Rick Santorum and Dan Savage

Dan Savage, founder of the "It Gets Better Project," exposed his hypocrisy when he went on a hate-filled rant during his appearance on Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher.

In addition to asserting, "I wish [Republicans] were all f---ing dead," Savage made some despicable comments about Rick Santorum after Marc Maron had blasted Michelle Bachmann and her husband, Marcus.

Transcript and video.

MARC MARON: I don't want to be crass, but I just hope that Marcus Bachmann takes all that, you know, that rage that comes from repression and denial and brings it into the bedroom with her. I hope he f---s her angrily, because, because that's how I would. And I've thought about it. It's a political statement I'm trying to make.

DAN SAVAGE: Just so you don't get charges of sexism because only Michele Bachmann was involved, I sometimes think about the f---ing the sh-- out of Rick Santorum, just 'cause I think he needs it. It's not just women we're talking about f---ing. It's like, let's bone that Santorum. I'd go for whipping up some Santorum in Santorum.

Do these sound like the sort of comments that would come from someone wanting to spread peace, love, and understanding?

Savage wants everyone to take the "It Gets Better" pledge.

"Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work."

Clearly, Savage does NOT believe in showing respect. He doesn't speak up against hate and intolerance.

To the contrary, Savage is a purveyor of hate.

Yesterday, Rick Santorum was a guest on the Steve Malzberg Show, responding to Savage's remarks.

Here's audio, from NewsBusters, via Breitbart:



Transcript here.

STEVE MALZBERG, HOST: What’s your reaction to this filth?

RICK SANTORUM: It’s just that. It’s filth. It’s, you know, this man has, has gone out there and tried to destroy my integrity. I mean, you’ve heard the whole issue of the Google issue. That’s Dan Savage. You know, it’s, it’s the lowest, you know, debasement of public discourse. It’s, it’s offensive beyond, you know, anything that any public figure or anybody in America should tolerate, and the mainstream media laughs about it. They, they, they kid about it. They write about it. They say, “Oh, Santorum’s got a Google problem.”

And then when you see this kind of even over the top, you know, not even, beyond that, the Google is worse than, than what he said there. They, they laugh about that, too. Why? Because it’s a liberal beating up on a conservative. And that’s okay. Whether it’s Rick Santorum or Michele Bachmann, it’s the Left making fun of someone who believes in the values that built America. It believes in traditional marriage. How outrageous. How bigoted. How hateful that you actually believe that, that, you know, raising children and, and, and families with mothers and fathers is something to be encouraged. That you’re, that, that, just because you hold those opinions, you are subject to the worst form of, of, of, of vulgarity on the internet, on television, and everywhere else, and they get away with, not only do they get away with the mainstream media, but they are applauded by the mainstream media. They are made, they are celebrated by, as you mentioned, in New York, by taking on these, these people who believe in these outmoded virtues, and, the bottom line is I stand and I wear it as a badge of honor that someone as vulgar and as, and as disgusting and as hate-filled as Dan Savage sees me as public enemy number one. To me, that tells me I must be doing something right.

There's no question that a double standard exists in the liberal media.

Leftists like Savage get a pass when it comes to spewing hate.

Dan Savage: Wishes Republicans F---ing Dead (Video)

UPDATE, July 19, 2011: Rick Santorum responds to Dan Savage.
__________________

Dan Savage is the creator of the "It Gets Better Project."

Many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

Savage seems like such a compassionate guy, doesn't he?

He cares about people. He really cares.

Here's the "It Gets Better" pledge:

THE PLEDGE: Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that "It Gets Better."

"I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it."

Oh really, Dan?

I think you're a hypocrite. You speak hate. You exhibit intolerance.

On Bill Maher's Real Time, Savage declared his wish regarding Republicans.

DAN SAVAGE: I wish they were all f---ing dead.

Video.



What a horrible thing to say!

Is this appropriate coming from the founder and ultimate moral authority of the "It Gets Better" Project?

Such hate speech reveals Savage to be a serious part of the problem when it comes to achieving peace, love, and understanding rather than part of the solution.

This statement wasn't an unguarded, private moment for Savage. He said this while on a panel of a nationally televised program.

Savage is a terrible role model.

"It Gets Better"?

Bottom line: Savage says don't hate LGBT people, but wish that Republicans "were all f---ing dead."

Disgusting.

What a hypocrite!
_______________

Savage has realized that his ugly, horrible comment has repercussions. It reveals the "It Gets Better" founder to be a fraud.

He wrote an apology on his blog:

I was on Real Time with Bill Maher tonight. I was talking to someone at the party after the show, and they asked me how I thought it went. Okay, I said—and then I told them that I said something really, really stupid, half under my breath, and I was relieved that Bill and the rest of the panel didn't hear it. But folks watching the show at home might have heard it... so... I want to apologize for... um... wishing all Republicans dead.

I don't feel that way. My dad is a Republican. (Well, he says he's an independent, but he hasn't voted for a Democrat since JFK. My dad is a Republican.) I'm fond of Michael Bloomberg and William Weld and Lincoln Chafee, and I wish no harm—save the political variety—on those Republicans I loathe. Even the one Republican I really had it in for once upon a time—Ronald Reagan—managed to outlive my anger.

It was a stupid, rude, thoughtless remark. I regret it and I retract it and I apologize to anyone watching at home—particularly my father (!)—who may have heard me say it. I had a drink before the show—first and last time I've ever done that—but this wasn't a case of, "In vino, veritas."

This was a case of, "In vino, stupidtas."

Why would Savage say something he didn't mean?

I would NEVER say "I wish all Democrats were f---ing dead."

Those words would NEVER come out of my mouth. Absolutely NEVER. Impossible.

It's not about Savage being "stupid" and "thoughtless." You just don't say something like that unless it's in you. It doesn't happen.

It's like Obama's terribly cruel and mocking Special Olympics remark.

It can't happen unless it's in you.

It's good Savage apologized, but you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.
________________

Here's more hate from Savage:

*Warning: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE*



After Marc Maron makes some positively inexcusable remarks about Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus Bachmann, Savage follows up with this:

DAN SAVAGE: They're grifters and scumbags - the Bachmanns.

...

MARC MARON: I don't want to be crass, but I just hope that Marcus Bachmann takes all that, you know, that rage that comes from repression and denial and brings it into the bedroom with her. I hope he f---s her angrily, because, because that's how I would. And I've thought about it. It's a political statement I'm trying to make.

DAN SAVAGE: Just so you don't get charges of sexism because only Michele Bachmann was involved, I sometimes think about the f---ing the sh-- out of Rick Santorum, just 'cause I think he needs it. It's not just women we're talking about f---ing. It's like, let's bone that Santorum. I'd go for whipping up some Santorum in Santorum.

Savage didn't issue an apology for this. I guess he stands by these comments.

"It Gets Better" Pledge:

"Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work."

Why would anyone, like the president of the United States, want to be associated with a project headed by Savage?

I fully support the idea behind the project.

Unfortunately, Savage's remarks degrade it.

He reveals that he isn't against hate and intolerance. He foments it.

Michele Bachmann: Flake

The Associated Press is citing that goofy PolitiFact operation in its report on Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, "FACT CHECK: Bachmann bomblets raising eyebrows."

Who's eyebrows are raised about Michele Bachmann?

