Bill should stick to what he knows; Drugs and being smug.

when's the "leave benny alone" video coming out?

again, pareene bill maher is fine. a couple of stupid comments here and there but okay. jeez.

If the Catholic Church ever came out in favor of prostitution Maher would bang his head on the baptismal font in his rush to convert.

How about we make a deal and agree that everything the Catholic Church has to say about U.S. electoral politics is as relevant as everything U.S. entertainers have to say about God? Fair enough?

Good, then next we can go back to 2004 and unwrite a certainly letter that got read in Catholic Churches a week before our Presidential election declaring that voting for certain candidates was a mortal sin. Because for some of us fans of the establishment clause and whatnot, that was definitely not appreciated, especially since the swing in the Catholic vote in New Mexico and Ohio was enough to tip the election. Oh, and the guy who wrote the letter? Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

@richardmarxhatesmyhair: Hey! My turf!

typo on "arguably," line 5.

and I still disagree with the tone of this blanket commentary on Catholicism (also, being in Hitler Youth does not make you a Nazi, I should know, my father survived the Holocaust, and forgave and reunited with his best friend from that time--who, like the Pope, was conscripted as such--50 years later, which I was present for in Germany, after the Wall fell, to share and witness), but I already called Hamilton out for that previously, so I'm gonna leave it alone now. but I do normally find both of you to be far more enlighteningly evenhanded!

God, I'm going to sound like a commercial, but Bill Maher has the lowest bullshit level of any news talk show I can think of, and I watch most of them. His problems are mostly of the "playing for clapter" and the "inexplicable bookings" kinds.

New York Press knows a thing or two about anti-Pope backlash.

I suppose the nail in the coffin for me was that Guardian piece from 2005, which basically said that Ratzi was neck-deep in the coverup of the sex abuse scandal. How he got elected is beyond me, since he put the good of the organization ahead of the welfare of children... oh, wait. That sort of explains itself. And Maher's comment.

So, I'll use the same argument about the Pope that evangelicals use about gays: he can't be discriminated against, because he's rich and powerful and has the freedom to do whatever he wants.

1st Amendment, folks.

Aw, I guess it's just too darned tough to actually get worked up for things that do matter: genocide in Darfur, abortions in China, etc.

Much easier to phone it in the fake-rage from your La-Z-Boy.

George W. Bush is a war criminal.

Or am I missing something?

The reason this is a big issue is that we cannot lose one of the two or three liberals on the air while Fox and its allied neonazis continue to campaign for repealing the 20th and 21st centuries.

Establishment clause refers to the government meddling with religion, not the other way around. Religious leaders are free to rant, rave and tell their parishioners/congregants/fellow cult members to vote for whoever the hell they want.

@bess marvin, girl detective: Bill maher's a shit. He's a horse from the same stable as ann coulter and o'reilly. As his popularity declines and his age waxes to the fullness of death, he has to say more and more ridiculous things to stay afloat and get attention. He debases any reasonable issue he touches.

By the way: Scroll Lock, Hez, Supergoddess... there's an update to that tumblr I was working on. It's kinda funny.

@Mike_Jahn: ?

@BettyCrocker: Thank you! And a recent NY Times article just confirmed that the abuse victims that were visited by Pope Benedict, who was part of the commission that covered up the abuse for years, were none too please. If the CEO of Coca-Cola was hiding the fact that employees were having NAMBLA meetings and orgy's at company conferences, people would be outraged but if it's the ambassador of Christ love that's doing it, it's hunky dory. Pls explain.

@SpecialK: Point taken. At the point that that letter was written, however, did the ranting into the politcal sphere negate the religious basis for the tax exemption (an unrelated opint to the First, I admit, but jejune). I guess my beef is, if you're purpose is political, start paying taxes like everyone else.

@Pope John Peeps II:

I left a message for you on your profile page. Can I hit you up for some Tumblr advice?

@richardmarxhatesmyhair: I meant that joking about drugs and being smug is MY turf.

@VirusWithShoes: Pareene never said he wasn't. Just said that calling the pope that was "no more hate speech than" calling that of W.

@roodles: excuse me, I meant "that were commenting on the Pope's visit" not being "visited by the pope."

