What a difference a few days make. Last week, Texas Attorney-General Greg Abbott was putting out Internet ads inviting New Yorkers who were frustrated by that state’s new gun control laws to come down to Texas, where they will have “the liberty and the opportunity to achieve your dreams.” On Tuesday three students were wounded in a shooting at a Houston-area college. “This story has gotten somewhat complicated in the last few hours,” was how Greta Van Susteren put it, when she began her interview with Abbott on last night’s On the Record. Which didn’t keep Abbott from deploying gun-lobby talking points and painting the Lone Star State as a libertarian paradise.

On yesterday’s Your World, Neil Cavuto ignored a study showing that the wealthy do not flee states with high taxes as he hyped the news that former French President Sarkozy is considering leaving France to avoid a 75% tax rate, and golfer Phil Mickelson is considering “drastic changes” due to higher taxes.  Cavuto coyly outsourced the argument to his guest, Dave Maney, saying, “Dave Maney says Democratic leaders here in the United States better take note, if they have the money, they will run.” 

When Bill O'Reilly said, during a discussion about a Canadian abortion case, "and that's why we fight so hard here for the rights of the unborn," we don't know if he was speaking, in the royal "we" about himself, if he was talking about Fox News, or both. While he sees this as "fighting for" the "unborn," the reality is that both O'Reilly and Fox News, in advancing pro-life propaganda, do not fight for the rights of women to control their reproductive organs. Rather, they provide a mouthpiece for those who, in seeking to abolish women's rights to their bodies, would take us back to the pre-Roe days of back alley abortions and unwanted children born to women who had no other options. This group is having a hissy fit about a PSA, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe, put out by a reproductive rights group. Not surprisingly, the gang on "The Five" joined the pro-life pity party.

In a segment in which Bill O’Reilly wondered if he might be out of touch with “the pulse of the country,” he pretty much answered his own question in the affirmative as he suggested that Mitt Romney’s plan to privatize Medicare was just some kind of adjustment or modest reform.

Fox won't give Obama a break for even one day. While he was celebrating the start of his second term as President, Fox Nation was displaying this as its lead post: “Mark Levin’s Inaugural Day Message… FIGHT!” The post linked to an interminable interview, re-posted from breitbart.com, in which right-wing rantmeister Levin invoked a future America bowing under the yoke of tyranny, slammed Obama for dragging us toward this doomsday, and slammed moderate Republicans for letting him do it.

Sean Hannity made sure nobody enjoyed too much of President and First Lady Obama's inaugural dance last night, even though the balls are considered so significant that the Smithsonian collects the First Ladies' gowns. But on Fox News, Sean Hannity's predictable tirade against President Obama trumped the ceremony. He interrupted coverage of the inaugural dance in order to accuse President Obama of divisiveness.

Yesterday was the celebration for President Obama’s second inauguration. He gave an address, there was a parade, a big Congressional luncheon and then some balls. Yet Your World “honored” the day without a single Democrat on its show.

On Sunday, Fox's resident priest, Fr. Jonathan Morris used part of his weekly Fox & Friends' homily to push the right wing gospel of American entrepreneurship. He showed a photo, taken his way to the studio, that he believed is a perfect example of what folks should be doing instead of sitting around on their asses waiting for a welfare check. The wording of the sign was cause for much merriment. The sign interested me so I decided to do a little investigation. Turns out that it's not quite what was represented on Fox & Friends. It also raises questions about Fr. Jonathan's route to work. And if it does represent an "entrepreneur," Morris' slam on those "waiting for a check," is both misinformed and, once again, offensive to those who are part of the social safety net that Fr. Morris maligns. And there's some juicy irony too!!!

Bill O'Reilly carried on the Fox News tradition of race-baiting on Martin Luther King Day tonight with a twofer that included President Obama. In a discussion about today's inaugural address, O'Reilly told guest Bob Woodward that the reason Obama doesn't like Republicans is because they are the "purveyors of white privilege" and he "doesn't like the white privilege thing."

On Friday night (1/18/13), Karl Rove seems to have officially returned to Fox News in the guise of a neutral analyst. He was summoned by The O’Reilly Factor to explain why, as O’Reilly put it, “I’ve seen a change in President Obama’s demeanor since he was re-elected. He’s a bit more rigid and impatient with those who disagree with him.”