Many Fox News hosts, journalists and commentators fanned the flames when DHS put out its report on domestic terrorism.  For example, Sean Hannity had the following to say on April 15:

 “if you disagree with that liberal path that President Obama’s taken the country down, you may soon catch the attention of the Department of Homeland Security. Now the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis has issued an intel assessment that warns of a rise of what they’re calling right-wing extremism. But critics of the report say their definition of a right-wing extremist sounds awfully close to somebody who might simply just disagree with the Obama administration.”

However, Shep Smith, of “We don’t *expletive deleted* torture” fame on Fox News broke from the pack. 

 


 

 

Once again, Shep Smith commands respect.  I am fairly rough of Fox News.  Generally speaking, I do not think they are fair and balanced.  I believe they filter our news for us more than other stations.  However, in Shep’ case, it is time for some kudos!  He definitely gets the “Did the Right Thing Award.” 

32 Thoughts to “Shep Smith: DHS Report Was A Warning To Us All, But The Right Went Absolutely Bonkers”

  1. ShellyB

    On Fox News no less. Wow. M-H, I wish you’d found this video a few days ago. We went round and round on those other threads for nothing defending DHS for trying to protect us. We could have just put a Fox News video on and half of the debate would have been said for us. Oh well.

  2. ShellyB

    Well, not for nothing. There were a lot of great points beyond what Shep says here. But I doubt there would have been as much resistance if it was known that Fox News was on OUR SIDE (=

  3. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    We should have all headed the warnings DHS released about octogenarian WWII vets that might become extremists!

  4. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Or radical Muslim converts that might kill Army recruiters.

  5. Emma

    Or ecoterrorists who might commit acts of arson.

  6. Moon-howler

    Radical Muslim converts kill our soldiers almost daily–just not here. As for the octogenarian WWII vets, that almost goes to make it even more real, for some reason. The fact that that old buzzard was as old as he was makes the report more valid to me. It shows how deeply entrenched that hate can be.

    Shellyb, I just found out it had happened today (thanks to Elena) or I would have. I am not resting in comfort that Fox News is on our side. In fact, I have noticed recently that even Greta, who I used to find to be a voice of reason, has gotten sort of quirky and right wing. Maybe Shep is just showing his moderate colors.

    Then again, why must I always have my news filtered for me?

  7. Moon-howler

    Eco-terrorists are as contemptible as any other terrorist who vandalizes other people’s property. If they kill, then they are right up there with the big timers.

    I truly believe that terrorists and extremists are exactly that. We have rather artificial criteria.

    For instance, on a non-extreme basis, those protesting in favor of human life before an execution are somehow placed on the left. If the same group were protesting in favor of human life outside of a women’s clinic, then they would be placed on the right.

  8. Emma

    I don’t understand people who are pro-life and pro-death penalty. It doesn’t compute. So am I a left-rightist or a right-leftist?

  9. kelly3406

    So let me see if I get the gist of this, MH. You like and respect the broadcaster who agrees with your views and dislike and disrespect the broadcaster who disagrees with your views. This is truly a shocking development!

  10. kelly3406

    ShellyB :
    But I doubt there would have been as much resistance if it was known that Fox News was on OUR SIDE

    Witness Too tried to convince me to change my mind about the DHS report, because it was commissioned by President Bush. Now ShellyB somehow believes that there would have been less resistance if we knew that Shep Smith was on the other side. Sorry to disappoint you, but I make up my own mind.

  11. ShellyB

    Kelly, that’s a good start. I have hope for you yet. People who watch Fox News have become so predictable. This thing that is happening with this guy speaking his own mind could really shake things up. But ultimately I think it will be up to moderate Republicans to convince more extremists to start thinking for themselves. We are starting to see now that blind faith in someone else’s manipulation can drive a person insane. Even if it takes 88 years.

  12. kelly3406

    The naysayers on the previous thread were unsuccessful in changing my mind about the (lack of) value of the DHS report. I have more two quick points before moving on:

    1) You are probably aware of the recent Gallup poll, which found that 40% of Americans self identify as conservative, 35% moderate, and 25% liberal. The DHS report asserts that several of the basic principles (e.g. limited government, pro-life, pro-second amendment) held by conservatives may lead to radicalization and future domestic terrorism. However, there is no way that beliefs so commonly held by the single largest political segment in America (i.e. conservatives) can be used to differentiate between terrorists and non-terrorists.

