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| 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.
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Guests: Kris Kobach and Chuck Rocha
"Arizona's immigration law had four main components â?" three parts that set up state criminal penalties for immigration violations were struck down by the Supreme Court, but the justices unanimously upheld the provision allowing police to check the status of those that they had 'reasonable suspicion' were in the country illegally. It would then be up to the federal government to deport the illegal aliens or let them go free. Arizona's 400,000 illegal immigrants must be thrilled that the justices on the Supreme Court are empathizing with their plight, but there is no such empathy for the millions of Arizonans whose lives have been adversely impacted by the glut of cheap labor, increased crime, property damage and strained social services, all due to illegal immigration. For decades both Republican and Democratic presidents have been unwilling to remedy the problem of illegal immigration, which is why Arizona was forced to act. Today the will of the people was thwarted once again by a Supreme Court that dismisses the basic right of state sovereignty. While the media has largely focused on the anger of Latino voters this election year, the real and unreported anger out there is felt by hard-working Americans of all ethnic backgrounds who want the borders enforced and our laws upheld."
Laura was joined by Kris Kobach, who wrote the Arizona immigration law, and Chuck Rocha, a vociferous opponent of the legislation. "This ruling shows that a patchwork of state laws is not going to work," Rocha said, "and that we need comprehensive immigration reform. Congress must act or these laws will continue to spring up. I don't agree with everything the Supreme Court did, but I think it's a step in the right direction. Eleven million immigrants have to be dealt with." But Kobach portrayed the ruling as a win for his side and the Arizona law. "I would say this is a qualified victory," he declared. "The big provision is the one that the court approved â?" every one of the tens of thousands of law enforcement stops made every day in Arizona can now be transformed into an immigration arrest. If they have reasonable suspicion that the person is illegally in the country, officers must contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement." Laura lamented that the federal government has "no will to enforce immigration laws." |
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Guests: Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham
With the Supreme Court expected to rule on President Obama's health care law on Thursday, Laura asked Fox News analysts Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham how the decision could affect the presidential election. "If the individual mandate is struck down," Williams said, "I think it's a defeat for President Obama. But the President has a fallback position in that he can say, 'Hey, there are some consumer-friendly items that are still in the deal.' But if they strike down the entire law it's a total defeat." Ham theorized that President Obama has been painted into a political corner. "The public was not with him on this law and people have been very receptive to the argument that it is not constitutional, that there are limits on what Congress can do. So it will be tough for the President politically, even if it is upheld." Laura countered that President Obama may actually benefit if the Supreme Court rules against Obamacare: "If the entire thing is struck down, he can say, 'Look, this is why I need to be reelected, I need to put another justice on this court.'" |
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Guests: Marjorie Clifton
Congress may vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt because of his refusal to turn over certain documents related to the 'Fast and Furious' gun-running fiasco. Laura asked former Obama campaign consultant Marjorie Clifton to assess the damage to the President. "This is a campaign stunt if we've ever seen one," Clifton declared. "Eric Holder has testified nine times and has released thousands of documents outlining everything they found. Holder himself said the entire situation was appalling and they shut it down when they knew. The entire operation was being run out of Phoenix by an ATF officer there, and there is no documentation whatsoever that says Eric Holder even knew of the operation." Laura posed the obvious rhetorical question: "If Eric Holder has nothing to hide, then why the late invocation of executive privilege?" |
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Guests: David Silverman and Pastor Robert Jeffress
According to a recent poll, 54% of Americans say they would vote for an atheist as president. Pastor Robert Jeffress and avowed atheist David Silverman entered the No Spin Zone to evaluate the poll's findings. "This is a progression toward tolerance," Silverman said, "and the 'de-bigoting' of America. People are no longer willing to say, 'He is an atheist and I won't vote for anybody like that.' And among people under thirty, 70% would vote for an atheist. It doesn't mean we're going to become an anti-religious nation, it means we're more of a melting pot." Jeffress addressed another finding of the same poll, that only 33% of Americans consider President Obama a Christian. "I take him at face value when he says he's a Christian," Jeffress said, "but most people aren't buying that because he embraces policies that are inconsistent with the Christian point of view. He embraces same-sex marriage and abortion, which are incompatible with the vast majority of Christians. A lot of people believe that President Obama is talking the talk, but not walking the walk." Laura added, "People of good faith and good conscience across the country feel like they are second class citizens." |
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Guests: Jose Antonio Vargas
Laura welcomed writer Jose Vargas, an immigrant from the Philippines who has been in America illegally for two decades. "When I got here when I was twelve," Vargas recalled, "I thought everything was fine. I later found out that I was undocumented, and a lot of other people like me find that out when you try to get a job or a driver's license." Vargas opined on the Supreme Court's ruling on the Arizona law. "I fully understand the fear and frustration that Latinos have, but I read Justice Kennedy's ruling saying it is not a crime for an illegal alien to remain in the United States. How can I not be hopeful? The ruling says I am not 'illegal,' so I'm not worried. If you want me to get to the back of the line, I'd be more than happy to do that." |
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Guests: Cathy Areu
New York Times columnist Charles Blow actually compared conservatives and Republicans to the adolescent bullies who tormented an elderly bus monitor in New York State. Blow blew off an invitation to appear on The Factor, but Kathy Areu entered the No Spin Zone to defend his point of view. "It's a very interesting angle," Areu said, "and I do think people have a bullying mentality these days. It's a tough time to be a white man in America where the minorities are really taking over, and Republicans have always been known to be the 'white man's party.' Latinos are being bullied in Arizona by Governor Jan Brewer and women are being bullied â?" we know about the 'war on women.'" Laura argued that the actual victims of bullying are often traditional Americans: "People who are hard working feel bullied by a government that is not responsible to the people. They feel bullied when health care passed by one vote, they feel derided and dismissed. So if there is bullying, it's mutual." |
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| Monday's Pinhead: 18-year-old pop star Justin Bieber, who apparently thought the Sistine Chapel was the "sixteenth chapel." |
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