There are a lot of recent events to keep up with. The Times Square Bomber, Oil Spill in Louisiana, The Flag Flap, National Day Of Prayer, George Rekers getting busted for a having a "rentboy", and Kim Kardashian's supporting of Fixed Noise. 1st of all, the Right Wing Media went bonkers on the Times Square Bombing by claiming this: "All Muslims must be stopped" or that sort of rhetoric. We progressives have a lot of work to do.
More after the jump...
Times Square Bombing politicized by FNC/Right Wing Media:
Huckabee: "If Katrina was George Bush's responsibility, this is Barack Obama's responsibility"
April 30, 2010 10:14 pm ET
From the April 30 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
Why has Bush's former FEMA head Michael Brown been all over your television?
Earlier this week, Mediaite.com's Frances Martel asked why Michael Brown -- Bush's former FEMA director -- has been all over the television. Well, as Tommy Christopher points out, Politico appears to have the answer.
Why has Bush's former FEMA head Michael Brown been all over your television?
So much for Politico's claim oil spill is "threatening" Obama's reputation
This was the breathless, baseless claim Politico made earlier this week, as it hyped the "Obama's Katrina" meme [emphasis added]:
The ferocious oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening President Barack Obama’s reputation for competence, just as surely as it endangers the Gulf ecosystem.
Here's what Gallup has found regarding the president's overall job approval rating, covering the days since the "Obama's Katrina" attack was launched by the Beltway press:
April 30: 49%
May 1: 47%
May 2: 47%
May 3, 50%
May 4: 50%
May 5: 50%
May 6: 48%
Shows you why The Politico is NOT a trusted source at all.
So much for Politico's claim oil spill is "threatening" Obama's reputation
Did Nashville Flooding Get Enough Coverage?
Blame the Times Square bomb case, the Gulf oil spill, or just a lack of interest perhaps? But it seems clear that the Nashville flood that has caused some $1 billion in damages and killed at least 30 people is getting less news coverage than it might deserve.
Did Nashville Flooding Get Enough Coverage?
Limbaugh on Obama response to oil spill: "A crisis is the playground of a tyrant"
May 03, 2010 12:40 pm ET
From the May 3 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' Rush Limbaugh Show:
O'Reilly falsely claims Cavuto "stuck up" for Obama in Brown interview
May 05, 2010 10:26 pm ET
Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that "[Neil] Cavuto actually stuck up for the president during the interview" with former FEMA Director Michael Brown and concluded that the White House's objections to the interview were therefore "phony." In fact, Cavuto made no effort to challenge Brown's conspiracy theory that the Obama administration chose to let the BP oil spill "get really bad" so it would have an "excuse" to "shut down offshore drilling."
Reality: Cavuto let Brown's claims go unchallenged
Brown: Cleanup delay is "pure politics." During the May 3 edition of Fox News' Your World, Brown commented: "You're now nine days into the storm -- into the disaster, and actually now, only now is the president appearing to be engaged. And I think the delay was this. It's pure politics. This president has never supported big oil. He has never supported offshore drilling. And now he has an excuse to shut it back down." Cavuto responded: "So, Michael, you don't take him at face value when he says a temporary halt in offshore drilling is just that, a temporary halt?"
Billo The Clown falsely claims Cavuto "stuck up" for Obama in Brown interview
Hannity continues to push discredited "Obama's Katrina" talking point on Gulf oil spill
May 07, 2010 9:12 pm ET
From the May 7 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
Even Dick Morris thinks Brown's conspiracy theory that Obama wanted oil spill to get worse is "nonsense"
May 05, 2010 9:45 pm ET
From the May 5 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
"Drill more": Fox News figures respond to environmental catastrophe by calling for more drilling
In the wake of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, several Fox News hosts and contributors have responded by calling for a continuation -- and in some instances, an expansion -- of offshore drilling.
Bolling: "Drill here, drill now ...drill, baby, drill" On the April 30 broadcast of Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, Fox Business host and Fox News contributor Eric Bolling suggested that the "six dollar, seven dollar diesel fuel" is "more harmful" for fishermen than the oil spill and said: "We need to drill here, drill now, and hey, drill, baby, drill."
Asman says "the answer" is we need to "drill more," tells environmental "hypocrites" to "shut up." On the April 30 edition of Fox Business' America's Nightly Scoreboard, host David Asman announced he was "sick" of "environmentalists living the good life while lecturing the rest of us about how we're all a bunch of selfish oil little piggies." He added: "The bottom line is we need oil. And we will for some time, and the only way to prevent us from getting stuck on foreign oil is to drill more domestically. It's a messy business, but it beats most of the alternatives for now. And until someone comes up with something better, the answer is now as it was before the awful spill in Louisiana: drill more."
