More on Juan Williams' Firing

Juan Williams shares his thoughts about his firing from NPR:


His dismissal was absolutely wrong but it's also interesting to view the complete picture, courtesy of Andy McCarthy.

Here's a great discussion on the entire fiasco:

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Ever since Juan Williams was fired from NPR I've been trying to put myself into the mind of a person of the Left. At the moment when I first heard Williams, a man clearly on the Left side of the political spectrum, express his personal feelings about seeing people in Muslim garb at an airport, what would my reaction be?

While I'm willing to concede that there might be some out there who are so deeply immersed in Politically Correct Kumbaya Group Think that they truly would be offended by him expressing such thoughts, this clearly can't be the vast majority, even on the Left?! Surely most people would have had similar thoughts since 2001-09-11? Such thoughts might not be "right" and certainly aren't fair to peaceful, law-abiding Muslims but haven't most people had them?  After all, even Tarek Fatah has had them!

This reminds me of a conversation I once had with a 20-something American woman in Chicago.  She was white and very much a liberal.  We discussed the racial divide in that city, which is quite prominent.  She stated that she didn't have any racist feelings whatsoever.  So I presented to her a scenario where she was walking on a street late at night and saw a block ahead 3 young black men coming towards her.  Wouldn't she feel even a pang of unease?  "Nope", she responded.  I looked in her eyes and could tell that she was saying what she wanted to hear rather than her own actual feelings.  I conceded to her that one shouldn't feel any uncomfortability towards those three men and it was wrong to feel that way because those men were black.  BUT what we do feel versus what we actually feel are not always the same.  To deny this is so is the fuel that keeps Political Correctness thriving, which is the antithesis of open, honest dialogue.

Such is the case with the comments of Juan Williams.  He fully conceded that it wasn't right for him to have such thoughts but he was honest enough to admit that he did.  I commend him for that.  P.S. Know that almost every time I've heard him on Fox News and NPR in the past, I've disagreed with his views vehemently.  But I deeply support his right to express his views.

However, Free Speech is not valued amongst most folks on the Left.  For since this has all happened, I've seen very little defense of Williams by those who identify themselves as "liberal".  I cannot even begin to understand what sort of mental gymnastics are required to throw one of their own under the wheels of the proverbial airplane! (N.B. The space under the bus was getting a little too cramped)