…and this is a 
Kathy Griffin is my new hero
Category: Humor
Posted on: September 11, 2007 2:33 PM, by PZ Myers
We won't get to hear Kathy Griffin's Emmy award speech — it's being censored. Here's what she said:
In her speech, Griffin said that "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."
She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, "This award is my god now!"
The off-color remark was to say, "Suck it, Jesus."
I thought it was funny. If I ever win an Emmy (do you have to be on TV to win that, or something?), I hope to remember to say something similar. It is, of course, ridiculous to censor someone for denying the influence of an invisible phantasm, but I guess the usual suspects got huffy. You know who I mean: the Indignant Sour Prune of the Airwaves, Bill Donohue.
The comedian's remarks were condemned Monday by Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who called them a "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech."
Hate speech? Who did she hate? She laughed at an old superstition, mocking the habit of celebrities giving credit to an omnipotent ghost for nudging a shiny statuette their way. If Donohue were serious about his religion, he ought to be more upset at the trivialization of the Lord of the Cosmos into the guy who hands out trinkets.
Comments
Just one more reason to want to bed Kathy.
Posted by: Richard Wolford | September 11, 2007 2:38 PM
She's on my A-list now.
Posted by: True Bob | September 11, 2007 2:40 PM
Kathy Griffin said something funny?
That alone is evidence that miracles can happen.
Posted by: Apikoros | September 11, 2007 2:41 PM
Has Donohue ever won an Emmy? I think it's just sour grapes.
Posted by: Reginald Selkirk | September 11, 2007 2:56 PM
If you feel like becoming enraged this afternoon, check out the comments made by the smug readers of the article.
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=275156>1=7703
Ugh.
Posted by: oxytocin | September 11, 2007 2:58 PM
Off-color?
"...a lot of people come up here and kiss Hank's ass for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Hank. This award is my Hank now! Suck it, Hank!"
She speaks the damn truth. If the person she mentioned had been real it would not be censored.
Posted by: ChrisD | September 11, 2007 2:58 PM
"Just one more reason to want to bed Kathy."
Yep, that and a possible threesome with WOZ!
Brrrrrr..... yeeech.
Posted by: Siamang | September 11, 2007 2:59 PM
Are you serious?!? Damn you! Everyone knows the Hank-haters are destroying this country!
Posted by: Kseniya | September 11, 2007 2:59 PM
Wouldn't Bill and his cronies would have to be Jesus for this to qualify as hate speech against them?
Cue religious ass-faces complaining about the protection from hate speech that homosexuals* "enjoy" but is denied all the good and honourable Christians because Liberals hate freedom and God in 5...4...3...2...1....
Posted by: Brownian | September 11, 2007 2:59 PM
This is one of the reasons I despise the concept of "hate crimes" and "hate speech". One of the things that makes America great is that you are allowed to say things that people disagree with. There should be no such thing as "hate speech". People should recognize if for the double-speak that it is.
America is great because everyone has the same rights (allegedly) . Even the people you don't agree with.
Now, as far as hate crimes go, I would hope that if somebody beat me up they would be punished just as harshly as if they beat up somebody of a different race. To say that tossing a bible or koran into the toilet (for example) is a felony hate crime just goes against everything that America should stand for. It's destruction of property certainly. But a felony!?
Insanity. Utter insanity.
Posted by: Greg B | September 11, 2007 3:02 PM
Bill Maher's comment about Bush applies equally to Donohue: he doesn't pretend to have his head up his ass, it is really up there.
Posted by: bernarda | September 11, 2007 3:02 PM
I've always figured if I won an Oscar or similar, I'd really have to begin as follows:
"First off: Mom? Thanks for nothin'."
... That said, Ms. Griffin's line is pretty damned good, too.
(No, I've really got nothing against my mom. But c'mon. It practically writes itself.)
Posted by: AJ Milne | September 11, 2007 3:05 PM
wah! wah! i have a right to not-be-offended! wah! etc.
Posted by: skyotter | September 11, 2007 3:11 PM
Bill Donahue is the type of person who makes me wish that Christianity was real, rather than superstition. Shouldn't Christians try to emulate Jesus?
