Independence

"Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage & you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence & become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you."

- Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865
16th US President

Transformers: Megatron

Name: Megatron
Affiliation: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Micro Vehicles, Leader
Alternate Mode: Cybertronian Jet
Function: Leadership thru fear
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Motto: "Peace through tyranny!"
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Character Description:
The missing Decepticon leader held frozen by Sector 7, Megatron desires power over the Allspark & hates organic lifeforms. Megatron is the primary fictional villain of the Transformers franchise throughout the various "Generation 1" series. Megatron is a Transformer robot, giving him the ability to modify his body's structure into other objects, the original "alternate mode" being a custom Walther P38. It is said that his name is derived from the Greek To Mega Therion (Τὸ Μέγα Θηρίον), which means "The Great Beast" and is a reference to the Book of Revelation. Furthermore Metatron is one of the archangels.

Slander

If slander be a snake, it is a winged one;
it flies as well as creeps.

- Douglas Jerrold,
Specimen's of Jerrold's Wit
in Slander

Transformers: Ironhide

Name: Ironhide
Affiliation: Autobots
Sub-Group: Deluxe Vehicles
Alternate Mode: Cobra HiSS Hummer
Function: Security & Military Strategist
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Motto: "High tech circuitry is no replacement for guts. Being fast is an asset, but nothing replaces guts!"
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Character Description:
A tough, weathered soldier, he is always the first in battle. Ironhide is one of Optimus' oldest friends, but has a grittier outlook on life. A weapon specialist & old-fashioned warrior, Ironhide is the big stick that backs up the soft steps of Optimus Prime. Paint scarred & chrome chipped by shrapnel from hundreds of battles, he is the oldest of the Autobots. His right hip is a mass of bypasses & temporary solutions, his power core & timing system are irregular, & his idle is set way too high; but his optics are the sharpest on Cybertron, & his cannon arm is as steady as ever. Optimus Prime relies on him for tactical advice & a cool head. As long as they keep making missiles compatible with his cannons, he’ll keep fighting, until every last DECEPTICON is a smoldering wreck.

Freedom

The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you are my age, you will be able to say, as I have been able to say - We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a statement, not an apology.

-Ronald Wilson Reagan

Transformers: Starscream

Name: Starscream
Affiliation: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Deluxe Vehicle
Alternate Mode: F-22 Raptor
Function: Air Superiority
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Motto: "Conquest is made of the ashes of one's enemies."
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Character Description:
Megatron's second-in-command. Megatron & Starscream do not get along well. Ruthless, cold-blooded, & capable, Starscream makes no secret of the fact that he wants to replace Megatron as leader of the Decepticons. The fastest flyer among the Decepticons ranks & one of the most dangerous warriors ever to grace the skies of Cybertron, he is still something of a coward. He cares too much for his own skin to ever take the risks the overthrow of Megatron would require.

Learning

"Wherever we are & whatever we are doing, it is possible to learn something that can enrich our lives & the lives of others. No one's education is ever complete."

- Sir John Templeton