Not So Funny Sunday

Nothing I like better than The Munsters, and WGN's Munster-thon was a welcome surprise. Except for a switch over to The Simpsons at 8 PM, we resided at 1313 Mockingbird Lane all night.

But my second favorite family couldn't top the day's laughs. That was left to our political leaders.

John Boehner, explained the climate crisis to George Stephanopolous on This Week. Like Professor Irwin Corey, Boehner explained the real science of global warming.

"George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you've got more carbon dioxide. And so I think it's clear..."

It's this kind of brain power that has led the GOP to its recent heights. To further his theory, I suggest Rep. Boehner step into a vacuum sealed room and breath. Let's see if his theory on the harmful effects of carbon dioxide holds as he exhales, inhales, passes out and dies.

The darkly comic highlight of the day was reserved for Rahm Emanuel, also on This Week. Clarifying the President's stance on torture, Emauel said that field officers should not be prosecuted for torturing prisoners as they were just following policy decisions made by higher ups (the always successful Nuremberg defense). Senior policy makers should also be kept far away from justice. Here's Emanuel, ironically pictured at right in front of the American flag, a symbol of equal justice under the law. Once again, we all had to hear that not "looking backward, have to look forward" argument as the reason to turn a blind eye toward the law.

Not everything is politics. Neglecting to pursue proper legal avenues on torture is not the same as reversing Bush's abstinence program. It is not, in any way, just bad judgment by the previous administation. To treat it like another Washington issue is abhorrent. There is a moral truth here - the US does not torture and it is a nation of laws. To ignore that is to ignore a fundamental part of what this country is about.

While fools like Boehner are easy to laugh at, it's not so easy with Rahm. He is smart and doesn't stumble on his position like a blind man in a cluttered room. That' s what make his comments ridiculous and terrifying. Like Spot, The Munsters pet dragon who lives under the stairs, Obama's position is a ridiculous concept. But when you think about it, a fire-breathing monster under the stairs is nothing to laugh at at all.