A Happy Thanksgiving to you all, today! I hope you have fun and good times, today. :-)
I'll be gone from my blog for probably a week, but I'll still be on FB, so see you there.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Review: Mummerman
In recent days, I have had an epiphany: I came to the realization of just how important it is for us all to support the independent comic makers, because they represent the very spirit of what it means to be a fan of comics. Sometimes the Marvels and DCs of the world forget that. They forget that comics are for the fans, because they'll make these grandiose and complicated boondoggle storylines that are more for themselves than for their fans. That's why we need independents, so as to remind the big guys as to whom comics are made: The fans. One such source is the War of the Independents line that I brought up previously on my blog.
Another such source is the movie that I'll be reviewing today: Mummerman.
I had to think about how to review this movie, because some of you might judge it by comparing it to multimillion dollar movies like Iron Man or Captain America. That would be an unfair comparison, because the funding that went into the making of Mummerman was much, much less. It's a movie, in other words, that was made by an independent filmmaker.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when you hear what this movie is about - namely, that of a regular joe who is a fan of comics suddenly deciding to adopt a superhero persona - the most likely and inevitable comparison would be to the recent Kickass. I hesitated to even bring up the movie Kickass here during my movie review, but I figured that the comparison was going to be made anyway, so I thought that it would be best to just deal with that from the get-go.
But folks, this isn't Kickass, nor is it Iron Man or Captain America. What you see is a movie of a comics nerd made by comics nerds. I'm prefacing all this for a reason, so that you won't come away with high expectations of an Iron Man sort of movie, because it's not. In many ways, it's better than an Iron Man movie, because the actors, writers, and the rest of the crew are more closely attached to the final product of a regular comics nerd taking his dream into action. So for this movie, take off your movie critic goggles and put on your comics nerd goggles, because that's how to see this movie: From the perspective of a comics nerd.
And as usual, I'm about to discuss the movie and it's contents, and if you don't want what's in the movie Mummerman spoiled for you, then
One critique that I would have of the movie is that it starts out a bit slow, but then it picks up steam once it finds its footing. This could be explained by the fact that this was their first attempt at this kind of movie, so they had to feel their way around, and I think they accomplished that by the end of the movie. Another critique that I have would be that it needs to emphasize less that Mummerman (MM from here on) and the people around him are goofballs, and more on the story of a comics fan taking on the role of a superhero.
Before this is taken the wrong way, let me say that the "goofball" parts of the movie are part of what makes it fun to watch. However, the scene in which MM drives his car backwards to chase some bad guys is trying too hard to be goofy. Let me contrast this with "goofball" done right: In the scene in which MM drops off those same bad guys that he was chasing to the police for the very first time, MM suddenly tries to do a disappearing act a la Batman when they momentarily turn around. However, all he did was duck behind some air conditioning vents, and the police commissioner even points out "I see your foot".
Another example of goofball done right is the scene in which MM swings a la Spiderman to knock out the bad guy, but then ends up getting tangled so that he is dangling upside down - a la Spiderman in the scene in which Mary Jane pulls his mask down far enough to plant a kiss. The woman MM rescues also pulls MM's mask down to do the same thing. This scene works in MM because he isn't trying to be like Spidey - he just got tangled up - something that just might happen to a goofball trying to be a superhero. I can easily see similar superhero movie references being made by MM in future movies, but in his goofball way like he did here - maybe even a Kickass reference at some point!
I think the only way the MM filmmakers can learn the balance of goofiness is just to keep making movies. Or perhaps they can take a page from The Guild and have 8-10 minute episodes, and 12 episodes for a "season". Over the course of its five seasons, The Guild got better at storytelling, and learned how to end each episode with the right sense of "cliffhanger" to entice you to look out for the next episode. The Guild likewise went overkill at the start on emphasizing that everyone was batshit insane, but got better about balancing that in the later seasons, so I could see a similar learning curve going on here with MM "seasons".
Anyway, like I said, MM had a slow start,but a good finish. Towards the climax, the movie's pacing got crisper and more focused, and this made it such that you had to stay glued to your seat to see what happens next. Probably my favorite scene is when MM had just gotten beaten within an inch of his life and literally crawled out of the motel room where he got the beating, and at that point, his friend pulled up and took him away. As this scene was playing out, I told myself "Please don't mess this scene up by going goofball!", and they didn't - and the scene ended the way it should have ended. It was a strong display of friendship and the risks that good friends will go through to help each other.
And this actually leads to what I believe is the strong point of the movie. Throughout the movie, both MM and his buddy work with each other in the pursuit of MM's dream. In a real sense, this movie was more about friends supporting each other through thick and thin, even in the pursuit of their crazy dreams, than it was a superhero story. In this movie, you also saw an important role that friends can play for each other in that they ask the tough questions like "Are you sure about this, man?" Friends, in other words, should be able to apply "tough love" when it's called for.
My favorite part, however, was when MM was questioning whether he should even be pursuing his dream anymore. This was just after he had gotten that beating from the villain in this movie, a serial rapist. Such questions are what all superheroes end up asking after the first time they get such a beating. After such a beating, the hero has to ask himself or herself just how much they "want" this - that is, the role of hero. After all, if they continue down the "hero" path, then this won't be the last time such a beating will occur - and it could literally be the death of them one day. There's also the question of the toll that it takes on the loved ones of the heroes - like MM's mom, who stressed so much that she fainted and had to be rushed to the emergency room.