And anyway, my point is that any influential person who takes it upon themselves to continue a reign of incompetence upon us by bullying members of his church needs to man up and take some shit, and his followers can suck it.

@Pope John Peeps II: Can't wait to see it! Didn't have a chance to reply last night.

@Pope John Peeps II: Maher is actually pretty intelligent and nuanced when he discusses straight politics. He's a cut off the Clinton block - he loves details and policy. It's when he discusses cultural issues that he scares most people because being a political elitist is fine (as he's said before) but being a cultural elitist is just ugly.

@LoveHandles: Well that's true. He's a clever man, and I'm sure he's quite up on the news. But he has chosen a career in which he has to say very big-topic reactionary things to get an audience to listen and clap with mean delight. Like with all the other people of that ilk, it turns bad eventually.

It's commentary in the service of vanity, which removes it from the truth of situations.

Also, I'm wondering who's going to defend the Pope once John Bolton reacts to his saying the US needs to stop undermining the UN this morning. You think Maher's an a-hole, wait till Bolton gets wound up.

@Pope John Peeps II: luckily, he isn't the only person on his show. he has a panel of people who views are very interesting.

@LoveHandles: Oh - ok. Thanks. I was worried there.

@Pope John Peeps II: oh, I need your address again, got tied up the other day and couldn't email

Religious leaders are free to rant, rave and tell their parishioners/congregants/fellow cult members to vote for whoever the hell they want.

They do so at considerable peril v-a-v their tax status, though. The IRS prohibits churches from campaigning, unless they want to pay taxes as other political groups do.

If Ratzi wants to play in the political arena, give up your tax exempt status and pay up, pal. Until such time, shut up, on all candidates.

@BalknChain: it's on my profile page! woot! (thanks,mirriam-webster)

@Pope John Peeps II: oh good, I'll check it out. You have a star now too-alsome!

@Pope John Peeps II: I don't see it; your page is structured a little differently than mine. Hint please :)

okay. check your profile page.

Maher calling the Pope a Nazi goes along the same lines as my father not buying any German-made cars. It's a Jew thing, methinks. The last Pope? Well, we love our pierogies, and he grew up in a Jewish Community, so we're cool with him. This one is not only German, but was a member of the Hitler Youth (even if it was against his will).

Hell, even when I point out that our last name is German (complete with German dictionary), he will outright deny it. I go with it being an old-skool Jew thing.

Also, the man comes during Passover, and brings no jelly rings, no chocolate covered almonds for dinner? What chutzpah!
Whoops, I have to save up the Jew in me for this weekend, can't use it all up in one post.

I would be really sad if I couldn't tune in to a top quality rant against religion by Bill Maher.

Just watching the inner hate rise up and burn in his face as he arbitrarily aims at religion is as gratifying as watching Olbermann read one of his equally uncomfortably revealing monologues off the teleprompter - arbitrarily aiming at the White House.

And if you want to talk about smug: please, Jon Stewart wins in the smug race without any question...

@McCheeburger:

Oh my GOD, totally. I totally forgot about that. If he wants to get political then start paying taxes. Pretty simple equation.

@reluctantwhore: There are a ton of easy targets around.

@Pope John Peeps II: well put. But, does that mean we can't like any pundits? My thinking is that any position - not just punditry - that requires things of you will make you sacrifice to it's will time and again.

@dogisdead:
Yeah there sure is something suspicious of him coming at the start of Passover & holding the big NYC mass on a Jewish holiday.
Sounds like he didn't want any Jews showing up at anything he does.
Sort of like the "identity stew" the right wing French give to the poor Muslims in that country, it's full of pork so they go to hell.

But then again, he going to desecrate a shul in Manhattan.

Real Time is the only political program I watch. As a fellow atheist, I appreciate the counterpoint his show provides to the endless fawning TV news coverage of the Pope's visit. But Bill is a comedian and not a political pundit so he'll exaggerate for comic effect. His show is not meant to be the MacNeil Lehrer Repot!

Bill Maher's foreskin has aids and his poop smells of starbucks!
but the kid's got moxy...ya gotta give 'em dat!