The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Thursday, February 9, 2006
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo
Top Story
Factor Follow Up Segment
Impact Segment
Personal Story Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Back of Book Segment
Factor Mail
Book Mentions
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The final word on the King funeral
"On Wednesday Al Sharpton and I had a gentleman's disagreement about using Coretta Scott King's funeral to make political points. I've said all political grandstanding at a funeral erodes the dignity of the occasion; Reverend Sharpton doesn't see it that way. Predictably, the far left Atlanta Journal-Constitution also disagrees with me. The paper editorialized that the funeral was 'a wonderful thing, and not the least among its wonders was the controversy stirred by comments from the Rev. Joseph Lowery, former President Jimmy Carter and others ?' The paper loved the fact that these men embarrassed President Bush at the funeral. But what if President Bush had used the funeral to make political points himself? What if he pointed out that Dr. and Mrs. King were wiretapped by the Democrat Kennedy administration in the 60's? Can you imagine how the Atlanta paper, the rest of the left-wing media, Al Sharpton, and Jimmy Carter would have reacted to those words? Once again, the hypocrisy on the far left is staggering. The appropriate behavior at a funeral is to honor the deceased, not denigrate a fellow mourner who you disagree with. Somebody tell President Carter."

Fox News Video: FoxNews.com

Skepticism over terror defusal
Guest: Ambassador Nancy Soderberg

President Bush now says his administration has stopped ten Al Qaeda attacks, including a 2002 plot to fly airplanes into Los Angeles buildings. Former Clinton administration diplomat Nancy Soderberg expressed skepticism about the Bush claims. "I don't think America's any safer today they the day after 9-11. Osama Bin Laden is still out there, as is half of the top Al Qaeda leadership. The fact is that Al Qaeda is still plotting terrorism against us and we remain deeply at risk. We are not winning the global war on terrorism." Soderberg called for a "global coalition" to fight terror, which The Factor dismissed as unrealistic. "It doesn't seem like there's a lot of cooperation from Russia or China, Europe is weak and frightened. President Clinton says he had pretty good relations with the rest of the world, but under Clinton Al Qaeda grew in ferocity and formulated its worldwide jihad."

Entwistle arrested for murders
Guest: Greta Van Susteren

Neil Entwistle has been arrested in England and charged with killing his wife Rachel and their 9-month old daughter. Fox News host Greta Van Susteren reported the latest from outside the murder scene near Boston. "We are hearing that Neil Entwistle used a gun that belonged to his father-in-law. After murdering his wife and child, he returned the gun, then went to the airport and purchased a one-way ticket to his home in England. Entwistle says he won't waive extradition and I don't expect he'll be back in this country very soon to face charges." The Factor proposed that Entwistle would be well-advised to waive extradition. "He's being held without bail, so he's going to sit in jail one place or another. Inevitably the British will extradite him back to the US, and he'd be smart to get back and get his defense underway."

The American deserter problem
Guest: Rachel Marsden, Toronto Sun

According to a newly published report, there may be hundreds of US military deserters hiding in Canada. The best known is Jeremy Hinzman, who has been requesting permission to stay in that country for more than a year. Canadian columnist Rachel Marsden elaborated on the status of Hinzman's case. "He can appeal all the way to the Supreme Court on this, and it could take years. This is a test case and it could kick open the door for more deserters." The Factor questioned why American authorities aren't more involved in pursuing the deserters. "The US government doesn't seem too concerned by this, but I'm a little outraged by it. I don't think our closest ally should be harboring military deserters."

Why are we afraid of immigrants?
Guest: Author Juan Hernandez

Juan Hernandez has written a book lauding illegal Mexican immigrants as the "new American pioneers." He declared that many Americans have an irrational fear of immigrants from the south. "We should not be afraid of Mexican immigrants; we should not be afraid of our second-most important partner; we should not be afraid of these people who are helping to give us our lifestyle. Since we haven't been able to find Al Qaeda or terrorists, we start blaming Mexico for all of our problems." The Factor cited a specific example of why many people are concerned. "A few months ago a house on Long Island was shut down - it contained 45 men who were here illegally. The neighbors' property values were going down, their children couldn't play unattended, and they had darn good reason to be concerned. I don't want any more people crossing the Rio Grande. I want the border shut down now."

Terror ties to Georgetown event?
Guests: Investigative reporter Lee Kaplan & Dr. Daniel Porterfield, Georgetown University

Georgetown University will host a conference on the Middle East and has invited the Palestine Solidarity Movement. Investigative reporter Lee Kaplan claimed the organization is closely aligned with terrorists. "I've done extensive research on this group. The Palestine Solidarity Movement is a consortium of anarchists and communist groups allied with the PLO, and they're on nearly every campus in America. They provide logistical support and raise money for terrorist groups overseas." Georgetown spokesman Daniel Porterfield pointed out that the university has received assurances from the FBI and State Department. "The federal government has been very clear in telling us the group has no ties to terror. We have no interest in allowing people to come on campus who are tied to terrorism. We will monitor the activity and if something inappropriate happens we will take action."

Related: http://www.StopTheISM.com

Wayne Gretzky tied to gambling ring
Guest: Brian Kilmeade

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones have been linked to a multi-million dollar gambling operation. Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade elaborated on the allegations. "There have been three people charged so far, and someone involved in the case told me that Janet Jones' is deeply involved. She was supposedly betting on football and basketball, but no one has said anything about hockey. In the Super Bowl alone, according to an anonymous source, she bet $75,000." Gretzky has thus far pleaded ignorance, but The Factor was skeptical. "If his wife is betting hundreds of thousands of dollars, Gretzky had to know. We're not going to convict these people on TV, but they're obviously in a lot of trouble."

Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Many of you sent e-mails about the speakers at Coretta Scott King's funeral. Some excerpts:

Mark Foss, Walker, MN: "Shame on those people who used the funeral for their own political agenda. The focus should have been on Mrs. King's life and achievements."

Gretchen Obert, Washington, DC: "Per usual, Bill, you just don't get it. What Al Sharpton and Jimmy Carter said was perfectly appropriate."

Yvonne Legore, Hanover, PA: "The behavior of Jimmy Carter was atrocious. How can we teach children to be respectful when supposedly dignified people act this way?"

Joshua Whiting, New York, NY: "Better to expose the truth even at a funeral. Any opportunity to shine light on the shame of injustice is good."

Barbara Snyder, Cypress, CA: "The sole purpose of some of those speakers was to shine a light on themselves. I find that disgusting."

Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
The New American Pioneers: Why Are We Afraid of Mexican Immigrants?
by Juan Hernandez

Read more...
The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might
by Nancy Soderberg

Read more...