Fox News has apparently forgotten its touching concern for freedom of expression now that Jesse Jackson has spoken out about Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty. Not only that, but Fox is using the opportunity to racially smear him. Even worse, African American Juan Williams helped the effort on last night’s O’Reilly Factor.

The race baiting against Jackson started earlier in the day

The O’Reilly Factor segment was one of four I saw on Fox on the subject yesterday. Most made nasty racial innuendoes about Jackson – even as the hosts ignored the racially offensive comments made by Robertson.

For example, the GQ interview that started the controversy includes the following quote from Robertson:

“I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.”

According to FoxNews.com, Jackson said, “‘Robertson’s statements were uttered freely and openly without cover of the law, within a context of what he seemed to believe was “white privilege.”’

But rather than consider what Jackson meant, host Uma Pemmaraju sneered that Jackson had “stepped into” the controversy and “asked” “Has he gone too far?” She later suggested Jackson is the racist when she complained, ““white privilege, using those types of words, to try to draw people into feeling this is more of a racial problem as opposed to dealing with something about free speech and one’s religious beliefs.”

It’s worth pointing out that those comments occurred on America’s News HQ, which is supposedly part of Fox’s “objective news” block of programming.

The O'Reilly Factor kicked up the race baiting against Jackson, while giving Robertson a pass

Both Williams and guest Jason Riley, also an African American, ignored the racially offensive nature of Robertson’s remarks. Riley all but whitewashed them when he said, “It turns out that people tune in because they share the values and sensibilities of these folks.”

Williams actually prompted Riley to go racial against Jackson. Williams said, “But the question is, what about the people, the pressure groups? Jackson now wanting in on this. The gay rights groups.”

Funny, nobody complained about Sarah Palin “wanting in.”  Jesse Jackson is a legitimate civil rights leader involving himself in a civil rights matter. Palin not only has no legitimate connection to the controversy, she didn’t even bother to find out what Robertson actually said before she inserted herself into it.

But Riley took the race bait he was offered and said:

Jesse Jackson’s been doing this for 30 years. Is anyone surprised that he has injected himself in the controversy? This is what he does. He’s part of the grievance industry. It’s very lucrative. Jesse Jackson may claim to be acting on behalf of black people. But Jesse Jackson is acting on behalf of Jesse Jackson.

“Stop right there!” Williams commanded. But because he wanted to validate Riley, not challenge him. “This is a great point!” Williams said. “Very lucrative… for Jesse Jackson now to put pressure on (Duck Dynasty network) A&E. So what does he want? Does he want a show on A&E, too?” Riley laughed heartily.

Apparently, it was beyond the realm of Fox News possibility that Jackson had a legitimate point worth considering.