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{"id":280,"date":"2010-10-23T00:24:47","date_gmt":"2010-10-23T00:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com\/community\/karenspearszacharias\/?p=280"},"modified":"2010-10-23T00:24:47","modified_gmt":"2010-10-23T00:24:47","slug":"two-sides-of-the-same-redneck-family-fox-news-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/karenspearszacharias\/2010\/10\/23\/two-sides-of-the-same-redneck-family-fox-news-npr\/","title":{"rendered":"NPR & Fox News:Two Sides of the Same Redneck Family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Bleech! I never thought I\u2019d be saying this \u2013 I agree with Newt Gingrich. Calling NPR\u2019s firing of Juan Williams \u201ctotal censorship\u201d, Newt suggested that Congress ought to consider cutting off NPR\u2019s money.<\/p>\n

Juan Williams had been a popular news analyst for public radio. Popular, that is, until NPR decided otherwise and canned his butt. Vivian Schiller, NPR\u2019s head mucky-muck, not only tossed Juan Williams overboard, she let it be known that as far as she was concerned Mr. Williams never belonged in the same NPR lifeboat as her. He was never really one of them<\/em>. \u201cJuan is not an employee of NPR,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s an independent contractor. He\u2019s not NPR staff. He\u2019s an NPR analyst.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Make that was. He was an analyst up until that moment when he confessed to Fox New\u2019s Bill O\u2019Reilly that he feels a little bit anxious about getting on planes and seeing people dressed in traditional Muslim garb. Mr. Williams was not promoting such biases he was only admitting that he has them.<\/p>\n

I have a confession of my own to make: I get nervous around rednecks at the 7-Eleven. That\u2019s why I avoid 7-Elevens although I really like Slurpees. I\u2019ve practically given up those cold ones as a matter of personal safety. You never can tell when a redneck is going to turn a rabid possum loose or whip out their dallywanger and take a leak in the parking lot in front of God and everybody. My buddy Jeff Foxworthy will likely be disappointed in me for admitting to my biases but Jeff\u2019s not the kind of fellow who would outright disown me in public the way Ms. Schiller did Mr. Williams.<\/p>\n

Personally, I think Ms. Schiller is about as low-class as they come and I grew up in a trailer park, which makes me a certified expert on low-class culture. How else can she explain her no-count remark that Mr. Williams ought to take up his anxieties with \u201chis psychiatrist or his publicist \u2013 take your pick.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

But cranky Old Newt isn\u2019t the only dandy rallying around Mr. Williams. Sen. DeMint (R) of South Carolina has announced that he will introduce a bill to end federal funding for NPR. Okay, I agree, that might be a tad extreme but what do you expect from a man who thinks teachers who are gay or sexually promiscuous ought to be dismissed? \u00a0<\/p>\n

DeMint and Old Newt are extremists of a conservative sort. Agreeing with the two of them about anything makes me want to slap myself hard. But as a long-time listener and supporter of public radio, I find this dismissal to be in appallingly bad taste. I cannot for one more minute allow NPR to preach Freedom of Speech to me when they are practicing the contrary when it comes to their own employees \u2013 independent contractor or otherwise.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll be tuning into Bill O\u2019Reilly for more of his pin-headed yammering anytime soon and\u00a0I don\u2019t\u00a0care\u00a0if Fox News turned around and hired\u00a0Mr. Williams for $2 million. \u00a0As far as I\u2019m concerned Fox News and NPR have become two-sides of the same redneck family.<\/p>\n

They are practically kissing cousins.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"