Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

I don’t recall signing up for living in a dystopian sci-fi novel.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

He really is that stupid.

We are learning that “working class” means “white” for way too many people.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Books are my comfort food!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Juan in Doubt, Double Down

Juan in Doubt, Double Down

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I’d like to see Erik’s response to this:

Yesterday NPR fired me for telling the truth. The truth is that I worry when I am getting on an airplane and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Muslims.

This is not a bigoted statement. It is a statement of my feelings, my fears after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by radical Muslims.

It’s both, you moran.

He’s not trying to bridge any divides (as he goes on to claim), he’s trying to justify his fear and bigotry. And now he will be paid handsomely at Fox to continue to attempt to justify his bigotry.

Reader Interactions

156Comments

  2. 2.

    chopper

    first off, as pointed out before, terrorists don’t dress up in ‘full muslim regalia’.

    secondly, he needs to get the fuck over 9/11. if you still get the willies seeing a muslim, get help.

  5. 5.

    Violet

    He’s also stupid. The terrorists who took down the planes on 9/11 were not dressed in “Muslim garb.” Neither was the Ft. Hood bomber. Nor the underwear bomber. Nor the Times Square bomber. Except for the Fort Hood terrorist, who wore a military uniform, the terrorists dressed as ordinary Americans.

    His Muslim terrorist profiling wouldn’t have worked in any of the actual terrorism incidents we’ve had. Not only is he a bigot, he can’t learn from experience.

  6. 6.

    chopper

    third, ‘talking about my feelings and fears about muslims on billo’s show’ was a violation of his contract with NPR.

  7. 7.

    Chyron HR

    It is a statement of my feelings

    I FEEEEEEEEEEEL like the Muzzies are out to get me!
    I FEEEEEEEEEEEL like Anita Hill is a fithly liar!
    Why are you attacking me for the way I FEEEEEEEEEEEL?

  8. 8.

    Zuzu's Petals

    Like I said earlier, I’m for voting with my pocketbook on this one. Finally donated to NPR again, and told them it was a thank you for finally getting rid of this guy.

    Nice if NPR could point to a groundswell of approval.

  9. 9.

    Tancrudo

    I clutch my pearls when I see negroes. Hey, that’s not a bigoted statement! It’s my feeelings.

  10. 10.

    Caren

    The terrorists that attacked on 9/11 were dressed in Western garb.

    Not cowboy clothes, just regular American gear.

    It’s really nice that Juan understands how he feels. Now if he could just understand that his feelings are racist and not based in reality, maybe we could get somewhere.

  11. 11.

    different church-lady

    I worry that when I see Juan Williams on my TV that he is a complete idiot.

    But you don’t see ME going on TV and talking about it, do you?

  13. 13.

    Evolved Deep Southerner

    Shit, he’s a Fox man now, exclusively. This is just the opening salvo.

    A year from now, he’ll be saying shit that’ll make this look tame.

  15. 15.

    Midnight Marauder

    And now he will be paid handsomely at Fox to continue to attempt to justify his bigotry.

    I really like Williams’ shock and dismay at the fact that he wasn’t “given a chance” to defend his actions:

    Weiss, he said, told him that he had crossed the line. When he asked what line that was, she said that his statement had been bigoted. Williams said he had pointed out that he had gone on to tell O’Reilly that America had “an obligation to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in the country” and to prevent bigotry, but that “you cannot ignore what happened on 9/11 and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism.”
    __
    In response, Williams said, Weiss told him that the decision to fire him had already been taken.
    __
    “I said, ‘I don’t even get the chance to come in and we do this eyeball to eyeball, person to person?'” he continued. “She said, ‘there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind, this has been decided above me and we’re terminating your contract.'”

    You should have come in for that eyeball to eyeball meeting a few years ago, Juan.

  16. 16.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @Violet:

    Muslim terrorist profiling

    A commenter on NPR asked today how Williams would feel if some news commentator said “You know I’m not a bigot, but every time I get on a bus and see an African American with an Afro and dashiki I get nervous.”

    Or to paraphrase Williams, “People dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as African Americans.”

  17. 17.

    Steve

    The important thing is for those on the left to acknowledge that many people have bigoted feelings. Until more liberals acknowledge this, they will fail to persuade America of the need for tolerance because people will rightly suspect that what they are really about is punishing people for the thoughtcrime of having errant feelings.

  18. 18.

    DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective

    The fact is that Juan Williams has always been an idiot. This incident just highlights the fact, but it’s not news.

