When Ayaan Hirsi Ali was denied a Brandeis honorary degree over her perceived anti-Muslim agenda, Fox News was all academic freedom, First Amendment, yadda, yadda. But when a liberal academic is critical of the GOP, it's all off with his head. The latest outrage is directed against a teacher at Eastern Connecticut (evil, librul state) who had the effrontery to criticize Republicans. So as the mouthpiece for the perpetually outraged right wing community and its affiliated blogs, it wasn't a surprise that Fox & Friends would take up their newest causus belli against the aforementioned teacher who has apologized. Joining walls of genius Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Brian Kilmeade was Caleb Bonham who, only last weekend, whined about liberal bias at college commencements. As Jon Stewart wisely said, "conservative victimization is the true genius" of Fox News."
Brian Kilmeade began "The Trouble With Schools" segment with "parents listen up because your child's tuition could be going to this guy." Audio was played audio of a professor at EasternConnecticutUniversity (probably getting death threats as we speak) who says bad things about OMG Republicans. What, according to Brian Kilmeade is a "rant," is an out of context commentary: *"...racist, misogynist, money grubbing people have so much power over the rest of us and want things to go back not to 1955, but to 1855...it's absolutely possible that the Republicans will take over the Senate as well as the House and we will live in a very, very different kind of country if that happens, I mean colleges will start closing up if they, these people, have their way."
Hasselbeck said, "in case you were wondering what Eastern Connecticut State University did, the answer is nothing, so far." She introduced her guest, America's foremost expert on campus life, right wing, "Christian politico with a sense of humor," Fox fave Caleb Bonham who is head of "Campus Reform" an organization spawned from the right wing "Leadership Institute" dedicated to "smashing left wing scum" on campus. So lots of fairness and balance there! She then read a statement, from the school, in which they referred to academic freedom. She asked "how is it possible" that "it's not a university matter."
As the Cavuto marked chyron read "Tuition Money Well Spent, Prof. Uses Class Time to Rant on Republicans," Bonham whined that the professor's apology didn't come out until Campus Reform posted their sting audio and the CT GOP issued a press release. After noting that a student had complained to the professor about the insensitivity of remarks, he complained about the professor's description of the GOP as racist and misogynist. (!?) He claimed that he "has" parents and students connected to this school and who are OUTRAGED because "this is a university matter." Kilmeade read the apology.
Video of the aggrieved student, on Megyn Kelly's show, was shown in which the student claimed that the professor hasn't personally apologized to him and has "doubled down." The chyron was amusing given the GOP's attempts to suppress minority voting: "Professor's Propaganda, Teacher Rants That GOP Wants to Suppress Vote." Bonham followed up his laughable statement that his group would oppose an anti-Democratic professor, with praise for how his group "exposes political indoctrination."
What Fox & Friends, in attacking the university, didn't mention is that the president of the university said this: "I was extremely, extremely disappointed when I heard the tape. Professors should feel free to express themselves without fear of retaliation, but they have a responsibility to offer perspective and create an environment where students feel comfortable to disagree. I am personally concerned when only one perspective is presented in a classroom."
Fox & Friends is upset about "propaganda." Seriously?
*The part of the sentence not heard: “There are a lot of people out there that do not want black people to vote, do not want Latinos to vote. Do not want old people to vote, or young people to vote. Because generally, people like you are liberal,"