It doesn’t seem like much has changed since Bush was criminalizing political speech.

America’s first Drug Czar and conservative commentator Bill Bennett penned an op-ed for CNN.com in which he suggests that Showtime’s series “Weeds” is “damaging,” and “would never be aired” if “our country was making a serious assault on drug abuse.” But Bennett’s crazy doesn’t stop there. He co-authored the piece with Alexandra Datig, a business, political campaign, and real estate consultant, recovering addict, and Prop 19 opponent whose website, NipItInTheBud2010.org, suggests that legalizing marijuana is “un-American,” puts “our national security at risk” and compares legalization to 9/11.

We live in a short attention-span theater world (ironically, a Comedy Central show once hosted by Jon Stewart) where all too often, the voiceless and the less powerful need the backing of a louder megaphone to get their claims a hearing. Colbert displayed during the hearing that he understands this implicitly.

So to review, the economy will recover, but in spite of Obama. Put another way, Obama really has no control over the economy. Put another way, all the opposition to Obama’s economic policies are just noise because, you know, economies recover, they just do.

Conservatives, including those of the Tea Party variety, aren’t “anti-government.” In most respects they are pro-government to the point of authoritarianism. What they really oppose is any form of cooperative or collective solution to the problems of a complex industrial (or post-industrial) society – especially when the beneficiaries are people they regard with suspicion or fear.

any people in the states worst hit by the foreclosure crisis–FL, NV, AZ, CA–have to stick with crappy jobs because there’s no way they can move to where people are hiring.

I think the problem with this is obvious, right? All anybody will see is that Democrats walked off the field.

Stephen Colbert Testifies at House Immigration Hearing.

There was a court ruling finding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell discriminatory and unconstitutional, where the judge planned to file an injunction against further discharges of gay service members. The Justice Department didn’t have to appeal that ruling, and this entire business would take care of itself.

That didn’t happen.

First Bai put his own thoughts about Social Security into the mouth of a congressman who repudiated him. Now he doubles down on his ignorance.