Today, I want to say goodbye to a man who was very famous during my formative years. George Carlin, a comedian being described in the press as "edgy," "provocative," and "radical," has passed away at age 71. This man, who in truth was only average as a comedian, earned the title "the dean of counterculture comedians" in 1972 when his filthy "routine saw him arrested for obscenity in 1972 at a comedy festival in Milwaukee." (-AFP) This filthy routine became a "must listen to" at parties when I was 15 years old. The man turned an occasionally funny phrase, but for the most part, the routine was simply constant, shocking repetition of some of the dirtiest words imaginable. Why? It paid. George Carlin was not trying to rock the establishment or make a statement about language or social mores. He was trying to make a buck. And he did. Lots of them. During his career, he mocked religion, government, just about all societal conventions, and God Himself.

I remember him today, because I attribute one lasting legacy to George Carlin in my life: my tendency to swear. I struggle with this noxious habit just about every day of my life thanks to my typical teen habit of memorizing every word of the current rage, and incorporating these words into my daily vocabulary. (Let my young readers learn from my error! Anything, no matter how unimportant it may seem, can have longer lasting consequences than you can imagine.)

So there it is, George - your legacy. Young people swearing like sailors and having a knee-jerk reaction of disdain and distrust when faced with any authority. These young people are now parents and grandparents and struggling to raise children in a society without definition.

I hope your riches, earned by selling the future decency of an entire generation, comforted you in your lifetime, George. It's a certainty that they're no comfort to you now as you discuss your past choices face to face with the God that you publicly ridiculed for so long.