FNC advocates Drill More
O'Reilly on Michael Brown oil rig conspiracy: "I would have slapped him if he were on the Factor"
May 05, 2010 9:38 am ET
From the May 5 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:
O’Reilly Misses The Point – And The Truth – About Fox News’ Role In Michael Brown’s Oil Spill Interview
Bill O’Reilly took to the airwaves for his Talking Points Memo yesterday (5/5/10) to add his spin to the controversy over Michael "Heckuva job, Brownie" Brown’s outlandish allegation to Neil Cavuto that President Obama deliberately sabotaged the Louisiana oil spill cleanup in order to back away from his support for offshore drilling. One day after Brown made that accusation, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs smacked down Fox News reporter Wendell Goler about it during Tuesday’s (5/4/10) press briefing. Then the Fox News spinning commenced. O’Reilly’s novel take included the untrue assertion that Cavuto "actually stuck up for" Obama to Brown. In fact, Cavuto seemed to agree with Brown. O’Reilly also disingenuously defended giving Brown an unimpeded platform by saying, "Look, we can’t control what the guests say." With video.
O’Reilly’s "we can’t control what the guests say" defense is a close relation to Fox News’ "just asking" questions such as whether the White House is "attacking the American dream?" or "Are Democrats trying to steal Abraham Lincoln's legacy?" or "What are the Nobel Prize Committee Chairman's Socialist Ties?" It’s Fox News’ way of propagandizing under the disingenuous cover of a "question." By coincidence, Jon Stewart named this tactic The Cavuto Mark, after Neil Cavuto.
Hannity baselessly claims the Sierra Club criticized Obama's response to the oil spill as "worse than Katrina"
May 04, 2010 3:03 pm ET
From the May 3 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
Michael Brown was echoing Fox's Eric Bolling when pushing his insane oil rig conspiracy theory
May 05, 2010 2:28 pm ET by Ben Dimiero
Fox News is currently under fire for hosting disgraced former FEMA director Michael Brown to repeatedly suggest that the Obama administration let the BP oil spill "get really bad" so that they could use the spill as an excuse to "shut down offshore drilling."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs slammed Fox News yesterday for not pushing back against Michael Brown's conspiracy theories, and Bill O'Reilly, appearing on ABC this morning, said that he "would have slapped" Brown if he had made those comments on the Factor instead of on Neil Cavuto's Your World.
In response to Gibbs, Fox's evening "news" program ran a typically dishonest damage control segment. As we documented, Brit Hume and Bret Baier tried to cover up the network's failure to challenge Brown by refusing to air, quote, or accurately describe Brown's actual comments.
Taken as an isolated incident, Neil Cavuto's failure to provide any pushback to Brown would be hugely embarrassing for the network. But Fox's problem with forwarding outlandish conspiracy theories about the oil spill is actually much worse than that.
Michael Brown was echoing Fox's Eric Bolling when pushing his insane oil rig conspiracy theory
Rush: Media "ma[de] up things I said" about the ocean cleaning oil spill naturally, Obama didn't do anything for 12 days
May 04, 2010 12:35 pm ET
From the May 4 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
FLASHBACK: Media advanced falsehood that drilling is safe because no oil spilled during Hurricane Katrina
April 29, 2010 3:20 pm ET
In the wake of the catastrophic oil spill currently occurring in the Gulf of Mexico after a rig exploded and sank, Media Matters reviews how media figures advanced the false talking point that oil drilling is environmentally safe because "not one drop of oil was spilled" during Hurricane Katrina.
Fox's Huckabee: "not one drop of oil was spilled" during Hurricane Katrina, offshore drilling "extraordinarily safe." During the June 27, 2008, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, contributor Mike Huckabee stated: "When Katrina, a Cat-5 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast, not one drop of oil was spilled off of those rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico. So we know that the technology to drill offshore is extraordinarily safe and environmentally friendly. And it's not something that we have to be as worried about as we do a refinery on shore or some other type of issue."
Coast Guard: 5,000 barrels of crude oil spilling per day. On April 29, BBC reported: "Five times as much oil as previously thought could be leaking from the well beneath where a rig exploded and sank last week, the US Coast Guard says. Rear Admiral Mary Landry said some 5,000 barrels a day were thought to be gushing into the sea 50 miles (80km) off Louisiana's coast."
FLASHBACK: Media advanced falsehood that drilling is safe because no oil spilled during Hurricane Katrina
Limbaugh says his oil cleanup comments are the "Rams purchase all over again," decries "human debris at MSNBC"
From the May 4 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
MSNBC's Matthews notes right-wing media's penchant for oil-spill conspiracy theories
May 03, 2010 6:54 pm ET
From the May 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
Upping the ante: Limbaugh and Hannity's falsehood about oil spill response keeps growing
In Dr. Seuss' classic tale And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, the narrator strives to create an ever-more bizarre tall tale to satisfy a demanding audience. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity seem to be taking their cues from Dr. Seuss' young Marco with their increasingly large -- and false -- claims about the Obama administration's response to the Gulf oil spill.
Rush got the ball rolling last week, when he claimed that President Obama "waited eight days" to deal with the spill. At the time, Media Matters pointed out that this was false; the administration immediately dispatched officials and the Coast Guard to the area to work on the response.
