The Racism of Planned Parenthood

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Kudos to all the folks who have made this story possible:

Republican congressman joined black pastors and pro-life activists in a demonstration at Planned Parenthood offices in the nation's capital today to protest an alleged pattern of racist practices by the abortion provider.

"African-Americans are having abortions at a hugely disproportionate rate according to their population, and Planned Parenthood has no shame whatsoever in accepting money that specifically targets our community," said Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union.

Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona appeared at the event this morning along with black leaders who signed a letter to all presidential candidates, the Congressional Black Caucus, both Republican and Democrat Congressional and Senatorial Campaign Committees and the Democrat and Republican National Committees.

The protesters, mobilized by the group Students for Life, are demanding Congress stop funding Planned Parenthood, which received more than $336 million in government grants and contracts in the most recent fiscal year, according to the organization's annual report.

The leaders presented documentation of an undercover investigation, reported by WND, in which a pro-life student magazine at UCLA found Planned Parenthood staffers in seven states were willing to accept a financial donation targeting the destruction of an unborn black baby.

It is about time that Planned Parenthood gets called on the carpet. Founded by the virulently racist, progressive heroine and eugenicist Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood has been responsible for the deaths of more Black children than the Sudanese military in Darfur.

At one point, Sanger lamented "the ever increasing, unceasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all." Another time, Sanger wrote, "We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."

Bryan Fisher, executive director of Idaho Values Alliance, previously noted to WND that Planned Parenthood has located nearly 80 percent of its clinics nationwide in minority neighborhoods. About one-third of all abortions are performed on blacks, he said, even though they make up only 13 percent of the population.

Nationwide, almost half of all black pregnancies end in abortion.

Conservatives and Republicans have much to offer Blacks but rarely does this truth manifest itself in joint efforts. The type of protest on view here should be a model for working together in the future.

HotAir takes note as well.

Operation Chaos Scores Again - John McCain, Not So Much

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North Carolina Republican Party- Obama Ad



McCain Condemns Obama, Rev. Wright Ad



The North Carolina Republican Ad which points out Barack Obama's friendship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has gotten scads of attention over the last few days, most of it missing the point. Chief among the point-miss-ers is, as usual, John McCain who, sight unseen denounced it. McCain, of course never misses an opportunity to remind Republicans, who periodically try to forget, how much contempt he has for them. His criticism of the ad is empty and baseless. Listen to him becoming increasingly agitated in the clip, above and you'll notice that while he's railing against "the kind of ad that was put up by the North Carolina Republican party" he never actually says why he finds it to be so objectionable. Probably because there is nothing objectionable about it. It is a mere restatement of the fact that Obama has had a longstanding relationship with the racist Rev.

In fact the ad is ostensibly aimed at two Democratic gubernatorial candidates but if they were its real targets the ad would have to be considered a failure. Their connection to Obama and his relationship with Wright is too remote to have any effect on any rational voter. It is kind of like saying that you won't vote for Congressman X because his third cousin is a pedophile. There have to be better arguments against these guys.

Rush Limbaugh sees the ad as another beachhead in Operation Chaos' master plan, reminding voters why Obama is untrustworthy leading them into Hillary Clinton's camp. On these grounds Rush is probably right. The North Carolina Primary is May 6 and the timing of the ad is coincidental enough that it is likely no coincidence at all. McCain probably figures that coming out against the ad and slugging the Republicans will help him with Dems and Independents. He can't be blamed for doing something that will benefit him but somehow he always manages to do it at the expense of the rest of the Republican Party. This screw-you attitude may fit his personality and it may gain him some non-Republican votes but you have to wonder how much of this Republicans are willing to take. It is only April. Another seven months of the same and McCain may just find that he's picked up a few new friends and lost a lot more old.

Sister Toldjah also has her say on the matter.

Showgirls Director Discovers "The Real Jesus" - Sure He Does

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Archaeologists are scientists who study the history human culture. Years of study and fieldwork are required. Movie directors and producers aren't archaeologists. These simple facts come to mind after seeing this story, the latest in which a Hollywood movie producer/director claims to have made a history shattering discovery about the "real story" of Jesus Christ.

