We want to think that because our leaders share our core idealogy (conservative, for example), that that person is like you. But that isn’t necessarily true. The candidate might be a conservative, but might also be a coward. A candidate may be “Liberal” but corruptible and without moral center. In my experience, the traits of the individual trump the political leanings every time.

It is the natural position of humanity to gloss over the faults of our leaders. We do it all the time, choosing to put the “good” of a person over the “bad” indiscretions they may have had or mistakes they’ve made. This tendency seems to go into hyperdrive during the political season as each side of the aisle looks for the focal point of their ideaology. The problem we tend to run into is when we focus so much on our need for an idealogical figurehead that we forget about the actual person we are placing that belief in. The bitter truth of the matter is, we don’t elect an idealogy. We elect a person. A belief is unfailing — it can never let you down as long as you continue to believe in it. But a person… well, not one of us is perfect and each one of us have made mistakes.

If you have doubts about a candidate’s character, you’ve got to take that seriously. Immediately take stock of why you’re backing that person. Is it becuase you feel you can trust them, or is it because you think they represent your political beliefs? I’ve known many leaders in my time — a few good and, unfortunately, more bad — and I can assure you, always favor the one you trust. Always. Poltical ideaology is one thing, but personal integrity is the real heart of leadership. If you don’t feel in your gut that a particular candidate has the pure intestinal fortitude to make the right call — not for himself, but for the country — than you might want to reconsider.

When Sen McCain ran against G.W. Bush in the primaries in 2000, he had my full support. I believed in him and I wanted him to win. He didn’t win, though, and that’s a shame. Not just because of a lost opportunity, but because of what it did to the political landscape. When he ran again in 2008, I didn’t vote for him. Why? Because he had altered himself so entirely from his previous run that I couldn’t trust him anymore. You see, he was willing to compromise his integrity to get that nomination, to satisfy “the base.” Some will make excuses for that, saying he had to play the political game to win — I call bull shit on that. You are who you are and you stand and be counted. If the people want you, they will vote for you. All you can be is yourself. To be otherwise is fraud, in my opinion.

The government is “for the people BY the people”, not “for the people BY an ideology.” Know WHO you are voting for, not just WHAT you are voting for.

While I would never advocate forgetting the sacrifices of soldiers, I don’t think we should treat this holiday as a dark, sad, and somber day overshadowed by death. That’s not what America is about and it’s not what we fought for. As one who has survived, I am saying to you, the citizenry — have a blowout BBQ on me. I mean it, smiles all around. Memorial Day SHOULD be a day of memory, just not a sad one.

I do ask one thing, one token of remembrance for veterans across this country from all wars and times — set aside a plate for them. Whether you have been personally affected by a veteran’s death, know someone who has, or just want to honor the idea of a veteran, go ahead and set aside a place setting and leave it empty in their memory. This is what we do during military functions and I think it’s appropriate for everyone on Memorial Day.

You see, we don’t want people to be sad on Memorial Day. We want you all to be happy. Celebrate your freedom! Have fun! Go to the pool, head to the beach, party in the mountains. And, if you’re going to have a BBQ, make it huge, with all the food, sides, and trimmings! It’s what we fought for. And when you look over and see that empty place setting, don’t be sad. Instead, think of a funny story you remember of them and share it. Please, remember your veterans, but don’t mourn us. Not today.

Have a great Memorial Day!

The first time I heard this song I was deployed to Iraq. I sent Lisa the song and we both kept it on our “When we’re apart” playlist. As she’s apart from me now, I’ve been thinking of it. If you’re apart from someone, give it a listen and maybe you’ll add it to your playlist. Here it is, “Sleeping to Dream” performed live by Jason Mraz:

And, for God’s sake, if you’re in management and dealing with a bored worker, don’t fall into that crap about “showing the person their part in the bigger picture.” Workplace boredom has nothing to do with the bigger picture — it’s all about having nothing worthwhile to do at the individual level! People need challenges, they need creativity, they need autonomy, and they need purpose. Find ways to give them those things — and, if you can’t, find a way to get them. Even if it’s in a different department.

For those who are bored, it’s not all your boss’ or your company’s fault. Don’t just sit there and surf Facebook util your shift ends. Take some stock in your life, a deep look in the mirror, and decide to etiher get in the game or find another game to play. There’s plenty of work to do and your talents are needed somewhere by someone. Don’t like where you are now? Figure out a plan to get where you want to be and start focusing on making that happen — one of the best cures for boredom is a goal. It might even be time to find your own thing to do — and that will definitely keep you busy!

One last video on this subject, as Dan Pink does such a exceptional job at explaining the truth behind human motivation in the workplace. Great find, only takes a few minutes to watch — and those few minutes are worth it to keep from having to dig bullets out of your walls!

Anyway, I had pretty much given up on U2 for the most part until, for some reason, I saw they had given a live concert at Slane Castle in Ireland. As I’m a music concert DVD kind of guy, I asked for it as a gift for Christmas — and when I watched it I was blown away! Especially the version of this song, New Year’s Day. And if you have any Irish blood in you and aren’t completely floored by the part with Bono and the flag, you’d better see a doctor because your heart must have stopped.

So here it is, enjoy!

ADM Kardon, Vice Admiral in the Detarran Empire

Since childhood, Uric Kardon dreamed of sailing the stars, conquering worlds for the glory of the Detarran Empire.  Detarra had perfected the use of hyperdrive technology, developed viable shield capability, and had just started its push into other galaxies.  As a young fleet officer, Uric had ushered colonists to far off worlds, supporting and protecting them during first stage terraforming.  He has navigated the galaxy for 27 cycles, and only feels truly at home among the stars.

