Thursday, January 17, 2013
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.
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Manti Te'o and evil on the Internet
Guests: Jim Gray

"All of us are being influenced by the Internet, which has changed everything. And as you know, if you use the Internet, there's tremendous evil available at your fingertips. Pedophilia, sadism, drug dealing, and even rape can all be accessed on sick Internet sites. Chat rooms can promote discourse that is crude and malevolent. In addition, millions of people are developing emotional relationships over the 'net with strangers, which can lead to disaster. Enter 21-year-old Manti Te'o, captain of the Notre Dame football team. Last October he told the world that his grandmother and the girlfriend he met on the 'net both died in the same week. The nation sympathized with Manti Te'o and he became even more famous. But there's one problem: There was no girlfriend, she never even existed. Te'o and Notre Dame claim he is the victim of an Internet fraud called 'catfishing,' which is when a person develops a romantic relationship with another person using fake credentials. But that's hard to believe; if the 'love of your life' dies, don't you go to the funeral? So once again the Internet is at the center of a national controversy and that should be a cautionary tale for all of us. Do not allow the machines to take control of your life! Evil operates best when it's hidden, and the Internet is a great place to hide."

The Factor welcomed Fox News sports analyst Jim Gray, who covered Notre Dame football for six years. "There are an awful lot of holes in this story," Gray began, "and everything indicates that, yes, Manti Te'o is a fraud. His 'girlfriend' was in a car accident and almost died and he didn't visit her? Then she had leukemia and he didn't visit her or go to the funeral? You can't make this stuff up, but somebody just did. One teammate has come out and said that Te'o played up this entire story and they all knew this wasn't his girlfriend." The Factor provided one possible reason for Te'o's alleged deceit: "Being the object of sympathy, his commercial appeal obviously rose. He's in a lot of trouble if it's proven that he is the perpetrator of the fraud, and I suspect this is not going to turn out well for the young man."
Impact Segment
President Obama asks doctors to help with gun violence
Guests: Megyn Kelly

As one part of President Obama's gun proposals, he wants to involve "mental health professionals and the public health community." The NRA accused the President of turning doctors into spies, but attorney and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly had a much more benign interpretation. "What President Obama said is that Obamacare does not prohibit doctors from asking about guns," she explained, "but patients don't have to answer if their doctor asks whether they have a gun. Doctors can ask anything, but they can not make you disclose your private security choices. I don't see this as an issue." But The Factor contended that gun owners have a reason to be concerned: "The President specifically pointed out that he is giving authority to school officials and health officials to get into this area, which raises red flags."
Personal Story Segment
The Factor welcomes Dennis Kucinich as a Fox News Contributor
Guests: Dennis Kucinich

Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a lifelong denizen of the left, entered the No Spin Zone as a newly minted Fox News contributor. He expressed total support for President Obama's gun control initiatives. "We have a crisis of security," Kucinich declared, "and people don't feel safe. Maybe none of the laws we pass are going to make Americans safer, but the President has to act and Congress should consider the proposals he extended. But that's still not getting at the underlying issue in America, which is why do we have this level of fear and why is there so much distrust of government?" The Factor advised Kucinich that many members of his own party will never support gun bans: "Many Democrats are caught because the people in their state don't want limitations on certain weapons. Al Franken is about as left wing as you can get, but he is from Minnesota and he won't answer whether he'll support a ban on assault rifles."
Week in Review from the Ingraham Angle Segment
Did Colin Powell coordinate attack on GOP with White House?
Guests: Laura Ingraham

After former Secretary of State Colin Powell implied that many Republicans are racially bigoted, radio talk show host Laura Ingraham theorized that Powell coordinated his attack with the White House. "He said there's a 'dark vein of intolerance' running through the Republican Party," Ingraham said, "with the obvious implication that Republicans are xenophobic and uncomfortable with minorities. That set up the President for the next day when he attacked Republicans on the debt ceiling. Colin Powell is a very sophisticated player and I don't think he does anything without thinking it through. What he said is in line with what liberal commentators say - every time you criticize Barack Obama there is someone saying you just don't like the fact that a black man is in power. It's ridiculous!" The Factor reminded Ingraham that her supposition is potentially offensive: "Colin Powell would be very insulted because you're saying he's being used to promote Barack Obama's policies in a sneaky way."
Are We Crazy Segment
What is behind the teen sexting epidemic?
Guests: Bonny Forrest and Wendy Walsh

The Factor asked psychologists Bonny Forrest and Wendy Walsh to analyze the disturbing trend of children sending sexually explicit photos and text messages. "It's child pornography," Walsh declared, "and these pictures wind up on websites where they are downloaded by pedophiles. Children need to be taught that they are creating pornography when they send these photographs of themselves. We live in a highly-sexualized culture where sex is used to sell every product, even to children and teens, and we have the access to technology. The final piece is that young people today do not have the relationship skills to actually relate so they start texting relationships." Despite the many perils of sexting, Forrest ridiculed the notion that kids should be threatened with arrest. "Kids in middle school used to send love letters or pass notes, but this is just a love letter on a text. This is a time in adolescent brain development when emotions rule and reasoning hasn't come in yet. The only solution is parenting!"
Watters' World Segment
Watters' World: Movie Edition!
Guests: Jesse Watters

FNC's Jesse Watters hit the streets and asked a few folks to name the best movie of all time. Some of the replies: "One of my favorites is Fight Club, one of those twisted kind of movies" ... "Shawshank Redemption, who didn't cry when they saw it?" ... "Anchorman, because Will Ferrell is a legend" ... "Bridesmaids is nonstop laughter" ... "Pulp Fiction really revolutionized story telling." Back in the studio, The Factor lamented that the respondents displayed a disturbing lack of perspective. "Most of those people were younger, but Will Ferrell!! They don't have the history and they don't know, but American film is part of our culture."
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Brenda Long, Keller, TX: "O'Reilly, thank you for finally bringing a common sense solution to gun violence. I support federalizing gun crimes and imposing mandatory sentences."

Thom Condor, Bloomington, IN: "Bill, your Talking Points was almost perfect but you went off the rails when you condoned gun registration."

Mike Kelly, Singapore: "If you illegally possess a gun in this country you get life in prison. If you illegally discharge a gun, you get the death penalty."
Tip Of The Day
Web of deceit
Be wary of the Internet and always remember that there are no standards in cyberspace.