Category: human rights

inspired by Lincoln

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, ethics, government, human rights, travelLeave a comment

No President, not even Washington, inspires Americans more than honest Abe.

There are well over 15,000 books written about him.

Ford Theater bookstore

I visited the Lincoln Memorial twice. It’s very popular at dusk.

His statue could not be more impressive.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Gettysburg Address

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention were hosting an Out of the Darkness Walk here when I visited.

In 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I have a dream…” speech here.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal’.

Lincoln’s work is far from finished. He needs inspire many more for many generations to come.

Has the USA already peaked?

On By Rick McIn economics, government, human rights, things getting worse, travelLeave a comment

Some argue that the USA peaked in the 1990s.

Under Trump it certainly seems that the States now have far less world authority and moral influence. Americans consider their politicians corrupt and ineffective.

The Republican / Democrat split solidified by gerrymandering would seem to make gridlock inevitable.

But having toured Washington DC the past 3 days, I’m not so sure the USA is on permanent decline.

My favourite attraction on the mall was the Washington Monument.

Very inspiring.

It’s the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk.

George Washington is inspiring too:

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.

Like the USA, the Washington Monument has problems. $2-3 million is needed to modernize the elevator.

Has the USA peaked? For some reason I think the best is yet to come.

The nation will have to rally around one leader and Party. A fiscally conservative Democrat. Or moderate Republican.

Dinosaurs like Jeff Sessions will need to go extinct for the nation to move forward. Trump is the worst American leader of all time. By far. The sooner his regime ends, the better.

neo-Nazis in southern California

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, things getting worseLeave a comment

The twist on these Nazi wannabes is that they are into inflicting physical violence.

For some reason authorities haven’t done much yet to put them in jail. Or back in jail. Many have a criminal history.

Guys like this are energized by Trump, of course.

Racist, Violent, Unpunished: A White Hate Group’s Campaign of Menace

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

 

The Bridge (U.S. TV series) – season 2

On By Rick McIn government, human rights, travel, travel Mexico, TVLeave a comment

I loved season 1 and had high expectations for season 2.

Many critics liked season 2 better. I found it muddled. Disjointed. There were too many characters. Plot too fuzzy.

Still … for me it was well worth watching. But I’m not surprised there was no season 3.

I’ll next watch Bron, Broen … the Scandinavian crime television series on which this American version was based. It’s headed into it’s 4th season.

 

whatever happened to racist Kellie Leitch?

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, humourLeave a comment

Recall the Canadian version of Donald Trump?

She got 6% in the recent Conservative leadership campaign. There’s not much of a market for hateful intolerance in the Great White North.

Click PLAY or watch a This Hour has 22 Minutes spoof on YouTube.

That bit is making fun of her eight-minute campaign video which, if anything, is even worse.

Kellie Leitch should leave politics and return to her medical practice.

The Handmaid’s Tale

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, GOP USA, government, human rightsLeave a comment

Excellent.

A good example of how the great story telling in 2017 is on TV not on film.

If you want to muse on gender equality watch Handmaid’s Tale not Wonder Woman.

This show’s success is mostly Elisabeth Moss. She carries a high percentage of the scenes.

All the casting is superb.

Personally I feel the detailed cinematography and careful sound track are too precious. I wish filmmakers would concentrate on the story and stop showing off so much.

The pacing is too slow for me, as well.

Still … it’s must watch TV in 2017.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Gilead is a theocracy run by extremists from the American Religious right.

1. The parallels to Trump’s America are glaring and deliberate. …

2. It’s a parable about male privilege.

3. There will be changes from Atwood’s book.

4. The cinematography is both stunning and specific.

5. The Republic of Gilead parallels Puritanism. …

Why The Handmaid’s Tale Is Destined to Be 2017’s Dystopian Hit

related – 8 Questions We Really Want Answered in The Handmaid’s Tale’s Second Season

Religious Leaders call for friendship

On By Rick McIn education, ethics, friends, government, human rights, Islam, things getting better, travelLeave a comment

World’s Top Religious Leaders Issue Rare Joint Appeal

“Our advice is to make friends to followers of all religions.”

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Racists tend to ghettoize. Cling to people who look and think like themselves.

On The Media audiocast

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, education, ethics, human rights, product endorsementsLeave a comment

On The Media is my favourite podcast.

WNYC’s weekly investigation into how the media shapes our world view. Veteran journalists Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield give you the tools to survive the media maelstrom.

The most recent episode  is super —  This is Not a Safe Space. It explores the issues of students feeling safe on campus and academic freedom of speech.

 

White male patriarchy results in bullying on campus for anyone who is not a white male. Something like 1/5 women will STILL be sexually assaulted in their College years.

 

We want all students to feel safe while simultaneously protecting freedom of speech. The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

Snowden – the movie

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, moviesLeave a comment

I’ve had mixed feelings about Snowden himself. Watching the film was one way to learn more.

Sorry to say I ended up not much more enlightened. You can call him a a hero, a whistleblower, a dissident, a traitor and a patriot. All true. Certainly he’s a criminal.

I’d like to think I would have done the same thing … in his position.

His girlfriend Lindsay Mills is a much more interesting character. She’s an acrobat.

Snowden’s “breaking point” was “seeing the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, lie under oath to Congress”. That’s shown in the film. Initially hopeful that Obama would improve things, ultimately he gave up on him.

Snowden was right, of course.

N.S.A. Collection of Bulk Call Data Is Ruled Illegal

Trump’s pick for CIA director has called for Snowden’s execution.

I’ve been following Glenn Greenwald over the past couple of years. He’s smart. But accurately depicted in the film as a jerk.

In the movie Snowden smuggles the classified information hidden in a tile in his Rubik’s cube. That may not be how he did it.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Snowden is a 2016 German-American biographical political thriller film directed by Oliver Stone and written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald, based on the books The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. …

For his role as Snowden, Joseph Gordon-Levitt pledged to donate his entire salary from the film to “help facilitate the conversation” about the relationship between technology and democracy  …

Due to fear of interference by the National Security Agency, Stone decided to shoot the film mostly outside of the United States …

Snowden received mixed reviews from critics, but Gordon-Levitt’s performance garnered critical praise. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 61%