Here's the latest right-wing whine regarding hate merchants like Erick Erickson: Liberals and progressives are not allowed to point out, let alone criticize, when right-wing media players say foolish, crazy, and irresponsible things. Because if you call out that kind of rhetoric you're being mean and insensitive and you're trying to--gasp!--silence people.

Oh my!

Wringing his hands over at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government site (i.e. Victimhood Central), blogger Larry O'Connor is in full-on fret mode because Media Matters, among others, recently pointed out that CNN's latest hire, GOP blogger Erickson, said something really dumb again, this time about taking out a shotgun if a government worker came to his door. But that's just the tale this week. Next week Erickson will say something just as dumb and irresponsible because that's what he does for a living. (CNN must be so proud.)

But in the cowering world of Andrew Breitbart, it's not Erickson who is out of bounds. Instead, it's anybody who points out what Erickson says. In this new, right-wing fantasy world, observers who highlight irresponsible rhetoric are the problem. They're the bullies. They're the meanies because they're fact-checking again.

In this comical right-wing view of the First Amendment, `wingers like Limbaugh and Beck and Coulter are free to say whatever they want. They can concoct any lie, or spread any kind of hateful message they desire. But if somebody disagrees with them, and if somebody tries to hold the liars accountable, they're the ones trying to stifle debate.

Nice try boys.

For the record, Media Matters isn't in the business of “silencing” people. And despite the incessant whining from Breitbart and his easily intimidated minions, we're not going away.