Is Maher/Politically Incorrect Going Off the Air?

Politically Incorrect | September 21, 2001 | GreatOne

[GreatOne]

While watching the show right now (up late working), it appeared that Maher was saying that he might not have a show for much longer. Whether he's exaggerating or not, I don't know, but he seems to be pulling a Dan Rather (on Letterman) while talking about his controversy, and saying things like, "I don't care if I have my show. What's important to me is telling the truth." Seems like the pressure on his producers/advertisers is working.

[Landru]

"I may be mistaken, but I believe you've attributed a statement to me that I did not make."

You're not mistaken; I am.

I extend my apologies.

The response was meant for ClancyJ; however, using hindsight now, I sincerely don't think that individual's worth the time it'd take to attempt reaching.

Again, my humble apology.
ciao.

[arete]

Did you watch the show and hear him say it?

Oh yes I did. I heard what I heard and as I have said, you can defend and spin for Maher all that you want. Doesn't change his statement or make it any better. Maher said "we" are cowards. He said nothing about the White House or Camp David so I think that you are really grabbing at straws. Maher didn't say we were wrong to bomb the Balkins, he said terrorists on a misson to kill thousands of innocent people were not cowards. I have no idea what your agenda is nor do I care all that much. You can even make your little personal "slow" attack on me. I wouldn't expect much more from a defender of Maher.

Richard W.

[sneakypete]

>>What full support? Just another of the "if Bush wants" statements in which you give your personally decided top priority for the day <<

There is no doubt my top priority of any day is to do my best to make sure that when US troops are deployed in combat roles,they are deployed for good reason,and that we (the SAME "we" that means the gooberment) are going to give them our full support and the tools they need to accomplish the mission and survive. This also means they don't fight the same enemy in one area we are supporting militarily and financially in another area. bin Laden would have no trouble at all hiding in Kosovo with the KLA.

>>request of Bush should Bush want to have you out their fighting for him.<<

No danger of that. I'm too old,too fat,and too crippled.

>>I could list many of your statements showing why I think you are supporting the enemy, running down America,<<

You probably believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy,too. This doesn't make your beliefs true.

>>claiming that evil attacks on stewardesses and innocent passengers plus innocent workers are brave acts - but frankly it is a wasted cause.<<

If you make this claim,you are a liar.

>>You are one of those that believe that in order to get your esteemed support - the government must have never made a mistake,.... yada,yada,yada.<<

You don't know a damn thing about me other than I disagree with you on this subject,and that I tell you and others who agree with you that you are wrong. You ARE wrong. Grow up and deal with it.

>>In other words, you think only you can run the perfect government and therefore you cannot support others.<<

I'm guessing you have already received your "BushUberAlles" belt buckle from the Home Shopping Network?

>> Only your goals are important and all should realize that.<<

DAMN RIGHT! When it comes to fighting a war,I want a damn good reason to fight it,and I want our troops to win it and suffer as few casualities as possible. This won't happen with the "group think" "we good-they bad" kneejerks I see on too many of these threads. We need to wake up to the fact that the enemy we are facing are dedicated and intelligent. You underestimate the enemy at your own risk.

>> the time spent trying to discuss all this and make you understand - could have been spent on people who sincerely are ignorant of how they are being fooled,<<

I think it is MCI who has a "friends and family" frequent calling program. I don't see how this can help though,because all you would do would be spread the ignorance further.

[sneakypete]

>>What do you say to the argument put forth on this thread that objects to Maher's use of the word "courage" in relation to the terrorists because it carries the positive connotation of being morally correct?<<

I don't see any morality being involved in it at all. You can be a truly evil person and still be brave. The flip side is you can be a total whiner and a punk and be highly moral. I fought against the communist NVA,and in MY opinion the whole communist system itself was evil all the way to the core. None the less,the NVA I faced were VERY brave men. The believed enough in what they were fighting for to put their own lives on the line,and so did I.

>>I think it has been fairly argued that these barbarians might have been fearless, but to add the connotation of a just cause as the word courage does is what is at issue here.<<

I never claimed they had a just cause,and to the best of my knowledge,neither did Maher. I was watching his show Monday night,and if he said their cause was just I missed it.

>>I'm sure you are not suggesting that the terrorists had a just cause are you?<<

Of course not. They were religious lunatics. So are the ones alive we will still be facing.

