Lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter time, too

Although I wasn't quite aware of it at the time, television and I grew up together. As a response to tv, 1950's Hollywood dusted off the idea of widescreen and begat Cinemascope with the release of "The Robe", a biblical epic. It was a huge box office success. Therefore, more widescreen movies followed, and in true Hollywood fashion, when they didn't really know what to do, they made something similar, except bigger and more expensive. It was a whole new era of the cinema spectacular - this time in widescreen, technicolor, and stereophonic multi-channel sound. And I loved it.

I can't swear that the Jesus movies and sundry biblical epics all came out around Easter, but it sure seems that way in memory. Easter back then started with a new suit and shoes. Suits were partially tailored then, they weren't off the rack. In late winter we'd go off to Woodstown for the annual trip to Spinozi's. The elder Mr. Spinozi would always hang his tape measure around his neck, and as he began the yearly renovation process with a shoe measurement, would note that I would be taller if they hadn't tucked so much under. This was his one joke every year. And every year we politely laughed at it. The get up would always make its debut at Easter service at Bethesda Methodist Church. Since I was in the youth choir, it was always covered by a red robe.

Somewhere around the Easter holiday (at least in memory) would be a trip to the movies. It would be off to Camden, or Philadelphia, to one of those huge movie palaces where "first run" films were to be seen. As I was closing in on the entry into my teen years, the picture I remember best was "King of Kings". As I later learned, out in Hollywood it was known as "I Was a Teen Age Jesus" due to the youthful appearance of its leading man, Jeffrey Hunter (yes, he was already immortal years before he became Captain Pike). It was directed by Nicholas Ray, who had directed James Dean's best known film, "Rebel Without a Cause".

When it was released, there was a story (probably apocryphal) that as the Sermon on the Mount was prepared for filming in the Spanish countryside, the thousands of extras were readied; the cameras began to roll, and Jeffrey Hunter entered the scene from over a hilltop. The extras were so shocked to see Jesus Christ in their midst that most fell to their knees and began making the sign of the cross. They had to re-shoot the scene. It's one of my favorite Jesus movies to this day - and it has a great Miklos Roza score!



As I was soon to learn, King of Kings was sort of a remake. The original was a silent movie, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who made 'de movies for de millions'. Demille's films had been taught and tawdry melodramas which had been heavily criticized for immorality. So DeMille began filming Bible stories - with a lot of sex thrown in, often via a then modern story which illustrated the wages of ignoring Biblical injunctions.
Toward the end of the silent era, DeMille made "King of Kings". Its premiere was the debut film of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. It was a huge success.

Jesus movies started at the birth of the movies themselves. One of the earliest films exhibited was a series of tableaux which was supposed to be a filming (it wasn't) of the once every ten years presentation of the Obergammergau Passion Play. One of the first feature films was D. W. Griffith's 1914 "Judith of Bethulia", clocking in at 61 minutes. It told the story of a slave girl in old Babylon, had an orgy scene, and a scene in which the heroine beheaded an enemy. Griffith revisited Babylon as one of the four stories told in "Intolerance", his can you top this follow up to "Birth of a Nation". One of the other stories was the story of the Christ. The actor who played Jesus was originally uncredited, not due to religious reticence, but allegedly due to his affair with a 14 year old girl who was an extra in the film.

In the early days of cinema, there was a great deal of concern about portraying the Christ onscreen. One film got around this by only showing His shadow. It was DeMille who came up with the best Jesus cinematic entrance. Here, from my private files, the un-restored scene as I first saw it on television in the early 1960s:



Hey, I was impressed. The silent King of Kings started DeMille on straight out bible story telling. No modern story here - his financing came from a wealthy more conservative religious gentleman. After the initial engagements, the film was cut for general release. DeMille oversaw further work on the picture when it was re-released with the addition of a newfangled soundtrack in 1931. That's the version which was seen by millions. Literally. Missionaries were said to lug 16mm prints and projectors with them into jungles to use the film in converting the heathen. The original version had long been thought lost, but turned up a few years back and was released on DVD in a Criterion edition - which also included a copy of the early sound version. It's quite a giddy experience at times. The first scene, which turned out to be in two strip technicolor, involved wealthy bad girl Mary Magdalene having a hissy fit because her favorite beau, Judas Iscariot was off following a carpenter. A carpenter! She resolved to correct the situation in one of my all time favorite title cards:

DeMille, of course, was happy to illustrate the scene:

After her exit, the film changed to black and white as Mark, writer of a Gospel, is introduced as a lame kid who was healed and who leads the blind girl into the house where Jesus is holding forth. The rest of the film is in black and white - until the Easter morning Resurrection, when color returns to Oz. I mean Jerusalem. It's a great moment, and wowed my 11 (or so) year old self.



