I wrote this a couple of months ago. Just haven’t gotten around to posting it.
We have bombed and invaded Venezuela. We kidnapped Nicolás Maduro and his wife. We have brought Maduro back to the US to “face justice.” If all of this sounds familiar, it should. In 1989, we invaded Panama and captured President Manuel Noriega, a former CIA asset. We brought him to Miami to face drug trafficking charges. Bush did NOT get Congressional approval. Congress passed the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to prevent the President from acting unilaterally without Congressional approval. The Act was in response to the Vietnam War and our invasion of Cambodia. It has never been argued before the Supreme Court. Trump supporters are labeling this a “police action”. Vietnam and Korea were both labeled police actions. The bottom line for me is that we used the military in a foreign country to neutralize a target (Maduro).
On Saturday, January 3rd, Trump held a lengthy press conference, which did nothing to help the American people understand why we invaded Venezuela and why we took Nicolás Maduro captive. Trump stated that we would run Venezuela until it is safe to turn the country back over to someone else. If this sounds like Iraq, it should. We took out Saddam Hussein. We tried to run that country and failed. Trump has no interest in the details of running a country. It is difficult to see how this attempt to run a country will go any better than Bush’s. Yes, Maduro is an awful man. He deserves prison time. Maduro was indicted in a New York court on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism in 2020. It is hard to understand how Maduro is so bad that we had to kidnap him. But, Juan Orlando Hernandez, former president of Honduras, who was convicted in an American court of narco-terrorism and shoveling over 400 tons of cocaine into the US, deserved a pardon from Trump. The crazy thing is, Trump has done a bunch of lawless stuff over the past 12 months. This may be the least offensive.
Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner was the son of Carl Reiner, who was one of the most famous and successful actors/comedians. Carl Reiner both acted in and wrote The Dick Van Dyke Show, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. It must be hard living in the shadow of a great comedian like Carl Reiner, especially if you’re in the same profession. It would be different if Rob Reiner were a plumber, a surgeon, or an astronaut. Instead, he chose to be an actor/comedian. Yet, somehow, Rob came out of his father’s shadow and created his own path. I loved Rob Reiner when he played “Meathead” on All in the Family. He created an intelligent, thoughtful, and sensitive character. He was the perfect counterweight to Carroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker. Archie was a middle-class, older conservative. Their banter was legendary.
In 1984, he took on the role of director and produced This Is Spinal Tap, a Rockumentary. This movie became an instant cult classic. Two years later, he directed the coming-of-age film Stand by Me. Stand by Me was adapted from Stephen King’s short story “The Body”. Stand by Me is a story about four pre-teens, friends, coming of age. The story is about relationships: boys bonding with boys and boys relating to their fathers. Reiner held a special screening for Stephen King. Reiner was so nervous that he couldn’t sit in the same room as King while he was watching the film. He had to leave. King had nothing but praise for Reiner after the screening.
The Princess Bride is the Reiner movie that I love. This was a movie about “True Love.” What? Something as corny as true love. Yep. As in his previous films, the lead actors were relatively unknown. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright played the main characters, Wesley and Buttercup, but all of the actors delivered strong performances, including Andre the Giant. This movie is so good that it is hard to describe. There is the Fire Swamp, which no one could cross. There are the ROUS’s (rodents of unusual size). There is the evil 6-fingered man. There is the Pit of Despair, where our hero would be tortured. It is a great fantastical tale. In one scene, Carol Kane and Bill Crystal play an elderly couple, with Crystal being “Miracle Max”. He must revive Wesley, who has died. Crystal asks Wesley, who is actually only mostly dead, what is so important that he needs to live. He places a bellows into Wesley’s mouth, gives him a couple of puffs of air, and then presses on his chest. Wesley answers, true love. Miracle Max completely mishears the breathy response. From out of nowhere, his wife comes from around the corner and yells, “Liar! Lair! He said true love”. It is surprising and funny. Miracle Max revives Wesley (because he was only mostly dead). Wesley and his friends go and rescue his true love. Reiner does a fabulous job of telling a wide-ranging story. The story is funny. It has several memorable, quotable lines (“Inconceivable.” “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”). It has several tear-jerking, heart-warming moments. I could discuss this film for hours. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies. This movie may be the best romantic comedy of all time.
Rob Reiner wasn’t just a good director; he was a great director. His name should be mentioned alongside Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and other great filmmakers. His films explored relationships, the concept of honesty, and truth. He directed films with no major stars and films packed with stars (A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, The American President). He co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced films such as The Shawshank Redemption and the hit TV sitcom Seinfeld.
As all Progressives know, he was an activist. He was a liberal; he believed in looking out for the less fortunate. He argued for higher taxes on the wealthy. He said that he should pay more in taxes. He supported early childhood development. He fought for marriage equality when he cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights.
On December 14th, Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were brutally murdered in their Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and charged with their murders. Nick Reiner has fought drug addiction and mental health issues all of this adult life. It seems like Rob and Michele were good people. They could have easily kicked Nick out of their lives, but they seemed to have embraced him with love. They tried to make the world a better place.
