I’ve never been a huge fan of Bill Maher’s. Once he started moving away from comedy and closer to politics, he seemed to annoy me much more frequently than he made me laugh. But in this op-ed in today’s LA Times, his politics are hard to disagree with. A man after my own heart, he lashes out at the teens who were part of the recent survey that showed a shameful lack of understanding of the First Amendment. Sez Bill:

“And what’s so frightening is that we’re seeing the beginnings of the first post-9/11 generation — the kids who first became aware of the news under an “Americans need to watch what they say” administration, the kids who’ve been told that dissent is un-American and therefore justifiably punished by a fine, imprisonment — or the loss of your show on ABC.”

Lame jokes aside (and I admit there are several in this article) I agree with the man.

Now, I like Ikea as much as anybody else, but rioting to get your hands on a cheap sofa? I guess it was just too hard for London shoppers to turn down the promises of lower than usual prices at the new store opening:

“Video footage showed shoppers fighting over furniture – one man was pinned against a wall by a burly customer as they argued over a sofa – while others were stretchered into ambulances.

After 30 minutes the store was closed, staff holding up signs written in marker pen against the glass doors to announce the fact. The crowd refused to disperse and some tried to smash their way in.

More than 30 police tried to keep the peace amid fights between Ikea staff and shoppers. Firefighters freed trapped customers. Assistant Divisional Officer William Bird said: “I have not attended anything like this before.” Traffic on the A406 seized up as people stuck in jams for more than an hour abandoned their cars.”

And I thought holiday shopping was bad. Wow.