Posted on 08/23/2005 2:15:45 PM PDT by FreedomNeocon
WELL, THEY GOT ME...
The First Amendment and I have been evicted from ABC Radio in Washington, DC.
On July 25th, the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that I be “punished” for my on-air statements regarding Islam and its tragic connections to terrorism. Three days later, 630 WMAL and ABC Radio suspended me without pay for comments deemed “hate radio” by CAIR.
CAIR immediately announced that my punishment was insufficient and demanded I be fired. ABC Radio and 630 WMAL have now complied. I have been fired for making the specific comments CAIR deemed “offensive,” and for refusing to retract those statements in a management-mandated, on-air apology. ABC Radio further demanded that I agree to perform what they described as “additional outreach efforts” to those people or groups who felt offended.
I refused. And for that refusal, I have been fired.
It appears that ABC Radio has caved to an organization that condemns talk radio hosts like me, but has never condemned Hamas, Hezbollah, and one that wouldn’t specifically condemn Al Qaeda for three months after 9/11.
As a fan of talk radio, I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special interest group like CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show. As a conservative talk host whose job is to have an open, honest conversation each day with my listeners, I believe caving to this pressure is a disaster.
I for one cannnot apologize for the truth and I cannot agree to some community-service style “outreach effort” to appease the opponents of free speech.
If I had made a racist or bigoted comment -- which my regular listeners know goes against everything I believe in -- I would apologize immediately, and without coercion. When I have made inadvertent fact errors in the past, I apologized promptly and without hesitation.
But we have now gone far beyond that, with demands that I apologize for the ideas my listeners and I believe in. It is not a coincidence that, after my suspension on July 28th, WMAL received more than 15,000 phone calls and emails protesting my removal from the airwaves.
Why such a huge response? It wasn't about me; The listeners I spoke to said they felt betrayed by my suspension because the vast majority of them agree with me on the subject of Islam. By labeling my statements as unacceptable, these listeners felt that WMAL management was insulting them, too.
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I care about the listeners of 630 WMAL. I respect them and I appreciate the amazing support they have given me.
I could not dishonor their principled support for free speech by giving into these demands. I cannot join ABC Radio in bowing to CAIR’s wishes. And I will not apologize for my opinions or retract the truth.
The whole point of the Michael Graham Show is what my listeners and I call the “natural truth,” those obvious facts about modern life that the p.c. police and mainstream media believe should never be discussed. That includes the tragic, but undeniable relationship between terrorism and Islam as it is constituted today.
The conversations my listeners and I had on this subject were not offensive or bigoted in the least. In fact, Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR (who has appeared on my show several times) credited “criticism from talk radio” in part for the recent fatwa against terrorism issued by a group of US Muslim scholars. Ironically, it was issued the day before I was suspended.
That’s the real tragedy here. The people who most need free speech and open dialogue on the issues facing Islam today are America's moderate Muslims. These are people of good will who have the difficult job ahead of reforming and rescuing their religion. They need all the help they can get.
The decision to give CAIR what it wants—a group with well-publicized ties to terrorists and terror-related organizations--will make it harder for the reformers to successfully face Islam's challenges. Still worse, silencing people like me will make it easier for Islamist extremists to dismiss all sincere calls for reform as mere "bigotry."
When CAIR is able to quell dissent and label every critic a "bigot," the chilling effect is felt far beyond ABC Radio and 630 WMAL. If anyone is owed an apology, it is the moderate, Muslim community who have been failed once again by the mainstream media.
A VERY SPECIAL NOTE TO EVERYONE WHO EMAILED AND CALLED ON MY BEHALF: Again and again through this ordeal, as people pressured me to just give in, say what CAIR wanted to hear and get my job back, I thought of you. I cannot express how much your support meant to me. I don't know that I'm doing the right thing by fighting this fight. I only know that I believe it's the right thing, and I believe it with all my heart.
Your support, your words of encouragement, your anger that the forces of p.c. fear have this much power--these all helped me do what I needed to do. Thank you.
In the coming days, I hope I'll have some good news for you about how we can continue our conversation. So please stay tuned, please stop by here each day and check it.
Trust me, this isn't the last you've heard from me.
MICHAEL, ARE YOU *SURE* YOU'VE BEEN FIRED? I've had several people tell me that ABC Radio says I'm not really fired, that I have "chosen" not to go back to work. I don't know what to say to that except that I received a hand-delivered letter very late Friday announcing that I was "terminated immediately." If there is some other definition of that other than "you're fired," I am not familiar with it.
Small addendum from today
TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2005
IT'S NICE TO KNOW ABC RADIO MADE SOMEBODY HAPPY: "CAIR applauded WMAL's decision [to fire Graham]. The organization had asked the station for a retraction or an apology, but 'we didn't get specific on what [Graham] should say,' said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman. 'We were looking for an acknowledgment that his statements were anti-Muslim and hateful, and harmful to our community and our country's image.'
