Strong Words, Softly Spoken

Guess who’s not coming to dinner
by Roger Ebert

I do not like you, John McCain. My feeling has nothing to do with issues. It has to do with common courtesy. During the debate, you refused to look Barack Obama in the eye. Indeed, you refused to look at him at all. Even when the two of you shook hands at the start, you used your eyes only to locate his hand, and then gazed past him as you shook it.
Obama is my guy. If you are rude to him, you are rude to me. If you came to dinner at my house and refused to look at or speak with one of my guests, that would be bad manners and I would be offended. Same thing if I went to your house. During the debate, you were America’s guest.

What was your problem? Do you hold this man in such contempt that you cannot bear to gaze upon him? Will you not even speak to him directly?
Do you think he doesn’t have the right to be running for President?
Were you angry because after you said you wouldn’t attend the debate, he said a President should be able to concern himself with two things at the same time? He was right. The proof is, you were there. Were you angry with him because he called your bluff?

During the debate, Jim Lehrer repeatedly called upon both candidates to speak directly to each other. Obama looked at you. He addressed you as “John,” which as a fellow senator is his privilege. His body language was open. You stared straight ahead, or at Lehrer, or into space. Your jaw was clinched. You had a tight little smile, or a grimace, or a little shake of your head.

I had to do two things at once while watching the debate. I had to listen to what was being said. And I had to process your rigid and contemptuous behavior. If you were at a wedding and the father of the groom refused to look at or speak to the bride, how would that make you feel? Especially if you were the father of the bride?

You made a TV commercial showing the moments Obama agreed with you.
Everybody knows he did. Did his agreement show honesty, or weakness?
It is significant that you said it proved he was not ready to lead.
What is the better leadership quality: (1) Willingness to listen to your opponent, and keep an open mind? (2) Rigidly ignoring him? Which of the two of you better demonstrated the bipartisan spirit you say you represent? Was there anything he said that you agreed with? Could you have brought yourself to say so?

I’m not the only one who noticed your odd, hostile behavior. Just about everybody did. I’m sure many of your supporters must have sensed the tension. Before the debate, pundits were wondering if you might explode in a display of your famous temper. I think we saw that happen, all right, but it was an implosion. I have instructed my wife to exclude you from any future dinner parties.

I just want to say that I wholeheartedly agree with what Ebert said. Watching the debate, I was pretty appalled that McCain didn’t have the decency to look his opponent in the eye. It was, in one word, rude.

Considering they held the debate at an SEC school, they should’ve hit him with unsportsmanlike conduct. 15 yard penalty. 4th down. Time to punt.

I just watched the interview that Katie Couric did with Sarah Palin and I still haven’t picked my jaw up off the floor.  THIS is who McCain deemed most fit to be the Vice President of the United States?  REALLY?

I don’t claim to be the most knowledgable person in the world when it comes to politics.  There’s so much that I don’t know or don’t understand.  That didn’t stop me from being just flabbergasted at some of the things she was saying.  First off…it really gives me reason to worry when she says that our reason for fighting terrorism is not just to keep the people safe, but to promote democratic values and ideals all over the world.  Listen lady…democracy isn’t the answer for everyone everywhere.  Fight terrorists for the right reasons – because they’re extremists who are a danger to American citizens.  NOT because they don’t live the democratic way of life.  That’s ridiculous.  Not to mention arrogant.

Also, and this is what makes my head really spin, her take on Israel invading Iran is just asinine.  She said that we shouldn’t second guess Israel’s decision to attack Iran because we don’t want to give off the impression that we’d allow another holocaust.

………………………………………WHAT?

That makes absolutely ZERO sense.  ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE.  So, if we go by Palin’s reasoning…Israel can attack anyone and we shouldn’t second guess that decision because, if we do, it would be implying that we’d let another holocaust occur.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

And I could go into the Kissinger thing…but that speaks for itself.  I just couldn’t believe she was that ridiculously off the mark.  I cannot wait for the Vice Presidential debate on Thursday.  CAN NOT WAIT.

Moving on….

The Sidewalk Film Festival was this past weekend and I would give my review on it here, but I wrote a review for the al.com film blog.  Thanks again Ginger

Read my review here:

http://blog.al.com/zoomout

The only thing I’d like to add that I didn’t touch on in the al.com review because it involves my own film and I didn’t want to be “that girl” that was publicizing her own film in her festival review….I was really disappointed in the block of films that screened with ours.  To me, it went from being a “Funny Ha-Ha” block to the “Funny Crude Potty Humor” block.  A few here and there are fine, but almost every single film was the same and after 10 of them, it just got very old and people started leaving before ours was even shown.  I felt it was poor planning on Sidewalk’s part for putting so many films that are almost identical in the same block.

Good festival overall.  A good time was had.

Last but not least: Hell is For Bastards has a website! Go to www.hellisforbastards.com. Right now it’s just a myspace page, so if you’re on myspace go be-friend us.

Our short film, Hell is For Bastards, is showing at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival this Saturday, 9/27/08 at 4pm at the Alabama Showplace. The address is 1817 3rd Ave N in Birmingham, AL. The venue is located right beside the Alabama Theatre.

We’re showing in a local comedy shorts block – meaning it’s us and several other short comedic films so it should be a good time. Please come out and support us. Tickets are $8. More information can be found at www.sidewalkfest.com.

Also, we’re turning Hell is For Bastards into a web series. Check out www.hellisforbastards.com. Right now that links you to our myspace page, so if you’re on myspace be sure to check us out and friend request us. We also have a Facebook group. Just look up Hell is For Bastards in the groups section. Please spread the word.

Thanks – hope to see everyone on Saturday!