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Sunday, February 27, 2005Oscars Schmoscars
Who cares about the awards? The real fun is in making up fun food puns for the party. Here are some toppers from this year's festivities:
SideLays Sophie OkeneDonuts Maria Full Of Coke Beera Drake Phantom of the Okra Vanillary Swank Saturday, February 26, 2005Anyone getting married?
Because this is the first thing that comes up when you do a google image search for 'wedding dress'.
Friday, February 25, 2005Ask Sistani!
That Sistani cleric in Iraq has a website and a Q&A section!
Question: Is anal intercourse permissible.?I must give credit to Bill Maher, who based an entire segment around this website. God, it's hilarious. But, hey, man. That's the power of the Internet! It's FAAAAAN-Tastic!
I like the new nickel. They brought back the bison!
Comics 101
Tipton has a quiz up. Answers due by Sunday. Think we can answer it?
* * * 1. Everyone knows that Captain Marvel gets his powers from a sextet of gods, whose first initials spell out the name "SHAZAM." Captain Marvel's sister Mary gets her powers from six goddesses sporting the same initials. Name the goddesses and the powers they grant her. 2. In Alan Moore and David Lloyd's novel V FOR VENDETTA, Conrad Heyer controls "The Eye," Brian Etheridge is in charge of "The Ear," and Eric Finch heads up "The Nose." Who runs "The Finger"? 3. Complete the following lyric: "Deck us all with Boston Charlie..." 4. You should know by now all about DC's multiverse. Name five of DC's parallel Earths, and their most famous inhabitants. 5. On BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, who played Mr. Freeze, and on what other famous television series did he appear? 6. Jack Gatling was a comic-book fighter pilot during World War II. What was his nickname, and what did he call his plane? 7. Name all of the members of the Legion of Doom. 8. Batman lives in Gotham City, and the Flash in Central City. Which heroes live in Star City, Midway City and Opal City? 9. Who replaced Steve Rogers as Captain America in 1985? 10. Why does Batman's dog wear a mask? And what's his name, while you're at it? 11. What Commie-bashing superhero faced such villains as Hottsky Trottsky, Super Khakalovich, Rhode Island Red and Poison Ivan? 12. According to Frank Miller, why does Batman wear a target on his chest? 13. How many members of the classic Justice League of America were married during its heyday in the 1970s? 14. Name the members of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club from Claremont and Byrne's DARK PHOENIX SAGA? 15. What does MODOK stand for? 16. Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT first appeared in newspapers in 1940, and was originally accompanied by two other features. What were they? 17. The Avengers have long employed a butler, Jarvis. What’s his first name? 18. What gives Ralph Dibny his ability to stretch? 19. Like most every other Golden Age crimefighter, the Shield has a boy sidekick. Name him. 20. In the swingin' '60s, Wonder Woman gave up her costume and powers, and learned judo at the feet of what martial-arts master? 21. What keeps Nick Fury looking so young and fresh? 22. Rex Tyler is secretly what DC superhero? 23. What does the Ultimate Nullifier do? And who was its most famous target? 24. What does Barry Allen use to travel forwards or backwards in time as the Flash? 25. What cosmic secret is Darkseid obsessed with discovering? I love this
This is apparently one of the earliest uses ever of "USA." It's just a simple, little pin that Continental Army soldiers wore around 1777. But, boy, just imagine what a paradigm-shifting moment that was, the first time guys from Virginia and guys from Massachusetts both put on a pin that said, "USA." I also love the understatedness of this pin. No garish heraldy. No swooping eagles. No red, white, and blue. No Latin mottos. Just a simple "U," "S,", and "A."
Thursday, February 24, 2005Like a sack of rotten potatoes
I missed this weeks Lost, got the recap from Alan and felt... well, about as satisfied as I ever do watching the whole show. Alan can attest that I have been paying progressively less and less attention even when I am "watching" Lost, so this is probably no big surprise. Anyway, if you know me and Jeff, and how we feel about decompression, and then consider that even Jeff is frustrated with how little actually happens on Lost, I think you'll have a good idea of my position.
