Justice in fiction vs reality. Learning from Watchmen, Chernobyl and The Good Place

By spocko, on November 25th, 2019%

I just watched Episode 6 of The Watchmen. My friend Greg Basta said it was impressive and I agree. I’ll watch it again after reading this EXCELLENT analysis by Melanie McFarland in Salon. HBO’s “Watchmen” trolls history and heroic whiteness in the most extraordinary episode yet

Watchmen Season 1, episode 6: This Extraordinary Being, Screencap HBO

I know that some people don’t like the super-hero genre and I totally understand why. What I like about this series (and this episode) is it explores who created these heroes and what function they serve for some people, but not all.McFarland’s piece brought insight I missed, enriching my experience. It’s a MUST read for fans of great TV cinema writing. It reminds me of the work of two of my favorite writers on TV and cinema, Matt Zoller Seitz and Mick LaSalle.

I was talking to some friends about the presidential race the other day. I recalled this comment from Joy Reid, but not the specifics, so I looked it up, Here’s the clip.

“So the idea of united and coming together, that sound fine for Pete Buttigieg to say to middle class white America that wants to come together . . . → Read More: Justice in fiction vs reality. Learning from Watchmen, Chernobyl and The Good Place

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US requires Ukraine to keep Javelin missiles 100’s of miles from battlefield

By spocko, on November 21st, 2019%

Remember those additional javelin missiles that Ukrainian President Zelensky wanted? It turns out that the US requires they be kept 100’s of miles from the battlefield. From an article in Foreign Policy on October 3rd, 2019 Far From the Front Lines, Javelin Missiles Go Unused in Ukraine

“Under the conditions of the foreign military sale, the Trump administration stipulates that the Javelins must be stored in western Ukraine—hundreds of miles from the battlefield. ”

“I see these more as symbolic weapons than anything else,” said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at Rand Corp. Experts say the conditions of the sale render them useless in the event of a sustained low-level assault—the kind of attack Ukraine is most likely to face from Russia.

A U.S. Marine fires a Javelin at a simulated enemy tank at Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii. (Photo: U.S. Marine Corps) From Raytheon Javelin Weapon System Gallery

So who wins with the sale of these missiles that aren’t available to use? Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. Each missile costs $109,000 each.

When the discussion of military aide came up Sen. John McCain taunted Obama for giving the Ukrainians “blankets and meals,” instead of lethal support. Trump . . . → Read More: US requires Ukraine to keep Javelin missiles 100’s of miles from battlefield

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Who charges Don Jr. and Breitbart for witness tampering? 

By spocko, on November 6th, 2019%

Wednesday Don Jr. linked to a Breitbart article naming the alleged Whistleblower.

“Don Jr., Thug That He Is, Outs Person He Claims Is Whistleblower” Following Rand Paul’s lead, Don Jr. decides to tweet out Breitbart’s article identifying the person they *think* is the whistleblower. That puts a target on the person’s back, whistleblower or not. By Aliza Worthington Crooks and Liars

I knew this was coming and it pisses me off. The good news is that most organizations have held off naming the person. But that doesn’t stop the intimidation.

Aliza Worthington addresses this excellently in this C&L piece, so I’ll repeat it here:

We won’t link to it here, because WE respect the law. WE recognize that the information might be incorrect. WE don’t want to put the target on the back of either a misidentified person, or a correctly identified whistleblower who is entitled to full legal protection of privacy and personal safety the president’s demon spawn just obliterated.

It’s worth noting that as of this writing, none of the cable news channels have reported this person’s name, either, even Fox News. (Though, it’s also worth noting that many on Fox News are saying the whistleblower is . . . → Read More: Who charges Don Jr. and Breitbart for witness tampering? 

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