Someone wants to kill jesus... it isn't me.

If you feel that religion should not be taught in public schools because it might alienate children that do not share similar practices and beliefs then you might be on to something. Religion of any kind should not be taught in public schools, nor should school prayer be endorsed by the public educational system. Mandatory teachings of religion as well as mandatory prayer can alienate children and teenagers with a different set of believes and principles. Children and teens already feel the pressures of youth, coming of age, sexuality, growth and development among other things, so why should schools or the government create a law that forces young people to display their differences front and center. Not everyone in this country believes in a Christian faith and by demanding a public display by those that believe or do not believe is simply wrong and oppressive. For some faith is personal and for others faith is very public but by no means should anyone decide for someone else how one should practice their faith or lack of faith.

But… I may have an argument for teaching religion in schools. Teach religion as a voluntary course, for the purpose of teaching tolerance and the understanding of different ideas and beliefs practiced by people across the globe. Or teach religion so a young teenager does not plot to blow up his high school in an attempt to enter heaven and kill Jesus. Oh yes, this is true.

In a story revealed to me by USA Today and CBS News, a young teenager in South Carolina is being brought up on charges for attempting to blow up his high school by using a weapon of mass destruction. The straight A student somehow ordered 20 pounds of ammonium nitrate for the purpose of building a bomb. His journal notes contain blueprints a bomb and have been seized by authorities. Scary? I think so. How does a young man order 20 pounds of ammonium nitrate in a day and age of tightened alerts and security? Another revelation that does not make me feel secure at all about terrorism from without or from within the borders of the consistently orange alert terrorism watch.

To return to my point, religion should be taught (as an elective) in schools. Religion should be taught just so certain young teens that want to blow up their high school and commit suicide to enter heaven to kill Jesus might have a better understanding of how faith/religion/heaven works. I am not a theologian or even someone that practices any type of religion or faith but I do have some common knowledge about Christianity that might damper the young man’s plan. First, I believe that murder is a sin and thus committing one runs the risk of damnation. Second, I believe suicide is a sin as well and according to most Christian beliefs it is a sin that sends you straight to hell. I might be wrong about this but Jesus is in heaven not in hell so meeting up with him and killing him seems a bit difficult. This brings to my next problem, how do you kill Jesus in heaven? The son of God on his own turf somehow murdered. I don’t think you have to be brilliant or even a straight A student to recognize some flaw in your plan. He is undead. If you killed him, if it were at all possible wouldn’t you fear his resurrection three days later? If killing Jesus was at all possible then would you not feel the wrath of god afterward?

I don’t have to believe in Jesus to think that this might be the dumbest thing that I have heard. It is not the idea alone that is stupid but the purpose is pretty pathetic as well. Why kill Jesus? What would anyone gain? If it happened, how would anyone know? Would he suddenly stop hearing our prayers? Would the world be filled with hate, murder, disaster, disease and heartache? Hmm… I don’t know.

I am sure this is the act of a kid that has problems beyond my understanding and sometimes there is a time for jokes and time for medical attention. I can only do jokes.

vote experience ?

If you think experience is the most important thing when deciding the President please think of these Presidents before making experience the prime reason for your vote. 

 

John Adams – Representative to Massachusetts General Court; Delegate to first and Second Continental Congress; Member of Provincial Congress of Massachusetts; Delegate to Massachusetts Constitutional Convention; Commissioner to France; Minister to Netherlands and Britain; U.S. Vice President

 

Martin Van Buren – Surrogate of Columbia County, New York; New York State Senator; Attorney General of New York; Delegate to Third New York State Constitutional Convention; U.S. Senator; Governor of New York; Secretary of State; U.S. Vice President

 

James Buchanan – Member of Pennsylvania legislature; Member of U.S. House of Representatives; Minister to Russia; Member of U.S. Senate; Minister to Great Britain

 

John Calvin Coolidge – Member of House of Representatives, Massachusetts; Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts; Member and President of Massachusetts Senate, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Governor of Massachusetts; U.S. Vice President

 

Richard Nixon – Member of House of Representatives, California; Member of the Senate; U.S. Vice President

 

George Herbert Walker Bush – Member, United States House of Representatives, Ambassador to the United Nations; Chairman Republican National Committee; United States Envoy to China; Director, Central Intelligence Agency; U.S. Vice President

 

 

            I don’t know what you think about these individuals or their place in history but 43 men have been President of the United States and only few have been great, a few more have been remembered and many if not most were average or even forgettable.