    It’s not news, generally, that some people identified as “liberals” are just idiots. Even an idiot can be right once in a while. Look at Brick Oven Bill, for example.

    Okay, bad example.

  19. 19.

    Cracker

    The truth is that I worry when I am getting on a bus and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Blacks.
    This is not a bigoted statement. It is a statement of my feelings, my fears after hearing about gangsta rappers shooting one another on TMZ.

    /the logical extension of Juan Williams’ thinking

  20. 20.

    Wile E. Quixote

    Jesus Christ, it’s about time that Juan Williams, professional negro, got his ass fired from NPR. Not only is he a total butt-whore for Fake Noise but he’s also a lousy journalist. Now if NPR would just fire Mara Liasson’s lazy ass…

  22. 22.

    John O

    @Violet:

    He thinks he can spot ’em, Violet. It’s very weird for self-aware people, even as we acknowledge our own IRRATIONAL fears about it, as in, my fears about flying are largely based on gravity and human error, the latter of which is not irrational at all, even while statistically unlikely.

  25. 25.

    KG

    @different church-lady: ok, fuck it, I’m in for $20 on a new cable “news” channel that is made up entirely of bloggers and blog commenters talking shit on the rest of the media. Think of it as an open sourced version of the first 10-15 minutes of the Daily Show, all day every day.

  26. 26.

    kth

    The truth is that I worry when I am getting on an airplane driving downtown and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Muslims black people. This is not a bigoted statement.

    Though come to think of it, Williams is probably totally down with assuming any kid with saggy jeans and a ballcap on sideways is going to rob me and rape my wife.

  27. 27.

    Kryptik

    Look, if I felt he was more genuine about this, I’d sympathize, I really would. I will fully admit that I find myself generally suspicious and shy away from larger black men when on the street, simply because I get told crime is a problem in my neighborhood, and I’ve ended up conditioned to be suspicious in that manner, by news, TV, etc. It’s something that I intellectually know is wrong, but have to struggle to tamp down with that emotional response imprinted. And even sadder, I do find myself immediately tense when I see someone who ‘looks Muslim’ in the wholly stereotypical way, because…well, we’re told ‘ALL TERRORISTS ARE MOOSLIMMM!!!’

    But I just can’t be sympathetic for one reason. I have my emotional responses, and I recount them with shame. Juan Williams recounted his not out of shame and a wish to move past them, but as a justification of his and other right-wingers’ primal fears and essentially said ‘We should be afraid’. That he tried to backpedal and say ‘Oh, not ALL Muslims are bad’ ends up irrelevant, because the crux is he’s not ashamed of his fear. He revels in it.

  28. 28.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I bet lazyeye lisping Ron Christie doesn’t turn into butter every time he sees traditional muslim garb with his one good eye.

  30. 30.

    Comrade Luke

    According to Atrios on Twitter a few minutes ago:

    and the hissy fit is cycle is complete @hambypCNN: DeMint’s office confirms Senator will intro. legislation to halt federal funding for NPR

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    @Zuzu’s Petals:

    “You know I’m not a bigot, but every time I get on a bus and see an African American with an Afro and dashiki I get nervous.”

    “You know I’m not a bigot, but every time I drive on the freeway and see a Mexican with a crucifix driving a lowrider, I get nervous.” This could be fun with racial and ethnic stereotypes. “I’m not a bigot, but every time I see a redneck with a mullet and a Confederate battle flag bumper sticker, I get nervous.”

  32. 32.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @Juan Williams, professional negro

    “I said, ‘I don’t even get the chance to come in and we do this eyeball to eyeball, person to person?’” he continued. “She said, ‘there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind, this has been decided above me and we’re terminating your contract.’”

    What a whiny little bitch. I’d be willing to bet that Juan has an employment-at-will contract, which means that NPR could fire him at any time for anything they want.

    I wish that someone at NPR would come out and say “Look, we fired Juan because he’s a lazy bigot who’s spent the last two decades resting on his laurels from writing Eyes on the Prize. Juan isn’t going to suffer though. He’ll make serious bank as a professional negro over at Fox News and perhaps the Republican National Committee will hire him to be their token black person next year after Michael Steele gets fired.”

  34. 34.

    Redshift

    Apparently Rupert Murdoch (or was it Ailes?) said they’ll “protect Williams’ freedom of speech” on Fox because he “spoke honestly.”

    Wow, that’s just great! So anyone who speaks honestly gets a $3M contract and is allowed to say whatever they want on Fox? Sign me up! They can’t refuse me, or it’ll be a violation of free speech, right?

