Although "The Book of Daniel" contained some pretty cliche' characters and plot directions- it did succeed in sending one message to the many Christians who avoided the boycott and watched on Friday night regardless: Clergy are people too- and romanticizing their existence or placing unreal expectations upon their lives (see "Seventh Heaven") full of sugar-coated wholesome goodness is simply ignorant.

Whereas that other show about a clergy family found on the WB serves as a soothing balm to the wounds within the church, "The Book of Daniel" rips off the band-aid and exposes the churches' problems to the rest of the world. Is this good? That's for each Christian church to decide for themselves- but pretending these problems don't exist within our given institutions embodies the very hypocrisy that so many non-Christians trumpet day after day.

If any good can come from this program, it will be that the most balanced and 'normal' character on the show seems in fact to be the gay son. I'm hopeful that the plot for his character will direct him towards seminary and the problems that even progressive churches like the ECUSA have with gay people. Then the show will in theory create an actual positive change within these institutions, intended or not by NBC.

With the prospect of a downturn in Bush's approval because of Cheney's hunting trip, it only seems feasible that they'll start up the war drums once again for their own political gain, once again trying so desperately hard to pull the wool over our eyes and keeping us blinded to the reality that is our undeniably evil foreign policy. What happened at Abu Ghraib is a simple manifestation of the anger that exists between the West and the Middle East- anger that serves more to destroy than to build up.

As a practicing Christian, I see no greater morally reprehensible act than what transpired at Abu Ghraib, for it was at that moment that the world watched United States of America become the evil it so vocally deplored. Since then we have learned that this anger doesn't bring us anywhere but to the depths of hell as body after body returns from Iraq and Afghanistan, also shielded from public viewing.

If you find these photos disturbing, that's precisely the point, they should be. As a longtime subscriber to Salon, I vividly recall the time when Salon did in fact publish the videos of two Americans being murdered by insurgents in Iraq. That demonstrated tit-for-tat the need to rise up above this retribution-based foreign policy, to stop abusing the name of Jesus Christ, and to figure out why we need so much daily sedation from the culture that controls our very souls.

The drums will begin beating more intensely to the tune of Iran very soon, and the Paris Hiltons and Bill O'Reillys of the world will be given more attention as they continue to keep you and I entertained outside of our reality. I hope Salon continues to tear down the window dressing and delivers up the fruits of our collective anger.