Che Part 2

So today I was going to review Che Part 2 with Benicio Del Toro... But instead what I've chosen to do is publish some of the comments that were on The Pirate Bay's comment thread in regards to this movie. Because in all fairness, the comments were much more interesting than the movie and much more insightful... Here is the thread... now sit back, enjoy and please remember that some of this language might be offensive to some readers.

Best comment ever:
-thecash907 at 2009-05-31 22:50 CET:
So... when does the Hitler-as-hero movie come out in this Time Life series of murderous dictator fuckheads? Are Pol Pot and Stalin featured in volumes 3 and 4?

Second best comment on this movie:
-thecash907 at 2009-06-03 08:52 CET:
I'm sure all the people who disagreed with Che during the great revolution would have something to say about the subject.
Oh wait, he fucking murdered them all, along with their families. No wonder their point of view didn't make it into the film. I wonder if that interview where the guy from the Times pissed off Del Toro by asking him about all the people Che slaughtered will make it into the DVD extras? Probably not... can't have the truth dirtying up their revisionist history flick, now can they?


Rebuttals from Che fans:
-0-LSD-0 at 2009-06-04 23:46 CET:
thecash907 PLEASE try not to make assumptions and do your fucking homework.
You don't know shit, so shut the fuck up and get the fuck out.

- sanvodka at 2009-06-03 11:05 CET:
Pelotudos ignorantes. Estaria muy bien q se informen lo q pasaba en cuba cuando estaba gobernado por el titere de EEUU... Lo mismo paso en varios paises de sudamerica con los gobiernos militares impuestos por EEUU.
El che no fue un santo, pero no era el malo de la pelicula.


The conclusion? I still haven't seen the movie! But if it's anything like part 1 it'll be some propaganda machine that makes Che look like the second coming of Christ and idiots around the world will continue to buy Che shirts and think he's great. But at least reading these comments on the download page was kind of entertaining. So maybe I'll get around to watching the movie eventually... I doubt it though, so don't hold your breath for an actual review because odds are I'm just never going to write one.

Muchacho Enfermo

Women's Rights Activitst Murdered in Kandahar

Sitara Achakzai, a woman with both German and Afghan citizenship had returned home in 2004 with the hope of helping rebuild her country. She was a prominent women's rights advocate, an elected official and a voice for progress in a country that sometimes seems hell bent on reliving the past. Her husband was teaching chemistry at Kandahar University, she was trying to help run a country. They both believed they could make a difference.

Kandahar is out of control, public assassination of women who dare voice their concern and their desire for society to move forward have been murdered on behalf of the Taliban. Minutes before her death Achakzai turned to a friend of hers, another female elected official and said: “I'm not afraid of death, I can go and get killed and it's no big deal.”

The sad state of affairs in Afghanistan is often downplayed in the media or at least does not have the prominent place it should seeing as we have thousands of Canadians there trying to help rebuild a country. Between the recent executions of prominent women and the newly passed (and now under revision) rape law, it seems clear that there are two forces at work here, in what seems to be a never ending tug-a-war, the progressive Afghans and those hell bent on keeping the status quo.

A friend close to Achakazi who wishes to remain anonymous was quoted as saying: “I want the world to understand how every person in this crazy place is feeling because this is a wake-up call to all of us that we could be next. The sad thing is nobody cares, it seems.” And perhaps her most poignant remark: "...this is how our country repays people. I have no faith in my government. I have no faith in the Taliban. I have no faith in the international community.”

I wish I could suggest something to help these courageous women, these progressive thinkers, but the only thing I can do from here is write about them and give them a voice from the this little blog. Trying to fix Afghanistan is kind of like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with kids from all over holding the corner pieces. Except in this case the kids trying to bring you the corner pieces to help you finish the puzzle keep getting killed and no one does anything about it.

"I have no faith in the international community."

(source for quotes the G&M)

Muchacho Enfermo

Happy New Year Tibet

Today is the new lunar year for Tibetans, it is called Losar and is a very important holiday for the people of this small mountainous country (or at least what used to be a country).

"A lot of people were killed on March 14 (last year). In our culture, we don't celebrate Losar if someone in your family died during the previous year," Said a monk that was speaking to Mark Mackinnon of the G&M. This monk also spoke of a text message he had received that said: "To commemorate Losar, we will not celebrate, we will not fire fireworks, we won't wear new clothes, we won't dance, we won't sing. We will protest silently and we will pray."

As well a know China claimed Tibet for its own forcing his Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in India. Since then he has been a promoter of peace and goodwill throughout the world. He has also been the most vocal supporter of an independent Tibet. As it stands now, Tibetans are now a minority in certain parts of their own ancestral lands, the Chinese government has moved in many settlers to try and assimilate the silently dissident population of this peaceful land.

Much information is available through the Government in Exile's website, including more information on incentives for native Chinese to move to Tibet, the force sterilization of Tibetan women, commerce (or lack thereof) and human rights violations.

Last year, prior to the Beijing Olympics, we all remember seeing the silent protest being violently stopped by Chinese soldiers, dozens were killed and hundreds became prisoners of conscience in this country that has always believed in passive resistance and non-violence. "As Tibetans, we are like cows, animals that have no freedom. I am a monk who likes the Dalai Lama very much, but I only dare like him in my heart. If I say it out loud I could be arrested or even killed," another monk is quoted as saying in the G&M.

This may very well be a lost cause because China is definitely a giant compared to Tibet's small, poor and peaceful population... in the end though we know that David always beats Goliath.

Muchacho Enfemro

Che: A Hero of the 20th Century?

Image from lasshrugs2000.typepad.com

What would a week be like without me writing about Cuba? I don't know. I don't think it's happened yet. So here is your weekly dose of the rantings of a Canadian about a corrupt government that enslaves its people and tells them it's for their own good...

I recently downloaded from The Pirate Bay the new Che movie with Benicio del Toro. Just because I wanted to see what kind of one-sided propaganda style of film this was going to be without supporting the film monetarily. I never got around to watching it, but it did motivate me to do some research online to see how many people actually thought Che was a hero.

One of the first websites I found was a website called MoreOrLess which lists heroes and killers of the 20th century. Surprisingly Che is listed in the Heroes category along side of the Dalai Lama and Rosa Parks. In his bio on the site there is no mention of the cold blooded killing machine we all know. It's almost like the person writing the site watched "Motorcycle Diaries" and decided Che was awesome.

I wonder what Rosa Parks would say about being categorized as a hero by the same people who think a mass murderer is a hero? Or maybe we should ask the embodiment of peace and serenity himself the Dalai Lama.

Tonight I'm going to sit down in front of my computer and watch the pirated copy of the infamous Che movie and post a review in the coming days for all of you to read. If you need to watch this movie for any reason please do not pay money to go, just "steal" it, I'll post up the link to the torrent along with my revue.

Muchacho Enfermo

Gays being killed in Brazil... by whom?

The Huffington Post reported this a few days back: Brazilian police suspected in the killing of gays. The brief report states a sergeant may be involved in some way in the killing of 13 gay men in Sao Paulo. Today the AFP has put out a brief news clip saying that the State Police now believe it's a serial killer and make no mention of the original suspected officer.

I'm not sure what this world is coming to if it took 13 victims before the cops realized something wasn't right. That or they just didn't care very much. Either way it's wrong and something should be done.

Muchacho Enfermo