NPR correct to cut ties with Juan Williams
NPR has fired senior news analyst Juan Williams, who also appears as a commentator on Fox News, for comments about Muslims that Williams made in an appearance with Bill O’Reilly.
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country,” Williams told host Bill O’Reilly during a discussion on the dilemma between fighting jihadists and fears about average Muslims.
“But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they’re identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous,” Williams said.
The truth is that as a commentator and analyst, Williams has been skating on his reputation for a long time, and the ice was getting thin. He had already given NPR cause for concern with previous statements on Fox, such as the time he inexplicably described Michelle Obama as “Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress.”
His denials of bigotry aside, Williams’ remarks this week validated a stereotype of all Muslims as terrorists just as a similar comment about black people — “When I get on a bus, if I see black people, I get worried, I get nervous” — validates a perception about black people as criminals.
There is no qualitative difference between the two stances. A very small percentage of black people are criminals, and a much much smaller percentage of Muslims are terrorists. But once you start defining the much larger group by the activities of that much smaller subset, you start down a very bad road.
NPR, in other words, acted appropriately.
Of course, that’s not how the incident is being taken by some on the right, where Williams is in the process of being sainted. At Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government site, the headline is “Screw Free Speech, NPR Fires Juan Williams for Muslim Remarks.” Williams’ fellow Fox News contributor, Sarah Palin, just tweeted to the effect that “NPR defends 1st Amendment Right, but will fire u if u exercise it. Juan Williams: u got taste of Left’s hypocrisy, they screwed up firing you.”
That’s nonsense. The First Amendment guarantees each of us the right to say whatever we wish, free of government interference. However, it does not guarantee us the right to be paid by NPR or anybody else to say whatever we wish. It certainly does not mean that we are free to make bigoted remarks on national television and be guaranteed a paycheck.
After James O’Keefe, the conservative guerrilla filmmaker and Breitbart’s one-time protege, launched a bizarre “seduction” of a CNN reporter recently, Breitbart cut him loose, calling O’Keefe’s antics “patently gross and offensive.” He wasn’t violating O’Keefe’s right to free speech by doing so, he was holding him accountable.
That’s all NPR has done with Williams.
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1,025 comments Add your comment
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
3:46 pm
RC
The trick is to figure out when I’m at work and when I’m at home. I do that by design. If my schedule is easy to figure out, I could get my house broken into. Some days I blog from work, and some days I’m at home.
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
3:46 pm
jm
October 21st, 2010
3:40 pm
Bosch “My doctor’s appoint isn’t for a few more minutes.”
Get a brain scan while you’re there. In particular, have them check your frontal lobe
jm,
again, what was that caliber of personal insult that you are willing to accept. Hypocrite.
Bosch
October 21st, 2010
3:47 pm
Paul,
“Man oh man, you’re stepping in it all over the place, aren’t you?
”
Stepping in what? We all have to be rude sometimes, it’s good for the soul.
AmVet
October 21st, 2010
3:47 pm
It must be nice to be a Muslim in the U.S. where pretty much all you have to worry about are negative stereotypes–opposed to a Christian in a Muslim nation, where you pretty much fear for your life/property/etc.
Yep, it sure is.
And for any out there who want to turn the United States of America into something even remotely similar, it ain’t gonna happen.
We had that type of allowable bigotry and intolerance once in this country, remember?
TnGelding
October 21st, 2010
3:48 pm
At least he was honest. His was a human response. Naturally you’re going to be concerned given the recent events.
Lance
October 21st, 2010
3:48 pm
“There is no qualitative difference between the two stances. A very small percentage of black people are criminals, and a much much smaller percentage of Muslims are terrorists. But once you start defining the much larger group by the activities of that much smaller subset, you start down a very bad road.”
Does this sentiment also apply to those who deliberately paint the whites, a.k.a. “The Man”, in equally broad terms, or does it only apply when a minority is the victim of such blind bigotry?
Paul
October 21st, 2010
3:48 pm
Bosch
“they single out that the murderer was a Muslim — not that they were simply murderers and murdered a bunch of people, but they identify the murderers as Muslim.
It’s really not fair to compile such a list of murderers who happen to also identify themselves as Muslim without doing the same for murderers who murder people here as well, and identify themselves also as Christian.
You agree?”
Sure.
