Politics always provides a fertile ground for comedy, and few seasons have been as verdant as the current one. Jon Stewart, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and all the late-night talk hosts have seen a huge upsurge in their popularity.

Now, John Ascuaga's Nugget is jumping in with "Laughing Liberally," a collection of four comedians appearing Saturday in the Celebrity Showroom. The comics are James Adomian, Lee Camp, Jim David and Jamie Jackson.

This is not a show that will please everyone. "Laughing Liberally" is a showcase for progressive comedians who "will save democracy one laugh at a time." It is a project within Living Liberally, which promotes progressive politics through social networks and events.

That organization also runs Drinking Liberally, a national network of social clubs; Eating Liberally, which sponsors events centered on talk and food; Screening Liberally, which promotes a series of socially conscious films; and Reading Liberally, which operates book tours for authors.

Laughing Liberally sponsors shows across the country, featuring comedians who cut their teeth on the Internet and have become popular in the blogosphere, which James Adomian, one of the comedians set to appear at the Nugget, calls "a trendy word which sounds like an atmospheric layer of vomiting walruses."

Although that may be a picture difficult to conjure, much of what is out there is indeed nothing much more than meaningless spewing. The comedians on this tour, though, have established themselves in this sphere where millions vie for attention.

Adomian, for example, is the star and creator of "West Wingers," a Shoutboy.com podcast. He has also appeared regularly on "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" and the "Onion Radio News." He is a member of the Groundlings Sunday Company, where he has become known for a killer George W. Bush impersonation.

Lee Camp is only 25 but has already headlined 200 college comedy shows and is the head satirical news writer for ComedyExpressTV.com. He is also the staff writer for BigFib.com.

Jim David has been about everywhere, from "The View" to "Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn." He has written a one-man comedy show called "South Pathetic," about the worst community theater in the South, which he has presented at theaters across the country. In addition, he is the producer and host for Comedy Cares, a stand-up benefit for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

Jamie Jackson studied acting in Australia, performed in Sydney and has written several shows along with his wife, composer SoHee Youn, with titles like "Love: A Multiple Choice Question" and "The Man for the Job." His new project is called "The Trojan Clothes Horse."

Around the Silver Circle

Craig Chaquico has started his "Best of Both Worlds Tour" which will feature two sets, the first from his most recent career in soft jazz, the second harking back to his days with Jefferson Starship. That's the band he joined informally at first until Grace Slick and Paul Kantner persuaded him to become a permanent member in 1974. He provided the guitar riffs for "We Built This City" and co-wrote "Find Your Way Back," an acoustic version of which he created for his new style. Chaquico plays the Crown Room at the Crystal Bay on Saturday.

Scheels sporting goods recently opened at the Marina in Sparks, the first major step into turning the area into a shopping destination. The giant store offers a wide variety of sports equipment and and sportswear plus aquariums, a giant indoor 12-car Ferris wheel, a shooting gallery, sports simulator games, trophy mounted wildlife, a restaurant and the North Face Expedition Museum.