This is a rush transcript from "The Five," September 30, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested Wednesday after undercover agents delivered a package he thought was filled with guns and bombs. Nice beard. He planned to blow up the Pentagon and the U.S. capital using remote controlled airplanes filled with explosives.
Now the fun part. Although Ferdaus planned a jihad against America, he called enemy of Allah, the U.S. attorney for district of Massachusetts felt compelled to say, "I want the public to understand that his conduct is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion." Of course it wasn't. I guess jihad was caused by poor self-esteem. Maybe he didn't get a goat for his sixth birthday or he's distraught that "Entourage" is over. I am.
But the PC weirdness gets weirder. A new online journalism course suggests reporters put Islamic terror in context, watering down the threat pointing out that diseases are actually deadlier. Never mind that diseases can't fly planes in buildings.
Still journalists are taught to overlook the distinction by other journalists. The Pointer Institute tried to explain the course, saying "We believe there is a need to better understand complexity of Muslim societies." Oh, yes, to better understand the complexities. I think that is code for don't offend them, please. Maybe I should take the course. It's online so I could do it in my "Star Wars" pajamas.
Did the U.S. attorney need to make the comment that the terror threat is not reflective of a religion or culture?
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Does it sound like it make sense? It's counterproductive and doesn't show he has an understanding of what we're doing trying to combat terror.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: It's almost like they're trying to convince other Muslims to say no, really, it's not about you. It's about me. It's not about you.
There's nothing to see her. They said nobody was in danger. He's a dumb- dumb. Don't worry about it. It just takes one time for a dumb-dumbs to figure it out and we will have problems. Then the Pointer Institute might have a different class.
GUTFELD: It's like a guy trying to dump a girl. It's not you.
ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: How is he a homegrown terrorist? They're calling him a homegrown because he lived in Connecticut or whatever he did? Am I missing this?
PERINO: I thought it meant something else.
BOLLING: My point is if someone comes over to get U.S. citizenship and have a jihad against America they would be considered home grown.
GUILFOYLE: Because they're radicalized while they're U.S. citizens in this country.
BOB BECKEL, CO-HOST: I'm glad to see the attorney general did say that because I think we are in the process here of teaching through our language of political leaders and others to dislike Muslims.
GUTFELD: Where? Where are you seeing this, Bob?
BECKEL: Have you had anything positive to say about Muslims?
GUTFELD: People go out of their way, go out of their way to avoid backlash.
(CROSSTALK)
BECKEL: Let's be honest with ourselves. We talk about Muslims and we tend to lump them together in jihadists.
GUILFOYLE: No, we do not. Who is doing that?
BECKEL: I like you all --
GUILFOYLE: Don't look around this table.
BECKEL: When is the last time you said something positive about Muslims?
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: I'm going to make the point whether you like it or not in journalism, you report a story --
GUILFOYLE: You're recession-proof.
PERINO: -- that are news. It's not newsworthy to say 1,000 Christians went to school today and they all ate lunch and came home to do their homework. That is not the news. The news, and this is what the Pointer Institute is supposed to teach journalists to cover, is we had a homegrown terrorist who said Allah was the reason he was trying to blow up American citizens. That is the news.
BECKEL: What is wrong with --
GUTFELD: You're being a wuss if you do it.
BECKEL: You're a wuss for trying to protect 100 billion people around the world?
GUTFELD: It shows you, you have a fear that arresting a terrorist looks Islama-phobic. You're arresting a terrorist.
(CROSSTALK)
BECKEL: I want to see how much commentary there has been that is pro --
PERINO: Again, we don't do pro-commentary about any other group? Why do it about Muslims?
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: We haven't done that segment on how great the Jesuits are or the education they provided three of us.
BECKEL: Let's be honest with ourselves. The Muslims have taken a hit since 9/11.
BOLLING: Hold on.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Whose side are you on?
BECKEL: Radical Muslims took a hit because guess what, all 19 hijackers were Muslims.
BECKEL: I understand that, but the indictment of all Muslims --
GUILFOYLE: Nobody is doing that.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: There are millions of law-abiding Muslims that were offend and outraged by what happened here.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: More people die slipping in bathtubs, but that is not the point. A bathtub isn't coming after you. Some of them aren't. Anyway. Sometimes I dream of that. Terrible dreams about bathtubs.
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