Conspiracy of Fools

There are a lot of things that irritate me but one of the biggest is conspiracy theorists. There’s nothing worse than an idiot who thinks he’s smarter than a bunch of experts who've spent their lives gaining deep knowledge of some subject.  These are not people who are not interested in learning the truth. They fail to appreciate that humans can’t know everything.  They are people who simply create “facts” that are made up to fit their preconceived notions.

A third shooter on the grassy knoll, 9/11 was an inside job, Roswell and Area 51. Back in the 1960s many people believed Hitler was still alive. Why don’t you don’t hear that one anymore?  Don’t get me started on people who literally believe in the Bible.  A flood covered the earth? Really?

One of the biggest conspiracy theories is that the moon landing was faked.  I found this wonderful video by filmmaker S.G. Collins that shreds the faked moon landing bunk by simply pointing out that given the technology we had in 1969 it was actually easier to go to the moon then to fake it. The video is about 13 minutes but well worth the time.

I can’t believe in conspiracies because people are incapable of keeping a secret. People can’t do it. You can never kill everyone involved because then you have to kill the killers, etc., etc.  Someone somewhere is ALWAYS going to talk.

The most insightful part of the SG Collins video is his statement regarding real conspiracies.  Clinging to bogus conspiracy theories blinds you to real conspiracies like unlimited detention, the financial industry bailout, the Patriot Act and one he didn't mention, increasing drone strikes that kill innocent people. Those are the real conspiracies.

As long as people are spinning their wheels on faked moon landings and faked 9/11 attacks and Obama's birth certificate they are not focused on the real threats.  And that's just how the government likes it.

The 10 Best Conspiracy Theories of All Time

Jason Statham as Parker

I see there's a new movie coming out on January 25 called Parker with Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez. After seeing a few seconds of action from the commercials I thought this strongly resembled a 1999 movie staring Mel Gibson called  Payback.

It turns out both movies are the same and also different. Both movies are spawned from books by the late Donald Westlake. Payback was adapted from the novel The Hunter published in 1962 under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The movie Parker is based on the Westlake book Flashfire

The two plots are incredibly similar. Flashfire was published in 2000. This quote is from Amazon -

In Flashfire, Parker’s in West Palm Beach, competing with a crew that has an unhealthy love of explosions; when things go sour, Parker finds himself shot and trapped—and forced to rely on a civilian to survive.

If you know anything about Payback you can easily confuse the two plots.

I might see Parker but only because I like Statham as an action actor.  He's real and believable.  But if you're interested in this story and want to see some world-class acting from Hollywood's best you must see 1967's Point Blank with Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson and Keenan Wynn.  Here's a quote from IMDB

Without delving into psychology or motivation, the film places emphasis on action and surface appearances, superbly capturing the glossy, depersonalized feel of a 1967 Los Angeles--a nightmare landscape of concrete, glass and coiling freeways.

Marvin is icy cold and so believable as a killer. Dickinson is sexy but hard-as-nails. The film is in color but is shot in a film-noir style.  Don't see Parker or Payback without seeing the stunning original, Point Blank.

New Jimi Hendrix!

OK. This makes me so happy. I've been quite uninspired to write anything for a while but this is postworthy.

NEW Jimi Hendrix music that is still raw and true. That ringing guitar. Those snapping snares.  Hendrix always make me happy. I think because it brings back feelings of optimism that the world was going to get better.  The nightmare of the  Vietnam war would end. I had a life of experience, exploration  and achievement ahead of me. Things were going to be great.

Where do they find this stuff? After 40 years the sounds take me right back to 1970. Jimi will always be 27, will always rock and will always live in my heart.

Somewhere (Audio Only) by Jimi Hendrix on VEVO.