Right declares war on NPR

[hedgehog]

Source: Politico

Huckabee, like Palin a possible presidential candidate in 2012, urged Congress to cut NPR’s funding and announced he would no longer accept interviews on NPR.

“NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as a purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left,” he said in a statement.

"NPR defends 1st Amendment Right, but will fire u if u exercise it," Palin tweeted. "Juan Williams: u got taste of Left's hypocrisy, they screwed up firing you."


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43971.html#ixzz131KWPrzC

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43971.html

---

What's a real hoot here is that I don't think NPR receives any direct federal Funding these days. There is some indirect funding via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, but the Right wing already did everything it could do to strangle NPR years ago.

[slackmaster]

1. They've managed to piss off both the left and the right

They must be doing something well.

[Judi Lynn]

28. Not really. They've been a right-wing mouthpiece for years, all after the rightist Congress

slashed their funding, making them desperate to please the conservatives in power, and _{George W Bush} put in his crony as the head of the CPB board.

If you spent any time attempting to listen to this trash, you would have realized this ugly truth long ago.

[SkyDaddy7]

33. WOW! I listen quite regularly...

And have not noticed NPR being the mouth piece of the Right...As far as American Media goes they are at or near the top. Could you tell me of another source that is better?

PLEASE share your vision with me & help me see my errors because I find what you are saying to be a bit over the top.

[Greyskye]

35. Agreed. I listen regularly as well, and don't get the hate at all.

Yes, the politics in NPR management is worth keeping your eyes on. Has that impacted the reporting? I don't see it.

[defendandprotect]

83. Can't speak to NPR because I've tuned in so rarely and almost immediately

tuned out because it is .... so lame, really.

I think you'd have to listen to Amy Goodman to get an idea of what NPR SHOULD

be doing.

If you contrast NPR with Faux News, of course, NPR will seem liberal to you.

Think you might also try Ed Schultz and Thom Hartmann --

Randi Rhodes if you're really brave.

I think there's kind of a desire on the part of NPR and PBS viewers for a more

placid, serene, non-controversial delivery -- anything over-stimulating can

be taken as too much. I contrast that with what GE/NBC and Buchanan gave us with

Crossfire which was the "starting gun" so to speak for the rapid fire/interrupting

one another, but really still saying nothing, but constantly attack style of talk-news.

I would suggest that Amy Goodman and her delivery is where we should be.


Now -- Thom Hartmann constantly makes me familiar with info I've missed or never

thought about.

Ed Schultz ... I like because he's a fighter and is always on the same side of the

issue as I am. Often has new information.


As for PBS ... one of it's stations I see here in NJ is constantly playing re-runs of

BONANZA!!???

The last occasion I recall PBS doing anything worthwhile was when they presented

BILL DONAHUE to explain to the public where we were with health care and what we needed.

DONAHUE explained single-payer, what other countries had -- and how badly we were doing!

Set us up nicely -- and then Clintons dropped the ball.

Ask yourselves, how many versions of already re-made versions of AGATHA CHRISTIES's

Jane Marple should PBS be refinancing? How many "Pride and Prejudice" .... it's a time-waster.

It's simply a way to spend available funds on anything but real information!!


Think back on the programs of the 60's that you occasionally see now on PBS -- something from

the Civil Rights era playing right now on one of the PBS channels. Something I've seen before.

NOTHING like that is being made right now for PBS.

The show on DNA over the last year or two was interesting and worthwhile --

It's not all gone ... but certainly GOP has been attacking public TV and public radio and its

funding for 35 years and maybe more!

Withdrawing funds pushed it into beg-athons and loss of audience.

Doo-Wop was GREAT -- take that anytime -- tremendous investment in entertainment, however.

[Enthusiast]

55. I quit listening to NPR

because they were clearly pushing the right wing message, although it was not so avert as what we hear from Fox News. But Juan Williams was the token liberal, so that alone should tell us something.

[wordpix]

105. +1 What the r's really don't like is NPR's educational value

[sfwriter]

106. Try Democracy Now for a taste of what isn't getting reported by NPR...

http://www.democracynow.org/

[ProudDad]

108. BBC World Service for one...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/

Definitely not perfect but a hell of a lot better than National (corporate) Propaganda Radio...

