Review: The Great Gatsby’s Social Commentary

05/19/2013

I have been looking forward to seeing the modern film adaptation of one of my favorite books from high school. I saw “The Great Gatsby” last night and it was good but not great.

In case you don’t know, this is the story of a man so desperately in love with a socialite that he becomes wealthy beyond imagination to lure her back after a five-year separation. It was a five-year period wherein she married a fabulously wealthy man–who is a philanderer–and has a little girl who is ignored while her mother lives the decadent life of the idle rich in the early 1920s in New York.

She is not unlike the celebrities who live in fantasy worlds today. My question is, why would Gatsby want her? He has gone from rags to riches–not in the most honest way–and could have any woman he wanted. But he wants a classy woman whom every man would want. She legitimizes that he is now a gentleman, one of them.

Except he isn’t. He may be a gentleman but not from old money. He tries to pretend but real old money sees right through him.

The wealthy and foolish husband of socialite Daisy is Tom Buchanan who is from money but likes to party with the trashy wife of a local mechanic. With his own wife, he is the polo player who thinks he is better than others; with his mistress he can be what he accuses Gatsby of being. Gatsby, however, tries to be elegant all the time but is plagued by insecurities because he knows he really doesn’t belong. Money cannot buy class but, despite his ill-gotten riches, he actually has both.

The only one who recognizes this–and who cares–is Daisy’s well-educated but poor cousin, Nick, who is the narrator and Gatsby’s new friend.

He has the ability to fit in with the rich and the beautiful although he is neither. And maybe that is why he can relate to Gatsby, who pretends to be something he is not and strives for what is supposed to be beyond his reach.

Nick facilitates the reunion of Gatsby and Daisy, who loves Gatsby but not as much as he loves her. When the moment of truth comes, the disparity in their loves makes all the difference. Ultimately, it may be that Daisy doesn’t know how to love since what she cares about is her position and her lifestyle. She wants a fun, glamorous life and she does not want to make tough decisions.

She is not who Gatsby thinks she is and all his efforts–over-the-top parties, a grand mansion, his proximity to her across the water–are for naught.

The movie does a good job conveying Gatsby’s love, even obsession, with this unworthy woman, but it takes too long to get there. Too much time is spent showing the glittering parties and demonstrating the impact of Gatsby’s dilemma on Nick, who becomes rather obsessed with the hero of the story. Except there are no real heroes in this situation.

What makes this story captivating is not only the love affair but its relevance to today. We live in a world where people, especially the so-called beautiful people, embrace shallow decadence and don’t know what true love is. We are so used to it that we don’t see it for what it is, but, in seeing this movie, we can be critical of these purposeless, selfish people just like Nick is.

The movie, like the book, shows that the glitzy lifestyle that so many admire is not what it seems and is really not the path to happiness. In that regard, it is a film worth seeing.

Elevator Etiquette, Part 2

05/12/2013

This weekend I experienced two episodes of a failure to observe elevator etiquette. I previously posted on this topic here. As an apartment dweller who works in an elevator building, I face this as a constant problem.

On Saturday I was riding in the elevator, in my usual spot near the open and close buttons, when the door opened on a floor where a man with a baby carriage was standing. He did not make a move to get on nor did he say to hold the elevator. His wife–so I hope–was locking the door, very slowly. She also had a baby carriage. Several seconds clicked by and I finally said, “Are you coming?” The husband said yes. More time passed and I was generously pressing the open button because I have a soft spot for little babies, if not for their self-centered Upper East Side moms.

The husband finally got on the elevator. The wife, who presumably noticed the elevator door was open, took her time locking the door and then walking to the elevator. No thanks, just fussing with what she had to do. Because no one matters but her.

I held the elevator to let her and her family out. Doing the right thing because it was right. No thanks asked and no thanks received.

Today I got up early to go to Mass and for some reason more people were up than normal. The elevator kept stopping and was filling up quickly. A young man carrying a lot of junk got on followed by another guy who also was carrying a bunch of stuff. He stood barring the door from closing. I told him that he needed to step in or else the door would not close. I assumed he was being careless in keeping the door from closing. He told he was waiting for his brother.

A brother who did not come right away.

An elevator full of people. Two young guys having a ridiculous conversation about beards and their plans for the day. While we all stood and waited. And waited.

The younger brother, also burdened with numerous belongings, finally arrived.

Classic case of I don’t mind because you don’t matter.

Why not just wait for the next elevator? Why keep several people waiting? Why be selfish?

