Jon's Blog

I learned today of a UCC church in Mason City, IA, that was vandalized sometime last night for promoting a recent performance by a gay men's chorus:

The vandalism at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 100 First St. N.E., apparently took place overnight or early Thursday morning, according to the Rev. Chuck Kelsey, pastor at the church. He said people reported seeing the spray paint on the sign early Thursday on their way to work.

The lettering on the sign outside the church was promoting a performance by the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus at the Sunday worship service Feb. 29. The lettering had not been changed following the service.

Kelsey said although something like this wasn't totally unexpected, it was disappointing. "I thought we were past that," he said.

The vandalism has been reported to the Mason City Police Department.

Not surprisingly, comments have been largely anti-gay and anonymous. For example: "The UCC is a totally apostate denomination. Hosting a homosexual choir during a 'worship service' is in line with their beliefs. They'd be more honest calling themselves Unitarians."

First Congregational UCC's pastor, Rev. Kelsey, was a pastor at a start-up church called Journey Church in neighboring Coralville, IA. I wrote about him and that church here, here, and here.

Here is another crazy culture war bill that has been submitted to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Representative Joe Fischer (R) of Fort Thomas, KY, filed HB 571, which would amend the Kentucky constitution to include the phrase: "Only a matrimony between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a matrimony in Kentucky."

This is accompanied by HB 572 (AKA the "Matrimonial Freedom Act"), which is 454-pages that clarify that anyone can marry, but only straight people can enter into "matrimony:"

As used and recognized in the law of the Commonwealth, “matrimony” refers only to the civil status, condition, or relation of one male human being (“husband”) and one female human being (“wife”) united in law for life, for the discharge to each other and the community of the duties legally incumbent upon those whose association is founded on the distinction of sex.

HB 572 then scours through all of Kentucky law and replaces any reference to "marriage" with "matrimony."For example:

The bill amends Kentucky statute 216.515, which addresses the rights of residents of long-term care facilities. Where that law grants married residents the right of private spousal visits as well as the right to a shared room with their spouse if they both live in the same facility, HB 572 replaces the word “is married” to “has entered into matrimony.” Thus, the law would only apply to married different-sex couples, not married same-sex couples.

In other words, he's trying to come up with a way to legally disenfranchise Kentucky's gay families by creating a new family structure (AKA "matrimony") and then amending the constitution from providing any familial rights, responsibilities, or benefits to those are haven't "entered into matrimony" (AKA gay families).

It's hard to believe, but Jonathan Merrifield has been producing the Riverdale Podcast every week for four years! Jonathan posted Riverdale Podcast #209 earlier this morning. This particular episode is longer than normal -- nearly one hour long -- and it features a special guest host: ME!

That's right! Jonathan and I got together earlier this week and recorded an AMA-style podcast. Fans of his podcast sent in several questions, ranging from "How did you get into podcasting?" to "Who's your favorite Archie Comics character?" to "Where is AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE?" to "Why did you stop producing podcasts for Archie Comics?" to "What kind of music do you prefer?" And lots of other questions also!!

You really need to check out this weekend's Riverdale Podcast #209 to hear all of the fun!!

Plus you get to hear which classic Archie Comics character that I would love to appear in the Relanched Archieverse! (Hint: Bubbles McBounce!!)

I was directed to a podcast called "That God Show" this morning. This particular episode shared the story of Amber Cantorna, the daughter of a Focus on the Family executive. On 04/14/12, she came out to her parents as a lesbian at age 27 -- and was subsequently shunned by her parents, brother, and most of the rest of her family:

But, as I sat one night with my journal in hand, heartbroken over the loss of my first love and all together confused as to how and why it all happened to begin with, I gathered my courage and told God I was ready to start walking the difficult road ahead. I prayed, studied and researched for months allowing everything I had believed up to that point to be re-examined. I talked to people on similar journeys and, in doing so, found those who were both completely in love with their same-sex spouse and also completely in love with God, without any conflict between the two. That was when I began to realize that there didn't have to be a dichotomy between my faith and sexuality, as I had been led to believe. Finally, after a long and difficult climb, the Scriptures in question settled in my heart, I found the answers I needed and knew that in God's eyes, I was not only accepted but also loved for exactly how He made me.

