By Bill O'Reilly

The riots in Great Britain are a reminder that there are people who will physically destroy society if they think they can get away with it. At this point, British authorities are under siege. They say jails are overflowing because more than 1,200 thugs have been arrested this week. Damage will be in the hundreds of millions, and the entire country is on edge.

The same thing happened in America back in 1992 when 58 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured after Los Angeles police beat a black motorist, Rodney King. The riots caused a billion dollars worth of damage. Some neighborhoods in L.A. still have not recovered.

I was right in the middle of those riots in L.A. and I can tell you that once violence gets out of control, some people turn into animals. That's what's going on right now in England.

The BBC caught up with two young women who were actually condoning the violence:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the government's fault.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Conservatives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not even a riot. It's showing the police we can do what we want. That's what it's all about: showing the police we can do what we want. And now we have.

LEANA HOSEA, BBC NEWS: Do you reckon it will go on tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, hopefully. Hopefully.

HOSEA: But these are like local people. I mean, why is it targeting local people and your own people?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the rich people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the rich people, the people that got businesses. And that's why all of this is happened because of the rich people. We're just showing the rich people we can do what we want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The takeaway from that: Rich people are responsible for the riots in Great Britain. Rich people are the villains.

That kind of class warfare is also in play in Washington, as some believe that the so-called tax cuts for the rich are harming the economy. They bang that drum over and over and over, and a new CNN poll says the message is getting through. Sixty-three percent of Americans now believe there should be tax increases on businesses and higher-income Americans. Just 36 percent say there should not be. Eighty-seven percent of Americans say the middle class and lower-income Americans should not be taxed anymore. Just 12 percent say they should. That poll certainly will fuel class warfare.

With the U.S. economy in dire trouble, it may be just a matter of time before violence breaks out in this country. People are angry. Some are blaming the rich; others are blaming President Obama; some are even blaming the Tea Party. But the blame game is everywhere.

Instead of calming things down, President Obama seems confused. He doesn't really have an economic message. Raising taxes on the wealthy and business at this point may harm the economy further. Yet the president seems to be willing to take that chance. The big culprit is rampant government spending and out-of-control medical costs. A tax rise does not address those problems.

As "Talking Points" stated earlier this week, the entire tax code should be revamped so the government could get more revenue without harming the economy. And programs like Medicare and Social Security have to be revised for younger Americans, at least somewhat.

Finally, Great Britain is a quasi-nanny state. They have free health care, generous pensions and safety nets all over the place. Yet their society is on fire. No question that is a warning to us.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may know, Al Gore is making a lot of money off the global warming controversy. He has taken some lumps from people who don't buy his contention that man is responsible for the warming. Mr. Gore addressed his critics in Aspen last Thursday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They pay pseudo-scientists to pretend to be scientists to put out the message. This climate thing, it's nonsense. Manmade CO2 doesn't trap heat; it's not -- it may be volcanoes. Bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED). It may be sunspots. Bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED). It's not getting warmer. Bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Memo to Al Gore: If you want to refute your critics, do it with facts, not cheap invective. You're a pinhead. Wise up. You know, you want to take on your critics, take them on with facts. Just like me.

— 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.