“The NRA should just change its name to the assassin’s lobby, because that’s what they are” TV personality Bill Maher told Tonight Show host Jay Leno on Tuesday when asked about his take on the Tucson shootings (watch segment in sidebar media player).
“I’m so tired of hearing about the Second Amendment and the Constitution,” he continued.
If you love guns, just admit it -- like it's a vice. It's like alcohol or drugs or sex addiction or gambling... It's not good for you or anyone else, but you like it.
Nice. Good, responsible men and women who as a matter of course exhibit self control are equated with degenerates who exercise none. Typical. The citizen disarmament crowd is employing “tone down the rhetoric” like it’s some virtue they alone have championed while their lying spokesmen are out there on national television ginning up hate-fueled divisiveness.
That Jay Leno sat by idly and did not attempt to steer things back into reality, or at least civility, is no surprise, but does show him to be every bit as constitutionally ignorant as those he habitually ridicules on his “Jaywalking” segments. That some, in an audience of Southern Californians inclined to attend studio tapings, could be cowed to applaud by a repugnant hate-mongering ideological lynch mob leader is also no surprise.
Maher’s slander is equivalent to nothing less than the spoken form of blood libel, and in this I find myself agreeing with “liberal” icon Alan Dershowitz for a second time (the first time being when he said “Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out of the Constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that it's too much of a safety hazard don't see the danger in the big picture. They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use the same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like.”)
Maher is not employing metaphor--he is deliberately lying about and viciously insulting not just the four million active members of the NRA, but untold tens of millions of American gun owners. He is engaging in slander, lying with malice and intent to harm the reputations of those he defames. He is engaging in naked hate speech.
And the political left is where the calls for FCC crackdowns are coming from.
In a way, gun owners should be thankful to Maher. He’s shown us that accomodating those who think like him is impossible. So he has relieved us of any moral obligation to try.
He and those like him will simply not allow it.
He has shown us he is our enemy, and will remain so as long as we disagree with him. Letting us all see that, in no uncertain terms, is a helpful unintended consequence.
Four million armed-to-the-teeth NRA members and Maher feels comfortable enough to insult and lie about us all? You’d think someone who truly believes we are assassins, with all the character weaknesses of alcoholics, junkies and perverts, would show a bit more caution. Especially if one accepts the thesis that violence-prone, out-of-control and amoral miscreants are ready to go off based on something as trivial as the kind of intentionally inflammatory media rhetoric Maher has built his career on.
Also see:
- Restricting freedom after Tucson shooting will galvanize gun owners
- Usual suspects line up to exploit Giffords shooting
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Trigger Sports RECORDED!
If you missed yesterday’s Trigger Sports LIVE! show, you can still catch the recorded version. From American Trigger Sports Network host James B. Towle:
- More Jumbos taken, plus massive Marco Polo ... Barbara Crown reports.
- You're invited to comment on the AZ tragedy -James' Blog
- David Codrea points finger at those who would exploit AZ tragedy
- Mark Walters of Armed American Radio pops Rep. Peter King’s “protective bubble”
- Pamela Atwood wins photo of the week
- Diego Duarte "Shooter Profile" - new (FITASC Master Champion)
- The "Ghost of the Forest" - a whiter than white deer herd
- Jack Boyd gives a basic lesson on 3X-Multi-Gun ... James Shoots
- Massad Ayoob comments on AZ shooting
- Watch Janet McDougall, Glenn Lubeznik, David Garza, Marshall McDougall, Ike Pryor, Victor con Rodriquez Perez, Diana Vasquez...hit and miss on the Green Course at NSCA Championship.
All this, and more, at www.atsn.tv- The ONLY Network for Trigger Sports! On your computer, 24/7, when YOU want to see it!
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Comments
Typical stupid liberal comment by Maher.
David,
What more, then this type of gut-stupid logic, would you have expected from two liberal media types.
Alan
Maher is an idiot. His job is to be offensive, and he doesn't care how he does it as long as he gets a laugh to stoke his ego. He couldn't really care less about guns, the Constitution or the NRA. Fortunately, his remarks were heard by only about 14 people who still watch Leno, and now the 1000s who read this blog.
