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talkpoliticsOn "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart relatively soft-pedaled his defense of fellow Comedy Central employees, "South Park's" Matt Stone and Trey Parker, against a group of Muslim critics. Over at HBO this weekend, though, Bill Maher wasn't holding anything back. On his show "Real Time With Bill Maher," the show's every-incendiary host opined during his segment "New Rules:"
"When South Park got threatened last week by Islamists incensed at their depiction of Muhammad, it served -- or should serve -- as a reminder that our culture isn't just different than one that makes death threats to cartoonists. It's better." In his defense of the First Amendment and other Americal civil liberties, Maher -- who made the film "Religulous" -- continued: "The Western world needs to make it clear: Some things about our culture are not negotiable. And can't change. And one of them is freedom of speech, Separation of church and state is another."
Completely spot-on observation about real differences in cultures, one that will not play well with PC police. Bill Maher is certainly no friend of religious people; and gives grief equally to Christianity, Judaism, Scientology, and Mormons as you will see. But he specifically singles out Isalm with the recent actions in Afganistan and the Taliban's attack on an all girls school.
"When South Park got threatened last week by Islamists incensed at their depiction of Muhammad, it served -- or should serve -- as a reminder that our culture isn't just different than one that makes death threats to cartoonists. It's better." In his defense of the First Amendment and other Americal civil liberties, Maher -- who made the film "Religulous" -- continued: "The Western world needs to make it clear: Some things about our culture are not negotiable. And can't change. And one of them is freedom of speech, Separation of church and state is another."
Completely spot-on observation about real differences in cultures, one that will not play well with PC police. Bill Maher is certainly no friend of religious people; and gives grief equally to Christianity, Judaism, Scientology, and Mormons as you will see. But he specifically singles out Isalm with the recent actions in Afganistan and the Taliban's attack on an all girls school.
Re: Theo van Gogh says you're full of shit
Date: 4/5/10 19:12 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:13 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:17 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:19 (UTC)Re: I never know what is meant by free speech in this context?
Date: 4/5/10 19:22 (UTC)Being called on being ugly or inconsiderate is different than being threatened with violent death. I hope you can see the difference. If Revolution Muslim wanted to boycott Comedy Central or its advertisers, if they wanted to picket or march in opposition to the South Park episode I would support 110% of their right to do so, even if I do not agree with them.
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:30 (UTC)i don't think the left can claim someone like bill maher for their side of he fight. i don`t think the right can either. his view points don`t fall along party lines - hence the bizarro voting history (bob dole, ralph nader, john mccain - until sara palin got into the mix).
and i totally love his "tactless, crude, unoriginal, infantile" ass, even though i don't agree with about half of the positions he takes.
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:40 (UTC)And Turkey's on the Islamist list? FAIL.
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:40 (UTC)Re: If you are free to do something does that mean you SHOULD do it?
Date: 4/5/10 19:40 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:41 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:41 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:42 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:44 (UTC)Turkey is protesting to actually allow Islam to be practiced, Egypt's been killing Islamists since the movement began, Somalia's a tribal hellhole where Indonesia's one of the most relaxed Muslim countries on the face of the Earth. The Sudan is in the mdiddle of a civil war, Eritrea's at war with a Christian society which has plenty of atrocities of its own....
Re: Bill Maher on America
Date: 4/5/10 19:44 (UTC)Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.
- Winston Churchill
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:45 (UTC)Re: If you are free to do something does that mean you SHOULD do it?
Date: 4/5/10 19:45 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:45 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:47 (UTC)Maybe you'll hear me now:
Date: 4/5/10 19:49 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 4/5/10 19:49 (UTC)Re: I never know what is meant by free speech in this context?
Date: 4/5/10 19:50 (UTC)Freedom of speech is hardly a given for those who work for media corporations. Just look at state-run media in countries like China and Venezuela. Without the 1st Amendment, Bill Maher would be reduced to spouting the party line. He has as much reason to be protective of it as anyone else.
Re: Theo van Gogh says you're full of shit
Date: 4/5/10 19:51 (UTC)The early Caliphs tried to force a state version of Islam on Muslims 1,000 years ago and it failed. Where it was only in the last 200 years that the Western world has *started* to erase the power of the Church and it very obviously has not done so enough, given the number of people in countries where Separation of the two is non-existent that lecture our country where it's one of our oldest traditions.