>>Then wouldn't you agree that the use of the word courage was extraordinarily poorly chosen?<<

No,not by MY definition. His timing sucked because of all the knee jerk reactions we see,but he was and is right about this.

Do you think it would have been better if he had helped spread the lie that they were "cowards",and that the ones remaining alive are cowards also that will run from us? This is the kind of thinking that gets soldiers killed.

>>Also, it appears that you have ascribed intentions to Maher regarding his comments that he is not willing to make himself. Your implicit belief is that Maher was pointing the finger at Clinton and therefore, has merit in his statement that our military action was the easy way out. But Maher has apparently steadfastly refused to single out Clinton as the source of the "cowardice" he spoke of. So why does this two-bit comic deserve the benefit of the doubt from us or anyone else?<<

Because there IS no doubt about who was responsible for all that. Not even in Maher's alleged mind. I don't have cable,but I understand Maher was on the O'Reilly show,and O'Reilly kept trying to get him to admit it was Bubba bin Bombing he was talking about,and couldn't get him to admit it. Then again,he couldn't deny it,either. I think this part of it is hilarious because sooner or later,Maher will be FORCED to admit it was Bubba he was talking about. I'd LOVE to be able to watch this happen. Maher puts Bubba at about the same level the Pope puts Jesus,and I'm going to laugh my ass off when this happens!

[sneakypete]

>>Ah, so you do agree with Maher that anyone who commits suicide for a "cause" is brave.<<

I realize you are doing your best "spin job" here,since there is no mention of my statement about "being willing to sacrifice your own life IF THAT IS WHAT IS NECCESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR MISSION". This doesn't make it suicide,unless you consider ever soldier who charges out in the face of machine gun fire to rescue a fellow soldier,or a Coast Guardsman who goes in the sea during a hurricane to try to rescue a drowning boater to be "suicide".

>>The deafening silence of your non-answer to a legitimate question tells me you've realized that you're wrong. << <P. Oh yeah,your stunning intellect has terrified me into silence.

[justshutupandtakeit]

My understanding has not failed me. Unlike that of those who believe suicidial killers are brave. When a scumbag kills his family then himself I presume he is "brave" by your standard but not by mine.

As I said lack of a fear of death is not the only requirement of bravery.

[Roscoe]

[Taking helpless stewardesses hostage and slashing their throats is your idea of courage?]

Maybe you think they only did this,and the airplanes flew themselves into the buildings?

The panes were flown by deluded cowards who believed that paradise awaited them.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Had Maher called Scumbag a coward there wouldn't have been one peep of criticism of it here.

You keep claiming those arguing with you don't believe that an enemy can be brave. That is not what they are saying. Merely that one who targets innocents who cannot fight back is not brave. Cowards attack those who cannot fight back not brave men. It is really quite simple.

[sneakypete]

>>Oh yes I did. I heard what I heard and as I have said,<<

Let me make sure I understand this correctly. YOU were PERSONALLY watching his show last Monday night when he said these words for the first time? Is that right,or have you just seen and heard clips?

[sneakypete]

>>Cowards attack those who cannot fight back not brave men. It is really quite simple.<<

This is what Maher said about the missle attacks. Glad to see you agree with him.

[arete]

YOU were PERSONALLY watching his show last Monday night when he said these words for the first time? Is that right,or have you just seen and heard clips?

I was personally watching the show when it was broadcast here in Charleston as I wanted to see how Maher would react. Since then, he has been given many opportunities to fully explain his remarks. Instead of being a stand-up guy and taking personal responsibility or even excusing himself as having misspoke, he continues to deflect and spin. He's a talentless weasel and I have been working hard to contact all his sponsors and the local ABC affiliate to have him removed from the air.

Richard W.

[sneakypete]

>>He's a talentless weasel <<

Well,at least that is one thing we can agree on.

As for the other,I watched it too,and have a different opinion. I guess we will just have to disagree on this.

BTW,it has been reported on another thread that Mahr was on a radio show this afternoon,and the host backed him into a corner far enough that Mahr admitted it was Bubba bin Bombing who was the coward he was talking about!

You can BET I will be watching tonight,and maybe even taping. This might even be as good as the tape of Hay-Raldo getting his nose busted by the Kluxer,and then having his security hold the guy so Hay-Raldo could "fight back". Damn,but I LOVED that tape!

