Hugo Chavez: Toast of the Venice Film Festival

When you and I picture life under Obama’s vision for America, we see a dreary existence spent in breadlines, drab apartments and small jail cells with rat cages strapped to our face conditioning us to say “Herstory” instead of “History.” These Castro-lovers and Polanski-defenders see something completely different.

Watch “The Lives of Others.” Not only is it one of the best films of the decade, it also answers the opening question. You’ll see how life under fascism is the complete fulfillment of every narcissistic desire Susan Sarandon, Barbra Streisand, Oliver Stone, Sean Penn and the rest of their sorry lot has ever had.

Leftist Hollywood is not driven by wealth or artistic freedom, they’re driven by status and the insatiable need to be unconditionally adored. Unfortunately for them, as actors in America, status and adoration is tied to awards and the size of the paycheck – in other words competition and a free market – which they hate. But that’s the least of their worries. All this messy American capitalism forces our favorite artistes into the undignified position of having to beg for money in order to have the millions necessary to watch themselves be all artistic on the big screen, and all this messy American free expression allows people like you and me to criticize and ridicule their hard self-serving work.

Not so under a dictatorship.

The way they see it, with the right dictator, the State would hand them money for film projects and jail anyone who criticized them in print or elsewhere. Hugo Chavez shutting television stations down doesn’t horrify Leftist Hollywood, it makes them giddy.

Certainly the days of the $20 million pay check and multiple homes would be over, but that would come as a relief because status wouldn’t be tied to uncontrollable market forces. There would be no more stressing all weekend hoping those idiot hicks in Middle America make it a box office hit. As long as the State was happy with the product, the State would hand out status like welfare checks in the form of dinner parties, awards, nice apartments and “important” projects.  

But what about artistic freedom, you might ask…

These Leftists enjoy complete artistic freedom now and what do they do with it? They flack for the state, undermine liberty and trash religion. All any fascist dictator would have to say is, “Carry on.”

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The event was comprised of three panel sessions and a luncheon keynote speech. The goal of the conference was to look at specific events that led to the fall of the wall, the people responsible, the impact of that historic event, and the legacy of the man who led the charge to end the Cold War, Ronald Reagan. There were two sessions that stood out at this event.  The first was the keynote speech by former Secretary of State for Ronald Reagan, George P Shultz.  His speech shed light into the unique leadership Ronald Reagan provided that we fail to find in our elected officials today.  Shultz delivered a rare look into the mindset of the Soviets at the time, and the determination and constancy of purpose that Reagan possessed.  He spoke of how Reagan approached the use of force with a subtle pot shot at the Obama administration. 

Although he didn’t mention Obama by name, he spoke of the time when the U.S. invaded Grenada.  Reagan sought counsel from his military leaders on the invasion strategy.  His Generals asked for a specific number of troops to successfully invade and rescue the 250 Americans being held hostage. Reagan responded by saying, “Take that number and double it, there will be less casualties on both sides.” Shultz went on to say, “Today the General on the ground in Afghanistan requested 40,000 more troops from the President, and the President responded with ‘I’ll get back to you on that.’ That would be unconscionable in a Reagan White House,” concluded Shultz — to long applause from the roughly 500 in attendances.

Shultz spoke of Reagan as a man of humility who believed, “One man can accomplish great things as long as he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” Everyone who spoke during this event agreed Reagan was never comfortable with the credit he was given for ending the Cold War because so many people were part of the solution.  It was clear the humility of Reagan had a lasting effect on all who worked with him and it was also very clear that humility was something we are not seeing in the current President. 

Former White House speechwriter for Reagan and drafter of the famous “Tear down this Wall” speech, Peter Robinson, commenting on the personality of Reagan said, “Reagan would have said, ’No thank you, I don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.’” Robinson also spoke of the harsh resistance Reagan received from bureaucrats throughout the government about the line in his Berlin Wall speech: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Reagan asked all of his advisors their thoughts about removing the line from the speech and they all agreed it should be removed.  Reagan responded by saying, “I’m the President and it’s my decision, right? The line stay’s in.” He reflected that Reagan delivering that line was a special time in many Soviet occupied countries.

Mart Laar, former Prime Minster for Estonia, mentioned that Reagan’s principles helped him construct a system in Estonia with privatization and a flat tax that led to a strong economy for his citizens. Laar said, “I have a picture of Reagan in my office. When panelist Steve Forbes was asked if there was an unfinished legacy after the fall of the wall, Forbes replied: “Yes, we don’t have a picture of Reagan in OUR President’s office.”

