This question seems to plague me whenever I try to begin to program. I am always worried that I will find a source that is just plain horrible, so I thought I'd leave it up to you guys.
Where should I go to learn enough to be able to mess around with Python, and eventually learn other languages, and so on so forth?
I personally like the book http://learnpythonthehardway.org/.
If you're looking for something with more of a game bent, you might try http://inventwithpython.com/
If you're looking for something more interactive the Udacity Intro to computer science course offers computer graded exercises and covers python. https://www.udacity.com/
Plenty of good options out there, I'm not sure you can go wrong with any of them. Once you finish your first book/course you'll have a much better idea what you need to focus on and where to find it.
I am always worried that I will find a source that is just plain horrible
Don't rely on single source :)
Also when you understand basic language constructs, you can delve into something bigger. For example, I learned python while writing Civ4 script.
For the Python, you can go here :
http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/
For other languages, go here :
http://learncodethehardway.org/
Don't be afraid of the "hardway." Actually it means that you will jump directly and get dirty. That will create a good understanding of the language. I myself found this tutorial is pretty easy to follow. The hard way is always better. This book is also recommended for people who are totally new to programming.
After you learn the language, you may want to check some modules to help you doing your task. You can find some here :
http://wiki.python.org/moin/UsefulModules
Have it a read. For some extra glitters, Python style guide. That will show you how to write code neatly.
