Brian here. So the big story yesterday was about that New York Post cartoon. Maybe you heard about it? Now, I'm not a fan of Rupert Murdoch. And I'm sure most of that hatred is baseless (just like the hatred that spews forth from his massive news conglomerate. Zing!), but I think part of my fear and hatred also stems from the fact that this picture is absolutely terrifying. (Warning: do not expose to young children or the easily startled.)

Okay, so here's the deal. I love free speech. I fucking love free speech. I fucking goddamn love free speech. I fucking goddamn George-W-Bush-was-a-total-fuck-up love free speech. But here's the catch: there are always going to be assholes who do asshole-ish things with free speech. The KKK, for instance. I don't want to hear a single thing they have to say, but they have the right to say it. No one should listen to a single word of their hate-filled propaganda, but it's their opinion. And yeah, I'd love it if they were to just one day go away completely. That'd be fantastic. But I'm not about to suggest suppressing an opinion just because I disagree with it. No, I'll leave that kind of arrogance to the bigots.

So the New York Post cartoon. The thing is, I don't even think it's racist. I don't like the cartoon, I don't think it's classy, I don't think it was well-thought out or appropriate, but I don't think it's racist. True, in the past African-Americans have been portrayed as ape-like, and yes, the New York Post probably cringes every time it prints "President Obama," but, again, this is an issue of decorum, not race. It's crass, not racist. If the police officers in said cartoon were wearing KKK-styled white sheets, then I'd be all aboard the racist bandwagon. If the cartoon said, "They'll have to find some other nigger to write the next stimulus bill" -- but of course they'd never print that. Because that's racist.

But here's the kicker. This cartoon debuted on Wednesday, February 18th. Does anyone else remember reading a certain story about a chimpanzee being shot? One that printed on, you know, Tuesday, February 17th? This cartoon isn't racist, it's just topical. It's topical and stupid. The New York Post simply thinks the stimulus bill is so bad that only a primate could've penned such a plan. And hey -- there was a chimpanzee shooting the day before, so what's a political cartoonist to do?

Bottom line: The New York Post is tacky and perhaps overly opportunistic, but not racist. Free speech is awesome, but you have to accept the fact that, every once in a while, you might get offended. It's okay, though; we can handle it because we're all adults here. At least, I think most of us are.