[Thanks very much for this Stefan. I did watch The Matrix for the first time some months back. It had some very wild and twisted concepts! But you cannot deny some of the logic. It is freaky stuff.

I’ve made a note about this movie. Interesting.

In the USA the concept there behind an ARMED POPULACE was exactly that – that the Govt should live in fear of the people and that if the people want to overthrow the Govt, or fight the Govt, that it is possible.

But one wonders if, even in the USA that is still possible. But then again, I think US Presidents are actually pretty powerless. They operate along very narrow and restrictive lines themselves.

Africa of course… is totally different! Here the Govt is an instrument of TERROR! Jan]

Hi Jan
I recently saw the movie “V for Vendetta” made by the same people that did the wildly successful Matrix trilogy.

Do yourself a favour and rent this (it should be available on DVD about everywhere currently). The story is an excellent one about government control and how dangerous it is to sit back passively and let your government do what they like, AND how dangerous government gone wrong (or merely corrupt) can be to citizens who desire true freedom from oppression.

The tagline on posters for this movie was “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people”.

This, and the whole content of the storyline for this film is so relevant to the current situation in South Africa that I was stunned. It spoke to me about our situation here (especially the situation of Europeans vs. the Black-led government) in the current South African situation.

My perception of government is something that only takes, provides nothing, restricts your freedoms, endangers your personal safety, and uses you as THEIR tool to safeguard -their- future, not yours, at whatever cost to you. Government (in SA today, and in this film) is definitely NOT a servant of the people, by the people, as it is supposed to be.

Watch it, take my word for it you’ll spot the parallels to current reality in SA very quickly. It is also a cautionary tale to any government with oppression on its mind.

“Freedom is an idea, not bound in flesh, and ideas have no body, they CANNOT be killed…”

Two thumbs up!