When talk radio and Fox News personality Glenn Beck called President Obama a racist, a whole bunch of companies pulled their advertising from his TV show, probably because a few fringe organizations and how-dare-you-disagree-with-me boys and girls threatened to boycott the advertisers.

Apparently the list of companies that knuckle under to thugs includes ConAgra Foods, Procter & Gamble, Walmart, GMAC Financial Services, Best Buy, CVS, Travelocity, State Farm Insurance, Broadview Security, Progressive Insurance, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Radio Shack, Men’s Wearhouse, Lawyers.com, Sargento.

This is great!

For starters, Beck fans, millions of them, could now safely boycott the chicken companies with the obvious rationale: “Abandon Glenn and we’ll abandon you – don’t abandon Glenn and we’re fine.” Sounds fair, doesn’t it? The only problem is that Beck tells his listeners and viewers that boycotting is stifling, bullying and completely un-American. Oh, those right wingers! Who do they think they are fighting fair like that?

Based on the old idea that what’s legitimate for you is legitimate for me, Beck fans could, but won’t, boycott companies that advertise on certain shows on NBC, CBS, ABC, and MSNBC, (a.k.a. MSDNC) as well as in the pages of The NY Times, which, believe it or not, still has advertisers. A columnist on Politico.com suggested that maybe folks will boycott Olbermann’s advertisers but there’s no easy way to find out who they are without actually watching Olbermann and that’s asking too much.

This whole boycott thing could be a Godsend to direct marketers. There’s no political baggage in a direct mail package unless we bring it in ourselves and who would be that dumb?

Sane people boycott TV networks and newspapers every day simply by not watching or reading the ones they don’t like. Insane people demand that everyone goosestep along to their secret drumbeat or heads will roll.

Boycott away. We’ll sit back and enjoy the show.