  37. 37.

    Cacti

    After years of tongue-polishing Bill O’Reilly’s boots, Juan has finally landed his dream job…

    Full time house negro for Rupert Murdoch.

  38. 38.

    MikeBoyScout

    The truth is that Williams pals around with morans.

    It is complete fiction that FUX News is going to pay Williams new contract with the proceeds from the sale of Juan Williams in jockey garb statues holding a light. That’s just an urban myth cuz someone saw one on Rupert’s porch.

  42. 42.

    Warren Terra

    Y’know, at considerable risk to my sanity and equanimity (i.e. knowing that it was likely to lead me to the Truther sites) I googled for images of the 9/11 hijackers. So far as I can tell, and entirely unsurprisingly, they were dressed in western garb. Maybe in order to better to carry our their plotted atrocity, they didn’t want to don flashing neon signs saying “I’m not like you!”.

    So, news flash: what Juan Williams is saying makes no sense. The people we least have to worry about committing terrorist acts are probably those making no effort to blend in (which is of course just as true for our own home-grown and less exotic monsters as for those from abroad and those professing Islam).

    Of course, the obvious corollary is that we should worry that the next logical step is smarter racism, cracking down on those who mostly blend in but are dusky of hue or have funny names. But then, we’ve already been there; just ask most anyone you know who’s of Indian subcontinent heritage and was flying in the first couple of years after 9/11. I’m generalizing on the basis of approximately one data point there, but it’s a doozy, the treatment meted out to my former housemate, a native-born American of Hindu descent who is the nicest and least threatening person you’d ever care to meet (her being a short woman helps this latter), I’m pretty confident in doing so.

  45. 45.

    thefncrow

    @Steve: If that’s all Juan Williams had done, he wouldn’t have been fired.

    If he’d come on and said “I’m guilty too, of sometimes getting nervous on a plane when I see someone wearing a burka, but that nervousness and anxiety is unfounded, and getting beyond that is something we all, myself included, must do”, that’s not only something he wouldn’t have been fired for, but it’s a strong statement that he would have been lauded for.

    The problem is that those irrational fears are based on bigotry, and if you try to pretend that those irrational and bigoted fears are actually justifiable reactions to the world as it exists, you’re accepting bigotry. Juan Williams doesn’t think he needs to reject those bigoted reactions, and has chosen the path where he attempts to justify that bigotry as a reasonable response, doubling down on the bigotry. He absolutely deserved to be fired.

  46. 46.

    Violet

    @KG:

    ok, fuck it, I’m in for $20 on a new cable “news” channel that is made up entirely of bloggers and blog commenters talking shit on the rest of the media. Think of it as an open sourced version of the first 10-15 minutes of the Daily Show, all day every day.

    Sign me up for this. Show titles/subjects could include:

    “Media Won’t Investigate…”
    “Some Say…”
    “No Horses Are Racing”

    Etc.

  48. 48.

    JPL

    KKK members were for the most part so called Christians and now I’m concerned when flying out of Atlanta sitting next to someone reading from a bible.
    Can I please have a two million dollar contract now.

  49. 49.

    Cain

    Yesterday NPR fired me for telling the truth. The truth is that I worry when I am getting on an airplane and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Muslims gang members.

    This is not a bigoted statement. It is a statement of my feelings, my fears after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 watching of many reports of gang violence by radical Muslims black people.

    FTFY

    cain

  52. 52.

    different church-lady

    @Steve: Steve, you’re right: everyone faces irrational inner fears that amount to bigotry at times.

    Now here’s the thing: WE DON’T SHARE THEM ON NATIONAL TELEVISION.

  53. 53.

    John Bird

    What I don’t understand is why Juan Williams was kept on this long anyway.

    When it comes to public radio personalities who public radio listeners despise, the only person who beats out Terry Gross is Juan Williams. (Kai Ryssdal is third.)

    Who was Williams blowing for the last ten years?

  55. 55.

    SRW1

    Did he write that before or after Roger Ailes signed that big, fat contract? Because I am inclined to think that shit classifies Juan somewhat differently in one cases versus the other. If he wrote it before Ailes signed, dear Juan may be a bit too dense to realize what a bigot he is, but if he wrote it after Ailes signed he is a corrupt, bigoted asshole.

  56. 56.

