Red Planet

I'm watching it right now. And it's a good movie! I think it's the special effects that do it. And there's a nice at-home feeling of comfort in the spaceship contrasting with the cold, unforgiving outer space.

The commander just punched a button and the computer soothingly announced ... "Artificial gravity restored" ..., and I realize that that's what's giving me the unusual feeling of comfort. It's the natural human motions in unnatural surroundings.

Which brings me to another weird movie. It's the movie we're all living through these days. It's the opposite of Red Planet. We've got natural surroundings, but unnatural human activity.

We've got global terrorism... We have a Democratic party sunken to the depths of mindless hatred... A polarized national political environment... We recently lived through 8 years of an American president who was admired for his skill with verbal deception... Most American and European media sources distinguishing themselves with their leftwing political slant... An educational bureaucracy and corporate management culture dominated by greed...

It all went to hell so quickly. Right after Reagan extinguished the common threat to Democracy. The threat that made us all feel part of the same team. It's been straight downhill since then.

In that long struggle for freedom, never have so many gained so much and cared so little.