When he was on Air America, Senator Al Franken used to say that Bill O'Reilly pulled facts out of his ass. Well, folks, it looks like Mr. O'Reilly is still sourcing from that orifice. In his relentless attack on Planned Parenthood, he's still making false claims, dare we say lies?
Bill O'Reilly hates Planned Parenthood because, as a proud supporter of the white, male, Christian patriarchy, he is totally offended by the notion that women should have control over their lady parts. And as he did with Dr. George Tiller, he is engaging in an ongoing crusade (or is it jihad?) against this organization which provides vital health care to millions of women, many of them low income. Bill's screeds against Planned Parenthood are full of "pro-life" lies and propaganda which includes the big, fat lie that the majority of Planned Parenthood's business is abortion. On last Thursday's Factor, Bill repeated the lie.
O'Reilly used the recent (and deceptively edited) videos, done by a virulently anti-choice operation, to advance the GOP/Fox News push to defund Planned Parenthood - despite the fact that Planned Parenthood was not doing anything illegal. While Juan Williams did a great job in presenting Planned Parenthood's side of the story, O'Reilly and Andrea Tantaros were having none of it.
Tantaros, proving, once again, her high level of genius, said that the notion that defunding Planned Parenthood would eliminate vital health services for women was a "crock" because - ready for it - women get free birth control from Obamacare. Tantaros, who, I'm sure is practicing abstinence with her rocker boyfriend, doesn't seem to know that in order to get birth control, you need to have a doctor and for many women, especially in rural areas, Planned Parenthood is the only game in town. She also doesn't realize that those women who aren't working (college students and those on Medicaid) get their birth control through Planned Parenthood. But then Tantaros thinks that science is just bunk, so there you go...
After Tantaros incisive commentary about how we really don't need Planned Parenthood, O'Reilly chimed in with this: "90% of their services are abortion related."
Per Politifact, this.is.just.not.true. Abortion account for under 3% of the procedures done by Planned Parenthood - but in O'Reilly's feverish, "pro-life" addled brain, Planned Parenthood just churns out those abortions 24 and 7!
I guess that O'Reilly subscribes to the George Costanza school of thought which posits that "it's not a lie if you believe it." But O'Reilly doesn't seem to care about his lies which, in the case of Dr. Tiller, turned out very badly. Nuff said...
I can just imagine it now.
(confessional door closes)
“Father, forgive me, for I have sinned. It’s been 12 minutes since my last confession.”
“Bill? Is that you again?”
“I thought this was to be anonymous?”
“Well, if you went to a different priest from time to time, it would be. But (sighing) continue with your confession. (mutters under his breath) Even though I know what the fuck it’s going to be…….”
“Father. I have lied. I told my audience an egregious lie against Planned Parenthood.”
“Again? (priest thinks, “Dear Lord, what have I done to deserve this? I know I had some dirty thoughts about that altar boy but you know it never went beyond the fantasizing. Surely, THAT doesn’t merit THIS punishment.”) My son. You know that lying is a sin, yet you persist in sinning. Sigh………….You know your punishment. Perform your penance, then sin no more."
“Thank you father. I will try my best.”
“Then, you’ll be back within the hour, I take it?”
“Probably, father.”
“See you then, my son.”
(priest hears the other confessional door open and close and wonders if he’d really have enough time to leave before O’Reilly comes back as he really needs to confess his own sins—especially the one where he takes O’Reilly out of the confessional booth, dragging the man to the altar and taking that large image of the Suffering Christ and dropping it on O’Reilly’s head, over and over and over and over—and once more, for good measure—then dancing a jig over the man’s bloodied corpse and singing a happy tune)
Point being if conservatives can keep such ridiculous bulls*t alive for over a decade it’s easy for a gifted liar like Bill O’Reilly to tell the Fox News right-wingers just about anything and get away with it. The GOP TV fanboys and fangirls want it so badly to be true the suspension of disbelief is off the charts.
There you go, Priscilla; edited the headline for brevity and applicability for you. :)
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