South Park – honest, brave, honorable

Thoughts on Part II are here

I can’t believe I’m writing those words. In the beginning, I wouldn’t let my kids watch the show.

Tonight’s episode was brilliant. And brave. Basically Matt Stone and Trey Parker took all of their creative capital and threw down a gauntlet: America, will you submit to Dhimmitude (beginning with the continual placing of your head in the sand) or will you stand up for free speech and liberty.

It’s about the Mohammed Cartoons. It’s about more than that, though. Much more. Part II is next week. If you can see Part I before then, try to…it is a scathing critique of America and Americans and their willingness to weaken themselves through fear and misplaced sensitivity.

And, in a weird synchronicity, Dan Simmons is also throwing down a gauntlet via a sobering piece of fiction.

In the end, both the story and the SP episode are about misidentifying the enemy and the goal. And about not being as ruthless and savage as might be necessary when the enemy doesn’t mind dying, if he gets to kill you.

UPDATE: I’m getting a few emails from people offended that I dare praise South Park: “don’t you know that they made a horrific episode mocking the Virgin Mary?”

Well, yes, I saw that episode and was offended by it and shut it off…but they weren’t mocking the Virgin Mary so much as people who look for supernatural signs and go overboard with them. But though, I was offended, but I didn’t take it personally. South Park mocks everyone, and to be honest, they want to mock Mary, she’ll get them in the end – she’ll bring ’em to Jesus; you don’t mess with Mary! :-) After I turned off the The Virgin Mary episode I frankly prayed for the guys (they’d hate that, I know). Too bad. I prayed for ’em. Imagine how different the world would be if Muslims prayed for those who offended them, instead of declaring fatwas on them.

Tonight, I thought they SP boys let ‘er rip – they ragged on Family Guy, the Mohammed Cartoons, themselves and even their cable network. It was bold and gutsy, in an era where no one is bold or gutsy, or they make a movie about Edward R. Murrow and think that’s “brave.” No, what the SP guys did tonight was brave. Maybe crazy, but brave. I think their Peabody Award was well-deserved.

Ed Morrissey (who was just named – deservedly so – “Blogger of the Year“) also admires the episode.

Counseling Kevin has poems in the time of war.

RELATED: PartII

WELCOME: CQ and Althouse readers. While you’re here, please look around. Today we’re watching the trailer from United 93 and we’re also talking about Why Benedict became a Priest, and what the American Idols need to do to win, and we’re having fun with Katie Couric, and we’re wondering about media indifference, whether blogs are the gatekeepers of the gatekeepers and the fight between light and darkness being played out before our eyes. And Saddam was thinking of attacking our assets. Also we remember 9/11 via video.