The President's Finger

I think what critics of Obama don't understand is what is required of an American President. I suppose it is the thing that makes the President's hair turn white as soon as he takes office. It is being confronted with tremendous power.

WILL YOU PRESS THE BUTTON?!?! Will you destroy the only known life in the universe? If you can't understand that, then there's no point in going any further. Being President of the U.S. is not about "doing the right thing" or "helping the poor" or "addressing racism." It is about will you press the button and destroy EVERYTHING. That is the ONLY thing that needs to be clarified before any President will be allowed to continue breathing.

Every other political question, fact, issue must be understood that that is what faces the American President. Power. Real Power.

Several Presidents' have asked what happened with the JFK assassination as one of their first inquiries starting with JFK's successor LBJ (who is on tape laughing about the "official" story). However, such knowledge does not seem to be it either. What a President knows (state secrets) is not the ROLE that a President is supposed to play. HE IS THERE TO ENSURE THAT THE U.S. EMPIRE IS NOT ONLY READY BUT WILLING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING. Otherwise Rome cannot rule!

Offside

Do Americans have any idea of the rich culture of Iran/Persia?? Would our political rhetoric be so militaristic and belligerent if we knew that even within oppressive religious configurations there are still tremendous spaces of liberation, resistance, and contestation?

This film demonstrates the humanity and dignity of people regardless of how impractical social laws may be. In this case, the "Vice Squad" patrols National Soccer Matches to find young girls dressed as men who try to infiltrate the stands in order to watch a sport they truly love.

A wide range of types of men and women are portrayed so realistically, one forgets one is watching a movie.

"Teenage girls pose as boys to see an Iranian soccer game." Starring Sima Mobarakshai, Safar Samandar, Sheyesteh Irani, Mohamad Kheirabadi, Aida Sadeghi, Golnaz Farmani. Directed by Jafar Panahi. From Iran. 2006. 92 mins.