Wednesday, November 17, 2004

War is heck: By now we're already up to our hips in the fallout from ABC's decision to promote "Desperate Housewives" by way of T.O. and Monday Night Football. You know what? Fine. I don't particularly want to see Nicollete Sheridan during a football game, but it was mildly amusing, and at worst, highly suggestive.

What I'm more concerned about is 66 ABC affliiates refusing to show "Saving Private Ryan" b/c of the fear of the FCC cracking down because this war movie, *gasp* has swear words in it. The fundamentalist groups are swarming, screaming over this travesty. First of all, who is this going to offend? It's a three-hour movie about WWII...is anyone letting their 5 year old kids watch this with the understanding that Barney will be appearing doing a silly dance? Are people going to get a half-hour in and then realize that Lawrence Welk is not in fact on this channel, and what's with all the potty-mouth?

I'd be much more understanding and supportive of this objection if the church-goers were complaining that this movie somehow promotes or glorifies war - which you know, can be kind of horrible. But no, it's that a realistic movie would dare show soldiers, who are getting shot at, letting loose with a few f-bombs. Our country is going down the drain with this holier-than-thou censorship. It's the band-aid on the sucking chest wound that is the real downfall of our society: poverty, disease, crime, "The View". It's only b/c it's easy that this issue gets so much attention. You don't find nearly the amount of energy put into churches and foundations solving local problems like homelessness or drug abuse. Nope, just keep hollering at them Hollywood types - that will save us all.

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