Archives May 2012

A patrol with a great team, the GLA, Part 2

Just so you know, I had put over an hour into this post before my computer decided that it had enough of my drivel and spontaneously shut down. It was disheartening.  I will now save often.
The cops went into the diner and I had half an instinct to follow them in. I wanted to ask them if they knew they scared us. I wanted to ask them if they knew of us. I wanted to buy them lunch. I wanted to ask them what they thought of us. But we decided to “Let the cops go.” That’s a switch, huh?
We continued to travel along previously uncharted areas. Actually, it was a different end of Washington Blvd. that we just hadn’t been before. Sometimes we took breaks.
Everyone was doing their part. I tend to take the lead and keep up the pace, since I walk fast. Often, Misery White is side-to-side. We’re also there for public relations and diplomacy. She’s also so quick to spot nuances on the street. People in a situation or someone to immediately help. At the rear, we keep our brute force and tactics. Razorhawk and Blue. Typically, we’ll have Arctic Knight somewhere in the middle, ready to go with his Mad Martial Arts Skillz as he sees fit, but he couldn’t make it for this mission. I don’t think we gave him enough heads-up about it. Communication isn’t one of our strong-points and Minnesota is a bigger state than you might realize. Both metro and urban distance.
So we’re walking down Washington Blvd,, and being waved at, honked at, stared at and also being asked the cool standard questions by people. Everyone is responding so positively to just us being there. But it’s the frequency of it that has me realizing that walking down a street in daylight is so much different than walking down the same street at night. We also ended up waving at at least two sets of police officer who were making arrests. They waved back.
We met a lot of people. Some curious and others in need. If they were in need, Blue was at the ready with food and water for them. He carried the supplies and was always at the ready with them for anyone in need.
Razorhawk was always kind to the street-folk with a listening ear. I don’t think they could believe that this “Big-tough-wrestler-guy” would take the time to listen to their troubles. He has that kind of heart. That’s part of what makes him so invaluable on the streets.
We met a lot of people, had some photos taken, with our permission. It became night.
And just when Blue was asking if we needed to buy more supplies, we found a middle-age couple in the plaza and in real need. They were sleeping on a bench that night. Misery and Blue passed out the last of their supplies to them and gave them her pamphlets and cards.
They were so grateful for what I think was maybe so little. And they hoped it wouldn’t rain. They had nowhere to go.
As we walked out of the area, out of supplies to hand out, it began to sprinkle rain. We decided to head back to my car. By the time we pulled out of the parking garage, it was pouring rain. I know that each and every one of us was thinking of that loving couple we met on the park benches.
God Bless Them.
 
AFTERMATH: The books…
So the next day, I’m telling a family member, who knows all about me being Geist, about the patrol. After awhile I ask her about the detective series that she thought I would enjoy reading. So I’m like, “Hey, maybe tonight I’ll start reading that first Jack Reacher book. Where is it?” She says, “Oh, it’s in a bag in the trunk of my car. I’ll go get it.” And I hesitantly say. “Wait. Uh… no it isn’t. I gave those away. I thought you put those in the trunk as part of my donations to the shelter.” She was livid for a minute and says, “No, I didn’t. Those were supposed to go to a family friend.  They were promised. I never said you could take the books in the trunk. I didn’t say anything about books.”  She calmed down, understood my over-chartibleness and we’re hoping that the family friend will forget all about the promised books. Or I’ll be doing some apologizing.  ;|

