By Bill O'Reilly
This morning on the "Today Show" Matt Lauer and I got into it over how the media is covering the death of Whitney Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAUER, TODAY SHOW: You wrote this in your column. "The media has no bleeping clue how to cover the death of Whitney Houston."
O'REILLY: That's right.
LAUER: "That's because she was slowly dying for years. And many in the press simply averted their eyes."
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: We looked away.
LAUER: Bill I have seen dozens of stories over the years detailing --
O'REILLY: But they were sensationalized stories.
LAUER: -- detailing the addiction, the erratic behavior, the denial of addiction on the part of Whitney Houston.
O'REILLY: They were -- they were sensationalized to exploit the woman's condition not try to help her. When is the last time you ever saw -- you've seen a public service announcement from a famous person, a singer, an actor to say to the American public, you know, you don't want to be like Whitney Houston, don't be like Elvis, don't be like Janice Joplin? When is the last time you saw that? They don't exist.
You know what we in the media do Lauer, we wink, wink it, we Snoop Dogg it, we Willie Nelson, hey oh yes they're stoned. And that's fine. And what message does that send? It's ok.
It's not ok.
(CROSSTALK)
LAUER: I think it's apples and oranges that you're comparing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Of course I disagree. It's not apples and oranges. But to make my analysis even sharper, I went on "Fox & Friends" shortly after "The Today Show".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: So why aren't we telling the truth to young people in America? Is there one public service announcement by any movie star, by any singer that says to children don't use drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But she was --
O'REILLY: Wait, wait? Is there one? I want to see one. There isn't any. Here is what we see. Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
O'REILLY: All of these creeps and I mean they are creeps, all right? Celebrated and its wink, wink, oh, let's party, let's get high. There is nobody in the media saying you know what? This could lead to death and if it doesn't lead to death, 75 percent of all child abuse and neglect is done by substance abusers.
Let's tell the truth. And not only that. When you buy this garbage, who are you helping? The Mexican cartels who've killed 40,000 human beings. Every time you buy a marijuana cigarette, it goes to them.
Are we getting this? Where is it in the media? Who is saying this? Nobody. And that was my point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well said.
ERIC BOLLING, FOX NEWS: Hey Bill but --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm scared to go after him now.
BOLLING: Can I just say, I agree with you 100 percent. But what about the timing of it? Is it time to make a public service announcement on Whitney Houston's death?
O'REILLY: This is -- Eric, this is the time because everybody is locked in on another person, famous, talented, dead because of drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Now, there is a report today from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that says 10 percent of American kids are currently living with an alcoholic parent. That's seven and a half million children subjected to that horror. And that's just booze. When you add drug use to the equation millions more kids are affected.
Where again, is the media on this? Nowhere. We either completely ignore the situation or glorify the party life. Why? Because the secular press doesn't like to make judgments about personal behavior. That stems from the 1960's, if it feels good, do it. Do your own thing. Well, Whitney Houston's own thing killed her and her 18-year-old daughter watched her mother's drug-fueled activities for most of her life. Did she not?
Right now the media in America is largely cowardly politically correct and absolutely unconcerned about the nation's children.
Later on in this broadcast we'll show you how the sharp rise in pot among smoking teenagers. Why? Because they don't believe it's wrong or harmful.
Well, here is some more straight talk. Once children enter the world of intoxication, their childhood is over. They are never the same. Whitney Houston admitted she smoked pot. So did Amy Winehouse and most drug addicts start their crimes with that gate way drug.
But as a country, as a country we're now embracing the medical marijuana ruse, a quasi legalization scam. Outside of "The Factor" where is the national media's reporting on that? Nowhere, man.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots.
As you may know, author Vince Flynn writes thrillers. His character is CIA guy Mitch Rapp. And his latest book, "Kill Shot," very fast-paced read. I finished it last night.
But what's extraordinary here is that Mr. Flynn wrote "Kill Shot" while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. I mean, it's amazing. Hard enough for me to write when everything is going my way. But Flynn fighting for his life and still turning out great copy.
So check out "Kill Shot," because Vince Flynn is a patriot.
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