I spent years trying to see the DeMille version again. I'd love to see it on a big screen; the earthquake/wrath of God stuff at the crucifixion is pretty spectacular even today. It's a fun movie, and, together with Jeffrey Hunter and a cast of thousands started a long affair between myself and Hollywood epics.

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover, or just the arrival of Spring, happy whatever. And there is probably a Hollywood Epic waiting out there for you. And these days, who knows what you'll find. Especially now that we have the internet, where the strangest things turn up. Here's one just for Austanspace, who is making me dinner. It's a still from the peeps version of Game of Thrones:

   
Best, everybody.
 
 

When good people do nothing

Now it's happening in Idaho. A bill has just passed that state's Senate which would force a woman seeking an abortion to undergo and view an ultrasound before proceeding with the operation. Idaho is one of ten states actively working on such legislation. Eight states have already passed such laws. (Click here for a link to the Guttmacher list of states and their requirements) In Virginia, a new law soon to take effect originally called for a "transvaginal" insertion of a 10 inch sonogram device. Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau dubbed it the "Shaming Wand". Alabama and Pennsylvania are currently considering this practice as part of their proposed legislation.

In the United States, abortion has been legal since 1972's Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Since that day, there has been a growing and dangerous attempt to divide this country along politically religious lines. Unable to overturn the law, the religious have resorted to everything from outright murder of abortion providers (rather ironic for a group which refers to itself as "pro-life"), bombings of abortion clinics, to insane, belittling and costly laws such as these. The people behind these laws bemoan what they see as government intrusion into their lives (again missing the irony of their advocacy). They are the conservative right. They are Tea Party members. They are candidates for the Presidency of the United States. And they insist on having their way. It does not, and will not, stop at abortion. Their arguments justify laws against gay people, people of other faiths, immigrants, and basically anyone who doesn't believe as they do. They are the mentality that makes up the Taliban.

If that seems like an outrageous statement, let me note a couple of things. Lets take a quick look at Iraq. Remember Iraq? The country we invaded because the no longer loyal to US dictator had allegedly acquired weapons of mass destruction and had some tenuous connection to the events of Sept 11th, 2001? After the US invaded, Iraq saw the rise of extremely conservative religious movements. In the last few weeks, according to news stories which lasted in the public eye for oh, about 15 minutes, it was reported that in Baghdad's conservative Sadr City district, teenagers and young adults who adopted what is labelled the "emo" lifestyle (a form of rebellion which includes having longish hair and wearing black clothes) are being killed at an alarming rate. About 60 dead in the last six weeks. Read that again - 60 - sixty - dead in six weeks. That's just the ones we know about, in one area of one city. There are pictures, but they are too disturbing to publish here. With one exception, the dead "emo" loving youth were perceived as being gay men. Lists appear as warning to the named targeted individuals to change their ways. Here's a typical message:

"We warn in the strongest terms to every male and female debauchee," the Shiite militia hit list says. "If you do not stop this dirty act within four days, then the punishment of God will fall on you at the hands of Mujahideen."

When found, the victim's heads are smashed in with cinder blocks. After they are tortured. Ever so much more effective than a shaming wand. Oh, by the way, seven of the dead were simply shot. No arrests have been made.

The best known modern Mujahideen came into being in Afghanistan in the late 1970's, as guerrilla fighters against the Soviet Occupation. Financed and trained by, among others, the United States, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, and various Europeans. Ronald Reagan called them "freedom fighters". As the various mujahideen groups fought each other in Afghanistan's civil war, a Pakistani backed mujahideen group headed by mullah Mohammed Omar seized control of that country. They became known as the Taliban.

Of course, you say, such extreme actions and government can't happen here. In that case, you might want to know about the problem of teenage suicides in now withdrawn Presidential contender Congresswoman Michelle Bachman's home state. Nine kids have killed themselves in one school district in two years. Bachman's conservative evangelical supporters passed laws which restricted any discussion of gay issues. The dead teens were gay, or bullied because they were perceived to be gay. There was not one adult at their schools they could turn to. A supportive teacher could, after all, be fired. There is no law protecting them. In these schools, gay-straight alliances were labelled "sex clubs". I'm not making this up. Click here for an article in Mother Jones, and click here for an article in the February 2012 issue of Rolling Stone.

I could go on and on, but I won't. How do these people keep getting elected and getting their laws passed? They are not the majority. They have taken over because no one else wants to get involved in the day to day business of government under the media glare and conditions which have been prevalent for quite some time now. No one seems willing to stand up to them - especially when one considers that their demands are often crazily out of kilter with the way Americans live their lives in the here and now. And so they win, because every day good people do nothing.

