Fox News conservatives (I know ... kind of redundant) are crying like schoolchildren over anti-Muslim hater Franklin Graham having his invitation to speak at a Pentagon National Day of Prayer event revoked.
Fox News brought on a man by the name of whiner Peter Johnson Jr. to come on and cry about poor Franklin Graham being treated so poorly. Yes, if only we were all a little more sensitive to his anti-Muslim bigotry it would be a happier world ... for people like Franklin Graham.
Here is an excerpt of what Media Matters writes (with video of Johnson whining):
In a classic moment of cognitive dissonance, Johnson Jr. said:
No one is out to make any excuses for the statements that Franklin Graham made. And they were made nine years ago, in the wake of 9/11. In the wake of 3,000 deaths. He doesn't need excuses, he's made his viewpoint clear as an evangelical minister and as someone who wants to proselytize the world in the word of Jesus Christ.
Of course, in stressing that Graham's comments were "made nine years ago, in the wake of 9/11," Johnson Jr. is attempting to excuse Graham's comments a few seconds after claiming that "no one" is "out to make any excuses." As my colleague Simon Maloy pointed out, yesterday Johnson Jr. also spent several minutes offering excuses for Graham's anti-Muslim rhetoric, including invoking 9-11. And he's not the only one.
Graham himself has defended his rhetoric about Islam as recently as this past December on CNN, telling Campbell Brown that "True Islam cannot be practiced in this country. You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they've committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries."
Last night, Sean Hannity repeatedly excused Graham's comments, specifying that they were aimed at "radical Islam." But the outrage over Graham's comments is that he has taken the actions of fringe lunatics and applied them to an entire faith, which he has classified as a "very evil and wicked religion."
Defense of Graham hasn't been limited to Fox News, as CNN's Erick Erickson wrote that: "The Council on Islamic-American Relations and other Islamic groups got upset with Franklin Graham pointing out the truth."
So, conservatives want Graham's comments to be put into context (it was after 9/11 and it was almost 10 years ago).
Now, imagine if the speaker was say ... randomly ... oh ... the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Would these same conservatives be scrambling to have Rev. Wright put into context? No. Would these same conservatives care that Rev. Wright's controversial comments (the ones played constantly) were made a little after 9/11? No way.
Johnson's comments are so ridiculous it's difficult to know where to begin. Johnson weakly and pathetically tries to bring politics into the issue to try and paint the left as religiously bigoted (oh, the irony of such thought).
Were we "America-lite" when Rev. Wright was being attacked?
Were we "America-lite" when Fr. Michael Pfleger was being attacked?
Watch this video and ask yourself ... Would Peter Johnson would make the same argument for Rev. Jeremiah Wright?
Gretchen Carlson comes on near the end of the clip and whines about us being a politically correct society, but did she feel that way when Rev. Wright and Fr. Pfleger were being attacked and demonized?
Will Bill O'Reilly attack or send one of his "producers" to attack Franklin Graham for his anti-Muslim comments the way he demonizes Minister Louis Farrakhan for (negative comments made toward Jews) and sends his one of his "producer(s)" to hound Fr. Pfleger for defending Farrakhan? No. Is Bill O'Reilly "defending hate" with regard to Graham?
Hannity is quick to defend almost anyone (white or black) of any comments that are bigoted or racist against people of color (Rush Limbaugh, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, Don Imus, Jesse Lee Peterson, and Michael Richards).
Fox News once again proves to be hypocritical and unethical.