It is Bill Maher, what should you expect from a card carrying member of the "Liberal Idiots Club".
First off...Maher is a Piece of S--t..It sickens me to even think about him never Mind have to see him on TV....Does he have security around him? Do you suppose they are armed with Fly Swatters?
maher is a creep, don't forget he used to ridicule our troops and made fun of the Delta force guys killed at Desert 1 and in Somalia. A disgusting waste of flesh.
Great post ...glad to see someone hasn't forgot this clueless jerk's other past insults. What a piece of work. America and the republic is a revolutionary concept from its start and even to this day, but every revolution has counter-revolutionaries ...this guy's one of them.
Maher is living proof of the disastrous effects of long-term Marijuana abuse.
Many things, I can agree with him about, though I'll admit that professionally, he's as much of a "rodeo clown" opinion/slant artist as, say, Beck.
On this topic, past evidence and this comment prove that his ideas suffer from recto-cranial inversion syndrome.
beautifully put John F!
+10
Gun Control Works! This is why the state with the most gun control laws has a murder rate over four times higher than the state with the least gun control. What, that can't be.
OK, lets compare cities. Chicago has the most extreme gun control of any city in America. It does not share a border with another country or state. In 2010 Chicago had 435 murders out of a population of 2.8 million. Compare that with lawless El Paso, TX. El Paso has almost no gun control beyond what is required by federal law. It shares a city limits with Juarez, Mexico which had 3000 murders last year (good thing Mexico has gun control - imagine how bad it would have been without it!). El Paso had 5 murders in 2010 out of a population of 620,000.
Yes, gun control works. If your goal is defenseless people being killed. If your goal is bragging about having ONLY 435 murders in your city. If you really, really don't care about innocent murder victims.
And I am..... E. Zach Lee-Wright
They rammed through Obamacare without allowing input or debate then demand bipartisanship when they no longer hold the majority. They bypass Congress to initiate a "fairness" doctrine and then demand our silence while they voice views against our Constitution and our nation. They lable and liebel and then name US racist, xenophobic, and rednecks. They lie and deceive and then name us as backwards when we hold to our beliefs. They continue to take our freedoms and then call us dangerous when we voice our outrage. Truly,
"he has relieved us of any moral obligation to try" to accomodate him/them. They ARE, in fact, the enemy. And I will no longer compromise MY principles attempting to accomodate their lack of them. They are correct in one estimation, however. When backed into a corner, we will indeed be dangerous.
Yes I have a lot to say to and about Bill Maher. First off tone down the media rhetoric, and Maher just poured gas on the fire! TV wants the first Amendment in its entirety and I'm inclined to say that they promote idiots like this, take him off.... but then I'm no better than Maher. Its called Freedom and Rights for a reason; he has his right to say and think what he wants as I have my freedom to tune him out. Hey Bill, leave my freedoms alone! Why does the media give these morons a unchallenged bullhorn of a monopoly as I hear no counter to him in the mass media. So TV land where are the facts??
And Bill 4 million NRA members scare you that much??
OK Bill you're an idiot and this is why................
You hate the Constitution?? Then get the **** out of the country! You are a hypocrite the longer you stay here and this should be brought forth to destroy his credibility. France would be a good place for an a-hole like you! Apparently his intellectual knowledge of law and history are once again........... ignorant.
So Billy boy heres something to chew on
Several Supreme Court decisions that have defined the 2nd Amendment as an individual right, as it should be placed with the other 9 Amendments from the Bill of Rights Incorporated 12/15/1791
Now the rest of his education
1) WHEN will the law enforce the ~23,000 gun laws currently on the books? We need more restrictions?
2) Will the AZ shooter be a consideration for the death penalty for his crimes?
3) If yes to #2, will they actually USE it?
4) Please go back and re-read the Federalist as well as the Anti-Federalist Papers to regain a better understanding of what our Founding Fathers wrote, said and meant. The NRA has a pretty good understanding of this
5) Please allow me to quote:
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." --Cesare Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishment, quoted by Thomas Jefferson in Commonplace Book
"[W]hereas, to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them; nor does it follow from this, that all promiscuously must go into actual service on every occasion. The mind that aims at a select militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle; and when we see many men disposed to practice upon it, whenever they can prevail, no wonder true republicans are for carefully guarding against it." --Federal Farmer, Anti-federalist Letter, No.18
"One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to George Washington, 1796
"When the people fear government, there is tyranny...
