"An Honorable Man"

Have any of you ever been in an uncomfortable position? Have you ever worried about how, whatever you would say would be misinterpreted? Have you ever had misgivings about how you stated an opinion? "Does this dress make me look fat?" NEVER ANSWER THAT QUESTION! Comments about any controversial subject will stir up the "public pot". Howard Cosell got in a ton of trouble many years ago by calling a receiver a "monkey" as he ran toward the end-zone on a touchdown run. Cosell was a liberal man; one of the few who stood behind Muhammad Ali, when Ali was stripped of the heavyweight title for refusing the draft. Howard used an expletive that was found to be offensive by a segment of the population and he was called on the carpet for it. Cosell was not a bigot by any stretch of the imagination. Cosell was verbose about anything he believed in; at times, he could be abrasive, but he was always honest in his words. ABC took Howard to task, but they didn't "throw him under the bus" to be politically correct. Howard Cosell was good for ABC, he offered the public something they liked; an unvarnished opinion, HONESTY.

Last week, NPR fired Juan Williams for making statements on "The O'Reilly Factor" on FOX NEWS. It seems Mr. Williams said something offensive about people wearing Muslim garb on an airplane, and he felt a little uncomfortable about it. I have a question for all my readers: have you ever driven through a "questionable" neighborhood and rolled up your car windows and locked your doors, because you had mixed feelings about being there? I have done this; yet, I don't believe this makes me a bigot. I believe it makes me a human being.

Juan Williams is a liberal, one of the most reasonable people I've ever listened to on the left. I believe he is an honorable man. I believe he is a HUMAN BEING! I've never heard him lose his cool on camera; he is a deliberate thinker who defends his positions with logic and fact. I rarely agree with Juan Williams; but, I would certainly enjoy an evening of conversation with him. He knows his "stuff"!

Oddly, on the night he made his "terrible statement", he also said it was important not to lump all Muslims together with Muslim terrorists and NPR chose to ignore that part of his appearance. NPR CEO, Vivian Schiller said "....his remarks on The O'Reilly Factor this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices..."; I guess honest opinion isn't part of NPR's standards and practices. NPR has told Williams in the past that they weren't thrilled with his appearances on any FOX venue, and he was asked specifically not to identify himself as a member of the NPR staff when on FOX programming.

This most reasonable man lost his job over a trumped up charge! In reality, Juan Williams lost his job because he went on FOX NEWS. NPR used this mild statement about uncomfortable feelings as an excuse to fire an honorable man. I'm afraid this may only be the beginning of a storm that will cover America over the next several months. There are people of influence who don't like FOX and are willing to go to extreme lengths to muzzle this news organization. Later this week, I will expand on these feelings, and who I feel is lurking in the shadows. America, be particular about what you listen to, make sure it's not being managed by someone else trying to usurp your first amendment!