MM (the movie) hit this particular moment perfectly. MM (the hero) then came to the realization that "the calling" sometimes makes you push past your preferences and even your fears because someone else is in danger. In this case, the woman he rescued before had been kidnapped by the rapist, and MM donned the costume again (after having thrown it away) to ride to the rescue by pounding the crap out of the villain. I had to say that even though I knew what was coming, the scene played out perfectly; right down to MM just continuing to hammer the guy with his fists once he was down - no doubt working off the anger he had not just at the villain, but at himself for failing to stop him the first time.
It was then, as well, that MM truly felt the great feeling that comes from coming to the rescue. Moments like that are what makes being a superhero worth all the pain and suffering that they go through. It's a tough, tough life, because not only will you be saving loved ones, you might also be risking your life for total strangers. And one day, you might fail in your task of rescue - and even die. Or worse, someone else dies because you failed. The risk/reward is a difficult balance, and it's why superheroes often pair up or form super teams, because only other superheroes know what they go through.
MM seems to have learned that first lesson, and in the process, discovered that he passed that first and important task of getting back on that horse after he had fallen off. I have a feeling that in the possible future movies of MM, he will be learning other lessons from the hero life, but will continue to pass them as well - in his own goofball way, of course. :-)
On a scale of 1 to 10 in which 1 is a bomb and 10 is THE bomb, I give MM an 8. There's two reasons for that mark. For one, I think the movie makers did a good job in closing out the movie and leaving the possibility open for future movies. And the other reason is to give incentive to score even higher. This was a good start and I think this same group will get even better.
Below is the trailer for the movie:
Another such source is the movie that I'll be reviewing today: Mummerman.
I had to think about how to review this movie, because some of you might judge it by comparing it to multimillion dollar movies like Iron Man or Captain America. That would be an unfair comparison, because the funding that went into the making of Mummerman was much, much less. It's a movie, in other words, that was made by an independent filmmaker.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when you hear what this movie is about - namely, that of a regular joe who is a fan of comics suddenly deciding to adopt a superhero persona - the most likely and inevitable comparison would be to the recent Kickass. I hesitated to even bring up the movie Kickass here during my movie review, but I figured that the comparison was going to be made anyway, so I thought that it would be best to just deal with that from the get-go.
But folks, this isn't Kickass, nor is it Iron Man or Captain America. What you see is a movie of a comics nerd made by comics nerds. I'm prefacing all this for a reason, so that you won't come away with high expectations of an Iron Man sort of movie, because it's not. In many ways, it's better than an Iron Man movie, because the actors, writers, and the rest of the crew are more closely attached to the final product of a regular comics nerd taking his dream into action. So for this movie, take off your movie critic goggles and put on your comics nerd goggles, because that's how to see this movie: From the perspective of a comics nerd.
And as usual, I'm about to discuss the movie and it's contents, and if you don't want what's in the movie Mummerman spoiled for you, then
****STOP READING NOW!****
You have been warned!
One critique that I would have of the movie is that it starts out a bit slow, but then it picks up steam once it finds its footing. This could be explained by the fact that this was their first attempt at this kind of movie, so they had to feel their way around, and I think they accomplished that by the end of the movie. Another critique that I have would be that it needs to emphasize less that Mummerman (MM from here on) and the people around him are goofballs, and more on the story of a comics fan taking on the role of a superhero.
Before this is taken the wrong way, let me say that the "goofball" parts of the movie are part of what makes it fun to watch. However, the scene in which MM drives his car backwards to chase some bad guys is trying too hard to be goofy. Let me contrast this with "goofball" done right: In the scene in which MM drops off those same bad guys that he was chasing to the police for the very first time, MM suddenly tries to do a disappearing act a la Batman when they momentarily turn around. However, all he did was duck behind some air conditioning vents, and the police commissioner even points out "I see your foot".
Another example of goofball done right is the scene in which MM swings a la Spiderman to knock out the bad guy, but then ends up getting tangled so that he is dangling upside down - a la Spiderman in the scene in which Mary Jane pulls his mask down far enough to plant a kiss. The woman MM rescues also pulls MM's mask down to do the same thing. This scene works in MM because he isn't trying to be like Spidey - he just got tangled up - something that just might happen to a goofball trying to be a superhero. I can easily see similar superhero movie references being made by MM in future movies, but in his goofball way like he did here - maybe even a Kickass reference at some point!
I think the only way the MM filmmakers can learn the balance of goofiness is just to keep making movies. Or perhaps they can take a page from The Guild and have 8-10 minute episodes, and 12 episodes for a "season". Over the course of its five seasons, The Guild got better at storytelling, and learned how to end each episode with the right sense of "cliffhanger" to entice you to look out for the next episode. The Guild likewise went overkill at the start on emphasizing that everyone was batshit insane, but got better about balancing that in the later seasons, so I could see a similar learning curve going on here with MM "seasons".
