I Can't Watch Bill Maher Tonight. It Isn't Funny Anymore.

[leftchick]

The shooting by a VP with no investigation is not funny.

The robbing from the poor to pay the rich is not funny.

Nothing about Iraq is funny.

Bush and his mangled syntax is not funny.

The lack of investigations for any of the criminal acts by bush is not funny.

Alito is not funny.

4 out of 5 people voting on DREs this fall is not funny.

Global warming and the lack of US response is not funny.

Spying on Americans is not funny.....Etc., Etc. ad nauseum.

I do not feel like laughing anymore...... :cry:

[KoKo]

1. Agree....it's NOT funny, anymore..... It's gone past satire and wit...it's

our Lives at stake and those of our dependents.

It's just not FUNNY....:-(

[Jackpine Radical]

4. For me, humor is a weapon.

And I always think of Victor Frankl at times like these.

[hopeisaplace]

28. funny you should say this, cause I had been thinking the same thing

..it isn't funny anymore..it's harder to laugh at this stuff when comedians go at it,
..weird, we're on the same wave length which means there must be a lot more people
feeling this way

[leftchick]

30. Exactly KoKo

I think of the future of my children constantly because of the rat bastards. It isn't fucking funny.

[ellenfl]

2. i'll watch him for ya. i can't wait! eom

[Mr Rabble]

3. Im with both of you here.

And I dont think Bill gets it. If he did, he would be screaming malloy style on HBO.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. You get better results with wit than with bombast.

[Mr Rabble]

40. Maybe, maybe not. Maher is as pompous as they come.

To me anyway. If it wasn't for the guests, Real Time would be a snoozer.

I find Malloy's acerbic wit to be very appropriate.

Laughing along with Fred Barnes or agreeing with Dan Senor is just infuriating.

[lala_rawraw]

5. Yeah, but at least the right wing morons he has on

Can be tortured on HBO and yelled at. Now if that does not happen, I say turn it off.

[leftchick]

11. have you ever seen him fawn over Coulter?

it is disgusting.

[Cleita]

16. I have also seen him really put her down, telling her that

what she just said is plain ridiculous.

[lala_rawraw]

39. and makes jokes that she keeps

her mouth shut when he is fxxxing her? that I think is funny

[Blue_In_AK]

60. She hasn't been on his show in quite a while...

The last time she was on the monitor. It's been ages since she's been on the panel. Maybe the thrill is gone...

[Edgewater_Joe]

6. If You Can't Laugh, You Won't Be Able To Fight

Consider it therapy, or recharging your batteries, or just venting with laughter what you can't vent through anger. But if you lose your sense of humor, you let Bush win.

I truly believe that, and I ain't gonna let it happen. You shouldn't, either.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Dammit, Cherie.... I know how you feel.

Well said.

[Pryderi]

8. He seems less critical than he used to be.

[libnnc]

9. I hear ya. I can't laugh at this stuff anymore either.

It's too much to process. I'm watching Lou Reed right now in concert on the Ovation channel.

At 11pm, they're showing Cat Stevens concert circa 1971. Cool live music helps me sort through some of the crap. :toast:

[leftchick]

17. that sounds like a plan

Have you ever seen this site? http://youtube.com/

:hi:

[babylonsister]

23. What is the Ovation Channel? Dish TV or Direct? Sounds great! nt

[libnnc]

25. It's on my Time Warner package

It's the digital tier (digital specialty channel). It's way better than A&E. It's all concerts and docs/interviews with artists. I love it.

[babylonsister]

27. Bummer; I don't get it, but thanks. Maybe I can ask for an

addition!

[EFerrari]

10. I know.

:hug:

If we can laugh, it helps for a minute.

If we can't, well, some quiet, some rest, some privacy.

Take care of yourselh, leftchick.

:hug:

/f

[burythehatchet]

12. I hope it wasn't something I said..

:hug:

[leftchick]

19. This has been a really bad week

I mean think about it. It has been fucked up! And it isn't you. Thanks for the hug.

