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I'm a big fan of South Park. Yes, the character that brought us lyrics such as "And then love goes away, or else it doesn't stay that strong. Then you're left with nothing 'cause you're thinkin' with your dong", will truly be missed. However, the idea that Scientologists consider themselves to be above ridicule deserves more attention than the loss of a funny, ancillary character from the show. Even more absurd is Tom Cruise's threat to sue Comedy Central if they re-air the episode, "Trapped in the Closet", the same one that aroused Isaac Hayes' ire.

British viewers won't get to see the episode on television because of Cruise's mega-star bully tactics. I guess this is due to English laws on slander and defamation being more malleable because they don't have anything like our 1st amendment. The animated Cruise even alludes to that in the episode when he says "I'll sue you in England!"

I'm on a Cruise boycott from now on. So, it appears as though we live in a country where we can say whatever we want about the President, but movie stars and their kooky religions are somehow off limits. The simple thought that an actor should wield this much power in dictating any sort of discourse at all is disturbing. It's indicitave of how celebrity obsessed we are. Sure, I understand that he wants to protect his "reputation". But, his knee-jerk reactions and aggressively litigious mind-set toward those who make fun of him seem to cause more raised eyebrows than if he were to laugh off the jokes and take the "whatever" attitude that Richard Gere did toward the gerbil rumors. I like "The Last Samurai", but, I won't be buying or renting the dvd. No more going to see Cruise movies in the theaters, either. This is a small price to pay to defend our basic freedoms. Damn, I wonder if Mission Impossible 3 will be any good. I guess I'll only find out it's aired on regular TV someday.

Brian Breslin

breslin-bg@sbcglobal.net