As we reported last week, Captain David Staffel and Master Sergeant Troy Anderson shot and killed a wanted terrorist in Afghanistan and were hammered for doing so. Even though two separate investigations in the Afghan theatre clearly stated the Green Berets effectively did their duty, General Francis Kearney took the investigation back to Fort Bragg, where the men had to endure embarrassing allegations.
Now the men have been found not guilty of anything by the commander of the special forces. So the case is closed. General Kearney, however, should publicly apologize to the men.
The original allegations were carried by The New York Times, but the acquittal was not. The Times should run an extensive article tomorrow, so their readers will know that these Green Berets are patriots, not criminals. And the Army itself should immediately promote both men and reimburse any legal expense incurred by them.
Political correctness within the Armed Forces is simply not acceptable when our troops are making so many sacrifices for this nation.
Now the following comments are directed to all American military people watching me right now: We have got your backs here on "The Factor." We believe, and most Americans agree, that you are performing vital, noble work under very difficult circumstances. Any organization, including the military itself, that treats you unfairly will be challenged by us. We fully recognize that you've been smeared at times by media that hate President Bush so much, they're willing to use you to cast a negative light on him. Again, that is unacceptable and we have pounded those who have done that, including some newspapers and NBC News.
Also, any Hollywood pinhead who attempts to smear the military with film propaganda will be dealt with.
Now these are not threats. They are promises. The vast majority of Americans, no matter what their political beliefs, understand the great sacrifice the military is making in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other foreign places. The War on Terror may be denied by the far left, but clear thinking Americans understand the danger and know that the military and our intelligence services are the ones protecting us from that danger. Enough's enough with the political nonsense. All American troops are entitled to fair play. And this broadcast will make sure they get it.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads and Patriots
The two best articles written about the dust-up last week on race were by Juan Williams on Time.com. — We hope you read that. And Errol Louis in The New York Daily News. Juan is obviously a patriot, but so is Mr. Louis, who writes with honest and eloquence about race.
On the pinhead wrote, the following people dishonest articles about the controversy. D. Parvaz in the ultra-liberal Seattle Post Intelligencer. Dave Wedge in The Boston Herald and the editing staff of The Chicago Sun-Times. — That paper recently announced it is instituting a left-wing policy to try to recapture falling circulation. Won't work and the aforementioned are all pinheads.
—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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