Penn and Teller

Penn & Teller are a performing duo of magicians currently based out of Las Vegas. Penn Jillette is the taller of the two and does all of the talking during their acts and shows, Teller is almost always completely silent and does the bulk of the on stage conjuring. In addition to their stage show Penn & Teller made several movies in the 80's and 90's and have had multiple television appearances together. They also starred in their own television show "Bull****" which focused on debunking myths and espousing their personal brand of libertarian politics and atheist religious views. Teller speaks freely outside of the confines of the act. The pair have appeared on The West Wing, on which they appeared to make an American flag, wrapped in a copy of the Bill of Rights, disappear in a puff of flame and smoke. This was a modified and shortened version of a trick which they have performed in their Las Vegas stage act since the late 1990s. The full version of the trick is a political comment on how important the Bill of Rights is to the protection of the ideals America was built upon. It goes on to demonstrate, using a copy of the "Chinese Bill of Rights," a piece of clear acetate with nothing written on it, how the flag was not actually burned but instead switched for a piece of flash paper. The act concludes with the flag once again disappearing and reappearing on the original flag poll in a final flash of smoke and fire as Penn recites a verse from the The Star-Spangled Banner.

From a conservative perspective, Penn and Teller can be both loved and hated. They have mocked things like religion, the war on drugs, the death penalty, warrantless wiretaps, illegal immigration opposition and circumcision, but also debunked aspects of environmentalism, 9/11 conspiracy theories, and gun control on their show Penn & Teller's Bull****, on Showtime. The duo are both atheists, and both have libertarian political views. Penn has verbally announced on their show that they do not at all agree with American conservatives.

Hate Speech

Penn and Teller have been very outspoken anti-Catholic activists, often openly ridiculing Catholic people for their faith. They vilified Mother Teresa for her work with the poor.