Batman: The Caped Crusader Through the Years

I have always been a huge Batman fan! He is definitely my favorite Superhero (super-powered or not). I have fond memories of reading the comics as a kid. I even have (somewhat) fond memories of watching the corny, silly TV series from the sixties. Yes, I really am that old!

Despite the goofiness, watching Adam West slide down the Batpole and become Batman was always cool! And the Batmobile bursting out of the hidden cave entrance – way cool! I really loved the old sixties Batmobile with the subtle red trim.

Nevertheless, even though the comics themselves were a little campy by then, what I really wanted to see was the original Batman, the “Dark Knight” who chose to dress like a creature of the night and “strike terror” into the hearts of “superstitious and cowardly” criminals. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films! Not so much with the Schumacher/Kilmer/Clooney movies which veered the character back to the tone of the old TV show, in my opinion.

Finally in 2005, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale brought us the version many of us had been awaiting! All three were excellent movies, and after many viewings, I can honestly say, I still find them fantastic and very true to the vision of Batman from my childhood imaginings! (And of course, Heath Ledger as Joker? Nobody has done it better!)

And now for my (perhaps) controversial thoughts. My favorite portrayal of Batman onscreen is none other than Ben Affleck! I could go into all the reasons why I believe Affleck is such a truly underrated actor, but for this particular article, I’ll stick to the one role. Maybe it’s my age, but I honestly love the way he brings this character to life. Older, wiser, somewhat beaten down by the years of battling criminals and super-villains, this Batman is amazing.

I guess it all goes back to why I love Batman in the first place. He’s the superhero with no super powers, right? The regular guy who trains himself and goes out to fight crime and protect his city using his wealth to equip himself with the necessary tools and gadgets. The master detective following the clues and solving puzzles. The one who’s ready to fight Superman himself if he sees him as a threat. The one who knows when he needs help and rounds up a Justice League when needed. The hero who never loses his humanity. I love this version of the older Batman.

So, I was excited to see the next Batman movie with Affleck as the title character, and I was crushed when the whole project went bust. (Am I the only one who would still love to see Affleck’s Batman in “The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller?) So, now instead, we get a new, young Batman played by shiny, glitter-boy vampire? Sorry, couldn’t resist!

Honestly, I’ve seen some of his other non-Twilight roles and I think (and hope) Robert Pattinson can pull it off! The early clips look promising. And of course, I’ll go see it as soon as it comes out, because I’m a huge Batman fan! If you haven’t seen it, here’s the official first look video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GW7_e2aJA

And just for kicks, here’s my unofficial ranking of the best actors in the role:

1.       Ben Affleck (Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, Justice League)

2.       Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy)

3.       Michael Keaton (Batman, Batman Returns)

4.       (Tie) Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Adam West, and those guys from the forties serials.

Drop a comment and let me know how you would rank the Batman portrayals!

Obamagate – Watergate on Steroids

In 1974, Richard Nixon became the first (and only) US President to ever resign from the office. Most Americans (of a certain age anyway) know why – Watergate. The scandal took down a President, but sadly, many people have no idea what actually happened.

Here’s the short version. Five men (later connected to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President) were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel.  Their purpose? To plant bugs in order to spy on the campaign of the Democratic nominee for President. It was a decidedly low tech operation. They used tape on the door locks and placed bugs in the office telephones. Actually, they were replacing one of the bugs planted previously that failed to work.

When they were discovered, the trail led all the way to the White House itself. The key questions that followed? What did the President know? And when did he know it?

Most Americans were shocked! To think that a sitting US President would attempt to spy on his political opponents? And then actively work to cover up his involvement when it all hit the fan? Outrageous! No one was very shocked when he eventually resigned.

Skip to 2016. Using (abusing) the FISA court, the FBI began a (legal?) process of wiretapping Trump aides and in effect, the nominee himself. A decidedly high tech version of the EXACT same thing Nixon and his campaign were trying to do in 1972. Just like the Watergate scandal, we would eventually learn that multiple federal intelligence agencies were actively involved.

So where is the outrage? Despite indications that President Barack Obama was fully aware of what was taking place, no one seems to care. Why isn’t anyone asking those same key questions? What did the President know and when did he know it? Did he authorize the actions? Did he work to cover them up after the fact?

Now, I know it is too late for impeachment of resignations or any real consequences at this point, but still, shouldn’t someone be held accountable? Or does a sitting President spying on political opponents just not shock us anymore?

Let me conclude with my personal thoughts. I don’t care if you loved Barack Obama or hated him. I don’t care if you love Donald Trump or hate him. If a sitting US President used the power of the federal government to spy on a political opponent, we should recognize it as the greatest scandal in American history. And if you think it’s no big deal for an outgoing President in his last days in office to sabotage (taking out the National Security Advisor and inventing the whole Russian Collusion Hoax) the newly elected incoming President and his administration, then YOU ARE AN IDIOT! Sorry to be so blunt, but seriously? Wake up!

The Real Reason Joe Needs to Go

I wanted to follow up on last week’s blog to clarify my thoughts on Joe Biden. I certainly did not mean to imply that being a pervert would keep Biden (or anyone else) from being an effective President. For example, Bill Clinton, perhaps the most sex-crazed occupant of the Oval Office was in many ways an excellent President. Honestly, there are more serious issues with Biden.

And no, I’m not going with corruption. He’s a career politician and surely no more corrupt than say Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer or Adam Schiff or Jerry Nadler or an endless roll call of others. “Public Servants” who become millionaires are hardly putting the needs of the public anywhere near the top of their list of priorities.

