From the web site - there are bits missing, as at the end of when BB is talking about the B5 situation.
"Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher"
Aired August 14th, 1997
Guests on this program were:
Lynn Redgrave, Bill Engvall, Norman Ornstein, Bruce Boxleitner
[ Cheers and applause ] >> Bill: Thank you. You're very kind. [ Applause ] Thank you so much. You're very kind. This is a day I've been -- [ Cheers ] The guys love me. [ Laughter ] >> Man: All right! >> Bill: This is a day I've been waiting for -- not you. [ Laughter ] For a long time -- finally, they got those cosmonauts home from the Mir space station. These guys have been up there -- [ Applause ] Yeah, I mean, and what they've gone through. They've been up there almost the entire year. They don't know what happened on Earth this whole year and they've gone through absolute hell. And the irony is, the guy came back today and he said he did it all to impress Ellen DeGeneres. [ Laughter ] I mean, that's -- [ Applause ] Well, the notorious Dr. K. has struck again. Dr. Kevorkian, number 46. He's getting to 60. Dr. Kevorkian has done it again in a hotel in Michigan. He likes the hotels. And he's getting cocky. After he killed her, he just left her out in the hall for room service to take. [ Laughter ] I mean -- [ Applause ] Now, how many of you watched on TV tonight ABC's show, the Mike Tyson's biting ear fight. I mean^©© Now, the fight took place on June 28th.Ônto a movie. And now the Pope has a movie out. This is a very Catholic movie. I'll tell you, even in the lobby they don't sell jujubes. That's a -- [ Laughter ] [ Applause ] Finally, you know what they're trying to do? There's a big commission set up in Boston to try to find an answer to a big aviation problem. Which is birds fly into planes, about 6,000 a year. And it causes a lot of problems. Sometimes they crash. They're trying to find a way to stop birds from flying into planes. Until they find a solution, the airlines say they'll do what they always have done, which is scrape the bird off the plane, roll it in bread crumbs and call it Chicken Kiev. [ Laughter ] All right. Thanks for coming. It's all been satirized for your protection. Thank you, folks. [ Cheers and applause ] --- *** 2^PI [ Applause ] >> Bill: all right. Welcome to the show. Let us meet our panel. First an actor, comedian and author. His CD is "Here's Your Sign." And his book is "You Don't Have to be Dumb to be Stupid." Bill Engvall. [ Applause ] How are you, Billy? How are you, Bill? >> Engvall: I got to bring some more for you to promo next time. >> Bill: It's my pleasure. The co-chair of the President's advisory committee on the public interest obligations of digital television broadcasters -- Norman Ornstein. [ Applause ] Yeah, Norm. Quite a title you have, Norm. He was Scarecrow to Mrs. King. Now he plays Captain John Sheridan on "Babylon 5." Bruce Boxleitner. [ Cheers and applause ] Hey, Bruce. Pleasure to meet you. You look great. >> Bruce: Thank you. >> Bill: And she's an international star of stage, screen andÔresting because we live in a different era than when unions first started. And I think, you know, I've never been a Teamster. I've never even killed anyone. [ Laughter ] >> Engvall: You know the great thing since the strike has been on though, traffic has moved a lot smoother because the vans aren't sticking all out in the lane. So there are good things to it. >> Bill: Also, I think it's interesting, the more I've looked into it, the more I am siding with management. I hate to say it, but I mean, they are hiring ©© a lot of the people they hire are college students. So we're talking about unskilled illiterate labor. [ Laughter ] No, I'm kidding. I love these kids. Who make -- they do, a lot of this is about part-time labor. They do work part time. But they work four hours a day for $11 an hour, which is better than the normal full©time wage and they get full benefits. And I think it's time somebody just said aren't unions very often the enemy of the working man? >> Norman: Boy, they picked a bad strike here. I mean, they're trying to draw the line on part-time labor, which is a problem all around the country. We see management trying to lay off people to bring in part-time people to keep them from getting benefits. But these people get benefits, so it's pretty dumb. It's not the right way to go. >> Bruce: They get benefits. >> Norman: They get benefits. They have health benefits. They get other benefits, unlike most part-time workers in