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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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"There's little anyone can say when 20 schoolchildren are murdered; that kind of thing diminishes the entire country and deeply affects all good people. At about 9:40 this morning at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot the principal dead and also shot the school psychologist. Then Lanza entered two classrooms, killing the children and four other adults. Lanza's mother was a teacher at the school and he apparently murdered her earlier in the morning at the home they shared. There is no known motive and Lanza committed suicide at the school. Three guns were found at the scene, two pistols and a rifle. Police say they were legally purchased and registered to Lanza's mother."
Geraldo Rivera entered the No Spin Zone with his reaction to the massacre. "I've been eye-to-eye with Charles Manson," he said, "and I've covered the worst atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq. But this is the worst thing ever and there's a scene I can't get out of my mind. You have these babies who had never seen evil, who are in the flower of innocence, and here's a grownup dressed in camouflage and he's killing the children and he's reloading. Just imagine the terror before he kills them, it is so unconscionable and beyond description that 'evil' doesn't sufficiently explain the wickedness." The Factor lamented that mass murder has grown far too common in America: "This is a good country but there is now a strain of insanity running through it. There is evil in the universe and you can't stop it." Rivera concluded, "I want an armed cop at every school, we have to protect these children as if they were gold."
The Factor was joined by Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal, who reported the latest from the scene of the crime. "I spoke with a seasoned investigator," Leventhal said, "one of the biggest and toughest guys I know, and he was shocked as he related the details of this crime. The fact that this kid would shoot his own mother and then drive to the school where she worked to slaughter children is almost too horrific to believe. We've heard from law enforcement how awful the scene is, and it will take them days to process that scene. The medical examiner is in the school attempting to identify the bodies." Leventhal added that Ryan Lanza, the killer's older brother, has been extremely cooperative. "He is telling federal authorities that he believes his brother had developmental problems and possibly autism." |
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| The Factor spoke with Brenda Lebinski and her 8-year-old daughter Sofia, a third-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary. "We were at morning reading," Sofia said, "and then we heard these knocking sounds. Our teacher closed the door and locked it and told us to go in the corner. We were shaking." Her mom elaborated on how Sofia is handling the trauma. "I think she's still numb, the gravity of the situation hasn't hit her yet. And she wasn't really exposed to the bodies - they took her out the back door." Mrs. Lebinski complimented the school and law enforcement authorities for how they dealt with the crisis. |
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| Psychologists Brian Russell and Karen Ruskin attempted to explain the Connecticut massacre from a mental health perspective. "We should rethink our deinstitutionalization policy," Russell said, "whereby far too often we show more compassion for a dangerously troubled individual than for everybody in the society. Secondly, we can get back to being a culture where kids grow up getting lots of messages about being part of something larger than themselves. We've become coarsened and calloused to the point where a kid can grow up in our society and not necessarily internalize the kind of disgust that you and I feel for the disregard for human life we saw today." Ruskin added that violent acts rarely have a single cause. "We can't ignore the fact that our environment absolutely affects us, whether it's television or parents being too busy to spend quality time with their kids. Everything affects everything and the violence that we're experiencing is systemic. We need to put a stop to it by everybody playing a role." The Factor pointed out that children grow up in a sea of violent images: "There is casual violence and explicit violence on display more than ever before, thanks to the Internet." |
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27-year-old former Marine Jon Hammar has languished in a Mexican prison since being charged with gun possession four months ago. The Factor expounded on the situation: "Mexico is insulting every single American citizen, the charge is totally bogus. Last summer Col. Hammar registered an antique shotgun handed down to him from his great-grandfather with American customs officials in Texas. He was told by the American agents to take the paperwork across the border to Mexican officials and he would be fine to travel on to Costa Rica for a hunting trip. But when Hammar did check in with the Mexicans, he was arrested. And so he sits in a filthy prison ten days before Christmas. That's totally unacceptable! Hammar did nothing wrong, so why doesn't Mexico just release him in the name of good will? Talking Points has been telling you that Mexico does not act like a friend to the USA and this case proves it. Mexico's new president should release Hammar right now!"
For more on the travesty, The Factor turned to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. "We are outraged," she declared. "It is so incomprehensible that when the mother came to us with the case we said, 'Something must be wrong here, this can not be happening.' But the more we investigated, the more we found that everything that she was saying was absolutely correct. The Mexican ambassador told me that Jon Hammar is chained to his bed because they fear he will escape. The President of Mexico has the authority to release Hammar, but I don't believe he has the guts to do it." The Factor demanded Hammar's release and issued a threat: "If this guy is not out by Christmas, we'll call for an absolute boycott of travel to Mexico." |
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| The Factor concluded Friday's program with an update from Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer in Connecticut. "We believe all the bodies are still inside that small elementary school down the hill from where we are," Hemmer said, "and they will not be moved tonight. Police are being very particular about making sure that they are careful with this evidence." Hemmer also described Sandy Hook Elementary principal Dawn Hochsprung, who was shot dead. "She has two daughters, three step-daughters, and a husband who is also a teacher in this district. Based on the police accounts that we have, the gunman walked into the principal's office first, encountered at least four women, and shot them all dead." |
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Bruce Zwelsky, Center Moriches, NY: "Mr. O'Reilly, your talking points on Christmas and tradition brought a tear to my eye. I am proud to call you my friend even though I don't know you."
Paul Rodriguez, Panama: "Best talking points ever, Bill. Too bad some people won't see the truth."
Sherry Rosen, Canoga Park, CA: "Mr. Bill, your talking points are flawed. The Martin Luther King holiday doesn't embrace any religion, unlike Christmas."
Susan Hayes, Kent, WA: "I have a timeshare in Mexico and will not go there until Jon Hammar is released from prison." |
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| Before you open your wallet for a charitable cause, pay a visit to CharityNavigator.org, which rates the various charities so you'll know your money is being used honestly. |
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