Ben Stein is an idiot.

via Tittsie McRandy, we learn of Ben Stein's ridiculous review of the Oscars, which in high wingnut fashion, he didn't actually watch.

There were pitifully dishonest calls for peace

Because George Clooney, et al. really love war. That's why they were out pimping for war, like Ben did, in the run-up to Iraq.

The idea that it is brave to stand up for gays in Hollywood,

Considering how much of Hollywood is in the closet, considering Republicans believe real American marriage does not include gay people, I would say it is.

to stand up against Joe McCarthy in Hollywood (fifty years after his death),

Ok, even the stupidest wingnut kid could see that the movie was obviously analogous to our current political climate. And Ben is your "smart guy?"

to say that rich white people are bad,

Who said that?

that oil companies are evil

He's obviosly not familiar with economic hitmen, but the fact that they are making record profits off the suffering of others, including our troops that he, in a most maudlin fashion, pretends to care about should be justification enough.

The brave guy in Hollywood will be the one who says that this is a fabulously great country where we treat gays, blacks, and everyone else as equal.

Actually the brave guy would be the Republican that can admit that denying marriage rights to homosexuals means that homosexuals are not treated as equals. It is the fucking ignorant moron that thinks that gays, blacks and everyone else is treated as equal as we continue to pass legislation limiting the rights of gays and blame black people for being drowned in a hurricane.

The courageous writer in Hollywood will be the one who says the oil companies do their best in a very hostile world to bring us energy cheaply and efficiently and with a minimum of corruption.

They sure do everything that can to get that energy cheaply (see economic hitmen) - do they pass that savings on to "us"? Umm I'm going to say no.

They would be heroes if they said that Moslem extremists are the worst threat to human decency since Hitler and Stalin.

Yes, because in their caves, the terrorists actually have the largest and most technologically advanced army on Earth. They could run through Poland in a few days, right?

But someone might yell at them or even attack them with a knife if they said that, so they never will.

More likely they realize that using reactionary metaphors doesn't actually change anything, and instead use global outreach and compassion instead of carpet bombings to influence people around the world. Crazy actors.

Hollywood is above all about self: self-congratulation, self-promotion, and above all, self-protection. This is human and basic, but let's not kid ourselves. There is no greatness there in the Kodak theater. The greatness is on patrol in Kirkuk. The greatness lies unable to sleep worrying about her man in Mosul. The greatness sleeps at Arlington National Cemetery and lies waiting for death in VA Hospitals.

Apparantly to Ben, by caring about other people, both domestically and internationally, these actors spit on the grave of brave soldiers.

What a fucking tool.