Similarly, but at a higher level of quality, not much happens in this week's Y: The Last Man. Y is a book I considered dropping, and then Safeword happened, and that arc was incredible, so I stuck around. Now I don't consider dropping it, but I do consider dropping the issues in favor of trades. After this last issue I think that's just how it's going to be. As for things I buy in trades... Grant Morrison's JLA is pretty fun superhero fluff, but now that I own 4 trades (though the first two only comprise about 4 issues each) I think I have enough. It isn't good enough to make me want the whole run. Although, much like Jeff, I will probably be buying singles of Seven Soldiers, only to someday replace them with gorgeous bookshelf editions. If I had a girlfriend maybe I would dump her, just to complete the cycle. For now, though, this is all I've got. Oh, Crap.
This is finally coming out. I had no idea. I'm so out of the comic loop. This will very much pull me back in.
Pennywhistles
I'm now absolutely certain that Asa picked the best possible name for our beloved Junk Science family.
The Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun, who lived in the American Midwest in two equally miserable stays from 1882-4 and 1886-8, working (inter alia) as farmhand, store clerk, railroad labourer, itinerant lecturer and (slightly more congenially) parish church secretary, treated the street parades of veterans "with tiny flags in their hats and brass medals on their chests marching in step to the hundreds of penny whistles they are blowing" as if he were watching some curiously remote tribal ritual.That's a passage from a 2003 Simon Schama article. Asa Ahumskas-Aait
Next week *Lucy Lane* is showing up on Smallville. And she's going to get all over Clark's jock. So says the preview.
Oh, and how do you feel about this? I actually think it might work. I mean, the very concept has "cartoon" written all over it. I'm just surprised it took this long. Wednesday, February 23, 2005Donkey Dogs
This is easily in my top ten list of all-time stupid trends. And let me also note how silly it is that BBC doesn't use an actual photo of a donkey for their story.
Whither free speech?
Much was made about an enormous poll a few weeks back that found a majority of American teens don't really care about or understand the 1st Amendment, namely those pesky, free speech parts. Libertarian journal AFF Brainwash has a most excellent article up that finds the root of American teens' proto-Stalinism to lie in the political correctness foisted upon them by their parents and teachers.
Students are taught that it is wrong to express an opinion if somebody else doesn't like it. When they hear this enough times from those whom they are taught to model, it will sink in. No matter that just about every utterance could offend somebody. One wonders what these officials would have made of the Declaration of Independence. Weren't the Founders altogether too mean to George III?I should also point out that things like a television rating system, Nipplegate, violent video game bans, and the endlessly Byzantine debates over religion in public life are hardly helping matters. A real question
I think we've sort of had this discussion before, but I don't remember it well and it bears repeating. I liked the European mini-play, and yes it would be tremendous if the world worked like that. New Diplomacy®! But the Bush paragraph leads me to an important question...
Do you think he really believes in Democracy promotion, or is it a political maneuver? I mean, something has to fill the void left by the missing WMDs, and we certainly didn't go over there to end torture and violence in the region. So we get warm fuzzies over Democracy. But in reading about the Great Power machinations in the Arab world during WW1 it is clear to me that easily 9/10 of the people talking about Arab independence actually meant "Arab independence in name but with heavy 'guidance' from a European State Sponsor." So I'm wary. Making me even more wary, though, is the recent release of those tapes where Bush says he smoked weed and, more importantly, didn't want to bash gays, thinks gays are a-ok, etc etc. That all sounds great (the President isn't a bigot!) until you realize that as soon as it became politically expedient he wielded gay-bashing like a club for all it was worth. Which leads me to think he isn't the straight shooter he's lead everyone to believe. Why should Iraq be any different? This is a genuinely important question to me, and probably to history. If this whole adventure becomes a huge clusterfuck then the intentions behind it will become tantamount. So what's the argument for Bush? Anything other than his speeches, which are almost always daydreamy nonsense (to Mars! We will never accept tyrrany, uhh, except from a number of allies!). As much as I dislike the man, I'd really like to be convinced on this one. A Euro Play-let
Here's a small play dealing with Bush's Euro tour, courtesy of Europhobia.blogspot.com.
