The Academy & Guns

The Academy Award Nominations came out this morning. I'm sure you've heard about the "snubs" and triumphs by now. All Hell Has Broken Out over Ben Affleck's non-nomination for Best Director of the excellent Argo (which is up for Best Pic). Simultaneously, Hollywood is lighting torches and preparing to swarm The Academy for the omission of the talented director, Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker Best Director winner) for her gritty, impressive directing of Zero Dark Thirty (also on the list for Best Picture). So, lots of people are uttering "WTF?" "Who are the voters?" Is Ben's personal life too-too-much "Pretend Vanilla" when the Paps are around? Naw, compared with others, he's a Tame One. So what happened, here? Same with Bigelow. Was it enough to give her one Oscar and send her on her way in the future no matter how spectacular her films are? Geez. They was robbed!

But no one has been robbed as much as The American People with yet another School Shooting (albeit "minor" compared to Newtown, CT's carnage). Robbed of Safety. Robbed of Peace. Robbed of Security that one can send their child to school and not have to worry that they may not make it back home for dinner because someone with a Deadly Weapon chose their child's school to settle a Vicious Need of one kind or another. Ironic, then, that a few hours ago, while VP Joe Biden was in the midst of a Press Conference on Gun Control in our schools that the Latest School Shooting was in progress as he spoke – unaware of what was going down in Taft, California, where at least two people were shot. (Story is developing - facts may change.)

Rather than make cheesy movies about Child Killers – as is the situation with Casey Anthony (the very idea of feeding her Narcissism with a film is disgusting – but anyhow….), why don't we stop focusing on Killing And Violent Danger so often in our subjects for films in all mediums and begin digging through the Real Sleaze of how our country is run by Large Corporations and Influential Lobbyists such as the NRA. Films about the rise and fall of Wall Street, banking institutions, and this years' heavily Oscar-Nominated "Lincoln" have made money when they were well-cast and directed with thought. And that's without the Michael Moore documentary touch. 

Yep. The Ben Affleckers and Kathryn Big-e-low's of this world were robbed of a nomination today. I'm sure they are thrilled at the other nominations for their films, but today is a bittersweet one. But it's just one day of True Reality…a few weeks of sucking-in the anger before heading to the ceremonies to BS in front of every microphone thrust in their nice faces, and then The Season is OVER and it's back to work or a pricey vacation. For the rest of us? We'll not have the chance to put on a brave face when the Pro-Gun Peeps bellow on-and-on over how they need their Assault Weapons to assault anyone who wants to assault them – because that is The American Way. 

Americans with mini-armory's in their Nuclear Underground Shelters will feel robbed if Sanity Takes Precedence and Congress gets real by further requiring a broad database of people who Should Not Own Guns, as well as not selling High Magazine Round Ammo and Guns/Rifles to the "Average" Person, but so what? No one will deprive them of their basic 2nd Amendment "rights" in the process. Sellers just won't sell anything to Just Anyone that could take down a building – or kill a mass of people in 30 seconds. In fact, the recent run on buying Heavy Artillery in fear of losing their "rights" causes me to feel robbed of the illusion that Common Sense Still Exists.

Meanwhile, better luck next time, Mr. Affleck and Ms. Bigelow. And to the Taft School Shooting Victims and witnesses, TDFB *hearts* you.

Image via: http://www.colourbox.com