Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh Should Be Fired!
Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2010
by Kenny St.pierre
As I move closer to my mid-fifties, I have come to realize the power and luxuries some people have that others will never experience. Over the years news and sportscasters have lost their jobs due to questionable racial remarks they had made, sometimes even in the face of apologies, yet recently Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh have made statements that are not only in bad taste and humorless, but worst than racial, advocate the death of another human.
I don't know all the requirements for a newscaster to be fired, but it's apparent racial remarks have more to do with network broadcaster dismissals than death wishes. Look at some of these former firings:
On April 4, 2007, Don Imus characterized the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "rough girls" - commenting on their tattoos. His executive producer Bernard McGuirk responded by referring to them as "hardcore hos." That evening Media Matters for America released recorded transcripts to the news media highlighting the brief exchange.
IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and-
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hos. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some-whew. And the girls from Tennessee they all look cute, you know, so, like-kinda like-I don't know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
IMUS: Yeah.
McGUIRK: The Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes -that movie that he had.Now, I am not a proponent of racial remarks or their going unpunished, but if media stations are in the business of protecting people against racial abuses, then surely these same stations and networks should condemn a death wish on an intelligent courageous man who has not been charged with a crime.
O'Reilly and Limbaugh have continually insisted that Assange, via his leaking government documents, has put numerous American and allied lives in jeopardy, yet Bill and Rush have no problem publicly announcing the hopeful death of Assange, putting HIS life in jeopardy. What sort of world do we live in when one man gets fired for calling a women's basketball team "hos," while some can openly wish death on another without consequences?
In 1988 commentator and football bookmaker Jimmy The Greek Snyder was fired by CBS after commenting to a WRC-TV reporter in a restaurant that African Americans were naturally superior athletes.
" The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way - because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes up into his back, and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs. This goes back all the way to the Civil War when during the slave trading, the owner - the slave owner would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big black kid."
If you look closely at what Jimmy said, I'm sure you will agree it was pure personal opinion, and a strange one at best. Too, when he said it it was in a restaurant in a one-on-one conversation and quite harmless. O'Reilly and Limbaugh however, are not speaking about the length of a black man's thighs, but publicly announcing their wish for a man, who has not been charged with a any crime, to be killed. Who has that power? Don't they know that murder and assassination are federal offenses?
In August 2006, while working an AngelsYankees game, former player and commentator Steve Lyons discussed Italian American Yankees catcher Sal Fasano and the fact that he had to shave his mustache to accommodate owner George Steinbrenner's grooming codes. Responding to a comment made by a fellow Fox sportscaster about how one doesn't want to cross Fasano, Lyons replied: " Well you know, Fasano is the type of guy who knows a guy that knows a guy ."
During the 2006 ACLS broadcast of game 3, broadcast colleague Lou Pinella, who is of Spanish descent, made an analogy involving the luck of finding a wallet, and then briefly used a couple of Spanish phrases. Lyons responded by saying Pinella was "hablaing Espanol"-Spanglish for "speaking Spanish"- and added , "I still can't find my wallet. I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit close to him now."
On October 13, 2006, Fox fired Lyons for making the above remarks, which FOX determined to be racially insensitive. Pinella later stated that he thought that Lyons was just "kidding" and that Lyons was, per Pinella's experience, not bigoted.
Lyons was fired for attempting to be playful. His friendship with Pinella, he assumed, left him enough room for teasing banter, but Fox didn't share his ideal. Yet, it's apparently fine for Fox to let Bill O'Reilly blab his wishes that Assange be killed by a Drone for espionage - an accusation he has not yet been officially charged with.
"We leave unmolested those who set the fire to the house, and prosecute those who sound the alarm." Nicolas Chamfo rt
It's clear, if you're an American commentator or analyst, you can't say things that include Black, Asian, Ho, Hispanic, Italian, Big thighs, Spanish, Rough girls, or Jigaboos and Wannabees - for you will have to answer to the number of humorless sensitive individuals who wish to cry foul at every opportunity. However, if you're an anchor person and there is an individual you don't like or disagree with, you can wish them death on national television in the hopes that some mentally disturbed person will pick up on your desire.................then may all your sick distorted dreams come true.
"Justice is a concept. Muscle is the reality." Linda Blandford
This Article has been viewed 1,719 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)Fox News gets more frightening by the day. I agree O'Reilly and Limbaugh should both be fired. My consolation when people like this get away with their remarks is that I believe more people are disgusted by them than are influenced. I hope so, anyway.Those who are discusted are intelligent. The question is, do we have enough intelligent people anymore in this corporate dominated country?
