Customer Reviews

Mark Crispin Miller in A Patriot Act

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Mr. Miller is very charismatic. His riveting performance is reminiscent of Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia". Miller says he is neither Republican nor Democrat, but a patriot. He uses video clips and historical references to reveal how the Bush administration has been waging a stealth campaign against our Constitution, slowly and steadily moving the US toward religious law. Most people know about the corruption, the greed, the secrecy and lies that have characterized the Bush/Cheney years. But I don't think many people realize that our very democratic ideals are at risk under this President and the religious right that forms a majority of the Republican party these days. See this movie before you vote!

Mark Crispin Miller opened the eyes of Americans interested in the dumbing down of the political process with his riveting work "The Bush Dylexicon." Whereas Orwellian Doublespeak had been a familiar term for years, a reference to how ordinary language had been contorted to produce a devious result through citizen brainwashing, the influence of Bush political consultant Karl Rove has resulted in Rovean Doublespeak as symbolized by what Miller sees as the "Bush Dyslexicon."

Bush's brand of dyslexia involves taking language and twisting it to his advantage, along with symbols, to create subservient followers in the same way that occurred in George Orwell's classic future shock novel, "1984." While many critics have laughed at Bush and mocked him for his stumbling, repetitious, error-filled seeming combat with the spoken word, Miller cautions that this is an oversimplified analysis fraught with danger.

The cowboy image of Andover preppie and Yale and Harvard student of privilege George Bush, along with his "ah shucks" manner in which he reeks havoc with the English language, is according to Miller a cynical "just plain folks" mask for the real agenda that Bush, Rove, Cheney and other operatives seek to achieve. Through using symbols and language in a seductively repetitious manner citizens are sought to fall into line behind this self-deprecating "common man" who "makes mistakes like I do."

Ironically mistakes are something that neither Bush nor those who serve him admit to in the important policy realm. What Miller reveals in this captivating DVD is how symbols are twisted to serve the hidden agenda of emasculating freedoms and traditional government protections. A classic example is the Patriot Act. Its sweeping ramifications would make traditional American patriots such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry stiffen in protest. By using a word with a positive connotation like patriot the Bush Administration seeks to lull Americans to sleep as the sharp erosion of liberties guaranteed under the Bill of Rights are stripped away under hopefully sleeping eyes.

Through using news clips and historical examples Mark Crispin Miller, an expert in the field of language and symbols and a professor of media ecology at New York University, unravels the real strategy behind the "just plain folks" image of George W. Bush. The real agenda according to Miller is to strip our freedoms away and destroy the safety net provisions of government in such a manner as to render the citizenry subservient, in the manner of the citizens of Oceania described with graphic prescience by George Orwell in "1984".

There is a new Big Brother that has emerged, to once again use Orwell terminology. This is embodied in the corporate-dominated, neoconservative junta of George Bush and Dick Cheney, which came to power through a one vote Supreme Court majority and began governing as if it had received an overwhelming mandate.

After the elections, and after I literally scratched a hole right through my head, you couldn't flip through the TV channels and not come across some sort of documentry reguarding Bush's crooked politics. So exhausted with trying to figure out how this man is again our president, my husband came across A Patriot Act and decided he couldn't stop tormenting himself so we watched it, and I grabbed a bottle of wine and a soda glass and figured I'd hear all I've already heard before. Then I wasn't sure if what I was hearing was the wine, so the next afternoon I watched it again with a clear head and almost fell out of my chair. These aren't just one man's opinions, but clips and quotes from Bush and his administrations own lips that are perfectly and clearly suggesting such things as women and non-Christians being reguarded as mindless, buldge crazed, faithless second class citizens. (Listen carefully to the flight suit comment). For those who are too involved in their lives to notice, mark Crispin Miller rewinds, slows down and clearly explains in an almost comical way how the Bush administration is letting us know under no uncertain terms their plans for us. Only, when you really listen, it's not funny at all. But of all the documentries I've seen reguarding the Bush administration this is the best by far. There's no images of war and people screaming and crying, it doesn't fill you with greif that gets lost after a few days. This is an intelligent disscussion that leaves Americans who understand the values and importance of the Constitution with an urgent need to respond and fight for what we are on the verge of losing.

I attended Mark Crispin Miller's performance of "Patriot Act" and bought the DVD. Mr. Miller brings focus not only to the Bush Administration's lies and deceits but argues persuasively that Bush is part of a right wing conspiracy to spread their agenda.

I had the experience of seeing Mark Crispin Miller in his "Patriot Act" at the New York Theater Workshop and was blown over. I was very happy about the release of the DVD so I can experience it again and share it with more people. In addition to being witty and brilliant as performance, it was a revelation, in the truest sense of the word. I learned a great deal about aspects of the current president that I never really considered. I would strongly recommend this to everyone.

In his play, Mark Crispin Miller brilliantly analyzes both George W. Bush and his administration, but not from the more typical angles (i.e. that he's dumb and/or stupid). In fact, Mr. Miller shows how George W. Bush has far more going for him and, is as crafty as a fox when it comes to making sure that his plans and policies become reality, regardless of the cost. In fact, if anything, he is the most insulated and detached President in the history of our country, making him even more dangerous. Miller makes us aware, through his analysis of "W's" speeches, (despite "W's" apparent inarticulateness and mangling of the language)just how slick his "down-home and folksy" conversational style is. Miller goes on to point out much of the same within the rest of the administration. Throughout, Miller's demeanor is one of straightforward seriousness and concern. He is all business and, is not present to humor his audience, although, at times, he creates enough uncomfortableness so as to elicit uneasy laughter. For his part, he is there to educate us about our Constitution, Declaration Of Independence, Bill Of Rights, Congress and the Judiciary. The things he shares about our Founding Fathers is the kind of information that clearly shows what our wonderful country was founded upon, and, at the same time, has been so distorted and turned upside down by "W" and his administration. While Miller is the primary character in the play, he is also ably assisted by illusionist and magician Steve Cuiffo. Unfortunately, my guess is that most people who will watch this presentation already agree with his point of view. Nevertheless, as Miller states, he's not coming from a Democrat, Independent or Republican viewpoint, but instead, from that of a patriotic American. I find that to be the primary reason for as many people as possible to spend the 80 minutes it takes to open their eyes as to what's really happening in and to our America.

The portion discussing the misnomer of established American 'values' is quite brilliant. It clarifies a great deal of what is going wrong in this country encapsulated into a single concept. Remarkably coherent, something seemingly lacking in many works. Rage is justified in this contemporary America, but it's become apparent that it is quite difficult to infuse a bit of clarity, understanding and vision into exactly how and why this emotion is valid. The specific origin. I will watch this time and again to grasp the full wait of Miller's 'A Patriot Act'.

Great movie, clear presentation. Excellent overview of the Bush administration, with a sophisticated analysis of the true meanings and true intentions of the Bush administration.

the movie was educational and none of the ab-fab people were in it!
This is a documentary film, it has one swear word and the magician in it is a jerk! Other than that Mark Crispin Miller has a point!