S is for See this Movie

Government with a massive "moral values" stance that does its best to actually act rather immorally towards those w/o those values? Check.

Government with a second in command who is very military/gun happy? Check.

Government where people are arrested, held, tried and executed w/o due process? Check.

Government that is anti-art, anti-gay and anti-free speech? Check.
Where usage of said free speech to speak out against the government is not only unpatriotic, but tantamount to being in league with terrorists? Check.

You'd think that when Alan Moore wrote V for Vendetta in the early 80's he could see the future, or when the Wachowski, et al. Bros. adapted it to film this year they were pointing fingers decidedly other places than the story's setting of Great Britain.

Various "reputable" news agencies have already lambasted the film for "promoting terrorism." After watching it this weekend, I even had to remind a good friend of mine that the only differences between "terrorist" and "revolutionary" are perspective and history.

Do I condone activities that kill innocent people? Absolutely not.

I think the hijackers of 9/11, and all of the Al Qaeda are rightly labelled as terrorists and have no problem with our government wanting to take them out.

I continue to have problems with how our government treats most everyone else.

Criticizing your government doesn't make you a terrorist. Wanting change does not make you a terrorist (even if you want it swiftly, and dare it be said, revolutionary).

I left this movie honestly surprised that it was even released. Honestly, it's such a parable for where our country is definitely aiming itself, I couldn't believe that some censor out there didn't put a kibosh on it.

Despite criticism to the contrary, this movie does not idolize terrorism; the message isn't to change the world through blowing things up, and it isn't suggesting said notion is an ok one. This movie wants you to wake up (how very Matrix-y, actually). Recognize, as I started to with the very first post on this blog, that we are all of us human beings with human needs. We, all of us, need to remember that we control our government (or were supposed to--we are a representative government, not a democratic one). We need to stop allowing our civil liberties to disappear before they're all gone.