Defending President Obama's NAACP Speech

As always, there are critics to anything President Obama does, but I think a key element is underappreciated in examining his speech to the NAACP. There is a monumental difference in a Black President making these remarks. A BLACK PRESIDENT... The simple act of his ascension to this office sweeps away generations of cobwebs around the tired bromides of "being all you can be" and "working hard can take you wherever you desire!" Sure there was some boilerplate tough love pulpit talk, but only THIS President could deliver it and speak it to power.

He was raised by a single mother (and her parents)... how many of our children can resonate with that? He came from modest surroundings...check. Experimented with drugs/petty crime as an escape... check. Stumbled through his early college years... check. Attended an Ivy league school where he got his act together... wait a minute!

You mean after being abandoned by your father, struggling to make ends meet, trying weed and blow, playing basketball, wandering academically AND BEING BLACK you could STILL become POTUS? That's a game-changing story. I'm sorry, it just is.

Yes, it was a bit jarring to hear him slip into sermon mode (the most "Blackity Black" I've heard him since the campaign began); however, the subtext of what he was saying reminded me about Chris Rock's classic joke about folks in the 'hood sweeping their porches.

Some claim that his admonitions regarding "bedtimes" and "Xbox," are overly simplistic; however, he offered similar advice during the gas crisis to almost universal GOP derision... Inflate your tires to get better gas mileage. Was it a master solution to the entire escalation of fuel prices? No. But keeping your tires properly inflated DOES IMPROVE YOUR MILEAGE... and its really easy... and it's free. "Bedtime and Xbox" is shorthand for being a more engaged parent and directing your children to make better use of their time.

It's not a cureall, but it ain't a bad thing.

No President is perfect and I am confounded (almost daily) by some of the tone-deaf moves he makes in the face of other brilliant overtures. Nevertheless, I think his NAACP speech was important and offered some instantly implementable strategies for our most at-risk populations. Going forward, he also stressed the importance of civic engagement, working for our shared goals and other longer term ideals.

I think it was inspiring. I think there's nothing wrong with exhorting our people to struggle against the inequities and overcome them rather than being defined and defeated by them. America's problem with race is far from solved, but changing from within will make US better, regardless of external forces. That's my take away from the President's comments.

Obama Bows on Settling Detainees

Different Gitmo issues are being conflated by the mainstream media/blogosphere here (WashPo's inartfully worded headline didn't help). That article almost exclusively deals with the couple dozen Uighurs (who were exonerated early on and treated much better than the vast majority of long term detainees).

Certain high-profile figures (like Boumedienne) DON'T WANT to settle here. They want to go back home. The "issue" that Obama is "caving" on is allowing detainees that BushCo tortured and illegally held but now is RELEASING to settle in the US. The issue that was consuming most of the oxygen in this debate concerned the people WHO WERE NOT BEING RELEASED and still awaited incarceration or trial.

I have NO PROBLEM with transferring the actual bad guys to our Supermax facilities (Montana has a brand new EMPTY prison and could take a bunch of them). However, I think the wrongly imprisoned need to go back to their home countries. The idea of an wrongly-imprisoned, embittered and possibly converted potential jihadist being released to live here isn't a comforting thought. That's not entirely fair, but it's not entirely prudent to assume that some of these detainees would not be prime targets for terrorist recruiters.

It IS true that by denying even the most "tame" detainees (who are legitimate refugees), we make it much more difficult for other countries to share the burden, but I don't recall the President promising that the innocent Gitmonians would get to live here.

Reflections on Watchmen... Spoilers for non-fans

This is not a movie review per se. Rather it is an analysis of the key differences between the comic and film with commentary on the positives and negatives of the transition.

In the immediate aftermath, I was mostly pleased. Upon reflection, the inevitable issues arise.

First the good...

Haley as Rorschach... Amazing. Crudup as Manhattan... Outstanding (the facial animation was MUCH better than anticipated). Morgan as Comedian... inspired (though his age make-up became distracting on the big screen). Wilson as Nite Owl... strong, though still a bit too fit to capture Dreiberg's middle aged "waist" land. Gugino was fine in her small role and Ackerman was frankly better than I expected.

