Conservative TV host Bill O'Reilly defended Ellen Generes Tuesday night on his Fox News program. The subject of the show was the recent hiring of Ellen Generes by JCPenney's as their spokesperson and the subsequent call by a group called One Million Moms for Penney's to fire her.
Fox News contributor and One Million Moms supporter Sandy Rios explained on the show the motivation behind the move , “It isn’t about Ellen DeGeneres, but it’s about mainstreaming something that is not acceptable to Christian and traditional family people.”
One Million Moms feels that Ellen does not represent Christian values because she is a lesbian and has chosen to marry her partner. Now that may be true to a point. Homosexuality is a sin according to Christians and so on that subject she does not project Christian values. However, Ellen has been known to be very generous and has donated alot of money to worthy causes. She has not been militant about her sexual orientation and in fact has been really understand of those who oppose her lifestyle. I would argue that Ellen upholds the Christian values of charity and of being understanding of those different than you.
But what is more troubling about One Million Mom's request has to do with its echoes to the past, something that Bill O' Reilly commented on. “If you remember with the McCarthy era of the 1950s, they were trying to hunt down communist sympathizers and not let them work and put them on a blacklist… What is the difference between the McCarthy era communist blacklist in the ‘50s and the Million Moms saying, ‘Hey, J.C. Penney and all you other stores, don’t you hire any gay people. Don’t you dare.’ What is the difference?”
This comment interested me and caused me to include this on the blog. If you look at what Bill said it makes alot of sense, seems reasonable, and is a fair statement. However, Bill O' Reilly has been known to demonize liberals and bully causes that don't fit into his own political worldview on his show time and again. So it just surprised me for him to take such a reasonable position that kind of goes against the general view of many within the Republican party, who want to demonize gays and exclude them from accepted society.
O’Reilly continued, “The essential question is that a conservative group in this country is asking a private company to fire an American citizen based upon her lifestyle. I don’t think that’s correct."
Again I agree with him on that point as well. Although it does very closely resemble the standard Republican motto of non interference, particularly by government, on private companies.
He then added: “I don’t have any problem with you, Sandy, or any of the Million Moms not shopping at J.C. Penney. You don’t want to shop there because you don’t believe the message that they’re sending by hiring Ellen is a good message, more power to you. That is your decision and your right as an American. But to come out and demand the woman be fired, that’s wrong.”
Then O' Reilly concluded that Ellen hasn't done anything "legally wrong" and to ask for her termination goes against "the spirit of America". He then finished with, “This J.C. Penney thing is a witchhunt and it shouldn’t happen.”
I applaud O' Reilly for taking this position. I am sure he was aware how his comments could be viewed by many of his loyal viewers and still decided to take a stand on this issue. I can respect that. If only we had more conservatives who were willing to put what is right morally before what is right within the majority of their party.
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