Book of Jamez

55 y/o malcontent, something of a writer

Category: Random Rantings

  • Pain and Memory

    Awakening in pain, fear or uncertainty my sister and I seemed to know when father beat mother. Sneaking out of our bedrooms, tears already streaming down our faces, we venture out to check on our mom’s well being. Hearing her scream, “Joe, NO don’t! Please stop”, seeing his fist flying, smelling alcohol in the air; these are some of the nights from my childhood.

    They would see us cowering in our pajamas in the hallway. Mother would plead again for him to stop, but Joe tended to get inspired, an audience lifted his cruelty to new heights. It usually ended with Joe passing out, or Mother fleeing to our rooms, assuring us he normally didn’t hit her or that she upset him.

    At times we fled to shelters, escorted by police, or secretly in the night. Fear can engulf you in a shelter; despair on the faces of strangers contaminates your soul. You quickly learn to give up hope, not due to the shelter, but because you know you’ll go back to HIM.

    It becomes a secret to the family, the unspoken word, the dreaded return. There are many attempts at reconciliation, they are all failure. As children we wondered why she kept asking him back. A part of me conflicted with fear and hatred of this man, and the understanding that I am supposed to love my dad.

    One particular night, he noticed my revulsion, and asked me “You think I’m a son of a bitch don’t ya.”

    “Yeah, I do”.

  • Conservation Saving Our Valuable Resources

    I’m so very proud of the American peoples efforts to conserve energy. I never knew this was so popular until I started driving back and forth from DC to VA Beach.

    Almost every driver on the road is not using their directional signals they just switch lanes when they feel like it, never mind who may be in the way. We may have reduced global warming by this act alone.

    I’ve even seen one cab driver go the extra mile… he had no tail lights at all. The only way I knew he was slamming on his brakes was the three hundred cars ahead of him that aren’t quite as environmentally conscious as he is. He’s a man ahead of his time, but I’m sure the rest of the nation will soon follow his example.

    The American People… going out of their way to save! 😛

  • Speed Limit Enforcement

    The main road from DC to VA Beach is a long, rather boring commute. What simply continues to amaze me is the signs I see along the road:

    “Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft”

    Now, in my minds eye, I picture an Air Force Jet barreling down on law breakers, blasting them to bits with missles. I realize this may not be happening, we would certainly see massive pits from weapons fire, or smoldering wrecks along the shoulders.

    I want truth in advertising, or government warnings. You say enforced, then do it… think of all the people we could get to slow down. Think of all the soldiers, currently in Iraq, we would need to come home and monitor speeders. I think it’s probably a lot less dangerous, and they’d see more of their families as well.

    Bush says leaving Iraq early would send the wrong message to terrorists. I say if we bring the troops home to set up speed traps, it shows the terrorists that we are more worried about generating revenue through speeding tickets, than we are about suicide bombers.

    Think of the lives saved, the money made, and the ape like face of the President!!!

  • Open letter to the people of Britain: Is the cost of freedom… freedom?

    When terror struck the U.S. on 9/11, fear struck the land of the free. Fear of more attacks, fear of lost loved ones, and fear of more fear. I was in Washington, DC the day the planes struck, and can clearly recall how it felts with each passing moment. Nothing compares to those feelings of hopelessness, fear and terror… and I thought nothing could make me feel safe again.

    Soon, the country rallied: flags were flying everywhere, people were lined up to help find survivor or donate blood, and millions of dollars were given to charitable causes. America showed the world why we’re so proud of ourselves.

    Then came the Patriot Act, combatants being held at Gitmo with no access to legal representation, people being arrested for taking pictures of landmarks, memo’s on how torture is excused in our case – because we’re so damn special…

    America reacted immediately and gave the “leaders” of our country almost unlimited power which they’ve used to secure our freedom and spread freedom around the globe.

