Greg Gutfeld and Bill Maher

Greg Gutfeld and Bill Maher, who are respectively conservative and liberal commentators, each with his own regular TV show, are often abrasive, sarcastic, and personally derisive of others with the opposing worldview.  Yet at times I find the two both essentially saying the same thing.  The following is a case in point.

During the latest revelation that the National Security Agency has collected the contacts of millions of Verizon cell phone customers in the pursuit of potential terrorists, many opinion makers from opposite ends of the political spectrum have interpreted this as an example of government gone too far and as an assault on individual liberties...namely in terms of violating the Fourth Amendment that was designed to protect privacy.  But both Gutfeld and Maher have exasperated their respective political allies by coming out in favor of the NSA action, each agreeing that national security and the protection of the people against attack...especially nuclear attack (both specifically mentioned this)...is paramount and trumps any claims for the sake of personal privacy.  I agree and would like to add that the government is also constitutionally mandated with protecting its people and borders against attack from abroad.  

Still, I have to say that Maher is more consistent with his views.  After all, when discussing even very moderate, limited firearms regulation following a recent series of brutal public mass murders involving automatic weapons, Gutfeld refused to acknowledge government's legitimate role to protect its citizenry from THIS legitimate threat.  To him, the Second Amendment matters (although the Fourth doesn't, apparently).  At least Maher is consistent by supporting gun control legislation.

Both Gutfeld and Maher are nonreligious, although again there is a difference between the two.  To his discredit, Maher tends to ridicule religion and those who are adherents, while Gutfeld displays a more mature respect for those whose views on the subject differ from him.  Of course, it might also be said that he isn't particularly tolerant of Islam (neither is Maher, for that matter). Not that I would completely criticize either for this, though, as it seems to me that many followers of this important world faith could benefit from some needed maturity and grace when it comes to THEM tolerating others with different perspectives.

I don't subscribe to HBO, which carries Bill Maher's show Real Time.  I have seen some excerpts of it from time to time, though, and watched an episode once when my local cable company was showing HBO for free as a subscription promotion.  I do get Fox News, which has Greg Gutfeld on quite a lot.  Although he is virulently and irrationally biased against Obama, I find myself enjoying his delivery and humor.  It kind of reminds me of Maher, as a matter of fact.  Of course, the latter has had a tendency to go overboard about Bush. But although I see some entertainment and informational value in watching these two, don't get me wrong:  in them I see the kind of snide, repulsive smartass arrogance I've experienced in my own life from certain other types, mainly from back in high school.  Maybe that says something in itself: essentially Gutfeld and Maher present themselves as adolescent personalities who never completely psychologically grew up...