The odds were high, however, that my family would not feel the same. Anxiety, panic attacks and nightmares swelled as I approached the day where telling them my truth would disappoint and break the illusion of that "perfect Focus family". As I mustered every ounce of strength I had on that chilly April day, I looked my family in the eyes and said those three small, but life-altering words, "I am gay." With my exposed heart hanging in the air, I awaited their response. To my deep dismay, the only response that came out of my dad's mouth was, "I have nothing to say to you right now," and he walked out the door.

Amber's relationship with her family continued, though strained for a while. However, she eventually began dating another woman and it became serious. So the family ties were snipped, with the exception of one cousin and one uncle, both of whom maintained a supportive relationship with her.

She eventually married, but none of her family (with the exception of that cousin) attended the wedding. Much less, acknowledged it.

You can read the entire essay here.

I bring up this article because I've been mulling over my relationship with the Gay Christian Network lately. It's an online community that I engage with every week -- often daily. But I often wonder why, when dealing with gay Christians who have made the mental leap to figure out that God actually loves gays, but still cling to other repressive belief systems that limit the roles of women or even gay people/families within the church.

Back in January 2015, GCN founder Justin Lee announced that he planned to outreach to organizations such as Focus on the Family to seek their support and when it comes to situations where LGBT people are shunned from their evangelical Christian families. Listening to Justin's speech, it seemed like he was seeking to partner with FotF, though he was quick to clarify that this wasn't a partnership. This was merely reaching out to educate conservative and anti-gay organizations on the effects of their rhetoric on LGBT Christians and families. Not to change their opinions, but to get them to eventually moderate how they live out their beliefs.

I was quite angry when Justin announced his engagement with Focus on the Family. People got after me. I was told that I was being uncharitable towards an organization that has specialized in being uncharitable towards LGBT people throughout my entire adulthood. Basically, I was encouraged to shut up, sit back, and let Justin do his bit.

And then I read the first-hand essay of a lesbian who has been actively shunned by her evangelical parents for the past four years -- including a parent who is an executive within Focus on the Family; an organization that Justin has specifically reached out to and made social media updates about during the past year... And I'm wondering how effective his #LiveLoveOut outreach effort truly is.

Here is something that I don't think I've ever written about on this blog: I'm not a fan of the Kardashian family. I've never watched any of their reality TV shows, nor have I watched any of the spin-offs. Including Caitlyn Jenner's "I Am Cait." I've never watched a clip of their program. I generally tune out whenever their names are mentioned on television.

That said, I'm aware of Bruce Jenner's transition into Caitlyn Jenner. I'm aware that she was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of another person. I'm aware that she is generally treated with kid's gloves by the media. I'm aware that she is a privileged trans woman who actively supports politicians who generally work to disenfranchise LGBT people. And I'm aware that she's delusional enough to believe that Ted Cruz would ever permit her to become his "trans ambassador" if elected president.

I was at the store and stumbled upon the latest issue of In Touch magazine. Can you believe that she wants to adopt a baby at age 66? From the March 14, 2016, print version of In Touch:

Now Caitlyn will finally get to hear someone call her "Mom."

"She is going to adopt and is leaning toward a little boy," an insider exclusively reveals in In Touch, adding that the controversial reality star isn't planning to do it alone. Caitlyn wants to raise a child with the help of gal pal Candis Cayne, 44, the beautiful blond transgender actress who's appeared on Caitlyn's reality show I Am Cait. "Caitlyn and Candis have thought about adopting an older child because there are a lot of trans kids whose parents have turned away, or who have run away from home. But the ideal scenario is a baby," adds the insider. "Being a mom is Caitlyn's dream."

Ex-wife Kris Jenner and their various adult children and step-children reportedly think this is a joke. According to the article, they think Caitlyn is trolling for ratings for his flailing reality TV show. They think she is too old to be a parent. And Caitlyn's sons have noted in the past that she was a poor father for them.

Remember back in January when Donald Trump came to speak in Iowa City and somebody got arrested for throwing a tomato at him? That person was a 28-year-old man named Andrew Alemao. That man was charged with disorderly conduct and faced a fine of up to $625 or 30 days in jail if convicted.

Alemao pleaded guilty Monday to the disorderly conduct charge. But it turns out that that his punishment isn't too severe. He has to pay a $65 fine:

Andrew Alemao, who is accused of throwing two tomatoes at Donald Trump in January, has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and will pay a $65 fine. Alemao had been arrested by University of Iowa Police and United States Secret Service at a rally for Trump, the businessman and Republican presidential candidate, at the UI Field House on Jan. 26 after officials observed him throwing two tomatoes at the candidate...