Hannity, perhaps trying to one-up his fellow right-wing host, went on the air that night and claimed that the administration "sat back for 9 days and they did absolutely nothing."
But that apparently wasn't enough for Hannity, because tonight, he increased that number, asserting that "for 10 days the government did nothing" about the spill.
Poor Sean. Sure, he'd beaten his own record, but earlier that day, Limbaugh had set the bar even higher. Here's Rush:
Upping the ante: Limbaugh and Hannity's falsehood about oil spill response keeps growing
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) Distorts White House Response To Louisiana Oil Spill
Neil Cavuto interviewed Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) on Wednesday (5/5/10) about the BP oil spill in Louisiana. The purpose of Pence's appearance was, ostensibly, his call for Congressional hearings into the disaster. But Pence seemed only interested in what the Obama administration may have done wrong and not at all concerned about what BP may have done wrong. it was clear that Pence's major focus was on making partisan, political hay out of it. Cavuto challenged some of Pence's assertions but not the one in which he falsely painted the Obama administration as having been slow to react to the spill. With video.
Pence said, "They (the people) want to get to the bottom of what happened on April 20." But "the bottom" only seemed to involve the Obama administration. Pence continued, "They also want to get to the bottom of why this administration was so slow to respond. The administration essentially did not fully deploy cabinet level officials until April the 28th, eight days after the explosion. The President, of course, didn't address it significantly until 9 days after the explosion."
JAG Lawyer Lindsey Graham: ‘I Want To Stop Reading These Guys Their Miranda Rights’
Shortly after the media broke the news that authorities had arrested Faisal Shahzad as a suspect in the May 1 Times Square bombing attempt, conservative lawmakers began complaining that even though he’s an American citizen, authorities should deprive him of his Miranda rights. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that Mirandizing Shahzad would be "a serious mistake," and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said, "Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still." Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) suggested that Congress should perhaps create a process to strip "American citizens who choose to become affiliated with foreign terrorists" of their citizenship.
In today’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on "Terrorists and Guns," and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he wholeheartedly agreed with his colleagues and wanted to write legislation that would allow authorities to deprive them of their rights:
GRAHAM: I want to stop reading these guys their Miranda rights. Me and Peter are so much on board here. ... Nobody in their right mind would expect a Marine to read someone caught on the battlefield their rights. You catch them and you interrogate them lawfully to gather intelligence. Your special unit is probably the best in the world at this, but I don’t think it’s smart for us to say the homeland is not part of the battlefield.
You get to America, you get a much better deal, you get rewarded. If you can be caught in Pakistan, intelligence-gathering can happen with intelligence agencies without your Miranda warnings being given. Why should you get a better deal when you get here? Even if you’re an American citizen helping the enemy, you should be viewed as a potential military threat, not some guy who tried to commit a crime in Times Square.
So I look forward to working with the New York City Police Department, the mayor of New York, Peter King, to devise a law that recognizes we’re at war. ... [T]hat you would have the opportunity to hold this suspect, because they represent a military threat to our country even though they’re a citizen, and be able to gather intelligence before you did anything else. ... So we need a law that would allow you to go to a judge somewhere — like a FISA judge — and hold a suspect like this and working with the intelligence officials of this country, to gather intelligence, and then make a good prosecutorial decision.
JAG Lawyer Lindsey Graham: ‘I Want To Stop Reading These Guys Their Miranda Rights’
"Sabotage!" Right-wing media respond to oil spill by dreaming up conspiracy theories
May 03, 2010 1:06 pm ET
In the wake of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, right-wing media figures have suggested that the oil rig explosion which predicated the spill was an act of "sabotage" in order to halt offshore drilling.
Right-wing media sees "sabotage" in oil spill
Limbaugh: "Environmental whackos" may have blown up oil rig to "head off more oil drilling." On his April 29 radio show, Rush Limbaugh questioned "the timing" of the explosion and said: "Lest we forget ... the cap and trade bill was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist whackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants." Limbaugh added: "[W]hat better way to head off more oil drilling and nuclear plants then by blowing up a rig? I'm just, I'm just noting the timing here."
Perino: "[W]as this deliberate?" On the May 3 broadcast of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Dana Perino said of the spill: "I'm not trying to introduce a conspiracy theory, but was this deliberate? You have to wonder...if there was sabotage involved."
Bolling falsely claimed it was "nine days before" the leak "was even addressed" and asked, "Did they let this thing leak? ... if they're going to try and pull drilling, that may be the way they do it." On the same broadcast of Fox & Friends, Fox Business Network host of Happy Hour Eric Bolling said: "The question is ... why the delay in the response? You guys were pointing out, nine days before it was even addressed, 12 days before he made a formal comment. The question is, did they let this thing leak? I mean, BP said maybe a thousand barrels a day, it went to five thousand. Did they let it leak a little bit and say, boy I don't know. The conspiracy theorists would say, 'maybe they'd let it leak for a while, and then they addressed the issue.'" Bolling added: "That would be a humongous accusation and probably the net result would be no different, but if they're going to try and pull drilling, that may be the way they do it."