Anyway, like I said, MM had a slow start,but a good finish. Towards the climax, the movie's pacing got crisper and more focused, and this made it such that you had to stay glued to your seat to see what happens next. Probably my favorite scene is when MM had just gotten beaten within an inch of his life and literally crawled out of the motel room where he got the beating, and at that point, his friend pulled up and took him away. As this scene was playing out, I told myself "Please don't mess this scene up by going goofball!", and they didn't - and the scene ended the way it should have ended. It was a strong display of friendship and the risks that good friends will go through to help each other.
And this actually leads to what I believe is the strong point of the movie. Throughout the movie, both MM and his buddy work with each other in the pursuit of MM's dream. In a real sense, this movie was more about friends supporting each other through thick and thin, even in the pursuit of their crazy dreams, than it was a superhero story. In this movie, you also saw an important role that friends can play for each other in that they ask the tough questions like "Are you sure about this, man?" Friends, in other words, should be able to apply "tough love" when it's called for.
My favorite part, however, was when MM was questioning whether he should even be pursuing his dream anymore. This was just after he had gotten that beating from the villain in this movie, a serial rapist. Such questions are what all superheroes end up asking after the first time they get such a beating. After such a beating, the hero has to ask himself or herself just how much they "want" this - that is, the role of hero. After all, if they continue down the "hero" path, then this won't be the last time such a beating will occur - and it could literally be the death of them one day. There's also the question of the toll that it takes on the loved ones of the heroes - like MM's mom, who stressed so much that she fainted and had to be rushed to the emergency room.
MM (the movie) hit this particular moment perfectly. MM (the hero) then came to the realization that "the calling" sometimes makes you push past your preferences and even your fears because someone else is in danger. In this case, the woman he rescued before had been kidnapped by the rapist, and MM donned the costume again (after having thrown it away) to ride to the rescue by pounding the crap out of the villain. I had to say that even though I knew what was coming, the scene played out perfectly; right down to MM just continuing to hammer the guy with his fists once he was down - no doubt working off the anger he had not just at the villain, but at himself for failing to stop him the first time.
It was then, as well, that MM truly felt the great feeling that comes from coming to the rescue. Moments like that are what makes being a superhero worth all the pain and suffering that they go through. It's a tough, tough life, because not only will you be saving loved ones, you might also be risking your life for total strangers. And one day, you might fail in your task of rescue - and even die. Or worse, someone else dies because you failed. The risk/reward is a difficult balance, and it's why superheroes often pair up or form super teams, because only other superheroes know what they go through.
MM seems to have learned that first lesson, and in the process, discovered that he passed that first and important task of getting back on that horse after he had fallen off. I have a feeling that in the possible future movies of MM, he will be learning other lessons from the hero life, but will continue to pass them as well - in his own goofball way, of course. :-)
On a scale of 1 to 10 in which 1 is a bomb and 10 is THE bomb, I give MM an 8. There's two reasons for that mark. For one, I think the movie makers did a good job in closing out the movie and leaving the possibility open for future movies. And the other reason is to give incentive to score even higher. This was a good start and I think this same group will get even better.
Below is the trailer for the movie:
Monday, November 21, 2011
More Occupy notes: Even Occupiers will be shopping on Black Friday
This is going to be a short week on my blog, folks, because of Thanksgiving. I'll post today, and I'll try very hard to finish a movie review on Wednesday, and then I'll be away from my blog for probably a week because of Turkey Day followed by Black Friday and other stuff that I got going on this coming weekend. But fear not, I'll still be posting to Facebook!
Today, however, I must add some more commentary on the Occupy movement; mainly because it's so hyped up and it so epic fails on its goals for reasons that the movement's supporters can't see. For starters, let's take the fact that it's hyped up by the press-that-does-not-have-a-liberal-bias-despite-appearances-to-the-contrary. Look at it this way, friends....
If the Tea Party had all the rape, murder, assaults, vandalism, defecating in public, fornicating in public, child molesters in their groups, lice, ringworms, and other acts of defiance against public decency and disrespect of law enforcement, then the press would call the Tea Party the worst thing since the House Un-American ActivitiesCommittee. Actually, the press does that now, but not because the Tea Party does all those things that Occupy does, but simply because many members of the press are liberal, and thus opposed to the Tea Party's mostly conservative-leaning ideas.
Contrast that with how the press covers Occupy. While any negative act by one member of the Tea Party is used to label the whole group, the negative acts by members of Occupy are explained as the works of individuals, and that it does not reflect the Occupy group as a whole. Tell me that this does not reflect a bias on the part of the media.
On top of that, consider the ironies that the press lets Occupy get away with that wouldn't be gotten away with had the Tea Party done similarly ironic things. For instance, consider that "members of the 1%" celebrities come a-calling mainly for the publicity, and yet these celebrities continue to benefit from the wealth they obtained in our capitalist society. Consider also the rapper who tried to hock in on the movement without giving anything to the cause. Also consider the irony of Occupy Oakland's deposit of $20k into Wells Fargo; a sum that most "members of the 99%" have never seen all at once at any time in their lives. Had the Tea Party gone to the Communist Party of America for donations, you know the press would be all over it like a dog on a tree!
