Bill Maher has for years bragged about his love for marijuana and his desire for drugs to be legalized.
On HBO's "Real Time" Friday, the sometimes comedian linked our nation's education problems to drugs claiming, "The kids are dumbasses and their parents are dumbasses and they’re taking drugs and f--king and not learning" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
BILL MAHER: [President Obama] seemed to be saying in this speech if I get it right that education is where we have to start. That if we're going to reclaim our place in the world -- because we're not doing too well -- we're going to have to spend money to educate our kids. I mean, the most recent nationwide science tests, a third of fourth graders and only a fifth of high school seniors are at the proficiency level. Allen Friedman, who's on the board who administers, says, “I was rather dismayed at the relative lackluster performance at the top of the achievement tests.” Well, it’s not your fault, Allen. Just watch that "Skins" show on MTV and you'll see what the problem is. The kids are dumbasses and their parents are dumbasses and they’re taking drugs and fucking and not learning.
In reality, I agree with Maher that this is a huge part of the problem. But last week, he admitted – as he often does on his show – that he’s a frequent pot user that advocates the legalization of drugs:
MAHER: Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana.
UNKNOWN PANELIST: Shocking.
[Cheers and applause]
MAHER: About 50,000 times. The jury is still out. You know, I'm gathering evidence.
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: Testing.
MAHER: But, you know, this is a picture from High Times. They have the, now I like High Times. You know, they do this every, they actually have a center fold like this. I never understood this, because, like, even if you like pot, well why, what do you, okay, that’s enough of it. Do you, do you, I mean, what do you masturbate to it? Okay.
DAVID STOCKMAN: The two are related, alright. The number one source of gun violence in America is the fact that illegal drugs drive this massive culture of violence. And if we want to deal with gun violence, then let's legalize illegal drugs.
STEPHEN MOORE, WALL STREET JOURNAL: I agree with that.
[Cheers and applause]
MOORE: In fact, just to punctuate that point, the murder rate…
MAHER: Right on.
MOORE: …the murder rate in the United States dropped every year for ten years after we eliminated prohibition. So, this is a good, you’re exactly right, this is a good way to fight crime. I think we may even have a consensus.
MADDOW: I have learned when two Republicans are talking about legalizing drugs to shut up.
[Cheers and applause]
So which is it, Bill?
Are drugs harming America's youth making it impossible for them to learn science and other subjects in school thereby harming our public education system, or should drugs be legalized so that you and your adult friends like Zach can smoke whatever and wherever you want?
If the answer is the former, then stop glorifying drug use every chance you get bragging about it like some insecure child on the playground pretending he's cool to his friends.
If it's the latter, then stop complaining about kids taking drugs and doing poorly in school for it is you and all your hip friends in Hollywood that are setting this pathetically poor example encouraging Amerca's youth to light up whenever the urge strikes them.
If Maher wasn't so stoned all the time - and therefore such a dumbass! - he'd realize his hypocrisy is so thick you need Glenn Beck's chainsaw to cut it.
