Friday Fox Follies – Charleston Church Charade

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Each week Friday Fox Follies’ biggest challenge (aside from too much crazy for one column) is creating humor from the Fox “News” tomfoolery and shenanigans, with varying degrees of success. However, the news this week broke my heart. Like An Emotional Stewart Drops the Comedy to Talk Charleston: ‘We Still Won’t Do Jacksh*t’, I considered just phoning this one in, but awoke to inspiring words from another one of my comedy heroes.

One of the joys of our social networking age is making e-friends with people I’ve admired for decades. This morning Chris Bearde had these words of inspiration for me (and his many other facefriends):

Although we reiterate this constantly it seems again tonight okay to say it again…there is nothing lower than Fox News when it comes to finding ways to incite hate and to ferment violence…and then to wallow in its aftermath in a putrid swamp of delusional and twisted excuses for said violence…the magnitude of their bigotry is without precedent…They have no soul and their level of integrity is buried in a sink hole of deceit…

Amen, brother. Aside from Charleston, this week FFF hopes to shoehorn in coverage of the 2016 Fox ELXN, Roger Ailes recent demotion, Sean Scammity’s latest scam, But first, the comedy.

BULLY BOY BOLLING: It’s no secret that Eric Bolling and I have long had a contentious relationship, which I wrote about in 2012’s Bully Boy Bolling Is A Coward. That was #7 in my long-running Chow Mein and Bolling series, until I got bored of pointing out his idiocy. So, it was great fun to watch as Dana Perino rips Fox colleague: You’ve been ‘pandering’ to Donald Trump to get on his reality show. How can one not laugh as Perino Flips Out on Bolling for Defending Trump: You’re Just Trying to Get On His Show! Watch courtesy of MMfA:

Now that’s comedy.

GUTFELD’S GUTBUSTERS: Speaking of which, here are some more laffs from aging frat boy Greg Gutfeld:

Fox Host Says Pope Francis is Most
Dangerous Man on the Planet

Fox News Host Attacks Pope Francis
For Addressing Climate Change

Greg Gutfeld Tries To Link McKinney Pool
Party To Baltimore’s Rising Murder Rate

Greg Gutfeld Tries To Shame McKinney Police Video

Are you laughing yet?

CHARLESTON CHURCH CHARADE: The blood hadn’t even dried when Fox’s Steve Doocy [said]: It’s Extraordinary That Charleston Church Shooting Is Being Called A Hate Crime while Conservatives Ignore Racism And Spin Church Shooting As A War On Christianity:

For example, over at Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy was astonished that the killing spree was being labeled a hate crime, just because a white guy shot up a black church. While he argued that investigators shouldn’t jump to conclusions, he then drew his own conclusions. Since in Doocy’s world view racism no longer exists, the shooter must have been motivated by “hostility towards Christians” instead.

Before a suspect had even been named, “Fox & Friends” just can’t stop the spin: In the wake of Charleston, we must arm our pastors and priests and Fox Trots Out MLK’s Niece To Suggest Charleston Shooting Not A Hate Crime:

Had the killer been a Muslim, Fox would have no such caution. In fact, they’d almost surely be complaining if anyone waited too long before calling the attack “terrorism.”

Fox’s Steve Doocy and Guest Wonder Whether Charleston Shooting Part of ‘War on Christians’ as Fox News Twists Itself In Knots To Find An Explanation Other Than Racism For Charleston Shooting, influencing Fox News Viewers [who] Blame Mass Murder Of Black Churchgoers On Everything But Racism. Fox Bigots Spin Charleston Hate Crime Into ‘Christian Persecution’ — Want Churches Armed because Fox Hosts Want To Know: Should We Arm Pastors And Teachers After Charleston Mass Shooting? Long after the rest of the world knew it was a Race Crime, Fox’s Kilmeade On SC Shooting [on Fox Radio]: “Is It About Christians? It Is About White-Black? Is It About ‘I Hate South Carolina’?”

IRONY ALERT: In the morning Fox & Friends Exploits South Carolina Church Shooting To Call For More Guns, while later the same day: ‘Opportunistic’: Fox Hosts Hit Obama for Being Quick to Invoke Guns on Charleston.

Meanwhile, Fox News Refusals to Call Charleston a Racial Attack Makes Wilmore’s ‘F*cking Head Explode’. Watch:

Other crazy reactions:

Fox News host blames mass shootings on
‘different cultures’ living together in America

Fox’s MacCallum Suggests Diversity
May Be A “Contributing Factor” To
Frequency Of Mass Shootings In The U.S.

Fox’s Katie Pavlich: Obama And
Clinton Would Take Away MLK’s Gun!

Fox Turns To ‘Blacks Need More Policing’
Rich Lowry To Lecture Us Not To
Conclude Charleston Shooting Was Racist.

