Thoughts From The Republican Presidential Debate

So tonight CNN hosted another debate between the many Republican Presidential candidates. I watched this debate, and these are my thoughts on the candidates and their opinions/thoughts/responses. Thoughts are organized by candidate.

***

Donald Trump:

• Way to insult a fellow candidate (Rand Paul) in your first statement, Trump. Classy. Also, if Americans thought we needed a businessman, we might've elected Mitt Romney. Just saying. Mr. Romney's business background was quite a point of contention when he ran. People were asking, "Do we really want a businessman as a President?" And, ya know, he was actually competent. Just saying. 
• Ad hominem, thy name is Donald Trump.
• CNN asks: What makes Trump qualified to be Commander-in-Chief? Wow, CNN, that's... actually a very good question. What does make him qualified? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
• To answer the question no one seems to want to answer, I for one would not be comfortable with Trump controlling anything in our government, let alone the nuclear trigger. 
• Mr. Trump [on the topic of casino gambling in Florida]: "If I'd wanted it, I would've gotten it. I know my people." Hmm. HMMM. What could this statement possibly say about Mr. Trump's business practices?  We just don't know.
• I'm starting to think Trump is allergic to giving a straight answer to a question. It's like he's physically incapable of giving an actual answer rather than, I don't know, dodging and stalling by talking about tangentially connected topics.
• Trump claims that when he commented on Fiorina's face, he was commenting on her persona; Fiorina retorts that Trump heard Jeb Bush's comment about woman's health very clearly; and she, and the other women of the US, heard his comment about her appearance very clearly. 
• Donald Trump wants to build a wall between USA and Mexico. How. Why. I mean, yes, we do need to build up border security, as other candidates have pointed out. But. Why is this such a talking point for Trump. How would you logistically even do this. We just don't know. 
• Mr. Trump, you took heat about your immigration remarks because they were pretty inflammatory and racist.
• And Trump didn't actually answer the question. (I'm gonna keep a count of this, I swear I am.) He talks big, but says absolutely nothing about how he'll do his immigration reforms and how much it'll cost. 
• CNN asks: Did Trump go too far when he suggested Bush's views on immigration are influenced by his Mexican-born wife? Yes. Yes he did. 
• And then he doesn't apologize to Mrs. Bush (who is there at the event), because he "knows he's right". Barf. 
• CNN asks: Trump has criticized Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail; what's wrong with speaking Spanish? There is nothing wrong with speaking Spanish. In other news, Donald Trump is trash.
• Trump claims, among other things, that "We need assimilation to have a country." There are just. So many problems with that statement. I don't even know where to start. 
• If Trump is so against people coming to America to have "anchor babies", how does he propose we change the laws? How do we then initiate citizenship?
• CNN asks: What is Trump's response to Rubio saying his failure to know details about some US enemies is "very concerning"? Answer: Trump dodges the question, stalls, and deflects by saying that the government now knows those details and is failing. Question Dodging Counter: I don't know, 5?
• Trump Ad Hominem Counter: 6? Maybe? He jabs at Rubio's voting record while "rebutting" Rubio's statement. 
• Trump says, "I'm a very militaristic person, but you have to know when to act"; he claims he's "the only person on this dais that opposed our going into Iraq." 
• When the camera is on most of the candidates, this looks like an actual presidential debate. When it's on Trump, it instantly becomes a circus. This is terrible. 
• CNN asks: Should Trump stop saying that vaccines are linked to autism? Yes. Yes he should. As Mr. Carson says, there have been multiple studies with no link found to autism. The one study that claimed this was debunked.
• Trump claims that his Secret Service codename would be "Humble". Ha. Hahaha. 
• Conclusion: With this amount of logical fallacies, question-dodging, and general blowhard-ishness, Donald Trump yet again proves himself to be totally incapable and undeserving of this office. I don't know, guys. I'm pretty sure I could debate better than this guy. 

