Avengers Assemble for Some Landscaping in Central Park In Central Park last Wednesday, the Avengers thwarted a superhuman attempt to terrorize the city. An individual labeling himself as "Plant Man"- possessing the ability to manipulate vegetation as well as spawn it- stormed onto a baseball field and took two teams of Little League players hostage. There seemed to be no motive in this crime and police negotiators could not determine his demands. It was not long after the hostage situation began that part of the Avengers team appeared on scene. Iron Man arrived first, followed shortly by new Avengers' member Spider-Woman and, soon after, Captain America. The children were rescued and Plant Man was subdued and detained until S.H.I.E.L.D. agents turned up to incarcerate him in a super-human appropriate facility.
Climate on the Political Front: Mutant Registration Debate on Mandatory Mutant Registration is heated, although political analysts say the scales are tipping in favor of Anti- Registration sentiments. The argument for civil rights seems the be the rallying point and is gaining more ground than concerns about the possible dangers posed by unregistered mutants. Still, Pro-Registration lobbyists are standing firm on their point.
"Mutants are people who are gifted with these dangerous abilities and therefore have responsibilities," says GOP Senator and staunch Registration proponent Christopher Martin, "Many of them are basically weapons. The government requires its people to register guns, I don't think it's asking too much to do the same with a dangerous ability. Hundreds have already registered. They understand the desire and necessity for their fellow citizens to feel safe. It is their duty, as people of this nation, to take responsibility and give peace of mind to their fellow man." Anti-Registration proponents do not agree.
"Why only mutants?" asks Amelia Smith, president of the American Civil Liberties Union. "Why not all super humans? Why not adherents of particular religions? Why not young people between the ages of 22 and 34. It's arbitrary. Anyone, anyone, is capable of committing a dangerous crime. Just because someone has the capability does not mean they are going to use or abuse it. Volunteering for Registration is one thing, but to force this on law abiding American citizens is unthinkable. If the Senate allows this move, what basic rights will be violated next? What group will be targeted as 'undesirable' and labeled as a danger to society? This is a treacherous road, and the American public need not embark on it. It would be the first step towards oppression."
Arguments between lobbyists and lawmakers persist as public demonstrations for both sides of the issue, sometimes erupting in violence, continue.
Russia signs Disarmament Treaty with the United States In a move lauded by the global community, the United States has signed a pact with Russia to disarm and disassemble several satellites carrying nuclear missiles. Both nations will begin dismantling the satellites in coming weeks. The weapons are remnants of Cold War fears and constant reminders, as the Russian president says, "of the failure of diplomacy." Leaders hope this move will be a stride towards lasting peaceable international relations.
Investigation into Kyrgyzstan Cult Deaths The mysterious deaths of seventy-two men at a religious compound in Kyrgyzstan have been ruled a cult suicide. Investigators have discovered that the religious sect, who worshiped a race of extraterrestrials, possessed a stockpile of conventional and nuclear weapons as well as alien technology. Specialists have confirmed that the technology was salvaged from a falling meteorite and some of it has been identified as pieces stolen from private collections. Apparently the cult has been making terrorist threats against several of the world's nations over the past several months and that their weapons cache had been accumulated for that purpose. The query into the deaths has lead to speculation that their deaths were caused by one of their many extraterrestrial artifacts. Further investigation into the incident has been closed.