A patrol with a great team, the GLA, Part 1

Saturday I headed north to patrol with some of my teammates of the Great Lakes Alliance. First, I headed to a medium-size college town where Blue and Misery White reside. Blue had planned a drop-off at a food shelf that closed at 11:30 a.m., so time was an issue. My drive was about an hour, but thanks to taking a turn that my GPS didn’t recommend, I had to do some high speeds on some dusty gravel roads to get back on track. Too bad the car had just been washed. Oh well… Only I can get lost with a Garmin.
I wasn’t too late and when I arrived at their apartment, I knew that it was the right one because there was a Spider-Man doormat at the base of the stairs leading up to their place.
Blue was all geared up and ready to go. Miz offered me some homemade chocolate chip cookies. I rarely eat cookies and find sweets easy to resist, but these were wonderful and I had to have more. I was quickly addicted. (Gotta get that recipe.) I was partly in-gear and finished off the rest pretty quickly. It was hot that day. Really hot. I didn’t even consider wearing the coat. It was Geist-lite weather. As I awkwardly worked on putting on the gauntlets / bracers, Blue offered to help me. I kind of overreacted and said “No!” a little too loud. I said, “I’m sorry, Man. But this is part of the ritual for me. This is me getting in the right mind-set to prepare myself for what we’re about to do. This is what I need to do on my own to be a better person. The best person I can possibly be.” Which isn’t saying much, because in regular life, I can be kind of a jerk and I know it. But a step up is still a step up, y’know?
Blue had a huge box of groceries that he and Miz had stockpiled and I had a couple of bags of the type of food that can go a long way. Blue and I headed out, leaving Miz to attend to other things. It was time for some guy-talk. Blue had a lot of questions about how I’ve been. He worries a lot. He’s a good friend. He doesn’t need to worry about me, but he does anyway. We swapped some stories and advice on the way to the food shelf.
When we got there, there was a nice lady arranging and stacking things. Like a lot of Minnesotans, she didn’t seem too shocked to see two costumed goofballs carrying loads of food. If I remember right, she asked if we wanted a receipt and we said, “No, we’re Real-Life Superheroes.” She said, “I thought so! I think I’ve seen you in the Star Tribune.”, indicating to me. Which is odd, because I don’t think I’ve ever been in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. We headed back to Blue’s and Miz’s place for a fantastic lunch with them and Miz’s very hip, smart and cool teenage daughter.
Then Blue had some training for me. We went out to the yard with Miz’s daughter and between the the two of them, they demonstrated some escort, handcuff and takedown tactics while allowing me to inflict a lot of pain on Blue. Good times… And good info from Blue, who clearly knows what he’s doing in the field, despite his regressive, but charming sense of humor.
We hit the road to meet up with Razorhawk. In RH’s driveway, we spent some time chatting, dispelling superhero gossip and experiencing the increasing Minnesota heat. Did I mention it was hot?
We got to Minneapolis in the mid-afternoon and went to a family shelter, People Serving People, where we dropped off toys and huge stacks of comics for the kids, clothing, and a bag of books that was in my trunk. I didn’t know what the books were doing in my trunk, but figured that they were donatable. More on that later. The security guard recognized us from previous visits. That’s always nice.
Then, we immediately headed to a known homeless camp under a bridge. There was no one there, but Misery White left some nice donations for when they would return. She also had some very cool fliers made up of the phone numbers and locations of various social services in Minneapolis. She continued to pass these out throughout the day. What a great idea!
From there, we walked to areas we hadn’t been before. It was daylight and we had people honking, waving, cheering and asking us about ourselves. And then, Miz said, “Geist!” And I turned back to see that two police cars had rolled up on us. The cops were getting out in a hurry. I stammered something that might have come out like, “Hi.” Misery stepped forward and cheerily said, “Hello, officers! How are you?” At that point, they said, “Fine, thank you.” and walked through the door to the diner that we happened to be standing next to. THEY WERE TAKING A BREAK FOR LUNCH.  Razorhawk said, “Y’know, sometimes I think we’re all too paranoid.
(To be continued.)

THE FAR WRONG IS A SUPER VILLAIN IDEOLOGY!