When government fears the people, there is liberty."
Thomas Jefferson
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
THOMAS JEFFERSON
"A free people ought...to be armed..."
GEORGE WASHINGTON
"We established however some, although not all its [self-government] important principles . The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Cartwright, 1824
Hey Bill are ya getting the education that you so severely lack??
You so easily and readily prove the comedian's point. Read your writing's back to your self and see for your self how you fell into his premise. WOW!
Really? How so? Are you trying to emulate Yoda?
My writings as you put it were supposed to be not about "the Constitution" (which Maher says he's so tired of hearing about) but rather the philosophy, the ideas and the writings of what was in the minds of the Founders. This all was the basis of how it was to work. So as I see it ... it was not about the device but rather the blueprint of the device and the engineers thoughts, ideas and challenges while designing the device.
And again if he is so sick of hearing about the Constitution then he is sick of hearing about the foundational law of this land. So then why is he so out raged when a crime is committed??
Damn Yankee and I have a similar background. While a helo crew chief in Vietnam, he nearly got perforated with 12.7mm AAA. Our guys made the bad guys pay. But, I digress. Bill Maher is a steaming pile of feces. I watched precisely 43 seconds of his rant and turned it off. He has the right to say whatever he likes, however, when he paints gun owners with the broad brush of lunacy, I get upset. Might I get a chance to have about 5 minutes of wall to wall counseling with him? Ooops, his armed guards would likely shoot me first. Hypocrite.
Well written David, as always. Most of the posters have it at least partially correct. While Maher does have the right to speak, he DOES NOT have the right to slander. I don't suppose the head-honchos at the NRA will pursue him via the legal system for his offense, citing other, 'more important' battles to wage, but they most assuredly should! A court determination turning him into a major contributor would be quite satisfying.
Lucem
I usually never post on boards for exactly these reasons. It always becomes a "he said-she said" argument. But this was over the top and un-excusable. And I guess that's what Maher is good at. And of course it all generates ratings.
The fact that I'm appalled by Maher calling gun ownership a "vice" like "sex addiction" when such ownership is 1) rooted in law, 2) self defense is a fundamental human right (even recognized by the UN , self defense as a basic human right) 3) he has glossed over the fact that there is no definitive proof that the AZ shooter was politically biased OR listened to "talk radio" (which is a big media undertone right now)and 4) ditched the concept of personal responsibility.
If a person driving a car takes a life either by accident, impairment or by purpose, we do not attempt to regulate away the car. We regulate the behavior (ie drunken driving laws) and punish the individual. If it is so over regulated then it is no longer a right, but then a privilege. But again there are some ~23,000 laws on the law books currently regulating gun rights
I also noted his disdain for the NRA... again fine. But just to name 2 US Presidents who were Life Members of the NRA were JFK and Reagan. There were others. So Maher gets to equate gun ownership and gun owners to pornography on national TV and there is no accountability I find reprehensible. But then again the left calls our soldiers "baby killers". I guess you're right.......... I shouldn't be surprised. Thats American TV at its finest. I'd call TV pornography
Bill Maher's an I-D-I-O-T. No further comment needed.
Maher is a elitist/leftist "Shock Jock", nothing more. He criticizes those on the right for being shock jocks, two-faced.
He has poor ratings and is trying to get them up to make a sequel to his failed "Religulous" movie.
The audience reaction pretty much showed how out of sync he is with real people.
S.O.P. for the intellectual infant that is Bill Mahr. Also standard conduct for all liberals who have no facts to debate with. In the diseased liberal mind, this is what passes as acceptable discourse and reasonable political rhetoric.
