Accusations against Bill O'Reilly - 9.26.2007.1

Why does the left like to use racism like a weapon? I’m so tired of it. It’s aggravating. If you have not noticed it yet, there has been a lot of media stating that Mr. Bill O’Reilly is a racist. They state that his commentary from his radio show was racist.

"It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun” he said. "And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all."

That is the main quote. It is referring to a dinner at Sylvia’s, a famous restaurant in Harlem, NY. Something that needs to be understood at the outset. The dinner was with Mr. O’Reilly and Rev. Al Sharpton.

I want that to be clear because if this was really what was going on, I would expect that either Rev. Sharpton, who is no shy wall-flower, or Mr. Juan Williams would have called Mr. O’Reilly out on the matter. Both have the ability to make national press conferences and easily would be able to comment on this in no time at all. Considering the historical matters that Rev. Sharpton usually covers, this would have been the first thing he would have talked about upon leaving Sylvia’s.

The quote comes out of context from a discussion on racism on Mr. O’Reilly’s radio program. When the program aired, over a day ago, on reportedly 400 stations there were no complaints. Mr. Juan Williams was on air as the comment was made, in context of how the media often portrays African Americans as simply thugs and rappers, and this influences what some Americans think we are like. I’d say that the media influences how the world views us.

Yet, CNN, which was given the opportunity to review the actual conversation, went and continued to state that Mr. O’Reilly was a racist. The internet has picked up the ball and run with it.

Obviously, left-leaning bloggers and websites constantly find Mr. O’Reilly to be a huge target and oppose everything he says, so there is no surprise in their reaction. Others that have not seen anything other than the claims of his racism accept this news without question. I did not.

I have said before that I agree with Mr. O’Reilly on several issues. I feel that he is basically fair in his opinions. His desire to protect children is unquestionable, his belief in a balanced legal system is prominent, and his views against criminal illegal aliens match my own.

Continued in part 2...