When the city of Boston was temporarily shut down over the misidentification of several electronic Cartoon Network billboard ads as bombs, it meant two things: The state of Homeland Security is dire, and Cartoon Network is a force to be reckoned with.

Cartoon Network, along with Comedy Central, has through the years managed to transform itself from an obscure network composed of reruns of Thundercats and Smurfs into a haven for America's intelligent youth subculture.

In years past that market used to be the domain of MTV. MTV's two most important artistic and cultural contributions to the world, Aeon Flux and the inclusion of Pedro Zamora on The Real World San Francisco reflected a radical and groundbreaking voice for America's youth that has since long faded. Bill Clinton even credited the MTV audience with getting him into the White House.

Today a politician might say that about Daily Show on Comedy Central. But another Cartoon Network show The Boondocks is proving Adult Swim to truly merit artistic credit.

Based on Todd McGruder's award winning comic strip, McGruder's determined vision and stubbornness shines through not only in the show's main protagonist, left leaning activist ten year old Huey Freeman, but in the show's consistent message to deliver intelligent and insightful dark comedy.

The animation is breath taking, beautifully detailed and nuanced to bring out truly life like facial expressions from the characters.

The Boondocks doesn't deliver simple answers to some of societies most pertinent issues in life. It delivers them with a spiteful satirical punch. Though concerning itself largely with the Black American population, the show unapologetically criticizes BET in a particular episode where Huey proceeds to watch BET programming to find out if it will make him stupid. No surprise...it does.

At the end of the experiment he changes the channel and snaps out of his BET induced semi-comatose state returning to his righteous self. On the tube, a lion walking in a grass field replaces BET.

Whether that is a nod to Christian allegory The Chronicles of Narnia is anyone's guess. But the less then subtle message Boondocks consistently delivers would have me believe so. From self-hating black folk, to rich white boy wannabe gangsters, to thug-loving gay rappers, the world is deceivingly fraud. Worthwhile, true and authentic people and the fruit they bare are few and far between.

The Boondocks is worthy of that distinction and it's a shame it's not on BET. In the 1st season's last episode Huey, after witnessing his friend miraculously saved from death row concludes, "I decided to take the day off...I wonder if there's anything good on TV."

The second season of Boondocks returns this spring. Warn Homeland Security.