Bill O’Reilly

Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, And History: Fact Vs Fiction! Addendum Correction And Apology!

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Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck are well known political commentators, and both have millions of fans and followers of their television and radio programs.

Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck have the right to say whatever they wish on their programs, and they have the right to write and publish whatever books they wish to produce!

Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck, however, are not historians who work at producing accurate, valid historical works, and one has to realize that they are more outstanding in producing historical fiction than fact, when they make references to the past via speech or by publication.

So the fact that O’Reilly has published a book on the Lincoln assassination, which the Fords Theatre bookstore in Washington, DC will not sell because of alleged incorrect or unsubstantiated information without documentation, and this decision is backed up by expert historians on the Civil War period, has become the center of controversy.

O’Reilly is, of course, furious, and he has a right to be, as any author can feel, but the historical profession needs to legitimize what is called “history”, and to challenge publications that claim to be “history”, but are in fact historical fiction!

Certainly, there is much interpretation that goes on in the historical community of scholars, but there is a responsibility when there appears to be a lack of accuracy and validity on a book and topic that many will read and believe is totally true, when experts make it clear it is NOT accurate, or backed up by appropriate documentation!

So it means a serious student of history should have a doubting view of anything that Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck (author of a supposed authoritative view of George Washington), or any other political propagandist chooses to publish!

Anyone can write and publish what he or she wishes, but we have the right to make a judgment on its validity and to state so, whether that author likes it or not!

ADDENDUM: It has now been reported that there were only four minor errors in O’Reilly’s book, and they have been corrected, and Fords Theatre has NOT removed his book from their store as reported incorrectly in the media. O’Reilly is owed an apology, and I will also apologize. However, any reader should always be alert to any book published, whether by O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, or anyone else, as to whether it is accurate in its factual basis and documentation!

A Celebratory Day In The Cable Media World: MSNBC 15th Anniversary And Fox News Channel-Rupert Murdoch Crisis!

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Today, 15 years ago, MSNBC went online as the competitor of CNN, which had begun June 1, 1980. Within a few months, on October 7, Fox News Channel came along as a third competitor in the 24 hour news channel industry!

MSNBC has gone through rough times over its 15 years, but now it is thriving by having emerged as the strong progressive news channel, compared to the moderate approach of CNN and the right wing conservative views of Fox News Channel.

MSNBC has become a station with outstanding talk show hosts, including Chris Matthews, Lawrence O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz, as well as outstanding coverage during the day by other anchor people.

It is a source of much what the author writes about, and it gives us a progressive view of events, which is sorely needed, so Happy 15th to MSNBC!

At the same time, Fox News Channel has misled, lied, deceived, propagandized, and become a Republican propaganda channel, including hiring many of the Republican Presidential field at some point of time.

Fox News Channel has NEVER been willing to cover the news fairly, and has made life miserable for Barack Obama, and has convinced an ignorant portion of the population to believe their myths, half truths, and distortions!

Its talk show hosts are disgraceful, having included Glenn Beck in the recent past, and still including Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, along with a whole group of unsavory characters who have questionable ethics, but end up on Fox News Channel!

Their employer, Rupert Murdoch, known world wide as one of the most despicable people in the news business, has now become involved in a hacking scandal that threatens to bring him and his news corporation to their knees, symbolically!

Nothing would be more contributing to the future of journalism than to have the downfall of Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Channel, but in reality, that is not likely! That channel is refusing to report the scandal in detail, part of their “managed” and distorted news coverage, figuring that their audience might remain unaware because they lean so much on the manipulated manner of news reporting on their channel!

Even if Fox News Channel survives, seeing Rupert Murdoch and the channel squirm is victory in itself!

Changes Coming In Cable And Television News!

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As we enter the second half of 2011, and the Presidential race becomes ever more center stage, Fox News Channel is making every effort to legitimize itself as “mainstream”, just as Jon Stewart went after Fox News Channel on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace last week, as not being accurate or responsible in its coverage of politics and news!

Having “rescued” liberal commentator Juan Williams, after he was summarily fired by National Public Radio, with a reported $2 million a year five year contract, Fox News then went to hire CNN morning anchor John Roberts to be a national correspondent, and former Democratic Senator Evan Bayh to be a political commentator.

