Bill O’Reilly has been under a bit of scrutiny lately for various reasons, including poorly-written and reasoned books, but primarily for his lack of veracity – not only on his show but in his own biography. To be blunt: he lies.
We saw him lie about his war coverage, we saw him lie about JFK in his “Killing JFK” book, we saw him lie about the LA riots, historians tore their hair at his “Killing Patton” book, and he has a history of getting really upset when people don’t go along with his invented version of reality.
In other words, he is the person least-suited on the planet to be doing what he allegedly does for a living. A journalist should report the news, not invent it. But he got some sweet comeuppance in San Francisco when he decided to go after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors over the murder of Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant.
Having had Steinle’s parents on his show Monday, on Tuesday he sent reporters out to ambush the Board of Supervisors.
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Tuesday's Talking Points identifies some media types and politicians who are indirectly aiding criminal illegal… http://t.co/fZ9K9oSlZh
— Bill O'Reilly (@oreillyfactor) July 15, 2015
It didn’t go as planned. After all, he had just accused them on air of being responsible for Steinle’s death.
Remember, the Republican Party wants you to believe guns don’t kill people. Liberal polices do. Heck, Fox Five even accused Obama of having blood on his hands. Funny how President George W. Bush could invade entire countries without getting any on his.
We liberals need us some Go-Go Republican hands.
At any rate, the city supervisors were having none of that. And Jane Kim outright told her ambusher that guns are the issue here, and keeping guns away from people who should not have them. Novel idea, isn’t it?
Katy Tang told her accuser that “Of course Fox News would be this rude” and when pursued, added, approaching poetry, “You’re interviewing the wrong f*cking person.”
Scott Wiener was the one, however, who sank Bill-O’s battleship: “Fox News is not real news, and you’re not a reporter. I talk to real news only.”
I made #FoxNews, telling the "reporter" that I wouldn't talk to him on immigration b/c "Fox News isn't real news." https://t.co/JBmbkTMJnT
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) July 15, 2015
As the Executive Vice President of Media Matters, Angelo Carusone, tweeted:
This elected official has the appropriate response to Fox News' chicanery: pic.twitter.com/TVmPr0id0o
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) July 15, 2015
And,
Irony here is that in this segment, O'Reilly was making argument that Media Matters should be shunned as propaganda: https://t.co/ziDUZhe1EJ
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) July 15, 2015
It is typical of Fox News that Bill O’Reilly and his entire network would not worry about white policemen gunning down black youths, or body-slamming young black girls to the sidewalk. After all, the victims are black.
But if a white woman is killed by a darker-skinned person, Fox News is all over it. If immigrants are the problem, logic dictates so are the police. After all, as the great Aristotle would say, killing is killing (and he should know, given the rumors of his killing Alexander the Great).*
Also typical is the desire to blame liberal policies, you know, the gun control advocates, for gun-related crimes, instead of the Republican Party, which advocates people owning any gun the military has in its arsenal. Because everybody needs home defense weapons like rocket launchers.
It is past time somebody reminded Fox News that they’re not real news. Scott Wiener deserves kudos for speaking up and saying what we all feel about the Republican propaganda organ created by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes.
And that’s exactly what President Obama should say to Bill O’Reilly next time he demands an interview: “I talk to real news only.”
* According to Roman historians Plutarch and Arrian
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
