Just Another Day at the O'Reilly Spin Factory
Reported by Marie Therese - March 10, 2005
March 9, 2005. Topics discussed? The Traitor Ward Churchill. Evil Hip-Hop/Rap Music. Michael Jackson. Loony Liberal Court (including FOX News Hiring Practices). At-Risk Gay Fetuses and Shallow Mothers. Al Qaeda Infiltration of the FBI (Sort Of). Michael Jackson Redux. Dissing Dan Rather. Great O'Reilly iPod Giveaway. Viewer E-mails. Sell-Sell-Sell that Factor gear.
"Yakking" POINTS MEMO: THE TRAITOR WARD CHURCHILL
O'REILLY: Legal experts say Churchill can't simply be fired for his traitorous statements - he's protected by tenure and the First Amendment. He can, however, be dismissed for "falling below minimum standards of professional integrity." Now, it would seem a strong case could be made that Churchill's scholarship is based on nothing more than insane rantings and that his copying of another person's paintings [sic - only ONE painting] and selling them [it] is well beyond any academic standard. But Factor sources close to the investigation believe that high-ranking officials at CU have a lot to lose if Churchill begins speaking out against the University. Apparently, there are many 'closets' inhabited by skeletons in Boulder, Colorado. So, the thinking is CU will buy him off. This is a landmark case in the USA. There's no question Churchill is a traitor - a man who feels violent acts against America are justified.
But, the ACLU has made very clear his right to express that vile opinion is protected and Churchill will file a massive lawsuit, if he's dismissed for speech, no matter how insane. That would set a dangerous precedent and it would give the radical professor martyr status. In the end Churchill's gonna lose ... America is a divided country at the wrong time in history."
O'Reilly then went on to claim that Islamo-Fascists get sympathy on college campuses and in the media.
EVIL HIP-HOP/RAP MUSIC
There is a federal investigation underway of companies in the rap and hip-hop industry. O'Reilly implied that his "investigations" of this are responsible for the feds' probe. He intereviewed Johnnie Rivers, the Newsweek reporter who broke the story. Rivers called it a "broad-based inquiry" into unsolved murder and dubious cash transcations, with special focus on the stars' entourages. O'Reilly speculated that it could be a RICO investigation of the entire industry.
Comment: There's nothing new here. Every now and then the Federal Government investigates the music industry, usually in connection with tips about drug smuggling.
MICHAEL JACKSON
FOX Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano reviewed the Michael Jackson case. He thought the first hour of testimony by Jackson's accuser went well.
LOONY LIBERAL COURT
Guess which court it is? If you said the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals you'd have won the stuffed animal! 'Da Judge had a mixed review for the court.
Child Molester Gets New Trial - Napolitano thought the court's decision on this one was correct. In the original trial 17 years ago, the judge permitted a police officer to read the 6-year-old victim's testimony instead of arranging for a child-friendly environment for the young girl to safely recount her story. The officer also tried to answer the questions that the defense attorney posed, but his answers were insufficient. Napolitano noted that the Constitution guarantees everyone accused the opportunity to face their accuser, not a surrogate. The Ninth Circuit followed the Constitution and granted the criminal a new trial. O'Reilly was dubious that such a trial would ever happen.
Illegal Immigrants Win Court Battle - O'Reilly and Napolitano thought this decision was just terrible! A company gave a literacy test to their employees to determine their English skills. Some long-time employees, who were foreign-born, had their job changed to lesser jobs as a result of the test. They sued the company for discrimination, exposing illegal practices at their place of work. During the lawsuit their were asked [presumably by the attorneys for the plaintiffs] if they were legal residents. They refused to answer. Two judges and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that, since the company had not originally asked about residency, the employees in question were not required to answer any questions about residency status. Napolitano was shocked because on 3/08/05 the Supreme Court said 'We're not going to get involved. The Ninth Circuit's ruling stands." O'Reilly fumed about this.
O'REILLY: Once they get hired, I can't ask them [about residency]?
NAPOLITANO: Not if you're in the nine westernmost states of the United States, controlled by the Ninth Circuit ...
O'REILLY: Why is the Ninth Circuit doing this?!!
NAPOLITANO: It's a typical knee-jerk, liberal opinion, if you'll allow me, that says, because there is discrimination against immigrants, because they're afraid to blow the whistle for fear they might be kicked out of the country, because they're here illegally, we're not gonna force these people to reveal if they are immigrants. It's obvious from communication with them that they are immigrants.
