Movie Review: V for Vendetta (2005)

Inspirational classic (to be) on social justice 10/10
Reviewed by Brian R. Wright [original review 20070622]

Screenplay by Andy Wachowski,
Larry Wachowski
Directed by James McTeigue

Natalie Portman … Evey
Hugo Weaving … V
Stephen Rea … Finch
Stephen Fry … Deitrich
John Hurt … Adam Sutler

People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people.—V

Editor’s Note 7/4/2018 — There is none higher for an Independence Day moviethon; I also recommend Last of the Mohicans and a fair number of the other movies I review.

Editor’s Note 4/4/2011— I’m using V for Vendetta in lieu of my regular column this week. Every time I view the movie, I get more out of it. Pick up little statements or nuances missed the previous time. For example, on this most recent occasion (yesterday) it dawned on me how close American society is approaching the police state methods of this fictional theocratic-fascist England of the future: black bags, beatings, SWAT teams with benign mottos, warrantless searches, breaking down doors, hauling people away without trial never to be seen again, the complicit media, and the docile, cowering population. I wish for a real V to right these wrongs and fight for justice, free the political prisoners. Growing impatient am I for the restoration of the Republic. [Note, it also occurs to me how parallel the fictional government’s intentional killing of its own citizens was to our own government’s orchestration of the self-murderous 9/11 attacks.] — bw

In the early days of Free State existence we were all excited by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) next cinematic innovation. What better to follow a work of sci-fi Kung Foo mysticism than a work of sci-fi swashbuckling libertarian justice. (I include a passage on our night to out to see V in Merrimack, in my book New Pilgrim Chronicles.) Continue reading

Guest Column: Independence Week Brief

Educated Federal Income Tax in Three Easy Steps
By Pete Hendrickson [Thanks to Tim for posting in the Virginia CtC Forum]

We all need to determine whether our earnings fall under the category of taxable income, which is to state, as a consequence of federal privilege… or whether they are ours by right, hence not income (as defined by the statutes and regulatory code). I’m referring the following checkpoints as a public service.

When our earnings are not income, then please do not treat them as such: Learn the process by which to retain and/or reclaim all rightfully earned property. DO NOT PAY WHAT YOU DO NOT OWE! Our republic depends on it.

Image courtesy Doreen Hendrickson, who has mercifully been returned to us by kidnappers of the DOJ and judicial prosecutocracy. Please distribute the brochure that this image graces to everyone you know and care for… especially liberty-oriented pundits and commentators of stature. Hard copy here:

http://brianrwright.com/CtC.pdf

Entire Legal And Practical Truth About The Income Tax In Three Short Sentences

Focus on these simple points and you can teach anyone the truth about the tax.

  1. The income tax is an excise.
  2. Excise taxes are taxes on the gainful exercise of privileges.
  3. You probably didn’t earn your money by exercising any taxable privilege (or earned very little that way).

Inarguable (and nowhere disputed) proof of the first two statements above can be found concisely spelled-out in this little seven-page document. Whether the third is true for any particular person can be determined by consulting this guide to understanding “income-taxable privilege.”

Donut Whole: Saki on Cats

The Achievement of the Cat
Referred by Rose

Saki (HH Munro) has fascinated me since 10th grade, so prolific the volume of his literary works considering his short life (46).  I finally got his fat collection of essays — all super-short, entertaining, sassy or thought-provoking — with a general preference for all animals over adults (particularly aunts lol) … This below is one of his few more serious ones, his insightful grasp and appreciation of the nature of cats   — rose   

Who knew? A gap in my education to be sure. In 9th grade, I’d begun my Independents’ Journey, from a Bookmobile in Timbuktu, Oklahoma, where I picked up a book on Barry Goldwater and took up that cause leading to several more. The sad story is I missed so much of the artistic side of the human potential. I’m wholly on board with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Saki here… — Ed.

The Achievement of the Cat

In the political history of nations it is no uncommon experience to find States and peoples which but a short time since were in bitter conflict and animosity with each other, settled down comfortably on terms of mutual goodwill and even alliance. The natural history of the social developments of species affords a similar instance in the coming-together of two once warring elements, now represented by civilised man and the domestic cat.

The fiercely waged struggle which went on between humans and felines in those far-off days when sabre-toothed tiger and cave lion contended with primeval man, has long ago been decided in favour of the most fitly equipped combatant—the Thing with a Thumb—and the descendants of the dispossessed family are relegated today, for the most part, to the waste lands of jungle and veld, where an existence of self-effacement is the only alternative to extermination.

But the felis catus, or whatever species was the ancestor of the modern domestic cat (a vexed question at present), by a master-stroke of adaptation avoided the ruin of its race, and ‘captured’ a place in the very keystone of the conqueror’s organization. For not as a bond-servant or dependent has this proudest of mammals entered the human fraternity; not as a slave like the beasts of burden, or a humble camp-follower like the dog. Continue reading

Book Review: Unearthing Atlantis, 3d Edition (2017)

An Archaeological Odyssey to the Fabled Lost Civilization
By Charles Pellegrino [Reviewed by Brian R. Wright]

When it comes to hard evidence and breathtaking scope of delivery, there is none higher…

Reading Unearthing Atlantis is a transcendent experience, very similar to how I felt when I first read The Longest Walk (2015) by George Meegan,[1] for slightly different reasons:

Mr. Meegan’s adventure was a down-to-earth journey touching large numbers of everyday people from different worlds, which he experienced in real time. His life became intertwined with their lives, and inspired George to dedicate himself to a mission of preservation of peoples’ unique cultures and languages—bringing out the best in all humanity via true noncompulsory ‘education.'[2]

Dr. Pellegrino, while similarly sharing in the lives of men and women, these ones going about their arduous scientific-discovery business around the world, communicates their work and discoveries—not only in the context of archaeology, but paleontology and cosmology as well. He’s an amazing writer with an exceptional ability to draw you high above the mundane while at the same time dwelling in it, reveling in it… rigorously. Further, he skillfully condenses eons of time in a bottle, rather a priceless vase, belonging to our wealthy, erudite neighbors, on an island in the Aegean Sea, in 1628 B.C., who had to leave their precious homes suddenly due to one of the world’s major supervolcanoes.