If Christianity were real, I'm confident that Bill Donahue would be laughed all the way to hell at his death. I suppose I'm just as content laughing at him here on Earth, though.
Posted by: Michael T | September 11, 2007 3:13 PM
For that to count as "hate speech", Donohue must think that Jesus can't take it from the all powerful Kathy Griffin.
Which raises the question of why does Donohue have such a low opinion of Jesus?
Posted by: Jim Kakalios | September 11, 2007 3:14 PM
Mmmm, an awards speech, you say?
"And to all the children of America: stay off the drugs, or you'll end up just like me. Finally, I'd like to thank Japan for inventing the schoolgirl. . . ."
Also: what sort of pusillanimous, superstitious hayseeds bowdlerize the phrase "Suck it, Jesus"? If you're a news organization, you report what the woman said. Suck it, Associated Press.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 11, 2007 3:19 PM
Wait, there's a catholic anti-defamation organization? What's next, a Pol Pot anti-defamation organization?
Posted by: Dustin | September 11, 2007 3:20 PM
Ya know, if I were religious, I'd like to think that the Big Guy has more important things to worry about than who wins an Oscar, Emmy or football game.
And if I tell the invisible pink gnome living under my house to "suck it", am I also guilty of hate speech?
Posted by: ZacharySmith | September 11, 2007 3:20 PM
Of course, Kathy can say whatever she likes during her acceptance speech. Kudos to her for saying what she wants and ridiculing the fact that people thank a guy who may or may not have lived 2000 ears ago, or an imaginary friend. Moreover, I though these christian people weren't supposed to judge others, I thought that was a privilege solely reserved for their imaginary friend. I suppose I was wrong about them after all.
Posted by: makita | September 11, 2007 3:21 PM
I can't tell you the number of times those exact words have left my lips.
Posted by: Dustin | September 11, 2007 3:21 PM
I loved South Park's take on Bill Donohue. I hope for a Larry Craig styled embarrassment for him at some point. But alas I think he's the real asshole that he comes off as.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | September 11, 2007 3:24 PM
I don't know the odds of it reaching her, but I just left a note of support and approval on her web page. I'm sure she's getting spammed with hate mail from the brotherly-love crowd. A few in the other direction will make for a nice change.
http://kathygriffin.net/contactus.php
Posted by: Frac | September 11, 2007 3:25 PM
Greg B, I don't think you know what you're talking about.
"Hate crimes laws" are acts of violent terrorization against an entire group of people. Like beating up a gay guy so the others will get the message and leave town (notably, beating up Bob the gay guy because he cut in line for the urinal is *not* a hate crime - just a regular one). Throwing the koran into the toilet is a bit thorny, but I'd say it's a form of speech, and probably restrict the hate crime modification to violent crimes anyway. Taking the motive into account for sentencing is nothing new.
"Hate speech laws" do not exist, and are unconstitutional. Preaching that gays will go to hell, or passing out flyers on the street corner that say "Islam is of Satan" are hateful and bigoted, but they are protected.
Fundies love to deliberately confuse the two.
Posted by: stogoe | September 11, 2007 3:28 PM
She was great in Pulp Fiction.
Why are Christians so sensitive? We know why Muslims are sensitive: because they're always getting slapped around by the Christian West. They've got an inferiority complex. But why doesn't success and power provide the Christian soul with a little self-confidence? Are they so delicate they're threatened by Kathy Griffin?
It's almost like they're afraid the slightest challenge might break the spell...
Posted by: Max Udargo | September 11, 2007 3:29 PM
although I'm not one of her gays, I'd gladly become one after this performance.
Posted by: MAJeff | September 11, 2007 3:30 PM
Greg B wrote:
"To say that tossing a bible or koran into the toilet (for example) is a felony hate crime just goes against everything that America should stand for. It's destruction of property certainly. But a felony!?"
Okay, I'm calling bullshit on that claim, Greg B, unless you can document it.
Come on, cite the legal code, chapter and verse. What exact law makes it a felony to flush my personal copy of the Koran down my personal toilet?