Hollywood is the land of make-believe in which people run around and pretend to be things they are not. This is usually done by actors but the pretending must be contagious. Director...oh, I'm sorry, "archaeologist" Paul Verhoeven, director of such scientifically profound films such as Basic Instinct (you know the one where Sharon Stone shows her lady bits) and RoboCop has apparently uncovered the "truth" about Jesus' father (No, he is not God. Duh).

In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will make the shocking claim that Christ probably was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee.

An Amsterdam publishing house said Wednesday it will publish the Dutch filmmaker's biography of Jesus, "Jesus of Nazareth: A Realistic Portrait," in September.

It will be translated into English in 2009, Marianna Sterk of the publishing house J.M. Meulenhoff said. Verhoeven hopes it will be a springboard for him to raise interest in making a film along the same lines, she said.

Of course not everybody is impressed:

Catholic League President Bill Donohue called Verhoeven's claim about Mary "laughable."

"Here we go again with idle speculation grounded in absolutely nothing," Donohue told FOXNews.com. "He has no empirical evidence to support his claim, which is why they say 'may have.'"

Donohue also mocked the fact that Verhoeven — best known for directing the famous Sharon Stone crotch scene in "Basic Instinct" — reportedly worked on the book for 20 years, only to come up with a "probably."

"He's been working 20 years trying to sell this argument and hasn't come up with anything," Donohue said. "This won't make a dent with Christians, nor with scholars somewhat wary of the biblical account."

Bummer.

Verhoeven follows in the footsteps of director James Cameron who produced a book and a film, The Lost Tomb of Jesus which suggested,

...that a first-century ossuary found in a south Jerusalem cave in 1980 contained the remains of Jesus, contradicting the Christian belief that he was resurrected and ascended to heaven.

Ossuaries are stone boxes used at the time to store the bones of the dead.

The filmmakers also suggest that Mary Magdalene was buried in the tomb, that she and Jesus were married, and that an ossuary labeled "Judah son of Jesus" belonged to their son.

The scholars who analyzed the Greek inscription on one of the ossuaries after its discovery read it as "Mariamene e Mara," meaning "Mary the teacher" or "Mary the master."

Unfortunately for Cameron his extraordinary scholarship wasn't terribly well received, either:

According to Pfann's [Stephen Pfann, a textual scholar and paleographer at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem] reading, the ossuary did not house the bones of "Mary the teacher," but rather of two women, "Mary and Martha."

"In view of the above, there is no longer any reason to be tempted to link this ossuary ... to Mary Magdalene or any other person in biblical, non-biblical or church tradition," Pfann wrote.

In the interest of telling a good story, Pfann said, the documentary engaged in some "fudging" of the facts.

"James Cameron is a great guru of science fiction, and he's taking it to a new level with Simcha Jacobovici. You take a little bit of science, spin a good yarn out of it and you get another 'Terminator' or 'Life of Brian,'" said Pfann, who briefly appeared as an ossuary expert in the documentary.

In the past Hollywood's product was seen, for good or ill as a sort of emissary of American values. In recent years Hollywood values have travelled so far to the Left of those of average Americans' that Americans (when they go to movies at all, which is not often) seem to be the foreign audience, the values they see being representative of a spoiled, wealthy elite.

Perhaps at some time in the future Hollywood will return to values that their audience recognizes. But judging by this story it isn't likely to happen soon.

Stop The ACLU is also on the case.

Abortion Art Update

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Yale University said Monday it will not install an art project by a student who claims to have filmed herself inducing repeated abortions unless she includes a disclaimer saying it is a work of fiction.

A disclaimer? Here's a better idea: pull the whole perverted mess and find some psychiatric care for this unstable young woman. Oh wait, the decision was made by Yale University. Never mind.

Aiming For Sensible Policies

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In a move almost guaranteed to lower their GPAs some students at the University of Central Florida have taken to walking around campus with empty gun holsters in protest of University administrators' banning the carrying of firearms. An obvious response to the recent high profile high school and university bloodbaths the students here are showing more maturity than most of their professors who are more interested in Left-wing fantasies than real-world facts.

