TV Just Pisses Me Off...

Basically, I haven't lived anywhere that has had cable television or even television with rabbit ears for local reception in almost three years. Sadly, I have missed the last two seasons of American Idol...and I was able to steer clear of the Desperate Housewives phenomenon (when I saw TransAmerican I wasn't sure that the tranny in the movie was a bio girl until I saw her man-parts...and being a peniphile I was quick to spot a low hanging falsy). And, I had no idea that Keifer Sutherland had re-emerged as a star in the new millenium.

But, now that I work from home, and I have basic cable...I have been quickly re-baptized into televised pop culture. And what I've seen has pissed me the hell off. When you have basic cable, you are basically limited to public television, your local stations, CNN, and the learning stations (National Geographic, History, Discovery, TLC, and Animal Planet). So, basically, I have been inundated with something akin to information overload. Now, thanks to the learning stations...I am terrified of the 12 deadliest snakes in Africa, stingrays, and the scientifically predicted evolutions of animals 100,000,000 years in the future. But, I am also re-pissed off beyond belief about the history of the United States and the bullshit that is taking place right now today and especially over the course of the Bush Administration.

Let me be specific...two incidences today have caused a sharp rise in my blood pressure. During a show on the Civil War and Reconstruction on the History Channel, there was a quick in between scenes fun fact that stated in 1866, former slave owners in Georgia managed to sell a group of freedmen back into slavery in Cuba. At that moment, when I saw that clip, I wanted to go out and smack the nearest white person. I may indiscriminately beat down the first caucasian I came across. The history of people of color in this country, my history and the history of my family, has been white washed, bleached out, rubbed out, and ignored. Yet, from time to time...by chance and happenstance...I learn something about my personal past and my racial past that I didn't know before. As someone that prides himself on being engaged with exploring his history and the history of his nation...the details of what was done and continues to be done in the name of white supremacy in his nation often catches me off guard and sparks some deep, genetic level anger.  I managed to reign my anger in and recognize that while the emotion was completely valid, smacking a random white person might not be just or fair...even though I still wanted to do it. Just a little bit.

But that wasn't the end of the TV inspired outrage. This evening, I came home from a tasty dinner with my wonderful friends Kandace and Andrea (aka Wifey and Pookie), only to find my roommate Antonio watching a documentary on TPT about the lead up to 9-11 and the decision to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, dammit if that isn't enough to set any justice minded person off the deep end. The first thing that absolutely drove me nuts was learning about the backroom power jockeying by VP Dick Cheney and his push to get George Tenet out of office. He pulled no punches and did everything short of raising Satan himself to get George Tenet out of the CIA...and for no other reason than Tenet was a Democrat and Clinton appointee. And then 9-11 hit. You'd think that the events of 9-11 would be enough to put aside petty power mongering at the White House...but then again commonsense has never been associated closely with Republicans...particularly Dick Cheney. So, in the midst of the 9-11 crisis...Cheney continued to do his best to undermine Tenet and anyone else that wanted anything different than did he with regards to a response to the attack. What really tickles me and makes me want to vomitar about the whole situation...is that Tenet wanted to go to war as much as Cheney...their fight was over which of them would lead the war effort...Cheney through  former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld or George Tenet and the CIA. Good God in Heaven.

I would like to say that I am going to unplug my TV and disconnect the cable...but I am an information junky...and really...it's been too long since I've felt the outrage that I should be feeling with just about every waking breath I take (outrage can be put aside during sex and doing number two).  So, I will stay tuned...and stay keyed up...anything less is exactly what the clowns on the news want...to have us all unplug, disconnect, and let them play their games that end lives from one end of this world to the other.