Friday, July 17, 2015

Eric Bolling hosts a special edition of The Factor: Terror on the Home Front
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
Top Story
Terror in the Homeland
Eric began Friday's special program with analysis of the terror attack that killed four Marines Thursday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Fox News correspondents Catherine Herridge and Jennifer Griffin reported the latest. "A federal law enforcement source tells Fox News," Herridge said, "that their focus continues to be on terrorism. We were also able to confirm that the suspect traveled to the Middle East in 2014. He made a stop in Jordan, but our government contact could not confirm whether there was also a stop in Yemen. International intelligence agencies are being asked to help in the investigation of the suspect and his overseas travel." Griffin added that the four victims were all distinguished and experienced warriors. "We now know the names of all four Marines who were killed. These were young people but they had served multiple tours overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Unresolved Problems
America the Vulnerable
Eric asked military analysts Ralph Peters and Tony Shaffer to assess the USA's vulnerability to more terror attacks. "I have no doubt that this traces to the Islamic State," Peters declared. "And as long as the Islamic State caliphate exists in the Middle East as an inspiration to jihadis, there are going to be more lone wolves and larger attacks here. We have to stop playing defense and living in fear, we have to make the terrorists afraid. We are not facing a political ideology gone wrong, we are facing religious fanaticism!" Shaffer agreed that the USA should take the battle to the enemy. "This was terrorism and I think this guy was trained by the Islamic State. We have to stress that we are the 'strong horse,' the one that everybody wants to follow. We also have to go into the region to take out the leadership with impunity. We should be putting the fear of God in them."
Impact Segment
President Obama & Islamic Extremism
Republicans regularly accuse President Obama of being soft on Islamic terrorism. Former diplomat Rick Grenell and Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg debated that allegation. "I don't like the term 'Islamic extremism,'" Rosenberg began, "because we should use the most precise language possible to describe our adversaries. There is not just one form of Islamic terrorism, there are different groups." But Grenell argued that semantics are unimportant in the midst of a war. "All of our Arab allies agree that Obama is weak, which has enabled ISIS to create a country. That country is attacking us while we are having a debate. This is a war, not a debate, and ISIS smells weakness." Eric concluded with a rhetorical question: "What is offensive about calling a man who killed four innocent Marines an Islamic terrorist? This man prayed at the Islamic Center of Chattanooga."
Personal Story
Ft. Hood Survivors
The Chattanooga terror attack opened some old wounds for soldiers who survived Major Nidal Hasan's rampage at Fort Hood in 2009. Eric spoke with Alonzo Lunsford and Shawn Manning, both of whom were shot numerous times at Fort Hood. "When I heard about Chattanooga," Lunsford said, "it brought complete anger. I was wondering when we will learn from past lessons so we can stop this from happening again? We need to arm military personnel in every facility so at least we can fight back against a threat." Manning worried that little has changed over the past seven years. "I'm not sure we have learned anything. The White House still hasn't come out and said the Fort Hood shooting was a terrorist attack, they still dance around the issue. That hinders our ability to combat this - if we won't recognize this, how can we prevent it?"
Terror on the Home Front
Hunting Lone Wolves
What can be done about so-called "lone wolf" terror attacks? Eric explored that question with former FBI agent Bill Daly and national security analyst Rynan Mauro. "The FBI has been very effective," Daly asserted, "and you can look at the number of arrests that were made prior to the Fourth of July. These were people who were planning an attack or associating with terrorists. But it is becoming harder to get information on these people who are below the radar." Mauro urged U.S. authorities to actively confront terror threats, both at home and abroad. "You can't eliminate terrorism, but you can increase your chances of intercepting it by building partnerships within the Muslim community. We also have to face the reality that the process of radicalization takes place very quickly, which is why we have to defeat this group overseas. ISIS's success overseas is interpreted as an endorsement by Allah, so we have to push this group back."
Unresolved Problems
America's Growing Terror Fears
A new poll shows that more than half of Americans are "very concerned" about Islamic extremism. Eric spoke about that fear with prominent Muslims Ahmed Younis and Zuhdi Jasser. "That fear," Jasser declared, "is because our commander-in-chief doesn't identify the problem. We need to channel that fear into a plan for a political movement against global political Islam." Younis implied that Islamic terrorism is essentially the same as other forms of violence. "We are living in a time in which sickness and criminality is associated with all kinds of ideologies. It could be the ideology of American white supremacist racism or the ideologies that are sourced in Islam. The vast majority of institutions in Muslim America are very active in working to educate and enable young people to push back against these ideologies."
Back of the Book
Overseas Terror & America
In addition to this week's terror attack in Tennessee, there have also been recent acts of savagery in Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait, and elsewhere. Eric asked former CIA agent Mike Baker and national security expert Steve Bucci whether the foreign attacks influence jihadis in the USA. "Every terror attack adds to the cumulative perception of the success of this caliphate," Baker said, "and every attack emboldens the fighters and boosts their morale. It also lifts up the individuals they are looking to turn to their side - the disaffected, the easily influence, and the unemployed." Bucci agreed that many young Muslim men are falling under the sway of radicalism. "Every day that ISIS stands its ground in Iraq and Syria makes them more powerful. Even when the terrorists get blown away, like in Garland, Texas, to a lot of these folks that's a victory. These guys have to be crushed, that's the only way you're going to eliminate the motivation." Eric concluded with a lamentation, saying, "We have an administration that is afraid to call Islamic extremists Islamic extremists."