Bill Maher's eyebrows? Maybe Rachel Maddow? I suppose Chris "Are you a flake?" Wallace is in a state of raised eyebrows.

Michele Bachmann's claim that she has "never gotten a penny" from a family farm that's been subsidized by the government is at odds with her financial disclosure statements. They show tens of thousands in personal income from the operation.

And, on a less substantive note, she flubbed her hometown history when declaring "John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa," and "that's the kind of spirit that I have, too," in running for president.

The actor was born nearly 150 miles away. It was the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. who lived, for a time, in Waterloo.

Those were among the latest examples of how the Minnesota congresswoman has become one to watch — for inaccuracies as well as rising support — in the Republican presidential race.

Did the Associated Press rip Joe Biden or Obama apart like this when they were presidential candidates?

Did PolitiFact highlight the litany of Obama gaffes? Did the Associated Press report on all the raised eyebrows Obama's idiotic comments have caused?

Good grief, Biden, the human gaffe/exaggeration/lie machine, is a heartbeat from the presidency!

What about Biden's "bomblets"? The list is endless.

Clearly, Michele Bachmann is being targeted for destruction. She's being dubbed a ditz.

In 2008, the lib media found success with their relentless attacks on Sarah Palin, and they're repeating the strategy.

It's extremely slimy.

I'm so sick of conservative women being marginalized.

Michele Bachmann is not a flake.

Bill Maher, David Letterman - April 25, 2011

I don't watch David Letterman, because more often than not, he's not funny anymore.

Last night, I noticed the insufferable Bill Maher was Letterman's guest. I was curious about how the very liberal Letterman would interact with the ugly Maher. So, I decided to watch Maher's segment.

Maher's appearance was mercifully short and he basically spewed the same vile stuff he spews elsewhere. The segment was predictable, lacked energy, and, most importantly, wasn't remotely entertaining. Maher is getting lazy. He needs to come up with some new material. Even his Sarah Palin insults were rehashed trash. I had pretty much heard it all before.

However, one thing that surprised me about the segment was the decision by CBS to bleep (silence) Maher's use of the term "teabaggers" when he referred to members of the Tea Party.

When Bob Schieffer or his guests say "teabaggers" in the same context, it's aired. I guess the CBS news division has different standards than the entertainment division.

Brent Baker, NewsBusters, has some transcript highlights and video from Maher's Letterman guest stint:

Transcript

DAVID LETTERMAN: What about your Tea Party pals, what do you hear there?

BILL MAHER: Well, the Tea Party, you know, they are sad, unfortunate people because -- well, they are, because they are, you know, corporate America's useful idiots. (Applause) They are they -- I would have more respect for them if they knew a thing, if any fact could get in that tin foil helmet. If they would get out of their chat rooms and have their house tested for lead for just a minute. (Laughter)

LETTERMAN: Is this part of your friendship campaign, Bill? Is this-

MAHER: No, I don't have any respect, no, I don't have any respect for the tea-(baggers) [word silenced] and I do call them the tea-(baggers) [word silenced again] -- even though they hate it. I will stop calling them Tea-(baggers) [word silenced] when they stop calling it Obamacare, that's my deal. (Applause)

But here's the thing. Their whole campaign is based on money. It's all about we have too much debt, the deficit is too high. They are, after all, named after a tax revolt. But you know, there's these things called facts. Where did all this debt come from. Well, the facts will tell us it was mostly ran up under Bush. Two wars that we put on the credit card. (Applause) Prescription drug program that was unpaid for. Tax cuts for the richest one percent, that was unpaid for. Where were the Tea Party then? Crickets. But suddenly, when President Nosferatu took office -- suddenly debt became intolerable.

So there’s just something about him that they don't like. I can't put my finger on what it is. (audience laughter) But there's some way that he’s just not like them. I don't know what. He's skinny that must be it. He's skinny, they're fat and he's skinny.

Video.



This stuff is so stale.

It's Obama's race that fuels opposition to his policies. Sure, that's the reason for his low approval ratings. It's his skin color.

What a load!

It's unacceptable for Maher to state that the Tea Party, when it comes down to it, is a branch of the KKK.

Maher and Letterman ignore the fact that Tea Party activists are just as critical of Republicans for their reckless spending of our tax dollars. The November 2010 election clearly showed that voters cared about the government's fiscal irresponsibility and wanted change.

Here are some inconvenient FACTS for Maher:

From CNSNews:

In the first 19 months of the Obama administration, the federal debt held by the public increased by $2.5260 trillion, which is more than the cumulative total of the national debt held by the public that was amassed by all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan.

From the Weekly Standard, via NPR:

When President Obama took office two years ago, the national debt stood at $10.626 trillion. It now stands at $14.071 trillion — a staggering increase of $3.445 trillion in just 735 days (about $5 billion a day).

To put that into perspective, when President George W. Bush took office, our national debt was $5.768 trillion. By the time Bush left office, it had nearly doubled, to $10.626 trillion. So Bush's record on deficit spending was not good at all: During his presidency, the national debt rose by an average of $607 billion a year. How does that compare to Obama? During Obama's presidency to date, the national debt has risen by an average of $1.723 trillion a year — or by a jaw-dropping $1.116 trillion more, per year, than it rose even under Bush.

In fairness, however, Obama can't rightly be held accountable for the 2009 budget, which he didn't sign (although he did sign a $410 billion pork-laden omnibus spending bill for that year, which is nevertheless tallied in Bush's column). Rather, Obama's record to date should really be based on actual and projected spending in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (plus the $265 billion portion of the economic "stimulus" package, which he initiated and signed, that was spent in 2009 (Table S-10), while Bush's should be based on 2002-09 (with the exception of that same $265 billion, which was in no way part of the 2009 budgetary process).

How do Bush and Obama compare on closer inspection? Just about like they do on an initial glance. According to the White House's Office of Management and Budget, during his eight fiscal years, Bush ran up a total of $3.283 trillion in deficit spending (p. 22). In his first two fiscal years, Obama will run up a total of $2.826 trillion in deficit spending ($1.294 trillion in 2010, an estimated $1.267 trillion in 2011 (p. 23), and the $265 billion in "stimulus" money that was spent in 2009). Thus, Bush ran up an average of $410 billion in deficit spending per year, while Obama is running up an average of $1.413 trillion in deficit spending per year — or $1.003 trillion a year more than Bush.

Bottom line: Maher is flat-out wrong about so much.

Bill Maher and WKLH

UPDATE: Marquette Warrior has the latest from WKLH.

John McAdams writes:

The verdict? Sort of a non-verdict, actually. Joerres stated that all of the station’s contractual obligations to Maher’s promoters have been satisified, and the issue is now moot. There is nothing “left to be done,” he said. He said it was “a moot point” and “behind us.”

It may be moot, but as of 5:55 PM today, WKLH is still listed as Bill Maher's sponsor at the Riverside's site.

Nothing left to be done? Not exactly moot.


________________

John McAdams has an update on WKLH's sponsorship of Bill Maher's July 24, 2008 show at the Riverside in Milwaukee.

WKLH sent him the following e-mail:

Hi John,

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Bill Maher show. I’ll call you shortly, but first a little background about our promotional involvement.

Our agreement with Pabst/Riverside was a term agreement whereby we partnered to promote several shows within a calendar window.

