This movie has been edited for content and to be run in time allotted...
You know, there are
certain movies which simply should not be played on
TV. I refer you now to the fact that my local
UPN station is showing
American History X for the seven-o'clock movie.
Now, in principle, I have no problem with that. I think it's a very good and well-made film. However, given the nature of its subject and the kinds of things normally censored on American television either by law or to prevent protest by angry consumers, I get the feeling that so much of it is going to be edited or completely cut as to make it a caricature of the original. Just offhand, this is what, in my opinion, may be either edited or cut out completely:
- Any use of the word 'nigger'
- Any depiction of a swatstika; in some instances this will require entire scenes to be removed
- Parts of several argument scenes
- Possibly, Danny's recitation of the "declaration of white superiority" or whatever it is
- The murder scene at the beginning
- The scene of Derek's, er, deflowering
- Parts of the fight at the "White Power" rally
- The entire final scene
In other words, they're probably going to cut a little less out of it than they would of, say,
The Search for the Snow Leopard. Of course, it can do without some of this (I can certainly do without seeing
Edward Norton's ass getting plowed, even if it isn't very graphic), but a lot of it is at the least mood-setting. I don't think you'll really get a sense of how deep the hate runs without it. Which pretty much is the point of the movie.
There are at least two cats who keep
trespassing into my
backyard - a gray one with a long tail, and a mottled reddish-brown one. I don't know what it is they find so fascinating about it, but I think they've been there almost every day for at least a month. The odd part is that they always seem to be there at around the same time; I always see them leaving sometime around 5-6PM while I'm preparing or eating
dinner. I've yelled at them a couple times, just to scare them, but instead of hurrying off they just stare at me. (Walking towards them at all, however, usually makes them take off on a mad dash.)
It wouldn't really bother me *that* much, except they've apparently decided that my backyard is just one big litterbox. Jazzy (my parents' dog) hasn't been here for something like six months, so I know little if any of the neatly-piled crap that I've found around the yard is from her. And what makes this even more irritating is that I'm pretty sure that these are not strays; they look pretty well-fed, and considering there isn't a whole lot in this neighborhood for a housecat to be hunting or foraging for, that indicates to me that they're owned by one (or more) of my neighbors. Considering I don't know whose they would be and that neither I nor my parents are on friendly terms with anybody here, though, it wouldn't make much sense for me to go around confronting anybody about it.
The
House bill, "
Recognizing the public need for fasting and prayer in order to secure the blessings and protection of Providence for the people of the United States and our Armed Forces during the conflict in Iraq and under te threat ot terrorism at home", passed 346-49. Every
Republican Representative voted yes for it except seven who abstained from voting. Nearly 3/4 of all voting
Democrats voted yes on it. (The one
Independent, Rep. Sanders, voted no.)
Quite apart from the church-state issues here, I'd just like to give the President, the House of Representatives, and the Senate (which will almost certainly pass it) a great big THANKS MUCHLY, FUCK OFF for verifying in the eyes of much of the rest of the world that this series of wars in the Middle East (and it *will* be a series by the time it's over) is at least partially religious in nature, thereby no doubt increasing the number of angry young Muslims who will be bent on America's destruction.
If you need me, I think I'll be going somewhere a little safer soon. Like Antarctica. At least there, only my own stupidity can get my killed.