Why not? We live in a society where man does not care for his fellow man. It may not seem important but it is indicative of how people think. I am not asking for people to go out of their way for others but people should not be impolite. It is basic courtesy.

A foreign concept in an increasingly rude and shameful world.

I say, let’s all practice the golden rule. That would be a better place for all of us.

Obama’s America = Mexico

05/05/2013

I see example after example of how America has changed in recent years. These changes enabled America to elect a man like President Obama, who regularly goes abroad dissing the greatest nation on earth.

And this man is accelerating the changes so as to transform America. He said he would do it and he is. One campaign promise he has been sure to keep. That and redistribution of wealth.

The most recent example of Obama showing contempt for this county was his recent speech to Mexican students to push immigration reform that will further undermine our national security and our national identity. Can you imagine him saying this about us?

This is my fourth visit to Mexico as President.  Each time, I’ve been
inspired—by your culture, by the beauty of this land, and most of all, by the
Mexican people.

Obama proves repeatedly that he does not believe in American exceptionalism. For him to equalize our countries is inappropriate. No one could seriously confuse this nation with Mexico–or any other country. Mexico, in particular, does not have a tradition of democracy. It has a corrupt government that oppresses its people. There may be changes in Mexico to which Obama alludes but I don’t see how he can say with a straight face that we have common values. In addition, he has the nerve to say Mexicans perceive that we disrespect them as we provide them social assistance, which they cannot obtain in their own nation, when they come here, both legally and illegally:

Despite the deep bonds and values we share, attitudes—in both countries—are
sometimes trapped in old stereotypes.  Some Americans only see the Mexico
depicted in sensational headlines of violence and border crossings.  Some
Mexicans may think America disrespects Mexico, that we seek to impose ourselves
on Mexican sovereignty, or, alternatively, wish to wall ourselves off.

How he describes Mexico is really the America of old, but not the America of today under his failed economic and social policies:

Indeed, I see a Mexico that has lifted millions from poverty.  Because of the
sacrifices of generations, a majority of Mexicans now call themselves middle
class, with a quality of life that your parents and grandparents could only
dream of.

Why does Obama promote capitalism in socialist Mexico while trying to inflict socialism on capitalist America?

Here in Mexico, you’ve embarked on ambitious reforms—to make your economy more
competitive and your institutions more accountable to you, the people.

The most incredible thing he said was that it is our guns that are the source of Mexican violence. He claims those who bring guns illegally into Mexico will go to jail. What about the Fast and the Furious? Not only did the American government send guns into Mexico that killed numerous people including an American border patrol agent, Eric Holder, our Attorney General, refused to provide Congress with documentation which led him to being held in contempt of Congress.

We recognize that most of the guns used to commit violence here in Mexico come
from the United States.  … Meanwhile, we’ll keep increasing the pressure on the gun traffickers
who bring illegal guns into Mexico, and we’ll keep putting these criminals where
they belong—behind bars.

Are you surprised that you don’t know any of this? Thank your liberal news media which only cares about gay ballplayers, imaginary global warming and celebrity drunks. Obama is destroying our country while trying to uplift the whole world and few Americans know. He should be running the United Nations, not the United States. We have another three plus years to endure. We need to start paying attention and voting America first since he is not going to protect us as all other American presidents have.

Celebrate the Ball for Life

04/28/2013

It’s that time of year again. The annual Ball for Life to benefit Good Counsel Homes, helping unwed mothers, is scheduled for Thursday, May 9. It is Ascension Thursday, a holy day of obligation. Mass takes place at 5:30 pm at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The ball starts at 7 pm at the Racquet and Tennis Club at 370 Park Avenue in New York City. There will be a cocktail reception followed by dinner and dancing. It is black tie optional.

This year the ball will honor Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor and columnist and pro-life advocate.

Whether one is pro-life or pro-abortion, one can support this wonderful cause of helping women in need. We all agree that women who need assistance should be helped. Good Counsel is a leader in providing this aid to women who have nowhere else to turn.

Please consider going and celebrating this great cause. You can also donate to this group if you are unable to attend.

May God bless the good work of these good-hearted people who seek to help women and babies.

 

 

 

Terror in Boston & American Immigration Policy

04/21/2013

This was a shocking week in American history. In Boston during an annual celebration of Patriots Day two young men allegedly set off bombs at the Boston Marathon that killed and maimed many people. During the manhunt for them, more people died including one of the alleged terrorists. They were not citizens but immigrants from Chechnya, a place known for terrorism.