White House immediately dispatched officials, Coast Guard to work on response
April 20 (10 p.m.): Oil rig explosion. An April 21 ABCNews.com article reported, "An overnight explosion in the Gulf of Mexico rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the Louisiana coast, sending spectacular bursts of flame into the sky. The fires were still raging today." The U.S. Coast Guard's National Oil and Hazardous Substances Response System assigns primary responsibility for cleaning up oil spills to the spiller as the responsible party.
"Sabotage!" Right-wing media respond to oil spill by dreaming up conspiracy theories
Hannity falsely claims Obama administration "sat back for 9 days and they did absolutely nothing" about oil spill
April 30, 2010 9:41 pm ET
From the April 30 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
Times Square Bomber:
Megyn Kelly Ignores The Facts To Promote Fox News Attacks On Bloomberg And Liberals Over Times Square Bomb
Megyn Kelly and those "We like America" folks at Fox News are either willfully ignoring the truth or else deliberately lying as they continue to perpetuate the myth that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg blamed the right wing for the Times Square Bomb. Before it was known who set the bomb, Bloomberg said, "If I had to guess, 25¢, this would be exactly that, somebody who’s homegrown, maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn’t like ah, the health care bill or something. It could be anything!" Clearly, Bloomberg meant that it looked like the job of an amateur and that he did not want to jump to the conclusion that it was another 9/11-type event. But Fox News has seized on Bloomberg’s "guess" that "maybe" it was someone who "doesn’t like the health care bill or something" as some kind of "proof" that conservatives are under attack while Muslims are getting a pass. What is the point of hyping this story if not to exploit it for divisive, partisan purposes? Kelly, who is surely smart enough to know what Bloomberg meant, dived into the story with both feet yesterday (5/4/10), twisting his words and repeatedly interrupting her Democratic guest, to advance the "conservatives as victims" agenda. Was "I love to hate people of color" Kelly upset because Bloomberg was being too kind to Muslims? Or was she just taking the stand she knew would please her superiors? I report, you decide. With video.
Why are the media still taking Rudy Giuliani seriously?
Giuliani is so out-of-touch.
ABC's Jake Tapper announced last night that this Sunday's edition of This Week will feature two guests to talk about the failed car bombing in Times Square -- Attorney General Eric Holder and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
I can understand the temptation to invite Giuliani on to discuss the attempted attack. After all, he was the mayor of the city that was threatened, and he was once a U.S. attorney and a member of the Justice Department.
But let's be honest, Giuliani isn't exactly credible when it comes to terrorism and national security.
Tapper offered a preview of what he and Rudy will discuss:
Why are the SCLM media still taking Rudy Giuliani seriously?
Ted Nugent: "Profile or die"
May 07, 2010 6:51 am ET by Media Matters staff
In a May 7 Washington Times op-ed, Ted Nugent compares black and white spotted Dalmatians that "have been attacking kids all over town," to "Muslim monsters whose self-avowed 'religion' is to wipe out Americans," in order to suggest we should "profile" because "we know what they look like. And they are everywhere." From the op-ed:
Word on the streets of our otherwise quiet little neighborhood is that random packs of Dalmatians have been attacking kids all over town. Numerous eyewitness reports, video, citizens' testimony and documentation conclusively identifies these black-and-white-spotted dogs violently biting, maiming, and in some horrific instances, actually killing children and then viciously attacking responding animal-control officers.
In typical bureaucrat disconnect, city officials have sent pudgy, undertrained "professional" animal-control officers to the scene of the crimes, I mean "alleged" crimes, with their nets and long-handled nooses. Now mind you, all reports state clearly that in every instance, the offending animals were extremely vicious and extremely aggressive, demanding - by all common-sense considerations - a more prepared response than nets and nooses. On more than one occasion, the responding officer was overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the attacking animal, and being unarmed so as not to alarm the citizenry, the helpless and hapless officers were severely injured.
Go figure.
And, again, in each and every instance the attacking canines were Dalmatians, the identifying black and white spots uncontestable.
[...]
My name is Ted Nugent, and I profile. And it is good.
Wow, is Nugent on drugs?!
Ted Nugent: "Profile or die"
Drudge, Fox Nation dubiously suggest DHS is to blame for alleged bomber boarding plane
Conservative media have suggested that the Department of Homeland Security is to blame for alleged Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad boarding a plane. However, administration officials have stated the airline failed to review the updated no-fly list after Shahzad's addition, and that sending the passenger manifest to Customs and Border Protection successfully prevented Shahzad's escape.
Drudge, Fox Nation dubiously suggest DHS is to blame for alleged bomber boarding plane
Fox News’ Varney Uses Time Square Bomb To Argue For Ethnic Discrimination Against Muslims
Reported by Ellen - May 5, 2010
As if there’s not enough hate already coming from them, Fox News chickenhawk Stuart Varney used the Times Square bomb incident to blast the left for not discriminating against Muslims. He never proved how ethnic discrimination would have prevented the incident - which was prevented by other means. But that didn't stop chickenhawks Sean Hannity and Dana Perino from agreeing. But first, Varney whined that the left was being "divisive" in refusing to do so. With video.