Throughout this event there was one consistent message, a message that left me more concerned about the direction of our country than ever.  Czech President Vaclav Kalus expressed concern with our current administration and its policies saying the U.S.A. is becoming a Marxist country. Mart Laar screamed to the crowd, “Remember, people, YOU WON THE COLD WAR!”   Poland’s head economist warned us that there is truly no freedom without capitalism. These comments made me realize that former communist countries, their leaders and people know far more about Marxism and communism than we ever will.  They know the smell, the taste and the effects of tyranny. They are more familiar with freedom and liberty because it’s fresh in their mind. In fact, these leaders sounded more like our Founders than our current leaders do and want to see a strong America comprised of people from all nations that stands for liberty and freedom and not big government controlling industries and taking over private companies.

During the event I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of these world leaders and dignitaries. People like Nancy Regan, Ed Meese (United States Attorney General, 1985-1988); Richard Allen (National Security Advisor, 1981-1982), John Lehman (Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987), Lord Charles Powell (Foreign Advisor to Margaret Thatcher, 1983-1990) and Czech President Klaus.

Why is it that our media doesn’t speak to these leaders and reveal their thoughts on the present direction of our country?  Could it be that they think it would confirm the Tea Party protesters’ concerns?  I think so.  Whatever the case, during this 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War, we need to turn to those who understand how to defeat tyranny and recognize who in our government is advancing that tyranny.

We need to find leaders that think like Reagan, the man who said, “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.” America has an enemy in the White House and many more in Congress.  It’s time we demand. “MR.OBAMA, TEAR DOWN YOUR WALL.”

And for the other bad guys…

No, it’s not The Ann Coulter Story.

The movie is We The Living, based on the Ayn Rand novel of the same title.  Rand said that We The Living “is as near to an autobiography as I will ever write.”

Conservatives and libertarians have long lamented the scarcity of movies that depict the evils of communism.  Let’s see, there’s Doctor Zhivago, The Killing Fields, The Lives of Others, and… and, well, now there’s We The Living — a long-lost classic filmed in 1942, and now available on DVD for the first time ever.

WTL takes place soon after the Bolshevik takeover of Russia (which Rand experienced as a young woman).  The stunning Alida Valli plays Kira, a fiery college student who detests the communists ruining her country.  (Valli is perhaps best known to American audiences for her indelible performances in The Third Man and The Paradine Case.)

Kira’s formerly bourgeois family struggles to survive as the government outlaws most private trade, rations food and shelter, and implements health-care death panels.  (Okay, I might be confused about that last part.)

Life is a grind for all but the politically privileged.  The masses endure shortages and injustice, while well-connected Party members enjoy special treatment and profit from corruption.  Everything is politicized:  the economy, education, even science (as Party officials inform Kira and her fellow students).

But some forces override politics and even good sense.  At college one day, secret police officer Andrei (Fosco Giachetti) overhears Kira pouring scorn on Bolshevism.  Instead of arresting Kira, the officer is smitten with her.  In turn Kira develops a respect for Andrei bordering on love, despite their ideological differences.

Shortly thereafter, Kira has a chance encounter with the handsome, mysterious Leo (Rossano Brazzi), a free spirit like her, hunted by the authorities.  Kira and Leo have an immediate, almost animal chemistry.

This is one of the most affecting scenes in the movie, an instance of “love at first sight” made credible by the sublimity of the acting.  When they agree to see each other in a month in the same spot, you can’t wait for that month to pass so you can see what happens next.  From here unfolds a tragic romantic triangle marked by jealousy, deception and sacrifice.

WTL has some of Rand’s most layered characters.  In her later work, a character like Andrei the communist might be portrayed as an unalloyed villain.  But in WTL, Andrei gradually reveals a sensitive and decent humanity at odds with his repellent politics.  (Who hasn’t encountered such paradoxes in real people?)

The story behind the movie is nearly as remarkable as the film itself, further proof there is little daylight between fascism and communism.  (Jonah Goldberg, call your book editor.)

We The Living was made during World War II in Mussolini’s Italy, of all places.  The government warily allowed it to be filmed as a propaganda vehicle against the Soviet Union.  But when Mussolini realized the movie was a critique not only of communism but of all forms of statism, he banned it from theatres, where it was a smash hit.

The government rounded up and destroyed all copies of the film – save one, the original negative, which was secreted away.  As we are informed by the fascinating documentary (included among the DVD extras), the film’s reels languished unseen for decades until Rand’s attorneys went hunting for it among the Italian film community.