Now they have hired CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry to be their White House correspondent, and of course, for the past few years, they have had former CNN morning anchor Bill Hemmer on their station.

Will it work, to make Fox News Channel seem “mainstream”? With the leaving of Glenn Beck from his every weekday show through joint agreement, it might have some effect, although Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, John Stossel, Greta Van Susteren, Brit Hume, Bill Kristol, Liz Cheney, et al, make one wonder if that is possible!

Meanwhile, Keith Olbermann, who had a “divorce” from MSNBC, has now revived his “Countdown” show, following a similar format, on former Vice President Al Gore’s independent station, Current TV. For those who enjoyed his incisive coverage of politics, it is a welcome return, but the question is whether he can “steal’ the audience of MSNBC and Lawrence O’Donnell at the same hour, along with Eliot Spitzer on CNN. As it turns out, Current TV replays Olbermann’s show EIGHT times over the 24 hour cycle, so in theory, one can watch Spitzer, see O’Donnell in rerun at 11 pm, and then watch Olbermann at any three hour cycle up through dinner time the next day!

Additionally, Norah O’Donnell of MSNBC and NBC, who had been a chief Washington correspondent, is now moving to CBS as their White House correspondent. Always pleasant and appealing in her manner of reporting and commenting, CBS has staged a major coup by gaining her employment!

So cable news and TV news in general has become ever more personality driven, and adds interest to the coverage of major political events!

Insults And Rudeness Against President Obama Still Continues!

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Every President has been subjected to ridicule and criticism by comedians and ideologically biased commentators, but the level of insults and rudeness against President Obama has been nonstop!

This past week, a California Republican official in Orange County sent out an email depicting the President as a chimpanzee! This is not the first time this has happened, and it is very clear that the purpose of the email was racist!

The official apologized if what she did offended anyone, which is not quite the same thing as being really aware of how wrong and inappropriate such an email represented!

At the same time, not only Bill O’Reilly has shown disrespect against President Obama in an interview!

It has become an endemic problem for many reporters, even local reporters, who insist on interrupting the President before he can finish an answer to their questions. The fact that Obama was described as testy yesterday to a reporter, by simply asking that in the future he be allowed to finish his answers without interruption, has suddenly become a news item. The fact that Obama smiled through earlier such interruptions by O’Reilly and others is not as much noticed! As if the President is not entitled to be annoyed at the rudeness and disrespect displayed!

Imagine any earlier President being interrupted in the same manner! The fact that Dan Rather dared to tell President Richard Nixon that he had not answered the question AFTER Nixon had responded, was made a big controversy 40 years ago, and Rather was not being rude or disruptive at all.

This lack of respect and decency is part and parcel of the deterioration of American society, as witnessed by the lack of professionalism and incompetence so often witnessed today in all fields of work, as the author commented on yesterday in another blog entry!

Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck: Total Phonies And Provocateurs By Their Own Admission!

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It has long been known that conservative talk show hosts Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck of Fox News Channel and talk radio are total phonies and provocateurs, out to enrich themselves by being as outrageous and controversial as possible!

But one did not expect them to admit such, but this past Friday, Beck was a guest on O’Reilly’s show, with both commenting on Donald Trump’s demagoguery and need for constant attention.

O’Reilly said that what Trump did was what he and Beck had to do to draw an audience, be outrageous and provocateurs! Beck’s response was to give an all knowing hearty guffaw!

So both, without realizing it, were admitting they were phonies just out to earn millions of dollars by drawing audiences without having any facts in their presentations! Any intelligent person could see that, but a few million don’t see it, which is very sad and lame!

But the same can be said about Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, and all of the other conservative talk show hosts who enrich themselves by misleading the American people, and promoting division and hate, all in the name of being good American salesmen and capitalists!

In other words, they are all provocateurs, phonies, and demagogues!

Donald Trump: Ego Maniac, Publicity Hound, And Now Fox News Channel Contributor!