    The Dangerman

    He made a bigoted statement (his right, see 1st Amendment), the company fired his ass (their right, right to work), and now he’s trying to appeal to the Fox News constituency that now owns his African American ass (after doubling down on the stupid, will he ever work anyplace but Fox?).

    I don’t give a shit about him or Fox. Fuck ’em all.

  57. 57.

    suzanne

    @Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther: Apparently it’s not bigotry if you’re really sincere.

    Which is a weird mental construction, because I’ve never thought of bigots as exceptionally insincere in their bigotry. I assume they mean it, and that’s the friggin’ problem.

  60. 60.

    DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective

    @General Stuck:

    “If this thing gets going any faster, it’s going to come clean up off the ground.”

    Grandpa, The Beverly Hillbillies, on the occasion of his first airplane ride.

  61. 61.

    Quaker in a Basement

    Hey, I’m not a bigot. But every time I see a well-fed old white man wearing a clerical collar, I pucker! It’s a statement of my feelings.

  62. 62.

    Roger Moore

    @Zuzu’s Petals:
    Yeah, like Mad libs. My personal suspicion is that Mr. Williams would be more realistic to fear the white guys with Confederate battle flag bumper stickers- or even the ones with “Protect and Serve” on their cars- than Muslims. Plenty of African Americans still get beaten up by white racists.

  63. 63.

    WaterGirl

    Just read on Booman’s site that Raul Grijalva’s office is on lockdown after getting mail with suspicious white powder in it.

    Raul Grijalva (AZ-07) is one of the folks at the Balloon Juice Act Blue link.

    Is anybody besides me up for throwing some extra money his way?

  64. 64.

    Carl Nyberg

    The statement shows Juan Williams is basically… dumb.

    If al Qaeda was going to attempt mischief on an airplane, do you think there operatives are going to dress as devout Muslims or try to blend in?

    My hypothesis: Juan Williams is basically a low IQ person who got promoted ahead of smarter journalists b/c he was a Black guy who made “White” bosses feel comfortable.

    The Peter Principle got Williams promoted to a level where his lack of intellect was too obvious.

    When Williams got canned for being stupid, he went back to his roots and found an employer that would give a Black man lots of money for saying things that made “White” bosses feel comfortable.

  65. 65.

    mistersnrub

    I’m not saying I’m an anti-semite, BUT…when I see a guy wearing a yarmulke, I clutch my wallet extra tight! That’s just how I feel! Soros!

  67. 67.

    John Bird

    @Quaker in a Basement:

    “When you hear them praying loud, you had better go home and lock your smokehouse.” –Harry S Truman, on Christians (Working with Truman: a personal memoir of the White House years, by Ken Hechler)

  68. 68.

    TuiMel

    Juan Williams’ statement regarding Michelle Obama – I think he referred to her as Stokley Carmichael in a dress – should have delivered his NPR walking papers to him. His comment said so much more about him than Michelle Obama. I hope the door did not hit his sorry ass on his way out the door.

    For several years I have cut my donation to NPR by 50% and told them it is a Williams – LiaRson – Roberts tax. Until they are all gone, the donation will be reduced. Sending Juan on way is a step in the right direction.

  70. 70.

    MikeBoyScout

    Eyes On the Prize?
    ,,,one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their characterthe garb which identifies their religious affiliation.

  71. 71.

    Midnight Marauder

    @MikeJ:

    Sharing those fears isn’t the problem. Blaming the victim is the problem.

    I would also maintain that the manner in which those fears are shared and presented could very well be a problem.

    Especially if it’s on national television.

  72. 72.

    John Bird

    It’s the middle of the WUNC fall fund drive. My guess is their donations jumped by 50% today.

    By the way, if you remember “The Connection”, Dick Gordon has a new show out of WUNC called “The Story”. Check with your local station to see if they’d like to air it. It’s pretty good and in my opinion an amazing format for Gordon to do what he does.

  74. 74.

    Roger Moore

    @MikeBoyScout:
    That’s a sharp contrast to the other side of the Republican party, which thinks people should be judged by the content of their investment portfolio.

  75. 75.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @El Cid: I have a Confederate bumper sticker. Opposite side from the Obama/Biden sticker. Just to piss ’em off.

  76. 76.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    When I see them Joos wearing their skulldigger caps, I get skeered and clench my wallet (and sphincter).

  77. 77.

    b-psycho

    On average, he’d be vastly better served having that nervousness around people in police uniforms than people in “muslim garb”.

  78. 78.

    justawriter

    I’m not a bigot, but whenever I see a banker and a Republican office holder together I automatically check to see if my wallet is still there.

