Just saw The Alamo

[MoonRiver]

The parallels to Iraq are startling, imo. It presents a situation where some power mad American politicians plot to seize Texas from Mexico utilizing poor, impresionable militia types, very common in Texas, even today. As a result innocents, both American and Mexican are slaughtered. The two diabolical leaders, Santa Anna (substitute Sadaam Hussein) and Sam Houston, have no problem sacrificing soldiers and their families to make a point. In the case of Santa Anna he let hundreds of his men be cut down rather than wait for his "big cannon". That weapon was due to arrive the next day and would have done the job without all the Mexican casualties. His rationale was that, paraphrasing, 'we didn't have a revolution just to lose our country to the Americans. We need to see blood and tears.' Houston organized the Alamo adventure by promising hundreds of acres of land to desperate men. He promised there would be a true army to help out soon after the militia people set up shop in the Alamo. But then he refused to send reinforcements to the doomed Alamo because, supposedly, he was afraid there wouldn't be enough men to win, and he might lose his chance to grab all of Texas. More soldiers were reportedly on the way, but it was too late by the time the Alamo fell, and they actually never got there. I wonder if it was a set-up all along. Houston had a great rallying cry, "Remember the Alamo" to incite his men on toward comquering Santa Anna's army and taking Texas. Every great leader needs a martyr, e.g. "Remember 9/11"! Houston was a brilliant but totally ruthless military leader. It was truly disgusting to watch and compare him with Rumsfeld, who is not so brilliant, but more ruthless.

Maybe people are basically just barbarians, and nothing ever really changes, but this movie brought home the insanity and violence of our current imperialistic nightmare in Iraq big time. Nevertheless, I definitely recommend seeing it.