"Prime" Lessons

On the eve of Transformers 3 "The Dark Side of the Moon" I feel somewhat electric with anticipation at what the critics have so far called (for the most part) the best of the trilogy. My anticipation is made even more feverish by the spoiler info leaking out that Optimus Prime brings his "A" game and the battle to the Decepticons like never before. There is a moment in one of the commercials where he stands before his allies, human and sentient robotic ands declares "Now is the time for us to take the battle to them!!!" Oh dear God that sent chills up my spine.

So with the movie opening today I felt the urge to bring forth my tribute to one of the greatest and most iconic cartoon super heroes that has ever been created. He is a legend, a stalwart her beloved by both the young and the old. He shines brightest when times are darkest and carries the torch of leadership that blazes with a strength that few can match. His name is Optimus Prime.



Scouring the internet in search of the pearls of greatness from Optimus Prime was no simple task, not because I could not find any but that there was a plethora of it. Take for instance the following, great wisdome in quotes from Optimus Prime.

"You may lose your faith in us, but never in yourselves. From here, the fight will be your own."
This lesson is about believing in oneself even when you stop believing in others. Sometimes we are disillusioned by life or the harm done to us by others. When others slight us and seek to bring us down it might make us question our value or our place in the world. But respect and true strength begins within ourselves; if we are to make others believe in us then we must first believe in ourselves. Optimus Prime makes this point abundantly clear in a moment of battle when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. He also shows us in the last sentence that some battles can only be fought by the individual; it is the way life tests us and forges us to be stronger, much like Optimus demonstrates this in the face of Decepticon VILLIANY.

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing"


This statement by Optimus Prime, though short, is very profound. There are some things in life we can control the outcome of but other things leave us at the mercy of fate. Fate can be kind or it can be cruel. It generally plays no favorites. What Optimus Prime attempts to point out here is that alot of times you just don't see the curve balls life throws at you coming so you must always remain ready to answer the challenge. Shying away from fate more often than not leaves you to it's unkind side. Standing up to fate when it calls upon you at least shows that you possess courage and conviction when hard choices must be made. This is the mark of a great leader...as is Optimus Prime.


"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

This statement by Optimus Prime speaks volumes. Sometimes we take our freedoms for granted. There are many countries where the rights that we exercise daily are denied or fought for at great peril and loss of life. The right to choose destiny, to forge a path before us is a right that should not be denied to anyone. The Decepticons, the tyrants and VILLAINS that they are, attempted to rob humanity of that right and either exterminate or enslave us. Optimus Prime understood how wrong this was and opposed it with everything he had, even to the cost of his life (although he was later resurrected). In Autobot lore this statement is one of their core beliefs. During my moments of costumed activism I exercise my free right to go about my charity work in costume and under the guise of a different persona. The haters and the naysayers can flap their lips all they want but the results have always been positive and people have appreciated the help and support I have provided them. Freedoms like this and so many others are our right and we should defend them, especially if our actions are inherently beneficial to those in need.

Megatron: "Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?"
Optimus: "You'll never stop at one!"
Perhaps my favorite or second favorite, although the scene in which this was spoken culminated with Megatrons cowardly backstab attack (because VILLAINS often strike this way). Optimus Prime not only demonstrates his deep faith in the sanctity of life, even if it just one, but he makes one thing abundantly Clear. Even as Megatron tries to put a value of Sam's life, Prime knows better than to have a moral debate with an advesary that is morally bankrupt. This is a pattern that is often repeated by villains of all types, be they cartoon or real life. It's rarely enough for them to destroy and degrade a single enemy for whatever form of sadism they apply their logic to. I've seen it so often, especially lately. The lies, the manipulations, the hateful bravado and poison from the lips of sycophants with large egos and addled minds. One victim is never enough. One victim only makes them realize that their hate has power..the power to destroy. There is only one way to take this power away and that is to stand up to this kind of evil. Remaining silent or apathtetic to such behavior is wrong. Optimus Prime knew that Megatron would never stop at one because that is the nature of evil...of villainous hearts. One is never enough for them. For all of us who know what is right and are willing to fight for it..one should be too much.

Ironhide: "Why are we fighting to save the humans? They are a primitive and violent race."
Prime: "Were we so different?"

Here Optimus Primes chief lieutenant Ironhide (possessing a bit of a warhawk personality) questions why they are shedding precious metal and risking their spark for the human race. He looks upon them with disdain, seeing them at conflict with one another. But Prime is quick to remind Ironhide of the Cybertronian War, of the atrocities committed and the lives lost forever. He reminds Ironhide of the battle that has been going on between the Autobots and Decepticons as far back as when humans were living in caves and the worst weapon they could throw at each other was a spear and not a nuke. Optimus Primes wisdom shines again here, humbling Ironhide with a rhetorical response. He acknowledges that violence, whether at the expense of flesh and blood or metal and energon is still, and sadly, not monopolized by any one race. You can tell he speaks with a tone of regret and lamentation, a reluctant but stalwart warrior who prays for peace but prepares for war unlike any other. Optimus Prime is IMHO the closest thing to a true samurai or paladin that exists in the Transformers mythos. 

Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime,  says the following about Optimus Prime..
"There's a calmness to Optimus Prime, and yet a gentility and strength and honor and dignity."

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"For two glorious years, Optimus Prime was America's hero....Then in 1986, the original Prime did something that distinguished him from most other cartoon heroes. He died. He died for freedom, for righteousness, and for shelf space....For nearly two decades...the sons of Prime waited for Papa Bot..."

"...Prime practically step-parented the latchkey kids of the mid-'80s. He was our Allfather at a time when flesh-and-blood role models were increasingly few and far between....So when Prime declared, "One shall stand, one shall fall!" in that seismic, tear-down-this-wall timbre of his (or, more accurately, voice actor Peter Cullen), you believed him...."

"With bated breath and shaken faith we await the return of our Almighty Rig. Because without Prime, we're stuck with whiney Spider-Boys, metrosexual pirates, and koan-spouting kung-fu Christs in designer sunglasses and unisex clubwear. Because he died protecting us in '86, and nothing's ever been the same since. Because these days, the only real men left are giant robots..."

