“America was started in Massachusetts — Massachusetts, Philadelphia and Virginia — and they act like America started in Kansas.” — Bill Maher on his HBO show, on how Mitt Romney and Republicans now must diss Massachusetts, the state he formerly governed, if he is to win the GOP presidential nomination. At least Maher later shared the lack of love, expressing surprise that Arkansas has newspapers.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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50 Comments
Ourkansas, has become the equivalent of Arkansas! Fodder for commedians.
Every state has a “needle point” that Comedians use. Maher is no different. He just puts a flaming, self-hating, hate-everyone-Liberal twist on it.
May Toto bite him on the knee…well, maybe the ankle.
Why shouldn’t we be the laughing stock of this country? We have the fundies trying to get the “theory” of creationism taught in the public schools and Fred Phelps with his outrageous hatred. I love it here, but all that puts a black eye on our state.
“America was started in Massachusetts — Massachusetts, Philadelphia and Virginia — and they act like America started in Kansas.”
Sounds like we are making progress, Bill.
I agree with Mary and I also watch Maher and I agree with him. When we elect backwards thinkers like Brownback, the rest of the nation is naturally going to associate his views as being our own. We must begin to elect people who live in the reality of this day and age not the fuzzy memories of the way it used to be.
Maher’s right!!!! Kansas sucks!!! Most boring, lame state in the country.
(well, there is North Dakota.)
I would expect Kansans to feel a little resentment when a fool like Maher disrespects us. But maybe some would rather live in Massachusetts, sometimes referred to as Taxachusetts. That’s always an option folks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_tax_levels
Folks like Maher and the other late night comedians will pick the funny and ludacris fro current events and make fun of them.
Unfortunately, here in KS we provide lots of ludicris headlines for them to make fun of.
outlander: maybe Kansans should think twice before electing a fool like Brownback. However we did, so any disrespect we receive is well deserved.
I also like your “if you don’t like the perceived right-wing slant of Kansas politics, move to Massachusetts” line of thinking. How democratic of you!
And for all the RW pissing and moaning about Massachusetts, there’s always this: take a guess which state has the lowest divorce rate in the nation? Which state also has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the nation? Has the highest literacy rate? Oh, that’s right – TAXACHUSETTS! (I’m sure many of you were thinking it was a toss-up between Kansas and Alabama;)
As for Republican’s moronic comment….eh, why even bother?
Yo! Brian! And some provide LUDICROUS statements like yours. Take off those headphones and open a book. “ludacris” is rap pimp. The dumbing down of America continues.
LUDICROUS:causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable.
Why do you think everyone refers to Kansas as the “hateland” and Wichita as the capitol of uptight white people. Little Rock is 100 years ahead of Wichita.
Why do you think everyone refers to Kansas as the “hateland” and Wichita as the capitol of uptight white people. Little Rock is 100 years ahead of Wichita.
Why do you think everyone refers to Kansas as the “hateland” and Wichita as the capitol of uptight white people. Little Rock is 100 years ahead of Wichita.
Yo! Wichita is a joke, posting 3 times….wow! I’m callin “Massive Intellect” here. A little inpatient are we?Advice:Only hit the post button once. I know it takes a long time on your dial-up connection but be patient.
Now see? you gave them something else to laugh at us for. Computer Stupid Land.
All you clod kickers deserve what you get. Just look at all the stupid things going on & in with Kansas.Freddie, Wichita’s Keystone Cops, etc
“Every state has a “needle point” that Comedians use. Maher is no different. He just puts a flaming, self-hating, hate-everyone-Liberal twist on it.”
That’s for sure with Bill Maher, he likes to attack KS in particular. Probably gets some of his ideas right here. Plenty of KS-haters here today. Why are there so many resident haters of KS?
Take a guess which state has the lowest divorce rate in the nation because they have one of the lowest marriage rates in the nation?Which state also has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the nation because they have the lowest birth rates in the nation? If there are hardly any teenagers where will be pregnancies come from? Also they are pro-aborts, they hide their dirt under the carpet which also explains the low birth rate. Guess?Has the highest literacy rate and are full of it, but they lack wisdom sadly?Its TAXACHUSETTS! (I’m sure many of you were thinking it was a toss-up between Kansas and Alabama;)
Which state also has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the nation because they have the lowest birth rates in the nation?Posted by: john_s | June 02, 2007 at 12:33 PM
LOL
Damn MA teens! Get with the program you sexually-responsible, teenaged excuses for real humans (like Kansans)! Wrappers and johnsons never go together!
