Ala. Congressman wants Bill Maher show off-air

May 23, 2005 — A congressman says comedian Bill Maher's comment that the U.S. military has already recruited all the "low-lying fruit" is possibly treasonous and at least grounds to cancel the show.

Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., takes issue with remarks on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, first aired May 13, in which Maher points out the Army missed its recruiting goal by 42 percent in April.

"More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club," Maher said. "We've done picked all the low-lying Lynndie England fruit, and now we need warm bodies."

"I think it borders on treason," Bachus said. "In treason, one definition is to undermine the effort or national security of our country."

"I don't want (Maher) prosecuted," Bachus said. "I want him off the air."

That's a pretty broad definition of treason there. How does pointing out that the army missed it's recruiting goal by 42% in April (in a joking manner or not) qualify as an attempt to undermine the effort or nation security?

 

A BAMA boy found those remarks offensive?

 

More posturing by these fools in Washington. :dis:

 

I believe the real reason he wants BM off the air is because he's largely percieved as a loudmouth liberal. I don't really understand exactly what it was he way saying, but I'm sure it wouldn't take much for R's in high places to call for his head.

 

I don't mean any disrespect to the overwhelming majority of armed forces, past and present. But I have two friends who were arrested on drug charges and were given the choice of serving their sentence or joining the armed forces for 4 years.

I'm from a pretty small town, so I'm thinking this goes on quite a bit.

I don't see anything wrong in Maher questioning both the lengths recruiters will go to to get people to volunteer, and the quality of the volunteers that join up in this time of conflict.

 

I think Maher should be off the air too, but only because he's not funny and doesn't seem very bright.

His comments don't seem off base on this one though.

 

Maher's a tool. That's why he lost his gig on ABC. He's still bitter about that.

That having been said, I think the Alabama congressman is way off base here. Maher needs to stay on TV if only because people need to be reminded of what a horse's ass really looks and sounds like.

 

Mystikal, I've know of other people that went into the armed forces for the same reason. I also think that some of the kids that join nowadays are the ones that got picked on when they were little & just want to be macho.

My old roommate is a Marine. I have the utmost respect for what he does for our country, but don't have much respect for him as a person. He was a little twit who thought the world owed him everything because he was a Marine.

I don't think joining the armed forces has that old heroic appeal that it used to in many of today's youth.

 

all the male members of my family is/were in the military. my dad was a major, his dad was a colonel and commandant of a military academy. my other grandfather was a pilot in ww2. my brother in law is military intelligence, and a former ranger and green beret who has fought in kosovo, iraq, and was near pat tillman when he died in afganistan. his father is a general. i am the only male in my family not in the military. all of these guys have college degrees and occasionally masters degrees. my bro in law has a masters degree in engineering and and speaks 4 languages including arabic. i dont think any of my family joined the military because they are "low lying fruit".

not very respectful of bill maher to say that, but even stupider of the alabama dude to go ballistic about it.