Sadly, these neighbors of ours turned to vapor in the next 24 hours, so we can only converse with them now indirectly in what they left behind. Continue reading

Movie Review: National Bird (2017)

They hate us because we blow all to hell their men, women, and children
Reviewed by Brian R. Wright

This film just fell into my lap one night as I was visiting a lady friend. She had downloaded it from PBS, where I believe you can watch it for free [Nope, the deal expired there]. I’m guessing it’s widely available on YouTube as well [Nope, as well. But trailers and clips are readily available and the full movie can be watched on your PC/TV for a $3.99 fee… extremely reasonable].

Basic Description per PBS:

National Bird follows the dramatic journey of three whistleblowers determined to break the silence around one of the most controversial issues of our time: the secret U.S. drone war, which has been waged globally for more than a decade. The film, executive produced by Errol Morris and Wim Wenders, gives rare insight into the program through the eyes of veterans and survivors, to explore the complexities of drone warfare from a human perspective.

“At the center of the film are three U.S. military veterans — Heather, Daniel, and Lisa. Plagued by guilt over participating in the killing of faceless people in foreign countries, each decides to speak out publicly, regardless of the consequences. Their stories take dramatic turns, leading one of them to Afghanistan, where she learns about a tragic incident involving drone warfare. But her journey also gives hope for peace and redemption.

National Bird explores the difficult circumstances faced by military personnel involved with combat drones, the use of which has transformed modern warfare. Missions are highly classified, and there are no official counts of military or civilian casualties. The need for operators and intelligence analysts is increasing, yet their experiences and perspectives have been largely neglected because of their distance from the battlefield. While it may be true that these veterans don’t sustain battlefield injuries, their psychological wounds can be substantial, leading some to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Pilots and analysts observe airstrikes live and in detail, including the aftermath, when survivors pick up human remains for burial. Yet due to the secrecy of their positions, they are prohibited from discussing the details of their experiences with anyone — even their psychiatrists. For some veterans these constraints are too much to handle.”

My Personal Reaction

Continue reading

Guest Column: Trade War Distraction

Trade war provides perfect cover for the elitist engineered global reset
by Brandon Smith [via column for Bob Livingston News]

Over the past several months, I have been examining the underlying or hidden motivations behind the currently expanding global trade war, including the impressive level of cognitive dissonance surrounding the issue. The initial reaction in conservative circles was unfortunately denial, with many refusing to call the situation a “trade war” at all and some predicting an end to the conflict before it began. Obviously the assumptions are proving incorrect.

Now that acceptance of the trade war as a reality is setting in, the Trump bandwagon is doubling down and embracing blind enthusiasm for what they assume will be a victorious outcome, no matter how long it takes. Though the team-geopolitics mentality is enticing, I don’t find much in the facts and evidence department to support the notion of America winning a global trade war. As I outlined in my article America’s Debt Dependence Makes It An Easy Economic Target, as long as the U.S. retains historic levels of debt on government, corporate and consumer levels, and as long as we remain addicted to either foreign investment in that debt, trade war opponents have all the ammunition they need.

The argument I now see regurgitated over and over is that this trade war has actually been going on for decades, and only now do we “have a president with the guts to do something about it.” I’m not sure where this nonsense meme was started, but it’s everywhere.

The U.S. has not been engaged in a trade war “for decades,” not with China or any other nation. It has been involved in a subversive trade arrangement which benefits the elitists on both sides of the world while the common people suffer. Only in the past year have we seen a “trade war” develop, but even now, it is a staged war that will once again empower international banks and global elites. Continue reading

Donut Wholes: Brian Wright Campaign for State Rep, 2018

BRIAN R. WRIGHT
38TH DISTRICT STATE REP
2018 CAMPAIGN

This column is my campaign brochure, and the three-panel brochure is located here:

http://brianRwright.com/BW38th.pdf

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts… Can’t Lose!

Some will recognize this Dillon Panthers’ team cheer from the NBC series, Friday Night Lights. These fighting words express why I’m running… to help us to:

  • SEE thru the ‘Barrier Cloud
  • IGNITE our independent spirits
  • WIN by discarding our self-chains

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” Political problems start and end with the individual. If YOU choose to think for yourself, WE win… no matter who takes office.

High Level: Independents Rising

In 2016, I wrote a novel, The Truman Prophecy, which foresees a benevolent, abundant future for human beings of independent consciousness—Independents. We achieve this “Billion + Points  of Light” society per The Wizard of Oz (1939) analogy:

  1. Toto retracting the Wizard’s curtain,
  2. Dorothy chastising the Wizard,

  … and The Truman Show (1998) analogy:

  1. Truman realizing and rejecting being a ’Collared’ slave living for others.

So 1) Truth, 2) Justice, 3) Liberty. You can’t have one without the others. The key is easy, and we can all do it: lose the inner chains, the self-removing mind-control collars that Teacher.gov clamped on our necks in kindergarten… and “Indie up.”

As described in the positions section,  Michigan’s success lies in “People Taking Charge” of their government via First Principles’ grand juries.

Diane McGilvery, former two-term mayor of Whitehouse, Ohio, has written the core book on American First Principles, What is the Foundation?, and my companion piece is  The Accountability Project, for practical rollout of people’s grand juries in Michigan. Continue reading