Gary Condit is preparing for a fund-raiser and his staff says he will run again for Congress. Unbelievable. That's the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.
Shame and outrage. Those things are in short supply right now in America. We are simply barraged with bad behavior of all kinds. So it's hard to get worked up anymore because we've seen it all. And personal shame, as we say here in New York City, fugeddaboutit. Condit is a textbook example.
He's now blaming the media for his pitiful, public persona. Condit, of course, has brought shame to his family, paid to the Levys and embarrassment to the country. You would think that would be enough for anyone to walk away and rethink his life, but not Gary Condit.
He now wants money so he can run for Congress again. And there are simpletons who will give it to him. There's no question that Condit is a liar, a deceiver and a manipulator. That could be enough to get him re- elected.
Simply put, America's outrage is gone. Here's another example. Our pals, the Chinese, the Olympic hosts, have a nice thing going down there in the southern part of China. A new edict says any pregnant woman who has already had a child will be forced to have an abortion and be sterilized afterwards. "The London Sunday Telegraph" reports the Chinese government is buying expensive ultrasound equipment and will go door to door searching for pregnancies.
That's Nazi stuff, but there will be no worldwide outcry. In fact, the story isn't even being reported here in the USA. In our culture of apathy, anything goes as long as we are not inconvenienced in any way.
You saw The Factor last night. You saw two Pennsylvania teenagers who raped an 11-year-old get less than a year in a rehab facility. You saw Michigan State University give a football scholarship to a man who sexually brutalized a 13-year-old girl. And you saw one of Gary Condit's constituents making excuses for him.
It's time for the good people of this country to speak up. Unacceptable behavior is just that. The alumni and students at Michigan State should boycott the football games this fall. The citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should demand the Governor Ridge get involved in that rape case. And as for Gary Condit, any American who gives him dime should be ashamed.
Whoops. There's that word again, shame. What does it mean, anyway? And that's the memo.
Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
Time now for the most ridiculous item of the day. Those tax rebate checks are floating around, and now the big decision is, what to do with the money. The Sunday magazine "USA Weekend" will give $1,200 to whomever comes up with the most creative way to spend the tax refund.
To enter the contest, go to USAWeekend.com. Here are some suggestions from me. Help pay Bill Clinton's office rent, about $400,000 a month, he needs some dough. Keep the Whitewater investigation going a few more minutes by giving the money to Robert Ray. Buy eight Madonna T-shirts. They're $80 each, and a bargain at that. Or send a check to Fidel Castro, who, after 42 years in power, still doesn't have any cash in the Cuban treasury because it's all in his personal bank account.
Person who comes up with the most creative way to spend the money will be interviewed right here on The Factor. No, that's not a threat, that's an incentive.
— You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET. And send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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