Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute. Bill Maher called Sarah Paliin a dumb twat and a cunt. Apples to apples? Not quite. Limbaugh picks on a private individual, a student, who made a statement to congress. Maher picked on a massively underqualified politician who opted for the national spotlight in the biggest way, and has repeatedly opted to stay in it. More importantly, the policies that Limbaugh is advocating are giving further credence to his words -- it is practically a direct conclusion from his political reasoning that those words would apply to Fluke, Every woman -- and every man who respects women --- should be offended. Everyone who has sex for non-procreational purposes should be offended. It has nothing to do with saying the two particular words. Maher used his words as a punch line to a joke, and it is hard to see how anybody but Sarah Palin and her immediate supporters can get offended.
Maher recently came out and suggested people give Limbaugh a break. While there is no love between the two, Maher seems to identify with the situation Limbaugh is in, of not thinking through the consequences of his actions, and thereby negatively impacting his carreer in a big way. Maher seems to think that what we're doing, which is advocating a full boycot of Limbaugh's sponsors, somehow goes against freedom of speech. Sorry, Bill, but you need to re-read the first amendment. Freedom of speech guarantees that no law shall be passed that infringes on what you can and can not say. That's it. It fortunately does not guarantee that when you're done saying whatever crazy shit comes out that people will still like you, and pay you to say more of it.
Maher is normally pretty level headed and reasonable, but he is completely off the mark here. I guess it hit too close to home.