When the Detarran Empire decided to embark on the colonization of an occupied world, they turned first to their most experienced Admiral.  Seeing his childhood dream becoming a reality, Admiral Kardon could only accept.  The construction of the Fleet took another 6 cycles to complete, and the Admiral kept pace each step of the way, involved in everything from guild negotiations to personnel assignments.  No detail passed without scrutiny for the first conquering fleet of Detarra.  For Uric Kardon, with no mate and no heirs, history would be the only mark his name would leave behind.

Admiral Kardon chose Ketarra as their first target due to the rich mineral resources and low comparative technology of the inhabitants.  The challenges were largely expected to be technical, and the assault was intended to be a field test of their attack and exploitation methods.  They were not expecting an encounter with a Guard…

Occupation: Industrial Designer

Skill/Contribution: Artist

Location: New York, NY, USA

Website: www.girlsquadx.com

Roland Brown is an industrial designer and illustrator based in New York City. He has been working in the design field for 20 years, and also works part time as a pole dancing instructor. Roland has been drawing underground comics as personal art projects in his spare time since the late 1980′s.

What got you into comics?
A love of storytelling and drawing

How did you learn your trade?
I’m mostly Self-taught, though I’ve been lucky to have worked with very talented artists and designers over the years, and was able to pick up a lot by looking over their shoulders.

What tools/equipment do you use (hardware and software)?
Pen or brush and ink, watercolor, Photoshop, and Painter. I also use a digital camera to take lots of reference photos.

What was your favorite comic as a kid?
The biggest influence on my childhood comic sensibilities was probably Vaughn Bode’s beatnik-psychedelic “Junkwaffel”, but I read all of the underground comics that were coming out in the 60′s and 70′s with a voracious appetite. In my early teens, I was obsessed with the work of Moebius, Richard Corben, and Philippe Druillet.

Who is your greatest comic influence?
In terms of drawing style, I am probably most strongly indebted to Gaetano Liberatore. As far as the sensibilities of artistic expression and design, I am also strongly influenced by the work of Francois Shuiten, Lorenzo Mattotti, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Silvio Cadelo.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in comics?
Learn classical and commercial drawing and painting, preferably in a well-respected art school. Find as many mentors as you can.

Other projects you’ve worked on:
Girl Squad X, Etherscape

Margaret Jessica Sterling (nee’ Carter), was born and raised in Carpinteria, CA, a small beach town just south of Santa Barbara. She spent her youth at the beach and working in her parent’s restaurant. She attended college at UC Santa Barbara, graduating with a BA in Literature from the school’s prestigious College of Creative Studies.

She used her gift for language writing marketing papers for various companies, eventually rising in her field to secure positions at prestigious ad agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, Fleishman Hillard, and MSCO. While working on a program for the NCSU sports teams, she literally ran into Michael Sterling at the NCSU University gym. Realizing there was more to life than work, she cashed out of her job, closed down her apartment in New York, and took to the slow life in the Carolinas.

A confident, sexy, intelligent woman, Margaret gave up her successful career in corporate America to marry MAJ Michael Sterling. Not tied down to any place, though longing to return to California, she wanted to start a family and enjoy the next phase of her life with a man she loved and admired. She was (and remains) very proud of her husband, but didn’t always agree with the service or how it treated him. As is very common with military marriages, she is the emotional counterpoint to her husband. She cries, she yells, she laughs – while he would hold it in, she is the emotional one who lets it out.

She was kept in the dark of most of the happenings at the ASP for security reasons. For the most part she was happy for her husband, as he seemed happy with what was happening at his work, but the constant medical treatments, surgeries, and secrecy began to concern her over time. Michael was changing, and while he was the same man she married, he was quickly becoming something else as well. His new strength caused accidents, his senses became overwhleming and painful to him. SHe tried to be supportive, but was unsure of what she could do to help. Combined with being separated from her friends and family and still adjusting to a non-working lifestyle, the stresses put an undue strain on their relationship. By August of 2007, she was relieved to see him deploy so he could do what he did and she could find some quiet time to adjust to her new life on her own terms. As in love with her husband as much as she had ever been, she was nonethless disappointed that marriage and family wasn’t all she had dreamed it would be.

Margaret was not informed of her husband’s accident, nor his subsequent return to the United States. It was the law firm secretly hired by Steve Callan who told her of her husband’s situation. When she was finally allowed to see him, she was horrified by what had happened. When it became apparent that she was the only person Michael would allow in close proximity, significant legal effort was brought to bear to secure his release into her custody.

Now she stays at home, probably drinks a little more than she should, and tries her best to care for her husband. While she always wanted children, this type of caretaking isn’t her – she perseveres, but is certainly not enjoying herself. Her days now are almost as if she was in prison. She can never leave for fear of what her husband may do. She is equally in fear of what others may risk to take him away from her. Her emotions now are a mix of love, fear, regret, and great sorrow. To fight the depression, she maintains her routine and lives in hope of some type of cure.

She tries everything with Mikey – books, movies, toys, video games. Anything to engage him. Always hopeful that one day he will simply wake up, and her husband will be returned to her.

Dresses very casual – designer sweats (juicy couture, VS Pink, etc), athletic clothes (Athleta, REI, Patagonia, etc), etc. Comfortable, but still feminine and sexy in a way. Has her hair back in a ponytail a lot. She maintains her sanity and stays in shape by running on a treadmill and using a spin bike. She runs a successful blog advocating for PTSD treatment and veterans rights.