-- from "The Rebirth of Optimus Prime" - Wired Magazine, June 2007

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF OPTIMUS PRIME 

10. Always start a road trip by saying, "Transform, and roll out!"
9. Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.
8. Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.
7. There’s a thin line between being a hero and being a memory.
6. Give everyone a chance. There’s more to them than meets the eye.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can shred.
4. The future is built on dreams. Hang on to them.
3. Danger can't be ignored. It must be conquered.
2. All you need in life is a little energon, and a lot of luck.
1. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.
  Special thanks to the following blogger for all this awesome Optimus Prime goodness...
  http://quotableoptimusprime.blogspot.com/

And finally I really hope that this third installment of the series is everything that I have heard it to be, They say the last hour of the movie is just one hellacious battle in Chicago that makes your jaw drop often. They also say that Optimus Prime unleashes his righteous fury unlike ever before and woe to his enemies who stand in his way. He is and always will be the greatest of them all..a true leader who understands that if you step on the path of war you must balance strength with temperance, courage with recklesness, and stand by the consequences of your decisions. Optimus Prime was always the guy carrying the burden of hard choices but he followed thru because he knew he was seting the example that others would follow. When his creators decided to kill him off long ago a Youtube video says that they were not prepared for the amount of backlash they got. That speaks to the legacy of Optimus Prime..a figure whose heroism and sense of purpose transcended the television and movie screens and spoke to the one place that matters most..our hearts.

So everyone..roll out and check out Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon and when Optimus Prime starts kicking ass sit back and enjoy the ride. I sure as hell will.

In the Face of Adversity...Determination Prevails

Life isn't always fair.
We don't always get what we want.
Good guys don't always win.
But you can choose to stay down or get back up and keep fighting for that which is most noble in out lives.
Love, family, good friends, worthy causes that serve the just and the needy...these are the things that we should cherish always.

I found this story very inspiring. This tragedy would have broken most people, filled them with so much angst and rage that they would have become a hollow shell, devoid of humanity but full of resentment. But she made a better choice and in doing so became a better and stronger person.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/06/01/teen-walks-across-stage-to-graduate-after-leg-severed-in-school-accident/

Building oneself up by tearing others down is nothing more than a sad contradiction.

Talking Dogs Impossible? Well The Nazi Tried To Prove Otherwise

Well aside from being an evil son of a bitch, I guess Hitler was also a bit insane.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110526/wl_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom20110525hownaziscientststriedtocreateanarmyoftalkingdogsxidrssfullworldyahoo

Fighting villainy...one breast at a time

Well in the eternal battle between good and evil and with each side vying to defeat the other in final battle, the soldiers of each army often take on unexpected roles and appearances.
In this case we do not have forces of immense power like Superman battling Darksied.
It is not Optimus Prime clashing metal on metal against his most hated foe Megatron.
Batman is not overcoming the sadistic humor of the Joker.
Hell, it isn't even Howard the Duck taking on his old foe Doctor Bong.

In this case...get ready for it...here it comes....

It's a hot blonde chick flashing her boobs against a hockey player in the penalty box.
And no, this is no joke...but damn it's funny.

Female flasher heats up cyberworld for show during Canucks' win over Sharks

2011-05-19 16:47:00

VANCOUVER - First the Green Men, now this.
A female Canucks fan flashed her breasts during Vancouver's 7-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night, and the Internet has been abuzz ever since.
The incident happened late in the third period when San Jose's Ben Eager—widely seen as the villain of the game—was in the penalty box. The woman, positioned beside the box, lifted her Henrik Sedin Canucks' jersey and pressed her breasts to the glass.
"Yeah, I saw it," Eager said in San Jose. "I got a few text messages with the picture after the game too.
"It was an interesting night for sure."
Victor de Bonis, the Canucks' chief operating officer, said staff dealt with the situation quickly and efficiently.
"It was an unfortunate incident," de Bonis said in a statement. "I thought our staff handled the situation really well. The security guard went over right away and asked the lady to leave. She exited the event and we went on with business."
The incident was captured on CBC's live Hockey Night in Canada telecast.
"We received a small (very small) number of emails about it," Jeff Keay, head of media relations for CBC, said in an email.
The scene was not shown on Versus in the U.S., a Versus spokesman told the Toronto Star.
The woman's face was not shown on Canadian TV, but still photos soon found their way on the Internet.
The flasher managed to upstage the Canucks' famous Green Men, who sometimes occupy the seats beside the penalty box and have made a name for themselves by tormenting opposing players—albeit fully clothed in lime green body suits.
"It's tough. A toss-up between the Green Men and that, what's better," joked Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.
The Green Men weren't at the game, but found themselves trending on Twitter the next morning.
They poked some fun at the flasher on Twitter after the game.
"I know we couldn't be there but I hope we sent a suitable replacement (or is it replacements?)" they tweeted.
The Green Men explained their absence on Twitter, saying "Tix are a little too pricey and Nashville put us in debt."
The Canucks headed to San Jose on Thursday, and take a 2-0 series lead into Friday's Game 3.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/40386-Female-flasher-heats-up-cyberworld-for-show-during-Canucks-win-over-Sharks.html

And if you want a picture of her, here it is:


Now I gotta admit that I am confused. Call me crazy (it would not be the first time someone did and it won't be the last) but if a hot blonde chick pressed her boobs up against a glass sheet in front of me and flashed them to me the last thing I would think is that she was punishing me. Now if her intent was to flashe them and say something to the effect of  "Look at what you can't have" and use this as a means of torturous temptation then in this case I can see how the blonde (the heroine in this case) is using her feminine wiles and all the glory that God gave her to inflict mental suffering and frustration upon the villainous hockey player in the penalty box. You know, I think that this is exactly what she was up to. In this case I declare villainy defeated and the heroic forces of hot babes and boobs to be triumphant.


And no disrespect to the Green Men but if it;s a choice between a hot blonde flashing her boobs or you guys...well the hot blonde wins hands down...but shirt up. :)

As the Dust Settles....

So apparently at around 6 PM today the world is about to end.

Damn, couldn't it wait until Monday after the Miami Heat versus the Chicago Bulls basketball game? Come on man....

Seriously though, if you are even moderately involved in the RLSH community or the going ons of the "other community" then you should know by now that Zetaman has essentially called it quits. His departure was apparently galvanized by a recent blog in which some very unsettling details of his personal life were brought out in to the open. What came after that was nothing short of a grotesque debacle. Mudslinging insults, twisted truths, venomous lies, people dragged into the conversation without their consent, ect..in other words long laundry list of misery. The response from both sides was expected. Rage against the blog writer and some who commented in the most heinous and despicable ways. Sorrow for the loss of a RLSH who has been a major part of the movement and accomplished many good things. Confusion as to why this ongoing chess match from hell between both sides continues to play itself out and why people who wear the guise of heroes and those who say villainy is just for kicks would stoop so low. The aftermath has left alot of people commenting, each offering what they feel is their truth, their personal piece of wisdom to the matter. So since today the world is supposed to end far be it for me to let the world spiral into the dark crescendo of oblivion without saying a few words myself.

