Brothers

From 1988, a few verses by Dire Straits...

'Brothers in Arms'

These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arm

Through these fields of destruction
Baptism of fire
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell
And the moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die...

You take the High road and I'll take the Low road...

We all like to think of ourselves as humanitarians. Scotland with the release of Megrahi, the only convicted man of the Lockerbie bombing, stepped on it, into it and is now afloat in a sea of excrement. A news pundit analyzed that Megrahi had served approximately 11 days for each of the 270 people who were on the Pan Am flight when it exploded. Originally sentenced to a minimum of 27 years, Megrahi was released (after 8 years) because he has terminal cancer. The Brits initially on the sideline, denied any involvement in the decision, but Friday the BBC reported that the Brits had re-established oil talks with Libya. Oil. Hmmm. Sound familiar? Meanwhile, reports circulated that Megrahi was given a hero's welcome by Libyans waving both Libya and Scottish flags while tossing flower petals at the dis-embarking criminal. This set off another wave of criticism. It was like throwing gasoline onto a fire. What exactly was Edinburgh (London too) thinking? That they were taking the 'high road?' And the release of Megrahi would be viewed as the mother of all humanitarian acts? Speaking from personal experience, 'the high road' works only when the other party or parties are ignorant of the effort involved. It's satisfying and immensely private. There are no ulterior motives.

Cane Mutiny

The scourging at the pillar (Catholic or Christian) is not quite Station of the Cross material, but it's an event that is dramatized around the world during Easter.
Excluding the Singapore caning of the American teen who was found guilty of vandalism in 1994, the recent headlines have publicized the story of Lubna Hussein and 12 of her gal pals who have all been sentenced to 40 lashes for wearing pants to a cafe in Sudan. Most of the women were flogged several days later at the police station. Lubna is taking her case to court in an effort to strike down this law, which is arbitrarily enforced. After some digging I found that the Roman courts deemed 40 lashes the undertaker's ticket in flogging. Christ received 39 lashes from Pilate. The belief was that 40 was reserved for well you know, serious crimes, (flashing forward) like wearing pants in public. Away from prying eyes, women are traditionally doled out their lashes in private. Gender inflicted punishment under the guise of a religion or a culture is unacceptable and barbaric; when the world out there gets this right, women will be able to freely choose the burka or pants, and to walk unshackled in public. Don't hold your breath, though.

Contention

I'm in no hurry to rip through my current summer read; in fact, I limit myself to navigating several stories a night. It's called the 'pace' train. I'm drawing out the pages for as long as I can. The book I'm reading is not on any current best seller list; it's an unfashionable genre and topic. I picked up the book after reading an article on the author, screenwriter, Elmore Leonard. I was intrigued that the same man who wrote novels, 'Get Shorty,' 'Out of Sight,' and 'Rum Punch' (became the great cult film Jackie Brown) and a slew of other pulp fiction also wrote material which were made into some classic westerns like, 'Three-ten to Yuma' 'Hombre' and 'Valdez is Coming.' So one of my last errands while working the old job was to collect 'The Complete Western Stories' of Elmore Leonard from the shelf of the Main Library. The book was too good to give a pass to. I wanted to know how a writer went from point A, old Southwestern towns like Nogales, San Carlos, Yuma, and Contention to Point B, the streets of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Florida etc. The inside jacket of the book is plastered with retro covers of magazines that published the 30 short stories of the collection. Trade names like, 'Argosy,' 'Zane Gray's Western' 'Saturday Evening Post' and 'Western' jump off the page. I'm about two thirds through the book and love the style. Several weeks ago, TCM showed the original 1957 version of 'Three-ten to Yuma.' Glenn ford called it one of his favorite roles. I'm not sure just yet how Mr. Leonard morphed from those 2 points but I'm beginning to understand that characters of interest and depth can survey whatever landscape they're framed in and move on from there. It's the journey. And what a journey those westerns portray.

Stay Frosty

War is a drug. Those compelling words are the steppingstone for Kathryn Bigelow's film, 'The Hurt Locker.' Do yourself a favor, see this movie on the the big screen. It would be an injustice to confine the film to a 40 inch viewing. Shot on location in Jordan, 'The Hurt Locker' is a treatment of reporter, Mark Boal's script, and this is where parallel universes start to become eerily twilighty. In 2008, HBO rolled out a series, 'Generation Kill.' This was adapted by the 'Wire' duo, David Simon and Ed Burns from a book by Evan Wright who was embedded in Iraq (2003) with the 1st battalion Marine corps. Mark Boal the 'Hurt Locker' author was embedded in Iraq with a bomb disposal unit. 'Generation Kill' captures the first phase of the Iraq war in 2003. 'The Hurt Locker' is present day. Both stories are true and filmed in a stylized documentary mode. Who knew that the 21st century word, 'embedded' would provide the world with two stark hellish reports of invasion and war. Evan Wright's Marines are alpha; the bulls in your high school; the nightmare swagger of your worst dreams. Boal's Ordnance unit are glaciers in a crumbling deranged arena. One of the many points of interest is that 'The Hurt Locker' already garnering a s'load of awards is directed by the aforementioned, Kathryn Bigelow. I can't ever recall seeing a film of this genre carved out by a woman. However, interestingly, four of the seven episodes of 'Generation Kill' were directed by Susanna White. Can these women strap it on? Yes they can. Can they bring it? Indeed. I was watching a Western the other night, and the lead postulates to his sidekick that he is never going to be a quick draw, a good gunslinger because he had feelings. And that was the quintessential difference between them. Well, the 2 directors, Bigelow and White, redefine the psychological landscape of war with all it's crippling associations; they show us the claustrophobic world, the Humvee journey; it's their opera (s) and in their desert backdrop, there is crying allowed. Two powerful visions with classic range. Keep the glasses on them, boyz.

Thunder and Lightening on the track

Racing before a roaring crowd of 35,000 at Monmouth in Jersey, many of them(shamelessly swept up in Rachelmania) holding signs with her name, the filly, Rachel Alexandra won the Haskell on a sloppy surface, crushing the colts by 6 lengths and winning 2 ticks under the track record. In May, Rachel became the first filly in 85 years to beat the boys in the 2nd jewel of the triple crown, the Preakness. Why is this a phenomena? Because as in many sports, the sport of kings (ironically today it takes a king's ransom to breed and purchase a champion) is traditionally male dominated. Before the Breeder's Cup, there is and always will be the Triple Crown (the Almighty said that)! And the Triple Crown belongs to the colts unless your name is Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) or Winning Colors (1988) all fillies, all Kentucky Derby winners...or Rags to Riches, first filly in more than a century to win the Belmont. By the time colts are 3, they begin to muscle out; they are significantly taller than fillies. Racing tradition segregates the colts and the fillies. Competition is gender based. And 95% of the time that's a good thing. Thirty four years ago, I remember sitting in a house in Cali balling my eyes out after the great Ruffian, a monster of a filly standing 17 hands high, broke down in a match race against the colt Foolish Pleasure. That was a cruel cold day dictated by the racing gods. Those of us who carry that memory, recognize that this year something very special has been happening. Rachel Alexandra is torching thoroughbred racing. And, like her namesake, Alexander the Great, who after conquering much of the known world cried out for more worlds to vanquish, Rachel Alexandra and her connections may look around and perhaps see themselves in that unique position. With one exception. On the West coast waiting in the weeds is a 5 year old mare, Zenyatta. Thunder on the track. She has won 10 races in a row.