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Published May 20, 2015
To watch "The Memo" click here.
Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight.
A very disturbing situation involving the widow of a pilot killed in the 9/11 terror attack. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.
Right now, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is holding hearings over whether airline pilots should be permitted to have guns in the cockpit. Senator Ernest Hollings, a Democrat from South Carolina, is the head of that committee, and the senator opposes guns for pilots.
Fine, he's entitled to his opinion. But last night on The Factor, Ellen Saracini told us that Hollings would not allow her to testify in front of the committee even though she is uniquely qualified to do so.
You see, Mrs. Saracini's husband, Dick, was the captain of United Flight 175, the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center. So Ellen Saracini is a widow with a cause. She believes pilots need more protection.
But Senator Hollings, incredibly, refused to hear the woman, saying the committee didn't have time, even though Mrs. Saracini petitioned for a hearing months ago.
This is, number one, an outrage, number two, disrespectful to a woman who has endured tragedy, and number three, undemocratic. Senator Hollings should be ashamed of himself on humanitarian grounds alone. The rejection of Mrs. Saracini has caused her even more pain, and she deserves to be heard.
We've asked Senator Hollings to appear on The Factor next Monday to explain himself. We doubt that he will. So here's the only other thing we can do. If you believe the senator is out of line, as we do, give him a call at his Washington office. Factor viewers in South Carolina might want to take special note of this. The senator answers to you.
Now, maybe I'm missing something here, and maybe the senator has a good reason to deny Mrs. Saracini a voice. I hope the senator comes on and sets me straight. But as I said, I doubt that will happen, because I believe this decision was based on politics and arrogance.
Hollings is against guns in the cockpit. He doesn't want someone like Ellen Saracini swaying sentiment. And he's arrogant enough to dismiss this woman even though her husband was a victim of our country's lax security.
Once again, the action by Senator Hollings is shameful, and all Americans should let him know it.
And that's "The Memo."
The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day."
It is curtains for Ohio Congressman James Traficant. He has been expelled from the House of Representatives by a vote of 420-1. The lone dissenter, the despicable Gary Condit. That is ridiculous, but very telling.
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https://www.foxnews.com/story/a-very-disturbing-situation