We are involved in actual artist booking & recommendation ONLY for those shows that benefit station-specific events or charities such as our Christmas for Kids benefit or Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin fundraisers.

At the time of the arrangement Mr. Maher had not made his insensitive remarks, although we will not hide behind that circumstance as an excuse.

The vast majority of shows we have promoted have been well received and non-controversial, including the many that have supported our Dave & Carole Miracle Marathon for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Christmas for Kids.

Mr. Maher’s comments have obviously offended many people. While we usually let the market dictate the success or failure of a given show, we will reconsider our promotional involvement with this show.

Thank you for sharing your comments.

Bob Bellini
Program Director
96.5 WKLH Milwaukee

Bellini certainly is playing up WKLH's charity efforts. The station deserves credit for all it does for the community's children. To be sure, it's God's work. It stands in stark contrast to Maher's message.

McAdams writes that "the people who run WKLH will be meeting later today to decide what to do about this situation."

He suggests:

A call to 414-978-9000, or an e-mail to Tjoerres@mkeradiogrp.com (station manager Tom Joerres) with a civil statement about how the station should distance itself from this kind of bigotry would be in order.

Bill Maher's Milwaukee Appearance

On July 24, 2008, Bill Maher will be performing at Milwaukee's Riverside Theatre.

Tickets are $49 and $39 at face value.

Ticket brokers hope to get a lot more.



Wow! I wouldn't pay $39 to see Maher.

This is from the Riverside's page promoting Bill Maher's appearance.

Bill Maher is one of the most politically astute humorists in America today. His unflinching honesty and commitment to never pulling a punch have garnered him the respect and admiration of millions of fans. In 2003, Maher launched a new show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," on HBO, a network that's a perfect fit for his irreverent style. The hour-long show airs live at 11:00PM on Friday nights.

"Real Time with Bill Maher" has received multiple Emmy nominations as well as nominations from the Writer's Guild of America. Some of the outstanding guests who have appeared on the show include Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, Bradley Whitford, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gen. Wesley Clark, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan and George Carlin. Each week, Bill's hilarious opening monologue, incisive interviews and stimulating panel discussion, as well as his extremely popular "New Rules" segment, serve to wrap up the week's most important events in a way that makes you think, as well as laugh.

That's not my take on Maher, not even close.

I don't consider what Maher spews to be "politically astute" and I certainly don't think of him as a "humorist." He's a vulgar hatemonger, plain and simple.

From the Riverside's page:



Charming!

The sponsors for Maher's Milwaukee appearance are WKLH and the Shepherd Express. American was a sponsor, but no longer.

One wonders why American would have ever allowed its name to be attached to someone like Maher.

John McAdams and Charlie Sykes and others have been following this story.

After being a topic of discussion on blogs and talk radio, American decided to pull its sponsorship.

A statement from American's Wyn Becker, public relations:

We regret if our advertising co-sponsorship participation of the upcoming Bill Maher concert has offended anyone. That was obviously not our intent.

Let me clarify American's involvement. We did not directly or individually select Mr. Maher's concert to sponsor in this or any other market. And we have no immediate connection with the promotion or production of this show.

American does have partnerships with several concert venues and radio stations in town which would tie us to a number of local events. I believe that supporting the renovated Pabst and Riverside Theatres to be a well intentioned endeavor. Our marketing partnership with these two historic landmark entertainment venues involves a year long series of comedy performances, with many of these shows co-sponsored in conjunction with some radio station advertising partnerships.

It is obvious, now, to us that Mr. Maher is a very opinionated political and social humorist who can easily ruffle the feathers of certain groups much more so than we expected.

We do not agree with or condone the content of his material or the opinions disseminated from his routines.

Our intent was simply to develop a solid marketing partnership with two well respected concert/show venues which are bringing a wide variety of comedy performances to Milwaukee throughout the year from Frank Caliendo to Jim Gaffigan, Second City Improv to Dennis Miller.

However, because this particular show has become much more controversial to a certain religious factor than ever anticipated, we have chosen to drop our sponsorship of this particular event, if it is indeed offending some of our customers. We do plan to continue our support of the Pabst and Riverside Theatres, their radio station partners and the fine entertainment that they bring to the Milwaukee market. Thank you.

Wyn Becker
Vice President-Advertising
American Furniture, Electronics & Appliances

I think this was a smart move by American.

It was a move made in the self-interest of the business.

It reminds me of Barack Obama cutting ties with Jeremiah Wright. The damage Wright was doing to Obama was too great for him to remain loyal. So, it was goodbye.

Similarly, it wouldn't be wise for American to sponsor Maher's show. Why alienate the many, many, many people offended by Maher's so-called humor? Since it became an issue, it made sense to sever the sponsorship ties.

Here are a few examples of Maher's shtick:

---"I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder."

---"But [Mel Gibson will] never win as long as he's so religious, because, I hate to tell you, the disease isn't alcholism, the disease is religion."

---"I think the science is in on this question. I mean, I think he is.. the people who were defending him were saying, 'Well, he's just inarticulate.' But inarticulate doesn't explain foreign policy. I mean, it's not that complicated.

"The man is a rube. He is a dolt. He is a yokel on the world stage. He is a Gilligan who cannot find his ass with two hands. He is a vain half-wit who interrupts one incoherent sentence with another incoherent sentence. And I hope I'm not piling on."

---"The Republican Party, besides Rudy Giuliani, Bush likes to dress up. He likes to be a cowboy, or Iceman from Top Gun. And they have something very gay, excuse me, going on with Ronald Reagan. I mean, they love Ronald Reagan in a way that's just gay. I'm sorry. But, I think they want to put him on a stamp so that they can lick his backside. Well, seriously, I mean – am I right?"

---"I would just like gun owners to admit they're selfish, and that it's a vice, like booze or drugs or cigarettes. Stop the nonsense about 'it's my right.' You just like it because you have a small penis."

---"George Bush is the only person who thinks that going more is better… He thinks if we can surge now, then we can pull out. But as anyone who's ever done porn will tell you, that's backwards. You pull out, then you surge. I think we all know that."

---"It's interesting that the only two people who couldn't' run together would be Hillary and Obama because America would go that's too much non-male whiteness at one time. We're progressive but not that much."

---"I think if I have any credibility with the gay community it's because over the years I've defended one simple principle which is that there should not be two sets of civil rights for people in this country, one for people who put penises in vaginas, and one for people who don't.

"And the people who don't are told by the Right wing that they need a cure."

---"America was invented by liberal men in Boston and Philadelphia. Not that I don't love all of America, but rednecks who think they're the real America should read a history book once in a while. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin, Madison -- the whole lot of them were well read, erudite, European thinking children of the enlightenment, and they would have had absolutely nothing in common and less to say to a cowboy simpleton like George Bush."

---"[Republicans] have to concentrate on what all Republicans have in common -- They're gay. Aren't they?

"Not just garden-variety gay, but Mark Foley text messaging little boys gay; Ted Haggard having sex with prostitutes on meth gay; Larry Craig bathroom gay.

"I haven't seen this many self-loathing homosexuals since I left the Catholic Church."

---"We're not winning in Iraq. We lost that war when we invaded Iraq because it was a bad idea to begin with....