    2) We all know that shortly after the DHS report was released, a rash of domestic terror cases occurred. It is just as plausible that the report suggested to deranged nutcases that they commit heinous acts as it is that the report correctly predicted that these nutcases would magically act on their own.

  13. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    ShellyB doesn’t like Fox News….it’s not really fair and balanced. She prefers ABC, that actually broadcasts the nightly news from inside the White House. Very credible journalism, there!

  14. ShellyB

    My impression of Fox News is that it is designed to appeal to people who thrive on hate. These same people often suffer from intellectual insecurities and so it is addictive for them to receive this download of fabricated opinions that not only makes them feel knowledgeable, it plays into their desire to have something to hate. I find this class of people predictable because something is “true” or “not true” based on whether it gives them a good reason to be hateful toward the person they already are hateful toward.

    You all should see the movie “Out-Foxed” which reveals how the organization is run. The talking points for the day come down from the top. The news is scripted even before the day’s events occur.

    People who go off script have been forced out. That is why there is so much uniformity in their “some people say” statements and their “I find it interesting that” statements, which always insinuate another good reason to hate Democrats.

    I don’t watch it unless it is some sort of YouTube video. But my problem is that people who are deceived by this sort of manipulation then go and make bad choices. Like shooting at police officers, shooting doctors, or shooting museum guards. They can also make bad decisions in the voting booth as we saw in 2004. I think that most people who voted for Bush in 2004 would not have done so if they had information that was available on other news stations at the time.

    So basically I worry about the affect it has on people, who then can have an affect on me and on our country.

  15. Moon-howler

    Actually I don’t particularly ‘like’ Shep Smith. I am glad to see that he thinks for himself rather than goose-stepping to the party line.

    Kelly, I think you think way too much about how to classify yourself. I don’t suppose you would ever have a belief that was an outlier?

    I am all in favor those kinds of reports. It keeps us on our toes. If it keeps one act of violence from happening, good.

  16. Gainesville Resident

    As if CNN is a bastion of truth and fair and balanced reporting!

  17. Moon-howler

    Lou Dobbs is a bit much. I think CNN probably has fewer far right commentators than Fox, but Lou Dobbs counts double. Who on CNN is seen as liberal. Maybe I don’t watch it as much. Fox has far better car chases.

  18. Gainesville Resident

    Fox indeed has far better car chases. They had a really good one a month ago or so when I was stuck watching it for hours on the system I was working on down in Texas – some nut hijacked a truck that was just the cab and no trailer – and the truck driver was hanging on the back for his dear life – and this was at 60 mph or greater speeds. That had to be the best chase I ever saw – finally when the truck slowed down – the driver jumped off of it while it was still going 20 mph or so. Not sure how the truck driver ended up in that position in the first place. Predictably, they threw down the things that flattened the tires and eventually the thief was stopped and caught.

    CNN though – according to people who were on the ground in Iraq at the time – they could point to things CNN purposely made look exactly the opposite about specific battles in the war that these people were involved in. Those people ended up having no respect for CNN’s tactics at all, and said every bit of reporting on things they knew about was 180 degrees distorted from the reality.

  19. Gainesville Resident

    As far as Outfoxed, I wouldn’t watch any movie made by Robert Greenwald – a very close friend of Abbie Hoffman who continues to stir up large amounts of trouble up in the area where I grew up in. Anyone that’s a friend of someone like that, is not anyone who has any credibility with me at all.

  20. Gainesville Resident

    I should say friends of Abbie Hoffman continue to support his crazy causes – he settled in Bucks County Pennsylvania in the 80’s and caused lots of trouble there, and his supporters still continue to cause trouble there.

  21. Moon-howler

    Those CNN and Fox people all have changed places since the major part of the war. Remember that cutie Bill Hemmer used to be CNN and on with Soledad O’Brian. Also Big Mouth Geraldo got sent to time out from the war because of drawing a map in the sand with a stick. Those are the high lights as I remember them.

    I just don’t see CNN as being any worse than anyone else. Other than Lou Dobbs, I see it as a more neutral station. I don’t see all the eye cutting and interjection of personal opinion there. (except Lou Dobbs)

  22. Moon-howler

    Fox chix also show more cleavage. If you are the least bit homely, you aren’t hired by Fox, at least if you are female. There is a certain degree of T & A involved on that station…well maybe T & L (leg).

