I'm not religious particularly, but I like to believe that I'm a pretty moral person. I've read a lot of the stuff people have been saying about the death of Bin Ladin... And this link is possibly the best thing I've seen.

More people should think like this.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/03/my-take-bin-laden-died-long-ago/?hpt=T2

Insomnia sucks. I can't sleep right now, so I'm up and typing this. However, something DID come out of it this time- I did sleep for an hour or two, and in that time I had a weird little dream that'll become a story. Its science fiction/fantasy, taking place on an almost-earth, but I'm not saying more about it til I get going on it. I plan to post it up here, either as I go or when its done. I also looked into NaNoWriMo, the monthly writing contest thingie in November- If I have an idea, I MIGHT participate. People best not nag though; I'm not that confident in my ability to write and I've never written anything over six-to-eight thousand words. To 'win' on NaNoWriMo is FIFTY THOUSAND words! O.o

However, I can do about five thousand in about 8 hours if I have an idea to work with, so I might be able to pull it off. For those who don't know what it is, look here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

This new idea is not what I'll use for the contest. You're sposed to start fresh and just start writing, so that's what I'll try to do.

And again- see my last post and PLEASE read and comment on the stories I've posted! I want any input I can get- I'll note that the game-run writeups I'm less concerned with critiques on- they just exist as records for the game worlds. :)

* Kaiser Wilhelm had NOT supported his treaty obligations after the assassination of Duke Ferdinand, instead pushing for a peaceful settlement of the matter? (I think WWI would still have happened, but it would have been delayed)

* The Allied Powers had listened to Wilson and NOT crushed Germany's economy with war reparations, and had instead rebuilt the nation?

* The Weimar Republic had prevented Hitler from becoming Chancellor of Germany?

* Chamberlain had vigorously opposed the annexation of the Sudetenland?

* Britain and the USSR hadn't placed Mohammad Reza as Shah of Iran in WWII?

* The State of Israel had been founded by negotiations with Palestine, rather than annexation? Or alternatively, what if the new State of Israel had been created on neutral territory elsewhere in the world?

* Castro had not been treated as a pariah by the United States and had been instead offered support and friendly relations?

* Eugene McCarthy had withdrawn from the 1968 race for the president and supported the candidacy of Humphrey?

* The United States had made a concerted push to switch to renewable energy during the 1973 Oil Crisis?

* The hostage rescue in Iran under Jimmy Carter had succeeded?

* Gore had won against Bush Jr. in the 2000 election?

* The focus of power had remained in Pakistan after 9/11, rather than being diverted into a profitless invasion of Iraq?

About what things might make the system in the United States better. The ideas I've had range from tax-reform to election reform to alterations in the structure of Judicial appointments. I'm putting them here, in no particular order for people to comment on.

Tax Reform. I'd like to see some form of flat tax. And I know that it'd temporarily screw a lot of tax-preparers and IRS agents, but this is something that we've really needed for a long time. From what I've heard this is close to what would work: Everyone of working age gets a base exemption of $20,000. That means the first 20k you earn is YOURS. Above that amount, all income regardless of source is taxed at a rate of 19-21%. The most any person's tax-burden could be reduced would be 50%, via charitable or political donations, home-improvement and whatnot. ALL income would be treated the same, save maybe for retirement-fund interest. I KNOW this is a simplistic form, but its sound in its base premise.

Term Limits. All Federal elected positions, House, Senate and President would be restricted to 3 terms or 10 years, whichever is less, consecutive. What this means is that any person could be elected to a particular position for 6 years (House) or 8 years (Senate or President) consecutively; this allows for a half-term for a Senator or President who is seated in case of the death or injury of a predecessor partway through a term. After that time, they couldn't run for that post again until at least one term had passed. One other restriction- in the case of the House and Senate, that would mean no playing 'musical chairs' , either- you do the allowed terms then are OUT of that side of Congress for at least a term. This is a constitutionally sound version of Term-Limits.

Election Reform All Federal elected positions would be subject to runoff elections where the percentage of difference between candidates is less than 2%. In additition, All such offices would be subject both to the 'no-confidence' vote, and to a 'ranked vote' system, thus allowing people to rank the candidates as to preference. This would lead to people having a better chance to express themselves and would yield candidates more in line with the desires of the population.

