Anita Hill In The News Twice?

I can go years or decades without thinking about Anita Hill, but she is back in the news twice in as many days.

First was the odd phone call from Ginni Thomas to Ms. Hill.

And next, there is an Anita Hill backstory to the Juan Williams firing - the ancient history was noted in the WaPo coverage of the Williams story:

Williams is a former staff writer for The Washington Post who still writes occasionally for the newspaper's opinion sections. In 1991, he was disciplined by the newspaper for making inappropriate comments to female staffers about their dating and sex lives. Those allegations, and the Post's internal investigation, were made public after Williams wrote in an opinion column that Anita Hill had "no credible evidence" for her allegations of sexual harassment by then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

On the Juan Williams debacle, I love this rhetorical question from CAIR (my emphasis):

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, however, said Williams's ouster was no different than radio shock jock Don Imus being fired for his "nappy-headed hos" comment, or the calls for Helen Thomas to lose her job after making anti-Israel remarks last June (Thomas, then 89 years old, abruptly retired).

"If you pay a professional price for those kinds of comments about other groups, it's only reasonable that you should do so when speaking about Muslims or Islam," Hooper said. He added, "How would [Williams] react if someone said the same thing about African Americans or another minority?"

Great question!  And since Jesse Jackson famously said pretty much just that about young black men, it is entirely likely that a reaction from Juan Williams is a matter of public record.  Loose the Lexs!

ERRATA:  Jackson from Wikiquote:

"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.... After all we have been through. Just to think we can't walk down our own streets, how humiliating."

OR, SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE:  OK, via BING I am finding the elusive Juan Williams/Jesse Jackson connection, but it is somewhat the opposite of what I wanted - Larry Elder was defending Bill Bennet from a 2005 media pile-on that included Juan Williams by citing Jesse Jackson.  Well, then, Juan overboard! (A terrible metaphor since he may not be much of a swimmer.)

IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO OVERLOOK THE FIRST STEREOTYPER-IN-CHIEF:  OK, in the aftermath of his Jeremiah Wright speech (the first speech when Obama couldn't disown him, not the eventual presser when he did) Obama explained that "typical" white people, just like his grandmother, get all jittery in the presence of minorities on the street.  When will NPR denounce this bigotry? 

GOOD QUESTION: So when does Sirius Radio move NPR to their comedy channel?

Comments

[Water, water everywhere, how come none's aboard?]

Juan above bourd under the bus.
==============

[Rick Ballard]

If Juan had only walked a mile in a burkha he would never have maligned the headchoppers truly moderate muslim community. I'm sure all three of them are very upset.

[Neo]

Speaking of old news that seems welcome ...
Former ACORN worker pleads guilty in 2008 election fraud

Oct. 15, 2010 | A former employee of an embattled community organizing group pleaded guilty Friday to voter fraud in connection with the 2008 presidential election. Kevin Clancy, 27, of Milwaukee admitted submitting multiple voter registration applications for some people and scheming with other workers for the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now, or ACORN, to sign people up several times in an effort to meet the organization's voter registration quotas.

Clancy entered his plea to a charge of falsely procuring voter registration.

He faces up to 3 1/3 years in prison at his sentencing Nov. 18. Clancy and fellow ACORN staffer Maria Miles, 37, of Racine were charged in March. She pleaded guilty in August to a similar charge and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 6.

[boris]

The comparison would be more apt if Jackson had said instead "... hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody not in gang attire and feel relieved.... "

[MarkO]

Typical white person.

[Clarice]

Whatever his shortcomings he did say of the loonies from Yale who suggested Hill was a slut because of the way she looked at them across a room and equally compelling carp:"They remind us of the truth in the saying that Yale law school has ruined more good black minds than crack."

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN for an article on Elizabeth Moon's statements and the reaction of dhimmis in science fiction.

[Dave (in MA)]

I'm convinced (and heard supporting arguments on Boston AM talk radio today) that Williams would still have his job if he'd said those same things on Charlie Rose or on NPR itself.
His bosses at Tass, er, NPR have long been squeamish about him being on Fox News. Mara had better watch her mouth. She's already been asked by them to quit going on Fox. Eric Boohoo over at Soros Matters is already calling today for NPR to give Liasson an us-or-them ultimatum.

[hit and run]

Dave:
Eric Boohoo over at Soros Matters is already calling today for NPR to give Liasson an us-or-them ultimatum.

http://www.nationalreview.com/media-blog/250519/npr-has-fired-juan-williams-greg-pollowitz>Greg Pollowitz at NRO:

And talking about the Fox News connection, I assume the issue of the George Soros donation to Media Matters, the Media Matters http://http//mediamatters.org/search/tag/juan_williams>crusade to get Juan Williams fired from NPR, and the George Soros http://bigjournalism.com/wthuston/2010/10/18/george-soros-millions-buying-political-reporters-for-npr/>$1.8 million donation to NPR for the express purpose of hiring political reporters just might get a little attention in the coming days.

But from whom,Greg?

