SwiftVets.com

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Letter to Fox by me:

Sent to: Speakout@foxnews.com - Doubt BOR would read


I like Fox News - big time.

I really used to look forward to the No Spin Zone. But lately, and I mean for several months now, I really believe Bill O'Reilly has lost his edge. On what may be two of the biggest stories of 2004 - The CBS Forged Memos and the Swiftboat Vets for Truth, Bill has simply dropped off of the credibility scale.

Swift Vets - Bill blasted these guys as lying mudslingers, period. Kerry's record is established, and these guys are just wrong. Never did it creep into his sharp, analytical mind that there was the possibility that Kerry had filed false reports as an officer, manipulated the system, and otherwise engaged in deceitful and calculated behavior to get out of Viet Nam as fast as humanly possible, leave a hero, and build a sham persona to be used for personal gain. Finally after six months, when Kerry has grudgingly admitted that his "first" Purple Heart was bogus - self inflicted with no enemy fire, that Christmas in Cambodia was a fabrication that was "seared, seared into" him, that in the "No Man Left Behind" saga, Kerry actually fled the scene while ALL of the other boats stayed to help the mined craft - not vice versa as in his published exploits, it was his "fanny" that was bleeding, not the arm that pulled Rassmann from the water - with the "fanny wound" being self-inflicted from a stock of rice blown up by his own grenade - ok the "third" Purple Heat is bogus too, Bill concedes to grant John O'Neill a token interview to show how "fair and balanced" he is. Bill claims it is a draw between Kerry and the Swift Vets. Um, let's see... Swift Vets prove at least three substantial lies by Kerry. There are a few points that the Swift Vets have not actually proven yet, but then again Kerry hasn't disproven either, so we have a draw. Oh no, I don't see any spin there.

And like Bill, I looked carefully at the claims, the documentation, the collaboratng reports and witnesses, and the excellent assembly and verification of the Swift Vet's data. And, you know what? The Swift Vets have done their homework. I am a reformed skeptic. No, that's not right. I'm still a skeptic, but a convinced one. I'm not particularly fond of Bush, and may just write someone in on the ballot. But John F Kerry is, in my humble opinion, a fake, a fraud, a liar, and someone who helped millions of friends of the United States into Pol Pot's killing fields and re-education camps while slandering his "band of brothers" under oath here at home.

CBS Memos - Within 12 hours of the CBS broadcast, the memos were known within 99% certainty to be fake. They failed in at least 50 distinct points. The last bit would require verification of a few "stipulated" items. I use the quotes because by "stipulated" I mean the items were generally accepted but not proven rigorously, not the actual definition of the word. Within 48 hours, the odds of the memos being real were about on par with the odds of one purchasing three consecutive grand prize winning Powerball tickets. Bill finally addressed the issues with some meek acknowledgement that the issue actually exists. Quite a firm stand for one who is "lookin' out for the little guy". The memos were clearly bogus, Bill knew it, Dan knew it, CBS knew it. Hey, why not have a little honest discourse on the sheer ineptitude of the the whole scam. How about "CBS and Dan Rather have worked for five years to be able to prove that George Bush shirked his duty at the Texas Air National Guard, and did so using the influence of powerful friends of his family. Suddenly, just a couple of months before the elections, memos surface that provide exactly the "proof" CBS has been lacking. Unfortunaltely, those memos could be recognized as computer- generated fakes almost instantly upon examination. The CBS anchor man who presented the report has complained that no one is addressing the allegations presented in the fake memos. This is pathetic." That would seem to be pithy enough.


Perhaps Bill has lost his ability to put the pieces together. I don't know, maybe Kerry is a friend of Bill's. What I do know is that the "No Spin Zone" has quietly mutated to the "No Spine Zone".

I am very sorry to inform you that I no longer watch Mr. O'Reilly. Now when his show comes on, I simply turn him off and join those pajama people who are not afraid to examine the facts. And, you know what? They actually have the audacity to make people who post those allegations, claims, smears, or what have you, to provide a source. With hundreds (thousands?, more) of people reading one's post with every resource known to man available to at least one of them, the claims are either vetted or debunked in short order. Very short order.