Meanwhile, in the insanity haven known as Broward County, Florida (home of the last stand of the hanging chad which helped give you George W. Bush president) 14 members of a law firm were fired Friday for wearing orange shirts. They wanted to be identified as a group at their after work happy hour held at a local cocktail lounge. The law firm said that there was a rumor they were protesting something (unspecified at this point). The employees have no legal protection, Florida is a "right to work" state.

It was also in Florida that a black teenager, on the way home  from a store where he bought his younger brother a package of candy, was shot and killed in his gated community by an Hispanic wanna-be cop vigilante who had been told by police to cease pursuing the young man whom he found "suspicious". In his cell phone call, the shooter is heard to refer to "fucking coons". This man has been claiming that he shot the teenager (armed with a pack of Skittles) in self-defense. No arrests have been made. (I've heard that phrase before.) In just a few minutes, the Justice Department is scheduled to announce that they are stepping into the more than 3 week old case.

Rick Santorum, religous conservative candidate for US President, recently announced that he was "sickened" by John F. Kennedy's assertion that as President, he would put his Catholic faith aside when governing. At the time, Kennedy had been accused of potentially taking orders from the Pope. He clarified that he would be the President of all the people, not just Catholics. Rick Santorum may have been sickened at the time, but it would have been because he was two years old and probably choking on his own bile. Yesterday, Santorum noted that unemployment and the economy were not his issues for this campaign. His issue, along with stamping out pornography, is "freedom". The quote: “We need a candidate who's going to be a fighter for freedom." Freedom fighters. I've heard that term before, too.

Perfect for a Sunday morning

As I head off for the 45 minute walk to work, and see that it is -4 (F) out there, this just warms my heart. Thank You, whomever is responsible. Please do Newt and Mitts next, then we'll talk about people in my everyday life...

It's still the same old story...

One of the blogs I visit from time to time has a name that I think is great : Joe.My.God.
The following was posted today.
Monday, August 22, 2011

IOWA: Student Dies After Gay Bashing
A 19 year-old college student was beaten to death in Michele Bachmann's hometown of Waterloo, Iowa this weekend. Witnesses say Marcellus Richard Andrew's attackers shouted anti-gay slurs while kicking him in the head.

The updated story

WATERLOO, Iowa --- A brutal fight that claimed the life of a Waterloo teen started with taunting, witnesses said. Police confirmed that 19-year-old Marcellus Richard Andrews was officially pronounced dead at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Relatives and acquaintances said he died after being removed from life support at an Iowa City hospital. "It's just not fair," said friend Nakita Wright. "I don't wish that to happen to my worst enemy."

Officers and paramedics said they found Andrews unconscious with severe head injuries in the early morning hours Friday.

Andrews, who was slated to start studying interior design at Hawkeye Community College, spent part of Thursday practicing with members of the Crusaders, a drill team sponsored by Union Missionary Baptist Church. He led the step team for the group, which was days away from competing in March Against Darkness.

Night found him at Nakita Wright's home on Cottage Street. She said the problems started at about 12:45 a.m. Friday when she and Tudia Simpson, her cousin, went for a walk down the street. Andrews opted to stay behind, waiting on the enclosed porch, she said. The two women hadn't made it as far as Adams Street a block away when they heard yelling back at the house. They ran back and found a truck stopped in the street, and the occupants were taunting Andrews, calling him "faggot" and "Mercedes," a feminization of his first name, Simpson said.
The arguing and name calling continued, said Simpson, who admitted throwing the first punch, striking a girl. "She kept saying it, and I hit her," Simpson said. From there, the fight was on, with Nakita Wright and the others joining in, according to their account.

At some point during the scuffle, Nakita Wright felt her leg brush against something on the ground. She looked down and saw Andrews. "I tried to help him up, and then this boy ran back and kicked him in his face," Nakita Wright said.

After the brawl ended, she tried helping Andrews to his feet. He appeared dazed. She grabbed one arm and coaxed him as she lifted. He pushed up with his other arm, but then gave up.
Nakita Wright dialed 911.

He was flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment.
Word of his passing came as the Crusaders Drill Team took part in the March Against Darkness competition at Central Middle School, said Alexis Wright, a cousin of Nakita who works with the Crusaders.

In addition to being step team captain, Andrews had helped train team members, Alexis Wright said. "He would practice with the little ones, making sure they get it," she said.
Andrews had been scheduled to lead the team's Saturday night performance and deliver the opening salute.

Instead, when the event started, organizers had a moment of silence for Andrews, who at that time was understood to be on life support. Later, during an intermission, officials broke the news he wasn't going to pull through over the public address system, Alexis Wright said.
"All the children were affected by it. When they announced, they were literally on the floor crying," she said.

It was a tragic end to a busy weekend for the team, which started the with a parade in Parkersburg and another Saturday event before the March Against Darkness, Alexis Wright said.

Andrews had studied at La James College and took part in Job Corps. He had bought his Hawkeye college textbooks earlier in the week.

