extra! o'reilly and friedman form mccarthyite conglomerate

public trials to be broadcast live from Fox Tower

We learn  from News Hounds (via Alternate Brain) that Bill O'Reilly has started "naming" the "names" of what he calls "terrorist sympathizers," starting with Bob Herbert and the ACLU (for demanding the US enforce the Geneva Conventions).   His rabid guests from the Wall Street Journal eagerly added the names of such terror-symps as Michael Moore and the BBC.  O'Reilly has apparently made an unholy compact with Tom Friedman of the New York Times, who said just two days ago that "the excuse makers are just one notch less despicable than the terrorists and deserve to be exposed."   

So the New McCarthyism is a movement - perhaps a coordinated one - and it's in "full effect," as the young people would say.   O'Reilly says that, given the gravity of his accusation, he will give each "terrorist sympathizer" the opportunity to come onto his show and respond.   What does that remind you of?  Here's one clue: 

the demon who whispered in McCarthy's ear during the televised hearings

And when you're done contemplated the O'Reilly/Friedman/Roy Cohn Axis of Evil ...meditate upon the Soviet show trials.  We'll always have Moscow, darling.

Here's a suggestion.  What if every accused "sympathizer" went on the show and said "I refuse to answer your absurd, offensive, and un-American accusations.  Instead, while I'm here I want to talk about terrorism and you."  Each defamed person could then go on to say something like the following:

Instead of responding to your silly statements, I want to talk about the real un-Americans who are helping the terrorist cause.   They include anyone who would suppress dissent against government policies by that old trick of calling them "enemy sympathizers."  The terrorists love people like that, because they're using actions like that to insist that the US doesn't really symbolize freedom.  That would include Thomas Friedman and - gee, Bill, I guess you too. 

And you know what else helps the terrorists?  Torture.  Torture, and international lawlessness in our military prisons.   It allows the terrorists to tell their potential recruits that Americans are no different than Saddam or any other oppressor.  So any American that tries to defend that torture, instead of rooting it out and directing our actions back toward international law, is helping the terrorists.  That would include -- well gosh Bill, I guess that's you again.

Hey, how about outing a CIA agent - one who's working to protect us from weapons of mass destruction?  Treachery, right?   And you're certainly helping the terrorists get their hands on a stray nuke if you defend somebody who'd do something like that.  Who would defend treason and help terrorists by sticking up for guys like that?  Uh, Bill?

You know what really, really helped the terrorists?  Not paying attention to all those warning signals that, as were explained to the 9/11 Commission, were "flashing red" before the WTC attack.  And then, after 9/11, managing an airport security process that studies show has left us "no safer" than before the attack?   Refusing to adequately fund port security, or chemical plant security, or nuclear reactor security?  Any administration that does that is writing blank checks for terrorists.  And if you support them and their policies ... well, Bill, you get the idea.

You know, Bill, I tried to figure out how to describe people who don't think you should be free to disagree with the government ... people who don't believe we should obey international law ... people who want to suppress our civil liberties ... and I've found the right phrase:   They hate our freedoms.

Bill, I think you should air a special one-man episode of the Factor called The Public Apology for Aiding and Abetting Terrorism.  Oh ... and thanks for inviting me on.   We all got a good little chuckle out of being included in your preposterous list.

Comments

[Pudentilla]

I consider it a personal failure that I do not appear on Mr. O'Reilly's list. But this failure only strengthens my resolve to work harder at exercising what's left of my rights.