[greiner3]

36. "They've been a right-wing mouthpiece for years;"

You're kidding, right? I agree that for a short time span they had shifted gears and some of their mouthpieces were decidedly wacko. But have you listened to them lately? They are the real 'fair and balanced' network. What shows and/or commentators are you referencing with your comments?

The Car Talk Guys?
Fresh Air?
A Prairie Home Companion?
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me?
All Things Considered?
Morning Edition?
Talk of the Nation?
Science Friday? This show is a real right wing plot.
Weekend Edition?
The many music shows? I know, there are subliminal messages within the lyrics that when played with the sound off make you fear everything.
On Point?
On the Media?
The Two Way; NPR's News Hour?
Here are some headlines from NPR's newscast;

Toyota Recalling 1.5 Million Cars Worldwide
New 'Don't Ask' Ruling Leaves Military In Limbo
In Hard Economic Times, Obama Woos Female Voters
Leading Indicators Point To Slow Economic Growth
Airlines Report Stronger Than Expected Earnings
France On Razor's Edge As Pension Vote Looms
Mexican Border Lake Shooting Still Awash In Mystery
Competitive Cheerleading Fights For Official Status

I agree, that last headline is meant as a talking point for conservatives. They will use this as a way to reinforce their 'country is too interested in sex' approach.

Then again, maybe I just missed your sarcasm icon. My bad!

[ProudDad]

109. All Things Ignored,

the (corporate) Morning Edition, the pro-war Weekend Edition, the everyone but the left gets to participate in "Talk of the Nation", etc. etc.

They have been completely co-opted by the corporate party line and pro-military-industrial complex spin.

The only "political" program that has anything approaching "balance" is Wait, Wait...

And Garrison Keillor is so white... :) http://www.davelippman.com/lyrics/walmart.lyrics.html

[silverlib]

37. I remember this...

and I'm not quite sure, but isn't this when NPR had to start taking private advertising and selling commercial air time rather than just donations?

I hate listening to Cokie Roberts and what's his name, the Republican the NYT's hired to give the newspaper balance? Overall, NPR is the best we have and I do support it, but it is not near the "public" radio that it was prior to Bush.

[DBoon]

39. I'll agree with that

I like NPR, I wish NPR has some AM clear channel stations to counter right wing talk radio, but I really noticed a change after Bush's re-election - they toned down, had more right-wing "pundits", etc.

I think they cracked after some serious political pressure was applied to them.

They still beat the crap out of CNN, though

[ProudDad]

110. Check out the BBC World Service...

NOT the watered down one they sell to USAmerican public radio stations but direct...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/

It's a step in a better direction -- and not so damn provincial...

[glitch]

40. I realized it in 2000 when they really came out of the closet for Bush.

Haven't been back. But, it sure is interesting that the right is so outraged over Williams.
What, are pseudo-liberal strawpundits that hard to find?

[PassingFair]

89. Yes.

They are much rarer than the Dennis Miller,
Dick Morris-type assholes.

Most venal people want to be seen as being
on the winning team, NOT as apologists, however
lame, for the "losers".

[Mudoria]

45. Wrong

[Judi Lynn]

48. Watchdog Group Report: Most NPR Sources are Conservative

Published on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 by the Long Island, NY Newsday
Watchdog Group Report: Most NPR Sources are Conservative
by Peter Goodman

Despite a perception that National Public Radio is politically liberal, the majority of its sources are actually Republicans and conservatives, according to a survey released today by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a left-leaning media watchdog.

"Republicans not only had a substantial partisan edge," according to a report accompanying the survey, "individual Republicans were NPR's most popular sources overall, taking the top seven spots in frequency of appearance." In addition, representatives of right-of-center think tanks outnumbered their leftist counterparts by more than four to one, FAIR reported.

Citing comments dating to the Nixon administration in the 1970s, the report said, "That NPR harbors a liberal bias is an article of faith among many conservatives." However, it added, "Despite the commonness of such claims, little evidence has ever been presented for a left bias at NPR."

The study counted 2,334 sources used in 804 stories aired last June for four programs: "All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," "Weekend Edition Saturday" and "Weekend Edition Sunday." For the analysis of think tanks, FAIR used the months of May through August 2003.

