Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
I marvel at how consistently liberals exempt themselves from standards they impose on others and how in the process of condemning certain behavior engage in the very type of behavior they condemn.
Let's focus on what Juan Williams said that led NPR to fire him -- other than their probable contempt for Fox News. Williams told Bill O'Reilly,
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.
At the risk of being banned by Ricochet I must say I've felt exactly the same way before, waiting to board an airline. Others I have talked with -- people I wasn't with and didn't know -- felt similar feelings -- the bigots.
More bizarre than the firing was NPR's explanation. Its issued statement said, "His remarks on The O'Reilly Factor this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR."
What about Juan's statements could have been inconsistent with NPR's editorial standards and practices? Does NPR have editorial standards that govern what its "subcontractor contributors" say when on other networks? How about in their kitchens?
I'd like to see the specific provision in their standards that forbids a contributor from expressing his heartfelt feelings, especially when those feelings are completely rational. He didn't say he feels nervous around Muslims wearing their garb anywhere else -- just on airplanes. He didn't say all Muslims are violent. To the contrary, he told O'Reilly that it's wrong to depict all Muslims as extremists. Considering the totality of Juan's statements, what does its firing say about its notion of tolerance?
Also, I wish NPR would explain how Juan's honest expression somehow undermined his credibility as a news analyst. We might note that Juan didn't make the statement defiantly. I'm not even sure he likes feeling the way he feels, but he nevertheless feels that way. But how does that single feeling of eeriness in a situation-specific environment cloud his judgment about anything else whatsoever in the universe? Eh?
In a recent incident also involving Bill O'Reilly, but on The View and with O'Reilly the target of the leftist rage, co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg stomped off the stage when O'Reilly suggested Muslims were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Hmmm. If not Muslims, then who was responsible?
Leftist political correctness has always been a speech-chiller, but it's now expanding its scope to infect law enforcement as well. When Homeland Security and the FBI, for example, deliberately ignore Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan's Jihadist behavior as a possible predictor of his violent behavior because political correctness declares it off limits, then political correctness trumps the truth and even human lives. When post-massacre investigators whitewash their report of references to Hasan's radical religious beliefs as a causal factor, they invite negligence in the handling of such cases in the future and further endanger human lives.
For a while, when it was politically expedient, liberal Democrats castigated the intelligence agencies for not connecting the dots, even though they are the ones who segregated the agencies and erected a wall preventing the free sharing of intelligence. Though President Bush attempted to reconnect the dots, Democrats have been trying to disconnect them again. But now they're going further. They're actively eliminating some of the dots -- as with their sanitizing their investigative report.
Such dot elimination may make the preeners feel better about themselves and superior to others, but it won't do much for the lives it jeopardizes.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
I think all I can add to what you've written is a hearty, "Hear! Hear!"
Jul '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
That's it David, you're fired!
Interesting dividing line here. We talk about the difference between "normal liberals" and the far left. This defines that difference to perfection. Juan Williams is a bleeding heart liberal, but an honest and decent opponent. To take him down over a comment like this is Robespierre-like. No tolerance for heretics. No tolerance for the thoughts and feelings of truly "average Americans".
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Golly, thanks for this post David. The most I'd read on the topic so far today was from lefty blogger Andrew Sullivan who only had nothing intelligent to say about the incident. A sample of his half-baked wares:
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
I didn't realize Democrats had segregated the intelligence agencies. How so? I'm young, so my political memory doesn't go back very far. Did it occur under Clinton?
I wonder if there's a way to put some distance between intelligence agencies and politicians without losing accountability. Even if some accountability would be lost by depoliticizing those agencies somewhat, that might be preferable to the current nonsense that undermines their performance.
Sep '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
I listen to NPR now and then, when I'm driving and can't get a good AM talk show in some rural area. Each time I listen I get reaquainted with the elite left liberal world view. Their news is clearly and deliberately slanted toward the Democrat narrative.
The lychpin of the Democrat Party narrative is that Fox news is a GOP outlet and isn't "news" as it is filled with right wingers Hannity, O'Reily (sic) and is owned by Murdock etc. (projecting, of course)
But Juan Williams and Mara Liasson detract from that meme and the NPR dweebs must also abhor having their network mentioned at all on the Fox.
We know they are blatant leftwingers, they know they are blatant left wingers as do their listeners, why the pretense? The tiny amount of Federal funding? That can't be it.
In any case, this was clumsy. They are getting desperate.
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Aaron, my man, here's a link to a 2004 NRO article by no less a super-lawyer and constitutional guru than my very good buddy Mark Levin on Jamie Gorelick's Dangerous "Wall of Separation. And, yes, she was Deputy Attorney General under Bill Clinton.
Edited on Oct 21, 2010 at 7:08pmAug '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Good point Franco What does Mara have to say about this ? Anyone see anything yet ? Also thought it was sort of quaint to see that Andrew Sullivan can still be seen or heard from that feverswamp he moved into awhile ago. He used to be pretty good and then he just melted down into a pool of plame. This CEO of NPR sounds like a real dilletante, she is going to providing some laughs in days to come. It will be a gas to hear the junk that you know will come from Garrison Keillor , CarGuys , and some of the snarkier types, but then you have to listen to them- almost impossible.
