We’ve written a lot about Fox News’ latest cause celebre – the championing of lawbreaking Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the demonization of federal officials trying to enforce the law – and the $1 million bill owed to American taxpayers - Bundy has flouted for over 20 years. But when discussing issues of government overreach involving people of color and occupiers, Fox has not just sided with the government but has usually demonized those with differing opinions.
As I’ve previously posted, Fox News personalities just can’t seem to say enough bad things about the federal government’s reaction to Bundy’s lawbreaking. At the same time, Fox has been whitewashing that lawbreaking. Even though some Bundy supporters showed up armed with handguns and rifles, the federal agents withdrew out of concerns for safety and one supporter was recorded saying, “We were actually strategizing to put all the women up in the front. If they were going to start shooting, it’s gonna be women that are gonna be televised all across the world getting shot by these rogue federal officers.”
Some examples of Fox News advocacy for the Bundys:
- In a very friendly interview with the Bundy family (one of many), Sean Hannity demonized the federal government by suggesting they might kill Cliven Bundy – without expressing any concern for Bundy’s lawlessness or the welfare of the federal agents tasked with enforcing the law.
- FoxNews.com titled a Fox News video “Why Cliven Bundy should continue his fight, no matter what.”
- Reporter Griff Jenkins didn’t see the need to do any investigation when he uncritically passed on Bundy family claims that the federal government killed their cows and threw them in a mass grave. Jenkins deliberately suggested that the government had robbed the Bundy family instead of the other way around.
Let’s compare that to how Fox has treated other people's concerns for government overreach:
- Bill O’Reilly condescendingly lectured the father of slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton that despite concerns for fairness, “stop and frisk” polices were needed to stop the crime wave. “We have to pay a price sometimes,” O'Reilly said. He also complained, “But if the city did that, you’d hear the howls of indignation from the racial hustlers who would rather see kids die than admit there is an acute social and criminal problem in many poor precincts. A very tough statement, but it’s true.”
- When a judge ruled New York City’s stop and frisk law unconstitutional, on Fox & Friends, Gretchen Carlson said, “People in Chicago, now, well, they’re warning New York: expect bad stuff to start happening here as a result of not being able to do that.” Peter Johnson, Jr. said, “The likelihood is, in my view, that the murder rate in New York City will skyrocket.” By the way, that was last August. I haven’t heard about a skyrocketing murder rate in New York, have you?
- Megyn Kelly “asked” Arizona Governor Jan Brewer about critics, “who are all noticeably outside of your state, …including the President," of Arizona's intrusive immigration bill (since ruled mostly unconstitutional) and whether they "have an appreciation, governor, for what Arizona has been going through with respect to illegal immigration?”
- Megyn Kelly spent weeks race baiting Attorney General Eric Holder for not prosecuting some black radicals for voter intimidation – even though there was no evidence of voter intimidation.
- Eric Bolling is all for drug testing people on public assistance (apparently not counting Bundy’s subsidized grazing fees – if he were to pay them): “This is just pure common sense. …Great idea to drug test them, pull the benefits if they come up positive.” Has anyone heard Bolling suggest any of the Bundys should be drug tested? Me neither.
- Sean Hannity sounded downright enthusiastic in an interview with CIA officer Jose Rodriguez who told about slapping terrorism suspects, depriving them of food and sleep and keeping them naked and, as Hannity said eagerly, making them “as uncomfortable and miserable as possible.” Hannity closed the interview by saying, “Thank you for all you did for the country’s safety. And I know you will have your critics forever but I agree with you. I believe it kept the country safe.”
Are you seeing a pattern here as to how Fox was all for government intrusion before it was against it?
Do you think that if Bundy was an Occupier, Fox would be so buddy-buddy with him? Actually, we have that answer. When police pepper-sprayed Occupy protesters at UC Davis, in 2011, Megyn Kelly gave them a now-famous pass: “It’s a food product, essentially.” Although Kelly did cast doubt on the police tactics, Bill O’Reilly declared to her, “I don’t think we have the right to Monday morning quarterback the police." That video is below, via Media Matters.
Don’t. You. Dare. insult MLP that way. Not only has he been a long time reader and friend of this site, he did not engage in that kind of name calling with you.
You said you were leaving about five comments ago. If you want to stay despite claiming how much you hate us, fine. But if you can’t do it without calling us names, you will be banned. Without further notice.
Yes. Cliven Bundy is in violation of regulations specifically passed and implemented to drive him off this land. They had no right to push him off, so they fabricated laws and regulations to make it illegal.
Wake up. Your implicit faith in the Federal Government is obsurd. If COngress was subject to half the laws average citizens are most of them would be in jail.
