Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

It is on right now on Flix. This is the kind of film they don't make any more. Compared to Breakin', it features more kids and white women. And more mimes. And the plot is more aggressive (heck Ice T is in the movie). Ozone, Turbo, Kelly and the gang use their dance skills to stop a local developer from tearing down their community center to build a shopping center. The developer gets an assist from a gang of dancing thugs who harrass Ozone and the gang throughout. This movie takes place in an era when gangs fought with dance, before they realized the efficiency of guns.

The scene of the movie, when the gang visits Turbo in the hospital after he fell down some stairs while...its too ridiculous to summarize why he ended up breaking his leg. But, the scene after is a classic:

"What Have I Done?"

I have nothing to say about the vapid, mean-spirited speech from the lightweight #@ on the GOP ticket. The speech was devoid of ideas and solutions for the country. What struck me the most the look on that kid's -- Levi -- face. You know that a year ago he was sitting around with his meathead friends saying, "I am totally going to nail the governor's daughter, dude."And the look on his face was definitely one of "what have I fucking done."

Crime And Punishment

Until I recently became a victim of crime, I used to be someone who believed that a healthy combination of rehabilitation and deterrence is the proper way to punish a criminal. But, then it happens to you. You feel violated. Cliches like "how could this happen to me?" run through your head. At night, you scream into your pillow, "Why? Why?"

I sat on a line, waiting and waiting. I let the authorities know what happened. They did their best to make the situation workable. Then, I asked, "What was the balance on my [lost] Smartrip card? Should be $18 or so."

"It was last used at 1PM today, and you have a balance of $13." Son of a bitch! I had lost my Smartrip card at some point yesterday. And some asshole found it and decided to use it. They knew there was money on the card. They knew it was not their money. It was my fucking money (ok, my government public transportation subsidy...but still!)

Don't they chop off your hands in Saudi Arabia if you steal. Seems an appropriate pennance for the scoundrel who decided to take me for a free ride.