Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight. Martha Stewart (search) and America, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."
One of the reasons the Founding Fathers of this country built Judeo-Christian philosophy into the fabric of the law was because the founders wanted a collective morality in the new nation. That's why vice became crime and why stealing and cheating could get you executed in some places. An early American could die if someone stole his horse or food. Survival depended on cooperation among neighbors.
The founders also knew that the fledgling government couldn't enforce the law. There was no federal police. And only a very disorganized military.The people had to police themselves, basically. Therefore, the founders wanted all Americans on the same page morally.
That's all gone now. There's no collective morality in America any longer. Today each citizen is deciding for him or herself what laws they'll obey and what laws they will not obey. And in some cases, society is actually going along with it.
Martha Stewart is Exhibit A. There's no question she broke the law by lying to the feds about her ImClone trading deal. They had her cold. But because Ms. Stewart herself doesn't consider lying to the feds a crime, she believes she's innocent. President Clinton also took this tack during the Paula Jones (search) fiasco. The city of San Francisco believes it has the right to violate the law [in the same-sex marriage debate] So does the town of New Paltz (search), New York. Alabama Judge Roy Moore (search) defied federal law over the Ten Commandments display. And the list goes on and on.
As Gandhi (search) demonstrated, there is a time for civil disobedience, but Gandhi wasn't lying or violating any law passed by a legitimate legislature. Martha Stewart mentioned Nelson Mandela (search) in her comments. And she really believes she's a martyr along those lines. Ms. Stewart's vision of right and wrong is her own. And she will defiantly take that vision to prison.
Millions of Americans use drugs, harbor illegal aliens, gamble illegally, and generally do whatever they want, because they don't like the law. That is anarchy. And if the trend continues, America will lose strength.
Martha Stewart is an arrogant, selfish woman. She sees the world only from her narrow point of view. The fact that so many other Americans also subscribe to the "I'll do what I want" philosophy is a strong signal of danger ahead. And that trend can only help those who want to destroy us.
And that's "The Memo."
The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...
Once again, The New York Times can't quite figure out what we're doing here on The Factor. In an article yesterday about advertising guy Donny Deutsch (search), reporter Warren St. John says, quote, "Deutsch and O'Reilly had a shouting match when Mr. Deutsch appeared on Mr. O'Reilly's show on FOX News last year." That, of course, is not true. Here's the most intense part of that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'REILLY: ... porn performers are quasi-prostitutes. They sell their body for money. Look it up — look it up.
DONNY DEUTSCHE: OK, prostitution is somebody paying for sex. Porn, the last time I looked — which is illegal — is pornography legal in this country?
O'REILLY: Pornography is legal in some places. It's not legal for 13-year-olds.
DEUTSCHE: No, we're not talking about 13-year-olds.
O'REILLY: Yes, we are.
DEUTSCHE: ... any 13-year-olds.
O'REILLY: That's what my objection is.
DEUTSCHE: OK, first of all...
O'REILLY: They're going to see the ad and go to the Web site.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: OK. Obviously, there was passion in the debate. It's not a shouting match. That's what we do here. Now, why is this important? Well, first, because "The New York Times" continues to misstate what happens on The Factor. And second, because people who dodge us, like Howard Dean (search), for example, continually say they don't want to go on the shout shows.
That's the image they want the uninformed to have of The Factor. Ridiculous, of course, and dishonest to boot. Passionate debate is what we do here. Mr. Deutsche is a good guest, by the way.
—You can watch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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