Alemao and his attorney had previously planned to take the case to trial. Under a plea agreement struck Monday Alemao will pay a $65 fine and the state will not pursue assault charges related to the incident, court documents show.

At a later Trump rally in Cedar Rapids, IA, Trump told his supporters to "knock the crap" out of anybody that they saw holding tomatoes.

Updated: Mr. Alemao posted a statement on Facebook:

Today I signed a plea bargain at the courthouse that results in me being sentenced to a fine of a mere $65 with no possibility of jail time or additional charges brought. I'd like to thank my girlfriend Alex Courtney for starting a gofundme for me before I was even released from jail the next morning, my attorney Al Smith for working out a plea bargain so unreal I'd have been stupid not to take it, everyone who donated to the gofundme or provided moral support (which you might not believe is a currency I value AT LEAST as much as money). I'd also like to thank the Trump supporters around me who had the opportunity to kick my ass but for some reason or another missed it or didn't take it, as well as the University Police and Secret Service who managed to non-verbally convey that they thought the whole incident was amusing without betraying their professional duties to ensure that I was not a violent terrorist. Last but not least (ok, least, but that doesn't matter), I'd like to thank Donald J. Trump for bringing his adorable baby hands to Iowa City to deliver a speech in a charismatic manner that only a quasi-fascist billionaire can. Lastly, I'd like to remind everyone that it isn't legal to tell your supporters to beat up protesters and if they do it on command, Donny is liable to face charges too. Have a dope ass day, and remember:

WEAPONIZE YOUR PRIVILEGE
WEAPONIZE YOUR PRODUCE

This is the thirty-third in a series of blog posts dedicated to the 40th anniversary of BBC's "Survivors" television series. "Survivors" followed a core group of characters who managed to survived a devastating viral outbreak -- one which managed to kill off somewhere between 95-99% of humanity. Society has crumbled and now those who remain must relearn the old way if they have any hope of surviving much longer.

This week's episode is titled "The Peacemaker." Jenny, Charles, and Hubert come across a new community that has dedicated itself to peace, love, and Hindu beliefs.

The group is run by a man named Grant, but the communities inspirtation is a young woman named Rutna and a former corporate headhunter named Frank (AKA the Maharajah G, AKA the Master G). The group had gathered around a giant mill shortly after the Death, but struggled with petty disagreements and fear. Frank and Rutna eventually arrived and helped the community accept the Death and even accept its as some form of predestined event.

Rutna

The people are more content now. They meditate. They don't allow guns within the community. They practice a strict vegetarian diet.

Now Frank wants to leave, but his people don't want to lose their guru. He eventually reveals to Charles that he's going to die soon. Frank has a pacemaker and the battery is set to expire soon. Without his pacemaker, his heart will stop. And he cannot bear to die within his community. Charles agrees to take him away and the Master G's people finally agree to let him go.

"The Peacemaker" was an interesting episode. We were teased with the notion of something sinister within this community. But that never quire materialized.

At the very end of the episode, Charles springs it on Jenny that they are switching gears and plan to begin a new quest to restore electrical power to what's left of the United Kingdom by the end of the season. I guess Charles has given up on finding Greg?

(Hint: Don't worry. We will get at least one more opportunity to see what Greg's up to by the end of this season!)

By the way, Hubert gets laid in this episode. Good for him! Now he can stop annoying Mina!

Next week's episode is called "Sparks."

You know that I'm into "My 600-lb Life" on TLC, right? I watch it most Wednesday evenings while at the gym. I was checking out YouTube and noticed a clip from last week's episode. This was a sad story featuring a woman named Teretha who was stuck in bed and dependent on her son and son's girlfriend for all of her self-care needs. She knew that she was at least 600 pounds and figured that she was probably a bit more than that. By this point in the program, she'd been confined to her home for over two years.

The sad part is that she was a social worker working for Detroit's public health department who taught the public about healthy eating habits. She said that she would do her job and then binge on fried foods. She had always been large, but at least she was active. Eventually, her local government ran into financial troubles and she was laid off. She sunk into a deep depression and pretty much surrendered to food.

She decided to relocate with her husband from Michigan to Texas so that she could go to the clinic where all of these stories take place. The problem is that she was so big by the beginning of this program that she had to be carried out by nine very strong men!

