Change Your Image
batson-robert
Reviews
David Frost Interviews Richard Nixon (1977)
An American Historical Treasure
This series of five interviews with President Nixon conducted over a few days in 1977 by Sir David Frost WITHOUT any pre-existing conditions being placed on Frost regarding questions to be asked and then, absolutely no editorial control of the final outcome by the former President is the now considered to be the primary factual accounting of President Nixon's historic presidency.
In my opinion, it's still too soon, from an historical perspective, to rate his presidency in the lowest tier. Yes, the Watergate affair does provide many historians and others with the fodder to paint his administration with a broad negative streak however; I believe that many of his truly historical actions are overshadowed by this one event.
His diplomatic opening to communist China and his rapprochement to the USSR, especially coming from a man who rose to national prominence as a rabid anti-communist, can never be seen as anything other than a major foreign policy shift for the U.S.
His China policy started what can only be seen from forty years on, as a critical juncture for the U.S. and China, as now we know that the Chinese themselves came to see the failure of communist policies that didn't value the effort of individuals and the only true way to gain a self-sustaining economy and the culture that comes along with it, was to implement capitalist policies for both the government and their people. As of July 2014, China holds $1.25 trillion of our overall federal debt of $17 trillion. This amount by China consumes 21% of the total $5.9 trillion we owe to foreign governments. This is a direct result of President Nixon's new policy regarding China.
His policy of détente towards Moscow certainly lowered their fears of a preemptive attack by us on them and gave them a false sense of security that allowed them into a failed foray in Afghanistan and other aggressive moves that back-fired on them both economically and as a player on the world stage. These moves provided President Reagan with the necessary reasoning to start an arms race which led to the downfall of the USSR.
There were other major accomplishments too. The following is taken directly from the Nixon Foundation website:
Domestic Policy 1. In 1973, President Nixon ended the draft, moving the United States military to an all-volunteer force. 2. Responding to rising concern over conservation and pollution, President Nixon founded the Environmental Protection Agency, and later oversaw passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Mammal Marine Protection Act. 3. By appointing 4 Supreme Court justices; Chief Justice Burger, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell, and William Rehnquist, who later became Chief Justice, President Nixon ushered in an era of judicial restraint. 4. Dedicated a $100 million to begin the War on Cancer, a project that created national cancer centers and antidotes to the deadly disease. 5. Signed Title IX in 1972, preventing gender bias at colleges and universities receiving federal aid, opening the door for women in collegiate sports. 6. President Nixon initiated and oversaw the peaceful desegregation of southern schools. 7. Welcomed the astronauts of Apollo XI safely home from the moon, eventually overseeing every successful moon landing. 8. President Nixon was a great proponent of the 26th Amendment, extending the right to vote to 18-20 year olds, lowering the voter age from 21. 9. President Nixon effectively broke the back of organized crime, authorizing joint work between the FBI and Special Task Forces, resulting in over 2,500 convictions by 1973. 10. President Nixon ended the policy of forced assimilation of American Indians, returned sacred lands, and became the first American President to give them the right to tribal self- determination.
Foreign Policy
1. President Nixon participated in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with Soviet Secretary General Brezhnev in 1972 as part of the effort to temper the Cold War through diplomatic détente. 2. Signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, helping to calm U.S.-Soviet tensions by curtailing the threat of nuclear weapons between the world's two superpowers. 3. President Nixon was the first President to visit the People's Republic of China, where he issued the Shanghai Communiqué, announcing a desire for open, normalized relations. The diplomatic tour de force brought more than a billion people out of isolation. 4. Signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. 5. Announced a groundbreaking foreign policy doctrine in 1969 that called for the United States to act within its national interest and keep all existing treaty commitments with its allies. 6. Established a new relationship with the Middle East, eliminating Soviet dominance in the region and paving the way toward regional peace. 7. Brought home the POWs from Vietnam, and hosted the largest reception in White House history in their honor. 8. Initiated Project Independence in reaction to the oil embargo of 1973, which set a timetable to end reliance on foreign oil by 1980. 9. In 1970, President Nixon avoided a second Cuban Missile Crisis involving a Soviet submarine base by adhering to his policy of hard- headed détente, an active rather than passive form of diplomacy. 10. Supported Israel with massive aid in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which Prime Minister Golda Meir later said saved her country.
