GOOD JOB, BARNEY!

You've probably seen this by now, but I must post it. Congressman Barney Frank stands up to the lunatic fringe opposing health care reform. Finally, someone responds to these ludicrous claims with candor instead of kid gloves.

Do you get your "facts" on health care from this asshole?

Already, the right wing blowhards have attacked Frank in full force. Hannity, O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh have been shocked, shocked, shocked at Frank's behavior. Limbaugh even surfaced from an Oxycontin daze long enough to sling a gay joke at Frank, who is openly homosexual (which is beside the point). These pudgy pundits have consistently fanned the flames of ignorance and fear sweeping across the dumber parts of the nation. In effect, they've sent in their dupes with half-baked ideas and misinformation to disrupt an important national dialog. Half-cocked and fully loaded (some with guns, mind you) these sheep repeat what they've been told by these TV personalities. I'm sure these wealthy pundits can afford private health care, but their minions with their swastika signs are clearly working against their own interests.

But you've read some history, right? We've always had reactionaries opposing progress. In another age, the Limbaughs would be railing against abolishing slavery (bad for business--let's not rush things) or siding with mine owners against radical "Reds" working to remove children from the coalmines. A while back, Fox News headlines might have looked like this:

Obama going too far? Socialist plan hurts business by removing children from the coalmines! What is happening to our America?

HITLER FINDS OUT ABOUT PALIN RESIGNATION

A powerful film clip from "The Rise and Fall of the Republican Party."

POLITICALLY INCORRIGIBLE

Chris Rock is one of the funniest men alive. He's in your face. He doesn't shy away from controversy. He's willing to be politically incorrect, but more important he's willing to be political in a good sense. In other words, he's willing to make fun of the powerful and not just the powerless. Rock gets up in the grill of conventional wisdom. Here he gives some practical advice about dealing with the police.

I hate the term "politically correct." If you ask me, "Political Correctness" is really a straw man argument. Sure, there may be some overly zealous PC types, but the real issue is that conservatives want a free pass to blurt out attitudes of race, gender, and religion, and to do so without challenge. The actual threat of progressive social change to these folks has always been minimal, but they resent losing their undisputed perch on the top of the heap, and the "freedom of expression" that went along with it. They whine that the PC types and the "liberal media" are out to get them, but really it's about the world changing. There is a new sense of decorum. Deal with it. Evolve.

Ricky Gervais is also a very funny man. As fans of the British series The Office can attest, his humor can be excruciating. He also isn't afraid of controversy. Here is a routine about Hitler interpreting Nietzsche.