It was very embarrasing for Teretha. And the drive was extremely painful for her too!

When they finally weighed her, they discovered that Teretha was nearly 750 pounds! They always realized that she was eating way too much food and was taking medicines that were completely unhealthy for her! They kept her in the hospital for two months and limited her to an 800 calorie diet. She ended up losing close to 200 pounds during those two months alone!

Unfortunately, I had to run off to work so I missed the final third of the program. I'm assuming that she continued to lose weight and eventually began to walk again -- but that's not necessarily guaranteed on this program. I'll have to catch it during the reruns!

Check out a preview clip of Teretha's painful exit from her family home here.

I'm running a bit late, but finally picked up my copy of THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #5! This is the latest (and last) chapter in Squirrel Girl's unanticipated trip back to the 1960s. (Check out here, here, and here to catch up a bit!) But the gist is that Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe found themselves mysteriously transported 40 years into the past -- and only Doreen's BFF Nancy Whitehead remembers her absence. Squirrel Girl finds an assortment of other ESU computer science students in the past as well.

Nancy comes across a time-displaced Doctor Doom -- still smarting from his defeat by Squirrel Girl during her first super-mission! They travel back to the 1960s where Doom decides to take over the world long before Marvel's superheroes have a chance to experience their various origins!

All seems bleak when two final time-travelers arrive from the future (AKA our present): Old Lady Squirrel Girl and Cody (AKA the guy who sent everyone back in time in the first place!!).

I laughed quite a bit when I discovered the reason that Cody sent Squirrel Girl and the other ESU students back in time: He was trying to affect the curve in his favor for his "Intro to Databases" course, so used his time-travel gun (which he mysteriously inherited from his weird aunt) to get rid of his class' better students!

Meanwhile, it was pretty awesome to watch Squirrel Girl and Old Lady Squirrel Girl fight the good fight against Doctor Doom -- even if their efforts weren't quite getting there!

But Old Lady Squirrel Girl's appearance from the future was enough to give our Doreen an idea about how to defeat Doom once and for all. Here's a huge clue!!

By the end of this story, Doom is defeated and everyone is back to where they began -- except one cool individual who would be so awesome to see again! I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

"The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #5" is written by Ryan North, with art by Erica Henderson, coloring by Rico Renzi, and lettering and production by Travis Lanham!

Shades of these infamous cases (here and here), an Iowa woman was just arrested and charged with animal neglect after being accused of abandoning her dog and allowing it to starve to death:

Linn County Sheriff’s Office Col. John Stuelke said Thursday that deputies arrested 24-year-old Chelsea Bodenhofer Wednesday on a warrant for animal neglect. The offense is a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.

Stuelke said deputies responded to a residence in Coggon on Feb. 21 and found a dog — a female pit bull — dead inside the back door of the residence. Neighbors reported last hearing the dog barking on Jan. 29, Stuelke said.

An investigation found that Bodenhofer moved out of the house at some point, but did not leave food or water for her dog “for an extended period of time,” Stuelke said. The dog eventually starved to death.

Seriously. Why get a dog if you don't care for your dog? And if you cannot take care of your dog, why not take it to the animal shelter??

Earlier this week, I got into another debate over whether or not LGBT people should speak up when they perceive discrimination at the hands of anti-gay businesses, particularly in states or communities that expressly forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This was seen by the other person as an issue that's pretty much exclusive to same-sex weddings and we don't want to force people to participate in gay weddings against their will.

Of course, what's the point in going through the motions of barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation if one gets criticized for filing a complaint with his local or statewide civil rights commission when they encounter blatant discrimination?

Also, we get told all of the time that this is all about being forced to participate in same-sex weddings. Which it's not. It's just that same-sex weddings seem to bring out some of the more blatant examples of anti-gay sentiment.

It's gotten so bad that you can't even get a haircut without violating somebody's religious liberties! Case in point, a trans man tried getting his hair cut at a Rancho Cucamonga, CA, barbershop, but got turned away because this violates the barber's religious beliefs:

When Kendal Oliver booked an appointment at a Southern California barbershop to have his hair cut, the Army veteran who served six years in Afghanistan didn't expect to be turned away.

Oliver, who said he identifies as "more of a man than a woman, was refused service by The Barbershop in Rancho Cucamonga.

"I have religious convictions that prevent me from cutting women's hair," said owner Richard Hernandez.

