Juan Williams: Fired by NPR

UPDATE: JUAN WILLIAMS: I Was Fired for Telling the Truth
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UPDATE: NPR's internal memo on the firing of Juan Williams.
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NPR has been waiting for some reason, any reason, to get rid of Juan Williams, NPR senior news analyst and FOX News political analyst.

NPR and its audience weren't happy with what Williams would say on FOX.

On Wednesday night, NPR fired him. I guess the Leftists just couldn't tolerate Williams participating on FOX programs.

From the New York Times:

NPR has terminated its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel.

NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr. Williams notice of his termination on Wednesday night.

The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.

He continued: “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. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.

NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

...Mr. Williams’s contributions on Fox raised eyebrows at NPR in the past. In February 2009, NPR said it had asked that he stop being identified on “The O’Reilly Factor” as a “senior correspondent for NPR,” even though that title was accurate.

Alicia C. Shepard, the NPR ombudswoman, said at the time that Mr. Williams was a “lightning rod” for the public radio organization in part because he “tends to speak one way on NPR and another on Fox.”

Ms. Shepard said she had received 378 listener e-mails in 2008 listing complaints and frustrations about Mr. Williams.

What thugs!

These thuggish NPR listeners and staff aren't open-minded. They oppose freedom of thought and speech. They oppose Williams' willingness to go over to the dark side, FOX News.

Here's the video of Williams' remarks that prompted NPR to give him the ax:



Williams committed a mortal sin. He agreed with Bill O'Reilly. He spoke candidly.

Transcript

BILL O'REILLY: So where am I going wrong there, Juan?

JUAN WILLIAMS: Well, actually, I hate to say this to you because I don't want to get your ego going, but I think you're right. I think, look, political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality.

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. 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 are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.

Now, I remember also that when the Times Square bomber was in court, I think this was just last week, he said the war with Muslims, America's war, is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don't think there's any way to get away from these facts. But I think there are people who want to somehow remind us all, as President Bush did after 9/11, it's not a war against Islam. President Bush went to a mosque...

O'REILLY: Well, there isn't any theology involved in this at all from my perspective, Juan. But you live in the liberal precincts. You actually work for NPR, OK?

WILLIAMS: Yes....

Williams doesn't work for NPR anymore.

Clearly, Williams is a victim of the Left's intolerance.

Although the liberal media have spent the last 48 hours slamming Christine O'Donnell about her knowledge of the First Amendment, I think what's more newsworthy is that the thugs at NPR, an operation that receives taxpayer funding, don't practice the freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights.

What did Williams say that's "inconsistent with [NPR's] editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR"?

What did he say? He candidly admitted his concern about terrorism when he's on a plane.

Moreover, Williams is right about identifying the terrorists at war with the United States as Muslims. That may be politically incorrect, but it's reality.

Williams goes on to say that we are not at war with Islam.

I fail to see the problem. What was so objectionable about what Williams said? He was honest about his fears. That's legitimate.

It's perfectly understandable to be nervous if some passengers are identifying themselves as Muslims with the seeming purpose of intimidating others onboard a plane. When confronted with such suspicious behavior, it would be abnormal not to be fearful.

The reality is that there are millions of radical Muslims currently at war with the United States. To be sure, they are extremists, but they do identify themselves as Muslims.

What are NPR's editorial standards and practices anyway?

Is it acceptable for NPR to call Tea Party patriots and Republicans racists? Is it OK to belittle them and question their intelligence?

Is it acceptable for NPR to mock Christians and degrade the Catholic Church?

Is it acceptable for NPR to reiterate Obama's talking points and promote his agenda?

Are those sort of remarks, common from the Left, consistent with NPR's lofty, sophisticated "editorial standards and practices"?

Give me a break!

The editorial standards and practices of NPR apparently are extremely rigid. Liberal or else. Only certain groups are acceptable to target.

Williams didn't go on an Islamophobic rant. Yes, he admits to profiling in his mind and expresses his subsequent anxiety. I think his point is that even someone unbigoted, like himself, can experience nervousness. It may be irrational, but it is how he reacts emotionally.

I think he has been victimized by his fellow liberals. They have zero tolerance. March in lockstep or you'll be thrown out with the trash.

And our tax dollars help to fund NPR.

Why are we subsidizing an anti-conservative operation with an unabashedly liberal agenda? Do we really need to have government funded media?

It's time for that money to be cut off. If we're going to subsidize NPR then we should also subsidize FOX News.