Overall, Republicans outnumbered Democrats by 61 percent to 38 percent, a figure only slightly higher now, when the GOP controls the White House and both houses of Congress, than during a previous survey in 1993, during the Clinton administration.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0525-11.htm

[Greyskye]

49. For balance, the NPR rebuttal to this 7-8 year old data:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2003

[Judi Lynn]

52. This exactly the time I must use for other purposes, like starting dinner.

If I had a better shot it you can be sure I wouldn't have settled for something 7-8 years old. The material most clearly is there.

Here's another one I saw at the same time:

September/October 2005

Time to Unplug the CPB
Replace corrupt board with independent trust

By Steve Rendall and Peter Hart

Veterans of the battles over public broadcasting know the script by now: Right-wing Republicans denounce NPR and PBS for being too “liberal,” threatening to cut their federal funding. Public broadcasting’s defenders rally to “save” Big Bird and the like.

The difference this time around, though, is significant. The right-wing Republican is not a politician per se. He’s Kenneth Tomlinson, chair of the government-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and thus the man in charge of distributing federal dollars to public broadcasters.

~snip~
PBS’s conservative tradition

The debate over the state of public broadcasting relies for its starting point on the tired, baseless charge that PBS and NPR harbor a left-leaning bias. Mainstream media discussions usually pit right-leaning critics against public broadcasting officials—thereby excluding progressive critics of the current system. A July 17 Washington Post article headlined “Fairness in the Balance: Public Broadcasting Is Under Scrutiny; Neither Side Seems to Like What It Sees” included conservative public broadcasting critics like the Wall Street Journal’s Paul Gigot, Cato’s David Boaz, Rep. Ralph Regula (R.-Ohio) and National Review’s Jonah Goldberg. Their views were “balanced” by insider defenders of public broadcasting—PBS vice president John Wilson and NPR vice president Ken Stern.

Similarly, a debate about PBS on PBS’s own NewsHour With Jim Lehrer (6/21/05) pitted George Neumayr of the conservative American Spectator against Bill Reed, president of Kansas City Public Television.

Thus the spectrum of debate is limited: Either you decry the pervasive liberal bias of public broadcasting (without, incidentally, having to actually prove it), or you uncritically defend the status quo.

More:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2671

[Plucketeer]

53. '04 That's timely!

:rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

79. You add a lot, don't you? Unaware that around dinner time, some DU'ers

have actual obligations, and no time to go on searches for information, just as I explained?

