Terrorist Dictate What Is "Free Speech" in the USA

[Sean Osborne]

You're not gonna belkieve this... but then again, maybe you will if you're up to speed on who's who and what's what in this war.

Options for pro-active responses to the outrageous cowards at ABC Disney can be found the the bottom of this post.


ABC DISNEY BACKS DOWN TO THREATS FROM CAIR, FIRES CONSERVATIVE TALK HOST OVER STATEMENTS REGARDING ISLAM AND TERRORISTS



Conservative talk-show host Michael Graham was suspended without pay today by ABC Disney after threats from the Council for American-Islamic Relations over his on-air comments regarding terrorism and Islam.

Despite repeated statements of support for Graham's free-speech rights by management at 630 WMAL in Washington, D.C. ----- the ABC-owned radio station where Graham works as mid-morning host ---- he was summarily suspended pending an "investigation."

"I honestly don't know what Disney is investigating me for, unless it's for doing a compelling talk show that gets people's attention," Graham said. "I thought that was my job."

Graham has been harshly criticized by CAIR for public comments linking the current theology and structure of Islam to the repeated acts of terror in its name. CAIR sent mass e-mails to its members urging them to contact ABC and demand the company to punish Graham for his remarks.

The statements at the heart of the controversy reflect Graham's opinion that, as he puts it, "Because of the mix of Islamic theology that --- rightly or wrongly --- is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn't have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don't support terror will step forward and re-claim their religion."

Ironically, CAIR announced today that a group of US Muslim scholars were issuing a fatwa against terrorism. According to Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR, the fatwa was issued in part due to criticism from talk radio hosts like Michael Graham.

"Nearly four years after the World Trade Center fell, CAIR is participating in a blanket denunciation of terrorism, and my attitude is "better late than never." If our conversation on 630 WMAL helped CAIR finally take this long-needed step, then we've done something good for the future of Islam," Graham said.

Graham acknowledged that his statement has upset some people, but he refuses to recant. "Ahmed H. Al-Rahim, an Iraqi-American who has taught Arabic and Islamic studies at Harvard, wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week about a prominent Egyptian moderate who criticized the Islamists and their influence on all of Islam, and was threatened with death. He recanted and promised to be silent to save his life."

"I can't blame him."

"But I'm an American, and if fighting for free speech and for the truth in the war on terrorism means getting fired by some corporate suit at ABC Disney who can't stand up for free speech ----so be it. But I will not recant," Graham said.

To contact ABC Radio and express your opinion about their decision to cave into pressure from CAIR, call the General Manager, Chris Berry, at 202-686-3100 or email

feedback@630wmal.com.

[Ryan Ruck]

Sean,
When pasting text, make sure it is pasted as plain text!

Otherwise, you will get those smilies in your post that I had to edit out.

[eversman]

i just sent my email. i bet it gets deleted. Disney ABC couldnt give a damn one way or the other about this. it is simply about their political viewpoint, and the show's host didnt share their viewpoint, and so he was thrown to the wolves. if this had been someone standing up defending terrorism or islam, they would have expended every effort and bent over backwards to defend him. why? because it agrees with the liberal political stance of those who run that corporation and mr. graham was an easy target for them once cair made it known they were out for his skin.

its sad and sickening, that such a large icon, such a well-known and large american corporation is willing to sellout the constitution because it is politically expedient and helps them further their own political viewpoints. it makes me sick to my stomach and angry as hell.

ev