Bill has spent some time recently attacking John Edwards, a Democrat fighting for the poor, Bill makes Millions of dollars, he is happy with the status quo. John Edwards recently brought up the statistic that merely points out the fact that 200,000 American army veterans are homeless. While commenting on this fact Bill O'Reilly created some new enemies. Veterans.
Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films add another video to his "Fox Attacks" collection.
I remember a long time ago Bill O'Reilly said that if you 'don't supoort the troops, you should shut up.' Let's hope he soon takes his own advice. But, let's not hold our breath, O'Reilly is going to be around for the duration of this campaign, wait until he learns Barack's middle name is Hussein, oh boy. If you really have to watch news at 8pm, The alternative is Keith Olbermann. From my point of view he is entertaining, he is honest and he treats his audience and guests with respect, all important broadcast journalism traits.
*Update: Ok... I am receiving a lot of hate mail because of this posting, so I changed the title. It's good to know there are so many people out there who dislike me as passionately as I dislike Bill O'Reilly, nothing wrong with that, I assure you I am harmless, please center your rage towards something more productive...Like the homeless veterans problem. Also, I understand Keith Olbermann is the "the leftist" version of Bill O'Reilly, but if you at least watch the Olbermann segment I have included in this post, the amazing fact is revealed that only 2.6 Billion dollars is needed to solve the homeless vet problem, consider America's Iraq budget, 2.6 Billion is nothing. This is enough to provide housing for every homeless vet for a full year, that is plenty of time to help them get their life back on track. ======
- Hoard's Mind Blowing Propeller Submissions
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 8)
1. thanks longwalker.
i was hoping for an insider's view,
but your response makes sense.
and you are correct,i am no "public finance master",but i did go check out the new projections.
thank god they adjusted that atrocity.
thanks for the heads up.
not really sure what your poker analogy meant.
while im glad you have an MBA and a JD in law..
good for you.
and that means exactly what?
that you may have more knowledge and understanding on business and law?
ok..ill give ya that.
till next time..peace
Enoch D.D.S
enoch at 11:25AM on Jan 23rd 2008
2. Enoch : This my interest you. Errol Louis has a column in todays (1-24-08) NY Daily News on the Homeless. He interviews Philip Mangano, the executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. This gentlemen is resopnsible for coordinating the homelessness initatives of 20 federal agencies, including the departments of Housing, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and Justice.
At a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board, Mr. Mangano said "The fact that about 195,000 people sleep in shelters or on American street every night is a national disgrace."
Jeff Hoard, are you reading this. The executive director is talking about all the homeless. The people that O'Reilly challenged stated that there were 195,000 homeless veterans sleeping in shelters or on the streets. Unless you believe that every homeless person is a veteran, O'Reilly is right not to believe the idea that there are 195,00 homeless veterans.
longwalker at 11:15AM on Jan 24th 2008
3. Some corrections. John Edwards made the comment about the 195,000 homeless veterans. My last line should read 195,000 homeless veterans.
Enoch: I was being a little snarky. I believe that your DDS is an academic title.
longwalker at 11:21AM on Jan 24th 2008
4. thanks longwalker.
while i agree that the numbers my not be accurate,
and even politically motivated.
bill-o dismissing the homeless vets(actual numbers aside),is shameful.
to say that they are beyond hope due to mental illness or addictions is a disgrace.
my issue is with bill-o and his constant rhetoric,in-accurate and manipulative diatribes all to perpetuate the polemic he is so well known for.
we can argue numbers,but are they not irrelevant in light of just WHO these homeless are?
we are all bombarded by differing opinions and polls.numbers that dont add up.
being a veteran,i find it all reprehensible.
who are we to trust?
the media is the whip for those with an agenda.
a loudspeaker to push their agenda forward by muddying the facts.
thats why discussion and debate is so important.
the internet is the last great free debate.
it's also why i get indignant when i see someone towing the party line and regurgitating the days talking points.
our representative republic,with a two party system,no longer works for us,but for big business.
skepticism is required to wade through the massive amount of propaganda being fed to us.
