Happy Thanksgiving

If you think about it, Thanksgiving can be a lot like global politics. People pretend to like eachother in front of relatives, while looking for opportunities to make some passive aggressive comments and figuring out how far they can push their hosts. This doesnt apply to everyone, but I'm sure there is at least one in each gathering!

It seems that our old friend Blackwater (or Xe, as they like to be known as now), is at work for Uncle Sam again. VIP protection must have become boring, so now Blackwater is performing special ops missions alongside the CIA and the Special Ops Command. Those operations now include missions in Pakistan.

"The source, who has worked on covert US military programs for years, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has direct knowledge of Blackwater's involvement. The source said that the program is so "compartmentalized" that senior figures within the Obama administration and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its existence."

At the very least, they are conducting snatch missions and intelligence gathering (in a country we are not at war with). However, there have been persistent rumors of "false flag" operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Iran - acts of terrorism conducted by groups loyal to, or at least paid by, the US Govt.

Here's a gift idea for the person who has everything - The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
The Boston Globe has an interesting article on the book here

Which ex-president does this remind you of?

Democracy to Despotism

After watching and reading about stories of a certain ex-governor of Alaska and her supporters, I remembered a couple of vintage films which I'd like to show to you. In them, the ideas of respect, tolerance and equality are discussed, as is journalistic integrity! These are from the early post-war period, but it is never too late to get these ideals back.

Democracy



Despotism

Be Seeing You

The final installment of “The Prisoner” was shown on AMC last night, and after a wait of several years for this ‘re-interpretation’ of a classic, I’m sure it was a disappointment to many. Firstly, it was a huge undertaking (imagine trying to produce a re-make of The Godfather). Even with that in mind, the storyline was cliched in places and missed many opportunities.
No.2 carried the show, and I think Ian McKellen would have made a fine No.2 in the original show. No.2 delivered some great lines concerning apathy, and the true nature of humanity. He also commented that those who do not or cannot control their desires are easily controlled by their masters. Whether their masters are ‘the state’ or corporations (or whether they are now indistinguishable) was not specified.
No. 6 was a mere shadow of the real No.6 from the original. This was no quick witted, scheming, strong willed individual – just another pawn.
Was AMC’s The Prisoner a reflection on modern times? Is a dream-like, shallow experience which is crammed with advertisements (the irony!), and leaves you wondering what it was all for, a representation of the lives we lead? The original Prisoner was filmed in a time of political turmoil. Student revolts were occuring across Europe and in the US (which would soon escalate to the formation of the Red Brigades and state opression such as the Kent State Massacre), and the tense Cold War struggle continued. Even No. 6 did not know which side was running the village.
It seems to be that AMC consciously steered away from damning commentary on our corporations and politicians, and in doing so missed the point of The Prisoner.

Six of One..

...and half a dozen of the other. I've already read one article online comparing the AMC Prisoner and the 1967 classic, and by the time I've fished writing this, the 2009 version of The Prisoner will be on our screens. There have been rumours of a 'remake' of the original for several years (sometimes a movie, sometimes a series) and while it can't hope to be better than the original (haven't seen it? AMC allows you to watch the whole series here), the new version has a bigger budget and, I admit, better visual effects. Hopefully, on top of being enjoyable TV escapism, we'll have a reminder of the struggles of the individual (and society) against the state, and the corporations, which might even provoke a meaningful discussion or two.

Fans will find some great prisoner-related shirts here, and for true fans, here's a reminder of the real number six:



I am not a number, I am a free man!

Darkness

Today, I have an interesting documentary titled The History of The Devil for you. It explores how our beliefs have changed (or not?) over the centuries, and what we've done in the fight against evil.



George Carlin seems like the obvious choice to follow that, so of course I had to switch to Dave Allen with a childhood perspective:



Have we been manipulated and scared into belief in a god? Has religion been hijacked by politicians, or has it always been intertwined with politics?

Social Psychology and You

Here is a very interesting film on the basics of social psychology - how groups and leaders can affect, control and manipulate followers (you). It includes the famous Stanford Prison Experiment:



That video ties in quite well with The Shock Doctrine, a short film which explores very similar themese with an emphasis on control.



Finally, I'd like to add a longer documentary which I think will have more of an impact after watching the first two videos in today's blog. Entitled "New American Century" (yes, referring to the PNAC), it attempts to cover the events of the last few years and various points in US history, and is at times reminiscent of other great documentaries such as Iraq for Sale and Why We Fight, and even some of Adam Curtis' work.