They were wrong to fire him AND he was NOT wrong to say what he said.
Tell me that you don't feel uncomfortable when you get on an airplane when there are a couple of men dressed in Muslim (Mideast) garb - robes, turbans, etc. In this day and age of terrorists and suicide bombers .. after 9/11, etc .. you can't help but look askance at someone who has chosen to show they are more interested in celebrating their Muslim beliefs instead of fitting in to their surroundings (which is mostly of the slacks, suits, garments, etc genre).
Before you claim my beliefs are because I have a phobia, bull - 9/11 wasn't carried out by Hispanics or the boys hanging out on an American street corner ... they were carried out by extremist Muslims.
That can't help but raise concerns.
Sorry Chief, but I don't feel unconfortable I see them every single day on the metro going to a from work. I even work with a few. 9 years after 9-11, I am still here. There are 1 Billion Muslims in the world and only about 20,000 terrorists. Chances of meeting a real terrorist, less than winning the lottery. I dont let fear run my life, and I don't like it when far right-wing pundits try and create atmospheres of fear (like Hitler did in the 30s) either.
And you shouldn't neither, because real terrorists in the West don't dress in Middle Eastern Garb. They were western clothing, shave their beards and give every impression they are like everyone else. The last thing a REAL terrorist wants to do is stick out and attract unwanted notice. If you see some dressed in Middle Eastern Garb you can be assure that person IS NOT a terrorist.
Could you imagine if a white man had said BLACK people dressed like gang members made him feel nervous? Williams is Black, I doubt even he would have liked that remark.
THEY WERE RIGHT TO FIRE HIM
He had been warned about such comments before, this WASN'T the first time. Lets not forget that NPR was his boss, he wasnt just a guest, he was their employee. He was given a second chance after he said that Michelle Obama "Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going”. A nasty personal remark against he first lady. He was warned after that not to make such incendiary comments or personal attacks again. He agreed not to do so. FOX NEWS might tolerate that type of hatefulness, but NPR doesn't. He also know he was skating thin ice with NPR because NPR wasn't happy that he was a paid rent-a-mouth on FOX. Which is understandable, who wants an employee who works both for you and the competition at the same time? I'd have fired him for that alone. NPR did him a favor by not firing him before.
So he was walking in thin ice before...and then he deliberately decided not to follow the rules
HIS BOSS set, he got sh*t-canned. Its not exactly a shocker, if I deliberately disobey my boss's directions I can get fired too. And now here is crying that its because of bias. There is no bias here, next time when
YOUR BOSS tells you to do something you better A) do it, or B) quit. But if you defy your boss like Williams did, you better start sending out your resume.
What happened was this: Williams tested NPR patience one to many times. Sorry No sympathy.