I do not hesitate to state with conviction that I have little or no love for the RLSV community. As others have mentioned before me, hate speech, even when it starts under the guise of satire or sadistic entertainment is wrong. It is wrong because of what it is and the potential it has of becoming if the right elements creep into its equation and turn words in weapons, dislike into raging animosity, harsh words into violence and physical suffering. It is my firm belief that the RLSV underestimate the potential hate that their words can breed. How many Tothian incidents do we need to see before we realize how dangerous it can get? How many Zetaman incidents (the tire slashing, his resignation from the RLSH) do we have to see before we realize that things can go too far in hurry? How many times must we work to temper the anger of a Krampus because they have spent years being villified and watching people he loves be villified in turn with hate speech? You can question his methods or his words as I have both publically and privately even as I have made attempts to push him away from edge but can you REALLY blame him for caring about the physical and mental well being of his friends? Can you blame his for being angry? Is that wrong? I hardly think so. Truth be told me and him, especially after the Tothain incident began to see that things were snowballing in a very bad direction and we spoke out on it but apparently it was not enough. In the aftermath of the Zetaman incident we shake our heads in disbelief, knowing that to ask the question "Why?" is a Pandoras box of it's own.

But the RLSH / costumed activists do not get a free pass. Apparently some of the informants for that blog information either gave half truths, lies, or egged on the blog writer. Apparently their are those calling themselves RLSH who are playing both sides, acting under the guise of a hero when it suits them but then donning the mask of villainy when they deem it appropriate. The comments supposedly made by these double agents on the blog were so disgustingly personal and venomously offensive that you didn't need a fortune teller to know how it was going to end up. Shame on those who carry the RLSH name and yet sold themselves out like cheap prostitutes in the name of getting some lulz out of watching a mans reputation dissected like some twisted sicence experiment gone bad and his personal life shredded life confetti for the blogosphere to see.

But just as I own this blog and am the final arbitrator of what goes on it and what stays off it so did the writer of the now removed blog. It was a poweder keg waiting to go off - I saw it and so did a few others. Casting blame on the people who provided the information used to create the blog, whether they were truths, exaggerated truth or lies, or blatant falsehoods is a cheap excuse. It's the equivalent of passing the buck when it comes to the ethical and moral responsibility that a blogger carries when something they write gets way out of hand and ends in disastrous consequences. As one RLSH who is respected in both communities told me in private "the blog was a hatchet job". As Knight Owl put it "regardless of whatever charities, humanitarian causes a person supports you do not do the world any favors by attempting to knock down a philanthropist." As Silver Sentinel said "Hate speech is not humorous.  Hate speech is not constructive.  Ultimately hate speech destroys and even kills..". Given how many times history had proven these words true on would think human beings would have gotten a clue by now but apparently for all our so called evolution we still have a ways to go apparently.

Both sides screwed up and my fear is that it will happen again. It will happen again because in this game of trying to one up the other side, in the game of ridicule/sadistic entertainment and manipulation of truth for cheap laughs, in the game of puffing out your chest and declaring "Hah!!! Did you see how stupid I made them look", we seem to have lost our way. We seem to have forgotten about the concept of human decency, or respecting ones personal life, and the growing trend seems to be fostering hate speech and animosity and treating it as a game or harmless humor when we should know otherwise by now. Everyone, even myself share blame in this ongoing senseless cycle of foolishness. We have not acted as we should. As a collective, we should have been better than this no matter what side you are one. Hate is not harmless. Words can be weaponized and if you don't believe me then you are a poor student of history.

And as a public declaration on my part I affirm my friendship to Krampus but I do not condone nor do I agree with any violent actions unless it is in absolute defense of himself or his loved ones. I do not believe it will come to this. I have worked tirelessly both openly and behind the scenes to bring things back to an acceptable level of sanity...sanity being scarcer than normal lately by both sides. I hold faith that my labor will bear fruit. But even as I tell Krampus and others with potentially similar thoughts to "sheath their claws" it's important to remember what brought us to this point. The signs were there that something like this would happen. I spoke out on it as has Krampus, Silver Sentinel, Crossfire, and alot of others. It was my hope that people would understand that things were moving in the wrong direction and change course but that was not the case. As we stand upon the ruins of broken wisdom and festering arrogance we have a choice to make. Do we continue along the reckless path of previous, giving hatemongering fertile ground for history to repeat itself possibly worse than before or do we learn from past mistakes and truly move forward.

Choose wisely.

For all you Star Wars fans out there....

Ever wanted to see the complete shcematic to the Millenium Falcon?

Well now you can...

http://furiousfanboys.com/2010/11/a-complete-schematic-of-the-millennium-falcon/

As you stand upon the edge....don't lose faith

The young boy wasn't saved by a fireman, or a police officer, or a trained psychologist.
Not even his parents or his teachers could talk him away from the ledge.
The slightest uncoordinated movement and he could have died. Life can slip away from us that easily so we have to try to find a way to hold on to it as tight as we can, to remember it's value even as the unwise attempt to stain it.

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A Thai fireman turned superhero when he dressed up as comic-book character Spider-Man to coax a frightened eight-year-old from a balcony, police said Tuesday.

Teachers at a special needs school in Bangkok alerted authorities on Monday when an autistic pupil, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside, a police sergeant told AFP.
Despite teachers' efforts to beckon the boy inside, he refused to budge until his mother mentioned her son's love of superheroes, prompting fireman Sonchai Yoosabai to take a novel approach to the problem.
The rescuer dashed back to his fire station and made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume before returning to the boy, he said.
"I told him Spider-Man is here to rescue you, no monsters are going to attack you and I told him to walk slowly towards me as running could be dangerous," Somchai told local television.
The young boy immediately stood up and walked into his rescuer's arms, police said.
Somchai said he keeps the Spider-Man costume and an outfit of Japanese television character Ultraman at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.

Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/03/spiderman_fireman_saves_autist.php#ixzz1MNghyRRM

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This boy was saved by Spiderman because he believed in the iconic power of the character, because he'd seen him soaring through the air and performing many things that could only be considered miracles by human standards. Faith and wonder preserved his life.

