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...