  79. 79.

    Andre

    “You know I’m not a bigot, but every time I go to a country club and see a WASP with a polo shirt and a cravat I get nervous.”

  80. 80.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Every time I drop my keys around a Republican politician I get nervous about bending over to pick them up.

  84. 84.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Every time I encounter an older white Republican in the stall next to mine at the airport bathroom, I get nervous.

    Nah, I’m just kidding. It’s actually kind of hot.

  85. 85.

    MikeJ

    @Midnight Marauder: Well yeah, but that’s what I was getting at. Nobody would have minded if he had said he gets nervous and that’s his problem and he works to get over it. Saying he gets nervous because “there’s a Muslim problem in the world” and “the Muslim threat to the world is not isolated. It’s huge!” is a problem.

  88. 88.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @different church-lady:

    I worry that when I see Juan Williams on my TV that he is a complete idiot.
    __
    But you don’t see ME going on TV and talking about it, do you?

    No, I don’t, and do you know why? It’s because the media is biased against you and anyone else who thinks that Juan Williams is a complete idiot. I for one am sick and tired of their anti-“people who think Juan Williams is a complete idiot” bigotry!

  89. 89.

    recusancy

    Don’t forget Juan also said in his “rebuttal”:

    You cannot ignore what happened on 9/11 and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism and you can’t ignore the fact that what has been recently said in court with regard to this is the first drop of blood in a Muslim war on America.

    He’s buying into the holy war shit.

  90. 90.

    Davis X. Machina

    Juan Williams’ statement regarding Michelle Obama – I think he referred to her as Stokley Carmichael in a dress – should have delivered his NPR walking papers to him.

    ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action’. Auric Goldfinger.

  92. 92.

    gbear

    Minnesota Public Radio just finished up their pledge drive a couple of minutes ago. They had a record-breaking evening with about 1000 pledges since 5:00 this evening (the standard MPR pledge is $120/yr). Their music station ‘The Current’ is worth that many pledges, but I wonder how many pledges came in because Juan got canned? I hope quite a few.

  93. 93.

    kth

    Srsly: I’m not a bigot, but when someone begins a sentence with “I’m not a bigot”, I generally brace myself for a bigot eruption.

  94. 94.

    Anya

    @Zuzu’s Petals: My parents did the same thing. My mom called me and my brother and said that if we can afford to donate, we should send some money to NPR and let them know it’s in support of their decision to fire Mr. Williams.

    He is joining the right wing victim brigade. If there’s karma, sometime in the near future, somewhere in real America, Juan Williams will be pulled over, tasered and arrested by a racist cop.

  96. 96.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @Anya:

    He is joining the right wing victim brigade. If there’s karma, sometime in the near future, somewhere in real America, Juan Williams will be pulled over, tasered and arrested by a racist cop.

    One can only hope that when he is Dinesh D’Souza and Clarence Thomas are in the car too.

  100. 100.

    Violet

    @Comrade Luke:
    I wish this would go viral:

    It’s time to ban federal funding for Fox News
    __
    On the heels of calls by Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee to ban federal funding for NPR in the wake of Juan Williams’ dismissal, I’d like to propose a ban on federal funding for Fox News.

    I know Fox doesn’t receive federal funding. But why should that matter? Neither does NPR and that isn’t stopping actual elected officials from proposing to look into the matter. Why not get Fox’s federal funding stopped too.

  101. 101.

    DickSpudCouchPotatoDetective

    I’m not a bigot, but Juan Williams is one dumb motherfucker.

    Okay, I have a deep hatred for dumb motherfuckers. So sue me.

  102. 102.

    mai naem

    I wrote an email to NPR when Juan Williams took over TOTN for Ray Suarez that if they fired his ass I would donate two hundred dollars. I don’t know if it was my measly $200 but he was canned a week or two later. Ofcourse Neal Conan is just about as bad. He just doesn’t do the Williams – ahhh, uhhm, mispronounciation of simple words etc. Anyhoo, Juan, don’t let the door hit where the lord split you. It just blows my mind that Juan Williams was one of the main people behind “Eyes on the Prize” – easily one of the best documentary series carried by PBS. How do you go from that to Fux Noose?

  107. 107.

    John Cole

    @gbear: Just last week I committed to $240 a year to WV Public radio. I may up it to $300 and tell them I did it because NPR finally fired him. I’ll offer $360 if they replace Mara Liasson.

  108. 108.

    Ash Can

    You know that Erik’s response would be to tell him he was being too polite to the Mooslims.

