Captain America is Dead!?!

The all-American superhero; the comic symbol of American pride, power and strength; the untarnished, untouchable protector of the American way has been killed by a sniper. What does this say about America?

Did American ideals die right along with our hero? Have we fought so hard that we've killed ourselves? The eternal truths this country was built on have been shredded in the courtroom, the media, capitol buildings and in the hearts of many Americans. What is left of our national values? How does the death of Captain America symbolize the death of the American way and what we stand for?

Captain America had fought the Nazi's and Japanese during World War II, he battled Communists during the Cold War and recently fought against the loss of our civil rights in the Superhero Registration Act (a thinly veiled nod to the US Patriot Act). Captain America has stood for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. He has upheld our rights to Liberty and Justice for All. He has fought for peace, safety and protection from our enemies. Captain America has stood by America to fend off those who would destroy her. Here at the end, he was killed in the most cowardly way, by a sniper.

The means of his death is a symbol in it's own right. A sniper does not give the victim the opportunity to fight. A sniper hides behind cover and waits for a vulnerable moment. A sniper does not show his face and take responsibility for his actions. A sniper can blend in to walk among us as our friend, waiting for the opportune moment to destroy life. Those who fight against America may also walk among us.

It is not merely outside forces that seek to destroy America, but those who live comfortably safe within her boarders. Physical evidence of this internal destruction lie in 168 graves in Oklahoma City. Why do those who benefit from America's freedoms work so hard to undermine the same freedoms they enjoy? How does one come to hate so intensely as to kill another human being?

It is easier to kill a person than an ideal. Assassins believed that the murder of Abraham Lincoln would end the abolition of slavery. White supremacists believed the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would end the civil rights movement. Ignorant mobs believed the death of Joseph Smith Jr. would cause the Mormon Church to disintegrate. All of these martyrdom's only solidified the movements behind these great leaders and strengthened the resolve of those within. Will the murder of Captain America strengthen those masses he represents? Or is his death another step down the road to America becoming Babylon?

Unanswerable questions and thoughts left unfinished. Another symbol of American strength and resolve destroyed by cowardice and apathy. Long have comic books served as a visual measurement of our values and desires. The ancient battle of good versus evil will continue, but who will stand up for America now?