Humbling Words from the Other Side

I found this rather refreshing...

< Start >
A CASE OF MISTAKEN BELIEF

I'm a snake.

I'm a silver-tongued serpent and the lot of you have enjoyed my company and even defended me against those who would question what integrity I seemingly possessed. Truth be told, no one is fully innocent and so long as we shelter ourselves to the truth, the old adage of 'guilty until proven otherwise' will never hold true.

In the face of extreme adversity, you prevailed. In the most awful of criticisms, a good number of you remained steady in your convictions. I find that admirable in my current state.

I'm a drunk. I'm addicted to cigarettes. I find that the cruelty of life itself is far more beautiful, generally, than the moments where man can stand hand-in-hand and speak as one, wholly united force against inequity. And while I type inebriated and set a horrid example in regards to the ideals of a sober state of being, I can say this much: Words, whenever spoken, hold as much truth when spoken under altered mind-state as they do when sober.

You all withstood the utmost disregard and disrespect; many of you without argument unless it was of necessity. And I have to wonder...Is it altruism? Is there such an ethereal force at work in our world?

To every RLSH that stands as an elder member of such an interesting and inspirational cadre of collected creatures...I thank you for what you've done for the greater part of humanity. Your generosity...Your spark of life is essential in ensuring our continued survival.

To every new RLSH that stands as fresh as a spry, green branch upon this great tree, I offer: No matter how daunting the task, no matter how difficult life becomes...Remember always that the symbol you've chosen is not meant to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies and detractors...But it is to strike inspiration and admiration as it has in me.

I began as your rival and while fate has decided to edge me further down the path of sin, I appreciate all you do and in my moment; in my utmost lack of sobriety and social constraint: I thank you all for providing me entertainment; inspiration...And above all else, hope...Hope that we can all one day look upon one another and say that we've changed this world for the better.

I may not be well, but I know that most of you are and that fills me with joy; joy knowing that my eternal foes are still at work and that someday my son may not have to resort to keeping a close eye on heroes claiming to be such.

-Tiny Terror, Ph.D

< End >

The link to this can be found at
http://www.therlsh.net/t8281-a-case-of-mistaken-belief

He seems to understand...thankfully some do. 

How About those Miami Heat!!!

Sorry Boston fans but did you really think the Big Three would make it easy on you?



Each one of these guys took less money to come here and form one of the most powerful core of players in the history of basketball. Most people look at Lebron for being the "bad guy" and villify him for coming to Miami and not resigning with Cleveland. The teams that coveted a chance to have Lebron were pretty pissed off when he made his choice and they hate him just as bad. But you know, if he would have ended up on their team then everything would have been fine. Isn't life a funny thing.

The Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, a sore loser lowlife proclaims "I predict that Cleveland will win a championship before Miami does". News flash - there is only one team in the NBA that lost more games than Cleveland so good luck with that. Do you know what the term "free agent" means? It means he can sign with whoever he wants and if he wanted to win and felt he had a better shot at it in Miami then that's his choice.

Chicago Bulls are next and not an easy series at all. They are the #1 defensive and rebounding team in the NBA but remove Derrick Rose from the equation and they are an above average/good team at best. They swept the Heat in the season games they played but all three victories were by a combined total of 8 points, meaning each game was damned close. I expect a very hard series ending in 6 games one way or the other.
But in the mean time let's fire things up and BRING THE HEAT!!!!!!

Wait...you mean Heimdall isn't black??? WHO GIVES A DAMN!!!!!

So it turns out that in the upcomng Marvel blockbuster movie for the character Thor, there had been alot of rumbling about the race of one of the movies characters, namely Heimdall. Seer of the Norse gods and guardian of the Rainbow Bridge which connects Asgard to Midgard, the controversy has erupted because of a racist group calling themselves the Council of Concerned Citizens in offended that he is being played by...waint for it...wait for it..here is comes.

A black man.

How sad to see that ignorance like this is alive and well in 2011.But anyways...

This is not the first time that Marvel has taken a divergent direction with the ethnicity of its characters on the big screen. In terms of cultural depiction and even the comic books themselves, Heimdall embodies the typical Nordic look; tall, powerfully built, and appearing of German/Swiss descent...well except for his eyes which actually appear as the reflection of the expanse of the starry universe itself (how friggin cool is that). Other deviations of race that Marvel has done included Michael Duncan Clarke as the Kingpin in the Daredevil movie and also Samule L Jackson as Nick Fury in the Iron Man movies (and the end of the Hulk movie as well). There are some comic book fans who are purists that believe that both of these characters should have been played by white men but unlike the CCC, they do not feel this way for racist reasons. You see, comic book fans are often very connected to their characters - it happens after you've been following them for what is in some cases decades. So when changes like this occur they may not like the change but they don't take it to the extreme that racist groups like the CCC does and threaten to boycott the movie. Personally, I think that Samuel L Jackson did a good job as Nick Fury, a better one than Clarke did as the Kingpin in the Daredevil movie. I knew ahead of time that both of these roles would be played by African Americans but my love of comic books and openmindedness about race allowed me to enjoy both movies - the race to me didn't matter but the quality of their acting did and I think that Jackson embraced the role better. Now I've been asked before who I would like to see as Nic Fury if the role was given to white guy and my answer is Clint Eastwood in his late prime (to capture that seasoned salty personality). Anyone who has seen the movies Gran Torino (which I think had some of the best dialogue in the history of movie making), the Dirty Harry movies, and the westerns he was in can attest to the fact that Clint had and still has one of the best combinations of intimidating grating voices and scowls in the history of Hollywood and his acting talent is without question. But this stupidity of boycotting the movie and spreading so muc hate because of the race of one of the characters is just stupid. Seriously.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.251288-Racists-boycott-Thor-movie-because-of-Idris-Elba-playing-a-god

I've seen Idris in prior acting roles before and he is talented. Furthermore, I gotta say kudos to him for handling the poison thrown at him by these racist assclonws with tact and even a sense of humor. He could have blown up and made a big deal about it but he didn't. 

And really, this is not the first time that Marvel has challenged the way we depict our beloved comic book characters and the things they go thru. It is well documented that Marvel has used many of it's characters, especially the X-Men, to challenge negative cultural aspects such as racism, religious intolerance, and even homosexuality. Once considered taboos, not to be touched or something to pretend was not there, they took the reigns and challenged our perceptions of these subjects in an intelligent and poignant manner. So making Heimdall a black man was no big stretch for Marvel and I applaud them for this. If Idris is a good actor and the story is well thought out and compelling then who cares what color of skin Heimdall is? Really, CCC, are you so blinded by your poorly veiled bigotry that you cannot see how silly your stance is? You sound like just another branch of the KKK.... but then again you seem to have that whole consonant fetish going so who knows.