Hilarious. Uh, you may not both condemn MA for it low teen pregnancy rate (because they come from a state so drenched in yankee backbone that they actually believe in contraception!) and its lack of wisdom and be judged a fair man, john_s.
Where the hell is WSClark when we need a humor timeout?!?
LOL
Many since liberals like Maher believe in a living constitution maybe they can believe in a living history which changes with times. So maybe america did start in Kansas!Do like the liberals do: If they feel strongly about something, they think it is a fact.
“Take a guess which state has the lowest divorce rate in the nation because they have one of the lowest marriage rates in the nation?”
They have a higher percentage of gay couples there too, dumbass.Are you saying you would you rather people marry and get divorced?
You go ahead and diss Massachusetts–I’m sure they really care what Kansans think. Take a poll amongst all Americans and find out which state they’d rather live in, Kansas or Massachusetts.
Hint: there’s a reason KS is commonly thought of as one of the “fly-over” states.
In fact, the more conversation like this exist on this blog, and the more I get to know this place, the more desperate I get to get the hell out. I may even quit my job without another one to go to, despite the clear mandate that my employers are desperate for me to stay.
You are not a bunch of tolerant midwesterners. You are cheap, white-bread, unthinking chuckleheads who equate quality of life with low taxes.
And your schools suck.
Here delsol, let me help you on the way out of the state with a boot square in your ass.
I watch Maher faithfully. You know, conservatives, if you watched it, you’d have so much more to boo at and gripe, whine, and moan about. :)
Bill Maher has, in the past few months, made dissing Kansas a tradition in each and every show. Upon hearing his latest each week, I first groan, but then have to laugh, because he’s right! Not that this isn’t a great state, but as long as we (people from here and politicians and state gov’t officials) continue to do stupid, headline-grabbing things, we deserve to be the brunt of some jokes.
Lighten up, folks. Next season we may get lucky and some other state will be the target. Don’t count on it though.
delsol,You might want to take republican up on that. Seems he has a habit of threatening people, then claiming “war injuries” when actually called out. In other words, your ass is safe from his boot.
Republank doesn’t have any war injuries, although he likes to give that impression. He just likes to threaten people on the blog and then wimp out, claiming various afflictions.
He is a bit like Bush and his “ever since 9/11″ routine regarding Iraq. Bush tries to imply that Saddam was behind 9/11, then says that he never meant to say that.
Republank says that he is a disabled veteran, with the implication that he was disabled during combat, but actually he just had an accident.
I am not minimizing anyones service, but to hold yourself up as a war hero does a great disservice to those that truly deserve that recognition.
That is why we just walk on by when he starts with his I’m-better-than-you routine.
It really is sad.
It would be such a great loss to lose delsol from Kansas.
It would be such a great loss to lose delsol from Kansas.Posted by: Doc Holiday | June 02, 2007 at 05:31 PM
Boy, I couldn’t agree more. Really.
That said: delsol, you must stick around for the summer, it’s…memorable!
Kidding, delsol. Remember: you’re a prairie person now, and we don’t quit. Not under even conditions of continuous attack by dipshits of any variety. Not even if they’re relentless, innumerable, and perhaps with intellects barely registering among that of turnips.
All your zombies are us, delsol. You gotta stick around for THAT, biatch!
Hey look, I’ve been here for five years. A colleague of mine hired at the same time had the same reaction, got out last year (moved to Colorado); my wife hates it too.
Republican, you can have it. Thanks for the help out.
Hey, Republican–I have a friend that moved here from Phoenix to take a job at Boeing. You know Boeing actually pays people more to come here than to go to Seattle? You know what else? They still can’t get people to come here.
So yeah, “taxachusetts”…crazy Bill Maher.The first step in the process is admitting that things suck around here. The second is figuring out what to do about it.
But you have to admit it needs work or it will never change. You want growth and industry? Look at Richard Florida’s “Rise of the Creative Class.” Then let’s talk.
