(CNN) – Amid growing conservative outrage over National Public Radio's firing of journalist Juan Williams, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is introducing a measure to strip the organization of government funding.
"Once again we find the only free speech liberals support is the speech with which they agree," said DeMint in a statement. "The incident with Mr. Williams shows that NPR is not concerned about providing the listening public with an honest debate of today's issues, but rather with promoting a one-sided liberal agenda."
NPR fired Williams after the liberal journalist told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on Monday that he gets "worried" and "nervous" on flights when he sees people wearing "Muslim garb."
NPR says federal funding comprises less than 2 percent of its budget, with most of its financial support coming from station fees, sponsorships and grants.
"Since 2001, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds programming for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, has received nearly $4 billion in taxpayer money," DeMint also said in the statement. "The country is over $13 trillion in debt and Congress must find ways to start trimming the federal budget to cut spending.
Several conservatives have called for NPR to be stripped of its funding, including former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
From CNN Politics
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DeMint has put a hold on everything in the senate, but now this. Doesn't the moron senator from SC realize that Fox gave Juan a huge raise for bad mouthing Muslims? Juan will fit in well with the derelicts that Fox has working for them.
I really believe that as inept as Alvin Greene is, he will be far superior to DeMint as senator from SC.
Any media outlet that isn't a Republican Party outlet is a threat to the Fox News team. Notice dumb Palin and Huckabee are on Fox's payroll? Of course they want NPR out, since they don't bow to the GOP. This is so transparent.
Why is there so much outrage over his firing? He said he's scared when he's on a plane with people who are Muslims dressed in traditional muslim garb, is that not offensive in its implication?
If you're going to be a commentator, then you should not cross lines of decency and make blanket statements of people that are that outrageous.
I think he deserved to get fired from what I saw.
Shut up, Goober! Cincinnatus you ain't.
Maybe NPR can be financed by Al Jezera.
Juan Williams was one of the few males at NPS who did not speak with a lisp.
"Once again we find the only free speech liberals support is the speech with which they agree," said DeMint in a statement.
And this is a surprise to ANYONE? The liberal mindset has always been one of absolutes – "We'll absolutely defend your beliefs, as long as they're absolutely politically correct and agree with ours."
This is the same Senator who doesn't even believe the Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution and he is championing free speech? Look at the appendix of te Constitution in his book, he doesn't include any amendments. DeMint is no patriot. I wonder what side his ancestors fought during the American Revolution?
good thats a hugh waste of tax payers money anyway....
Freedom of speech means that the government can't put you in jail for what you say, your employer firing you because you are a DUMBA** is not really freedom of speech.
Don't believe me? Stand up at your place of work and say something like the N word or the C word, then go complain about freedom of speech. You'll be complaining all the way to the unemployment line.
De Mint- Let's get honest- You and yor's did a recent and similar hatchet job on Ms. Sherrod- and never looked back. I
n Mr. Williams case- He has a $ 2 million gig with Fox (like a whole bunch of you Republicans do including Newt and Huck), and his comment while perhaps his "opinion" certainly fits well within the confines of Republicans' demonization of any number of ethnic groups. Mr. Williams was becoming a bad fit at NPR, and a much better one at FOX with the likes of O'Reilly, Hannity and Beck. It isn't like Mr. Williams has lost anything (except perhaps professionalism) in the exchange. He doesn't need your support or hand holding. This was likely an intentional event to get the desired results (a FOX contract).
Don't use this as your excuse to go after NPR now- again, it is hard, but be honest, Republicans have hated NPR, NEH and about anything else that smacks of education in the federal environment. If you elect to de-fund NPR (just for Mr. William's sake), you chosse to do so because it fits your incredibly narrow world view.
Im really belived that musilims are keep dangerous with terroist well I asked people what happened about musilims man was killed oof 13 people at fort hood texas
I am not respect of presdient obama cause he have too bad problems his polls and keep his musilims
one thing that has come out the last yr is... that the left wing media ,,, only likes left wing thinking blacks and women,,,, the big show they put up about womens rights and black peoples was bogus... its all about how liberal you are....hypocrites..
This is called real socialism interfering media business if tea party candidates win the election they bully will media
Now its clear FOX control GOP, Now Fox is big bully in main stream media
Vote for democrats please
Styfling competing news outlets...hmmm...isn't that what they did in Nazi Germany, Stalin's USSR, and currently do in No Korea?
I love it, the progressive libtard's showing their true colors in devouring one of their own. It has nothing to do with what Juan stated, hell that is a fact that any American would state about Muslims wearing their little costumes. It does state volumes of their desire to control what you think, what you say and what you do if it goes against what they feel is appropriate behavior. Obama's plan is kaput, too many Americans are on to him now, no matter what color lip stick you put on him, it will always be RED!
Alvin Greene for SC Senator! He couldn't be any worse than DeMint!
Dean, you are a hoot. We know that foreign owned Fox news and Rupert Murdoch's Saudi partner are hell bent on creating fear in the minds of the Fox republican news's fragile viewers.
Typical right wing response: stop funding to any program or organization that doesn't reflect their values, and the rest of us be damned. They want to take us backwards, while some of us want to move forward.
Then why is DeMint not taking steps to repeal HIPAA laws which forbid health care staff from discussing private health information of a patient to someone else? That's censoring their free speech.
When looking to cut programs in 2011 to help get this country out of debt, start with NPR!!!!
Does this guy own the Congress?
It's morons like you that put Obama in office to begin with. There is no threat to Fox only threats to idiotic opinionated people like you. Don't worry the left is about to lose again and this time it will be for awhile. It's almost like pc has brainwashed you people, ever heard of the right to freedom of speech? If you don't like what he says, turn off the tv idiots.
NPR is a joke, what a slanted libtard bunch of kooks, I am amazed that it just like ACORN are funded with our tax dollars. My vote is to have them shut off and send the money to fund FOX so Glen Beck may continue with his full disclosure investigation of Obama and his circle of left wing radicals!