(If only we lived in this world. Sigh.) Bush: I admit it, there were no WMDs and no links to al Qaida, we just wanted to get rid of Saddam. Partly to open up Iraqi oil again, partly - genuinely - to bring democracy to the country. And yes, I know it's hypocritical to try to promote democracy in Iraq when two of our key regional allies are the military dictatorship of Pakistan and absolutist monarchy of Saudi Arabia, but we have to go with what we've got. Yes, I also know that Iraq hasn't gone as well as it might, and that we buggered up the post-war planning something rotten, but we are trying. Honest. France and Germany: Fair enough. We opposed the war primarily because we had a sweet deal going on with the Iraqi regime, but also because we genuinely thought your reasons were bollocks and didn't like the direction your foreign policy seemed to be heading (yes, partially because it seemed to make us increasingly irrelevant on the world stage). And - yes - you've got a point, opposing your administration is a good vote winner where we come from. You've got us there. But still, we reckon you fucked it up pretty bad, and your utter lack of tact and diplomacy when talking about our attitudes at the time hardly helped matters. You could have won us round if you'd had a bit more patience and were slightly less aggressive. No one likes a bully, and that's how you were coming across. It pissed us off, because we know you're bigger and stronger than us, but sizable chunks of our respective populations still think we're genuinely world powers. We know we're not, but we have to make a show of it every now and again... Bush: Yeah, my bad. So, you on side for clearing up the mess now? France and Germany: Yeah, go on then... France, Germany and Bush skip off hand in hand for a great big love-fest, as Tony Blair sits on the edge of the bed holding the camcorder. Fusion!
Wow, those "Unity Ticket" rumors are already swirling for 2008. And once again, every Democrat's favorite Republican, John McCain is at the center of them with...Mrs. Clinton?
Tuesday, February 22, 2005Worlds collide
Welcome to Mastodon City, where we talk about comics and politics. So we really have no excuse if we don't read this upcoming book, the Probability Broach: "To the artist’s own admission, The Probability Broach is full color graphic novel that is also thinly veiled propaganda for Libertarian ideals."
Set in the horrible world of 1987 sans Reagan, this sounds like the baldest of sci-fi tales. I nominate Alex to purchase it for the edification of us all. Because we always need more
Pinky's World of Female Masturbation Euphemisms! (STARMA.COM)
Put those dirty thoughts in the Touch Hutch and Audition some finger puppets! Fringe skirt
Sorry the blogging has been (very) lax lately. I've been really busy and overt he weekend I wrote a long post about No Child Left Behind that got eaten by Blogger, which killed my enthusiasm pretty quick.
Anyway, I got this email from Democracy For America (formerly the Dean Campaign) today: "Dear Asa, The right-wing fringe has declared war on Social Security -- and this week they launched their newest attack..." I know its new standard operating procedure to declare everything the other side does as part of the "fringe." Lord knows how many completely mainstream Democrats, including Dean, have been called fringe or radical leftists. But really, let's call a spade a spade: the Republican MAINSTREAM is trying to dismantle Social Security. Grover Norquist wants to drown it in the bathtub. President Bush wants to privatize it into obsolesence, removing the one function it was created for... as a form of social insurance for the elderly. These are not fringe activists removed from the GOP. They are the heart and soul of the modern Republican party. These days it is the moderates in the GOP, the Specters and Snowes, who are the put upon fringe. Maybe DFA thinks that calling it "fringe" will make it easier for moderates to reject Privatization. I have no problem, though, telling the world that it is mainstream and accepted thought amongst the GOP leadership that we should dismantle Social Security. When the country overwhelmingly rejects this sham policy proposal I don't think we should let them pin it on the "far right activists." It was them. Saturday, February 19, 2005How does he do it?
Wow, Keannu can actually open movies, even post-Matrix. Early, early b.o. reports have both Constantine and Hitch topping out at 42 million this weekend.
Junk MailSubject: What kind of mortgage would Jesus get? Friday, February 18, 2005Woohoo!
I just got paid for doing storyboards. Real money!
Unless the check bounces. It's not a lot, but it's for an independent feature. Features are good, people respect those. And this makes me an actual professional. Glory be. Thursday, February 17, 2005People I wish I was friends with
So, this other little group named COMICSacrifice has put out a short television show for the Channel 101 film festival that I wish I was involved with. Oh, how I wish I was involved with it. Maybe I can slip a cool G to these guys and have them do an animated Junk Science for us? Sigh....animated Junk Science. That's the dream, folks.