    But, in reality, it appears as if America has lost its freedoms. The government has more power now than ever before to look into our personal lives, arrest us with even the slightest suspicion, check our bank records, and hold us without allowing us to see an attorney…

    Don’t let it happen to you Londoner’s… don’t let them take from you that which they say they want to protect. Be patient, ask God for direction and help… don’t lose what America has already lost.

  • X Smokers Soapbox

    I didn’t want it to come to this, I didn’t want to become this person… but I have. I’ve become the preaching x-smoker that is going to preach at current smokers. See, I managed to finally quit in January, it was one more attempt and for whatever reason this time it took. Who knew.

    Now what bothers me most as a non smoker is the smell of current smokers. I had no idea it was that bad, I would have quit years ago had I realized how bad I smelled. I don’t normally notice, maybe I don’t hang out with too many smokers now that I’ve stopped… but on a recent plane ride I sat next to an obvious smoker…. O MY GOD… well, she had some fashion issues too, but the smell was almost unbearable. I found the smell to be an excellent deterrent when I get a craving… just walk by a smoker and you’ll see what I’m saying.

    I think if a smokers sense of smell were more aware they would not be smoking at all… but alas that is one of the things to dwindle when you smoke.

  • …and it sold comics

    It was 1985 – 1986; DC Comics was in the middle of Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the first 12 issue maxi series in comic history. It was a plan to simplify the DC Universe, which quite literally had infinite earths. They promised heroes would die, history would be changed… the DC Universe would never be the same.

    I remember the cover clearly in my head (yes, I own the comic, but it’s wrapped in plastic safe and sound); Superman, outfit torn all to hell, holding the limp body of Supergirl, surrounded by all the other heroes in the DC Universe. Inside this issue Supergirl sacrificed her own life to save that of her cousin: Superman. I was 14. I cried when I read that issue.

    It was a defining moment in comic book history. It was a defining moment in my history… and it sold comics.

    Other heroes in comic book history have also given their lives for others: Jean Grey (a.k.a. Marvel Girl), Flash, Green Lantern, Thunderbird, Green Arrow, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, Donna Troy… I probably could add to the list ad infinitum.

    In 1988 DC offered readers the chance to vote to let the new Robin (Jason Todd) live or die in an upcoming issue. This was a very controversial idea and sparked all kinds of debate. Believe it or not the readers voted to have Jason killed… and it sold comics. In 2001 Marvel’s Colossus injected himself with the serum for the Legacy Virus, knowing it would kill him but would save countless others from the deadly disease… it was sad, and heroic… and it sold comics.

    But, these heroes don’t stay dead.
    Jean Grey is alive and well, apparently she didn’t die, but her body was taken over by a universal spirit which later tried to destroy the universe. Supergirl is alive. I don’t know how they plan to explain this one to me.
    Jason Todd is alive… Green Arrow, Green Lantern…. I’ve even seen an X-Men comic with what truly appears to be Colossus gracing the pages (I haven’t actually bought an X book in a while so I could be wrong).

    Donna Troy (Wonder Girl for those of you not in the know) has died and come back to life so many times I don’t know what to think. This month, she gets her own special: The Return of Donna Troy. To be fair DC should consider adding numbers to specials like this; The Return of Donna Troy part 347.

    Here’s the thing: The storylines where these heroes have sacrificed their lives were significant (well, most of them). These stories affected your readers in such a way that they are sometimes considered to be defining moments in our lives. When you continue to bring these characters back to life again and again it lessens the lesson, lessens the experience, and lessens the value of the character, the comic and your company. Comic books are, in my opinion, an art form.

    Superman and Lois Lane get married; Peter Parker and Mary Jane get married, Green Lantern’s assistant gets beat up for being gay; George W. Bush and Lex Luthor were both President of the United States; Green Arrow’s sidekick is HIV positive; Supergirl dying… this is life imitating art guys. These are stories that touch the imagination and make us think about the hard issues, the life issues, the happy issues, the sad issues. Don’t make cheap excuses to sell comics.

  • Welcome To Jamez in the Life

    My normal posting site: www.urukhai.org/fortress is having some difficulties so I had to create this.