The kids in the video make what should be an undeniable fact; that if there had been other students on campus carrying firearms Columbine and Virginia Tech would have been much less bloody affairs. Dr. John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime, The Bias Against Guns and Straigh Shooting has written,

While right-to-carry laws - now operating in 40 states - do reduce violent crime generally, the effect is much larger for multiple-victim shootings. Normally about 2 to 6 per cent of adults in any state have permits, and for most crimes that means some deterrence. But for a shooting in a public place where there might be dozens or hundreds of people, it will almost ensure that at least someone - someone who is unknown to the attacker - will be able to defend themselves and others.

People won't have to wait helplessly for the killer to get them.

Students deserve schools that put their safety first. It encouraging to see them making that point.

Operation Chaos Triumphs!

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The results of the Pennsylvania primary are in and the winner is...Rush Limbaugh! Rush is the architect of what is probably the smartest election strategy of the year: the notorious Operation Chaos. Chaos is a response to the Democratic habit of crossing party lines in primaries to vote for Republicans, frequently more to disrupt the Republican field than due to their support of any Republican candidate. It is his contention (supported by more than a little evidence) that John McCain wouldn't be the current presumptive Republican nominee but for Independent and Democratic votes.

Seeing the Dems were in the most contentious primary fight in a long time Rush started encouraging his listeners to cross party lines and vote for whomever was the underdog in order to protract the very contentious Democratic campaign. With joy in his heart and a laugh in his voice Rush came up with the very Bondian name, Operation Chaos for his plan and thus was another Left-wing headache born.

The efficacy of Rush's strategy can be witnessed in the sheer irritation towards it that the Left has shown. At one point, in Ohio the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, at the behest of a Democratic Board member looked into prosecuting any voters involved in Chaos. Sadly for the Democrats, it went nowhere.

The other way to see how well Operation Chaos is working is by looking at the numbers. According to the Boston Globe:

About 100,000 GOP loyalists voted for her in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and about 38,000in Mississippi, exit polls show.

The numbers for the effect of Chaos aren't in yet for yesterday's result but it is almost a certainty that part of what looks like a large margin of victory for Hillary Clinton in Pennsylyvania is due to Rush's "foot soldiers".

And it looks like, just as Limbaugh had planned the Democratic race will continue with the candidates continuing to tear each other apart and weakening their party, which can be nothing but good news for Republicans come November.

Below is a transcript of a call from Rush's show yesterday which shows the inner workings of this most public of conspiracies.

RUSH: We have an Operation Chaos volunteer on the phone from Exton, Pennsylvania, by the name of Bill. Bill, you're doing the Lord's work out there. Thanks for the call. Hello, sir.

CALLER: Hey, Rush. Yeah, we went to vote for Hillary. I was a gun-toting evangelical clinging to those guns and clinging to my God. I went out and voted. They asked me on the way out, the pollsters asked me, "Oh, were you one of the people who switched parties?" I said, "Yeah, I switched parties." "So why did you do that?" I said, "Because of Operation Chaosssss."

RUSH: All right!

CALLER: And then they went and they said, "Okay, what are the issues? Were they Iraq, global warming?" "No," I said. "No, it's because of Operation Chaos, led by the commander-in-chief, Rush," and she just laughed. She laughed her head off. Then I went over to the Hillary table and I was there with my Republican committeeman, which he's on board with Operation Chaos as well, and I said, "I voted for Hillary," and she said, "Oh, thank you very much. Thank you very much." "But," I said, "Tomorrow, I'll be reregistering Republican," and she just laughed. It was just a classic moment.

RUSH: That's all they care about is the now anyway. You know, they'll deal with the general later. They just care about the now. They're so happy you did it. I know the Clinton campaign's grateful as they can be for Operation Chaos. They can't ever say so, but they're grateful as hell.

CALLER: It was awesome.

RUSH: So you had an exit pollster, it was an exit pollster, and they asked you if you're a switcher --

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: -- and which issues mattered, and when you said Operation Chaos, Rush Limbaugh, commander-in-chief?

CALLER: She just laughed and laughed. I said, "We want to keep this going through the convention," and she just laughed. They were young kids. They didn't really know until that day that it was in effect, but this Republican Chester County. There were quite a few there.

RUSH: Couple more questions. You say they were young. How old were these exit pollsters?

CALLER: 18, 20.

RUSH: Don't be so convinced that they don't know about Operation Chaos.

CALLER: Oh, no. They knew about it because they'd heard about it that day, I'm pretty sure. They didn't say that.

