Thursday, May 12, 2005
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
Houston Chronicle strikes back
Guest: Dan Patrick, KSEV-AM

"On Tuesday I criticized the Houston Chronicle for publishing an editorial that said this: 'Florida's sex offender law ... is not the best way to stop sexual predators from preying on children.' I think the law named after the murdered child Jessica Lunsford is a good one. A sentence of 25 years to life is the best way to stop predators. Well, on Thursday the Houston Chronicle replied, writing this: 'O'Reilly told his viewers that the Chronicle editorial said the Florida law was too harsh. He was mistaken.' I was wrong about one thing in my initial report - I misquoted the editorial in assessing what regular people can do to protect kids. My mistake, no excuses. But all of this analysis would be unnecessary if the Chronicle would accept our invitation to discuss the paper's stance on punishing child molesters. Does the Houston Chronicle object to the 25 years to life punishment in Florida? Yes or no? Talking Points believes the Chronicle is playing games because so many of its readers are angry over its editorial position. We know the paper is under tremendous pressure. But as always, we want to be fair. So here's what we've done. If you go to www.billoreilly.com, you can read both the original editorial and the attack on me. You read, you decide."

Transcript/Video: FoxNews.com

Houston radio talk show host Dan Patrick joined The Factor with more on the Chronicle and its political leanings. "The Chronicle is suffering from the same liberal symptoms that newspapers all across the country are suffering from," Patrick said. "Their circulation is down because they've lost touch with mainstream American. The Chronicle no longer has just a liberal bias - they delete information and ignore stories that do not support their position. The paper is a dinosaur like other liberal rags and will be out of business in a decade." The Factor again invited Chronicle editors to appear on the program. "They are welcome to come on here and put forth their point of view. We really want to know if they would push for a Jessica Lunsford law in Texas. That's the key question."
Impact Segment
The hunt for an illegal alien
Guest: Immigration attorney Jeff Joseph

There is an ongoing manhunt for 19-year old illegal alien Raul Garcia-Gomez, who allegedly murdered Denver detective Donald Young. Gomez had previously been stopped for numerous traffic violations, but was let go each time because Denver is a "sanctuary city." Local police are forbidden from reporting illegal aliens to immigration authorities unless a serious crime has been committed. Immigration attorney Jeff Joseph defended Denver's sanctuary policy. "My heart goes out to the detective's family, but I don't think it's appropriate to blame the policy. It's only appropriate to place blame on the individual who committed the crime. And city police forces are already overworked." The Factor argued that the sanctuary policy is dangerous and wrong. "The individual who committed the crime should never have been here. He was in this country illegally. You believe the rights of an illegal alien supersede the rights of all other Coloradans."
Unresolved Problems Segment
Reporting the news in an age of terror
Guest: Cliff May, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Newsweek magazine has reported that Islamic detainees at Guantanamo Bay were forced to watch as interrogators placed the Koran near a toilet. The military denies the report, but the story has ignited violent protests in Afghanistan. Newsweek wouldn't appear on The Factor, but former New York Times reporter Cliff May asserted that journalists have to be doubly careful when dealing with sensitive topics. "Reporters have to get the truth. But they can't be lazy or sketchy, because there are real-life implications. This report was broadcast on Al-Jazeera and other stations, and it gets exaggerated. You've got to have more than one source on a story like this." The Factor said the story gave radical Islamists another reason to rail against America. "The anti-American propagandists read this, they run out to the street and whip up a frenzy. Any story that has to do with Islam, you have to think about it."
Factor Follow Up Segment
Child killer run amok
Guest: Steve Kennaway, Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union

Charles Jaynes is in a Massachusetts prison for raping and murdering 10-year old Jeffrey Curley in 1997. Now, Jaynes is reportedly running wild in prison - bragging about his crimes and having sex with other inmates. Correction officer Steve Kenneway placed the blame on high-ranking prison officials. "Jaynes received a 90-day loss of canteen privileges for having sex with another inmate, but that was suspended. The administration is afraid to take actions against these inmates in protective custody." The Factor contended that prison officials have to find a way to punish Charles Jaynes. "They could put him in solitary or revoke his canteen privileges. Certainly this man shouldn't be allowed to have sex with other inmates in the library."
Personal Story Segment
PBS chairman under fire
Guest: Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Kenneth Tomlinson, the new chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ignited a controversy by openly suggesting that PBS programming is too liberal. He joined The Factor and explained his position. "PBS has not paid attention to the need for political balance. And if public broadcasting is not balanced, it has a bleak future." Tomlinson has been accused of carrying water for the Bush administration, a charge he vehemently denied. "The Bush White House has never issued any mandate to me. The point is not to gain support for the administration, the point is to gain support for public television." The Factor questioned whether taxpayer-funded public television is even necessary in today's marketplace. "I don't think you guys should get any money. Why don't you just compete like everybody else? You need to come up with some programming that is compelling and that people are going to want to watch."
Back of Book Segment
Police chase controversy continues
Guest: David Gascon, former LAPD deputy police chief

There was still another high-speed police in California this week - police pursued a suspected car thief at speeds of up to 100 mph, then shot the man to death on live TV. Former LAPD officer David Gascon complained that televising these incidents is never a good idea. "It's a blood sport and we've had many cases where in the end you have some tragedy. And most of the time kids are around the TV watching it happen." However, The Factor predicted that televised car chases are here to stay. "People like to watch real time crime. But if you're going to cover real time crime you are going to sometimes see some horrific results. The only possible upside is that people who may have criminal intent see this and say I don't want to lose my life that way."
Factor Mail
Viewers Sound Off
Viewers flooded The Factor with e-mails about the epidemic of crimes committed by illegal aliens. Some excerpts:


Karen Prigger, Fort Myers, FL: "I can't understand how my government can be so nonchalant about the borders. This is the same attitude that preceded 9/11."


Mike Jackson, Atlanta, GA: "Bill, you find one illegal Mexican murderer and you demonize the entire population. You are implying that all illegal Mexicans are criminals."


Robert Marks, San Jose, CA: "Bill, I must confess that after watching all those guests opposing troops on the border, I still don't understand their points."


Dick Cozby, Sisters, OR: "Hey, Bill, I got off the couch and signed the petition tonight after hearing your frightening reports."


Tom Landrum, Imperial Valley, CA: "Mr. O, I worked for the Border Patrol and believe the number of illegal aliens in this country is not 11 million, it's closer to 25 million."


Connie Sell, Loreto, Mexico: "I'm an American living here (in Mexico) and cannot do anything without my legal documentation. Mexico has zero tolerance for illegal aliens!"