Gone Girl star Ben Affleck got upset with Bill Maher and Sam Harris and told both men that racism over Islam was not the answer to solving the problems that the two men claim exist with the religion. The Batman star appeared on the Real Time show on Friday. The issue arose when host Maher and neuroscientist/author Sam Harris began denigrating the liberals of the world on their inability to speak up for liberal principles in the Muslim world.
Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah, due to open in the U.S. on March 28 has been courting controversy before it premieres theatrically within these borders. Thus far, this retelling of the world’s biggest tsunami, skirts around mentioning God altogether, referring instead to a much more PC term of The Creator. All the better to not offend those who have, perhaps, different names for “the big guy/gal.”
It’s been a very violent and bloody week for this country. First a bloody ending to a national runners event that marred the day by killing and injuring innocent people taking part in the Boston Marathon and Patriot day.
That all occurred on the 15th of April this year.
Two days later, a fertiliser plant in the farming town of West, Texas exploded, killing 14 and the police are still sifting through the rubble to find casualties.
On the 18th of April, the first of two bombing suspects was shot and killed in a prolonged shoot-out with police.
Yesterday on the 19th of April, the second suspect was shot and captured.
America has had a very troubled and busy week in the violence and death department. The denizens of this troubled country can be forgiven for feeling a little abused at the moment.
I wrote a blog post on the day of the Boston Marathon bombings and raised the query of security forces spending too much time looking for evil within the borders of the USA. I felt that they were looking in the wrong place for terrorists.
I was wrong.
Sadly, this terror attack did indeed come from within.
But…
These two heinous and cowardly individuals did not originate in America. They were “immigrants” who came over with their families. According to initial reports, they’ve only lived in America for ten years.
Both, according to the news again, were recent Muslim converts.
The faces of monsters.
Oh boy. That’s going to rock the proverbial boat. As if Muslims did not have enough negative press already, they now have even more and I can imagine that Mr and Mrs America and their children won’t be inviting their next door followers of Islam over for a barbecue.
Another unsettling reason for the non-Muslim community to feel leery about this “foreign” religion and its violent outbursts against “the infidels.”
Overshadowed by Monday’s events is the explosion in Texas that took so many lives. Not – as far as I know – terrorist in nature, it is still an enormous tragedy and one that isn’t getting a lot of media attention due to the Boston tragedy; at least not on this side of the big pond.
West Texas. Fires after the explosion.
On top of the two explosive events, we have the news that guardians of justice move damned fast. Literally within days of the Boston outrage, both suspects have been dealt with. Of course the death of one and the injuring of the other, may make it difficult to find out why these two monsters – Yes, monsters. People do not indiscriminately murder in this fashion. – with the end result being one dead and one captured.
Suffice to say, I think I was wrong to denigrate the security forces and their head offices for watching the American people. It seems that what appeared to me as paranoia, was not.
Now it only remains for the authorities to find out why. Why killing innocent children and people was necessary and why the fertiliser plant exploded in Texas.
I cannot think of a more troubling week of events for America within her shores before. Certainly not that I can remember. Sure we’ve had international American tragedy before. Remember Jonestown? But that was outside the boundaries of the country and not on Main Street USA.
On Jonestown, I had a friend in the USAF who was at the New Jersey air base when the bodies were brought back. He was on body-bag detail. I cannot imagine the horror that must have been.
I close this puzzled post with prayers sent to all who have suffered loss in this last week. Loss of life, loss of family, friends and neighbours and loss of innocence. I also pray that we might find out that the horrid events of Boston were a “one-off” and that other recent converts to the Muslim religion who are US citizens aren’t so murderously inclined.
May the country of my birth breathe a sigh of relief now that the week-end has arrived and may my fellow countrymen rest a bit easier knowing that the keepers of the peace do seem to know what they are doing.
To the residents of both Boston and Texas I hope you can get closure for this violent and troubled week. And my the American people not be so scarred that they become xenophobic in action and thought.
And lastly, may the greatest free country in the world continue to be so and fly the flag proudly and safely.
Mikes Film Talk 
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