If Mr.O'Reilly wishes to reclaim his relevancy, then let him regenerate his spine. Otherwise, perhaps fishing with Dan Rather and John Kerry will allow him the time to reflect on the good old days when people believed him simply because they had to, or because he projects a "lookin' out for you" image, and not because people could verify his stance and say "Yeah, Bill O'Reilly has got it right. Amen brother!"

You know...I'm going to miss those days. I really thought I had found someone that would tell it like it is. Oh well, thanks Bill for those years where you really did give it a try. I'll try to remember you that way.

[GenrXr]

[eXcel]

great letter. expresses everything a lot of us are feeling about BOR these days.

[Chuck54]

Yup, great post. BOR has become a major letdown. I did not always agree with him but I respected him. Now, the first thought that comes to my mind when I hear the name Oreilly is PHONY. I can't stand to watch him anymore and I don't.

He and Kerry and Rather and all the other pontificus pompous poseur postulators should just go away and leave the news to people that really do care about truth, integrity, and honor.
_________________
"And no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often, than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry"

Zell Miller

[Stevie]

great letter, ... linear
_________________
Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged.

[Paul Woll]

I wish we could all sign it.

[sround]

Ditto.

I completely understand your boycott of BOR,
and I can't explain his behavior either --esp. toward
the Swift Vets, but I've decided I need to watch him
--- now, more than ever--until election day and the battle is won.
After that, he's toast in my house.

Lastly, I have the benefit of actually wanting W to win---
what can I say? I like TEXANS. I like the fact that you
can count on them to shoot the rattlesnake before
it strikes, and I'll take cowboy logic over French Froo-froo
anyday.
_________________

Mission Accomplished!!

[92g]

Very well put.

Terry

[Stevie]

me too.... I'm tired of hearing cowboys slammed!

It's refresing to see (know) that he goes out and does stuff on the 'land'...

as apposed to windsurfing.... sking.... etc

and I like the hat.... he seems like a real person, not a stepford politician!
_________________
Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged.

[JK]

I agree with your commentary 100%. BOR never gave SBVT credit and he tried to distance him self by commenting these events happended so long ago who cares. When I read he had never even read Unfit for Command I further lost respect for his intellectual prowness. Like many I stopped watching BOR months ago and instead have taken a more active role in opposing John Kerry's election.

JK

[Son of a VET]

He thinks he's big sh!t. He is so full of himself, he's full of crap. He will never be a Rush.
_________________

Stolen Honor

[peter]

The really "Sad" thing about BOR is his self promoted self importance has gone from "funny" to "pathetic".

He somehow has an almost pathological need for afformation and since others don't do as much as his need requires, he just "praises" himself.

He has made a calculated decision about what viewship he wants. I think his calculations are wrong and his audience will shrink.

Most of his observations are very obvious, he now is more or less repeating himself and his "game" is really rather played.

[LeastofThese]

What a great letter! You made some powerful points; I hope they're read and considered.

I especially liked your description of my champions, the forum posters and bloggers! In the not-too-recent past, some people have tended to write forums and blogs off as simply op-eds with no credibility. It's about time you all start getting the credit you deserve. I hate to think where I'd be if I didn't have the Swiftie posters (along with Captain Ed, Beldar, Instapundit and Powerline). Thanks for bringing it...day after day. Power to the Pajama People!

[hleone]

Hear, hear!! Awesome letter!

BOR cares more about straddling the fence between lib and conservative points-of-view (he thinks that maximizes his audience) than seeking and speaking the truth, no matter in which camp it falls.

"No-spine zone" is brilliant description of his show today.

Problem is liberals' incredible loss of intellectual honesty means their arguments are rarely on the side of truth these days. Since Bill's "quota" of opposition to their side is exactly 50%, he just has to ignore lots of controversial subject matter.

He's a little like two-faced John Kerry. No truth compass guidance system.

When you always straddle the fence, you will never be on the side of the truth.

[McCloud]

Bill O'Reilly became successful. Hence he started to rub elbows with the media elite and the hollywood crowd. Human nature is to be liked. O'Reilly wants to be liked by his new found friends. Bill O'Reilly adjusts his moral position to coincide with his new friends. That, my brothers is a very slippery slope.