Ben Carson:

• Seriously guys, if you want a candidate who's not a sellout to donors, BEN CARSON. YOU WANT BEN CARSON. NOT DONALD TRUMP.
• Trump is the definition of a powerplaying billionaire political donor.
• Dr. Carson also points out that deporting all immigrants would be really hard and not too cost-effective.
• Ben Carson points out that the immigration strategy in Arizona works amazingly well, and that we shouldn't reinvent the wheel; if a strategy works, why don't we implement it nationwide?
• Carson says that we need to create a better minimum wage rate by getting people from both sides of the debate to agree on a good rate; and we need two rates:  a "starter" and a "sustainer".
• Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong. 
• Ben Carson: "There are smart ways to do things, and there are muscular ways to do things, and sometimes you need to look at both to come up with a solution."
• Carson does admit that we need to space out vaccines and give them in lower doses, so as not to jeopardize small children's health. 
• Carson says his secret service codename would be "One Nation".
• Conclusion: Dr. Carson's analysis and solutions are mostly spot-on. I still support this guy, and if I was old enough to vote, I would vote for him. 

Jeb Bush:

• Jeb Bush mentions the multiple non-Planned Parenthood organizations that work in woman's health, and maintains that these are the organizations we need to fund, not Planned Parenthood. 
• Jeb Bush retorts: On the topic of Trump's judgement, he claimed Ms. Clinton was the best person to negotiate Iraq, and that this level of naivete is dangerous in today's world. 
• Jeb Bush: "We don't have to be the world's policeman; but we do need to be the world's leader."
• Bush says that we need Supreme Court Justices who have an extensive record and reputation of willingness to uphold the Constitution. "We can't do this [appoint Supreme Court Justices] in a politically expedient way anymore."
• Conclusion: Eh... I'm pretty ambivalent, to be honest. 

Carly Fiorina

• You go, Carly Fiorina. I didn't know much about you before today, but I'm liking you more and more as this debate goes on. 
• If I wasn't such a supporter of Ben Carson, I'd probably vote for Ms. Fiorina. 
• Ms. Fiorina makes an excellent point about politicians having been in a corrupt system. "You know what a leader does? They challenge the status quo.... This is about changing the system." 
• Carly Fiorina lays down some truth on the subject of Vladimir Putin and how he won't listen to anything other than a show of strength. Not only is she completely right about what we should do, but she's incredibly decisive and smart about her hypothetical solutions. Take note, Mr. Trump. 
• Fiorina has a very decisive, very definitive plan for dealing with Iran. (1. Reaffirm that we are on Netanyahu's side; 2. Inform Iran leadership that if they don't open their nuclear facilities to any and all inspection by American forces, we will make it as hard as possible to them to function economically.)
• You go, Ms. Fiorina. Take Trump down. 
• Fiorina correctly points out that immigration didn't magically become an issue because Trump made inflammatory remarks about it. 
• Fiorina points out that it will take an enormous amount of effort to repeal the 14th Amendment, and in the meantime, "anchor babies" will continue to happen.
• Fiorina points out that Trump filed for bankruptcy four times; why would we put a person with that record in charge of an already-catastrophic national debt?
• Fiorina points out that she has many more achievements than Hilary Clinton, and that she doesn't have the track record of dishonesty. 
• Why does everyone keep trying to interrupt/cut off Ms. Fiorina? I mean, she's certainly not the only one--everyone's talking over their time, I think--but Trump in particular seems to keep trying to interrupt her, moreso than any of his male opponents. 
• On putting a woman on the $10 bill, Ms. Fiorina says that ultimately it's an empty gesture, and that the country will be better off when we recognize the potential and freedoms of women in the US. 
• Conclusion: As stated, I didn't know hardly anything about Ms. Fiorina before tonight; but in the span of about three hours, she greatly impressed me. I am completely willing to support Ms. Fiorina, and I really hope she'll continue past primaries. 

Marco Rubio:

• Mr. Rubio points out that a president needs to be able to lead the country on their very first day in office. 
• Conclusion: ???

