Damn you John Wells

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I think John Wells sucks. He took over The West Wing from Aaron Sorkin, and has turned the best show on television into mediocre melodramatic crap. He tends to put the World In Crisis every other episode which is a crutch for bad writing. Anyone can make a show dramatic when you have to save the world, it takes a much better writer to create compelling drama from a day at the office. And now he's even screwing with the Presidential timetable. I thought the timing seemed off for the last few weeks, but tonight's episode revealed that the current administration only has one year left in office. Uh, pardon me, but I sort of remember him being elected back in 2002, and The West Wing has always been two years "off" the real Presidential cycle.

So, I went hunting in the Television Without Pity forums, and found this statement from the moderator:

Yes, John Wells has moved up the next presidential election by a year. The next election should have been held in November 2006, but it is going to be held in November 2005 (presumably with primaries and caucuses starting in January and February 2005). Nobody knows exactly why he did it, other than the fact that Martin Sheen's contract is about to run out. But please, I beg of you, stop asking if the elections are coming early.

I knew the show had "jumped the shark" when Sorkin left, but occasional episodes gave me glimmers of hope. But now, knowing that Martin Sheen and most of the original cast will be gone after this year, I can hardly bear to watch.

Not One Damn Dime

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For those who don’t know, tomorrow is Not One Damn Dime Day, when even the laziest of us can be political activists by simply not buying anything.  This should be easy for my mom, she practices this about four times a week. smiley

Since our leaders don't have the moral courage to speak out against the war in Iraq, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Walmart, KMart and Target. Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan -- a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this as an email with as many people as possible, and please express your opinion at www.NotOneDamnDime.com .

Unforgiveable Blackness

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If you haven't watched Unforgivable Blackness this week, find out when it's being repeated on your PBS station (most will re-run it this weekend). I haven't watched the second half yet, but last night's installation of the new Ken Burns documentary was fantastic. It's the first Burns documentary I've seen in high definition, and the footage of Jack Johnson fighting his way to the Heavyweight Championship was great, considering the age of the film. The second half will be more disturbing, I'm sure, but just as interesting. It's amazing, and disturbing, to witness the blatant racism of an era that's less than a century old, to see white supremacy "justified" by the "science" of the day, and the outrageous lengths people would go to just to protect their fragile and erroneous world view. It makes you wonder what they'll think of us in a hundred years...

Tax Aide

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I spent much of my Martin Luther King Jr. Day (which we do get off, though we don't get Veteran's Day, President's Day, or Columbus Day, since apparently universities don't have to appear sensitive to those groups) helping our local AARP Tax Aide office get their computers networked wirelessly and securely. They prepare taxes for low income and/or elderly persons for no charge. My neighbor is a member of the local Retired Senior Volunteer Program who runs the computers for this yearly. He said last year that they prepared about 1100 returns, so it was definitely worth a trip from me out there to get their network secured and encrypted.