National Public Radio (NPR) fired Juan Williams for admitting on FOX News that he gets nervous when he sees airline passengers in Muslim dress. Vivian Schiller, president of NPR, explained, “Juan Williams should have kept his feelings about Muslims between himself and his psychiatrist or his publicist.”
Al Qaeda and its terrorist allies must be terribly frustrated. The main point of terrorism is to instill fear in people. Schiller, however, thinks it’s a psychological disorder to harbor anxiety of radical Islamists after 9/11, the Christmas bomber, shoe bomber, Time Square bomber, 7/7 London bombings, Bali bombings, Madrid train bombings, World Trade Center bombings, Mumbai massacre, etc., etc., etc.
The context of Juan Williams’ comment was that not all Muslims are extremists. But that point was lost on NPR and the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorist funding case, and several former CAIR officials have been convicted or deported after being charged with fraud, embargo violations, or aiding terrorist training.
CAIR demanded that NPR “address” Williams’ remarks. It shot out a news release stating “media commentators who launch rhetorical attacks on Islam and Muslims normally do not suffer the professional consequences of those who similarly target other racial, ethnic or religious groups.”
Really?
Unlike Juan’s honest admission of fleeting anxiety as he defended non-radical Muslims, bigoted views against Christians are accepted by liberal elites. Even at NPR.
In a prepared story aired days before Christmas in 1995, NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu said of Christians who believe in the rapture: “The evaporation of four million who believe this crap would leave the world an instantly better place.”
Codrescu’s deliberate insult earned an apology from NPR for offending listeners, but not from Codrescu. He was mad at NPR for issuing an apology.
Codrescu regretted using the vulgar word “crap,” but not his hateful view of Christians. He stated, “I had no idea they were going to apologize on my behalf. They said some staff members were upset, and I said I was sorry I had upset them and didn’t intend to.”
“It’s a natural reaction to try and come back and say something even more offensive,” he said. “But I don’t know…”
Codrescu was not fired or suspended. NPR continues to employ him and air his commentaries.
The same day it fired Williams, NPR announced it received a $1.8 million grant from radical billionaire George Soros to hire 100 new reporters. Soros primarily funds far-left organizations dedicated to socialist causes through agitating class, ethnic, and religious conflicts.
Clearly NPR can raise boatloads of money. Its vast resources and massive budget shield it from the masses and the unseemly work of competition. Unlike independent Christian stations that rely on the generosity of their listeners, NPR gets enormous grants from far-left foundations along with our tax dollars. As Soros’ gift indicates, this conglomerate of left-leaning philanthropists and foundations give to NPR not to provide objective news, but to tell us what to think.
“NPR only gets 1-3 percent of its budget from tax dollars,” was the media spin after NPR’s firing of Williams brought threats of cutting off its federal funding. Fine, then NPR won’t miss it. Even without the current crushing deficits, Americans should not be forced to subsidize a wealthy, elite media conglomerate that mocks our beliefs and caters to extremists.
If only Juan had insulted Christians, he would still be enjoying his NPR tote bag and coffee mug.
Wendy Wright is President of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s group.