our system of government is severely broken right now.
we need an open and accountable government,and that just has not been the case for the past few years.
ok...starting to ramble here(big shock)..
so ill end with a thank you longwalker.
and yes,its an academic degree.
i have several,and i teach cultural religious history at a local college.
and as you may have noticed,economics is not my strong point../grins.
till next time..peace.
enoch at 2:24PM on Jan 24th 2008
5. Hello Jeff,
As someone that has done much volunteer work for the homeless, I can say yes, there are homeless Veterans. However, this is not a recent phenomenon. There are plenty of of non-profit agencies that would supply a bed for anybody that needed one---veterans included. I found in my many years of volunteer work that many of the homeless CHOOSE NOT to use these available beds. This is due to either a drug problem (no drugs of any kind are allowed in these facilities) or a mental health issue. You simply cannot force a person into a facility if they choose not to go.
Bottom Line; the Beds are available.
Finally, although I disagree with you on most issues, I do not hate you. I would however, like to see more balance on these boards.
Michael at 1:55PM on Jan 25th 2008
6. 110. So O'Reilly is a sham journalist but you recommend watching Olbermann for 'news?' That's all we need to know where you're coming from.
dfechter at 9:42AM on Jan 25th 2008
xxx
islamoreilly lies when the truth would suit him better and Olbermann among other things depantses him on a regular basis. Olberman is a political commentator and so far as I know makes no bones about it. He just deals in reality, not foxfart although he was offered a job at foxfartnews.
Islamoreilly is powerless against this assault, even less effective than with Al Franken who parlayed foxfart ridicule into a legit shot at the senate, so he's stuck going after NBC. Foxfart has offered to stop the assault if NBC controls Olbermann, but as Keith said the other night, they have no intention of doing so to the chagrin of islamoreilly and foxfart.
Bill islamoreilly is as big a joke as joe mccarthy or any other paleoconservative clown like fred phelps.
I've never seen anything on olbermann's show that wasn't vetted on all the national newscasts; on the other hand, islamoreilly's editiorial is pure foxfart and george w foxmonkey buttmunching.
What's his viewer median age group anyway, 80? Maybe about the same as his viewer median IQ group...
Clif Kuplen at 2:02PM on Jan 25th 2008
7. Wow. Bill O'Reilly is a powerful man. I wish I had the power of sugestion he carries. Here is the deal, no elected politician cares about the troops. Not in the sense that they would like the rest of us to think. To the politician, the soldier is a tool of influence that can be applied to the interests that they wish to see prosper. The soldier is a professional, like a Banker or Physician, who chooses a career that has the potential of lethal consequences. It is not a career choice that should be made out of necessity. That does not make for professionals. A professional soldier will recognize their accepted role and should examine their ethos to ensure that it is in line with the expectations of the position. In essence, you are choosing to defend a political system, regardless of your personal beliefs, and to remain in service without that committment is plagerism. The overwhelming majority of combatants throughout the course of human conflict were of the belief that theirs was a just cause, and that the enemy was a threat to their way of life. The matter of homelessness is a seperate issue until someone proves that veterans are systemically prone to it. Being a veteran, and the son and grandson of career soldiers, I have never been exposed to a condition that suggests I am at risk for homelessness. I think it would be more appropriate for Candidate Edwards to attack the problem of homelessness in this country with an eye on the root of the problem (and it is not a lack of housing or money). Bill O'Reilly should honor his audience with a positive approach to a solution instead of making petty statements about a candidates assertions.
The Prophet at 8:46PM on Jan 25th 2008
8. I wanted to let everyone here know about a great film I saw at Tribeca Film Festival about homeless veterans. The documentary is called WHEN I CAME HOME and it focuses on several vets who end up homeless in New York City after returning from combat in Iraq. If you want to check out the one-minute trailer for the film go to:
http://www.whenicamehome.com
I hope O'Reilly ends up homeless someday. I really do. He needs to get his ass kicked but a bunch of Vietnam Veterans.
