Aside to number1laing, I've always had a hard time with the wildly uneven "South Park," harder still since reading that its creators describe themselves as "libertarian" Republicans. On the other hand, I can overlook a lot in exchange for the sheer brilliance of "Bigger, Longer & Uncut."

Except they do not describe themselves as "libertarian Republicans." Some other guy wrote a book a few years back titled "South Park Republicans." At a recent Reason magazine confab, (senior editor) Nick Gillespie asked the South Park dudes how they thought they'd vote in '08, and they figured for Hillary.

They do hate some things about liberals, but they hate authoritarians major much as well. They are not, for example, Limbaugh lovers.

I'm sorry, but I have never seen them identify as Republicans. Parker didn't even start calling himself a libertarian until others said that's what the duo are:

Reason: Each of you at various points have called yourself libertarian. Is that an apt description?

Parker: People started throwing that word around to describe us right around the second or third season. They would sit us down and go, “So are you libertarian?” And I would always say, “I don’t know, am I? You’ve seen my stuff.”

I still don’t really know the answer to that question. I think I am, though.

Stone: I think it is an apt description for me personally, and that has probably seeped into the show. But we never set out to do a libertarian show.

Reason: When you say libertarian, what do you mean?

Stone: I had Birkenstocks in high school. I was that guy. And I was sure that those people on the other side of the political spectrum were trying to control my life. And then I went to Boulder and got rid of my Birkenstocks immediately, because everyone else had them and I realized that these people over here want to control my life too. I guess that defines my political philosophy. If anybody’s telling me what I should do, then you’ve got to really convince me that it’s worth doing.

Now, it may be that they have voted Republican in the past. But libertarians (who did as a bloc tilt Republican through the 90s) started abandoning the GOP in a gallop starting in '04. Not as rats, but because we are usually principled and by that point it was clear that the Bush GOP was the utter antithesis of everything libertarians stand for. It had been a very strained relationship before that, but Bush caused a total divorce for a huge chunk. And tbey have told us to go to hell -- Ramesh Punurru (sp?) over at NRO says good riddance; they don't need us.

The rest of that December '06 interview with Parker and Stone is here: http://www.reason.com/news/show/116787.html

A couple of years ago, two former federal prosecutors named Andy McCarthy and Mark Levin wrote an article at NRO valiantly defending Rush Limbaugh vis-a-vis the horribly political witchhunt that was the prosecution of Rush for obtaining illegal quantities of a pain medication outside of the precription drug system. Doncha know that people who have back pain can end up addicted, and have you no feelings for 'em, you nasty Florida prosecutor brutes?

That had to be the first time EVER Republican federal prosecutors went "soft" on a drug crime. And now over at NRO they are agog that eventually there must be a full pardon of Scooter. Digby says that on Fox News Allstars last nite, they were all glad-handing that Scooter's buds will all chip in to pay his fine, he certainly won't have trouble finding work, and the poor man's long nightmare should now be over. These are virtually all the SAME PEOPLE who push constantly for draconian mandatory minimum sentences, especially for non-violent drug "criminals."

Some poor woman of color with a couple of kids plays coke mule once a month to pay rent and otherwise live? Rip her from her children and lock her up for at least ten years. Ruin her life and leave her kids motherless. Be merciless, and don't be giving the judge any discretion on the matter. But let's all weep and gnash our teeth for Rush and Scooter and the manifest injustice these poor victims have endured.

It makes my head explode.

You must not ever do that again, without warning readers to swallow and put down any beverages before continuing. I mean of course, your quote from Mr. Levin in the update, to wit:

The Commutation

The way I see it, Lewis Libby was about to become a political prisoner and the president prevented that.

How hard and long did you laugh?

Hey, that was a pretty cool reply. :0)

Er, I dunno. "Ageist?" Is discussing everything and anything that is a difference between people now to constitute some ever-growing list of dread "isms"?

Not that I'm partial to Garry Owen's POV -- I'm not, and in fact I repudiate it. Taking violently to the streets is stupid and discordant from the sensible commentary that generally abounds here. (And I'm much closer to Garry's age than to our offended 20-year-old, who is younger than my grown children.)