Bill O'Reilly seems to have a little trouble understanding how the First Amendment works.
Free-speech rights mean the government can't stop citizens from saying things it doesn't like. Every citizen has that right.
But having a radio show or a network anchor's job is not a right. It's a privilege, one that people work very hard to achieve, and only a relative handful actually get. Who gets the privilege is decided by people holding the media pursestrings.
Nonetheless, O'Reilly seemed to think last night on his Fox News show that the Southern Poverty Law Center not only was "overreacting" to Lou Dobbs' promotion of the "Birther" conspiracy theories, but that they were attacking Dobbs' First Amendment rights in demanding that CNN remove him. He had on the SPLC's Richard Cohen to discuss it:
O'Reilly: Look, I still disagree with you calling for his head. I don't mind you coming out and saying you disagree with him, that it's totally absurd, it's wrong to exploit it, he's playing upon fears, there might be a racial component, although I don't think Lou Dobbs is a racist at all -- ah --
Cohen: When's enough, Bill? When's enough, enough? I mean, Lou's been doing this for years.
O'Reilly: It's never enough, enough. And in a free-speech society, Mr. Cohen, it's never enough's enough. Freedom of speech allows you to go up to the line without -- if Lou Dobbs was causing danger to someone, then you would be legitimate in calling for his firing. But he is not. All he's doing is bloviating. It's just bloviating.
O'Reilly's confused. If Lou Dobbs were indeed endangering someone -- one of several points at which the First Amendment does not protect speech -- then the authorities would be justified in shutting him down.
We citizens, however, have the right to demand that CNN take Dobbs off the air at any time, given that his position as an anchor there is purely at the pleasure of CNN executives and is not a matter of his right to free speech. No one is saying Dobbs can't go stand on a street corner and hand out pamphlets like the rest of his Birther friends do. They're just saying he hasn't the right to abuse his position as a major anchor at one of the cable networks by spreading false information and right-wing hatemongering.
Though certainly, one can see why O'Reilly might be touchy about that subject.
Whats the obsession with these idiots?
with a loudspeaker. That's what!
It works
Yeah, ignoring them has worked wonders in the past decades, right?
Gore won? Probably so but Americans didn't give a sh*t ultimately who won.
To busy consuming crap.
What does that have to do with the subject at hand, never mind my post?
Seriously...
dude...
And Gore DID win.
The (not so) Supreme Court APPOINTED bush, remember?
1) We have ignored Canada to the point we don't even notice their immigrants.
2) We emarbargoed Cuba and tried to assassinate Castro while allowing their immigrants to dominate one state.
Neither Canada or Cuba has over run the U.S. or even given us as good a health care system as they both have.
I'd say the evidence is mixed.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
Coverage on C&L will hardly affect these twits' behavior and cataloging their blunders may actually help somewhere down the line, but I sometimes get depressed knowing that BillO et all have managed to steal mere minutes of my earthly existence.
Shinola enema?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
that if Dobbs gets the boot, he's next. And if Billo gets the boot where will he go? Not much demand for a bullying sexual harasser these days.
If we were to start taking talking heads to task for spreading falsehoods, O'Reilly would be looking for a job too.
Hopefully humanity will one day learn to be humane.
CNN of course. In a remarkable twist of irony he would take Lou Dobbs place.
with blimpy.
oh really and dobbs are into wearing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjH9YsKZTp0
?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
People don't seem to understand that the Bill of Rights aren't really rights at all but rather limitations placed on government. It may be a subtle difference but it's an important one.
People on both the left and the right seem to have troubles grasping what these things protect. Billdo gets it wrong again, as is usual.
Slightly off-topic, but is it possible that Glenn Beck is the love child of BillOrally and Ann Coulter? [Deleted. Site Monitor]
...to break the stranglehold Faux Noise has on the "disinfotainment" market.
I wouldn't be surprised if he has major holdings in the company.
Surprise, surprise. Imagine that, one dumbass defending an even dumber ass. I'm shocked, I tell you.
As much as Bill would love to see the fighting going on over at CNN, which is what he's essentially doing by saying "Let Dobbs continue to talk about it, no matter how absurd it is, because I know it'll drag down CNN as a whole", Bill makes a (extremely rare) good point: why not just boycott Lou Dobbs and continue to send angry letters to CNN about him demanding for his removal? CNN is strictly a business first and news network second, and if their ratings start taking a hit because of Dobbs they will replace him.