Matthew Goode still stands out as a grossly miscast, but on balance the lead performances were quite good.

I was also impressed with how the story flow "felt" like the comic book. The note perfect passages were the Comedian's funeral (where the characters reflect on their encounters with the recently deceased) and the Rorschach jail stuff. Just fantastic. Jon's origin, played out on Mars was also great even without my favorite line of that chapter, "The light... The light is taking me to pieces."

Now the problems...

I was OK with the altered squid tragedy. Frankly, the American's "pocket God" backfiring on them is fine with me. The downside of the ending was that the squid subplot was replaced with the simply awful Adrian Veidt foreshadowing. He sauntered through his world, a bitchy, male Paris Hilton who has studied Nietzsche and has a God complex... I'm rich, smart and FAAAABULOUS in purple sharkskin! SIGH...

The hyper-violence was a mixed bag too. Of course, there were some "Ohhhhhhhhh" moments of bonecrushing entertainment. Rorschach's "hot oil treatment" was perfectly lifted from the comic; however, the Laurie/Dan mugging scene, Ozymandias' takedown of Nite Owl and Rorschach, even the Comedian's murder were so over the top that it suspended disbelief that these guys are "regular" humans.

In the comics, these scenes play out over a few panels, a few punks get smashed up and Laurie and Dan are exhilarated. In contrast, their film counterparts battle a seemingly endless stream of thugs who receive compound fractures, broken necks (or the bowie knife punctured variety), inverted knee caps, and bits of bone in the brain. Similarly, the completely invented (though somewhat more realistic) riot sequence has them marching (unscathed) through a sea of hardened criminals.

This is all pretty standard fare for action movies, but it lessens the clear comic book theme that the Minutemen (NOT Watchmen) are REGULAR people, albeit smarter, driven and with cooler gadgets. Seeing Rorschach leap 20 foot gaps... watching Veidt smash the Comedian's head through a granite countertop (while the latter punches through concrete fireplaces) rather misses the point.

I think Snyder effectively trimmed some of Moore's esoterica without damaging the overall story, but there were some odd decisions that muddled things by the end. Chief among these is Rorschach's obliteration. The sequence is a major deviation from the comic and of one of Snyder's worst choices.

In the comic, the rationalization for keeping quiet about the destruction of New York was mostly about the enormous moral questions of rekindling the recently doused threat of war. Further, it was partly attributable to the disconnect of the heroes with the victims. Laurie knew "no one" except her fellow "heroes" and her mom, who was safe in California. Daniel was a loner whose personal hero (Hollis Mason) had been murdered, leaving him alone. Veidt's dismissal of Rorschach's threat to the plan prompts Dan and Laurie to wander off consoling each other. Meanwhile, Jon kills Rorschach and later quietly observes Laurie and Dan, pleased that she has found happiness. They have no further contact.

After, Jon confronts Veidt in his sanctum. Veidt is clearly seeking absolution Dr. Manhattan, the one intellect he respects on Earth. Bemused, Manhattan denies his request for comfort and departs with a cryptic comment that leaves Veidt tormented and alone.

Snyder upends all these interactions by:

1. Killing Rorschach in front of Dreiberg. Rorschach's death replaces Mason's as a moment of catharsis for Dan. But the timing is awful, resulting in...
2. Dan's tirade and assault on Adrian. That attack simply would not have the same impact on Veidt as Manhattan's cryptic goodbye. Veidt ALLOWED Dan to hit him though he had mercilessly beaten his ass only moments before. The audience can only assume that he weathers the beating to "atone" for his action. The mental anguish of the comic was better.
3. Jon's last words ("without condoning or condemning..." "think I'll create some..." are made to (or in front of) Laurie instead of privately to Adrian. Further, he kisses Laurie IN FRONT OF DAN right after he murdered Dan's best friend. Talk about impotent...
4. Consequently, it is Laurie who leaves the audience (by way of Dan) with Jon's cryptic "Nothing ends. Nothing EVER ends." This message was meant for Adrian. It is lost on Dan.
5. There was a REASON that Sally Jupiter was in California. Not the least of which is that it provided a rationale for Dan and Laurie's exodus from New York. Both would need to lay low after Rorschach's jail break, notwithstanding armegeddon. Ending with the couple back in New York, especially when the scale of the devastation is so unclear, is confusing at best.
6. Not for nothing, Ackerman simply doesn't have the acting chops to carry a scene like that, especially following Haley's bravura performance before Rorschach's murder. In the comic, Sally is front and center with a starstruck Dan providing a little comic relief. Gugino is a stronger actress and the comic scene is better.
   
