Back in the Watergate era, when word got out that President Nixon maintained an "enemies list," scores of big-shot journalists fretted because they weren't on it. In the late 1980s, when Andy Warhol's diaries were published, all those who considered themselves part of the New York demimonde ran to the nearest bookstore and checked the index to see if they had rated a mention.
And now here's professional blowhard Bill O'Reilly to liven up the Christmas season with his very own enemies list.
It might seem like a pretty short list — so far, only the New York Daily News, MSNBC and the St. Petersburg Times make the cut — but Bill's only just begun: "These are the worst offenders. In the months to come, we expect to add more names to this list. We recommend that you do not patronize these operations and that advertisers do the same. They are dishonest and not worth your time and money." Crooks and Liars has the audio of O'Reilly promising all manner of doom for thse who displease him.
Brothers and sisters of Blogitania, if at least a few of our names are not on this list by New Year's Eve, I shall be sorely disappointed. I, for one, shall redouble my efforts to persecute Christians by wishing them "Happy Holidays," "Kickin' Kwanzaa," "Rockin' Ramadan" and "Have a Helluva Hanukkah."
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Originally published in The Opinion Mill.
Article comments
1 - JELIEL
Talk about giving one's self much to much self-importance. To even make such a list is an act of complete narcisism, at best.
2 - Guppusmaximus
Keep up the good work Mr. O'Reilly!!
And a MERRY CHRISTMAS! to everyone here at Blogcritics...
3 - tommyd
O'Reilly makes an "enemies list"? Mmmmm, the Communists used to do the same thing. But anyone who thinks O'Reilly is a "conservative" and takes Bill's word as gospel, isn't playing with a full deck anyway.
O'Lielly is nothing but a freshly laid pile of elephant dung with a big fat mouth on it. He's a disgrace to the human race. A coward. A liar. A phony. A pervert who claims he's "wholesome". A douchebag. Ignorant.
His followers and sycophants are just as bad.
4 - Scott
Only 3 enemies? That's pretty sad. Maybe he's a nice guy after all. You'd never guess it from watching his show.
5 - Chief Wiggum
"O'Lielly is nothing but a freshly laid pile of elephant dung with a big fat mouth on it. He's a disgrace to the human race. A coward. A liar. A phony. A pervert who claims he's "wholesome". A douchebag. Ignorant."
I thought we were talking about Bill O'reilly not Bill Clinton.
6 - Silas Kain
Oh come on now. Billy is entertaining. He's the quintessential product of a parochial school system and an overly affectionate parish priest. I have learned not to take anyone on FOX seriously. Brit Hume used to be one of my favorites; he's delegated to the rubbish heap. Shep Smith is fun but he's not in his element. I'd like to see him take Jennings' place. He's got potential. Then there's Bill Hemmer. Always my favorite at CNN - nobody came close. Then he sold his soul to FOX. There was no hemming and hawing, Billy fell from grace. Goodbye Billy, hell-llo Anderson:)!
7 - Chief Wiggum
You don't take anyone on FOX seriously?
Then who do you take seriously?
8 - Silas Kain
I don't think I take anyone seriously in the broadcast news business. I used to like Bob Woodward but he's fallen from the perch. I like Anderson Cooper but that's more of an animal thing with me. Tim Russert seems to be honest and a fine man. I get the impression he strives for quality in journalism and has a gentleness about him that causes me to trust him. Peter Jennings was always a hero of mine, even as a kid the first time he was an ABC anchor.
9 - Scott
I really am surprised that Al Franken and Air America Radio aren't even on the list!
Bill O'Reilly - what a horse's ass. Does that get me on the list?
10 - Silas Kain
At the top of O'Reilly's list should be THE TRUTH. That is his biggest enemy because as it all comes out Billy Boy will sink further into the abyss.
11 - Chief Wiggum
The truth? Truth about what?