The problem with liberals is they think they are tolerant but they are not. They cannot tolerate people thinking differently from them.Anyway, I think calipornia is a better and more apt name for california.
Jeez, it took you ALL day to come up with that one, JS? Keep your day job, boy, you will never make it as a comedian.
My grandfather always calls it “the land of fruits and nuts.” Always.
“The problem with liberals is they think they are tolerant but they are not. They cannot tolerate people thinking differently from them.”
I will assume that this is directed at me, John S., so I’ll answer… Actually, what I can’t tolerate is not tolerating other lifestyles, perspectives, and ehtnicities. I don’t believe in the supremacy of whiteness, Christianity, western-ness, American-ness, or heterosexuality.
I actually think other countries are terrific places to live, as well as this one. I actually think they might have something to contribute on the global stage. I actually think gay people and women should have the same rights as the rest of us.I actually think minorities should get advantages in hiring and schooling because if employers and schools are not forced to consider them, they won’t be bothered, and white people already get every advantage possible in this culture.
But it’s true…I am really intolerant of intolerance.
But it’s true…I am really intolerant of intolerance.
Posted by: delsol | June 02, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Then you should hate yourself delsol and most likely do from the tone of your posts.
california..the land of fruits and nuts..that’s hilarious.
delsol…you are just plain intolerant. You are just finding a reason to justify your hatred. I do believe in some of the things you stand for but not all. You can falsify and spin things any way you want to. But if you just want to hate then there is no reason to justify anything because it will make no difference to you.California…the land of ‘fruits’ and ‘nuts’…that’s truly hilarious. gay fruits and liberal nuts.
delsol @ 10:51PM: heroic stuff, really. That’s inspiring (to me).
Good grief, what positive energy delsol has.
Is it SAP that got you here? Whatever, PLEASE STAY!!!
An open. world-wide secret:
The US is a great place to earn dollars (to send back wherever), but that’s it.
Most every human knows this; only Americans think the US is #! when it comes to “quality of life.” The US ain’t even CLOSE.
OK, my opinion: let’s just say that my retirement ambition doesn’t in any way involve residency in Kansas, much less the USA. (Bali, owning a beach hotel catering to Dutch and German customers, fwiw… it”s about 30% lined out but admittedly needs work).
Thanks for your support, Pedant, especially after I’ve made such a target of myself.
everyone else will be happy to know that I likely will be staying, actually. I’ll be sure to run for state house and lose to a superstar like Susan Wagle.
Republican, my grandfather’s a life-long pro-union Democrat. Just thought you’d like to know.
He thought it sucked here when he came to visit (we all hate ourselves in my family).:)
LOL
Jesus, the places Susan Wagle will go. Wow. Topka, KS, is like the last “locality,” but you gottta give Suze credit.
Now that’s a woman who by sole virtue of her convictions will never venture further east, in an official position, than Topeka. That’s because she will acquire by every lawful means the ability to STAY A BIGSHOT WHO CONTROLS SEX-ED FOR THOSE OVER 21YRS OF AGE, which is a rare ability not always available or even regardly widely as desireable on the national level.
Ain’t the US grand? Wouldn’t you agree the US is a a place where all our convictions are reflected in law? Even if that’s not really an overt advantage but still tells the outside world that we’re Conservative with a capital “C”?
ANS: Hellzyeah. Fool.
There’s something about Kansans.
Our heritage, our cultural DNA is based in us being the frontier; the outpost from civilization.
Kansas was the edge of America when it was born. Once the transcontinental railroad was completed, the West Coast became a second America. Kansas, in the middle, remains on the outskirts of both coast’s culture.
In some ways it’s a good thing. Traditionally, Kansans have been able to balance the fads and fashions from the coasts with solid common sense born of collective individualism in a frequently hostile environment.
Kansas grew one of America’s greatest warriors, Dwight Eisenhower, who nevertheless spent his presidency trying to warn America against militarism. William Allen White was a mainstream Main Street Republican who knew the abuses of unrestricted capitalism fueled legitimate populist rebellion. That’s what the original “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” was all about.
