Contact: Bob Sturm, 703-396-6974; after 6 PM Eastern & on weekends, Bob Sturm, 703-307-8176; Nancy Bakersmith, 703-209-6190; ConservativeHQ.com

MANASSAS, Va., Oct. 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, has launched a "Petition of One Million American Taxpayers to End Federal Funding of National Public Radio (NPR)."

The online petition, which will be available soon at conservativehq.com/home, states that "with an almost uncountable number of news and public affairs programs throughout the nation, there is no justification for taxpayers money being used to fund a government radio network."

In an e-mail message sent to conservative activists, Viguerie cited NPR's firing of commentator Juan Williams because Williams told the Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly that persons in Muslim garb on airplanes make him nervous.

"It is clear NPR has no tolerance for viewpoints outside of its liberal dogmas," Viguerie wrote. "This government censorship of ideas not in conformity with the ruling class elites is deplorable."

Viguerie said his goal was to obtain a million names on the petition to terminate federal funding of NPR, which will be sent to members of Congress.

He added that conservatives have long believed that NPR has an anti-conservative bias.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (Washington Times). He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.