In Loving Memory

I am a huge Jazz fan!  I just wanted to briefly honor the life of Larry H. Miller.  He has done so much for Salt Lake City, the sports community, and the state of Utah.  It's hard not to love this man.  He's been a great philanthropist and done so much to build the Jazz franchise as well as the environment in Salt Lake.  

In a society marred by corporate scandals, deception, and greed, it's refreshing to reflect on the great example of a business man who chose to give back to the community.  It was wonderful to see Deron Williams present the game ball tonight to Miller's wife Gail after an emotional victory against New Orleans.  Go Jazz! 

In Loving Memory 

April 26, 1944 - February 20, 2009

A Call For Help---yes YOU!

As most of you would be able to guess, one of my New Years Resolutions this year is to quit procrastinating major projects. Well here is a way that YOU can help me...(please, please, please)

This semester I am taking my Political Science capstone course. The capstone course requires a 25 page paper and your grade on the paper determines your eligibility to graduate from BYU. Each semester the topic of the capstone course changes, and I am absolutely stoked for my section. The topic is "American Politics and Mythology in Text and Film." Thats right, I get to read novels and watch movies! Admittedly, I have postponed my capstone until this semester because it sounded a lot more appealing than most of the other topics.

Anyway, this is how you can help me. I have narrowed my topic and research question down for the paper. I am planning to discuss American vigilantes in popular culture, or those who take the law into their own hands, or "cut through red tape." I would like to explore different situations in which the protagonist in film or literature has been frustrated by the limitations of the law and ineffective government responses and has acted beyond their normally appropriate boundaries in order to resolve a problem or remedy a crime. (Think "Dark Knight" or "Oceans 13".) Other examples that people have given me so far include the "Count of Monte Cristo", the german film "M", and "Brick."

I know you are all a bunch of smarty pants, so please help me out. I am not limited to scholarly articles or classic novels... think of a movie you've watched lately or a really good book you've read where the "hero figure" is really breaking the law but you find yourself rooting for them because they feel justified in their cause. Or just any book or movie where the main character breaks the law in order to promote justice because the police just can't do anything, etc. Brainstorming materials now will help give me adequate time to develop my ideas (without causing another strike from my mind and body), so thanks in advance for your help.