    @Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther: This reminds me of some years ago, when the late, great Bob Collins (one of the last reasonable conservatives) was discussing the issue of gays in the military, and guys were phoning in to the show and saying, “Now, I’m not a homophobe, I’m just afraid that these gays would…” I unfortunately had no time, before having to run off to work, to phone in and say, “You know, the definition of ‘homophobe‘ is…”

  109. 109.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @Anya:

    I am hoping Clarence Thomas’ scandal involves in a major sex scandal worse than Tiger or better yet, a video of him taking bribes surfaces.

    Oh no. You don’t suppose Scalia was bribing him with sex to allow Scalia to write his opinions?

  110. 110.

    gbear

    @John Cole:
    I had to cut my pledge in half this year because I’m up to my eyeballs in bills. I was going to let it lapse, but today I decided to pony up what I could.

  111. 111.

    wengler

    At least having hired one black guy means FOX NEWS doesn’t have to have anyone appear in blackface.

    In other breaking news, O’Reilly is pushing back against Beckmania by making himself the white nationalist anti-Muslim choice.

  113. 113.

    gbear

    @John Cole:

    It would be nice to see the entire crew of Morning Edition and All Thing Considered sacked (except for the woman who covers the supreme court). Things went downhill fast when they moved the shows from NY to DC.

    Cokie Roberts is the reason that snooze alarms were invented.

  117. 117.

    Jon H

    I can’t listen to Morning Edition anymore. Everyone’s voice is all scratchy and monotone and/or nasal.

    And there’s too much vapid padding: Steve Inskeep will say things like “and now we’re going to keep talking about this with Bob Smith blah blah”. It’s clumsy and seems condescending.

    It seems like they’re gradually edging toward the level of TV News morning shows.

    I need a device that can time-shift BBC Radio 4’s internet stream by five hours, so I can listen to their morning shows instead.

  118. 118.

    zuzu

    I must have missed the part where a “journalist’s” feelings — as opposed to his opinions — were relevant in the first place.

  119. 119.

    Jon H

    @Violet: “I know Fox doesn’t receive federal funding”

    Wanna bet? I wonder how many sweetheart tax breaks and other kickbacks News Corp has received over the years.

  120. 120.

    Jon H

    @Evolved Deep Southerner: “A year from now, he’ll be saying shit that’ll make this look tame.”

    Someone should set up a Juan Williams Intellectual Decline Watch blog, to track his progress into lucrative dementia.

    Call it ‘Eyes On The Grime’

  121. 121.

    Loneoak

    When I get on an airplane and see people dressed in clothing typical of Arab countries (there is no Muslim way to dress, since there are many Muslim cultures), I am comforted by the fact that we live in a multicultural and free society where we can dress however we want and still get on an airplane.

  122. 122.

    iriedc

    @gbear: Personally I use the snooze alarm for Mara. Cokie, on the otherhand, gets me out of bed and into the bathroom to brush my teeth loudly & with the water running (an enviro offense in my house at any other time).

  123. 123.

    El Cid

    Juan Cole points out that in all of 2009, out of hundreds of terrorist attempts and attacks in Europe, precisely 1 was committed by a person of Muslim heritage — the overwhelming majority by ethnic separatists, such as Basque separatist groups, etc.

    A Europol report on terrorist attacks in Europe in 2009 [pdf] says that out of hundreds of terrorist attacks in Europe in 2009, most were the work of ethnic separatists. About 40 were carried out by members of the extreme left. A handful by the European far right…
    __
    One terrorist attack was carried out in 2009 in all Europe by persons of Muslim heritage…

    I’m not a bigot, but I get very nauseous having to listen to FOXNOOZ liberals.

    I feel oppressed. Please give me a million dollars.

  124. 124.

    YellowJournalism

    @recusancy:

    He’s buying into the holy war shit.

    He’s not buying it, he’s selling the holy war shit. Just like his buddy O’Reilly and the rest of the Fox Bigot Brigade.

  127. 127.

