Sci-Fi Western - the next great Genre!

I was thinking about writing another political blog tonight, based on a discussion I had today with an Obama disciple, but I am still too annoyed about that conversation to write a blog about it.

So instead, I will talk about one of the new really fun movies out there.  This movie would be "Cowboys & Aliens", which turned out to be surprisingly good.  Will this usher in a new genre of Sci-Fi Westerns???  Well, I hope so, but if not, at least this was a really solid movie.

When I first saw the trailer for "Cowboys & Aliens" during the 2011 Super Bowl, I scoffed a bit.  I was really skeptical, but I thought actors like Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig wouldn't be in a movie that is stupid, so I decided I would give it a shot.  But, then I got busy and never got around to watching it, until a few nights ago.

"Cowboys & Aliens" opens with amnesiac gunslinger Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) alone in the desert.  Soon, Lonergan wanders into the town of Absolution, and after "rocking the boat" a bit, gets caught up in a crisis when the town is attacked by demons (a.k.a. aliens).  The aliens are kidnapping humans and experimenting on them.  So, the townsfolk, led by Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde), set out to track down the "demons" and get their people back.  They are soon joined by Lonergan, who with his mysterious wristband weapon and flashback memories seems to be the key to stopping the invaders.

As Nuke put it, this movie starts out as a great western and Daniel Craig is an awesome cowboy.  But then it gets weird when aliens show up and all of the sudden and POW!!!!...we have a Sci-Fi movie on our hands.  I didn't find it weird at all...instead I really enjoyed the nice balance struck between western and sci-fi.  As stated above, Daniel Craig is a really great cowboy.  Harrison Ford is good in what turns out to be a very different role for him.  The rest of the cast is solid as well.

I liked "Cowboys & Aliens" a lot.  I almost rated it 5 stars, but then cooler heads prevailed and I settled on 4.4 stars.  I highly recommend this movie to all Sci-Fi and Western movie fans.

Freedom of Religion?

This blog is to my fellow Catholics.  You know who you are...you are the liberal Catholics that supported President Obama in the 2008 election and John Kerry before him.  You are the Catholics who told me that we didn't need to worry about Obama's pro-choice public stance because privately he is pro-life and that he is open to conversation about the pro-life issues in a way other Democrats have not been.  You are the Catholics that told me that the social programs widely supported by the Democrats and Obama were the most important reason to vote for Barack Obama.

You didn't listen to me when I told you that Obama was a Democrat first and foremost and that he would toe the party line, no matter the cost.  You didn't listen to me when I said that Jesus didn't tell us to vote for people who would "feed his sheep" (see John 21:15-17), he told us to do it.  We aren't free of our responsibility because we voted for some guy who promises to take other people's money and give it to the poor...we still have to get off our butts an act.  I wonder if you wish you would have listened to me a little more carefully?  Or are you one of those people who still blindly believes what Barack Obama says.

Here's why I ask...late last week, the Obama administration through the Health and Human Services (HHS) department, essentially declared war on religion and specifically the Catholic Church.  This war stems from a mandate requiring all employers to provide health insurance for their employees that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but practically makes them free.  Before this ruling came out, Obama called Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York to give him the news.  As a supposed olive branch, the Obama administration gave the Catholic church an extra year to implement this.  Archbishop Dolan said something along the lines of "President Obama gave us an extra year to figure out how to violate our conscience."

I can't imagine that many of you Catholic Obama supporters are thrilled with this.  Even the most liberal Catholic leadership is speaking out against the President.  Cardinal Roger Mahoney, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles and a known liberal said that he "cannot imagine a more direct and frontal attack on freedom of conscience" - and he has urged people to fight this law.  Another liberal Catholic, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, FL has vowed that he will drop insurance coverage for diocesan workers rather than comply.  They are joined in outrage by the leaders of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, which combined employ approximately 70,000 people nationwide.

So, liberal Catholics everywhere?  Are you happy with this decision by the Obama administration?  Are you happy that the President has basically given the middle finger to the idea of freedom of religion and conscientious objection?  You should be outraged.  You should be giving all the Republican candidates a hard look right now.  You should be praying that Obama will be voted out of office later this year.  Finally, you should write President Obama immediately and tell him how disgusted you are with this mandate!  People like me will never be able to stop this madness, but when Obama loses you, his precious supporters, he will have to take notice and listen.

Not Newt!!!

So, Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.  What once looked like a runaway for Mitt Romney became a race this week after Iowa recounted the votes and found that Rick Santorum actually won, and then Newt won South Carolina.

Newt Gingrich makes me feel icky all over, and now my nightmare scenario seems to be happening.  Whoever wins South Carolina generally wins the nomination.  If Newt wins the Republican Nomination, right now, I fee like I have to vote 3rd party.  I know that Newt cheated on his previous wives and was reprimanded by Congress for ethics violations.  If you will cheat on your wife, what won't you cheat on?  What wouldn't you do to get elected? 

I read today that many Conservatives don't support Romney because he has been bad on abortion in the past and he signed health care legislation in Massachusetts that is similar to Obamacare.  He has repeatedly said that he is Pro Life and that what was right for Massachusetts is not necessarily right for the entire country.  People don't believe Romney has changed, despite evidence that overall Romney is a good family man and someone who could be trusted to do what he says he will do.  Newt on the other hand has given us no reason to trust him, yet for some reason, "Conservatives" say they believe he will be better than Romney.  I just don't get it!!!

As a Christian, I know I should forgive Newt and give him a 2nd chance.  Because of that, he will have an opportunity to show me that he's changed, but it's going to take some serious evidence of repentance for past mistakes for me to support Gingrich for the highest office in the land.

If the election were today, and my choice was between Barack Obama and Newt Gingrich, I'd vote Constitution or Liberatarian party in a heartbeat.  I'm done voting for the lesser of 2 evils...and frankly if the choice were Obama or Gingrich, I'd have a hard time deciding which is the lesser of 2 evils.