And they will wallow in their own ignorance...

It takes intelligence to appreciate satire, and I think that's why so many average citizens living in Bush-lite America have trouble with it. Okay, so I'm stereotyping people in Mississippi. (And, basically, all the red states--and I can get away with it, maybe, because I live in a red state. Let me say, however, that I don't subscribe to most of the values red-staters hold dear.)

It had to happen. Jon Stewart's best-selling satirical book, "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction," was banned by the Jackson-George Regional Library System in Gulfport, Mississippi. Then, a couple days later it was reinstated, much to the chagrin of a many board members, one of whom, David Ogborn, stated, "Our libraries are not a trash bin for pornographic materials."

Why was the book banned? Admittedly, it was not because of the sartirical, sarcastic content, which Jon Stewart himself called "much worse" than the actual reason: the fake naked photos of the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

First, I own the book, and I certainly wasn't aroused by these pictures of shrivelly and saggy bodies. I know I don't represent the typical American viewpoint, but I would hazard a guess that a vast majority of those who have seen the photos are far more repulsed than attracted... A naked body does not constitute pornography!

Second, WalMart, bastion of Christian morality that it is, has apparently also declined to carry the book. Before casting a stone at Stewart, let's try paying a truly decent wage and benefits to our associates, not undercutting mom & pop stores, and not taking advantage of overseas near sweatshop-like labor conditions all for the sake of the new god: profitabiltiy!

So what about that whole satire thing I started with... Unfortunately so many Bush-lite and neocon types don't have enough intelligence or enough of a sense of humor to appreciate the true snarkiness of the book. They take it quite literally, like all their favorite books (i.e. the Bible). Apparently satire is evil because it begins with the letters s-a-t.

Come on America, keep your minds and your libraries open to all viewpoints, ESPECIALLY those that run against the grain of "majority" opinion. Only by exposing ourselves to such ideas and thoughts can we really deal with each person's uniqueness. Remember, the best democratic decisions are usually made after consideration of the varied viewpoints. Besides, having a book on a shelf or a show on TV does't mean you HAVE to chose to read or watch it. But others might want to. Apparently one man's pornography is another man's satire...