the country. >> Bill: Where does it say a company has to give you benefits anyway? I don't understand where we got that idea. >> Norman: It's in the Constitution. [ Laughter ] [ All talking at once ] >> Bill: I bet you people think it is in the Constitution. >> Norman: It is. >> Engvall: I think when you go to work for a company, I think it's in the company's benefit to have benefits for you. If I'm working for a company and I get sick or whatever, I would want to get better, they want me to get better, so I can get back to work. So I think that just over the period of time, it's just become a given thing. I go to work for you, you get to take care of me. >> Norman: Here's what happened -- >> Lynn: and also, since there's no national health service here, I mean, I know there was an effort to make a national health service. I think we have to have benefits.Ôd now they moved up part-time workers because they want to keep their cost down. >> Bill: But they have the way of getting always the sympathy of the country on the side of workers, as if it's always the worker's fault. And I don't think it is. I mean, unions almost ruined the auto industry, Broadway, Europe -- [ Laughter ] I mean, these are pretty big things. [ Applause ] Isn't it time -- >> Engvall: I think because as much as I even hate to say this, but the term union I think has gotten such a now negative since as opposed to the when it first started. You know, it was to keep the workers from being imposed upon. Now, as soon as you hear "union," you think of the guy going, "Hey, let me tell what you's gonna happen now. Little Joey ain't gonna work, you got a problem? Talk to --" >> Bruce: I've seen them come done. I've seen them come down. In our business we show people. On "Babylon 5," this was a nonunion show. Things were functioning just great, you know? Suddenly a bunch of guys show up in the parking lot and said, "We're closing you down." >> Bill: really? >> Bruce: And it was the tactics they used. Suddenly, I saw people, young people, some of them this is their first gigs on the crews and they're getting an education as well, learning the ropes. And I saw them get pressured by these guys. "You got to walk with us. You're for us or your against us." You know what I'm saying?Ôhere before going, "So you're not going to be with us, huh?" >> Bill: I know from when we used to vote on strikes, and we probably will again in the union in show business, it's a business where about 95% of the people are always unemployed. >> Lynn: And they're usually the ones who vote for the strike out. >> Bill: What do they have to lose? Absolutely. What do they care? >> Lynn: About ten years ago, there was a screen actor's guild strike. Lord, it was actually 16 years ago. And all the votes were from people who were not working. >> Bruce: Right. >> Lynn: And our problem as actors, too, is I belong to three unions in the United States, the Canadian actor's union, the English actor's union. I'm paying dues all over. They can't -- now we get back to health benefits. They cannot get their health system together. Trying to collect on anything they say "Which is your primary carrier?" And you go round and round and round. And if only S.A.G. and Equity, who of course, are allowing their actors in California to give their services away in the theater, would get their act together and get together and have one health plan, then at least our show folk can be better off. To hell when the drivers. Let's worry about our show folks. >> Bruce: But I though it was funny in our business because it became every night on the news, "celebrity picket line." And people actually rushed down there to see all their first stars on the picket line. We're a strange bunch to be striking. >> Norman: Where is the solidarity with the actors and the Teamsters? I mean, why aren't you guys out on the picket line now? >> Bruce: I have to be. I'm a screen actor's guild. [ Laughter ] >> Engvall: That's it. >> Lynn: I walked here. I wouldn't come in a car. I just walked. [ Laughter ] I'm with the boys and the few women who are allowed in. >> Bill: And the boys are always with you. We'll take a break. We'll be right back. [ Applause ] --- *** 2^PI [ Applause ] >> Bill: Okay. You know, one of the big trends of the last year has been apologies. Clinton brought it up about slavery. Then he said he's not going to do it. Then of course we gave an apology for the Japanese for internment during World War II about ten years ago. Now the Italians have entered