Random Thoughts: Runaway Slaves Escaping To Mexico

Tweets from October, 2022:

• 2022-10-03: A chapter of US history that's rarely told that holds a lesson for today. If we couldn't stop runaway slaves from escaping *to* Mexico pre-Civil War, why do we think it's possible to stop desperate refugees fleeing the other direction today? Why would we even want to?
• 2022-10-03: Today's Trump fundraising email: "We need a clear picture of how all voters in your Congressional District are leaning, and you are a leader in your district." A leader? He must read my blog!
• 2022-10-03: Up until recently, regardless of when life begins, in the United States nobody could force you to donate your own body to save another person. Republicans want the government to force you to donate your body to save even fertilized eggs. Small government, my eye.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

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• 2022-10-04: Foundation (TV 2021): Galactic empire challenged by ragtag rebels. Another sci-fi classic (this one by Isaac Asimov) ripped off by Star Wars. This one lacks passion or fun. Cerebral psychohistory instead of the Force's woo-woo. Main characters seldom interact with each other. C+
• 2022-10-04: "There's a Carbon Dioxide Shortage, and Food and Drink Makers are Scrambling." A carbon dioxide shortage in world too full of heat-trapping gases. Now that's irony.
• 2022-10-05: The Woman King (2022): Female African warriors fight European slave traders. Revenge. Tragedy. Joy. Formulaic movie with roles reversed. Ahistorical? So were all those John Wayne movies. It's time Hollywood paints Africans as the heroes. Viola Davis rules. so does Thuso Mbedu. A-
• 2022-10-06: Tehran - S01 (TV 2020): Israel. A thriller. Secret Israeli mission in Iran is blown due to mistakes obvious to the viewer. Israeli spycraft doesn't live up to its reputation. The characters who make those mistakes are human, with some stereotypes surprisingly broken. B-
• 2022-10-07: Medici: Masters of Florence - S01 (TV 2016): Historical drama about the dynasty that ran Florence in 1400s. Politics, intrigue, sex, and violence with lots of 2-D characters. Easy way to absorb history. Only in the last episode did I realize S01 was a murder mystery at heart. B-
• 2022-10-07: Two whistleblowing Richardson cops say they were frozen out of the department." This is embarrassing for all involved: the two police officers, their fellow officers, their superiors, the City Manager, the City Council. Settle this already.
• 2022-10-10: Lou (2022): What would be overworked with a man in the lead turns out to be mildly novel with Allison Janney as a retired CIA agent dragged into chasing a kidnapper. Good action scenes, even though some are implausible. And some good psychology at work, too. B-
• 2022-10-11: Borgen - S01 (TV 2010): Denmark. Workplace drama set in the offices of Denmark's first female prime miniter, who is faced with challenges in politics, press, business, and her marriage. All the fast-paced story lines are blended seamlessly. Great comparison to America. A-
• 2022-10-13: Amsterdam (2022): A 1930s noir comedy/mystery that gradually reveals itself to be a message film with an anti-fascist warning for today. A slow-developing, complicated plot with too many quirky characters, the critics mostly hated it, but I loved it for all the same reasons. A-
• 2022-10-14: Book Review: The Pursuit of Italy: Cramming 2500 yrs of history and culture into a dense 400 pages, this book focuses on Italy's divisions. It's a wonder that Italy ever came together into a single modern state. That didn't happen until the 1860s. Maybe it hasn't happened yet. B+
• 2022-10-15: "The LWV expects candidates for public office to participate in nonpartisan public forums and voters guides. By declining to participate, [Button and Fischer] deny the community an opportunity to learn more about their potential leaders and their positions on the issues." - LWV
• 2022-10-16: Today's fundraising email subject lines from the Trump criminal enterprise: From DJT: "I trust you the most." From DJTjr: "My father trusts you." They sound needy.
• 2022-10-17: West Richardson, this Irving incumbent is on your ballot, thanks to GOP gerrymandering. Vote out Beth Van Duyne.
• 2022-10-18: Prey (2022): Prequel to six Predator films. Set on the Great Plains in 1719. Comanche girl wants to become a hunter and stalks a hostile alien. More a coming-of-age tale than a sci-fi monster movie. Amber Midthunder is fantastic as Naru. She's brave, smart, and persistent. A-