Let me make a few talking points at the start:

Having admitted these tenets of education, I will now proceed. I forewarn the reader that is a personal rant – an emotional venting, surely – one befitting "pet peeve" status. We all have them and some have more than others. When I was a young man, I had quite a few. In my later years, the list has shrunk significantly. Fewer things annoy me and the fingers of one hand can enumerate the irritants that can compel me to compose a full-fledged rant. Unfortunately for you, the reader, this is one. Assuming that you are up for it, let us begin.

There are movies that I simply will not watch, despite whatever sycophantic praise is heaped upon them by movie reviewers. To make perfectly known the depths of my bigotry, I will not watch, for example, any movie that features Barbra Streisand, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Rosie O’Donnell (which, admittedly doesn’t limit my choices significantly) or Ben Affleck. In the name of fairness, I will freely admit that I have seen movies by these performers in the past. I know of their level of talent and respect them for their ability as histrions. However, their off-screen performances are those with which I take issue.

The prejudice I currently have against these actors is based, simply enough, in the belief that they are so far afield from my personal beliefs that I cannot bring myself to pay any amount of money that will - in whatever pittance, in dollars and cents, it actually is - end up in these individuals’ collective pockets. This bigotry is intimately linked to one of the guiding tenets of my personal doctrine. It goes something like this:

I will defend, even to my personal detriment, any American’s right to express their views. However, when some unique skill (acting or musical talent, for example) is used to "prop up" the wisdom or "anoint" the holders of these talents as spokespersons of any particular viewpoint, I hold them in no small measure of contempt. Talent in one endeavor (e.g. reciting pre-written lines in a believable manner) does not necessarily translate into special knowledge on issues of national importance. The trading on one’s "celebrity" status with the American populace in order to become an "authority" on any political viewpoint is an artificial and disingenuous assumption of influence that has no basis in reality. To listen to "artists" (who, for the most part, have had no formal education beyond those who might - were it not for their "talent" - be factory workers or retail clerks) presumptuously stand in Armani suits before us and berate America and its people for some presumed shortcoming is the ultimate in hypocrisy. Thespian proficiency does not translate well into intellectual currency. The exchange rate, at my bank anyway, is nil.

When one takes the time to simply examine the educational background of any of these individuals, one is struck by the almost universal lack of qualifications to be hired for a middle-management position much less a spokesperson with any credibility. Aside from their celebrity – which is an arbitrary endowment bestowed by a small segments of society – there is a startlingly absence of anything that would qualify them to lecture the citizenry of this country on anything beyond how to perform.

Let us, for an example, examine the "qualifications" of one of the glitterati frequently asked by the (liberal) media for a meaningful analysis of some national concern, one Sean Penn. A search for the educational background of Mr. Penn reveals that his academic background ended when he dropped out of Santa Monica College (CA) where he was studying – and I am not making this up – "auto mechanics and speech." Well. I honestly believe that Sean Penn’s mental capacities lie much closer to those of Jeff Spicoli than as a serious (much less legitimate) commentator on American social issues.

And then there is Alec Baldwin. I am inclined to cut Baldwin a little slack for his dogged academic passion. Unlike most of his other mush-headed celebrities, he did, finally, get a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from N.Y.U. at age 36. But, then there are his legendary tantrums and total lack of self-control . As of this writing, by the way, he still hasn’t left the United States after President Bush’s election in 2004.

And, lest I feel guilty about my private bigotry, I can always be reassured in knowing that the glitterati hold me in equal destain. That paragon of liberal thought, Linda Ronstadt, offers this as my Exhibit A:

"In an interview published on 15 July 2004, she told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the presence of a ‘Republican or fundamental Christian’ in her concert audience ‘can cloud my enjoyment.’" [Italics mine]

It’s always reassuring to know that the "anointed" hold their public in such esteem.

I won’t bore you with any more sarcastic comments on the lack of education that most politically-active "stars" bring to the table of public discussion. For in the noble words of Yogi Berra, "You can look it up!" To ease your burden, I offer up these convenient links for some of my personal favorites:

Barbra Streisand

Tim Robbins

Rosie O’Donnell

Susan Sarandon

I will have to admit that one of the actors that was removed from my list of "Just Shut Up and Act!" during research for this rant was Martin Sheen. I have never cared for Sheen’s political views but he made a darned good President in his West Wing character. In looking up his background I came across a quote from him when the Ohio Democratic Party asked him to run for the Senate in 2006. According to the NY Times, Sheen said:

"I'm just not qualified. You're mistaking celebrity for credibility"

Martin Sheen, you are profound beyond words. If only the American voters were able to make that distinction.