Fox News: Where Reckless Rhetoric Is Welcomed With Open Arms

The evidence continues to mount that no comments are too outrageous for Fox News.

Earlier this week, syndicated radio host Neal Boortz went on an extended, racially charged tirade about crime and “too many urban thugs, yo” in Atlanta:

You know what? I, for one, am tired of putting up with this crap. And you want to know why I moved out of Atlanta and only spend a couple of weeks a year in this town? That's one of the reasons. Carjackings, violence, people getting shot. It's ridiculous. This city harbors an urban culture of violence. And I want you to look around. You drive into the city. The railroad overpass is on the downtown connector covered with graffiti. And that-- That is just an advertisement for everybody coming into this town that we really don't give a damn about those who would screw up our quality of life around here. We really just don't care. We don't care enough to paint over graffiti on the overpasses that come into our city, advertising welcome to Atlanta, here's some of our finest graffiti, from some of our finest urban thugs and their little gang signs. And pick up the paper tomorrow morning. Read about all the carjackings. Read about the innocent people shot for the pure de-hell of it.

This town is starting to look like a garbage heap. And we got too damn many urban thugs, yo, ruining the quality of life for everybody. And I'll tell you what it's gonna take. You people, you are - you need to have a gun. You need to have training. You need to know how to use that gun. You need to get a permit to carry that gun. And you do in fact need to carry that gun and we need to see some dead thugs littering the landscape in Atlanta. We need to see the next guy that tries to carjack you shot dead right where he stands. We need more dead thugs in this city. And let their -- let their mommas -- let their mommas say, “He was a good boy. He just fell in with the good crowd.” And then lock her ass up.

While Boortz has been criticized for his “reckless, stupid” and “racist” comments, the right-wing provocateur found a welcoming home on Fox News today to discuss the economy.

boortz

This just one week after Fox's Eric Bolling came under fire for using racially charged language portraying hip-hop artist Common and the president of Gabon as a couple of the “hoods” that President Obama has hosted in “the hizzy.” Fox News proclaimed that the controversy surrounding Bolling's comments was closed after Bolling issued a shamefully dishonest apology.

The decision to host Boortz also comes just days after Fox's Glenn Beck appeared to point to an image of President Obama after asking, “Why would you get a gun?” Beck's comments likewise fell into the accountability vacuum that is Fox News.

Given Fox's willingness to sanction in-house race bating and outrageous on-air discourse, it's only logical that they continue giving their imprimatur to those who spread the same message.