I went to go see Valkyrie on Friday with my family with reluctance. I had read a few reviews that had removed any desire I had to see it, so, I went in with rock-bottom expectations. That being said, I really enjoyed the film. It being a true story immediately gave it added weight and a seriousness not present in most movies. I wasn't familiar with the story, so, I learned a lot and was entertained.
The main thing I walked away from the movie with was a sense that I had seen what true patriotism is all about. Patriotism isn't about chanting at a ball game or about agreeing with every decision made by your government, but about doing whats right for the country. Especially when the government is unwilling to.
The movie is about Nazis in Hitler's army who didn't agree with what he was doing and their attempt to take him out. They don't succeed, obviously, but it was a powerful testament to what a few men of good will can accomplish.
Looking at the movie through the prism of our current government was the next logical step. When we look back on the last eight years of US history we'll find a preemptive war against an imaginary foe, the greatest economic collapse in a generation, the worst terror attack ever on our soil, torture sanctioned by the highest levels of our govenment, and God knows what else. The men in the Valkyrie story frequently say "We don't want Germany to go into the history books as Hitler's Germany. We were not all like him." I ask myself sometimes, what have we allowed the United States to become? I hope we have some patriots left...
2 comments:
So the terrorist attack on our soil in '01 was all Bush's fault? And the worst economic melt down in 30 years (get your facts straight) is all Bush's fault? The failed policies of the Clinton administration that led to the housing crisis and the fact that Bush just took office when terrorists exposed our vulnerabilities due to Clinton's weaknesses...those things mean nothing for you? Do you realize that in your irresponsible comments you just condoned a murder plot against our president? I thought you had more respect for our system of governemnt and the office of the president than to say something like that. This is why we have elections and term limits (in case you want to talk about disputed elections, at least term limits serve to limit the damage one bad president can do). Instead of having to devise a plot to otherthrow our govt, and instead of having to hatch a complicated scheme to murder our commander-in-chief, we simply get to elect a new one. Your thoughts about this movie made me remember why I don't read blogs and doubt I will be on here again any time soon. People allow their freedom of speech and their arrogant thinking that what they say matters to cloud their judgment and lead them to say the most unforgivable things.
look, Bush apologists are big on not pinning 9/11 on him. but "he has kept us safe for the last 7 years". you can't have both. 1) 9 months is 20% of his term. at what point in a term is a president responsible for securing the country? 40% in? 50? 2) are you aware that he gets a daily security briefing? so, that means that in the 9 months between his inauguration and the attack he had gotten about 300 of these things! including one titled "bin laden determined to strike in US". so, yes. i blame him.
as far as condoning a murder plot, let me be clear: i don't put (what i believe to be) Bush's crimes on par with Hitler's and i don't support or condone anyone trying to take him out. what i was speaking to was the spirit that the Germans in the movie possessed to do the right thing. the "right thing" in this case is not assassination. i believe that prosecution is the appropriate action for Bush and his guys. I believe he has done tremendous, tremendous harm to our country. i don't think he meant to. i think in his head he was doing what was right. and that makes him the most dangerous type of dangerous person in my book. the well intended one...
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