The hateful, self-loathing and oft-incorrect Sarah Palin and her wild ranting about Barack Obama's "terrorist connections" got me thinking today about pop culture, language and an easily manipulated public.

For instance, it's amazing how quickly those on the far right decry Obama's ties to Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers, no matter how flimsy (or even non-existent) they might be, simply because Palin uses the dreaded t-word to describe the now professional Ayers and his former associates. I also find it to be endlessly confounding how many of my most liberal friends in New York and Los Angeles loved The Dark Knight, a movie whose main point seemed to be that the PATRIOT Act is righteous and necessary. How frightening the word terrorist has become in our zeitgeist, and how easily grand explosions and attractive movie stars can mold peoples' perceptions.

I decided to highlight this phenomenon with a non-comprehensive list of the American public's most favorite terrorists. You'll notice that many of the people after the jump have been described as "freedom fighters" (what a cute little shift in terms) by the men portraying them, all of whom are handsome and white.

As always, feel free to use the comments section for complaints about omissions or inclusions.

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