V for Vendetta

 V for Vendetta is a political thriller in which a mystery man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask fights to overturn a totalitarian religio-fascist government. The action culminates, not in the destruction of the Monarch that Guy Fawkes wanted  but in the destruction of the houses of Parliament, the overturning of the Sutler government and lots of mayhem. Oh, and V dies in the end.
Well, this is November 5th, 2016. In 3 days the United States will elect a new President.
Regardless of who is elected it will be a major turning point in the course of American history.
I'm going to lay aside partisanship for a moment, and pretend that I do not endorse either candidate.

I want to talk about the things that V (played by Hugo Weaving) talked about in his speech released after destroying the Old Bailey. (for those who don't know, the Old Bailey is the City of London Central Criminal Court. )
In the movie, V explains why he's doing what he's doing, and what he wants in a short video he forces the TV people to play on the Emergency Channel. (overriding all other TV broadcasts).

While he may not be accurately portraying Guy Fawkes -- as far as most historians know, Fawkes wanted to kill King James I in order to put a catholic monarch on the throne, and did not especially espouse those things V attributes to him. But still, the speech itself is worth listening to, so there it is. Now I want to make it clear: I'm not calling anyone a fascist. I'm not calling for revolution or destruction. What I am saying is that too many people have allowed themselves to forget the ideals of Liberty, freedom and privacy, of fairness and equality, in their rush to want to be safe. Many of you haven't even realized that you yourselves have become oppressors, in supporting those who would oppress. You don't realize that you yourselves are Chancellor Sutler, so long as you permit those like Chancellor Sutler to act in your name. You want nebulous things. You want "The Muslims" to go away. You want "The Illegals" to go away. You want people who say there is still racism to Go Away. But those people and things simply will not Go Away. Try to remember, this fifth of November, that others have rights also. Try to be accepting, non-judgemental  and not worry about where someone else's ancestors came from or what they look like. Remember also that we stop being a great nation only if we throw away the ideals it was founded on. The perspectives V talks about. And Tuesday, when it's time to cast your vote, remember to vote for the person who most closely adheres to the ideals of fair play, justice, and individual rights. Look at the two candidates vying for office and examine not their insults at the other person, but the things they say they want to do. Do those things sound like equality, fair play and respect for the rights of others and for the dignity of all ? If they do not, then vote for the other person. But whatever you do, get out and vote. Do not throw your power away. Yes, your vote counts. Why else do you think They are spending as much as 6 billion dollars courting your vote ?