There's enough here to inspire a Methodist to fire and brimstone. Yet, what do the masses grab their pitchforks and fire up the muskets for? The most outrage amid this country's greatest moral crisis since "Fatal Attraction" arose over the possibility of CBS airing an unflattering portrait of Ronald Reagan. CBS pulled the Reagan miniseries and packed it over to cable with the rest of cable's pitiful original programming.

Carnivale? "Sex and the City"? AM talk radio hosts proclaimed victory and a new day dawning in America. Conservatives won! The whole exercise was about as meaningful as the summer we spent debating who shot J.R., the head of the Ewing clan on Dallas, yet another CBS winner.

A hollow victory for a shallow cause. Reagan's legacy was not in jeopardy. The Reagan miniseries was silly, not worthy of the protests. Reagan's reputation can survive some potshots from Hollywood. In fact, it would have been fun to watch a flick in which the great Gipper is played by gigolo James Brolin, Mr. Barbra Streisand. I wonder who the crackerjack casting agency got to play Dan Quayle. Howard Stern? We missed hoots aplenty.

Conservatives moved TV networks and local stations to fear and consumers to boycotts because the movie's depiction of Reagan's life and presidency just wasn't right. Ronaldus Magnus would have smiled slyly about the fray, tilted his head and quipped, "Why don't we just lock up the network executives instead?"

Ironically, what Reagan admirers did for Reagan was the antithesis of Reagan's philosophies. Reagan understood that cream rises. That so much support and outrage arose is his lasting imprimatur. No liberal media, no biased historian and no B actor married to a Democrat activist with pipes can minimize Reagan's leadership, example or achievements.

Reagan's lasting effect sprung from his moral leadership. He did not mince words about the Berlin Wall, thereby inciting people there to seek freedom. He chastised Hollywood for its reliance on graphic material when, he cajoled, the subtle message was more effective. He stood firm on defense buildup as critics roared. Reagan focused on what affected our future and solved those problems. He never did sweat the small stuff, including unflattering columns, news reports and, yes, miniseries.

I could find the strength for a year of all Michael Jackson, all the time, and his comrade, Geragos, if there were accompanying boycotts. Bully for CBS for pulling his special without prompting. Now, let's move on to Abercrombie and Britney rebellions. Stop buying those inane Madonna children's books! No NBA until Bryant is benched pending trial. Send a signal to these professional Neanderthals that behavior off court matters.

The work to be done on morality will have far more lasting impact than pulling a dubious CBS miniseries. Let's win something meaningful for the Gipper.

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Marianne M. Jennings is a professor of legal and ethical studies at Arizona State University. Her e-mail address is mmjdiary@aol.com