7. The closing scene with the New Frontiersman was fine (the ketchup splash was perfect), but establishing Rorschach's relationship with the paper would have been helpful (and infinitely preferable to any number of Veidt's new scenes).
   

I've talked to a few people who were completely unaware of the comic. One complete "Wirgin" loved the dark take on the superhero mythos. Most of my critiques would not have registered at all with him.

Another, a NY playwright, was intrigued by the dense material and dark themes. He wants to see the film again (good for Warner's).

My wife skimmed the TPB, but wasn't a real fan. She had a blast too.

As a real Watchmen fan, my critiques are mostly informed by my familiarity with the source material. I credit Snyder with his devotion and clear desire to do justice to the source. He captured a lot of really good stuff in this adaptation. In a movie that defies so many traditional superhero conventions, I wish he had chosen to hew closer to Moore and Gibbons bedrock themes instead of sacrificing them for slick production values and cheap thrills.

7 out of 10 stars.

Watchmen-a-palooza, Pt. Deux

I'm less enthused by the early release of a "Tales of the Black Freighter" disc mere weeks after the movie's launch.

"Freighter" as a stand alone doesn't work for me (anymore than any cheesy pirate story would work for me as a separate story). However, the story has a number of specific SPOILERY tasks in the Watchmen storyline.

1. The protagonist's POV monologue ratchets the tension in the story.
2. The growing dread mirrors the advancing Soviet conflict that accelerates after Doc's departure.
3. The comic underpins the relationship between the newspaper stand owner and the young, Black reader (for a dramatic Issue 12 payoff).
4. It introduces the reader to the writing style of the author that Veidt used to program the mental squid bomb images.
5. Freighter's twist amplifies the tough choice that Rorschach, Dreiberg, Doc and Veidt face in Issue 12.
6. And the protagonist's increasingly twisted, albeit internally "justified" actions mirror Veidt's own dark motivations.

The completist in me is glad that Snyder cared enough to produce the stuff, but the Watchmen fan in me is glad that the motion comics maintain the comic within a comic structure that Moore intended.

Frankly, anything more than a motion comic treatment WEAKENS the idea of the Black Freighter story. The motion comics handle this conceit by amping up the newsprint halftone artifacts (which are absent in the Watchmen storyline).

I'll wait for the main disc (where hopefully the story is inserted in the Director's Cut) to see how Snyder handles it.

Watchmen-a-palooza

Earning my geek chic bonafides here with a few Watchmen comments. If you know nothing and want to enjoy the movie completely "fresh," stop reading...

First, I have been stoking the fires of the forthcoming movie release with the Warner "motion comics," currently available on iTunes and coming soon as a stand alone disc.

The most compelling aspect of the motion comics is that Gibbons' artwork is used. The frontpiece and endpiece quotes are also included (which will likely not survive the movie adaptation). Another excellent choice is the inclusion of the speech bubbles. Moore's text has delightful little nuances that can only be appreciated in the READING of the text. For the most part, the voice over exactly matches, but there are some VERY minor exclusions that must have been trimmed for timing.

There simply is no other way to experience the visual "harmonies" employed in the comic book in a live action movie. Zach Snyder is passionate, but he's already taken quite a few liberties with his production design. Ozymandias is horribly miscast (too bad, Jude Law didn't work out).

A perfect example is the iconic blood splash on the Comedian's "smiley" button. That splash motif is echoed throughout the 12 issues, effectively bookending the whole series. Snyder has "a" splash, but not "the" splash.

The voice work is initially off-putting, but he's a good actor, and his performance pulls you into the story. The background music sets the mood without overwhelming. I'm champing at the bit to see the new episodes as they unfold.

