CISPA, SOPA, PIPA... Big Brother? 1984? Pirates? Monopoly?

These people don't get it. Apparantly the government thinks we all want to be locked up in our own country... seriously... this is just completely irrational. Aren't we supposed to govern? Why do so few people actually in the government seem to understand what is actually good for us.

There will always be pirates, thieves, and "bad people" cheating. The internet is just a new platform for it, but of course there are ways to stop it without throwing the American Public under the bus.

Why don't we try being friends with people? Let's make other countries LIKE US!!! Do your friends generally steal your stuff when you go out of the room? If they do, they're not really your friends. Building trust, and FRIENDLINESS with all other people is the best, and really the only way to be truly safe.

Why do we keep looking for enemies? We are in control, not the politicians. We need to remember that. We need to remember what it really means to live in a democracy, and have real values.

Give me Liberty or give me Death!

NOT: Give me Liberty or... well... Oh look! It's a slice of cake!

Courage, people... none of the Democrats or Republicans seem to have it. Why?

Do we want to be known as a nation of cowardly, vindictive bullies? Maybe we do?

Let me know what you think, please.

The Tale of Virtue (unfinished)

This is a story I was working on a while ago. It's not finished, but in light of recent actions of hypocrisy that seem to be rending apart our country (USA/ United Stupid Animals?) Just kidding... or maybe (GOP: Greedy Obstructive Parasites?) Again... it's too easy to poke fun at this stuff, but the Democrats... some of them just aren't trying hard enough. We've got to stop caving in. There's a difference between compromise and just allowing someone to run you over.

Anyway, here's the first part of my story... hope you like it. :)

            Forward:

            One possible explanation for Infinity is the theory that each dimension can be described as a mathematical object with infinite properties. Dimension one could be described as a point, dimension two as a circle, dimension three as a sphere, and so on.

            Our story takes place in the fifth dimension, ruled by Time. Father Time had many sons, the most important of which were called the Principles. Within the fourth dimension was a little blue planet, on which dwelt a peculiar species of animal that took to investigation into the nature of the dimensions.

            The Principles quickly became fascinated with observing these animals, as they knew they were now themselves being crudely observed.

            It was around the year 14,281,350,000 that the animals became a game for the Principles, so much so that they did not care about the worry they were causing their father with their increasing fighting. Father Time was too busy keeping his watch to do anything about his wayward sons, but he worried that their fighting would destroy the little planet they held dear.

            The big problem started when Vice, the eldest son, chained his younger brother Virtue to a rock that jutted out of the sea of Lies. Lies was not fond of her brother, for she was not considered as important as he was, and she did not object to his presence as a prisoner in her domain. Charity, another sister of the Principles, often came to visit Virtue, and cried to her sister Lies to help release him. Hence Vice ruled supreme over the blue planet, in alliance with the youngest Principles, the twins Life and Death.

            Part 1:

           

            The sea of Lies was whipped up into a storm by Confusion, and it pounded the lone barren island in its midst. Rain drummed on Virtue’s brow, and he cried out as the wind slapped his long dark hair against his face. His eyes, which had once shown with pure purple light had lost their splendor long ago, and faded to the color of the sea. Around his wrists, ankles, and neck were shackles imprinted with his brother’s name.

            “Vice,” read the torturous bonds, and Lies had clouded Virtue’s eyes, and burnt his flesh. She never had liked Virtue. She envied his wings, now made useless by the chains and the storm.

            She thought happily of how not even her sister Charity could disturb her while Confusion was around.

            All Virtue’s thoughts were consumed with the little blue planet of the human beings, whose contemplation of the higher dimensions had at the same time made Virtue so happy, and his brother so angry and possesive.

            Virtue recalled the day that Vice captured him, and tears fell from his eyes, lost in the angry torrent of Confusion.

            He had been peacefully looking down upon the blue planet, not coveting it, simply admiring its beauty from atop his cloudy domain. He turned to see Vice was beside him, smoking so much that the cloud was beginning to seethe and disappear.

            “How are you, Vice?” asked Virtue.

            “Why don’t we reach out and take it for our own?” Vice replied.

            “Father said we must not meddle with the animals. The balance will be broken, and they will be all destroyed if we get too close to them.”

            “You and I have fought this battle before, brother, but now you’ll be watching from a different place!” said Vice, and great chains sprang from below the clouds, and dragged Virtue, shouting down all the way to the sea of Lies.