Socially, as well as geographically, Kansas tends toward the middle. There have been radical extremists… from John Brown to the Ku Klux Klan in the 20s to the student radicals in the 60s at KU to Phred Felps… but our equilibrium — our sanity — is somewhere in the middle. It’s who we are. It’s what we are.
What passes for “conservatism” in America is losing its grip on Kansas for a reason. It’s stopped being “conservative” and Kansans know better than to back wars-of-choice, eavesdropping on private citizens, outting CIA agents, lying to Congress, arrest and torture without judicial oversight… the compendium of sins committed by George WMD Bush and his cronies.
There are plenty of Kansans who will sit in their Bible-belting churches and believe that evolution or gays or teenaged loose women are the scurge of society, but most Kansans still believe their most important task in life is dealing with life on a personal, not political, basis.
Collective Individualism — work together for good schools, provide for the poor and the weak and the elderly, come together in times of crisis and tragedy, live and let live in matters that don’t personally threated you — that’s the essential Kansas mindset.
Bill Maher doesn’t see that. He sees Sam Brownback denying the obvious truths revealed by science. He sees Phred Felps (a psychotic not unlike John Brown a hundred and fifty years ago) and attaches the Kansas brand on him; an unfair brand of “crazy” but perhaps our tollerance of Phred during those years he was only picketing “gay” funerals is karma come back to bite us.
Sam Brownback can evolve from a pro-choice Methodist (when he first ran for Congress) into an “every-sperm-is-sacred” Opus Dei cultist in the Senate. Kansans will live with that if he’d do his job like James Pearson did, like Bob Dole did, like Nancy Kassebaum did. But Sam the Sham has gotten a bit too big for his britches.
Kansans know better. They know better than Sam Brownback. They know better than Phred Felps. They know better than they’ve revealed themselves lately to people such as Bill Maher.
The last election and, I suspect, the next couple elections, will prove that.
I’ll be sure to run for state house and lose to a superstar like Susan Wagle.Posted by: delsol | June 02, 2007 at 11:46 PM
Seriously? I can’t tell if your kidding or not, but if you’re not, I’ll certainly be cheering you on. Susan Wagle needs to retire.
Hey, Pedant:For the Bali plan, consider areas of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. I was just there last winter, and they seem to be the next hot spots.
To address the post more objectively, I honestly think Maher is using Kansas because it’s easier to say than Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. I would bet that he knows that Kansas is actually more politically progressive than all of those plains states, but it’s the whole middle America mindset he’s calling “Kansas.”
It has that connotation. When you say “Alabama” or “Georgia,” different connotations arise. Having lived in Georgia for 17 years, I’m familiar with how sensitive they are those outside perceptions.
Kansas is coming around. Wichita tries harder to be a nicer place to live than any place I’ve ever resided. It’s relatively cheap here. Wages lag, and the faschist born agains do have too much of a voice, but we are getting better.
The cheap living part is both our best friend, and our worse enemy. The suburb of Chicago I lived in had the mentality of “let’s price all the dregs out of our market.” For me it had hit a point where I wanted to move into something bigger, and wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy the house I was living in with present market values. I guess I was one of those dregs? Actually I was just one of those old hold outs who had a wife that liked to be home with the kids.
It takes solid 6 figures to live well in much of the US, which often takes 2 salaries. I couldn’t get there, close, but not close enough.
I like Kansas overall very much! However, I do make fun of it alot as well.
How surprising, the bigots who read Holman also watch the bigot Bill Maher. Maher is white trash, who gives a crap what he thinks? If you crackers don’t like living in Wichita, get out and kiss our ass on your way. Go live in Massachusetts. Having Kansas idiots like you leave to live in Massachusetts will raise the IQ in both states.
Crackers?
Ped,”Jesus, the places Susan Wagle will go. Wow. Topka, KS, is like the last “locality,” but you gottta give Suze credit.
Now that’s a woman who by sole virtue of her convictions will never venture further east, in an official position, than Topeka. That’s because she will acquire by every lawful means the ability to STAY A BIGSHOT WHO CONTROLS SEX-ED FOR THOSE OVER 21YRS OF AGE, which is a rare ability not always available or even regardly widely as desireable on the national level.”
Maybe it would be useful to ask where Susan got her sex-ed, and what drugs she was under the influence of at the time? And how it all got documented in a skin rag?