invasion from mars

Beginning when I was about nine and my little sister, Francie was seven-ish my Dad would take us to the the Liberty Theater in Pittsburgh to watch a double bill of sci-fi/horror movies. The Liberty Theater was built like a castle found in Transylvania very Gothic large and dark. The interior had two balconies with very little red lights located in alcoves that almost looked like entrances to Dracula’s bedroom. If you stared too long at the red lights you almost saw the wall open and some kind of hand appear to urge you to enter, knowing that once you did you would never exit. The concession stands were drowned in an orange light that flickered to yellow then red. The carpet was plush and silenced any and all noise making you look down at your feet to make sure you were walking and not being swallowed by this carpet.

Going to the sci-fi/ horror movies horrified my mother, but my Dad loved this genre of movie and convinced my mother if either Francie or I had a nightmare he would come to the rescue. The routine was simple pee when we got to the theater before any monster happened to be hiding in a stall, buy some candy and a soft drink and sit in the center of the middle aisle with my Dad in-between both of us. My dad was a big man and once his arms were around our shoulders we knew it would be a difficult time for any monster to get us and eat us. We would stare up at the two balconies which were curtained off and my father would say in a very deep voice, I wonder who is watching us as we watch the movie. He would then smile and make his Frankenstein laugh as if the laugh was more of a warning then just a laugh. Francie and I would reluctantly look up just enough to make sure we didn’t see any thing looking down at us.

Most of the movies playing at the Liberty Theater had been hits in the early 50’s and this sci-fi/ horror-a-thon celebrated the best of the worst. We were all excited about going to the movies, but more often then not when the credits started playing on the screen at the end of the movie, Francie and I realized there would be a lot of territory for a monster, or a Martian to grab us and take us away. Leaving the theater left us with a bit of nervousness and worry. But my Dad would say, kids its a movie, nothing is real its only your imagination and you have control over that.

One of the movies I remember with both fondness and a bit of fear was called Invaders From Mars

Invaders From Mars (1953) is a science fiction film directed by William Cameron. Late one night, young David MacLean is awakened by a thunderstorm. From his bedroom window he sees a large flying saucer descend and disappear into the sandpit area behind his home. After rushing to tell his parents, his scientist father (Leif Erikson) goes to investigate David's claim. When his father returns much later in the morning, David notices an unusual red puncture along the hairline on the back of his father's neck; his father is now behaving in a cold and hostile manner. David soon begins to realize something is very wrong: one-by-one he notices certain townsfolk are acting in exactly the same way. Through his telescope, David sees child neighbor Kathy Wilson walking in the sandpit, when suddenly she disappears underground. David flees to the police station for help, and he is eventually placed under the protection of health-department physician Dr. Pat Blake, who slowly begins to believe his crazy story.

Young David is the only one who notices the change in behavior and thinking of those he loves and those within his community. He realizes before most that these humans are no human anymore, but something much, much stranger!

When I started to read more and more about the fiasco of Susan G. Koman Foundation and their ill fated lapse into the world of bigoted, bogus, biased right wing territory I began to think where have I seen this plot before. As I watched the protector of women Senator David (I love me a hot a prostitute to save my institute of marriage) Vitter and Rick (if its anyone else wife, mother or sister fuck them if they are raped) Santorum, and Newtie unless I am having an affair with them while I am married who cares) Gingrich sound off about how they would never give back the money to Planned Parenthood, I realized that I did know this plot. These supposedly humans were acting strange, more interested in the welfare of being elected than the welfare of the women.

Like the characters of Invasion From Mars who were taken into the space ship and made into unemotional and uncaring angry morphs of humankind these political bozo’s along with Karen Handel, Senior Vice President for Public Policy of the Koman Foundation and Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush who recruited the wicked witch of the west (Handel) for Koman must not be human. Maybe like the little boy in the movie Invasion From Mars we are witnessing the transformation of real people into puppets, marionettes robots of space invaders who care less about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and want to dominate this world in their evil, petty, selfish images.

In most sci-fi/ horror movies the villains are bad to the bone with little redeeming values and only win because they bully the timid and meek non monster. In most movies about space invaders the only intent to come to Earth is to rid the local population and transform them into animals whose mind, heart and values are void of anything with substance.

It took a whack on the side of the head, a trip down to memory lane and a recounting of bad 50’s horror movies for me to finally understand what has happened to this great nation of ours. The candidates running for president, the Republican/Tea Party politicians elected to office, the so called Republican core group of Evangelicals, Christian Conservatives, who have encouraged the Perry’s, Cain’s, Bachmann’s, Santorum’s Gingrich’s, Romney’s to make a mockery of this great nation must all have some kind of devise planted into their necks to keep them from being anything but human. They don’t think clearly, they don’t think about the repercussions of their actions, they move like morons destroying any and all in their way.

In the movie Invasion from Mars the young boy watched as little probes were planted in the necks of his fellow humans making them anything but human. With this current invasion of hypocritical religious crusaders it the removal of both the brain and the heart that helps create the ignorant and self serving bad behavior displayed by the Evangelical, Christian Conservative, Right Wing Tea Party clone.

In the movie Invasion from Mars it was too late for the little boy to stop the madness. We still have nine months until the next election, perhaps we still have time to save this nation. I can’t imagine what will come of us if we let this invasion happen.

I know when I watched Invasion from Mars at the Liberty Theater with my little sister and my Dad, I was secure that he would save us from any creature who wanted to snatch my our identity. When i watch the theater of the absurd which is the wrath of the right wing I only wish my Dad was her to place his arms arounfd me and America to make us all safe.