RECENT MOVIES

I try to see a movie a week, usually on Friday. My two favorites this year are Crash and The March of the Penguins, though a few others could also be recommended.

The last two weeks I've been disappointed with North Country and Dreamer. There seems to be a bad trend here: Take a true story, "base" a story on it, sign up a few great actors, make a killer trailer, and promote like hell. It doesn't work for me. Each of these films suffers from its own flaws but they share the common flaw of not being believable in the details. And I don't feel like spending an hour on the internet searching out the true story, if there even is one true story.

North Country tries to tell way too many stories. Just as I am getting het up about her bad treatment at the mine I am asked to get het up about her relation with her father or her high school sexual history, and on and on. And I can't buy Dreamer until I actually see the Racing Form charts on the filly or mare, whichever she is supposed to be.

I say see these two movies only at the economy hour and if nothing better is being shown, or if you must get out of the rain and need a couple hours to yourself.

THE NEWSPAPER, THE CITY, HER MAYOR, AND HIS LOVERS

It's a classic witch hunt and Spokane loves it. A certain Jim West returns to Spokane like a bomb in a suitcase, from his job as a State Senate leader . And the bomb goes off. The man was on the local political scene earlier as a councilman in the "weak mayor" system. But now he's our mayor in the new "strong mayor" system. And it seems Mayor Jim is a sexual wildman only posing as an upright - and even uptight - citizen which is too, too much for our monopolized print media. Of course, the fact that Mayor Jim is disposed to same-sex sex makes him an easy mark. The Spokesman-Review has put him in their sights and is beating the bejesus out of him.

For me, West was my last choice among the five candidates in the last election. But it makes me shiver to see what a newspaper can do with allegations, innuendos, and misplaced headlines. Even if Jim West is guilty as sin and deserves to lose the upcoming recall election, that does not excuse the newspaper's efforts to whip up a mob to carry out the recall and trashing. The man has had no fair and impartial hearing. The whole affair reminds me of "The Oxbow Incident," or of many historical incidents such as the Sacco&Vanzetti case. True, it does not seem West is going to be executed, but not because the Review has kept him from it.

YESTERDAY WAS A VERY BAD DAY

1. The U.S Senate again opposed an increase in the starvation wage.

2. Condie Rice continued on her lie binge to Congress. We do not want to keep troops in Iraq?

Sacco and Vanzetti Case

Looking for opinions and any info not generally available on the Sacco&Vanzetti case.

I have some pet theories of my own, such as: The key to understanding much of the case lies in just what Sacco and Vanzetti were doing out the night of their arrest. I believe neither the prosecutions theory nor the defense's official explanation.

Also, I believe that the Communists had more than just something to do with Fred Moore's firing. They did not want the true culprits found; and coincidentally, Sacco and Vanzetti did not either, possibly suspecting who they were and not wanting to be identified in any way with those who might help the hated police.

Moore dug himself a big hole he couldn't get out of. By the way, there is much misinformation out there about Moore.

Hi- My name is Ron Myers. My interests and the things I want to comment on are these: Political theory, especially as related to anarchism as a branch of socialism. Poker. Movies. Mary S helley. Cosmology. The Sacco and Vanzetti case. The danger to society of a belief in gods. Any gossip. What's going on in Spokane or New York.

Anyway, this is what I come up with for starters.

Questions bothering me right now:

1. How did Thomas Sowell ever get to be considered a thinker rather
than a bitter hatchet man for the right?

2. How can we all be trusted to make economic and political decisions
when so few of us can understand string theory?

3. How did Pinker get led so far astray when he had Chomsky so
readily available?

4. How can I get people to realize political parties will never be
the answer?

5. How can any progressive back Hillary Clinton?



Three books that help inform my opinions are:

1. Community, Anarchy, and Liberty by Michael Taylor.

2. Is Democracy Possible? by John Burnheim.

3. The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod.

Anyone out there who has also been influenced by any of these books? The truth is very subtle and these books are immensely helpful at getting a clearer picture of our political options.