Excuse me while I take a whip to myself for suggesting Billo the Clown might have had a good idea there.
Did the grape boycott work? Welches is still around.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
Corporate sponsorship tends to get in the way of public opinion. Thanks for snapping me out of that.
on the health care issue. I think we should require them to wear jumpsuits with logos on them.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
"United Health Coliseum"
because they speed around in circles without going any where. But the NASCAR analogy requires the illusion of constant left turns. Nobody would fall for that.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
used to work pretty good until US became a me first society nation and busted all of the unions down, they were our boycott message machine back then
If you want to get rid of Dobbs lets start a sponsor boycott. Find out who the sponsors are of his show and start writing letters. How do yoiu find out the sponsors of any one show??
but nobody buys what he sells!
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
just ask hypnotoad if you don't believe me. There is nothing on TV that is true. Try to remember that it is all made up. Even if a part of the story is fiction, it makes the whole story questionable, It may even make the part that is wrong the only right part of the story. They don't care. It's about their advertisements and nothing else. How many people watching? How much bull they can pull.
It's the "National Enquirer" That's a funny looking picture o' jesus you have on your back? Next thing you know they will skin you and hang it up and worship it.
The Discovery channel, supposed to be about science right? They don't even know the definition any longer. It's a joke Margaret, it's on the tv.
....these Bozos - Orally, Dobbin and Beckhead - think they are journalists, their employers buy that load and there's not a dime's worth of REAL journalism in any of them or any of their shows. They're just actors and comedians. And not very good at that, either.
But they are definitely rabblerousers and lyin' sacks of poop.And they ARE really good at that.
..I'll leave it) Dobbs should be fired but isn't it fun to watch him now that everyone out there knows he sided with the loons (no offense to Gavia sp.).
And BOR is upset? About what? Hey, only in America can an entertainer and even a poor one like BOR, get on the air and say that my sister deserves to be raped because of how she's dressed or that a young child will enjoy captivity with a sexual predator more than being at home with friends and family and get away with it. If they ain't firing BOR for what he's said, they ain't firing Low Dobbs!
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
If O'Reilly agrees that Dobbs should be fired for spreading falsehoods, lying, bigotry, racism and crappy journalism, how can he keep his own job?
Good to have you back, Mr. Neiwert.
For some reason, Bill O'Reilly doesn't think Lou Dobbs should get the boot for spreading right-wing falsehoods
That's because Bill O'Reilly doesn't think. He simply has no mental capacity whatsoever for critical thinking of any kind beyond that of a 5th-grade bully. He should be treated as such with little expectation for insight of any kind.
oh really and dobbs share anchor duties:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW3UH46rWxM
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
..."if Lou Dobbs was causing danger to someone, then you would be legitimate in calling for his firing"
Oh, Billo, you mean like calling a doctor who performs LEGAL abortions a baby killer, as in Tiller the Killer? You mean causing a danger like that?
to goad Cohen into a big argument but Cohen threw him off by saying the Billo's show was an opinion show.
The ONLY reason bor is defending dobbs...is because he's worried it would set a precedent, if dobbs gets canned for this birther BS...then bor might well get canned too, for FAR WORSE.
And Bill O demonstrated his belief in freedom of speech when Ward Churchill wrote something he didn't like.
..word? he NEVER DOES. he always has to shove his little epilogue into the wrapping up statement by his guests.
bor is just too simple and stupid to get it. Freedom of Speech does not equate to "Freedom to stir up discredit and lies as a host on a major network". You f*ck up...you are gone. Of course, there will always be a warm seat waiting for lou at the nut factory, aka fox.
I tried getting a hold of CNN but they make it near impossible to find real contact information on their web page. Anyone have a number to call at CNN and get a live person?
..everyone in the world.
And as for "standing on a street corner", they shouldn't even be allowed to do that. They belong in a cell as Charles Manson's roomies..
I was trying to think up an apt example of the concept of "unrealistic expectations". This is just about perfect.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
I seem to remember someone called (I think) Ward Churchill who, several tears ago, apparently said that some of the 9/11 victims deserved it. I also seem to remember that O'Reilly was one of the loudest demanding that the guy be fired. Apparently only some people have the supposed right to self-expression.
I have the right to free speech. MSNBC I want my own show so that I can give my opinions (they would be better than Lou Dobbs') every night. You cannot take away my free speech rights,. it is unconstitutional. If yoiu don't give me my own show I will sue you. Damn it!
...[...] abridging the freedom of speech [...]