But…. isn’t it another case when the terrorists/murders are not just Muslim, but who also state the reason for their murders was based upon a widely-held jihadist philosophy that has had them at war not with just the West, but also with mideast governments who they feel are not correct practitioners of Islam?
Bosch
October 21st, 2010
3:48 pm
Paul,
“it’s good for the soul.”
Hehehhe. I mean, yeah, you have to get your soul dirty for it to get good smelling clean, right?
I wish I had more time, but I saw Ordinary Family the other night. It was quite entertaining!
Maybe later.
jm
October 21st, 2010
3:48 pm
Rally – just returning fire. You need a new moniker…. toodoolooo
mystified
October 21st, 2010
3:49 pm
Wow… I can see just how big the democrat tent really is. You either look like me, walk like me, think like me, and talk like me…..or your fired. I now understand why Jay and CT write like they do. Any deviation and they’re out of there.
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
3:50 pm
paleo
I understand his fear and trepidation. I would not have fired him for that statement. If I were his boss, I’d give him grief about fearing someone’s dress. Anyone who’s up to no good, be it a terrorist, bank robber, or car jacker, will try to draw as little attention to them as possible. With that in mind, someone who’s dressed in Muslim attire would not worry me as much as someone who I feel or can determine is a Muslim who is trying to look Westernized. Mind you, that’s just me. I can’t speak for everyone.
Bosch
October 21st, 2010
3:50 pm
Paul,
“but who also state the reason for their murders was based upon a widely-held jihadist philosophy”
Well, yeah, duh, but in the end, they are all just murderers — who murder people. Some identify themselves differently, some kill for other reasons, but they are murderers first — their motives are irrelevant.
Paul
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
“I certainly have my prejudices, I’ve made no qualms about my distaste for dumb asses before.”
There’s the makings of a bumper sticker in there….
md
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
“Calling me a bigot is rich considering one of your posting themes is to brand all welfare recipients as lazy and unworthy.”
Try reading it again………didn’t call you a bigot……
And I’ll be more than happy to wait for you to show where I ever said “ALL” of anything.
That is where you have a problem….you fail to use or acknowledge the use of words such as “some” or “may” or “many” and misinterpret what others write with your use of “ALL”……………
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
SoCo
You don’t have to answer this, and I can understand if you don’t, but in your job here comes Mustafa in a business suit and tie, and here comes Ahmed in traditional garb. Who gets the second look? I didn’t say I agree with it, but we do it. When I speak Spanish in public, I get “the look” and it’s quite different than “the look” I get when it’s French.
I’ll agree that the person in the traditional garb is probably far less the potential “terrorist” since he’s not trying to blend in. But that’s not the way we think and feel and it was THAT that Williams was addressing.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
Killer thing is (no pun), the terrorists responsible for 9/11 dressed in chinos and collared shirts, not “Muslim garb”. So did the failed shoe bomber and the failed Times Square bomber. So did Tim McVeigh and the unibomber. So did Malveaux and Muhammad. So did these deranged former employees who have returned to their jobs with assault rifles. So have the men who prefer murder-suicide to providing for their families. I can go on…
And I have survived several flights with many Muslims. Boy I must be lucky :-I
Doggone/GA
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
Josef – maybe this will help answer your question.
http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/ethics/ethics_code.html
as best I can tell, it’s not WHAT he ssaid that’s the problem…it’s THAT he said it on the public airwaves. It calls into question his ability to be fair and unbiased.
Intown
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
I don’t know. All Juan really did was admit his own prejudice. Depending on the context, this could’ve just been an open and honest discussion about race/culture and prejudice. Does not seem like a firing offense to me. But, I agree, NPR can do what it wants.
TnGelding
October 21st, 2010
3:52 pm
CT can’t hold a candle to Jay.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
3:52 pm
“But that’s not the way we think and feel and it was THAT that Williams was addressing.”
Speak for yourself and other ignoramuses…
Jimmy62
October 21st, 2010
3:53 pm
So why is it ok for them to bash one group (the Tea Party) and imply that all Tea Partiers are racists and bigots and uneducated rednecks (yes, NPR commentators have made such comments many a time, and they also have cartoons mocking the Tea Party), but it’s not ok to say you are nervous around Muslims on airplanes? Is it because Muslims are a protected group by the left, but it’s open season on the Tea Party? Why is one group less deserving of respect than another? The Tea Party bashing that goes on on a regular basis is far worse than anything Juan Williams said about Muslims (and, in fact, his comment was really about himself, not about Muslims).
