Charlie Pierce’s “Idiot America.”Dumb as a Blog: Dumb As An Interview: <i>Idiot America</i> Author Charles Pierce on truTV.com

Mockery has been an important part of informed citizenry ever since the concept of citizenry was invented. Satire is a weapon of the disenfranchised and the un-empowered. One of the most distressing developments of recent times is that people like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are regularly referred to as “satirists,” when, in fact, they are mere bullies on behalf of the established powers. I don’t argue that mockery makes us smarter, but it can make us better citizens. I hope Sarah Palin comes to realize this.