The Eco-Grinch

Stuff like this makes me see red, both literally and figuratively. Communism didn’t die. It just switched colors from red to green. I hate the joyless Puritanism, the sheer gradgrindery of it all.

My wife and I purchased a plasma screen not because we’re mindless consumers, but because we love movies. The plasma screen makes a big difference. It was obvious that a lot of the movies I was watching on the old television were well photographed, but I had no idea how good the cinematography was until we got a plasma screen.

A smaller screen can never do a film like Get Carter any justice. Looking at Michael Caine’s sideburns or cufflinks, you can tell that the cinematographer was interested in getting the details right, and a plasma screen enhances the experience.

And you don’t have to be a degenerate aesthete to appreciate nice television screen – just ask any sports fan what they would prefer to watch the big game on. But the monks concerned activists must have their way.

I love this quote from a retired government bureaucrat who is “concerned” about the environment:

"They should take them off the shelves," said Sam Ortega, a retired state worker. "We need to monitor our energy. It's good for everybody."

If what kind of television you own is determined by the government, is it such a big leap to imagine that the next step is for the government to determine what gets shown on it:

Starting last night, thanks to Le Prez Nicolas "Bling Bling" Sarkozy, France's four (count 'em!) national public television stations are now prohibited from broadcasting commercials between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Lest you think this is some kind of Hungaro-Gallic starve-the-beast ploy to get L'etat out of the TV biz, think again:

The government says the reforms will improve the quality of programming on public television by freeing it from "the tyranny of ratings" and it has pledged to make up for any shortfall in advertising revenues. [...]

The reform creates a funding gap for public TV which will largely be filled by a levy on private broadcasters and Internet providers and by government support.

The 2009 budget includes 450 million euros to compensate for the loss of revenue[.]
The usual protest strikes are scheduled, etc.

I'll take Arrested Development over Little Mosque On The Prairie any day of the week.

Update: Maybe Raul doesn't like cellphones because they leave a big carbon footprint.

Update II: Communist dictators aren't the only people regulating technology for the public good.

Update III: First they came for the plasma screens, then they tried to take away google.