Now that we’ve tackled the fictional universe, let’s point out the 10 obvious heroes I idolize in the real world.

1. Ron Paul: Now here’s a man with some conviction. With a nearly perfect voting record, Ron Paul will always do what is arguably in the country’s best interests by protecting the Constitution and the rule of law. He’s also no partisan hack either. When he was a doctor Ron Paul was so morally convicted he refused to take any “government money” to treat the poor, but instead did it for free.

2. Dennis Kucinich: The Left’s Ron Paul essentially. He too understands the mess that is the American foreign policy, the American drug policy, and the policies of the Federal Reserve which have led to near destruction in the United States. Sadly, his time is Congress is about to end…

3. Andrew Jackson: His war with the Second Bank of the United States was truly inspiring. We need more politicians in Washington willing to stand against the evils of central banking as a whole. Although his injustices on the Native Americans are duly noted, I can’t help but feel like we need more people like him willing to protect the vanguards of a nation……

4. Benjamin Franklin: Truly a founding father, but also a manwhore. If you read his autobiography, you can see the massive amount of work he goes into trying to achieve “moral perfection: his moral vices include but are not limited to: Temperence, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility.

5. Edgar Allan Poe: He was an orphan who somehow managed to turn his entire world around to become a literary success. His dark stories and poems remain apparent in popular culture to this day. I LOVE THE RAVEN AND ANNABELLE LEE.

6. Henry David Thoreau: He was a champion of the “individual”, and subsequently a huge anti-conformist. He was against the idea of a group mindset in life, and even set out to live on the woods and talk to ants. Talk about Transcendentalist.

7. Frederick Douglas: As the leader of the Abolitionist movement, his incisive antislavery writings in the North Star and various abolitionist newspapers was the voice of a generation that needed to be freed. He was a firm believer in equality for ALL PEOPLE, saying that “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong”.

8. Plato was a Greek philosopher who helped build the foundations of Western philosophy and science. His actual writings are definitely profound if you read them. His allegory of the cave remains starkly in my head as an inspiration for how we should look at the world. If you read the allegory of the cave, you might find some stark similarities between his theory and the real world. The fact remains that the inhabitants of the cave are US, and our views of the world are sharply manipulated as we’ve been lied to our entire lives by our surroundings.

9. Charles Darwin: In learning more about him through reading his autobiography, I can say I honestly respect the man for publishing his works despite the controversy that was elicited as a result. His struggles with religion and science were always interesting, and still play out in the culture war within the United States today.

10. My parents & YOUR PARENTS: They provide for you the building blocks and the foundation for a better life. Always remember that.