Mythology states that Thor was born of a union between Odin and the spirit of Earth itself, Gaia. He was created to be a special friend to mankind and defend them when they called upon his aid. His hammer rarely struck if not in the name of true justice and honor and his battle fury was matched only by his compassion for mortals. Also known as the god of farmers, those that prayed to him would be granted just the right amount of rain at just the right time to allow their crops to grow in abundance so they could feed their families. The very mythos of Thor teaches us an important lesson - great power and great understanding can exist simultaneously and this is where the CCC falters. Their blind hatred is obvious to anyone but themselves. But you know what? That is their friggin problem. I am of Hispanic descent and have been the curx of racism before. But when me and my comic book buddies roll out to see this movie, it's going to be a mix of Hispanic, Anglo-Saxon white, and African Americans and if the reviews of the movie are a sign, we are going to have a blast. I could care less about race. I care more about a good storyline, quality acting, and great action scenes. Anyone unable to leave the race issue out of it just needs to keep there asses home and that includes you..the members of the CCC. The makers of Thor don't need your dirty money and if your feeble attempts at trying to keep people from this movie are any indication then get a clue...people don't give a damn about you ridiculous prejudices. And yes....

To adapt a quote from one of white culture's most celebrated and completely fake, totally made-up heroes, Buzz Lightyear: You are sad, strange little men, and you have our pity."

Hell frakking yeah. And you know what? There seems to be alot this sad hatred circulating these days.

Hero Imagination Project

This is why the haters and the malcontents will NEVER win....because of examples like this.

About HIP

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do bad things, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” – Albert Einstein

It’s true. The world is indeed a dangerous place, and inhumane behavior – whether extraordinary evil or an individual act of cruelty – is unfortunately pervasive. But it is often entirely avoidable if only we trust ourselves to speak up, to call attention, to act responsibly.
Why, then, is it so very difficult for the vast majority of us to take action in a crisis? What leaves so many people silent and paralyzed in the face of injustice or physical peril? Is heroic behavior a rare exception to the norms of human nature?
We at the Heroic Imagination Project believe the answer is absolutely not. We believe heroism can be learned by example and reinforced with practice. Our programs are designed to inspire heroism in ordinary people and teach them to make wise and effective decisions when heroic opportunities arise.

Join us.  Becoming a hero requires only a little imagination and the willingness to act.

We believe that heroism is a special kind of civic action that can be learned and modeled by almost anyone. If HIP is successful, the result will be compelling: A growing community of heroes, all empowered to initiate extraordinary social change and to transform their neighborhoods, their towns, and our shared world into a less dangerous and a great deal more humane place for everyone.

Heroic action is:

1. Engaged in voluntarily;
2. Conducted in service to one or more people or the community as a whole;
3. Involving a risk to physical comfort, social stature, or quality of life;
4. Initiated without the expectation of material gain.

http://heroicimagination.org/about/

Philip George Zimbardo (born March 23, 1933) is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is president of the Heroic Imagination Project. He is known for his Stanford prison study and authorship of various introductory psychology books and textbooks for college students, including The Lucifer Effect and The Time Paradox.

In 1971, Zimbardo accepted a tenured position as professor of psychology at Stanford University. There he conducted the Stanford prison study, in which 24 normal college students were randomly assigned to be "prisoners" or "guards" in a mock prison located in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford (three additional college students were selected as alternates, but did not participate in the study). The two week planned study into the psychology of prison life ended only after 6 days due to emotional trauma being experienced by the participants. The students quickly began acting out their roles, with "guards" becoming sadistic and "prisoners" showing extreme passivity and depression.
The volunteers knew they were being used in a study but they did not know when the study would be taking place so the initial shock of being randomly arrested one morning and taken to the mock prison put them in a mild state of shock. On arrival, the “prisoners” were stripped, searched, shaved and deloused which caused a great deal of humiliation. They were then issued uniforms, ID numbers, and escorted to their cells by the volunteer prison guards. These changes isolated the prisoners making it harder for them to portray their individual characteristics. The guards themselves were not given any specific instruction or guidelines for the way they were to treat the prisoners. Instead, the psychologists allowed them to do whatever was needed to keep order in the prison. They were dressed very professionally in identical uniforms. They also wore a whistle around their neck and carried a night stick.
At the beginning of the experiment, Zimbardo started off with nine guards and nine prisoners. All the original volunteers were kept as backups and 3 prisoners as well as 3 guards occupied the prison at a time. Their first night in the prison, the volunteer prisoners were awakened at 2:30 AM by the guards blowing their whistles. They did this several times to familiarize the prisoners with how things were going to work and to let them know who was in charge.
The study shows that before the volunteer prisoners started showing signs of distress, they did not take the guards and their authority seriously. The prisoners mocked the guards, trying to regain their individuality. This, however, was short-lived. The prisoners soon realized that the attitude of the guards was very serious and that they demanded obedience. This began a long string of confrontational quarrels between the guards and prisoners. The guards used physical punishment and exercises, such as pushups, in order to show their authority to the prisoners.
In the morning of only the second day, a rebellion broke out among the volunteer prisoners. They ripped off their uniforms and locked themselves in their cells by pushing their beds up against the door. In response to this, the guards became very angry and called for backup assistance to the situation. This surprised Zimbardo as well as the rest of the psychologists because they had not thought it would be taken this far. Guards who were not on duty were called in and the guards who were assigned to only the night shift stayed with the guards who came in all the way through their shift the next morning. The tactic the guards came up with was to fight back in order to discipline the unruly prisoners and make them obey. In response to the prisoners barricading themselves in their cells, the guards used fire extinguishers on them to get them away from the entrances.
Once the guards were able to get into the cells, they stripped the inmates naked, tore apart the beds and the cell, and put the prisoners who had started the rebellion in solitary confinement. As all nine guards could not be on duty at once, they began rewarding the prisoners for good behavior. The prisoners who had not been involved in starting the riot were allowed to lie in their beds, wash themselves and brush their teeth and eat while those who had started the riot were not allowed to. The guards continued to use tormenting tactics to break up the prisoners relations with each other to avoid further organized resistance. In the case with one prisoner, who was a smoker, the guards were able to control his behavior because they decided when and if he was allowed to smoke.
Less than two full days into the experiment, one inmate began suffering from depression, uncontrolled rage, crying and other mental dysfunctions. The prisoner was eventually released after screaming and acting crazy in front of the other inmates. On the third day, the study allowed visiting hours for friends and family. The visitation was closely monitored and timed with many rules and restrictions.
The next event that added to the prison experiment “drama” was a rumored escape plan that the prisoners were planning on carrying out directly after visiting hours. The prisoner was going to have some of his friends round up, break into the prison and free all of the prisoners. After one of the guards overheard this plan, an informant was placed in among the prisoners and the escape never happened. The prisoners who had been thought to have organized the escape were disciplined and harassed with more pushups and toilet cleaning.
At some point, even the prisoners who were thought of as role models, those who obeyed all of the guards' commands were being punished. Going to the bathroom was considered a privilege rather than a necessity, and those who acted out against the guards were made to urinate and defecate in a bucket in their cell.
By the end of the experiment, there was no unification among prisoners as well as guards. The guards also had won complete control over all of their prisoners and were using their authority to its greatest extent. One prisoner had even gone as far as to go on a hunger strike. Refusing to eat, the guards put him into solitary confinement for three hours (even though their own rules stated the limit that a prisoner could be in solitary confinement was only one hour). Instead of the other prisoners looking at this inmate as a hero and following along in his strike, they chanted together that he was a bad prisoner and a troublemaker. The prisoners literally had begun to think they were real criminals. Prisoners and guards rapidly adapted to their roles, stepping beyond the boundaries of what had been predicted and leading to dangerous and psychologically damaging situations.
One-third of the guards were judged to have exhibited "genuine" sadistic tendencies, while many prisoners were emotionally traumatized and five had to be removed from the study early.
Zimbardo himself started to give into the roles of the situation. He had to be shown the reality of the experiment by Christina Maslach, his girlfriend and future wife, who had just received her doctorate in psychology.
At the end of the experiment, after all the prisoners had been released and the guards let go, everyone was brought back into the same room for evaluation and to be able to get their feelings out in the open towards one another. Ethical concerns surrounding the famous study often draw comparisons to the Milgram experiment, which was conducted in 1961 at Yale University by Stanley Milgram, Zimbardo's former high school friend.

