How do you know when you've gone overboard with political correctness? When even the liberal panelists of Fox News Watch chide you for it. Host Eric Burns normally stays above the fray. But for some reason, on this evening's show he chose to criticize US Airways for removing from one of its flights six imams whose actions had made other passengers uneasy.
Said Burns, introducing the segment: "There were two stories in the news this week about religion. First, Pope Benedict in Turkey tried to encourage tolerance between Catholics and Muslims. Second, a story of tolerance of U.S. Airways and Muslims - there wasn't any - as six Muslim religious leaders, or imams, were recently yanked off a US Airways flight for no apparent reason other than that a passenger thought they were behaving strangely. Jane, I wonder if the moral of these two stories is first that the media are not at all captivated by this Pope . . but they are captivated by stories that seem to show that anti-terrorist policies sometimes go too far."
Liberal panelist Jane Hall took polite exception: "I'm not sure I would agree. From what I read - and my source is the [conservative] Washington Times and Cal Thomas - so let's stipulate that, the reports I read said that these men were sitting in the back, went to the back, and the configuration was like the September 11th hijackers, praying very loudly and that they were speaking about al Qaeda. I mean, my shoes, 83-year-old grandmothers are searched, and so I'm not so sure this is a story of intolerance, frankly."
Jim Pinkerton was less forgiving: "Yeah, Eric, I think you misstated the argument there badly on the U.S. Airways flight."
A rueful Burns: "Couldn't you just disagree?"
Pinkerton: "I tried to say that graciously."
Liberal Neal Gabler chimed in with a laugh: "I was thinking the same thing!" It wasn't clear whether he was agreeing with Pinkerton, or with Burns' suggestion that the criticism could have been offered more gently.
But one thing was clear: Burns' allegation of US Airways anti-Muslim bias got shot down in flames.
View video here.
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Flyin'
December 2, 2006 - 20:34 ET by UphillU.S. Airways may become my airline of choice. I want to know well ahead of time that the plane I'm on is being protected by people who take this stuff seriously.
The intent was painfully ob
December 2, 2006 - 21:23 ET by bulletproofThe intent was painfully obvious even before some of the facts were revealed--generally, innocent people who are mistaken for heartless deadly associates of a brutal organization react in a more understanding and humble way, especially when your "job" points to the very suspicion--MENTAL TERRORISM.
Never use your gun to pistol-wip a Liberal. That could mar the finish.
I think I am surprised by Bur
December 2, 2006 - 21:16 ET by bigtimerI think I am surprised by Burns...I am wondering if he did this purposely. Anybody in their right mind would not want to have took off with these guys (so-called Imams) acting as has been reported and their has been a lot of reporting about it.
Eric Burns...I bet a dollar to a doughnut you would of not wanted to stay seated with these guys as the plane left the air....it is so easy to sit on your rear somewhere and say what your opinion of the situation is as long as it is not your life on the line now isn't it?
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
Disappointment! Say it isn't so, Eric!
December 2, 2006 - 21:19 ET by UnsaneWhat a disappointing thing to hear from Mr. Burns! I would expect to hear that from Mr. Gabler...
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
I don't know why these people
December 2, 2006 - 21:23 ET by balboaI don't know why these people would start praying out loud like that. A little insensitive if you ask me. Why would they be shocked by getting thrown off?
Why indeed boa.Would you have
December 2, 2006 - 21:28 ET by bigtimerWhy indeed boa.
Would you have been comfortable taking off with them...as in "Come Fly with Me"...eh?
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
I don't think I would be. You
December 2, 2006 - 21:37 ET by balboaI don't think I would be. You'd probably have to knock me out first. :-)
That's good...you wouldn't wa
December 2, 2006 - 21:41 ET by bigtimerThat's good...you wouldn't want one of the so-called Imam's doing that for ya now would ya? You got to keep your head about ya!
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
Frankly, I think it was a sta
December 2, 2006 - 22:29 ET by pocomocoFrankly, I think it was a staged happening on the part of the Muslims.
If you haven't noticed, there is a steady upsurge of events like this throughout Europe, and now in the US.
I believe they call it psychological warfare.
poco,...so they can just slip
December 2, 2006 - 22:34 ET by bigtimerpoco,
...so they can just slip on board without any questions or problems of being kicked off....the threatening of law-suits and loss of money is all the airlines need and they know it...they are counting on the court-system the leftist media and stupidity from the sheeple.