"Instead of invading Iran, why don't we just show [Bush] footage of one of his other disasters, Katrina or Iraq, and just tell him, 'There you go Godzilla, you did it again.' "

---"Why couldn't, uh, why couldn't have [Rush Limbaugh] croaked from [OxyContin] instead of Heath Ledger?"

---"I'd like to tip off law enforcement to an even larger child-abusing religious cult. Its leader also has a compound, and this guy not only operates outside the bounds of the law, but he used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats. That's right, the Pope is coming to America this week and, ladies, he's single."

---"If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you 'Pope.' It's like, if you can't pay your mortgage, you're a deadbeat. But if you can't pay a million mortgages, you're Bear Stearns and we bail you out. And that is who the Catholic Church is: the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia -- too big, too fat."

---"When the current Pope was in his previous Vatican job as John Paul's Dick Cheney, he wrote a letter instructing every Catholic bishop to keep the sex abuse of minors secret until the Statute of Limitations ran out. And that's the Church's attitude: 'We're here, we're queer, get used to it,' which is fine, far be it from me to criticize religion. But just remember one thing: If the Pope was -- instead of a religious figure -- merely the CEO of a nationwide chain of day care centers, where thousands of employees had been caught molesting kids and then covering it up, he'd be arrested faster than you can say 'who wants to touch Mr. Wiggle?' "

Read Maher's disgusting anal rape rant.

So many of Maher's remarks are vile. His April 2008 comments about Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church are beyond vile.

Yes, American made the right call by pulling its sponsorship.

Bill Maher: Limbaugh and Ledger

Bill Maher used to be funny. I thought he was a good comedian and enjoyed his material.

He gave up on comedy long, long ago. Now, of course, he makes a living saying outrageous, horrible things.

Noel Sheppard of NewsBusters writes:

The hatred from supposedly compassionate and open-minded Hollywoodans is something to behold, isn't it?

After all, just imagine despising a radio talk show host so much that you would suggest, on national television, that he should die of a drug overdose.

Alas, such was the case Friday evening when HBO's Bill Maher actually asked guest P.J. O'Rourke, who was talking about Rush Limbaugh's use of the prescription drug OxyContin.

...Will Maher even get a slap on the wrist from HBO for this?

Yes, that's a rhetorical question.

Of course, what's really interesting is how just before Maher made this despicable remark, he was actually condemning Republicans for their antipathy towards John McCain:

BILL MAHER, HOST: Why is it, I was asking Amy this, why is it that the Republican establishment, I guess it is, have so much disdain, not just for McCain, but for the other guy who's still in it...Huckabee? They don't like either one of them.

P.J. O'ROURKE, WRITER: Well, I think a couple of things are going on. It's the it's the twilight of the radio loud-mouth, you know? I knew it from the moment the fat guy…

MAHER: …You mean Rush Limbaugh and Sean..?

O'ROURKE: …from the moment the fat guy refused to share his drugs (audience laughter). I was, you know…he never called, he never wrote. I'm ready to party, you know, come on! No, I think it's kind of over for those people. So…

MAHER: Right, you mean the OxyContin that he was on?

O'ROURKE: Yeah, exactly. I mean, that stuff's good!

MAHER: Why couldn't, uh, why couldn't have he croaked from it instead of Heath Ledger? (small audience groans)

O'ROURKE: Yeah, yeah.

How sick is that???

Maher wishes Limbaugh had succumbed to a drug overdose.

His remarks are truly despicable.

He's slamming Limbaugh, but I think he's also showing disrespect to Heath Ledger.

To refer to Ledger's death as having "croaked" from drug use is crass. He's exploiting Ledger to take a shot at Limbaugh.

Maher is so full of hate that it's stunning.

It's rather frightening that Maher has fans, or followers, or whatever you want to call them.

Do the Lefties realize how hypocritical they are at times?

I don't think they do.

Bill Maher, Jay Leno, and Protesters

UPDATE, February 10, 2009: Bill Maher and Jay Leno, February 10
___________________

UPDATE, November 19, 2008: Bill Maher and Jay Leno, November 19
___________________

Bill Maher's appearance with Jay Leno on Tuesday's Tonight Show was offensive as usual.

Throughout the segment, Maher kept saying "bulls**t." Wow. How clever! The man's a comic genius.

Right at the beginning of Bill Maher's segment, a man started yelling. He was extremely loud. Apparently, he may have been screaming something about the writers' strike.

I'm not sure, but I thought he said, "Stop the censorship. Help save democracy."

Leno commented, "You know what's fascinating...he didn't even make his point. Does anybody know what he's talking about?"

Maher said, "I'm tempted to say that had something to do with the strike but I think that's just garden-variety bats**t that could have occurred at any night. And it was so entertaining and informative, wasn't it? It really enlightened us."


The protester was not shown on camera. It sounded like he continued to babble as he was removed from the studio.

Maher then went on to talk about the elections. He threw jabs at both the Dems and the Republicans.

Regarding the Republicans, he said "they have to concentrate on what all Republicans have in common -- They're gay. Aren't they?

"Not just garden-variety gay, but Mark Foley text messaging little boys gay; Ted Haggard having sex with prostitutes on meth gay; Larry Craig bathroom gay.

"I haven't seen this many self-loathing homosexuals since I left the Catholic Church."

What a hilarious guy!

Of course, Maher slammed President Bush.

He whined about Bush being considered a "genius" because the surge worked. He disagreed.

"We're not winning in Iraq. We lost that war when we invaded Iraq because it was a bad idea to begin with....

"Instead of invading Iran, why don't we just show him footage of one of his other disasters, Katrina or Iraq, and just tell him, 'There you go Godzilla, you did it again.' "

"...We can all pretend it was done, mission accomplished, and go home."

Later, another protester interrupted the segment. This time it was a woman yelling something about NBC.

I think she said, "GE, NBC. Put impeachment on TV."

Leno immediately went to commercial.

After the break, Leno talked about Maher having experience with protesters at his show. Maher bragged that he went into the audience and challenged them.

He boasted, "I kicked their ass."

Things settled down and Maher was able to get back into his typical religion-bashing shtick, targeting the Catholic Church.

They talked about how difficult the writers' strike has made it to book guests.

Maher said that in spite of the strike, the show must go on because people need to be entertained during this important election season.

He said, "People need to hear how silly the candidates are."

Maher had some positive words for Mike Huckabee, who has appeared as a guest with both Leno and Maher.

He said, "I like him. He's a very personable guy, but he's a religious fanatic.

"We're in a war with religious fanatics. The reason why we can't win this war with religious fanatics is because we have our own religious fanatics."

That allowed him to segue into mocking the Pope.

"He's just a big Catholic celebrity."

Leno, laughing hysterically, said, "You thought you had protesters before."

I don't know why I watch late night TV. It's a wasteland.
_______________

Apparently, the protesters may have been there to demonstrate because Dennis Kucinich wasn't included in Tuesday's Democrat debate on MSNBC.

Yeah, well. Whatever.

Leno should have Kucinich as a guest.
_______________

The Founding Fathers Wouldn't Have Liked Bill Maher

On The Huffington Post today, Bill Maher has a blog post entitled, "The Founding Fathers Wouldn't Have Liked George Bush."