Thanks Jennifer.
One threatens corporate sales, profits, (racial slurs) so they must appear to look sensitive to these issues. The other threatens corporate dominance and power, (free press) so they must build consensus against these issues through their corporate mouthpieces. I sense that you feel there is an inconsistency here, yet it is clear that whatever is in the best interest of corporate continuance of the domination of our country is allowable, that which is not, is not allowable. That is completely consistent with fascism. Is it not?Yes, absolutely David! In a Plutocracy such as ours Facism is the next natural step. Thanks for reading and commenting.
You knew this would resonate with me, didn't you? Limbaugh and O'Reilly are in the business of spreading fear and hatred, they should have been fired long ago. Unfortunately, the fear and hatred business is doing well right now, with BIG political payoffs.
Great article, Kenny."... the fear and hatred business is doing well right now..."
Unfortunately, yes it is Bruce. Great quote.
The word freedom has been stretched and distorted to encompass abuse and exploitation.......why do they do it?.........because they can.........The control that we call human decency to each other, has had the stuffings knocked out of it- and is no longer functioning..........It remains for we, the majority of decent, caring people, to put that stuffing back in
but without overfilling it in angst and fear. There has to be balance.......Freedom has a touchy and sensitive scale..Good and thoughtful article Kenny- the type you are becoming known for....well done- Always- EllaYes, we have rights, and we have a right to express them too. Keep Warpin' Ella, and help put some of that stuffing back in!
O'Reilly and Limbaugh will never be fired for comments such as these because their viewers agree with them. If they had said something that could affect advertising and profitability they would at the very least be given a reprimand.
Fox News, like every other cable news network only reinforces the opinions already held by those who tune in to watch. I would say that most of the folks who tune in to these two jingoistic buffoons are themselves jingoistic buffoons.
Brian"I would say that most of the folks who tune in to these two jingoistic buffoons are themselves jingoistic buffoons. "
LOVE IT!!! Thanks Brian.
I will have to restrain my comments and say, simply, that we can agree to disagree. This is now a world of PC statements to the point it has become ridiculous. Freedom of speech is liberally interpreted to count for what? If you are one dissenting person in an audience, and you disagree with something being said - anything - then you can determine the PC statement. The american world will bend over backwards for you. That is why one dissenter can remove "Christmas" from our speak. The list is endless. I for one do listen to Fox news - at least I hear about news and am not fed what I am expected to hear! It might be shocking for others to learn that I will frequently listen to news in two other languages from other countries just for perspective. And we truly require a wakeup call. It's a scary world, a big scary world! We need to focus on real things, instead of blundering around worrying about who sleeps with who, who says what that is not politically correct and so on. Someone please tell me why it is legal to burn the flag, and get away with turning a country upside down about their own personal agendas, when we have real issues and real problems?I am disappointed to hear that you think a death wish of an individual by the media and/or the truth is of little importance. Apparently you've become desensitized. I guess if it were YOUR life maybe you'd feel differently.
Also, I should have added another paragraph to my article asking why Bill and Rush, since the cats out of the bag, have not wondered publicly why there were 15,000 less body counts from our reports as opposed to the Iraqi side, and why 60% civilian casualties. They ask neither question. Yet they tell us just how bad Assange is for exposing this.
People can say all they want about how it's a war and those are the kinds of things we should expect, but it's not or never was a war...IT'S AN INVASION!
Now, what were those things that you claim are more important? Let's talk!
I can relate to this very easily as in my own country a member of the state assembly who was a Muslim promised a reward for Taslima Nasreen's head. This is totally democratic and and within the laws of the constitution while human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen who has been working for many years in the Naxal ridden areas with the tribes who hardly have access to medical facilities has been awarded life sentence in prison.
Well laid out thoughts Kenny. I agree that there should be consistency. I also think that it was not a wise choice to leak that kind of information, nor was it acceptable what these guys said, but everyone has a right to say what they feel. The problem is just because they have the right, doesn't mean its wise. Hypocrisy rules the airwaysm though, no matter what side of the line. And because morality has been on the decline for quite sometime, freedom of speech has been abused and is causing more havoc than ever, still we can't take it away...though I do fear we are heading for a time when we will only hear what the government wants us to hear. And this because of the abuse going on today. Again, great thought provoking piece. Many blessings to you in 2011!
Right on, Kenny. Thanks for exposing this ridiculous double standard. How anyone gets away with what these two broadcasters said about Assange simply flabbergasts me.
Thank you Mystic, Theresa, and George for your taking the time to read and your positive comments.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.