  23. Gainesville Resident

    It might be, but wasn’t CNN the one that aired that ad about one of their female anchors and it had the sound of a zipper and implied she was very sexy? It didn’t stay on for long, and the CNN “party line” was that it wasn’t approved by upper management – but in that case how did it ever air? I know the female anchor in question (I forget her name) did protest the airing of that ad. I’m pretty sure this was CNN and not Fox. That being said, it does seem like Fox does play up the sexy female anchor angle.

    By the way, I forgot to say, that chase I talked about aired during Shephard Smith’s show and he was commenting on the chase being so unbelievable – the real truck driver was hanging on for his dear life on the narrow piece that stuck out from the back of the cab that the trailer is normally attached to. The truck as going down some highway and weaving in and out of traffic, with a whole bunch of police cars following behind him.

    That incident with Geraldo – well he has always been sort of stupid and sensationalist, I don’t put anything past him. It was very very stupid of him to draw that map in the sand, in the very early days of the war. All the embedded journalists were told very explicitly what they could and could not do – and giving away anything that might tend to say a position was at the top of the list, no question about that. He should have known better. He deserved whatever punishment he got on that one. He must have been sleeping during the briefing for incoming embedded journalists, I guess. Indeed, a lot of people have switched networks since those days. CNN has a very definite slant against the US military though – I’ve heard that from many people I work with in the military – they have a definite agenda there as far as the overseas wars.

  24. Gainesville Resident

    Actually, my memory came back to me – it was Paula Zahn at the start of her career with CNN – they aired an ad implying she was sexy and had the sound of a zipper unzipping along with sexy pictures of her! Although, she was on Fox News before that. I think both networks (as well as all news networks) have a bias toward good looking news anchors. I’m sure they feel ugly ones aren’t good for ratings. Not fair toward people who aren’t photogenic and want to be news anchors, but that’s the way things work unfortunately.

  25. Moon-howler

    Gainesville, I think that if you want to be on tv in almost any capacity, you have better be not just easy on the eyes, but eye candy. Men, while held somewhat to that standard, aren’t as locked in as women. Let’s think of a few examples: Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Steve Doozy…they aren’t pretty boys either. The moral of this story is, if you are female, don’t get old and ugly. But we don’t really need Fox News of CNN to tell us that.

    Give me Geraldine Ferrarro any day of the week 😉 Real women look like Gerry,

  26. Moon-howler

    I saw that semi chase and it was a good one. I feel like such a ghouler when I watch those things. I bet the buy who jumped off was plenty sore.

  27. Gainesville Resident

    I would agree that there is a double standard on men versus women news anchors. You don’t see really any truly ugly old women on there, but three are plenty of men on there that aren’t all that great looking. Once again, an ugly truth about the world of TV news anchoring.

  28. Gainesville Resident

    That guy jumping off that semi – he definitely hit the ground rolling – I’m sure that wasn’t much fun and he probably felt that for a few days afterward. That was one crazy chase though.

  29. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    Fox chix also show more cleavage. If you are the least bit homely, you aren’t hired by Fox, at least if you are female. There is a certain degree of T & A involved on that station…well maybe T & L (leg).

    There’s certainly nothing wrong with this!

  30. Moon-howler

    Just an observation there, slowpoke, just an observation. They can do all the T & A they want, just so they keep Bill Hemmer. (Who I don’t necessarily even like–mute screens work though)

  31. michael

    There is not a single news agency out there that does not report the news hightly slanted toward the liberal or conservative viewpoint, in order to appeal to the hatred and anger built up inside of their respective liberal and conservative viewers who immediately like well trained dogs regurgitate the biased rhetoric to others they oppose.

    It is the extremely RARE individual who refuses to listen to either filtered point of view and watches the details of C-SPAN directly from the people who are themselves making the statements and taking the actions without those comments or sound bites being filtered through a political hierarchy.

    Only rational debate and proof backing up rhetorical claims and political boilerplates, can enlighten the un-enlightend and gullible with facts, evidence, and logic countering politically motivated anger, hatred and reactive, deep-seated emotion.

  32. Moon-howler

    Local news seems to be less filtered than the cable channels.

    C-span really doesn’t report the news but I agree it is a good way to hear what people have to say for themselves rather than having it interpreted for you.

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