9-11 Changed Dennis Miller, Did It Change You?

[phillybri]

I don't know why I do these things. I'm truly a glutton for punishment, I guess. I checked out Dennis Miller's new CNBC show on Monday night...

Let me start by saying that I used to be a HUGE Dennis Miller fan. He could give it to both Democrats and Republicans. In fact, some of his best stuff was busting on former President Clinton. He was a legitimately funny and intelligent guy.

Things started to go downhill after Miller took a job doing Monday Night Footbal commentary. Initially, I was excited. But after a few weeks, the gimmick did indeed get old.

After the September 11th attacks, Miller's mindset took a HARD right. He was spewing anti-Arab sentiment and propping up President Bush so much you would've thought he's changed his name to Jerry Falwell. On an unrelated note, I even heard Miller say he didn't care if the entire Catholic church "burned to the ground".

After being dropped by Monday Night Football and losing his once terrific HBO show, Miller honed his conservative chops by (in a move I actually predicted about two months previous) doing guest spots on Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes (Read as: Faux News's Hannity and Slinky-spined "Liberal").

After that, CNBC, sensing a disturbing lack of liberal-bashing gabfests in the primetime television arena (what with Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Joe Scarborough, Lou Dobbs, Paula Zahn already on the air), decided to give newly-minted neo-conservative Miller a shot.

Thank God for the media's hard core liberal bias!

Miller pretty much outed himself before his first show aired when he proclaimed he would "give him (Bush) a pass". He went so far to say:

"I take care of my friends."

It certainly was good to see Miller's unbiased eye for journalism back in full flourish...

Miller opened his first show by stating "9-11 changed me..." More so than anything else he said in the hour that followed, this statement made me think.

So this was what some of my conservative friends referred to as "seeing the light" in a political sense. It's always a religious experience isn't it?

For the record, this has not, and will not happen to me. 9-11 was easily one of the worst days of my life, and I didn't even know any of the dead. That being said, in my heart, I knew this world was a dangerous place on September 10th and before that. Horrible things have been happening around the world for thousands of years, and will surely continue.

Do I think we deserved 9-11? NO.

Do I think it was finally our turn? NO.

Did it piss me off to no end to see my nation attacked like that? YOU BET YOUR ASS...

Do I believe President Bush uses 9-11 as a crutch to fall back on when he has nothing worthwhile to say? Again, YOU BET YOUR ASS...(Crap, there goes my ride on Air Force One)

But, for all my anger and frustration, it led me to the conclusion that if 9-11 can change your beliefs view of the world THAT much, you probably weren't terribly committed to your beliefs in the first place.

I liken it to racism. If an African-American steals my car tomorrow, it would not turn me into a virulent racist overnight. I'm confident in my view of the world and truly believe it will not change under any sort of duress.

The rest of Miller's first show consisted of an interview with the newly-elected Governator of California in which Miller referred to a Democratic lawmaker from California as a "borderline Socialist." Nothing like elevating the dialogue, eh?

He also had a panel discussion with 2 hardcore conservatives (including the always lovable David Horowitz) and one left-leaning woman. Three to one is never good odds in an argument, and they proved it....

I won't watch his show any more, obviously. Especially when there's so much good "fair and balanced" coverage out there for me. Let's see, there's.......well there's.......oh and um.......oh, that other guy.......Oops.......maybe not! That's a story for another time....

[Jack_Dawson]

1. NBC: Scarboring, Miller, Tweety, Brokaw

Are there no honest anchors left?

[Skittles]

2. the actions of 9-11 no doubt have affected everyone

I mean, really, how could they not? The difference, though, is those events did not turn US into slobbering Bush whores who think everything can be solved by war and trashing the Constituion.

[OutlawCorporatePolls]

3. the show is dead.

he is not funny anymore. as a matter of fact on his first show, he said that he hadnt read the news today. wtf.

attention dennis, you are now a tool.

[JitterbugPerfume]

7. 911 changed me

it sure did!

It made me even more wary of the neo-cons

[mdmc]

4. I thought cocaine did that to Dennis

9-11-01 fucked up America's psyche real good.

[elfwitch]

5. didn't change me but...

It sure did weird things to a whole lot of people.