Posted by: Siamang | September 11, 2007 3:31 PM
I've always thought it would be great for someone to start an awards acceptance speech by saying:
"I'd like to, first of all, thank Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and all the scientists past and present for giving us, literally, everything we take for granted - from the acoustics in this auditorium to the monitors and televistions people around the world are watching on - so thanks, folks."
Kathy's "Suck it, Jesus" is pretty damn good too, though. ;)
Posted by: BigHeathenMike | September 11, 2007 3:31 PM
Back in the 1980s Sinead O'Connor tore up a picture of the Pope on SNL.
It's stunning how offended people became over that.
And you know, if she'd torn up a picture of Jesus Christ instead, I don't think there would have been anywhere near as bad of an outcry.
Catholics suck, the entire boy-fondling child-raping lot of them.
Posted by: Warren | September 11, 2007 3:32 PM
Really profound people, these Christians. They believe in a supreme being that will judge the world on the basis of their sexual preferences and their vocabulary use. Oh, I feel so shallow in comparison...
Posted by: Andrés | September 11, 2007 3:33 PM
Thanks, Kathy! Whoever you are.
Suck on it, Bill!
Posted by: CalGeorge | September 11, 2007 3:34 PM
I think our foreign counterparts are confused on what hate speech is. The religious right and other xian fundamentalists have perverted the term to mean saying anything negative that opposes a view. Actually, hate speech is more about inciting hysteria against a group that results in some form of damage (that is more or less the rough definition). For a better explanation, look up hate speech on wikipedia.
Kathy did nothing of the sort. She CAN make fun of a god and a religion. Just the xians are losing the battle to believe in their magic man so they censor their opponents every chance they get. The verbal version of killing civilians in combat.
Posted by: DeWraith | September 11, 2007 3:34 PM
Bill Donohue had better watch himself. Kathy could beat him in a battle of wits even if she handicapped herself by only talking about his choice of ties.
Posted by: fardels bear | September 11, 2007 3:35 PM
reminds me of the "Jesus made me fumble. He hates out team." comedy routine. Classic. And brilliant.
just tried finding a video clip of that routine, but amazingly it doesn't appear to be on the web. I can't even find the comedian's name. So much for the "Age of Information".
Posted by: Jim Lemire | September 11, 2007 3:36 PM
Bill Donahue is kind of like Bernardo Gui, except that he isn't played by F. Murray Abraham and he hasn't written the definitive book on methods of inquisition. By my estimation, that makes him a great big douchebag.
Posted by: Dustin | September 11, 2007 3:40 PM
I've always thought that if I were at one of these televised award shows, I would say something like "If an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent deity thought the best use of its time were to make me win this award, that deity is not worth worshiping. Hey, God? Get off your ass and get to Darfur!"
Posted by: Skemono | September 11, 2007 3:41 PM
Greg is probably talking about this, although I'm not sure whether the guy who flushed the Quran was charged with a felony or a misdemeanor.
Posted by: Anton Mates | September 11, 2007 3:43 PM
The FCC, apparently. I've heard "suck" edited out of songs on the radio even when they didn't have the clearer sexual implication of Kathy Griffin's awesome comment. There's a line in one of Pink's songs that goes "she thinks you suck," using the term in its colloquial sense, which gets consistently edited when it's broadcast. I think that's more than a bit ridiculous, but then I think the FCC is a terrible organization that has long outlived any usefulness it ever had.
Posted by: Tom Foss | September 11, 2007 3:43 PM
I have it on the word of a reliable source that Bill Donohue smells exactly like expired yogurt.
Hate speech! Hate speech!
CALL THE CHURCH POLICE!
Posted by: Mike O'Risal | September 11, 2007 3:49 PM
Wanna tell the Academy to suck it for their censorship? Here's the president's email:
dick.askin@emmyleader.org
Posted by: MAJeff | September 11, 2007 3:50 PM
RE: The Koran thing.
What happened is he flushed the University Library's copy of the Koran down the toilet. The destruction of property was a misdemeanor, but the Hate Crime law turned the misdemeanor into a felony. I'm not sure why; I think it was a case of them not writing the hate crimes laws carefully.
I support Hate Crime laws - they're about motivation not speech and as per manslaughter vs first degree murder different motivations can and should affect the severity of the punishment - but the Koran case shows the laws can be written poorly and unjust; they certainly shouldn't turn misdemeanors into felonies.