Del
October 21st, 2010
3:54 pm
Paul I think we should get casual observer back and ask him to prepare a repost that also includes the specific mass killings committed since 9-11-01 in the name of Christianity. Wouldn’t that be fair?
Bosch
October 21st, 2010
3:54 pm
md,
“Try reading it again………didn’t call you a bigot……”
Then my apologies to you — it appears I can apologize — Dusty will be proud.
I remember the other day when you were peddling that stereotype and Jay called you on it, don’t have time to look it up now as I am on my way out the door this time.
Pleasant evening to all, and to all a good night.
eddy
October 21st, 2010
3:55 pm
Jay….100% of the men who flew the planes into the Twin Towers were muslims….Fact or Fiction? The Shoe Bomber is a muslim…..Fact or Fiction? The people who beheaded Daniel Pearl are muslims….Fact or Fiction? The Ft. Bliss shooter is a muslim….Fact or Fiction? Now Jay, how would you describe these people…..not terrorists…one word….not males….one word. 100% of the suicide bombers are muslims…Fact or Fiction….one word, Jay? Not all muslims are terrorists but 100% of the terrorists are muslims…..reasonable to be nervous on an airplane with people in full muslim regalia…you betcha.
Dusty
October 21st, 2010
3:56 pm
Bosch,
I am having a fine day. My DSL is still UP!!! Disconnects really rub me wrong !! I may say a bad word about AT&T (if some of my family did not work there). They do keep trying but I keep getting cut off.(some of those nasty terrorists must be doing it. Uh oh…bigot!!!)
Forget Anita Hill. Think Miss Manners. If you want to insult someone, there’s always RedNeck. He’s worth every insult given…(for his big lies).
Hi JOSEF…were you nice to the kiddies today? LIttle angels all, huh???
AmVet
October 21st, 2010
3:56 pm
Wow… I can see just how big the democrat tent really is. You either look like me, walk like me, think like me, and talk like me…..or your fired.
mystified, do you always rely on hyperbolic rhetoric to make a point, or was that 3:49 the exception?
Besides, if you really want to paint one of the two major political parties as non-diverse and non-inclusive, aren’t you making an obvious misstatement of fact?
Scott
October 21st, 2010
3:56 pm
Not a fair compareson that Mr. Bookman stated in the third paragraph of this article that Juan Williams statement validates that blacks are criminals…are you kidding Mr. Bookman?!?! First of all black people did not commit the worst terrorist attack on US soil. If you witnesses a purple person with red polka-dots murder someone on a street, the next time you walk on a street and see a purple person with red polka-dots you might take a little more caution, I don’t care how nice all the other purple people with red polka-dots are. We have to get a grip on reality people!!!
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
3:57 pm
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding…
We have a winner.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
josef
They both get a second look. I treat everyone who comes in front of me the same way. Until I can determine the nature of their trip, I keep my skeptic hat on!! I agree with you about most people. I’d probably fit that mold if not for the training and work.
kimmer
October 21st, 2010
3:57 pm
You used the analogy of blacks and crime and cited the example that a lower percentage of crimes are committed by blacks than terrorism by Muslims yet profiling blacks would be denounced as racist but there is another way to look at this.
What percentage of crime is committed by blacks? I have no idea but its probably no more than 30%.
What percentage of terrorism against the US has been carried out by Muslims? No questions here. Its near 100%.
Also notice where JW said he gets nervous. Not getting on a bus, not jogging in the park, not going to a movie. He specifically said getting on an airliner. The place that the most infamous acts of islamofacist terrorism in US history have occurred and an entity that has been historically targeted by terrorist groups. Combine that with the inherent sense of vulnerability and helplessness associated with air travel and it makes EVERYBODY nervous whether they wish to admit it or not.
Marie
October 21st, 2010
3:58 pm
Jay, I think the operative words Juan said was “Muslims dressed in full Muslim garb” which causes him some discomfort when travel via airplane. And sorry but that cannot be compared to a white person who fears African-American based solely on his/her race like Obama’s typical white grandmother. African-Americans cannot hide their skin color as soon as I walk in a room you can readily identify me as an African-American. Since Muslim is a religion and not an ethnicity how the heck could Juan or anyone assume a person is a Muslim unless he/she is dressed in the garments which define that religion. Now if he said he was afraid of individuals of Middle Eastern descent then I could understand the hoopla but he’s simply expressing a fear that many Americans have.
