But then Palin did something so patently outrageous I couldn’t be silent. And I don't mean the mind-boggling deal she struck with Discovery Channel for a "documentary" series about Alaska. Though having spent time there in my youth, I did find the idea strangely intriguing.

What were the folks at Discovery Channel thinking? Did anyone there consider the irony of hiring a woman to host a "nature" show who disdains nature? I mean, before she fleeced you for more than $1 million an episode? And that maybe it wasn't the smartest choice given her strange relationship to the truth and her polarizing ? Did you forget that in her brief and erratic tenure as governor, Palin had a dreadful environmental record, championing such animal-friendly policies as the aerial shooting of wolves? Or refusing to give protected status to endangered species such as the beluga whale? Even now, Palin proudly and avidly flaunts her ignorance about .

But my real problem with Palin is not her reality show, which doubtless won’t be earning any Emmys. But her refusal to take responsibility for stirring up violence on the right with her incendiary rhetoric.

Palin has done this before, of course. Most notably when she accused Obama of "paling around with terrorists" when she was running for vice president. Or claimed that the president had inserted "death panels" in the health care bill, precisely so they could kill her Down syndrome infant and her aging parents. Palin was , of course, but being the devout Christian that she is, she didn't let that interfere with her quest for prosperity and fame. Or the and ignorance she was encouraging with her repeated attacks on our first African-American president.

After the landmark health care vote, Palin promptly posted a map of the U.S. targeting vulnerable Democratic members of Congress. To highlight their districts, she didn't use something all Alaska and folksy like a smiley face or a grizzly bear. No, she marked them with rifle cross-hairs. But I guess she didn't think the message was explicit enough. So she exhorted her gun-loving followers with this: "Don't Retreat--Reload." Cute.

Words like these have terrifying consequences. In an interview with The National Review John Boehner suggested that Steve Driehaus, a freshman Democrat from Cincinnati, would be a "dead man" if he voted for health care. Driehaus did, and then his family received death threats. New York Democrat Louise Slaughter received a message saying snipers were going to kill the children of all those who'd voted for health care. Imagine walking outside your house one morning to find a coffin there. That happened to Missouri Democrat Ross Carnahan.

Republican leaders never firmly denounced these threats. I guess they were scared of looking wimpy and weak. It's no wonder Palin feels emboldened to demean Obama and attack Democrats with no regard for the consequences. It's clear she doesn't care, that she's willing to say anything. Let's not forget: this is the college dropout who couldn't even tell Kate Couric what newspapers she reads. So it’s not like she has a respect for language or facts.

And now this weekend, after an unusually long respite, Palin will be inserting herself into the public arena again. On Saturday she’ll speak at a tea party rally in--of all places--Madison, Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker asked for her moral support in his continuing bid to crush the state’s labor unions. And Palin, whose dad was a science teacher, is happy to oblige. She thinks teachers in Wisconsin are making way too much money at the expense of taxpayers. I mean, look at those fat pensions! It’s time for them to sacrifice like, say, those gold-hearted executives at Goldman Sachs.

First off, teachers in Wisconsin pay into their own pensions. Then again, truth has never been Palin’s forte. The real question is: why the insatiable need for drama and ?

With her political star fading and tea party sister Michelle Bachmann suddenly commanding all the excitement about 2012, it’s not exactly a coincidence that Palin chose Wisconsin as her next battleground.

With thousands of angry followers on Facebook and Twitter, Palin might no longer hold office, but she's still holding court. And that combined with her almost gleeful ignorance makes her dangerous. It's time to call Palin out and hold her accountable.

It's an icky job, but somebody's got to do it.