It might be par for the course, but liberal cable talk show host Bill Maher has once again done his best to offend with a distasteful and insensitive wisecrack about the U.S. military.
Maher launched into a rant on his March 27 HBO show, "Real Time with Bill Maher" about American soldiers still stationed in Germany and Japan and took a swipe at the soldiers, insinuating they were rapists.
"Forget about bringing the troops home Iraq - we need to get the troops home from World War II," Maher said. "Can anybody tell me why in 2009, we still have more than 50,000 troops in Germany and 30,000 in Japan? At some point these people are going to have to learn to rape themselves."
The cheap shots didn't stop there. Maher continued his schtick to push his point.
"Our soldiers have been in Germany so long, they now wear shorts with black socks," Maher said. "You know that crazy soldier hiding in the cave on Iwo Jima who does know the war is over? That's us."
Former Army Staff Sergeant and author of "House to House" David Bellavia, who has been recommended for the Medal of Honor and is a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star didn't take Maher's criticism lightly.
"While Democrats want to accuse the right in America of being hijacked by the talking points of Rush Limbaugh and talk radio, it is more than a little odd to me that the greatest minds on the left today are community organizers, washed up former sports commentators and stand up comedians," Bellavia said. "It's insensitive and hurtful."
Bellavia, who was stationed in Germany for over three years, explained the German people did not blame the military for "these lone American incidents of barbaric aggression" and that many were thankful American soldiers took out their Nazi-led government.
"The fact is that the German people would be the first to protest our leaving their country," Bellavia said. "Areas like Vilseck would have no economy without American business and young foolish soldiers emptying their bank accounts on the German local scene."
The Fallujah veteran said he wasn't surprised by Maher remarks and explained many on the left like Maher don't understand the concept of military service.
"Neither here nor there - Maher's comments are nothing surprising to me," Bellavia added. "Newsflash - the left doesn't get the military. They don't understand how a person can see something bigger then themselves. And the vast majority of liberals have zero idea of what we face overseas and moreover, cannot understand any situation that could possibly involve taking the life at war. They never have. And they never will."
With this sort of rhetoric, Maher keeps adding to his record of tasteless quips. Last fall, Maher bought into the wild unsubstantiated claims that Sarah Palin's baby son was really her grandson. That earned Maher the 2009 MRC DisHonors Awards Quote of the Year award on March 20.
