• <i>I didn't mean G.I. Joe should be peace-loving hippies, I just meant "us against them," where we are America and "them" is anyone who isn't American (read: foreigners) is an outdated concept in this new global economy. Should we let ourselves be defined by lines on a map? Aren't we all citizens of the world?</i> I'm perfectly well aware of what you meant. Obviously, I disagree. The mere existence of a global economy does not mean that nations/ethnicities/whatever hate each other any less than they did before, and in fact it may simply enable their vendettas by allowing access to more efficient weaponry and equipment than they could have acquired previously (case in point: cellular telephones). As for being "citizens of the world", Russia doesn't believe it, China doesn't believe it, North Korea and Iran don't believe it, and if I recall correctly, the "global citizen" mentality is what allowed Cobra Commander to get "Cobra Island" recognized as a sovereign state in the first place.

• I didn't mean G.I. Joe should be peace-loving hippies, I just meant "us against them," where we are America and "them" is anyone who isn't American (read: foreigners) is an outdated concept in this new global economy. Should we let ourselves be defined by lines on a map? Aren't we all citizens of the world?

• "Hoser", "Hockeypuck" and "Poutine" are not, to the best of my knowledge, the names of large, aquatic nuisance rodents that roll up into a ball and chew off their testicles when frightened, nor can they double as slang for female genitalia. So, yeah. Of course, the <i>actual, official</i> G.I. joe team had at least one Canadian-born member: Backstop, the driver of the bizarre Persuador wheeled tank. Apparently, he was responsible for so many injuries in junior hockey that his family had to flee to the U.S. to escape angry hockey parents.

• You'd rather the token Canuck be named "Hoser", "Hockeypuck", or "Poutine"?

• <i>"It's us against them! Yo Joe!"</i> That's kind of the whole point. It <i>is</i> "G.I." Joe, after all, and not "Kumbaya" Joe. <i>I hope all the Action Force supporters overseas are happy, since this was definitely a move to get international audiences on board.</i> As a Canadian who happily grew up on Joes in bilingual English/French packaging that nonetheless still proudly procraimed "G.I. Joe: A Real <i>American</i> Hero</i> (despite the maple leaf stickers included in place of the American star decals with the vehicles), I hope they choke on it. Serve 'em right for creating a token Canuck character code-named "Beaver".

• When I read the watermark on the poster, I pulled a Sean Connery, I thought it said "His Stank."

• So I guess it's definitely an international task force, despite Hasbro's protestations from early on? I'm all for globalization (the sooner we unite, the sooner the Vulcans show up!), but I kind of liked that Joe was an All-American team, representing the different ethnicities and cultures that make up this country. But I guess that's kind of old-fashioned thinking, especially since most of the Cobras are from different countries (most of which are now U.S. allies). "It's us against them! Yo Joe!" And now, if this poster is correct, Breaker and Heavy Duty are probably going to be from other countries. (Karolina Kurkova's Cover Girl, as well, I'm sure.) Hell, even the president is played by a Brit, Jonathan Pryce. I hope all the Action Force supporters overseas are happy, since this was definitely a move to get international audiences on board. And if the movie toys are as cool as the 25th Anniversary toys, I don't think buyers would care if Storm Shadow was wearing a pair of Uggs.

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