            “You’ll ruin everything! You monster!” cried Virtue.

            “Father said you are wise, brother, but you are not clever! You are not cunning!” said Vice, standing before his brother.

            “How did you do this?! Why?!” cried Virtue, struggling to escape the chains.

            “Those animals did this to you. Without their trust in me I could never have done it! Of course, I had help from the twins, though they will lament your fate. They did not know what they were getting into.”

            “You’re sick! Father will be angry!”

            “Father is too busy to care, my brother.”

            Then Virtue heard a malicious laugh.

            “Lies! Help me!” Virtue cried to his sister.

            “Stupid weakling!” Lies said.

            “Here’s a present for you!” she kissed his arm, and a burn appeared in his flesh, like brand mark.

            It read, “Virtue.”

            “How do you like it? That is a taste of my new power, brother. Vice has given it to me, in return for keeping you here to torment for eternity.”

            Virtue was still, rapt in stunned silence at the treachery of his siblings.

            “They won’t love you forever. I shall be free again!” said Virtue defiantly.

            “And if that happens, what will you do, little brother? You are too kind to hurt me,” said Vice.

            “You are right. I would not hurt you, as you do me, but I would see that you never run wild again, and for you that would be punishment enough. You delight in uncontrolled consumption, and I would hinder you from it, as I did always. That is my job, and so I will repay you for this treachery! I will reign over the blue planet until it is healed, while you torment, unable to grow fat on greed.”

            “They’ll never listen to you. I shall consume every realm from here to infinity, and grow so large that not even father could oppose me. I will reign eternally as the Lord of the fourth dimension!”

            “You’ve lost your mind if you think you can take father’s place!”

            “That is where you are wrong! I don’t think I will. I know I will!”

            “Arrogance! That is typical of you!”

            “You disgust me with you nobleness! Have fun trapped here forever, little brother!” said Vice, and he returned to his own domain to claim the blue planet as his prize.

            Virtue looked into the black sky above the sea of Lies, and thought about what Vice had said about the twins, “they will lament your fate.”

            He thought, “I have to get them to help me! Charity… she can do it. She only needs strength…”

            “Charity!” he screamed, and he heard the echoing laughter of Lies rise around him, and for a moment darkness blinded him, but he kept shouting.

            Charity was crying high above the darkness. Death stepped out from behind a cloud, a glittering white stag, “Why so sad, my beauty?”

            “Won’t you ever listen?!”

            “Did I do something wrong?”

            “You must help him! That little planet has driven you all mad!”

            “There is nothing I can do.”

            “You helped forged the chains! You must know how to break them!”

            “It is not up to me, but to the animals on the planet, my sister.”

            “Then go to them! Or you shall never see me smile again!”

            “That is not our realm, my sister. Life rules them, and even he cannot speak to them. Only Vice can do that, and he was the one who made the chains. I am sorry that I ever believed him when he asked me to help him, but I cannot remedy it.”

            “Then cannot you aid me in banishing Confusion?”

            “You know what you must do if you wish to see him. I wish I could be of more help, but I dare not disobey father again, for his rules keep all order, and I have already been aid to chaos once.”

            He changed into his normal form, and kissed her hand softly, “It is but a sharp stone amidst the endless cushion of cloud, my dear sister. Vice may think that he can create his own eternity, but Virtue spoke the truth when he defied him at the beginning. The chains will last only until the animals either no longer are willing to submit to Vice and Lies, or are destroyed by them.”

            “Then why does he cry so?”

            “It is in his nature to care for the animals in the domain of Life as well as my domain. I do not care for the animals under the care of my brother, and since Vice rules them only within his domain, it is none of my concern. However, it will pass, and so will the storm subside, and you will see him again.”

            “Yet I cannot stand his pain, for it is in my nature to heal. Even if I am to alone, I must do it.”

            “No! My sister, if you go to the planet your torment will be worse than his! You must not leave the safety of our hidden place! The animals do not comprehend us fully, and Vice will lead their hearts against you.”

            “You cannot go, and so I must, or persuade Life to go in my place. Either way I must travel down through the storm of Confusion, beyond the sea of Lies, and the court of Time, to the domain of our brothers. If I should be lost forever, do not forget me.”

            “I could never do such a thing! I will love you forever, fairest of sisters!”

            She slipped her hand out of his, and transformed into a pure white dove, as gentle as the clouds around them. She flew down beneath the safety of her domain, and into the dark storm of her sister, Confusion.