It's easy to take lame pot shots for the hell of it, takes more character to add something to the conversation.

~~~~~
National Public Radio’s (NPR) Pro-Israeli Bias
by Stephen Lendman / April 29th, 2010

Since established in 1970, NPR ignored its public trust in favor of privilege, corporatism, militarism, imperial wars, and Israel’s vilest crimes, including collective punishment, illegal occupation, targeted killings, land theft, dispossessions, home demolitions, crop destruction, mass incarcerations, torture, violence, and the 2008 – 09 Gaza war inflicting mass deaths, permanent injuries, vast devastation, and human misery against defenseless civilians, imprisoned under siege since June 2007, and afflicted by a dire humanitarian crisis as a result — exacerbated by conflict and intermittent attacks, issues NPR ignores or understates.

It’s notorious for its biased, shoddy reporting, pseudo-journalism, creeping commercialism, distracting non-news, and deceiving listeners it’s public, non-profit, and impartial. Savvy media consumers know better and tune them out for delivering the same slanted coverage found on major networks and in broadsheets like the New York Times, Washington Post, and others — grossly favoring power, and when it comes to Israel it’s interests matter. Palestinian ones don’t, so news is carefully filtered to distort facts, and report lies that when repeated enough become truths.

In its May/June 2004 issue, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) asked “How Public Is Public Radio?” in examining its guest list choices — on all issues (including Israel), mostly government officials, corporate think tank representatives, professionals representing their interests, and other elite sources, the public comprising a tiny 7%.

“For a public radio service intended to provide an independent alternative to corporate-owned and commercially-driven mainstream media,” it said, “NPR is surprisingly reliant on mainstream” sources, the public nearly entirely shut out, and when included they’re largely nameless “people in the street,” quoted in one-sentence sound bites with no impact.

More:
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/04/national-public-radios-npr-pro-israeli-bias/

This subject was known YEARS AGO, and discussed endlessly at DU over the years. It's not exactly news to most people. NPR drove off many loyal listeners long, long ago with its total turn to the right. You need to listen more closely before you attempt to mock people who do know about the subject.

[Plucketeer]

92. If you're going to focus strictly on what you want to, ...

...you can find fault in anything. I don't know what particular NPR station YOU listen to (or "don't" as seems to be the case), but I'd say 90% of what they offer is either purely entertainment-oriented or about interesting individuals and science. Imagine tuning to Fox News or even MSNBC for classical music or programs like "Wait-wait, don't tell me!"

[No Elephants]

94. +1

[Ter]

98. You must be way out in left field if you think they are RW

Somehow I doubt the right wing supports them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. In other news

Right embraces racism.

Update at eleven.

[county worker]

3. Good, I don't want to here Huckabee or any right wing nut case on NPR

[Flipper999]

31. My thoughts exactly.

These windbags get enough coverage everywhere else, and they add no substance to the interview.

[Roland99]

4. Poor Suckabee. Facts have a liberal bias and he just can't handle it

[Rambis]

5. Shrub tried his best

I guess it was a police action then:shrug:

[hedgehog]

6. NPR is taking a load of shit over this -

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130712737&ps=cprs#commentBlock

Just remember, money talks. Now might be a good time to send a nice note along with a check to your local NPR station!

[Iris]

43. I'm strongly considering it even though they piss me off regularly with their teabag coverage

[KansDem]

7. "...urged Congress to cut NPR’s funding"

Uh-oh! Sounds like a job for Jimbo!



Who's he dressing like nowadays?

[Bitwit1234]

8. Well I mean after all you can't have a news station that leans to the left

they all gotta lean to the right, you know like fox does and Huckabee works for.

[Turborama]

22. Damn straight. Palin works for them too.

It's an entirely predictable response, the Reich always tightly circle the wagons when one of their own gets wounded.

[Lorien]

114. It doesn't lean to the Left. The entire directing board and nearly every

station manager is a Right Winger (I have several friends who work for NPR). It's just that NPR tries to be less biased toward the Right to bring in donation dollars from the center and Left. They know that their listeners are more educated than the average American, so they can't go the Faux News route-though many station managers would like to.

[1gobluedem]

9. NPR doesn't receive direct federal funding

So, in addition to Huckabee's just being stupid, he's also uninformed.

[Wickerman]

10. I believe they get like 7% or so

according to my local.

Yeah, it's time to donate in honor of Juan. Or, in honor of the firing of Juan, I suppose it more proper. :thumbsup:

[Wickerman]

14. actually, according to their page its less than 2% direct Fed support

http://www.npr.org/about/support/

NPR draws support from a wide variety of sources -- but less than 2% from federal government sources.

