Captain America - Dead and Buried...
So, Marvel Comics has killed and buried one of it's pre-emanate characters in Captain America...
It's not so much that this is anything new... comic "heroes" and others have been "bumped off" before... but this is kind of an icon.
What got to me was the interview with the writer as to why...
From CNN...
(Writer Jeph Loeb) "Part of it grew out of the fact that we are a country that's at war, we are being perceived differently in the world," Loeb said. "He wears the flag and he is assassinated -- it's impossible not to have it at least be a metaphor for the complications of present day."
Hmmm...
Now, I know I've not really "revealed" my political stripes too clearly... this is partly, because being a Canadian, it's difficult to define to others...
Let me roll on this for a minute... and some may disagree, but hey, it's my opinion...
America has had something of a very rough time in world views... at once, it's seen as a "shining beacon" of industry and wealth. It's a powerhouse and this has all been done as a democracy which is no mean feat... the only country that comes this close is Britain in the 1700's through the early parts of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, it's also seen as something of a large bully... but there's more good reason than most people assume for this...
Many that I've read and spoken to assume this is because of the flexing of it's military and economic powers... but this isn't all of it.
America, being truly the origin of much of the world's media tends to not realise that what is patriotic and geared towards their own citizenry is seen by the world... and not-so-much absorbed, but questioned...
I have in the past given this as an example...
Had Mexico been the mass producer of much of the world's media and you, in America, watched your kids know more about Mexico than you're own country... and kept hearing "Mexico is Number ONE!" and lines like, "The world WISHES it was as great as Mexico!", you might have a wee hate-on for Mexico... it would seem like a bragging bully who's kind-of saying your country isn't worth spit.
Now, add to this a general knowledge that Mexicans knew NOTHING about America... and sometimes, Mexican visitors would come and say "Boy, you American's sure are weird! You really should do things RIGHT like we do down here in Mexico! Our lives are perfect and we know you people really want to be Mexicans after all!"
Finally, take this into consideration... You're a farmer in North Dakota... you've tilled the good earth and reaped it's bounty in a time-honoured tradition... You want to get your son or daughter involved... but they are glued to the television watching the latest match at Arena Mexico and singing Spanish songs while wearing Spanish clothing... and asking you if they can visit Mexico because, after all, Mexico is #1 and all the cool stuff (and best opportunities) are in Mecixo!
How would you feel?
This is how much of the world saw America...
Now, here's where I show my britches...
Saddam Hussein and his regime was bad. They were using chemical weapons against their own people (the Kurds) and had a track record of not being a very moderate or temperate government. Although there IS some truth to the idea that there was a fear about them "not playing ball" with America, Hussein was bad as were many in his party and in the ruling corridors of Baghdad.
He had to go... but the TRUTH is, he should have been gone after Desert Storm... we didn't finish the job that needed finishing. The allied forces (truly a global force) got him out of Kuwait and called it a war... they shouldn't have.
Ergo: Yes, I believe that a war to depose Saddam and the Ba'ath Party had to happen...
BUT NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE "MUSLIM" OR "ISLAMIC"... because they were truly bad.
Pretty much the same reasons, to a much lesser extent, why some of the "leaders" of Darfur and places like that need to begone.
So, believe it or not... I'm actually for the war... it needed to be done. The fault, however, really lies at the feet of a job not finished and little else.
Bush and Cheney, however, smelling the blood in the water knew that they had to finish this job... as did Clinton before them... but they used the wrong reasons for the conflict... yes, in my opinion, they lied.
There's so many layers of "bad" about this that the mind boggles.
Realistically, Afghanistan and groups operating there (who WERE trained by the CIA to help combat the Russian insurgence into their country years ago,) were the real enemies of America... they were the one's behind 9/11... and they (Al-Qaeda) and the Taliban represented and still represent the greatest threat.
There is ZERO substantial evidence to support that Hussein and Al-Qaeda or the Taliban were in bed together... in fact, President Bush and his colleagues have admitted this... "Faulty Intelligence" is their blame.
The most common "argument" as to why this is "okay" is It was a matter of time.
Using this logic, we should re-instate the death penalty globally and start eliminating all people that have the POTENTIAL to become criminals and murderers... it's not a valid argument in my opinion.
Still, remember, I do favour that Hussein had to go... (I also believe a "buffer state" needed to be set up between Iran and Syria... but that's another thing...) and I absolutely shed no tears for the fall of the Taliban.
