Hero* (note the asterick)

From Marti:

Is Superman still a hero if he is the one pushing people off 50-story buildings before wisking them away to safety?

The U.S. Department of Defense seems to think so. According to them (and every major news source) the U.S. military successfully saved the world by blowing up the toxic satellite-fireball that was plummeting towards Earth last week. They would prefer we not dwell on the part about how it was THEIR spy satellite. That THEY launched and immediately lost control of. Loaded with THEIR toxic jet fuel. That they are pretty sure won’t rain fireballs down on us.

“By all accounts this was a successful mission. From the debris analysis, we have a high degree of confidence the satellite’s fuel tank was destroyed and the hydrazine has been dissipated,” Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a released statement. “The successful satellite engagement was truly a collaborative effort from across the U.S. government, the armed forces, industry and academia working together to reduce the risk to human life.”

See the full article, Honolulu Advertiser Online.

As I stood on the corner of Nu‘uanu and Pauahi Streets reading the headlines … “Direct Hit!” … “Mission Success!”… and wondering if that was rain or droplets of toxic fuel pinging my cheek, I thought: man, if ever a headline needed an asterick…