After the prison experiment, Zimbardo decided to look for ways he could use psychology to help people; this led to the founding of The Shyness Clinic in Menlo Park, California, which treats shy behavior in adults and children. Zimbardo's research on shyness resulted in several bestselling books on the topic. Other subjects he has researched include mind control and cultic behavior.
Zimbardo is the co-author of an introductory Psychology textbook entitled Psychology and Life, which is used in many American undergraduate psychology courses. He also hosted a PBS TV series titled Discovering Psychology which is used in many college telecourses.
In 2002, Zimbardo was elected president of the American Psychological Association. Under his direction, the organization developed the website PsychologyMatters.org, a compendium of psychological research that has applications for everyday life. Also that year, he appeared in the British reality television show, The Human Zoo. Participants were observed inside a controlled setting while Zimbardo and a British psychologist analyzed their behavior.
In 2004, Zimbardo testified for the defense in the court martial of Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, a guard at Abu Ghraib prison. He argued that Frederick's sentence should be lessened due to mitigating circumstances, explaining that few individuals can resist the powerful situational pressures of a prison, particularly without proper training and supervision. The judge apparently disregarded Zimbardo's testimony, and gave Frederick the maximum 8-year sentence. Zimbardo drew on the knowledge he gained from his participation in the Frederick case to write a new book entitled, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, about the connections between Abu Ghraib and the prison experiments.
In September 2006, Zimbardo joined the faculty at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology as Professor of Psychology, where he teaches social psychology to doctoral students in the clinical psychology program.
Zimbardo's writing appeared in Greater Good Magazine, published by the Greater Good Science Center of the University of California, Berkeley. Zimbardo's contributions include the interpretation of scientific research into the roots of compassion, altruism, and peaceful human relationships. His most recent article with Greater Good magazine is entitled: "The Banality of Heroism", which examines how ordinary people can become everyday heroes. In February 2010, Zimbardo was a guest presenter at the Science of a Meaningful Life seminar: Goodness, Evil, and Everyday Heroism, along with Greater Good Science Center Executive Director Dacher Keltner.
Zimbardo, who officially retired in 2003, gave his final "Exploring Human Nature" lecture on March 7, 2007, on the Stanford campus, bringing his teaching career of 50 years to a close. David Spiegel, professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, called Zimbardo "a legendary teacher", saying that "he has changed the way we think about social influences."
Though retired Zimbardo still conducts research at Stanford University and teaches one class at the former Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, now Palo Alto University.
Zimbardo has made appearances on American TV, such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on March 29, 2007,The Colbert Report in February 2008 and Dr. Phil on October 25, 2010.



He is currently heading a movement for everyday heroism as the founder and director of The Heroic Imagination Project.

 

Apathy - 0, Kukri-Wielding Hero - 40

Sometimes in life we have to make choices. 

Do we stand around and watch as evil and apathy rips away at the strands of simple human decency? Or do we refuse to be a victim and in turn defend those who are in danger of being victims themselves? And I'm not talking about just physical victimization; a person can also be victimized thru verbal abuse, bullying, and slanderous or libelous statements made against them. Although there have been documented instances of them advocating and even using these practices before, the outspoken rabble foes of the RLSH/costumed activists have recently become more brazen and open with the sadistic intentions they have for the RLSH community and costumed activists. Openly advocating the use of identity internet extortion, wishing physical harm against the RLSH or anyone who puts on a costume for charity/good will, and making libelous and slanderous statements, the fact that any of them pretend to operate by any set of their own self rules is a sham. What’s this about a list of 48 guidelines of advancing yourself through lies and cruelty? Anyone out there who thinks these malcontents operate under any set of standards or consistency of conduct is only deluding themselves. The proof is out there. You just have to have the patience to find it and the clarity to see thru the veil.

Nonetheless, I came across a story that made these famous words of Edmund Burke ring as true as ever...

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." 