RUSH: Okay, so they laughed about it. So they must be hearing this a lot.

CALLER: Oh, yes. I'm saying, there was before -- I got there around 11 o'clock, and there was about 150 people already voted. But that's a lot because we're in a Republican county, and they were just laughing. Especially when I said, "Well, we're there to make sure the Dems keep fighting it out 'til they go to the convention."

RUSH: Way to go. Well, there you have it. There's Bill from Exton, Pennsylvania, one of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers in Operation Chaos scattered across remaining primary states. He was happy to be in Pennsylvania today voting as an Operation Chaos operative, following, by the way, to the T orders from headquarters.


BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: York, Pennsylvania. Tim, I'm glad you called. An Operation Chaos volunteer on the phone. Hello, sir.

CALLER: Mega bitter Pennsylvanian dittos.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: I have two reports, actually. One report from Saturday. I waited nearly all day for the live campaign representative to call me from the Hillary campaign, and finally the call came in.

RUSH: Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait. Why did you know that a call was coming? Why were you waiting for a phone call?

CALLER: Oh, I have never received so many phone calls. I thought I was on the Do Not Call list, but I'm not sure now.

RUSH: Wait a minute. I want to set the stage here so people understand. You're a Republican, Operation Chaos volunteer, and you registered Democrat to vote for Hillary?

CALLER: Yes. And finally that registration went through. Unfortunately, it didn't for my wife. She remained Republican, although she had tried. She did a mail-in and it didn't work.

RUSH: Yeah, there was a deadline. There was a deadline.

CALLER: Yep. But I did. I succeeded in becoming an operative, and I succeeded in getting the live phone call on Saturday, and the gentleman, very politely asked me, you know, if I was going to show my support for Hillary, go out and vote. I said, "Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't miss it," and he started thanking me, and I said, "Sure, I'm an operative for Operation Chaos." He was laughing so hard, he could barely say, "Thank you for your support," and hang up.

RUSH: They know. You know damn well he know. Despite the Drive-Bys trying to make it look like it's insignificant, ineffective, it isn't happening, they know. The exit pollsters today are laughing when Operation Chaos volunteers tell 'em they're operating with Operation Chaos orders.

CALLER: Well, the second report is from the polling station. I haven't been able to go over yet. I'm just chomping at the bit, but my wife was by earlier, and like I said, she voted Republican today for a couple of local things, and she reported that in-line campaign representatives were going down through with a notebook and just taking notes, asking people if they were part of Operation Chaos.

RUSH: (laughs) No kidding.

CALLER: They weren't throwing their bodies down in front of people telling them they couldn't vote, but they were taking notes. Not taking names, but seemed to be taking notes of what the responses were. I don't know what they're preparing for, but --

RUSH: Now, let me ask you specifically: Were these campaign workers or were these pollsters?

CALLER: Well, they were probably -- no, no. They would have been pollsters, you know, outside the campaign building.

RUSH: Okay.

CALLER: Outside the whole building.

RUSH: Before you'd gotten in there where where's no electioneering involved, before you got in there, before your wife got in there and got in line to vote. This is outside --

CALLER: Outside.

RUSH: -- before she's gone up and signed up, signed in -- and operatives, campaign operatives, pollsters want to know how many people are with Operation Chaos?

CALLER: Exactly.

RUSH: (laughter)

CALLER: There were several of my neighbors there that I know are Republican that were just kind of smiling, you know, giving the thumbs up to my wife. (laughing) You know, to believe that it's not a force to be reckoned with, I can't wait 'til tomorrow when I switch back. I really can't, because I've been getting these cravings for tofu. I stopped by and looked at the new Priuses. It's making me sick.

RUSH: Yeah, you can't hang onto this too long because --

CALLER: No.

RUSH: -- of the addictive forces that can overcome you.

CALLER: It's mentally straining, I tell you. (laughs)

RUSH: Well, they're actually asking people in line -- both Republicans and Democrats, by the way?

CALLER: Oh, yeah, yeah.

RUSH: If you're a part of Operation Chaos?

CALLER: Just going down through the line.

RUSH: "Are you Operation Chaos?" All right, that's great news. Well, you're going to go reregister tomorrow, and probably a lot others are too. A lot of others will too but that story will never be written, about the shrinking Democrat voter registration.