Anything to avoid this kind of navel-gazing:

Friend of Charleston Victim: Fox News
‘Hate Speech’ a Potential Influence

Friend Of Clementa Pinckney Confronts O’Reilly
About Fox News’ Inflammatory Race Baiting

Just like day follows night, O’Reilly Confronts SC Pol for Connecting Fox ‘Hate Speech’ to Charleston Shooting and then Martin Luther King III, O’Reilly Slam Violent Video Games in Talking Charleston, in what can only be called a WHITEwash.

Racism had nothing to do with it. Move along. Nothing to see here.

ALL THAT AILES YOU: Last week, in Murdoch Media Machinations, FFF reported that it would be bidnezz as usual at Fox, as Roger Ailes would continue to report to Rupert Murdoch. However, we were taken in by a disinformation campaign, which can stand as a metaphor for the entire Fox “News” operation.

As it turns out, Fox News Boss Roger Ailes Will Report To Rupert Murdoch’s Sons after all. The news he wouldn’t was written and leaked by Roger Ailes himself, which 21st Century Fox was forced to deny this week. Therefore, pundits speculate Fox News as we know it may be screwed: Roger Ailes’ stunning rebuke could spell the end with the First Big Challenge for Murdoch Brothers: Is the Future of Fox News Channel on the Line?

2016 ELXN: Therefore, the question being asked is Will 2016 Be Roger Ailes’ Final Fox News Campaign? As it is Roger Ailes Has Reportedly ‘Personally Taken Charge Of Some Of Fox’s Recent Attacks’ On Hillary Clinton.

There’s no question Fox “News” has its thumbs on the scale when reporting on the Presidential election, as these headlines attest:

2016 ELXN: Howard Kurtz Upset That Hillary Gave
A Democratic Speech And The Media Didn’t Attack Her

Megyn Kelly Defends Donald Trump’s Hiring Of
Actors To Pose As Supporters: ‘Is It So Bad If They Did?’

Trump Announcement Prompts More Conservative
Criticism Of Fox News’ GOP Debate Rules

Fox News Pundits Laud Donald
Trump’s Candidacy For President

Fox & Friends Praises Trump For His “Swagger”
And Suggestion That “Mexicans Build Their Own Wall”

Fox & Friends Stoops To Attacking Hillary
Clinton Over Her 2016 Spotify Playlist

Fox’s Doocy Literally Applauds
Rand Paul’s Flat Tax Proposal

Fox’s Sean Hannity Lets Jeb Bush Whitewash The
Consequences Of Florida’s Permissive Gun Laws

No, really. Are you laughing yet?

SCAMMITY STRIKES AGAIN: A few years back Sean Hannity was promoting a series of Freedom Concerts that he claimed was to raise money for veterans and the families of the fallen. However, as soon as the Left Wing media (read: bloggers) started reporting these concerts were scams, with little money going to to the purported targets, Hannity shut down the whole operation.

Now it appears that Hannity has a new conflict of interest, not that Fox “News” will care. As Media Matters tells us in Fox’s “Kingmaker” Problem: Hannity Promoted Sponsor’s Agenda During Bush And Walker Interviews:

But Hannity’s interest in concealed carrying of guns isn’t just political — it’s financial.

The United States Concealed Carry Association claims it is “the first & largest member-owned association dedicated to educating, training, and insuring responsibly armed Americans.” Hannity is heavily involved with USCCA. The front page of the organization’s website features Hannity’s endorsement and a “training package” for his fans.

The website HannityForUSCCA.com includes a prominent quote from Hannity professing that he has “peace of mind knowing that if I ever have to use my weapon to save the life of my loved one, they will be in my corner.” The Hannity training package features materials with “critical, life-saving information that will better prepare you and your loved ones for a home invasion or violent encounter.”

Hannity regularly does sponsored “live reads” for USCCA on his radio show (here are examples from his February 16, May 28 and June 1 programs).

And, that’s why he’s called Scammity. Laughing yet?

FOX BYTES: O’Reilly Agrees With Trump That “African-American Kids Are In Worse Shape Now Than They’ve Ever Been And We Have A Black President” • O’Reilly Doesn’t Want People Filming The Police • Fox’s Tom Shillue On Rachel Dolezal Race Controversy: “I’d Go Black If I Could” • Mom lauded by Fox News for ripping McKinney kids didn’t mention football star son dodged police probe • Bill Maher Mocks Megyn Kelly’s ‘Clueless White Girl Syndrome’ on McKinney • Rupert Murdoch Calls Hillary Clinton’s LGBT Advocacy ‘Almost Fascist’ • Fox’s Cal Thomas Warns Of Polygamy If Marriage Laws Aren’t Based On ‘Scripture’ • Why Fox News Should Sit Out the Rachel Dolezal Debate • Fox Guest: Obama Would Not Be President If He Were Barry Obama • Fox News vs. Fox News Latino On Donald Trump’s Demand That Mexico Build A Border Wall • Fox News Questions Dallas Attacker’s Easy Access To Armored Van, But Not Assault Weapons