He writes:

I'm in Boston today, getting ready for my standup special tomorrow night live on HBO (last shameless plug, I promise), and walking around the city has made me remember: oh yeah, America started here. That's right, America was invented by liberal men in Boston and Philadelphia. Not that I don't love all of America, but rednecks who think they're the real America should read a history book once in a while. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin, Madison -- the whole lot of them were well read, erudite, European thinking children of the enlightenment, and they would have had absolutely nothing in common and less to say to a cowboy simpleton like George Bush.

"Rednecks who think they're the real America"?

That's a rather derogatory thing to say.

Just who makes up real America, Bill? You and your ilk? The privileged and pampered elite?

And of course, genius Maher, one of the greatest minds of our time, loves taking swipes at "a cowboy simpleton like George Bush."

Speaking of rednecks, that Bill Clinton acted like a real erudite, European thinking child of the enlightenment when he was president, didn't he?

Give me a break.

Speaking of simpletons, Jimmy Carter, for all his supposed smarts, proved that he was utterly incapable of running the country and adept at screwing up the world.

Maher claims that the Founding Fathers "would have had absolutely nothing in common" with President Bush.

Actually, I think they had a great deal in common with Bush. They, too, were thankful for the blessings granted by God. They understood the preciousness of freedom and the greatness of Democracy.

And speaking of who's a real American, was anyone as outraged as I was reading Robert Novak's little interview in the NY Times magazine on Sunday? Asked if in hindsight he would leave out the part of his 2003 column that identified Valerie Plame as a CIA operative, he said "I don't know. I thought journalistically it was justifiable. Nobody had told me -- and I still don't believe -- that it put anybody's life in danger. I don't think she was an important person in the CIA."

That really is quite an astounding quote, isn't it? How the hell would he know if it put anybody's life in danger? YOU'RE NOT IN THE CIA, BOB! They don't tell you any of their business! Considering the consequences of being wrong about such a hunch, is it really the patriotic thing to do? To sit in your office and just conjecture that this agent wasn't very important to the CIA? First, I think everyone who works at the CIA is important; and second, WHO THE HELL IS THIS MAN TO OUT PEOPLE IN THE DEADLY WORLD OF ESPIONAGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE "THINKS"?!

Maher should ask, "WHO THE HELL IS RICHARD ARMITAGE TO OUT PEOPLE IN THE DEADLY WORLD OF ESPIONAGE?"

Yes, it really is quite astounding that the simpletons on the Left can't seem to get the facts of the Plame case straight or the truth about socialized medicine.

Maher concludes his little rant with this:

With patriots like that, I'm sure glad there are traitors like me and Michael Moore still living here in America.

Maher and Moore -- Super Patriots! REAL Americans! Make room for them on Mount Rushmore!

That's the funniest thing I've heard Maher say since he stopped being a comedian in the late 1990s.

Offensive Bill Maher and Jay Leno

Bill Maher made another visit to the Tonight Show on Monday.

Whenever Maher is on the show, it's guaranteed to be offensive.

He's relentless when it comes to his merciless Bush-bashing and trashing of conservative principles. He's so horribly mean-spirited.

A couple of times Maher said that he wasn't affiliated with either party.

I believe that he's not a registered Dem or Republican, but there's no way that he can claim to be fair and balanced when it comes to the two major parties. It's clear where his allegiance lies. The guy is rabidly anti-Republican.

Maher drooled that John Edwards and Barack Obama would be the dream ticket for the Dems.

He said that the Republicans have nothing.

Maher touched on the Live Earth concerts. He segued into how the Republicans have demonized terms like "global warming" and "planet," and made some lame jokes about President and his ranch.

When Leno steered Maher back to presidential politics, Maher said, "It' interesting that the only two people who couldn't' run together would be Hillary and Obama because America would go that's too much non-male whiteness at one time. We're progressive but not that much."

Maher posed a question to the audience:

"How’s Bush doing, folks?"

Some in the audience booed and some cheered. It was a shouting contest. The people booing won.

Maher acknowledged, "A lot of my fellow traitors out here now. Five years ago I did that and they said I was the traitor."

Maher said that Bush's own party isn't with him on the war anymore. He went on to say that he read in the paper that "military families are not really too sure about this war anymore."

He continued, "Lithuania pulled out of the coalition of the willing."

Leno said, "Oh, we are screwed now."

Maher commented, "That's a blow because they had killed 12 insurgents and 3 vampires."

It really bugs me when people belittle the contributions that other countries have made in the war.

Maureen Dowd is notorious for doing that. Drives me nuts!

Maher proceeded to slam Bush and mock him.

"He's so through the looking glass on this war because now all he’s talking about is al Qaeda in Iraq. OK, there was no al Qaeda in Iraq..."

At that point, Leno agreed, "Right."

Maher went on, "...before we invaded it and created a failed state."

"He's like a guy who throws manure on you and then offers you protection from the flies."

Maher then talked about the 62-year-old woman who had a baby.

He said, "That's not a miracle from God. That's a miracle from Pfizer."

"And she already had 11 children."

"She's either Catholic or a hamster."

Maher loves to bash Catholics. He finds great joy in it.

Leno concluded the interview by congratulating Maher on being chosen Advocate magazine's person of the year. It's a gay publication.

He said that he's very proud of that and explained why he received the honor.

"I think if I have any credibility with the gay community it's because over the years I've defended one simple principle which is that there should not be two sets of civil rights for people in this country, one for people who put penises in vaginas, and one for people who don't."

Leno laughed and said, "Very eloquently put."

Maher wasn't finished yet. He added, "And the people who don't are told by the Right wing that they need a cure."

"Remember Rev. Ted Haggard? The Rev. Ted Haggard went to gay rehab and said he was cured after two weeks."

(Actually, it was three.)

"He said he wasn't gay at all; it was the devil. The devil made him do it, but he got rid of the devil.

"He said, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.' And do it gently. That's not my snake but keep handling.' "

I found that to be particularly offensive. Maher actually quoted the Bible (Mark 8:33) to make a sick joke.

When Jesus explains to his disciples that the Savior will have to be tortured and killed, Peter rebukes him. Jesus responds to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan."

If he had quoted the Koran like that, there probably would have been weeks of riots by angry Muslims.

Maher managed to hit the trifecta during his appearance on Monday by offending Republicans, Christians, and Lithuanians.

While I do, or did, think Maher can be funny, I think his real ugliness far overrides any moments of humor he provides.

Bill Maher on American Idol

The shock of tonight's American Idol broadcast wasn't that LaKisha was sent home.

The shock was seeing Bill Maher in the audience.

After Barry Gibb performed "To Love Somebody," the camera panned the crowd.

On his feet, cheering Gibb, was the crass, hateful, foul-mouthed, venom-spewing Bill Maher.

I had no idea that Maher was an Idol fan or a Barry Gibb fan.

It seems so... so... unlikely.

Very surreal.

I wonder if U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken will be in the Idol audience next week.

Bill Maher, Jay Leno, Free Speech, and Guns

Bill Maher was as greasy as ever, literally and figuratively, when he was Jay Leno's guest on Tuesday night.

Maher's gray hair was oily and slicked back and his remarks were equally slimy.

The segment began with a discussion of free speech.

Maher spoke of people getting upset over silly things.

For example, "Bill Clinton spilled some Arkansauce." He thought people blew that out of proportion.

He defended Don Imus, not agreeing with what he said, but his right to say it.

He brought up Janet Jackson and her "milkshake" Super Bowl incident.

