The latest James Bond film, Skyfall, is so well liked that there’s even Oscar buzz about it. But it’s not just moviegoers who feel like they’ve entered a new era.
In the new flick, M, played by Judi Dench, argues before a parliamentary board that, because “the enemy” can be just about anybody these days, now’s really the time for some good old-fashioned espionage, James Bond-style. You know, with casual murders committed by men given a “license to kill.”
But things have changed. The old Bond skirmished with Russkies while fighting rich criminals who dreamed of destroying or ruling the world. Today’s Bond fights an ex-agent who wants to hurt the higher-ups in the spy biz who had hurt him.
In reality, it’s the U.S. President — Felix Leiter’s boss — who has the license to kill, exercising it by overseeing multiple drone programs, the practice of rendition, and a developing program called a “disposition matrix,” which aims to target people who are up-and-comers in the America-hating (and thus) terrorist game.
Many critics have noted that the recent Bond films starring the brilliant Daniel Craig have become more personal and less gadgety. Maybe that’s the way real-life spying plays in Britain (I doubt it) but from the American perspective, the current reality of drone strikes overseas, unregulated-by-law rendition tribunals, and database management geared to determining terrorist psychology is positively science-fictional.
And I don’t mean that in a good way.
This is not a Brave New World or a 1984, I realize. But it still frightens.
Indeed, for people in the targeted regions it must be pure horror. America’s ruling classes have upped the game. And we can expect to reap a … skyfall.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
4 replies on “We’re All Bond Fans Now”
True, it isn’t a Brave New World or a 1984. The only part of this that is of science fiction is the technology used. Technology which our policy and laws have not yet matured enough to take such capabilities into account.
This allows our country’s base emotions to rule. I’m not adverse to “bad guys” paying the ultimate price. But, the bill should be justified and properly tallied. Technology may be making this too easy and, like nuclear weapons, we won’t have exclusivity of this technology for long. What looks like a righteous act from the US can easily be viewed as base acts of violence elsewhere.
We are the only species that kills from a distance and such power should be used with judicial restraint.
Just waiting for the list of “America-haters” to be expanded to include those that hate the bastardization of our federation of republics that America has become. How long before the desire for the politicians to preserve the current status quo motivates them to expand their list of folks to be targeted or even eliminated to “terrorist organizations” like the Tea Party, which has been classified thusly by this oligarchy that we have now.
Not paranoid of course. But never thought we would have a “president” making laws and declaring wars and killing Americans without trial either.
.… America’s ruling class-less have upped the game. And we can expect to reap a … skyfall .…
And, specifically? This one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFZo5PqvEak
And when and not if it’s done to us and The Lights Go Out in America,** within days 85% of us will be dead and the others will be killing and eating one another.
** When the Lights Go Out in America: http://www.trevorloudon.com/2012/12/when-the-lights-go-out-in-america
Happy New Year, Mr Jacob — and to every one you love. Keep up the Good Works!
B A:. — L A — CA — and The Very Far Away