At some point, someone's got to get a grip. Electronics, semiconductors and software have become so ingrained in our culture that we take them for granted. The problem is, electronics companies have all this technology and sometimes just dump it out there because, well, they need the volume.

I speak, of course, of the ubiquitous TV. Everyone in America has one. In fact, probably more people own TVs than telephones. Now almost every public facility in America has a TV too. They started in bars (can we really be that bored with our drinking pals?), moved to restaurants and quickly surged into airports (which weren't loud and uncomfortable enough, I guess) and doctors' waiting rooms. Now they're infiltrating gift stores in airports and local grocery stores (in the checkout lines).

You'd think it would stop there, but nooooo. I was in the bathroom at a rental car center recently, and there was a TV there too. Is nothing sacred anymore? What's next, church, synagogue and mosque TVs? Oh, yeah, our cars. That's what's next.

If you're involved in proliferating the boob tube, stop it before I find you. If I do, I'm going to duct-tape you in front of an endlessly looping video of Britney Spears trying to formulate a thought on a talk show, or a CNN correspondent trying to explain something he doesn't understand. To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, 500 channels and nothin' on!

If you're a silicon vendor, have an honest heart- to-heart with your TV customer. I know it's tricky to explain to them how their product (oh, it's not our product, it's the content or the guy who buys our product!) is sucking the culture out of America. But try, at least. You'll die happier.

If that appeal doesn't sway you, think how you'll feel the next time you go to do your business in a restroom and find Henry Kissinger looking over your shoulder from the corner screen. Big Brother indeed.