War on Terrorism

Bogus Smears: New York Daily News Tags NRA As De Facto Jihad Enablers Twice in Six Days
By Tom Blumer | November 23, 2015 | 3:50 PM EST

New York Daily News covers on November 18 ("NRA'S SICK JIHAD" — noted at the time by NB's Kristine Marsh) and today ("NOWHERE TO HIDE, JIHADI WAYNE") have accused the NRA of placing the right to purchase guns ahead of public safety from terrorist attacks.

The paper's bogus claim is based on the NRA's opposition to legislation prohibiting anyone on the government's "terror watch list" from purchasing a gun. While the idea might appear to have sensible on the surface, it doesn't survive scrutiny, as the folks at the group's legislative arm painstakingly explained over four years ago:

After Paris, CNN’s Stelter Dismisses American Fear of Terrorism
By Jeffrey Meyer | November 23, 2015 | 3:48 PM EST

On Sunday’s Reliable Sources, CNN’s Brian Stelter did his best to play up how after the Paris terrorist attack many Americans have had a “fearful, sometimes even xenophobic” reaction. At the same time, the CNN host dismissed fears of a future terrorist attack us unwarranted and irrational. He touted the standard liberal line that much of America’s reaction has been “xenophobic” based in “fear which is a “crippling poison.”

Scarborough Rips GOP on Gun Laws: You Pick the NRA Over Public Safety
By Michael McKinney | November 23, 2015 | 1:55 PM EST

On Monday's Morning Joe, the crew discussed New York Police Commissioner William Bratton's appearance on Sunday's Meet the Press. Joe Scarborough played a clip of Bratton begging Congress to pass a law preventing people on the government's terrorism watch list from buying guns. Scarborough echoed the plea as well.

CBS Touts Syrian Refugees 'Feeling Misjudged;' Hypes Armed Protest
By Matthew Balan | November 23, 2015 | 1:03 PM EST

Manuel Bojorquez zeroed in on the plight of a Syrian refugee family in Texas on Monday's CBS This Morning, and played up how they "feel misjudged after the Paris attacks, and after Texas recently ordered volunteer organizations that help resettle refuges from Syria to discontinue those plans immediately." Bojorquez later spotlighted how "about dozen people — some armed with long guns — protested in front of a mosque outside Dallas" against the Obama administration's plan to bring 10,000 refugees from Syria.

Un presentador de Univisión lo repite: El islam no inspira a los terroristas
By Jorge Bonilla | November 23, 2015 | 11:42 AM EST

Los lectores de esta columna ya han sufrido a través de los grandes pensamientos de los presentadores principales de Univisión Jorge Ramos y María Elena Salinas, respectivamente. Conozcan ahora a Enrique Acevedo, presentador del noticiero nacional Edición Nocturna de Univisión y su más reciente artículo de opinión. 

WashPost's Marcus Decries GOP's 'Very Ugly Week,' Longs for 'Good Old Days' of Bush
By Brad Wilmouth | November 23, 2015 | 12:36 AM EST

Appearing as a panel member on Sunday's Face the Nation on CBS, Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus had sudden respect for former President George W. Bush as she declared that she was "nostalgic for the good old days" when President Bush had "soothing, calming responsible words about Muslims" in contrast with the "very ugly week for Republicans" since the Paris attacks.

NBC Show: Fight Terror with Hugs
By Karen Townsend | November 23, 2015 | 12:09 AM EST

With a nod to the terror attacks in Paris that cancelled last week’s live show and the attack on a Mali hotel, NBC’s Undateable’s newest live episode, “An Origin Story Walks Into A Bar,” began with a little shot of compassion mixed with a chaser of naivety. 

Stephanopoulos Omits Arguments Against Barring Guns to Watch List Suspects
By Brad Wilmouth | November 22, 2015 | 11:52 PM EST

On Sunday's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos repeatedly brought up the debate over whether to bar guns from people on the federal terror watch list or the no-fly list without delving into any of the arguments against doing so.

The ABC host brought up the issue with both guests Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson, and raised the issue again during the Roundtable segment, but never noted either the specific criticisms that the list gets from both the left and the right, or the argument against tipping off suspects under secret investigation which barring them from purchasing guns would cause.

Washington Monthly Blogger: Our Political Discussion Is Driven By ‘Non-Problems That the Republicans Have Dreamed Up’
By Tom Johnson | November 22, 2015 | 1:28 PM EST

The left tends to believe that Republicans, for whatever reason, are a lot better than Democrats at messaging and salesmanship. In that vein, Martin Longman argues that GOPers have a flair for fabricating issues -- “non-problems,” Longman calls them -- which distract the public from real problems.

“There was the non-problem with Fast & Furious,” wrote Longman in a Friday post. “There was the non-problem of professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Shirley Sherrod and Solyndra and ACORN and in-person voter fraud and the IRS and the so-called Benghazi cover-up and the Ebola panic and now Syrian refugees…We seem to be living in a political world that is driven less by problems than non-problems that the Republicans have dreamed up or trumped up.”

Limbaugh: Obama Sees Conservatives as ‘Number One Enemy,’ Not ISIS
By Kyle Drennen | November 22, 2015 | 11:18 AM EST

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh blasted President Obama for treating Republicans as a greater enemy than ISIS terrorists: “Barack Obama's number one enemy is the Republican Party and the conservative movement. You see he gets animated, he doesn't need cue cards, he doesn’t need Teleprompter when he starts ripping into them.”

Really? Media Meme: U.S. Does Not Face Same Terrorism Risks As Europe
By Tom Blumer | November 22, 2015 | 10:38 AM EST

In the wake of the Paris terrorist murder sprees, a media narrative that the U.S. is somehow less vulnerable to terrorist attacks than countries in Europe has arisen.

The reasons given for this contention would be uproariously funny if the stakes weren't so serious: "Geography and strict travel restrictions." Additionally, according to the report where the meme appears to have originated, there is "one measure" which makes the U.S. "arguably" more vulnerable: guns.

D'oh! Unfortunate Freudian Slip Undermines Call for Unity From CAIR Shill
By Jack Coleman | November 21, 2015 | 6:39 PM EST

An appearance last night on Alan Colmes' radio show went from bad to barely better for a spokesman with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Hassan Shibly, executive director of the Florida CAIR branch at Tampa, made an earnest attempt to separate Islamic fanatics responsible for last week's carnage in Paris from genuine Muslims, despite a revealing gaffe right out of the gate.