"The Good Shepherd"

Tonight, I knocked off a good two hours and 45 minutes of my life by sitting through "The Good Shepherd." A star-studded cast and lots of cool undercover CIA sorta stuff, but with such intricate details and sub-plots that I was more than a little confused. Still, everything brought up was relevant to all of us; the conflict of priorities.
Angelina's character said her husband's college fraternal organization, the famed Skull & Bones, put the organization before God. At the same time, the main character has to decide which is more important, family or country. Folks with a strong faith/religion element would probably say God should be first and foremost in everyone's lives. That may be true, but as an agent of the government, protecting the American idea of freedom of religion would take prescedent. And family before country? Those who've enlisted in our armed forces have had to wrestle with that decision, too. This sorta dilemma has me glad that the military doesn't need overweight blind guys like moi. I'm not sure where most Americans would make their decisions on an issue like this, but I, for one, am of the mindset that we are nothing without our country. Your choice of religions? That goes out the window if there is no U.S. of A. And your family? Families have been torn apart by oppressive rulers/governments since the dawn of time. Affiliation in your chosen organizations? Not without this little thing called freedom! These are some tough, tough choices...and I'm glad there are people who put the American way before their own desires. To sacrafice one's own comfort to secure the freedom of others? That is a sacrafice I only hope I could be strong enough to make.