My creative activism has certain political overtones. As a ” Noir ” ( i.e real life superhero ( RLSH ) noir activist ) the super villains I oppose don’t wear flashy outfits and sometimes are ideologies as opposed to flesh and blood people.
The ” Far Wrong ” , my name for the Far Right, is a super villain ideology good people underestimate at our peril. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of conservatives, moderates and libertarians in the real life superhero ( RLSH ) community, alongside liberals who defy Far Wrong stereotypes about progressive apathy and paternalism.
Far Wrong plotting led to a costly Iraqi occupation whose only benefit seems to be for shareholders of various private military companies over there under contract. They routinely demonize Muslims ( I am one so I know this alllll too well ) despite the fact that the vast majority of Islamist victims and opponents are themselves Muslim.
Far Wrong media routinely brainwashes traditionalists to stigmatize Democrats; Gay Americans; civil rights leaders; unions; environmentalists and a host of other progressive constituencies. I’m not a liberal by today’s standards but I don’t denounce people who are????!!!!
Far Wrong doctrine is felt daily at airports where its brainchild, the Transportation ” Security ” Administration ( TSA ), treats fliers like inmates on lock down, where even late US Senator Edward Kennedy; former Nixon Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; anyone dark and/or ” Muslim ” looking; blue eyed babies and little old White grandmas are shaken down without probable cause being explained.
The Far Wrong saved its most insane output for President Obama. No low is deep enough when it comes to defaming him; the First Lady and even the First Family in the form of their two daughters. America needs a two-party system with decent, thoughtful debates on the important issues of the day- not attack propaganda that is racist and uncivilized.
This super villain is best combated not by targeted progressives alone but especially by open minded moderates, conservatives and libertarians who declare, ” Enough is enough! ” and wrest the Center Right from its tightening stranglehold.
RLSH embody what Far Wrong talking points pay lip service to: patriotism; civic duty; crime prevention; civil defense; homeland security; mutual aid; volunteerism and last but not least- individualism!
Creative activists attention-getting roles can be used to give voice to the outrage open minded moderates; conservatives and libertarians in sensitive positions in the GOP or professionally would love to say.
Can anyone imagine RLSH Prototype President Theodore Roosevelt keeping quiet today? Not hardly ( LOL ).  RLSH; X ALTS ( Extreme Altruists ) and other creative activists need to use their platform to challenge the Far Wrong while doing its worst to reclaim the White House in November.
Anyone who says our community is non-political has a valid point.
This isn’t a call for more petty partisan bickering.
It’s a call to action against the Far Wrong; a super villain ideology that has gutted our economy; exhausted our military; and strained relations at home and abroad to satisfy their egotism.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention (504) 214-3082.

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MUHAMMAD ALI: A STUDY IN POSSIBILITY.

Nadra Enzi
” Capt Black, Hood Conservative! “Muhammad Ali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKlxiNol-9M
Muhammad Ali teaches me about POSSIBILITY each time I consider him!His knockout of man-mountain George Foreman was one of the few recorded instances of someone transcending limitations and becoming for a few precious seconds a ully realized human being who could simply ” will ” an outcome considered miraculous even by ardent critics.
Full human realization is a ” sport ”  in which we all can ( and MUST! ) compete! Government hasn’t figured a way to atx human potential so the pricae of admission remains paying attention- a price anyone can pay regardless of poverty or affluence.
Ali’s myriad manifestations included world class athleticism; poetry; law ( through his historic Supreme Court victory ); charity; self-help; religion; the list goes on and on.
Because he sets no limits upon himself he has become part of world consciousness in a way usually reserved for fictional heroes. Muhammad Ali teaches us daily that there’s so much we can do if we totally surrender ourselves to great goals.
He achieved escape velocity from Louisville, Kentucky and his proverbial star hasn’t stopped climbing.
Muhammad Ali is a study is possibility for anyone seriously interested in realizing full humanity instead of obstacles and crumbs society throws in dreamers way!
He is a real life superhero and we who love real life superheroism or plain old excellence must study how he does it so we can do it too- each in his/her own way!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK

ANTI CRIME ACTIVIST
(504) 214-3082

 

Superhero; Silver Sentinel & REALLY Being Real Life Superheroes ( RLSH )!

Nadra Enzi

Photo of Super Hero

As a ” real life superhero ( RLSH ) ” applied theorist two RLSH I consider reigning best practice examples are Superhero and the Silver Sentinel. They’re not the only ones worth studying but they’ve made profound impressions upon me.
Superhero was one of the first creative activists I discovered during early research into the concept of real life superheroes. I was immediately struck by his larger-than-life iconics and embedded role in his community. He delivered pizza to the local police; did roadside assistance and had become significant enough to even ( legally ) arm himself against stalkers.
That was very important ! Here was someone living this Life Fantastic the way I felt it should be done: openly ( meaning ones identity wasn’t secret and thus not an issue for police ) and with as much emphasis on boosting public morale as on fighting crime.
His admission that Adam West’s Batman TV show was a major influence also resonated. Despite it being embarrassing to the point of curling my now-adult toes, its straight forward promotion of Good Citizenship and Civic Duty resonates to this day.
Superhero’s love of comic book fiction in all its forms and lifelong weight training also demonstrated a commitment to becoming what he so dearly loves instead of day dreaming about it. He’s our community’s archetype figure, the one who embodies in real life what fellow archetypes Batman or Captain America do in fiction.
He’s both larger-than-life and real life simultaneously. This balance Superhero achieves is well worth study by any aspiring RLSH or community supporter.
 