 

            Experience certainly cannot be overlooked but it is also important to not just look at how much experience one person has but what kind of experience they have. There have been some Presidents with endless amounts of knowledge in the realm of politics and others with very little. It is impossible to predict what makes a good President. The people have even elected Presidents that never held a public office as in the case of Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight David Eisenhower and each of these three men held office with very different results. Governor of New Jersey was the only office Woodrow Wilson held before becoming President and he led the country to victory during the First World War. According to a poll/survey on AOL.com taken (about) two weeks ago, Ronald Reagan was ranked #2 on a list of the greatest Presidents in U.S. history and the only elected office he held was as Governor of California.

 

            I am by no means suggesting that a great or even successful President cannot have a lot of experience because that is absurd but maybe when you vote in future elections you should not base your entire decision on experience. 

Juno - A review and a criticism.

Juno – A review and a criticism.

 

 

The recent release of Juno on DVD has many critics and fans bursting into an uproar. Some think the film is a revelation in it’s handling of teen pregnancy and romance but such high praise of the film is nothing but foolish. Juno is not a great movie. At best the film has moments of insight but often tries to cover too much and fails to completely shade the ground beneath it. If you think Juno is a wonderful film than you join Roger Ebert in the corner of bad taste. After all Roger Ebert thought Juno was one best films of the year and in case you did not know Ebert lost his mind years ago. Once, he was a great critic but now is nothing more than a Hollywood sap and kiss ass.

 

            The film is about a Juno MacGuff, a teenager that discovers she is pregnant with a child fathered by her best friend and longtime admirer, Paulie Bleeker. Although she initially opts for an abortion, after a tense moment in the waiting room Juno decides that having the baby and giving it up for adoption is the best course of action.  She makes this decision without any real explanation.  With the help of her best friend, Juno discovers an advertisement in the newspaper for hopeful parents and finds a couple she feels will provide a suitable home for the child. Along with her father, Juno meets the couple, Mark and Vanessa at their home where they finalize the arrangements for a closed adoption.

Over the next few months, Juno forms a friendship with Mark, with whom she shares similar interests in rock music, horror flicks, and pop culture. Mark connects with Juno as well as rediscovers his past, a part of him buried in boxes in the basement of his middle/upper class lifestyle. Vanessa feels that his rock and roll past and ambition is nothing but a childish fantasy. Vanessa also has a great urge to become a parent, a sentiment not shared by her husband.

As her pregnancy progress, Juno struggles with the emotions she feels for Paulie, her new friendship with Mark and her pregnancy. Her relationship with Paulie is like most Hollywood teenage love stories in which the two are awkwardly distant, confused over the other’s intent and all the right things are generally left unsaid. There cannot be a doubt in the viewer’s mind that these two are made for one another.

Just before the baby is due, Juno visits Mark and learns of his intentions to leave Vanessa, make a life in rock music as well as start a relationship with Juno. When Vanessa comes home an argument ensues with Mark about how inappropriate it is for him to denounce his adult responsibilities and leave her before their adoption had been finalized. Juno witnesses their argument in part and becomes saddened by what seems like the destruction of the model family.  This leads to an endearing father and daughter moment in which the two discuss the longevity of love and how we should want to be loved, openly and without prejudice.

 

In the end, Juno expresses her love for Paulie. She has the baby and keeps her promise by giving it to Vanessa. Juno regains her youth and some might argue her innocence.

