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    kemperboydBrendan O'Connor
    1/11/15 11:34am

    She's a fucking national treasure. Smart, empathetic and willing to talk about the issues. This on top of her commitment to staying in the UK and paying her taxes make her one of my favourite Britons.

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      jbudkemperboyd
      1/11/15 11:45am

      Hell, she's an American national treasure and she's not even ours

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      Mount_Prionkemperboyd
      1/11/15 11:46am

      But not brave enough to let any of her characters out of the closet until waaaay after their books' financial success was secured.

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    Rayford_SteeleBrendan O'Connor
    1/11/15 12:04pm

    Maybe someone has already pointed this out, but it bears repeating: Murdoch doesn't think himself responsible for what happens at his own company.

    Rupert Murdoch said that as the head of a company with 53,000 employees around the world, he could not have been expected to follow every decision made at The News of the World or even at News International, the News Corporation's British newspaper division.

    ...but believes the adherents of a religion is 1.5 billion members are collectively guilty for the actions of a few.

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      The Ghost of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ AKA BabyStepsBrendan O'Connor
      1/11/15 11:35am

      "I was born Christian. If that makes Rupert Murdoch my responsibility, I'll auto-excommunicate."

      This! THIS is how you cut a bitch good and proper!

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        Ned FreyBrendan O'Connor
        1/11/15 1:48pm

        I'm not sure it's fair to drag Bill Maher into this. I don't think he's in the "all Muslims are responsible for terrorist violence" camp. Rather, his position, if I recall, is simply that fervent, fundamentalist religious belief can sometimes lead to violence — whether that religion is Christianity, Islam, etc. And that's something that should be considered when judging the value of atheist vs. religious world views. And I agree with that.

        There's this weird overlap between right-wing, anti-muslim bigots and left-wing atheists on this issue, and the subtle difference in their views on this can be conflated in unfair ways, I think. Holding religions accountable for the violence they can incite (as Maher was trying to do) is not the same as being bigoted against all muslim people because of the acts of a few terrorists (which, I think, is true in the case of Rupert Murdoch and others of his ilk).

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          FunkpanzerNed Frey
          1/11/15 3:25pm

          It's always fair to drag him into things. He's incredibly stupid and bigoted, and is an outspoken anti-vaccine maniac. He loves science when it contradicts religion, but not when it contradicts his pothead philosophy.

          I think he's fallen into the US atheist trap. Since most outspoken "religious" people in US media are ignorant fundamentalists (like Fox news and televangelists), virtually anyone who's ever read a book is smarter than them. As Maher only engages in debates with idiots, he seems really smart in comparison. Add to that his weed smoking, which does absolutely nothing to tamper his ego.

          It's like if you're a heavyweight boxer, but all your opponents are disabled children. After a few bouts, you'd believe you're invincible.

          Every time someone raises a legitimate point which Maher can't answer with his cue cards, he petulantly changes the subject. It's so funny to see him impotently fuming when his cue cards and staff of writers can't help him. "Alright, alright, next topic."

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          Ned FreyFunkpanzer
          1/11/15 4:05pm

          I'm not a big fan of Bill Maher, but I've never seen any evidence for your claim that he's "bigoted." And in that debate with Affleck, and I've always felt that Maher's views were being misrepresented as expressions of anti-Muslim bigrotry, which just isn't fair at all.

          I was surprised by your claim that he's an "anti-vaccine maniac," so I just did a little research on that, and that doesn't seem to be an accurate characterization of his views. He's NOT one of those "vaccines cause autism" nuts, although he has expressed views in the past that flu vaccines may be overused. At best, it seems his past expressed positions on the issue seem to be a bit vague and muddled.

          Here's what the RationalWiki concludes on the subject: "Some of his views on this matter constitute criticism of vaccination, he is not against all vaccines but believes that being vaccinated for any and all illnesses represents a slippery slope and could damage our natural immune systems."

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        youremysquishyBrendan O'Connor
        1/11/15 11:40am

        We need to hear positions like Rowling's a lot more. A LOT more. It's extremely easy to start believing that #yupallthemuslims if all we get is reports of terrorism and jihad warfare etc with very little coverage given to the opposition. It's not just old white men that are falling for it. I think the fear that Islam really does advocate violence and that sharia law really is as barbaric as it often seems has crossed the mind of non-Islamic westerners at least once or twice.

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          GeneXyouremysquishy
          1/11/15 12:15pm

          Well, Sharia Law is an extremely nebulous term: it's like saying "halachic law" (Jewish Law as prescribed by the Talmud) and only referring to one rabbinical opinion.

          Islam has a very large textual debate element, even if it may not be as absurdly thorough as Judaism's thing. (As a sidenote, I recall that Islam is considered to basically be a sister faith of Judaism, to the point where even some rabbinical opinion is that a convert to Islam is worshiping the same exact god. Something not said about Christianity.)

          The point is that, just as the bible has many weird things that have been explained as metaphorical or moral lessons, such is true for the Quran.

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          dothedewGeneX
          1/11/15 1:09pm

          Yes, Judaism and Islam — at least historically and theologically — have much less issue with each other than either do with Christianity, in large part due to the whole Trinity and Son of God stuff. Based on my understanding — which will obviously not be agreed with by everyone — it is possible to be a practicing Jew, following the laws of the Torah, without committing major violations of Islam or (classical?) Shariah.

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        okiedokieokieBrendan O'Connor
        1/11/15 11:52am

        Rupert got a howler.

        GIF
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          MarcabExpatokiedokieokie
          1/11/15 11:05pm
          GIF
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        amtBrendan O'Connor
        1/11/15 11:49am

        Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.

        Cool so I guess it's fair game to say Rupert Murdoch should be held responsible for the death of George Tiller? Okeydokey Rupes! If you need directions to SIng SIng to turn yourself in, give us a call.

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          Set Fire to the Room--do it now (fiends NOT friends)Brendan O'Connor
          1/11/15 11:34am

          JKR is always flawless, except when she said that Harry and Hermione should have ended up together, in which case she could not have possibly been more wrong.

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            BradAusrotasSet Fire to the Room--do it now (fiends NOT friends)
            1/11/15 11:53am

            Just as a matter of note, she never actually said that. Shitty clickbait headlines said that, but in the actual interview all she said is that she briefly considered it, and that might be possible in another universe (like the films, where she notes that Steve Kloves, the script writer, was EXTREMELY keen on Harry/Hermione as a relationship and shoehorned it in whenever possible). She also said she thought that Ron and Hermione might need marriage counseling down the road. Oh well.

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            Set Fire to the Room--do it now (fiends NOT friends)BradAusrotas
            1/11/15 11:58am

            I will not allow your facts to get in the way of my lame joke.

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          lankypankyBrendan O'Connor
          1/11/15 11:44am

          Pretty sure you can't be "born Christian," or any other religion. You have to be trained.

          But the sentiment is appreciated.

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            weirwoodtreehugger3lankypanky
            1/11/15 12:40pm

            She was born into Christianity as a culture though.

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          jacobianswordBrendan O'Connor
          1/11/15 11:46am

          Any time I see a kid reading Ender's Game, I just want to rip it out of his or her hands and replace it with a copy of Order of the Phoenix. Rowling is the young adult author we need, even if Card is the one we deserve.

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