            Confusion stopped for a moment, eyes blazing, “Get out of here, you little pest! I’m in a bad mood, and I don’t want to be disturbed!”

            A huge gust slammed into Charity, and she fell down.

            Lies caught her, and said, “Foolish sister. Do you not know your place? Perhaps it is with that fool chained to the rock!”

            Charity had returned to her usual form, and she said, “Why did you help capture him?”

            “He’s a fool, and I cannot resist tormenting fools. You should know my nature. I know it is yours to pity him. I will not let you go to him, not while the storm lasts.”

            “I’m not going to him.”

            “Oh my! Have your lost your senses?”

            “No, only gained a bit of advice!” she said, and struggled free of the grasp of Lies.

            She made straight for the Court of Time, not minding there were worse dangers in the sea than her sister, for the true power of Lies could only affect those below her, and her sister was on her level.

            She flew for what seemed hours, and reaching the far shore of the sea landed, exhausted, upon a small, lush island. The white sand was soft, and she raised her weary head to look upon the face of a lovely man with hair of gold.

            “You look tired, my sweet,” he said.

            “You can stop the act. I know you. You are Deception, one of my sister’s workers.”

            “Oh! Please, don’t be so mean! I couldn’t stand it! I am your brother too, you know, though you out rank me, Sweet Charity.”

            “You can mean me no good, Deception. You hunger to deceive and detain, and I must press on to the Court of Time.”

            “Then have fun with puzzle!” he laughed, and vanished back into the lush forest.

            “Good day to you, my dear,” said a strange creature with the head of a tiger, the body of a man, and the wings of an eagle.

            “And who are you? I’ve not met you before,” said Charity.

            “I am the riddle maker, the time waster, the brain teaser, the master of mazes, the...”

            “Thank you very much, but I retract my question.”

            “It’s rude to interrupt! Very well, I’ll tell you my name, but let’s play a game first! I adore games!”

            “You must be a servant of Deception.”

            “No! You impugn my honor, fair maiden! I serve no one but myself! Now, pick the King!”

            Floating before Charity were three cards.

            They shuffled themselves at a furious pace, and then stopped.

            She chose the card on her left.

            “Too bad!” said the tiger, and he vanished.

            “This game is not over,” thought Charity, as she warily walked forward into the forest of Deception.

Errol Flynn and Cinda Chima

Two things you should really check out if you are a fantasy/old-timey action lover are Errol Flynn films, and Cinda Chima's Seven Realms Series.

Errol Flynn is probably best known for his brilliant portrayal of Robinhood, in the 1937 "The Adventures of Robinhood," but he has a number of good pirate films, "Captain Blood," and "The Sea Hawk" to name a couple. The 1937 "The Prince & the Pauper" is also a marvelous film. He doesn't star in it, but it's a great movie. It's also one of the few films I know of that actually has twins in it. No camera tricks to make one person look like two, these boys are really identical twins, and they're good actors too. So if you want to see some good action/adventure films in which you don't get bombarded with stupid explosions every five seconds, then take a lot at some of these older films. They are very compelling, mostly b/c they rely on strong characters, as opposed to special FX, to tell their stories.

As for Cinda Chima, I have absolutely no idea why she isn't more popular. She's out there, right now, and her books are very good. She has strong, fascinating characters who manage not to fall into every single cliche fantasy trope, though she does use some... that doesn't bother me too much. I'm picky... but overall her writing is quite good. She also manages to avoid the broad brush villain/hero problem that plagues so many modern writers. She has characters who exist on the margins, between good and evil, and it is nice to see that. I only wish she were more popular. I really wish someone would make films of her stories. While The Hunger Games explodes, these stories still seem to languish in obscurity, and in my opinion The Hunger Games is truly awful when you look at it closely. It again, like Harry Potter, promotes a bad sense of morality, and just feeds into the gore-fest it purports to be against. No. It's the same good vs. evil story we've heard time and again. It is time we move on and recognize that all people are more complex than that, and Cinda Chima provides this in her stories. I can't wait for the final book in this series, although at the same time I wish it weren't the last one.

Also... that girl in the Hunger Games... she FAILS at being Robinhood... the main female character in Cinda Chima's books, Raisa, succeeds at her Robinhood-esque endeavor.

So PLEASE!!! I call upon you, Fantasy lovers!!! Help support Cinda Chima. :) Also does anybody out there want me to blog about my fantasy writing?