What can we learn from this? What will we learn?

We should learn that we need to be more careful securing our border. Between the Gang of Eight’s amnesty that is not being called amnesty and the push for immigration reform because we must DO IT NOW!, we are being railroaded into immigration reform. Just like Obamacare.

Almost like gun control.

This need that Democrats and the media claim we have to fix things fast–without reading the countless pages of each bill–is just a way to push an agenda. And let us face the consequences later.

The consequences of Obamacare are coming to fruition as we speak. Anti-American immigration policy–brought to us since the 1960s by Senator Edward Kennedy–has already wreaked havoc.  We need to learn from this incident that laws impact us. And they usually make problems worse when they are not well thought out.

How do we justify our failure to secure our borders to the families who were impacted by the terrorist explosions? President Obama keeps saying we need to pass gun control legislation even if it only saves one child. Using that logic, should we not pass immigration legislation that could save Americans from terrorist attacks like this one? Instead of just throwing our hands up in the air and granting amnesty, which has a history of failure and that will only embolden terrorists to come here and hurt our people, we need to think first, write a bill that will lead to a safer America and pass it.

Yes, change is needed but not the kind proposed by the Gang of Eight. Gang indeed!

While the lessons to be learned should be obvious, what we will learn–as dictated to us by the media–will be that we cannot jump to conclusions and be suspicious of Islamists. That we are united over the death of our fellow Americans and that is a source of patriotism. That we should remain open at our borders to show the world we are not going to give up our freedom. That our diversity is our strength.

Same liberalism despite a changing world. We need to be grown up and acknowledge the world as it is, not how academics imagine it to be on a college campus.

America is special and worth preserving. We must remain free, the beacon of the world. Allowing open borders to permit in people who don’t want what we want but wish to destroy us is not the way. That does not promote true liberty.

Liberals don’t see things as they are but as they want them to be. We citizens have to be realistic and oppose immigration “reform” that does nothing but make an already bad situation worse. The priority should be securing our borders, not legitimizing people who have violated the law. We need to take care of our people but do so in a way that does not violate the Constitution.

Perhaps this will wake the American people up. Time to stop waving flags and to let our representatives know that we oppose legislation that makes us vulnerable to our enemies. We need to vote for people who share our concerns and who are not wedded to an agenda that is harmful to our nation.

Let’s pray for the people of Boston who have gone through a terrible ordeal this week.

Gosnell Versus Arias: Only One Alleged Murderer Makes Headlines

04/14/2013

The conservative media have been covering the Kermit Gosnell murder trial. It has all the elements of a big media story: a man killing numerous people. Plus he is a doctor. The only fly in the ointment? He is an abortionist. And the most important issue to any modern liberal, particularly in the mainstream media, is abortion.

They must preserve it, cover up for it, deny it does what we all know it does.

And so they cannot cover the trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who is alleged to have murdered seven babies who survived abortion and were viable. This is a dirty little secret that the media and liberals want to keep a secret.

Planned Parenthood can call Gosnell an “outlier” but the reality is every abortionist legally kills babies. It is just that he is alleged to have violated the law that allows abortion by killing babies that the law says he cannot legally kill. Because they are 24 weeks and older and because they survived the abortionist’s tools.

Remember that President Obama when he was a state senator in Illinois opposed the ban on “completing” abortions on babies who survive. He voted to deny healthcare to babies who survived the butcher’s knife.  Under his vision, perhaps Kermit would not be on trial? He would just be finishing his evil work with the approval of the government.

Perhaps it is in that spirit that the media ignore Kermit the Killer and embrace Jodi Arias, whose story has made national headlines for months. Why do they cover her? She is a young, attractive woman who allegedly brutally murdered her handsome Mormon boyfriend.

A typical news story that the media loves except for the Mormon angle. That makes it better for them. The only thing they would like even more is if the story involved a Catholic priest.

So we endlessly hear the story–albeit an interesting one–of the alleged murderess. We know this is fascinating and even newsworthy. But does this one murder case have so much more appeal than an abortionist who allegedly slaughtered over half a dozen little people?

We know the media love stories involving dead children–think Newtown massacre–but their interest does not extend to babies who die during or after an abortion. Which is shameful but part of the agenda.

If you need further proof that there is a pro-abortion agenda which includes covering up the evil of abortion–the taking of a human life–you have it with this trial. So you have to educate yourself and not rely on the mainstream media. They cover up and they tell you what they want you to know, not what you need to hear.

