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Thursday, October 21, 2010

I remember Juan Williams.


NPR (National Public Radio) has fired Juan Williams, one of its news correspondents. I hate to rehash this issue, but, I can't help but give you my take (in Olde English my perspective).


I first noticed Mr. Juan Williams while watching The McLaughlin Group on NPR; It's a weekly news roundup with a handful of reporters and journalists in a round table format, headed by its founder John McLaughlin. While watching one of these episodes in 2002 or 2003 on NPR, I believe I first became aware of Juan Williams; There was also Eleanor Clift, Pat Buchanan, Tony Blankley, Judy Woodruff, along with Juan Williams as part of the panel. Mr. Williams' first name is what first drew my attention to him, then his opinions since he is very articulate and eloquent. I continued to watch this very informative news program until Juan Williams and the rest of the players became familiar to me; I decided to research who Juan Williams was, and I found out that he is a Panamanian immigrant who emigrated to Brooklyn, New York in the 1950's as a small child with his Mother, Father, and siblings. I can't recall where it was, but, I discovered that he considered himself an African-American of West Indian descent as implied by his last name, and I believe because of the mass migration of people from the former British Territories in the Caribbean during the construction of the Panama Canal.* Wow, what an assumption I have made? But, I distinctly remember that he stated that he was not a PanameƱo per se, instead a West Indian from Brooklyn of the African Diaspora, by way of Panama. This discovery about Juan Williams surprised and disgusted me; I compare this mindset to many people I knew while I was growing up who would try to deny their national identity to assimilate into the fantasy called the great American Melting Pot; The idea was to adopt the Ellis Island approach, "your name is Stanislaus Marczkiczis?"; "No, your name is now Stan Marks, next!" Then, you'd move out to the suburbs an assume the American Dream. Well, folks Juan Williams has lived the American Dream, and now he is living the American Reality: "If you dance to the music, you must pay the piper." It's a jungle out there! Dog eats dog; Man bites dog!

Now, it was just last week, I kid you not, that I heard Juan Williams give his opinion when prompted (probably) on NPR's All Things Considered; I detected a different person express his opinions since I had become used to his politically correct left leaning views. Then, comes these fateful statements on Monday's "The O'Reilly Factor", the rest is history. As I stated previously, I was startled that Juan had expressed a more truthful opinion from the last time I heard him on NPR. Perhaps, he's finally seen the light? But, not for nothing I agreed with his statements. I call a spade a spade, and if it look like a duck, it walks like a duck, and it quacks: It's a duck, for goodness sakes. So, this new Juan Williams is more to my liking. Yes, Juan calls them like he sees them, and I'm proud of you, Mr. Williams; be you from Brooklyn, West Indies, and form the African American Diaspora, and All the above; Right on, Brother! Now we feel you. Know what I mean?

That Jet blue Stewart who got mad, grabbed a beer, slid down the escape chute, then quit - is not my role model. Mr. Juan Williams is more my type of person, true blue; someone that will faithfully express his opinions despite the consequences. After all you can't be true, unless you are true to your conscience. And that brethren, is the real deal.


Arsenio.

* Note: This is my personal assumption.

NPR Fires Analyst for Saying Muslims Make Him Nervous

Lauren Frayer
Contributor

AOL News (Oct. 21) -- NPR has fired longtime news analyst Juan Williams after he told the Fox News Channel that he gets nervous when he sees Muslims on airplanes.
...


Williams said Monday he agreed with O'Reilly's statement that "jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet." The two also discussed political correctness, which Williams said could "lead to some kind of paralysis, where you don't address reality."

"Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous," Williams said.


http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/npr-fires-analyst-juan-williams-for-saying-muslims-make-him-nervous/19683232?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C179132
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