NPR must fire Nina Totenberg.  Nothing less will be ok.  Nothing less will be acceptable.  NPR, funded by your tax dollars and mine, must treat attacks on religions consistently.

Nina Totenberg, correspondent for National Public Radio, took a shot at Christianity on TV (<a href=”http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/12/20/nprs_nina_totenberg_apologizes_for_saying_christmas.html”>Real Clear Politics</a>).

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<blockquote>”And I was at – forgive the expression – a Christmas party at the Department of Justice and people actually were really worried about this,” said Totenberg.</blockquote>
FORGIVE THE EXPRESSION????

Does she consider “Christmas” an offensive word, an untoward word, something she needs to be forgiven for saying?

Remember, NPR fired Juan Williams for saying that he gets nervous around Muslims on a plane.  Nina Totenberg just declared “Christmas” an offensive term.

<a href=”http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130712737″>NPR</a> said Williams’ comments were “inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

NPR certainly wouldn’t take the tact that offending Christians is fine but offending Muslims can get you fired.

Ok, the fact that Totenberg never had a tenth of the credibility as a news analyst that Williams did shouldn’t save her.  Will NPR claim that attacks on Christianity aren’t “inconsistent” with their editorial standards and practices?  Seems like that would be a fair defense. 

Nevertheless, let’s take a walk down Totenberg lane.  Nina Totenberg, sweet, innocent, inoffensive, non-partisan, unbaised Nina Totenberg said that God should’ve given AIDS to Sen. Jesse Helms or his grandchildren.

Seriously.  Watch the video:
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Nina Totenberg said God would give AIDS to Jesse Helms’ grandchildren.  “…he ought to be worried about what’s going on in the Good Lord’s mind, because if there’s retributive justice, he’ll get AIDS from a transfusion or one of his grandchildren will get it.”

And Juan Williams was fired.

Of course, Nina Totenberg, NPR’s legal correspondent, had her wedding officiated by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.  President Obama nominated Totenberg’s sister to be a US District Court judge.  While Totenberg was covering the Bill Clinton press conference announcing Lani Guinier as Asst. Attorney General, credible little Nina gave Lani a big hug.

That’s journalism!

Nina was also behind the attacks on Republican Supreme Court nominees Clarance Thomas and Douglas Ginsburg.  Somehow, I never found a negative thing she’s written about a Democrat nominee, but I’ll keep looking.

So, NPR, is Nina Totenberg consistent with your “editorial standards and practices?”  How’s her “credibility as a news analyst with NPR?”

And what about Christmas does she think is so offensive that she needs to preface saying the word by saying “forgive the expression?”

Nina needs to go.  And if NPR can’t treat employees equally, than NPR needs to go with her.

(Originally posted by Brian Kirwin at BearingDrift.com)