The Factor Rundown
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Is America a sick society?
"On this Halloween the number one movie in America is 'Saw III,' a sadistic slasher flick designed solely so its audience can enjoy graphic depictions of human suffering. I fully support freedom in the marketplace, but sadistic movies are bad for everyone, and the companies that finance them are harming individuals and their country. The turning point for ancient Rome arrived when the population turned from building their society to consuming whatever the government would give them, including brutal displays of death in the Coliseum. In modern America the culture is definitely on the decline. Vile gangsta' rappers have hurt millions of at-risk children, and now we have a movie industry that can't make these sadistic films fast enough. Those who push base entertainment are villains, no question. All of us need to wise up and jump into the culture war. When the number one movie in the country revels in close up shots of limbs being sawed off, there is a problem. Enough is enough with this dehumanizing trash. It is wrong, it is evil, and it demeans America."
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Sen. Kerry's controversial remarks
Guests: Democratic strategists Laura Schwartz & Mary Anne Marsh
Speaking to college students, Senator John Kerry said this: " ... if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Kerry called it a "botched joke," but Republicans denounced the senator for insulting U.S. troops. Democrat strategists Laura Schwartz and Mary Anne Marsh analyzed the controversy. "Republicans are down so far in the polls," Schwartz claimed, "that they distort some of these comments by John Kerry. Democrats can counter this by saying Kerry has been a champion for soldiers, and we have to remind the public that he is a war hero." Marsh urged Democrats not to get bogged down in controversy. "Republicans are worried about this election and will do anything to distract. Democrats need to come back and talk about how bad things are going in Iraq." The Factor suggested that Kerry's comments could play a role in the elections. "I don't believe John Kerry meant to demean any member of the military, which would be political suicide. But his choice of words has given the Republicans a huge campaign club. This is a huge development in an election that is less than a week away."
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Study reveals press leans left
Guest: Author Bob Kohn
A non-partisan organization recently studied the network news programs for seven weeks, finding that 77% of network news stories about Democrats were favorable, while just 12% of reports on Republicans were positive. The Factor was not surprised. "There's no question the media leans left. What they've reported on in the past seven weeks were Iraq, the war on terror, and the Mark Foley scandal." Author Bob Kohn asserted that bias shows up in the stories the networks decide to cover. "Do I believe they really want Democrats to win? I really do. Look at what they're reporting and take a look at this study. I don't blame them for reporting on Iraq every night, but the elephant in the room is the economy. Unemployment is low, productivity is up, the stock market is at an all-time high. The economy has been fantastic."
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Santorum unveils new political ads
Guests: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, currently trailing Democrat Bob Casey, is airing television spots that criticize his opponent as soft on terror. Casey was not available, but Santorum entered the No Spin Zone to explain his strategy. "Threats from North Korea, from Iran and the Islamic fascists are the serious threats of our time, and I'm going to look at the camera and run ads that tell of the seriousness of the threats. My opponent is absolutely clueless as to what is facing this country. If you put in people like Bob Casey who don't understand the threat, then we're going to be in a world of hurt in a very short time." The Factor reminded Santorum that he faces an uphill battle. "If you're the terror warrior, why is he so far ahead in the polls? Casey has carved out the 'Iraq's a mess' position and you are associated with the chaos in Iraq."
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Downgrading a drug dealer's sentence?
Guest: Attorney Erik Luna
Lawyers for Weldon Angelos are asking the Supreme Court to review his sentence. Angelos was convicted of selling marijuana while possessing a gun, and sentenced to 55 years under mandatory minimums. His lawyer Erik Luna described the sentence as cruel and unusual. "These were small amounts of marijuana. I'm not making him out to be a choir boy, but he is certainly not an arch-criminal. Aircraft hijackers, murderers, and child rapists receive lesser punishment. The Factor laid out the case for a stiff sentence. "Your client was a gang member who was dealing large quantities of marijuana and cocaine. He was found with firearms, large amounts of cash, and a ledger showing he was owed almost $100,000 by other drug dealers. It indicates he was a major dealer, and 55 years is what major dealers get."
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Making money from horror
Guests: Psychotherapist Virginia Klein & author James Hirsen
As mentioned in Talking Points, the highest grossing film in America is "Saw III," which features a maniac dismembering people. Psychotherapist Virginia Klein explained who attends ultra-violent movies. "People who have a need to see rage and identify with power, angry power. They identify with cruelty to other people." Author James Hirsen reported that slasher movies are a gold mine. "The first 'Saw' film cost a little over $1 million to make and grossed $100 million. That's the kind of profit margin that gets attention, and segments of the industry are proud of this." The Factor condemned executives who green light these films. "This is a sickening spectacle that could never have happened in America even ten years ago. I never hear the executives explaining this stuff. They just throw it out there, then run for cover."
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Suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge
Guest: Director Eric Steel
Documentary maker Eric Steel trained his cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge for a year and taped 24 people trying to jump to their deaths. Steel told The Factor he made the film to call attention to suicide and mental illness. "We just don't want to face the reality that there's twice as many suicides in this country as homicides. Mental illness goes largely untreated, and to make people understand that is often very scary." The Factor blamed the San Francisco death toll partly on bridge management. "They know there's a suicide every two weeks. All they have to do is raise the railing a couple of feet and make it so people couldn't climb it. Bottom line - they don't care."
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Viewers sound off
Many of you continued to write in about The Factor's TV appearances. Some excerpts:
Alan Wilson, Sarasota, FL: "The difference between Oprah and Letterman is that she actually wanted to hear what you had to say, O'Reilly."
Dr. C. Rubelowsky, Carbondale, IL: "I am a surgeon in the Army and will be returning to Iraq this December. When Mr. Letterman failed to say whether he wanted the USA to win in that country, I was very saddened."
Yolanda Brown, Bellevue, WA: "Bill, stop crying every time someone exposes you for who you are. You must be a very insecure man."
Mike Cunningham, Germantown, TN: "I love Letterman. But his treatment of you, O'Reilly, was vicious and I wrote CBS to tell them that."
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Check out the books mentioned during this show.
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Journalistic Fraud: How The New York Times Distorts the News and Why It Can No Longer Be Trusted
by Bob Kohn
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