Suppport The Vets at 1:55PM on Jan 26th 2008
9. IN LIVE IN WASHINGTON STATE, AND THERE IS A VERY LARGE ASIAN CUMMUNITY HERE..EVERY DAY I DRIVE PASS THIS WONDERFUL MAN HOLDING A SIGN THAT SAID..HOMELESS VET.AND EACH TIME I SEE HIM I JUST WANT TO CRY OUT LOUD. WHEN I GO TO THE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE, THE WORKERS ARE ALL ASIAN, THAT HARDLY SPEAK ENGLISH,AND I WONDER HOW DID THEY GET THIS JOB WHEN THERE ARE VETS LIVING ON THE STREET. WE BITCH ABOUT THE MEXICAN,BUT ASK YOURSELF HOW MANY ASIAN DO YOU SEE IN IRAQ FIGHTING FOR THIS COUNTRY...
shasa at 6:56PM on Jan 26th 2008
10. We have to remember, Bill O'Reilly is also the guy who stated over five years ago on his TV show, "The Factor" that "The Iraq War is going to be a cake walk." I thought to myself, doesn't a "journalist" who is over half a century old have enough wisdom and sense to know we're dealing with snipers and suicidal bombers, hell bent on killing our troops? About 4,000 dead soldiers and hundreds of thousands of dead civilians later, he still hasn't offered the pretense of an apology for his cakewalk remark.
What is it with the Fox "news" all-stars? They all seem so callous and blindsided. From Brit Hume stating that its a good time to buy stock after he saw footage of the bombing in Spain a while back to John Gibson making fun of Heath Ledger's death, a father of a young daughter. I know a lot of kind-hearted conservative Republicans, but these characters at Fox are reinforcing the stereotype of Republicans being cold-hearted thugs to anyone except "their own". The irony is they get paid well for it, with an advertising "tax" (in effect) on everything their sponsors sells to their followers.
Chris Aable at 6:56AM on Jan 27th 2008
11. This is the first I believe I have payed attention to the number of veterans that are homeless. I worked in a mission in Redding California for a year and 5 months on a Discipleship program. Lucky I was a Christian and protestant because the Catholic homeless organization refused to take me. I don't know if it was because I answered protestant or because they knew the protestant mission would take me. The protestant mission kicked a Catholic out while I was there. It's the first time I noticed the big problem. It could explain some of the homelessness.
Even the protestants didn't care enough to see I got the help I should have gotten as soon as I showed up. You get 7 days unless you're in the discipleship program. There was quite a bit of racism there. As a black man, it was subtle to others but obvious to me. A black church members had to sit on steps and the floor while seats were provided for white church members.
Still, I was amazed about all the white homelessness. About 1% were black there. It could be the same percentage in the general population or racism closed the door on them. They were constantly trying to close the door on me. You end up in jail when that happens. No homeless person ever told me they served in the armed forces. I assumed, after a while, they were druggies, drunks, or plain lazy if they showed up very long(over a month). The same was assumed of me by black and white church members alike. I never knew the attitude in depth until I joined a black church and a member referred to it as skid row. It's like they are oblivious to the fact that the government, starting with the too much acclaimed Ronald Reagan, kicked the mentally disabled out into the streets. It's the kind of stuff the Republicans cover up or say would break the bank, yet have $100 billion to give to Isreal and $200 billion to Sadie Arabia and who knows how much to others but won't help even the Americans who served in the armed forces.
I strongly felt our government should have gone after the doctors that operated on me 5 time when later I found out garlic and Metamucil would have been a better prescription for putrefactive bacteria. They gave me heavy antibiotics without instructions for after care, knowing the antibiotics destroy your intestinal balance of good and bad bacteria and most people don't go back or connect the new problem with the antibiotic. It's the kind of stuff Bush would call a junk lawsuit if I could have persuaded it.
You put that with a dysfunctional family because my mother was hating my father through me and that's how a black, college educated, man ended up on skid row after years of psychological treatment designed to keep treating you without looking for the solution to the problem. They only want to treat the results. The same with the fistula doctors operated on 5 time and almost killed me. They'd be operating right today if I'd let them.