Ah, but the greatest irony is yet to come, friends! Come this Friday - aka Black Friday, the official Capitalist Holiday of the USA - the very same hordes of Occupy and Occupy supporters will be streaming into the stores and websites to take advantage of the sales that will be going on at that time. Thus, again, taking advantage of one our benefits of living in a capitalist society. Some will even go to the stores when they open at midnight on Thanksgiving day! Whoever said that irony was dead hadn't taken into account the Occupy movement!
Yes, I comment a lot on Occupy both here and on FB, but it's because their actions reflect on my generation; making us look like a bunch of clueless boneheads who aren't even aware that they're being bludgeoned to death with the Irony Stick of Doom! I know we are better than that! So what I do is tough love, gang. We gotta start somewhere when it comes to being in the public eye, I suppose; I just wanted a better start than this. A LOT better. I just hope that enough of my generation will see what we are doing wrong, so that next time we can apply these lessons on our next foray into the public eye.
Right now, though, I'm gonna have to live with gritting my teeth in frustration at all these acts of stupidity! Arrgh!
Today, however, I must add some more commentary on the Occupy movement; mainly because it's so hyped up and it so epic fails on its goals for reasons that the movement's supporters can't see. For starters, let's take the fact that it's hyped up by the press-that-does-not-have-a-liberal-bias-despite-appearances-to-the-contrary. Look at it this way, friends....
If the Tea Party had all the rape, murder, assaults, vandalism, defecating in public, fornicating in public, child molesters in their groups, lice, ringworms, and other acts of defiance against public decency and disrespect of law enforcement, then the press would call the Tea Party the worst thing since the House Un-American ActivitiesCommittee. Actually, the press does that now, but not because the Tea Party does all those things that Occupy does, but simply because many members of the press are liberal, and thus opposed to the Tea Party's mostly conservative-leaning ideas.
Contrast that with how the press covers Occupy. While any negative act by one member of the Tea Party is used to label the whole group, the negative acts by members of Occupy are explained as the works of individuals, and that it does not reflect the Occupy group as a whole. Tell me that this does not reflect a bias on the part of the media.
On top of that, consider the ironies that the press lets Occupy get away with that wouldn't be gotten away with had the Tea Party done similarly ironic things. For instance, consider that "members of the 1%" celebrities come a-calling mainly for the publicity, and yet these celebrities continue to benefit from the wealth they obtained in our capitalist society. Consider also the rapper who tried to hock in on the movement without giving anything to the cause. Also consider the irony of Occupy Oakland's deposit of $20k into Wells Fargo; a sum that most "members of the 99%" have never seen all at once at any time in their lives. Had the Tea Party gone to the Communist Party of America for donations, you know the press would be all over it like a dog on a tree!
Ah, but the greatest irony is yet to come, friends! Come this Friday - aka Black Friday, the official Capitalist Holiday of the USA - the very same hordes of Occupy and Occupy supporters will be streaming into the stores and websites to take advantage of the sales that will be going on at that time. Thus, again, taking advantage of one our benefits of living in a capitalist society. Some will even go to the stores when they open at midnight on Thanksgiving day! Whoever said that irony was dead hadn't taken into account the Occupy movement!
Yes, I comment a lot on Occupy both here and on FB, but it's because their actions reflect on my generation; making us look like a bunch of clueless boneheads who aren't even aware that they're being bludgeoned to death with the Irony Stick of Doom! I know we are better than that! So what I do is tough love, gang. We gotta start somewhere when it comes to being in the public eye, I suppose; I just wanted a better start than this. A LOT better. I just hope that enough of my generation will see what we are doing wrong, so that next time we can apply these lessons on our next foray into the public eye.
Right now, though, I'm gonna have to live with gritting my teeth in frustration at all these acts of stupidity! Arrgh!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
War of the Independents again: Now I'm psyched!
A week ago today I had reviewed War of the Independents #1, and my main criticism was that there were too many characters trying to get your attention, and also that it didn't make sense to have superhero-style characters and cartoony characters all together.
Well, on the WotI FB page, I heard from one of the creators that they are indeed going to make the rest of the issues as I had suggested in my previous blog entry about WotI. There's even going to be an issue of the super ladies, and I am very curious on how that one will go. Sheesh, I wish I could be in that one! LOL Anyway, now that I know of the upcoming format, I'm officially psyched! You go, dudes! Bring it on and make it happen like I know you can! :-D
Well, on the WotI FB page, I heard from one of the creators that they are indeed going to make the rest of the issues as I had suggested in my previous blog entry about WotI. There's even going to be an issue of the super ladies, and I am very curious on how that one will go. Sheesh, I wish I could be in that one! LOL Anyway, now that I know of the upcoming format, I'm officially psyched! You go, dudes! Bring it on and make it happen like I know you can! :-D
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Now if *I* ran an Occupy rally....
Regular readers to my blog and my FB page know that I'm conservative, and they know that I think the vast majority of the members of the Occupy rallies are a bunch of lazy, overprivileged bums looking for an excuse to drop out of their otherwise overindulged lives and look like they're doing something good for a change. It just bugs me that they're doing it all wrong. You might be asking: How would a conservative know how to protest in the right way?