Ted Cruz:

• Cruz dodges the question about the government shutdown by talking about the Planned Parenthood videos. Which everyone knows about. 
• Cruz sticks up for Spanish-speaking immigrants and talks about his grandfather, who was an immigrant, and who spoke Spanish. Good for you, Mr. Cruz.
• Cruz claims that the answer to the minimum wage program is to help people get the education they need for a better job. But where does the money for that education come from?
• Conclusion: ???

Scott Walker:

• Good for you, Scott Walker. You call Trump out on his crap. I'm probably not gonna vote for you, but I like the points you're making. 
• I feel like that was an ad hominem that Trump just used against Scott Walker. It probably was.
• Conclusion: ???

Rand Paul:

• Rand Paul: "I don't think we need to be rash; I don't think we need to be reckless; and I think we need to leave the lines of communication open." Good thought. 
• Rand Paul points out that toppling dictators often destabilizes countries, and our actions against dictators in the Middle East have been catastrophic. I probably won't vote for him, but I like the points he's making. 
• Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong.
• Rand Paul says that the "boots on the ground" in Iraq need to be Iraqi boots. He says that we need to defend American interests rather than fight an never-ending war. If the conflict goes on, we need to equip people native to the area to carry it on.
• Rand Paul points out that the poor people are going to jail for marijauna use, and that people in prison are often African-American or Hispanic, while rich teenagers are getting away with drug use. Mr. Paul thinks that the federal government should not override the states' rights to legalize marijuana; however, he is in favor of not incarcerating drug users and treating it as an illness rather than a crime. 
• Rand Paul says that it is hypocritical to put poor people in jail for marijuana, while letting rich kids off for more or less the same. 
• Conclusion: Rand Paul has some good points, but in my opinion he doesn't have quite enough merit or momentum to do amazingly. (Although he really doesn't deserve to be dissed by Donald Trump.)

Chris Christie:

• Chris Christie points out the infighting in this debate: the candidates' real issues aren't with each other, but with Democratic candidates and their values. 
• Chris Christie says that we need to secure the border and up surveillance of the visa system. But he does point out that deporting all illegal immigrants is an extreme, unrealistic, unattainable goal.
• Chris Christie promises to prosecute Ms. Clinton, both at the R vs. D debates and if he becomes President. 
• Christie says that he is for rehabilitation rather than incarceration, but he disagrees with Paul's statement that "the only victim of drug use is the user". 
• Conclusion: He's... okay? I guess? He made some good points? But there's really not that much distinguishing him from the other candidates?

John R. Kasich:

• In the words of my mom, Kasich doesn't seem like a politician; Cruz does. 
• Kasich is in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood, but isn't for shutting down the government  to force a solution (good for him). 
• Kasich points out that he worked on an economic plan that left the US with billions in surplus and a booming economy.
• Kasich points out the ideological battle with ISIS, and our need of a public condemning of the ISIS mentality. 
• Conclusion: See the conclusion for Chris Christie.

Mike Huckabee:

• I'm getting some slippery slope vibes from Mike Huckabee's argument on the Iran deal. Threatening the fabric of Western civilization? Really? Really? I know this is an ineffective deal and its outcome may be dangerous, but the very fabric of Western civilization? That seems hyperbolic.
• Mr. Huckabee points out that in the case of Kim Davis, she swore to uphold the law under the Constitution of Kentucky, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman. And furthermore, the Supreme Court isn't allowed to make up a redefinition of law like gay marriage out of thin air. 
• Huckabee says that a president needs to declare war on heart disease, cancer, alzheimer's, and diabetes, as these are taking the most lives in America. 
• Conclusion: ?? ????

And a general thought:

• Not that this necessarily means anything, but the candidate lineup seems really tokenistic. We have one white woman... one black man... two (white-passing) Cuban-American men... and a bunch of white guys. Hmm. 

***

...And that concludes my thoughts on this presidential debate. (I honestly didn't know this would end up so long. Sorry about that.) Feel free to weigh in with your opinions in the comments! And remember: Donald Trump sucks. Vote Carson for President 2016.

@Marvel: Seriously, Guys. You Need to Rethink Some of Your Decisions.

