Posted on 09/19/2001 9:35:35 AM PDT by jern
Sept. 19, 2001, 9:00AM
Federal Express ordered its ads removed from the ABC late-night series Politically Incorrect on Tuesday after the show's host referred to recent U.S. military actions as "cowardly."
After receiving complaints from around the country, including Houston, Federal Express reviewed Monday's edition of the show and decided to act, company spokesperson Carla Richards said.
Richards said she did not know how many complaints the company received, but that they were of sufficient quantity to merit the actions the company took.
"The (30-second) ad that runs during that show has been pulled for the indefinite future," Richards said.
Dinesh D'Souza, a panelist on Monday's show, quibbled with a reference made by President George W. Bush that the suicide bombers were cowards, noting that they gave up their lives for whatever may be their cause.
"These are warriors," D'Souza said, "and we have to realize that the principles of our way of life are in conflict with people in the world."
"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away," said Bill Maher, the host of Politically Incorrect. "That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
"I was just appalled," said Dan Patrick, general manager of KSEV (700 AM) and host of a radio talk show. "When you call our men in the (armed forces) cowards and our military policy cowardly, and when you call these hijackers `warriors,' that should not be tolerated."
Patrick urged listeners to call KTRK and urge the station to stop carrying the "irresponsible" program. Other hosts of KSEV talk shows made the same request.
"The First Amendment gives us the freedom of speech, but it does not guarantee anyone a TV show or a TV camera or a radio show, for that matter," Patrick said. "If Bill Maher believes that Americans are cowards and hijackers are warriors, let him go out on the street corner and shout that. But Disney does not have to give him a TV show and Channel 13 does not have to air that show."
KTRK said it received a number of calls -- "in the low hundreds," the station said. The station said it receives triple that amount when it pre-empts a soap opera. It had no further comment.
ABC issued a statement saying, in part, that Politically Incorrect "celebrates freedom of speech and encourages the animated exchange of ideas and opinions. Understandably, this forum can oftentimes arouse intense emotions, especially during such a sensitive time.
"While we remain sensitive to the current climate following last week's tragedy, and continue to do our part to help viewers cope with unfolding events, we have an obligation to offer a forum for the expression of our nation's diverse opinions."
My dear brother and sister FReepers,
At this, of all times in my lifetime, I would like nothing more than to be able to read these threads and reply to them. I have much I would like to say.
BUT, I cannot!
Why?
Because I am trying hard to raise the finances needed to keep FreeRepublic up and running so that we can continue to share valuable information and respond to it.
I beg you, if you have not yet donated to FreeRepublic this quarter, do so now!
If you have already donated, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOD BLESS YOU, please ping your friends, and FReep on...!
I realize you are giving to lots of Relief efforts and I encourage you to do so. But we need to help FR too. Where would we be right now without it?
If you have no money, please come and bump the Fundraiser Thread.
I would really like to reach our goal quickly so that I and the rest of the dedicated FReepers who are working the Fundraiser Threads can participate in what is undeniably the most important time in FreeRepublic's history.
WHERE WOULD YOU GET YOUR NEWS FROM IF FREEREPUBLIC WASN'T HERE?<--click here
Support FreeRepublic! Support the U.S.A. <--click here
Correction: Bill Clinton was the coward lobbing cruise missiles at aspirin factories to wag the dog.
Talk about being disruptive!!! Every damn' thread I try reading has this on it. It's enough to turn me off to FR totally.
"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away," said Bill Maher, the host of Politically Incorrect. "That's cowardly.
If you want to go this route, then Bill Clintoon is the coward.
who are the rest of the sponsers for Taliban propagandist?
who are the rest of the sponsers for Taliban propagandist?
This is factually correct.
One's courage begins with one's ability to accept the truth.
It was also courageous for 4 terrorists armed with box cutters to confront and control 100 passengers + crew.
These people may be evil, insane, murderers, whatever. But the are NOT cowards. I wouldn't call them soldiers though. 'Terrorist' describes them quite well.
He effectively called the leadership that preceded Bush cowards, i.e., the Clinton administration. The problem is that he didn't name names, so parts of his audience has to guess who he was referring to. I have no doubt that Maher was referrring to the Clinton Administration and NOT our military forces, who after all only follow orders.
I think the complainers and Fedex were off target.
As to whether the suicide hijackers were cowards, that's debatable. Being willing to give your life for your cause isn't cowardly, but committing suicide to avoid justice or retribution on earth is.
GET A CLUE!!
Really, tell that to the 1 in 3 bomber crews in WWII who failed to come home alive. Or the Korean and Vietnam crews who suffered similar fates although in smaller percentages. With a username like yours, I would expect more insight.
Bill Maher is what he has always been.....a politically correct secular Jew who loves to bash America and has no inkling of the sacrifices we've made historically and has no appreciation for what members of his own tribe in Israel have been putting up with for decades. He's a putz. His time is over as of 9-11-01...much like many others of his ilk.
The only good to come of all this is that liberals like him have been derailed for the time being.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.