A longtime denizen of animemusicvideos.org, the guy known as MCWagner likes to do movie reviews. Often they’re of semi-obscure horror flicks, but recently he took on X2 and the new Matrix flick. His capsule review reads,

I liked the film, but it wasnít nearly as well crafted as the first, and they kept all the parts I disliked while getting rid of some of those I liked. Watch it for the fights, bring a book to occupy time during the philosophizing, and get ready to cover juniorís eyes during the sex.

But that’s not the funny part, the part that inspired me to log into my website at 12:30 in the freakin’ Ay Em. That would be this bit, describing what should have happened during one philosophical stop-down:

… and then lectures them for fifteen minutes on causality while causing a woman at another table to remote-orgasm in wireframe (THATíLL keep the audience awake). Through the whole speech, our three heroes just sit there, emotions concealed behind opaque shades, entirely motionless. I was half expecting Keanu to lean over to Morpheus:

N: Psssst. Whatís going on?
M: I have no idea.
N: Is there gonna be a test on this?
M: I hope not. I was only watching when he lit off that girl.
N: Yeah, she was hot, wasnít she?
M: I bet I could get Niobe back with a piece of that cake.

Ahh, priceless. Oddly enough, now I actually want to see this movie… so I can mentally insert that bit of dialog at the appropriate moment.

What? C’mon, people. You knew I was a very silly person, didn’t you? Hmm?

Found at Sengoku Jidai, a premiere InuYasha fansite:

‘Women are like Voltron- the more you can hook up the better it gets’

Yes, as a matter of fact that is going directly into my taglines file.

And I’m not even going to try to hold forth with my own words. Instead I shall use somebody else’s, acquired via JMS. (If you know who that is, great. If you don’t, an explanation won’t mean much to you, and is in fact irrelevant to the posting itself.)

Something which may shed some light on this discussion…direct from the Senate floor, a while back…

jms

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Senate Remarks by Robert C. Byrd

March 19, 2003

“The Arrogance of Power”

I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.

But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America’s image around the globe.

The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.

There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.

The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses.

But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.

The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to “orange alert.” There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home? A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq.

What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?

Why can this President not seem to see that America’s true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?

War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us.

And this concludes my attempt to take a stand on this whole situation. Have a pleasant evening, America, wherever you are.

Thomas Jefferson, in an 1808 letter to one Daniel Salmon:

We certainly are not to deny whatever we cannot account for. A thousand phenomena present themselves daily which we cannot explain, but where facts are suggested, bearing no analogy with the laws of nature as yet known to us, their verity needs proofs proportioned to their difficulty. A cautious mind will weigh well the opposition of the phenomenon to everything hitherto observed, the strength of the testimony by which it is supported, and the errors and misconceptions to which even our senses are liable.

It’s a bit dense and archaic, but overall not a bad piece of writing that neatly describes how I feel about “unexplained phenomena.”

Just a tidy bit of skepticism to start your day. You’re welcome.