Hernandez said he belongs to the Church of God and his religious beliefs do not allow him to cut any woman's hair, even if they identify themselves as a man...

"People go against what God has created, you start getting everything all out of whack," he said. "It's a shame for a man to have long hair, but if a woman has long hair, it's her glory and it speaks to being given to her as her covering, and I don't want to be one who is taking away from her glory."

Keep in mind that California bars discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

There's this movie circulating through theaters in Mexico called "Pink." It's the story of a gay male couple who adopts a boy and then ends up messing him up because of their nonstop partying and promiscuity.

News about this story is going through rightwing circles because there is an effort by "homosexual activists" to "prohibit the showing of the film" in Mexico. As a result of these "protests," Mexico's National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination is now seeking to increase the film's rating (essentially, to a PG-13 equivalent rating).

I use the quote marks because I'm unconvinced that there's a huge effort to ban this film. I've done google-searches and found little evidence by gay bloggers or news website of widespread protesting of this film (outside of this, which was linked by Life Site News) just as I had never heard of this film before Christian websites began reporting about gay efforts to ban the film this weekend.

"Why do all of the children have a papa and a mama, and I have two papas?"

I've watched the trailer to "Pink." It's not an exaggeration to point out that this film is highly stilted against gay families or adoption:

"Why do all of the children have a papa and a mama, and I have two papas?" the adopted boy, in tears, asks his homosexual "father" in a scene from the movie's trailer.

The adopted child begins to experience confusion about his own sexual identity as he is repeatedly exposed to the lascivious and dangerous influence of a wide variety of freakish characters typical of the homosexual subculture. He encourages a friend to embrace his own increasingly effeminate forms of behavior. He also suffers mockery and social rejection from his schoolmates.

The homosexual couple encounter various Christians who uncompromisingly oppose their relationship and seek to bring about their conversion.

"How horrifying it is that children are growing up with homosexuals. They're going to grow up with [homosexual] tendencies," remarks one. Another tells one member of the pair that his sexual acts with his boyfriend are "unnatural" and asks him if he's really happy.

One member of the pair ultimately repents after reading the Bible and rejects the homosexual lifestyle, while the other does not and contracts AIDS.

The film's creator is an evangelical named Francisco del Toro, who specializes in over-the-top moralizing films on topics such as drug addiction and the occult. He's pretty upfront about this being an agendized film:

"Children shouldn't be trophies for the gay movement. The interests of the child should prevail in adoption," said the filmmaker in a recent interview.

Regarding his depiction of a child following his homosexual "parents" into their gay lifestyle, del Toro observed that "a child absorbs the behavior and customs of the home like a sponge, and if you don't believe that, explain to me why there are families that for generations have been kidnappers or bank robbers."

It's ironic that Life Site News and its commenters are criticizing the "homosexual activists" for seeking to ban this movie in Mexico, especially since this article is linked to a petition that wants Georgetown University to cancel an invitation to the president of Planned Parenthood for some event.

This is the thirty-fourth in a series of blog posts dedicated to the 40th anniversary of BBC's "Survivors" television series. "Survivors" followed a core group of characters who managed to survived a devastating viral outbreak -- one which managed to kill off somewhere between 95-99% of humanity. Society has crumbled and now those who remain must relearn the old way if they have any hope of surviving much longer.

Charles, Jenny, and Hubert were joined on their journey last week by a corporate headhunter turned pacifistic guru named Frank. Well, Frank's not really a pacifistic guru, but he used his skills in psychology to help some others create a mini-utopia. Now his pacemaker is wearing out and he's looking for a good place to die.

In the meantime, Charles and Frank are searching for a former electrician named Alec Campbell. The hope is that they can recruit Alec to joint their group and bring back electricity to the world.

They end up finding Alec Campbell at a small church community, but discover that he's not terribly interested in bringing back the electrics. In fact, he's pretty much out of it with grief.

Frank, Charles, and Jenny spend the entire episode breaking Alec out of his grief-induced stupor. It's actually scary how far Frank will cure Alec. He poisons Alec with pethadine, which induces a therapeutic (if feverish) attack. Alec reveals that he is still grieving for his dead wife, who died alone while he was tending to his dying mother.

Alec Campbell

This extreme therapy session is just the thing Alec needs to jolt back to reality. He joins our group and suggests that they focus on Scotland's hydroelectric centers instead of rushing off to Norway again.

