Yesterday, the same folks who constantly bray about liberal (and Muslim) indoctrination in public schools provided their full support for an Oregon school teacher who espoused his virulently anti-choice, Catholic views in his public school classroom and was subsequently fired for this. His case has become a cause célèbre in the anti-choice community. Despite his history of anti-choice classroom advocacy and other behavior that was considered to be an impediment to his working relationship with students and staff, the Fox & Friends hosts ignored these details in their defense of this teacher who, according to formerly pro-choice Elisabeth Hasselbeck, was just trying to provide "balance" (!) to the evil forces of Planned Parenthood who were part of a school approved program to combat teen pregnancy. This morning, in keeping with its role as a media platform for the anti-choice movement and Christian victimhood, Fox News provided a platform for this teacher, William Diss, to receive warm support for his claim that he is being persecuted for his beliefs.
The segment opened with their trademark "Trouble With Schools" graphic. Steve Doocy, part of Roger Ailes stable of conservative Catholics, framed the propaganda, as Fox Fact, immediately: "Booted for his beliefs when a dedicated teacher of 11 years stood up for his pro-life stood up for his pro-life views in the classroom and the school had no hesitation in firing him." (Fact Check - Diss was put on administrative leave in March and was just recently fired.)
Doocy introduced Diss. In setting him up as a sympathetic character, Doocy asked him how he was doing. After Diss said he was doing OK and asked Doocy how he was doing, Doocy said he was doing fine because he had a job. He asked Diss why he was fired. Bill cut the "no hesitation" argument in admitting that this was a six year process. He claimed that he had received good reviews until he got involved with group that was trying to stop Planned Parenthood from building a new facility. He claimed that school administration questioned him about his off-time activities, including his church activities. The chyron reinforced the propaganda: "Faith Under Fire, Diss: I Was Booted Because I'm Pro-Life."
Doocy's scrunched up his face as he said "wait, wait, wait, the principal wanted to know what you said in church." Diss made more claims about what the administration supposedly said to him. Doocy audibly sighed. The Cavuto marked chyron asked if Diss was "Booted for Beliefs." Doocy expressed confusion about why the school wanted Planned Parenthood to talk to Diss's math class. Diss said that is was a "tutorial class" where Planned Parenthood "tried to recruit the children." (Okaaaayyyy) He spoke of a "paper" that students signed without parental permission and "games" that were played. Diss didn't mention that he evicted the Planned Parenthood reps from his class.
Doocy provided his trademark "reach around" whereby he sums up what is happening so that his guest can validate it: "All you were doing was simply, OK Planned Parenthood can give their point of view, you've been fired." After Doocy read a comment from the schools, Diss noted that his union is representing him (LOL, the right wing hates teacher's unions!) as well as a lawyer from a pro-life firm. Doocy provided the requisite warm validation: "It just doesn't seem right that you should be, if they're going to have one side, the other side can't be represented at school, that just doesn't seem fair." He wished Diss luck and asked him to keep Fox posted.
If Diss objects to a teen outreach program (claims it's "filth"), aimed at preventing teen pregnancy, then he should be teaching in a Catholic school where abstinence is the only form of sex ed. But wow, Steve Doocy talks about balanced on a show that is willfully ignoring salient details about this situation like that fact that (mentioned yesterday by Brian Kilmeade) "when he [Diss] does talk about it [anti-choice views in class], he does have really good views and everything, sometimes he goes too deep into it. He brings religion into it." Obviously Doocy thinks it's fine for pro-life Catholic teachers to proselytize in public schools; but I suspect that if Diss had been fired for espousing Islam in the classroom, Steve Doocy would not be as sympathetic. Ya think?