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I offer my salute to Bishnu Shrestha, the hero of this story. Singlehandedly he fended off the attack of up to 40 train assailants who in addition to apparently being armed with guns and attempted to steal up to 400,000 Indian rupees in cash, 40 gold necklaces, 200 cell phones, 40 laptops and other items, actually ripped the clothes off an 18 year old girl and attempted to gang rape her in front of her parents. Furthermore his courage was not without sacrifice; he suffered a serious hand injury that included nerve damage and took 2 months to heal. However, because of his courage there are a few less sick minded animals in the world and a young girl was saved from a horrific experience that would’ve left her traumatized for life. Even if the pistols were fake, believing they were authentic made it a very credible and real threat. It should also be mentioned that Bishnu was returning from voluntary retirement, therefore his actions were not born out of any duty demanded of him by his government of military. Rather they were born out of simple human decency and the unwillingness to stand by while evil and terror reigned supreme. To be blunt, Edmund Burke knew what the frak he was talking about. The hatemongering vocal rabble would have you believe that the RLSH are arrogant fools who should not get involved in matters of citizen safety and assistance; to be fair I would agree that not every RLSH has their head on a sane swivel but the same could be said about the hatemongering rabble...I have the screen shots and other evidence to prove all that I am saying and more. The hatemongering rabble are slaves to their own hypocrisy. Their rhetoric is constantly filled with an underlying theme of "hey people, stay out of the citizen assistance business" which leads to apathy, to people turning away from problems that are even the slightest bit beyond their personal sphere of influence. That is how the spiral into self-destruction begins, when we set aside simple human decency and compassion and replace it with the "it's none of my business" attitude or trash people who, like the RLSH or costumed activists, take an outside the box method of thinking to offer help to those in need. Bishnu saw something terrible and put his personal well being before anything else. RLSH often focus their assistance on members of society or issues that are largely ignored or in their opinion do not receive necessary attention; homeless outreach, sick children, protecting prostitutes from a serial killer (yeah, some ignorant hatemongering moron actually gave them grief about this), and honoring the military. But the one quote of the story that REALLY made me say "DAMNED STRAIGHT!!!" was the following...

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“Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier; taking on the dacoits in the train was my duty as a human being.”

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Exactly. Being a soldier may have been a job for part of his life but the duty of showing compassion, courage, and humanity should be a full time job for all of us. The loss of life is normally a terrible thing but I hold little sympathy for the assailants wounded or slain. Their intent was an abomination and overwhelming odds required lethal measures. 

 http://bowieknifefightsfighters.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-knife-news-kukri-kicks-ass.html

**Curious fact; the kukri as a weapon is also a part of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy campaign. Even here it is a small but very lethal weapon. Listed as having a critical threat range of 18-20 on a d20 roll, it has remarkable efficiency as a hand held weapon but unlike a dagger, the curved shape of its blade does not make it an effective thrown weapon.**

Lastly, to those tossing out the accusations of mental imbalance, violence, chemical dependancy, and unethical conduct amongst the RLSH/costumed acitivists perhaps you should take a long look in the mirror when you lash out with these accusations. No names will be mentioned on this blog post - that really isn't necessary to make my point.  You know who you are..hatemongering frauds who weaponize words and push negativity and strife upon anyone who dares not see things thru the twisted lenses of your own lives. Lies, love of violence wishing to see others suffer, encouraged libel, mental instability....just a sampling of the many bits taken from your own rhetoric. It begs several questions..."Where does this end?", "When is it enough?" and "By what right do they judge others when they suffer the same flaws if not worse than the ones they vilify?" 

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To quote Mark Twain…

“When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.”

Sorry, you’re not fooling anybody.  

Hey Osama, how do those bullet holes feel..oh right, you're dead. You can't feel anything!!!

I woke up today to a text from a friend of mine in Texas who has a son in the military, A fellow costumed activist, she let me know that Osama Bin Laden was dead. I could not believe it so I turned on the TV and the internet at the same time and the news was everywhere. Another buddy of mine, a gamer with inside info told me that it was a coordinated attack plan by the CIA and Navy Seals. All I have to say is it's about time!!! That bastard deserved to die 100 times over for what he did. His death does not bring back those who have died by his commands but at least his despicable life is snuffed out. Let him rot in hell for the evil he has done and let his death be a message to ALL THOSE WHO PROFESS HATRED, INTOLERANCE, WHO ADVOCATE VIOLENCE, WHO WEAPONIZE WORDS THAT INSPIRE OTHERS TO CAUSE EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL HARM AS WELL AS HARM TO PROPERTY....

Karma has a way of sometimes evening the scales. Just when you think those 10,5,and 6 cards you got in blackjack give you the 21 that can't be beat, the house throws down a 10 and an ace and says "Sorry but you lose".

Kudos to the US military. To those who worship/profess evil, get a clue.

Superman and nationality...he made the right choice.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/29/superman-threatens-renounce-us-citizenship

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/04/action-comics-900/

See, I really like this decision and I kinda understand it.

 When people say that Superman is a great hero because he saved...( insert the rest) they don't usually end
 this by saying "Smallville", "Metropolis", or "the United States". In most cases, this statement ends with
 "the world" or even "the universe". So really, what is the big deal? Why pigeonhole Superman's noble deeds
 and heroism by placing such a stereotypical desgination on him? His actions do not belong to one people; his
 actions belong to everyone. Superman saves lives regardless of what country or even planet the beings come
 from. He saves worlds that are not always called planet Earth. His decision doesn't make him anti-American.
 His decision simply shows that just like our thoughts and philosophical stances change and evolve as the
 world around us does the samholds true for Superman. If Superman thought the EXACT same way now as
 he did when he was created then how boring would that be.

 Also, I've always been a pessimist when it comes to believing in the altruistic nature of big goverment. I
 think most politicians are pawns of special interest groups and in turn manipulate others into being their
 pawns for self interest and personal advancement. That is not to say I think all politicians are dishonest or
 do not help their respective constituents but I've seen too many politicians exposed as snake oil salesmen
 to trust them as much as others do. Superman's perceptions are that he is disillusioned and really..haven't
 we all been disillusioned by some of the stuff the US government does? If anything this makes him more
 human and more relevant as a character, to know that he can still stand up for what is right but do so for the
 true greater good and not as some ultra powerful "Yes man" to politicians and big government. Protecting the
 innocent is not a US mandate. It should and always will be a universal mandate. When we start saying "oh
 what is happening in such and such place is none of our business" as innocent people are suffering is wrong
 and the first step down a dark path of apathy.

 Kudos to you Superman. Stand up for what is right regardless of whether that "right" is considered the
 American Way because when it comes to doing the right thing, such actions have no nationality.

 This quote from a recent article sums it up nicely..