Duncan Scott, who produced the DVD release, explains how as a young editor he talked his way into recutting and subtitling the film alongside Ayn Rand herself. WTL had originally been released as two separate films.  They combined them, trimmed away some of the excess, and removed or redubbed pro-fascist propaganda speeches inserted at the insistence of the authorities.

Scott tells how in the original version, Andrei delivered a heated diatribe against the evils of capitalism.  Needless to say, this speech didn’t exactly belong.  Not content merely to change the subtitles, Scott actually hired a sound-a-like Italian actor so he could redub the voice track in Italian to match the new subtitles.

Unfortunately the digital transfer was done in 1987, and the cost of a high-definition remastering was prohibitive for this DVD release, so the picture quality isn’t quite as crisp as one might wish.  Nevertheless, it is completely watchable.

Considering the circumstances under which We The Living was made and later restored, this inspiring classic is a tremendous achievement, and a worthy addition to every liberty-lover’s DVD library — and to the too-brief list of films exposing the pitfalls of socialism in whatever form.

Many feel this ballad is a touching hymn that gives voice to man’s yearning for a better world.  They are wrong.  “Imagine” is a cloying, boggy, sonic swamp of numb-skulled sentiments that sound like they were recycled from a bong-fueled, 2 a.m. bull session between a couple of pampered, credulous UC Berkeley lit majors.  It’s the national anthem of the hopey/changey crowd — all at once pretentious, smug, tiresome and intellectually bankrupt. 

“Imagine” should – no, must – be banned and all remaining copies of it destroyed.  Its continued existence makes mankind a stupider, more boring race.

Some shortsighted people might consider this assessment a bit harsh.  They are wrong.  Sure, it was a hit in 1971 and still today Imagine remains a radio staple.  It has sold millions of copies and inspired a legion of cover versions.  Rolling Stone even ranked it third on its roster of the Greatest Songs of All Time.

But these are not testimony to the song’s transcendent quality.  They are signs of the apocalypse.

The song begins with a dull piano chord progression that telegraphs to the listener that Something Waaay Profound is in-bound.  Then Lennon’s atonal voice pipes up.  Let’s leave aside the lyrics for a second – he sounds awful, like some over-earnest troubadour trying too hard to impress the four friends he guilted into coming out on a Wednesday to see him play his new tune over at the Common Grounds coffee house’s weekly open mike.

It’s so ponderous and booorrrinng, seeming to go on forever.  It’s the musical equivalent of passing a kidney stone, only not as much fun.

What was Phil Spector, who produced this mess, thinking?  Right now, he ought to be thinking that “Imagine” was the second biggest mistake of his life.

And the lyrics – give me a break.  Never have so many fawned so shamelessly over such utter nonsense.

The first lines are: “Imagine there’s no heaven/it’s easy if you try.”  No, it isn’t, because if there’s no heaven then there’s no hell, and we know that there’s a hell because when this song is playing we’re in it.

And how about “Imagine all the people/Living for today?”  Yeah, he’s put his finger on our problem – too many people planning ahead and preparing for the future.  This is the kind of powerful, incisive reasoning that led a guy who could take his pick of pretty much any woman in the world to shack up with Yoko Ono.  Let me put it another way for emphasis – this guy chose to see Yoko Ono naked.  Many times.  The only response to someone with that kind of judgment is to listen carefully to what he says and then do the exact opposite.

There’s also the gratuitous commie babbling:  “Imagine no possessions/I wonder if you can/No need for greed or hunger/A brotherhood of man/Imagine all the people/Sharing all the world.”  To quote a better song by the infinitely more talented Frank Zappa, a man with an admirable lack of patience for such treacle, gag me with a spoon.

I’m not sure of the Lennon timeline, but didn’t he write this nonsense about the same time he ditched England because of the tax bite he was taking to help pay for its socialist welfare state?  Sure, depriving a rapacious lefty government of revenue by moving to someplace with a more sensible tax rate is clearly the morally correct thing to do, but isn’t the transparent hypocrisy of this poser a bit much to stomach?

And if all that’s not insipid enough, we also get:  “You may say that I’m a dreamer/But I’m not the only one.”  Oh, please.

