Self-Inflicted

Yeah, the plan was for this edition to be a continuation of what was started last week with [CableTelevision Ad-whacking], but after watching more common sense (naturally-speaking, of course) bleeding out on the streets in several locations around this country over the tragedy involving [Freddie Gray], the rest of the ad-whacking story will just have to wait.  Oh, and the title to this piece is indeed quite fitting.  For much of what I have been given to say will undoubtedly be considered unacceptable (if not downright outrageous) by most.  Subsequently, my popularity will surely take another hit from the opening of my mouth.

In regards to current and fairly recent events, another fitting title for this piece would be vicious cycles.  For police departments around this country are now finding themselves under direct attack because of their callous and brutal service to their respective communities while the brutalized act out in ways that seem to justify the way they have been treated for far too long.  Come on now, how can it be claimed that they should not be treated like a pack of dangerous animals when they go about burning businesses simply because they are there?

Wow, considerations concerning CNN being fairly left-leaning in their news coverage needs to be reevaluated.  For in one interview of a lady in Baltimore that made it on the air had her claiming that she did not understand why people were calling the police victims after several officers were injured by flying objects being hurled at them by a rampaging mob.  In another interview, a man in Philadelphia thought it was outrageous for the police to come at them in riot-gear and on horseback when they just wanted to march down I-95.

On the other hand, far too many police departments seem focused upon everything but keeping the peace.  For they refuse to apologize for doing their job after smashing in the wrong door, arresting the wrong person and generally treating far too many on their streets as potential suspects instead citizens they are supposed to be serving and protecting.

In one episode during the third season of [The Wire], the commander of a police district chides one of his officers for not fostering better relations with the people on his beat.  For those would be the people who could make his job much easier—both in regards to preventing and solving crimes.

By the way, if you have access to HBO programming and have never watched The Wire, you are really missing out on something special.  Ironically, the show is set in Baltimore, and it covers everything from illegal drugs to worthless policies being administered by corrupt politicians in a very realistic manner.  In fact, [Billy Murphy, Jr.] has been retained by the Freddie Gray family to represent their interests, and he actually appeared as a lawyer on [The Wire].

Our judicial system is not without their own share of self-inflicted wounds.  For when a United States Supreme Court justice can claim that indisputable evidence of innocence is not enough to overturn a wrongful conviction and not be shouted down by his peers, how can the downtrodden hope for a fair hearing before the courts?  How can any of us if justice is indeed blind?

Alas, our lives in this world are meant to be awful, but it does not have to be as bad as it can be.  Tragically, it is not going to get any better until it gets much, much worse.  For most with the means to do something about injustice (including people like you and me) have kept themselves far from the fray, and it is purely natural for one to not be concerned with what is not affecting them directly.

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Come Monday...John Carter

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

Link: [John Carter]

Although most of the messages we receive from Mediacom on our cable box are summarily dismissed after curiosity gets the best of me and I just have to see what the message is about, there are the occasional ones that pique my interest.  Well, the one about three days of free access to HBO over the weekend certainly applied, and while perusing through their list of movies, I spotted [John Carter].

Yeah, that John Carter, and I have wondered why it proved to be such a huge [box office bomb].  After watching it, I am still wondering.  For I did not find it to be a bad movie at all.  Now, it is not one that I look forward to seeing again—let alone again and again, but…

No, I really don’t get it.  For it had everything that a science fiction and fantasy fan should love—from ties to realistic events here on earth to mind-boggling stuff that was literally out of this world.  Granted, it required a great stretch of the imagination, but is this not true of all science fiction and fantasy films/shows?

It even had a domesticated tadpole acting like a dog!  Okay, I am not sure if it really was a very large tadpole that evidently could not swim, but it sure looked like one to me.

Oh, and that tadpole was really, really fast, which helped with him keeping up with John Carter.  For on Mars, Carter could jump hundreds of feet with a single bound because of the gravity on Mars not quite being the same as here on Earth.

The one really disappointing thing about the movie to me was that [Dominic West] played the bad guy.  For this is the third movie I have seen him in since [The Wire], and he has played a bad guy each time.  Of course, he was kinda, sorta a bad good guy in The Wire, but there has not been very many clearly apparent redeeming qualities about Sab Than in John Carter, Jigsaw in [The Punisher: War Zone] and Theron in [300].

Anyway, if you have a couple of hours to kill, you might find John Carter worth a look-see.  How was that for a ringing endorsement?

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Come Monday...Prime Suspect

Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

[PrimeSuspect] is a new show on [NBC] this fall season.  It usually airs on Thursday nights, but it looks like a repeat of the previous Thursday night episode will be also airing on Monday nights.

To be honest about it, I don’t know why.  In fact, I don’t know how such a suspect show made it into NBC’s primetime lineup at all.  That is, unless someone made some crack about NBC being the pro-police network at some after-hours party filled with hard-core Aquarian New-Agers.  For it is about as anti-police as the [Law & Order] series were/are pro-police.

It stars [Maria Bello] as [Det. Jane Timoney], who is perfect for the part.  For she seems to naturally exude hostility from every pore of her rather beautiful body, and in this role, she has a personality that should make even the most serious New Yorker shake their head in dismay.

Perhaps you may remember her from her roles as the saloon owner in [Coyote Ugly], or as Tom Stall’s wife in [A History of Violence].  Well, she was as sweet and understanding as one can be in those roles in comparison to who she is portraying in Prime Suspect.

Yes, she is made to look more sympathetic by being surrounded by an all-boys club detective squad, but all this did for me is make the New York City Police Department depicted in this show look like a bunch of idiots, who spent most of the three episodes that I have seen so far sabotaging each other’s efforts before finally managing to solve the crime before the end-credits roll.

No, I don’t think I will be tuning in again, but the show does have some potential to get better.  After all, I don’t see how it could get much worse.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  There is one bright spot to the show.  For Jane’s father is being played by [Peter Gerety], who I loved as a rather ornery judge on [The Wire].

Link: [On YouTube]

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