Mark Williams (radio host)

Last updated
The Mark Williams Show
Genre Talk
Country of originUnited States
StarringMark Williams
Website The Mark Williams Show

Mark Williams is an American conservative activist, radio talk show host, and author based in Sacramento, California. He is the author of It's Not Right Versus Left, It's Right Versus Wrong; Exposing the Socialist Agenda and Taking Back America One Tea Party at a Time. He served as the spokesperson for the Tea Party Express until he resigned in July 2010 amid a controversy over a blog post that was criticized as racist.

Contents

Career

Mark Williams is a native of Attleboro, Massachusetts and began his career by starting a radio station in the local high school in 1973.[ citation needed ]

Williams' first commercial radio job was as a salesman at the former WPEP in Taunton, Massachusetts. He then had an over night talk show on WSAR (Fall River, Massachusetts). He later was an executive producer position at Boston's WRKO AM. He arrived in Sacramento (KFBK AM) in 2000 after on-air stints in San Diego (XTRA AM); Tampa (WFLA AM); Dayton, Ohio (WHIO AM); and the Capital District of New York (WGY).

In 2005, he and his wife/producer, Holly Williams, and Melanie Morgan of KSFO traveled to Iraq and broadcast from various locations around Baghdad, shows for which each were awarded the Mark Twain Award by the Associated Press Radio and Television Association, [1] and two Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards. [2]

In June 2010, Williams started a drive to recall the majority of the Sacramento City Council in the wake of its vote to boycott Arizona over that state's tough stance on immigration law enforcement. He called the vote an "endorsement of and protection for human trafficking." He was also running as a candidate to fill the seat of one of the council members. [3]

Williams served as the spokesperson for the Tea Party Express until he resigned in July 2010 amid controversy over an entry he posted to his blog. [4] The post included a "mock letter to Abraham Lincoln from NAACP President Benjamin Jealous" in which he used racially-charged language to respond to the NAACP's stance against racist elements within the Tea Party movement. The National Tea Party Federation called it an embarrassment and ousted the Tea Party Express from its organisation for refusing to fire Williams. [4] [5]

Also around 2010, Williams was a vocal opponent of the Park51 project to build an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan. Due to its proximity to the World Trade Center site, he dubbed it the "Ground Zero" mosque and called it a"temple to terrorists." He also said, "The monument would consist of a Mosque for the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god." [6] Williams' comments drew rebukes from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York State Senators, and Muslim leaders. Williams later wrote, "I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God. Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of perseverance, strength, and devotion ... Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship." When questioned by The Washington Post about his comments about Islam and Obama, Williams has claimed the controversy has "been fantastic for the movement." [7] [8]

Williams was featured in Dinesh D'Souza's 2012 film biography of Obama, 2016: Obama's America during a segment in which Williams appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Graham</span> American Christian evangelist and missionary (born 1952)

William Franklin Graham III is an American evangelist and missionary in the evangelical movement. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary. The son of Billy Graham, he is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization. Graham became a "committed Christian" in 1974 and was ordained in 1982, and has since become a public speaker and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Green Footballs</span> American political blog

Little Green Footballs (LGF) is an American political blog run by web designer Charles Foster Johnson. In its beginning years, the site had a right-wing orientation and was known for its advocacy of the War on Terrorism and the Iraq War, as well its strident criticism of political Islam. The blog moved away from the right around 2009 and has become focused mainly on posts about music of Johnson's liking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais</span> Imam in Mecca

Abdul Rahman ibn Abdul Aziz al-Sudais, better known as al-Sudais, is the Chief Imam of the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia; the President of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; a renowned Qāriʾ ; he was the Dubai International Holy Qur'an Award's "Islamic Personality Of the Year" in 2005. Al-Sudais has preached Islam's opposition to "explosions and terrorism", and has called for peaceful inter-faith dialogue, but also been criticized for vilifying non-Muslims and especially Jews in his sermons. He has denounced the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers and the state of Israel, and called for more aid to be sent to Palestinians. He has also been noted for identifying women's un-Islamic behavior as in part responsible for the winter 2006 drought in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, he delivered the very important Hajj sermon to a multitude of pilgrims gathered at Arafat after prayers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakemba Mosque</span> Mosque in Australia

The Lakemba Mosque, also known as the Masjid Ali Bin Abi Talib and officially the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque, is Australia's largest mosque. It is located at 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba. Owned and managed by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), Lakemba Mosque and the LMA offices are situated contiguously at the same address.

Aaron Klein is an American-Israeli conservative political commentator, journalist, strategist, bestselling author, and senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He served as campaign manager for several of Netanyahu's election campaigns and chief strategist for Netanyahu's 2020 election campaign that resulted in a rotating unity government with Netanyahu at the helm and his 2022 campaign in which Netanyahu won a full-term. Klein was Netanyahu's full-time strategic advisor in government from 2020 to 2021, during the period Netanyahu was prime minister of Israel's 36th government and he serves as a strategic advisor to Netanyahu during Israel's 37th government.

Salim Mansur is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He is a former columnist for the London Free Press and the Toronto Sun, and has contributed to various publications including National Review, the Middle East Forum and Frontpagemag. He often presents analysis on the Muslim world, Islam, South Asia, Middle East. He is also a member of the Freedom Party of Ontario.