Leno said he understands why people were upset about that. Families weren't expecting to see any "porn" during half time.

Maher said, “Spoken like a man with a flag in his lapel.”

Maher went on to say that he and Rosie O'Donnell were being targeted by the Right. Conservatives are arguing that if Imus had to go, so should Maher and O'Donnell.

Maher said that O'Donnell was really wacko. He talked about her 9/11 conspiracy theories, that the attacks were an inside job.

He said that was crazy. How could any one believe that Bush could knock down a building when he couldn't get a helicopter into the Superdome?

Big laugh.

Leno then put his flag pin on Maher’s lapel, as Maher backed away in disgust.

Maher said that he's "a real patriot" and he didn't need that.

Yeah, right. When I think "patriot," I think Bill Maher.

On Harry "the war is lost" Reid, Maher said, "Harry Reid isn't the bad guy for pointing out what the reality is."

Maher said that rather than slamming Reid, people should be slamming Bush for getting us into the war.

Cut to commercial.

After the break, Maher talked about when he was fired and compared it to the Imus controversy. The difference was that Maher said things he believed in. Imus was just an old white guy making a stupid joke.

Then, Leno and Maher turned to the shootings at Virginia Tech.

Maher said it was ridiculous that we had to have a dialogue about Imus saying "nappy headed hos." He complained that after all "these people get shot, there's absolutely no debate about gun control."

WHAT???

I guess Maher wasn't watching TV last week or reading newspapers or listening to radio.

Regarding the supposed lack of dialogue, Leno didn't point out the ridiculousness of Maher's statement. Instead he asked, "Why is that?"

"Because gun owners are selfish," Maher replied.

Maher said he's a gun owner himself.

He said the problem isn't that there are guns, but that there are too many guns.

After tastelessly joking about Virginia's gun laws, Maher gave his profile of gun owners.

"I would just like gun owners to admit they're selfish, and that it's a vice, like booze or drugs or cigarettes. Stop the nonsense about 'it's my right.' You just like it because you have a small penis."

Leno asked, "Did you say you had a gun?"

Leno quipped, "I myself don"t have a gun, but I know you have a gun."

Wow. What an entertaining exchange!

Maher went on to talk about the profile of killers.

He talked about the common denominator. He dismissed the bullying excuse, one applied to Seung-Hui Cho and the Columbine killers.

"What's the common thing for all of them? They can't get laid. It's true. Instead of sending them to shrinks, send them to hookers."

"Everybody who does something like that can't get laid."

How crass!

Leno talked about Cho sending his manifesto to NBC. He said that we were bombarded with images of Cho, but not the victims.

Maher explained, "The media has no sense of responsibility." (I can't argue with that sentence.)

Maher countered that the media did show the faces of the victims. He then segued into Iraq.

"We never see the faces of the people killed in Iraq. We never see our soldiers."

Not true. I've seen their faces. Local stories on the fallen are common.

He talked about the difference between a victim and a hero. Maher said that victims find themselves in a bad situation, but heroes knowingly put themselves at risk.

He said our war dead, heroes, deserve at least what the Virginia Tech victims got.

(Question: Is Liviu Librescu a hero?)

(Another question: Is Bill Maher clueless?)

Maher says he sees no way out of Iraq.

He said, "George Bush is the only person who thinks that going more is better… He thinks if we can surge now, then we can pull out. But as anyone who's ever done porn will tell you, that's backwards. You pull out, then you surge. I think we all know that."

Maher really delivered for Leno again, didn't he? What a classless act!

So much for the Right being responsible for coarsening the culture.

Bill Maher, Ann Coulter, and Gay Slurs

Why is it that Bill Maher can get away with saying the most disgusting and degrading things, but Ann Coulter is crucified by the libs for saying "faggot"?

Clearly, there's a double standard.

On last Friday's edition Real Time, Maher really stepped over the line.

Transcript from NewsBusters:

The Republican Party, besides Rudy Giuliani, Bush likes to dress up. He likes to be a cowboy, or Iceman from “Top Gun.” And they have something very gay, excuse me, going on with Ronald Reagan. I mean, they love Ronald Reagan in a way that’s just gay. I’m sorry. But, I think they want to put him on a stamp so that they can lick his backside. Well, seriously, I mean – am I right?

That's unbelievable!

It's not unbelievable that Maher would say something so offensive.

It's unbelievable that he can get away with saying something so graphic and derogatory and the Left has no problem with it.

Why is Coulter's joke out of line, but Maher's joke is cheered?

Would the Left put his remarks in the mean-spirited gay slur category, or would they put them in the hilarious gay humor category?

Maher says such outrageous things; yet I don't hear an outcry for him to apologize.

I think it would be ridiculous to hold fellow Bush-bashers like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards accountable for what Maher says. They aren't responsible for Maher's hate-filled rants and they shouldn't be expected to apologize for his truly obnoxious comments.

Maher speaks for himself and so does Coulter, but Coulter is condemned.

There's a double standard. No question about it.

What's amazing to me is I once thought that Maher was really funny.

Has he changed or have I?

I think it's probably a little of both.

Bill Maher and Jay Leno: That's NOT Entertainment

On Tuesday's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Bill Maher was on hand to entertain.

Whenever Maher is a guest on the show, he's so offensive that even the studio audience seems uncomfortable.

His "anal rape" rant was one memorable appearance when the audience squirmed.

He managed to get the same reaction on Tuesday.

While some of Leno's audience members appreciate Maher's "talents" and laugh and applaud his drivel, some don't.

The crowd he faces when he's Leno's guest is not nearly as supportive as his Real Time audiences.

Right out of the gate, Maher attacked President Bush. No surprise there.

Do you think that this is entertaining?

Talking about the President, Maher said:

I think the science is in on this question. I mean, I think he is.. the people who were defending him were saying, "Well, he's just inarticulate." But inarticulate doesn't explain foreign policy. I mean, it's not that complicated.

The man is a rube. He is a dolt. He is a yokel on the world stage. He is a Gilligan who cannot find his ass with two hands. He is a vain half-wit who interrupts one incoherent sentence with another incoherent sentence. And I hope I'm not piling on.

Good grief.

Over the top is putting it mildly.

Maher then went on to stand up for his beloved Dixie Chicks.

He mocked what he called the Red State people that turned their backs on them. Maher declared that the Dixie Chicks had the good sense to abandon country and make some decent music.

He proceeded to bash country music, ALL country music. He belittled it, saying that he wasn't into Hee Haw. Maher went on and on.

I don't know what Maher was thinking. Ten or fifteen minutes later, country singer Rodney Atkins performed.

How awkward!

Maher had to know the other guests scheduled to be on the show that night. He had to know that as he sat next to Leno and mercilessly slammed country music that a country artist was getting ready to take the stage.

At the end of Atkins' performance, Leno went over to shake his hand before saying goodnight and ending the show. Like usual, the other guests tagged along. Bill Maher and a skydriving accident survivor joined Leno with Atkins.

I don't know how Maher had the guts to walk over there and face Atkins and his band after the things he had said earlier about country music.

Atkins, a class act, shook Maher's hand. For one brief moment, Maher managed to get his foot out of his mouth. He could be heard saying "Terrific" to Atkins, as Leno thanked his guests and said his goodbyes.

So, was Maher lying or was he being sincere? Did Atkins convert Maher to appreciate country music?