Despite the loss of Moore's chapter addenda ("Under the Hood" excerpts, Rorschach's psych eval and Journal entries, etc.), I like to think that he would enjoy these motion comics... at least a little. I'm confident that most fans of the comic will feel the same.

Sit DOWN, Sarah!

I don't know how they do things up in Alaska, but when your future (still waiting for a wedding date) in-law and mother of your high school drop-out, jobless, "shooting sh#t", grandbabyddady has been arrested on charges of Oxycontin trafficking, you don't get to cry foul that Caroline Kennedy is catching a break because of CLASS WARFARE.

You caught hell because you were a ridiculously unqualified, cravenly calculated, Hail Mary pass serial liar who was aiming to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of a 70+-year old cancer survivor.

Kennedy is looking to fill out the term of a Senator. No equivalency AT ALL.

UPDATE!
Please enjoy this video. She's certifiable. Wait for 6:20 for a surprise insight into Palin as an OBAMA running mate.

On Marriage, Civil Unions and Rick Warren

Feathers will undoubtedly be ruffled, but here goes...

Marriage is an ancient institution that has had many forms and definitions. The passion displayed here and elsewhere is indicative of the psychological and spiritual yearning that loving couples wish to share in matrimony. However, in those myriad definitions of monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, arranged marriages, yadda yadda yadda, I have yet to see a single spiritual text that endorses SAME-GENDER marriage.

98%-99% of the world population believes in some form of spirituality. Marriage is exulted in most of those faiths. It's an extraordinary uphill battle to expect that folks will turn off their "faith" because marriage has been co-opted to include a whole host of civil advantages. And it's because of those advantages that this whole debate is more complicated.

To me, the civil bit is ALREADY separate from the actual marriage. When my wife and I married, the minister lost our paperwork, so we weren't registered as married with the state for years. Still, people came to the wedding; my wife changed her name; she was covered under my insurance as were our kids.

Whether civil unions become the de facto standard for everyone, or a temporary "holding pattern" for GLBT couples, GET THE RIGHTS ASAP, by any means necessary. Calling it "marriage" may come later, but having the rights will offer much needed protections. As an aside, no one can legislate your invitations. Put what you want on them and share your commitment and love with your family, friends and community. At the end of the day, that's what I hope matters most.

In regards to the Warren pick, it's pretty clear that Obama is rubbing off on Warren more than Warren is rubbing off on Obama. Warren has back-pedaled from his most offensive comparisons of same-gender marriage and has scrubbed some homophobic rhetoric off his site. Given how Warren has been called to the carpet on his specious claims that marriage has "always" been one man/one woman, I would be surprised to hear him repeat that trope. He's too smart to for that. On the other hand, imagine the difference it would make if he started extolling the fairness of granting marital RIGHTS to same-gender couples vis a vis civil unions.

A Father's Thoughts on Election Eve

My 9-month-old son, Kole. I'm pretty sure he's the cutest Obama baby on the planet

I ordered this onesie right after Obama's Super Tuesday blowout. It's sized at 12-18 months, so I wasn't sure it would fit by Election Day... Good thing he takes after his Dad.

Tomorrow, he will accompany me as I cast my vote. The historical significance has been pressing on me as we move closer to THE DAY. Both my grandfathers passed on before I was born, but their great grandson will witness the election of a Black man to the Presidency of the United States.

A few years ago, I bought a tee shirt for my older son, Tommy. I was in an airport, headed home and wanted to grab a souvenir. The shirt, then much too large for him to wear, read "Future President of the United States." As I pondered the purchase, I recall thinking, "One day, this message might be true for my son."

After Obama clinched the nomination, Tommy wore that shirt for the first time. He had grown into it, much as this impressive nominee had grown into his history-defining role.

I am astounded at this election season. Even in the midst of my solidly upper middle class upbringing, I never truly believed that a viable Black Presidential nominee would emerge in my lifetime. Chisholm, and Fulani were valiant attempts, but never serious contenders. In my first Presidential primary I voted for Jesse. His finish didn't surprise me.

However, my children will mature in a world where their dreams will not be wistful platitudes of opportunity and equality. They will see this President and his beautiful family lead our country in a new direction and KNOW that their possibilities are limitless.

We are counting down to change, America. Don't miss the chance to make history.

VOTE!