RIFLE RANGE BOY

Vice (2018) Violence has always been justified to attain specific agendas. Naturam Godse justified the assassination of Gandhi by invoking the Gita. He substantiated his claim by highlighting Krishna's teachings to the cold-feet warrior in Arjuna to basically carry out the duties that he was born to the world. Unfortunately, not everybody knows the reason for their existence. Some births seem so wasted that one often wonders whether it was Nature's accident. The Universe has had a lousy track record. Violence and destruction have been the mainstay, periodically jostling creations to another jumpstart. Just like how a white lie is not considered wrong, violence for a bigger narrative seems totally justified. In the Crusade Wars, brutal killings of brothers defended as a necessary evil to uphold a divine decree. In the name of race and religion, Man continues to ponder and kill, making excuses as they go. This Oscar-nominated film tells about the life and times of Dick...

W. (2008) George W. Bush had the unenviable record of being the US President with the lowest rating ever, at the end of his second term. His tenure marked the making the world a hostile world to live in and the unleashing of the genie of destruction from the Middle East. Somehow I could not help but compare W as a President to Truman. Truman was not the first choice for Vice President but was chosen over the left leaning pacifist Henry Wallace. W was made President after a controversial election. When FDR died four months into his VPship, Truman was left asking himself, whether he was man enough to be the President? Like Truman, W had a disturbing past. Harry Truman grew up as a recluse and a nerd for being small, book-wormish and with thick glasses. Because of this complex, probably, Truman turned out to be a 'gung-ho' leader who threatened the whole world, especially the Soviet Union, with his new found toy, the Nuclear Bombs. W had always grown under the shadow of his b...