On this most propitious of weeks we look forward to the day when at long last the United States will once again be led by people of character. It has been a dark four years under the heel of the worst President in American history, a man of questionable sanity who saw in these United States not a nation of the people, but a land of peasants meant to do his bidding and a territory to be washed of those unfortunates who did not by happenchance of birth to fit his idea of what an American should look like. The damage done will take time (years and perhaps decades) to fix, and I can only hope that it can be repaired. The new President has a might challenge before him, to deal with a pandemic which has to this point only been given limited focus by an administration that challenged its very existence. But I feel better now than I have in many moons about the state of the nation.
The message below from Neal Kirby has been making the rounds on this here internet since that terrible day two weeks ago. I felt his response to those seditious acts would make a nice installment for the "A Day In The Anti-Life" posts here at the Dojo. The very title of these messages were inspired by Jack Kirby's Fourth World and formula for slavery sought by Darkseid so he could rule a world of lackeys, so it seem fitting indeed that his son get a word or two in. Take a look.
Rip Off
“My father, Jack Kirby, along with his partner Joe Simon, created Captain America in 1941. Perhaps the most iconic symbol of patriotism since the ‘Spirit of 1776,’ Captain America has stood as a symbol and protector of our democracy and the rule of law for the past 79 years. he was created by two Jewish guys from New York who hated Nazis and hated bullies. Captain America stood up for the underdog, and, as the story was written, even before he gained his strength and prowess from Army Scientists, always stood for what was righteous, and never backed down.”
“At 72, I have a fairly visit personal memory of every political and cultural upheaval since Castro’s revolution in the mid – 1950’s. Add to that my father’s stories, and I could probably paint a picture of the battlefields of northern France surrounding the city of Metz in WWII as well. However, the events that transpired at our nations’ Capitol on Jan. 6, an insurrection inspired and fomented by our own president, will be the event that haunts me forever.”
“While watching one of the horrific videos of the storming of the Capitol, I thought I noticed someone in a Trump/Capt. America t-shirt! I was appalled and mortified. I believe I even caught a quick glance of someone with a Captain America shield. A quick Google search turned up Trump as Captain America on T-shirts, posters, even a flag! These images are disgusting and disgraceful. Captain America is the absolute antithesis of Donald Trump. Where Captain America is selfless, Trump is self-serving. Where Captain America fights for our country and democracy, Trump fights for personal power and autocracy. Where Captain America stands with the common man, Trump stands with the powerful and privileged. Where Captain America is courageous, Trump is a coward. Captain America and Trump couldn’t be more different.”
“My father, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the creators of Captain America and WWII veterans, would be absolutely sickened by these images. These images are an insult to both their memories.
"If Donald Trump had the qualities and character of Captain America, the White House would be a shining symbol of truth and integrity, not a festering cesspool of lies and hypocrisy. Several of our presidents held the same values as Captain America. Donald Trump is not one of them.”
I can only second Neal Kirby's eloquence.
ReplyDeleteAnd I find that I can return to the New Gods year after year & be amazed anew by Jack Kirby's work. "Ahead of its time" is a phrase too easily overused, but in this case, it's completely accurate. The 4th World has remained timely & relevant after half a century, because it's a mythopoetic examination of the state of the human soul in the modern age, both for good & for evil.
I totally agree about the "ahead of its time" thing. In concept the Fourth World was more than the comic industry could fathom when Kirby first proposed it. It was a whole new way of making and delivering the stuff, most of which has now come to pass. And it speaks to our times because times change but people rarely do.
DeleteWell said Neal Kirby, hopefully some sanity will return to the Oval office but as you said Rip, it will not be done overnight here is hoping the New year will bring fresh hope not only to U.S.A. but to all the world.
ReplyDeleteExcelsior ( I have always wanted to write that sorry).
We are hours from a new day in the land and the closer we get the more signs there are that this nightmare might be fizzling back into the fringe movement it started off as. Racism sits at the heart of the American experience and we need to accept that grim fact, but most of the time we attempt or pretend to attempt at least to push that part down. For some months that hasn't been the case and its painful and shameful to see.
DeleteI agree with everything Neal Kirby says but it's incredibly depressing that 75 million Americans wanted four more years of Trump.
ReplyDeleteI'm hanging my hat on the fact that it wasn't 75 million in true favor of Trump but at least half that number conditioned to never vote Democratic regardless of circumstances. But it is stunning how many folks just refuse to see what's before their eyes and ears. Trump's poll numbers are diminishing and I hope they will continue to dwindle as he's pushed into the history books.
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