DOES ANYONE REALLY "CAIR?" Some of the CYA spin now coming from the folks who caved into CAIR's demands is that CAIR's pressure had nothing to do with my firing. Instead, I was fired because...and then the story breaks down. Because I wouldn't apologize (would you be asking for an apology if CAIR weren't protesting?), or because the station found my comments offensive (then why did you let me spend FOUR DAYS IN A ROW saying them on the air without objection?).
Well, let's check the record. After four days of happily broadcasting my "controversial comments" on 630 WMAL, CAIR mounts a campaign of complaint. Listeners support my comments on loaded phone lines. Result: I'm suspended without pay.
After I'm suspended, CAIR issues a press release (July 29th) complaining that suspension isn't enough and I should be fire. Listeners swamp the station to support me and oppose my suspension.
Result: I'm fired.
Now, it could be that ignoring your own listeners and making decisions to outrage them is a new business model for successful talk radio. It could be a mere coincidence that the station happened to give CAIR what it wanted.
Hey--I report, you decide.
Having said that, it torques me off when people falsely drape themselves in the First Amendment. This is not a First Amendment issue, as the government is not involved. A commercial enterprise made a (lousy) business decision based on the professional conduct of one of its employees.
I don't care which side does it, we cheapen the Constitution to read rights into it that aren't there.
http://www.wmal.com/contactus.asp
WMAL's contact page. Fire away, folks.
I hope Mr. Graham finds gainful employment elsewhere, and soon.
WMAL is owned by Disney, which doesn't have the organizational guts to be in the talk radio business. They should acknowledge that and either convert their stations to something bland and uncontroversial like easy listening, or sell them off to a group who can tell pressure groups to go to hell.
At least this: Michael's comments and stand have brought more publicity to the thought than had CAIR or ABC let it fly. This is not without impact.
I heard Michael when he said it, and I recall shaking my head and thinking, damn, the boy's absolutely right -- and he's damn well gonna hear from somebody. It crossed my mind that radio believes that there is no bad publicity, but I am, nonetheless, not surprised that ABC Radio caved to PC.
I'll never forget, as a kid, roaming the DC Mall grounds during the 1970s. For a kick, my friend, a good and well-informed Christian, would argue theology with the Moonies, while I'd sit around and laugh. One time, while my friend was at it with the loons, some tripped out dude with a beard and funny garb approached me to see how I felt about Mohammed. He told me that if I didn't see things his way I deserved to die. I was fifteen or so, and immortal, and laughed in his face. I remember it as clearly as a spotless day. I have yet to hear anything -- anything -- from any Muslim that refutes or condemns what he told me that day.
I hope he comes back to AM 570 WTNT.
See I think you're wrong there.
This isn't about trying to say that WMAL should not be allowed to fire him... its about making it not 'acceptable' (a business mistake, if you will) to have mad the (legal) decision to do it.
Didn't you read the article? He said it, a special interest group CAIR complained, but overwhemling majority of listeners (customers) called in support and he was suspended. Then special interest group CAIR demands he gets fired, once again they are SWAMPED with listener support (so much so that micheal actually pleaded with people to stop becuase he though the point was made and we were going to start hurting him... it was that much)... he is fired.
Anyway... point is, it is the people that got screwed, here and some small special interest group that maniulated. To top it off, it really could be a productive discussion to have, and I really think it was starting to have an effect (which is prob. why CAIR freaked out). Its just such a horrible thing to throw a wet towl on IMO.
Wishing you the best. Tried to catch your show when I could. I respect your courage. WMAL (and most of America) probably thinks what you said on the air.
Disney is a total liberal, homo-loving company, so it's ironic it supports Muslims, who in turn support the murder of homosexuals.
But, that's liberals for you - really don't believe in a damn thing.
agreed, apparently journalists, commentators, and artists, feel that the first amendment entitles them to payment from one or more corporate entities without any accountability to the parties paying them regarding performance.
Michael Grahm made the serious mistake of calling Islam on the carpet. Had he offended an activist group for white men, Christians, conservatives, gun owners or southerners, he would have been held up as enlightened and defended by management. Truth cannot co-exist with political correctness.
says my email addy is not valid. Guess my email is not valid either.
I disagree with nothing you said. All I said was that it was inappropriate to invoke the First Amendment as he did. It's irrelevant.
And that's the problem, too many people think like you do. The First Amendment is clear: Congress shall make no law...
Nope. This is a private corporate action. It might violate the law, if we had a labor law in place that specifically prohibited termination due simply to speech. But it certainly doesn't violate the First Amendment.
what did he say?
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