Good Night and Good Luck

Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.

-Edward R. Murrow

Sometimes it pays to not know what you're about to watch. I rented this movie because it was an Oscar nominee. That and I really like hearing Edward R. Murrow's voice from old radio broadcasts. It was immensely entertaining, and a thoroughly immersive and engaging experience.

If you have not seen this movie, it is an absolute must see. You can enjoy it because it was filmed beautifully in black & white. You can enjoy it because it was completed for less than $7 million - though I assume that none of the cast accepted salaries, if that was truly the budget.

But, most importantly, we need to be reminded of the dangers of McCarthyism. They lurk all around us. And for good reason. The practice of "rounding up" our enemies is highly effective at silencing opposition. Right or wrong, we round up terrorists. Right or wrong, we round up those who oppose a woman's reproductive rights. Right or wrong, we round up those who support a woman's reproductive rights. There are evils at every corner, and we must all be careful not to fall in to the comfortable trap that is McCarthyism.