Oprah Winfrey devoted a show to kidnapped children and some of the consequences that they face. One segment included a story about a man named Todd, who was abducted and spent 18 horrifying months in the clutches of Terry Roy Holman. Read about it here.

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Why Oprah would have on Bill O'Reilly to discuss any facet of the Shawn Hornbeck case is beyond me. Didn't her staff know that Bill blamed Shawn for sticking around with his abductor because he just wanted to have some fun? You know, it was a lot cooler to stay with his captor than go to school. She seemed to know that O'Reilly spoke out about that case. To allow O'Reilly to give millions of Oprah's fans the impression that he's an expert on Shawn's case after he trashed him so despicably was shocking to me. (see this, and this also.)

A little research would have told the OWS that Bill's scheduled speech was cancelled at the National Center for Missing Kids dinner because of his outrageous behavior in the Hornbeck case. Suddenly, Bill is an expert on Child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome? (He's not big on the Stockholm syndrome.) It's outrageous that Oprah asked Bill to educate her audience about it (which included his patented over the top rant). You might have thought Oprah would have asked Bill to verify this statement he made about Shawn:

O"Reilly: I'm not buying this….If you have a strong bond with your family…even if the guy threatens you–this and that. You're riding your bike around, you got friends. The kid didn't go to school. There's all kinds of stuff. If you can get away, you get away Alright, if you're eleven."

O'Reilly's trying to rehabilitate his image about child abuse and the Oprah Winfrey Show gladly accommodated him. Isn't it funny how he attacks what he perceives to be liberal talk shows, but reaches out to them in his time of need? They should have done a better job than that...Send an email here...

The Road To Surfdom

Consider the sheer irony steeped hilarity of this front-page report in The Australian Friday morning:

AUSTRALIAN soldiers are being blindfolded, stripped naked and menaced by savage dogs for up to three hours in extreme training exercises to prepare them to resist torture.
The intensive regime, approved at the highest level of government, is about to be upgraded in response to the growing threat from enemies who do not respect the rules of the Geneva Conventions.

Yes, curse those awful people who do this sort of stuff and do not respect the Geneva Conventions.

You remember the Geneva Conventions, don't you? They were those rules of behaviour that the White House thought were "rendered quaint" and no longer operative, right before they allowed their soldiers to, what was it now? Oh yes, blindfold, strip and harrass with dogs anybody they deemed an enemy. (Amongst other things.)

Defence Minister Robert Hill has confirmed interrogators are authorised to use threats of physical and sexual abuse during simulated interrogation sessions at the Defence Intelligence Training Centre at Canungra, near the Gold Coast.

"When approved by the exercise director, working military dogs that are muzzled and short-leashed may be used during advanced RTI (resistance to interrogation) training, in the presence of RTI trainees (including naked trainees), in order to create realism," Senator Hill said in a written response to a parliamentary question from federal Labor MP Daryl Melham.

"Create realism"? Oh, come on, Senator Hill. Haven't you been listening to the endless explanations from supporters on the pro-war right that this stuff bears no relation to torture or abuse and is no more threatening than a bit of fraternity hijinks?

This won't prepare our soldiers for anything other than three years at university.

Don't Look Now        rendered quaint" and no longer operative, right before they allowed their soldiers to, what was it now? Oh yes, blindfold, strip and harrass with dogs anybody they deemed an enemy. (Amongst other things.)

Defence Minister Robert Hill has confirmed interrogators are authorised to use threats of physical and sexual abuse during simulated interrogation sessions at the Defence Intelligence Training Centre at Canungra, near the Gold Coast.

"When approved by the exercise director, working military dogs that are muzzled and short-leashed may be used during advanced RTI (resistance to interrogation) training, in the presence of RTI trainees (including naked trainees), in order to create realism," Senator Hill said in a written response to a parliamentary question from federal Labor MP Daryl Melham.

"Create realism"? Oh, come on, Senator Hill. Haven't you been listening to the endless explanations from supporters on the pro-war right that this stuff bears no relation to torture or abuse and is no more threatening than a bit of fraternity hijinks?

This won't prepare our soldiers for anything other than three years at university.

Premieres tonight at 8:00 PM eastern time.

"Newsweek" editor David France's book of the same name is the basis for this original drama that examines the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal and cover-up. Linda Stasi reviews it here

Being raised Catholic and watching Bernard Law take a prominent position during Pope TV was revolting to say the least. I wonder if William Donohue will be tuning in? It looks like he will from the NY Daily News report here.

MSNBC prints a story about Jackson's sexual abuse secret transcripts, then pimps his cd's at the same time right next to the story.