The Smearing of America Continues

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight.

The smearing of America continues. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." While the federal government is punishing lewd behavior on the public airwaves, something far worse is going unchallenged by the Feds. Slander, libel, and defamation have now become profit centers with weasels putting out vicious falsehoods and running to the banks with their blood money.

The latest atrocity is a rap song by a guy named Jadakiss, who is just a pitiful pawn being run by the huge Vivendi (search) Corporation, a French company that's distributing some of the most vile entertainment "Talking Points" has ever seen.

Here's Jadakiss's contribution to the Arts:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JADAKISS, RAPPER: Why would n***** push pounds and powder? Why did Bush knock down the towers? Why you around them cowards? Why Aaliyah have to take that flight? Why Halle have to let a white man pop her to get a Oscar? Why Denzel have to be crooked before he took it? Why they didn't make the CL6 with a clutch? And if you don't smoke, why the hell you reachin' for my dutch?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So, according to this smear merchant, President Bush is responsible for murdering 3,000 people and actress Halle Berry (search) won an Academy Award (search) because she had sex with a white man. This is freedom of speech?

So, it's impossible for famous people to sue and win defamation judgments, and the Vivendi Corporation knows it. Thus, slanderers are running wild, saying anything they want, no matter how despicable and getting paid for doing it.

The laws need to be changed. Somebody defames a public figure, that somebody in the corporation behind the smear should be held liable.

Both President Bush and Halle Berry should be able to sue Vivendi and Jadakiss (search) for millions. Enough's enough. You have a movie grossing millions of dollars. It's filled with provable lies. You have best-selling books that defame and injure for no purpose other than profit. You have so-called music that spews hate and encourages criminal activity. And you thought Howard Stern (search) was bad?

The Factor, of course, is boycotting everything Vivendi produces because it's a French corporation, but I urge every responsible American to make sure you're not holding its stock, symbol "V" victor on the New York exchange.

I also urge congress people and senators to draft legislation that would impose fines on companies that distribute provable defamation. That's the only way to bring the smear merchants down because business is good in their evil world, and they'll justify anything and everything.

There's no talking to these people. You got to hit them where it hurts — in the wallet.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

Our pal Walter Cronkite (search) says he's dropping his newspaper column because it interferes with his lucrative speaking engagements. Cronkite's weekly opus appeared in a few papers — not many — but he's hanging up his typewriter.

Now, since I write a weekly column as well, in addition to doing The Factor both on radio and TV, I was a bit perplexed that Walter had trouble meeting his deadlines. But hey, the guy has a right to do what he wants. And anybody working into his mid-80s is to be respected for that ethic alone. Otherwise, we'd be ridiculous.