Posted by: strech | September 11, 2007 3:54 PM
Hate speech laws, even if/when consitutional, don't apply here (and there's no free speech issue either). At issue is poor taste and whether the network wishes to air the remark. E! is free to if it wishes or may edit. I would expect Griffin's tasteless remark to be edited whether its object was Jesus, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton or Richard Dawkins. A bigger star trashing a very unpopular object might not be edited, but I'm skeptical about that. The question is largely an economic one, in my view.
Posted by: Sinbad | September 11, 2007 3:56 PM
I have no idea why I randomly capitalized things there ... I think I need some sleep.
Posted by: strech | September 11, 2007 3:56 PM
Suck it, Flying Spaghetti Monster!
I don't really mean that, but you see my point. All hail FSM. May you be touched by his noodly appendages, etc.
p.s. Don't forget that the biggest Pastafarian holiday (International Talk Like A Pirate Day) is coming up next week! RAmen.
Posted by: Scotty B | September 11, 2007 3:57 PM
"who called them a "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech.""
Bill's right. You should mask your hate speech with faux-piety. I mean come on guys, have some tact!
I always thought these award shows were live. How lame.
Posted by: Rey Fox | September 11, 2007 4:05 PM
Another reminder why the left should know better than to support hate speech laws....
Posted by: Chris Bell | September 11, 2007 4:09 PM
Sinbad, I disagree with your characterization of Griffin's remarks as 'tasteless'. They were both spicy and zesty and would have added a much-needed kick in the pants to the bland flavorless mush* the FCC lets past their censors.
*I call it Rootmarm.
Posted by: stogoe | September 11, 2007 4:10 PM
Based on this sentence I can tell you have neither paid attention to the discussion nor have any idea what you're talking about.
Posted by: stogoe | September 11, 2007 4:13 PM
I haven't got time to watch her show, but You Go Girl anyway!
As far as the Kiddy Diddlers of Rome go, well every day the sun comes up there are fewer of them. Unfortunately their lost souls just go off to buy another spiritual product, just as annoying and just as silly.
Posted by: Bert Chadick | September 11, 2007 4:14 PM
"Another reminder why the left should know better than to support hate speech laws...."
As other have said, the first thing wrong with this statement is that hate speech has nothing to do with this.
Posted by: Numad | September 11, 2007 4:16 PM
Suck it, Flying Spaghetti Monster!
I don't really mean that...
Helloooo! Flying Spaghetti Monster! He/She/It was made for sucking!
Oh for Kibo's sake, I've fallen into an infinite regress... so WHO made the FSM!?!?!?
Posted by: Sarcastro | September 11, 2007 4:20 PM
It's funny how many people are commenting on the site about how much of an outcry there would be if she said the same thing about Allah. I think it would be hillarious to see the same outcry the first time someone *thanked* Allah on one of those shows, or after winning a big game,etc.
Posted by: Tiskel | September 11, 2007 4:20 PM
"Sinbad, I disagree with your characterization of Griffin's remarks as 'tasteless'. They were both spicy and zesty and would have added a much-needed kick in the pants to the bland flavorless mush* the FCC lets past their censors."
If E! agreed and, more importantly, thought most viewers would agree with your assessment I suspect the remarks wouldn't have been edited.
Posted by: Sinbad | September 11, 2007 4:22 PM
The Catholic League is a tax-exempt front for right wing propaganda, and Donohue is a professional outrage machine (I stole that from someone; Digby, I think).
I have always liked Kathy Griffin, now I love her.
Posted by: Davis | September 11, 2007 4:28 PM
The FSM made me get flecks of tomato sauce on my new white sweater when I twirled the host around my fork the other night. I am being punished for heating up the sauce in the microwave instead of on the stove, as nature intended. Surely I will spend eternity in a big fiery lake of over-cooked Spaghetti-Ohs.
Oops. What's the topic again? Oh yeah.
Hey, it's Sinbad! Hi, Sinbad. I was wondering where you'd gone.