    Resident Firebagger

    It’s almost like Williams has followed in the footsteps of Robert Novak:

    On August 4, 2005, Novak walked off the set during a live broadcast of the show Inside Politics, on which he appeared along with Democratic strategist and analyst James Carville. During a heated discussion about Florida Republican Representative Katherine Harris’ just-announced 2006 bid for U.S. Senate, Novak uttered an expletive after Carville remarked that Novak had “to show these right-wingers that he’s got a backbone.” As anchor Ed Henry was asking Carville a question, Novak threw off his microphone and stormed off the set.[15] Critics later charged that Novak had done so to avoid discussing recent developments in the Valerie Plame affair on-air. In response to the incident, CNN suspended Novak for one day and apologized to its viewers, calling the outburst “inexcusable and unacceptable.”[16]
    …
    Novak retired from CNN after 25 years on December 23, 2005, stating that his relationship with the network lasted “longer than most marriages”. Novak also said he had “no complaints” about CNN. Fox News had confirmed one week earlier that Novak had signed a contract to do unspecified work for the network. Novak stated that he still would have left CNN even if he had not been suspended in the August incident and did not go to Fox News because the network was more friendly to his point of view.

    I just wonder if the expanded gig with Fox was there all along.

  129. 129.

    MikeJ

    @Jon H: Easy. get_iplayer. I use it all the time. The first developer abandoned it when Auntie didn’t like it, but it got picked up by several other people. The only NPR I bother with any more is Scifri, and even it seems dumbed down.

  130. 130.

    James E. Powell

    And now he will be paid handsomely at Fox to continue to attempt to justify his bigotry.

    Not exactly. At FOX his role, like everyone else’s role at FOX, will be to help Americans justify their bigotry.

  133. 133.

    Corner Stone

    @AhabTRuler: Went to see RATM in the Compaq Center many moons ago. Thought the whole fucking place was going to come swaying down on top of us.
    UHH!!

  135. 135.

    DaddyJ

    @Zuzu’s Petals: Actually, if I saw someone on a bus with an afro and a dashiki, my first thought would be I’d been time traveling! But that’s just a quibble; your point is spot on.

  136. 136.

    Jason Bylinowski

    I don’t think he should have been fired for this. I mean, fired by NPR for something said on another network? That is retarded. He’s color commentary, he’s not some journalist.

    OF COURSE he’s a D-Bag. So what? He’s been a D-Bag for years, this was a bad move on NPR’s part, and you can be sure the ombudsman will agree with me in a couple of days if she doesn’t already.

  137. 137.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Jason Bylinowski:

    I mean, fired by NPR for something said on another network?

    You need to read a bit more. Oh, and no, the ombudsman disagreed with the decision before you did so I would interpret that as you agreeing with her.

    Go right ahead and agree with her…lol! Juan earned his firing, fair and square.

  138. 138.

    fasteddie9318

    Imagine the FOX annual barbecue; Juan is standing there talking with Dennis Miller and Steve Douchey when someone from another event in the park walks by, and he just happens to be wearing a muumuu. Tell me you wouldn’t want to be upwind of that pants-soiling party. They could even have a race to see which one drops his panic load first.

  139. 139.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @Jason Bylinowski:

    I don’t think he should have been fired for this. I mean, fired by NPR for something said on another network? That is retarded. He’s color commentary, he’s not some journalist.

    No, he should have been fired for being a useless, lazy, biased hack who’s spent the last two decades resting on his laurels from writing Eyes on the Prize. And he wasn’t fired, his contract wasn’t renewed. Juan’s been pissing everyone off at NPR for a couple of years now and using his status as an NPR commentator to enhance his gig at Fox News. Juan Williams is the token negro that the racists at Fox trot out to prove that they’re not racists because hey, look, here’s a black guy saying that Michelle Obama is “…Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress.” NPR had enough of this nonsense and didn’t renew his contract. Out in the real world things like this happen all the time. Double-dipping is one thing, but if your double-dipping involves saying or doing things that really piss off one of your employers and make them look bad then you shouldn’t be surprised when that employer decides that they don’t want anything to do with you and decides not to give you money any more.

    If Williams wasn’t a whiny little bitch he’d take it like a man. But of course he can’t take it like a man, he’s a conservative and conservatives are whiny little punks with massive senses of entitlement. And do you know what, Rick Sanchez, who was fired, is a class act compared to Juan Williams. Sanchez apologized and took his lumps like a man.

    OF COURSE he’s a D-Bag. So what? He’s been a D-Bag for years, this was a bad move on NPR’s part, and you can be sure the ombudsman will agree with me in a couple of days if she doesn’t already.

    So, and I’m sure that Fred Hiatt will write a column condemning NPR and supporting Williams, assuming of course that he doesn’t hire him to be a columnist at the Kaplan Times. And of course William Saletan has taken time out from his busy schedule of writing articles about why women are having more anal sex (No, I’m not linking to it. If you want to you can find it yourself. Consider yourself warned.) to write a column defending Williams and Senator Jim DeMint is positively outraged and just frothing at the mouth about this (and everything else) and I’m just waiting for Sarah Palin to chime in via Twitter and make Williams an honorary Mama Grizzly. Yeah, you’re in some fantastic company here.

