posted on September 26, 2001 07:31:29 AM new
Maher has the Constitutional right to say what he said, but there is no Constitutional right for him to say it on national television. It's a common mistake among Americans to confuse Constitutionally protected speech with commercial speech. We have the right to say what we want, without the fear of being prosecuted by the government. We do NOT have the right to say what we want when we're doing it commercially for the benefit of our employer. The television network pays Maher to perform. When the television network decides that Maher is not performing to the level that they want him to perform, they have every right to fire him. (note: I have no idea what type of contract Maher has with the network, contractual obligations will superceed common labor-employer relations in most cases)
posted on September 26, 2001 09:43:53 AM new
The facts:
1) What he said was not joking.
2) He did not criticize current U. S. policy in Afghanistan. Unless someone has inside information, that specific plan hasn't been announced. He was talking about past military actions.
3) No one here said that it is an issue of Constitutional law. It is an issue related to toleration of ideas.
4) If you watch the show, you know that the topics presented are always debated among the 5 participants, so there is no official position being presented.
5) ABC continues to support the show.
Even if he had been critical of the current war efforts, which he was not, I believe that he should still be able to voice his opinion; however, this is an instance of taking part of a statement from context and twisting its meaning.
If Joe McCarthy were still around, he would be salivating.
posted on September 26, 2001 09:56:43 AM newMaher has the Constitutional right to say what he said, but there is no Constitutional right for him to say it on national television.
I don't think people are posting because Maher's constitutional rights have been violated. I think it has more to do with the irony that people are objecting to comments they find offensive which were made on a show called Politically Incorrect.
posted on September 26, 2001 10:02:43 AM new
Well, let the "people" say what they want. Ironically, the end result will more likely be more people watching the show than before. 'Let's see what he's going to say next' sort of behavior. If the network loses advertising revenue because of him, that's a different matter altogether. Usually, controversy increases viewership, which makes the show more attractive to advertisers. I would be VERY surprised if the network did anything to "punish" him for these comments.
And yes, I do occasionally watch his show, though not very often. It's amusing to watch the half brain-dead celebrities try to match wits with some of the intellectuals he has as guests.
posted on September 26, 2001 10:17:51 AM new
I've never seen the show, but now I definitely want to check it out. All I have to do is find it. What night is it on?
As for whether it stays on or not, as in most things...the market will prevail. He's an entertainer, right? I'm sure he'll play it for maximum viewership, once he discovers the optimum degree of outrage required to keep the folks tuning in...
