Are we a nation of observers?

Is it just me or do other people think we have become a nation of observers instead of participants?

Latest example: The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Last night for the first time I watched Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

She had a report on the 1979 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Her staff restored old video news footage of the oil spill that was, up to that time, the worst spill in world history.

It took nine months to finally end the spill by drilling a relief well. In the interim, the oil company tried to put a large funnel over the leak to capture the oil (then it was called a sombrero, today we call it a top hat), they tried dispersants and booms to round up the oil. All failed.

Not only was this leak in 200 feet of water, but no new plans have been developed to stop an oil leak in the last 31 years.

The only thing that has changed, as Ms. Maddow pointed out, is that we now drill wells deeper under the surface of the ocean. Instead of risking a major ecological catastrophe at 200 feet, we drill at 5,000 feet, making it that much harder to contain an ecological nightmare.

We have another oil pill at 5,000 feet and all we do is watch and wait.

Now we have the Internet and we can view a TV picture originating on the bottom of the ocean that shows the oil spewing from a broken pipe.

Then, BP officials debate what might work and why it might not work instead of getting off their keisters and doing something.

Don't just stand there, do something!

If the "something" doesn't work, then try something else. But don't allow the Gulf of Mexico to die just because BP officials want to protect their financial bottom line.

Our attitudes have changed for the worst and those attitudes are reflected in out TV shows and in other art forms.

In the 1960s, TV gave us "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and the nuclear-powered submarine "Seaview" and its crew actually did things.

In the 1960s, TV gave us "Star Trek" and the crew of the "Enterprise" did things.

In the 2000s, TV has given us "Stargate" and people dive into other worlds just to do what? To observe!

Don't just stand there, watching, do something!

'Morning Joe' revisited

"Morning Joe" is MSNBC's dynamite morning news program featuring Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

I reviewed it for this blog about two years ago, before it found its feet and became the really great show it is today.

Joe has matured in his role as program host. He is still conservative in his viewpoint but seems to be much more comfortable with more liberal guests. At least he doesn't use the show as his bully pulpit, a lesson all of Fox News needs to learn.

Mika really needs to be more dominant. Unfortunately, too much of the time she is window dressing, albeit very attractive window dressing.

"Morning Joe" is the very informative, classy, well-done program deserving of the letters (MS)NBC.

Have you tried 'Morning Joe' on MSNBC?

"Morning Joe" is the replacement for "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC.
It showcases Joe Scarborough, who has "Scarborough Country" in the evenings on the same cable network.
The show is a welcome replacement for Imus, who outlived his entertainment/news value years ago. In fact, the best thing MSNBC did with Imus was to a) cancel him and b) cut into the show when the first plane struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Morning Joe" is an improvement, but it still needs some work.
Scarborough is not a morning host. Sorry Joe. I think it could still be called "Morning Joe" as in "joe" is slang for coffee, without him.
He is too abrasive for the hours in which the show appears.
I have been a fan of Mika Brzezinski for quite a while and am glad to see she has a regular slot on a network show. However, Scarborough and Brzezinski do not mix well.
For example, the show is on as I am writing this (yes, I am unemployed after my separation from The Brazil, (Ind.) Times -- but I am not writing this while sitting in my underwear and I hope to be gainfully employed soon).
This morning, Joe kept interrupting Mika as she was trying to read the news. I think the fight was over whether Paris Hilton is news (NO!) and if Richard Lugar's decision to disagree with the president over Iraq should be the lead story (YES!).
Apparently, "Morning Joe" has not been given the green light to continue -- except provisionally. It should stay on the air with Mika, but some fine tuning is in order.