CALLER: I know, I know.

RUSH: (laughter.)

CALLER: I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible and am trying to make an impact.

RUSH: How come you haven't voted yet?

CALLER: I work. I'm a Republican. I'm busy working.

RUSH: Right. Well, don't --

CALLER: I'm hoping I can get through at the end of the day.

RUSH: No, no. There's no hoping in Operation Chaos.

CALLER: (laughs)

RUSH: Our mission relies not at all on hope. You've got to get in there and vote. Those are your orders!

CALLER: I will get in there and vote.

RUSH: All right. That's the only reason to switch party registration.

CALLER: Oh, believe me; I wouldn't miss it for the world.

RUSH: Tim, thanks for the call.

CALLER: Thank you, Rush.

RUSH: We really appreciate it.

Yes. Yes we do.

The Anchoress has something to say about Operation Chaos.

Obama's Secret Weapon - Bill Clinton

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If you didn't know better you would almost believe that Bill Clinton is working undercover for Obama. Interviews like the one above show him off in all his venality, defensiveness and dishonesty. Sounding thin-skinned and somewhat dumb it is astonishing that this is the guy the media touts as being one of the best political minds of our time. Hillary is lucky that the other spouse in the game, Michelle Obama may be Bill's equal in terms of being a loose cannon.

Know them by the company they keep.

*Yawn* Primary Day - Oh Well, Here We Go Again

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I have to admit that my interest in the Democratic primaries has been sagging mightily over the past few months. It would seem that the die has been cast with each state primary proving inconclusive and leaving the status boringly quo. Obama can't quite land the coup de grace and Hillary staggers around the ring, looking like she might finally either drop or land a surprising come-from-behind winning blow. And then she doesn't, leaving the ring looking much like it did in the previous round.

The only entertainment has come from the pre-game shows; the revelations about Obama's interesting buddies and Hillary's howlers, whoppers so big it makes you wonder if she has been studying Mein Kampf, copying Hitler's concept of the Big Lie, a falsehood so enormous people automatically believe it because "No one would have the nerve to tell a lie that big so it must be true." Sadly none of this amusing jousting seems to have any effect when primary day comes and on they roll to the next.

The most recent contribution to the sideshow is Hillary's latest commercial, above, in which the question is asked (over images of national and international turmoil), "Who do you think has what it takes?". The answer is supposed to be obvious but for the life of me I can't imagine that anyone would spontaneously answer "Hillary". In fact, before Hillary actually shows up I thought this was a McCain commercial. I wonder if this spot might not wind up shooting Hillary in the foot because when her image finally shows up, it is so unexpected and surprising I almost reflexively yelled out "You're kidding?" I'm guessing a fair amount of the electorate has the same reaction.

Anyway, by the end of today day all the the talking heads will agree that there has been no movement and the next primary down the road will be the one which is "decisive". Personally I'll just be waiting to see what new sludge Hill and Barry throw at each other. Oh yeah, and the next unintentionally amusing commercial.

The Sound Of Laughter

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It has, of course ended in embarrassment. Jimmy Carter's trip into the heart of darkness, the upper councils of the terrorist organization Hamas is, blessedly over, and Carter has added yet another humiliation to his resume. The very idea of the trip was derided across the political spectrum but Carter, a man possessing a capacity of nearly diagnosable self-delusion, listens only to his own historically bad counsel went any way. The results were foreordained:

JERUSALEM — Just hours after former President Jimmy Carter trumpeted Hamas' agreement to let Israel "live as a neighbor," the same terrorist leader he met with face-to-face vowed not to recognize the Jewish state.

But Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal did offer Israel a 10-year truce if it withdraws from all lands it seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The offer is, of course a fraud as it is provisional, depending on it being

...approved in a Palestinian referendum, or by a Palestinian government chosen in new elections.

The likelihood of this happening is about as good as Osama bin Laden becoming the next editor of The Weekly Standard. Add in the idea that Israel would agree to pull back to its 1967 borders, which it refuses to do for security and political reasons and you have a "deal" which is simply not serious.

