I Need My Moment of Zen!

For someone whose life revolves around her TiVo, I really haven't been too concerned about the writers' strike. We've got quite a backlog of shows already - with Mark working all the time, we're woefully behind in all the shows we watch together. And some of our favorite shows ordered extra episodes & started filming early this season, anticipating the strike. So, I knew it would suck, but I wasn't overly worried.

Until last night, when it finally dawned on me that there would be no more new episodes of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report until the strike ends. Son of a monkey! I don't know why it took me so long to figure that out - maybe I've been taking Colbert too seriously when he claims to run his entire show single-handedly. I think I've just been preoccupied with other things, which is probably good for me, I know, but I still find it surprising.

So I've decided that I have to go on record as being opposed to the strike. Of course, I'm a big supporter of unions - I'm a flaming liberal, so I kinda have to be. It's in the job description. And it's not that I disagree with the writers, especially the TV writers. The medium has changed tremendously since their last contract negotiation, and they are consequently missing out on their fair share of residuals from shows we watch on demand, online or on DVD. I get that, and I sympathize.

But that's no excuse for depriving me of my daily fake news fix. I need my moment of Zen! I gotta have it! And historically, the government won't allow workers in necessary industries walk out. Every time air traffic controllers or garbage collectors attempt to strike, they are forced back to work on the pretext that their work is too vital to be held up due to contract negotiations.

Well, I can go for years without needing an airplane, and I could probably live with a garbage pile-up for quite some time. But my life has no meaning without my daily directives from Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA. Isn't this exactly the kind of thing I pay my taxes to avoid?

I say, send in the National Guard if you have to, but break that picket line today! And show the media moguls who is really in charge of this country and make them play ball! Grab all these selfish Hollywood-types by the scruffs of their necks & force them to sit down and figure a way to resolve this dispute without ruining so many innocent lives.

It's the right thing to do. Until then, you're all on notice.