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
"We're a nation of cowards. We need to have an honest discussion about race. You start, Juan."
"Well, I..."
"You're fired."
Jul '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Diane Ellis, Ed.: Golly, thanks for this post David. The most I'd read on the topic so far today was from lefty blogger Andrew Sullivan who only had nothing intelligent to say about the incident. A sample of his half-baked wares:
Oct 21 at 6:57pm
Not only is that utterly predictable, it's appalling writing.
Now I'm really convinced that marijuana legalization is a bad idea. Whatever his views, Sullivan used to be a lucid crafstman.
Aug '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
David, Please tell the folks what Jamie Gorelick is doing today for her country . It's like they keep showing up. Go Mizzou
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Scott Reusser: "We're a nation of cowards. We need to have an honest discussion about race. You start, Juan."
"Well, I..."
"You're fired." · Oct 21 at 7:12pm
Man is that good.
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Well, I haven't much kept up with her, Flownover, but here are a couple of interesting links, which I refuse to read due to time constraints (READ: SLOTH) but fully expect some of you industrious guys/gals to do and report back (just kidding) -- but the titles seem to be pretty revealing: "American Thinker: Mistress of Disaster: Jamie Gorelick (September 19, 2008), and Politico: Jamie Gorelick's New Challenge: Backing BP (June 17, 2010) -- LOL, a liberal capitalist. Excellent.
And, most importantly, as you say: GO MIZZOU!!!!!!
Edited on Oct 21, 2010 at 7:29pmJul '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
You know it is funny.
There is a word that describes people who fear speaking thier mind because of possible retribution by government agancies (and NPR is a government agency, they are supported by taxpayer dollars.)
That word is, Oppressed.
.
That's right folks, the very people who speak the loudest on ending oppression, are themselves opperssors.
.
And what is sad, is the fact that they don't even realize it.
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
And it's not just about Tolerance, but about Stupidity. The lefties were falling all over themselves laughing at Palin for her "1773" line, and at O'Donnell for her remark about the separation of church and state. Yet both Palin and O'Donnell were correct. So who's stupid, intolerant, and, while we're at it, the "haters?"
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Ottoman Umpire
... it's not just about Tolerance, but ... Stupidity.
Yes, and on the stupidity point I cite Obama's 2,600 rambling, embarrassing answer to Doris in Charlotte concerning how we can afford Obamacare when we are already overtaxed. Not only did he go on for 2,600 words without saying anything, but he made some affirmatively ludicrous assertions like, ""If you go to the doctor you get one test. Then (you are) referred to a specialist, you get another test. Then maybe you go to a third person, the surgeon, you get a third test -- it's all the same test but you're paying three times. So ... we'll pay you for the first test and then e-mail the test to everybody. Right? Or have all three doctors in the room when the test is being taken."
Then, this gem: "If there's a blue pill and a red bill and the blue pill is half the price of the red pill and works just as well, why not pay half-price for the thing that's going to make you well?"
Aug '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Jamie Gorelick was the former vice chairman of Fannie Mae and Tom Donilon was a lobbyist from 1999 to 2005 with one client : Fannie Mae . Gorelick is now counsel for BP. Curiouser and curiouser . They all seem to have watered long and deep up on Wisconsin Ave at the fake Colonial Estate that is Fannie Mae. Barney Frank even used it as a stable .
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
It says a lot about NPR that they can't even have a token "I'm liberal but not quite as liberal as the day is long" commentator, let alone a mix of conservative and liberal voices. Their official response to this dust-up makes for fun reading, though, once you realize you can replace every instance of "objective" with "liberal," and likewise for each appearance of the words "professional," "editorial," "responsible," etc.
But we can't stop funding NPR! Without NPR, where would Americans turn for leftward-slanted news and opinion?!?
May '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
I fly quite a bit and I'm with Juan. The S in TSA sure doesn't stand for Safety. It's more like Stupidity.
We spend billions looking for weapons, confiscating rounded scissors from preschoolers and patting down 89-year-old women from Peoria while El Al looks for the terrorists. God forbid we should treat Grandma Shirley different than Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali.
Jul '10
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
You know David, the more I think about this whole flap, the more I cannot see how this is any different than Rush's ESPN Kerfuffle when he was attacking the Phillidelphia Media for thier attitudes.
It wasn't about what he actually said, or the message he was presenting.
It was about how can we make this look like something bad and get rid of him.
Re: Chilling Liberal "Tolerance"
Confession: I just committed an inadvertently narcissist act (excuse the oxymoron): I tried to select "Comment" under this post so I could read the updated comments and my index finger hit "Recommend" or "Like" or whatever it says. Now I am on record "Liking" my own post. Shameless. I would recommend separating those two words on the site, but I kind of like the mistake and plan on making it often in the future. LOLOL.