[Cleita]

13. These are the times you have to laugh or you will either go

crazy or become one of them. Humor is what punctures those things we often hold sacred that shouldn't be sacred, uh sacred cows and things like that.

[Ksec]

14. You better learn to lighten up

Or youll go fukin bananas.

Especially in this country , right now.

[ThoughtCriminal]

15. Mark Twain used wit to attack the cruelest

and least funny institutions in the country. It works and there is a long legacy of humorists who have used it to combat injustice. One thing all the propaganda in the world can't repell is being laughed at.

[Cleita]

20. You are so right. We need more rapier wits in these times.

We need an American version of Monty Python aimed at the dimwits who are making us so unhappy.

[burythehatchet]

18. OK - REQUIRED READING

LIVE IT!!

The Character of the Happy Warrior by William Wordsworth
Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
That every man in arms should wish to be?
It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought:
Whose high endeavours are an inward light
That makes the path before him always bright;
Who, with a natural instinct to discern
What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn;
Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
But makes his moral being his prime care;
Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,
And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!
Turns his necessity to glorious gain;
In face of these doth exercise a power
Which is our human nature's highest dower:
Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves
Of their bad influence, and their good receives:
By objects, which might force the soul to abate
Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;
Is placable--because occasions rise
So often that demand such sacrifice;
More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
'Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
Upon that law as on the best of friends;
Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
To evil for a guard against worse ill,
And what in quality or act is best
Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
He labours good on good to fix, and owes
To virtue every triumph that he knows:
Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means; and there will stand
On honourable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire;
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state;
Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,
Like showers of manna, if they come at all:
Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a peculiar grace;
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a Lover; and attired
With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw;
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need:
He who, though thus endued as with a sense
And faculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a Soul whose master-bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;
Sweet images! which, wheresoe'er he be,
Are at his heart; and such fidelity
It is his darling passion to approve;
More brave for this, that he hath much to love:--
'Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,
Conspicuous object in a Nation's eye,
Or left unthought-of in obscurity,--
Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not--
Plays, in the many games of life, that one
Where what he most doth value must be won:
Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,
Nor thought of tender happiness betray;
Who, not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward, persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self-surpast:
Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name--
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is he
That every man in arms should wish to be

[leftchick]

22. thank you

but you made me cry again!

[burythehatchet]

26. You see these last four lines

Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is he
That every man in arms should wish to be


....are really all we need. Eastern philosophy teaches us that we should act according to our moral convictions, according to our duty as prescribed by our circumstances. But we cannot and must not be attached to the result of our actions

[babylonsister]

21. I'm watching because it isn't funny; I need a laugh. nt

[globalvillage]

24. If we couldn't laugh

we would all go insane.
-J. Buffett

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

29. Helen Thomas Is On Tonight

I'm basically going to watch to see her. I don't like Maher as much as Stewart.

[robbibaba]

31. I think Bill Maher is pathetic.

Just the fact that he calls Ann Coulter his friend is enough for me. I'd rather watch a Daly Show rerun anyday.
One of the few times I did watch ol' Bill he had a segment on these Nazi twins who were doing fascist folksongs or something. Because they were homeschooled he launched into this vicious diatribe against homeschooling. As if all homeschoolers are right wing fundamentalist fascists. WTF? We really don't need any straw men to knock down, thank you very much.

[linazelle]

33. I agree totally. I stopped watching last season--unfortunately

I will try to stomach him once again tonight because I'm away from home and haven't seen TDS or Colbert or any program for a whole week. I'll check back in afterwards depending upon how sick I am.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

32. I'm with you, it all sucks

and it's not funny.

I watch Jon Stewart and David Letterman and they get a laugh out of me, but the truth is that it's not at all funny.

The President having sex in the WH with an intern is funny (unless you're his wife or kid, then I guess it's not so funny); the President and his staff lying cheating and committing treason, and causing the deaths of thousands of innocent people -- AND THEN GETTING RE-ELECTED -- is not at all funny. It just sucks.