Well, kiddies, I happened to be trained by a couple of pros who put the "pro" in protesting: My own Marxist parents! Yeah, they knew the fine art of protesting, and could run circles around this bunch of coddled trust fund babies. While I opposed most of what my parents believed in, it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the methods that they used in protesting. I know what to do well enough that I could lead an Occupy rally if I wanted to. So, here's what I'd do:
First, I will LEAD the rally - none of this "leaderless" bullshit. I make the rules, and if you don't like it, form your own rally of a bunch of clueless boneheads that would asphyxiate themselves trying to punch their way out of paper bags.
Second. No electronic devices of any kind will be used in my protest. If I see a cellphone being used, I will crush it with my super strength fist. If I see an iPad being used, then I will break it in half over my super strength knee. If I see a laptop being used, then I'll stomp on it with my super strength foot. If I see any other handheld entertainment devices like music players, or gaming toys, then I'll throw it - literally! - into the next county with my super strength arm. You will be focused on the task of protesting and nothing else. I MIGHT tolerate radios and boomboxes, so long as they aren't played loud. Break this rule and my fist will go through that boombox.
Third, there will be no law-breaking. No vandalizing, no spitting at police or other similar thuggery. You break the law, and I will drag you MYSELF to the police station. You will grasp the concept of a peaceful protest, or you will find your ass in jail faster than you can say nanosecond. I will enforce the safety and security of our protest myself, and I am a mean and vicious bitch to those who cause trouble. Mess with me and the only thing you'll be Occupy-ing is a jail cell. Don't doubt me on this.
Fourth, there will be a time to arrive, a time to depart. There will be no overnight camping to cause the police any more work than they are already doing. This is also for the safety of our protesters.
Fifth, the only sort of entertainment will be poetry readings other creative written works, or the musical instruments that you bring. Learn to create writings or songs for the group that describe our cause and our goals. This will also teach how to have face to face discussions and encourage interpersonal dialogue - very important if you're going to be stumping for a cause.
Sixth, there will be no blocking of businesses, especially independent businesses (that is, non-franchise businesses). Most likely, that one place is their lifeblood, and not only will we not hinder the regular day to day business that they do, we will even patronize them if we can and if they are down with our cause. This is especially the case if they are a restaurant. If we use their bathrooms, then we will buy our food there.
Seventh, you will know the reason for our protest by heart, and you will be able to explain it to anyone who asks. That's how we create sympathy for our cause. Send any difficult people to me, especially if they happen to be a member of the media.
Eighth, any signage must be approved by me. If you bring anything vulgar or repulsive, then I will make you tear up that sign into small pieces and literally eat it. By eating it, you will learn not to bring vulgar or repulsive signs next time. And you will learn my standards of what I consider vulgar or repulsive.
If we do nothing wrong and/or illegal and the police still come to arrest us, then you will learn the art of passive resistance. Do not create an excuse for the police to take you down. If all goes well, then bad police behavior will be captured by the press, and that will end up aiding our cause.
It sounds like I have a list of "Don'ts", but what this will do is help unify the protest group by eliminating a lot of the distractions. In the process, it will make our message that much stronger. I want this group to get to the point that you will be encouraged to bring your children because of the positive example that this will set.
Mainly, the protesters will understand that there is a difference between a peaceful protest and the destructive violence of a rabble. What you see in these Occupy protests are done by amateurs who think that their forms of "protests" allow them to set their own rules in their own little communities all while sponging off the greater community at large. No, this is not a protest group but a bunch of lazy, spoiled brats looking for excuses to continue their lives of no self-restraint or self-control.
So in summary, what my protest will encourage is "comm-unity", which is in contrast to the rabble of Occupy rallies, who are a bunch of individuals all shouting in order to be heard over the others, which results in none of them being heard.
I hope you can see the difference now that I've explained it, and I also hope you can see why my method is much more effective and efficient in getting word out on the cause. This will easily lead to others jumping on board for the cause. See? My parents taught me well in this respect!
Well, kiddies, I happened to be trained by a couple of pros who put the "pro" in protesting: My own Marxist parents! Yeah, they knew the fine art of protesting, and could run circles around this bunch of coddled trust fund babies. While I opposed most of what my parents believed in, it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the methods that they used in protesting. I know what to do well enough that I could lead an Occupy rally if I wanted to. So, here's what I'd do:
First, I will LEAD the rally - none of this "leaderless" bullshit. I make the rules, and if you don't like it, form your own rally of a bunch of clueless boneheads that would asphyxiate themselves trying to punch their way out of paper bags.
Second. No electronic devices of any kind will be used in my protest. If I see a cellphone being used, I will crush it with my super strength fist. If I see an iPad being used, then I will break it in half over my super strength knee. If I see a laptop being used, then I'll stomp on it with my super strength foot. If I see any other handheld entertainment devices like music players, or gaming toys, then I'll throw it - literally! - into the next county with my super strength arm. You will be focused on the task of protesting and nothing else. I MIGHT tolerate radios and boomboxes, so long as they aren't played loud. Break this rule and my fist will go through that boombox.
Third, there will be no law-breaking. No vandalizing, no spitting at police or other similar thuggery. You break the law, and I will drag you MYSELF to the police station. You will grasp the concept of a peaceful protest, or you will find your ass in jail faster than you can say nanosecond. I will enforce the safety and security of our protest myself, and I am a mean and vicious bitch to those who cause trouble. Mess with me and the only thing you'll be Occupy-ing is a jail cell. Don't doubt me on this.
