MADONNA) // (CHILD

MADONNA) // (CHILD
So Strong; yet so calm: Mary's Choice.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Snow Falling on Cedars (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice.


"It,
it takes a rare thing,
a turning point,
to free oneself from any obsession. 
Be it prejudice or hate or...
even love."
~(Attorney Nels Gudmundsson)~



Snow Falling on Cedars (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Snow Falling on Cedars is a film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's award-winning novel of the same title. It was released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern Puget Sound region of the Washington state coast in 1950, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune), a Japanese American accused of killing Carl Heine, a White fisherman. The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke), a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. Ishmael struggles with his love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue (Youki Kudoh), and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent.
Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson (Max von Sydow).



***

Although this movie plodded along
 at a slow monotonous pace throughout the whole movie; 
did still enjoy watching this movie.

The cinematography was indeed beautiful.

But, 
same as it was for the movie, 
AVATAR,
this movie can also be accused 
of 
being guilty 
of 
"WHITE MAN'S BURDEN."

After all was said and done,
 in the end, 
it still took the investigative work of  the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, 
Ishmael Chambers,
 finding the evidence needed at the very last minute successfully clearing Kazuo Miyamoto, 
a Japanese-American, 
of any charges relating to the death of Carl Heine, 
a White fisherman.

Had it not been for the efforts of this one newspaper man,
working on his own initiative separate from the trial,
 this Japanese-American citizen accused of murdering a white man would not have been cleared
of
the charges against him.

Even with how this movie ended,
with this Japanese-American cleared of murder charges,  
it still gave me the overall
sense of America's Judiciary System being pretty much nothing more 
than 
a complicated system more of formalities,
the appearance of justice,
more than any actual injustice caught and/or prevented through trials by our peers.

***



My own experience is beginning to teach me the truth about how our court system works.

At the very lowest level,
the beginnings,
nothing more than an extremely rigged system set up to clear out the bulk of people waiting to have their cases heard,
quickly,
getting to as many of the guilty verdicts in the shortest time possible,
of
all those people herded into these packed courtrooms
as
if nothing more than cattle.


These judges,
always conscience of the time,
are under pressure some days more than others,
finding themselves sometimes needing to pick up the pace of these hearing;
by cutting corners if necessary.
And who they choose cutting these corners with is where the opportunity arises
for
prejudices of their own being entered into these hearings.


And this doesn't even begin to touch upon hearings with the likes of me up against someone the likes of nationally known pastoral consultant, G. Robert Gary, Sr. ThD.

With the networking available to him through Emory University,
and the potential for DeKalb County's elected officials to be persuaded by pressure from Emory University, too powerful a force to ignore within DeKalb County , and on down to the judges presiding over these hearing chosen by DeKalb's County's elected officials...
not about to hire a lawyer representing me up against the possibility of this very scenario no matter how unlikely.


This would too easily give them the appearance, in front of everyone else, of me having had a fair hearing.

Not even mentioning...
  my "Right to a Speedy Trial" already having been violated.

***

"Honestly, Mother.  
In the beginning of all this,
 didn't really know what I was doing...
other than certain that I've done nothing wrong; 
nothing more than me refusing to be intimidated, 
backing down."

  "And,
I can't help but be amazed, 
how, 
with each and every day, 
I'm finding myself becoming becoming better and better at this...
 up to the point, now, being by leaps and bounds."
~(Jim Ed / The Son)~

"Jim.
Are you having help with this?"
~(My Mother / The Holy Spirit)~

"No, Mother.
Still just me, 
all by my lonesome doing research on the Internet,
 trying to come up with a language 
able 
getting us all on the same page 
as 
'to who God is?'"
~(Simply Jim:  One Pearl, Total Pig, Anti-Christ.)~

***

Although still labeling myself a radical atheist,
can't help but have this strange feeling there may be someone
concurring...
with me after all?



Isaiah 6:9
New International Version 
(NIV)

9 He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

Isaiah 6:10
New International Version 
(NIV)

10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”




Galatians 6:9
New International Version 
(NIV)


9 Let us not become weary in doing good, 
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.




Just too many strange things have been happening since this all started... 
not able explaining.



Simply Jim:
~(6!9)~
One Pearl,
Total Pig,
Anti-Christ.



"We all want progress, 
but if you're on the wrong road, 
progress means doing an about-turn 
and 
walking back to the right road;
in that case, 
the man who turns back soonest 
is 
the most progressive."
~(C. S. Lewis)~

In spite of everything else about this man, C. S. Lewis, I disagree with; 
most certainly not able disagreeing with this statement attributed to him. 

Not about to let our disagreement over Jesus prevent me from hearing anything that makes sense.

I've never understood why Mr. Lewis believes Jesus had to be perfect, true to his every word spoken, before able being considered a worthy moral teacher?  How failing to actually be God, Mr. Lewis is interpreting to be Jesus claim through his use of the trinity, discredits all other words spoken/actions by him.

The way I see it, 
 no way possible for Jesus choosing his words in a way the message/lesson of his sermons would be interpreted the same by all who heard them.  
It's call pragmatic competences, 
with his choice of words always dependent upon the type of people making up any given audience at any given time; and whom within this audience he has selected to be the target of any given sermon.


"Quality of a good leader is one able disappointing his own people at a rate they can absorb."
~(Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky)~

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