Carter's sole accomplishment in this whole embarrassing spectacle is to grant Hamas a bit of credibility that an organization whose stock in trade is murder does not deserve. Carter may think the sound he hears coming from some quarters is applause when in fact it is laughter. The man who history was once going to regard merely as America's most incompetent president has seen to it that a few more pages will have to be added to accommodate the fact that he is America's worst ex-President as well.

Common Sense Political Thought has something to say on the matter, too.
And so does Blogmiester USA

Just Call Him Lucky

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Word is that John McCain is one superstitious guy, in which case this year he must have spent more time looking for his "lucky pen", checking his "lucky compass" and tenderly massaging his "lucky feather" than campaigning. Nobody is luckier than McCain these days. Just a short time ago he was persona non grata on the Right, Mr. Illegal Immigration and "that Maverick", a term said with glee by the msm but with venom by the Republican base.

Today he's the presumptive Republican nominee and with the Democratic nominees ripping each other to shreds in a mad dash to see who can go the furthest to the Left the fastest, he's starting to look like he might even win in November.

The Politico reports on how McCain is proving to be the recipient of all the bad luck that has befallen all of his rivals. At this point in the race McCain doesn't have to do much of anything to nail down his base and bring Independents to his side. With each effective whacking Hillary gives Obama and Obama gives back the voters are becoming more and more disenchanted with each of them. Conservatives aren't really paying him much attention as the sheer awfulness of Obama/Clinton makes any Republican look good. And John McCain is certainly any Republican. Through nothing but sheer luck he's managed to go from nobodies first choice to the only choice.

But before conservatives start breathing a sigh of relief that their guy isn't either of the Democrats they should remember all the things about McCain that, should he win, will leave them let down frequently and profoundly. From immigration to the environment to campaign finance reform to the peculiar joy he seems to take in sticking it to his own supporters John McCain is sure to go his own way and that way is often not our way.

So before we let take too much joy in the latest Democratic scuffle we should not forget that while John McCain may be nothing but lucky this year the same can't be said for conservatives. No matter what happens this November, over the next four years conservatives are going to have to make their own luck. Anybody have any lucky feathers?

A Green Death

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If you're like me I know that you have been tormented by the following thought: How can I see to it that when I finally take the dirt nap my corpse won't be just one more big mess with which Mother Earth has to deal? Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief as you'll see by playing the video above, that an eco-friendly death is now possible. Your stinky old corpse can now moulder away in an environmentally acceptable fashion. Just think how impressed the neighbors will be when they see that you've cared enough to die green! This is the answer to that one last big worry and gives a whole new meaning to Rest In Peace.

This is certainly the future of dying!

I'm Bill Maher...And You're Stupid

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It had been billed as Bill Maher's apology for his recent remarks about Catholicism in general and the Pope in particular but on Friday's Real Time it was obvious that an apology was the last thing that little scamp Maher had in mind...

And I bring this up because last week I got into some trouble with the Catholic League – not the first time with the Catholic League—[laughter]—how many Catholic League members? Not my biggest fans – because I said in our little essay ending the show, I said, “The Pope” – and I looked at it again; I looked at the words carefully – “used to be a Nazi.”

Okay, now, first of all, it was a joke. [laughter] Okay, we’re in a comedic context. I said he “used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats, and, ladies, he’s single.” [laughter] So, right away, we’re in the context of a joke. Okay, and “used to.” Now, but, you know what? You got me, okay. The Pope was not a Nazi. When he was a teenager, he was in the Hitler Youth. Which meant that he said the oath directly to Hitler and not to the Nazis. Which is sort of worse. [laughter] Okay. [applause]

But, wait a second. The thing that argues for their side of this is that, you know what, he was coerced into that. He was a teenager. I wouldn’t blame any teen – he was a fourteen-year-old kid in Nazi Germany. Of course he’s going to do what they tell him to do.

So, on that score, you know what, my Catholic friends, I will never make the “Pope is a Nazi” joke again. Because, you’re technically right, okay, and also because it distracts from the main point. And the main point I was making was that if the Pope, instead of a religious figure, was the CEO of a chain of nationwide daycare centers who had thousands of employees who had been caught molesting children and then covering it up, he would have been in jail. [applause]

So – and I notice they didn’t say a word about that.