into the fray because, I didn't even know this, but I should have figured it out because they were on the wrong side in the war, the real Italians. Now Italians in America, 600,000 of them during the war wereÔews and property confiscation. Italian women were made to shave their moustaches. [ Laughter ] I'm kidding. [ Applause ] Please, please, please. It's just a joke. They want an apology now. We're sorry. >> Engvall: I'm tired of apologizing for stuff that my forefathers did. I wasn't there. I'm sorry it happened but -- >> Lynn: But you don't have to apologize. Clinton can do it. >> Engvall: Nobody needs to apologize. >> Norman: There's an easy way here. We apologize to the Italians for slavery. Then we can get two of them out of the way at once. >> Bill: Hey, Columbus. Columbus, it's a known fact he was slave -- >> Engvall: This is like me apologizing to my dad. "Dad, I'm sorry that your dad's dad whipped him." I don't care. >> Bill: First of all, slavery is different. Slavery was wrong. >> Engvall: I'm not saying it wasn't wrong. >> Bill: No. [ Laughter ] That's very white of you, Bill. >> Engvall: Thank you. [ Laughter ] >> Bill: Slavery was wrong. But wait a second. Now, the guy in Congress who asked for this, he said he wants a formal acknowledgement from the President of such injustices. Now, this was during the war. We were fighting a World War against Hitler and Mussolini who are really bad guys. We took action in a dire situation. Does it demand an apology, >> Lynn: I think, because sometimes I wonder, is there any sort of data available on the internet or whatever to say that for example, the Japanese who were interned, or in this case, as we were all just discovering, the Italians were interned, that we actually locked up somebody who could have brought about the downfall of the United States and Europe? Did we find anybody? I don't think so. I mean, there were no ringleaders. It just seems terrible that they were locked up. >> Engvall: Hello, war! >> Bill: We're at war. >> Lynn: But we're not now. So we should say sorry. >> Engvall: It's not like we're arguing -- >> Bill: Why? >> Lynn: We should say, "Sorry we locked you up." It was a shame. >> Engvall: Why! >> Lynn: You weren't Mussolini. If you want a good Italian dinner in the future, you apologize.Ô, I mean, I don't know how they plan on doing this. >> Bill: Don't you think during war -- a war like World War II necessitates dire measures. You said they didn't find anybody who did it. Maybe it's because we locked them up. >> Lynn: You're Irish, right? >> Bill: Half, yes. >> Lynn: Partly Irish. And if you were in Britain when they bombed Harrods, would it be fair to lock you up? >> Bill: Yeah. [ Laughter ] >> Lynn: Because you did it, right? >> Bill: That's not a World War. >> Lynn: Well, no. >> Engvall: We're not talking about locking everybody up. This was an enemy. This was our enemy. It wasn't like we went to England -- >> Bruce: I don't believe the Japanese people -- [ Talking over each other ] all the Japanese Americans were enemies, no, they weren't. We're talking in 1997 about 1941 and 1939. >> Bill: Right. >> Bruce: It's a different world, a different time. There's no television. Fear. Fear griped us. This country was bombed. Our Pacific fleet went under. >> Bill: Right. >> Bruce: There were great atrocities going on for ten years prior to us getting involved. And I think people were scared. And this paranoia happened, I don't excuse it. But I think we've got to take it. And this revisionist history that's going on right now is absurd. >> Bill: I might say if Great Britain had stood up a little more before the war we wouldn't have a big problem. [ Laughter and applause ] I'm sorry, I have to take a break. We'll come right back. I'm not holding you personally responsible. [ Applause ] --- *** 3^PI [ Applause ] >> Bill: Okay. We were talking about the injustices done upon ethnic groups inÔnation because he's been taken off planes. Every time he tries to get on a plane, they say, "Well, you know, you look the part. And you've been to Syria a lot." And, I mean, the truth is -- >> Engvall: I don't know what it's going to cost to do this. It's an idiotic -- I was working in Nashville -- they were profiling people in Nashville. Nashville, Tennessee. I mean, you got people thinking, "Oh, my God, he might blow up the --" it was so stupid. >> Bill: But if you saw a guy who looked like that in Nashville, he would stick out. >> Engvall: But like I say, you can't -- how are you going profile