[justshutupandtakeit]

Had he said that about Scumbag I would agree entirely and his comments would have had FReepers praising him. But he is not that honest and his bullshit statement will cost him his job and the show. Good riddance to both.

[lewislynn]

Is Maher/Politically Incorrect Going Off the Air?

Gee, if that's true what will all the "conservatives" watch?

Didn't anyone else notice he was all over conservative talk radio shows begging forgiveness....that would indicate who his audience really is. In other words if "conservatives" who hate supporting Hollywood liberals and biased television shows weren't watching him bad mouth you night after night he would have been off long ago.

Who really are the fools in this picture?

[BigTime]

Re. #124. Sir Pete. Here is what we apparently agree on. Clinton did far more damage than good with his bombings of "terrorist sites" and he crafted military policy simply to appear good on that evening's news programs. He failed miserably at his watch while defending the nation's interests and used the military as his personal cat toy for eight years with the objective of raising his poll numbers rather than defending and providing for the ongoing security of Americans.

What we apparently don't agree on. The use of the word "brave" and "courage" as they relate to the use of force by terrorists. While you agree their cause is not just, you do not share my belief that there is an implicit suggestion that their acts were in fact moral and upright by the use of the words courage and brave.

We apparently also disagree on what Maher's intentions were in his statement. You believe that he is pointing the finger at Clinton in his comment about "cowardice," I most certainly do not. Each time he has been asked to defend his remarks, he has targeted "policymakers" and, worse yet, when interviewed by Leno last night he in passing suggested that the American people tolerated the bombings so therefore we were also complicit in the charge of "cowardice." If anyone out there has a transcript of these remarks from the Tonight Show, I believe they would be illuminating.

I don't doubt your patriotism. What I disagree with wholeheartedly is your attempt to put words into Maher's mouth that he most certainly does not intend. If he did not mean singularly and exclusively Clinton, he is the worst kind of apologist, blaming others for Clinton's incredibly arrogant and likely treasonist acts against our country. He has been given ample opportunity to single out Clinton and outside of an unsubstantiated report of his doing so on a radio program, he has not made this clear. In fact his statements on his own program last night and on the Tonight show last night demonstrate that he is clearly unwilling to make this concession.

You make a valid point that we should not underestimate the cunning or resolve of our enemy. I'm not. I believe them to ruthless and totally prepared by self-sacrificing battle.

But I simply can't understand why you need to use an incompetent like Maher to be the vessel for your argument when IMHO his own statements contradict your premise.

[sneakypete]

>> When a scumbag kills his family then himself I presume he is "brave" by your standard but not by mine.<<

You are a liar,a progogandist,and a scum-sucking piece of shit for trying to link me with people who commit suicide and murder their families. You are also defaming the MANY friends I have had who died for their country that I have called "brave" by lumping them in too. Those are your good points.

[sneakypete]

>>What I disagree with wholeheartedly is your attempt to put words into Maher's mouth that he most certainly does not intend.<<

Yet you are willing to agree with the MEANING of the words others put in his mouth? Why is this. I base MY understanding of what he said on having watched his show 2-3 times a week ever since he had been on ABC,usually more often than that. He has NEVER criticised the US military in ANY respect,and has even defended it in arguements with other leftists.

>>If he did not mean singularly and exclusively Clinton, he is the worst kind of apologist, blaming others for Clinton's incredibly arrogant and likely treasonist acts against our country.<<

I hope this doesn't come as a surprise to you,because this is as basic to him as breathing air. It's what he has always done.

[Interesting Times]

I don't like Maher but, consider this. If the people, or Freepers for that matter, make it so hard on sponsors that they pull their spots, Haven't we become the "Left"?

No, we're just starting to attain a level of effectiveness comparable to that of our adversaries.

Leftists have worked for years to punish anyone who publicly states an opinion they don't like.

Why? Because it has an impact.

The First Amendment cuts both ways folks.

In this case it cuts neither way. The First Amendment sets limits on the power of government to silence citizens, particularly in the area of political speech. By informing sponsors of our opinions we are exercising, not violating the First Amendment. We have every right to do this, and we are not violating Maher's rights in any way.

If we want to get our voices heard, we are going to have to stuff cotton in our ears and protect the likes of Maher too.

You don't understand the concept.

Maher has every right to express his views without being silenced or intimidated. He does not, however, have any particular right to have those views broadcast on a national TV show. See?