Stardate 20010919.2058 (On Screen): Bill Maher stated on his show that past US military actions had been "cowardly". As a result, Fedex and Sears pulled their sponsorship of the show. Maher defends his right to offer criticism; he's correct that he has that right. But Fedex and Sears have the right to decide whether they want their company names associated with him. Maher has the right to speak; he doesn't have the right to insist that Fedex and Sears pay for the air time he uses. No-one is threatening him with jail that I've heard of, which means his rights are preserved. What he said wasn't illegal -- it was just exceedingly unwise, and also factually wrong.
He said "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly." No, I'm afraid not. Macho displays of bravado are not bravery, they're merely stupid. A soldier's job is not to prove how brave he is, it's to win the war he's been assigned to fight in a fashion which leaves his nation with as much power as possible afterwards. It's always desirable to avoid pyrrhic victories. A prudent soldier is always careful with his own people -- willing to risk them when necessary, but not when unnecessary. The best case is to emerge from a war with a victory and an intact army if at all possible. Maher's comment was ignorant of the realities of warfare. (discuss)
