Charles at LGF has discovered a completely gratuitous reference to CAIR in “Second Wildfire Breaks Out in Georgia Swamp; Florida Fires Still Raging,” an AP story.
As of Friday, the number of active fires has dropped from 236 to 223, with about 140 square miles “”- over 87,000 acres “” burnt. Seven homes in the state were destroyed.
Other large fires are burning in Bradford and Collier County.
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations says Florida Muslims are offering special prayers for rains at mosques on their religion’s day of rest.
In northern Minnesota, high wind fanned a fire around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, prompting more evacuations.
Bill Paxton, a spokesman for the firefighting effort, said the fire was “challenging” the containment lines. “They’re holding right now,” he said. “We’re having some difficulty holding them, but they’re holding now.”
No one else is praying for rain? Only Muslim forests are being burned by these fires? What on earth could have moved AP to feature CAIR, and CAIR alone, in this positive light, in a story that has absolutely nothing to do with CAIR, or Muslims whatsoever?
If you’re going to do a story about prayers for rain, you won’t just have one reference. You’ll feature the Baptists, the local Catholic priest, maybe some Native Americans if they’re nearby. But this story isn’t about prayers for rain, and mentions CAIR and CAIR only. Is someone paying AP to do this? Has some decision been made — and if so, at what level? — to take every opportunity to portray Muslims in a positive light, but to do so not solely through puff pieces about the Religion of Peace, but also through favorable references embedded in unrelated stories, rather like the practice of having a TV character drink a Coke in a scene instead of breaking for a Coke commercial?