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NPR's Move to Fire Juan Williams Backfires

From Purple People Vote - This Week in Stupid News - The NPR Edition

National Public Radio fired Juan Williams for comments he made on Bill O'Reilly's show last night. Below is the video of the full interview.



I flew on a flight from New York to Boston a year or so after 9/11. The flight attendant asked a fellow on the flight where he was from, and he replied "Beruit." In that second, every person's head on that flight snapped around to take look at this man. He was an older man who appeared harmless, and after the passangers checked him out they all went back to what they were doing previously. We weren't a plane full of bigots. We were a plane full of wary travellers. Security personel were carrying machine guns; it took an hour or more to get through security; our government had told travelers and citizens alike to be 'vigilant' against terrorism. Passengers heard 'Beruit' and wanted to know if there was a potential risk.

It's unfortunate that numerous people of Muslim faith or background who have done nothing wrong are under increased scrutiny. However, there is a real reason they under the microscope. Terrorists have cited their Muslim faith as a reason for their violent actions. Juan Williams isn't randomly nervous around Muslims, or upset at the Muslim faith, he's nervous around Muslims identifying themselves as Muslims as they get on board a plane. This may not be a 'politically correct' feeling, but it is a completely understandable one. In the full interview there is this discussion about moderate Islam versus radical Islam, and all three participants agree that there are far more moderates than radicals.

NPR firing someone over the expression of a completely understandable feeling is absurd. In stroke of instant Karma they've actually ignited a movement to federally defund NPR. It's hard to argue against that movement since NPR has just shown that our federal dollars are going to an organization that is acting like 'thought police' towards its commentators.

This Week in Stupid News - The NPR Edition

Stupid News Update

Excerpt from This Week In Stupid News – Breaking News or Broken News

"he Chillean Miner story was certainly the feel good story of the year. Cable news was given the gift of a watchable, interesting, and upbeat 24 hour news day. Then all three cable news networks graphics’ departments seemed to lose their mind, as they filled the television screen with graphic clutter announcing every minute element of this story. CNN posted the breaking news alert near the bottom of their pages, ‘Families await miners’ rescue.’ Really that’s breaking news? The families have been waiting for months.

Fox News ran two scrolls across their screen at once helping make their viewers cross-eyed. One scroll bringing such useful info to people such as, ‘capsule brings miners up from mine.’ I suppose if you’re somehow impaired that might be mildly helpful, as possibly someone would have thought the capsule was going to be set off like a rocket as part of Chile’s bicentennial celebration? MSNBC had the title of their show in the corner of their screen even after the show was no longer airing, and split the screen in two to show two different views. Unfortunately, they often showed the same view in those two separate panels.

Now, it must be challenging writing a myriad of informative short headlines for an event that is unfolding on live television, so here’s a tip – Stop Writing Them.
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Finish reading This Week In Stupid News – Breaking News or Broken News

Brown: Health Care and Partisanship on GMA

Poll Shows Americans Don't Approve of Health Care Reform

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While CBS's Poll: Most Want GOP to Keep Fighting on Health Bill speaks for itself, seems pertinent to point out that there is a significant number of Democrats that want the Republicans to keep fighting this bill. It seems the only thing bipartisan about this bill is the opposition to it.

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CBS Poll: Dem’s Health Care Reforms Unwanted by American People

McCain Contact Reps About Disastrous Health Care Legislation

In a letter to supporters Senator McCain urges supporters to call their representatives in a last minute push to defeat the health care bill that he describes as a "disastrous piece of legislation."

My Friend,

This morning, the Congressional Budget Office released their final numbers on the Democrats' health care bill. They estimate this unprecedented takeover of our health care system will cost taxpayers $940 billion. This bill is full of kickbacks and back room deals, and exceeds the $900 billion ceiling President Obama set last September.

We must do everything in our power to defeat this bill from becoming law. The work we do in the final hours before the vote will make all the difference. Speaker Pelosi wants the House to vote for this bill on Sunday - less than 72 hours from the time I write this email. We have very little time to act.

I urge you to immediately call your Member of Congress to tell him or her to vote "No" on this disastrous piece of legislation. You can find your representative's office phone number at House.gov or by calling the House of Representatives main switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

The telephone lines in many Washington, DC offices are being flooded with calls from people like you who oppose this bill. If you are unable to get through to the Washington office, please call your representative's district office or contact them through the email contact form on their website.

Each poll that has been conducted shows an overwhelming majority of Americans are against the Obama Administration's attempt to impose government-run health care. Yet the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats are doing everything trying to ram this bill through Congress this weekend.

Your representative in Congress needs to know you oppose this bill, so once again, I ask that you take a few minutes right now to call your representative and ask them to vote "No" on government-run health care.

After making the call, I ask that you consider making a donation to my reelection campaign. As you may have heard, I am facing a tough reelection battle and your support is needed so that I may continue my service on your behalf and fight for the things that you and I believe in.

I thank you for your time and generosity. Your involvement will make all the difference.

Sincerely,

John McCain

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McCain Urges People to Contact Their Representatives To Oppose Health Care

McCain Immigration and Campaigning

So Senator McCain was doing well in my early qualifying round. He opposed wasteful spending and earmarks, supported stem cell research, opposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, opposed torture, and most importantly, he was convincing me that he was right on Iraq, and was the most qualified candidate to handle foreign policy issues. Yet I didn’t see much cause for me to pick a candidate prior to the election. Ironically, the moment I knew I was a McCain supporter was the moment his campaign almost tanked.

Don’t let the media fool you; Senator McCain’s support for the surge and the Iraq War was not what hurt his campaign, though the press’ obvious disdain for anyone willing to support the surge was not helpful. Immigration, mixed with financial problems, is what almost did in the campaign. While I have no insight into the financial problems, I did see what people were saying about his support of immigration reform, and they were livid (to put it mildly). If you read conservative websites, or even Senator McCain’s own website/blog at that point, there was no way that anyone would have thought he had a shot at winning the nomination. He received death threats; he was called a traitor (a particularly callus remark considering his personal history), and person after person said how they would never support him. In a town hall, one man was so angry that he stated that he used to support him, but now he felt betrayed by Senator McCain because of his support for immigration reform.

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Supporting McCain Through Immigration Turmoil

An Independent Call by Katherine J. Morrison available at Amazon.

Independent Criteria for 2008 #7