[Rick Ballard]

Any recommendations for a particular Elizabeth Moon book to purchase as a gesture of support? I haven't followed the genre for some time but she seems rather interesting.

[Dave (in MA)]

Hit,

"I question the timing", as libs like to say.

[hit and run]

“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 tv, I got to tell you, if I think of people who might be watching who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried about my NPR job. I get nervous about talking about them.”
--stuff Juan Williams (almost) said

[maryrose]

I find it fascinating that the first ones to defend Juan are people he made not have praised in the past like Huckabee and sarah palin. Where is Mara Liasson's statement of support for Juan? Or has she been silenced by NPR and Soros"s money. As regards to Soros- no one person should have that much power over a political party.

[Rob Crawford]

Rick -- if you like swords-and-sorcery, "The Deed of Paksennarion" is good (one of my all-time favorites, actually). It's far from an original book (some people claim parts of it are set in a thinly disguised town from an old Dungeons and Dragons book), but it's well-done. The main character is likable, despite being a saint, and the action's pretty good.

If you prefer space ships, then either "Trading in Danger" (first of a series called "Vatta's War"), or "Hunting Party" or "Once a Hero" -- both starting points into the "Familias Regnant" series.

I haven't read her work with McCafferey and Nye, or her short stories, so I can't comment on them.

[Clarice]

Hmmm

Will NPR fire Nina
Totenberg for wishing Jesse
Helms would get AIDS?
Washington Examiner [DC], by J. P. Freire
Figuring out what’s inconsistent with NPR’s editorial standards can be awful difficult. The network terminated the contract for Fox News contributor Juan Williams because of a comment about Muslims, but apparently has yet to take a similar action against Nina Totenberg. From Reason’s Michael Moynihan:Check out this clip, from way back in 1995, of NPR’s Nina Totenberg telling the host of PBS’s Inside Washington that if there was “retributive justice” in the world the (admittedly loathsome) Jesse Helms would “get AIDS from a transfusion, or one of his grandchildren will get it.

[hit and run]

Rob:
I haven't read her work with McCafferey and Nye, or her short stories, so I can't comment on them.

Can't comment on something you haven't read?

File that under: You might just not be a proglodyte...

[Rob Crawford]

Oh, and the saddest thing is reading the blog entry that got her in trouble and realizing she's apparently a reflexive lefty. The venom she spouts against the tea partiers, etc., appears to be based primarily on her press-fed ignorance.

[Threadkiller]

From ">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129248204"> NPR regarding another radio host losing their job.

"Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Arkansas radio personality, Renee Gork, says it was raining. So without thinking, she wore a hat to a news conference - a hat from the University of Florida, her old school. Sadly, that news conference was held by the University of Arkansas football coach. Gork was fired by her station, which says it supports Arkansas 100 percent. So that's a lesson for the independent media: don't show bias against the home team. You must be biased in favor".

And they proved it.

[MarkO]

I need your help. You see, when I get on a plane with 5 or 6 Muhammadans in full regalia, whispering and sitting on the aisle throughout the plane, I get nervous like Juan and the rest of sane America. So, apparently, according to our tax dollared radio network, there is a way to avoid that feeling of impending doom that rises up rather naturally because of one’s recollection of history and ability to read the Koran. I ask of you, how do I discern which are the extreme Mummadans who might behead me, or blow up buildings, or fly this very plane into Disneyland, and which are those tamer Mummadans who are simply non-believers in the religion that would otherwise require them to kill me just for being here?

Get this to me before I book a flight to SFO for the Series against the Yankees. (That should give you a few years, but don’t wait.)

[Rick Ballard]

Rob,

Thanks. I guess I'll go with swords and sorcery, she seems a tad weak on the logical process necessary to keep science fiction semi believable.

[Threadkiller]

Tough call MarkO. I always relied on looking for VW vans in the airport parking area. The http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/alternateversions "> PC version
of Back to the Future has confused me.

”TV versions that aired shortly after the World Trade Center Attack in September 2001 featured certain alterations to the Libyan terrorists subplot. When Marty reads aloud his warning letter for Doc, he says "You will be shot," instead of "You will be shot by terrorists," and the "by terrorists" area of the letter is digitally erased. ”

[Rob Crawford]

Well, the SF is harder than, say, Star Trek. But so is Jello, so...

[MarkO]

Geeze. I assumed the VW vans were dope heads.

[Jim Ryan]

I don't get nervous. Either he's a terrorist or he's not. If he is, he is going to get his lights punched out before he can do anything. Flight 93 passengers have reassured us all.

[bgates]

the saddest thing is reading the blog entry that got her in trouble and realizing she's apparently a reflexive lefty

Yeah, I don't get the urge to rally 'round this woman. I didn't run out and buy Howard Dean's book when Kerry got the nomination, either.

[Rob Crawford]

Can't comment on something you haven't read?

Crazy, innit?

[Rob Crawford]

Yeah, I don't get the urge to rally 'round this woman.

Same as the reason for being pissed at the firing of Juan Williams: it's PC BS.