Jenny isn't happy, but I think she's pretty much given up on seeing Greg again!

We will be saying goodbye next week to one of our regulars. That episode is titled "The Enemy."

I don't make it up to Michell County, IA, too often. It's just out of my way when I travel north to visit friends and family. But if I did travel through Mitchell County, I would see a highway sign on Highway 105 just outside of St. Ansgar that reads: "Watch For Suicidal Deer: Next 2 Miles."

The Mitchell County Board of Supervisors approved the sign. They didn't intend to upset anyone, but instead wanted to grab the attention of drivers. For those who don't live around here, deer jump unpredictably jump in front of vehicles. So you need to be mindful.

As I implied above, some who live near the "Suicidal Deer" highway sign are concerned that this sign is joking at the expense of those who've killed themselves:

The signs along Iowa Highway 105 sit near Sally Hertel's land. She says she found the deer sign a little insensitive. But Becky Dodson, who also lives near the sign, says she thought it was funny.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I understand the desire to be mindful of those who've lost friends and family members to suicide. On the other hand, I'm all about reminding drivers to remain mindful of deer.

What do you think?

The Alabama Senate is so upset that same-sex couples can get married that they voted today to get rid of marriage licenses in that state:

Senators approved the bill 23-3 today. It would require couples to file a form recording their marriage rather than have county probate offices issue licenses. Republican Sen. Greg Albritton of Range says the change would end controversy over marriage licenses while ensuring that people can marry whomever they choose.

This bill will now move to the Alabama House of Representatives.

One of my favorite programs on OWN is called "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's." It features Miss Robbie (AKA Robbie Montgomery), her family, and their chain of soul food restaurants. One member of her family, 21-year-old grandson Andre Montgomery, was shot and killed Monday night.

According to TMZ:

21-year-old Andre Montgomery was found in a house, unconscious with a gunshot wound Monday night. Police say he was pronounced dead on the scene ... and at this point there's no suspect.
Miss Robbie tells TMZ ... the house where Andre was shot had a recording studio, and he was laying down a rap. She's been told that during the recording session, Andre got a phone call to meet someone outside, and when he went out ... that's when he got shot.

Miss Robbie says there is one strong lead in the case -- Andre was staying in a hotel, and on Tuesday morning someone used a key to enter the room. She says Andre's belongings were missing from the room ... but the person who went in was captured on surveillance cameras.

Andre appeared occasionally on the program, though not as regularly as other family members.

A (sort of) crossover event started off today in EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8 called The Apocalypse Wars." I understand that it's kind of like the "Fall of the Mutants" crossover from the 1980s in that there's a unifying theme or inspiration, but each of the titles involved (specifically EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN, UNCANNY X-MEN, AND ALL-NEW X-MEN) all do their own thing. I actually prefer these types of crossovers as opposed to one single story that knits its way directly through each title.

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8 flings Colossus and a team of young X-Men trainees (Anole, Ernst, Glob Herman, and Martha) get tossed into the future by a villain called Sugar Man. The other X-Men travel to the future to collect them and end up coming across a brand-new group of Apocalypse's Horsemen: Deadpool, Venom, Moon Knight... and Colossus!

Personally, this seems like a boring version of the Horsemen. Maybe they've all been given new powers. Otherwise, there's not a lot of diversity of abilities going on with this team!

Also, I'm getting tired of Apocalypse recruiting heroes (X-Men, specifically) into his Horsemen. By now, we've had Archangel, Cyclops, Wolverine, Sunfire, Polaris, Gambit, Colossus, Deadpool. Pretty soon, we'll be wondering which X-Men haven't taken their turn with the Duke of Darwinian Dreams!

A 33-year-old man from Tiffin, IA, was arrested this week after being accused of billing the Johnson County Jail for his cable and phone bill. This man had been incarcerated at the Johnson County Jail back in December 2015 when seeds of this alleged crime were sewn:

When released from the jail, Johnson was given a check. Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said that check was written for the remaining balance on Johnson’s commissary account, which all inmates get upon their release.

Authorities said days after his release, Johnson used the bank and routing information of that jail check to pay for the cable and phone bill for his Tiffin apartment. The total amount charged to the jail was $350.16.

This man from Tiffin has been charged with one count of identity theft, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.