It really does look like our boy Bill may be just a tad disingenuous here. First off it appears he doesn't want people getting so upset that they cause him any real grief ("...it was a joke.", "...we’re in a comedic context.") but then he launches into yet another attack the sheer viciousness of which can't be disguised by any "comic" masquerade. So what is the deal with Maher, anyway?

Maybe Maher is just so upset about the Church's pedophilia scandals that he's blinded to any other facts? The problem here is that Maher's feelings about pedophiles really hasn't always been quite so unforgiving as can be seen in the following Late Late Show interview he gave in May of 2005:

Bill Maher: "I think that there is no perspective. People have no perspective, especially about crime. You know, zero tolerance. You know, of course, nobody ever wants to see a child, you know, diddled. That’s just plain wrong. But even the people who are testifying against him [Michael Jackson], they’re saying that he serviced them. They didn’t service him."

Craig Ferguson: "You don’t have kids, do you,
Bill?"

Maher: "No."

Ferguson: "No. I have a son. It makes me crazy, this thing, this Michael Jackson thing. It drives me, the idea of someone touching my kid, I would go, I nearly swore there. I’d go crazy."

Maher:
"Very wrong. But, you know, I remember when I was a kid. I was savagely beaten once by bullies in the schoolyard. Savagely beaten. If I had a choice between being savagely beaten and being gently masturbated by a pop star. It’s just me."

Ferguson: "The always controversial Bill Maher, everybody."

Maher: "What? That’s it?"

Ferguson: "Bill Maher. We’ll be right back with Rain Pryor."

It sure looks like Maher wasn't exactly lost in a sea of outrage over Jacko inviting all the little kiddies over so he could ply them with "Jesus juice" and have his way with them. So his hyperventilating over the criminal priests looks a bit insincere. Maher really comes up more than a little short as an arbiter of values and what is right and wrong on any issue when one takes into consideration some of his own past activities.

The picture above was taken of Maher at a Halloween part shortly after the accidental death of wildlife expert Steve Irwin, who was killed by a stingray. The faux blood and appendage on Maher's chest is meant to represent Irwin's blood and the barb that killed him. HAHA Funny and yet sensitive stuff that, huh? I'm sure Irwin's wife and children really thought it was a hoot.

Maher has exhibited his moral delicacy at other times as well. In 2002 he said,

"But I've often said that if I had — I have two dogs — if I had two retarded children, I'd be a hero. And yet the dogs, which are pretty much the same thing. What? They're sweet. They're loving. They're kind, but they don't mentally advance at all.... Dogs are like retarded children."

I'll bet the parents of retarded children were edified to learn that their kids aren't really much different than Fido.

And just in case you're wondering if this is all shtick that he turns on for the cameras to help get a little buzz going, it would seem that in his personal life he's exactly the ass his TV appearances make him out to be. According to ex-girlfriend Karrine "Superhead" Steffans,

"Bill wants someone he can put down in an argument, tell you how ghetto you are, how big your butt is, and that you're an idiot. That's why you never see him with a white girl or an intellectual. I might as well have been a Muslim woman with my head wrapped, walking 10 paces behind my man. [But] I couldn't be 'Bill Maher's girlfriend' any more - not when I'm Karrine Steffans . . . best-selling author."

Most of us probably know a Bill Maher or two; the guy who is eternally cynical without ever evidencing any beliefs beyond the empty and currently fashionable, the hip and cool, the kind of "beliefs" that buys them entree into all the really chic places. Maher undoubtedly travels in more "sophisticated" circles than the jerk you know. He likes to rub elbows with Hef and hang out at "the Mansion". He dates porn stars. But he possesses the same remarkable glibness-sans-depth that your least favorite pain in the ass possesses. He is the perfect relativist; believing in nothing. This allows him to mock everything. His self esteem is directly proportional to how stupid he believes you to be. And he thinks you are very stupid indeed.

For all the huffing and puffing that has been done over his attack on the Church (and I've done my fair share here and in other posts on this blog) when all is said and done he can't even nick Catholicism and/or the Pope. But it is worthwhile to point out his type of cynical personality style and recognize it for what it is: shallow, self-involved and mean. And the best way to handle people like him, once you see them for who they are is to call them out briefly and move on. They love attention but once it is finally pulled away they're left with nothing but themselves and that has to be the worst punishment of all.