The Silver Sentinel represents what Neighborhood Watch; the Guardian Angels or your local police department’s citizens on patrol could be if filtered through a worldview grounded in DC and Marvel Comics.
Silver ( as I call him for short ) is a RLSH trainer-of-trainers always sharing material to upgrade capabilities and reduce liability. Part of his mission is helping real life superheroes as much as assisting others and those considering this Life Fantastic.
Like Superhero he preaches and practices close relationships with law enforcement. His identity isn’t secret and enjoys membership in a reputable civic organization. No brooding vigilante Silver Sentinel was created to inspire his child and obviously decided to inspire others too!
Silver has combined the best of various archetypes and advocacy approaches to create a role at once responsible and quietly revolutionary in its calm approach to crime prevention and humanitarianism. He’s like Captain America with an upbeat John Walsh tossed in had the show host/crime fighter not lost his son.
He comes across as someone with whom people can discuss their deepest issues without fear of judgement or being brushed off.
Superhero and Silver Sentinel REALLY are doing real life superhero activism and  I recommend them to friend and foe alike to analyze.
These gentlemen have mastered how to take fiction and transform it into fantastic fact!
 
As I continuously evolve Capt Black their words and examples are never far behind.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention. (504) 214-3082

ANGRY LIBERAL WHITE MEN ON THE RISE? ASKS CAPT BLACK

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/nato-terror-plotters-arrested/story-fn6s850w-1226361230479
Nadra Enzi

Lately Occupy Wall St. affiliates and related movements
have had angry liberal White men accused of plotting to blow up bridges and even firebomb the President’s Chicago Campaign headquarters.
” Angry White men! ” is a phrase usually associated with conservatives and Far right hate groups.
Fairness dictates asking are these cases on the Far Left isolated or symptoms of something more sinister… and widespread?
A progressive activist friend called me today with the same concern. He doesn’t want to associate with anyone preaching violence in any way, shape or form. As a Free Security! activist alternatives to criminal use of force are my specialty.
Black men know only too well that our words can be spun to whip millions of frightened White folks into a politically useful frenzy. The same holds true for angry liberal White men. Images of long haired anarchists terrify Mainstream ( i.e White ) America to its core.
From a security perspective please consider anarchists don’t look ” suspicious ” like, say, Arabs  or Black folks  They blend in with the general populace and thus don’t raise threat flags unless they go out of their way to call attention to themselves. Akin to demonic possession being Anarchist While White causes policy makers; homeland security and police officials sleepless nights.
That’s why a White man who calls himself an anarchist makes the alphabet soup more nervous than a dozen brothers holding Black Power theater at a press conference somewhere. Unseen; unsuspected, Anarchists While White can be anywhere; at any time and are impervious to the usual ( sometimes bias driven ) methods of identifying security threats.
Angry liberal White men are a thorn in the side of a Democratic president seeking to hold the center so he can win another four years. More press on Far Left political criminals could mean more reasons for White Independents to vote for a candidate with a more stable base.
But, raging at the machine is a young man’s birth right. Becoming criminals abusing legitimate causes isn’t being a protester- it’s being a predator! Populist activists should keep that thought firmly in mind in coming days. If the system you critique is so wrong and heavy handed you should be the last ones using violence as political expression.
Had the Chicago NATO Summit plotters been successful in fire bombing the President’s Campaign Headquarters and Mayor Emanuel’s home their only accomplishment would have been crossing the aisle to join ranks with civil rights era church bombers; abortion clinic targeters, etc to name a few felons.
Notice bombing people as a sick form of protest isn’t Far Right or Far Left- it’s just wrong!
Angry White liberal males might be on the rise at precisely the time when such rage is better spent registering voters; peacefully protesting and lobbying decision makers. They’re free to choose criminal acts but should understand they’re on their own if they do.
Nobody has the right to hurt people in the name of so-called political expression.
Angry liberal White men who do so are no better than Angry Conservative ones they scapegoat!
FULL DISCLOSURE: My Free Security! activism led me to become involved with Occupy NOLA here in New Orleans. I addressed safety and police liaison issues with this overwhelmingly non-violent group of reformers. They don’t riot; they try to reform society.
Occupy NOLA did however have one would-be mastermind of a foiled murder/robbery in its ranks http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/02/former_lucky_dog_vendor_booked.html
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention and founded the Face Book group, Real Life Superheroes ( RLSH ) 4 Obama. (504) 214-3082