Don’t remain ignorant of reality. Education and knowledge empower. Know that all abortions are bad and that those who favor this brutal practice don’t want you to know this basic truth.

Baby Boomers Love Death

04/12/2013

The generation that wanted to have death via abortion now wants death via “assisted dying.”

Baby boomers are retiring in droves and are facing age-related illnesses in increasing numbers. Just as Obamacare is going to gut Medicare which the retirees will be relying on.

Maybe they are not thinking of it that way but the baby boomers–who have caused such cultural harm–are leading the way to exit this life when sickness comes their way.

I have suspected that baby boomers will not want to live unless they are perfect–by their standards anyway. I now have proof. I saw this article about boomers from organizations like Compassion and Choices–yes, they are still pushing this false choice argument!–who want to be able to kill themselves with the help of medical professionals if they get sick and cannot handle it.

They cannot just refuse treatment. They want to corrupt the medical profession. They don’t get the concept of the Hippocratic Oath. They have pushed abortion which of course violates the Hippocratic Oath. And now they are doing it proudly at the opposite end of the life spectrum.

Abortion is about selfishness and convenience. Suicide is also about selfishness and about fear. Fear of pain and suffering.

The baby boomers largely rejected the Christian faith that their parents bestowed on them. They embraced materialism. And unrestrained sexuality. Which led to 55 million abortions over the last 40 years.

Now that they are old and facing their mortality, they are still all about avoiding pain and seeking the easy way out.  Even if it means death for them and not just death for innocent babies.

A life spent worshipping death leads to destruction for these folks, who largely are responsible for ruining this country by their sheer numbers and evil choices. And even as they face their end they want to justify their “lifestyle choices” by making it the law. They want to go so others should as well.

What they don’t get is that what may start out voluntary will eventually become obligatory. When Obamacare doesn’t work and costs go through the roof, people who are old and sick–thus worthless according to a post-Christian society–will be the next to go. Like innocent babies, the ill elderly will be called inconvenient and burdens.

Society will not want to pay for them and they won’t have the money to do so. Former governor Richard Lamm advocated years ago that elderly people had an obligation to die.

What was once silly–kind of like killing children is somehow a woman’s right–becomes accepted over time.

Be afraid. Be very afraid, especially if you are getting on in years. Because even if you and I don’t love death, their love of death will put the final nail in the coffin we once called America.

The Morning After Pill: Young Teens at Risk

04/07/2013

Federal court–and even state–judges can go either way but usually they are not pro-America or pro-decency. They tend to be liberal elitists.

While we occasionally have victories, like the defeat of the soda ban that the imperious Mayor Bloomberg tried to inflict on unwilling citizens, we got a slap in the face by another New York judge, Judge Edward Korman. He struck down the ban on the sale of the morning after pill–which has the ability to be an abortifacient–to females 17 and under.

Girls are menstruating earlier and earlier and they are becoming sexually active sooner and sooner. This means girls who are 11 or 12 years old–who cannot even get a Tylenol at school without parental permission nor see an R-rated movie without an adult with them–can purchase the morning after pill to terminate or prevent a pregnancy as if it were Advil for a headache.

Why do I use Advil as an example? Because some immoral person I saw on TV compared purchasing the morning after pill to purchasing Advil. Advil treats headaches and minor pains. The morning after pill either prevents or terminates a pregnancy.

A rational person can see the difference. An abortion rights zealot cannot since they love abortion, the killing of unborn children, more than life itself. Pun intended.

They don’t want to help women–or girls–as much as they want to advance an agenda that is deleterious to them. And they have a friend in Judge Korman, who called the decision to restrict this killer medication to adult women “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”

Is it unreasonable to protect young ladies, girls, from a medication that could transform their lives forever? Is it capricious or arbitrary to say that children are unable to make such serious decisions about their health without assistance from their parents? Children are different from adults. Teenagers cannot legally have sex and yet this judge and his abortion-loving supporters think they can give the guys a pass by letting girls get rid of their “problems” without any adult knowing about it.

This is unreasonable and immoral. This is an anti-girl, anti-female, anti-life decision. Besides the pro-aborts and pharmaceutical companies, no one benefits from this decision, especially young, vulnerable ladies. They are further victimized–first by sex they are not emotionally ready for and then by medical poison that affects their body and mind and soul.

We owe the next generation more than political correctness. Shame on Judge Korman! This is another wake-up call. If we are going to save this nation and the next generation, we need to oppose and challenge this kind of immorality wherever we see it.

Easter Blessings: Pray for Divine Mercy!

