I took a quick glance at RedState this morning, as I was trying to learn about conservative views on alternative energy and energy policy. Naturally, I couldn't find anything other than the occasional mention of the need to drill for the meager amounts of oil that we know to be in ANWR, and which we vaguely hope to reside offshore.
I did find a couple of diaries about Superman however. Yes, that's right, Superman - fictional creation of a Canadian teenager and his American cousin. Conservatives, you see, are outraged that the fictional strongman is going to fictionally renounce his US Citizenship (where's the birth certificate?) so that his fictional actions are not mistaken for fictional US policy.
Sighing, I abandoned my quest to find a serious conservative writing about serious non-fictional issues, and settled in to read the scholarly essays of our peers. Josh LeGuern writes.
Yesterday it was revealed that DC Comics character and American icon Superman would be renouncing his US citizenship in the landmark 900th issue of his long running and original book, Action Comics. Now before you go on thinking that Superman renounces his citizenship because he detests America and her principles, think again, He does so to distance his actions from those of the US government after he intervenes in a Middle East protest when the US government refuses to. The dictator of the country sees it as an act of war on behalf of the US. But before you go on thinking you can see where he’s coming from, ultimately, Superman still believes in America, but doesn’t believe it’s enough anymore. Superman prefers to see himself as a citizen of the universe (sound familiar?)
And no its not just the usual RedState freak-out. Even the Weekly Standard is wigging out.
All of these stories work because Superman believes in, and is part of, America. Once he’s a “citizen of the universe” what, exactly, will he believe in? Heck, what does “citizen of the Universe” even mean? Will Superman now adhere to the Tamaran code of honor? Will he follow the Atlantean system of monarchy? Does he believe in liberté, égalité, fraternité, or sharia? Does he believe in British interventionism or Swiss neutrality? You see where I’m going with this: If Superman doesn’t believe in America, then he doesn’t believe in anything.
While conservatives no doubt see great meaning in citizenship's impact on Doomsday's rampage through Metropolis, and debate the morality of a citizen of the universe keeping the bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor at the Fortress of Solitude, we have a number of issues to solve in the real world.
- The stalling recovery
- Libya and Afghanstan
- High gas prices
- Climate change
- The falling US dollar and the potential loss of status as reserve currency
I could go on, but well... I guess there's nothing on that list as exciting as the issue of whether to let Lex Luthor transport water from Earth to the planet Lexor.