Fourth, there will be a time to arrive, a time to depart. There will be no overnight camping to cause the police any more work than they are already doing. This is also for the safety of our protesters.
Fifth, the only sort of entertainment will be poetry readings other creative written works, or the musical instruments that you bring. Learn to create writings or songs for the group that describe our cause and our goals. This will also teach how to have face to face discussions and encourage interpersonal dialogue - very important if you're going to be stumping for a cause.
Sixth, there will be no blocking of businesses, especially independent businesses (that is, non-franchise businesses). Most likely, that one place is their lifeblood, and not only will we not hinder the regular day to day business that they do, we will even patronize them if we can and if they are down with our cause. This is especially the case if they are a restaurant. If we use their bathrooms, then we will buy our food there.
Seventh, you will know the reason for our protest by heart, and you will be able to explain it to anyone who asks. That's how we create sympathy for our cause. Send any difficult people to me, especially if they happen to be a member of the media.
Eighth, any signage must be approved by me. If you bring anything vulgar or repulsive, then I will make you tear up that sign into small pieces and literally eat it. By eating it, you will learn not to bring vulgar or repulsive signs next time. And you will learn my standards of what I consider vulgar or repulsive.
If we do nothing wrong and/or illegal and the police still come to arrest us, then you will learn the art of passive resistance. Do not create an excuse for the police to take you down. If all goes well, then bad police behavior will be captured by the press, and that will end up aiding our cause.
It sounds like I have a list of "Don'ts", but what this will do is help unify the protest group by eliminating a lot of the distractions. In the process, it will make our message that much stronger. I want this group to get to the point that you will be encouraged to bring your children because of the positive example that this will set.
Mainly, the protesters will understand that there is a difference between a peaceful protest and the destructive violence of a rabble. What you see in these Occupy protests are done by amateurs who think that their forms of "protests" allow them to set their own rules in their own little communities all while sponging off the greater community at large. No, this is not a protest group but a bunch of lazy, spoiled brats looking for excuses to continue their lives of no self-restraint or self-control.
So in summary, what my protest will encourage is "comm-unity", which is in contrast to the rabble of Occupy rallies, who are a bunch of individuals all shouting in order to be heard over the others, which results in none of them being heard.
I hope you can see the difference now that I've explained it, and I also hope you can see why my method is much more effective and efficient in getting word out on the cause. This will easily lead to others jumping on board for the cause. See? My parents taught me well in this respect!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Not an Onion story; this is fer realz: Occupy Oakland deposits 20k into - Wells Fargo!
This is one of those stories that conservative blogger Michelle Malkin would call "snortalicious". "Snortalicious" is a contraction of the words "snort" (as in "snort derisively in laughter") and "delicious" (as in "delicious irony", like today's story).
Today's snortalicious story, and probably the most snortalicious story for a long time to come, is this one about the Occupy Oakland group depositing $20k into Wells Fargo, one of their bloodsworn enemies:
Occupy Oakland Attacks Wells Fargo, Then Deposits $20,000
See gang, this is the kind of education that your taxes are paying for. Scary, ain't it? And yet, it's also hilarious, since it's these liberal types that are always harping on how stupid the rest of us are and how brilliant they are. Apparently, they are so brilliant that they think the "rules" don't apply to them, including the irony of their depositing that much money into one the very banks that they've protested.
Okay, I have to finish with this:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Today's snortalicious story, and probably the most snortalicious story for a long time to come, is this one about the Occupy Oakland group depositing $20k into Wells Fargo, one of their bloodsworn enemies:
Occupy Oakland Attacks Wells Fargo, Then Deposits $20,000
See gang, this is the kind of education that your taxes are paying for. Scary, ain't it? And yet, it's also hilarious, since it's these liberal types that are always harping on how stupid the rest of us are and how brilliant they are. Apparently, they are so brilliant that they think the "rules" don't apply to them, including the irony of their depositing that much money into one the very banks that they've protested.
Okay, I have to finish with this:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Comics talk: Fear Itself, DC's 52 reboot, and War of the Independents
Lately I’ve gotten heavy into the political talk and not so much on comics talk, so today let me try to balance the scales a bit.
Marvel’s Fear Itself storyline.
Fear Itself was one of the better blockbuster storylines that Marvel has done in recent years. Ever since the dreadful Civil War, I tend to be leery of Marvel’s blockbusters, but this one helped redeem their cred a bit. If they keep this up, then they could get back into my good graces. :-) I pretty much ignored the tie-ins, as I usually do with the tie-ins to the blockbuster storylines of both of the big comics companies, because tie-ins to me are what 3D is to the movie industry: A pretty and unnecessary accessory.
However, I did read Fear Itself: Home Front, because I was curious to see how they would play out the whole story of Speedball and his return to the city that was the scene of his fall from grace a few years back. This was nicely done and the responses from the different characters – especially from the woman who lost a child from the tragedy that triggered the Civil War storyline in the first place. Without giving away much of what happens in the story, let’s just say that her response to his assistance redeemed him a bit in her eyes, but she still can’t forget that she lost a son because of him. “Forgive, but not forget”, in other words; which is completely logical. Kudos to Marvel for this one.
