Cancelling Keyes was necessary to make room for Donahue:
Kaufman's Commentary© 7/10/02
Keyes Cancellation Doesn't Make Sense
The show 'Alan Keyes is Making Sense,' which started in January of 2002, has been canceled by MSNBC. There is a controversy surrounding the reasoning for this cancellation. And if the latter reason is the correct one, then someone at MSNBC has a lot of explaining to do.
When I first heard that MSNBC was giving a show to Alan Keyes, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was very excited. I was a big fan of his, during his first candidacy for U.S. President back in 1996, and I continued that love-fest throughout his 2000 run. I admired his frank, outspoken nature, and I was fascinated by the way he eloquently stated his positions. You could tell from watching him that he was very well read and his intelligence was far greater than the majority of the populace; he alone dispelled any belief that African Americans had inferior intellects.
My reservation dealt with the fact that the show was airing on MSNBC, whose parent network, NBC, was never known to be an entity that tolerated the Conservative voice. In addition, the way the station was touting the show, they had made it seem as though Keyes being a Conservative was a controversy in itself. I took this as being somewhat demeaning, to him and all Conservatives.
I also was concerned about the format of the show. Much like most other talk shows, Ambassador Keyes (he was once American Ambassador to the United Nations) was going to interview guests. I didn't want to hear guests. I didn't want to hear an interview. I thought the novelty of the show was that it was going to have Alan Keyes. I WANTED TO HEAR KEYES!
Well, when the show began, my reservations were allayed. He said what he wanted to say, and his views were heard loud and clear, guests or no guests! That is, until now.
One of the major issues on Keyes' show was the conflict between Israelis and their Arab neighbors. His views were based on historical fact and concrete evidence, which led him to be overtly and unabashedly one-sided with the Israelis. The show was called 'Making Sense,' and he was doing just that. However, while his pro-Israel stance satisfied persons such as myself, it also angered many in the Islamic community, whose hatred of Jews and Israel far exceeds any type of truth. This led to a petition circulated by radical Islamists calling for the removal of Keyes. Shortly thereafter, he was removed.
The executives at MSNBC claimed that Keyes' dismissal from their prime-time television schedule was that of a "business decision," due to Keyes' unsatisfactory ratings. If one is to buy that reasoning, then one would have to throw out all the evidence that would suggest otherwise… for Keyes' numbers were no worse than any other talk show aired at that time. In fact, in the most important category, affluent viewership, Keyes' numbers were far better! And to go one step further, before Keyes dismissal, MSNBC was praising Keyes' ratings. Why would they one day praise his ratings and the next cancel him? They wouldn't.
This would only lead to one conclusion: that the pressure put on MSNBC by those Islamic radicals caused the station to drop Keyes' from its line-up. And if this is the case, then it paints a picture that is very disturbing indeed. It says that, no matter how truthful an individual is, if he/she states a position that is politically incorrect to a group of people - even if this group comprises of the same individuals who we deem America's enemies - he/she will be silenced. That is nothing less than a travesty, and every proud American should feel threatened by it!
Ladies and gentlemen, our freedoms are at stake here. If we allow this action to occur without our voices being heard, then we might as well stick the Constitution of the United States into a bottle and throw it out to sea. I implore you to take a moment and fill out the electronic petition I have created, located on my web site, joe4rep.com. The petition is asking Fox News Channel to pick up the show 'Alan Keyes is Making Sense.' Fox News is the only station that has exercised fairness with regards to the war on terror, Israel's war included. Alan Keyes, whose show will be off the air when this article comes out, needs his voice back. Let's give it to him! |
