I didn't consciously know I was doing this, but I look up one day and I've posted a Bob Marley quote on my site, watched "The Motorcycle Diaries" on my dvd player, find myself halfway through Malcolm X's autobiography, and find my reading list comprised of Martin Luther King JR's, Mahatma Gandhi's, and Che Guevara's autobiographies.

I've always found myself drawn to rather ordinary people who achieve great things through not much more than the will to do so. I've always contended that the will is the most important, and the most difficult, wall to break down when confronting something. Once the will to do something is addressed, the way more or less takes care of itself.

But what makes these freedom fighters extraordinary...

--Oh wow, I *just* read that London has been bombed again. We fight them in Iraq so that we don't have to fight them in the str...oh, you know where this is going --

What makes these freedom fighters extraordinary is the process by which they come to be freedom fighters in the first place. I do not mean to simplify matters too much, but with Gandhi and King, they came to their quest for justice through more typically educated means. Before becoming freedom fighters, both were well versed in different philosophical teachings, of which, I'm sure Thoreau was one of the most important writers they read.

But with Malcolm X and Che Guevara, they received their education through their own life experiences. Che was indeed a doctor, and too had his fair share of schooling, but it wasn't until he started to travel around South America that he became aware of social injustice.

It'd be interesting to do a comparison of each one of these types of freedom fighters. Maybe when I'm finished with each of their biographies I'll do a compare and contrast of sorts.

I was really impressed with "The Motorcycle Diaries." It may be one of the better movies about a public figure that I've ever seen. The directing, script, cinematography, and the acting were all top notch. What I was most impressed with the movie though is it's focus. Often times with biopics, there is so much material to cover that we never really get to spend *too* much time in any one spot or time before we move on to the next location. But with this, we see how Che went from an idealized doctor on a trip to discover more about his continent and his country, to a laser beam focused fighter for personal freedoms.

Steve Soderberg has a Che biopic planned starring Benecio Del Toro. I almost hope that they use "The Motorcyle Diaries" as a bit of a prequel and jump straight into what happens to Che once "The Motorcycle Diaries" conclude.

But when it comes to biopics, I think the crown jewel is Spike Lee's "X." It may be the single most brilliant movie about a political figure that's ever been made. Taken mainly from Alex Haley's beautifully written "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," the movie goes literally from the beginning to the end, often times in parallel formats.

That's all for now folks.

matt out