And Jay I find it amazing that you were quick to jump to Shirley Sherrod’s defense for inappropriate comments she made. However, Juan should be fired for basically doing the same thing. What you got a problem with the brothas?
Pogo
October 21st, 2010
3:59 pm
NPR is nothing but a propoganda machine for Democrats and the progressive cause. And it is funded by taxpayer money. Musolini would have been envious.
Juan Williams is one of the people that we need more of. The kind that can bridge the gap of the partisan abyss that is American politics now. But from the comments here it appears that those “tolerant” liberals just aren’t really all that tolerant. And this includes you Jay. How dare Juan contribute to Fox News? That is really what all this is about, isn’t it?
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:00 pm
doggone
And I would contend that what he said was emminently fair and unbiased…his position on Fox is that of a commentator. If NPR had a problem with that, then they should have taken action when he accepted the position.
Lydia
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
We all know what happened here and it has everything to do with race and little to do with free speech. Juan Williams wanders off the plantation, plantation bosses take action. Black people who work for NPR are limited to only certain pre-approved opinions. Black people are not entitled to their own opinions, nor apparently are they allowed to articulate their fear. I can’t believe the AJC isn’t standing up for him.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
NPR certainly has the right to fire Williams but it’s an over-reaction in my opinion.
md
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
“When I speak Spanish in public, I get “the look” and it’s quite different than “the look” I get when it’s French.”
yeh….those darn French……………..
TGT
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
“And for any out there who want to turn the United States of America into something even remotely similar, it ain’t gonna happen.
AMEN!
And the only way we go down such a path is if we ignore/remove the Christian principles upon which this nation was founded. Of course, this is the path most liberals would have us on.
ME.
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
In reading some of the posts it seems that a lot of you believe he should not have been fired. My question is why would Juan continually put himself in that position ???
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
“What percentage of terrorism against the US has been carried out by Muslims? No questions here. Its near 100%.”
@ kimmer, either you were just born yesterday or you’re an idiot.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:02 pm
Welp, using some of you all’s logic the world should fear White men given their history of violence on just about every continent on the planet.
Oh wait…
Dave
October 21st, 2010
4:03 pm
Those tolerant liberals! Freedom of speech only applies if you happen to agree with them. NPR should be defunded, as it is obviously a left-wing hate group.
md
October 21st, 2010
4:03 pm
“I remember the other day when you were peddling that stereotype and Jay called you on it, don’t have time to look it up now as I am on my way out the door this time.”
Yep, Jay has the same problem you do – he kept arguing quantitative while I was trying to point out qualitative…………think process and system……………
marky mark
October 21st, 2010
4:04 pm
Sorry, late to the party today….
@ Debbie, on your post of 2:05
“Timothy McVeigh Terrorist – On April 19, 1995 McVeigh blew up the OKC Federal Bldg. The explosion killed 168 people and 450 were injured. Nineteen of the victims were small children and babies in the day care center on the second floor of the building.
McVeigh, in one fell swoop killed and injured more people than terrorists of 9/11. LEST YE FORGET.”
HUH??…just how many people do you think died on 9/11?
Doggone/GA
October 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
“his position on Fox is that of a commentator”
No, it is not. He’s with NPR as a new analyst. Not at all the same thing.
Dusty
October 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
JOSEF,
If you stopi wearing the purple and fuchsia poncho, you won’t get the Spanish “look”no matter what language you speak. Also, the the pink sequined beret may be the cause of the French “look”. According to my dress designer, this is true. Hmmmm yes….
theyeshaveit
October 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
josef,
Regarding your 3:51 PM post, my wife told me that one of her girlfriends (who is Chinese, but spent much of her youth in Japan) told her that years ago when she rode the commuter bus, that she got “the look” from a couple of white, middle-aged women on the bus. The friend was speaking Chinese, and yes, she has some tonsils, but would she have gotten “the look” if she had been speaking English?
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:06 pm
optimist
I can knee jerk right along with you and the other of us ignoramuses. Like SoCo, I work in an environment which has conditioned me NOT to react as do the mainstream. I do not presuppose to speak for EVERY body at any juncture. That is a generic “we’ and you know that. But in case you are that limited or that strict in parsing, I will amend it to say “that is not the way we as a society..” Now, if you’d like to separate yourself from your society, be my guest…
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
4:06 pm
On the bright side, there is now nothing to keep Juan from attending the Stewart/Colbert rally. After all, he only works for FOX now.
