Beware of American idolizing false prophets of hope

I’ll admit I have never sat through an entire episode of American Idol. I’ve tried. Watching these superstar hopefuls as they churn through the grinder of competition hoping to emerge unscathed enough to have a chance at a recording career is akin to visiting a slaughterhouse and following Betsy the Bovine from the time Maxwell’s Silver Hammer goes bang upon her head until she shows up gently tenderized wearing a BBQ sauce cologne on my dinner plate. I don’t care to see what the cut of meat went through on its journey from just above the cow’s four stomachs to my stomach. I’d rather judge the taste of it on the merits of its final preparation. I also want to judge an artist by the quality of their music and I don’t really care to know their personal struggles or life’s story. A singer’s personal hardships may make for an interesting TV dinner time movie after a successful career but, frankly, they have nothing to do with how well they perform unless they lend themselves to the creation of a catchy tune.

Another skip in the record of American Idol is the fact many of these singers are nothing more than talented Karaoke enthusiasts who impressed Simon, Randy and the drunk chick enough to snag an invite to the broke state of California to pimp themselves out in front of America’s meat heads and couch potatoes. The winner is the one does the best rendition of a song made famous by someone else while successfully keeping the topless pictures they sold to pay the rent the previous year from coming to light. I have more respect for artists who look for greener pastures by working hard to separate themselves from the herd through hard work and dedication and don’t have fame thrust upon them in a stampede of attention by winning an image contest.

Normally, I’d be content to ignore the foolish goings on over at Fox Entertainment and graze the cable channels in search of anything else to stare blankly at but the practice of choosing image over substance has migrated to more important areas of our lives and is now infiltrating Fox News as well. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Rock Star receptions being given the First African American President of the United States at nearly every public appearance he makes. If you were to truly look at his (lack of) accomplishments on the way to the White House the veracity of

would be foregone.

So much is made of The ONE’s amazing public speaking abilities that to question the content of his pronouncements never seems to occur to anyone and visiting dignitaries are warned to not try to compete with him on the speaking stage. Just like those who watched the famed Nixon/Kennedy debate on television had a different opinion of the victor than those who listened on radio, reading Obama's speech leaves one with a feeling much like old Betsy the Cow might have in the back of the truck on the way to Slaughterhouse 5 if she had self-awareness.

If we as Americans remain a docile cattle-like electorate being swayed by oratory excellence we will soon become chattel to a Rancher Government that at times seems to hold us in udder (sic) contempt. Every time Obama speaks about his plans for the economy, Wall Street stumbles and I feel more like Billy Pilgrim in a Kurt Vonnegut novel; thinking I've heard all this before and knowing where it will lead.

This week in Washington was the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Here too we were witness to flowery rhetoric and, at times, the scent was more akin to the fertilizer than the plant. Reporting on the speeches at this event is highlighting the occasional jab at the opposing party instead of chewing the cud of Conservative thinking being proposed. Just like Bobby Jindal's response to Obama's speech to the combined Congress was panned because his "performance" was weak even though the content was strong as a bull, so too will the performances of Conservative speakers at CPAC overshadow the substance that is the heart of the convention.

The next time you come across someone speaking of Change and singing the praises of The ONE, ask them if they watch American Idol. Then ask them to name specifically what some of the content of the stimulus package that was just signed in to law is and how that is going to stimulate anything. When people begin to learn the meat of the issues, they may soon begin singing another tune.

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