“Something essential, however hard to define, had been lost en route [to suburbia]; some aspect of innocence, perhaps, that at least to a romantic imagination, once existed in our towns,” according to Rod Serling apparently. “Casting a seductive smile, Serling alone continued to convey on TV what every other serious writer wanted to say but wasn’t allowed to”–that message being the dangers of commercialism and fear of current events.

Thanks for Delanceyplace.com for this excerpt.

“NASA global warming satellite crashes after launch”

*snicker* Maybe it was on a failed mission.

A new public service announcement from the federal government’s new National Coordinator of Health Information Technology.

[Camera pans over empty rooms in a dimly lit, well-furnished house. Senior male voiceover begins.]

I’ve lived a good life. I don’t want to be a burden on my family or the good taxpayers of America . . .

[Pan over unused swimming pool and immaculate yard]

Working hard a McDonald’s, Jiffy Lube, or Waffle House just to make ends meet.

[Cut to old man at a kitchen table with a glass of wine, speaking into the camera. Shake the camera to add realism.]

My doctor told me medication for people my age was becoming scarcer by the day, so I asked him what I could do to help ease me onto the next life. He said, “Try salt.”

[Cut to salt pouring slowly, gracefully, from 5 lb. container.]

He said, “Salt tastes great, and eating more salt can raise your blood pressure which will shorten your life.”

[Show old man salting his steak, salting his wine, taking of the lid off the shaker and pouring it down his throat. Continue voiceover.]

Now, I eat salt with everything. And I eat more processed foods, because they’re rich in wonderful, life-affirming salt.

[Cut to man speaking to camera]

You know, I’ve lived a good, long life, and with salt, I can pass on that life to my children and yours. Cheers.

[compassionate female voiceover] One in four men will probably have a stroke by age 85. Get yours over with sooner by using more salt. Pass on the good life. A message from thoughtful people at the office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology.

Carl Trueman states, “Some weeks ago, I penned a piece on Ref21, arguing that the trendy Christian infatuation with cultural interaction was problematic at a number of levels. Well, a review of the film, Milk over at the Gospel and Culture project is good evidence of a number of my points.”