When Jon Stewart finally learned about just how ridiculous the SOPA/PIPA bills are, the first comment we received was someone wondering if comedian Bill Maher would deliver a similar message. Maher and Stewart are often compared -- as talk show hosts who poke fun at authority and government, and who (fairly or not) are often linked to being liberal. However, as a bunch of folks have been pointing out, it appears that Maher went the other direction from Stewart on his own show, coming out in support of the bills:
Of course, as he admits right at the beginning, he hasn't actually read the bills and doesn't understand the details. He then goes on to talk about "the moral issue" and complain about how much he "lost" from people downloading his own documentary. Yeah. And then he pulls out the totally ridiculous argument that "people just want free stuff." Of course, that's been proven false time and time again... but facts apparently don't matter here. It seems clear he has no understanding of the details -- and really seems to think that every downloaded copy is a lost sale. Thankfully, all three members of his panel push back -- including Matt Lewis who points out how this would chill investment into the internet and could prevent "the two guys in a garage... building the next Facebook." Jennifer Granholm then points out that this is an issue that might need a scalpel, that's being dealt with by an ax. But, that doesn't stop Maher from insisting that it's all about people wanting free stuff. Yeah. Maybe next time, actually learn what you're talking about, Bill.