"Taste" is often subjective, but yes, E! is concerned about airing something that will provoke the the delight of many but ire of millions, though I have wonder if she'd said "Allah" instead of "Jesus" what the all-around reaction would have been.
Posted by: Kseniya | September 11, 2007 4:38 PM
Oops, I'm a little behind the curve on the Allah thing. Shoulda refreshed before posting.
Posted by: Kseniya | September 11, 2007 4:40 PM
I didn't think Kathy Griffin was all that funny doing stand-up until I got hooked on her Bravo show, "My Life on the D-List". Now I absolutely love her! In this last season, she also makes a few comments about priests (with which Donohue may also be familiar).
Kathy asks her mother why she still hangs out with those kid-f*ckers in the Catholic church, to which her mother replies, "Oh Kathleen, some of those priests hardly even touched those kids ...".
Posted by: Sonja | September 11, 2007 4:43 PM
I would thank Zeus instead. The effect is the same, and if anyone complained, I could then charge them with "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech."
Posted by: "Q" the Enchanter | September 11, 2007 4:51 PM
Will someone please explain to me why I repeatedly have to explain to grown adults that entity A "having the right" to do something has absolutely no bearing on whether or not their decision to exercise that right is worthy of criticism?
Posted by: Azkyroth | September 11, 2007 4:51 PM
Go Bravo for not censoring her there!
Posted by: ERV | September 11, 2007 4:54 PM
As other have said, the first thing wrong with this statement is that hate speech has nothing to do with this.
That's my point. "Hate speech" is a concept invented to protect minorities, but it will inevitably be perverted to protect majorities instead.
This is not "hate speech" ... but it will be.
Posted by: Chris Bell | September 11, 2007 4:55 PM
Posted by: Randy Owens | September 11, 2007 5:01 PM
Land of the free^H^H^H^H^Htimid, home of the brave^H^H^H^H^Hprudish....or something.
Posted by: AlanWCan | September 11, 2007 5:02 PM
"reminds me of the "Jesus made me fumble. He hates out team." comedy routine. Classic. And brilliant."
Could be George Carlin. Just saw an old performance of his on HBO last night where he asks, "...and what is it with sports people thanking Jesus for their achievement? How come you never see any of them blame Jesus when they lose? 'Jesus made me fumble' ..."
Posted by: SteveM | September 11, 2007 5:03 PM
"Hi, Sinbad. I was wondering where you'd gone."
I've been around, but hadn't seen anything worth commenting on in a while.
"...though I have wonder if she'd said "Allah" instead of "Jesus" what the all-around reaction would have been."
I suspect that would have been edited out too, though the level and nature of the fear behind the move would have been different.
"Kathy asks her mother why she still hangs out with those kid-f*ckers in the Catholic church, to which her mother replies, 'Oh Kathleen, some of those priests hardly even touched those kids ...'."
Child-abusers of all stripes deserve big-time punishment, but I think we make priests far too easy a target. All professions with lots of contact with kids have serious issues here.
http://someonesaygrace.blogspot.com/2007/08/selective-outrage.html
"Will someone please explain to me why I repeatedly have to explain to grown adults that entity A 'having the right' to do something has absolutely no bearing on whether or not their decision to exercise that right is worthy of criticism?
Azkyroth, if you really intended to post this in response to what I wrote, it's a non sequitur.
Posted by: Sinbad | September 11, 2007 5:08 PM
I don't think 'suck' has an exclusive connotation of 'sexual osculation'.
There are several wonderfully funny (yet tasteful) slang uses of 'suck' such as
-- "We are sucking the big one in Iraq" (we're killing ourselves, breaking our bank, losing our mojo).
-- "The war in Iraq sucks" (it is a bummer, NG, loser, crock)
-- "Suck it up" (internalize your pain, be strong, stiff upper lip)
If KG were really inviting a divine kiss in this context, she would have said 'KMA, Jesus'.
And so one must wonder whether she meant to say
Suck it UP, Jesus. This award is my god now.'
Posted by: June | September 11, 2007 5:11 PM
With regards to "Jesus made me fumble", I'm pretty sure it's in "Free-Floating Hostility" on the Back in Town disc.