Well, that and 100 issues of the Hand. This is pretty funny
So, this Jeff (Who?) Gannon news is distressing, in that it's another case of the Bush Administration buying off scattered reporters, columnists, whatever. It's cheating plain and simple, and just gives the Left ammunition -- something I'm never a fan of doing.
BUT.... I challenge you to not laugh at this list of the Top Ten Conservative Reactions to the News That They "Got" Jeff Gannon. (#3 and #2 are my favorites.) Also checkout the very funnily written essay, "The Day After Hope Died: Day One Of a World Without Jeff Gannon." Wednesday, February 16, 2005Speaking of liberal media...
PBS is dying.
Now, despite being a blood-drinking, racist, Nazi Republican, I come from a family that has long championed public broadcasting because the quality of the programming is always insanely high. My Dad collects those American Experience documentaries, I own the entire NOVA series' "Secrets of the Lost Empires," and I'm even a firm believer that PBS' reality programming (yes, they do reality programming!) like Warrior Challenge and 1900 House is top-notch. Sadly, all this greatness is drying up. And judging from the above-linked-to article, it looks like just about everyone is to blame. And by "everyone" I mean, arch-social cons and those price-jacking cable and satellite companies. There is no Liberal Media
If the Left ruled the media absolutely, there is no way in hell this photo of the Left's First Couple -- in a Left-skewing magazine! -- would have ever, EVER made it to print.
He's ba-ack
I remember back during the cmapaign that every time Dean made a "gaffe" all I could think was "but he's completely right." And he pretty much alwasy was. So now he's back, making fun of conservatives and their token people of color, and the conservatives are getting all huffy. Except, you know the honest ones.
Bless that man. Tuesday, February 15, 2005Maryland=AWESOME
The Only Slave State to Stay in the Union wants to charge extra taxes on SUVs. Excelsior!
Youth In Asia
Here's something I've always wondered (and I bet Alex will agree): Why do we, as a society, condemn euthanasia in humans, but not for animals? At first the answer might seem easy, but think about your beloved pet and reverse your normal take on it. Rather than animals lives are worth less, so its easier to kill them, think about hy we kill them. We take such comfort in ending their pain, putting them out of their misery, or at least so we say. But if we love them/cherish their lives and happiness less than we do, say, Grandpa, then why do we refuse to put poor Grandpa out of his misery? Particularly if he as a concious being has ASKED for it?
The only way to reconcile these things is to say that with animals it is a cold financial decision. A sick pet sucks up too much money and should just be put down. But outside of your average farm I think this sentiment is probably pretty rare among pet owners. They will usually go to incredible lengths to keep their pets alive, but when the situation becomes hopeless they invariably succumb and commit euthanasia. So why the cognitive dissidence? Map, Please!
Iraq has a Red/Blue Divide, too! Only over there they kill each other. And Red and Blue have become Orange, Green, Yellow, Dark Blue, and Light Blue. Ah...democrazy.
It's About F'ing Time
The one, true Colossus is coming back. Deal with it, earthquakes.
Let's hope this gets done in my lifetime. Unlike this. Sigh... I Hate Salon
No, not because of their tired politics, but because I just spent the last hour trying to find two quotes for a blog posting about Seinfeld. Unfortunately, this massive web magazine continues to have the single-worst, most unsearchable search engine I have ever experienced. Seriously, Salon's "search engine" has sucked ass since 1998. This has gotten far beyond ridiculous. People should be fired over it. Oh, and I never did find those quotes. They're in there somewhere. What a goddamn joke. I literally hate the site.
Monday, February 14, 2005Sunday, February 13, 2005OhmygodIcantbelieveit
No more eternal scrolly bars on this here blog! And no more really awful interface for the comments panel. Yes, good?
It's not perfect yet, but we're getting closer. is die puny humans dead?
Is anyone else having trouble viewing the blog portion of die puny humans? The site loads, but all of Ellis' glorious grotesquerie roundup does not so much appear for me.
Lame. Our Audience
It's Query List time again! Some things make sense, others less so. It's good to see that Olympic Village is still bringing us traffic. I also hope that whoever searched for Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper read my review and decided against it.
