Big Brother premiere tonight

If like me, ye socks may be looking for some mindless entertainment to take your minds off weightier matters.

In which case, the folks over at CBS have stepped-up in a big way this evening with the premiere of the favorite summertime guilty pleasure in this neck of the woods: Big Brother.

Starts at 8pm for those of you fortunate enough to live on the east coast. The rest of you will just have to check your schedules.

Liberte, egalite, et BROKE

I just got done watching a story about the healthcare system in France on my favorite CBS Sunday Morning show.

Piffle.

The "resident correspondent in Paris" who put the piece together extolled the virtues of socialized medicine, but buried the most important part of the story:

The French government extorts an awful lot of money out of its workers to pay for their socialist boondoggles.

AND, they still come up short!

Even with the high taxes, their national healthcare "system" still operates with a DEFICIT!

Don't gloss over the FACTS, ye media types!

Socialism is NOT the answer to healthcare . . . or anything else for that matter. It deserves its place in the proverbial dustbin of history, not to be glamorized in a segment on a tv news magazine.

CBS?! Nuts!

I am so mad at the CBS television network right now, I could just spit nails.

It seems they have once again decided not to renew the greatest drama on American TV: Jericho.

Ye socks may be familiar with the Nuts Campaign launched against the network during the last go 'round. They were inundated by fans of the series. And, I hope it happens again.

The sad fact is that television has become even more of a wasteland than usual over the last few years. There is a serious lack of good programming. And, Jericho was one of only a handful of bright spots left for those of us who demand some intellectual stimulation when we turn on the boob-tube. Perhaps, that is just too high an expectation nowadays.

If ye must vent your frustration at CBS, yours truly will not discourage you. But, I am a proponent of taking positive action. That's why I'm calling on all fans of the show to write a letter of encouragement to:

Carol Barbee, Executive Producer of Jericho

c/o CBS/Paramount

4024 Radford Avenue

Studio City, CA 91604-2190

Let her know that we appreciate not only her efforts on the show, but also the entire cast and crew. And, encourage her to shop the series to a network that will appreciate its 6 million die-hard fans. I hear the USA Network (appropriately enough) is considering it . . . I'll become their number one viewer if they do!

Save Jericho!!

Acceptance of mediocrity is not happiness.

Is anybody else out there in the blogsphere as offended by tonight's broadcast of 60 Minutes, in which Morley Rigormortis trumpeted the country as Denmark as the "happiest in the world?!?"

Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge anyone their happiness. And, the Danes have been good friends of the United States. Much better friends than some other European nations that shall remain nameless here.

But, according to 60 Minutes, their happiness is because they live in a nanny state that wipes their collective arse from the cradle to the grave.

They only have to work 37 hours a week.

They get 6 weeks paid vacation.

They get free university educations.

They get 6 months paid paternity leave for new dads.

Sounds great, right?! No wonder their so blessed happy!

What you need to understand is who is paying for those short weeks, time off, tuition, and bonding time: their HUGE welfare system.

And, where does the welfare system get the money? Well, from payroll taxes, of course! 50% for most people. As much as 63% for some.

Whatever. They may choose to live like that, but don't try pimping it in this dryer.

What was most offensive to me was the last word the producers gave to this deadbeat who had dropped out of his college studies to be home with his newborn at his fellow Danes' expense. With an insipid grin, he tells the camera, "Don't believe in the American dream!"

Well, I'd much rather believe in that than the Danish twin nightmares of low expectations and lack of ambition.

Note to CBS: If you really want to start charging Bright House Networks to carry your programming, at least start airing news pieces that promote such free-market capitalistic ideals.

FAH! Piffle!

I so need an Ambien . . .

The return of the Western

Wow, did you catch the latest installment of Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" saga on CBS tonight?! It was awesome!

"Comanche Moon" has the typically riveting cast of characters and plot we've come to expect from McMurtry's dramatizations of the Old West. But, this installment's cast delivers some truly stellar performances.