To answer some of your questions,
Do I think we deserved 9-11? NO.
Do I think it was finally our turn? yep
Did it piss me off to no end to see my nation attacked like that? not as much as it did some people
Do I believe President Bush uses 9-11 as a crutch to fall back on when he has nothing worthwhile to say? YOU BET YOUR ASS

I think is is very unfortunate that it happened. It is most unfortunate for all the people who had family or friends that died.

It is unfortunate for us all because it gave the Bush administration an excuse to destroy our Republic and start turning it in to a fascist police state.

I used to like Dennis too. I think it is interesting that 9-11 pushed him to the dark side. On the other hand, Jon Stewart's resolve seemed to be stiffened by it. And he said his apartment's main view was of the towers. If anybody had a right to go nutso it would have been him. Instead he is one of the only voices of reason left.

I say screw Dennis Miller. Tragedy is not a good reason for becoming a lock-stepped stormtrooper of the Right.

[DevilsAdvocate2]

14. Question on this

"Do I think it was finally our turn? yep"

"Did it piss me off to no end to see my nation attacked like that? not as much as it did some people"

I'm just curious, but did you think it wasn't that big of a deal? I'm wondering how mad (or not) it made you. To see thousands of people incinerated pissed you off, but not as much as some people? Seems like a callous attitude.

[elfwitch]

18. I'll explain...

It was sad. Very sad. I feel horrible for all those who lost someone. Nothing can ever be done to bring those people back. Any kids that lost their mommies or daddies will never know their love again.

That being said, I am way more pissed off about it constantly being used as an excuse to strip our rights and destroy the Constitution. I sincerely believe that THEY let it happen. How else were they going to reasonably get a free ride to create a police state?

The other thing that irks me is that we (Americans) acted like it was the most horrible thing that ever happened in the history of the world because it happened to us. In the history of modern terrorism, I'm sure more people have died in Europe and Asia from terrorist attacks than the total number that perished on 9-11. We all walked around with a "Woe is us" attitude like we were the only ones ever attacked.

There is a reason why the stereotype of the Ugly American exists. We act like nothing is really important until it happens to us. AIDS is not a crisis until it starts killing people we like. Global Warming is not a problem until it starts ruining our crops. There are hundreds of examples of this phenomenon.

SO....
Was it sad? Yes
Was it tragic? Sure
Does that give us the exclusive right to become bigger world bullies because it happened? No

The neo-cons always go on about how the terrorists hate us for our freedoms. They hate us because we thing we own the world and that nothing matters until it happens to us.

[piece sine]

29. I am frightened by your responses

something is not right if you don't "get" 9-11. This thread is going to end up on the news or some internet blog because some DUers write before they think.

[elfwitch]

33. how do I not get it?

Extremists from another country hijacked a plane and crashed it in to a building. People died. The extremists did this either for attention or because they are pissed off at the US for some reason.

Extremists do horrible things in the name of their causes all the time. They do it in many other places. Now because they did it here, the world has to go along with our preemptive plan of bringing down any nations we think harbor terrorists? Why does it become "officially" a worldwide problem once it happens to the United States?

The United States turned it's back on Europe when the Nazis where tromping through Poland and rounding up Jews for extermination. The United States only got involved once something happened to us. How many lives would have been saved if we had gotten involved a year sooner? How about two years?

The United States acts like the world revolves around it. That is why they hate us. That is what pisses off our allies. If they are less than happy with us for that reason, think about how pissed people who really don't like us are about it.

I completely understand the 9-11 situation. My condolences go out to anyone that lost someone they knew or loved. No one should have to suffer the loss of someone close. I didn't lose anyone in that event. I am, however, losing my rights as a citizen because of it.

It is being used as an excuse to be bullies. It is being used as an excuse to build empires. Is is being used as an excuse for fascism. If I knew someone who died, I would be mad on their behalf for what has been done in their name.

[Nay]

35. Thank you, Elfwitch. We think much alike. We should also remind

the folks who have taken issue with your remarks that the U.S. WAS attacked before (the Towers during Clinton's reign) and the government did not react as the Bush government did. It simply found the perpetrators and put them in jail. It did not destroy our freedoms, loot our treasury, and cow us with fear.