The greatest portion of our funding comes from our stations, who in turn rely on support from their local corporate sponsors, CPB, their licensees, and others.

[ProudDad]

11. They piss off the left because they are relentlessly pro-corporate

Public media -- radio and TV -- in this country was severely hurt by ray-gun, and finally strangled in the 90s by the gingrich bunch and their co-dependent Bill Clinton (Telecommunications act of 1996 among others)...

There is NO generally available public media in this country that can even lick the boots of the BBC and CBC...

The spectrum of opinion in the USAmerikan Empire ranges from far-right crazy to near right corporate "liberal"...


On Edit: I can barely STAND to listen to their drivel any more. Other than "Wait, Wait" and "Car Talk" there's bloody little truth on NPR. I mainly listen to the BBC world service -- late at night or on-line...

[HillWilliam]

19. In this household we've taken to calling them

Now Pimping Republicans. My donations for this year are going to the local classical station that survives only on membership dues. I'm pretty sure NPR doesn't care if they get my $10/month (all I can afford) or not, but that $10/month is a bite from my meager budget. Instead of two memberships, I'm giving $20/month to WCPE. From WCPE I get good music and zero RW drivel. As a matter of fact, no talk at all from them; a rather pleasant way to spend my hour-and-a-half commute between home and work. And yes, they're available on the web at www.theclassicalstation.org.

[ProudDad]

41. We like the term National Petroleum Radio

Or National Propaganda Radio -- the Voice of the Empire...

We give our money to KXCI -- at least they play Democracy Now and Jim Hightower... But they're mostly "non-political" music...

I guess we're going to have to start our own pirates soon...

[Iowa]

24. Agreed...

I would add "Science Friday" to the list of good shows. And I agree... Car Talk is great.

But I can't stand that right-wing boot-licker Neal Conan. He's always chomping at the bit to defend Republican viewpoints.

[defendandprotect]

84. Agree ... nice summation -- :)

[ProudDad]

12. NPR is NOT the entirety of "public media"

They are a private corporation that produces media for "public" (corporate funded) stations.

They have to please their corporate masters or -- no more money!

They seem to have gained a monopoly of airtime in big "public" media outlets...

Listener sponsored and pirate media are where it's at...

[karnac]

13. count on Juan williams to move further right,

Juan Williams is generally too centrist for my tastes. But when he ON the warpath, he makes the other talking heads on FAUX look foolish and eviserates them on their OWN channel. Might even change some minds.

Yet who had his back now? He was merely stating what his feelings were even though he followed up defending peaceful muslims to the hilt on intellectual grounds.

Perhaps Williams should have been fired just for showing up on FAUX. But this is way too trivial an excuse.

[hedgehog]

16. I think his comments suggested that any Muslim who dresses

in a way to publicly identify as a Muslim must be a supporter of terrorism.

Sort of like the assumption some years back that any African -American who didn't straighten his or her hair must be a Black Panther.


On edit: NPR's side of the story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130712737

[karnac]

21. NO! he merely stated it made him nervous. On honest statement.

And that his nervousness was not justified.

I can understand this. Years ago when I was a little tyke of about 4, I was chased by an angry duck. Why he was angry or just a feisty fowl, memory evades me. Yet I am still afraid of ducks to this day.

Does this mean I want all ducks wiped from the Face of the earth? NO. Do I think the only good duck is a DEAD duck(or at least betweeen two slices of toAST)? NO.

I defend Daffy Duck! He has a right to live and prosper. Even though he does have a lisp. but that's not his fault.


As for the rabbit,.... thats another story

[Turborama]

25. He didn't qualify it by saying his nervousness wasn't justified.

What Williams said: "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."

[hedgehog]

27. he went on to say; quoting would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad:

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.
(Italics mine.)

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Should-NPR-Have-Fired-Juan-Williams-for-Muslim-Airplane-Remarks-5479


The second paragraph implies that Williams is correct to be fearful, that all Muslims are out to get us.


On edit: the full transcript is here:

http://www.thinkprogress.org/2010/10/21/npr-fires-juan-williams/

[Turborama]

29. So, he *justified* his "nervousness" by further defining his Islamophobia, then.

Islamophobia: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamophobia">Prejudice against, or an irrational fear of Islam or Muslims"

That's a lot different from *qualifying* his "nervousness" by later saying it wasn't justified, as was suggested by the poster above.

[ProudDad]

111. Kind of like anyone with an Oakland Raiders cap

is "self-identifying" as a gang member?

Williams main crime is that he's a lousy reporter... This latest is just one more example of his pro-corporate, pro-Imperial bias...

[Demit]

77. Cute story. Doesn't scale up to what Juan Williams said, though.

That is, if you were being remotely serious.

[Thor_MN]

80. He is entitled to his PRIVATE opinion. As an on-air personality his PUBLIC opinion is subject to the