This is a Federal Government RICO case.
Have a nice life, hope you enjoy the upcoming non-freedom.
"Clark County property records show Cliven Bundy’s parents moved from Bundyville, Arizona and bought the 160 acre ranch in 1948 from Raoul and Ruth Leavitt.
Water rights were transferred too, but only to the ranch, not the federally managed land surrounding it. Court records show Bundy family cattle didn’t start grazing on that land until 1954.
The Bureau of Land Management was created 1946, the same year Cliven was born. "
Damn….now Bundy is a lying tax cheat, too!
“Public lands in Nevada – and other western states—actually provide an enormous economic boost and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs. Indeed, recent Interior Department statistics show that federally managed public lands in Nevada provided over $1 billion in economic impacts and supported 13,311 jobs in 2010. This statistic doesn’t even include the economic impacts of Forest Service lands, managed by the Department of Agriculture). Recreation, energy and minerals, and grazing and timber all play a part in the economic effects that public lands provide to Nevada. Activities like skiing at Lake Tahoe, boating at Lake Mead, and hiking at Great Basin National Park all take place on public lands.”
Also, consider that Nevada is the driest state in the nation, with an average annual rainfall of only about 7 in., much of Nevada is uninhabited, sagebrush-covered desert. Much of the federal land is either that uninhabitable desert, or mountains.
Funny how these sources they put up are conveniently conservative blogs, and how all of them claim to have these smoking guns that actually link you to Bundy’s court records, or the land damage report that outlines how he was overgrazing the land he refused to pay a grazing fee for.
Here’s a small dose of reality for ya, Keith: Even outlets like Fox, Newsbusters and Breitbart admit that this is a load of conservative bullshit, because A) The project was terminated in 2013, B) The land it was going to be built on is actually 20 miles from the land the conspiracy is claiming, and C) This is a rehash of a 2003 anti-Reid conspiracy, that was already rehashed once to try packing onto Solyndra.
Here’s another: Bundy threatened the feds, he threatened his auditors, him and his militia buddies used their wives for human shields, and Bundy himself outright said that he’s hoping this turns into another Waco/Ruby Ridge. Before he became a Fox darling, Megyn Kelly actually argued against other hosts that Bundy didn’t have a leg to stand on, and that how he escalated it basically assured him prison time.
Says a lot about the people who defend him that they defend him, even when many of the same people were admitting he’s just a criminal before he became a platform to slander Reid from.
And there you go, a true socialist … putting down people who exercise the Second Amendment. Guess what? He and companions also exercised the First Amendment when protesting. They had guns, but did not use them – even when a woman was tazed.
mlp: Where did you get the source that Bundy does not pay taxes? This has nothing to do with taxes, it has to do with a citizen refusing to pay to use land that dates back to the 19th century.
You do not find it disturbing that the Feds control (“own”) 83% of Nevada? This does not affect you, so you cannot see this from the perspective that Americans have watched their rights and liberties dwindle away little by little – no matter what political party is in power. However, when the Democrats have majority, they want to spend and when they run out of money or overspend – they think it perfectly okay to steal more from the People. All the name calling and allegations here pointed towards me does not hide the fact that you ramble with NO facts. I have provided a source other than FOX. It is because this is not just about Fox, it is about Americans finally saying, “Enough is enough”. Tea Party members are people from many walks of life race, color and creed. Where does racism apply. One of the commentators mentioned the “KKK” – that organization was definitely racist and they were ALL Democrats. Just like it was a Democrat who ran against Lincoln for the presidency because they did not want to abolish slavery.
I am not saying all this to belittle any of you, except those who print rude things – I am trying to show you that this is more than fees owed and public land being used. Frankly, I would like to see the whole thing resolved in court, which Bundy has been doing for 20 years.
Bundy has not been “sucking on the government” – he did not receive money, he refused to pay for using PUBLIC land. What part of any of this don’t you understand?
Why do you keep calling Bundy a traitor? Are you traitors because you speak your mind, as little educated as they are, here?
Freedom of speech does not guarantee an individual to make up things as they go, quote tyrants and their organizations as if it is truth, or make up their facts just to feel right.
Of course, this has nothing to do with you, so it is easy to criticize, I guess. But it does have something to do with all of us. “Teabaggers” are people trying to unify America and retake control of OUR government, for all of us. People commenting here are only out to put down people like the teabaggers.
You really need to sit down and read the Constitution and its amendments, as well as the Federalist Papers and the papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, James Monroe, et cetera. Maybe, just maybe, a light will turn on in your dark minds.