The Bush admin is the Ugly American writ large. It has callously used a tragedy to further its own greedy and underhanded aims, and the world is right to call us on it. It is not wrong of you to point this out.

[alarimer]

47. I agree

I have had those same questions but have not quite been able (or been afraid) to voice them. Our government has used it as an excuse to trample on the Bill of Rights, wage an illegal, immoral war in Iraq. And if you dissent with all the "this is the worst that ever happened ever in the history of the world" line, you "hate" America. I am sick of it myself. All this talk the "9-11 changed everythin" is just hyperbole. Well it has led us down the primrose path toward a police state, that's for sure.

[elfwitch]

56. Thanks to alarimer and Nay

It troubles me how even forward thinking people, like those on DU, have fallen in to the trap of hushing dissenting opinions. I am surprised that I was basically accused of being a monster because I didn't throw myself down on the ground and wail in pain and misery when this event occurred. My first reaction as I saw the event happening, truth be told, was that it was entirely possible that the Bush administration let it happen.

I think that the tendency for our side to get too politically correct is doing a disservice to us all. We are all too afraid of speaking our minds on the outside chance that someone might be offended. We adjust our language and attitudes so much that our mission is lost in the silence.

I have read many articles about how family members of victims are upset that this isn't being talked about more often and more frankly. Instead of tiptoeing around the subject, we need to shout from the rooftops about our desires to know what really happened. We need to demand that all guilty parties answer for their negligence.

Silence is the weapon that the Bush administration has used to hide their nefarious schemes and underhanded plans. Silence is the enemy.

6. Yes it did, it radicalized me

& I was in NYC at the time. I found out when I went to vote in the mayoral race. Climbed up on the roof of my apartment in Astoria and saw the smoke from the towers.

I knew immediately that the warhawks were going to try to take advantage of the situation.

[maggrwaggr]

8. I'd say you nailed it with the racism remark

If a black person attacks me, well then I'm justified in hating all blacks.

That's exactly the logic these people are using.

Hm, well Tim McVeigh attacked the federal building in OKC, does that mean we should hate all white ex-military guys?

The republican mindset takes civilization back to the dark ages.

Which is right where the fundamentalists want us.

[Minstrel Boy]

9. 9/11 changed me, too.

I glimpsed the man behind the curtain.



Haven't been the same since.

[noonwitch]

13. Exactly-that address on 9-11 was truly frightening

He was obviously scared, appeared to be intoxicated and did and said nothing to calm anyone's fears. Guliani, Powell, Hillary, McCain all also addressed the nation in interviews and were far better. There is a part of me that will always like Rudy for the stand up job he did that day, even if I never vote for him.

[Indiana Democrat]

10. Yes, it changed me.

National security is now much more important to me. Without security against attacks, what else really matters?

It hasn't really changed my lifestyle because I'm not going to just hide in my house and stop living, but I certainly look at world-wide terrorism in a different light now.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. Dennis Miller is not funny

I don't know if he was ever funny, but he isn't funny now.
My guess is that his program will flop.
He has jumped on the wrong bandwagon, he will probably realize it, but I hope it's too late.

[Solomon]

12. Dennis Miller has always been an asshole. He's just using 9-11

as an excuse to come out of the closet. Never could stand the arrogant son of a bitch, and never understood why a friend of mine used to like him.

[trumad]

15. No..His failing career after Monday Night Football changed him

He looked around and realized he was dead in the water so he decided to sell his sole to the devil. He's a souless puke who will die a very lonely death!

[cally]

16. Our reaction to 9/11 changed me

Our society just allowed * and minions to take away our civil rights. Take folks to jail without access to lawyers. Say it's unpatriotic to question. And blatant racism was a constant. I am scared with what happened and the absolute lock * had on the media.

[SanchoPanza]

17. From the City That Never Sleeps

I'm pretty sick and tired of anyone using 9/11 to justify or reinforce any political ideology, whatever it may be. Perhaps Mr. Miller may have been severely impacted through viewing 3,000 people die on CNN or FOX, but quite a few of us didn't have that relative luxury. Quite a few of us saw 3,000 people die just by looking out our office or apartment windows. Quite a few of us lossed family and friends right in front of our eyes. Quite a few of us weren't "changed" just because we happened to be sitting on our fat asses in an Laz-E-Boy one Tuesday morning.

