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Where’s my pitchfork?

Text Blood on Broadway Extension: Did I do the right thing?

bloodied!

OK, here’s the story.

I was driving my son to school this morning, part of the Classen-Oklahoma Christian loop that we take every day. It takes us down Broadway Extension at about 7:15 a.m., a great time for white-knuckle traffic frustration, for sure.

Today was different. Slow but steady until we got to about 36th street. That’s when I saw a nice little clot of cars up ahead, slowing down and steering away from the shoulder as something was happening.

It was hard to believe, but here’s what I saw: One car parked on the shoulder, another truck further down in the grass and two grown men beating the tar out of each other.

Let me repeat: Two men, one in a t-shirt and jean, another in a white dress shirt and slack, kicking, punching, spitting and bleeding over each other. Not cool.

Totally not cool. I had two kids in my hoopty mommy minivan and I didn’t want them to see this mess.

But then I couldn’t believe that people were just driving past, letting the rumble continue because they didn’t want to miss out on getting a good downtown parking garage spot.

I saw a lady in another car pull over and start frantically dialing the phone, alerting OKC’s finest. But they were still going at it.

So I put on the brakes and stopped right there. Right hand lane, Broadway extension, that was me.

Now I serious considered getting out. I really, really did. If I did, I would have gotten whooped I’m sure. I didn’t get out. Courage or cowardly, you be the judge.

Instead, I rolled down the window, right parallel with these two puffing their chests at each other, spitting blood and feinting kicks and punches.

I then yelled at them for the next 5-10 minutes. I told them to get back in their cars, to walk away, to knock it off, to act like men, to turn around, to go home and to do just about anything that didn’t involve giving each other a beatdown on Broadway.

They both shot me quick looks, but neither wanted to take their eye off of each other. I don’t know if they heard me, understood me or wanted to jump through the window and shut me up. But eventually, they both walked back to their cars and got in.

The fight was over. I rolled the window back up and finished taking everybody to school.

My daughter my crying. My son was confused about why grown-ups would be doing something like that. It was the most violence they had ever seen in real life and up close. I’ve seen some bar fights just as bad, but it has been awhile and those were folks in their 20s.

I explained to them that I couldn’t just drive past. I had to do something and Daddy is really good at yelling at people.

Now why did I do it? I was frustrated by everyone’s apathy, for sure. But I think it was more than that. I’ve been trying to walk my Christian walk a lot stronger lately. It’s easy to be cynical, it’s easy to look the other way and it’s hard to do something.

Let me repeat: It’s hard to DO SOMETHING.

I’ve been part of a men’s group for more than a year in which we are all really trying to change our lives, lean on God and live the life that he wants. Last week, we talked about how HARD that is. We also talk often about how many men struggle and don’t feel like they have anyone to speak into their lives.

Perhaps that was the complicated formula that went through my head in a split-second (Right after the second that said ‘Don’t get out of the van!’)

I felt like if I (or someone) didn’t say ‘STOP’, they never would.

I hope both of those men are feeling better this afternoon and realize that whatever started their roadside fight wasn’t worth ruining a life. I hope they are praying. I sure am.

Did I do the right thing? I hope so.

Do I hope I never have to see a fight like that again. Definitely so.

- mk

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Text 2011 Books: Final Crisis

OK, this may be cheating, but my second book of 2011 was the trade paperback of the seminal DC Comics miniseries Final Crisis.

I’m still not sure what I think. Penned by brainbending writer Grant Morrison, this series originally ran from July 2008 to March 2009. I kept up with the basic outline of the story and knew it was the genesis of Morrison’s brilliant resurrection journey of Bruce Wayne through time, but hadn’t ever sat and read it all in one take.

I’ll save you the gory details, there’s always Wikipedia for plot summaries, but I have to admit some of it was Morrisonesque and therefore impenetrable.

The best parts?

The idea of the Apokolips Gods possessing existing heroes, from Granny Goodness to DeSaad to the strange, Darth Vaderish transformation of Dan Turpin into Darkseid.
The Supermen of different worlds teaming up. Looking at the group shot made you wonder what all the twists and turns of their origins were.
The strong grounding that the Tattooed Man character provides. His wife, kids and problems gives a human perspective to the superhero antics on the watchtower.

The worst parts?

The 11th hour appearance of Batman. Sure, this set him out on an incredible journey through time and space, but he just kind of comes out of the shadows in the final act, missing most of the action.
Same deal with Captain Carrot. Nothing says climactic battle like a giant bunny. One guesses he’s just shorthand for “you want multiple universes, you got multiple universes.”
Wonder Woman’s scary mask.
The young Japanese superhero team. Meh.
Morrison’s tendency of free verse in place of narrative exposition. I loved it during The Invisibles, but during hardcore, men-in-tights superhero business, there’s nothing wrong with clarity.

Next up, a biography of U.S. Grant. No Batman cameos as far as I know.