Continuing Evil in Afghanistan

To watch "the memo" click here .

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thanks for watching us tonight.

Well, "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl is dead, murdered by savages in Pakistan, fanatics who are redefining evil.  There's little we can say other than we send our condolences to Mr. Pearl's family and friends.  We'll have a report coming up in a moment.

"Talking Points" memo this evening is about the continuing evil in Afghanistan.  From the very beginning, I said that the Afghan people bear some responsibility for the violence and chaos that exists in their country.  I was actually booed on the Jay Leno program when I said that, but I stand by my belief.

Today in "The New York Times" there is a revolting article about some Afghan men who are reviving the practice of child rape.  Apparently there's no stigma in Afghanistan attached to the sexual abuse of children, as there is no stigma attached to growing opium, brutalizing women, and stealing and looting.

Let's face it, America has defeated the incredibly brutal Taliban, but the culture that allowed those thugs to exist is still in place, and the Afghan people must bear some responsibility for that.

Not all Afghans are bad, of course, but there's a widespread acceptance of evil in that country that is appalling.  Children should not be molested in any country, much less openly.  Opium should not be openly marketed in any country.  Savage bandits should not be allowed to operate anywhere.

But all of that and more happens daily in Afghanistan in full view of the people who live there.

The Bush administration must impose some kind of authority as long as American forces are risking their lives in that country.  Right now, we should be destroying all the poppy fields.  And if we don't do that, we should admit that our war on drugs is a joke.  Afghanistan may be the largest supplier of opium and heroin in the world.

So what are we going to do about it?

Likewise, our forces should be dealing with these warlord thieves.  Why are they allowed to control large segments of Afghanistan, robbing and raping, stealing food and medicine bound for refugees?  Why is that allowed to happen?

A few well-placed missiles could send a powerful message.

Once again, we are seeing politics overrule decency.  Our forces are being told to keep the peace but turn a blind eye to everything else.

It all comes back, though, to the 24 million Afghans.  These people must stop the atrocities and begin to live as civilized human beings.  I'm not optimistic that will happen.

I know all about the poverty and the illiteracy and the religious fanaticism, but excuses don't cut it.  Afghanistan is a country that condones crimes against humanity, crimes that hurt women and children.  The quicker we're out of that terrible place, the better.

And that's the memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day." 

A lady firefighter in Seattle is in big trouble just hours after driving a fire truck to the wrong location.  She was caught lighting up a  marijuana cigarette, giving new  meaning to the word "highway."  She immediately volunteered for drug rehab, so she wasn't charged.

The Seattle city spokesperson calls the incident an aberration.  We call it ridiculous.

 — You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com