Mr. Miller may indeed have been "changed" that morning in his lovely California home, or in a Beverly Hills studio, but the spiritual conversions of people who were brought the horrors of 9/11 through the magic of TV and Talk Radio don't really impress me all that much. And the use of our tragedy to justify everything from the Preventative Doctrine to Tax Cuts certainly doesn't either. Nor do Cruise Ship Conventions, political theater masquerading as patriotism, and the vacuous championing of democracy and human rights by Neo-Conservative Acolytes.

What impresses me is the everyday kindness pulsing throughout my city, lying just underneath a shallow sea of apathy akin to the inch or so of dust that once covered southern Manhattan. Both are easily swept away when we face such calamity. And I don't need the lectures of demagogues, the ideological religiosity of washed-up entertainers, nor the lies of a President to make my city and my nation shine.

Peace.

[Skittles]

22. wow . . . . . . SanchoPanza

I am welcoming you to the Underground.

[glitch]

23. beautifully stated

welcome to DU!

[phillybri]

26. Wow...Excellent post...Welcome!!!

:hi:

[Beetwasher]

31. From One New Yorker to Another

I give you a hearty welcome! Terrific post!

[cmd]

19. The assassination of JFK changed me

I look on that as the day that changed my life. I'm sure for younger people 9-11 had the same effect. Innocence lost.

[catzies]

36. "Innocence lost." Yep. But for me that happened on another day.

12/12/00. I knew right away that people don't steal elections to do good things, and that only stealing your first election is hard.

When I woke up on 9/11/01 and absorbed the events and news over several days I began to realize just what they stole the election for.

It wasn't long after that I found DU.

[markses]

20. Hell yes it changed me

It changed me from being top-notch annoyed that this cowardly little Bush had stolen to 2000 election to white-knuckled angry that his incompetence almost got me killed that morning, and got plenty of friends, acquaintances, colleagues and neighbors killed.

That fucking bitch Bush should be in prison.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[markses]

34. Bush should have done the fucking job he stole

Instead of focusing on the Russians and Chinese as if it were his 1962 fantasy, he should have done what the outgoing national security staff pleaded with him to do: focus on al-Quaeda. Instead of devising ways to funnel money to his crooked partners in the defense industry by pushing the imbecilic missile shield, he should have focused on airport security and counter-terrorism, as he was advised to do in report after report. Instead of sitting on his ass and discounting his August briefing about terror threats on American soil, he should have turned the entire security apparatus on overdrive, gone into prevention mode. If Bush did not steal the Presidency, those two towers - and plenty of folks - would still be with us today, that's for goddamn sure.

You can run your fantasy Clinton hatred all you want. I was not, and am not, a big fan of Clinton. But you know and I know that Bush didn't do a damn thing about terrorism in his first nine months - busy as he was devising ways to loot the treasury and reward his crooked donors. For however many times Clinton's anti-terrorism efforts didn't work, we know they worked as many.

To make matters worse, that despicable little coward of a faux-President adds insult to injury (or, really, crime to injury) by using 9/11 as a further excuse to enrich his cronies with the false and criminal Iraq war, again missing the mark, again focusing on the wrong thing. He's a stupid and greedy little man, this so-called President of yours.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kaysera]

45. Obviously ... SOMEONE can't handle the truth !

[markses]

49. Who, you?

I agree.

[Cleita]

21. I expected this.

Before you flame me, let me explain. Back in the decade of the eighties I was living in Los Angeles, I was an avid reader of the Los Angeles Times when it was a liberal newspaper. Many of the editorial page articles touched on the subject of then President Raygun's obsession with his star wars program.

Many contributions were printed from various sources indicating that the real threat was from guerilla attacks, not ICBM's and other such high tech weapons. The name of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi threat and many others rose many times in these writings. Fortunately, I believe the Clinton administration took these warning seriously and this is why we didn't have a spectacular attack like 9-11 until Bush took over.

Bush really is just a new puppet character of the Raygun puppeteers back in power. They didn't take the threat seriously. They didn't want to because it would have made the theft of the Treasury going on now a bit inconvenient, so they took a gamble and chose to ignore it. IMHO.