DC Comics 52 “reboot”
I’m still reserving judgment on this. While there is a kind of novelty to rebooting familiar characters, I’m still not sold on what they’ve done so far. My thinking is “why fix what’s not broken?”, especially in rebooting the whole line of comics, instead of testing it out as an “alternate universe”. I guess what’s tainting my thinking is their recent Brightest Day series – one so bad and convoluted that I stopped buying them, representing the first time I’ve ever stopped reading a limited series before it was done. Those who know my love for comics know that this is a rather shocking development on my part! My fear is that they are taking what they did with BD and expanding it to the whole DC franchise. I hope I’m wrong about it, but if the whole of DC gets infected with this BD virus, then I might have to stop reading DC altogether – which would be an even greater shocking development. Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that!
War of the Independents limited series
I really wanted to love War of the Independents, since it’s a collection of characters not with the “Big Two”, but what should be its strength is actually its weakness. There’s just too many characters to keep up with! Plus, having superhero characters together with cartoony characters like Gumby just doesn’t make sense. Granted, it’s a comic book and pretty much anything goes – “suspend your disbelief” and all that - but the overabundance of characters means that too many characters are trying to get your attention, so it ends up that none of them do.
Also, the different styles of art virtually with every page can sometimes get jarring, and it’s really a distraction from the story flow. Anytime you have to remove yourself from a story to notice something like that is not good. I do appreciate the effort and I am totally down with the idea and concept – I just think it needs to be worked a little differently.
You all know that I am nothing if not opinionated, so here’s my take on what they might try another time: Same idea, same concept, but try to create stories of characters that are similar; for example, pair Gumby with Usagi Yojimbo, Bone, Cerberus, Milk, Cheese, and the other cartoony looking characters. Have one of the artists used to drawing in this cartoony style to do the artwork.
Then another story can be done in an oddball style using Too Much Coffee Man, Zippy the Pinhead, The Flaming Carrot, and perhaps Megaton Man, The Tick, and The Maxx; again by an artist used to drawing in that style.
Yet other stories could be built around the superheroes who have certain common themes, like the ghost/zombie/otherwise undead, or those built around a patriotic theme, or perhaps an all-girl story. Tying them all together can be an overall theme, perhaps all of them saving the universe in their own, special way.
Anyway, by using this pairing up method of the similar style characters, it gives each of them more of a chance to show what it is about each of them that appealed to their fans, and in the process, perhaps they can attract new fans. With a little organization, this can really work, and pulled off in the way that I think it can be done, it could do well enough to make the big guy comic companies at least take momentary notice. With that, you guys would have your own little Occupy moment in the comics world, and that would be an Occupy movement that I could totally support. :-)
Monday, November 7, 2011
To the Occupiers: From me to you with love! An Occupy logo!
Unlike most liberals when it comes to the free speech rights of conservatives, I believe that liberals have free speech rights. They have every right to go out there and do their Occupy thing. And I've said before that I love liberals. I really do! So why am I so hard on them? Call it tough love. :-)
However, I also believe that if they are going to spread their message, then they should at least be honest on what they're really about. With that, I asked the boss to craft this little logo for me to represent what the Occupy movement is really about. And now to explain the symbols!
The first symbol, of course, represents President Obama. This sort of "uprising" is what he really wants to do, instead of dealing with the nuances and minutiae of our legislative system to get his desired goals made into law. Right now, he has to actually work to get this done, and he has to accept compromises, which makes him look bad in the eyes of his fellow anti-capitalist leftists.
The next two symbols are the classic Communist hammer and sickle, and the letter U with SSR in it are in reference to the old USSR, the birthplace of the Communist movement. This, folks, is what the Occupy movement is really about. These people want to substitute our legal system with the old, archaic, and so-last-millennium Communist philosophies that has failed everywhere it's been tried - including the old Soviet Union. But for some reason, these old-school leftists think that they can get it right this time.
And the pie is basically to represent what they believe will happen when things go their way. Their pie-in-the-sky delusional fantasies, in other words, of a free and open society where we are all equal and we all love each other and no one has more than anyone else, and there is no longer any pain and misery and suffering because we have legislated it out of existence.
The exclamation point is what it looks like - an exclamation point! It's to symbolize the passion of the movement - wrongheaded as it is. Somehow they believe that if they shout "OCCUPY!" then everyone around them - the "99%", - will totally gist on what they're about and join them in an uprising of the worker against the oppressive capitalist system. All while benefiting from the fruit of our capitalist system of course, with their iPhones, laptops with Wi-Fi, iPads, and so on - and totally oblivious to the irony of it.
So to my liberal friends out there, feel free to utilize the freedom of speech that our country provides; just be honest about what you're truly promoting, and you can do that by using this logo. One stipulation however: You must not profit from its usage. Get some rich liberal One-Percenter to fund the creation of t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc, and tell them to hand it out all free. To make any sort of profit from its usage would betray the spirit of the Occupy movement, after all!
Now go out there and Occupy!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Liberals: Let's make a deal. I'll support your cause that corporations are not people if...