Posted by: Rey Fox | September 11, 2007 5:13 PM
I was a criminal defense attorney for years. Inevitably, whenever the verdict came back "not guilty" the client would look to the sky and say "Thank you, Jesus." My response was always the same- "wrong Jew."
Posted by: dhonig | September 11, 2007 5:18 PM
"Child-abusers of all stripes deserve big-time punishment, but I think we make priests far too easy a target. All professions with lots of contact with kids have serious issues here."
But priests are deliberately protected by their employers when they are caught molesting children. One could also argue that with the priests' position as next-to-God in the eyes of their communities and especially the children within those communities makes their abuses that much more heinous. Other folks abuse the trust we place in them to take care of our children and maybe even to instruct them, but priests abuse not only our trust, but the trust of the children, to whom the priest is the one who will shepherd them and their families to heaven.
Easy target, indeed. Big, glowing red one.
Posted by: Rey Fox | September 11, 2007 5:23 PM
On a day like today, it's important to remember one thing:
People of faith fly planes into buildings.
Why they think they're entitled to something for that is beyond me.
.
Posted by: Grand Moff Texan | September 11, 2007 5:29 PM
What you ungrateful louts here refuses to realize it this; Bill Donohue has taught us a valuable lesson. Jesus is a thin skinned and delicate deity. Jesus needs to have his holy warriors like Donohue to protect his holy ass. It is way too easy for the like of Kathy Griffin to wound the great redemer with her sharp words.
Hey! The big sky daddy's boy is way too easy too bully. So, yeah, any anti Jesus speech is hate speech. He is so easily oppressed by any critical talk. Jesus needs to be protected. If only the louts here knew just how delicate Jesus is. That is why Donohue needs to be such a strong catholic.
Posted by: Janine | September 11, 2007 5:32 PM
If E! agreed and, more importantly, thought most viewers would agree with your assessment I suspect the remarks wouldn't have been edited.
you really don't know how the Spanish Inquisition that calls itself the FCC works, do you?
a much more likely explanation is that E! wasn't willing to risk being fined by the FCC.
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 5:35 PM
Kudos to Kathy, but it would have been cooler if she said, "Suck it, Jesus. Well, that's what my priest used to say to the choir boys."
Posted by: Kent Kauffman | September 11, 2007 5:40 PM
"Will someone please explain to me why I repeatedly have to explain to grown adults that entity A 'having the right' to do something has absolutely no bearing on whether or not their decision to exercise that right is worthy of criticism?
Azkyroth, I've been asking that question for years. Good I'm not alone.
Posted by: jeffk | September 11, 2007 5:40 PM
In every media appearance, Bill Donohue demonstrates that he is the most un-Christian of Christians.
Posted by: Zeno | September 11, 2007 5:44 PM
Um, the FCC's jurisdiction in enforcing "decency" only applies to over-the-air broadcasts, not cable. E!'s only risk was outraged viewers.
Posted by: Bechamel | September 11, 2007 5:45 PM
"But priests are deliberately protected by their employers when they are caught molesting children."
Many have been and it's horrible. Many teachers have been too (for example), by both school districts and teachers unions.
"One could also argue that with the priests' position as next-to-God in the eyes of their communities and especially the children within those communities makes their abuses that much more heinous."
True, although anyone in authority with a position of trust has similar status. Note too that the research I cited in my blog post suggests that teachers are even more of a threat to children than priests are, both on a numerical basis and on a percentage basis.
"[Y]ou really don't know how the Spanish Inquisition that calls itself the FCC works, do you?
You really aren't aware of a little something called jurisdiction, are you?
Posted by: Sinbad | September 11, 2007 5:50 PM
You don't think the fact that priests claim access to a higher moral authority has anything to do with it?
Posted by: Brownian | September 11, 2007 6:04 PM
Frac wrote:
http://kathygriffin.net/contactus.php
I just wrote her. I imagine the Jesus-bots will drown us out though.
Posted by: Norman Doering | September 11, 2007 6:07 PM
You really aren't aware of a little something called jurisdiction, are you?
nope, my bad. I thought the FCC had influence there too.
I officially take my lumps.
OTOH...
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11492
oops.
perhaps you need to investigate the actions of the FCC beyond their jurisdiction?
