So...our neighbors were kind enough to have us over for dinner, last night.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but my neighborhood is a very highly Democratic one.  They would like to say that they're Independent, but it's not true. 

Involved in dinner, were a few drinks.  Anyone that has been around me while I am drinking, particularly in an election year, knows that, if the conversation turns to politics, I can be very loud. 

Well...the conversation came to politics. 

An interesting comment was made by my neighbor, who is an Obama supporter.  I asked him, "What, really, do you know about John McCain?"  His answer..."I know he's a Republican."

Now, this is a sign to the Republican Party.  One I have been holding up for years.  They don't let their candidates be their own people.  Everyone has to tow the party line.  The Trent Lott years were particularly stupid.  I can remember as far back as 1996 when Lott and Newt were ganging up on my man for standing up to the tobacco industry. 

Back then, Democrats, Independents, and even many Republicans were cheering John McCain.  He's a "maverick," he stands up for what he believes in, even when his party disagrees or when it's not popular.

When did this change?  When did he become just another Republican?

The answer...he didn't.  He is still John McCain.  He has some moments early in the campaign when he worried the faithful by courting certain religious conservatives...but, we saw how that turned out when his campaign almost fell totally apart.  But, he came back to what he does best.  Straight Talk.  This is what I think.  I will listen to your concerns, and I will seriously consider them (how many politicians actually change their mind on something when the people convince him that he was wrong?  McCain did this on Immigration).  But...I may not agree with you.  And, if I don't, I will tell you exactly why. 

McCain is indeed a Republican.  The GOP has a great history of some GREAT Republicans.  Lincoln, Ike, Roosevelt, Reagan.  Because he's a Republican is a dumb reason to discredit someone.  McCain could be another great leader to bring the GOP back to where it should be.  If you're not going to vote for him because you don't agree with his policies, fine.  But, don't knock him out because you think Bush and the Party screwed you over.

Remember Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.  It's kinda like that.  Meaning, it makes you think less of the movies that came before it. 

George Lucas needs to take his Bazillions of dollars and go retire on his ranch.  I mean, seriously...how could 3 supposedly great film makers make something so crappy.  Spielberg...I used to like him.  What happened?  Harrison Ford...you created Indy.  How could you forget who he is. 

Why, really, was Karen Allen in this movie?  She and Shai Labeouf were clearly there simply to set up potential sequels involving Labeouf's character. 

I could tell you a million things wrong with this movie.  But, I'm just going to focus on the main problem.  The Story.  Temple of Doom was previously considered the worst of the Indy movies.  The story wasn't as exciting and the adventure wasn't as thrilling. 

This one...worse.  No kidding...I dozed off at one point.  Indiana Jones is always seeking something.  The quest this time involved something more Sci-Fi than archeology.  The quest was lame, the find was stupid, and so much made no sense.  Now...I don't go to a movie like Indiana Jones expecting everything to be provable.  That would be stupid.  But, this was beyond the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant.  I won't spoil it as I'm sure most of the world hasn't seen it, yet.  But, it's lame. 

Dumb Dumb Dumb.  Way to ruin a good thing. 

So...my dad and I were discussing this the other day.  I thought I would bring it up in my blog.

Years ago, my dad introduced me to the book Ender's Game, which remains, even after Harry Potter, my favorite book.  It's a great story about a brilliant child who is essentially raised and developed to be the savior of the world against an alien species apparently intent on destroying humanity.  Yeah, yeah...how Sci-Fi, I know.  But, it's more than just Sci-Fi.  It's psychology, it's suspense, it's emotional.  It's overall a great book.  Even my wife likes it, and she's a sap.

Anyway, so you have this hero, Ender (nicknamed by his infant sister because she couldn't pronounce Andrew).  Ender survives all the tricks thrown at him.  Puts up with things that would crack the average adult.  And, by the end of the book, he saves the day.  If you haven't read it, you really should.

The Ender series contains 4 books.  Ender's Game is easily the best.  The sequel, Speaker for the Dead, is almost just as good, but the story is COMPLETELY different, with the exception of Ender being the main character.  The final 2 in the series were so-so. 

