It might be time for a rant

This painting in oil was the work of John Trumbull, who served in the Continental Army under the command of George Washington. It depicts the death of Brigadier General (and physician) Hugh Mercer at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.  When Mercer's men began to run upon his death, Washington, the commander in chief, shown mounted here, led a charge into the fray to rally the troops. The American victory was one of the major turning points in the struggle for personal freedom and national independence. Can you imagine, in this age of political correctness, when celebrity rules, of presidents whose primary talent seems to be singing, of people whose motto apparently is "me first" .... can you imagine that those who came before us had the courage to risk all they had and might ever have for personal freedom and for the independence of their country. Once, this was America. Sadly, I think, that America no longer exists.

I am about to indulge myself

I occasionally think about what I would like to see on television and what/who I would not like to see there. Here are my thoughts, mostly about what/who I wish would go away for at least a year, if not forever. These "items" are in no particular order, but, those who know me might be able to arrange them in order very quickly:

Regis Philbin, frequent television host and advertising mouthpiece: My god man, give it a break. Must you be on television being complimented on how well you look for your age and/or selling something every hour of the day? Fade away gracefully.

Oprah Winfrey: I never have understood the public attraction toward this woman, other than the way she throws money around. I once said to my second ex-wife that I thought Oprah was pretty much of a cult figure. Perhaps, that is what led to divorce No. 2.

Karl Rove, Fox News consultant: For a so-called Republican "idea man" who has not had a new idea since 1992, he sure gets a lot of air time. Send him back to Texas .... pretty please-ee-ee-ee with sugar on top.

Bill O'Reilly, Fox News commentator: While he often has good ideas, he is No. 2 in terms of public figures full of themselves. No. 1, of course, is Barack Obama. The only thing that keeps O'Reilly away from the No. 1 spot is that he has not started looking in the mirror and singing on television (at least, not to my knowledge).

Barbara Walters, ABC talk show host: She is sort of like a corpse propped up in a chair with her mouth moving. It is time for you to go home and to write your memoirs or a spy novel or your opinion on who murdered Princess Diana. Just stay off television for a while, and take your airhead buddy, Joy Behar, with you.

Chuck Norris, television and film "actor" (using the term very loosely): Your muscles are long gone, your movies never were any good and, and, and .... well, quit wearing sleeveless t-shirts and  trying to sell exercise equipment and, maybe, try fishing for a hobby.

Barack Obama, president of the U.S.: He is terrific at looking into the camera and lying with a straight face. Just go back to Chicago or head for Hollywood, where you obviously long to be and belong. You would win an Oscar for best acting your first year out there. (By the way, my work has included interviewing hundreds and determining who is lying and who is not, and, among those interviews, only once was I ever fooled.)

The producers of reality television shows: Hire some actual writers, some actual actors, some actual directors, and fire the fat, homely, slim, beautiful, inarticulate, uneducated people who are endlessly talking about how they feel and giving their opinions and repossessing cars and building weird guns and trying to sing or to act. Boycott cable television.

The producers of so-called television news programs: Again, enough of the people who spend their off-hours looking in the mirror, who bless us with their idle chatter, who grace us with their opinions. Hire more real reporters and fewer analysts, consultants, opinion mongers and politically-biased air-heads.  Boycott cable television.

I dropped cable television a month ago. (Actually, I only had it for a couple of years. Do you believe that? It really is true.)  I wish more people would do it, too. Demand programming  which is better both for your mental well being and for your money. Why does anyone pay for someone (infomercials) to try to sell them something? Why would anyone with even one-half of a brain actually watch a thirty-minute commercial? Yep, boycott cable.

As a farewell, allow me to say this: The three greatest destructive elements currently in play in America, in my opinion, are cable television, the Congress of the U.S. and the unions. Incidentally, I still hold union membership and once was president of a local chapter; and, I have worked for a congressman and for state grovernment, so I am complaining from the inside in a sense, not from the outside.

Yes, I know .... throw a stone or two at me, but, try your own list and see where you fall down. Nothing is free, including freedom ....