It snowed tonight. It waited until we were coming out of the gym… and there it was: Mother Natures silent mocking laughter. And the forecast shows snow on four days between now and Saturday, inclusive. Yay.

Random (and not so random) thoughts:

  • I thought about something else in conjunction with the Schoolhouse Rock! (no pun intended) CDs that I was listening to a few days ago. I have admitted to sometimes being an overgrown kid – it’s not something that I could really deny, but there you have it. There are times, however, when I have moments of lucidity and the inner adult in me rears his head. On the “America Rock” (also known as “History Rock”) CD are the songs “No More Kings”, about the colonization of America, “Elbow Room”, about 18th Century westward expansion, and “The Great American Melting Pot”, about immigration. There are a few things that you have to take on face value:
    • Each song was 2.5 – 3 minutes long.
    • The songs were written in the 70’s and “political correctness” is a
      term/issue of the 90’s.

    • The songs were meant to be entertaining and fairly light-hearted while also being educational.

    My points: The only reference that I can find to Native Americans is a line about Sacajawea in “Elbow Room.” And since there’s no “easy” or “P.C.”way to introduce how African-Americans got the “-American” added, I won’t go down that path.

  • Art imitates life. I’m not sure what the exact quote here is, but that expresses the sentiment well enough. Tonight’s episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “The Siege of AR-588,” was about a crew of Starfleet officers who were holding a captured position. The DS9 crew showed up to bring supplies and stayed to help defend the position for a while. After they returned to the station, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) was talking to one of his officers about the latest casualty reports… and he said,“No, they’re not just names. We must remember that.” Such a simple and profound statement. This first aired on 18 Nov 1998, but its relevance and timeliness is what I’m after here.

    Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day was this past Friday and many also took the time to reflect on the events of this past 11 Sept. We remember not only the events of these days, but also the fact that there were people involved in those events. People who fought. People who died. People who tried to help others to make sense of the chaos and madness as it swirled around them. Not just names. People. “No, they’re not just names. We must remember that.”

  • Life imitates art. DC Comics wreaked havoc on Earth (and a few other planets) this past summer in a multi-title crossover called “Our Worlds at War.” I say that life imitates art, in this instance, since some of the books in this crossover did not arrive in stores until after the September 11th terrorist attacks. In five panels of the September issue of Superman, he rescues and talks to a small boy in Topeka, KS whose parents were lost in an attack. In the December issues of Superman (there are actually four monthly Superman books), the writers will sometimes do a story about Superman answering the mail/e-mail that he gets at Christmas; it’s all sent to The Daily Planet, which is convenient considering that Clark Kent works there. This year, one of the e-mails was from the little boy that Superman rescued in Kansas; this time the boy gets six panels.

    From: “Caleb”
    To: “Superman” [Superman@dailyplanet.met]
    Subject: (No Subject)

    Dear Superman:
    I don’t know if you’ll remember me, but I’m the little boy who you rescued in Topeka, Kansas. I’m living with my grandparents now in Arizona. My grandma is helping me type this to you. I just wanted you to know that I am okay. Hope you are too.
    Your pal, Caleb.

    Superman doesn’t respond to this, he flies to Arizona to talk with Caleb, who is wearing a Superman t-shirt.

      Caleb: “I didn’t think you’d come visit, but I’m kinda glad you did.”
      Superman: “Still trying to be brave?”
      C: “Yep. Some days it’s harder than others.”
      S: “I know just what you mean.”
      C: “Thank you for the toy. It’s pretty cool. Can I ask how come you changed your costume?” (After the war, he changed the red-and-yellow “S” to red-and-black.)
      S: “Sometimes… Sometimes folks wear something black to remember the people they’ve lost.”
      C: (softly) “Like my Mom and Dad.”
      S: “Yes, Caleb. Just like that.”
      C: “Maybe. Maybe, if you can find one… I’d like a shirt like that, too…”
      S: “I’ll see what I can do about that…”

    I like this for two main reasons. It shows that while Superman is there behind the “S,” there is still Clark Kent, the man, behind the costume. I also like it because it was an expected bonus, of sorts: It picked up what seemed like a minor point of a book five issues back and turned it into a poignant part of the story.

I do believe that I have rambled enough for one post. Tune in tomorrow for more.

Peace.