A new fall line up…. a new beginning- it’s almost like the first day of school. A new set of crayons, a new outfit, and new shows and plotlines that make me wish that Prison Break wasn’t the only show being filmed in Dallas.

Evil never dies. And neither does CSI: Miami. Horatio Caine, God’s red headed stepchild, is still fighting crime in Miami. If only one of those stray bullets would put us out of our misery.

And the latest, the evil WB corporate overlords have packed their bags and made way for the next generation… The CW. I was hoping that would mean the end for Smallville, 7th Heaven, and One Tree Hill. But alas, they have returned, and now we are only left to pray that Lex Luther dons an evil mask and sucks these shows into oblivion where they belong.

Now onto the good stuff.

Veronica Mars survived another season and has been picked up by the CW to air after the Gilmore Girls. So hopefully the fact that the Gilmore Girls producer of 6 years, Amy Sherman-Palladino is no longer at the helm, the show will not plummet and die. Rather I choose to believe that it will be a nice segway into Veronica Mars, my favorite high school graduate/solver of all mysteries great and small. Despite the harsh realities that freshman year will bring, Kristen Bell is too cute and too snarky to gain the freshman fifteen.

The Office. Airing at 7:30 on Thursdays. The. Funniest. Show. Ever. Go ahead and watch it and revel in it’s greatness.

I am torn between Grey’s Anatomy and CSI at 8:00 on Thursdays. Though Grey’s Anatomy did kill CSI in the ratings for the premiere episode if Meredith Grey doesn’t stop being a total moron then I’m back to watching my favorite Crime Scene Investigators.

How I Met Your Mother. Where I go to get my fix of former Buffy star Alyson Hannigan and Dr. Doogie Howser, Neil Patrick Harris. I enjoyed Friends with their caffeinated humor and now I enjoy the booze-adled Barney in all his glory.

I really am Lost as to whether I’m going to tune back in and follow the divergent storylines that just don’t come together. J.J.- I’ve loved you and I’ve hated you- but please don’t ruin Lost like you destroyed Alias. You can do so much good in TVLand- just get a grip, dial back the crazy, and let us enjoy what Lost can truly be without your schizophrenic storylines interfering.

I’m also looking forward to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 30 Rock, 20 Good Years, and Heroes. But I would like to have a life so it’s pick and choose time. I’d rather not spend my twenties in front of a gleaming box of light…

So my typical drive home from work is spent listening to All Things Considered punctuated by bouts of screamed obscenities at the crazed maniac that perpetually cuts me off in traffic and gramps in the lane next to me who insists on driving 25 miles an hour but somehow manages to keep me from changing lanes… Today I managed to rein in the road rage to listen to an interesting newsclip about All Saints Episcopal Church in CA. Apparently they are in danger of losing their tax-exempt status for former rector, Rev. George Regas, delivering an anti-war sermon leading up to the 2004 elections… this investigation comes at an apropos time with the November elections upon us. In case you aren’t versed in the federal tax code that outlines what nonprofits can and can not do, here is a quick history lesson.

From the founding of the country until 1954, churches and other nonprofit organizations were permitted to endorse or oppose candidates for political office. That changed in 1954 when proposed legislation amended the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit nonprofit organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

The Internal Revenue Code now expressly prohibits churches and other nonprofit organizations from directly endorsing or opposing political candidates. From 1954 to the present, only one church has ever lost its IRS tax-exempt letter ruling for opposing Bill Clinton for President in 1992.

So, where does this leave us? If All Saints Episcopal does lose it’s tax-exempt status it loses a major source of revenue to the church coiffers since it will no longer be considered a 501(c)4 and potentially anyone who has received a tax deduction from a donation to the church could be audited and assessed a fee on the rolled back charitable donation deduction. So, I know you’re thinking, "blah, blah, blah… Aren’t our first amendment rights important, this is just a blatant exercise by the government to keep the people from voicing their opinions!"

Normally I would agree and jump on the "bash the government" bandwagon but I am so fed up with churches telling parishoners how to vote- it is no longer a first amendment issue but a marketing tool for pastors to push their candidates from the pulpit. Because, of course, if a pastor says "Bush is God’s choice for president!" how many people would stand up, think for themselves, and say, "Really? God’s choice? I didn’t think God was partisan."

This doesn’t mean that I have a problem with churches standing up for their beliefs, go ahead and feed the children in Africa, support the war in Iraq, preach on the moral indignation of homosexuality and abortion; just don’t tell people to pray that Bush becomes president. Pastors can even personally endorse, work for, or contribute to political candidates. Again, I say, don’t use the two feet that you stand higher on your podium than the congregation to espouse your "righteous" politicizing.

Thank you, Good Night, and God Bless.