Authorities continue to investigate the assault. No arrests have been made in the case.
The police have made no arrests, despite the fact that the attackers knew Andrews' name.

  

Maundy Maunday

First we had Palm Sunday. Now, after lying low for a couple of days, Holy Week kicks back into action with Maundy Thursday, a fairly good show if staged properly. Last Supper time supper time.

Maundy: from Middle English and Old French mande derived from the Latin mandatum, the first word of "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you") which is said or sung (call and response) while getting all kinky with somebodies' feet.

There is also  maundsor which was a little basket or purse used by Kings to give alms to the poor. Maundsor is related to other words derived from a Latin term meaning "to beg".

Part of the disinformation campaign

Aha! It's about the poor, about giving money to the poor, about helping the poor. But the show then reveals that everything, and I mean everything, is going to be taken away from poorfolk. Literally. The altar is stripped bare. Oh, by the way, if you pick the right church, you'll get guys in drag with big hair hats waving censors of burning incense in a phony little "ceremony'  in which they make you watch them take away everything they see.

Anyway, the thievery of the rich isn't really obvious to the poor peasant working class. Smoke and mirrors, lack of education. The reality is always censored. They keep the truth from us! If you keep up with the story, the central character gets all involved with rich folk and landowners. And then they have him killed because he doesn't own anything else they can take, and he probably couldn't pay the bill for that big supper. They have to get rid of him lest he tell everyone the truth. That'll end their lucrative little scheme. And upset the rabble.

Coming Next : Good Friday.

The Palms

Ah, Palm Sunday. Even though I live across the street from St. Michael's Episcopal, I didn't see a single palm anywhere. And no kids at all. Just older folks. If I lived a couple of blocks south, over by St. Michael's RC, maybe there would be a few kids with palms. When I was young, the Methodist Church once passed them out to both the Adult and the Youth choir before the start of the service. We got to make an entrance in robes, waving palm leaves around. (Hey, that was pretty heady stuff for Methodists.) At least I think that was real and not an edited memory.



Bethesda Methodist Youth Choir, Easter time 1958.
(Click to enlarge)



In case you're curious - there I am! I was 7 years old.

Back to St Michael for a minute. Why does Brattleboro have two churches named for Saint Michael? I don't know. I wonder if they do, or which came first. It's kinda the story of Brattleboro in a way. One shop moves in and is successful. Another shop with a similar theme moves in. The area is able to sustain one, but two simply split the business between them. Eventually, they both cease to attract customers and go out of business. So far, the balance here seems okay, except that at some point around the 1920s or 30s, the Episcopal church moved a few blocks north out to the edge of what was then town. I've been to both churches' websites and neither mentions their history, nor is their comment about St. Mikey. Hmm, I wonder if that was blasphemy? I should tread carefully here - Saint Michael is the biggie in the Archangel biz, after all.

Saint Michael, Archangel.

St. Mike shows up in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Ya know how there is a Prince of Darkness? Well, Michael is the Prince of Light. Captain of the Host of the Lord. On at least one occasion, Michael stood in for the Big Guy. Michael is the angel of forbearance and mercy. He taught Adam the skill of farming. He passed the tablets of Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.. He rescued Abraham from the fiery furnace he'd been thrown into by Nimrod. It was Michael who led Lot and his family out of Sodom. Michael is in charge of the souls of the just, and it is he who will kill the Antichrist. He's protector of this that and the other thing, and if that's not enough to show you how seriously important he is, well, he's the head of The Watchers. (The Watchers were fallen angels who numbered about 200 and were known as the Grigori.)



My cousin Patricia with palm, and Easter Eggs
waiting to be hard boiled and colored, 1962.

So. Palm Sunday. Weeks, months, have been spent in preparations. Dad had already taken my brother and myself to Spinozi's in Woodstown to get new Sunday's best suits. Oh, God, fitted clothes (heavy sigh).Why 'Sunday's Best"? I mean, it's not like we had extras hanging around. 

Anyway, the full Church choir, adults and youth, entered in procession singing Jean-Baptiste Faure's 'The Palms'. The Esty pipe organ's sound would swell with each step we took down the aisle; "O'er all the way green  palms and blossoms gay (no comment), are strewn this day in festive preparation. When Jesus comes to take our sins away, ev'n now the throng to welcome Him prepare! Join All and sing His name Devine, let ev'ry voice resound with united acclimation, Hosanna! Praise be the Lord! Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation!" Geez. I can still recall it all. Our church had an all wood interior. Parishioners would join in singing from a balcony as well as the church floor. The sound would reverberate leaving an almost a constant tone hanging in the air. To hear it was to be it, a level of universal consciousness. And may the Force be with you, too.

Palm Sunday, 1962. Cousin Patricia was 3. I was 11.