As you may recall, Fox News trumped up New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent comments, in which he refused to leap to the conclusion that an Islamic terrorist planted the Times Square bomb, and turned them into some kind of accusation against Obama opponents.
On last night’s Hannity (5/4/10), Sean Hannity revisited those comments in order to once again distort Bloomberg’s words as an effort to blame conservatives for the bomb.
"It’s divisive," Varney complained. "It’s an attempt to demonize white males, Tea Party people, Republicans, conservatives."
Actually, what Bloomberg said was not at all divisive. He was suggesting that people should NOT jump to conclusions. Bloomberg said, "If I had to guess, 25¢, this would be exactly that, somebody who’s homegrown, maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn’t like ah, the health care bill or something. It could be anything!"
Fox News’ Varney Uses Time Square Bomb To Argue For Ethnic Discrimination Against Muslims
What’s In A Name? Fox News Obsesses About The Use Of Word "Terrorism" To Attack Obama Over Times Square Bomb
In the wake of the arrest of the Times Square bomber, yesterday (5/4/10) Fox News pundits spent little time praising the efforts of law enforcement and the Obama administration for catching Faisal Shahzad so quickly (though they’ll undoubtedly be blaming Obama big time for the fact that Shahzad was able to board a plane and almost got away). Instead, perhaps desperate to find something – anything – they could use to tarnish the White House, Monica Crowley, Dana Perino and Sean Hannity dredged up the old "They won’t use the word ‘terrorism’" as some kind of proof that the White House is failing to keep us safe. With video.
Only on Fox News would catching the suspect and averting a terrorism incident not be trumpeted as great news for the Obama administration. Even though Monica Crowley could not articulate a single reason how or why using the words "Islamic" or "terrorism" make a difference, that didn’t stop Bill O’Reilly from framing the segment around, as she put it, "this suicidal inability to call the enemy what it is and talk about the nature of the threat as it exists." Despite her smug self-assuredness (for all you Wally Lamb fans out there, every time I see Crowley, all I can think of is "Rosalie Twerski"), last I checked Crowley, though she has degrees in international affairs and formerly worked as a foreign policy assistant for Richard Nixon (long after he left office, from 1990-1994), she has no experience in terrorism or national security. She did not even serve in the military.
Later, on Hannity, Dana Perino reiterated the same message. Trading Crowley’s smugness for snippiness, Perino sniped, "If we don’t call this for what it is... a gnashing of teeth over what we’re gonna call things, is very unsettling." As far as I can tell, the only ones gnashing their teeth over "what we’re gonna call things" are the conservatives." In fact, fellow guest Stuart Varney and Sean Hannity chimed in to agree with her.
What’s In A Name? Fox News Obsesses About The Use Of Word "Terrorism" To Attack Obama Over Times Square Bomb
Will The Right Wing Attack General Petraeus For Saying Times Square Bomber Is A ‘Lone Wolf’?
Last Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that authorities had "no evidence" that the failed bombing in Times Square which occurred the day before was "anything other than a one-off" incident. However, she also said "[w]e are treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack. The derivation of that we do not know and that’s what the investigation will tell us."
Looking for a line of attack on the Obama administration, the Republicans and other right wingers latched onto Napolitano’s "one-off" comments, claiming they indicate that she and the administration don’t understand the true nature of the threat:
David Petraeus will be attacked the RWHM
EXCLUSIVE: Claim that alleged bomber is a registered Democrat collapses
Right-wing media have falsely claimed -- citing no evidence -- that alleged Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad is a registered Democrat. Media Matters for America has contacted the offices of the registrar in Shahzad's hometowns and confirmed that he is in fact not a registered voter in those towns.
Shahzad's hometowns: Shahzad is not a registered voter
Media Matters confirmed registration status with Bridgeport, Shelton offices of the registrar. According to media reports, Shahzad -- who became a naturalized citizen in 2009 -- has lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Shelton, Connecticut, for the past several years. Media Matters contacted the office of the registrar in both locations, and each confirmed that Shahzad is not a registered voter.
Limbaugh, Hoft ran with baseless claim that Shahzad is a registered Democrat
Limbaugh: "Guess what? Faisal Shahzad is a registered Democrat." On his May 4 program, Rush Limbaugh said: "Guess what? Faisal Shahzad is a registered Democrat. I wonder if this SUV had an Obama sticker on it. Faisal Shahzad is a registered Democrat." He later added: "Fine, so so he's a registered Democrat, I want to see the Obama sticker on his car. Notice how quickly they got it out of Times Square, before anybody could hop and maybe see 'Obama 2012' bumper sticker on the damn car."