I've written on this blog and posted on Facebook long enough that I think most of you will have a pretty good feel for my style of writing. You all know that when it comes to the issues that I feel strongly about, I'll try to utilize all the passion, wit, wisdom, intellect, and powers of observation that my heart and soul can muster.
Liberals, you know how I've taken on your sacred cow issues and attacked them like you do Republican presidential candidates. However, what if I were to take all my passion, wit, wisdom, intellect, and powers of observation to use *in favor* of one of your sacred causes? Imagine me tearing into this issue with all the fervor that you see me take on your other hallowed delusions! Wouldn't that be awesome - to have me fighting for your cause with the full brunt of my intellect going all out like a pit bull on a steak?
Okay then! Time for me to make a little deal with you on the issue of: the personhood of corporations! You know you hate that and how it benefits the wealthy and privileged in our society. Now, I can make arguments against the personhood of the corporations and be very good at it - so good that you WILL link my blog posts to your own blogs and Share and Like them on Facebook. You know that I'm very capable of this!
And I promise that I'll do this on one condition: To gain my support on your cause against the personhood of the corporation, you must support my cause FOR the personhood of the unborn. Think about that for a minute before you reject it out of hand. If you favor the personhood of the unborn, you will greatly strengthen your own argument against the personhood of the corporation. If you'll allow yourselves to truly ponder this with the open mind that you say that you have, you know that I'm right.
The unborn are living persons that you will eventually see, hear, touch, and love. Corporations can never be that kind of person. The personhood of the corporation is legislative mythology, while the personhood of the unborn is grounded in fact - despite the denial of its personhood also being brought about by legislative mythology. Funny how that worked out for you guys, isn't it? In the process of manufacturing the argument against the personhood of the unborn, you inadvertently created the means of establishing the personhood of entities that exist only on the boards of the stock exchanges on Wall Street. What a bit of irony to bite you in the ass, eh?
As you can see, I've already started, and I can go much, much further in crafting arguments in favor of your cause - if you will only support me in mine. How will I know that you've accepted my deal? When I see you guys doing Occupy Planned Parenthood! Otherwise, I won't believe your "conversion" to my side. But you've seen the skill of what I'm capable of doing when I got my heart set on something, so I'm hoping that your desire to see the end of the "personhood of the corporation" will be such that you'll consider my offer. In the process, you'll see that I'm absolutely right about your arguments against the personhood of the corporation being strongly bolstered by your acknowledgment of the personhood of the unborn. And as an added bonus, you'll get to see me kickin' ass for your cause! :-)
It will be only after such a revelation that you will see that by agreeing with my deal, you won't be "making a deal with the devil", but instead "siding with the angels". To be honest, knowing liberals like I do, I don't expect any "takers". But who knows - you may surprise me. And I hope you do! :-)
Liberals, you know how I've taken on your sacred cow issues and attacked them like you do Republican presidential candidates. However, what if I were to take all my passion, wit, wisdom, intellect, and powers of observation to use *in favor* of one of your sacred causes? Imagine me tearing into this issue with all the fervor that you see me take on your other hallowed delusions! Wouldn't that be awesome - to have me fighting for your cause with the full brunt of my intellect going all out like a pit bull on a steak?
Okay then! Time for me to make a little deal with you on the issue of: the personhood of corporations! You know you hate that and how it benefits the wealthy and privileged in our society. Now, I can make arguments against the personhood of the corporations and be very good at it - so good that you WILL link my blog posts to your own blogs and Share and Like them on Facebook. You know that I'm very capable of this!
And I promise that I'll do this on one condition: To gain my support on your cause against the personhood of the corporation, you must support my cause FOR the personhood of the unborn. Think about that for a minute before you reject it out of hand. If you favor the personhood of the unborn, you will greatly strengthen your own argument against the personhood of the corporation. If you'll allow yourselves to truly ponder this with the open mind that you say that you have, you know that I'm right.
The unborn are living persons that you will eventually see, hear, touch, and love. Corporations can never be that kind of person. The personhood of the corporation is legislative mythology, while the personhood of the unborn is grounded in fact - despite the denial of its personhood also being brought about by legislative mythology. Funny how that worked out for you guys, isn't it? In the process of manufacturing the argument against the personhood of the unborn, you inadvertently created the means of establishing the personhood of entities that exist only on the boards of the stock exchanges on Wall Street. What a bit of irony to bite you in the ass, eh?
As you can see, I've already started, and I can go much, much further in crafting arguments in favor of your cause - if you will only support me in mine. How will I know that you've accepted my deal? When I see you guys doing Occupy Planned Parenthood! Otherwise, I won't believe your "conversion" to my side. But you've seen the skill of what I'm capable of doing when I got my heart set on something, so I'm hoping that your desire to see the end of the "personhood of the corporation" will be such that you'll consider my offer. In the process, you'll see that I'm absolutely right about your arguments against the personhood of the corporation being strongly bolstered by your acknowledgment of the personhood of the unborn. And as an added bonus, you'll get to see me kickin' ass for your cause! :-)
It will be only after such a revelation that you will see that by agreeing with my deal, you won't be "making a deal with the devil", but instead "siding with the angels". To be honest, knowing liberals like I do, I don't expect any "takers". But who knows - you may surprise me. And I hope you do! :-)
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