12 - Silas Kain
Chief, there are 2 sides to every story and then the truth. Mr. O spouts out his version of the truth daily without considering that he may be a bit off the mark in what he says. The man doesn't impress me considering that his claim to fame before FOX was on some tabloid television show. Come to think of it life hasn't changed that much for him. From tabloid TV to tabloid news.
13 - Chief Wiggum
mmmm... you keep bashing O'rielly and implying that he's a liar Silas but you haven't given any specific examples of lie he's told.
14 - gonzo marx
ok...tuesday O'Reilly did a piece ranting about merry christmas versus happy holidays
the next day , Countdown mentioned the piece, but added that the Fox News and Bill O'Reilly tree ornaments being sold on their websites were "holiday ornaments"
last night, Countdown showed that the website had been changed
now THAT is fun Stuff!!
if you need specifics about Faux News and it's credibility as an Objective source of Journalism, here's one ta chew on, specifically picked out for a Simpson's character...
Question: who is the Chief Political Editor of Fox News?
Clue: his online itinerary shows at least half of each month is spent doing fund raisers for the GOP
Answer: Newt Gingrich!
enjoy yer day
Excelsior!
15 - Silas Kain
Thank you, Gonzo. Billy O. is a slime bag. When he gets caught with "his pants down" it gets all covered over and no further mention is made. Gee, how convenient. That's the modus operandi for people at FOX. Take Brit Hume's son. Do the research. There are reports he committed suicide. There are reports that he was gay. There are allegations that he was the lover of a once prominent Congressman. I heard many of these stories before Mr. Hume died. Many in the House GOP Leadership took great pleasure in keeping a list of "sins" of Congresspeople. It's called blackmail, folks. And if you think it hasn't gone on in D.C. you're obviously naive. FOX News and the GOP Leadership have an incestuous relationship. You're free to defend and worship at the altar of Mr. O'Reilly, Chief, that's your right. But, for the love of all that is sacred, don't be a blind follower -- I've always considered you more intelligent than a Lemming.
16 - Scott
I've always thought the funniest O'Reilly story is the one in which he said that "Inside Edition" or whatever tabloid show he was on won a Peabody award. They didn't, it was a Polk award (which he claims is just as prominent - I don't know, I've never heard of it) - and the kicker is, they won it after O'Reilly had left the show!
17 - Chief Wiggum
Recently O'reilly has been using his TV show to expose the states which are weak on prosecuting child sex offenders and he is urging people to put pressure on the politicians in these states to toughen the laws.
On the other hand we have the ACLU who defends NAMBLA and files a lawsuit every time the "civil liberties" of a convicted child sex offender and/or murderer are violated by someopne suggesting we need ways to track sex offenders.
I think I'lls tick with O'rielly rather than the pedophile loving ACLU.
18 - Christopher Rose
CHIEF: I think the facts about the ACLU and NAMBLA have been well documented in these comments.
The ACLU defends your rights and those of every US citizen, not NAMBLA's. I don't see what is so hard to understand about that.
Imagine a world in which people who use the name of fat cartoon policemen were denied freedom of speech; the ACLU would be there defending that person's rights too.
The very existence of the ACLU is the oddest thing; a bunch of concerned citizens actually give up their limited free time to protect the rights of every citizen. I'm not sure what strikes me most, the fact that they do it or the fact that they need to...
19 - Dave Nalle
That's not much of an enemies list. Mine's a hell of a lot longer and more detailed. Plus there are no individuals on it and the bias it complains about is pretty well known to anyone familiar with those media outlets. I bet he has a secret list with Al Franken at the top.
Plus, when it comes to enemies lists Nixon still tops the category, especially since he actually went after his enemies.
Dave
20 - Chief Wiggum
If you think the ACLU is committed to protecting the rights of ALL Americans I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you Chris.
The fact is that every time someone says we should track child sex offenders after the are convicted and released from prison the ACLU objects. Also any time that anyone says we need to crack down on illegal immigration the ACLU goes crazy.
