As usual for our Independence Day celebration, I'm home trying to keep the dog from flipping out too much as various neighbors shoot off illegal explosives. Which I wouldn't mind so much if they would just be so kind as to blow off their hands in the process. See, the idea behind Independence Day is to celebrate our freedoms. Which we've had a decreasing number of here since G.W. took office. Take, for instance, Gordon Lee...
Lee, back in 2004, was handing out comics for Halloween. One of those comics depicted a historically accurate scene with Pablo Picasso in the nude. Not doing anything racey, mind you, just he was an artiste and wasn't wearing clothes. The state of Georgia started slapping down lawsuits so fast, it made his head spin. Fortunately, the good folks at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund heard about his case and began to help out, getting most of the trumped-up charges dropped entirely.
One of the few causes I really support is personal freedom. I believe that we should be free to pursue whatever we like, provided it doesn't directly and negatively impact others. It should be every person's right to act on their desires, regardless of how stupid and irresponsible it might be. No one has the moral right to tell me what to do, and it's my own damn fault if my actions lead to negative consequences for me.
Yes, it's a bit extreme. Yes, it's a bit Ayn Rand. But I also believe that it wouldn't hurt matters to cull the herd, so to speak, with some old fashioned Darwinism.
Back to Lee. He's got a trial date set for the middle of August, and and the CBLDF needs some more donations to help pay for legal fees. Sequential Tart's Editor-in-Chief, Katherine Keller, is willing to pony up an additional $1,000 if only ten more people provide donations. Another benefactor, Carl Rigney, has offered an additional $1,000 if Keller follows through. (Details here.)
If you haven't yet made a donation to the CBLDF, please do so now. The death of Captain America, I think, is more symbollic than many people realize. He is the living embodiment of what the U.S. should stand for and, if art is a reflection of life, I think the folks at marvel -- while I still don't like the overall direction and tone they're taking -- are making a statement, however subtle, with his death. Freedom needs all the help it can get these days, and Gordon Lee does too.
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