Hoft links to RightPundits, writes that "Shahzad is a registered Democrat." Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft updated a May 3 post, linking to the RightPundits post and wrote, "Shahzad is a registered Democrat in the state of Connecticut who may be an Obama donor." He also updated the post's headline, adding, "Update: A Registered Dem."
Claims that alleged bomber is a registered Democrat collapses
Limbaugh on alleged Times Square bomber: "I would love if this guy was a member of ACORN"
May 04, 2010 1:46 pm ET
From the May 4 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
Limbaugh: "I want to see the Obama sticker" on alleged Times Square bomber's car
May 04, 2010 1:01 pm ET
From the May 4 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
Fox News rushes to politicize attempted NYC car bombing
May 03, 2010 12:18 pm ET
Fox & Friends rushed to politicize the recent attempted car bombing in New York City by falsely claiming the Obama administration "refuses to say the word terror," by citing the incident to demand that the administration hold Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's trial outside of the city, and by asking whether the administration is "sleeping while the enemy plans" attacks.
Obama regularly uses the word "terror" in speeches
President Obama regularly uses the word "terror" when discussing national security in speeches. For example:
The Nuclear Posture Review, led by the Department of Defense, recognizes that the greatest threat to U.S. and global security is no longer a nuclear exchange between nations, but nuclear terrorism by violent extremists and nuclear proliferation to an increasing number of states. Moreover, it recognizes that our national security and that of our allies and partners can be increasingly defended by America's unsurpassed conventional military capabilities and strong missile defenses.
As a result, we are taking specific and concrete steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons while preserving our military superiority, deterring aggression and safeguarding the security of the American people.
First, and for the first time, preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism is now at the top of America's nuclear agenda, which affirms the central importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We have aligned our policies and proposed major funding increases for programs to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons around the world. Our nuclear security summit next week will be an opportunity for 47 nations to commit to specific steps to pursue the goal of securing all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world within four years. And next month in New York, we will work with the wider world to strengthen the global non-proliferation regime to ensure that all nations uphold their responsibilities.
Peter Johnson, Jr: "Are we safer now than we were nine years ago, or have officials lost their way?" Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. asked whether the attempted bombing meant that "officials lost their way," and connected the attempted attack to the attempted Christmas Day bombing and the Ft. Hood shooting. Johnson suggested the administration is demonizing the tea party movement as the "true danger" rather than terrorists, and asked, "Are we sleeping while the enemy plans? ... Is the Department of Homeland Security protecting you?"
Limbaugh: "Bill Ayers ought to be the left-wing co-head of the commission" to study Times Square bomb
From the May 3 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' Rush Limbaugh Show:
Quick Fact: Krauthammer falsely claims that under Bush there were "no successful attacks" in U.S. after 9-11
May 03, 2010 9:39 pm ET — 16 Comments
Charles Krauthammer falsely claimed that "the Bush administration had seven years after 9-11, no successful attacks in the United States." In fact, there were repeated terrorist attacks on U.S. soil under President Bush after the 9-11 attacks.
Quick Fact: Krauthammer falsely claims that under Bush there were "no successful attacks" in U.S. after 9-11
Despite history of extreme rhetoric, Fox & Friends again turns to Scheuer for terrorism commentary
May 04, 2010 12:41 pm ET
Fox & Friends hosted Michael Scheuer for two segments to comment on the attempted bombing in Times Square, during which he repeatedly attacked President Obama. Scheuer has a history of inflammatory comments, including his statement that "[t]he only chance we have as a country" is for Osama bin Laden to "detonate a major weapon."
Scheuer's past record of inflammatory commentary doesn't keep him off Fox
"The only chance we have as a country right now is" for bin Laden to "detonate a major weapon" in U.S. In a June 30, 2009 appearance on Glenn Beck, Scheuer stated, "The only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States." He added, "Only Osama can execute an attack which will force Americans to demand that their government protect them effectively, consistently, and with as much violence as necessary."
"We're not killing enough people" in Afghanistan. In a February 7 appearance on Fox & Friends, Scheuer said that the capture of Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is not important "in the long run," because "you win wars by killing people, not capturing people," and commented that currently, "we're not killing enough people" in Afghanistan, "we're simply apologizing."
Democratic administrations are "pro-terrorist". During an August 31, 2009 appearance on The Live Desk w/ Martha and Trace, Scheuer said that the CIA had "grown pretty used to Democratic administrations" that are "in many senses, pro-terrorist."
Obama "giving aid and comfort to the enemy." In an August 28, 2009 appearance on Fox & Friends, Scheuer said that President Obama has "given aid and comfort to the enemy, both psychologically, and materially" by allowing the Justice Department to investigate CIA interrogators' past alleged use of torture.
Crazyass Michael Scheuer at it again
Fox News' Dishonest Attempt To Say Bloomberg Blamed Obamacare For Times Square Bomb
Reported by Ellen - May 4, 2010
Fox Nation found a unique interpretation of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's quote: "If I had to guess, 25¢, this would be exactly that, somebody who’s homegrown, maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn’t like ah, the health care bill or something. It could be anything!" Fox Nation turned that quote into the misleading headline, "Bloomberg: NYC Bomber Probably Didn't Like Obamacare." H/T to our former colleague, Melanie, who caught this one on her Say It Ain't So Already blog.
