The Factor Rundown
Unresolved Problems Segment
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Fighting terror, funding Iraq
"President Bush wants $80 billion more to fund the actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Talking Points believes the money should be cut in half until we can see if true progress is being made. This would put pressure on the new Iraqi government to perform, and on the Bush administration to quickly correct mistakes that have been made. The anti-Bush faction led by Senator Ted Kennedy wants out of Iraq quickly, and says the war has made America less secure. We could take the Senator's thesis more seriously if he had a plan to defeat terrorism. But for nearly twenty years the USA allowed worldwide terrorism to go unchecked, while Kennedy and every other American leader failed to protect us. The United States needs to fight a smart, brutal, aggressive war against these fanatics. The war will not be won inside the United Nations or inside the minds of people like Ted Kennedy. We all need to wise up and fast. Our lives depend on it."
Transcript: FoxNews.com
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Debate over Iraq/Afghanistan warfronts
Guests: Col. P.J. Crowley, former Special Assistant to Pres. Clinton for National Security & Jed Babbin, author & former Dep. Undersecretary for Defense for Pres. Bush
Two national security experts provided their opinions on the administration's latest request for war funding. Jed Babbin, a Defense official under the first President Bush, said the $80 billion is necessary for the Pentagon to effectively prosecute the war. "They are the people on the ground and have the knowledge. We're paying for war the way we always pay for war, on the installment plan. This is the latest installment." Col. P.J. Crowley, a National Security advisor to President Clinton, said the money should be used to develop an exit strategy. "I think you have to look at what we can do over the next year to make the training of Iraqi forces effective, so we can replace our soldiers with their soldiers. Twelve or eighteen months from now, it will be time to bring our forces home." The Factor again proposed that funding be cut in half, and then reassessed at a later date. "The President needs to be held accountable. This can't be an unending money pit with Americans coming back dead and maimed."
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Offensive tsunami song
Guest: Marjorie Heins, Freedom Expression Policy Project
One radio station recently played a parody song mocking victims of the recent tsunami as "screaming chinks." The station has apologized, but should it also face government sanctions? "The government doesn't have the authority to step in," asserted Marjorie Heins of the Freedom Expression Policy Project. "The FCC's power to censor the airwaves is limited to the subjects of sex and four-letter words." Heins contended unless speech is threatening, the government should steer clear. "We need to think about what we censor. If somebody just makes racist comments, it's protected by the First Amendment." The Factor argued because the airwaves belong to the public, it is the government's role to enforce standards. "You can't expose yourself on a public street, you'll be arrested. Why should you be able to say grossly sexual or offensive things on the radio?"
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Controversial Villanova memorial
Guests: Talk host Michael Smerconish & Villanova grad Nancy Lynn
Villanova University has dedicated a memorial to a professor who killed her 6-month old baby, then took her own life. Villanova declined to provide a spokesperson, but alumna Nancy Lynn defended her school's actions. "The professor was suffering from post-partum psychosis," Lynn claimed. "This was a woman who was very dear to her colleagues. She was a great teacher. We can't overlook the good things she had done." Talk show host Michael Smerconish argued Villanova should be ashamed. "This is inexcusable. Had she not taken her own life, she would be in prison. So why should her own suicide change the dynamics. To honor someone who killed a six-month old is an outrage."
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Commentators have problems with FNC
Guest: Sylvester Brown, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
CNN founder Ted Turner has compared Fox News to Nazi Germany, and he's not the network's only detractor. Columnist Sylvester Brown of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has frequently criticized FNC, singling out Factor host Bill O'Reilly. "I liken you to Jerry Springer and the impact he had on reality TV," Brown said. "You guys are very successful, and people are starting to emulate you. My main problem is where the industry is heading." The Factor suggested Brown is actually terrified because the media status quo is crumbling. "You are a liberal, NPR is liberal, PBS is liberal, CNN is liberal, and I could give you twenty more. You guys can't stand that there's one network that is traditional. You are intolerant and don't want another point of view. You want to dominate as you have for the past thirty years."
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Clash of religions in tsunami relief zone
Guests: Rev. Jerry Falwell & Nihad Awad, Executive Director, Center on American-Islamic Relations
Some Muslims worry that Christian charities are offering not only aid to tsunami victims, but are also preaching the gospel. Nihad Awad of the Center on American-Islamic Relations is among those offended by reports of Christian proselytizing. "Reverend Jerry Falwell and others are trying to prey on the victims," Awad contended. "This is taking advantage of people who are vulnerable." Fallwell defended his work in the tsunami-stricken areas. "My ministry goes where the tragedies are. We're delivering food and medical supplies, and we never turn anyone down simply because they will not believe what we're preaching. But if someone asks that we share our faith, of course we will."
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Academy Award nominations
Guest: Fox News entertainment reporter Bill McCuddy
Fox News entertainment reporter Bill McCuddy provided his take on the Academy Award nominations. One of the major surprises was the total absence of nominations for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," despite Moore?s expensive publicity campaign. "Michael Moore went out to Hollywood," McCuddy said, "and met with 55 different groups of Academy voters. He took out trade ads saying that if you're upset with the Bush election, you can send a message by voting for me. He made this a political contest, and he got a big no vote. He clearly was shut out." McCuddy contended Hollywood's snub of Moore is evidence that the entertainment industry doesn't tilt quite as far to the left as many people believe.
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Check out the books mentioned during this show.
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Not In Front of the Children: "Indecency," Censorship, and the Innocence of Youth
by Marjorie Heins
Read more...
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Inside the Asylum: Why the UN and Old Europe Are Worse Than You Think
by Jed Babbin
Read more...
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