Bill Maher: Western culture isn't just different, it's better.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

On "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.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Ireland's not the only European state that has them.

These are the European countries who do:

Finland
Greece
Germany
Malta
The Netherlands
United Kingdom
Denmark
Austria
Italy

Now, these laws also not coincidentally are explicitly about Christianity. But alas, it's always the Savage OtherTM to whom we abjur the sins we, too, commit.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Ireland is one of the only ones I have heard about considering enforcing them. Much of Europe is not exactly where it should be on free speech, but again, much better than most of the Islamic world.

False equivalence.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Totally.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I was not aware that any Muslim country had invaded a European one to convert it to Christianity since the Siege of Vienna in 1683. Where this is the model that the West is inflicting on Iraq and Afghanistan in genocidal means right the Hell now.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure you can pin those on Europe.

But regardless, those conflicts have little to do with spreading Christianity. Economics, geopolitics, security, etc have a lot more to do with it.

And please don't cheapen the word genocide.