8: mastodon 2: carly patterson gymnastic pics 2: anal sex comics 2: will arnett loveline 2: women obese pictures 2: jason bateman loveline 2: justice league idenity crisis comic book 2: sexy nurses 1: city blog 1: zatanna tape gag 1: pohcahontas and john smith 1: little runaways 1: monopoly laws 1: peter beinart boomerang 1: enemy territory headshot script 1: of issue 3 which shows her gag being tied by 1: diet cherry vanilla dr pepper ralph's 1: penis drawings 1: rejected cartoons 1: female escort Saturday, February 12, 2005Oh Yeah...
And CONGRATULATIONS TO CHAIRMAN DEAN.
It makes me sad he can't run for President in '08, but I don't suppose he would have gotten the nom, and this is about as much power as he can get otherwise. I still think he might have had a shot in '04. He was weaker on foreign policy than Kerry, but Kerry still got savaged there, and the fact that Dean's Iraq stance was very clear would have helped immensely. Plus, his take no guff attitude would have played a lot better, and taken a much bigger chunk out of Bush's hide. Hmm. But we'll never know. Anyway, he's just great. National health care! Balanced budgets! No wars of choice! Gays? Sure! Guns? State's Rights issue! Man, I love that guy. I wish him all the best, and hope to whatever secular people hope to when they hope really hard that he turns my stupid party around. Goldwater Goldwater Goldwater. Tom DeLay: Funnyman
I really like the occassional behind the scenes look at Washington life. Sometimes at these big dinners people get up there and suddenly they're joking about this stuff. They become far more bipartisan, willing to self-deprecate and play up the other side if it means laughs. I wish they could be like this in public.
From The Washington Note: "He [Tom DeLay] noted that James Dobson was already preparing to picket the White House for that slobbery kiss that Bush planted on Joe Lieberman at the State of the Union address. He said that Frist had nothing on him. Frist might be a surgeon but offered that he (DeLay) was the 'only living heart donor.' He thanked the media for giving him the kind of reputation that made him so effective with freshmen Congressmen. He said 'Honestly, I can't tell you how much easier it is to squeeze votes out of these freshmen (Congressmen) or money out of big donors when they think if they say 'no,' I'm going to put a horse head in their bed or something.' He said that he believed that these kind of dinners were technically torture -- but Al Gonzales had assured him they weren't." Read the whole thing. It's pretty amusing. And makes DeLay into a likeable guy. The title too good to ignore.
Here's a post from Crooked Timber called "Since the beginning of time, liberals have yearned to destroy the sun."
All else aside, what an awesome title. All else not aside though, and I have to say I agree. The very far left is made up of Communists, true, and the not so far left is made up of all sorts of quasi-socialists (like me!) who believe in things like the New Deal and don't think that Capitalism is the be all and end all of political, economic, and moral authority. But to think that liberals, what with all of our gay-loving, secular state promoting, Femi-nazi ways, would be supporting Radical Islam is just preposterous. I'm so sick of this argument. I was done with it the moment I saw it, which I think was sometime around 8 pm on September 11, 2001. Whenever they put a moratorium on anyone who "blamed the US" by suggesting that maybe we had done something wrong at some point to some people. It was certainly there in time for the religious right to start blaming gays, feminists and the ACLU for the tragic day. Yet somehow that doesn't count as "blaming the US." I guess gays and feminists and supporters of Civil Rights aren't American? It's all just another pleasant little way to avoid debate entirely. It's cheap. It's bad for the country. It's bad everyone except the GOP. And sometimes I think that's all that matters to them. ps- Bipartisan disclaimer. I am of course talking about the GOP establishment. I know plenty of goodhearted Republicans. They just keep electing complete fucking wackjobs. Friday, February 11, 2005Coming soon:
Because if I make it public I feel obligated to eventually do it:
Junk Science #3 The Hand #2 Girl Scouts: Under Cover Carrot Art Contest Descent (not too soon) Wednesday, February 09, 2005The Passionate Rationalist
Delightful author of satiric religious fiction, and my Dad's old poker buddy, Jim Morrow has finally taken to semi-regular blogging. Go read about creationism in rural PA, and why the Enlightenment was nice, and hopefully not completely defunct now.
You might also check out The Godhead Trilogy in which God dies and then the story gets good. Are You Alive?
Well, I certainly am, because Galactica makes me feel something I haven't felt for a long, long time: sheer, unbridled excitement for a television show.