To start this off, I would just like to point out that I am a fan of Marvel. I don't hate them; I just think they could do better in certain areas. And I'm willing to point those shortcomings out, even as I enjoy their productions.

That having been said: Marvel, would it kill ya to add some diversity to your movie lineup?

I mean, Rescue was an awesome first addition to the MCU, but Pepper Potts has had three of her own films and two ensemble movies by now--when is Tony Stark/Iron Man going to get his own film? And I love Jane Foster as much as the next person (Darcy Lewis makes an awesome villain), but after two movies, I'm starting to wonder what a story centered around Thor would look like.

And I love Isaiah Bradley, believe me, but he's gotten two movies and we haven't seen hide nor hair of Steve Rogers--who, may I remind you, came from the same time period. (Oh well, at least we got Sharon Carter as a major player in the last Captain America movie. She might even become an Avenger now!)

Admittedly, moving from Ronda Rousey to Anne Hathaway as She-Hulk in The Avengers was a good move. Ms. Hathaway really embodies the character and she's one of my favorites. But what about Bruce Banner? I mean, he is her cousin and all. You'd think he might have been hanging around somewhere, even if he hasn't become the Incredible Hulk in that universe yet.

And now we've got a movie about the Wasp coming out this summer. As though a 5:1 ratio of women to men in The Avengers wasn't enough. As though the fans haven't been begging for a Hawkeye movie since his first appearances. That's bad enough, but it appears that in this new movie, Ant-Man--a founding member of the Avengers and core character--has been killed off before the film even opens. Way to take out a potentially interesting, diverse character from the get-go, Marvel.

And Fox: you're not off the hook either. Just because you have a bigger line up per-movie, doesn't mean you're inherently more diverse. I mean, I know Halle Berry is a great actress, and people are pretty much guaranteed to watch anything with Storm in it, but isn't it time to give Hugh Jackman his own movie? And way to sideline your male characters in the prequels, just so you can focus more on the conflict between Moira MacTaggert and Mystique. At least Magneto got to be the villain for a change in X-Men: Days of Future Past. And by the way, why would you put Scarlet Witch in the movie without Quicksilver? Why would you even do that?
(By the way, that "Magic fixes everything" scene in DoFP was totally gratuitous. Awesome, but gratuitous.)

Oh well. At least X-Men: Apocalypse is coming. We're guaranteed to get Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Colossus in that, and hopefully Magneto won't get sidelined too badly.

And then... Sony. Sony, Sony, Sony. We've had two different Spider-Girl movie franchises, with another on the way, and you've had yet to show us anyone other than Anya Corazon. Where are Miles Morales and Peter Parker? Sure would be nice to know that they exist.

I don't know, guys. I don't feel like I'm asking for a lot here. All I want is some actual representation here--more than just token characters and love interests. (By the way, way to go with Guardians of the Galaxy, guys. A bunch of female characters and one token guy--now where have we seen that before?) This isn't hard, guys. All it takes is looking at other characters from the comics, stepping outside your comfort zone, and maybe acknowledging that everyone wants to be represented--not just your select group.

Good day.

There was a shooting in Charleston.

I'm sure you've heard about it. A 21-year-old man walked into Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston and killed nine people. The shooter was white. All of the victims, including state senator Clementa Pinckney, were black.

This saddens me. Of course it does. This should sadden everyone, though God knows we've had enough incidents like this to be numb to it by now. And more than that, this has disillusioned me.

Because this shooting, as heinous and horrific as it is, is not the first racially motivated crime to have been committed recently. Heard about the Baltimore Riots? Those began after a black man died in police custody. "I Can't Breathe" became a symbolic phrase after Eric Garner was choked to death by the NYPD. (And he wasn't the only one.) Have you heard the name Tamir Rice? Probably not, because the police probably don't want you to know that a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by a Cleveland officer.

If I sound angry, it's because I am. This keeps happening and happening and happening again, and each time I hope that this time it'll be different. That this time, people will wake up and look around and see the dystopia we've created, where a police officer walks free after killing a seven-year-old black girl.

