Should we "defund" NPR?

[DawnCt1]

So, people are outraged that Juan Williams supposedly doesn't have the right to free speech, but Soros does not have the right to donate money where he desires? That seems odd. Almost as odd as the fact that many of the people suddenly supporting Juan Williams for his comments were the same ones calling for the head of Helen Thomas on a platter for her comments. And Octavia Nasr. And Rick Sanchez. I guess there are some groups about whom bigoted comments can be made, but not others. Freedom of speech when it is convenient, it seems.

Soros can donate money anywhere he wishes. The implication is that $1.8 million buys one a lot of influence in reportage and staffing. That may indeed be the case. NPR now has Soros. They don't need the American taxpayer.

 

[ManMythLegend]

And I can't wait to listen to NPR without a risk of having to hear his sexual harassing self! And I think Fox News is horrifying. See? It is win win!

Fox News >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NPR

 

[DawnCt1]

Y'all might want to worry about the guy who has short hair and is clean cut.

4/19

No, we have executed him and there hasn't been anyone that looks like him that has attempted and succeeded in perpetrating terrorist attacks on the US and US interest in 15 years.

 

[DawnCt1]

No.

Why defund ALL of NPR?

I, for one, enjoy "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", "Whadya Know?", "This American Life", "The Story", and "A Prairie Home Companion", "The Diane Reems Show" and other NPR programming.

Why punish these programs?

If they are so great, let them compete in the marketplace. Why depend upon the taxpayers to fund them.

 

[DawnCt1]

And he was not fired for his right to talk. He violated his contract. Simple as that. Do I think he should have been fired for that specifically? Probably not, but I am thrilled that he is gone. I think he is a bad reporter. And, again, keep using other reporters as examples why he shouldn't be fired. Then explain why the SAME reporters thought Helen Thomas should be. It makes zero sense.

NPR is headquartered out of Washington, DC. There is a law there that one cannot be fired for what they do, say or associate with outside of their workplace. The provision of their contract, which they waived by not exercising it previously, is illegal in DC.

 

[bonnaroomama]

Unfortunately you haven't been able to say that with regard to the terrorism plots carried out or thwarted in the last 15 years.

I guess many people don't know what they told us in CERT training, what my dad, a retired fireman, has been declaring for years: that we have far more to fear from domestic terrorists than international ones.

Here are a few examples:

Olympic park. 2 dead, 111 injured. A Christian, white terrorist.

Columbine, 13 killed, 21 injured, two white kids did it.

1995, an anti-govt. group leaves a drum of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil for the IRS.

In 2001, the Jewish Defense League tries to blow up a mosque.

Abortion clinic terrorist attacks, numerous. 41 bombings, 173 arson attacks, 383 death threats, numerous attempted murders, eight killed, 153 assaulted and 3 kidnapped. Most perps were self-proclaimed Christians.

2001 anthrax attacks. 5 dead, 17 others infected. A white guy was the perp.

2001. Earth Liberation Front burns down horticulture building causing 7 million in damage, fortunately no lives.

2002, Midwest Pipe Bomber terrorizes many; he's a white guy who just hates the government.

Later that year, the Beltway snipers kill 10 and seriously injure more. One was Nation of Islam (African American muslim), but his motivation was to get revenge on his wife.

In 2006, the ALF target a professor with a firebomb.

2008. Animal rights activists assault a researcher's family in an act of terrorism. Later that year, more animal rights activists firebomb a researcher's car.

Later that year Jim D. Adkisson opened fire on a Unitarian church opposing their liberal ways.

May 2009, a Starbucks is bombed in a white boy's angsty answer to corporate greed.

September, this year, another kooked out environmentalist (nothing wrong with environmentalists, just the kooky ones) hijacked Discovery Channel.

Holocaust Museum Shooting, 2009. One man killed. A white nazi was responsible.

Austin IRS attack. A plane was crashed into a building; one person was killed and many more injured. Was it muslims? Alas, no. It was Joseph Stack, a white guy with a penchant for folk music.


Domestic terrorist groups include white supremacists, animal rights activists, anti-abortion groups, anti-government groups, Jewish extremists, self-appointed militias, and extreme Christian organizations, to name a few.

Do some reading about proven terrorist plots from these types of groups. There are many.

 

[bonnaroomama]

No, we have executed him and there hasn't been anyone that looks like him that has attempted and succeeded in perpetrating terrorist attacks on the US and US interest in 15 years.

Yes, there has.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

Soros can donate money anywhere he wishes. The implication is that $1.8 million buys one a lot of influence in reportage and staffing. That may indeed be the case. NPR now has Soros. They don't need the American taxpayer.

Great! So, any college, public school or company that receives donations should no longer be eligible for government funds. Good to know!

 

[DawnCt1]

Great! So, any college, public school or company that receives donations should no longer be eligible for government funds. Good to know!

I don't know you made that leap. I am pointing out to you why the donation from Soros is suspect in the firing of Williams. If NPR is so great, let it sell itself and stand on its on two feet. The government does not need to be involved in the broadcasting business. Its not a college, a public school or a library.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I don't know you made that leap. I am pointing out to you why the donation from Soros is suspect in the firing of Williams. If NPR is so great, let it sell itself and stand on its on two feet. The government does not need to be involved in the broadcasting business. Its not a college, a public school or a library.