In the end though, it was his complete lack self-confidence and a paranoia that sprang from that, that was his downfall. Any one that maintains an enemies list is truly emotionally immature and he wasn't ever able grow beyond that.
Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (2012)
This should be required project starting from middle school through University
This is quite an eye-opener regarding the incestuous relationships between the über-wealthy, corporations, political action committees, Congress and even the U.S. President. Like I say in the title to this post, it should be a mandatory study portion in any Civics, U.S. Government, Economics and even US History classes at all levels of education starting in 6th Grade. Each student should delve more deeply and asked to write a paper with proposed solutions to this issue.
It very plainly explains how the top 1% of the top 1% (and even the top 10% too) of the wealthy in this country wield true power through their money. I don't believe it's a bad thing to be wealthy or even über- wealthy; it is how they use that money that is offending to me.
If the top 400 wealthiest people in our country would donate even 2% of their annual net worth (not salaries or bonuses) at Thanksgiving each year, this money (probably into the billions range) would go a long way to reduce hunger in America and they could create many endowed scholarships at many universities or to local Community Colleges to help the middle and lower classes to become empowered to earn their way up.
Luckily, we do have a good number of very civic minded billionaires in our country, beginning with Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, who created the "The Giving Pledge" (givingpledge.org) and I would estimate that over one-half who have signed the pledge are Americans. This philanthropic endeavor is estimated, as of July 2010, to worth in excess of $125 BILLION dollars. Today, it must exceed @00 BILLION.
On a personal note, the list also includes a very special lady, Lynn Schusterman, who I've met and worked for her now deceased husband, Charles Schusterman, at his primary business, oil and gas production. Their daughter Stacey has been the CEO since shortly before her father passed. This family has done so much for our state, Oklahoma, by contributing to the University of Oklahoma (OU). As a matter of fact my hometown, Tulsa, would probably never have an OU campus, if not for Lynn and their family Schusterman Foundation. She's very active in family and children's services and a slew of other organizations that badly need their assistance. Charles, Lynn and Stacy, who I all met and spoke to on numerous occasions, were all very approachable and very caring about his employees. Much like Warren Buffett, Charles was down to earth and a hard worker. I would be remiss if I did not mention the hundreds of millions of dollars of giving and active management of those resources by T. Boone Pickens, to our other state run university, Oklahoma State. He's given to OU and many other organizations here. We are very lucky to have these two fine families call our state, home.
I'm not believer in conspiracy theories like "A One World Nation", "The Bilderberg's", "Trilateral Commission", Yale's "Skull & Bones", the Freemason's and the list could on and on. The fact is that once you acquire a vast amount of wealth, through any means, you get a seat at the table with the political power broker's. Especially, since SCOTUS gave corporations the right to been seen and treated as an individual person that then allowed them to make almost unlimited campaign contributions stemming from the "Citizen's United" case.
Politician's need money like humans need air. That is an inextricable fact. Also, this documentary states unequivocally that it's the lobbyists who actually write the legislation that comes to floor of either house of Congress with little or few modifications. I wasn't overly surprised but surprised and concerned enough to ask this one question:
WHO IS ACTUALLY RUNNING OUR COUNTRY?
Watch "Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (2012)" and then, decide for yourself.
The World Without US (2008)
Every American Needs to See This
First, this IS NOT a U.S. criticism film . It's just one that describes our current standing in all parts of the world and then asks, "What if we weren't there? What might occur if brought home our soldiers, sailors and airmen and closed down all these bases and outposts in all of the 90+ countries in the world?" This documentary was an quite an eye-opener for myself because I had never seen an almost fully encompassed story regarding what U.S. foreign policy have and has done; haven't done and the decisions made by multiple presidential administrations regarding our foreign policy and our sole superpower status and authority.
