Aaron Gee: NPR defends Palin?

"Sarah Palin is a lightning rod."
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Aaron Gee, who writes for American Thinker, got an unexpected surprise while listening to NPR's "All Things Considered" on the return leg of his daily commute yesterday. The topic of discussion on the afternoon public radio program was "How Accurate Were Palin's Paul Revere Comments?"

Here we go again, I was prepared for the usual "Palin is a moron" storyline. Surprisingly that didn't happen. What I got was Robert Allison, a professor and historian at Suffolk University, telling the NPR host that Palin basically got it right. The interviewer, Melissa Block, tries to cajole a different narrative out of the professor and historian...

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The result is a classic public radio moment wherein the good professor gets to the heart of the matter; Sarah Palin is a lightning rod for the media, and NPR wouldn't have been talking to him about Paul Revere or the American Revolution if it hadn't been for an off the cuff remark from an Alaskan politician.

Gee doesn't think this interview quite turned out the way the left wing NPR producers had imagined.

Audio and transcript of the segment are here.

- JP

Day By Day (October 24, 2010)

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Good Morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day.



Support Pro-Palin Day By Day

- JP

Day By Day (October 23, 2010)

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Good Morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day.



Support Pro-Palin Day By Day

- JP

Day By Day (October 22, 2010)

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Good Morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day.



Support Pro-Palin Day By Day

- JP

Sarah Palin: 'Not one more dime' for NPR until it cleans up its act

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On Facebook Thursday, gov. Palin defended Juan Williams and called for a halt to taxpayer funding of National Public Radio if it continues to refuse to "tolerate an honest debate" on the issues:

Juan Williams: Going Rogue

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. 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. Are we not allowed to say that Muslim terrorists have killed thousands of Americans and continue to plot the deaths of thousands more? Are we not allowed to say that there are Muslim states that aid and abet these fanatics? Are we not allowed to even debate the role that radical Islam plays in inciting this violence?

I don’t expect Juan Williams to support me (he’s said some tough things about me in the past) – but I will always support his right and the right of all Americans to speak honestly about the threats this country faces. And for Juan, speaking honestly about these issues isn’t just his right, it’s his job. Up until yesterday, he was doing that job at NPR. Firing him is their loss.

If NPR is unable to tolerate an honest debate about an issue as important as Islamic terrorism, then it’s time for “National Public Radio” to become “National Private Radio.” It’s time for Congress to defund this organization.

NPR says its mission is “to create a more informed public,” but by stifling debate on these issues, NPR is doing exactly the opposite. President Obama should make clear his commitment to free and honest discussion of the jihadist threat in our public debates – and Congress should make clear that unless NPR provides that public service, not one more dime.

Mr. President, what say you?

- Sarah Palin

- JP

Governors Palin and Huckabee defend Juan Williams (Updated)

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Today former Governors Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee defended political commentator Juan Williams, who is also their colleague at Fox News, after he was sacked by NPR for his honest comment about Muslims:

"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."

Huckabee went further in his criticism, calling on Congress to pull funding from 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 the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left,” Huckabee said.

“It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR,” he added.

After complaining of too much political correctness in society, Williams told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly on Monday that he gets "nervous" whenever he sees people in “Muslim garb” boarding a plane. NPR fired Williams Wednesday night.

[More]

Sarah Palin was correct in pointing out leftist NPR's hypocrisy. the network, which is partially funded with taxpayer money, obviously isn't concerned at all with political correctness when the target is on its right.

We don't agree with much of what Juan Williams says, but like the governors, we will defend to the death his right to say it. Williams is that rare liberal who is intellectually honest, and we respect that quality of his character. If you are of a like mind, you can let NPR know how you feel here. But please be patient. That particular NPR web page is a bit tied up right now ;-)

Updates...

Gov. Palin, in addition to her tweet in defense of Williams, also expressed her support for him on Facebook.

Williams' firing has prompted conservatives to call for an end to taxpayer funding for left-biased National Public Radio.

My mistake: NPR's comments page isn't simply tied up; they disabled it.

J.P. Freire asks a good question.

Ailes to NPR: Terminate this!

- JP