Juan Williams is currently a contributor to Fox News Channel and was formerly a personality on National Public Radio. His appearances on shows like Hannity were usually civil and gracious, but Williams is one of the cadre of liberal commentators that Fox calls upon to balance the oratory of its conservative hosts.
Liberals and left wingers generally joke about Fox News's tag line of "Fair and Balanced." My column writing partner Charlie Meyer calls them "F word News." But judge for yourself who is fair and balanced, Fox or the liberal left darling NPR.
On Fox, Williams made the statement that he would feel uncomfortable sitting on an airplane that also carried a Moslem in traditional garb. It was an honest statement that reflected the fact that Islamic fundamentalists tend to be more likely to blow up planes. It was a frank admission by a liberal and a black man who would probably criticize racial profiling. He never advocated any action against the man, but simply admitted his discomfort.
Were NPR smart, it would have involved Williams on air in a discussion about race, religion, stereotypes, and national security. That would have been great radio. Instead it fired Williams almost immediately. Conservatives and no one else have rushed to the defense of the liberal commentator. It sparked a spontaneous and sudden demand from Republican congressmen to remove federal funds from NPR, especially in light of the massive financial support given by left wing billionaire George Soros.
NPR itself stated that it received repeated complaints from listeners about Williams. In the free market, repeated complaints are welcome news because it proves listeners are paying attention. NPR, however, is ideological, not commercial.
Williams was sacrificed to the fact that the Left does not like American liberalism. American liberalism traditionally supports government solutions, but also acknowledges American exceptionalism. The Left hates the idea that we are any better than anyone else. In fact they revel in the idea that we are one of the worst countries out there. Liberals want government solutions, but the Left seeks government control. Left wingers historically hate liberals worse than conservatives because they see them as underminers, devoted to half measures. They are tolerated so long as they are useful.
Juan Williams will be fine. But his firing only underscores the fact that the "conservative" news channel continues to welcome diverse viewpoints much more so than NPR and other bastions of left opinion manufacturing.
Fox News listed a number of offensive statements made on NPR itself. Some were anti-Semitic. Others breezily hoped that four million Christians would evaporate. They called Republicans hate-filled and Tea Party activists "teabaggers."
NPR is right. Williams does not belong there. He is too tolerant and too mature for their brand of broadcasting.
Williams' personal statement on the difference between his traditional liberalism and left wing ideologues is linked below.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/10/21/juan-williams-npr-fired-truth-muslim-garb-airplane-oreilly-ellen-weiss-bush/
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