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 6:10 PM
"As the chairman of the FCC, Powell has a duty to regulate media in the public interest. "
now this is concerning how the cable companies themselves decide what to show, but if the FCC feels it has a duty here...
how is that within their jurisdiction, eh?
while you are right that it's unlikely E! would be influenced by the FCC in this specific case, you're wrong to think that the FCC doesn't and will not have an influence in cable broadcasts.
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 6:14 PM
"That's my point. 'Hate speech' is a concept invented to protect minorities, but it will inevitably be perverted to protect majorities instead.
This is not "hate speech" ... but it will be."
I think you're missing both my point and the point of hate speech. Unless you're arguing that any definition can be given to 'hate speech', but that's true of anything.
Posted by: Numad | September 11, 2007 6:25 PM
I don't care, I still can't stand her. Unfunny comedian.
Posted by: Brad | September 11, 2007 6:33 PM
you really don't know how the Spanish Inquisition that calls itself the FCC works, do you?
a much more likely explanation is that E! wasn't willing to risk being fined by the FCC.
E! is a cable channel, not a broadcast channel, and the FCC has no jurisdiction as far as content. The FCC cannot fine cable-only channels for swearing, etc., in the way that they can broadcast channels.
Posted by: craig | September 11, 2007 6:43 PM
oh, here's another recent bit of news showing how broadly the FCC is involved in broadcasting, including the cable industry:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/26/business/media/26fcc.html?ei=5090&en=d6caaaf68ecd24be&ex=1335240000&pagewanted=print
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 6:44 PM
whoops, sorry for my repetitive comment. I hadn't refreshed the page lately I guess, missed some comments.
Posted by: craig | September 11, 2007 6:44 PM
you're too late, craig, read #79.
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 6:45 PM
Her website (http://www.kathygriffin.net/) quotes her as saying:
"Can you believe this shit? Hell has frozen over. Suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now."
Posted by: MonoApe | September 11, 2007 7:01 PM
He's not upset about the "hate speech"; he's fuming about the heresy. Kathy's raised Catholic ('efin IRISH Catholic). And there's no sanctions Billy and his minions can enforce. (Well, not technically true--I'm sure she'll lose bookings over it, but that's more a temporal matter than celestial, and boys like Billy love to sit in judgment and damn people to hell. See Orac on 9/8.)
I'm delighted to hear she won this year. Although flipping off the winner (Extreme Home Makeover last time) and telling them to "Suck my dick!" while storming out could have made for some fun television as well.
Posted by: usagi | September 11, 2007 7:05 PM
And there's no sanctions Billy and his minions can enforce.
did they stop using excommunication as a tool of obedience?
oh wait, you're talking about EFFECTIVE sanctions...
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 11, 2007 7:16 PM
As my mother calls me a fallen away catholic though i tell her i am an athiest there is something about catholics especially the nuns and ex nuns that commit their life to service. I have seen it. They should be, of all people downtrodden, beat up by the church but spend their life in service to other people.
Posted by: ike | September 11, 2007 7:26 PM
Ichthyic -- That a bureaucratic agency would suggest that organizations in its regulatory field get together and propose a solution to a perceived problem (your first link) or lobby for additional regulatory authority (your second link) is not exactly man bites dog surprising. Moreover, neither fact in any way limits what E! could or should do in this situation.
Posted by: Sinbad | September 11, 2007 7:29 PM
How is this any different then the Christian Right littering our TV viewing time with anti-gay BS>?
Posted by: Steverino | September 11, 2007 7:42 PM
...aside from the fact that..SHE WAS NOT SPEAKING HATRED ABOUT A GROUP.
Posted by: Steverino | September 11, 2007 7:46 PM
I have wonder if she'd said "Allah" instead of "Jesus" what the all-around reaction would have been.
Confusion.
Nobody thanks Allah when they win an Emmy.
Posted by: Great White Wonder | September 11, 2007 7:51 PM
Funny, since one of her stand-up specials is entitled:
Everybody can suck it.
I guess that includes Hank, Jesus, and me, too. And after spitting a gin & tonic across the keyboard watching her account of her run-in with Mary-Kate (here's the link: http://www.yout