Why is Sen. Kennedy Blocking a Bill That Would Protect Kids?

Why is Senator Kennedy blocking a bill that would protect American kids?

The proposed law is called the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. And it would mandate that federal authorities keep a database of convicted child predators and child abusers. Of course, that would help local authorities, who could tap into the computerized information and instantly know who's in their neighborhood.

Right now, child predators can roam from state to state and the cops are blind to their background. So does anyone oppose that law, that proposed law? Does anyone oppose it?

Only fools and people that don't care about kids would object to the national database. But in the Senate, a vote on the bill is being held up by Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid, the minority leader in the Senate.

Mr. Reid says that Kennedy was promised a vote on a new hate crimes bill. And that's why the child protection bill is not going to the floor for a vote. Apparently, Senator Kennedy wants to attach some kind of hate crimes legislation to the child help bill.

Well, with all due respect to Kennedy and Reid, this is politics at its worst. There's no need to burden this child help bill with any other piece of legislation. The child bill should stand alone. If the hate crimes bill is a good law, that should stand alone as well.

Here's a "No Spin" message to Senators Reid and Kennedy. Every day, you guys dither around, thousands of children get hurt in America. Every day that local law enforcement doesn't have the information it should have, predators are more free to rape and kill.

Now sometimes the people, the folks — you — have to send a message to Washington. And this is one of those times. We are posting information on billoreilly.com so you can get a direct message to Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid. If they put the bill to a vote, it will pass. If they continue to hold it up, more kids will get hurt. Very simple.

Finally, "Talking Points" doesn't think Kennedy and Reid are bad men, but they're playing politics with the safety of American kids. And I hope you'll tell them that is unacceptable. And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

A new Gallup poll says America is divided over church going. Forty-two percent of us attend church on a regular basis; 43 percent do not.

The top states for church going: Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina. The states where church attendance is the lowest: New Hampshire, Vermont, and Nevada. Not good news for the Elvis chapel.

Ridiculous? God only knows.

—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. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com