O'REILLY: So it's another political decision not based on the Constitution ...
NAPOLITANO: Absolutely. The strange thing is that the Supreme Court didn't disturb it.
During the exchange above, Judge Napolitano said something I found VERY INTERESTING.
NAPOLITANO: "Just like you and I - you don't remember because it was so long ago, but you had to show your passport when you were hired by FOX or some other proof of citizenship, as did I, as did everybody that works here. And if we didn't show it, we didn't get hired."
Can FOX News actually do this, limit its employee base to American citizens only? Another question for our News Hounds legal panel!
AT-RISK GAY BABIES AND SHALLOW MOTHERS
Bill O'Reilly interviewed Maine State Representative Brian Duprey, who's in his third term in the State Legislature and owns a chain of childcare centers in Maine. It seems Duprey has submitted a bill that would outlaw abortion of a fetus that tests positive for the gay gene. Now you might rightly ask if there is such a gene and, if so, can we map it? The answer is "no" to both questions. But that isn't stopping Representative Duprey!!
DUPREY: We're getting closer every day with genetic mapping, so I figured ... it could be tomorrow they could map it, so we might as well get legislation in place just in case.
Even O'Reilly could see through this one and said so.
O'REILLY: This is a dodge to limit abortions, is it not?
DUPREY: Well, you can call it that. There's two reasons I put the bill in. First, I mean, if they ever do map the gay gene, I really feel abortions will massively increase because woman would be that shallow not to want to give birth to a gay baby. And the second thing is to bring debate on the genetic mapping.
[COMMENT: Oh, I see. It's the WOMEN who are so shallow that they would reject a baby because of it's sexual orientation. News flash, Mr. Duprey! The women I know all get along just fine with their gay and lesbian friends!]
A national pro-life gay & lesbian group has come out in support of Duprey's bill.
DUPREY: It's a pro-life alliance of gays and lesbians and they think that, as I do, the sanctity of life should be protected, whether straight, gay, Down's syndrome, regardless, and they decided to join forces with me and I'm happy to have them aboard.
Once again, O'Reilly challenged him.
O'REILLY: Come on, Mr. Duprey! This is the no spin zone. You watch this program! You're using them as interference to deflect the criticism about abortion, by putting the gay rights group between you and NARAL and NOW. That's what you doin', aren't you?
DUPREY: Alright. Hey. If you think I'm doin' it, that's fine, Bill ... Hey, I didn't think I'd get any support. I'm glad to have somebody ... and not actually having any groups comin' out and criticize me, I think that's a plus. This bill has a chance of passage!
O'REILLY: Well, that'll end right now, after they see it! ... I mean, Maine in the winter! Nobody knows what's goin' in Maine except the caribou ....
AL QAEDA INFILTRATION OF THE FBI (SORT OF)
Bill O'Reilly interviewed Paul Sperry, Media Fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington."
O'REILLY (laughing): Subversives! That could mean anybody! That could mean me! Alright. Give me your headline, Mr. Sperry. You've investigated this. Are there Al Qaeda guys runnin' around in Washington?
Sperry's "headline" consisted of the contention that there are "Muslim moles and sympathizers" working at the FBI and Pentagon as translators.
SPERRY: We've got them working as chaplains at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is the top recruiting ground right now for Al Qaeda . [There are] even former lobbyists for convicted terrorists working in the White House and at the Department of Homeland Security with top secret clearance. ... why we've allowed this to happen? Two words: Political correctness.
Sperry went on to say that FBI Director Mueller has agreed with Muslim groups to never describe these terrorists as Islamic. "You will never hear him in a public forum actually ever use the phrase Islamic terrorism or Islamic terrorist....He's puttin' his case agents through sensitivity training. They're frustrated as hell."
According to Sperry, one of his FBI sources described the Bureau's translation units as "veritable mole holes." Another veteran FBI counterintelligence expert told him that there are "at least one dozen potential espionage cases within that translation unit in the Washington field office. And we do know - and this is what's scary - is that Al Qaeda has tried to penetrate the FBI in the past." He cited one example of this, an Al Qaeda suspect named Ali Mohammed. Sperry alleged that the FBI knows exactly who the moles are.
SPERRY: They're trying to keep a lid on this because the last thing the FBI wants at the management level is another embarrassing spy scandal coming so soon on the heels of the Robert Hanson spy scandal.
O'REILLY: They can't be playin' politics with national security! Come on, Mr. Sperry!
