"Many Americans continue to be perplexed by the White House and its apparent apathy toward the threat that radical Islam poses. President Obama and his advisors are doing what they can to protect the homeland, but they have no strategy to defeat the jihad and are confused about the true nature of the threat. Enter basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who converted to Islam 47 years ago. He is a smart and honest man, and his column in Time this week is worth reading. He is appalled that his religion is being debased by 'thugs,' and he wants Americans to understand that Islam is not the problem. I believe that is what President Obama believes as well, but that theory has some problems. First of all, Muslim theocracies like Iran and Saudi Arabia routinely commit atrocities in the name of Islam. A blogger who criticized Islam in a small way was just given 50 lashes by the Saudi government, and Iranian prisons are full of people who spoke out for freedom. So the problems in the Muslim world are not just caused by individuals, they run much deeper. But Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is not convinced, writing that 'much of the Western population doesn't understand the Islamic religion.' That's true, but much of the Muslim world does not understand the Islamic religion either. Take Pakistan, which allows the Taliban sanctuary. How about Turkey, which will not assist the West in fighting the ISIS killers on its border? I could give you dozens of other examples, from wealthy Islamists funding al Qaeda and ISIS to Sharia law being used to abuse women. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also writes, 'When the Ku Klux Klan burn a cross in a black family's yard, prominent Christians aren't required to explain how these aren't really Christian acts.' But the FBI, largely comprised of Christians, wiped the Klan out by vigorously prosecuting their crimes. What Muslim nation is doing that to the jihadists? President Obama and his acolytes on the left believe it is not right to hold the Muslim world accountable for the terrorism that is putting the planet in danger. That view is echoed by MSNBC, which has emerged along with The New York Times as the principal down player of the jihad. Thankfully, the American people understand that there is a strain of Islam that does preach violence and it is not being challenged in any meaningful way by good Muslims. President Obama has a responsibility to engage himself in the destruction of the jihad, but the USA has no overall strategy and simply reacts to the latest atrocities, sometimes in a weak and confusing way. Europe is finally waking up to the fact that the continent has lost control of the radical Islamic movement and chaos is beginning to reign. We in America do not have that problem, as American Muslims like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are generally good citizens. But the USA is supposed to be the leader, so the question becomes, are we mobilizing the world against the jihad? The answer is, no we are not. President Obama will not even say the word."

The Factor invited Muslims Harris Zafar and Ahmed Yanis to critique the Talking Points Memo. "Although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brings up some solid points," Zafar said, "I disagree with his conclusion that Islam has no part to play in what is happening. When people behave badly and use religion as a justification, we have to report it as such." But Younis did his best to differentiate between the religion and the dictatorships that permeate the Muslim world. "The examples you cite are all oppressors, they do not represent Islam legitimately. The people who are suffering under these regimes are saying that the dictatorships and the terrorists are not Islam. If you call them Islam, they become legitimate and we moderates become illegitimate."

It's been six months since President Obama exchanged five terrorists for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Military analysts Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and Col. David Hunt reported on the Army's long-awaited report on the Bergdahl situation. "This is not a Pentagon or Army issue at this point," Shaffer lamented. "I have talked to sources who say the decision is now being controlled by the White House, and there is pressure to go easy on Bergdahl because President Obama embraced the family when he returned. It's all political at this point." Hunt objected to the apparent politicization of the case. "This is an injustice to the American people and to the soldiers. There is a discipline and leadership issue at the core of Bergdahl's desertion and the guys who died trying to find him." The Factor vowed to vigorously pursue the story: "We will call General Martin Dempsey and ask him to come on or issue a statement. If he doesn't do that, then I'm going to lay this right at his doorstep. We'll have that report on Monday."

FNC's Heather Nauert joined The Factor to answer letters from some incensed viewers. One of them, North Carolinian Samantha Hernan, was angered by Duke University's decision to broadcast a Muslim call to prayer each Friday. "Duke said they were going to do this," Nauert reported, "because Muslims are being portrayed as angry and they wanted to counteract that. They wanted to use the Duke bell tower as a minaret for the Muslim call to prayer, but they have backed down, saying there were significant security concerns." Another viewer, Pennsylvanian Sarah Lori Abraham, complained that President Obama earned more than $5 million in 2013. "He did earn $5.5 million back in 2009," Nauert said, "when his book came out. But he's earned a lot less since then. His salary is $400,000 and he pays an income tax rate of about 20%."

Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk tackled that eternal question, "What the Heck Just Happened?" First up, the Muslim clerics who declared that snowmen are taboo under Islamic law. "This makes complete sense," Gutfeld joked. "It concerns the belief that if you create a likeness of man it might be arousing, and who hasn't been aroused by watching Jack Frost? Ironically, snowmen make me melt. Also, snowmen are racist. You don't see any black snowmen, do you?" McGuirk pointed out another cold irony. "They wrote this on Twitter, so they're using 21st century technology to issue a 10th century edict. One cleric wrote that a snowman promotes 'lustiness and eroticism,' but a snowman is a fat little white dude with no pants on. It's only erotic if you're some weirdo who has a thing for somebody like Dick Morris!"

The Factor welcomed Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon and Tea Party favorite who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination. "It's important that we get the best candidate," Carson declared, "the one who can articulate the values of this nation, who really understands the Constitution, and has the courage to face challenges. We are in the process of giving away all our beliefs for the sake of political correctness, and we have to change that." Carson dismissed the pundits who say he can't compete in the money-raising game with the likes of Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. "I think there's plenty of money and it doesn't have to come from big-money donors. There are lots of people out there and I would prefer to do it that way."

Johnny Marais, Hong Kong, China: "President Obama is doing the right thing by pulling out of Afghanistan. The folks living there are content to live in the stone age and do not understand democracy. Let them be."

Gerry Wright, Sugar Hill, GA: "Bill, I thought you had better control of your objectivity. You say Sharpton is a crook. You are right. Geraldo says Sharpton is the biggest leader in the black community. He's right. Why do you berate him for telling the truth?"

Jim Forman, Huntington Beach, CA: "It's astonishing the ease with which Geraldo compartmentalizes Sharpton's horrendous behavior."

Americans love their coffee, drinking 400-million cups every day! But consider making a switch to Japanese tea - it may not taste quite as good, but it stimulates the immune system and naturally cleanses the body.