At 11:43 PM 2/11/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote:

Jim Ray wrote:

...

"Americans hate the IRS, and if the only way they can get rid of it is to elect somebody who is communicating directly with the Planet Xorgon, then so be it." -- Dave Barry [on Steve Forbes]. 2/9/96

Not just this, but another data point about the current sentiment about Washington: In a movie theater today there was a preview of the upcoming movie "Independence Day," showing a flying saucer hovering over the White House, then destroying it. The audience cheered and clapped.

I'm not sure this would've happened in, say, the early 1950s.

I have seen similar responses when watching Washington D.C. get partially destroyed in _Earth V.S. the Flying Saucers_. Watching Ray Harryhousen destroy the capitol and the washington monument is the best part of the movie.

(However, like the early 1950s, the producers of this upatriotic drivel may have to answer to the House Un-American Activities Committee, to explain their Indecent portrayal.)

I expect it to be an "US V.S. Them" movie. Lots of patriotism and the like will be there. (The title says alot about the film.) It will hype the need to be prepared for a "menace". The message will be reinforced with a heavy dosage of special effects and jingoism. Standard hollywood fare. I doubt if we will see anything approching mild subversion form Hollywood anytime soon.

(P.S. "Broken Arrow" was a fun flick. Sort of like "Fail Safe " on "Speed.")

Sounds like you spent your day doing the same thing i did... It was quite worthwhile. (But then, John Woo films usually are.) I also found _Hardboiled_ subtitled and letterboxed a few days ago. Another great Woo film. OBCypherpunks noise: I am amazed I have not yet seen a mention of the animated Spy V.S. Spy cartoons running on Mad TV. One of the best parts of the show. (Except for the Triple XXX files from the last episode.) --- Alan Olsen -- alano@teleport.com -- Contract Web Design & Instruction `finger -l alano@teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key http://www.teleport.com/~alano/ "We had to destroy the Internet in order to save it." - Sen. Exon "I, Caligula Clinton... In the name of the Senate and the people of Rome!" - Bill Clinton signing the CDA with the First Amendment bent over.