This historic box office performance didn't include the 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. showings as fans crowded the theaters all day. Besides all the cash, the film has the fans raving.

In the movie the Joker makes a distinct and frightening impression.

It turns out the Joker is a Terrorist!

No joke.

Would that the distinctions between who is good and who is evil were so clear as in Hollywood movies or Shakespearean plays. But a significant aspect of evil, today and in the past, has been deception, confusion and staying out of the limelight.

This makes it all the more difficult to fight. Plus we do not have any 'caped crusader,' to show up on the scenes like the classic Lone Ranger -- or Batman -- who purges the town of corruption, doesn't even wait for a Thank You, and rides off into the sunset or zooms away in his Batmobile.

What to make of such myths? It's tempting to blame them on junk food, the modern age, a need for excessive and violent entertainment, the 'dumbing down' of America or whatever except for the fact that from the start, from the first ever epic tale written in what could be called English -- Beowulf -- we have a stranger show up in town, challenge the monsters that plague the village, and sail off into the sunset.

In Beowulf, though, at least the hero wanted some cash and then he may even have made a move on the King's daughter and suggested that he, a brave hero, would be a better King.

At least in the Myths of Old the motives were more realistic. Today there is a pretense of doing good for nothing while actually most of those involved in such public affairs, politics and wars of good and evil are, in reality, not doing good for nothing but doing evil for Big Bucks.

Therein is something to consider. Rodents spread plague they don't sing and dance like Mickey Mouse.

There is something honest about this Joker. He is not pretending to be a clown.

Batman remains a mystery. He is obviously a vigilante, operating outside the law. Maybe he even has issues of duel identity. In his daily life does he think of himself as Bruce Wayne playing Batman or does he think of himself as Batman who plays a role of Bruce Wayne.

But let's not overanalyze. Pass the popcorn. Hollywood just made it's greatest hit and perhaps that is due to all of us really liking to see good triumph over evil even if only on the Big Screen, like during the Depression Hollywood made movies about people living in big houses, glamorously dressed, with servants and rich and fabulous lives.

Maybe when folks are in a Depression they need some glamour. Maybe when in a snake pit of political lies, war and corruption we need to see Batman fight the Joker.

While most of us still live pretty well and some have as many expensive toys as Batman has to play around with, these are tough times and the omens bode ill for the future. Somebody has really been messing around with The American Dream.

As previously mentioned, it would be wise to remember who the real criminals are.

As the emergency spotlights of 'The Bat Signal,' hover over the nighttime skies of Gotham City it may be hard to remember and difficult to distinguish -- but wise to remember who the real criminals are.

Since we are governed by men who turned 9/11 into part of the excuse to invaded Iraq and the other half of the excuse about Weapons of Mass Destruction was also a lie, this is not a specious comment. Evil on such a scale can confound you; you don't even know where to begin to refute it all.

The recent Fed bailout of government-backed mortgage companies and the previous bailouts and government loan guarantees given to brokerage firms and big banks is a similar grand scale scam of colossal dimensions.

So while Bush has led us into the world's most expensive Trillion Dollar War and Wall Street is stealing billions with a brief case, it's tough times for us Average Joe's and Jane's.

Watching this White House is like watching Macbeth . I can picture Cheney wring his hands and whispering to Bush: "Hie thee hither that I may pour my (evil) spirits in thine ear."

But good and evil are not just stories of the past.

In the midst of our current clashes, a new icon of evil has arrive to stare us in the face: The Joker.

It's time to call The Batman.

Afterwards, when we come out of the theaters we can get back to the less dramatic nuts and bolts of working to elect better leaders, throwing the bums and rotten apples out of office, putting forth initivies to improve our communities, our nation and maybe even help clean up our world.

Perhaps we will be inspired by knowing if Batman can clean up Gotham and take care of the Jokers, so can we.

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