I can only pray to the Lords of Kobol that Galactica will have some sort of a presence at ComicCon. I mean, it has to, right? Anyway, the reason for this post is because reports are trickling out saying that Galactica will officially be back for a second season. More horny teachers
Two more female teachers-sleeping-with-students cases emerge.
Scroll down for the mugshot of the second lady. She's not bad. This is almost enough to make me want to go back to high school. Tuesday, February 08, 2005Superman is a dick
Covers of Superman's ridiculous Silver Age comics adventures have been floating around the 'Net for a while. Now, they're being collected in one place: Supermanisadick.com
Ah, Washington...
WA-state has made it law so that underage kids wanting body piercings need get parental consent first.
Interestingly, WA-state does not require parental consent for ABORTIONS. Sucking a fetus out your yah-hoo is protected by privacy laws, but not studs in your nose. Sigh. (So, which is more likely to result in an angry dad? A secret pregnancy or a pierced belly? WA will never know for certain.) The state also doesn't allow parents to listen in, or record their kids' phone calls. It's strange up there. * * * Oh, this article about how the Dems no longer champion gun control is interesting. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ed Brubaker signs exclusive with Marvel.
Asa weeps. Luckily good ol' DC still has Morrison, Rucka, and Johns. Still, damn you Brubaker. What I learned at home last weekend
There is a family photo (thought not of my biological line, if you care) which says on the back "Who is the colored Gentleman?" You'd think, if that was your attitude, that you'd remember.
When in the proper situation I am absolutely capable of saying, without irony, "This is like spittin' on a fire and we can do sumpin' better." I had no idea. I feel like I don't even know myself anymore. It doesn't help that the proper situation involves the shoveling and spreading of dirt. My Pappy loves to drink, and I look up to him, but I could probably stand to love to drink less than he does. If you do something really awesome, like Tractor Races, with a little kid, you stand a good shot at becoming Cool Uncle Asa, even if you're technically a second cousin. Other kids, who you haven't done cool things with, will lie and say they know you just to avoid lengthy stories about who you are and how tall they were the last time you saw them. I wish I had thought of that. There are still people, and I can't believe they can recognize me, who tell me they haven't seen me since I was "this high" wherein "this high" is "barely walking, or below." Monday, February 07, 2005Brits
Has anyone looked at this new British immigration plan? It's pretty crazy. Europe is really facing an immigration crisis over the next generation that should put ours to shame.
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to allow only people who speak English and have skills that are in demand to settle in Britain, after polls showed the public considers immigration rules to be too weak. Even though such protectionist sentiments would probably fly huge here in the jingoistic States (globalization be damned!), I can't imagine American political realities ever allowing the Dems or the GOP to broach an "English-speaking-only" immigration plan. I mean, sheesh, 2004 saw Bush stab the Social Con/Nativist wing of his own party in the back in order to make gains in the Hispanic/Roman Catholic vote. It worked...But, what price glory? Sports again!?!
Last night I stirred awake to see the cat perched on the window sill next to my bed, staring intently out the glass. I immediately deduced that he was determined to get into next year's Superbowl, and since most of the curtains in the house had been drawn, that was the best place to be noticed. After briefly chiding the poor thing for his obviously ridiculous plan I rolled over and returned to my slumber.
Upon further reflection I think the cat probably has no idea what football is. Friday, February 04, 2005The Gathering Storm
WaPo editorial breaks down the anti-democratic movement afoot in Russia and Central Asia.
Thursday, February 03, 2005Cash Request
I know I have harped about this before, but will we ever see the re-release of the Cash "pilot" comic you and Alan did 1.5 years ago?
Come to think of it, Terror-A-Dac-Drill might be a cool MCity bonus as well... Wednesday, February 02, 2005I Had No Idea
Interesting look at Kos' rising power in the Demo Party.
Even more interesting is that it's an article from The Weekly Standard. Quick Note About the Standard: When it comes to conservative and GOP thought, I like the writers on the National Review better. But, the Standard does a better job of scouting the opposition, with frequent write-ups on Demo movers and shakers, Demo politicians, and new liberal policies (and no, that's not an oxymoron). Sometimes the NRO lives in that all-to-common political bubble. Anti-Confederate
A couple weeks back, Asa and I wondered how libertarian blogger (and Southerner) Glenn Reynolds sees Confederate flag-flying and the Civil War in general. Well, he must read our blog, because Mr. Instapundit himself has posted two (here's the first one) interesting little pieces (and the second) on the Civil War and the loony pro-confederates found in the dark reaches of the far-right.
