V

Note : This post was originally done over a year ago but never posted

This post isn't so much about what pisses me off as it is about what has me more than a little concerned. My wife and I went to see "V for Vendetta" this past weekend and I have to say that I loved the movie. It got a "B" ranking by the critics on Yahoo and and "B+" by viewers. It is the most intelligent movie I've seen in a long time with real dialogue and actors and stuff. It didn't seem as there was much in the way of CGI effects even thought it is set in the future(the near future but the future, nonetheless). After seeing it I would love to find out the other movies that were ranked as high or higher because I honestly didn't find much fault with it at all.
What disturbed me was how close the screenplay hit home. To make a long story short, a fascist, self-righteous, Christian government has taken over Britain after the US has all but collapsed under the weight of fighting a war, racial problems, etc. and a spate of biological terrorist attacks on British citizens. Some of the government's controls include approved (and unapproved) music and media, news organizations that believe everything they're told by the government, curfews with bully enforcers, etc. Remind you of anything? I'm not saying that the US is being run by a fascist government but there are enough little things in place to make me concerned. The Patriot act, for instance, in the wrong hands, could result in American citizens being jailed with no hope of speaking to an attorney and no guarantee of a free trial. I can definitely see a situation where a president, not necessarily Bush, could take advantage of a crisis situation to institute martial law and suspend the constitution. Then all that is required is military and police force to maintain the situation. People think it can't happen but I'm a firm believer that not only can we not predict the future but that it is more terrific (look up the definition) than we can imagine.
I may be a bit more interested and knowledgeable about my religion than most people but I would have to honestly say that I am definitely not more religious. In fact, most religious organizations really scare me because they don't have any accountability. You let a fundamentalist who thinks he knows the Bible into power and we're in big trouble. They don't have logical explanations for what they believe, they just believe it. They've been told something and they haven't challenged it intelligently. God tells them this and that but I've got news for them - God doesn't talk to anyone. We must put ourselves in the proper state of mind with the proper motives to discover the will of God. Anyway, my point is that their are enough people out there that are willing to be led around by the nose by the right person at the right time that we could see something happen in our lifetimes. As much as I hate listening to their whining, I'm glad the PC crowd is out there. As long as there is some dissent, there is always a chance that someone will listen enough to challenge their own beliefs.