BY BILL O'REILLY
The attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona was an attack on every law-abiding American citizen.
The man who shot the congresswoman murdered a federal judge and five other people, including a 9-year-old girl, has damaged our republic far beyond the taking of human lives. If politicians cannot walk freely to talk with their constituents, we don't have a democracy.
"Talking Points" believes that any new laws that provide greater safety for public officials should be considered. We simply cannot have chaos at this level.
The killer, Jared Loughner, is a psychopath. Civilization has always had them and always will. There is no solution to the likes of Loughner.
Besides the senseless violence, there is another disgusting display sweeping America, and that is the exploitation of the murders by political zealots.
Only moments -- moments -- after Congresswoman Giffords was shot, some far-left loons began to spew their hatred: Conservatives encouraged Jared Loughner to pull the trigger. Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Fox News, all spurred the psychopath to kill the six people. The merchants of hate who are peddling this stuff should be accountable.
So let's begin with The New York Times. In an editorial Monday, that far-left newspaper said: "It is legitimate to hold Republicans and particularly their most virulent supporters in the media responsible for the gale of anger that has produced a vast majority of these death threats. Many on the right have exploited the arguments of division, reaping political power by demonizing immigrants or welfare recipients or bureaucrats."
That is flat-out reprehensible, and every American should condemn that New York Times editorial. Republicans had nothing to do with these murders in Arizona.
If you oppose a porous border, you are not demonizing immigrants. If you oppose a nanny state, you are not demonizing welfare recipients. The New York Times does this all day long. If you would disagree with their far-left view, you are hateful.
Even worse -- even worse -- is Times columnist Paul Krugman, a radical-left Princeton professor. Krugman accuses Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of inciting hatred towards Miss Giffords because Miss Bachmann said this:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, R-MINN.: I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people -- we the people are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
Obviously Ms. Bachmann was using a metaphor to make a political point. It is simply morally repugnant and libelous that Krugman would smear Ms. Bachmann by connecting her to the murders.
Incredibly, Krugman continues: "But you won't hear on MSNBC jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly and you will."
As usual, Mr. Krugman is lying. The man is simply incapable of telling the truth. Here is the proof:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST: Did you see "Live and Let Die," the great Bond film where Yaphet Koto was the bad guy, Mr. Big. In the end, they jammed the big CO2 pellet in his face and he blew up. I have to tell you Rush Limbaugh is beginning to look like more and more like Mr. Big. And at some point somebody is going to jam a CO2 pellet into his head and he's going to explode like a giant blimp. That day may come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Now, Mr. Matthews wasn't threatening Mr. Limbaugh; he was making a political point. Compared to the other people on MSNBC, Matthews is St. Paul. To its disgrace, NBC News allows vicious personal attacks on anyone who doesn't toe the far-left MSNBC line. The hatred spewed on that cable network is unprecedented in the media.
And then there is Sarah Palin. She is being blamed for the murders as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY CORDES, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Giffords was one of 20 Democrats whose districts were lit up in crosshairs on a Sarah Palin campaign website last spring. Giffords and many others complained that someone unstable might act on that imagery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
As everybody knows, Governor Palin was very active in last November's election and using words like targeting certain districts is common political usage. In fact, Fox News correspondent James Rosen reports that the Democratic leadership committee has used almost the exact same imagery as Governor Palin in assessing campaigns.
I guess Paul Krugman didn't see this bit of campaigning by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN, D-W. VA.: I'll take on Washington and this administration to get the federal government off of our backs and out of our pockets. I'll cut federal spending and I'll repeal the bad parts of Obamacare. I sued EPA and I'll take dead aim at the cap-and-trade bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And the hits just keep on coming. After condemning the violence, the far-left women's organization NOW opined: "We condemn, equally, the culture of hate and violence increasingly reflected in extreme right-wing opponents of those who support progressive solutions to our country's challenges."
They condemn equally? NOW equating mass murder with rhetoric? Unbelievable. And somehow NOW does not condemn the Daily Kos or the hate-filled diatribes on MSNBC. No, they are perfectly fine. It's just the right-wing that's the problem.
The hypocrisies are stunning, but they pale -- pale -- beside the exploitation of these terrible murders in Arizona.
Decent people simply do not ascribe motivation to a psychopath like Loughner unless that motivation is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
I can't tell you how angry this makes me. Far-left loons have attacked me in vile ways for years. I have to have security around the clock. Has The New York Times ever said a word about that?
Some of my colleagues here at Fox News and on talk radio are faced with the exact same situation.
There comes a point in a free society when citizens have to acknowledge the truth or see their country dissipate.
The New York Times, MSNBC, Paul Krugman and others are furious that their far-left vision is falling apart, so they are using a terrible tragedy, using it to attack their perceived political enemies. That's what this is all about: the failure of the far-left agenda. Because the loons are furious, they are now accusing people of being accessories to murder. How despicable is that?
President Obama struck exactly the right tone on Saturday when he said this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does: listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country. What Americans do at times of tragedy is to come together and support each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Well, that is good leadership from Mr. Obama. Unfortunately it's not happening.
Also, I would like to see the president call out the far-left thugs who are exploiting these murders, who are so full of hatred that they can't even allow people to grieve before turning the tragedy into a political circus.
One final note: There is hatred on the right as well. There is over-the-top rhetoric. And these murders in Arizona should remind conservatives that there are boundaries, lines that should not be crossed.
Hate is hate; it doesn't matter where it comes from.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
As we reported last week, actor George Clooney went to Africa to monitor a referendum that would establish a new country in the southern half of the Sudan. Speaking on CNN, Mr. Clooney was asked about it:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think the Obama administration has a special role to play here?
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: They have had a special role to play here. They were very good early on. And then, they sort of dropped the ball for about a year. It's understandable. There were a few things going on in the United States that had to be taken care of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So is Mr. Clooney's assessment of the Obama administration, vis-a-vis Sudan, pinheaded or patriotic? Please vote on BillOReilly.com.
Now, last Friday we asked to you vote on Vice President Biden's dating advice to little girls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Girls, remember, no dates until you're 30 years old.
No dates until you're 30.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Eighty-four percent of you said the advice was pinheaded; 16 percent believe it is patriotic. Think it might have more to do with the vice president than the advice, but what do I know?
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