Fixed Nation distorts Times Square Bombing to blame "ObamaCare"
Flag Flap and anti-Latino/a Rhetoric:
Beck somehow relates schools teaching children in Spanish to people being killed for teaching slaves how to read
May 06, 2010 10:12 am ET
From the May 6 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
Malkin says we've "got to stop" immigrants gaining citizenship through marriage because of terror threats
May 05, 2010 10:06 pm ET
From the May 5 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
National Day of Prayer:
Sarah Palin Lectures Fox News Viewers: Our Constitution Creates Law Based On The God Of The Bible And The Ten Commandments
Reported by Ellen - May 7, 2010
In honor of the National Day of Prayer, Bill O’Reilly brought on Sarah Palin to explain why she believes America is a Christian nation. You can say a lot of things about Bill O’Reilly but one thing you can’t say is that he’s stupid. He’s a very intelligent man and he’s a former history teacher. Sure, he gets a historical fact wrong now and then but I’ll bet dollars to donuts, as my mother used to say, that he knows his U.S. Constitution. So when Sarah Palin started lecturing viewers that she based her belief on the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, it was pretty clear that O’Reilly knew what Palin did not: that the Constitution does not mention God, Creator or Christianity. But O'Reilly helped cover up her ignorance. Palin also had words of encouragement for Asian-Americans and others who may not be Christians: "Yay! Welcome to America, where we are tolerant and you have the freedom to express (your) faith." With video.
"Why do you think America is a Christian nation?" O’Reilly asked at the beginning of the interview.
With her customary cockiness, Palin said, "Nobody has to believe me, you can just go to our Founding Fathers’ early documents and see how they crafted a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution that allows that Judeo-Christian belief to be the foundation of our laws and our Constitution, of course, essentially acknowledging that our unalienable rights don’t come from man. They come from God. So this document is set up to protect us from a government that would ever infringe upon our right to have freedom of religion and to be able to express our faith freely."
Sarah Palin Lectures Fox News Viewers: Our Constitution Creates Law Based On The God Of The Bible And The Ten Commandments
Megyn Kelly Attacks Comedy Central For Being Unfair To Christians
Reported by Priscilla - May 8, 2010
One of the popular memes of the religious right is that while evil, librul Hollywood mocks Christians, Muslims get a free pass. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that Fox "News" would tackle the newest outrage in the Christian right community – the announcement, by the creators of South Park, that they are working on a script that features Jesus as the main character – and if Comedy Central backed off on satirizing Mohammed, so the "logic" goes, it’s unfair of them to satirize Jesus. Megyn Kelly reported on what she thinks is a "double standard" – the newest in a constant string of "Christian" outrages involving something that, contrary to Kelly’s "news" report, is only in the planning stages. In doing her shout out for persecuted Christians, who aren’t too keen about Islam, Kelly omitted this pesky detail. But she did include the perfunctory reference to radical Islam. Gotta love how, in dealing with intolerance, Fox News reinforces it even on a "fair and balanced" "news" show like America Live.
Update - Oh, look, Kelly's boyfriends (chaste and heterosexual) at NewsBusters did a thread about her interview in which they stated that "This week, the network announced a new show, "JC." Just like in Megyn's piece, they don't say that this "new show" is only in preliminary stages and is nowhere near final approval. But the beat goes on, the beat goes on....Break out the pitchforks. Is this a sin of "comission" or "omission?"
Megyn Kelly Attacks Comedy Central For Being Unfair To Christians
Martha MacCallum & Fr. Jonathan Morris Pimp Prayer Day
There were howls of righteous anger, from the American Christian right, when the "National Day of Prayer" was ruled unconstitutional. Adding insult to injury was the rescinding of Franklin Graham’s invitation to speak, on National Prayer Day, at the Pentagon because of his past record of anti-Islamic comments – which he reiterated on Fox "opinion" News. As the mouthpiece for the religious right, Fox News provided plenty of "opinion" coverage of the insult to "real Americans" with the opinion seeping over into the Fox News format where Martha MacCallum affirmed a Franklin apologia from a right wing hate radio personality who was booted from one of his radio gigs due to his Islamophobic comments. As yesterday was National Prayer Day, MacCallum devoted another "news" segment to the Prayer Day/Graham flap. While the format was "fair and balanced," it was clear that Martha was on the side of the angels – and Fox’s resident Roman Catholic priest, Father Jonathan Morris, who, after a brief flirtation with a liberal Catholic view of immigration, is back on the straight and narrow with his advocacy for an issue that’s near and dear to the Christian right.
