Followers of Westboro Baptist Church, known for its protests at military funerals, might be coming to Naperville. They have issue with a film "The Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue to Hope," being screened Monday night. It seems the church is featured in that documentary.
However they may not show up.
What do you think of the church's activities? They've been sued and the case is pending before the Supreme Court. Weigh in before they get here.
That, and the recent firing of Juan Williams by NPR bring the whole issue of free speech into the spotlight again - of how it affects others and how it relates to your job. You can't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Any other thoughts?
Anonymous on October 27:
Hey, you got Glock to admit that Fox isn't fair and balanced! Either that's progress or he's spending too much time at Houlihan's again.
You're right about NPR, of course. But Boehner calls NPR a liberal organization so of course that makes it so. I would guess the majority of the faithful following the right-wing drive against NPR have never listened to it. NPR is dry and cerebral when compared to the daily histrionics of entertainers like Limbaugh and Beck.
What's amusing is that the progressives dislike NPR just as much because, as you pointed out, it does lean right more often than it does left. They consider it mostly a conservative mouthpiece and couldn't care less if it goes or not. Finally, something the conservatives and progressives can agree on! Conservatives find NPR too liberal, progressives find NPR too conservative, and everyone else finds NPR too boring. Too funny!
What's very revealing here is the difference in the liberal vs. the conservative reaction to NPR. The progressives haven't liked NPR for a long time, but neither they nor liberals have ever called for its funding to be cut. They're willing to have it go out there and let people decide for themselves. But NPR does something the conservatives don't like and they swoop in with a Third Reich you're-not-like-us-so-you-must-be-destroyed campaign. Wonder if anyone else is noticing this.
Lastly, you really gotta love Glock's comment that quoting Colbert doesn't make him right. Of course it doesn't, Colbert is an entertainer. But Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer and Glock quotes him ALL THE TIME. Limbaugh's every utterance is gospel, Glock absorbs every syllable and chisels them in mental granite. He'd pass it out from the mount if he could. Amazing contradiction, isn't it?
Whoa.
I'd like to respond to Glock (I am Anonymous at 7:01 pm; sorry, I forgot to ID myself), but I cannot make head nor tails of what he/she means. "Vivian commented in public that was slanderous to Juan and just because you are a mouthpiece for the liberals doesn't mean you should keep your job either. Bill Moyers has been ripping taxpayers off for years at PBS and NPR and the only thing that happens to him is he gets richer on the taxpayers dime." I'm afraid I don't know what that has to with anything, Mr./Ms. Glock.
As to public funding of radio and television: I'm not sure. I think I'd prefer that they become entirely listener- and viewer-supported (although that would mean more pledge drives; yikes!). And federal funding makes up a small percentage of their budges.
I guess I'd almost agree with you if it weren't for the children's programming on PBS. They do good work for people who don't have access to cable, and their children's fare is superior to the dreck on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
Hey, Glock! Duuude. Dude, over here! Have I got your attention? Now go home and sleep it off before you embarrass yourself.
Anonymous 10:27 am 10/27/10: Is that you hiding from me What the ? Fox was founded by Rupert Murdock who hired Ailes to run the network because Murdock was smart enought to realize if he competed against CNN from the right, maybe he could make some money. His wildest expectations were met were they not? Cokie Roberts is no conservative. She is a throwback to ABC News. You know the ABC laugh track: "ABC News where more Americans get their news". Still hilarious. You can find NPR to be all over the place and quote the comedian Colbert all you wish. Quoting him does not make him right. Fox may not be fair and balanced but in todays real world of agenda driven journalism, you chose the news with the bias that suits you. On cable, most people fortunately for me choose FOX. And to the other poster, we get it, free speech does not mean you can keep your job. But in my opinion, Vivian commented in public that was slanderous to Juan and just because you are a mouthpiece for the liberals doesn't mean you should keep your job either. Bill Moyers has been ripping taxpayers off for years at PBS and NPR and the only thing that happens to him is he gets richer on the taxpayers dime. In a free country, there should be no government funded radio to television. No place in America is underserved in these two venues and their time has come and they should be gone. Social justice for Juan!
We all know how unbiased NPR is
This old saw about NPR being biased? NPR featured the same Juan Williams for years as well as Mara Liasson, Who also appears regularly on Fox. Also Cokie Roberts and George Will , who are conservative by any measure.
In fact - NPR has been called biased by both sides -
"In his column, Dvorkin listed the number of times NPR had cited experts from conservative and liberal think tanks in the previous year as evidence. The totals were 239 for conservative think tanks, and 141 for liberal ones. He noted that while the number of times liberal think tanks were cited was less, in addition to think tanks the liberal point of view is commonly provided by academics."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio
In general, I find NPR to be all over the map - both to the left and right - sometimes on the same topic. But, as Stephen Colbert says - "Facts have a well-known liberal bias."
Also - Fox News IS the "propaganda wing of the Republican party". Founded by Republican Roger Ailes "a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ailes
Just look around Media Matters ( http://mediamatters.org/ ) and make your own decision.
But bias itself is not an issue - Nobody complains that Limbaugh is biased because he is open about it. Fox claims to be "fair and balanced" when they are anything but.
If Westboro Baptist comes to Naperville, I thought about swinging by just to get a look a them. I've read that Westboro Baptist Church consists of 38 members, the majority of whom belong to the same family. This isn't a protest, it's Deliverance. Explains alot.
People don't seem to understand that, while the First Amendment protects your right to speak, it doesn't protect your right to keep your job.
Any or all of us could be let go if we said something that cast a bad light on our employer. Williams should have known that; in fact, I think he engineered this; Faux News is a much higher-paying gig than public radio.
If he didn't engineer it, then he's a moron. Let's look at it this way: If Williams were a Caucasian, and if he said that he gets nervous when he sees African-Americans walking down a city street -- would he expect to keep his job?
Honestly.
I witnessed these idiots at a military funeral in Naperville a few years ago. Because these morons are protected under Freedom of Speech, nothing could be done about it other than keeping them a certain amount of distance from the church. If it was my son being buried, I would have taken an arrest and time in the slammer to punch a few of them in the face. It was the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen in my life. These people are downright crazy!!!
RJW-
I am with you on that also.
Anonymous | October 24, 2010 6:31 PM
"I support free speech. But at the same time I abhor the methods this church group uses. I do believe there is a time and a place for everything, and these people have no clue about that. I think they are a bunch of idiots."
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I also abhor the methods this group uses, as I do with the pro life groups harassing women going into a legal business and standing at busy intersections with their graphic posters. Unfortunately, the 1st amendment isn't a buffet, we shouldn't deny any group their right to free speech, no matter how offensive we deem said group.
Southeast Side | October 24, 2010 10:14 PM | Reply
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SES, perhaps you could give us some suggested news outlets of where to get unbiased news? I would venture to say you heard someone call Fox news the "propaganda wing of the Republican party" while they were being interviewed on NPR? We all know how unbiased NPR is - and I'm sure their statement went unchallenged.
Juan Williams should have been fired from NPR long ago. By appearing on Fox "News" he destroyed any credibility it may ever have had. Fox "News" is just the propaganda wing of the Republican Party ( and the Tribune is trying to become the printed version of the same). Good Riddance!!!
I support free speech. But at the same time I abhor the methods this church group uses. I do believe there is a time and a place for everything, and these people have no clue about that. I think they are a bunch of idiots.
The firing of Juan Williams merely highlights the intellectual bankruptcy of NPR. It has been a partisan org for decades, and now it is turning on it's own.
It is a sad fall for a once "shining light" org.