Ok, seriously, you're really reaching this time...

So Star Wars Episode III came out a few days ago. I haven't seen it yet, but I heard it's pretty good. However, I've also heard that it is a commentary on the Bush administration. To this I say -- :::sigh:::.

You can't be serious. First of all, the original story was written some 30 years ago (I'm not exactly sure on this, as I'm not a Star Wars buff, but that seems about right). Either way, it certainly wasn't written between 2000 and now. Hey, maybe he was commenting on the Carter administration. You never know.

There are some lines in the movie that people point to that seems to parallel Bush's 'red-meat', hardline speeches. Things like 'If you're not with me, you're my enemy.' Ok, yeah, Bush has said 'You're either with us, or against us.' Fair enough. But keep in mind, he was talking about religious fanatics that aim to kill/convert the entire planet to their 'religion'. I don't think anyone has any qualms with being against people like that. And if they do, well, screw them. You don't have to be colluding with terrorists to be aiding them. Some famous guy once said 'all that require for evil to flourish is for good men to sit idly by'. This is true. You can be as good as you want, but if you're going to sit around and let someone be evil, your being good is pretty pointless.

Another favorite line of those wishing to use a science fiction film to make a political point is when Queen Amidala (or whoever Natalie Portman plays) says 'This is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause...' Oh yeah...that's definitely talking about the Bush administration. Because as we've all witnessed over the past 4 and a half years, liberty in this country has ceased to exist. Books have been burned in the streets, the media has been nationalized, political dissenters have been jailed and tortured to death, we're no longer free to practice whichever religion we choose, and we're all required to pay homage to our dear leader, George W. Bush. Or was that somewhere else?

It's always curious to me that people claim that Bush has turned this nation into some fascist theocracy. Because when asked for an example of such, they just kinda trail off or say something about the 'Patriot Act'. The Patriot Act, of course, is based on the ridiculous notion that being a terrorist and plotting to kill people is illegal. Also, when these people are asked if they've even read the Patriot Act, the answer is almost universally 'no'.

Why is it that the United States is always associated with oppression and a lack of liberty and freedom? Why not North Korea where political dissenters are jailed and tortured to death, and the civilian citizens are starved while the military gets the vast majority of what little food the government has?

Why not Saudi Arabia, Iran, or pretty much any other Middle Eastern/Islamic country where religious minorities are routinely jailed, tortured, and killed? They also stone their women to death for doing shameful things like being raped or taking off their bee-keeper suits in the frigging desert. What a bastion of freedom and liberty that place is.

Also, when considering the merits of these claims, it's important to consider the people making them. These accusations first popped up at the Cannes Film Festival. These are the same people that gave Michael Moore a 20 minute standing ovation for his demonstrably false 'documentary'. These people crave anti-Americanism. They pine for anything to validate their beliefs and make them feel a part of that 'I hate America' club that so many in this country and around the world need to make themselves feel like an intelligent intellectual.

I guess my main point is, IT'S A FRIGGING SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE. You can make of it whatever you like. For example, I believe that Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a parallel to the rise and fall of the Third Reich and its effects on the Russian economy. Or, it could just be about a bunch of midgets and a magical ring. It's debatable.

And so what if George Lucas did make the movie about the Bush administration? I fail to see how that validates anything. If you feel all smart by 'reading between the lines' and seeing contemporary social commentary in Star Wars, more power to you. But to everyone else, you sound like an idiot.