Next, abolish the Electoral College. We're one of the most literate nations on the face of the Earth- initially, the College was instituted because of the belief that the population of the United States, being mostly illiterate itinerant farmers and settlers, wouldn't be savvy enough to make an informed decision as to who the President should be. THat waas in a time with no rapid communication and limited (by our standards) educational prospects for the common citizen. Today we are quite capable of determining our fate without this conclave of elders holding our collective hands.

Further, All campaigns for whatever position, House, Senate or President should be limited to a maximum of 4 months campaign time, 6 months in the case of a presidential campaign. All viable candidates (or the 6 most viable) will receive federal funding for their races, including a total of 6 television ads and 12 radio ads. Airtime will also be provided for said ads, and all moneys shall come from a general fund. No individual or personal funds shall be allowed. Hopefully, this would level the playing field and remove the money-equation at least to some extent. Of all my ideas this is the one that admittedly needs a LOT of work and refinement.

Judicial Reform Really, for the most part the system works here. What I'd suggest is having the major Bar Associations be required to recommend their choices for Circuit and Supreme Court positions to the President, rather than the President making the choice and decision as a reward for political allies as seems to be the developing tendency. The President would have to choose from these recommendations, or reject them; if the list is rejected then a second set of recommendations would be presented. Thereafter the normal confirmation process currently in place would be used.

Social Security Reform. First off, remove Social Security from the General Fund by Amendment to the Constitution and forever separate it so that it can't be used as a 'slush' or 'hedge' fund by Congress or the President to support or cover spending by the Government. Next, institute a restoration plan, perhaps an additional 2-cents-a-gallon tax on all liquid fuels or similar, that feeds directly to the Social Security Fund. It wuldn't be fast, but it would eventually stabilize it.

Health Care Reform. Force all HMO's and other profit-oriented structures to divest all ownership in hospitals and clinics, providing temporary support for those facilities as needed. Have some of the facilities remain in private hands, but have a certain number in each city mandated to be in Government hands. These facilities would provide medical care to those who can't afford insurance and would be trauma centers and emergency-response centers. Put limits on the premiums required for malpractice insurance, and put controls on drud pricing. I know a lot of people don't like that idea because its 'government interference', but given that the majority of drug-development money actually comes from the government and NOT from the sale-price of medications, I think its warranted and needed. Too many go without in the US, when they shouldn't have to.

Anyway, these are just some of my ideas. Some are better than others, but its what I came up with for now. Some can be applied on a State level as well. :)

I heard about some commentary on the Forum above and it ticked me off because so many don't know anything about the hows and whys of Spider-Man the character, and the history thereof. So, I got kinda silly and put this up as a new thread. :) ataramos Told me of the comments, and its all her fault.

Oh, the url for the forum is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413300/ Scroll down toward the bottom of the page for the forum link.

Here we go- the thread is titled 'Notes for the Young'uns' :)

Spider-Man is a character about CHARACTER. As in, there is supposed to be pathos and humanity in the character- this is what distinguished him AS a character way back when- previously in the comics, super-heros weren't really people. They were two-dimensional characters wearing costumes going from one battle to the next, with no real development as people.

With Spider-Man, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee came up with someone who was a real person, rather than just a funky suit and flashy powers- Peter Parker had a LIFE outside the costume, and this created unending problems for him. In this, he became a great deal more REAL than the heros of the older comics. The appearance of Spider-Man marked a maturing of the genre of superhero comics and stories, moving them beyond the 'beat up the bad guy' stage to something where there were ramifications and effects to the actions of the hero.

As such, its not just about what villain will appear in the story. Its about the character and his life- Everything that Spider-Man does, affects in a very real way the life of Peter Parker and the people around him.

This being said, don't look for the more recent characters of the Marvel Canon showing up. It wouldn't do justice to the character. More than likely, they are going to stick with the 'classic' primary villains of Spider-Man. And I think that that is the best way to go, given the storyline so far in the first two movies. As a prediction, the Primary villain will likely be The Lizard, as Doctor Connors has been firmly established in the storyline, and the secondary villain (yes, I believe there WILL be a secondary villain this time) will be the second Green Goblin, aka Harry Osborn, as he discovers the truth of what happened with his father and Spider-Man...

A final comment- The Hobgoblin will NOT appear. He is a MUCH later character, and really was rather a secondary villain, never of the calibre of the original Goblin. Venom won't appear, as hes ALSO a far later character, and they'd have to create a whole new origin (Secret Wars stank like rotting fish). And John Jamison will NOT be a 'new' Venom. He, in the comics, became Man-Wolf, who is another possibility for a character, but I don't think they'll go that route.

Flame away, kids.