It doesn't matter. The damage was done. The ill-mannered Maher had already revealed his true self -- a mean-spirited, miserable soul.

Still, a little self-censoring on Maher's part would have been welcomed.

Make that a lot of self-censoring.

John Kerry's One Stone

Look what popped up in my mailbox.

Dear Mary,

It's like a meeting of the "no accountability" caucus of the Republican Party. Tonight in Chicago, George W. Bush and House Speaker Denny Hastert will appear side-by-side campaigning for Republican candidates.And, if you think Republicans can't dance, wait until you see 2006 candidates waltz away from the dreaded prospect of being caught in a photo op between the President and the Speaker of the House.

"Woulda. Shoulda. Coulda."

That was Denny Hastert's instinctive response to questions about why the Republican leadership hadn't done more to protect young congressional pages in the Mark Foley scandal. Those are the words of a politician and a party who have made a habit of ignoring the facts, ducking responsibility, and avoiding accountability.

Woulda stopped the corruption of Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, and Duke Cunningham. Coulda forced President Bush to abandon his destructive "stay the course" policy in Iraq. Shoulda cared about something other than cynically holding onto power.

Too late now, Denny. We've had enough. That's why we've added John Laesch, your Democratic opponent and a former Navy intelligence analyst, to our October slate of veterans running for Congress.

Rush a contribution to our veteran candidates right now.

What better way to respond to the Bush-Hastert get-together in Chicago than rushing contributions to five veterans running in races that can finally break the Republican grip on power. This isn't the October Denny Hastert and George Bush had in mind.

They thought they'd have Democratic candidates on the run... burying our hopes in an avalanche of special interest money... stealing our momentum with bogus "soft on terrorism" charges.

Speaker Hastert was planning a victory march from one congressional district to another. That's until one Republican candidate after another begged him to stay home and not bring the debate about his shameful failures of leadership into their races.

Now, with your help, John Laesch can bring that debate into Hastert's own congressional race. Make Denny Hastert explain himself to the people of Illinois' 14th District. And help our four other veterans running in some of the closest, must-win races in the country.

Rush a contribution to our veteran candidates right now.

Don't just support John Laesch's run against Hastert. Tell Patrick Murphy in Pennsylvania that you won't tolerate Republican attempts to "swift-boat" him by disparaging his service to our country.

Tell Leonard Boswell in Iowa that you won't let him be thrown off course by hundreds of thousands of dollars in ads funded by the Texas millionaire who was behind the Republicans' 2004 "swift-boat" attack strategy.

Help Lee Ballenger in South Carolina stand up to the flood of special interest money pouring into his opponent's campaign from powerful oil and gas interests. And help Colonel Mike Weaver continue his surge in Kentucky with a campaign that tells the truth about the Bush fiasco in Iraq.

Rush a contribution to our veteran candidates right now.

Denny Hastert has been the longest-running Republican speaker in history. But in 25 days, we can take the gavel out of his hands -- and the smirk off George W. Bush's face. Don't back down. Don't stop working.

Rush your support now to as many of our five veteran candidates as you possibly can.

Together we'll win.

John Kerry

"Smirk off George W. Bush's face?"

Now really. Is that any way for a U.S. Senator to talk about the President of the United States?

I think it's very unbecoming of Kerry. He displays such a lack of respect.

Speaking of unbecoming, Kerry was on Bill Maher's show last Friday.

This exchange took place:

After some niceties, Maher asked the senator what he got his wife for her birthday. Kerry said that he took his wife to a lovely retreat in Vermont. Begin transcript:

Maher: You could have went to New Hampshire and killed two birds with one stone.

Kerry: Or, I could have gone to 1600 Pennsylvania and killed the real bird with one stone.

Maher: Well, speaking of that, speaking of that, do you run into a lot of people these days who are considering how things have gone with the bloopers and practical jokes the past few years have a lot of buyer’s remorse about how they voted in 2004?

Kerry: Uh, I actually do. I run into a lot of people. Most people as a matter of fact, except for Donald Rumsfeld. And Cheney.

Read more of the transcript at NewsBusters.

I felt Kerry's comment about killing Bush, metaphorically speaking of course, was worthy of my Wall of Shame.

So, I searched for a picture of Kerry hunting to accompany the quotation.

Remember John Kerry's hunting trip in October 2004?

I found this photo.



I'm not a hunter, but this doesn't look right to me.

Is this the proper way to fire a rifle?

I don't know. Maybe that's how to hunt geese. As I said, I honestly don't know.

But I've seen six-year-olds with better form playing target shooting games at Chuck E. Cheese.

Richard Belzer

On last Friday's edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, another Hollywood Leftist showed just how much he respects and supports the troops.

This time it was Richard Belzer, comedian and actor (Law & Order: SVU).

Belzer was so over the top in his disparaging remarks about the U.S. troops in Iraq that even Maher distanced himself from his comments.

I would love to see Belzer express his opinion of the intelligence of the troops, with that condescending, elitist, nose in the air superiority, to a room full of Marines, or the spouses of Marines for that matter.

Brent Baker of NewsBusters comes through with the transcript.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “Having been in Iraq a few times, and Afghanistan, having met the troops one-on-one with free reign and asking them what they're doing, they're saying 'we're proud of our mission, we know what we're doing over here. We don't want you guys in Washington to lose it over there'. And there is a great sense of determination that what they are doing is making a difference. And yes, it has been an important mission what we're doing, come on.”

Richard Belzer: “Yeah, come on. Our soldiers now are at-”

Ros-Lehtinen: “Are a volunteer force, a volunteer force.”

Belzer: “Okay, fine. No one questions the nobility and the honor that these men and woman who are serving and what they're doing. No one questions that. But now they're targets, they're not going out. Now they're just protecting each other and they're in the middle of a civil war. So it's really not fair to have these people who volunteered their lives to protect our nation under false pretenses to now be, to have targets-”

Ros-Lehtinen, over loud applause for Belzer: “Ask them. Ask them if it's fair! Wait a minute, wait a minute. My stepson, wait a minute, my stepson-”

Belzer: “That's bullshit: ask them! They're not, they don't read twenty newspapers a day. They're under the threat of death every minute. They're not the best people to ask about the war because they're gonna die any second.”

Ros-Lehtinen: “Wait a minute! You are talking about my stepson, my stepson who just finished last week eight months of duty-”

Belzer over Ros-Lehtenin: “God bless your stepson. Doesn't mean he's a brilliant scholar about the war because he's there. (applause) And God bless him.”

Ros-Lehtinen, quite agitated: “Oh, you are though! You are though? Okay.”

Belzer: “Well I have more time, I'm not there. My life is not under threat.”

Ros-Lehtinen: “Thank you. I'm glad.”

Maher: “I think the point he's trying to make is that a 19-year-old who is in that army because he probably couldn't find other employment-”

Ros-Lehtinen: “He's a college graduate. He's a Marine officer. He volunteered for the Marines.”

Belzer: “He's the exception for the rule.”

Ros-Lehtinen: “He's not the exception for the rule. I've been there-”

Belzer: “You think everyone over there is a college graduate? They're 19 and 20-year-old kids who couldn't get a job-”

Ros-Lehtinen: “Yeah, you know because you've been there and-”

Belzer: “What, I don't fucking read!? Don't do that!”

