Plug Pulled on Book of Daniel

I'm so fucking pissed off, I could spit.

NBC has decided to pull the plug on their new show "The Book of Daniel," which I think was one of the most imaginative, well-acted, inspired, and interesting shows to hit the air in the past decade. Aidan Quinn (despite what Robert says about him) is a wonderful actor, and a sweetheart (he starred with my Mom in A Lie of the Mind back in the 80's and I can vouch for his being a darling) and the cast was awesome. Especially Dylan Baker, whom some will remember as the pedophile in Happiness.

The reason NBC decided to sound the Death Knell was because of radical "Christian" groups that were complaining about a program that portrayed Daniel (Quinn), a minister of a church who had a pill popping problem; one son is gay, the other a general fuckup; his daughter deals grass; his wife is an alcoholic; his sister-in-law is a bisexual. The list goes on. Add to it what really put a thorn in the ass of these radical groups: Jesus Christ himself is a character - Daniel talks to him throughout the show as one would try to talk to a higher power (if one believes in it) or even to himself, as he tries to swim a sea of life with a myriad of questions of how to proceed.
In short - it was a program that showed the real and human side of people, despite the fact that they may be Men of the Cloth - and the Christ that many of us believe in - one that doesn't condemn...one that just listens.

One of the main groups that got their fucking panties all in a bunch over this was the American Family Association. What a fucking joke. Family values? These people don't know the first thing about family values. Just about shoving their own beliefs down other people's throats.

This is disturbing to me on a myriad of levels. Some who have been reading my blog for the last year may remember my freaking out over these same kinds of groups flipping out over Spongebob being a gay character and how it upset me because I'm a Christian and I'm embarassed that these ASSWIPE FUCKNUTS are making a big stink and portraying themselves as "real Christians" when they are nothing but a bunch of radical, borderline psychotic, control-freaks who don't represent me or most of the other Christians out there. It's bad enough that they have freaked people out so much that now the pendulum has swung so far and I am considered a right-wing freak for wishing someone Merry Christmas - the radical right christians bitch about that (the only thing I agree with) but c'mon kids: it's their fucking fault to begin with. If they hadn't squawked so much and tried to turn everyone into a old-testament-thumping clone, then we (mainline Christians) wouldn't be in this shit.

These radical cocksuckers do not represent MY faith, I'll tell you.

Being a wee bit full of wine this evening, pissed off that my favorite show had been canceled, and seeing the travesty of it all, I decided to write The American Family Association a letter.
Below is a copy of said letter.

Greetings:
I am a Christian, I am middle of the road in my politics, and I am someone who holds family values in very high esteem.
However, your condemnation of NBC's "The Book of Daniel" was a big mistake, in my opinion. Part of the reason why Christianity is taking a big hit in society is because of radical organizations such as yours, trying to put a stranglehold on the way people view religion and freedom of speech. At least with this show we had Christ in people's homes - we're having enough of a problem getting people to be allowed to say Merry Christmas to each other - at least, here was a Christ that was pallatible to Christians as well as people of other faiths - or lack therof. Here was a Christ that was not condemning or judgemental, but was kind and concerned. And Daniel? The character was a kind, spiritual man who loved Christ, who was an average man trying to find answers in his life. Anyone who even remotely tries to believe that men of the cloth have it all together are wrong - and you know that as well as I do, despite the high and mighty surface you try to uphold.

As a Christian, I am ashamed that groups like yourself have as much power as you do, for it is groups like you that continue to push people who might consider the Christian faith fleeing for their lives, afraid of a religion that does not tolerate a human being really BEing what he is - human, and which promotes a God, that according to you, does not accept weakness of any kind.

Even the stongest, most loving and full of - yes, Christian - faith families have homosexual children, people dealing with addiction, and are trying to answer life's questions through their own talks with God - in whatever form he takes for them. I should know - I come from such a family. Your righteous indignation is blasphemy in and of itself, and goes against what Christ was trying to get across in the first place.

Congratulations on screwing up something else that could have been good.

Dianna J. E. Martin


Heh. I hope they choke on it before they hit "delete."