whims of his employers. Since he represents the station in public, any behavior that reflects poorly on the station is grounds for dismissal. Any true journalist knows this. Conservatives can't wrap their minds around this as Faux's agenda is to spread fear, how can someone be fired for doing what they are paid for?

[No Elephants]

96. Why did you misstate Williams' words?

[Turborama]

26. When did he defend "peaceful muslims to the hilt (sic)"? BTW He was fired for going on Faux

Details: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9361586

[No Elephants]

95. Dobbs said on TV today that Williams has been going on Fox for 10 years.

If he's right, seems as though Williams was really fired for making Islamaphobic remarks publicly.

:shrug:

[Tesha]

88. Of course he should have been fired for "just showing up in Fox".

Remember, NPR has threatened with dismissal any of
their staff who show up at "Our" rallies, even if they do
it on their own time and "out of uniform".

Juan (and Croakey Roberts) should have been fired years
ago.

Tesha

[Grassy Knoll]

15. Fox is so fucked up.......

Pugs don't even listen to NPR, it's only because
Juan is a lib token on fox.

[No Elephants]

97. Williams is no liberal, token or otherwise

[bowens43]

17. the 'right' defends ignorance

where ever it raises it's ugly head......

cons are such freaking idiots.....

[KansDem]

18. Not so fast, "Right"--you haven't paid for Bush's two bogus wars.

Maybe you'd better pony up some coin for those before you go running off to declare yet another war...

[Turborama]

20. Another hoot is that today I've come across a few supposed Liberals who agree with Huckabee & Palin

This has got nothing to do with the 1st Ammendment, NPR is not the government. He violated NPR's ethics code one too many times. Letter from NPR explaining this in detail: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9361586

[stlsaxman]

23. I say "Bring It, Bitches!!!"... too bad NPR won't say it. n/t

[bobthedrummer]

30. NPR, PBS and their state affiliates all have former BUSH/CHENEY criminals and traitors as "experts"

then there is the corporate funding from "entities" like Boeing to consider when these criminals and traitors are so much a part of "public broadcasting" due to the lack of prosecution and the rule of law.

[AC_Mem]

32. Dear Bible Spice

The "left" didn't fire Williams, his employer did.

Are you saying that a corporation does not have the right to terminate employment as they see fit if an employee does not follow company policy and practices?

Why do you hate Corporate America Sarah?

[silverlib]

38. This is when I wish there was a "like" button.

[DBoon]

42. If your job is being a public figure

then pissing off a large segment of the public can get you fired.

[GETPLANING]

34. Who ISN'T the right at war with?

What's a real hoot here is that Sarah Palin STILL doesn't understand the 1st Amendment.

[harun]

46. LOL, how true, how true.

[Fly by night]

44. The one thing that will doom their campaign is that most right-wingnuts can't spell "NPR" .

Get a brain, morans. Seriesly.

[EFerrari]

50. NPR has swerved sharply to the right in recent years.

Someone forgot to tell the right wing extremists.

[ProudDad]

112. They think anything to the left of "Mein Kampf"

is leftie propaganda...

[wisteria]

47. Palin is a hypocrite, she wanted people fired for much less than what Williams said.

Remember the brother in law? And, how about David Letterman who was making jokes about her daughter (yes, they were in bad taste) but Letterman was exercising his rights. And, Palin should be fired for all the insulting and lying things she says.

[Iris]

51. Less than 6% of NPR's funding comes from government - federal, state, and local

http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html

[sulphurdunn]

54. Let me get this straight.

NPR cans one of its purported liberal talking heads because he says something right leaning NPR corporate heads think liberals should find offensive. NPR is then attacked by far right public figures over the alleged violation of this supposed liberal's first Amendment rights. FOX News then hires canned so-called NPR liberal victim of 1st Amendment oppression for $2 million and blames the entire incident on the "far left" i.e right leaning NPR executives. Is that right? I mean left? :crazy:

[progressoid]

56. Juan Williams Firing Leads Palin, Huckabee to Call for Defunding NPR

Source: CBS

Juan Williams Firing Leads Palin, Huckabee to Call for Defunding NPR

Republicans Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are calling for NPR to be stripped of public funding in response to the termination of contributor Juan Williams, who was fired from the radio station on Wednesday in response to remarks he made about Muslims on Fox News earlier this week.

"At a time when our country is dangerously in debt and looking for areas of federal spending to cut, I think we've found a good candidate for defunding. National Public Radio is a public institution that directly or indirectly exists because the taxpayers fund it," Sarah Palin wrote in a post on her Facebook wall on Thursday. "And what do we, the taxpayers, get for this? We get to witness Juan Williams being fired from NPR for merely speaking frankly about the very real threat this country faces from radical Islam."

"We have to have an honest discussion about the jihadist threat," she continued.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee also called for governmental defunding of NPR, condemning the decision to fire Williams as "censorship."