Maher, over Belzer: “Woe, woe, woe. Come on. Wait, wait, wait. That, don't.”

Belzer: “Pardon my French.”

Maher: “That was over the line and now you're going to lose-”

Belzer: “It's this patronizing thing that people have about if you're against the war everyone's lumped together. You know, the soldiers are not scholars, they're not war experts-”

Maher: “You're going to lose even me like Michael Moore did when he came down on Charlton Heston in Columbine.”

I wish I could say that I find that exchange to be shocking, but I can't. It's exactly what I've come to expect from the self-proclaimed enlightened liberal elite.

It's not shocking, but it is disgusting.

Belzer's tirade is a perfect example of why Americans view Hollywood celebrity types as completely out of the mainstream. They live in a bubble.

It's like they're from a different planet, with absolutely alien values and opinions.

How dare he make such sweeping and derogatory comments about our troops!

Belzer's attack was aimed at our military men and women -- not Bush or Cheney or Rumsfeld. His assault was as direct as it could be. He targeted the troops.

Now, I'm not into name-calling. It comes from an emotional response, rather than a well-reasoned argument.

But I don't think of the following as name-calling. I think of it as identifying an individual by some defining characteristics.

RICHARD BELZER IS AN UNINFORMED, WITLESS JERK.

Bill Maher, Jay Leno, and Anal Rape

When Bill Maher is a guest on the Tonight Show, I expect him to spew his bitter drivel.

His appearance on Tuesday, however, was really offensive, not just hateful and ill-informed as usual.

Of course, Leno's monologue always deals with the topical issues of the day, which includes politics; but the point of the show is entertainment, not politics.

I wasn't bugged because Maher was making political jokes that ran counter to my views. It was that what he was saying wasn't funny--at all. Leno allowed Maher to engage in a Bush administration bash session.

Maher indirectly took swipes at Bush by mercilessly attacking Karl Rove. Maher insisted that all CIA jobs are sensitive. In other words, he believes that the identity of an employee with a desk job has the same status as a covert agent in the field. That is just plain false and just plain stupid of him to say.

Maher said, "This guy definitely outed her and he should go to jail." There was a smattering of very weak applause.

Referring to John Roberts, he said that when they look that clean cut they are "freaks."

Maher said Roberts looks moderate only because Bush has moved the goal posts so far to the right.

Then, things took a very ugly, uncomfortable turn.

Maher was illustrating his belief that all Bush appointees are extremely conservative.

He went off on Dr. W. David Hager, a prominent obstetrician-gynecologist and a Bush appointee to the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs in the FDA.

Maher proceeded to discuss Hager's divorce, noting that Hager's wife claimed he anally raped her. The discussion spiraled out of control from that point.

Is this what passes for entertainment? Maher wasn't funny. He was offensive.

Frankly, I'm surprised the segment aired. The show is taped. It's not like it was a live broadcast. The anal sex stuff could have, no, SHOULD have been edited out.

I hope NBC will think twice before allowing Maher to be a guest again.

Poor, Poor, Pitiful Jane

On April 22, Jane Fonda was Bill Maher's guest on Real Time.

Transcript Excerpts:

FONDA: I've been on the road for two-and-a-half weeks, and hundreds of Vietnam veterans have crossed my path at the various events and book signings, and they've been fabulous. [applause] You know, they've—

MAHER: Yeah.

FONDA: --they've been friendly and welcoming. And they have forgiven me. And so there are some who are stuck back there and – but most are not.

MAHER: Yeah, it really is on them at this point, isn't it, if somebody can't get over something in 35 years.

FONDA: Well, you know, the problem is we've never come to terms with the war. You know, generally, the revisionism that started during the Reagan Administration has been bought into by a lot of people in this country, and it's prevented us from learning the lessons that we were supposed to learn from the war.

Fonda blames Reagan for a revisionism that keeps Americans from understanding Vietnam and some vets from forgiving her. Yeah, that makes sense.


FONDA: And – and so they blame the anti-war movement and people like me for losing the war. It was a war we couldn't win, and five administrations knew that and sent men over there to die in spite of it. [applause]

MAHER: Yeah. And I think what they would say is, “Yes, but that's something different than going to the country that was fighting us, however wrong the war would be. And I think you've acknowledged that yourself.

FONDA: No. Hunh-huh, no. I went to North Vietnam . There were only 24,000 American combat troops in South Vietnam when I went in 1972, and the Nixon Administration was lying to the American people, and men were dying as a result. And I went to expose the lies and stop the bombing of the dikes, which, according to Kissinger, would have caused about 200,000 people to starve. I am proud that I went. About 300 people had gone before me to North Vietnam , Americans. The thing that I apologized for was sitting on an anti-aircraft gun.

Again, Fonda apologizes for sitting on the gun. NOTHING ELSE.


FONDA: --Air Force, Marines, sailors. I had spent a lot of time with soldiers and listened to them, and knew their stories, and knew their wives, what their wives had to say. It's why I made “Coming Home” later, because I knew a lot about what was going on. It was servicemen that got me into the war. What I heard from them made me understand that that war was different than the war that my father had fought, the Second World War.

MAHER: Yeah. What about the war that's going on now? How valid a comparison point is Vietnam , do you think, to what's going on in Iraq ?

FONDA: Well, the similarity is that – based on lies. American men, and in this case, men and women—[applause]—are being sent into harm's way based on lies. This is – Vietnam was based on lies and deceit. And, you know, none of us like bullies like Saddam Hussein, you know. Not a good guy at all. There were other ways of getting rid of him, and I would be all for that. But we didn't have to kill 100,000 innocent women and children and innocent men—[applause]—in order to – in order to do that.

MAHER: But we're there now. And, yes, I agree, they lied like the thieves they are, to get us into that war. But don't you think there's something more hopeful that may be going on there now than was ever possible in Vietnam ? Can't some good come out of bad? Even a lying – I mean, some people would say you have to lie to get people into any war.

FONDA: No, the – no, I don't agree with that. Something may come out, but I fear very much that it's – that we've laid the groundwork for an increase in terrorism. We have prepared a fertile ground for recruiting terrorists in Iraq , where one didn't exist before we went in there. We still haven't gotten Osama bin Laden. You know, there were other ways to do it.

In effect, Fonda is stating that our military has not accomplished anything of value in Iraq. She dwells on the innocents killed in the fighting, but ignores the mass murder, the mass graves, the brutality and suffering of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein's regime. She ignores the fact that for fourteen years the dictator refused to comply with UN resolutions and relief for Iraqis was nowhere in sight.

Fonda says there was a better way. Exactly what would that be? It's that same John Kerry "I have a plan" gibberish.

She believes Iraq was not a recruiting ground for terrorists before the war. How inexcusably naive!

FONDA: I don't believe in the Christianity that says one thing and then goes and kills innocent people and tries to rob women of their fundamental human right to control their reproductive lives, or deny people of the same sex their right to be married and have relationships—[applause]—and is judgmental and narrow-minded, and angry and vengeful. That is not the Jesus Christ that I believe in. And there's a lot of people like me out there. [applause] [cheers]

What? Fonda has reconstructed Christianity to feed her massive ego and fit her political agenda.

If she believes Jesus is pro-abortion, she is pathetically misguided.

It's hard to be angry at someone who is so messed up. I pity her.