 "The genius of Superman is that he belongs to everyone, for the dual purposes of peace and protection.
 He’s above ephemeral geopolitics and nationalist concerns, a universal agent unlike any other found in
 pop culture."

 Yes indeed.

Because sometimes it's easy to forget....

This is what is called "a stone"



But perhaps we need examples of what several of these look like. Very well then, here you go...





This is what a "glass house" looks like.



Now putting the concept of these things together and adding the "throwing concept" to the equation we
get something that is generally frowned upon, something that looks like this;

Kill off a hero and you REALLY piss off the fans!!!

Since as long as I can remember I have been a fan of the Transformers. I remember waking up Saturday mornings and firing up the old Betamax (oh yeah I am that damn old) and recording them so I could watch them over and over. My favorite Transformer of all has and always will be Optimus Prime. He is, in my humble opinion, the epitome of a true cartoon hero and a great leader. Fearless, compassionate, tactical, and a mettle that was as battle tested as I've ever seen. So I remember going to the movie theater one afternoon many years ago with my sister because I was too young to drive at the time to go see the animated movie in the theater. Well to make a long story short the scene where Optimus Prime dies was one of the most heart wrenching scenes I've ever endured watching cinema. This may sound crazy but when the life faded out of him and he went grey it felt like I had lost my best friend, like a part of me has just been ripped out of my soul but that's not too hard to imagine. When we are young we are very impressionable.

And for the record to this day I still hate Hot Rod with a passion. Even as Roddimus Prime he was a joke of a leader, always trying to pass off the matrix of leadership to Ultra Magnus or someone else. He wasn't even worth the exhaust that came out of Optimus Primes engine. Had he not jumped in the way when Optimus Prime had Megatron at his mercy and ready to get taken out Optimus would have won that battle. When the Autobot base was getting hammered he almost single handedly turned the time the tide...who can forget the scene of him saying "Megatron must be stopped..no matter the cost" (how prophetic was that) and him leaping out and gunning down one Decepticon after another. It was awe-inspiring. But NOOOOOOOOO.... Hot Rod had to be the gloryhound....tactically speaking this young robot was clueless. The day that Optimus Prime came back and became leader of the Autobots once more there was much rejoicing in the Dragons Den. A great wrong had suddenly been made right.



I always knew that Optimus Prime was an icon, a cartoon character of legendary status. I just did not know his death would have such a profound effect on his fans, both young and old. So when I saw this Youtube interview I found myself feeling elated....and in a strange way I felt as if justice had been served. I always wondered if it had been so odd for me to react as I did to Optimus Primes passing. But seeing this interview, I felt vindicated. Optimus Prime is the standard-bearer...the greatest of them all... the heart and soul of the Autobots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyMytHqARR0&feature=player_embedded

And for the record I adamantly deny that I was the child who locked himself in his room for a week.

It was actually just 5 days and I kept the door unlocked so I could recieve my counseling sessions to deal with my depression.

Hey Dad....sucks to be you!!!!!!!!!

Damn...I think this kid is going to be grounded until he's collecting a pension.

Things are looking up....and sometimes that sucks!!!

Well it's been a while since my last blog but things have been anything but a doldrum in the last few weeks. Clash of ideologies, truths revealed, and motivations, both sinister and benign, made clearer than ever before.

There are a plethora of problems that plague our world and test our mettle on a daily basis. I rarely delve into the realm of politics as I am admittedly not that well versed in navigating the shark pit that constitutes the political scene. Truth be told I think most politicians are slaves to special interest groups and if we found out the real number of shady backroom deals that go down we would probably vomit from how nauseous it would make us. However I saw a friend of mine put this up on Facebook today and I could not help but read it and shake my head in disgust. I'm a proud American; I love my country even with it's faults because even as flawed as it is I think we are the best nation in a world often struggling in the grips of despair. Still, I think we should be better than this...



The poverty level continues to grow, African Americans struggle against higher rates of unemployment, and the American dollar has less and less financial impact with the passing day. Add to that the growing national debt and the increase in both our dependance on foreign oil and the price of a gallon of gas and the picture does not look so good. I heard on the radio the other day that Saudi Arabia was concerned about an over supply of oil and was cutting production of oil by about 800,000 barrels...and they are supposed to be our "allies". Let me remind you all that the majority of suicide bombers from 9/11 were also from Saudi Arabia..just throwing that out there. Lastly, the average income of an American household is decreasing so ladies and gentlemen it seems like we have no choice but to stretch that dollar alot farther than ever before. All of these statistics by the way are during the Obama adminstration (in now way am I using this fact to bash the guy but it is what it is.)

Now I know there's been alot of conflict lately in the blogosphere in terms of the whole RLSH / people who don't like the RLSH. I do understand that some of it is satire but lately alot of it has REALLY crossed some very disturbing lines, far beyond "satire" and easily into the realm of legitimate mental and potentially physical harm to people on both sides. I'm no fan of the RLSV but if the stuff I read by Tothian really was from him then he needs some serious help. He was flat out wrong. I'm also not a fan of seeing people I call friends get messages from those that they have specifically requested a "Leave me and my peeps alone" stance. On a personal level let me state that I have no desire to visit any mistreatment on anyone. But if you rise up and rally to the defense of your own you would be naive to think we would not do the same. It is my belief and always will be that the creative energy that is used to often inflict harm or ridicule upon one another is so could be better used against problems far more important, ones that have a much stronger effect on our lives...like many of the document presented.

But if anyone thinks I'm going soft...take that crap somewhere else. You should know better than that.  If you think that some guy dressing up in a costume and saying "I'm a RLSH" is more important than paying $4-5 for a gallon of gas or being laid off because the economy is so bad that your job is being handed to a guy in India or the Philipines for 1/3 of your salary (it happened to 200 friends of mine all at once 4 years ago) then pardon me for saying this but you are delusional idiot. If you think a guy dressing up as a RLSH is more important than our soldiers dying or getting maimed protecting countries that more often than not flat out don't like us then again you are a delusional idiot. This also applies to the RLSH to a degree. If you are helping people in need then that is great and noble. However, doing so does not elevate you above others and the moment you start thinking it does then you will not only find more detractors banging at your door but you will probably deserve alot of the grief they hand you. A word of advice for those on both sides...choose your words and actions carefully as each often carries consequences we are not always expecting or ready for.

As Spiderman told the Green Goblin when he found out Mary Jane had been kidnapped... "There are more important things right now than this thing between you and me."

Damn right there are...