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Real estate magnate and reality television series star, Donald Trump is, obviously, an ego maniac, publicity hound, and a newly converted “Birther”, latching onto the belief that Barack Obama may not have been born in the United States!

Hinting that he may seek the Republican nomination, and stating his willingness to spend $600 million of his own fortune in such a quest, Trump has been making himself look more and more like a fool and a weirdo, joining Michele Bachmann and Rand Paul in the circus atmosphere of what the Republican Party has become, what with all the other Republicans who are becoming “Birthers”, including Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich among others.

Even conservative and Fox News Channel talk show host Bill O’Reilly has ridiculed the “Birther” idea and ridiculed Trump on that matter in an interview on his nightly show. But at the same time, Fox News Channel is giving Trump an opportunity to spew forth his views on public affairs once a week, as a new contributor to the channel, even though he is flirting with a Presidential run! Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were taken off Fox as contributors, but Trump is added, and Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are allowed to remain for the time being, which makes Fox News Channel look totally ridiculous in their so called “principles”!

The likelihood is that Trump will NOT announce for President, but he is certainly gaining the attention and publicity he constantly craves from the American people. Seems to the author that Trump may be super wealthy and bright, but that he is quite the classic psychological case for the psychiatrist’s couch, as man who has issues, and would actually be very dangerous as he seems to think being a “bully” with China and other foreign nations is an acceptable method of diplomacy, and that firing people is the answer to domestic policy making!

The Danger To Academic Freedom At Universities, The Media And All Free Thinkers!

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It is interesting that a person, with no special qualifications other than a big mouth and ability to be outrageous in his statements on radio or cable, can be totally protected in his free speech rights, but if a college professor or intellectual voices his educated judgment, the move is on to discredit him, and destroy him if possible, as a radical or an extremist!

This has happened to Professor William Cronon, the President Elect of the American Historical Association, of which the author is a proud member, for his criticisms of the Wisconsin state government for what it has done and is doing to the rights of state employees regarding collective bargaining, an idea that came to Wisconsin earlier than anywhere else!

Paul Krugman of the New York Times brings attention to this issue in the Sunday edition of his column, and it is, indeed, very troubling.

The same tactic has been used against those scientists who promote climate change legislation, and the aim of the right wing in the Republican Party and in the news media is clear: Do everything to “shut up” the college professors and intellectuals who dare to challenge the right wing agenda of destroying academic freedom and free speech for those who disagree with their agenda!

The Rush Limbaughs, Glenn Becks, Sean Hannitys, Bill O’Reillys, etc of talk radio and television will continue to spew forth their propaganda, but those who oppose their lies and deceptions must not allow themselves to be intimidated from telling the truth, and promoting an open minded look at history, science, public affairs, and every other area of knowledge, as it is precisely these professors and intellectuals who keep the hope alive of a truly educated population who understands history, science, public affairs, rather than the misconceptions and fabrications of the far right, which will stop at nothing to promote their propaganda, and have taken control of the Republican Party, lock, stock and barrel, to the detriment of the American people!

The Significance Of National Public Radio: Thoughtful, Incisive Coverage Of News And International Affairs, NOT Propaganda As Conservative Talk Radio Is!

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The Republican Party is out to destroy National Public Radio, which receives a small amount of its support from the federal government, but has been a major asset to the nation in all the years it has existed since Lyndon Johnson first promoted the concept in 1965!

National Public Radio offers thoughtful, incisive coverage of news and international affairs , not the propaganda and distortions of Conservative Talk Radio!

Listening to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, and the other hate mongers who promote division and falsehoods over the airwaves, offers nothing but ignorance and distortion of the world we live in, and all hate anything foreign and prefer to promote narrow minded Christianity over open mindedness and tolerance. These despicable talk show hosts would rather enrich themselves than educate the American people in basic values and principles of our American democracy, or to assist them to appreciate the contributions of civilizations and societies around the world!

National Public Radio regularly gains massive financial support from thoughtful, educated listeners, who understand how important it is to civil discourse!

If we did not have National Public Radio, we would not have as much knowledge and insight into world events as we do, as many news organizations have cut back on coverage outside the United States because of budget cuts.

National Public Radio offers us the ability to interact with the world in a way that enriches every person who listens!

