Guests: Ralph Begleiter and Beth Knobel

"By printing the names and addresses of Americans who can legally possess firearms, the Journal News of Westchester County in New York has put some people in danger. Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former prosecutor, specified 'the battered woman hiding from her abuser, the police officer whose family is now in jeopardy, the witness who testified against the bad guy, judges and district attorneys like me.' And what does the publisher of the Journal News, Janet Hasson, think of all this? She won't address the issue; she's hiding under her desk. Since 2005 the circulation of the Journal News has dropped nearly 50%. It is a committed left wing paper; in the recent election it endorsed 36 candidates, all Democrats. It's clear Ms. Hasson is running an ideological operation that wants to punish legal gun owners. There is no question that Janet Hasson should be dismissed by the Gannett Corporation but, in the meantime, loons on the other side are issuing death threats and publishing personal information about Journal News personnel. That is also unacceptable. The Journal News violated the privacy of law-abiding Americans and it will never recover in the minds of fair-minded people. However, by issuing threats and trying to bring personal harm to those at that newspaper, you lose the debate. If your position is solid, don't act like a thug!"

The Factor pursued the Journal News controversy with two journalism professors. "Asking a news organization to keep public information covered up," said Ralph Begleiter, "is asking a news organization to do something they just don't do. The information was already public - gun permit applicants gave their information when they applied for a permit. I think the newspaper was within its right to publish this information." Beth Knobel argued that the Journal News, while within its rights, provided too much personal information. "I would have done it without exact addresses and without names. You could do it on a block-by-block basis without giving names, which would have proven the point that there are a lot of guns out there."

Guests: Brit Hume

Some leading Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, are hinting that they'll push for more tax hikes. Fox News analyst Brit Hume dismissed the possibility of higher taxes. "I'm not surprised," he said, "but the idea is going nowhere. It all comes down to this - Republicans would like to reduce the cost of entitlement programs, the big drivers of our deficits and debts. But President Obama would like to finance the cost of those programs. Those are diametrically opposed positions that each side holds dearly. Every American who pays Social Security taxes is seeing a tax increase, their checks are lighter. That's an advantage to the Republicans in this forthcoming struggle over raising the debt ceiling and whether there should be spending cuts. We're going to have a very bloody fight here."

Guests: Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams

The Factor asked Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham to predict whether President Obama will govern from the far left during his second term. "I don't think he's an ideologue," Williams said, "I don't think he's any far left winger. He's a pragmatist who won majorities of the American people twice, and you don't do that if you are far left or far right." But Ham depicted the President as a progressive in moderate clothing. "He's a very liberal guy who's good at sounding like he's more of a centrist. And as a liberal, he is committed to pretty much desperately avoiding the idea of reforming entitlements." The Factor urged President Obama to keep America solvent and avoid going the way of Greece, saying, "It comes down to whether he wants to be a good President or whether he wants to have blood in the streets."

Guests: Christopher Kennedy Lawford and Patrick Kennedy

Christopher Kennedy Lawford, the son of actor Peter Lawford, was addicted to various substances for 17 years; his cousin Patrick Kennedy, son of Ted Kennedy, also endured years of drug and alcohol problems. Both scions of the Kennedy family entered the No Spin Zone. "I tried to overcome this illness for ten years," Lawford revealed. "I tried everything humanly possible, I had the desire and I had resources, but it still took me that long. The evidence shows that the earlier you intervene in someone's life, the better the chance you have of changing their trajectory." Kennedy, who served eight terms in the House, also spoke about his personal struggle. "I had a lot of problems managing my life, and if you're an addict you manage your life by consuming drugs and alcohol. There is a physical compulsion that makes it impossible for you to put them down once you ingested them. I retired from Congress because of a realization that I couldn't live the life I wanted to live in that stressful environment, and I've had the longest period of sobriety since leaving Congress."

Guests: Bernie Goldberg

Bernie Goldberg opined on the New York newspaper's decision to publish the names and addresses of gun permit holders. "Newspapers have the right to publish public documents," Goldberg observed, "but that doesn't mean you should do it. If they want to editorialize against guns or even call for the repeal of the Second Amendment, no problem. But to publish the names of gun owners who have committed no crime is irresponsible. It amounts to nothing more than a cheap anti-gun stunt and this has done real damage to this newspaper's reputation." The Factor denounced the publisher for revealing information that is potentially injurious: "We now know that individuals are suffering because of this and the Journal News knew that, that's why you can't justify what the Journal News did."

Guests: Adam Carolla

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a man of considerable girth, has been asked whether his obesity would be a barrier if he decided to run for President. Adam Carolla weighed in with his opinion. "Isn't President the ultimate 'fat job?'" Carolla pondered. "You don't fly coach, you host a bunch of dinners, and even your office is oval-shaped. It's not like the President has to get up on an extension ladder and clean the gutters, so you can be fat and be the President. And let's take a look at the voters, they're fat!" The relatively-svelte Carolla pivoted to another issue, President Obama's desire to tax the wealthy. "I hate it, I think it is un-American. We should look at this country as a team with the coach as the President. Let's focus on the people who aren't being productive instead of putting a higher burden on the guy who's already shooting the lights out."

Dr. Arthur Tiedemann, Greeley, CO: "After watching what Corporal Jon Hammar went through in a Mexican prison, we need to send a powerful message that we will not tolerate this kind of barbaric behavior from Mexico."

William Conlin, Queensland, Australia: "We've been getting Al Jazeera here for a number of years and it's absolutely first class. It's not like Fox News whose chief mission is to attack President Obama."

Myron Frye, Deer Valley, AZ: "Bill, since you have never consumed pot, you are in no position to comment on its effects."

Whenever someone does something especially kind to you, dash off a short, handwritten note and send it to them ... the old-fashioned way.