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When
the film "Casablanca" premiered more than 60 years ago,
Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) became perhaps the most
well known American expatriate saloon keeper in the
world. His murkey past included fighting for liberal
causes and siding with the underdog. He maintained neutrality
in his bar in Casablanca, between the customers in transit
waiting for exit visas to escape to America and the
representatives of the Vichy government who governed
Morocco as a protectorate. His tough exterior did not
conceal modesty and sensitivity. In the end he sacrificed
his relationship with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergmann) sending
her and her freedom-fighting husband Victor Lazlo (Paul
Henreid) on the "flight to Lisbon" and leaving Casablanca
himself to join a Free French |
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garrison in Brazzaville. He had to take a stand, and
as Victor said to him at the airport, "Welcome back
to the fight, this time I know our side will win".
What would Rick Blaine have to say about the US election
result and those who "delivered" the "mandate" to George
Bush? Whether it's Christian fundamentalists seeking
to dilute the separation of church and state; the neocons
pushing for pre-emptive operations in Iran; the corporations
plotting exploitation of natural resources and further
deregulation of environmental safeguards or the super-rich
seeking to institutionalize their massive tax cuts,
George Bush's base doesn't seem to reflect the traditional
image of the USA. These groups seem to be operating
on fear, greed, hunger for power or a combination.
Short term, self-serving decisions have put the economy
in a precarious and vulnerable state and threaten to
further decimate social security and health care benefits
for future generations.
Rick would look at the Bush administration's behavior
with a cynical eye - after all a group who deflected
the war on terrorism away from Al Qaida to a war and
occupation in Iraq, |
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who has conducted a foreign policy based on the election
calendar, who has damaged relations with old allies
and increased vulnerability to others couldn't be expected
to behave differently.
In the film Rick rhetorically asks, "If it's 10am in
Casablanca what time is it in New York? They're sleeping
in New York, they're asleep all over America." Then
and today Rick had hope that people in America would
wake up and realize that THEIR passivity permits actions
based on deceit, lies, arrogance and insensitivity to
others. Rick was at times a cynic. He even said, "Your
business is politics, mine is running a saloon." In
the end idealism and sacrifice won out. If he were here
today, I think he'd feel it was important to remind
Americans of some traditional values that appear lost:
idealism, generousity, tolerance, entrepreneurship,
curiousity, humility to name a few. He'd probably do
what he could in his bar in Casablanca to demonstrate
those values. And undoubtedly he'd hear again the voice
of Victor Lazlo - "Welcome back to the fight. This time
we know our side will win."
Kathy
Kriger
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