Michael Gaynor
Fortunately, Obama's white grandmother didn't work for NPR
FacebookTwitter
By Michael Gaynor
October 25, 2010

NPR's firing of Williams is like building a mosque near Ground Zero — there's a legal right to do it, but it's wrong to exercise that right.

Juan Williams used to be on both NPR and Fox News.

Then Williams candidly told Bill O'Reilly, on "The O'Reilly Factor": "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're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

After that politically incorrect admission, NPR fired Williams...and Fox gave him a $2,000,000 contract as a full time Fox contributor.

Should Williams have been fired for sharing his anxiety about Muslim airplane passengers?

Would Williams have been fired if he had not been a Fox contributor?

Put me down as a no to the fire question and a probably not to the second.

NPR's firing of Williams is like building a mosque near Ground Zero — there's a legal right to do it, but it's wrong to exercise that right.

After then presidential candidate Obama dealt with his Reverend Wright problem by throwing his white grandmother under the bus by sharing with the world the anxiety about being raped by black men she did not know that she confided to him as her grandson and went on to win the presidency, NPR figured it had a suitable pretense for firing Williams and a great opportunity to exemplify extreme political correctness.

Bottom line: Williams was honest, but not political correct. NPR prefers political correctness to honesty...and preferred Williams not to appear on Fox. NPR was entitled to fire Williams, but it is not entitled to taxpayer money and the sooner its extreme political correctness is not subsidized by the taxpayers, the better.

Silver lining: Williams declared, "I used to think the right was the intolerant side." The man is educable. For Williams, that's the kind of change we hoped for!

Make no mistake: Williams' own words show that he was not always willing to be honest because he was working for NCR.

Williams: "And now they have used an honest statement of feeling as the basis for a charge of bigotry to create a basis for firing me. Well, now that I no longer work for NPR let me give you my opinion. This is an outrageous violation of journalistic standards and ethics by management that has no use for a diversity of opinion, ideas or a diversity of staff (I was the only black male on the air). This is evidence of one-party rule and one sided thinking at NPR that leads to enforced ideology, speech and writing. It leads to people, especially journalists, being sent to the gulag for raising the wrong questions and displaying independence of thought.

Better late than never, Juan! But NCR management had "no use for a diversity of opinion, ideas or a diversity of staff" BEFORE you were fired...and you didn't mention it until AFTER you were fired.

© Michael Gaynor

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

Click to enlarge

Michael Gaynor

Michael J. Gaynor has been practicing law in New York since 1973. A former partner at Fulton, Duncombe & Rowe and Gaynor & Bass, he is a solo practitioner admitted to practice in New York state and federal courts and an Association of the Bar of the City of New York member... (more)

Subscribe

Receive future articles by Michael Gaynor: Click here

More by this author

June 18, 2024
Who Will Make the Finals and Win the Upcoming Presidential Race?


August 7, 2023
Elections can be 'stolen' in many ways, and the 2020 U.S. presidential election is a 'perfect' example


April 11, 2023
'Politics ain't beanbag,' but investigation and prosecution of Donald Trump by rabid partisans must stop


January 16, 2023
Perhaps learning why the Pearl Harbor attack was a surprise in Hawaii but not in Washington can help us appreciate and learn from other federal government mistakes and move forward wisely


November 4, 2022
Free True the Vote's Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips


October 3, 2022
Who Sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines?


August 13, 2022
Mar-a-Lago raid shows Trump derangement syndrome has fortuitously worsened


July 5, 2022
From the Warren Court to Roberts Court to Thomas Court


May 21, 2022
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been barred from receiving Holy Communion at last


November 19, 2021
Justice ultimately prevailed in the Kyle Rittenhouse case


More articles

 

Stephen Stone
HAPPY EASTER: A message to all who love our country and want to help save it

Stephen Stone
The most egregious lies Evan McMullin and the media have told about Sen. Mike Lee

Siena Hoefling
Protect the Children: Update with VIDEO

Stephen Stone
FLASHBACK to 2020: Dems' fake claim that Trump and Utah congressional hopeful Burgess Owens want 'renewed nuclear testing' blows up when examined

Michael Bresciani
America’s hero is back – Prophetically speaking what is next?

Cliff Kincaid
The danger to Trump is greater than ever

Joan Swirsky
Trump’s electrifying, world-changing victory—he literally took out the garbage!

Linda Kimball
On Nov 5th, the Kingdom of Sauron (Satan) was defeated

Jerry Newcombe
Reflections on elections

Pete Riehm
It shouldn’t have been this close

Kari Lee Fournier
Almighty God vs. Satan: American Revolution #2—It’s here!

Curtis Dahlgren
Drunk on power, the power of lies (but will it work this time?)

Cliff Kincaid
The CIA loses faith in Kamala

Desmond McGrath
Are you ready for Guy Fawkes night Nov. 5th?

Michael Bresciani
Too Late for "he said, she said" – Kamala and her liberal cadre must now drag their horrific record across the finish

Madeline Crabb
Important spiritual warning about Election 2024
  More columns

Cartoons


Click for full cartoon
More cartoons

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
Fr. Tom Bartolomeo
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites