On a similar note...

Wisconsin man votes against Palin TV dance... with shotgun

(AFP) – 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON — A rural Wisconsin man this week joined a minority of viewers who opposed Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol's advance to the finals of a hit US dance show -- by shooting his TV with a shotgun.

Steven Cowan, a 57-year-old with a history of mental illness, was arrested Tuesday morning after a 15-hour standoff with police called to the scene by his wife, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The couple had been sitting in their living room watching "Dancing with the Stars" Monday night when Palin appeared on stage.

"The (expletive) politics," Cowan yelled, before racing upstairs. His wife later told authorities that he didn't think Palin was much of a dancer, the daily said, citing the official complaint.

A beet-red Cowan came back down 20 minutes later, loaded a single-barrel shotgun and blew away the TV. He then demanded his wife retrieve two pistols that had been taken away from him for safety reasons.

Cowan had in the past taken medication for bipolar disorder and had been out drinking earlier that evening, the paper said, citing the complaint.

His wife, fearing he would turn the gun on her, fled and called the police, who arrived with hostage negotiators and a dog team, the daily said.

Cowan, who has no previous criminal record, was charged with "recklessly endangering safety" and the use of a weapon, according to court documents.

Bristol has advanced to the finals by winning over the public despite receiving poor marks on her dancing ability from the show's judges.

That has led to allegations by some viewers that the conservative Tea Party movement that glorifies her mother is behind her rise on the popular televised contest, where celebrities partner with professional dancers.

Bristol's success comes as her mother, the former governor of Alaska, solidifies her own life in the spotlight with a reality show launched at the weekend, fueling speculation about her 2012 White House plans.

The elder Palin burst onto the national stage in 2008 when Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked her to be his running mate.

Bristol Palin has a nearly two-year-old son with her on-off boyfriend Levi Johnston. Her unplanned pregnancy made her America's most famous teenage mother during the 2008 presidential campaign.