TIME TO BOYCOTT BILL

by Steve Young

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Steve Young columns

"Do you care if another bomb went off in Tikrit? Does it mean anything? No! It doesn't mean anything"
-- Bill O'Reilly radio show, June 12, 2007

What? Bill "Support The Troops" O'Reilly doesn't care if another bomb goes off where our kids are directly in harm's way? Wait 'til Sean Hannity hears.

Of course, it shouldn't be surprising. O'Reilly is a pathological narcissist who supposes he knows more about torture than former prisoner of war John McCain and more about military tactics than former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO General Wesley Clark. He knows more about anything than anyone.

But his now constant dismissal of concern for those in the military has become viral and destructive.

"Do you care if another bomb went off in Tikrit? Does it mean anything? No! It doesn't mean anything."

The Albion Monitor ceased publishing May 5, 2009

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Let it sink in. Yesterday's veterans. Today's military. Parents, wives, husbands, children of soldiers stationed in harm's way, Bill "I Support The Troops" O'Reilly, believes that, in the scheme of war and other living things, another bombing in Iraq doesn't mean squat.

Bill says that the terrorists watch CNN and MSNBC and "are actually helping the terrorists by reporting useless explosions." He's also said that the terrorists watch Fox and the Factor. Think it doesn't help their recruiting when he says that a bomb that hits civilians in Tikrit "doesn't mean anything?" Think they need any more marketing to sell their "America is Satan" bumper stickers?

Bill contends he looking out for the veteran, that he's done good works such as urging listeners to buy prepaid phone cards for soldiers to call home. It's patriotic tokenism, and it doesn't balance out the damage done by O'Reilly and his TV network, FOX News -- downplaying the day-to-day hell faced by our sons and daughters in places like Tikrit, and forgiving this administration for not caring properly for our wounded veterans. Using the military to paint yourself as a patriot is an immorality that should earn its own chapter in "Culture Warriors."

This column will go to every veterans group (I am a member of one such organization), but I implore you to send it to anyone, right or left, who cares about our young men and women in the military and those who have already served. To those who care about what is happening to our heroes in Tikrit and anywhere else they are stationed to fight for us -- war veteran's groups, military family organizations, Fox TV and Westwood One (O'Reilly's radio syndicator) -- I beseech you put a stop to this hypocrisy.

Mr. O'Reilly closed his "Talking Memo" attacking CNBC, NBC and any other number of groups by offering this: " Fox News continues to crush CNN and MSNBC in the ratings, as the folks know news when they see it."

Yes. During a war where our men and women are dying and losing limbs and minds on the battlefields, in one sentence, the Culture Warrior who's looking out for you and me, admitted what is truly important to him. Nice.

Simple question for the Libby Pardoners

"There was no underlying crime"
-- Every f*%!ing couldn't-care-less-about-America's-security neo-con who thinks that outing a covert CIA Agent is not a crime

Let's assume that Libby did not know Valerie Plame was covert. Better yet, for Fox Legal expert Victoria Toensing's sake, let's assume that she was not covert. Let's go one step further. Let's say that Mr. Libby did not lie. He just forgot that he had told reporters that Plame was a CIA employee.

Everyone who outed her as working at the CIA, knew she worked at the CIA. If they did not know she was covert, they couldn't know for sure if she was not. How would they know? It's the CIA. Their information is supposed to be secret. And most everyone one of the f*%!ing couldn't-care-less-about-America's-security neo-cons who thinks that outing a covert CIA Agent is not a crime has also said that, they didn't know whether Plame was covert or not. I assume no one checked first with Ms. Toensing before speaking with Novak, Cooper, Russert, et al.

Here's the question:

If you work for the White House and you don't know if someone working at the CIA is covert or not, why in the world would you take the chance of all the potential deadly repercussions that outing her might bring about?

And that, my friends, is a crime.

Steve Young is a member of the Jewish War Veterans, author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful" (www.greatfailure.com) and his "All The News That's Fit To Spoof" appears in L.A. Daily News opeds every Sunday (www.dailynews.com/steveyoung), right next to Bill's...really

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Albion Monitor June 15, 2007 (http://www.albionmonitor.com)

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