him? You say, "Well, he's Middle Eastern." Look at Timothy McVeigh, who Oklahoma boy, you know? >> Bill: Absolutely. >> Engvall: Why not take this money it's going to cost to do this whole profiling system, why don't we try to make the air traffic controller's computers up to date, make the little beacons work, make the planes a little better. God forbid, we should introduce a mass rail system. You know, instead of doing this -- "Oh, you look like a terrorist, get out of line." >> Lynn: I wish we could have better security at the airports in general. Like putting the stuff through. I'm sure you've been in Heathrow airport where there's real security and we all kind of carry on about that it takes too long. But here you catch people sort of vaguely looking at the television screens and all having a good joke. But yesterday, my 27-year-old daughter flew in from England and she had a backpack and a purse. And they stopped her and searched her because she has a shaved head. And I think it's terrible. >> Bruce: Skinheads, huh? >> Lynn: No, she's my daughter. >> Bill: Your daughter? Sinead O'Connor is your daughter? >> Lynn: sinead O'Connor grew her hair. My daughter shaved her's off. >> Bill: You're daughter has a shaved head? >> Lynn: My daughter has a shaved head. She's in the audience. >> Engvall: I agree it is by looks, because I was in the airport -- >> Lynn: you were the one who made them stop my daughter? >> Engvall: I thought she was attractive. The shaved head always been a Yul Brynner thing. [ Laughter ] But I was in a small airport and went up to the ticket counter and it was me and the guy working for me. And they handed him a plastic gun and said, "Put this in your bag and put it through." >> Bruce: What? >> Engvall: It was in this small town in the South, thing went through.Ô, 27 flares and an eight-inch hunting knife. He went through security. He was getting on the plane and the a stewardess heard him say the word "hijack." Smart guy. And they stopped him, took him off the plane. And they found all that stuff. He'd shoved it through and apparently the person looking at the screen was not -- didn't see it. Shapes didn't matter apparently. >> Lynn: not concentrating. >> Engvall: They look at the guy and not at the package. >> Norman: But we know there are governments, the Syrian government, the Iranian, the Libyan government that are supporting terrorists. They've said they want to bring them to the United States. They are giving them false passports. They are giving them plastic explosives. They have targeted the U.S. and of course, you're gonna go after and profile people who -- >> Bruce: Forgive me, the big white bad white man here, but -- >> Well, I'd profile you, too. >> Bruce: one should. >> Bill: You look like an assassin. >> Bruce: I am. I am. [ Laughter ] >> Lynn: Wait a second. So silly, this whole thing. Because they're supposed to look at your identity thing, right? You're supposed to have a picture I.D. And I was in Cincinnati airport a few months ago, and my ticket was in Redgrave, which is you know my professional name. And my maiden name, as they say. And my I.D. is in Lynn Arclock, which is my married name. And the supervisor, now, this was Cincinnati. I don't want to say mean things about Cincinnati, but he said, "I recognize you. I love your work. But your I.D. doesn't match your ticket." And I said, "Wait a minute. If you know I'm me and I am the one with the ticket, why can't you let me through?" I think they have to get smarter people. >> Engvall: Thank you. Thank you. [ Applause ] Yeah. >> Bill: We have to take a break. [ Applause ] --- *** 4^PI [ Applause ] >> Bill: All right. Tomorrow we're gonna have Alan Thicke, Chris Hardwick, Senator Rick Santorum and ACLU President Nadine Strossen. Now, you mentioned a national apology day. If the government does it, you know, it's take within a kind of grain of salt, I think ©©
Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher
Executive Producers Scott Carter Bill Maher Nancy Geller
Senior Producer Douglas M. Wilson
Supervising Producer Kevin E. Hamburger
Created By Bill Maher
Directed By Michael Dimich
Writing Supervised By Chris Kelly
Writers Jon Hotchkiss Brian Jacobsmeyer Bill Kelley Bill Maher Billy Martin Mark O'Keefe Ned Rice Cliff Schoenberg Danny Vermont Scott Carter
Executive in Charge of Production John Fisher
Executive Producers Brad Grey Bernie Brillstein Marc Gurvitz
©1997 Brillstein-Grey Communications
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