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.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo
Top Story
Personal Story Segment
Impact Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Religion Under Siege Segment
Back of Book Segment
Factor Mail
Book Mentions
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Religion Under Siege
"We are beginning an ongoing series of reports entitled 'Religion Under Siege.' There's no question secular forces in America, led by the ACLU, want to wipe out all vestiges of religious traditions in public. This battle is intensifying and increasingly the press is becoming involved. The school board in Hillsborough County, Florida has removed most religious holidays from the school calendar. This after a Muslim student requested an Islamic holiday be included. Rather than deal with the issue, the school board voted to wipe out all mention of religious observances. We reported all this to you honestly and fairly, but I was attacked in the Tampa Tribune newspaper - called a liar in a news article, and viciously smeared by the paper's far left character assassin columnist. This disgraceful exhibition isn't unusual - the far left forces in the USA will say and do almost anything. But I'm holding publisher Gil Thelen personally responsible for this shameful course of events. This is another example of a national movement to remove all traces of religious education from the public school system. Twenty years ago religion was not under siege in America, but now it is - big time. And only you the folks can stop it."
CIA Foreign Prisons
Guest: P.J. Crowley, Retired Air Force Colonel and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress

According to a report in the Washington Post, the CIA has established secret prisons in Asia and Eastern Europe, which are used to hide and interrogate suspected Al Qaeda terrorists. Former Clinton national security aide P.J. Crowley expressed his vehement opposition. "We're not going to win the war on terror by acting like a rogue state - we were trying to fight people like Saddam Hussein who throw people in secret prisons. How ironic is it that we have prisons in eastern Europe and we're the ones employing Soviet-style tactics. It's questionable whether this strategy is even effective." The Factor defended the prisons as a reasonable tool in the war on terror. "These are basically POW camps because these people were captured outside of the United States. They are designed to get information and protect the people - I don't see how you can possibly object to it." The Factor asked whether Crowley would sanction torture if a suspect had knowledge of an imminent nuclear attack, but was unable to get an answer.

Prince Charles and Islam
Guest: Harry Mount, New York Bureau Chief for The Telegraph

Prince Charles, currently visiting the United States, reportedly feels America should be more tolerant of Islam. British reporter Harry Mount portrayed the Prince as less than an intellectual giant. "He is not a very happy man and he's not a very intelligent man. I think he has an affinity for all sorts of mystical religious. It's Islam one day, and maybe Greek Orthodox the next." The Factor pointed out that England, France, and other European countries are trying to deal with a huge influx of Muslim immigrants. "This is a growing problem, and there's a lot of fear because you guys have let so many Muslims come into your countries. There's almost an apartheid in Europe, where all Muslims live together and say they're not treated well."

Lewis Libby
Guest: Jim Pinkerton, Fox News Analyst

A little known fact about Lewis "Scooter" Libby is that he represented fugitive billionaire Marc Rich, who was pardoned by President Clinton on his last day in office. Fox News analyst Jim Pinkerton described Rich as thoroughly corrupt. "Talk about reprehensible figures - Marc Rich is little better than a mobster. He was in the middle of the oil-for-food scandal, and was reportedly trading with the Ayatollahs of Iran during the hostage crisis. It's worth noting that Scooter Libby collected $2 million in legal fees from Marc Rich." The Factor elaborated on the Clinton pardon, which was granted after Rich's wife and a colleague gave large donations to the Clinton Presidential Library. "The thing that has fascinated me about this whole deal is that the press let it go. There was no justification for this pardon, and the press did nothing. Marc Rich was worse than a mobster - he was against this country. He's a traitor."

Public Record, Private Behavior
Guest: Peter Schweizer, Author of "Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy"

Author Peter Schweizer has written a book documenting what he depicts as stunningly hypocritical behavior by people of the left. One of his primary targets is George Soros, the billionaire who donates lavishly to liberal causes. "Soros wants taxes to go up, he just doesn't want to pay them. The vast majority of his assets are held in overseas accounts. He says the inheritance tax should be increased, but he has created a 'tax gimmick' that will help him avoid paying the inheritance tax. The Kennedys do the same thing. They've transferred $500 million dollars from one generation to another, and most of their money is in a trust that was established on Fiji." Schweizer added that he has been threatened with a lawsuit by "comedian" Al Franken, who proclaims himself a champion of affirmative action. "I point out that of the 112 employees he's hired over the years, a grand total of one has been black."

Banishing Religion from Public Schools
Guests: Pastor Kerry Beaty, a Baptist Minister
Ronda Storms, Hillsborough County Commissioner

As mentioned in the Talking Points memo, Florida's Hillsborough County School Board has banned religious holidays from the school calendar, and Christmas vacation has been dubbed a "winter break." County Commissioner Ronda Storms asserted that most residents disagree with the board's action. "It's hostile to the very foundation of our country. Moms and dads are up in arms, they recognize the important contributions the Judeo-Christian values have had to our society." Storms also claimed that a far-left columnist from the Tampa Tribune subjected her to verbal abuse. "He called me filthy, profane names on the telephone and hung up on me." The Factor called for a grass roots effort to counteract anti-religious zealots. "Only the folks can turn this around. I can do reports all day long, but it's not going to do any good unless the folks say to these school board members that we don't want this kind of school."

Race in America
Guest: Shelby Steele, Writer

The late Rosa Parks is being hailed as a heroine, but the race situation in America remains an open wound. Author Shelby Steele argued that black Americans need to stop blaming others for their problems. "This constant focus on what we are owed drags us down and makes us irresponsible for our own advancement. What we owe ourselves now is for us to take responsibility for making ourselves competitive. Even if racism exists, it should not be accepted as an excuse. We had a raw deal in America for four centuries, but history never achieves perfect justice. The best it can achieve is what we have now, which is freedom."

Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Many of your e-mails dealt with whether women should be required to inform their husbands prior to having an abortion. Some excerpts:

Lisa Guthrie, Mountain View CA: "Bill, exactly where does the Constitution guarantee the right of a husband to know if his wife or daughter has an abortion?"

Bernie Reich, Anchorage AK: "How would a woman like it if her husband got a vasectomy without consulting her?"

Deborah Canard, Rowlett TX: "Although I agree it is morally correct for a woman to tell her husband about a pregnancy, I don't believe anyone has the right to govern my choice."

Charles Christensen, Harrisburg OR: "If women have all the rights concerning birth, then they should have all the responsibility for child raising."

Viewers also wrote about Fox News analyst Michelle Malkin, whose new book documents savage verbal attacks by the left.

Mario Yearwood, Houston TX: "Michelle Malkin fails to realize that you reap what you sow. I think it's shameful for the left to attack her, but she can be extreme as well."

Claudia Ritchie, Carrolton TX, "I understand the liberal hatred of Michelle. She is brilliant, beautiful, and tells the truth."

Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy
by Peter Schweizer

Read more...