Is Our Freedom in Danger?

Some Tea Party people, along with commentators like Glenn Beck and some other radio guys, believe the Obama administration and progressives in general want to curtail individual freedom.

And you know what? That might be true.

Right now there is a case before the Supreme Court, McDonald v. Chicago, where the right to bear arms is in play.

As you may know, the Constitution allows Americans to bear arms under Second Amendment protection. The reason the founders put that in was that they feared a tyrant might seize control of the federal government, and they wanted individual citizens to have protections against tyranny.

Now, tyranny comes in many forms. For example, criminal gangs can threaten your well-being. That's tyranny and that's why 76-year-old Otis McDonald wants to keep a handgun in his home.

McDonald lives on Chicago's South Side, a chaotic neighborhood. But the city says McDonald has no right to have a handgun, thus the Supreme Court case.

Incredibly, the very liberal New York Times, which is supposed to champion individual liberty, editorialized it this way: "The Bill of Rights once was largely thought to be a set of limitations on the federal government. Does the right to bear arms apply against city and state governments as well?"

Of course it does. Are you telling me the city of Chicago could restrict freedom of speech in violation of the Constitution? This case isn't even close, and I predict the court will rule 5 to 4 that Otis McDonald can own a handgun.

But the four justices who would violate Mr. McDonald's rights are troubling because they don't like guns. They don't like the Second Amendment, and therefore would restrict it.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is an assault on individual freedom.

It is interesting that in America today, it is the far left that wants the government to call the shots, not the folks. In the past, right-wing extremists like Hitler and Mussolini were in the forefront of state control. But with the exception of Burma, today's totalitarians are primarily on the left. Certainly that is the case in the USA.

"Talking Points" is not ready to say the Obama administration wants to deprive us of rights. That would not be fair. But there is a movement underway in this country, led by so-called progressives, that would restrict individual liberty.

These people want the government to run the economy, to tell you how much you can and can't have, to force you to buy things like health insurance and to take away things they don't approve of, like guns.

This is a serious situation, and the Supreme Court case McDonald v. Chicago will be a big time indicator of which way things are going to go.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Sixteen-year-old Justin Bieber is a teen idol, and 3-year-old Cody is one of his biggest fans.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CODY'S MOM: You're crying because you love Justin Bieber?

CODY, 3-YEAR-OLD JUSTIN BIEBER FAN: Yes, I went in my room.

CODY'S MOM: You went in your room and cried because you love him?

CODY: Yes.

CODY'S MOM: Does that make you sad?

CODY: Yes, because Bieber (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

CODY'S MOM: You don't get to see him all day?

CODY: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well after hearing that, comedian Jimmy Kimmel set up this meeting:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN BIEBER, MUSICIAN: I saw you on the video.

CODY: You're so cute.

BIEBER: Really?

Oh my God. You're so cute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Mr. Kimmel, Justin and Cody are all patriots.

On the pinhead front, another reason not to trust the media. Writing on the Web site Politico, a guy named Michael Calderone implied that I am using Fox News to promote John Kasich for governor of Ohio. Calderone wrote, "O'Reilly has introduced him as 'John Kasich, our man in Ohio."

Well, yeah, a long time before John announced his run and in a completely different way:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Next on the rundown, Kinky Friedman, our guy in Texas; John Kasich, our man in Ohio. They'll tell us what's going on in those states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Calderone is a dishonest pinhead, but sadly this stuff happens all the time.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" 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