Bill Maher runs out protesters

You won't see me sticking up for him sticking up for her, or arguing that he's anything less than a shameless self-promoter.

That said, I enjoy his show most weeks.

 

I'm not sure where the freedom of speech issue comes into play here. I think dignan makes the real point, which is, imagine you're sitting at your desk, trying to pound out a story on deadline and some idiot reader comes into your office and is screaming at you about something you wrote last week. Does the right to free speech say this guy can stand there screaming until he's blue in the face, preventing you from finishing your story, or does security (or the cops) come and haul his ass out of the building so you can finish your story?

Maher was, as dignan notes, doing his job when someone started screaming at him. If you're on a street corner (guess your job would be prostitute!) or some other public place, then I see free speech. But this is a privately owned studio producing a television show (No different than you writing a story or any other person doing their job in a private building). Yes, these people were invited to watch as part of the audience. But Maher nailed it when he was talking about the word audience coming from the latin word meaning "to listen." Once they stop listening and start interrupting, Maher has every right to kick some ass!

 

The problem is that Maher has relentlessly promoted himself as the brave champion of unfettered public expression. Period. It's the card he plays every time somebody points out, for example, that maybe Coulter shouldn't be quite so visible on the public airwaves because what she says might be destructive. He then replies that we're all a nation of pussies. So, shoe on the other foot, and he gets brave behind his security guards.

 

It would have been handled better if it wasn't a live show. Either he'd invite them on stage or throw them out and edit the disruption. As it was he looked a little petty, but not as stupid as the tower 7 nutjobs.

 

(Clutches chest, falls over)

 

OK, I agree with you probably 99 percent of the time, but you're wrong on this one (don't let it happen again!).

I was watching the show, and there was no other way to handle this. I don't care what the idiots were shouting about, they were making it unwatchable. They had to go.

And Bill wasn't exactly a pussy about it, he went into the crowd after them. Then he even explained who the hell they were. He didn't have to do that.

He has a responsibility to his show, and his audience, to put on a show where we can actually listen to what the guests are saying.

By the way, the best part of the show was the interview with Kasperov. He pointed out the main reason Putin needs chaos in the middle east is he needs high oil prices. Kind of the same reason bush and company need chaos there. (and probably why its better than 50-50 that we're heading for Iran).

 

OK, so my basic point stands.
He'll stand by whatever slander his pals put out there, and call people pussies when nthey complain.
But handed a little actual unfettered speech, he calls in security and runs up into the crowd behind them.
Go fuck another porn star, you fake.

 

Remember when we had the thread on curses?

This is the worst curse of all time. 8)

 

For the record, I have no problem with him having morons booted from his audience.

But I also agree with Fenian that Maher is a total phony.

 

Maher is a tool, but I saw the clip and couldn't help but laugh every time they tried to start conversation and someone shouted from the audience. You could tell he was getting pissed.

 

I thought Matthews was going to duck under the desk.