AmVet
October 21st, 2010
4:06 pm
…and it makes EVERYBODY nervous whether they wish to admit it or not.
Absolutely ludicrous.
I have flown on hundreds of flights and never once was I even the tiniest bit apprehensive or nervous about terrorists, Muslim Christian, Buddhists or atheists, blowing up the plane.
Yes, plenty have bought into the incessant neo-con fear-mongering, but they are likely just easily frightened any way…
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:07 pm
What percentage of terrorism against the US has been carried out by Muslims? No questions here. Its near 100%.
Only if you’re counting since 2001. You tend to forget about the terror that Native Americans endured. What about the terror during Prohibition? Then there’s the lynching in the South. When you study the COMPLETE history of the United States, Islamic terrorism is a small blip on the radar.
Doggone/GA
October 21st, 2010
4:07 pm
Oops Sorry Josef! Misread what you posted! It doesn’t matter what position Williams holds with FOX, it’s what position he holds with NPR – and THERE he is an analyst, not a commentator. He’s actually been warned before about crossing the line on NPR’s ethics statements. As an NPR analyst he is required to be fair and unbiased. Stating his own prejudices, however sincere, calls into question is ability to BE fair and unbiased.
theyeshaveit
October 21st, 2010
4:10 pm
Dusty,
When it comes to fashion sense, my cents are on josef.
larry
October 21st, 2010
4:10 pm
Q: Okay. What happened?
A: Let’s state a couple of facts. Juan is not an employee of NPR. He’s an independent contractor. He’s not NPR staff. He’s an NPR analyst. We have a contract with him for analyst opinions to provide news analysis. He is not a columnist or commentator. He also has an on-going relationship with Fox News. Mara Liasson is also on Fox News and is a full-time staffer. We accept that’s a whole other issue. However, we expect our journalists, whether they are news analysts or reporters to behave like journalists.
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:10 pm
Lydia
@ 4:01
True…but you’d have to nail them to the wall before they would admit it.
DUSTY
@ 4:05 Watch it, Girlfriend, or I’ll hit you with my purse!
md
October 21st, 2010
4:10 pm
“Until I can determine the nature of their trip, I keep my skeptic hat on!!”
Thought that was you……….:)
Came through Atl not too long ago with my son, the customs guy had that long frown on while asking him questions……….freaked him out so much he couldn’t even say where he went to school………….
Jefferson
October 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
My appologies to Juan if I said a discouraging word, I just relized I was thinking about Walter Williams, the whack job. Sorry Juan.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
@ TGT, oh yes those good old christian principles have worked mighty fine haven’t they? How quickly (conveniently) we forget: Manifest Destiny? The Inquisitions? The Crusades? The Trans-Atlantic slave trade? Colonialism in the name of Christ? Yeah.
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
I wonder if FOX imposes any sort of restrictions on any people that might appear on their shows in the form of a contractual agreement. NAH!
larry
October 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
Q: So did Juan really get fired over just those Muslim comments? [He said he was uncomfortable with Muslims dressed in traditional garb on airplanes during a Fox News telecast yesterday.]
A: There have been several instances over the last couple of years where we have felt Juan has stepped over the line. He famously said last year something about Michelle Obama and Stokely Carmichael. [The quote on Fox News early last year: "Michelle Obama, you know, she's got this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going" and that she'll be an "albatross" for President Obama.]. This isn’t a case of one strike and you’re out.
larry
October 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
So whats the fuss?
Union
October 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
now i see how history is rewritten.. in the near future we will no longer be able to say that the catholic church lead the inquisition..
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
md
If it was me, then accept my appology.
It’s just the way of doing business, nothing personal at all.
Skip
October 21st, 2010
4:13 pm
What percentage of terrorism against the US has been carried out by Men? No question here. It’s near 100%
Now you see the real danger.
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:14 pm
larry
Maybe in my youth! These days it’s Buckhead down the line! Boring and a potential Muslim terrorist!
AmVet
October 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
“And the only way we go down such a path is if we ignore/remove the Christian principles upon which this nation was founded.”
!00% incorrect.
Look around this planet. There are many non-Christian nations where your observation that “you pretty much fear for your life/property/etc.” is nonsense.
There are many ways to enlightenment and freedom. So I’ve got really bad news for ya, your Jesus is not the ONLY way.