I've written several times about Charlton Neo, which is a resurrection of the classic Charlton Comics lines; as well as Pix-C Web Comics, which features public domain characters from Charlton Comics as well as a few other original characters. Pix-C Web Comics features strips from a variety of genres, including superhero, horror, action, and humor romance.

I recently began reading through one of the original Pix-C Web Comics strips that I had previously overlooked in favor of the other more traditional strips. This web comic is visually different that most comics. Instead of using artwork, this comic was a photo comic. I'm talking about SADISTIK!

SADISTIK started originally back in 1966 as an Italian photo comic called KILLING. This violent Italian photo comic experienced a popular 62 issue run and was eventually published in France (where it was eventually banned), Turkey, and Argentina. There were even some unauthorized films produced featuring this character and his exploits. Pix-C Web Comics' SADISTIK is the first English translation featuring this character.

So, I hear you cry out. Who is Sadistik? He is the King of Crime. He is the Diabolikal Super-Kriminal. He is the Monster with a 1000 Masks. Sadistik and his beautiful companion Dana are ruthless sadists who will not stop at torture or murder to accomplish their thieving exploits! Among their arsenal are advanced weapons and sophisticated disguises.

SADISTIK has been around since Pix-C Web Comics began. He and Dana have hatched a murdering scheme to rob a cachet of highly valuable gold coins from the vaults at Prince Sedor's villa. Unfortunately, the successful completion of their mission is jeopardized by the interference of rivaling gangsters, competing villains, and Communist agents! And don't forget about Police Inspector Grant -- who's doggedly committed to halting Sadistik's criminal exploits!

You too can get caught up with Sadistik's sadistic adventures -- not to mention Yang, No Name, Tuffy Turtle, N.E.O., Kid Montana, the All-American Victory Legion, Skyman, The Knightingales, Deathwatch, The Spookman, Ms. Molecule, and several other great characters, by becoming a patron of Pix-C Web Comics. Those who become patrons (for as little as $1 per month) gain access to several weekly online comic strips. The more you pledge, the more perks you qualify for. I've been contributing $30 per month towards this venture. I encourage to you to become a patron too!

Incidentally, you can now read older Pix-C Web Comics on this Free website -- including Sadistik's earliest adventures. Becoming a Pix-C Web Comics patron will give you advanced access to new Pix-C stories that are not readily available to those who access the Free website, so definitely make your pledge today!

The Easter Bunny got into a fistfight yesterday afternoon at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, NJ. At least, somebody dressed like the Easter Bunny got into a fistfight last night with the parent of one of the kids who had come to see him

According to police, a 22-year-old man was wearing a bunny costume and posing with children for photographs. A one-year-old girl was slid out of her photo-op chair. That's when her father began yelling and punching at the rabbit. People pulled the two apart. However, the fight escalated and the bunny returned to the scene of the fight where he began hitting the child's father.

The two men were taken for medical treatment after police arrived. No charges have been filed yet.

You can watch the entire sad video here.

Mason City, IA: UCC Church Vandalized for Hosting Gay Men's Choir

Kentucky Bill Would Replace "Marriage" with "Matrimony" In Attempt to Legally Neutralize Married Gay Couples

Riverdale Podcast Hits Its 4th Anniversary!!

Christian Lesbian Shares Story of Being Shunned by Her Parents, Including Her Father Who's an Executive at Focus on the Family

Caitlyn Jenner: I Want to Adopt a Baby!

Iowa City: Man Fined $65 for Throwing Tomatoes at Donald Trump

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700+ Pound Social Worker Featured in Recent Episode of "My 600-lb Life"

It's Doom Versus the Squirrel Girls in THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #5!

Coggon, IA: Woman Arrested & Charged With Animal Neglect // Accused of Abandoning Dog & Leaving It to Starve to Death

Barber Refuses to Cut Trans Man's Hair // Claims His Reigious Liberties Would Be Violated

Mexican LGBT Groups Pushing Back Against "Pink," An Anti-Gay Adoption Film

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Northern Iowa Residents React to "Suicidal Deer" Highway Sign

Alabama Senate Votes to Eliminate Marriage Licenses

"Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" Grandson Andre Montgomery Fatally Shot in St. Louis

Colossus Joins Apocalypse' Four Horsemen in EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8

Tiffin, IA: Man Arrested After Billing County Jail for His Cable and Phone Bills

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Easter Bunny Gets In Fistfight at New Jersey Mall