I went with some friends tonight to see Good Night, and Good Luck.  Sadly, 10 minutes into the movie, the audio, which had already been so low that everyone in the theatre was silent in order to hear, completely dropped out.  We left and got refunds.  I was thoroughly pissed, having really been looking forward to seeing this movie.  The following… well, it’s rage unleashed and channeled onto an unsuspecting public.

The time has come to stop being afraid.  The time has come to stop mindlessly and blindly following.  America, this is your wakeup call. 

The malaise that poisons this nation comes from an inability to distinguish between democracy and blind, rabid patriotism.  This country was founded upon the principles of being able to freely speak out against one’s leaders without fear of recrimination or reprisal.  And yet, those who speak out against our leader, a man who continually flouts the law and gives no explanations or accountability for his actions — a man who, by all demonstrations, cannot even form intelligent, coherent sentences without a TelePrompter and who recently said that he is doing God’s work by bringing freedom to Iraq — are held in contempt.  Those who question what our country is doing are called unpatriotic, are mocked openly and are even told to leave the country they love and whose motives they question out of love and the desire to see their country do what they believe is right.  Those who disagree are shouted down by blowhards like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, who seem to believe that yelling over someone makes you right and who have legions of fans who blindly follow them and emulate them without question.  Those who probe are diverted with scare tactics like avian flu pandemics.  Those who argue are flatly insulted for their beliefs without sufficient explanation or opposing proof and called “soft” and unloving of their homeland and the people who defend it. 

The time has come to stop being scared of speaking up.  The time has come to open our minds and wonder if maybe it is acceptable — and even encouraged — to question exactly what’s going on.  The time has come to follow our own convictions rather than the ones shouted from our radios and TVs.  The time has come to do what’s right.  The time has come to wake from our stupor and reject the information that is being force-fed to us.

America… good night, and good luck.