Although the sexual allegations and the history of corruption are certainly reasons that might disqualify a candidate, neither are the biggest concern many have with Joe Biden. Consider the true elephant in the room – his mental state. Does anyone seriously not believe the man has issues? I’m no doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but some things are just obvious. For example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-GoeFGyIc (Sadly, we have to depend on foreign news to actually cover his problems.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ytSI4PFm4 (Here’s Tucker Carlson discussing the subject.)

I willing admit that my memory is not what it used to be. (I’m still brilliant, of course, just at a little slower speed!) At my age, I forget things. But I’m not applying for the job of running the whole country! And of course, Biden’s problems are more serious than just simply forgetting a few things. He’s frequently incoherent. He repeats himself. He can’t keep up with what state he’s in or what office he’s running for. He can’t remember the most well known lines from the Declaration of Independence. Is he really competent to hold the most powerful office in the country? The world?

Shamefully, his family and the DNC seem content to trot him out to take on Trump. You know the DNC is ecstatic about the virus that is allowing them to keep him parked at home far away from the campaign trail. Four years ago, they almost killed Hillary dragging her around and she looks pretty healthy compared to Joe. And you know they dread the thought of putting him on a debate stage with Donald Trump. Actually, it might be more accurate to say they are scared to death of the very thought of such a debate!

So, what should the Democrats do? Right now, they have two easy outs should they choose to use them. Citing either the sexual allegations or the corruption issues, they could find a way to spin the story and have him bow out gracefully. Or go with some kind of generic health issues and let the poor man go home and retire in peace.

Of course, more than likely, the Democrats will go with the least humane option. I really believe they will load up the Vice President slot with their preferred choice and then drag poor Joe across the finish line even if it kills him. Sad to think that could happen, but remember, this is the party that will do anything, illegal, immoral, unethical, or not to defeat President Trump. They have already shown their complete willingness to destroy the country’s economy to gain political advantage. Do we really think concern for a fellow human being will make them hold back? Not likely.

Liberal Hypocrisy and the Fall of the #MeToo Movement

When Judge Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the US Supreme Court, the Liberal Media and the Democratic Party threw everything they could find (including the kitchen sink) at him to prevent his confirmation. While his wife, daughters, and the rest of the country watched, they took a respected federal judge with a spotless reputation, and did all they could to smear him as a rapist, sexual predator, and horrible human being.

When Christine Blasey Ford stepped forward, every Liberal in Washington, Hollywood, and all points in between proclaimed that she and every other woman who makes such allegations must be believed. No questions asked, no proof necessary, no due process required. Instantly, the accused was no longer innocent until proven guilty, but guilty as hell and suddenly forced to prove his innocence. Of course, that would never be enough. Welcome to the age of #MeToo.

In all honesty, Ford had some obvious inconsistencies in her story and serious problems with the allegations were readily apparent. Ignored by the media, who eagerly supported the “victim” and even went so far as to publish further allegations from other so-called victims with no effort to verify any of the tales. Kavanaugh did a pretty good job of defending himself against these outrageous accusations, but to the Liberals, he will forever be referred to as a sexual deviant. They destroyed his reputation and continue to smear his name at every opportunity.

Let me clearly state my personal opinion up front. I do believe that women who come forth to accuse abusers deserve to be heard. Credible allegations should be investigated and guilty parties should be punished. However, I do not think that every story should be believed and considered 100% accurate as soon as the accusation is uttered. I believe in those fundamental principles of due process and the presumption of innocence.

Skip to the present. Now that the leading Democrat nominee Joe Biden has been accused, everything is different. (Especially the opinions of those female politicians who are actively campaigning for the coveted VP slot!) The same Liberals who proclaimed that every single brave woman who accused a man of sexual abuse should be believed without a doubt, have now immediately begun to backtrack. Now suddenly, we have to slam on the brakes and wait just a minute and think about due process and all that jazz.

And of course, the mainstream media is doing their best to totally ignore the accusations and just not report on the story. You know, just sit back and pretend it will all go away, like the video confession of his own quid pro quo and the other shady dealings of his son Hunter. And Facebook and Twitter and YouTube are doing their part by making all those creepy videos of his kissing, hugging, touching, and making inappropriate comments to all those very young girls somehow disappear. (Quicker than 33,000 inconvenient emails!)

So what happens to the #MeToo Movement? Now that it has been made obvious that it is more about partisan politics than it is about the actual problem of sexual abuse? Because that’s the real message being revealed by the Liberals today – Believe every woman, unless she accuses a Democrat.

And the big winner of the Hypocrisy Award this week? How about Alyssa Milano, a former champion of the #MeToo Movement? Her immediate reaction to the accusation against Biden was to release a statement affirming her support of him in his campaign for the Presidency. A close second would have to go to #MeToo founder Tarana Burke who said Biden could still prove to be “accountable and electable.” She seems to be trying really hard to ride the fence on this one. Sounds like more of that “let’s believe all women, but not this time” we’re hearing a lot these days. https://newsone.com/3934435/metoo-founder-tarana-burke-addresses-joe-biden-sexual-assault-allegation/

On the other hand, props to Rose McGowan for standing up to her own principles and saying that Biden should immediately drop out. She also blasted Alyssa Milano calling her a fraud for her recent comments. https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/04/26/rose-mcgowan-calls-on-joe-biden-to-drop-out-as-tara-reade-allegation-roils-campaign/ Actress Evan Rachel Wood tweeted her agreement with McGowan in regard to her latest comments about the issue and the state of the Democratic Party. Maybe there are a few reasonable people still out in Hollywood. In the meantime, count on the media to downplay the allegations and actively choose to not believe Tara Reade.

(P.S. Am I the only one who remembers the stories about Vice President Biden swimming naked in front of female Secret Service agents at the White House? Again, pretty creepy! https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/08/01/biden-swims-naked-upsetting-female-secret-service-agents-book-claims)