Somewhat short, but still... *quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by radx.

Damn son, you got served!

He made Maher look rather pedestrian.

man he comes up with clear and accurate arguments within milliseconds, pretty astounding.

While Maher often does say things I agree with, he is in general a bit of a douche nozzle and very prone to I'll informed sweeping judgements that make him look rather silly (^ like this).

As far as what Mr. Greenwald said my response would be in so many words: "K'IN AYE DUDE!!" though if anything he doesn't go far enough.

The hegemony is subject to no boundaries, even those nations which actively reject it's institutions (Global market) are still bound and defined by it's existence so long as they share the same small patch of universe.

Wars exist to make money, in this day and age more than perhaps ever before. Every G.I. wounded, every round spent, every wound sutured, every school bombed.....someone in the club makes a profit..................

No matter how just & worthy your cause or evil your enemy, so long as one of these fuckers is bankrolling it, or their companies supplying it, you will loose in the long run. Every. Single. Time.

Unless your war is against the market and excessive privilege/wealth itself, your just screwing the rest of us over. I have big problems with Suni and Shi'ite Islam (the Sufi's seem ok) but blowing them up is very unlikely to improve the situation for anyone, doubly so at the end of a Lockheed-Martin missile!

I don't think it's so hard to. Maher possesses and expresses the common-sense perspective that most sane people agree with, but his whole schtick is flippancy, anger and lampoonery of the positions he disagrees with. He's supports his position by the lampoonery and satire, rather than knowledge, and this video is a great example of the difference between the two.
I agree with the majority of Mahers positions, but I'd never support him for anything other than being an entertainer because of this.

It's so sad that it astounds, isn't it? I think most people are capable of the same thing, but 99.9% of those with a public platform for communication are exactly not that type.

*doublepromote

Double-Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 9:41am PDT - doublepromote requested by JiggaJonson.

you had me at "Bill Maher Destroyed"

Well said. Couldn't agree more.

Do you know what the Sufi positions on blasphemy and converting away from the faith are? I'm guessing it's very likely to be the death sentence position. It's disheartening looking across at Islam and trying to look for the moderates and discovering just how many claim moderate status while promoting the death sentence for blasphemy.

I'll never believe that Sufis condone a death penalty for converting away from Islam, because I've been a Sufi for 30 years and there is not a shred of evidence, at least in western Sufism, of any such belief.

Also, Greenwald makes sweeping generalizations himself. I don't like Bill Maher, but he made far more sense here than usual.

There are also sects of Buddhism that advocate torture, execution and public humiliation (The former Tibetan ruling class springing firmly to mind). Sadly it seems even the most peaceful of philosophies can still be trumped by psychotic self righteousness & mindless tradition .

I'm not aware of any specific Sufi sects having executed or tortured people for blasphemy, adultery etc. but I fear such groups likely exist somewhere if one were to go looking for them.

In general I have a healthy degree of respect for "Sufism" because it follows the same kind of esoteric approach to religion/spirituality/knowledge as it's western (Gnostic) and far eastern (Tao, Hindu*, Buddhist etc.) counterparts.

Very roughly "Esoteric religion" is based around looking inwards for knowledge and lends itself naturally to scientific enquiry, considered ethics, critical thinking etc.
When they speak of a higher power it is almost always in terms of something fundamentally connected to and embodied by yourself.
They almost never suggest one need feel threatened by divine judgement, or that some should be privileged over others (*hence the Hindu caste system being not being truly esoteric)

"Exoteric religion" (most of Islam, Judaism, Christianity etc.) is by contrast based around looking outside oneself for knowledge. Truth is revealed by outside agents, divinity and true power always lie outside of oneself. etc. etc. (I'm sure I don't need to further elucidate the negative qualities of such belief systems )


In truth all of the major denominations appear to have at least some some esoteric and exoteric variations even if most fall mostly into one or the other. There are bad Buddhists & Gnostics and there are good Muslims and Christians the only difference really is whether or not they are genuinely applying their own minds and judgement, or hopelessly enslaved to another's.
Or in "someone" else's terms Logos and Mythos.

Back on topic: Bill Maher is Mythos masquerading as Logos.

The sad thing is that Bill Maher, who by American standards is a crazy liberal left-winger is actually showed up as being still to the RIGHT of the truth, at least in this one area.

Scary shit when you realize just how far the U.S. has slid into the grips of right-wing propaganda.

Check, and ... mate.

Final statement was the bitch-slap smackdown.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

I had forgotten about this segment - that he was on Real Time before this all blew up. Greenwald is the sharpest journalist around - big fan.

He's so well spoken! And such a fancy dresser. I wonder who does his hair.

*dead

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by MrFisk.

Awarding eric3579 with one Power Point for fixing this video's dead embed code.