Photo of Mussolini meeting Hitler


Photo of US troops listening to political speeches

Special Day - "Una Giornata Particolare"

Last Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that the government is sponsoring a parade, concert and a day of pro-war events to mark the fourth anniversary of the September, 11, 2001, carnage. This news has my head spinning.

"Whatthebleep?," was my first reaction.

"Hmmm, maybe it's not such a bad idea... Wait, rattling sabers and mouthing useless and misleading platitudes is always a bad idea," was my second reaction.

And then... I reverted to my cinema roots and recalled an exquisite and under recognized film, "Special Day," that I had seen many years ago. When I saw the photo of attentive troops in "The News Blog" where I first learned about this upcoming extravaganza, I remembered another scene of senseless pageantry from this film. I believe it's the final scene where Sophia Loren joins her family in attending the government sponsored event to celebrate Mussolini's meeting with Hitler in pre World War II Italy. She had just spent a rather harrowing and instructive day with her homosexual neighbor played by Marcello Mastroianni where the truth of humanity and the hype of propaganda were exposed. I need to rent or buy this video and see it again. Not only is it a masterpiece of cinema but it conveys a timeless message of compassion with verve and charm.

Anyway, enough of my cinema digressions. Will I participate in the "The Freedom Walk" to support sending more troops to Iraq? No. It makes no sense. The propaganda machine is still trying to link Iraq to 9/11, even when every investigation says Al Quaeda and our own mistakes are the culprits.

May all beings know love and peace.