Hollywood needs a muzzle!

Tom Cruise opened his mouth the other day and became the latest in a long line of performers who think their opinion should matter. Nothing personal, Tom. And bless your heart for having a religious belief. But that doesn't qualify you to tout your views like an ass and clobber anyone who thinks differently.

Rosie invited Tom Selleck on her show only to attack him for his stand on gun rights. And of course we have the Susans and Tims and Alecs and Kims, and many others who rally for presidential candidates and new laws. To me, this is one of the worst forms of lobbying. It goes way beyond hawking products on television. They use their image, their "power," to persuade us to vote their way. Can we afford to let celebrities influence our lawmakers and the future of our country?

We've created a monster. We have an insatiable need to be entertained. Actors, comedians, musicians, even athletes and sometimes journalists. They used to be called Court Jesters. Now they've spawned an industry where the salaries are without limit. Money and fame breed egos that are larger than life... and most of those egos seem to be headquartered in Hollywood.

These people, for the most part, have very different lifestyles than we do. They often have different values. Their ideals may not coincide with ours. Should we care whether they'd like us to vote one way or another? Does it matter if one thinks he's an authority on the evils of psychiatry or others believe they are God's gift to the world? They're performers, for crying out loud!

On the other hand, Bob Newhart had his feet planted firmly on the ground when he said, "While I had things I felt strongly about, I didn't think it was my job to impose them on the public." Bob, you have my respect, and your standing doubled on my fan-o-meter!

Attention Hollywood (and other offenders): If you want to improve your image, follow the example of some of your friends- donate a portion of the money we shower on you to disease research, feeding the poor, disaster relief or any of the other countless charities out there. We pay you incredible salaries to entertain us, not preach to us. Do your job. Keep your opinions to yourselves and your big mouths shut!