Do not think it is going to happen, but then again I sure have been wrong before.
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
bt,Your logic kinda escapes m
December 2, 2006 - 22:41 ET by pocomocobt,
Your logic kinda escapes me for the moment. As far as it happening, it already has.
poco...we do not know yet if
December 2, 2006 - 22:53 ET by bigtimerpoco...we do not know yet if they are or are not going to file a law suit do we? That is what I was referring to....and if this does go to court canyou imagine the leftist media following this...yada yada yada....I can hear it now.
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
Imams
December 2, 2006 - 22:41 ET by BlondeBT,
I think it's terribly apparent to all that this was a staged event....designed as a set up to lawsuits.
If the flying public is smart (and I think we are)....my hope is that hauling idiots off of aircraft will become more, rather than less common.
These six "imams" should be banned permanently from flying on any public conveyance.
Let them walk. All the way back to Saudi or wherever. And let them start now.
Blonde,The point I am trying
December 2, 2006 - 22:52 ET by pocomocoBlonde,
The point I am trying to make is that lawsuits, and the like, are only a cover for the psychlogical effect being created which, in the long run, is meant to generate an uneasiness in the publics psychy.
pocomo,True. I believe it w
December 2, 2006 - 22:58 ET by Blondepocomo,
True. I believe it was a planned stunt....and probably a test as well.
A test of wills, and a test of the public's reaction.....with the goal of making people generally more fearful. Which, by definition, qualifies as an act of terrorism in my mind.
I saw a woman and her ten year old daughter yanked out of line for "secondary screening" at O'Hare on Thursday. Utterly rediculous.
We need to leave PC behind and start some serious profiling of airline passengers. And make these creepy imams pay for their bad behaviour.
Blonde,Thank you for validati
December 2, 2006 - 23:06 ET by pocomocoBlonde,
Thank you for validating that "great minds do think alike."
Frankly I'd be just as wigged
December 2, 2006 - 22:54 ET by balboaFrankly I'd be just as wigged out if a bunch of people started saying Our Fathers and Hail Marys out loud on a plane, too.
Well, of course you would Bal
December 2, 2006 - 22:59 ET by BlondeWell, of course you would Balboa.
That would probably indicate the plane was rapidly losing altitude, or a wing, or something.
And you'd be praying right along with them.
B! ......Seriously LMAO! I am
December 2, 2006 - 23:05 ET by bigtimerB! ......Seriously LMAO!
I am glad you came back with that before I posted mine! Love it!
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
BT,Couldn't resist! ;-)I'm
December 2, 2006 - 23:12 ET by BlondeBT,
Couldn't resist! ;-)
I'm in too good of a mood to be other than slightly sarcastic this evening.
A.C.'s on....convertible weather still.....shopped for nothing but begonias, poinsettias, and orchids today....yummy lunch w/my mom.....and of course, the Gators won! Life is sweet.
B....Oh shut up already!It's
December 2, 2006 - 23:18 ET by bigtimerB....
Oh shut up already!
It's a big twenty-five degrees here, we are in a heat-wave now, we have passed on the ice-age to the mid-west east coast and they are all freakin' out, I am sick of keeping the home fires burning already and your talking air-conditioning and flowers.....geeeesh! On top of that I am originally a desert rat from the high desert and I miss warmth! Global Warming my arse!
We were in the same moods last night when the site went down...of course it was getting late...but I think it has more to do with the full moon coming myself...
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
BT,Maybe we ought to tell Al
December 2, 2006 - 23:25 ET by BlondeBT,
Maybe we ought to tell Al Gore about this heat wave....help him get some cred back after this fizzle of a hurricane season, which as we know, was caused by Global Warming.
It's apparently the ice age in the Midwest...I think I caught the last plane out of Chicago the other night.
Channeling some heat your way....
Got you beat, darn it.
December 2, 2006 - 23:26 ET by nkviking75Bigtimer, if it helps, here in Northern Iowa it's currently 10 above working on a low of 5 above, along with wind speeds in the teens to drop that wind chill down. I'll bet Blonde isn't nostalgic for her time in Iowa after that news.
Lol. Well, yeah, I guess it w
December 2, 2006 - 23:07 ET by balboaLol. Well, yeah, I guess it would indicate that. I should have specified "before takeoff," unless I was a test pilot in some experimental new aircraft. :-)
Bal,Ah yes....that post butto
December 2, 2006 - 23:14 ET by BlondeBal,
Ah yes....that post button gets carried away sometimes....