But, the final books aren't where the problems lie.  The problems lie with the "Alternate" or "Shadow" books.  Almost 15 years after he published Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card, the author, decided to publish an alternate version of the story.  Told through the eyes of one of the smaller (no pun intended, but if you haven't read the book, you won't even see a pun here) characters from Ender's Game.  Ender's Shadow is told through the eyes of Bean.  In the original, Bean is a soldier in Ender's army.  Occasionally, he serves as a confidant of sorts for Ender.  But, that's it.  That's the extent of Bean.  In Ender's Shadow, Bean is essentially the hero.  Ender's Shadow makes it look like Ender wouldn't have been the hero if it weren't for Bean. 

Let me liken this to something a little more familiar.  Imagine if, 15 years from now, JK Rowling writes a story that implies that Harry wasn't really the hero.  It was only because of things done by Neville Longbottom that Harry was able to vanquish Voldomort.  Sure, Neville is an important character, and one we love for his own reasons...but, he's not the hero.  Harry is. 

Similar with Ender vs Bean. 

After reading Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card became my favorite author.  Now, that I am a little older and I have read more of his books, I wonder now if these stories were little more than a fluke.  I don't expect his other stories to move me the way Ender did...but, I at least expect them to have some kind of impact. 

Take Lost Boys, for example.  A large chunk of a chapter is spent arguing whether the plural form of Octopus is Octopuses or Octopi (for the record, he says Octopuses...also for the record, I have no clue, nor do I care). 

Now...I feel like OSC has realized that he hit the jackpot with Ender.  He is beginning to come out with some short Ender stories that he is releasing here and there.  I haven't read them all, but I have read a couple (Polish Boy and War of Gifts).  Polish Boy is about Ender's father and it's okay.  But, in War of Gifts, we see Ender again, and he's not the Ender I remember.  He's kind of a wimp.  The Ender I remember was indeed compassionate.  But, he was also a soldier.  He knew what his purpose was.  He wasn't a coddler.  He wasn't the type of person who would fake an injury just to get some time to talk to a person that wasn't even under his command. 

So...I am left torn at times.  Ender is the brain child of Orson Scott Card.  One would think that he knows Ender better than anyone.  So, did I misinterpret the character I met?  Because I feel like he's different than this new Ender.  And, I don't like this new Ender as much.  I mean...he seems like a nice guy, but he's not my hero, anymore. 

Or, maybe I did know Ender better.  And, my dad did.  And, millions of readers did.  Maybe OSC is now screwing him up.  If this is the case, I want him to stop.  I want Ender the way he was when he died, or whatever it was he did, in Children of the Mind.  I want the Buggers to be Buggers and not Formics (I seem to remember reading that this change was a response to the Starship Troopers movie). 

That's about all I got.  If you haven't read Ender's Game, it really is a fantastic story.  So is Speaker for the Dead.  If you get into Speaker enough, the last 2 of the series are good enough to finish the story line.  But, anything beyond that, stay away from.  Ender Wiggin is dead.  And, the person Speaking about him now didn't really know him. 

Ta-Ta.  More politics next week. 

So...I have donated to the John McCain campaign.  I made my donation a while ago when the Republican primaries were still in full swing.  I may or may not donate again (one of the instant realizations that comes with finding your going to have a kid is that you will need almost every penny you make until Jr. gets a job). 

Anyway, so, I donated money.  Not a lot, mind you.  It's not like I'm Norman Hsu, or something.  I was very proud of myself for contributing to something I believed in.  I have no interested in phone banking or knocking on doors, but I was happy to contribute to making those things happen by people who are willing to do it.

Now, however...I think the majority of my donation has probably been spent on trying to get me to donate, again.  Seriously...almost no day goes by without me arriving home to find an envelope from Senator John McCain.  This envelope usually contains a letter from the Senator or his campaign manager (or a letter that is supposed to be an e-mail from the campaign manager to Senator McCain telling McCain how important it is that he get his supporters to donate) talking about how much they need my help. 

Now...I am curious how many of these letters go out to donors.  Maybe a lot of people still live in the age of snail mail, but my donations were made online.  I have never once put a stamp on anything to the McCain campaign.  I don't even donate to charity through snail mail, anymore.  But, all this snail mail to all the doners has to run up a tab.  And...it adds more paper for me to recycle.  And, I am sure most people that receive it throw it in the garbage which, which I am certainly not supporting of.

So...Senator...go away.  When/If I am ready to donate again, I will.  But, I will do it on the website.  In the meantime...quit clogging my mailbox.