Charlie Chaplin - 66 Years Later

This is the final speech from Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). It is one of his later films and actually has sound. In this scene a barber who looks like the hitler parody has taken hitler's place and must give a victory speech. I ask you in the 66 years that have passed since this speech was given what does this mean to you?




Here is a transcript of the speech.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible -- Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.

The way of life can be free and beautiful.

But we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me I say, "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass and dictators die; and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers: Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel; who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate; only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural.

Soldiers: Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written, "the kingdom of God is within man" -- not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men, in you, you the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power! Let us all unite!! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill their promise; they never will. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people!! Now, let us fight to fulfill that promise!! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.

Soldiers: In the name of democracy, let us all unite!!!

Hannah, can you hear me? Wherever you are, look up, Hannah. The clouds are lifting. The sun is breaking through. We are coming out of the darkness into the light. We are coming into a new world, a kindlier world, where men will rise above their hate, their greed and brutality.

Look up, Hannah. The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow -- into the light of hope, into the future, the glorious future that belongs to you, to me, and to all of us. Look up, Hannah. Look up."

LA - It's Finally Happened.

Okay so I guess I have been waiting for that one experience that has thrust me into accepting that I live in Los Angeles now. So far its kind of been a typical town... except maybe:
A. when I went to the Privilege and Paris Hilton was there I was thinking hmm... How Los Angeles of me...

B. I went to the Santa Monica Blvd. Halloween Carnivale and still couldn't get away from Fresno because Kevin Federline performed but hey - it was pretty weird but I don't know if that quite qualifies...yet.

C. Then I went to the AFI fest - again how Los Angeles of me...but still not enough validation for this recent relocator.

FINALLY - last night I believe I recieved the validation that I was looking for, you know, the whole "whoa I am really in Los Angeles a crazy city" factor.

It all began with a friend referring me to Danny Tanner. No not Bob Saget's character from "Full House", Danny Tanner the Hair Dresser located off of Melrose near the Pacific Design Center (that is pretty LA right?). So I make an appointment to see Danny Tanner and get my hair did.
Well, I think I did forget to mention and I am glad my friend forewarned me that Danny Tanner has two of rows of metal spikes surgically implanted into his skull. Sweet.

So I show up for my appointment and I am about 15 minutes early. I walk in and I see a fit 40 year old Spiked Skull Danny Tanner in a small very cute Hair salon on the second floor loft. Did I mention the very cute salons building covered in Ivy is above an erotic emporium...yes a sex store. I think that is an extra brownie point for LA. One thing I have learned about LA is that if it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, smells like a duck - it's probably a sex store.
Anyway, he is finishing up with his previous client whom he had completed extensions on and was trying to talk me into doing it as well (way too LA for me) and then preceeded to tell me that he tanned her. Yup, he bought a spray tan machine and was giving free tans. Now how could I turn that down? But we'll get to that later.

So- I sat down in his chair and there was one other hair stylist still working at a station behind us. We got to talking about what I do and I mentioned that one of our department holiday parties is going to be Drag Queen Bingo. Yes folks, Drag Queens are going to be hosting a bingo night at the WB. (Yay LA scores points again!)

The hairstylist behind us who is very open about his homosexuality continues raving that he has actually been to a Drag Queen Bingo Night and begins ranting "It is not malignant it is B9". Needless to say I am now looking forward to DQBN. Oh and don't forget the Pet Shop Boys album playing in the background almost the entire time...

The haircut is finished and I love it. So fun and artsy. It's Tan time! Not actually realizing that the tan machine he was talking about is a portable machine that body builders use before a competition he instructs me to get down to my skivvies. I haven't shaved my legs in two days or my pits and he was like "Oh Hunny I don't care I'm an artist you'd be surprised what I've seen" Thinking I have come this far in LA, I couldn't be as bad as what Danny Tanner has seen. Down to my skivvies I went and I stood there in the bathroom while Danny Tanner spray tanned me. (haha I am laughing so hard right now - because I'm hoping you can picture this.)

I dried off - put the clothes back on. Then got the low down from Danny Tanner "Okay no going to the gym tonight and wait to shower till tomorrow and call me tomorrow and tell me how it turned out, I'm still learning but I'm going to start taking classes tomorrow (haha yeah seriously he said that). He was washing a clients hair who worked at the Erotic Emporium downstairs who he had tanned the day before (she looked fine which was comforting) and she quickly told me "Oh and no SEX tonight either, trust me...(yeah she seriously said that).

So Let's add this up:

Spiked Skull Danny Tanner in a hair salon above an erotic emporium (they sell couture condoms after all) gave me a great artsy hair cut and spray tanned me in my underwear in the bathroom. Then his sex store client did her part in promoting abstinence.
>sigh<
Alright LA. You got me.

Modern Day Moses - By Kendall Payne

A modern day moses, waking the streets with shouts of glory,

blistered feet hes met the maker,

hes met the reason hes alive and hes on fire inside.

A modern day mother, living in the slums

feeding the hungry, making sure the race gets run,

always asking if we fought with steady feet

she fights on her knees

let my people go.

A modern day Martin

in a world of civil words exchange

but dreaming bigger, he thinks maybe he could make a change

hes heard the stories, he wants some of his own

and hes not alone.

the time is not the moments here,

walk in fath or stand in fear

change the course of history,

did you ever think no one ever thought ---

who would have believed?

let my people go

A modern day me what have i become, what can i be?

if there is greatness out there to be achieved

i want to be more than someone who just passes through this life

I want to stand up for what is right

Let My People Go.

Monk a donk donk

So I was watching the Monk marathon yesterday. There was a certain episode that I thought was just so friggin clever I had to share.

The mystery was where an old gold miner hid his gold after killing his partner that found the gold with him during the California gold rush. The only clue they had was a letter he had written and hid in his old desk later found by a greedy antique collector who also killed his partner in order to keep all the gold for himself. In the letter the clue read, "The answer is in hidden in the journals," or something like that. Anyway, there is a lot more to the story but what happened was the old gold miner melted the gold down mixed it with black ink and actually wrote 974 volumes with disguised gold. So literally the gold was hidden in the journals.

Mr. Monk in his usual observant ways figured it out but I just have to say, that was pretty dang clever of those writers to think of that. I mean, I'm impressed. I wouldn't have thought of that.

And this blog is completely pointless because it mainly about Monk. A really great TV show.

I wish I could turn this into a life lesson some how like words are always golden but thats just stupid.