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.
Monday, February 27, 2006
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Impact Segment
Personal Story Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Factor Follow Up Segment
Back of Book Segment
Factor Mail
Book Mentions
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Politics of hate & the war on terror
Guest: Fox News analyst Newt Gingrich

"First, let's define hate politics - that is trying to hurt people with whom you disagree. The far left web sites do that all day long. On the far right, the poster boys for hate are the Nazis, who demonstrated in Florida over the weekend. All this nonsense is meaningless until the war on terror is affected. Talking Points deplores the politics of hate and believes it puts all Americans in danger. The philosophy of outfits like the ACLU, which literally opposes every anti-terror measure put into place since 9/11 is obviously troublesome. And far-right hatred is equally destructive - the USA will never win the war on terror without Arab allies. The war on terror can not be won unless the politics of hate are brought under control. We need smart and methodical leadership, not foolish ideology."

Fox News Video: FoxNews.com

Fox News analyst Newt Gingrich gave his assessment of the recent port controversy involving the United Arab Emirates. "Rejecting the UAE out of hand would in fact hurt us in the war on terror. But I also think the deal is a helpful warning to look at all port activities. The communist Chinese government owns companies that are running port facilities in Long Beach. We should be looking carefully at what kind of restrictions may be necessary when you have a foreign government running ports. The Factor stressed that snubbing the UAE will damage America's reputation. "The whole Arab world is watching us, and if we were to throw this United Arab Emirates company out it would hurt us immeasurably in the war on terror. The Emirates put its neck out for the USA, and if we treat them shabbily that is a mistake."

Confronting Iran on nuclear weapons
Guest: Dr. Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense

Writing in Monday's New York Times, MIT professor Barry Posen argued that "we could readily manage a nuclear Iran." Posen declined an invitation to appear on The Factor, but former Defense Department official Larry Korb laid out the professor's argument. "Barry is saying that you don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but if they get them the risks are manageable and we shouldn't be running off and bombing them right away. Even if they had a couple of weapons, we have 10,000. We learned to live with China having nuclear weapons." The Factor countered that Iran should absolutely not be allowed in the nuclear club. "You know as well as I do about the irresponsibility of the state of Iran. Iran's president has called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the map. To think that Iran would be reasonable with any kind of nuclear weaponry is off the charts."

Forced abortion and contraception?
Guest: Charles Groenhuijsen, Dutch TV

Marianne van den Anker, a public health official in Holland, has advocated compulsory birth control and abortions for certain people, specifically drug addicts, the mentally ill, and pregnant teens from the Dutch Antilles. Former journalist Charles Groenhuijsen declared that even his liberal Dutch countrymen were stunned by the proposal. "A lot of people were quite shocked and most of the mainstream political parties say 'no way.' People may want to talk about forced contraception for certain groups of young women, but the idea of forced abortion won't fly. But at least it drew attention to Antilleans, who cause a lot of problems. There's a lot of rape, very young teenage pregnancies, and domestic violence."

Organizing the terror war in Europe
Guest: Author Claire Berlinski

According to author Claire Berlinski, many Europeans have chosen to be bystanders in the war on terror. "Europe is a continent that is morally unmoored," Berlinski pronounced, "where people don't believe in anything. They won't defend themselves against anything, including Islamic radicalism. You have radical cells in every major European city, and it's a problem that few politicians or people in the media will forthrightly describe. Many ideologies have passed through Europe, but none has worked as a substitute for the ideology they lost, which is Christianity." The Factor agreed that post-Christian Europe, with the possible exception of Britain, refuses to confront evil in its midst. "The word that comes to my mind is cowardly. Many Europeans do not believe in anything other than their own lives. Northern Europe is a secular society, which George Soros and people like him want to happen here in America."

Building a wall on the Mexican border
Guests: Congressman Tom Tancredo & Kevin Appleby, US Conference of Catholic Bishops

A proposed immigration bill calls for numerous measures, including a fence along the Mexican border. Among its most vocal opponents is the Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The wall will not work," predicted spokesman Kevin Appleby. "We have people who are desperate to come here to work, and smugglers will get them in here any way they can. We're looking for a comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis." Congressman Tom Tancredo, a leader in the fight against illegal immigration, argued that a fence is both necessary and principled "We're seeing an invasion from the south, and to say it's somehow immoral that we defend our own borders is idiotic. We have a 14-mile fence in San Diego that has actually stopped the flow of people and drugs. It is a good thing and people like it." The Factor questioned whether the bishops would oppose any restriction on illegal immigration. "Mr. Appleby, you apparently believe that illegal aliens who are here have a right to stay. If you legalize 11 million people and then don't have a fence, surely you understand that 11-million more will come."

ACLU wins against the Boy Scouts
Guest: Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano

The American Civil Liberties Union has won another battle in its war against the Boy Scouts. A court has ruled that the Scouts are a religious organization and can not be given free use of a public park in San Diego. In addition, the city will have to pay nearly a million dollars to cover the ACLU's legal fees. Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano explained how the system works. "California has enacted statutes that encourage litigation to enforce people's civil rights, and the statutes say that if you prevail against the government your legal fees are paid by the government. It results in taxpayer money ending up in the ACLU treasury." The Factor complained that Boy Scouts and taxpayers are the big losers. "The ACLU has been successful in convincing the courts that no public facility should be used to aid the Boy Scouts, and then when they win the judge awards them fees paid by the taxpayers. This is so bad it hurts."

Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Your e-mails dealt with a variety of topics, including "guest bloviator" Alexander Hamilton. Some excerpts:

Dr. Angela Lobreto, Braman, OK: "Even though I disagreed with Alexander Hamilton's stance on affirmative action, he presented valid arguments."

Anna Cheng Young, Califon, NJ: "I wonder if Mr. Hamilton thinks Asian-Americans should get preference too? Despite being exploited in this country, we do not consider ourselves victims."

Clay Ellington, Homer, AK: "O'Reilly, you mentioned establishing prisons up here for violent felons and instituting hard labor. What makes you think we want those people here?"

Scott Bailey, McKinney, TX: "Bill, your opinion that Andrea Yates knew what she was doing when she murdered her five kids makes you look foolish. You clearly do not understand her illness."

David Ward, Cashiers, NC: "Mr. O'Reilly, as a registered Democrat, I find the Factor to be fairly balanced. Some say you are rude but sometimes the truth hurts."

Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
Menace in Europe: Why the Continent's Crisis is America's, Too
by Claire Berlinski

Read more...