Bill Maher-Victim Of Religious Discrimination?

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INDY500 said:
My lack of knowledge of sports exposes my bigotry! Really? Only in the same way your
lack of sports knowledge exposes your antisemitism. How else to explain your failure to mention that not everyone thought positively of Sandy Koufax's decision to not pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because the game fell on Yom Kippur?
Now can we stop silliness?

I remember the Abdul-Rauf incident, I just consider it a piss-poor comparison. Maybe you can tell us which NBA player, or any professional athlete, could sit in protest during the National Anthem and tell us the American flag "represents tyranny and oppression" and not be booed and his team pressured to take some type of action?
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Perhaps you could tell us why he was not supported by fellow Muslims in the NBA and in Colorado at the time.

And Olajuwon went on to win a gold medal for the U.S. Olympic team in 1996. I lived in Houston in the 80's during the Twin Tower Era and I can tell you that Hakeem Olajuwon is arguably the most revered professional athletic in Houston today. That's Houston, Texas !!

My bigotry? I think not. My bias? Yes. I think the United States is the most religiously diverse, tolerant and therefore freest in the history of the world. Expect my posts to reflect that sentiment.

How long did you have to google to find the Koufax story? Good find though. I suppose now I'll have to tell my Jewish fiance that I can't marry her because you've proved that I'm anti semetic.

Olajuwon? One of my all time heros. Practices a different Islam than Abdul-Rouf. Jabbar? Changed religions to avoid the war. Gigantic hypocrite. Good examples.

Carlos Delgado played in new york, land of 9/11, and was never booed for his beliefs, which included not standing for the national anthem due to his protest of US bombing practices in Puerto Rico. I had his jersey.

I'm a Christian. I find Tim Tebow's views on abortion to be deplorable.

I also believe that Jesus obviously has a man crush on Tom Brady, considering how badly the Pats are crucifying the Broncos.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rouf was shunned by the Denver crowd because of his religious beliefs. Tebow is beloved.

Tebow blows. He's awful. God has nothing to do with what he does in the football field. God doesn't give a shit who wins a football game
 
You're missing the point. It's about who is the most free. It's America. And inside of America, the league leader in freedom, Indiana is third! The Internet told me so. espn.com/usa/league-leaders. It's right there. We lead the league in freedom. So much freedom. Seriously, there is no bigotry, ever.
 
So why no kneel down after this game?

Nice kid which actually does make it hard to kind of see him do so poorly, but he just isn't a good QB. Maybe he'll have a good offseason and improve. I don't see it though.
 
Why do I have a feeling that this has more than a little something to do with it?

For many Americans, patriotism is a big deal.

Patriotism is fine. Be proud of your country all you want.

But the same people in that story Headache shared that claim to be so patriotic should probably realize that the very freedom they value is the same freedom that allows men like Abdul-Rauf to sit during "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the lyrics of which I guarantee most "patriotic" Americans probably couldn't sing half of if they tried). Everyone's got their reasons why they sit out things like that, doesn't mean they're any less patriotic for it, and I think many people would do well to remember this. They're entirely free to disagree with his actions all they wish, but he's free to do what he wants, too.
 
How long did you have to google to find the Koufax story?

I'm 51. Have every Topps baseball card from '66 to 75 and devour the history of the sport. I'm no Bob Costas but I can hold my own when it comes to baseball trivia and general knowlege. The only thing I had to google was how to spell Yom Kippur. I wanted to spell it Kuiper.*

I'm a Christian. I find Tim Tebow's views on abortion to be deplorable.
Other than the Super Bowl commercial I couldn't tell you his views on abortion.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rouf was shunned by the Denver crowd because of his religious beliefs. Tebow is beloved.
Abdul-Rouf was shunned for his belief that America is a tyrannical country. But if you need to feel our stadiums are packed with religious bigots go right ahead.

Tebow blows. He's awful.

His résumé says different. Tonight the entire team was awful. We'll see.
God has nothing to do with what he does in the football field.
His natural talents are God-given and obviously his strength, drive and inspiration derive from his faith.
God doesn't give a shit who wins a football game
I don't remember saying anything to the contrary so finally we can agree.

* semi-obscure baseball reference, do you have to google it?
 
INDY500 said:
Other than the Super Bowl commercial I couldn't tell you his views on abortion.

other than his assertion that medically endangered pregnant females should give birth on the off chance they survive and the kid is an nfl quarterback, i couldn't tell you his views on abortion.
 
So why no kneel down after this game?

I don't know why he didn't do it or if he doesn't do it after losses. Personally I don't think it matters at all or is a requirement from me in order to somehow prove himself, I just don't get holding the guy to such an exacting standard. But this is what he said

“I pray before games, during games, and after games,’’ the Broncos quarterback said after New England’s defenders had chased him around their playpen as if he were a pet beagle in their 45-10 victory, Denver’s worst playoff loss since their 55-10 smackdown by the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV more than 20 years ago. “Regardless of whether I win, whether I lose, whether I’m the hero or goat, I still honor the Lord.’’