The most galling thing about “Imagine” is how it urges the listener to assume the mantle of that “dreamer,” thereby joining the ranks of the free spirits, bohemians and other assorted loafers, chislers and social parasites who are only too happy to belly up to the table that is our society but who are nowhere to be found when the check arrives:

“Sorry, I can’t be bothered to work to build something or to fight to defend anything – you see, I’m a dreamer, so you just let me know when you’ve gotten everything ready for me to enjoy.  Until then, I’ll be here relaxing on my parents’ sofa, pretending to read Gravity’s Rainbow. ”

The only bright spot is that so few folks actually seem to pay attention to its inane lyrics.  How else could one explain American Idol’s David Archuleta, the all-American Mormon kid, covering an ode to atheism that even Lennon conceded was pretty close to being the Communist Manifesto set to music?  Simon Cowell should have slapped him.  Several times.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of music out there that rejects this kind of hippie crap.  Sadly, for every one kid whose mind is opened by, say, The Clash or Husker Du, dozens more will sit slack-jawed and nodding vacantly at the moron-bait songs like “Imagine” dangle in front of them.

For me, I smile when I imagine a world without “Imagine.”  I guess that would make me a dreamer, except I have a job.

Present were swatches from every race, creed, color, age, and political and socio-economic background.  Conspicuously absent were members of the mainstream media who seem determined to continue treading a poison ivy laden path towards irrelevance.

The latest episode of PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery includes a surprise: criticism of communism.

The U.S. TV network PBS and the British Broadcasting Corporation, both government-owned, tend to soft-pedal the evils of communism while placing every imperfection of life in the United States under a microscope. Hence it’s rather noteworthy when those organizations air a program in which the central problems are traceable to communism. That’s what happened in last week’s episode of Masterpiece Mystery.

[Mild plot spoiler warning--'mild' because it won't fully identify the murderer.]

In “Music to Die For,” the latest episode of the smart and interesting British mystery series Inspector Lewis, coproduced by PBS and BBC, the killer turns out to have been an informer for the East German secret police, the Stasi, two decades earlier, who is trying to keep that past hidden.

Moreover, that is not merely an incidental aspect of the episode but in fact central to it. The evils of the Communist system, including the scarcity of material goods, the dreariness of life without hope of personal advancement and opportunities to use one’s talents to their fullest, and, in particular, the paranoia and personal corruption induced by the police-state government’s cultivation of a huge network of informers to identify alleged subversives are made quite clear and in fact set in motion the plot element that drives the entire story forward.

In addition to all of that, the episode, like the show in general, is intelligent, sophisticated, and morally sound, and it has an excellent plot and story line and strong central and supporting characters alike. Mixing Wagner, boxing, politics, boating, murder, and a police investigation, “Music to Die For” is entertaining while informing viewers about a subject not sufficiently often considered on U.S. television.

Inspector Lewis continues on Sunday nights through October 19, and is well worth watching.

It won’t make up for years of political bias, of course, but it’s a start.

Inspector Lewis: Recommended.

And I want to hire them immediately.

These women can navigate the tax code so well that they managed to gin up dependent child tax credits for underage El Salvadorian prostitutes.  They provided detailed instructions on how to obtain a low interest, government subsidized mortgage for a brothel.  They gave clever insight into laundering a pimp’s take of prostitute earnings into a campaign account for a would be Democratic politician.

I look at them, as an independent film producer, and think; “must hire.”

With these two on my side, imagine what I could accomplish.  My tax credit revenue would triple.  My financing schemes would abandon foreign pre-sales and network television deals and embrace government grants and subsidies.  Bureaucratic and confusing union paperwork would dissolve in their capable hands.  At the end of the first show, SAG and IATSE would owe me money.

Ladies, whatever ACORN was paying, I’ll double it!  And I’ll give you gross points.

Joking aside (and ask yourself, is he really joking?), this little video tells us a lot.  It’s not simply that ACORN is a corrupt and shady organization … we already knew that.  That’s no more a revelation than the fact that Lindsay Lohan has some issues with the drinky.  No, it shows us that the default mode of human nature is capitalism.  There is no way around it.

These women were supposedly working to benefit their community.  A noble and selfless pursuit.  What they were really adept at is gaming the system.  Just like an independent, scrappy filmmaker.

At the root of Communism and Socialism is the undeniable truth that there is always someone at the top.  Capitalism rewards ingenuity, smarts, and hard work.  Socialism rewards cronyism, manipulation, and collective thought.  If the politicians in Washington really believed that we should all “pitch in” as their policies dictate, why wouldn’t those millionaires donate their federal salaries to charity?  If they were really true believers they would live like monks, sleeping in their office and shopping at Goodwill.  Instead, they’re eating Kobe steaks and buying fracking jets!  Get real.