Working on the set of a RLSH Film today…

…And it was a “Vigilante Superhero” short. I heard them talking about the Heroes rig & gimmick while he was suiting up & heard some of the things they were thinking about & recomending like “He needs a cape” etc. You just bite your lip & be humble…They didn’t hire me as a technical advisor 🙂
It was made for the “48 hour Gorilla Film fest” where they apparently have 48 hours to shoot a genre film. they got action hero. That night there were plenty of squibs & blanks going off. It’s also funny to watch for me, Nobody would hit S&^% shooting this way 🙂 http://youtu.be/u-8RP8owjas

Shielding

Being a gadget builder, I reuse and repurpose a lot of things. Almost any bit of scrap technology can be reborn into something new and interesting with a little imagination, some know-how and hard work. I pride myself on being able to save something from a land-fill and give it new life in a new form. Because I have gotten such a reputation for doing things like that, people bring me stuff.

My team mate, Superhero brought me the old sun roof off of the Supermobile. The transparent roof turned the cockpit into an oven in the Florida sunshine so he removed the Lexan roof and installed a fiberglass one. The Lexan roof came to me. I was going to sell it on Ebay Motors for some Team Justice operating capital, but there are dozens of them on there. For $50 price range!
Poly-Top
So I was stuck with this large sheet of smoked ¼ Lexan. I offered it up as shield material. The first taker was Anonyman.

I started by marking out a circle on the plastic that was roughly the diameter of the length of my forearm. Any larger and it would not be practical. Regardless of what Captain America may think, a large shield is not useful.

01

I got a leather belt from Goodwill for a few bucks and a dowel rod from my scrap box. The belt made the elbow strap and the dowel became the hand strap. Some metallic vent tape was used to create an Anonyman logo for the front of the disk. It was a pretty easy build.
After seeing the success of the first shield, one was requested by Urban Avenger. Not wanting to duplicate past work, (I hate doing something twice) I procrastinated. I’m bad for that.

Eventually I did get around to starting on the build for Urban Avenger. I wanted to do something different for his shield so as not to be duplicating work. Urban has always had a thing for lighting and mask goggles. I wanted to create that effect on the shield using 3 lenses with the top one being an actual light with interchangeable color disks with his logo and such on the various disks.

As I was talking to him about the shield though, He told me he doesn’t really use his mask lighting any more. There goes my design plans. I decided to just put the light on it (since I already bought it) without the lenses. The light I purchased for the project is a 3 way system having a standard light, A UV setting for finding spilled fluids, (actual detective gear!) and the 3rd setting? A friggin’ Laser! Sweet.

After working out the details on how to do the Logo, I again used a Goodwill leather belt as the elbow strap. However UA, had stated he wanted it to be adjustable. It needed a buckle. More specifically it need a buckle that could be adjusted using only 1 hand.

010

Using my Dremel tool, I cut a tab shape in a square of heavy sheet metal. By folding the outer form at 1 location and the inner tab at a different location, I was able to create a double loop buckle with no moving parts. A bolt ran through the metal becomes the belt keeper. As far as I can find this is an original invention.
011
The front handle had to be a stable one on this build. It had to hold the barrel of the light on it. I couldn’t do it the same as the Anonyman shield. A section of “V” channel would do the trick. I beat the cold steel into shape with a heavy framing hammer. But it had powder coat on it. A soak in an acetone bath softened the powder coating enough to allow me to scrape it off with a utility knife. Some primer and Urban Avenger red and it was ready to go.

012

I installed it on the shield and attached light barrel to the outer edge using aircraft cable and then wrapping it with some scrap leather. I sealed the open end with a pvc pipe cap after drilling a hole in it for the wiring. I ran the wires to the emitter disk that I attached to the front of the shield using some angle braces. I then covered the wiring with some surgical tubing to keep it neat and help seal from water. I covered the connections with some leather and called it complete.
And if you are interested in seeing it in action:
httpv://youtu.be/aHAFyfeFozU
With-the-shield

A quick shout out for Tothian.

I gave him one on Facebook…then realized since I don’t have a Facebook anymore nobody wold see it. The other night when I was desperately trying to get a hold of somebody in the Orlando area to check up on Master Legend, Tothian was all over it. I had no idea you could 911 from anywhere in the country…Tothian knew.
By the time I got a hold of somebody (I’m two hours away) they arrived to find the paramedics already there.
Way to go Tothian, way to be on top of it.
OSH