Much of the reason I'm shocked (shocked!) by her thoughtless antagonism towards the Tea Partiers is because I've read most of what she's written. Her fiction just doesn't gibe with that attitude.

*shrug*

I think I mentioned elsewhere that her ill-informed opinion has knocked *HER* down a peg in my estimation, but her work stands just as high as ever.

[glasater]

From Mediaite--and what a low blow:

NPR CEO Says Juan Williams Should Have Kept Comments Between ‘His Psychiatrist Or His Publicist’

[sbw]

The NPR CEO should have kept that comment between his psychiatrist or his publicist.

[MarkO]

I wonder if NPR's conduct could be considered state action? I know, there's a contract issue, but still. Is there no way to annoy them?

[MJW]

According to Eugene Volokh of the Volokh Conspiracy legal blog:

A bunch of people have asked me whether NPR’s firing of Juan Williams for his statement about Muslims on The O’Reilly Factor violates the First Amendment. The answer is “no.” NPR is not a government actor, and thus not bound by the First Amendment; that it gets some funding from the government does not make it a government actor, just as private colleges’ getting grants and other benefits doesn’t make them government actors bound by the First Amendment. See Rendell-Baker v. Kohn, 457 U.S. 830 (1982) (so holding, even as to a school that got 90% of its money from the government).

I do think that the NPR CEO may end up wishing she'd kept her comments between her and NPR's attorneys.

[jimmyk]

I need your help. You see, when I get on a plane with 5 or 6 Muhammadans in full regalia, whispering and sitting on the aisle throughout the plane, I get nervous like Juan and the rest of sane America.

I'd be less nervous if I felt like they had been given the extra scrutiny they deserve. But with TSA stritly prohibited from doing that sort of thing, and knowing therefore that TSA was very likely frisking some grandma and taking away her knitting needles while waiving these people on through, well, yes, I would get a bit nervous too.

[matt]

The back and forth continues between Juan Williams, Fox News, and NPR. Earlier today NPR CEO Vivian Schiller told the Atlanta Press Club earlier today “he should have kept his feeling about Muslims between himself and ‘his psychiatrist or his publicist.’” Update: Schiller just apologized for her remarks saying “I spoke hastily and I apologize to Juan and others for my thoughtless remark.”

Perhaps Ms. Schiller should be fired as well.

[Jack is Back!]

The new lexicon for a new congress: Repeal and Defund.

[centralcal]

From the LA Times - An expanded role at Fox News for Juan Williams:

Reporting from Washington — As National Public Radio weathered a storm of criticism Thursday for its decision to fire news analyst Juan Williams for his comments about Muslims, Fox News moved aggressively to turn the controversy to its advantage by signing Williams to an expanded role at the cable news network.

Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes handed Williams a new three-year contract Thursday morning, in a deal that amounts to nearly $2 million, a considerable bump up from his previous salary, the Tribune Washington Bureau has learned. The Fox News contributor will now appear exclusively and more frequently on the cable news network and have a regular column on FoxNews.com.

"Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997," Ailes said in a statement, adding a jab at NPR: “He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis.”

[Rob Crawford]

BTW -- The first of Moon's "Paksenarrion" books is available in the Baen Free Library, LUN.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--Flight 93 passengers have reassured us all.--

As heroic as they were I'm not sure how reassuring plowing a field with the nose of an airliner is.

[MaryW]

Rob and Rick

You do know that she is now writing a sequel to Deeds? The whole series can be read by teens.

Her SF is good but is more space opera, but Deeds is better. From Wikipedia: "she joined the United States Marine Corps, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant while on active duty". She also adopted a child who has severe autism. These 2 facts help explain the contradiction that Rob mentions.

I like her books but agree that her politics don't mesh with them. Since I am married to a member of the opposition, I have stopped trying to figure those things out. In her case, I just read and enjoy the books. But I am a fantasy junkie who is patiently waiting for Brian Sanderson to finish the Wheel of Time and am only acquiring and not reading the Starlight Archives.

[BR]

CC at 4:50. Now that puts Juan in an interesting dilemma. He has to keep up his leftist views to make his living at Fox. If he were to realize his folly and turn conservative, honor would mean resigning from Fox, otherwise it would look as if he's been bought.

If I were him, I'd resign and write books.

[Don L]

I'm sure Obama regularly strolls the streets of DC at night without his (SS) Secret Service people, because he can be sure that he's safe with all those "African-Americans" around?

The real victim in all this, because it's about radical leftist goals and how to acheive them -is truth!

But, who needs truth in such an enlightened mordern age as ours?

[Whitehall]

The problem with women in the workplace is that you can't treat them as one of the guys and you can't NOT treat them as one of the guys. Any misstep and they run to HR with a complaint that is ultimately "he-said/she cried" so the guy has got to go.

With the WaPo complaint, it sure smells funny, like a feminist conspiracy to teach the Anita Hill denier a lesson.

[Neo]

Did Juan have a Shirley Sherrod moment ?
I caught a talking head saying that Juan ended his comments by saying that you can't "indict a whole people" based on a handful.