[FreedomAngel82]

34. I know how you feel

I'm watching because of Russ Feingold and Helen Thomas.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

35. At least he isn't saying that Iraq turned out to be a good idea anymore

like he did in the opening show last year. At least, I hope he doesn't take that position because it's obvious that Iraq is going to take a long, long time to turn into a functional country.

[ellenfl]

36. russ feingold & helen thomas! eom

[Gloria]

37. I don't get HBO, but I'm finding that I'm tuning into the

Daily Show/Colbert a lot less. I used to stay until 1 AM to watch them both, or at least catch the rerun the next day.

Lately, I find myself "forgetting"--I love both shows, but I'm too disgusted and upset to get myself geared up to watch....


I seem to find solace in TCM and the Encore channels --perpetual movie watching--with the occasional foray to BBC America for Cash in the Attic.

[cynatnite]

38. Maher is letting so much shit slide by it's sickening

It's pissing me off :grr:

[Lindacooks]

41. Here's something that might cheer you up:

One of the first things dictators get rid of are the comics. They hate being laughed at. The fact that we still have comics who poke fun at this criminal administration is a hopeful sign. Not much, but a hopeful sign.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

I can't watch Maher because

he is so damned full of himself. That makes even his funny jokes flat to me.

But Jon Stewart was able to wrench comedy out of 9/11 in his "America Freaks Out" segments, and he did it well. He laughed at our reactions rather than at our tragedy.

I think both Al Franken and Dennis Miller were funny guys until they became "activists." Maybe they shouldn't blend the line too much, huh?

[NYCGirl]

46. Dennis Miller is an "activist"? How so? NT

[AnnInLa]

47. Don't know how totally "active" he is, but

he supports the repuke party and the war. He had a short-lived TV show in which he invited all of the war hawks and bushites and put down any Dem position. He is such a big disappointment to me.

Franken, on the other hand, IMHO, along with Moore, has done alot to activate the new progressive movement in this country. Thru the sales of his books, and thru AAR, many ordinary citizens became aware of how the country was manipulated into going to war. It was after I read his first book, that I said, "holy shit" and really started paying attention. I don't find his comedy skills and his speaking skills all that compelling, but I sure like his books.....millions of others must agree with me there.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

50. I'm not really sure how to define "activist'

but he sure spends all his professional time delivering RW talking points. He does speaking engagements that are pro Bush, and has written an anti-liberal book.

I think that counts.

[NYCGirl]

53. I wasn't aware he had written a book. I just thought he had a failed TV

show.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

55. Here's an Amazon link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/102-5926741-1643324?search-alias=aps&keywords=dennis%20miller

[NYCGirl]

57. I would bet you that none of them are selling as much as this:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

58. I think you are correct

especially since I've never heard of the book by Miller before today!

[NYCGirl]

59. LOL!

Neither did I.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

42. dupe self delete

[musette_sf]

43. I watched the intro on HuffPo

and thought, well, this might be good tonight.

What a disappointment.

*2* count 'em *2* FUX Spews NeoPervs, and Chappelle wanna-be Whateverhisnamewas (okay, maybe he's really good at whatever he does, but I just kept calling him "Charlie Murphy"), vs. Saint Helen Of DC. She definitely got a chance to get her $.02 in last night, since IIRC, the last time she was on she got a bit short shrifted. But I thought she and Charlie Murphy should've gotten a room.

Funniest thing, outside of the new Gangsta Dick rap, "Go Fvck Yourself", was Freddy "Beadle" Barnes with Bu$h's d!ck way far up his ass. His "He's A Rebel" rap was a pisser. In the immortal words of another famous shootist, Phil Spector:

"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel and he never ever does just what he should
Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why I can't give him all my love"

complete lyrics :puke: at http://www.minibite.com/oldies/rebel.htm

oh yeah, on edit: he has Russ Feingold on, and all he can do is harp on how the Demos should have Saving The Earth as our #1 priority and why isn't Russ doing THAT? Like we can do a goddamn thing about saving the earth while the Bu$hCo Fascist Junta runs everything. Who the fvck got to Maher before the show, and told him to waste his time by asking one of the premier Dems to make it Priority Uno to hug some trees while the forest is being clear-cut and Rome is burning?