Face it. The ACLU is much more of a detriment than a benefit to this nation.
Bill O'reilly on the other hand doesn't believe we should just ignore pedophiles once they are released from prison. He doesn't believe illegal aliens should come here and get the same benifits as American citizens.
21 - Christopher Rose
I'll give you 5€ for that bridge...
22 - Chief Wiggum
5C?
23 - Silas Kain
Plus, when it comes to enemies lists Nixon still tops the category, especially since he actually went after his enemies.
In spite of Watergate, I still loved Dick Nixon. I hope a hundred years from now historians won't view him as corrupt. He was complicated and paranoid, there's no doubt about that but corrupt is very much up for debate.
24 - linda4justice50
O'Reilly's and his so-called EXPERT Wendy Murphy who is only a pundant, continue to lie, emotionalize and cause mass hysteria across this nation. If he and others like him truely cared about 'protecting children they would real on REAL EXPERTS and come up with REAL SOLUTIONS.
http://www.atsa.com/resInfo.html This is an excellent place to start. I've never seen any EXPERTS on this issue on his show. Please by all means, before you critize me, check them out. We need SMART law that has answers.
The following is an article I wrote this past week
Can we be SMART ON CRIME and TOUGH ON CRIME at the same time?
Many experts are concerned that the registry and sentencing laws undermine any possibility of rehabilitation.
We must find what works and doesn’t work.
Long Prison terms certainly don’t work and the future expense is staggering to each state. When a person does a long term sentence, it is almost guaranteed that person will be conditioned to be in a worse condition than when they went in. Out of sight out of mind will not solve the problem for the future. It is a “Feel Good” solution with future consequences. We have set ourselves up for TOTAL failure.
These draconian laws should be used only in the most exceptional cases and that on an individual basis.
We have gone WAY OVERBOARD in our attempts to solve a problem that does have solutions to it. Sex offenders are more likely to commit a property crime in order to survive than a second sex offense. As an alternative to these long term registration laws, we should have what is known as “Time Conditional Laws.” That is, once a person completes their prison sentence and parole, they are taken off the public registry and removed from residency restrictions. All information is kept with local police departments. If a person goes on to reoffend with another sexual offense, law enforcement and the courts can deal with them as a recidivist.. 95% of all new offenses are committed by individuals who are NOT on any registry. Crimes have either not yet been committed or they have not yet been caught. Those who have completed their conditions of prison and parole must be given an opportunity. They have PROVEN themselves to be law abiding. All individuals are human and have human value. These new laws being passed because a tragedy to a child has occurred. ONE person committed THAT crime and to make an entire class pay for a murder that THEY DID NOT commit is an injustice. Retroactivity in applying these laws to a class of people who have finished their contracts with the courts are an injustice and in fact unconstitutional. But we undermine our most precious document because of FEAR and HYPE as well as law makers who do not have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and be counted as SMART. Instead re-election is their main concern, even to the detriment of sound law. This is nothing but wrong headedness and is totally unproductive to society and offenders alike.
Keeping the Constitution intact, should be of the utmost importance and priority to law makers. Side stepping the U.S. Constitution in the guise of civil action is extremely dangerous to every citizen, no matter how law abiding that person is.
We need a RESTRICTED registration system that affords the 95% who do NOT reoffend to be given an opportunity to become law abiding productive tax paying citizens. As it stands now, the registries are counter productive to society and the individual offenders who want to get on with their lives.
There is NO PROOF that the get TOUGH ON CRIME works for the betterment of society, or the individual offender. SHOW ME THE PROOF! WHERE IS THE PROOF?? We have only one alternative and that is to get SMART ON CRIME! Laws are passed and based on media hype and emotion as well as large profit. Law makers trying to “OUT TOUGH” the next law maker, so they can get reelected. This is a very slippery slope which has only negative consequences for society and the offender alike. I often ask myself WHO IS VICTIMIZING WHO? With Liberty and Justice for SOME?
Linda Wagner