Hilarious Aussies explain the Financial Collapse!

Atlas Shrugged the movie

With the news that the Production company that owns the rights to my favorite book (Atlas Shrugged), is planning to begin production of the movie version in June - I thought I would take a shot casting this movie for them.

Dagny Taggart (our heroine) - Angelina Jolie. I am an Angelina fan, and I chose her because I think she fits the mold of who Ayn Rand describes in Atlas. However, it goes beyond that as I also feel the strength she has shwon in past performances will be needed here. Dagny Taggart is a stoic character, withdrawn and even cold socially but beautiful physically. I think that Jolie as Dagny Taggart could be the role of a lifetime.

Hank Rearden - Denzell Washington. The character of Hank Rearden is a complex one, in many ways he is the male version of Dagny Taggart and yet he has many more social connections (though he does not want them). Physically I always kind of pictured a man's man when I thought of Rearden, not a lumberjack or anything, but not someone you would ever want to mess with. I wrestled for a long time with this character because I am not sure there is a Hollywood actor who fits the Rearden mold perfectly. Hank is a white guy in the book... but I really felt like Denzell could more than do his character justice.

John Galt - Robert Downey Jr. The climax of the book happens when Galt gives one of the most important speeches in literary history... a long and complex speech will need an uncommon actor to deliver the goods. Downey Jr., has already warmed up for the part of Galt by playing erstwhile millionare Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies.

Francisco D'Anaconia - Nestor Carbonell. He was just always who I pictured for D'Anaconia.

Ragnar Danneskjöld - Josh Holloway. Holloway and Carbonell have recently been seen on Lost, but I promise this is just a coincedence. The character of Danneskjold is real honest to goodness Viking pirate, and he has to be played by someone who can pull off the whole "I do what I want" vibe. He also has to look like a Viking... and I just can't think of too many happy-go-lucky Norse actors.

Wesley Mouch - Hugo Weaving. This is the government slug who wreaks havoc throughout the story... I feel like Hugo Weaving looks like a Wesley Mouch.

Dr. Floyd Ferris - Kevin Spacey. The character of Dr. Ferris is similarly slimey like Mouch yet with a touch of deviant behavior. Kevin Spacey has always kind of struck me as a deviant.

James Taggart - Paul Giamatti. James Taggart is a waste of skin... a lazy no account who tries to pass the buck at every turn. Giamatti is a brilliant actor who could do this job justice.

Lillian Rearden - Ashley Judd.

Dr. Robert Stadler - Donald Sutherland. The once brilliant now wasted hero of our heroes... Dr. Stadler has become what Galt and his ilk hate the most - unproductive.

Hugh Akston - Robert Duvall. Rather than giving in to society as his once associate Dr. Stadler did, Dr. Akston fled the unproductive society to join his students in protesting the fall of creativty and productivity.

There are many great characters in this book and I feel like I could cast a whole bunch more (for instance Gary Sinise as Dan Conway or Ken Danagger)... but really what I hope is that this movie does justice to the book. Ayn Rand's pièce de résistance is a masterwork that deserves to be done seriously and with full heart.

Intellectual Property Laws Destroy Creativity

Political Left wants blood!

Reason.com points out the hypocrisy of the left, as one of their own calls for violence and anarchy in America.

Here's to the Greeks. They know what to do when corporations pillage and loot their country. They know what to do when Goldman Sachs and international bankers collude with their power elite to falsify economic data and then make billions betting that the Greek economy will collapse. They know what to do when they are told their pensions, benefits and jobs have to be cut to pay corporate banks, which screwed them in the first place. Call a general strike. Riot. Shut down the city centers. Toss the bastards out. Do not be afraid of the language of class warfare—the rich versus the poor, the oligarchs versus the citizens, the capitalists versus the proletariat. The Greeks, unlike most of us, get it.

Mr. Hedges (the author of the above paragraph) is way off. The people in Greece are not rioting for the reasons he states, but because their were cutbacks to their welfare system. What Mr. Hedges refuses to notes is that while corrupt politicians in bed with corporations are PART of the problem - the much larger problem is that Greece has had one of the worlds must luxurious (and underfunded) welfare systems in the world. What has driven Greece to brink is indefatigable government spending and and a culture of what my mother used to call the "gimme, gimme's... I want, I want, I want's". Fix the culture of laziness and profligate government spending and you fix the problem.