[LSdemocrat]

44. I never thought that Bill Maher was that funny to begin with

Sure he's occasionally funny but he's not consistently funny either as satire/political humor or as a comedian in general.

[H2O Man]

45. Sure you can.

I've talked about my nephew being attacked by a racist gang a few years back. We knew that 15 white guys attacking a brown high school student would result in a different reaction from the legal system than a gang of 15 brown people attacking a white person. That's just the way it is. So we worked with the local NAACP to "try" the case in the court of public opinion.

The gang leader got a $50 fine for having an open beer, but nothing for punching and kicking an unconscious victim, leaving him with serious physical injuries, including the loss of hearing in one ear. But the public learned about the dangers of gang violence, racial hatred, and a weak "justice" system. And the thugs hated the publicity. Hated it.

I don't think it is as important that Cheney escaped being charged for what he did, as those charges would only have been reduced or dropped completely, as it is that we are able to try him in that court of public opinion. And the Bill Maher Show is part of that. (I've never watched it before, but I'm going to start.)

[leftchick]

61. I love your optimism H20 Man

And your ability to help me view things in a different light. And I always will. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

48. I was going to watch him last night, but only half-heartedly.

I fell asleep.

I say half-heartedly because towards the middle to the end of last season I noticed a decidable shift in the direction of his show. He allowed for the rightwing pundits to run rampant with their talking points against totally uninformed "leftwing" panelists. Maher himself seemed also unschooled in subjects that probably 90% of DUers were highly educated in, and he was unable to rebut the Bushbots. I recall one of the last shows of his past season where he had some asshole rattling on about the Plame case, spouting lies, and an audience member took it upon themselves to correct the facts and Maher shooshed that person. I was furious.

I will try to catch the rerun from last night, but not with the same eagerness I used to have. Way to sad......

[Generator]

49. That's how I feel about the Daily Show now

So sad. I rarely watch. I did watch Maher last night-partly because his show is actual debate-but I agree it's not really so funny anymore. Tip: Tape it and then you can fast forward through stupidity and save your blood pressure. Also-as I told my husband it's like the whole thing is one bad joke, it's so bad, so over the top bad-and Fred Barnes sounded so deluded, so like, well my husband agreed that maybe they are doing something to these people and inserting them with chips or something. They no longer make any sense. It's insane.

For me the funniest part was the opening with Cheney. Maher is never very funny and it pissed me off that he was his not bright self again and didn't seem to get the point of the spying-total information corrupts totally. He seemed to think privacy is no big deal. Well, dumbass it is when they use it against you however they want. America is doomed. Is that funny?

[leftchick]

62. Thank you for confirming my worst fears

I knew it would be bad. I believe Bill has no clue just how far in control the cabal is. He probably believes they can still be voted out!

I feel the same about John Stewert too. It just is not funny when it is life and death.

:(

[Babel_17]

51. The quality of last night's show was terrible

I have to wonder about the show's production values, I think they don't have the budget for the quality people who help orchestrate a great show of this type.

I'm wondering if the A-list guests he used to get are still willing to appear. And will the televised guests he does get be willing to play along with frank questioning?

I think his show might have suffered irreperable harm when he made those tentative moves towards favoring the rationale behing invading Iraq and getting a more conservative audience.

I started a thread about that way back when.

Edit: I'd left out the word "moves"

[dogday]

54. Audience response on Bill Maher was great when he

first came out and then they did not clap at certain points like they used to. It was like there were a bunch of Republicans in the audience. I know he invites them to be in the audience, maybe they came....

[debbierlus]

52. I agree. Same with John Stewart

Ha Ha Ha...

Thousands homeless due to Katrina...

Ha ha ha....

Iraq war was started on total complete lies...

Ha ha ha....

Boy, they sure are a bunch of bozos.....

Ha ha ha ha....

Yeah. Fucking hilarious.

[upi402]

56. is it overwith here?

i can't tell anymore...
a bit lost too.