Taxpayer-Funded Immaturity: NPR Teaches Readers 'To Speak Tea Bag'

If there was ever any doubt National Public Radio had a political slant, check out the animated video posted on the network's Web site. That should clear up any doubt.

This video dated Nov. 12, 2009 was created by Mark Fiore, a political animator, who NPR reports is described by The Wall Street Journal as "the undisputed guru of the form." The video demonstrates for viewers how to speak "tea bag," which is a term lefties for whatever reason seem to find absolutely hilarious.  (h/t Jesse Hathaway via Bob Parks). Transcript as follows:

Moderator: Finally, learning a new language doesn't have to be hard. You can be fluent in conversational tea bag in just a few short minutes. Lesson one: Don't get distracted by the confusing words of other languages.
Character: I think the public option and the competition it would foster would really -- socialist, socialist.
Moderator: Good, very good. Lesson two: If you're having trouble understanding the words of others or being understood yourself, use teabag's stronger, more descriptive words.
Character: The Nazi, Nazi, Nazi

Video Embedded Below Fold

Fiore's "art" also included the obligatory jab at Rep. Michele Bachmann, a favorite left-wing target (and still relatively a congressional backbencher), along shot at the House GOP leadership -- House Minority Leader John Boehner and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor:

Moderator: Perfect. See, that's not so hard. Lesson three: When speaking tea bag, it's not polite to draw attention to other's campaign contributors or industry connections. Remember - they speak tea bag just like you. Lesson four: Instead of saying...
Character: Huge insurance companies have come between me and my doctor.
Moderator: To describe the current reality just say...
Character: I don't want Obamunist Disembowel-o-trons to come between me and my doctor
Moderator: ...to describe a paranoid future. Now that you're fluent, try speaking tea bag in everyday conversation.
Fast-Food Clerk: Would you like fries with that?
Character: Umm no. Nazi, socialist, baby-killer.
Moderator: Tea bag - because other languages are just too hard.

NPR, along with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private non-profit corporation created by an act of Congress to promote public broadcasting. According to the Associated Press, some 15 percent of public broadcasting's funding comes from the federal government. The CPB's latest annual budget was $430 million according to PBS chief Paula Kerger.