On top of that, I had to wait a year for Social
Security and then a year for Section 8. Nobody tells you that you should apply for them at the same time. In fact, they are more interested in finding a reason to disallow you the services.
What does it all have to do with veterans hugging a bridge? Put all I just told you with a veteran or anyone who is having mental problems or driven to drink and drugs, and no family, out in the street, and you have a person that is going to have a very difficult time negotiating the system to get the help he/she needs.
Most likely, people will disown responsibility by assuming or making drink and drugs the culprit that got him where he is. They never consider the process. They never consider his history and the broken system. The resistance of those Americans who are much better off to bear their fair share of the tax burden so the citizenship will have the services they need. They'd rather give the money to nations that don't need it, pork barrel, moon rocks, and tax breaks for the wealthy, rather than properly take care of the citizens who need it.
I know what few Americans know. There is no reason for poverty in America. The system is managed to produce it. They raise the interest rate when jobs are going too well. That puts people out of a job and losing their house and hugging a bridge if they have no family support. Most often family have been dysfunctional for years or barely holding on themselves. That's part of what's happening when the Fed reserve raises the interest rate.
It's about the Republicans who only count you as an American if they can make money on you. Otherwise, they want to chop off the last leg you have to stand on. Your entitlement! They want to be completely free of you. They are about to succeed since they have cleverly put half of America into good financial condition and hopeful of Republicans giving them even more tax breaks. It serves to get votes on election day to hold power.
Recipients of tax breaks know the system has to have people unemployed the way they run it. Yet they put the onus on the people it squeezes out of employment. They know the tax breaks mean less services to people who need it most. That's the ugliness of America. The Republicans are the ugliest Americans if you can call them that. Democrats are not far behind because they let them do it. There's a place reserved in hell for both.
It's the Clinton's allowing the welfare program to be terminated without a sufficient replacement. Clinton's allowed NAFTA to take American jobs. Now Hillary Cries up sympathy, and people don't remember some of the worst legislation that happened on their watch. The last thing they deserve is to be in the White House again. They'll just complete their sell-out of the poor and blacks who adore them because they don't see the end results after they work the system to have Wall street booming and the poor all the while working, but not see that more and more people are working the same hours for less money. Not see the homelessness increases! Not see the misleading rhetoric, and applauding the positive while jobs go overseas. Clinton's stick a feather in your hat and call it macaroni. It's all so obvious why veterans and other Americans are hugging the bridge or grateful to have a grate to sleep on in the dead of winter. Sad. Just...so...very...sad.
PERCY GRAVES at 10:33PM on Feb 20th 2008
12. as per usual the alice in wonderland network spins its typical republican lies.And as per fox das fur is doin a great job
zyglow2 at 9:02AM on Jan 20th 2008
13. O'Reilly has sunk to a new low - if that is possible. Denying there are homeless veterans. But then he is a typical hard line conservative - put a meaningless "Support the Troops" magnet on their SUV, then don't give a damn about "the troops" when they return from serving our country.
David S. at 9:21AM on Jan 20th 2008
14. O'Reilly gets high ratings because of comments like this one. Bill has a boss and an editor who encourage or even demand that he play the dope or bad guy purely for ratings and it works.
He's that that bright to do this himself and he also likes the results of acting like a buffoon. Money!
dungal1 at 10:32AM on Jan 20th 2008
15. O'Reilly's typical tactics, through out a bomb. Then, when he's called out on the lie, he SPINS it to his advantage. He now claims the majority of homeless vets are homeless due to mental illness and drug use, not the economy. He has spun it that since Edwards was talking about the economy, he's using the vets for his own ends.
Of course this points out another way that there are "two Americas"- Those that see O'Reilly for the manipulative demagogue that he is, and those that will swallow whatever he sends their way.
The worst thing we could do to O'Reilly is ignore him. The best thing that could come out of this story is to re-focus the country's attention on how we treat our vets.
Keith at 10:18AM on Jan 20th 2008