President Obama and the Democratic Senate will insure that National Public Radio remains available in smaller media markets where there are fewer media outlets, but the budget cuts will make the job of NPR more difficult to disseminate its quality coverage.

For the GOP to attack NPR, and also the educational contributions of PBS at the same time, is a opportunity to look into their souls and see just how narrow minded and bigoted and evil the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower has become!

Not for a minute would any of these outstanding Republican Presidents tolerate such a narrow minded and jaded view as the leaders of the party have presented themselves in today’s environment! This attack on NPR is an attack on education and tolerance and everything good in human beings, and the promotion of an agenda that could rightly be called an attempt at “mind control” by the plutocracy that now controls the Republican Party establishment, as it assaults human rights in the name of profit!

The Ultimate Hypocrisy: Union Busters Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, And Sean Hannity Are AFL CIO Union Affiliated Members!

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For the past two and a half weeks, since the beginning of mass protests in Wisconsin against Governor Scott Walker’s plan to eliminate collective bargaining for most public employees, the biggest critics of labor rights have been talk show hosts on radio and Fox News Channel, including Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity.

All three have made the average listener or watcher think that the public service workers in Wisconsin and nationally–teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, librarians, sanitation workers, prison guards and others–are radicals, free loaders, extremists, etc. who are being grossly overpaid and gaining unjust pension and health care plans. They have been supporting the right wing attempt led by the Koch Brothers and other corporate interests to destroy the labor movement, which brought about the growth of the middle class.

But it has been proved that all three talk show hosts are, themselves, members of an AFL CIO Union affiliate, AFTRA, which is the acronym for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists!

These demagogues make millions upon millions of dollars annually, and spew forth lies and propaganda! They have no shame, and are cocky and arrogant!

They find it easy to condemn teachers, who speak and communicate more hours per week than they do, but actually are having a real effect on young people, preparing them for all kinds of occupations, and also for being better human beings. Where would we be without our teachers, who are often unsung, but have a greater impact on more people than any other profession or field of work?

They find it easy to condemn police officers and firefighters who risk their lives every day! They find it easy to attack nurses who save lives every day. They take for granted the efforts of sanitation workers, prison guards, librarians and others who do important public service every day!

They show lack of respect for those on the government payroll who make our lives better every single day, and are NOT adequately recompensed!

What do these talk show hosts contribute? They promote hate, division, lies, propaganda, deception and confrontation, while enriching themselves with their spewing of “hot air”! They contribute NOTHING positive to the future of America, and they have the gall and hypocrisy to gain benefits from a labor union, and yet condemn labor unions and support corporate attempts to destroy the middle class, in their mad dash to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, and displaying lack of social responsibility to anyone other than their own greed and selfishness!

Rudeness And Disrespect Toward President Obama: Bill O’Reilly’s 43 Interruptions In Pre Super Bowl Interview On Fox! :(

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Fox News Channel talk show host Bill O’Reilly conducted an interview with President Obama last night before the Super Bowl.

President Obama was gracious enough to go into the “lion’s den”, a channel which has systematically distorted his life and record in office, and has spread rumors and misinformation on a regular basis to the American people! 🙁

Why he agreed to this interview is beyond the understanding of the author, as O’Reilly proceeded to interrupt the President constantly, never permitting him to finish even one answer without cutting in.

Altogether, O’Reilly interrupted Obama a total of 43 times, an unbelievable number! 🙁

Is there any excuse for this kind of behavior, a lack of respect and a demonstration of total rudeness, something never seen before in person with any President except this one? Sure, there were critics of other Presidents, including George W. Bush and Richard Nixon for instance, but NEVER in a personal interview with the President! 🙁

What kind of message does this disrespect and rudness and constant interruptions send to younger Americans, and really all Americans? Is it that it is perfectly fine to be disrespectful and rude toward authority? Do we really want that kind of lack of civility to be promoted by media people? 🙁

This kind of misbehavior by Bill O’Reilly should lead to an apology, which certainly is NOT forthcoming, and a decision by Obama to refuse to be interviewed if the respect for his office cannot be guaranteed!