[Dean's World] Kevin D.: Whose Side Are You On?

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Kevin D.:
Whose Side Are You On?
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1160141849.shtml


   Thereâs a war being waged. It involves every man, woman, and child in
   this nation. It goes to the very core of what it means to be American.
   Are we a nation of laws? Are we a nation that allows people to take
   the law into their own hands to defend the weak? Or, are we a little
   of both?

   The town of Stamford, Connecticut sacrificed 600 of her most precious
   to bring this question to us all: Whose side are you on?

   Iron Man or Captain America?

   The Marvel Comics universe is in the midst of a crisis. A team of
   superheroes, whose actions were being recorded by a camera crew for a
   reality television program, entered into the residence of a group of
   suspected super-villains and initiated combat. During the battle one
   villain escaped to a nearby school and, rather than be captured,
   ignited his body in a blast killing 600. The Superhero Registration
   Act, in the wake of the Stamford tragedy, passed in both houses of
   Congress in record speed and was immediately signed by the President
   of the United States.

   The provisions of the Act state that any individual engaging in
   superhero-like activities must reveal their identities with the U.S.
   government or face criminal prosecution. The Act protects their
   identities from the general public and provides these individuals
   official government sanction to continue their work once they have to
   undergone some basic testing and/or training and satisfy certain
   standards. Government employment is not mandatory, though it is
   available to those who wish to take it.

   Government sanctioned superhero groups already exist such as the
   Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Their identities are known both to
   the public and the U.S. government. In addition to these groups there
   are agencies such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and O.N.E. that often employ
   superheroes as the need arises. So, the idea of superheroes working
   with the government isnât a new concept.

   However, unlike the Mutant Registration Act, designed to target a
   specific group of individuals whose abilities are not of their own
   doing, the SRA (or SHRA) targets individuals that choose to use their
   abilities, magical, mutant, or otherwise in nature, to practice
   vigilante justice. Essentially, if you put on a mask or cape (on in
   the Punisherâs case neither) to fight crime you must register or you
   yourself will be hunted down like a criminal.

   Lines have already been drawn. Captain America was tapped by
   S.H.I.E.L.D. to enforce this law in anticipation of wide hostility to
   it. He refused and rather than be taken prisoner he went underground
   and formed a resistance with likeminded individuals. To enforce the
   law the President himself asked Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, to fill this
   role. Stark agreed and employed such high profile superheroes as
   She-Hulk (whose identity was already known by the public) and, most
   surprisingly, Spider-Man for the cause. To rally superheroes on the
   fence about the issue Stark convinced Spider-Man to reveal his true
   identity to the public. While not required by the SRA Stark knew no
   man did more to hide his true identity than Spider-Man. After some
   convincing form his wife Mary Jane and Aunt May, Peter Parker revealed
   his secret to the world.

   Both sides have taken losses. Both sides believe what they are doing
   are in the best interests of the American ideal.

   There's a war being waged. Whose side are you on?