Where does this come into play? Any law was passed to shut up Dobbs?
Also
Wasn't O'Reilly pushing for Dan Rather's departure for saying something that he thought was true but it wasn't?
If you need funds to pay for essentials, you have a revenue problem
If you need funds to pay for frivolity, you have a spending problem
Don't even bother with O'Shithead's hypocrisy. It will take up hours of your time.
By the way it is good to have David Neiwert back. I sincerely mean that! It's nice to have somebody keeping an eye on O'Jackass and Beck and Hannity so that I don't have to. Even with the fantastic stable of superb writers here at C+L I have to say David is one of the 5 or 6 best (It's to difficult to say who is the #1, sorry).
By the way David have you seen what Louie Dobbs has been up to? Do a search here on C+L. It will blow your mind. ;^)
On a side note it really says a lot when O'DipShit calls thinks you are wrong about some right wing conspiracy. It must mean you have really gone over the cliff. I even heard Anne Coulter claim in no uncertain terms that Obama was a citizen. It was on Heraldo Saturday night (shut up and don't ask. David Neiwert was on vacation and somebody had to watch).
If you want to get rid of Dobbs lets start a sponsor boycott. Find out who the sponsors are of his show and start writing letters. How do yoiu find out the sponsors of any one show???
...or is he sucking up to him? I couldn't tell. He is probably the least effective spokesperson for the SPLC I've ever seen or heard.
You might want to give this clip another listen (if your stomach is up to it). Cohen gets some good jabs in by flying just under Billo's 'direct attack' radar. Like any bully, Billo escalates rapidly when attacked directly, so Cohen's approach seems to work (perhaps because Billo doesn't feel threatened by him?).
I'm not saying that Billo didn't recognize Cohen's jabs, just that he seems to be playing back at Cohen with a hidden agenda. I think his 'hidden agenda' is to do his schtick to support Dobbs (probably because he's been pressured to do so by you-know-who), without giving his detractors more fuel for the anti-Dobbs fire.
His final toss-it-off statement--"he's not going to get fired"--is so typically Billo! If Dobbs does get fired, Billo can then rant about that injustice; if he doesn't, Billo can gloat about how right he is.
"For some reason, Bill O'Reilly doesn't think Lou Dobbs should get the boot for spreading right-wing falsehoods."
Do you think it's probably because he and most of the other imbeciles on Fox, would also have to be shown the door? You betcha!
We can boycott products that promote Dobbs.
We can choose not to watch him.
If enough people switch to some other channel, Dobbs is toast. If nobody buys the soap he is selling, he's toast.
But I totally disagree that because he said Obama should produce his birth certificate that we should demand he be taken off the air
Besides - This is nothing compared to the hatchet job Dobbs did on anyone who dared to oppose the war in Iraq. Nobody got out their pitchforks and torches for that - and it was incalculably more dangerous.
He had a right to say whatever the hell he wants.
We have a right to turn him off.
But if we follow the path you suggest, people with whom we agree will also be threatened with being fired by forces on the right.
Either you believe in free speech, or you don't.
Why is Dobbs ignoring the fact that Obama HAS shown his birth certificate? Being that big a dumbass should be enough to cancel his show. Dobbs replies to the backlash as saying he belives Obama is a a citizen therefore not a birther, but then demands that Obama should show us the BC. Does he mean personally drop by everyones house and show it? Because Obama has released his BC it's not a secret, it's out there, I can link to 20 pictures of it with a 2 minute google search, does Dobbs mean in person? WTF does he mean show it to us? It's been shown, the dumbass. It's the usual trickery, damn concern troll, "I think he's a citizen so why not show us the BC?", what a crock Dobbs wants it both ways, he wants to appeal to racists while having nominal cover to defend himself as not-racist, he wants to bump the birther story, but does so in a slimy way that gives him cover so he can say, what me? I'm no crazy birther. It's like one of those loaded questions that used to be satire, but is now all to often reality, like so "How long have you not beat your wife?" I've never beat my wife, "so I can put you down for not in a while?" or "not since you have been married?" Headline "So and SO hasn't beat wife since marriage!"
Pucking journalism is dead, long live journalism.
the SPLC ask CNN to fire Dobbs? Then what about the time Bill-O labeled Neal Gabler (outspoken liberal who used to be on FOX News Watch) a rabid dog and called for FOX News to fire him?
Why does Bill-O think it's OK for him to demand that someone he disagrees with be fired but SPLC can't?
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