freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them" -- Mark Twain

Well, okay, maybe in his own mind. But in reality...not.

fucking pile of shit

The only thing in common between Mark Twain and Bill Maher is their proclivity towards the N-word.

And they got rid of most of the staff. Maybe it can be held at the UFC octagon.

Fuck that asshole.

All Kennedy Center award recipients are selected by the center's Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

As the Chair of the Board, Trump heads the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center.

Trump appointed all the executive leadership and members of the Board of Trustees; he completely overhauled the center's leadership and appointed an entirely new board of trustees, which subsequently elected him as chairman of the board.

So, Bill Maher received an award from Trump because he kissed his ass.

slimeball self. He got a Gaslit "prize" from the PEDO.

I bet Mark Twain wouldn't find it funny.

Fuckig fascists.

Hadn't recognized that in Maher.

I've been thinking about Mark Twain lately in connection to the tawdry Natalie Harp affair

Mark Twain was less than thrilled with the prospect of listening to Harp music in Heaven

Link to tweet

If so, that woman needs to be hospitalized right now, not tomorrow.

Underaged boys.

among the celebrities appearing at the ceremony.
https://www.kcra.com/article/bill-maher-mark-twain-kennedy-center-trump/71763763#:~:text=Comedian%20Bill%20Maher%20was%20being,made%20significant%20contributions%20to%20humor

Woody Harrelson is insane so no surprise he attended. Stephen A. Smith is a Republican who pretends he's a Democrat ( only somehow he agrees with MAGA Republicans on almost everything).

Arianna Huffington another Republcian who has pretended at times to be a Democrat.

And Jay Leno is a never been funny "comedian".

Caretaker for his wife and recently had Joe Biden on his car show. Jay and Joe went riding in Joe’s Corvette with LAPD and Secret Service clearing the way.

I don't think a veneer of neutrality can be justified in our current situation.

I don’t know. And after watching Leno for many years I have no idea about his political views. He could be a Republican, if he is he is not an asshole about it. His discussion with Biden while they were riding around was good, centered on Joe, not politics.
But you have a valid point, more people especially those in the public eye should speak out. A lot of reasons why they might not. I’m not political at my house, no yard signs or anything like that. I live surrounded by MAGA and I don’t need my windows broken or my cars keyed, both of those happened when I was a volunteer for Obama.

Strange bedfellows

Last edited Mon Jun 29, 2026, 08:52 AM - Edit history (1)

Mark Twain, “The War Prayer” (ca.1904-5)

The American writer Mark Twain wrote the following satire in the glow of America’s imperial interventions.

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism … on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun … nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. …

Sunday morning came — next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams — visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! … The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said …

…

Then came the “long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work….

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. … he ascended to the preacher’s side and stood there waiting. …

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside — which the startled minister did — and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

“I come from the Throne — bearing a message from Almighty God!” …

“God’s servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two — one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this — keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

“You have heard your servant’s prayer — the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it — that part which the pastor — and also you in your hearts — fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: ‘Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!’ … When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory–must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

“O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle — be Thou near them! With them — in spirit — we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it — for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

(After a pause.) “Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!”

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.


Bill Maher is no Mark Twain. Mark Twain grew as he aged.
Bill Maher has not.

...was the first American writer to infuse individual dialect into his characters.

If I could read Huckleberry Finn out loud to any audience they would understand were Twain was going.

"He's White," are two of the most important words uttered in the 19th century.

I think the quote is located in chapter 44.

Does anyone read books anymore?

Donald j Trump award for comedy.

Thanks for the thread senseandsensibility

Only a few hours ago, my cousin and I were talking about what an asshole Maher is. His name should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Mark Twain.

Mellancamp is a great guy.

Too bad he only wants to be seen as "bucking the trend" regardless of who's right or wrong. Hating Trump became too mainstream for him. 🙄

I think he has at least a dozen of those.

Although Twain would probably see the irony in this, I do not!