Jim Austin

His previous columns are archived HERE.

JIM AUSTIN

The jokers who are shaping our lives

I prefer to think of myself as an observer of popular culture, as opposed to my wife who thinks of me as a lump of well-marbled meat occupying the Barca-lounger.

Over the years I have seen many TV shows come and go. Some, like "Touched by an Angel," were popular and appealed to the godly.

I could only stomach one show. Its smarmy holiness combined with industrial grade saccharin plot lines were enough to give a Teletubby diabetes. It was therefore with great trepidation that I tuned in the "The Book of Daniel," an NBC offering with religious overtones.

What a surprise.

The Book of Daniel was an intelligent treatment of the day-to-day problems of modern life and how people of faith square injustice and tragedy with their belief in Christ. The message is that love of one another and forgiveness is the key to knowing Christ and obtaining his blessing. Radical.

Here's what Don Swarthout, President of Christians Reviving American Values had to say about the show:

"This show is the most thinly veiled attack upon Christianity and people of all faith that has ever been put on a major network. We cannot allow NBC to continue to air this program."

The show, you see, depicts Christ as a sort of guardian angel to the main character.

Swarthout goes on to say that a homosexual, who believes in the tenets of Buddhism, writes the show.

I have never heard of this sanctimonious arbiter of American values but apparently NBC has. They pulled the show off the air after three episodes.

Do I blame NBC? Not really. Their administration is beholden to their stockholders who rely on advertisers for their bottom line.

I blame that great silent majority who schlump along through life and never look up from the funny papers unless their ox is being gored. In my view this is everybody's ox.

Our society is incrementally losing its right to free speech while we watch slack-jawed and clueless.

You may have noticed that Cindy Sheehan was arrested in the Capitol Building before the President's state of the union address. Ms Sheehan gained national recognition as the mother of a slain soldier.

She was cuffed and led out of the area for wearing a tee-shirt with a logo supporting the troops.

The Patriot Act apparently contains a small provision authorizing the authorities to remove protesters who picket any big event and corral them far away from the center of attention in a "protest zone."

When abortion clinic employees and pro-choice adherents tried to do the same with the rabid mobs of pro-life cretins that intimidate patients on a daily basis they were told by the courts that this was "unconstitutional." But then this government and their religious zealot base are against abortion.

We are letting the Dobsons, the Swarthouts, the Robertsons. and the Christian Coalition get away with dictating what values we should hold and what TV shows we should watch.

They all have the choice to turn the dial on that TV set but they insist on turning our dials as well.

These wild-eyed fanatics are cut from exactly the same cloth as those Muslims who are currently murdering each other and destroying embassies in retribution for some newspapers that published cartoons depicting Mohammad.

Apparently "Hizballah," the quaintly named "Party of God," wants to declare war on several European countries whose newspapers have dared to reprint these cartoons.

If Dobson and Robertson were Muslims, you would see them on the streets burning flags and screaming for the blood of the infidel through saliva-flecked beards.

So, 1984 is fast becoming a non-fiction book. If plans to invade Iran come to fruition our government will have us in a perpetual state of war. Bush's boys squash free speech with the Patriot Act and eavesdrop on our personal communications.

If Orwell were alive he could sue for copyright infringement.