BTW, you might want to read about how many of those supposedly “Christian” principles predate the religion. Or not…
Del
October 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
“When you study the COMPLETE history of the United States, Islamic terrorism is a small blip on the radar” The history book on Islamic terrorism involving the United States is yet to be written and probably not for quite sometime.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:16 pm
@josef, believe it or not there are MANY individuals in society that are unbothered and unafraid of Muslims. Continue spewing your ignorance on behalf of the pansies of society at large, though :-I
If I board a plane and ANYONE looks suspicious or moves wrong I’m kicking their a$$, and I’ve got the black belts to do it.
Doggone/GA
October 21st, 2010
4:16 pm
“Now you see the real danger”
Kind of like that deadly substance dihydrogen-monoxide, isn’t it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax
Paul
October 21st, 2010
4:17 pm
Del
“Wouldn’t that be fair?”
Don’t know what fair has to do with it. The “Christian” examples are not, I think, the result of a wide-ranging, multi-country religious philosophy with thousands of adherents and ongoing operations.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 21st, 2010
4:18 pm
Can anybody honestly say, that at some point, in some place, you haven’t seen a particular person who made you uneasy, be it how they looked, how they were dressed, or their demeanor? It ain’t right but it’s part of being a human. Juan Williams was man enough to admit it.
Don't Forget
October 21st, 2010
4:18 pm
I’m not so sure I agree with the firing. Although I agree with Jay’s rebuttal, I think that would be the appropriate response, a rebuttal. It was a stupid thing to say especially when you consider that the 9/11 hijackers wore western style clothing. Williams is buying into the paranoia that is being stoked on the right but I don’t think it’s a “firing” offense. Of course I just heard a right wing commentator call it a “lynching”. There is little sanity to be found in America these days.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
Is Catholicism no longer a part of Christianity? Or was Constantine “just playing”?
:-I
AmVet
October 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
Only if you’re counting since 2001. You tend to forget about the terror that Native Americans endured. What about the terror during Prohibition? Then there’s the lynching in the South. When you study the COMPLETE history of the United States, Islamic terrorism is a small blip on the radar.
Hey that’s not fair!!!
We all know that the slate was wiped clean and complete absolution was dispensed prior to that.
md
October 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
soco,
I thought it was a bit comical – the guy finally cracked a smile, but my son took it sooooo serious. I think he was messing with him……and it worked. Good lesson on authority and knowing it is serious business.
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
The history book on Islamic terrorism involving the United States is yet to be written and probably not for quite sometime.
As of October 21, 2010, Islamic terrorism has not impacted US history to the same effect as other forms of terrorism. It may be different for smaller groups, but until masses of people are afraid to leave their homes at night, Islamic terrorism does not come anywhere close to the lynching alone.
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:20 pm
“..on behalf of the pansies in society…”
Don’t care for f*ggots very much, eh? Sound like one of those ignorami to me…
And for those bringing up the Inquisition…who were it’s targets and why?
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:21 pm
Optimist
I’m skeered sh*tless of my Muslim daughter-in-law!
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:21 pm
We demand free speech because we lack the ability to think before we speak.
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:22 pm
md
From time to time, we have to have a little fun at work. At other times, doing what that officer did is good to trip up someone who’s up to no good.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
Uh, are you posting under 2 names? If not then my comment was at “josef” and not “josef nix”.
Jinkies.
md
October 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
I recall an individual not too long ago jumping to conclusions without the facts when he said “the officer acted stupidly”…….was that not a preconceived notion of the police in that situation???
Was he fired??
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
Optimist
Black belt, eh? I prefer a .45. a switchblade or a baseball bat myself!
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:24 pm
The idiots are running wild today, I see.
Let’s go ahead and blame this one on Obama, too. Just for good measure.
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:24 pm
md
I’m kinda hoping to catch Jay coming thru so I can see if I can ruffle his feathers.
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:24 pm
There’s a “josef” just “josef” on here? Where? When?
kimmer
October 21st, 2010
4:25 pm
OK optimist let me clarify it for you. In the last 20 years the vast majority terrorist acts committed against US citizens has been perpetrated by islamic radicals. A much, much higher percentage than crimes committed by blacks which was Jay’s point. 100% of terrorism on US commercial aviation has been committed not only by Muslims but as a direct result of their religious beliefs.
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
4:26 pm
It ain’t right but it’s part of being a human. Juan Williams was man enough to admit it.
