finding the truth

In America 2010, most likely with roots in America November 3, 2008 the day after we elected our first black man to be President, truth, honesty, reason were replaced with fabrication, innuendo, and fact less points of view. How one felt based on prejudices, religious dogma, learned behavior, became fashionable and the only answer to any point of view challenged was ‘because I said so’, ‘that is what Jesus would do’, and ‘its not in my American Constitution’.

If one wanted to hate… then screw political correctness… if one wanted to scapegoat… it was a Constitutional freedom… if one wanted to victimize another… it was done in the name of religion.

In America during the Bush/Cheney dictatorship finding a group de jour for all misdeeds, injustices and evilness affecting and afflicting the United States was a priority. Keep the perceived bad guy at bay, while the real bad guys continued to wage wars, get richer, and live a life style considered correct for a the upper echelon income level of this country only.

During the first four years of the Bush/Cheney dictatorship it was the Gays later it became the Muslims, and in the aftermath of one Republican dynasty hoping for a resurgence of more of the same it is the Mexicans, whore-ish women wanting to claim the rights to their own bodies, the unions and of course the Muslims.

And during this season of hate filled rhetoric mid term elections those who spread fear those who shout hateful epitaphs the loudest, those who refuse to take responsibility for their own shortcomings have filled the airwaves with political incorrectness, lies and personal prejudices with no fact check, no honesty and no truth. And because they say they fill so strongly about who they hate they often are never asked why they hate. It a personal thing.

During an interview with Bill O'Reilly that centered on American’s perceptions of Muslims in a post-9/11 world, Juan Williams a journalist for NPR said that "political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality."

And then he went on to say, "I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. (Telling one bigot like Bill O’Reilly you are not a bigot---priceless).

"You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. (some of my best friends are black or Jewish or Gay). 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 are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."(so we all are to dress as June and ward Cleaver or Ozzie and Harriet). (ap press)

Mr. Williams was fired as a journalist from NPR for that comment. And there has been backlash from many American’s that Juan Williams was JUST expressing his personal feelings, he IS entitled to his free speech rights, and to HELL with political correctness.

And three people with flawless morals and ethics have come forward to demand something be done about this injustice because sharing your personal bigotries from your bully pulpit solves issues): half term Governor, spiritual leader of the Tea Bag Brigade Sister Sarah Palin, gays and unmarried women should not teach in our schools advocate Jim Demint, and impeach Clinton for having an affair but my two affairs while in office do not count Newtie Gingrich.

Sarah Palin purveyor of truth never based on fact, ideas never based on reason, and honesty just never convenient chimed in to say "Juan Williams: Going Rogue," former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Thursday in a Twitter message. "NPR should receive NO fed tax dollars if it operates as intolerant, private radio. Mr. President, what say you?"

Senator Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, champion of everything white, everything wealthy, everything Christian added that he will introduce legislation to end federal funding for public radio and television. "These programs should be able to find a way to stand on their own," he said in a statement. "With record debt and unemployment, there's simply no reason to force taxpayers to subsidize a liberal programming they disagree with."

And not be left out of the hypocrisy of free speech and its ramifications and proponent of do as I say not as I do the ever sinister and sly Newtie Gingrich boasted to Fox News that Congress should investigate NPR for censorship and consider cutting off its public funding. After all Williams was just expressing his personal feelings based on his personal emotions to millions of Americans.

In response to the negative commentary from those on the right side of the political spectrum were the following responses

Society of Professional Journalists President Hagit Limor said Thursday that although the group supports Williams' right to free speech, "Based on our code of ethics, which advises avoiding stereotyping for any reason ... we understand the rationale that may be behind NPR's decision."

"NPR should address the fact that one of its news analysts seems to believe that all airline passengers who are perceived to be Muslim can legitimately be viewed as security threats," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said.

In a memo to her staff and affiliate stations, Schiller of NPR said the comments violated NPR's code of ethics, which says journalists should not participate in media "that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis."

Punditry and speculation are exactly what a personal feelings are all about. Have your personal feelings and share them in a blog, at a cocktail party as you are making love, but not on television or radio when you have little facts but a lot of emotion to back them up.

The words of censorship, free speech violation, political correct all have flowed freely and forcefully regarding this incident. Callers on NPR voiced a negative reaction to the firing, saying Juan Williams said out loud what I was feeling. And because they were feeling it, via an emotion it must be correct.

I am Jewish and I hear it is because of the Jews running the banks, operating all of the newspapers and movies that crime, drugs and abortion run rampant in this country I fear the power they have. I am a Jewish American and I hear those damn Jews are to blame for banning Christmas being celebrated on government property in this Christian nation it is because of them that bad things happen in the US. I am a gay man and I hear it is because of their need to marry the person they love that my marriage will turn to divorce, that the power of the military forces in this country will turn to mush if they serve either openly or at all, that the reason American soldiers die is because God hates Gays and there are too many in the armed services. I am a Mexican American and I hear that unemployment is as high as it is because those illegal’s will work for nothing and all they want in turn is to have babies’ I am afraid to walk the streets because they will have a drug cartel battle in the streets and kill us. I am in the union and all I hear is because all I want is a decent wage, a retirement plan, an environment to work in that is safe and healthy I am the cause for the recession, for the poor economy for share holders making less on their stocks. I can say this because I know this on a personal level.

Juan Williams may feel as he does and he may have his own reasons to feel that way, but what happened to fact not happenstance? What happened to finishing statements about your own fears by saying I need to learn why I feel this and way and find out the facts about those I fear? What ever happened to trying to find consensus instead of division? What happened to some people not all?

One more piece of wood in the fire, one more torch in the hands of the mob, one more reason to hate based on the boogie man.

I grew up in the 50’s and was taught via the media, and school so many prejudicial and bigoted reasonless reasons to hate anyone considered different. I was taught to be scared of those who were not like us. In the 60’s during the riots I was told by newscasters that if one black threw a rock in the window of a shop ALL the blacks would do the same thing. In the early 70’s I was warned that if anyone had long hair he/she was a hippie and would corrode the fundamental principals of the government. In the 80’s it was made very clear that if you did not make a lot of money you were a low life and living on welfare was only because you deserved it. In the 90’s I was told HIV was God’s gift to the deviant LGBT community, being Gay was the present of the devil. And all of these messages were delivered by people who had a bully pulpit, people who represented some kind of knowledge base, but people who ALL spoke from less fact and more fancy.

If all we say is based on a personal feeling then hating is free and clear and no one needs to question why. I feel it so it is so. So then how do we ever find the truth?