Barry, it’s the ultimate in political correctness. Losing your job for being honest – for expressing a feeling – a thought. The problem is that in the case of former NPR journalist Juan Williams, an honest thought – expressing a feeling – about Muslims and 9-11 – cost him his job.
In an interview on FOX’s O’Reilly Factor, Williams merely expressed a thought that is on the minds of millions of Americans in a post-9/11 world:
“I mean, look, 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 a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”
Moments after that sentence, he went on to say that it’s wrong to believe that all Muslims are terrorists and that all Americans have to be careful not to let fears lead to the violation of anyone’s constitutional rights. In addition to the complete interview, which NPR clearly ignored, Williams accurately recounts what happened in his own words.
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Barry,
For the past 56 years, the Internal Revenue Service has been a poorly qualified and often discriminatory watchdog of America’s houses of worship – selectively enforcing a law that censors the First Amendment free speech rights of religious institutions.
Let’s not forget that this IRS prohibition on endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit was not born out of some desire to bring constitutional clarity to the issue, or even to draw a bright line on church/state issues. No, this law was put in place for one simple reason: political payback.
It all began in 1954, when then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson sought political retribution against an opponent who was assisted in his campaign by two non-profit organizations. As a bill to revise the tax code was being debated on the floor of the Senate, LBJ pushed a little-noticed amendment that barred all tax-exempt groups – including churches – from participating in political activity. The penalty: loss of tax-exempt status. A heavy price to pay for exercising their free speech rights.
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Jay,
I’m not sure if you heard all the ruckus recently coming out of Sioux City, Iowa.
Americans United filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service over a Sioux City church that insists it should receive a tax exemption while still being able to act as a political machine.
We learned Cornerstone World Outreach, a Sioux City congregation, is sponsoring a church-based campaign to unseat three justices from the Iowa Supreme Court. Project Jeremiah, as the church calls it, seeks to defeat the judges because they ruled in favor of extending civil-marriage rights to same-sex couples.
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Barry,
You? One of “Satan’s imps” ??? No way. More like a….witty, fearless – yet misguided – member of the Religious Left.
Barry, no one is trying to redefine those precious terms of “liberty” and “freedom.” Why is it when conservative Americans step forward and express concerns about the direction the country is taking – demanding more family-friendly and pro-life policies – there’s a rush by you and others to marginalize their concerns?
The truth is most Americans don’t agree with President Obama or his policies. And nearly half of the country disapproves with the way he is handling his responsibilities at the White House.
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