Jesus didn't f Tim Tebow over last night, Tom Brady did. And there WAS an apparition at Gillette, it was the Pats defense. I respect how Tebow has handled himself and all the crazy attention and hype and that respect has zero to do with his religious beliefs or how he expresses them. For such a young guy he has handled it all well so far. We'll see if any of his teammates call him out anonymously in a newspaper as being lazy and entitled and call for a new (old) QB.

If anyone noticed, Focus on The Family had an ad during the Pats Broncos game with a John 3:16 theme, Tebow had nothing to do with it. NFL rules probably prohibit that, I don't know. What everyone should be talking about is the Saints/SF game, that was insane. I just feel badly for Brees.
 
Now the New Orleans-San Francisco game was something else, exciting even for a non football fan. Both Tebow and the Saints lost. Message there?:hmm: Nope.
 
I don't recall ever seeing or hearing anything about Brees being a Christian.

Therefore, sounds like he got about what he deserved.
 
other than his assertion that medically endangered pregnant females should give birth on the off chance they survive and the kid is an nfl quarterback, i couldn't tell you his views on abortion.

So that's the Tebow family message after distillation with FYM nuance and reason?
 
INDY500 said:
So that's the Tebow family message after distillation with FYM nuance and reason?

i am not sure how you think i am misrepresenting him. i mean, is that not what he is saying? i suppose the "on the off chance he is a quarterback" part may be a tad cynical, but they did not choose little jimmy from springfield to be the almost-but-not-aborted kid either. they chose the famous athlete.
 
they did not choose little jimmy from springfield to be the almost-but-not-aborted kid either. they chose the famous athlete.

Imagine that.

What next? Nutrisystem using retired quarterbacks like Dan Marino and Terry Bradshaw as examples as to why you should buy their weight loss product instead of choosing fat jimmy from Springfield. :D
 
the problem, though, is that Barack Obama is pro-choice and Michelle Obama wants you to lose weight.

therefore, we have to hate both. even if they are kind of the same.
 
I don't recall ever seeing or hearing anything about Brees being a Christian.

He is, it's all in his book. He's just much more subtle about it, even in the book.

Rumor is that CBS is trying to hire Tebow for next weekend, so there's no escape :evil: . I'm just glad that his beliefs don't prevent him from doing that Jockey ad.
 
oh, are we comparing abortions to weight loss products?

Oh Philly, sometimes it truly is a hoot to watch you take one of my posts in a direction that would never even occur to me.

Actually I commenting on the dominance of the cult of celebrity in marketing and media today. But yes, that can be seen in everything from pro-life ads to weight loss programs.
 
Oh Philly, sometimes it truly is a hoot to watch you take one of my posts in a direction that would never even occur to me.

Actually I commenting on the dominance of the cult of celebrity in marketing and media today. But yes, that can be seen in everything from pro-life ads to weight loss programs.
But one is marketing a weight loss product. The other is marketing the concept that you should ignore your doctors when they say you might die.

Hence why I'm more than a bit perplexed by the direction you took it in.
 
At the very least Indy, I think you should be able to recognize the crassness of using a celebrity in an abortion ad the same way you would in an ad for product (ie buy these shoes and be like Jordan, because he's best in the league/Don't abort your baby and be like Tebow, because he's the best non-aborted baby in the land)
 
I have to say, I don't understand the rabid hostility towards Tebow on the issue of the circumstances of his birth. What is he supposed to say: "My mom is an idiot for making the choice she did. Good thing she got lucky."

Unless, you're suggesting abortions when the mother's life/health is at risk be made compuslory, I think Tebow's mother made the choice/took the risk that she felt comfortable taking. It was her body, her life at stake. Isn't that the very defintion of choice?

Would you suggest they just refuse to discuss this publicly as it would "send the wrong message."?

I know, I know. They're pro-life shills for FOTF but nonetheless, while we might disagree with their suggestion that every woman in her sitatuion should do the same, I don't see how the decision itself was "wrong for every woman" either.

The discussion made me think about my own wife and if we encountered a situtation like that. My feeling as her husband would be that I would not tell her "you HAVE to get an abortion" or "you HAVE to keep the baby." I feel like the decision should be hers, and I would be supportive of whatever decision she decided to make, as heartbreaking as either one might be.
 
At the very least Indy, I think you should be able to recognize the crassness of using a celebrity in an abortion ad the same way you would in an ad for product (ie buy these shoes and be like Jordan, because he's best in the league/Don't abort your baby and be like Tebow, because he's the best non-aborted baby in the land)

Would it be okay to have a celebrity featured in a pro-choice ad?
 
Would it be okay to have a celebrity featured in a pro-choice ad?

yes. and it would also be okay to have a celebrity in an anti-abortion ad. Surely you can see the difference though. The underlying message is that somehow, Mrs Tebow's decision to not have an abortion is more special because her son is a famous quarterback and not some fuck up who works at Blockbuster; Wouldn't it have been horrible had she aborted a great athlete?
It's not even a pro choice/anti abortion issue. It's a matter of bad taste
 
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