Disrespecting Jerry Falwell

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. Sorry I couldn't be here last night, but I had to take care of a medical situation. Everything's fine, but the teacher did mark me absent.

"Talking Points Memo" this evening: disrespecting Jerry Falwell shortly after his death.

"Talking Points" has been reporting for years that the secular-progressive far left movement in the USA is not free speech friendly. If you disagree with those people, many of them will try to hurt you. Far left intolerance is off the chart.

And there is no better example than reaction to the death of Reverend Jerry Falwell. Within hours of his demise, the far left hate machine cranked up:

Now there's no question Jerry Falwell was at times intolerant himself. — Condemning gays and other groups and passing judgments on behavior that earned him the hatred of many.

But even if you dislike Falwell, let his family and friends grieve for a few days, OK? There's no reason to kick his dead body. For example, a far left Minneapolis Star Tribune editorialized, "Falwell urged [Christians] to focus on issues that drove them apart. It's hard to see what's moral about that."

The far left Oregonian newspaper in Portland, "[Falwell] built an effective political organization at least partly by appealing to people's worst instincts."

The far left Baltimore Sun: "Claiming to be morally superior is a dangerous game." Well, isn't that what you do Baltimore Sun, every day? If you don't agree with your liberal positions, you guys label people bigots and fascists or worse. Don't you?

And finally, this revolting statement from former John Edwards employee Amanda Marcotte. "The gates of hell swing open and Satan welcomes his beloved son. Jerry Falwell's dead. Guess god [sic] — notice the small 'g' — liked the ACLU better after all.

Now Ms. Marcotte symbolizes the hateful far left in America. Same people who celebrated when Tony Snow announced he had cancer. This group, ladies and gentlemen, doesn't deserve respect. They are shameful.

As for Jerry Falwell, he was an American who spoke his mind. I disagreed with him on many issues, I told him so to his face, but he had the courage to come in here and debate. I believe the Reverend was wrong in singling out homosexuals for scorn. I believe only God has the power to judge people's personal behavior.

But Jerry Falwell had a right to say what he said. And these awful secular progressives have that same right. But there is such a thing as decency. And when somebody dies, you give it a few days. — Just another example of how out of control the SP far left movement in America is today.

And that's "The Memo."

Most Ridiculous Item

A Dearborn, Michigan, police officer, Edward Sanchez, has resigned from the police force because he took marijuana from some people. Apparently, he used it to cook up a batch of brownies.

Then, Sanchez, apparently under the influence, called 911:

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EDWARD SANCHEZ, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: I think I'm having an overdose and so is my wife.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, you and your wife?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An overdose of what?

SANCHEZ: Marijuana. I don't know if it had something in it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much did you guys have?

SANCHEZ: I don't know. We made brownies. And I think we're dead. I really do. Time is going by really, really, really, really slow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, well, I'm on the phone with you.

SANCHEZ: What's the score in the Red Wings game?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

SANCHEZ: What's the score in the Red Wings game?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't — I've got no clue. I don't watch the Red Wings.

SANCHEZ: OK, I just want to make sure this isn't some sort of hallucination that I'm having.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

What's the score of the Red Wing game?!

(LAUGHTER)

Anyway, Officer Sanchez is no longer Officer Sanchez. He's unemployed. And there is no word whether he will open up a bakery which, of course, might be ridiculous.

—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