y Steven D
Sat May 17th, 2008 at 12:17:24 PM EST

I've always considered myself a failure as a
human being, because despite my desire to understand others, regardless
of their station in life or their culture, I've never been able to
appreciate the types of jokes that Republicans and conservatives find
so highly amusing. You know the ones I mean. Jokes with a small dose of
violence and murderous intimidation at their core, like this, for
example:

Maybe it's some character flaw in me, some genetic defect, but I just
doesn't get the giggles when conservative friends and acquaintances
respond with a little light eliminationist comedic repartee regarding
liberals, Latinos, African Americans, environmentalists, feminists and,
in general, anyone who doesn't hold views which are exactly like their
own. Case in point: Governor Mike Huckabee's recent stand up routine at
the National Rifle Association convention, where he apparently brought the house down with this crack about Senator, and presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack obama:

ABC News' Kevin Chupka Reports: Former GOP hopeful and
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is back in the news this week, making a
splash when he took a hit at Senator Barack Obama during the annual
National Rifle Association meeting.
Huckabee made an off-color joke during his speech in Louisville,
Kentucky, when a loud bang was heard off-stage.

"That was Barack Obama," Huckabee quipped, "He Just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he…he dove for the floor."

Now, I know Huckabee has since apologized for his remarks,
but one wonders why he bothered. Clearly he believes remarks regarding
the potential assassination of a prominent African American politician
is simply one of the most hilarious comments he could have made to
members of the NRA, and many of his fellow conservatives obviously
agree, or they wouldn't keep telling us that similar "jokes" by Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly
are legitimate sources of humor, which we politically correct and
pompous liberals simply don't get because we take ourselves way too
seriously.

Me, I tend to think this kind of thing in an America filled with millions of angry gun owners who sincerely believe Democrats and liberals are out to pry their shotguns, pistols and hunting rifles
from their "cold dead hands" is beyond the pale. Certainly, I don't
think liberals making jokes about assassinating President Bush or
Senator McCain would or should be considered in any way acceptable, nor
do I suspect that most conservatives would disagree with me. Yet,
somehow jokes about killing Democratic politicians and other liberal
figures is fair game for conservative comics. I think both are equally
reprehensible and repulsive. And most definitely not funny.

But then I laugh at stuff like Monty Python routines so what do I know.