I've never understood the romanticization of the Confederacy. It didn't last very long, it was horribly run and governed, it accomplished nothing but disaster and defeat, and it existed in the service of a horrible cause. I once angered an alumnus of Washington & Lee by suggesting that Robert E. Lee, however personally admirable he might have been in some ways, bore huge responsibility -- if he had honored his oath to the Union, the war probably would have been over in six months, leaving everyone (and especially the South) better off. Tuesday, February 01, 2005In case you're wondering...
This is why I am a DC fan, first and foremost.
The Justice League of America, for my money the single best roster for a superhero team in comics. Maybe the Avengers had more different rosters and more fun combinations, and the X-Men may have been better written at times, and the Legion may have them beat on sheer numbers, but this is the team all others are compared to. It's got everything. There's sheer muscle in Superman and Wonder Woman, raw power in Green Lantern and Firestorm, specialists like the Atom, Flash, Aquaman, Zatanna, Black Canary and the Elongated Man, mere mortals who get by on sheer skill and willpower like Batman and Green Arrow, and lost souls looking for a new home like J'onn J'onzz, the Hawks and the Red Tornado. Most of all, it's got pedigree. It's got stature. It's got presence. Other teams were just superheroes. Back in the day, at least through the eyes of this 10-year-old kid, the Justice League of America felt like legends. Your week in Comics...
Monday: Ninth Art, commentary and reviews
Tuesday: This Modern World at Working For Change Wednesday: New comics! courtesy of Golden Apple Thursday: Cash Milliondollars, of course Friday: Go read the past week of Get Fuzzy, it's better in big chunks. Regulate me please
Ever since Dean made on of his famous "gaffes" about re-regulation I've been firmly on the bandwagon. Or rather, I now had a good word to apply to what I already thought, that Corporate consolidation and cronyism is bad for innovation (see Microsoft), bad for the middle class (see layoffs every time companies merge) and bad for the culture (see the dwindling number of Media congloms).
It seems to me that Republicans have an unending faith in the free market, and Libertarians would just as soon do away with anything that ISN'T the free market (government included). Well that seems outrageous to me. Who do you think enforces the rules of fair play on companies? Minimum wage? Anti-monopoly laws (if they're ever enforced anymore)? Not cheating on the accounting? The thing they never want to realize is that the purpose of Corporations isn't to make life better for anyone, it's to make as much money as possible, and despite the theory those things don't always go hand in hand. Take privatizing public utilities. The Privatizers say "we'll give them choice! And the competition will make everything cheaper! Free market!" Unless Enron bilks California out of billions of dollars. Or it isn't cost efficient to get utilities to your rural home or small town so BAM, go fuck yourself. I'm not arguing for Socialism, I'm arguing for intelligent Capitalism, and the acknowledgement that Government has a purpose and a proper arena that it and it alone is suited to. Grover Norquist would never agree (If anyone hates the United States it isn't Bush critics, it's the we-hate-the-government-Righties) but I think anyone willing to listen would have to admit the truth in that statement. And now Digby, who is really just great, I mean really, has brought us the a good political tack for this debate. Rules and fairness don't matter to the Republicans, but they matter to the Left. The GOP can't police itself, let alone the Corporations and people it's supposed to be policing in the private sector. The Democrats are here to kick ass and take names. Of course it has to be framed as ass-kicking and not scolding, since that's one of those things people hate about the Dems. "Hey, I don't care if you're right, who are you to tell me that my SUV is bad for the environment?" But maybe just maybe we can start ass kicking. It would be nice. And just in case you don't follow that link I'll close with the quote Digby opens up with: "What used to be called conflict of interest is now called synergy" --- Jack Grubman Oh, sweet Jesus. Now the media's manga biased!
This article about what an amazing, cool, state-of-the-art medium manga is (or purports to be) makes me want to burn something. Preferably manga.
Linda Pfeiffer, 15, never got hooked on her brother's comic books, which glorify muscular heroes complete with superpowers. Instead, she is absorbed by Japanese comic book characters to whom she can relate, "even if they live far away from here." |
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