The recent Somali pirates got me thinking…What the hell were these posers thinking? We are a people of imagination and tradition. We like our villains to be riddled with pyschosis, physically intriguing, adept at plotting & a good, solid narrative to back up this plotting. Skinny pirates in tattered shirts? Come on, Really? You are going up against the baddest military ever constructed and this is what you got?  Though I’ve never been a super gung-ho Military hawk, I have to admit that I swelled with pride at the Navy Seals’ skill and resolve. Highly Trained, highly skilled, highly heroic. AWESOME!

With that in mind, check out these true monsters and pirates. These tshirts harken back to when villains were villains.

These images got me thinking about national identity. Why do these images and others like them  say America?  I have never spent alot of time out West, have never been drawn to Westerns, never gone to a Rodeo (though I did make it out to a few C&W bars during my time in Austin) and thankfully never fell into the whole “SouthWest” decorating phase. Yet these images resonate with me.

The U.S. is so different in terrain, ethnic/racial make up, rural & urban landscapes and musical legacies, yet there is an American mythology. It is probably tweaked depending on your experience, but it is uniquely American. It is always fascinating and pretty disheartening  to have politicians & pundits stuff their definition of American Patriotism down our throats. A conspiciously missing flag pin is heresy, rural America as the ”Real America”, pitting supporters of the War vs. dissenters of the policy. These are all misguided, opportunistic and divisive. Images like these remind us of the unique legacy we share.