I’ve always been baffled by the fact that people who rabidly embrace Darwinism over Christian Doctrine don’t see Natural Selection at work in the political, economic, and social realms. That seems backwards to me. Shouldn’t the followers of Jesus, not Darwin,  be the ones who push for all of us to be “our brother’s keepers?” I can understand how a Christians can interpret their beliefs to gel with Ben Franklin’s “God helps those who help themselves,” but I can’t for the life of me figure out how “people of science and reason” have adopted the belief system that they have.

Communism and Socialism fly in the face of natural law.

All that I can conclude is that the Socialists and Communists have selected their ideology as a means to consolidate power and money.  They are averse to hard work and true entrepreneurialism and have found a shortcut to wealth and control.

Communism is Capitalism for schemers.  ACORN is no different than AIG.

As a side note, I would like to further commend the two women in the video.  We “typical white folks” get a sort of racist vibe from the whole ACORN thing, so I applaud those two African-American women for their treatment of the Caucasian pimp and his ho.  I can only hope that white ACORN workers show the same respect for all the black hustlers and trick-turners who seek their assistance.

So ladies, consider me impressed.  From one Capitalist to another, ready to work the system to our benefit, please consider my offer.  We kindred spirits need to stick together.

Zelaya would call for a vote known as the 4th Box, to change the constitution, eliminate term limits and give him greater power over the government. Deemed unconstitutional and unlawful by Congress and the Supreme Court, Zelaya ordered the ballots to be printed anyway, forcing the issue. Honduran printers refused to print the illegal ballots so Chavez offered printers in Venezuela, and for no extra charge the printers printed a “Yes” vote right in the box marked “Yes.” Zelaya then ordered Military General Romeo Vasquez to distribute the additional ballots to all the polling places. General Vasquez refused the order and was fired by Zelaya. Congress responded by saying he couldn’t be fired for following the law and refusing to obey an unlawful order. General Vasquez was promptly reinstated and the Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Zelaya for violating constitutional law. A Supreme Court judge accompanied the military in arresting Zelaya at his home so that his paid supporters could not start a riot. Zelaya was removed to prevent bloodshed and given the choice of what country to go to. He chose Costa Rica. 

Democracy defended, Dictatorship defeated… Not so fast. As with any bad sportsman, Zelaya would not go quietly and sought ways to regain power though a misinformation campaign (again funded by Chavez) saying there was a military overthrow while also paying people to create protests denouncing the government, the Church, and the military. Paid Zelayan supporters, wearing red, took to the streets and were ordered to riot and destroy businesses, stores and fast-food companies in the capitol, all with cameras rolling. Peaceful pro-government supporters, wearing blue and white, also held very large rallies all over the country in support of government action and the military, but they received very little media attention. They prayed together, thanking God for their country and the lack of bloodshed. 

Zelaya, the news reports said, tried to get back into Honduras by landing his plane in the capitol city airport, Tegucigalpa, where his paid supporters and the media were waiting to rush the gates and take back their leader. He was not allowed to land there. However, were he really interested in landing, there were three other airports he could have used but there would have been no media and supporters there and the effort would be lost.

A new election will be held in the fall where democracy will be exercised once again. Currently, President Roberto Micheletti is the Constitutional President of the Republic having been appointed by Congress. Zelaya issued an ultimatum this Monday stating that if he is not reinstated into power by the end of this week, then, “…there are other forms of actions we are already organizing for my return to the country at whatever cost.”

Supporter of Manuel Zelaya

Elvin Santos was the former Vice President, but he resigned well before any of this took place.  He would have seceded Zelaya in office.  Since they never replaced the Vice President, Micheletti was appointed. In the meantime Honduras is willing to stand alone against any sanctions placed upon her by Chavez, the US, or any other nation siding with Mel Zelaya. 

Hondurans (over 90%) are very proud of the stance their country took to preserve democracy and thwart attempts by Castro and Chavez to infect Central American nations with Communism, and we should be too. 

The Honduran people have told me again and again that what they want from the people of the United States is for us to pray for freedom and democracy … and for Honduras. 

I wonder if the US, faced with such a challenge, would rise up and defend our Constitution with the same fervor as Honduras from any attempt to change it into something else? 

May God bless Honduras and all nations that follow her brave example of steadfast loyalty to Truth, Democracy and the Rule of Law.