The Jeremiah Wright controversy gained national attention in the United States, in March 2008 after ABC News investigated the sermons of Jeremiah Wright who was, at that time, the pastor of then U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. Excerpted parts of the sermons were found to pertain to terrorist attacks on the United States and government dishonesty and were subject to intense media scrutiny. Wright is a retired senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and former pastor of Obama.

Wiley S. Drake is a California-based minister and radio host. He was the vice-presidential candidate for the American Independent Party ticket in California in 2008. Drake has drawn controversy for his use of imprecatory prayer. He is the pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park in Buena Park, California.

Our Country Deserves Better PAC (OCDB) is a political action committee (PAC) formed in August 2008 to oppose the election of Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama. The organization, based in Sacramento, California, is one of the largest conservative PACs in the United States. Its current mission is to challenge President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress for their stance on raising taxes on the wealthy, health care, national defense, energy policy, immigration, and judicial appointments, as well as defeat the election of liberal Democratic candidates. In February 2010, Our Country Deserves Better was among the twelve most influential groups in the Tea Party movement, according to the National Journal.

The Tea Party Express is a California-based group founded in the summer of 2009 to support the Tea Party movement. Founded as a national bus tour to rally Tea Party activists, the group's leadership also endorses and promotes conservative candidates running for state and federal offices. It was founded as a project of the political action committee Our Country Deserves Better PAC by Republican party members Howard Kaloogian and Sal Russo.

Tea Party Nation is a conservative American group considered part of the Tea Party movement. Their official website describes them as "group of like-minded people who desire our God given Individual Freedoms which were written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park51</span> Proposed Islamic community center in Manhattan, New York

Park51 was a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within the greater community. Due to its proposed location, two blocks from the World Trade Center site of the September 11 attacks, the proposed building was widely and controversially referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Zahedan bombings</span> Suicide bombing

The 2010 Zahedan bombings were two suicide bombings on 15 July 2010 that targeted Shia worshippers in Iran, including members of the Revolutionary Guards. The bombings targeted those celebrating the birthday of a Muslim saint at the Jamia mosque in Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchestan. Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by Jundullah in revenge for the execution of their leader by the Iranian government. Amongst the reactions and national and supranational condemnations, Iran blamed the United States and Israel for facilitating the attack.

On July 19, 2010, Shirley Sherrod was fired from her appointed position as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture. Her firing was an administration reaction to media reports on video excerpts from her address to an event of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in March 2010 and commentary posted by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart on his website. Based on these excerpts, the NAACP condemned Sherrod's remarks as racist and US government officials called on the official to resign. However, review of her full speech showed that the excerpts had been selectively edited, and that her remarks – understood in context – were about the importance of overcoming personal prejudices. The NAACP and White House officials then apologized for their earlier criticisms, and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack apologized for the firing and offered Sherrod a new position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela Geller</span> American activist, blogger, commentator

Pamela Geller is an American anti-Muslim, far-right political activist, blogger and commentator. Geller promoted birther conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama, saying that he was born in Kenya and that he is a Muslim. She has denied genocides where Muslims were victims, including the Bosnian genocide and the Rohingya genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restoring Honor rally</span>

The Restoring Honor rally was held August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was organized by Glenn Beck to "restore honor in America" and to raise funds for the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Billed as a "celebration of America's heroes and heritage," several veterans were honored. Along with Beck, the speakers included former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and activist Alveda King, a niece of Martin Luther King Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NPR controversies</span> Overview of controversies involving NPR

NPR, full name National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States of America.

Michael J. Willette is an American realtor and politician in Maine. Willette represented District 5 in the Maine House of Representatives, which was part of Aroostook County from 2008 to 2012. He is a resident of the town of Presque Isle. Willette was first elected in 2008 as a Democrat. He was re-elected in 2010 as a Democrat but switched affiliations to the Republican Party prior to being sworn in. He is a realtor by profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Meckler</span> American political activist

Mark Jay Meckler is an American political activist, attorney, and business executive. He currently serves as President of Citizens for Self-Governance and Convention of States Action, and is an active proponent of a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. Meckler was a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots before resigning from the organization in 2012. From February through May 2021, Meckler served as the interim CEO of social media platform Parler.

Basim Elkarra is a civil rights leader serving as the director of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), former board member of the Sacramento chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and serves on the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party. He also was recently elected to the Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Trustees in California, United States.

References

  1. ↑ AHS grad's views earn him top ratings in Calif. - The Sun Chronicle Online - City [ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: 2006 Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards
  3. ↑ Smith, Jennifer; Ponto, Michelle. "California Latino Legislative Caucus introduces economic boycott of Arizona". Sacramento, California: News10.net.
  4. 1 2 Memoli, Michael; Hennessey, Kathleen (July 24, 2010). "Tea Party Express spokesman resigns after racist blog post". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ Kennedy, Helen (2010-07-18). "Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams kicked out over 'Colored People' letter". New York Daily News .
  6. ↑ Hutchinson, Bill (May 19, 2010). "Tea Party leader Mark Williams says Muslims worship a 'monkey god', blasts Ground Zero mosque". Daily News . Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  7. ↑ Goldsmith, Samuel (May 20, 2010). "Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams says 'sorry' – to Hindus – for slamming Muslim's 'monkey god'". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  8. ↑ Mark Williams, the monkey god and the 'controversy' game; Washington Post; May 20, 2010
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.