BTW, I read Hiiasen has a new book out. Santa has promised to put it in my stocking. Can't wait.
Hiaasen
December 2, 2006 - 23:19 ET by balboaI bought it when it first came out! Unfortunately, I have other books currently ahead of it, so I haven't gotten to it yet.
Thank you, Blonde!{THUNK} Arr
December 3, 2006 - 07:07 ET by PeskyDaneThank you, Blonde!
{THUNK} Arrow sunk to the fletching - dead center.
ROTFLMAO
Big high-five from the other side of the planet ;-)
bal,Obviously, you didn't see
December 2, 2006 - 23:10 ET by pocomocobal,
Obviously, you didn't see the movie Airplane.
I picked a bad week to stop s
December 2, 2006 - 23:23 ET by balboaI picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue.
There's a GOOD week for that?
December 3, 2006 - 03:38 ET by Indiana JoeThere's a GOOD week for that? .... ;^D
I too was surprised by Eric's
December 2, 2006 - 22:29 ET by Clear thinkerI too was surprised by Eric's comments, as this is not his usual tact. Maybe he thought it was time for someone to take a stand for Imams around the world, or maybe he was out late partying with Clooney and Devito the night before and came to work drunk.
From what I know of the story, I would want the Imams taken off my flight.
Imam Gada Da Vida, as Iron
December 3, 2006 - 06:12 ET by Jack BauerImam Gada Da Vida, as Iron Butterfly would sing.
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast
militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
I don't know who is against U
December 2, 2006 - 22:40 ET by mikejI don't know who is against US Airways for what they did, I haven't followed it that much, but if Burns thinks this was intolerance for throwing them off, then would he or someone please tell me exactly what someone would need to do to be thrown off the plane?
I could care less if this is intolerance, because frankly if I'm on a plane, I'm pretty intolerant of someone hijacking it and flying it into a building!! If that make the libs mad, then I can live with it.
I can't imagine being on plane that is being taken over by terrorists and telling all the passengers, "yeah, we are gonna die, but by God, we were tolerant!!! Doesn't that make everyone feel better?"
As the 9/11 hijackers were ha
December 3, 2006 - 03:20 ET by Del DolemonteAs the 9/11 hijackers were have known to have conducted numerous "dry runs" on various flights and assorted airlines from many different locations before they finally made their move, I have no doubt that they had also in fact "cased" US Airways flights in addition to flights on many of the other US (and probably foreign) carriers. My guess is that they found that the US Airways people were more diligent, and that the American Airlines and United Airlines flights were the easiest to compromise the security on, due to many factors, including originating airports, etc. Two of the four 9/11 planes took off from Jean Kerry's home landing field in the People's Republic of Massachusetts, and another departed from the Democratic Enclave of New Jersey.
FYI, on May 1, 2003, I took a nonstop US Airways flight from LAX to Philadelphia, totally burned out after an all nighter on Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu. During boarding, I was interested to see some 25 priests board the plane. None of them were praying, and none of the passengers raised a fuss. And we got to our destination ahead of schedule!
NBrs,To further make my point
December 2, 2006 - 23:32 ET by pocomocoNBrs,
To further make my point, scroll down to the post entitled:
Richard Miniter (and Others) Fill in Many Holes in What Really Happened with the Six Imams
your imama
December 3, 2006 - 10:39 ET by CatherwoodThose imams acted the way they did on purpose. They set it all up to create and incident they knew would be covered by our liberal media. They knew, just like Hezbollah knows, that the US liberal media can be manipulated and used as a propaganda tool. These imams are dangerous people playing the role of the innocent victims, soliciting sympathy as the persecuted. They have no intention but to see how the pilots and security would react. The information they gleaned was certainly passed on to other Islamic fascists who will process the informationt and use it in their continuing jihad to kill Americans. Don't think for a minute that these Islamic fascist unholy men have any other intentions than to kill. Deep down the quasi intellectuals on that tv show know this; they just don't admit it to themselves. The msm is so far removed far reality the real intentions of the imams remain shrouded by the fog of the msm's political correctness.
Was this coordinated by the
December 3, 2006 - 13:48 ET by lnthompWas this coordinated by the 20/20 staff (who, incidentally, attempted to create anti-Islam incidents at NASCAR races last summer)?
LNTHOMP previously posting as LEENT. U.S. Navy (ret.)
My success and happiness are not determined by who wins elections.