Abbey-Roads2

Brad and Angie.

Brad Pitt, with one failed marriage behind him, who is NOT married to Angelina Jolie, yet roams the world collecting children with her, is donating big bucks to defeat Proposition 8 in California.  (The ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.)  This guy, who obviously has no regard, much less understanding of what marriage is, supports gay marriage.

Celebrity rule.

“Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8,” Pitt said Wednesday. - Source

Why the post title?

The title of the post hearkens back to the John Fowles novel about a lower middle class man, a collector of butterflies, who wins the lottery and comes into enough money to buy a lovely house in the country.  He also collects a beautiful art student he admired from afar and keeps her in his cellar, hoping she will fall in love with him, although she becomes ill and dies.

Power in the hands of the intellectually unsuited. 

The point of the story was Fowles’ attempt to demonstrate the dangers in a society “where class and educational divisions were becoming increasingly widespread, and power was getting into the hands of those intellectually unsuited” - especially through wealth or position, and in Brad and Angie’s case - celebrity as well.   For such people, emotionally and educationally stunted, see the world as a place where people take what they can if they have the power to do so - either through wealth, position, celebrity, what have you - while the rest of society must make do, even if they disagree with it- as Brad stated. 

Unlike the early 1960’s when Fowles wrote the novel and the cult of celebrity was just coming of age, these people have now merged with the educated and political elite - or more precisely, their celebrity is exploited by the powers that be, to help make the elitist agenda more appealing and palatable to the ordinary person. 

Links:

(See “The Collector” for plot summary) 

(Thanks to Georgette for the Brad Pitt article.)

Everyone lies.

Tim Gill the “billionaire” from Colorado has funded gay causes throughout the country over the years, pretty much without notice - except by those willing to accept a portion of his millions - and maybe Rick Santorum, former US Senator from Pennsylvania, for whom Mr. Gill takes credit in ending the Senator’s career.  Speaking to the LGBT delegates at the Democratic National Convention last night, Mr. Gill told his listeners:

“The only way bigots are going to learn is if we take their power away from them.”

“Every single advance for gay rights has come at the state level,” Gill said, saying the most important thing the Democratic LGBT delegates could do is “go back and support those pro-gay state legislators, and eliminate the anti-gay state legislators.” - CNA 

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.