Bill Mahar only knows how ridicule and name call without any supporting facts and as such he is the new generation's "Hanoi Jane". There will always be one and if people want to give Jay Leno and NBC (?) a lesson then write intelligent but condemning letters and e-mails concerning Leno's choice of guests. Make Mahar very unpopular with sponsors and hosts. Men like this will always be around to tear things down and try to force their opinion on others through the twisting of words and ridicule. But when all is said and done they have done nothing constructive and only been hurtful and unkind. Take away Mahar's supporters and this man will be back to entertaining in neighborhood bars for drinks which is where be belongs. Make Jay Leno and his boss pay for this and that will hurt Mahar more than any complaining by us. Bill Mahar is no man by any man's stretch of the imgination and he knows it so he tears down other men. Bill Mahar was GIVEN freedom by birthright and never had to fight for it so he throws it away and wants to throw yours away along with it. But when someone puts the shackles on him and makes him a slave who do you think he will cry to?
I was shocked that no one in the audience stood up and proclaimed "You Lie!" nor challenged him in any fashion (unless it was cut from the tape). Had I been in the audience, I would probably been thrown out of the studio.
The nationally broadcast image of that gun wielding elderly woman, savagely attacked by California CHP officers conducting gun confiscation missions after Katrina... is infinitely more substantive then anything this jooboy media puppet could EVER communicate by word or deed.
The same types that murdered 60 million countrymen under Stalin are manning the levers of power in America and it would behoove EVERY MAN, WOMAN & ABLE CHILD TO GEAR UP!
Every household should have at least 20 thirty round mags of NATO .308 or .223 for each rifle/for each able family member...so...when they come...and we all know they will...like Solzhenitsyn admonishes in Gulag Archipelago, rather than cower in the shadows...WE WILL FIGHT!
Now somebody do America a favor and kick that Billy guy in mouth and knock some teeth out...break a jaw so no one has to accidentally hear his voice.
One final comment from me: The only thing that stops Congress and the President from taking over this country and suspending voting rights are two facts. One is the military would not go along with it but more importantly they would be facing an armed public that does not have to march anywhere since we are America and we are prepared to defend it. We could not do this if the Second Amendment was either eliminated or restricted to the point of being useless. Bill Mahar and his bosses know this which is why they are ramping up the ridicule as they become more and more desperate. Why hasn't the NRA filed a lawsuit against Mahar, Leno, and NBC. See how fast Leno stands up and refutes Mahar when his car collection may be taken to pay off a lawsuit to the NRA. Why not boycott the sponsors of the Leno show and send letters to Leno and NBC demanding a public apology? We can complain all day long in print but until the NRA takes a stand and files a lawsuit they will get away with it.
People like what's his face Bill. He needs to pack-up his Rags and Family Tree and go back to where they started from. One can almost believe he and his kind were born of Apes, and fell out of a tree on their heads sometime in there lives. ,, God Bless, Jimmie
at one point in my life i actually liked mahr...now he has proven that he is not worthy of the respect or admiration of any real free thinking american..."sick of hearing about the 2nd amendment and the constitution.." where the hell do you think you are...this is the united states of america, news flash mr mahr, the constitution is the supreme law of the land. and if not for the constitution a punk like you would not have made any money running you mouth...needless to say i dont agree with your side here, i am a gun owner and a veteran, who are you to tell me i cant own a gun or a 30 round mag for my rifle? better yet what have you done for our country except promote cowardess and socialism? you are truely dispicable. here is a lesson from history just for you and those who think like you..
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms."
Richard Henry Lee
"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference they deserve a place of honor with all that is good." George Washington
"the single greatest reason for the american people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is so that as a last resort they may protect themselves against tryanny in governement."
Thomas Jefferson
and i challenge mahr or anyone else with his chain of thought to come back at me with the founding fathers are not relevent in today's world...please, i will enjoy the hell out of ramming those words back down your throat.
Ahh, Bill Maher, "cheap shot for applause artist."
And Leno, he loves motorcycles, perhaps even addicted to them. I wonder if he should just admit it and the fact that he could kill someone or himself with a motorcycle?
Then there is the old bromide...that the difference between a conservative and a liberal is that if a conservative does not like guns, he doesn't own one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, then no one should own one.
Mahr reminds me of Union General Henry Thomas who stated, " I'm tired of states' rights." This despite the FACT that America and its Constitution were all about STATES RIGHTS and NOTHING more. Mahr should be resigned to a mental ward with the rest of the looney liberals.
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