  141. 141.

    RobChicago

    I’ve got news for Juan. Most of his Fox viewers get “worried” and “nervous” when they see him — someone who identifies himself first and foremost as a black man — coming down a dark street. But hey, they’re just expressing their feelings.

  143. 143.

    Zuzu's Petals

    What I find truly despicable – okay, even more despicable than the rest of his despicable screed – is his sanctimonious use of Daniel Schorr to validate his skeevy trip:

    Daniel Schorr, my fellow NPR commentator who died earlier this year, used to talk about the initial shock of finding himself on President Nixon’s enemies list. I can only imagine Dan’s revulsion to realize that today NPR treats a journalist who has worked for them for ten years with less regard, less respect for the value of independence of thought and embrace of real debate across political lines, than Nixon ever displayed.

    Yes, the recently deceased Daniel Schorr, who can’t tell him to go f himself.

    The guy is beyond shame.

  145. 145.

    Keith

    At least he didn’t preface the statement with an “I’m not a bigot because I have some Muslim friends”

  146. 146.

    Peter

    Wow, that does kind of sink Kain’s argument that he was, Sherrod-like, just trying to enlighten us on the dangers of bigotry.

  148. 148.

    El Cid

    What’s coming next: the right wing anti-NPR freedom frenzy will involve some threats to funding, and NPR will now hire in Juan Williams’ place some outright right winger, you know, to show their ‘balance’ to people who will never, ever, ever listen to them or donate money.

  149. 149.

    Terrye

    Bigotry my ass. I have heard people on the left make some of the most ridiculous comments about Christians, midwesterners, red staters, Republicans etc…but Juan Williams simply says something most people feel and it becomes an issue. It is ridiculous. Some of the most prejudiced and provincial people I know are liberals. They judge everyone all the time.

    First the government tells us to be more observant in terms of terrorism. What are we supposed to be looking for? Who are we concerned about?

    A paper like WaPo or NYT will not run certain types of cartoons because some people {whose identities we are too sensitive to mention} might go off the deep end…but it is bigoted to mention that sometimes when we get on a plane with someone who is dressed like a traditional Muslim there is a part of us that feels some level of anxiety. My God, what a bunch of judgmental little hypocrites some of these back stabbing lefties are.

  150. 150.

    El Cid

    @Terrye:

    Bigotry my ass. I have heard people on the left make some of the most ridiculous comments about Christians, midwesterners, red staters, Republicans etc…but Juan Williams simply says something most people feel and it becomes an issue.

    Show where a guest on NPR said it. No one gives the slightest shit what you heard ‘on the left’.

    I also don’t give a shit what ‘most people’ feel, because ‘most people’ aren’t invited on the air to discuss their dumb-ass sentiments.

  151. 151.

    El Cid

    @Peter: Sherrod was talking about an occasion in which she had reluctance to help a white farmer in need but she went ahead and did it anyway, not only referring him to an attorney but then following up when the man received no help from that attorney, in a way that had nothing whatsoever to do with her job, and then went on in the speech to say that she shouldn’t have had those reluctant feelings in the first place.

    How anyone could compare that to idiot bigoted comments from Juan Williams, who did not go on to explain why his impulses were wrong, is just an example of Our Nation’s Stupid Discourse.

  153. 153.

    Tancrudo

    @recusancy: Yup, it’s the context. His “not bigoted” statement was in the context of an appearance on a propaganda network and a project to pump up the idea of a “Muslim war on America.” In appearing and giving support to this propaganda project, he harmed NPR by giving the impression that NPR condones or agrees with this propaganda. This is misuse of his employer’s good will.

    Myself, I am also afraid of Saudis in typical Arab dress, but not when they fly on airplanes… I’m only afraid of Saudis in Audis.

  155. 155.

    HyperIon

    @Jon H wrote:

    I can’t listen to Morning Edition anymore.

    Me neither and I have been a real NPR junkie from the start.
    And ATC is pretty much in the same category.

    I emailed ATC recently concerning one of the Michelles’ tendency to gush breathily “always good to chat with you” when greeting politicians. Why not just say “Thanks for being on the program”?

    Very sad. A once-treasured resource for fact-based reporting has been severely degraded.

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