice, it comes off as preachy and somewhat argumentative , but I never feel that way. So I often review, to work on a less confrontational tone. Just a dang shame I don't extend the same effort towards absolute factuality.

You don't have to be made out of gold to get along with me, I'm here for fun, not to be a key board tough guy.

I welcome any corrections. As far as posted aggressions go, anybody generating testosterone is going to screw up sooner or later even with extremely high linguistic skills. Plus, I learned to accept a certain level of social friction when I worked on ships without women and every hallway and crew space had a fire axe on the wall, and every deck hand carried a knife.

One of my more extreme buddies, who likes a fighting crew, unlike myself, was on a ship where a guy who thought the fight was over, and was relaxing in an armchair watching a movie, got the pointy end of a fire axe put through his skull. Depending on your clean up skills and planning, murder is always an option on the high seas. Nobody wants to spend all the vacation time between ships going to court, so very hard to find a witness.


P.S. I didn't consider your correction as anything other than helpful. Somehow the posting order got out of sync, probably my fault.

 

your opinion of humanity, a little dark., posted on October 8, 2019 at 14:02:15
beach cruiser
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 That lemmings over the cliff remark you posted, compels me to note that there was an off screen wrangler with a sheet of cardboard herding the hapless little rodents over that cliff.

No animal in the world has that type of natural behavior, as you probably know. but all the cult stuff lately shows you can talk a fool onto some real stuff. Money is the only reason for both situations to be created.

I am hopeful that the part of my society that is throwing their future over the cliffs by voting with the interests of billionaires and multi national industries will someday see they are just a disposable means to an end. That goal being unchanged throughout history, getting more of working peoples money for the super rich, no matter how many people die in the process of getting them even more money than they can ever spend. Government is the only thing powerful enough to check that power, that is why they hate the government, unless it is helping them with more money. They love regulations that protect wealth, protecting health and well being for workers , than government becomes a problem, that crap costs money.

I guess I am just upset from hearing the latest tax news, the super rich in america pay about 23% income tax. I remember when it was 70% and the middle class had more money, and we tried to get along with others, not to get vindication against another person's free right to an opinion.

 

RE: your opinion of humanity, a little dark., posted on October 8, 2019 at 14:43:34
pictureguy
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 I hear and understand your heartfelt post.

It's true that the rich SEEM to control more than you or I would want. Check out the International Bank of Settlments in Switzerland. THEY are one of the big problems. And own a large amount of the 'paper' now due.

As for taxation? I wonder what the current breakdown is. In the RECENT past, the top 1% of taxpayers paid some outrageout %age of the total taxation paid.

If you go by 'quints'.....Fifths? Top fifth is well north and around 80% of the total. Top 25% is about 86%. Bottom 25% is about 3%

This is fairly progressive. Too bad that those who can LEASt afford it are highly involved in LOTTO type 'free money'.....

All that is preface to thee fact the IMO, it is a FACT that their are TOO MANY persons on the planet.
Right now north of 7 Billion with a doubling time of <70 years. No Possible way to increase the size of the pie at that rate. Exponential Growth is a B*tch.

If ALL planetary resources were evenly divided we's STILL be having probems. Take your pick. Economic? Health? Pollution? Growth? Fixed resources? Education? Opportunity?

And while YOU remember when the middle class had more money, I go perhaps further back and remember when MOM didn't have to work to maintain lifestyle or expectations.

And finally? Yep. A LOT of shouting and little listening or understanding.
Too much is never enough

 

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