Val Kilmer plays an eccentric Yankee intent upon finding the rascals responsible for stealing his prized horse.

Steve Zahn (remember him from "Saving Silverman"?!?) plays a Texas Ranger with self-esteem problems.

And, Rachel Griffiths is delightfully trampy as an Austin socialite with way too much money and time on her hands.

Hopefully, this will spur . . . get it: "spur"?!? . . . me into finally completing my own western novel. That was another of those new year's resolutions I alluded to in yesterday's post . . .

Oh, and as to the real Cowboys out in Dallas, here's a tissue for TO. I guess, he'll be eating that popcorn next weekend as he watches the Giants play in the conference championship . . . that, or he could watch a tape of tonight's "Comanche Moon." (The next installment is Tuesday, so check your local listings!)

Mark McEwen's "Miracle of Love"

Just got done watching a great special on our local CBS affiliate, channel 6.

You socks who live out of the area probably recognize Mark McEwen as the jovial weather man from the CBS morning show.

Well, back in 2002, he moved down here to Central Florida to become an anchorman.

Unfortunately, he wasn't on the air for very long before he suffered a massive stroke.

Tonight's special broadcast detailed how he and his wife Denise and their family and friends came together on the road to recovery.

Mark's speech still isn't what it used to be. And, he has some difficulty using one of his hands. But, his mind is as sharp as ever, and his sense of humor is still disarming.

What amazed me most is that he is not only walking unassisted, but is also driving himself--and the destinations aren't just therapy sessions and doctor appointments. He's also taken on a variety of speaking engagements. Check out these links for more info:

http://www.stroke.org/

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

Mark's is certainly an inspiring story!

Snipers take aim at rock star

If you need any proof that my favorite GOP presidential contender is on the verge of becoming a "top tier" candidate, take note of the increased sniping he's been forced to endure lately.

I've already dismissed the "Club for Growth" and their idiotic assessment of Mike Huckabee's awesome tenure as Governor of Arkansas. But, they're still trying to label him as a tax-and-spend liberal. What a hoot! The truth is he made tax cuts of historic proportions while in office.

Now, it seems Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who has presidential ambitions of his own, is trying to label the ordained Baptist minister as anti-Catholic. His accusations stem from an email sent by a fellow appropriately named Tim RUDE from Windsor Heights, Iowa, who claims to be a Huckabee supporter. But, I don't know how anyone could take Sammy B seriously, especially considering Huckabee's campaign manager Chris Saltsman is a Catholic, as are MANY of his pro-life supporters. In fact, there are quite a few who fall into that category right here in the Sunshine State!

Unfortunately, Saltsman has opened a new can of worms in responding to Senator Sam's ridiculous assertions. He inadvertently misspelled the name of the junior senator from Illinois in an email of his own, demonstrating Brownback's own supporters are blatantly demonstrating religious intolerance. He pointed out the "Baptists for Brownback" website and its claims that Hillary Clinton, Barack OSAMA, and Fred Thompson (among others) are "hell bound." Obviously, this was a typo. But, it's still causing something of a stir, and distracting attention from Saltsman's underlying point.

All of this would be regrettable, as it takes focus off Mike Huckabee's unique message that the Republican Party needs not only to hold tightly to its conservative roots but also to become better stewards of the environment and speak out against corporate corruption and greed.

But, I prefer to see the silver lining in all this: the snipers wouldn't be taking aim if Mike wasn't doing something right.

He had an awesome appearance with CBS's Jeff Greenfield on last night's news, coming off as the common man's candidate. They pointed out how his small budget forces him to fly coach on commercial flights while "top tier" candidates have private jets. The silver lining there is that he is in the trenches even when he travels, shaking hands and getting to know the people he wants to serve. And, who knows, maybe it will inspire him to do something about the onerous flight delays, etc., when he's in the White House.

That's right, I said WHEN he's in the White House (not if)!

Go, Mike, go!