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DISCLAIMER: I've had 1 hour sleep in the past 30 and have a lot of junk going on in my life right now, so if I ramble please forgive me. I'll put on my flameproof pjs later...here goes.

Just tonight I was shopping at a local department store when I heard someone singing "I like it, I Love it, I want some more of it". Off key. Horribly off key. But what was worse than the singing (did I mention it was really, really off key???) was the fact that it was a grandmotherish woman singing it to an appx. 6 month old boy! Not only was this poor child hearing singing that would make my pets hide under the bed -- he was being taught that profound and moving song. Now, folks, I'm a country girl that doesn't care for most country music...was a Prince fan as a youth (I know, I know...) but something is just inherently wrong about that. Kids are sharper than people think. Just as they instinctively know when you are about to pop that last Oreo into your mouth, they know that when this guy sings "I like it, I love it, I want some more of it..." he's probably not talking about having another slice of Grandma's apple pie! There are many more examples of lewd lyrics -- in all kinds of music. And while 'golden oldies' are not excluded in that, certainly the lyrics were more subtle or relied on knowledge already in the possession of the listener. Today's music is in your face, lewd, crude, denigrating to both sexes and every race on earth.

It's my feeling that television has most certainly been a pied piper of indecency...constantly sticking one toe over the line so slowly that before you know it the whole nasty giant is trampling your property. I feel we are at that point. We are being assaulted from all sides...whether it's the Jackson/Timberlake stunt, gay marriage, partial birth (and all) abortion, NAMBLAs very existence, etc. Like most things it's a double edged sword. Informative? It can be. Entertaining? Most certainly. Filled with potential for corruption? Of course. We all well know television programs are not the only culprit. Yes, the commercials are just as bad. I have posted (to the best of my recollection) only 2 vanities on FR. One being a prayer request, the other being a paragraph or two regarding commercials. Just when you're settling in with the kiddo to watch a nice, 'safe' show that you've carefully screened -- an old Cosby rerun that you've seen and remember -- here come the people dancing suggestively in their underwear. I had a suggestion on that vanity, and I'll post it here now:

Rate the commercials. Just as shows are rated. The rule would be this: only like-rated commercials could air with any given show. A commercial rated YA, for instance, could not be aired during a program rated Y. Thus, while you may not like that particular commercial, it would at lease have been pre-screened to better align with the level of programming you allow your child (or yourself) to view. I honestly think this would help at least a little.

I hope I'm explaining my idea sufficiently, the screen is beginning to blur and I absolutely have to sleep. I've been much too verbose already, but this thread has definitely touched a nerve with me. I am in agreement that something must be done -- action must be taken to protect our precious children. Bring back the 7 second delay -- reinstate the 'deadly words' list. Relegate those programs whose producers won't comply to either the trash heap or subscription-based services.

Just my sleep-deprived opinion.