Do you need lists of people that have donated to colleges? They are out there. Why is NPR different? Why are colleges or libraries? Why is Soros? You have made no point of why some donations are ok and some are not, and why some get to take the money yet others are suspect.

 

[jlmarr]

In light of the recent firing of Juan Williams from National Public Radio, Should we withdraw taxpayer funding from that entity?

God no! NPR did exactly the right thing. If you want biased reporting you can go to Fox News, but I'm sure you knew that already. This whole controversy smells like that cretin Breitbart had a hand in it.

 

[rie'smom]

God no! NPR did exactly the right thing. If you want biased reporting you can go to Fox News, but I'm sure you knew that already. This whole controversy smells like that cretin Breitbart had a hand in it.

My husband loves Fox news and I can't stand it. It is biased towards my husband's views. For you to only use this channel as biased though is laughable. I happen to love MSNBC and it is biased in the direction of my views.
And to think it's a conspiracy? Please

 

[GoldenGate2]

god no! Npr did exactly the right thing. If you want biased reporting you can go to fox news, but i'm sure you knew that already. This whole controversy smells like that cretin breitbart had a hand in it.

amen!!

 

[bonnaroomama]

My husband loves Fox news and I can't stand it. It is biased towards my husband's views. For you to only use this channel as biased though is laughable. I happen to love MSNBC and it is biased in the direction of my views.
And to think it's a conspiracy? Please

True that. I once heard someone say the news isn't liberal or conservative biased...it's money biased.

Word.

 

[ManMythLegend]

I think it's time to shut down this thread. It's headed towards Dems vs. Republicans now.

 

[princessbride6205]

I don't think NPR should be defunded. Only 1-2% of their funding comes from government sources anyway. And more importantly, I think NPR provides valuable information and entertainment for many people. Here in MN, we have 3 NPR stations - classical music, indie music, and news. I enjoy listening to any of them in the car. No matter what your age or political persuasion, Car Talk is really funny (and I don't care about cars at all). They also produce the most downloaded/subscirbed podcast on iTunes: This American Life. And to the PPs who have said that NPR is out of touch with the American people, their audience has increased 47% since 2000. As of 2009, NPR's morning news show "Morning Edition" has had significantly more audience than the Today Show or Good Morning America (I know those are TV, but that's the stat I found).
Source: Washington Post article

And I can't feel bad for Williams, since he got a sweet raise out of this dust-up: Fox News offered him a 3-year, $2 million contract.

Also, to the PP who said that you can't be fired in DC for stuff you say outside of work - I can't find that law anywhere, and I can't believe that it exists. Colorado and North Dakota seem to have something similar to what you're referring to, but the District of Columbia is an “at will” municipality, allowing both employees and employers to have the right to terminate employment for any reason except those specifically outlined in federal and local laws. Interesting though, DC does have a law that you can't be fired for being a smoker.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I think it's time to shut down this thread. It's headed towards Dems vs. Republicans now.

How is it Dem versus Repub? I am a registered Republican that thinks Juan Williams is a jerk.

 

[travelbug]

In light of the recent firing of Juan Williams from National Public Radio, Should we withdraw taxpayer funding from that entity?

Definitely yes.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I guess many people don't know what they told us in CERT training, what my dad, a retired fireman, has been declaring for years: that we have far more to fear from domestic terrorists than international ones.

Here are a few examples:

Olympic park. 2 dead, 111 injured. A Christian, white terrorist.

Columbine, 13 killed, 21 injured, two white kids did it.

1995, an anti-govt. group leaves a drum of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil for the IRS.

In 2001, the Jewish Defense League tries to blow up a mosque.

Abortion clinic terrorist attacks, numerous. 41 bombings, 173 arson attacks, 383 death threats, numerous attempted murders, eight killed, 153 assaulted and 3 kidnapped. Most perps were self-proclaimed Christians.

2001 anthrax attacks. 5 dead, 17 others infected. A white guy was the perp.

2001. Earth Liberation Front burns down horticulture building causing 7 million in damage, fortunately no lives.

2002, Midwest Pipe Bomber terrorizes many; he's a white guy who just hates the government.

Later that year, the Beltway snipers kill 10 and seriously injure more. One was Nation of Islam (African American muslim), but his motivation was to get revenge on his wife.

In 2006, the ALF target a professor with a firebomb.

2008. Animal rights activists assault a researcher's family in an act of terrorism. Later that year, more animal rights activists firebomb a researcher's car.

Later that year Jim D. Adkisson opened fire on a Unitarian church opposing their liberal ways.

May 2009, a Starbucks is bombed in a white boy's angsty answer to corporate greed.

September, this year, another kooked out environmentalist (nothing wrong with environmentalists, just the kooky ones) hijacked Discovery Channel.

Holocaust Museum Shooting, 2009. One man killed. A white nazi was responsible.

Austin IRS attack. A plane was crashed into a building; one person was killed and many more injured. Was it muslims? Alas, no. It was Joseph Stack, a white guy with a penchant for folk music.


Domestic terrorist groups include white supremacists, animal rights activists, anti-abortion groups, anti-government groups, Jewish extremists, self-appointed militias, and extreme Christian organizations, to name a few.

Do some reading about proven terrorist plots from these types of groups. There are many.

Quite a list, just goes to show people that look like this should scare us too. Then we'd be scared of each other.

 

[LargoLori]

In light of the recent firing of Juan Williams from National Public Radio, Should we withdraw taxpayer funding from that entity?

Yes!!