...

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20020347-503544.html

[chelsea0011]

57. Repukes have wanted to defund public radio and television for a lot less

[rurallib]

58. 'jihadist threat' Oh jesus Sary yer killing me here

she could go right on to the comedy circuit.

[Bitwit1234]

59. So because of his discrimination against Muslims the

POS at fox want to defund public broadcasting. Gee I guess because fox discriminates and calls Muslims and minority names, they think it is OK for everybody to do it.

[EFerrari]

60. HIlarious. NPR was captured under BushCo.

They're attacking their own big time.

[Cirque du So-What]

61. Calling all wingnutz!

Your leaders have just sounded the alarm, so get busy being outraged! This oughta keep those pinheads busy for the next couple of weeks.

[Iris]

62. Sarah - 3 clicks on the NPR website & you would see that they get less than 6% of their funding from

the government.

http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html

[Iliyah]

64. These people

are insane. I'll be glad when they disappear and believe they will b/c Americans will get sick and tired of them!!!!!!!

[Iris]

68. They are too dumb to be embarrased by their dumbness.

Actually, I guess they really aren't all that dumb - they keep putting this crap out there and getting other dummies to follow them.

[bullwinkle428]

81. Someone has to explain to her how to turn the computer on!

[defendandprotect]

85. Over 35 years or so, they've gotten a hell of a kicking around by GOP.....

whether money -- now commercials by corporations? -- or political pressure,

NPR has certainly been effected... just as PBS has been.

[Tesha]

63. If NPR actually went to being mostly listener-sponsored, it would immediately do...

...a 180-degree turn in its politics.

Tesha

[defendandprotect]

86. Agree -- and wondering if we should all be thinking about LICENSES for TV/radio ....

isn'tthis what they do in Europe?

And, why in the hell are we now paying for cable services and still

watching commercials???

[Zen Democrat]

65. They are IDIOTS!!!! Do they think the taxpayers fund NPR?

A pittance at most. I wonder how much time either have spent listening to NPR??

[bainz]

66. Did you see . . .

did you see the info posted above? it seems that most of their contributions are from taxpayers.

I think he got the shaft.

[Iris]

100. What information? The info I posted that says less than 6% of NPR's funding comes from taxes?

[Iris]

101. Clearly not. If they did, they would have heard a long time ago how much money actually comes from

taxpayers.

[edbermac]

67. Go right ahead and defund NPR.

And let's yank FAUX Noise and Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio while we're at it.

[indimuse]

69. ding ding

ding! ;)

[Xipe Totec]

71. Awesome cartoon!

:rofl:

[Iris]

102. Excellent point! Wow! This needs to go viral!

[mazzarro]

70. Clang! Clang! Clang!

There goes again two of the many right-wing empty cymbals making their clanging noise again, yet signifying nothing of import!

[JJ]

72. LOL

Surprising how they're all defending the "liberal" voice of Faux News.

[Demeter]

73. Euww! Just---Eeeuuww!

Unclean, unclean! Must shower....in bleach.

[mikeSchmuckabee]

74. So now they care about the unemployed?

[MineralMan]

75. The right has been trying to defund NPR for as long as I can

remember. It's a constant meme with them. More of the same old shit.

[ozone_man]

78. They've already gone over to the dark side (corporate funding).

So it isn't clear that the right can do much more damage.

They won't touch issues that threaten corporate or MIC interests like Iraq/Afghanistan war and single payer health care. They're good at touching human interest stories, art, culture, but get silent quickly when it comes to status quo corporate interests.

[defendandprotect]

87. Agree ...

[midnight armadillo]

76. Enhanced interrogation techniques

Enhanced interrogation techniques == torture in everyone's eyes but NPR. Alot of NPR's cultural shows (i.e. This American Life etc) are great, but their news shows are hardly left-leaning. Very, very pro-establishment.

ref: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/07/02/npr/

[defendandprotect]

82. Corp for Public Broadcasting is a PRIVATE corp GOP put in charge of PBS...

and presumably NPR ...

Keep voting against the right wingers --

Keep pushing to the LEFT -- !!

[randr]

90. This must mean they want Helen back!

[windowpilot]

91. It's NPR!!!

Who cares?

[toddwv]

93. Yep, the right-wingers obviously have their new marching orders.

Threads are popping all over the place about defunding NPR.

[louis-t]

99. Fine, give him his job back with a big pay cut.

That should shut them up.

[Bragi]

103. moved by author

[kestrel91316]

104. NPR quit leaning liberal years ago when their federal funding got slashed.

Now they are almost totally dependent upon corporate "sponsors", and we can see exactly where THAT has led.

[KamaAina]

107. So does that make Mara LIEasson a double agent?

At least Juan Williams blew his cover the other day. :eyes:

[sammyscout]

113. Can you say HELEN THOMAS or RICK SANCHEZ

this to me seems strange,, we fire and enjoy their public humiliation when they say anything slightly offemsive about the jewish folks but same thing again muslims and lo and behold, npr is a leftist organization.

Can you say HELEN THOMAS or RICK SANCHEZ