Matt: We're set for another Take 5 today. Joining me is Karen Jo Fairborne, better known to the world as Miss Lightspeed. Thank you for being with us.
Miss Lightspeed: My pleasure, Matt.
Matt: Your husband is famous and infamous, your son equally so. How do you keep it all together?
Miss Lightspeed: Some days I don't know the answer to that one. Bill [William Avery Fairborne AKA Colonel Chaos] and Chris [Christopher Gregory Fairborne AKA Crimsonstreak] are a handful. When you add saving the world to that equation...life gets tricky. I try to do the typical "mom" things, you owe that to your children, but I have another set of responsibilities to juggle. I've learned how to prioritize over the years, and I hope I've taught my family that injustice and poverty are just as important to fight as the average villain of the week.
Matt: Do you think your husband and son have gotten that message?
Miss Lightspeed: For the most part, I believe so. It was much harder on Chris when he was younger. Now that he's getting older, I believe he really understands why I have to be away from home sometimes. And Bill...well, my husband is like me in many ways. He doesn't love it when I'm gone, but he knows I'll go where I'm needed when I'm needed.
Matt: Let's talk a little bit about the Super Diplomats Corps. This has been a controversial undertaking for a woman who's been so beloved worldwide.
Miss Lightspeed: Is there a question in there? Or are you going to browbeat your viewers with opinions disguised as questions?
Matt: (bites lip) What can you tell us about the Super Diplomats Corps?
Miss Lightspeed: (smiles) The Corps is one of my passions. Superheroes shouldn't be limited to stopping bank robberies and taking down supervillains. There's a bigger picture we have to see. We have to take a look at society and see where things are going wrong; where injustices go unnoticed. I had the idea for a team of heroes that would look at these international crises and find ways to solve them. I was fortunate enough to encounter like-minded individuals who joined the cause. Our primary goal is humanitarian aid and social justice. It may not get as much attention as throwing a bad guy through a window, but I argue that it's more important.
Matt: You've taken some heat for intervening in certain countries. How do you respond to those who are critical of your efforts?
Miss Lightspeed: I'm assuming you're referring to our operations in places like Cuba, Iran, and North Korea?
Matt: That's correct.
Miss Lightspeed: To look at the leaders of a country and then assume all the people are the same way just isn't right. Those people need just as much help--probably more--than anyone else. How is a disaster in Paducah, Kentucky, or Las Vegas, Nevada, any different than one in Pyongyang or Tehran? Do those people suffer any more? Any less? Why refuse to provide humanitarian aid in a crisis? How does that improve the world? The Super Diplomats Corps sees the global picture. We're all in this together. I know that's a simplistic way of looking at things, but superheroes are here to help. If that means extending an olive branch to countries that aren't "in the club," so be it.
Matt: Clearly, this is a passion for you. I suppose anyone who gives you flak for this would have to deal with your husband.
Miss Lightspeed: They'd have to deal with me first. Bill could take whatever's left.
Matt: Let's get to the last question now. What do you think of the Heroic Legion?
Miss Lightspeed: (inhales deeply) Well...that could be five questions on its own. The group means well, but sometimes they're too bureaucratic for my tastes. They make a motion, they take a vote, they make a motion about the vote, vote on the motion, and then, if we're lucky, they take action. It's not that I don't have respect for governments and policies, because I believe that's where everything starts. In a crisis, people need to see their leaders take quick and effective action. Sitting in a room and delaying what you know to be the right response doesn't help anyone. I wish the Legion understood that. I think, deep down, they do.
Matt: Thank you for joining me today, Miss Lightspeed. You can read more about her and the Fairborne family in I, Crimsonstreak, available at these fine retailers:
Candlemark & Gleam Website
Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle Edition
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble NOOK Book
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