...but the second Iraq War was "advertised" to the American people using lies and deceit. This cannot be denied and hasn't been save by a few fervent supporters of a president who, he himself, admitted there was some "miscommunications" in areas.
The issue lay in how do you SELL the idea that war is necessary in Iraq to the American people... and I'm sorry, there's no doubt that the Bush administration used, falsely, the terrible attacks of 9/11 to "inflame" American sensibilities into armed conflict.
This sent shock waves not only through America, but through the rest of the world... "we" saw what seemed to be a legit cause (Afghanistan) downplayed to allow for a war under what appeared to many as false pretences (which was proven and acknowledged by the current administration) for reasons that were never made clear... because we needed to continue the lies.
Worse yet, most of the civilized world, including America, is supposed to be non-sectarian in government... a separation of "State" and "Church"...
Since the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are Fundamentalist Islamic groups, it seemed to many that this was "Christianity" vs. "Islam"... which isn't really true...
It was Fundamentalists and Extremists against what they saw as a cultural and economic "crusade" by the West... who's leaders were very Christian.
This ignited the sentiment that it is a re-living of the Crusades of old... and allowed the fundamentalists on both sides to wave their particular spirituality in the air to try and instigate action from their troops.
And here is where we are now...
Extremists on both sides trying to suggest the obliteration and genuine genocide of it's opposite number based on religion and spirituality.
God has asked us to kill... so we must.
Either way, it TRULY is these handful of extremists who cause much of the misery in people's lives...
...but who is the "great Satan"?
Apparently, it's America...
...and I say that's utter and total rubbish.
America's worst crime is the propaganda that started what I feel was a sadly necessary war... of which the first part, Afghanistan, was an absolutely necessary war without question.
I would remind NOT ONLY the people world-wide who condemn America, but in some cases, Americans themselves that America, for it's handful of ills, is the first country on the scene as a rule for aid to help out it's neighbours on the globe. Americans, as a rule, are hospitable, helpful, and genuinely warm and wonderful people.
All things considered, America is a great nation doing marvellous things...
...and because of some larger "mistakes" or "miscues", they are being taken to task from without and within... and that's not right.
My issues with the current government are as follows...
- The reasons for going into Iraq should have been made clear and not "fogged over" to try and sell things for false reasons.
GRANTED: The current administration HAS admitted fault... and although the situation has not improved, people need to ask themselves... should they have "stayed out"? In my opinion, no... but the truth might have been a better option. Granted, don't get me started over Haliburton and the war... this is another case where the world REALLY wonders how much the current administration is "By The People, For The People" and not "From The People, To The Administration Personally". Even most Republicans that I've spoken to are a little uncomfortable with this angle.
- Their stance on global environment.
GRANTED: The current administration has strengthened it's views on this situation... and is trying to work to do "something" about it. Sure, it's not enough... sure, others are doing more... but it's better than the original outright denial because although I don't doubt that certain people have given us the "Worst Case Scenario" as to what global warming will do and means, I don't doubt that it's real, it's occurring, and that our pollution is not helping. We DO need to do something aside from the original stance... outright denial.
- Their stance on certain scientific issues... such as stem-cell research.
Okay, this one just does display buttheaded pig-ignorance. The popular mantra of "Stem Cell Research" = "Aborted Babies" is a crock... but few people bother to look at what science is doing... I pointed out that good and usable stem cells are found in quantity within severed umbilical cords which are, more often than not, treated as medical waste and tossed... and THOSE cells could save millions and billions of lives... but damned if the religious and "non-thinking" people are stuck in a single mode... It was about this, don't tell me otherwise! It's evil and must be stopped! They are wrong... and billions WILL die because they refuse to remove their heads from their butts.
Side Note on Stem Cell Research: I was listening to a science report on the radio and British scientists seem to have found a cure for age related macular degeneration of the eyes in older folks... guess what they do... yup, stem cells... but not from "aborted fetuses". They take ADULT stem cells from the patients own eyes and literally move them to where the damage is being done and voila... The doctors feel that this will be an operation done in an ophthalmologists office under a local and it takes about forty-five minutes. Their success rate is extremely good and within a few years, they feel it will be standard treatment and save millions of older people from blindness... which will include both my mom and mother-in-law... and probably me and Sue eventually... and this is what stem cell research does and no babies were harmed in this cure... but as long as you blanket-state that stem cell research is bad, you'll never know.
