According to Primetime Propaganda, a new book by conservative author Ben Shapiro, there is a huge underground river of liberal propaganda that subtly (and not so subtly) flows into American television. Conservatives lost the TV war, he weeps, rending his cable guide.

Well, sure, All in the Family, Maude and Saturday Night Live certainly presented alternatives to conservative values. But Happy Days?

Happy Days seemed so wholesome, so All-American, set in the idealized and idyllic 1950s, post-Korean War, pre-Viet Nam era when father knew best (which was to leaving it to Beaver).

Happy Days was a pilot for the 1972 television season, but it got shelved. It was then resurrected as an episode of Love American Style. After Ron Howard shot to success in American Graffiti, the nostalgia-laden series was a no-brainer. The 50s were back! Happy Days debuted in the fall of 1974, the Fall of Saigon was six months later. In an interview with staff writer Ben Shapiro gleaned this nugget:

The draft and the specter of military service do appear in Happy Days, but not until late into the series run. In season 10, Fonzie must report for Army Reserve duty. Earlier, in 1981′s season 7 (to accommodate Ron Howard’s directorial career), his character Richie Cunningham and buddy Ralph were written out. The red-haired duo are apparently drafted and sent to “Fort Silverman” where Richie is assigned to scrub latrines (he’d applied to write for the camp newspaper). Later, Richie is sent to Greenland for his tour of duty, where he marries  his girlfriend over the phone, impregnating her when she flew to Greenland to visit him. Richie returns in the last season with mustache and attitude, not because he saw any action, but because he is unhappy that he may be trapped in his hometown – he does seem a little edgy, as the clip above shows.

Shapiro also deconstructs Three’s Company, Friends, MacGyver (which was anti-gun, according to Shapiro) and of course Sesame Street. Today in Big Hollywood he writes:

Sesame Street’s liberalism is soft and overarching, not intrusive and annoying. The Sesame Street website lectures Americans about their deep, dark cultural biases ordering parents to examine “your own cultural assumptions and biases” as a “good place to begin your anti-bias work.” The website also tells parents to “try to use gender-neutral language … [use] words such as firefighter, flight attendant, garbage collector, and humankind to replace the use of ‘man’ as a generic noun or ending.” The goal, of course, is to parrot the feminist line about language’s inherent sexism. The website also encourages parents to find toys and books with characters “that break stereotypes about men and women, for example, dolls for boys and building toys and puzzles for girls.” Larry Summers has amply debunked such nonsense – it’s leftist utopian thinking at its finest, fostered with your tax dollars.

Wow, you know Gilligan’s Island is actually a parable for all the continents on Earth getting along, per creator Sherwood Schwartz. Just saying…

It’s a given that Westboro Baptist Church would show up at Arlington Cemetery for Memorial Day with their nasty, hateful signs. And it’s a given that there would be counter-protesters. But who expected the KKK to be part of the anti-WBC contingent? But yes, ten guys claiming to be from the Knights of the Southern Cross Soldiers of the Ku Klux Klan showed up to protest the Phelps family. Dennis LaBonte, the self-described “Imperial Wizard” of this KKK group explained:

I’m a veteran. I spent nine and half years years in the military. I’ve got brothers and sisters buried in this cemetery and I think its an absolute shame that they [the WBC] show up an protest people’s funerals. And we’re just here in support of the troops.

Grand Wizard LaBonte also told CNN:

It’s the soldier that fought and died and gave them that right to free speech.

That’s even more meta. And/because he’s right. And it makes me wonder how the Phelpses can hate America so much when it is America and our Constitution, our citizenry, our troops that allows them to have the freedom to scream their hatred at any opportunity. Wow.

And to all our military, past and present, and to those who have fallen: Thank you for your service. Thank you.

Former lots-of-things Sarah Palin rode on the back of motorcycle driven by a woman (Todd rode his own) at the Rolling Thunder motorcycle run which began at the Pentagon and featured four hundred thousand hog riders. Rolling Thunder supports the efforts to find those missing in action. Ahis was not an official Palin bus stop Sarah did not give a formal speech when the ride ended at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial though she did tell Fox

I love the smell of emissions

Every fallen leader needs a theme song, and this clever number certainly fits the bill. Not to give away too much but:

Taking Germany to dance
While making love to France
Without forsaking wall Street’s sheets

is just a sample of the frothiness from the wits at versusplus.com!

No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life
I’m on the right track baby
I was born to survive

One could argue time restraints on GMA caused the singer to shorten the tune. But Glee? Really?! Mmmm.

Meanwhile, two months ago in Malaysia, Born This Way was edited to remove the same verse for radio airplay. NME reports

Chiefs for Malaysia’s top private radio operator AMP Radio Networks made a statement about their edit. They explained that the edit had been commissioned as there are government restrictions against songs that might violate “good taste or decency or are offensive to public feeling”.

The statement continued: “The particular lyrics in ‘Born This Way’ may be considered as offensive when viewed against Malaysia’s social and religious observances. The issue of being gay, lesbian or bisexual is still considered as a ‘taboo’ by general Malaysians.”

And Wednesday from the Philippines:

Why is Channel V Philippines censoring the lyrics of Lady Gaga’s pro-gay song “Born This Way?”

The music channel removed the controversial line “No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby” from the Lady Gaga music video.

Lady Gaga, in her official Twitter account, said last week that the point with ‘Born This Way ‘is to “fight for something that not everyone believes in. To overcome adversity with a message.”

Revolutionary jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron has died; he was 62. His words speak for themselves.

I just got invited to a private reception/discussion with Michelle Obama at a private home  in Los Angeles. And I was kinda excited. Honored, even.

Oh my god,  you’ll need a dress!

said one of  my friends, a fashion designer who was with me when the email popped up on my phone. Well, yes, at the very least! Then I read on:

Wow, was the orchestra supposed to be a soundtrack for Obama’s toast, or are they playing him off like an overextended Oscar speech?

How do you feel about government reaction/response to the tornadoes? Fox had a few nasty things to say. Note that Pat Robertson didn’t say the Joplin tornado was God’s wrath, unlike his comment about the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Maybe he’s learned something?

Obama will be in Tornado Alley on Sunday.

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