Last week, former governor Sarah Palin called on Congress to cut all funds for National Public Radio. "It's time for Congress to defund this organization," Palin wrote after NPR fired analyst Juan Williams for comments he made disparaging Muslims on Fox News Channel.

Palin set off a firestorm that spread from extreme right-wing blogs to Bill O'Reilly to Capitol Hill. Sen. Jim Demint (R - S.C.) announced plans to introduce legislation that slashes all funds to one of the last, best sources of journalism we have in America.

Nearly a week after Williams was fired, the calls to defund NPR continue, primarily from anchors and pundits on Fox News. Yet the public is fighting back -- thousands of people have signed a petition to defend NPR.

Calling for Congress to defund NPR is nothing more than political opportunism by public figures who have built a career on such shenanigans. Regardless of what you think about Juan Williams' dismissal, calling for the defunding of NPR as a result is like asking for the death penalty in small claims court.

NPR plays a crucial role in America, providing original, in-depth journalism and educational programming. With commercial newspapers, radio and television stations cutting staff and cutting back on original reporting, the need for a robust public media system has never been greater.

People from every corner of society need to take a stand and tell our leaders to stop playing politics with our nation's public media system. The U.S. already has one of the lowest levels of federal funding of public media in the developed world — at just $1.43 per capita. Yet surveys show the public considers NPR and PBS not just the most trusted news sources but the most valued public institutions we have.

Tell Congress you don't agree with the media extremists who want to cripple public media.