Are you a hyper-partisan? If so, stop it right now. These people are damaging America and I'm calling them out.

First, a definition: A hyper-partisan is a person who does not seek the truth; rather, he or she tailors information to fit a preconceived political viewpoint. What is actually happening in the world is not important to these ideological zombies; it's all about reinforcing their core beliefs.

Thus, no matter what President Bush does for example, he's wrong. There is absolutely nothing the man can do that would please the hyper-partisans who oppose him. On the opposite ideological page, Bill and Hillary Clinton are Satan's spawn. They are evil all day, every day.

How boring is this? If it were just a few Kool-Aid drinking nuts, no one would care. But now you have entire media outlets that have gone hyper-partisan. Newspapers like The Boston Globe and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are just about entirely left wing. Yes, their circulations are in a freefall, but no journalistic enterprise should be hyper-partisan.

The infotainment industry and the internet are also full of hyper-partisans because, unlike newspapers, you can make money with that approach, at least in conservative circles. The Air America radio network, on the left, tried to imitate the conservative template but failed. That's because while the right generally cheerleads for America, the far-left fanatics often despise their country and few want to hear that kind of vitriol.

Actor Sean Penn is a hyper-partisan. Last week on the Larry King program, Penn, as usual, was hammering the Bush administration when King actually challenged him by asking what was wrong with trying to spread democracy in the Middle East.

Penn replied the Bush administration doesn't even promote democracy in the USA. I thought that was a riot. Here's Penn ripping those in power on national TV and, at the same time, complaining there's not enough freedom here. If he tried that in Iran, his tongue would be in a museum.

Tom DeLay is a hyper-partisan. Republicans good, Democrats bad. Life simply cannot be that simple, can it? But for the hyper-partisans it is. Nothing stands in the way of their belief system. Not facts, not provable truth.

To be honest, I believe there are more hyper-partisans on the left. Many conservatives are actually angry with the Bush administration over the unsecured southern border, enormous government spending, and the stalemate in Iraq. That's why the President's poll numbers remain low. Some on the right who were behind him now have doubts about his stewardship. I don't see much independent thinking on the left.

It is hard to imagine Rosie O'Donnell, for example, becoming disenchanted with the liberal agenda, no matter what. Somehow, I don't think Nancy Pelosi is going to reevaluate "taxing the rich," even if the country descended into a deep recession after more "progressive" tax laws were enacted. However, I could be wrong. And since I'm not a hyper-partisan, I can say that.

So let's start mocking all these hyper-partisans and begin to encourage critical thinking in America. It's much more interesting and it's far better for the country, because an acceptance of fact-based reality is crucial to solving problems.

And if you still don't believe me, imagine being stranded on a desert island with Howard Dean or Michael Savage. I'd hit the ocean. You'd get a fairer shake from the sharks.