It also asks very many questions about our allies regarding what burden they carry or not, regarding maintaining peace and stability in the world. This is a question that each American citizen needs to understand completely. This point I cannot emphasize enough.
There are also numerous interviews from allied nations and some non-aligned nations regarding how they view us and what impact we currently make and some these interviews discuss the "What if the U.S. wasn't here?" question. These interviews are very sobering to say the least.
These are my words/opinion and are tangentially related to this film. In these last 12 years, since President George W. Bush (not his father, George H.W. Bush) and under President Barack Obama, with deficits soaring due to paying for two major wars and a number of other assisted military interventions in primarily the Middle East and North Africa and then with thousands (if not tens of thousands) Baby Boomer's retiring weekly (Full Disclosure: I'm considered a Boomer because I was born in 1964 however; I do not or ever have considered myself part of that generation and don't expect Social Security to be available to me until I'm 70 or older (if any, at all)), we are borrowing one dollar of every three dollars spend on our American Credit Card.For a detailed breakdown of our budget(s), please visit:
http://nationalpriorities.org/ - Non-political with accurate data
These are but two of the reasons why we have came to have multi-trillion annual deficits. Our total national debt is encroaching on the $20 trillion mark that will occur in the few years, unless we do these two things simultaneously: 1) Raise additional revenue and not just from personal income taxes (corporations need to bear a much larger portion) and 2) A serious reduction in spending annually in both military and entitlements. There will be hard choices for both the Democrats and Republicans to make in the next four years.
Man of the Year (2006)
This is not the movie that was advertised
Saw this movie at a Saturday matinée with a friend. Theater was about 70% full.
Although there are quite a few funny lines, it is more of a drama/suspense with humor sprinkled on top. Robin Williams gives a decent performance as does Laura Linney. Being a Daily Show fan, Lewis Black is pretty good in this. Christopher Walken gives a good performance also.
The movie starts out slow and remains that way for about the first thirty minutes, then the suspense part kicks in and starts keeping you a little on edge throughout the rest of the movie. Suspense in a supposed comedy movie? I know that I, as well as everybody else in the place, was struggling a bit with this. A character would crack a joke during suspense sequence and you would hear just one or two laughs in the theater.
In all fairness, after the movie was over there was smattering of applause. So, definitely, some people enjoyed this movie.
I gave this movie a four out of ten, because I believe the comedy aspect doesn't work very well in a suspense/drama movie and the actors performances, while not bad, were just decent.
Again, this movie isn't what was advertised.
Open Season (2006)
Definitely bargain matinée fare...
Saw this movie at the local IMAX in 3D, late Saturday morning matinée. Nine year-old daughter and girlfriend went with me. Other than very good 3D animation and the last, all too short, ten minute or so, animal rebellion episode, this movie was BORING.
Martin Lawrence (Boog) does as well as he can with what he was given. Ashton Kutcher's Elliot character became downright irritating within his first ten minutes. The one bright spot and really funny portrayal was that of Billy Connolly as McSquizzy, the chest-puffing, Scottish brogue speaking leader of the squirrel packs. Also Patrick Warburton's portrayal of Ian, leader of bucks, was pretty good also. Being a Seinfeld fan, I immediately noticed the squint-eyed, blank-stare of David Putty in Ian. Nice casting on that one.
This movie just seems to drag and drag along until the final rebellion sequence. Also, the dufus buddy theme has worn all to thin in these animated movies. At times, it seemed like this was Shrek 6.
Seeing this movie in IMAX/3D certainly is a plus, because it keeps you from noticing how slow this movie goes.
My five rating is due to the IMAX/3D being so good. Otherwise, it would be a two.