By Bill O'Reilly

In the beginning, there was some sympathy toward the protesters, who believe the federal government should take action against financial institutions that cheat. In the face of the terrible recession, that message is a powerful one, and so the "Occupy Wall Street" movement got some traction.

But the more we saw and heard, the more fair-minded Americans came to believe that the "Occupiers" were not interested in legitimate issues. Many of them simply want to blow up the economic system.

In addition, some of their behavior was and is reprehensible: all kinds of violent crime, all kinds of provocation against the police, all kinds of depraved behavior in general.

A picture taken by the New York Post shows hypodermic needles that were taken out of the New York City site. Isn't that nice? I don't believe we saw any hypodermic needles at the Tea Party protests, or am I wrong?

The left-wing media is still trying to portray the "Occupiers" as the liberal equivalent to the Tea Party. One simple question: Would you prefer that your daughter demonstrate with the Tea Party people or with the "Occupiers"? You make the call, remembering the hypodermic needles.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll asked: Do you consider yourself a supporter of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement? Sixty-three percent of Americans say they do not support the movement; just 28 percent say they do.

Because President Obama was sympathetic to the movement in the beginning, along with many members of the Democratic Party, this presents a big political problem for them. And so officials in 11 cities got on a conference call to discuss how to deal with the "Occupiers."

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JEAN QUAN, MAYOR, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: What had started as a political movement and a political encampment ended up being an encampment that was no longer in control of the people who started them.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

And that's true. To be fair -- and we always are on "The Factor" -- some of the "Occupy" protesters are well-intentioned folks who believe the financial system is no longer fair. That's a legitimate debate. But they have been overrun by thugs, anarchists and the crazies who intimidate. If you are a violent person, people usually back off.

So the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is dead, finished as a legitimate political force in this country. And that's a good thing.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

President Obama is Down Under, and we're not talking about the polls; we're talking Australia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's some concern here that your Australian language is being Americanized. So perhaps it's time for us to reverse the trend. Tonight, with your permission, I'd like to give it a burl. I want to thank the prime minister for a very productive meeting that we had today. I think she'll agree it was a real chinwag. When Julie and I meet, we listen to each other. We learn from each other. It's not just a lot of ear-bashing. That's a good one, ear-bashing. I can use that in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I think many Australians would like that, so the president is a patriot for engendering good will.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com.