“Any American that undermines that war, with our soldiers in the field, or undermines the war on terror, with 3,000 dead on 9-11, is a traitor,” says Bill O’Reilly. What do you think?
On Being a Traitor in a Time of War
Facebook comments:
Previous post: Belga I Barely Knew You
Next post: RSS For Everything Zeitgeist
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I guess I’d want to know just what Mr. O’Reilly means by “undermines”. If asking for a thorough, Congressional review of the veracity of the claims in the Downing Street Memo is “undermining” the war, then no, I don’t agree.
“I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few”
Adolf Hitler
O’Reilly’s remarks should be considered not for the intellectual weight behind them (ain’t much)but rather in the context of the recent polls showing an increasing discontent amongst Americans about our military efforts in Iraq. Simply,he is attempting a rallying of the base and a further decline in the perception of this fumbling administration.
By using the word “undermines” i assume he means any questioning of the administrations policies. in that regard i refer Mr.O’Reilly to some of our greatest statesmen and politicians:
“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism” – Thomas Jefferson
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Bill O’Reilly is a traitor” – me
I think we really have to be careful how we use the words traitor and patriot. American citizens that care about this country are patriots; American citizens that sell out this country for their benefit are traitors. Bill O’Reilly has supported a government that is taking power from the people and concentrating that power in the hands of a few people. He and I would argue about this being good or bad for America. I think it is bad for America, that the American people have less rights than we had prior to 9/11. I live in an America where all we had to do was enforce the laws we had in place to stop 9/11 from happening. Bill O’Reilly lives in an America where we had to change many of out basic rights to stop another 9/11 type of attack. He has his opinion and for some reason he gets to broadcast it on a major media network. If he really was a patriot he might consider what is best for all American’s before accusing some of us of being traitors. The America I live in is not the same America as Bill O’Reilly’s, and it never was nor will it ever be. As an American I pride myself on this countries diversity and how our different opinions and beliefs have coincided to make the world a better place. Bill O’Reilly is becoming a traitor by trying to stop this mingling of ideas by broadcasting his propaganda of mis-labeling patriots as traitors.
Mike
Well, undermining the war on terror…well, I don’t know from undermining. But what’s this I’m reading about “negotiating with terrorists?”
I think Bill O’Reilly and other right wing politicians say things like this purely so people will support this their point of view. The current american administration has put a lot of time and effort into making people think that a criticism of the governemnt is a critiscism of america and it’s people. This is of course is not true. O’Reilly definition of “underminig” is probably just another way of saying “disagrees with the republican party”.
This current perception in america that critiscism of the goverment is somehow “un-american” is cultivated purely for the benefit of the republican party.
The republican party lied to the world about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and now wish to use the current climate of fear at critiscing the government to hide their mistakes.
The foreign policies of the current admistration would be a joke if they didn’t result in the deaths of so many people and george bush seems like he hasn’t even heard the word diplomacy which fosters the perception overseas that america believes it has impunity when dealing with other countries. In fact the current administration seems to think it’s a right to interfere in the politics of other countries.
Get your act together america and get rid of your destructive, ignorant and arogant right wing goverment.
Why doesn’t Bill do us a favour and enlist for service in Iraq?