Host re-hired!!!

Mike didn't stay unemployed long, thank God.

Fired radio host
hired on Internet
ABC booted Michael Graham for linking Islam to terrorism

It didn't take long for talk-show host Michael Graham to find another job after he was fired last week by ABC Radio for his comments linking Islam to terror.

He's been hired by the Internet-based conservative radio network Rightalk.com, and will start on Monday in a show called "Michael Graham, Unleashed!"

"No liberal network execs, no advertisers, not even the FCC," says Graham. "Rightalk.com has asked me to do this show, not because they necessarily agree with everything I say, but because they understand that free speech and open discourse are key elements in successful talk radio, not to mention successful democracies and thriving societies, too."

His one-hour daily show will be live at noon each weekday, and will be available for podcasting or downloading every hour, on the hour.

"I don't believe Michael intended to brand all of Islam as supporters of terrorism. However, that many people perceive militant Islamists as fundamentally supporting terrorism indicates Michael's comments were relevant and need to be discussed," said Rightalk executive producer Bob Johnson. "Rather than silencing opinions, moderate Muslims who are disgusted at what extremists are doing in the name of their religion should be engaging that discussion to dispel those perceptions."

WorldNetDaily broke the story of Michael's firing last week following weeks of pressure applied by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group with its own well-documented connections to terrorism.

Graham was the popular mid-morning host on WMAL in the nation's capital until four weeks ago when CAIR demanded he be punished for his on-air statements about Islam. After initially backing the host, WMAL, which is owned and operated by ABC, suspended him without pay July 28.

"CAIR immediately announced that my punishment was insufficient and demanded I be fired," Graham said in a statement to WND. "ABC Radio and 630 WMAL have now complied. I have now been fired for making the specific comments CAIR deemed 'offensive,' and for refusing to retract those statements in a management-mandated, on-air apology. ABC Radio further demanded that I agree to perform what they described as 'additional outreach efforts' to those people or groups who felt offended. I refused. And for that refusal, I have been fired."

CAIR is a spin-off of a group described by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for the terrorist group Hamas in the U.S. Several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror-related charges.

Graham's suspension stemmed from characterizing Islam a "terrorist organization." Graham explained that when a significant minority of a group conducts terrorism and the general population of that group does not denounce it, it is safe to conclude that the group promotes it.

Before his Internet job begins Monday, Graham is slated to fill in Friday night for 2 hours on KFI Radio in Los Angeles.