Shannon Bream and Todd Starnes are in the vanguard of Fox's fight on behalf of the multitude of Christians whose "religious freedom" is being denied by the insidious "gay agenda." They make a great tag team in that when Starnes discovers examples of this campaign to stifle Christian expression, Ms. Bream validates it by reporting it, uncritically, as real "news." And despite her devotion to Jesus, who brought her to Fox News, she is willing to lie about attempts to fight discrimination against the LGBT community in order to promote the Fox/Christian right claim that it's really the anti-discrimination laws that are discriminating against bible believing Christians because, religious freedom. And it's just not these evil laws that are the problem. According to Liberty U grad Bream, anti-bullying programs are also discriminatory towards those nice "pro-life" Christian kids who want the right to harass gay kids express themselves because, you know, religious freedom.
Bream began the piece by reporting about two girls who committed suicide as a result of bullying. But, in classic Fox fashion, she add that "cases like these make anti-bullying programs seem like a step in the right direction; but some say that programs that are supposed to stop kids from bulling may actually be suppressing conservative ideas on some things like gay marriage and abortion, amounting to bullying of kids who are conservative on those issues." (So Christian kids can tell kids, who have gay parents, that their parents are going to hell?)
Her guests were conservative radio host David Webb and liberal radio host Mark Levine. She cited a new study which is critical of some anti-bullying programs without noting the "researchers suggested more sophisticated programs that attack the social structures that lead to bullying rather than simply mounting a "just say no" type of campaign, one that might inadvertently teach kids nifty new ways to bully." The study did not rule out the need for teachers to intervene when kids are yelling nasty things to each other. As Levine spoke of the negative consequences of bullying, the chyron stated, as Fox fact, "Anti-Bullying Program Being Used to Suppress Conservative Speech."
Bream did not react to Levine's comment but rather cited a school administrator who feels that attempts to combat bullying are unnecessary and burdensome. Webb complained about attempts to "legislate behavior." He dismissed the need for anti-bullying programs because they stifle free speech. (Hmmm, Webb is African-American. Does he think it's OK for white kids to engage in race based bullying?) He advised parents to "deal with the situation" and "stop looking for a law."
Bream pushed the agitprop by claiming that bullying programs are being "used against" those "kids who want to put on pro-life displays, people who are pro-second amendment" who "can't speak their positions." Levine said a distinction needs to be made between issue attacks and personal attacks. Webb brayed about "suppression" and how those who hold conservative views are more frequently suppressed.
So while the legions of Fox persecuted Christians complain about how they are treated; they think it's fine and dandy for conservative, Christian kids to treat others badly because of "religious freedom and that attempts to stop them from bullying are really a form of bullying? Only in the Orwellian world of Fox News where bullying is an expression of religious liberty. Oy Vey!
We’ve already seen these f@cks lie about transgender kids (one TG girl in Colorado was actually placed on a suicide watch because of LIES perpetrated by some right-wing “Christian” legal group—maybe legal should be parenthesized as well—based on some alleged parent’s purported “concerns” at the girl’s school, but NO other actual evidence; the school’s principal, in fact, denied that there’s been any real harassment reported by any students at the school) and the right-wing has already gone to court to overturn the CA law allowing TG students to use the restrooms that match their gender identity.
Now, I know some folks might use the novel and film “Carrie” as an example of “anti-Christian bullying,” they’d also be sadly misunderstanding the bullying. At no point is anyone attacking Carrie over her religious beliefs (although it could be argued that her mother’s religious beliefs indirectly cause Carrie’s being bullied at school but none of the girls behind the bullying are tormenting her because of Carrie’s religious beliefs).
Of course, Bream obviously misses the irony of going on FoxNoise and complaining about “Christian” kids not being allowed to bully in the name of “religious freedom.” I’ll bet there are far more minority religious kids who are being bullied for THEIR religious beliefs than the reverse. Even in the late 20th Century, Jewish kids in the South were being harassed (including by teachers) over their “non-Christian status.” And we’ve seen plenty of Muslims and Sikhs being attacked over THEIR religious beliefs (and appearances). You can pretty much find bullying of non-religious students and non-traditional religion practitioners. There’s even bullying of non-mainstream Christians (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons) in deeply Baptist and Catholic areas.
This bimbo was an attorney prior to dipping her toes in television news broadcast. She should have stuck to her day job because she’s a lousy host on this fraudulent “news” outlet.
If Miss Florida was to talk about bullying, she can start with Billy and Hannocchio the RINO.