Posted on 08/30/2016 9:14:06 AM PDT by pabianice
“What happened? What the hell happened!?”
asa663@verizon.net
These are the final words spoken by Jake Holman in the magnificent movie, “The Sand Pebbles.” Holman, played by Steve McQueen, serves as the protagonist in the 1966 movie, a movie about the Chinese Communist Revolution set in 1926 (although about Vietnam). Holman has just been shot to death by Communist soldiers as he gives his life to save his love interest and the lives of fellow crewmen from the gunboat USS San Pablo. Making the movie was a two-year ordeal and McQueen has said that making it “made up for all the bad things he had done in his life.” McQueen’s character – delinquent youth, poor fatherless family, sentenced to the military during World War I to avoid jail -- is a machinist’s mate first class (MM1) and in his Navy career has been obsessed only with being the best engineer he can be, to the detriment of human relations and political awareness. Upon reporting aboard, Holman goes directly to the engine room, looks around with a smile, and says, “Hello, engine. My name is Jake.”
Holman, along with the entire crew, is caught-up in the violence of the early Chinese Revolution and although the ship is stationed along Chinese back-waters, is soon involved. The story accurately depicts river patrol duty being done by the U.S. and European countries at the time. Because of his naiveté, Holman is unjustly accused of murder by the Communists and the following events spell his doom. But the bewilderment of the situation very well mirrors the state of the United States in this election year. “What the hell has happened?”
Today’s voters are far more bewildered by events than in the past. Politics has supplanted thought. Political affiliation is no longer to a party, but to whatever cult appeals more to the voter. Hillary Clinton, after 40 grasping years of avarice and congenital lying has her voters who are uninformed, bigoted, and want lots more free stuff from the government (re. us taxpayers). They are oblivious to fact or reason. Donald Trump, who spent 40 years single-mindedly amassing as much money and property as he could, now asks voters to “help make America great again” by essentially returning civic and government discourse to 1958. Trying to move a sense of country back in time is bound to allow progressive opponents call him every nasty thing in the book. From the relatively small number of independent thinkers we hear, “What the hell happened?”
At 240 years, the government of the United States is one of the oldest in the world. Is its time running out?
I consider the movie easily a 9 out of 10. The book is an 11 or 12. The author does a great job of conveying the feeling of pride Holman has in taking care of the gunboat's engines. For anyone who might read the book, read it before seeing this very good movie.
You are right.
Book and movie are treasures.
If not "the people", then who?
4 am bump
Thanks for clearing that up.
The quality & character of our colonial leaders is almost unknown in the likes of those currently in Washington.
In one sense the founders had it easy - they were fighting an enemy whose power structure was across an ocean. The enemies at home were obvious in that they were simply happy to continue the status quo - not rock the boat; they were cowards.
However, our modern-day enemy, is firmly ensconced in Washington, aided and abetted not only by the media but by our education systems and a good portion of the clergy. And what is worse traitors abound even within our own camp.
And to round it off, ALL of our current leaders were put in place by... WE THE PEOPLE - a people increasing more interested in living off the labor of others, a people who are increasingly more and more ignorant of the basis for our countries founding, and what is worse, many of those NOT ignorant are either indifferent, or hostile to the notion of a self-governing populace.
Bottom line: for too long now GOOD men have stood by and failed to engage, they have not been willing to sacrifice their (our) lives and fortunes. Grumble & complain? Sure. Be a keyboard warrior? Sure. Form circular firing squads? always. But being willing to sacrifice their reputation, social standing, subjecting their positions to public scrutiny and ridicule, putting everything on the line and run for office? No way, that's way too much trouble.
End Result? We are paying the price.
We are reaping what we have sown (or not sown - take your pick).
From what I understand it was a real cesspool. Part of the attraction was, let us say, the moral standards were not that of the US at the time and the dollar went a long, long way.
Another friends Father was a Marine at the Legation in Peking in 37 and 38 ended up as a Aircraft Mechanic with the Flying Tigers. Never got his complete story, got exiled to Mass when my father died in 1960.
We have a peaceful option in Article V.
You brought up We The People. If you are interested, I wrote of the difference between the electoral and sovereign capacities of the people across three blog posts:
Electoral vs. Sovereign Capacity: Introduction.
bkmk
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