- Partisanship.
Being a blogger has truly opened my eyes to some of America's ills... and partisanship is a huge one. It's one thing to disagree with someone's stance... it's another to suggest that they are "traitors" or "treasonous" because they disagree. This is what democracy is all about. I have seen only three American blogs with the "left" suggesting the death or harm of those on the "right"... but COUNTLESS blogs from the "right" declaring war and worse on the "left". It amazes people like me how anything gets accomplished with such anger and venom between countrymen!
- The Current Universal Health Care Situation.
I know, I'm sounding like a Michael Moore "mark"... and maybe I am... but LONG before he decided to tackled the politicos on ANY subject, I was Canadian... and had access to decent universal health care... and knew all those around me did too. It's shocking and terrible to think that in such a great country as America that someone COULD go without proper treatment and suffer (or even die) because of a financial situation... it's even more shocking to see the numbers of "personal bankruptcies" based on hospital stays and bills in the USA... I do hope that this will be shortly addressed and dealt with... and if you hate Michael Moore, but agree that America COULD and SHOULD provide health care to it's citizens, thank him for that at least... hopefully his message will get out to the country and Washington might examine more legitimately the idea of making sure it's citizens are well cared for and healthy.
For me, that's about it...
So, wow... that's it, hunh?
Now, I've blogged about bad run-ins with American tourists abroad... the "Ugly Americans"... but even then, as now, I recognize these as the EXCEPTIONS and NOT THE RULES.
In fact, recent world events have made America FAR more interested in how it's perceived on the planet... I've noticed that save a few small (but loud) voices, Americans DO want to see everyone TRULY getting along... and they do care about their fellow "Earthlings"...
...so to say that "America is EVIL!" or "America is SATAN" is utter hogwash.
America has its "good" which is FAR more prevalent than it's "bad"... but everyone notices the "wart" on the super-models face more than everything else.
I am glad that America exists. I thank God for what America is and represents.
...and I'll be damned if I hear otherwise... because, without a doubt, that's a short-sighted view that's myopic to boot.
Captain America need not have died... most of us with a brain know that America may have it's issues... and sometimes can seem a little arrogant and troublesome...
...but like a wonderful, colourful, giant of an Uncle who hugs a bit too hard and forces his "views" of the world down everyone's throats at the family barbecue... you know that while you occasionally cringe and in some ways, you fear his arrival... you also know that when push comes to shove, he will be there beside you... helping... and generally making sure things with you are okay.
That uncle might be a bit hard to stomach, but you love him anyway...
...and in your heart, you know he loves you too.
I may not have liked some of the stances of the current administration... I may cringe when reading and listening to a handful and wonder if a political stance for some is simply a way to justify underlying racism and hate... and perhaps, we're noticing the awakening to a myth that's really bugging some people... no, the world really doesn't want to be "American" despite what Hollywood and your teachers told you... most of us aren't jealous of your freedoms and your way of life... many of us have the exact same freedoms and a very similar way of life... and that can be a bitter pill to swallow.
Say what you like, America is a great country... I'm a VERY proud Canadian and I see that. They are kind, benevolent, and truly do believe they are doing the right things...
I love America... and I hate hearing anyone, especially Americans, disparage it's greatness.
I am Canadian... I will always be Canadian... My heart and soul are all about my home... but I'll say it.. and proudly...
God Bless America!
Oh, and since I took my gloves off, allow me to go on record as stating that the images of things like a WWII GI saying the Democrats are "scumbags", pictures of Bush with Adolph Hitler, putting Barack Obama in a Photoshopped get-up to look like Osama Bin-Laden is about as effective as drawing a moustache on a teacher's picture. Far from making me see the world anew through your "brilliance", it makes me think that the average four-year old child is probably more competent at having a decent argument and thought.
This nonsense, in my opinion, is the grass-roots political equivalent of sticking your tongue out and saying "Nyeah! Your guy SUCKS!" which, oddly enough, is not a political statement nor does it make me think, Hmm... perhaps I should reconsider things.
Oh, and as for Barack Obama... PLEASE click here and READ... AND REMEMBER, I'm not a Democrat nor even an American... but I hate people who lie in order to propagate some action. The TRUTH should never be "sacrificed" to make a point.