[AG78]

24. Absolutely

However, I was changing ever so slowly prior to it.

I'm 25 now. I had never cared about politics. Never voted. No party affiliation. Barely knew a political party was to tell you the truth. Just didn't interest me. I never watched a State of the Union or anything like that. I knew of things going on in the world, and what happened throughout history, but nothing too detailed.

I had never watched the Presidential debates. Didn't even watch them closely in 2000. For no real reason that I've been able to think of, on election day 2000, I flipped through the channels, and just started watching the election day coverage. Didn't really know what was going on, but there was nothing else to do at the time. But by the next day, I hadn't stopped watching, I don't think I even went to sleep that night.

So I was slowly getting interested in politics after that. Then 9/11 happened.

At first, I was angry. I wanted to go and fight.

But then, just as time went on, I started reading more. I started listening more. It was around this time that I started to read more about history, and current situations, about PNAC and the like, and I was still somewhat confused.

But I know this; in the days since 9/11, I've learned more about the world than I ever had in school.

So yes, 9/11 changed me a great deal. I can't think of any aspect of my life that wasn't changed. Well, maybe not "changed", but I woke up. I think the way I think today has always been there, but that event made me aware of who I was. I look at everything differently today, and for the better. I actually care about the real important aspects of life now, as opposed to growing up only caring what my favorite team did.

Maybe that happens without 9/11, but I've noticed that if it wasn't 9/11, it would've been something else. There's always another problem around the next corner. And it won't stop with terrorism.

[ellie]

25. It made me more cynical

I was at work, watching t.v. in the conference room when the towers collapsed. I really didn't believe what I was seeing. They sent us home and I sat in front of the t.v. in a daze until one of the anchors, I don't remember who, criticized Bush for flying around the country like a scared rabbit who won't come out of his hole. Right then and there I came to believe I knew what happened, who was responsible, and how we were all fucked. I immediately questioned the whole Al Qaeda connection, in fact, I got into a screaming match with my brother-in-law over it. He was going on and on about Osama when I told him that we trained Osama to fight the Russians. He called me a traitor and I didn't talk to him for two years.

Before 9/11, I believed our government had its dirty hand in every pie. After 9/11, I was convinced of it. I don't trust any of those people and I don't think we will ever know the truth about that day, either.

[adriennel]

27. yes, but I don't think it made me an a**hole

like Dennis Miller is now. I think it made me more compassionate.

[tom_paine]

28. 9-11 didn't change Miller one bit

That's another Bushevik lie.

Miller was already down on his knees whoring for Faux (I should say, earning his kneepads to show that he was ideologically pure and Party-Loyal).

Which makes Miller another odious Bushevik Liar backfilling rationales like a corrupt contractor pouring sewage and garbage into home foundations.

It is truly grotesque to see someone sell out so thoroughly and whorishly for $$$$$. Miller was a tired hack and his other gigs were drying up, so he packed his conscience away and joined the Bushevik Pay Corps.

For a dweeby goob like Miller, the chance to finally be with the jocks and be a "winner" (even if it meant partnering with Hitler's Angel's grandson and lying lying lying all the time aboiut everything) was probably too strong.

What a gutless, weak turd with the principles of an al dente pasta.

I would watch his toxic sludge. Besides, you can hear the same sh*t coming out of any number of outlets in the Party-Loyal Right-Wing Sub-Media and the parasitized Corporate TV Pravda that floats in it's oily wake.

[Sophree]

44. Dennis basically admitted that he turned his brain off

after 9-11.

9-11 happened, it shocked all of us, but it made many people, including Dennis, unable to think critically and/or question government. He used to make fun of B*sh, but post 911, he saw him pick up a megaphone and "transform" into another person??!!??? PUH-LEEZE. :puke:

[spanone]

30. Yeah, now I don't watch dennis miller

[ComerPerro]

38. 9/11 changed me, because I used to just hate Bush

But now I absolutely loathe him and will never forgive him for what he has done, and what he is doing.

[evil_orange_cat]

39. 9-11 didn't change me one bit... I knew Islamists posed a threat...

it proved that our intelligence community and our executive branch is completely incompetent and inept at the best... in on it at worst.