At least this time, with this shooting in Charleston, people are paying attention and acknowledging that yes, this monster was racially motivated. But how long is this going to last? Eventually this story will fade--they always do. Some other newsworthy event will happen and we'll stop talking about this one. And when the next incident of police brutality happens, maybe we'll just ignore it.

Because people like pretending. We like to pretend that there's this order of things, that the cops are the good guys, and if they're accosting someone, that person must be the bad guy. We like to think that if someone can just walk into a church and shoot people point-blank, then that someone must be mentally ill, because no one is monstrous enough to just do that.

But we're lying to ourselves. We're pretending, and it's all a facade. Cops can be just as dishonest and, dare I say it, racist as anyone else. Some people really are monstrous enough to go into a church and shoot people. (The Charleston shooter was not mentally ill.)

We like pretending, and when something doesn't match the narrative, we're happy to just ignore it. Media outlets will call a criminal mentally ill, a loner, delusional, anything to avoid calling him a racist and a terrorist. We're happy to listen them, maybe remark on how sad it is, and then wait for the buzz to die down so we can go back to talking about celebrities and cats.

This will happen again, you know. It'll probably happen many more times before we finally wake up and realize what's going on. Ferguson and Charleston will both happen again, I think, and there will be a lot of people who never receive justice.

I'm sick of this. I want to wake up now and find this all to be a bad dream. I wish I didn't feel compelled to pray protection over people on the street, just because they're dark-skinned. I wish I could have prevented some of this, somehow. I wish there was more I could do.

There's not a lot I can do, actually. But I will pray for the survivors in Charleston, and the families of those who were shot. And I will ask you to do the same. Don't ignore this. Please, don't ignore this. Talk about it. Raise awareness. And maybe someday, things will change.

Until then, I'll keep praying and thinking and talking.

God bless.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (Heck Yeah!)

*Warning: The following post contains multiple spoilers.*

I just got back from Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Yeah. That's right. The movie I raved about before it even hit theaters. The movie I've been waiting months for. The movie I was so excited for.

Was it all I hoped and dreamed it would be?

To an extent, yes.

Age of Ultron was good. It had its great moments, and I'd say it lived up to the first Avengers film. But it had its downsides, too... and I guess that's what I'm here to talk about. And believe me, I've got a lot to talk about. So get up, grab a tasty beverage, use the bathroom, and find a comfy seat, 'cause this is going to be a long post.

***

Age of Ultron: The Good

• The action scenes were amazing--but then, I suppose that's par for the course with a Marvel movie. From the Hulk to Scarlet Witch, those scenes were beautifully animated and great the watch. I wish Quicksilver had gotten more scenes, but overall it was awesome. 
• Ultron and the Vision were both very well-characterized. It was really highlighted that Ultron had all of Tony Stark's flaws and none of his qualities, and the Vision felt--poignant. Clear. And the extremely human-like AI of both characters kept them very interesting, moreso than the usual robot characters you find in sci-fi.
• The dialogue was, as with the previous movie, quite entertaining. The "language" running gag was particularly great. 
• Speaking of dialogue, I just loved the pep talk that Hawkeye gave to Scarlet Witch during the final battle. It ranged from inspiring ("You stay in here, you're good, I'll send your brother back for you... but if you step outside, then you fight and you fight to the death...") to hilarious and very on-point ("We're fighting robots. In a flying city. And I've got a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense!"). It was just... beautiful... and I really loved it. 
• I was thrilled to see War Machine and Maria Hill as a part of the Avengers. Though I really, really wish that the Falcon could've gotten more than one appearance during the party... why didn't he stay?
• And on that note, I loved the bit at the end implying that the Avengers will now include the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and War Machine. 
• I did like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, too... but more on them later. 
• And Dr. Helen Cho. I loved her, and I'm so glad she's not dead. Hopefully she'll be in later installments, because she was great and somewhat-underutilised character. 
• The fact that the Avengers were desperately trying to save civilian lives was a fantastic touch; a good counterbalance to the obvious death and destruction that was all around. 
• And I enjoyed seeing Hawkeye's family... but again, more on that later. 

