What, exactly, is Political Correctness? How about this: a policy that defies common sense by denying the obvious. Several easy instances come to mind: a chairman or chairwoman is referred to as a chairperson; movie westerns are tales of cowboys and Native Americans; one must ask permission to compliment a woman on her appearance; whites cannot simply dislike a non-white lest they be deemed racist; straights must condone sodomy or be termed homophobic; "men" want to marry "men"; students may not have a view different from their allegedly liberal professors; America is to blame for the world's ills. Seriously.

Race, gender and sex have been used to control and intimidate the ever-accommodating white male; to impugn the institutions on which America rests and to make illegitimate the customs and laws which made America the world's leading country. White men are discriminated against in college admissions; all men suffer the risks of working with a physically inferior female in physically demanding work such as fire-fighting or the infantry; all Americans suffer as standards are lowered everywhere to satisfy the race/gender hustlers while spineless politicians cower at every level of government.

Courts are complicit as "Alan Alda" judges defer to the most asinine stretches of language and logic so as to be thought progressive, receive editorial encomiums thus to enhance their post-judgeship income. Last week, San Francisco's judges agreed to swear that none belongs to the Boy Scouts lest some gay litigant feel uncomfortable in court. (How does one determine what groups the judge belongs to in the first place?) How every Boy Scout member will feel in any San Francisco court doesn't seem to matter despite all judges having forsworn the Scouts publicly. If you're straight, you have no right to feelings. Only gays, non-whites, females and fat people are allowed to have feelings codified into rights. As for those judges, one would have hoped they would have argued the 1st Amendment protects freedom of association, even for judges, and precludes such an abhorrent oath. Nope. Just covering their you know what.

Last week the world was treated to black "leaders" descending on Washington D.C., befouling the nation's Capitol, while demanding billions in reparations for slavery. Polynesian Hawaiians assert an alleged right to possess, control and own of a large chunk of that State. They lobby the Congress to be declared indigenous people so as to attain their goals by these stupid PC laws Congress has been bullied into passing. This is the modern version of "The Noble Savage" syndrome past era intellectuals and their pseudo-sycophants in the media promoted. It is Walden Pond revisited; pantheism revived. It is also stupid. Witness those thousands of American Indians live in abominable conditions.

In everyday conversation, on television and in the movies, we hear the "f" word, the "m-f" word, the "s" word and the "c" word without compunction and with monotonous regularity. Few flinch; fewer complain. But use the "n" word, say "fag" or just plain, old-fashioned "homo" and all bloody Hell breaks loose. Say them on the job and you lose the job and are likely to be sued. And lose to boot.

Smokers are pariahs. Crusading Puritanic politicos penalize smokers for their habit with enormous taxes and banishment from public places. Urination on a street gains more compassion than puffing on a Camel. Not one such politician will outright outlaw the sale of cigarettes though. Apparently the Puritans like the money extorted from people merely enjoying themselves. Certainly banning cigarettes from public places could be done without raising the taxes on cigarettes. No Siree. This is a way to steal money and feel good while doing it. No politician can pass that up. (Full Disclosure: I do not smoke and dislike being around people when they smoke. But I will argue for their right to smoke or drink. I do drink and I enjoy it.)

The imposition of one's personal code of non-criminal social conduct on another is perfect PC. Blasphemy on TV, fellatio in the Oval Office and no Boy Scouts in San Francisco are touted as cool, private or progressive. But smoking a cigarette? Never!

Those whose PC takes the form of blaming America are truly insidious. Just today, the National Education Association (NEA) used its website to inform its teaching members how to present the anniversary of September 11th. Don't blame any group it said; don't teach that all the perpetrators were Arabs and that 15 of them were Saudi Arabians. No, don't teach that; the truth may hurt some people.

Ridiculous? You bet. Fed up with it? Then do something about it. Don't allow PC practitioners to decide how you live your life. Object when they speak; vote against them; write to newspaper editors, TV station managers, boycott products and tell the company president why, go to your local school and council meetings and object, object, object. You will be criticized, perhaps ostracized. So what? What have you got to lose? Only your freedom.