And he continues to be a man. Just not one that is employed at NPR.
Jay
October 21st, 2010
4:26 pm
Bosch writes:
“And yes, I’ve called you a bitch twice — and I still stand by that assessment.”
jt writes: “That is un-acceptable.”
JayB writes: jt is correct; Bosch, please dial it back.
Linual Harless
October 21st, 2010
4:26 pm
Dear Mr. Bookman,
Your analogy in the reporting of the Juan Williams story is flawed. Not all criminals are black, but all terrorists ARE Muslim. A fact that anyone not blinded by political correctness can plainly see. And living in this current climate of daily terrorist attacks and the never ending threat of attacks coming from the mouths of Muslims themselves, any prudent person would/should be wary as well as vigilant when interacting, through flying with or otherwise,any group that is announcing Islam First by the wearing of the Muslim garb. To do otherwise would be akin to advocating the petting of rattlesnakes on the premise that not all snakes are poisonous.
Pogo
October 21st, 2010
4:28 pm
Look to what is happening today in Europe to see what political correctness and un-controlled borders results in. Europe (at least Great Britain, France and Germany) are beginning to know that they made a huge mistake and that was that they made the fundamental mistake of bringing Muslims from Mid-Eastern countries in to provide cheap labor but ultimately these laborers numbers became so great that their host countries are starting to lose their national identities to them. Muslims, by direct edict of their Holiest of Holiest documents, the Karan, do not tolerate people who do not believe as they do. The term infidel may be scoffed and laughed at by us in the free world but to a Muslim, it is a very serious term. And they will deal with it.
By the way, Juan was exactly right and truthful in what he said. Anyone who is not a coward and whom has to fly would admit to having the same feelings he said he had when they board a plane in the same situation. I would like to see some of the liberal and politically correct people on this blog live under Sharia Law. They would probably wake up tomorrow with their hands (or worse yet, their heads) cut off. Islam is all about assimilation and the total forfeiture of free thought. It is a fools game to believe otherwise.
Dusty
October 21st, 2010
4:28 pm
theyeshaveit..you said that Josef has much more cents than me….fashion, that is. So true!
Josef has a lovely wild swan boa (Lord & Taylor/Goodwill)which is far superior to my pigeon feather piece. I confess to the sin of envy but let’s face it. Some people have it and some don’t. I bow to expertise ..
Southern Comfort
October 21st, 2010
4:29 pm
as a direct result of their religious beliefs
I think the jury’s still out on that. I’d tend to classify their motivation as both religious and political. The action that initiated the hatred was the idea that the US was involving themselves in business in the Middle East that they had no reason to. That would be more in line with politics. Their response is where religion got involved. It may be more religion now, but the instigator was political in nature.
Gotta run for a while. See y’all later.
jm
October 21st, 2010
4:29 pm
I genuinely worry about Bosch. With all the cr@p spewing out of his mouth, one would think he’s at risk of getting E-coli. Not to mention serious halitosis.
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
4:29 pm
And for those bringing up the Inquisition…who were it’s targets and why?
McDonnell. Because she’s a witch. Because she weighs the same as a duck, I think. Yes. That’s it.
Del
October 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
SoCo,
Many of us consider it to be a war. 9-11-01 caused more death and destruction than Pearl Harbor, which had a pretty big impact on United States history.
Optimist
October 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
@ kimmer, so was it yesterday? Or are you really a blissful idiot? Serious questions.
josef nix
October 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
SoCo
There he is!!! Poke him and see if he growls…but he knew I was going to say that….
Dusty
Taste, Dearie, taste!
Keep up the good fight!
October 21st, 2010
4:32 pm
I’m with you Finn! Anybody with a shave head…why they must be a skinhead white supremecist militia and thus we must fear!
larry
October 21st, 2010
4:32 pm
josef : huh ?
jm
October 21st, 2010
4:33 pm
Optimist – have you not seen the Fox news story about the Obama-Valerie Jarett-NPR phone call conference that Petraeus dialed into (he’s obviously concerned about the safety of the soldiers)? Juan’s firing was a White House executive order.
Please disregard all misinformation….
Rally to Restore Juan's Sanity
October 21st, 2010
4:33 pm
I genuinely worry about Bosch. With all the cr@p spewing out of his mouth, one would think he’s at risk of getting E-coli. Not to mention serious halitosis.
For some reason, I have trouble accepting that you “genuinely worry” about anything other than being an absolute ass.