Later:
SPERRY: No. They're completely trusting of these folks.
O'REILLY: You're telling me the FBI knows that they're there and still giving them assignments that could hurt everybody?!!
SPERRY: They're named in the book, a lot of them are named in the book, and the case agents and some of these veteran agents actually are named as sources in the book ....
[COMMENT: O'Reilly clearly thought this guy was a loony toon, but had obviously been instructed to give him air time. Further research turns up the following blurb from the website of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, a bible company turned right wing proselytizer. After you've read what follows, go back and read it again, imagining it's Germany in the late 20's. Change the Muslim references to Jewish references aand I think you'll get my drift!
"An alarming exposé of how Muslims are secretly infiltrating American society, government, and culture as we sit idly by and pretend, to a dangerous degree, that Islam is actually compatible with traditional American values.
"As Americans continue to worship at the altar of cultural diversity and endorse religious tolerance for tolerance sake, Muslims masquerading as moderates have insinuated themselves into the very fabric of American society, taking advantage of our blind trust and gaining footholds in our education system, government, workplace, law enforcement, and military. In this startling book, investigative journalist Paul Sperry uses revealing new interviews and classified documents to courageously explain how, for the past thirty years, these Islamist extremists have been covertly working to destroy our constitutional government and the Judeo-Christian ethics on which our nation was built. Their goal, according to Sperry, is to replace the U.S. Constitution with the Quran and turn America into an Islamic state. And, as Sperry details point-by-point, they have been unwittingly aided in their sinister aims by the politically correct media, government, and citizens, who dont fully understand the dangers of the Muslim faith.
"INFILTRATION explodes the facade of moderation and patriotism that Muslim scholars, imams, clerics, businessmen, and other leaders in the burgeoning Muslim community in America have conveyed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In reality, the Muslim establishment that publicly decries the radical fringerepresented by al-Qaidas brand of Islam known as Wahhabism, the official religion of Saudi Arabiais actually a part of it. The only difference is that they use words and money instead of bombs to accomplish their goals.
"Now, thanks to Sperrys peerless research, piquant prose, and forthright presentation, their cover is blown. He will not only make readers forget nearly everything theyve been told about these moderate and mainstream leaders, he will expose the true agenda of these moderate and mainstream leaders, and he will explain the full scope of the dangerous threat of Islam in America."]
MICHAEL JACKSON REDUX
Nothing new here. Same old, same old.
DISSING DAN RATHER
Bill O'Reilly interviewed Mike Walker, an editor at the National Enquirer and author of a new book entitled "Rather Dumb: A Top Tabloid Reporter Tells CBS How to Do News."
O'REILLY: I've taken a lot of heat for defending Rather, as you know, 'cause I said in the beginning he didn't do it on purpose ... But now the guy's done and they're kickin' him in the stomach. Cronkite, all the 60 Minutes guys. I'm sayin' to myself "He's dead! Do you have to grind your heel in his throat?"
Later:
WALKER: I think it's kind of payback time ... You know jealousies run deep in this business. As Dan himself said, this is a very nasty, competitive business and anybody who forgets it will be sorry ...
O'REILLY: Cronkite hates Rather [because] Rather pushed him out of the window ...
Walker disagreed with this assessment, claiming that Cronkite's resentment arose because "Rather blocked him from ever coming back and sort of guesting on the CBS News ... that wasn't very nice."
WALKER: ... This guy's not the devil. He's just a guy who got so full of himself and he is, he's a very self-centric guy. You have to be. You have to be that to get where a guy like that gets. You know a little bit about that.
O'REILLY: No. ... But I'm not a ruthless guy!
Later:
O'REILLY: ... When my time comes, I'm sure that they'll - well, they're pilin' on me now and I'm doing OK ...
WALKER: And if you don't mention the name of my book again, you will be my enemy!
O'REILLY: Rather Dumb.
GREAT O'REILLY iPOD GIVEAWAY
See my earlier post on this.
VIEWER E-MAILS
Here are couple of choice ones:
From G.G., Thailand: "FOX News? How about you distort, we deride. Pithy enough?"
O'REILLY: Plenty pithy, Mr. G. Also dumb, with all due respect.
From T. C., Orlando, FL: "Bill, I often find you obnoxious, but can't stop watching The Factor."
O'REILLY: I feel your pain, T. I have to live with me.
As he does every day, the Billster ended his show with exhortations to Buy-Buy-Buy his books and other paraphernalia.
