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NubiWan
Skeptic Friend
USA
424 Posts |
 Posted - 09/22/2001 : 12:43:34
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Politically Incorrect host, Bill Maher, has drawn alot of heat, for calling our reaction to other acts of terrorism, "cowardly," in their limitation to bombing and missile strikes. And for expressing his opinion that the terrorist, who stuck the WTC last week, while animals, weren't cowardly.
My fear, almost as much as for the safety of those of us, who will deliver our answer first-hand, to the animals that attacked civilization, is, that under the guise of patroitism, there are too many willing to strip us of our rights and liberties. It comes from a basic distrust of the wisdom of the citizenship, and is completely unfounded. Perhaps the most dearest, is the freedom of speech.
"Censorship is the tool of those, who have the need to hide actualities
from themselves and others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real. Somewhere in their upbringing they were shielded against the total facts of our experience. They were only taught to look one way, when many ways exist."
-Charles Bukowski
You go, Bill! Most of us understood, you weren't saying the men and women of our armed forces, are "cowardly," but our leadership's decisions in the past encounters with terrorism, might well have seemed too polictally inspired and ineffective, to be considered "honorable." That, too, is behind us, now...
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." -Voltaire
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@tomic
Administrator
USA
4607 Posts |
 Posted - 09/22/2001 : 12:58:54 [Permalink]
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Heh, I noticed that Bill said almost the exact same thing I have been saying about looking at US policies and such rather than simply tackling the effects of these policies. It certainly made me feel better.
@tomic
Gravity, not just a good idea...it's the law! |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2001 : 13:25:28 [Permalink]
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I find it amusing that the host of a show entitled "Politically Incorrect" can take any flak for saying something many people don't agree with. 
-me. |
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comradebillyboy
Skeptic Friend
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2001 : 21:55:20 [Permalink]
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in times of crisis it seems people's tolerance for unpopular public statements is diminished. a history professor at the university of new mexico, here in albuquerque, is in deep doo-doo for a remark saying that anyone who would wreck the pentagon would get his vote. very crass, offensive and insensitive statement, but still protected speech under the first amendment.
the local republicans are demanding that the university fire him. the new war on terrorism, like the old war on drugs is another assault on our freedom. i remember viet nam (i was drafted), dissent, especially political dissent, must not be suppressed.
comrade billyboy |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2001 : 23:15:23 [Permalink]
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I remember Nam too, only I volunteered. One must not become so engrossed in what their rights are that they forget what their dutyis.
Why does anyone who owns a history book think that US policy means a rats ass to these
murders?
Does no one remember "The Mad Mullah of Somaliland," or the Zaidiyah, or the Isma'ilians, or the Carmatians or even the Babary Pirates (Trish should know all about them). These Terrorists have been around for over a thousand years since the days of Ali and the hidden Imam.
Hell, even our word for a cold blooded killer is the name of a Shi'a (Shite) sect the Assassins
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The brain that was stolen from my laboratory was a criminal brain. Only evil will come from it. |
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marvin
Skeptic Friend
77 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2001 : 12:52:05 [Permalink]
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| If Bill Clinton would have approved of a mission to get bin Laden and received 200 American casualties I believe that most democrats would have denounced the action and passed some legislation restricting such future involvement. Because the politics were not behind an all-out effort to get bin Laden, however hindsight is 20/20, and Bill Clinton did exactly what the populace wanted: Don't risk any American lives. |
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comradebillyboy
Skeptic Friend
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2001 : 15:13:05 [Permalink]
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so tell me, slater, what exactly does a cryptozoologist do?
you were a vol, i got deafted, but a major mistake of our war in viet-nam was the lack of a clear, obtainable objective. i hope we don't make the same mistake in the war on terrorism. i also hope our war on drugs is not the model for the war on terrorism.
comrade billyboy |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2001 : 16:47:43 [Permalink]
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quote:
...or even the Babary Pirates (Trish should know all about them). These Terrorists have been around for over a thousand years since the days of Ali and the hidden Imam.
Hell, even our word for a cold blooded killer is the name of a Shi'a (Shite) sect the Assassins
Is that a when all else fails send in the Marines?
Yes, I remember the Barbary Pirates. Nothing short of killing every child that displays fanatical tendancies or power trips will get rid of terrorism.
Regardless of what the US has done in the past the only thing we can do from this point is go forward.
Nubi - There was a reason Voltaire wrote that about religion and it is still as meaningful today as it was then.
He's YOUR god, they're YOUR rules, YOU burn in hell! |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2001 : 17:51:05 [Permalink]
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quote:
so tell me, slater, what exactly does a cryptozoologist do?
I'm looking for the Loch Ness Monster. I'm looking for it in San Francisco because I stand as good a chance of finding it here as in Scotland; and the restaurants are better here.
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The brain that was stolen from my laboratory was a criminal brain. Only evil will come from it. |
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2001 : 21:33:47 [Permalink]
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quote:
I find it amusing that the host of a show entitled "Politically Incorrect" can take any flak for saying something many people don't agree with.
-me.
Exactly Boron. I've been thinking that for a long time. I don't like the guy, he's ugly and NOT funny but sometimes he says intelligent things(what I agree with of course ).
But that is beside the point. As Billyboy said, here, "the new war on terrorism, like the old war on drugs is another assault on our freedom. i remember viet nam (i was drafted), dissent, especially political dissent, must not be suppressed."
Right on, Comrade!
nlm
Rap Crap is to music what Paint by Numbers is to art. |
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Tokyodreamer
SFN Regular
USA
1447 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2001 : 05:22:01 [Permalink]
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I'm always surprised when people see things like this as a First Amendment issue.
Bill Maher can say whatever he wants on any street corner in the U.S.
But if advertisers don't like what he's saying, they have every right to pull their ads. The producers of his show can fire him if they don't like what he says. Bill Maher doesn't, and never has, had a First Amendment right to say whatever he wants on his tv show. (His First Amendment rights, where the show is concerned, apply only to his not being able to be jailed by the government for saying what he wants. FCC regulations aside of course!  ) Nor did Dr. Laura, though people were crying "First Amendment!" in her case also.
Are my First Amendment rights under attack because no one will pay me to host a show so I can let everyone know what my opinions are? Of course not! Why is Bill Maher any different, just because he already has a show?
As soon as the government gets involved in telling talk show hosts what they can and can't talk about, give me a call, I go buy a hunting rifle and we can head to the hills together. 
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Hope springs eternal but there's no conviction
Actions mistaken for lip service paid
All this concern is the true contradiction
The world is insane... |
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@tomic
Administrator
USA
4607 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2001 : 09:12:09 [Permalink]
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Toky is right, of course. The only thing that does bother me are the inane FCC regulations. Some of the self censorship is annoying as well as inconsistent. You see words bleeped out on one show that are fine on another and it has nothing to do with time of day etc.
I'm surprised full nudity isn't on network TV yet because we knw what sells....
@tomic
Gravity, not just a good idea...it's the law! |
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