Why immigration laws should be enforced

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) owns Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Governor Chris Christie

I may not agree with all of Chris Christie's points of view but I do like his straight forward way.
Here is a great video that epitomizes what all of the national Republicans should be saying in this election season.

The real Obama budget.

A visual presentation of the Obama budget cuts.

"Christian Libertarian"?

In a brilliant post to his personal website Mr. Andrew Klavan (brilliant author and political thinker), writes on the subject of "Christian Libertarianism" and I wholeheartedly concur with his thesis.
As I age I have been moving from dyed-in-the-wool conservative to right-leaning Libertarian, and Mr. Klavan encapsulates very nicely some of the reasons for my "growth". While I believe it is our duty to “judge” other Christians, as we are commanded to “judge them by their fruits”, I also believe that it is the Holy Spirit’s place to bring conviction to the non-believer and only ours to speak the truth (in love).
I have become wholly convinced that the true way to affect revival today in America is by choosing not to argue over social (ie moral) issues any longer, and by telling our community that we have all sinned but God is gracious and would forgive us ALL. I have tried to understand by reading the Gospels, and by trying to understand the New Testament how a believer should live... and I think that in the realm of politics it may be best to always side with freedom. Of course, I could be wrong.
I would prefer our government take as little role in legislating our daily lives as possible; this includes in the area of narcotics, taxes, and the interrelationships of consenting adults, etc. (On a side note, however, I do not believe the abortion issue is a “moral” issue because I believe that life begins t conception which means – to me – abortion is murder… so I must speak out about it.) I believe that the LORD has given us the ability to make rational, moral, and logical decisions and that the mass of humanity has no need for government direction in large portions of our lives. The government should facilitate freedom, not hinder it.

Rep. Anthony Weiner is a Big Weiner

I am not a HUGE fan of Bill O'Reilly but I thought this was freakin' hilarious. Bill actually does an admirable job of keeping his cool... I was impressed.

James Clyburn - Fool.

Rep. James Clyburn (D - SC) is a complete and utter moron. The Democrats and their cohorts in the national media have been bad-mouthing the tea party movement from its inception, and now that they have passed their healthcare "destruction" bill the democrats are ratcheting up the rhetoric.
Mr. Clyburn believes that those Republican lawmakers who were cavorting with the tea-partiers on the day of the vote are "aiding and abetting...terrorism". I kid you not. Yes, there are definitely a few knuckleheads in the Tea Party movement... but there are a few knuckleheads in every movement. I would remind Democrats that Bill Ayers (a known terrorist) is a Democrat.
Wake up America. If we continue to elect men like Clyburn to office - this kind of hate-mongering and idiocy is what we can continue to expect. The tea-partiers are not racists and they sure as hell aren't terrorists. They are Americans who are pissed off at a government that has stopped listening... if you doubt this, just consider that the legislature just passed a law giving Congress control of 1/6th of the nation's economy and that effects every single American. And they did this all against the will of the American people.
It was the very definition of not listening... in fact the House passed the Senate Bill (even though the House members hated it) because they did not want the Senate to have to vote on Healthcare again. Why would they worry about another Senate vote? Because the good people of Massachusetts (one of America's most liberal bastions) elected a Republican solely because he would vote to kill the healthcare bill.

James Clyburn is an ass.

Healthcare WILL cost you.

America the Police State?

Lost

Not political - just plain funny...

Final Season Of 'Lost' Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever

A must read article from Big Hollywood

The report focuses on how Fidel Castro spies on the Hollywood "types" who love him so much.

Big Hollywood

Amazing...

Matisyahu Rocks

Beautiful rendition of a wonderful song with a wonderful message.




Matisyahu.

McCain Family? Waste of Time...

A perfect breakdown of Meghan McCain from lewrockwell.com

‘Progressive Republicanism’ Posted by Manuel Lora on February 9, 2010 08:29 AM
In the latest installment of and about the Tea Party movement, Meghan McCain has declared that she has ideological differences with that movement–she is a self-described “progressive Republican,” after all.
I wonder what what means? As a friend said, “You want to have married, gay couples flying bombing missions to kill brown people?” Maybe that’s also the definition of “normal” Democrats, too.

More proof the Maghan McCain is as bad for our country as her father.

Too Late to Apologize