Martha MacCallum & Fr. Jonathan Morris Pimp Prayer Day
FoxNews.com invents presidential Prayer Day tradition to claim Obama broke with it
FoxNews.com reported yesterday that while President Obama issued a proclamation for the National Day of Prayer, "critics note that Obama, unlike his predecessors, has not held a traditional White House prayer service since he took office":
President Obama issued a proclamation last Friday as his Justice Department appeals a federal judge's ruling last month that the day of prayer is unconstitutional.
"Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation," Obama said in the proclamation.
But critics note that Obama, unlike his predecessors, has not held a traditional White House prayer service since he took office.
"Every time I hear the president casually end a speech with 'God Bless America,' I wonder if he realizes that phrase is a prayer -- not another edict from Washington," said Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition.
"I can't remember a time when America was more in need of God's blessing, but the president doesn't see it," she said.
By "predecessors," FoxNews.com means George W. Bush. According to the Christian Post, Obama's decision not to hold a Prayer Day service at the White House marks a return "to the conventional practice of past administrations besides that of George W. Bush's." Similarly, Dan Gilgoff wrote in a US News & World Report blog post last year:
Fox News "Christian" Channel invents presidential Prayer Day tradition to claim Obama broke with it
Happy National Day of Prayer...Or Is It National Day of Fighting Over Prayer?
In the weeks leading up to National Day of Prayer 2010, the news has reported several controversies surrounding prayer -- including the "disinvitation" of Franklin Graham from one prayer event. The stories peddle a common tale: a new sort of religious pluralism has somehow undermined the American practice of harmonious prayer beseeching the Supreme Being to bless the state. However, no storyline could be further from historical reality. Americans have never been unified in prayer. When it comes to prayer, Americans love to fight -- and our prayers have driven us apart. Arguing over prayer is an American tradition.
In the 1600s, Puritans rejected the formalized prayer of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and founded their own churches as a way of protesting state-supported prayer. For their trouble, the Anglicans put them in jail. When they got out, they left England and settled in the New World. But the Anglicans were already there with their own colonies and outlawed Puritan prayers again. So the Puritans outlawed Anglican prayer in their own colonies. Quakers, disgusted with the Puritan-Anglican quarrel, rejected verbal prayers altogether, choosing to pray silently instead.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Graham Prays Outside Pentagon After Being Barred
WASHINGTON (May 6) -- Evangelist Franklin Graham went to the Pentagon this morning to pray, unbowed after Army officials told him he couldn't come inside to lead today's National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam.
Graham, his wife and three others prayed for about five minutes outside the Pentagon before visiting the nearby 9/11 Memorial and answering reporters' questions. He thanked President Barack Obama for issuing a National Day of Prayer proclamation and for instructing the Justice Department to challenge a federal court ruling that declared the event unconstitutional.
But Graham did not back down from the views about Islam -- that it is an "evil" religion -- that got him booted in the first place.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prays outside White House
RWHM = Right Wing Hate Machine
George Rekers:
Christian right leader George Rekers takes vacation with "rent boy"
On April 13, the "rent boy" (whom we'll call Lucien) arrived at Miami International Airport on Iberian Airlines Flight 6123, after a ten-day, fully subsidized trip to Europe. He was soon followed out of customs by an old man with an atavistic mustache and a desperate blond comb-over, pushing an overburdened baggage cart.
That man was George Alan Rekers, of North Miami — the callboy's client and, as it happens, one of America's most prominent anti-gay activists. Rekers, a Baptist minister who is a leading scholar for the Christian right, left the terminal with his gay escort, looking a bit discomfited when a picture of the two was snapped with a hot-pink digital camera.
Christian right leader George Rekers takes vacation with "rent boy," from Miami New Times
Anti-Gay Organization Founder Travels With a 'Rentboy'
Unless you are an LGBT blogger who has been under a rock for the past couple of hours, you are aware of the BIG SCANDAL.
The man on the right is George Rekers, a Baptist minister, former University of South Carolina professor, and a founding board member of the anti-gay Family Research Council.
He is also a board member of NARTH, an organization espousing scientifically inaccurate beliefs that gays can turn straight.
George Rekers in some big trouble
Kim Kardashian endorses FNC:
It's settled, Kim Kardashian vouches for Fox News
Fox News has finally found a neutral third-party with the credibility needed to stand up to the naysayers and defend the conservative network from detractors.
Enter Kim Kardashian of reality television fame.
As MediaBistro.com's FishbowlDC noted before the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner:
[Fox News Channel] has announced that it will bring Kim Kardashian as a guest to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. CBS's Katie Couric invited Kardashian and football star Reggie Bush a few months back, but Kardashian turned CBS down.
News that Kardashian turned down CBS News in favor of Fox News made CNSNews.com's heart flutter. The news gathering arm of the right-wing Media Research Center reported this week (emphasis added, though I use the word "reported" loosely when citing CNSNews.com):
Actress and model Kim Kardashian turned down CBS's invitation to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner, but told CNSNews.com that she decided to attend as a guest of Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. Kardashian added that Fox News Channel, which is often criticized by liberals, is "very reputable" and "the only news in the house" where she resides.
It's settled, Kim Kardashian vouches for Fox News, MMfA