The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Friday, September 16, 2005
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo
Top Story
Impact Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Factor Follow Up Segment
Fridays with Geraldo
Back of Book Segment
Factor Mail
Book Mentions
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Comments
The comeback of President Bush
"The President's Thursday evening speech received mostly positive reviews. About the only dissenting voice was the always reliable Jesse Jackson, who claimed 'it took this disaster to make the president to begin to back into a war on poverty.' Jackson's statement is just false. The Bush administration is spending far more on the poor than any other presidency in history. Jackson's propaganda is rarely challenged by the press, and he'll do anything to denigrate Mr. Bush. In another situation, Reuters released a close-up photo of a private note written by President Bush during a UN session. It shows the president writing that he needs a bathroom break. Reuters, which leans left, released this photo knowing full well it would be used to mock the president. This is a small thing, but a big issue. They're going to bash Bush no matter what. He's never going to get a fair shake, ever. The press is supposed to be our eyes and ears, but increasingly the media has turned into a nasty partisan group of ideologues. The breakdown of standards has arrived quickly, and I'm afraid it's here to stay."

Fox News Video: FoxNews.com

Health problems abound in Gulf area
Guest: Nurse Janice Kishner & Dr. Shaun Carpenter

There are many health hazards throughout the flood zone. Dr. Shaun Carpenter, a Louisiana ER physician, explained that he's treating numerous bodily injuries. "People are getting on roofs, using chainsaws, cutting down trees, clearing roads, and as a result I've seen multiple chainsaw lacerations. Anyone with an exposed wound is going to susceptible to serious infections." Nurse Janice Kishner reported on different problems in her hospital. "We have a lot of mold in the homes, so we've seen an increase in upper respiratory infections."

Katrina and the criminal element
Guest: Fox News military analyst Col. David Hunt

Soon after Katrina hit there were stories of lawlessness and violence straight out of the Wild West. Fox News military analyst Col. David Hunt tried to separate fact from fiction. "I found there was widespread and organized looting for the first five days. You had gangs coming from Memphis, Dallas, and Miami fighting over sections of the city with AK-47's and M-16's. These gangs brought their own boats and SUV's. It was actually a free fire zone, it was hellacious." The Factor placed some of the blame on the late arrival of the military. "A lot of this is because of the lack of the National Guard, which should have been in there ahead of the storm."

Tracking foreigners in the USA
Guest: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney

Tens of thousands of foreign students come to attend America's top universities, many of which are located in Massachusetts. In a recent speech, Governor Mitt Romney warned about people coming from terror-sponsoring countries, which sparked protests from Islamic groups. Governor Romney joined The Factor and elaborated on his worries. "When it comes to protecting our citizens, we have to do everything in our power. And political correctness is going to have to take a back seat. It would be silly not to recognize that in some mosques there have been extremists, and that there is a higher degree of a risk from those who are coming here from terror-sponsoring lands." The Factor lauded Governor Romney for speaking the truth and paying the price. "Political correctness rules here in America. You said the word 'mosque,' and as soon as you say that word 'mosque' they're all over you, saying you're singling out Muslims. The ACLU said your comments are 'chilling' because now students may not want to come to the USA because you're going to be spying on them."

Newspapers vs. Jessica's Law
Guest: Attorney & child advocate Wendy Murphy

The Factor has been urging states to enact a version of Jessica's Law, which would mandate tough minimum sentences for child predators. Various newspapers, including those in Minneapolis, Houston, Hartford, and New Hampshire, have been resisting such legislation. Attorney and child advocate Wendy Murphy claimed some news organizations are misleading their readers. "These papers aren't giving the public the real numbers in terms of how ineffective the criminal justice system is, and how kids are being failed at every branch of government. The ACLU, what I refer to as the American 'Criminals' Liberties Union, has a great deal of influence in a couple of these newspapers." The Factor complained that some papers are actually endangering children. "This isn't a left wing, right wing thing. But newspapers are trying to find flaws in Jessica's Law. They don't want to be told that they should have to do anything by that 'punk' O'Reilly. They don't seem to want to protect the kids, and I'm just furious about it."

Fight continues with NY Times columnist
Guest: Geraldo Rivera

As reported previously, New York Times reporter Alessandra Stanley falsely claimed that Fox News host Geraldo Rivera "nudged" a rescue worker out of the way to make himself look heroic. The paper has refused to print a correction. "What this boils down to," Rivera declared, "is a new principle within the New York Times, the so-called paper of record. They can lie, as long as the person they lie about is a person they don't like. She was wrong and they refuse to correct it." The Factor pointed out that other newspapers, after seeing video of the incident, have come to Rivera's defense. "The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other papers have all stuck up for you. Yet the New York Times continues not to retract."

European attitudes towards Al Qaeda
Guest: José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain

José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain, joined The Factor to discuss how European leaders view terrorism. "The perception of the threat of terrorism is different in Europe, and the will to fight terrorists is weaker than in the United States. It's not possible to appease terrorism. To me, there is only one policy - to fight it and defeat it. But in Europe there are people who prefer not to fight, and who think this is a problem for the US." The Factor suggested that Europe's attitude is reminiscent of another dark period. "It reminds me of what happened in Europe with Hitler. Everybody knew what a madman he was and they didn't want to fight him. Osama Bin Laden is going to kill Europeans just as soon as he's going to kill us. We've seen it in Madrid and London. I wish you were still prime minister, because you were a good friend to the USA."

Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Many of you commented on the segments with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Senator Chuck Schumer. Some excerpts:

Aubrey Keeter, Howard, OH: "Bill, a no interrupting zone should be practiced when interviewing a high government official like Ms. Rice."

Gloria Allen, Ketchikan, AK: "Condi is a master of the spin game and she spun you like a top, Bill."

Peete Scott, Lakewood, CA: "It is obvious that you are a puppet of Bush and Rice, O'Reilly."

Phil Bovenzi, Worchester, MA: "Mr. O, thanks for asking Rice some serious questions. I will have to take back some of my criticisms of you."

G. Pierson, Enid, OK: "O'Reilly, your pathetic attempt to lap at Senator Schumer's feet made me want to vomit."

Shannon Brent, Coos Bay, OR: "Bill, I was dumbfounded to see you tame Schumer. You turned him into an honest man. Amazing."

Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
Aznar: Eight Years as Prime Minister: A Personal Vision of Spain 1996-2004
by José María Aznar

Read more...