Yes, I've been fired. I was fired, according to the termination letter I received from ABC Radio, for "offensive" comments I made on the air regarding Islam and terrorism. Coincidentally (?), all of the comments deemed offensive by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) were listed in my ABC disciplinary memo.

I was also fired, according to ABC management, for my refusal to apologize for said comments. They further ordered me to agree to "additional outreach efforts" to people felt offended by my opinions. Would I be flipping burgers at the local mosque? Singing Kumbaya with CAIR? Hugs for Hamas? Management wouldn't say.

For reasons that seem self-evident to me, I refused this generous offer to throw my principles out the window. What kind of talk-radio host goes on the air and apologizes for giving his honest opinion? Who wants to hear the views of a pundit who agrees to change his opinions just to keep his job?

And given that the vast majority of my listeners supported me, flooding my radio station with some 15,000 emails and phone calls in 48 hours, what kind of moron would then slap his supporters in the face by telling them on the air, "You know what? I'm a bigot, and all y'all are, too!"

When I was suspended without pay a month ago, my smartest and closest friends told me, "Graham, relax. This is all going to blow over. They are NEVER going to fire you over this. C'mon, this is CAIR we're talking about!"

And it's true that few public advocacy groups have as little legitimacy or credibility as the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Some of their members have been jailed for terrorism. Others have been deported. They are still reluctant to criticize Hamas and Hezbollah, and it took them three weeks after 9/11 to condemn al-Qaeda!

Getting drummed out of talk radio by CAIR is like being chased out of your junior-high teacher's job by the guys at the North American Man/Boy Love Association.

But here I am, looking for another job.

Here's the bizarre part: I started my on-air conversation about the unique, tragic interrelationship between Islam and terrorism on the Thursday (July 21) of the second London subway bombings, the ones that failed. Nobody at ABC Radio objected to my comments.

I repeated the comments on Friday. Again, no problem. Monday ‹ same thing. Tuesday, I spent my entire three-hour show talking about Islam as it's constituted today being a terrorist organization, at the instruction of ABC management.

And for that, I was suspended and fired. What happened? How did the words that were insignificant one Thursday suddenly become unforgivable the next?

It was all about CAIR. Late that Monday they sent out news releases, called advertisers, complained of my "hate radio" to ABC. By Thursday, ABC had capitulated and suspended me, and CAIR immediately sent out a press release insisting ABC hadn't gone far enough and I had to be fired. Eventually, I was.

Meanwhile, more listeners stood by me, not a single advertiser pulled their ads, and I had more positive press coverage than Hillary Clinton at a National Organization for Women convention. In a business that depends on listeners and advertisers and publicity, you'd think we'd be talking bonuses, not termination.

But this is the trick to getting fired while doing your job well. You have to offend members of those special castes we have declared un-offendable. No other groups will do.

For example, to lose your radio gig for offending Catholics, you have to go so far as to have a couple engaged in on-air, non-immaculate conception in the back of a cathedral. (Opie and Anthony). To get chased off the radio waves for offending families with kids riding in the car, you have to have explicit "how-to" conversations involving lesbians, vegetables and petroleum byproducts. (Howard Stern). To get fired for offending Southern Christian evangelicals, you have to ...

Actually, that's not possible. You can publicly dismiss all evangelicals as people of limited intellect who are easily led, and you'll be defended on the editorial pages of The New York Times.

But point out the obvious, the indisputable about the current state of Islam, and you might as well log on to Monster.com and start sending out resumes.

Think about this: Dan Rather went on the air with a story based on a FAKE Air National Guard memo; he was misleading about the steps taken at CBS to "authenticate" it; after he was caught he still maintained the bogus story was true ... and he kept his job!

I gave an honest, reason-based opinion about the challenges facing Islam, quoted facts, polls and public comments accurately ‹ and I was fired.

This is the new, mainstream media standard for employment: You are far more likely to get fired for telling the truth than you are for telling a lie

If I had called the Catholic Church a haven for pedophiles because I believed their doctrine of priestly celibacy caused pedophilia, I would still have my talk-radio job today.

I know, because there are talk hosts and pundits who have made that argument, and they are still on the air today.

If I had called the Christian faith a terror-sponsoring organization because of Eric Rudolph or the KKK, I would still be an employee in good standing with the ABC Radio Co. I know, because I hear that argument made in the media nearly every day.

But instead, I made the one move certain to endanger my career: I told the truth about a minority group. And in the P.C. nation we live in today, that's the fast track to the unemployment line.

Let us know what you think: Email Suspects@aol.com or news@free-times.com

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