[nonconformist]

40. 9/11 changed me in many ways

The shock and horror of that day will always be with me. The way that the country, and the world, seemed to come together on the basic principal of humanity and sorrow was a truly amazing thing that I never thought I would witness in my lifetime (too bad Bush pissed away all of that togetherness and goodwill). While it did awaken me to the horror that evil does exist and can strike in a massive way, it also awakened many parts of me that have since proven to make me a better person.

I learned that I have a true compassionate heart that knows no boundaries. I learned that I can feel immense anger, but can quickly become composed and logical in my thinking. I learned more about world/US history and religion in the months following 9/11 than I would have ever sought out before, and in doing so dealt with my own inner demons when realizing things were not always what they seemed and losing what could be called blissful ignorance. I learned that even though I didn't realize it I had some prejudices that I was able to put to rest. I learned that I cannot trust the American media to tell me all I need to know. I, for all intents and purposes, truly became an adult in every way in the aftermath of 9/11 (I was 28 when it happened). I learned that it's not enough to just register to vote (I am a born and raised Dem), but that I needed to be involved and informed and try to share what I've learned. And maybe the most valuable lesson of all, I learned how important it is to raise my children to be progressive thinkers with a kind heart and thirst for knowledge and that the mainstream way of thinking isn't always the best way.

The horror of that day still haunts me, but instead of making me a racist, shoot-from-the-hip nationalist, in the end it made me a smarter, more compassionate person. I wish it had that effect on everyone.

[economic justice]

50. Well-said

Beautifully written! Thanks for a post from the heart.

[maveric]

41. Miller became a shill to revitalize his failing career by using 9/11

to show his patriotism, and to cater to the bu$heviks. He's a brilliant opportunist at best.

9/11 changed me in the sense that I now see the agenda of the RW/republicans in this country. This agenda includes stopping at nothing to gain power and money. Even allowing a terrorist attack on US citizens on US soil for their own personal gain..

[maggrwaggr]

42. his show clearly demonstrates what an awful, shallow personn he is

and for that reason alone, I highly recommend his show. :)

[OneTwentyoNine]

43. 9/11 changed Miller into a full blown PIMP for Whore TV...

What a load of shit Miller. How sad your pathetic career is that you USE 9/11 as a GD tool for your show. Cut the sad sack shit buddy,your career was in the dumpster so you took a good look around at all the WHORES making a fortune bashing Democrats.

I can do that!! you squealed,so...off you went to sell your sole and become another of the 35 or 40 whores that make your money off of War,bodies and corporate profits.

FUCK YOU MILLER!!

David

[Sterling]

48. Thats funny he said it was the feminist calling Bush 1 a Nazi

That made him a Moran. He is not only an idiot but a liar. He makes up some new "why I switched sides" BS every few months. You are right he never has had any real values. Only a self congratilitory view of the world where whatever comes of the top of his head or jerks off his knee is the new truth.

[Terwilliger]

51. 9/11 changed my mind...about Dennis Miller

poor Dennis :shrug:

[AlFrankenFan]

52. Made me more of a cynic and more of a liberal...

...however the two do not intermix. And I ain't watching DM's show for crap.

[Ladyhawk]

53. I changed in many ways after 9-11.

It solidified my shift from agnosticism to atheism. I was saddened by 9-11 and became very angry. I even imagined myself in fatigues gunning down the people who committed this atrocity. Hell yeah I was mad.

Then, as I noticed how the Bush* Administration used 9-11 to solidify power and pass stupid and dangerous laws, I finally caught on. For years I'd been a moderate, registered as a Republican. In my youth I had been a radical right-winger like my parents. After watching Bush butt-rape our country, I got angry and formally changed parties. When the focus shifted from Afghanistan and Bin Laden to Iraq and Saddam Hussein, my politics shifted radically to the left. I think I'm liberal to stay.

[FDRrocks]

54. Yes...

I was only interested in partying and smoking pot. 9/11 happens, and I hear we got bombed b/c of our freedom. That made no sense. I looked into it, picked up 9/11 by Noam Chomsky, and have been a politi-junkie ever since.

Our freedom, my ass.

[Raenelle]

57. It made me more cynical, after about 2 weeks of smarmy sentimentalism

and media whores saying ad nauseam that the world had changed.

[Fescue4u]

55. deleted

deleted