 

Roger Ebert says that the film is smart and funny. He praises first time screenwriter Diablo Cody for creating a story of depth with underlying themes that are rich and subtle. Ebert states that the Juno “has no wrong scenes and no extra scenes.” I am going to disagree with this heavily. I don’t dislike the film nor do I think it is a bad picture by any means. I think the film has clever dialogue but I don’t think it is a smart film. I think the film fails to achieve much of the depth it seeks and many of the underlying themes are subtle only because they are not fully developed. The film at 96 minutes running tries to encompass, teenage romance, sexuality, pregnancy, adoption, love and parenting all in one film. At the same time it attempts to tackle and/or avoid a pro-choice and pro-life debate. I think all of that is a bit much for a film that runs a shade over an hour and a half.  I also have a bit of a problem with a film that debates teen sexuality and unwanted pregnancy without ever discussing whether or not the sexually active teens used a condom. If the film is as smart as many claim it to be then how does it skirt a topic like condoms use and education when discussing teen sexuality and pregnancy? It is a not just a hot debate for teenagers but for parents, schoolteachers and even government officials. Teen pregnancy is not alien to Juno or her friends as they discuss how friends or classmates have gotten pregnant and kept or aborted the pregnancy, but the only time a condom is mentioned in the film is when Juno goes to an abortion clinic and is offered a condom and politely declines on the basis of its fruit flavoring not because of a personal decision.

 

There was an article in the New York Times not long ago about the films take on teen pregnancy and the differences that occur for men and women. Unfortunately I cannot recall the article or the writer but I do recall a compliment or complaint about the film. In the scene when Juno tells her parents about her pregnancy there is a moment when her father rather than being upset is simply disappointed in the action of his daughter. He thought that Juno is a person that, “just knows when to say when.” Apparently the disappointment in his daughter is in her lack of ability to control her body and what she does with it. As if she had made a choice to get pregnant. The writer of the article had commented on how this is a pressure, family and societal that a man will never understand. Even if men do know when to say when they do not face the fear of pregnancy, the emotional turmoil of abortion or the ordeal being pregnant on their own. After this moment, dad is as supportive as can be except for the occasional smart comment but with a film ripe with sarcasm any deviance from this formula might be awkward. For a brief moment Juno’s sexuality is under speculation but Paulie’s sexuality is enhanced by the circumstances. When Mac, Juno’s father discovers that Paulie is the father, he gives the teen props as Mac proclaims, “never knew the kid had it in him.” Paulie’s reputation is never in question as his role in the pregnancy is nothing but rumors hearsay. He is not really a part of the adoption and labor process and the reasons why could be debated because simply the story escapes explanation.  Another thing that makes this film incomplete is how underdeveloped the commentary is on how society treats pregnant teenagers. Juno takes on the pressure of being a pregnant teen but I am sure there must be more pressure on pregnant teens than the disapproving sonogram nurse and awkward stares from fellow classmates. 

 

At times I wish the film would cover one subject completely instead of covering six at unclear levels. The film is clever but not smart at least not smart enough to discuss the main themes of the film entirely. The dialogue is snappy but even that becomes a bit of a pattern. Instead of enjoying each punch line, half way through the film one should expect the punch line coming when the drama begins to dominate. What is enjoyable about the film is that the parents are not typical parents in teen comedies about sexuality. The parents are not angry, drunk or hypocrites, nor is it the parents that learn a valuable lesson but more importantly their children. The music is enjoyable and the performances are of high quality. Ellen Page shines, Michael Cera does teenage awkward better than anyone and even Jennifer Garner stretched herself beyond her mediocre talent. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney are solid as the parents. Even Jason Bateman at his most subdued actually displays some acting ability. There are plenty of things that I could say about this film but I feel that these two simple complaints knock this film from the golden mountain where it resides. I could complain about the inconsistency of Juno’s character or it’s lack of any real drama. There is no drama involving the pregnancy or the adoption and there is never really any doubt that Juno and Paulie won’t get together, thus equaling a lack of drama.

 

 A good friend of mine shared her opinion about Juno as she declared it a “cute” movie and agree completely. There is some nice romantic idealism and sincere family moments but I cannot see how this film is currently ranked in the top 250 films of all time on IMDB but attacking IMDB is another topic for another blog. Juno is not the revolutionary film about teenage pregnancy that some might think and believe me, there are people out there who think this.