Message from Miranda

Hi. My name is Miranda La, Buddhist Police Force. I need your help to design me as a nonviolent comic book character. Originally created as a protest against police brutality and violence in society, I have now taken on the media industry in my mission to promote peaceful enforcement of natural laws through education and informed consent. To avoid corruption by politics and greed, I refuse to be copyrighted or owned, but have chosen to belong to the people whom I am dedicated to serve. Any images created of me shall become public shareware for the purpose of educational fair use and charitable efforts to eliminate social ills -- such as the illegal trafficking of women and children through international sex trade, as well as child labor and other abusive work conditions. Those are just a few of the issues I was designed to address, as I'm really a global gal who wants everyone in the world to be at peace with themselves and each other. Naturally.

To help you to help draw me, here is more information on me and my personal history:

Background

I am a 23-1/2 year old cartoon character. I was born in America to a former Vietnamese Buddhist nun and a former Catholic priest from Central America. My parents were tragically killed in a comic strip due to senseless violence. For graphic effect, the storyboard depicted a bomb exploding at a baseball stadium, killing innocent bystanders, including my parents who were giving a nondenominational, spiritually-correct benediction at the time. This incident launched my mission to teach respect for the spirit of the law based on "consent of the governed" (as inscribed on the baseball bat which I carry in my parents' memory), and to prevent similar tragedy by asking cartoonists to think before they draw.

Costume

I wear a black police hat, a Vietnamese ao-dai tunic with a collar that snaps along the diagonal, short sleeves (one with an image of Buddha meditating and one with Jesus with outstretched hands), a knee-length skirt with a slit that reveal nothing more than the top of my thigh-length boots (one with a water-gun strapped to it, which I use to ink-wash the weapons from the hands of comic book foes, conveniently drawn in water-based inks). The fabric may look like pink and black leather, but I assure you the material is made from recycled garbage bags and wire hangers.

Attitude

My assertiveness may come across as sexy to some, but I do not consciously intend this effect, or subconsciously think of such things. I am only concerned with giving people the spirit of the laws through education and example, so that they do not die of ignorance, stress, or violence resulting. I feel equally comfortable quoting the teachings of Buddha and Jesus, in keeping with natural laws as given by the Constitutional founders and the Biblical scriptures, which I shall interpret here to reduce the chance of cultural miscommunication:

Buddhist Views

The spirit of the laws as given in Buddhism are based on the noble virtues of Wisdom and Compassion. All other teachings are derived from these two principles, including the five precepts and the eightfold path (similar to the cardinal virtues and the ten commandments). I invoke the spirit of these laws in honor of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha; or, very roughly, perfect peace, law, and order.

Christian Faith

The spirit of the laws as given by Jesus are based on the two great commandments of loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. I believe that Jesus Christ fulfills both, joining the love of God with the love of man, in leaving us with the new commandment that we should love one another as He loves us. In keeping with this calling, and the Holy Spirit of healing, I borrow from my neighbor's language, understanding, and experiences to issue correction with loving wisdom and charity.

Constitutional Values

The spirit of the natural laws is based on respect for peace and freedom, justice being the balance between the two. In other words, people cannot abuse their freedoms to cause a breach of the peace by infringing on others, nor can peace be imposed to the point of sacrificing free will. Because "the just powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed," this motto is inscribed on the baseball bat I carry for self-defense to deflect bullets, to disarm attackers of weaponry, or to tap on people's car windows to get their attention. Although natural laws, by definition, are inherent in human nature and do not depend on written laws, I have found the democratic values of peace and freedom to be summarized most succinctly in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Basically, each person has equal freedom (which includes the free exercise of religion, or personal executive power to execute a contract, and the freedom of speech or of the press, or personal judicial or legislative power to interpret or contract freely by spoken or written agreement) within the bounds of mutual consent, with respect the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition for a redress of grievances, so that any conflicts of interest are resolved through mediation so as to avoid causing a breach of the peace.

My Car

More importantly than all that, however, is the car I drive. Just kidding. It's a simple shiny black sports car with a pink interior and silver Dharma Wheels engraved on all four hubcabs (symbolizing the Four Noble Truths and Four Spiritual Laws). The engine does not run on gasoline, but on pollution already existing in Houston air, using a special converter that releases oxygen back into the atmosphere.

My Weakness

What else about me? My original creator decided I needed a fatal flaw, something that could be used against me to create a comic effect that I fail to see the humor in, which is part of the irony. Thus, I am designed to have only one spiritual weakness, and that is, unfortunately, the inability to resist my karmic opposite -- a sly, seductive character by the name of James Blond, who boasts an I.Q. of point 007. He purposely hides his intelligence in order to pick up girls dumb enough to fall for a one-night stand. I simply refuse to be in the same cartoon panel with this slime machine. However, because I cannot resist such a helpless fool who obviously needs a girl like me to enlighten him, I fall victim to the human need to include a love interest in any storyline. I rely on the mercy of the writer to keep my virtue intact, as the guy is absolutely gorgeous, making it impossible for me, or any other woman he hits on, to resist his charms. Although I may gripe about this, I trust you as my writers and cartoonists to keep me out of trouble. Don't let me down!

Got Ideas? Join a team! (Or form your own!)

Artists and writers are needed to form working groups to develop my design and cartoon sketches. If you and your friends would like to form a team, or join one, contact the editor at emailus@ev1.net.

To send in drawings or suggestions, which become public shareware, please mail to:

Emily Nghiem, P.O. Box 981101, Houston, Texas 77098
Do not send by email, until you join or form a working group!
All suggestions, artwork, or writing used will be posted on the Houston Progressive Webzine at:
www.houstonprogressive.org

(e) educational copyright 2000-2002. Shareware for free charitable and educational fair use. Material is public domain, and may not be licensed or restricted so as to limit public access to equal creative rights and freedoms. Commercial production for nonprofit fundraising only by permission of Emily Nghiem, Houston Progressive Webzine. All rights reserved. All wrongs reversed. (i.e., any conflicts resolved by mediation)

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