Age of Ultron: The Bad

• I liked Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, I really did. They were fun to watch and they were pretty well characterized. But... I don't feel that they were as well done as they could have been.
  For one thing, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were Jewish and Romani in the comics. That doesn't seem to have carried over to the movie universe; there was nothing that might have indicated that they were anything other than Eastern European and white. (Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the actors in these roles, are both white, though Taylor-Johnson is, apparently, Jewish.) 
• I'm still mad about the apparent erasure of Hawkeye's deafness. In the comics he is (was? I'm pretty sure he is) 80% deaf. In the movies, nope, apparently he's 100% able-bodied and able to hear. And that irks me. The reveal that he does have a family, that he's got this sort of other life... that could've been the perfect place to show him practicing sign language with his kids, or something... anything. But no. There was nothing, and at this point, this far into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm starting to resign myself to the fact that we aren't going to get 80% deaf Clint Barton. 
• Okay, this point right here is long and complicated and somewhat spoilery, so if you feel like skipping it... actually, don't skip it, because I think this is important.
  Awhile back I did a review of Bramblestar's Storm, one of the more recent installments in the Warriors series. If you've read that review, you'll remember that I was quite disgruntled about the reveal that Squirrelflight really can have kits.
  Well, I never thought that I would see the same problem in a Marvel movie and a Warriors book, but there it is and here we are.
  You see, in this movie there's a blossoming subplot that details a romance between Natasha Romanov (Black Widow) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk, obviously). In one of their scenes, Banner mentions that he wouldn't be able to father children if they were married. Natasha then reveals (in conjunction with a memory/flashback she had earlier) that she was forcibly sterilized as part of her training--that she physically cannot have children, either. She then asks Bruce, "Still think you're the only monster on the team?"--implying that she is a monster... because she can't have children.
  I don't like the implications here.
  Watching the scene, I got the feeling that Natasha Romanov has seen herself as monster for a long time; because of all that she's gone through and all that she's done. But the highlight in this scene--and, indeed, in her flashback--was the sterilization. In this scene, there is a very real implication that because she cannot have children, Natasha considers herself a monster.
  And I don't like that.
  As I stated in the Bramblestar's Storm review, there are women all over the world who can't have children, for one reason or another. Not only is this insulting and dismissive towards them, it's basically saying that real women who have been forcibly sterilized are, if not monsters, then something unnatural. That's not right. And while Age of Ultron doesn't outright equate children with a happy, loving marriage (the way Bramblestar's Storm did), the implications behind this scene are not good. 
• I kind of feel that Helen Cho was shoved aside and not allowed to play a huge part in the plot. Don't get me wrong; I was thrilled with her character, and honestly she had a bigger role to play than I thought she would. But then she was brainwashed by Ultron. And (literally) shoved to the side so that he could head out and enact his plans. And wounded so she couldn't help the Avengers anymore. (On the one hand, I was so scared she would die, and I'm thrilled she didn't, but really. I'm seriously hoping she comes back and does more in later movies.)

***

Conclusion

I really, really liked Avengers: Age of Ultron, for all the reasons listed. It had action, it had humor (Maria Hill's "*cough*Testosterone*cough*" comment...), the plot was pretty good, Ultron was well characterized...

And yet. 

And yet Wanda and Pietro Maximoff had their race (apparently) changed, for no reason that I can see. And yet Joss Whedon (the writer of this film) is still ignoring Hawkeye's disability. And yet Helen Cho was pushed to the side to make room for Ultron and Vision and Thor and Quicksilver's death. And yet Natasha is called--calls herself--a monster for having been sterilized. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a good movie--maybe even a great one, in terms of entertainment value and fun. But it had its flaws. And for those, I give it three and a half stars out of five. 

I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I really do. And for that reason, I hope that the movies will only improve from here. For they have their flaws and their failings. But then--as the Vision tells Ultron in the film--perhaps there is grace in their failings. For that, I can always hope.