One of the prerequisites for a functioning democracy, to my mind, is a free and independent media with a bent towards the public interest. We no longer have a free and independent media, and the public interest has not been a factor to the media-whores in a long time.

The latest example is an outrageous rejection of an add from the United Church of Christ (Howard Dean's church, I might note) advertising their tolerance and inclusivity. Josh Marshall and Atrios have the story. Apparently, Viacom rejected the ad because George W. Bush doesn't think gay people deserve equal rights. Really. That's their poor excuse for logic.

Time to revisit David Neiwert's series on how we are becoming a fascist state and stock up on the duct tape I guess.

I don't watch much television, but "Judging Amy" (which is a fairly progressive show in some respects) is one of the CBS shows I Tivo. Better stop skipping the ads and making note of the advertisers and dropping them a note, I think. The Kossians have begun plotting on how to respond to this as well.