03/31/2013

Blessed Easter, the most important day of the year!

As the priest said at the Easter Mass, without the Resurrection our faith does not make sense. Unless Jesus rose from the dead, He was just another prophet. By proving He was God and by sacrificing His life to save us, Jesus transformed the world.

For a long time, hundreds and hundreds of years, people lived their lives in accord with the faith that Jesus bestowed on us. Christians went out and sought to bring all men to Christ. This was our duty and our joy.

In recent years we Christians have by and large, at least in the West, not lived the Christian faith. We have turned to materialism, we have turned away from righteousness. We have turned to false gods. We have pretended we can live without God while giving Him lip service. We say we believe, but we live like atheists. We are self-centered individuals, dependent on no one save the government dole.

Despite our faithlessness, despite our failure to accept the great gift of salvation that God has given us, God has in His mercy continued to reach out to us with His grace. He loves us so much, a love so perfect and so unfathomable, we cannot understand it.

This time of year is very special because we have the celebration of Easter followed by fifty holy days, particularly next Sunday which is known in the Catholic Church as Divine Mercy Sunday. God gave us this gift whereby we can have all the punishment for our sins forgiven. We can receive the forgiveness anytime in the Sacrament of Reconciliation but this special gift takes away the rightful punishment.

A plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday will be

granted under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”)….

I urge you to avail yourself of this wonderful opportunity. This nation is going in the wrong direction and we need people to repent. Jesus invited us to change our lives as he transformed us as individuals and as a world with His gift of salvation.

Let us this Easter truly live as Christians, proud and unafraid and willing to share this gift with the world.

Gay Marriage: Are We on the Wrong Side of History?

03/25/2013

I was surprised at comments I heard at CPAC from some liberterian-leaning folks about the conservative position on same-sex marriage being one that will place us on the wrong side of history. Like segregationists.

With the arguments coming up this week in the Supreme Court about the federal Defense of Marriage Act’s validity, this mindset needs to be examined since this thought process could lead to the collapse of our civilization, which for anyone paying attention is already well under way.

To compare gay marriage to the civil rights movement is absurd. To deprive black Americans of their rights to live free and vote is nothing like saying that over 2000 years of the Christian understanding of marriage is wrong.

All people are free to live as they want; they are not free to re-define marriage. This is America, not utopia. Wanting something does not make it so. This is not a civil rights issue. The Supreme Court has already found a right to sodomy (you know, next to the imaginary right to abortion) but they cannot legitimately call marriage that which it is not.

How did we get here? Besides troubling rulings on contraception, abortion and sodomy from the Supreme Court, we have had biased, one-sided propaganda for a generation by Hollywood, the media, and the academy. Gay is good.

Even if one wants to accept that homosexuality is natural and normal, which I know it is not, that does not justify gutting marriage as the bedrock institution of society.

Along with our cultural shift toward radical individuality which focuses on rights over responsibilities over the last half century, we as a nation have placed romance and self-interest above the point of marriage which is the raising of children.

That is right. While one should find fulfillment in marriage, that is not the point. Marriage creates stability for society and for the next generations, the ones we are bequeathing debt to in our selfishness. Without a stable family, which a nation that has almost half of babies born out-of-wedlock does not have, America cannot survive.

We have men and women eschewing marriage while homosexuals want to “marry”. Why is that? While individual gays may want to live a family life and desperately want acceptance of the abnormal as normal, straights see that marriage has been undermined for decades by easy divorce and cohabitation. If sex is not sacred and children are an entitlement rather than a blessing, then maybe marriage is just an arrangement for people’s convenience.

Society cannot survive that kind of thinking. In case you missed it, society is crumbling. We increasingly look to the government to help us since we have set up family situations that make us ripe for dependence. We have lost our freedom slowly like the frog being boiled in water.

Worse than that, we are letting our exceptional country go the way of Western Europe with its decadence and anything-goes sexuality. It is bad enough that we have rejected God’s law through our personal immorality, but to make this the law of the land and thus give societal approval to acts that are inherently wrong will only hasten the downfall of this country.

To be on the wrong side of history is to reject the law of God, not to offend the elites who want to dictate to us morality and right and wrong even as they reject the very ideas of morality and right and wrong.

Let us pray and repent which are the only ways we can stop the Supreme Court from doing as they did forty years ago with Roe v. Wade and overturning the key underpinnings of our societal morality. The quicker it goes, the sooner we will sink from an exceptional nation into a once-great nation.


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