To say that O'Reilly will sincerely decry Dr. Tiller's violent death is disingenuous. The killer is exactly the kind of person that O'Reilly aims to incite. O'Reilly is not so naive or stupid as to not understand the effect of his rhetoric. He and his ilk are the unindictable co-conspirators in this tragedy. The only valid apology he could ever give would be to shut his trashy show down and never say another word in public.

If they promise to send O'Reilly to Gitmo, I might consider supporting waterboarding for terrorists. Or terrorist.

-- wendy82551

Morality IS quite flexible isn't it?

As much as I detest the Fox network, of course, it should continue to be allowed to present its take on the news.

O'Reilly, on the other hand, is really not presenting news. He knows exactly who his audience is, their demographics, their emotional triggers. He seeks to incite those very specific triggers through his choice of language at every opportunity. He is the supreme opportunist. His show is not news. It's really no more than an extended telemarketing ad. And what is he selling? His audience knows they have to buy into a particular emotionality, and the connected overwrought hyperbole, to stay a part of his gang. Isn't he, in a sense, guilty of racketeering? Using global media technology to incite violence within a cult-like group? Even murder-for-hire, as he uses codified language to appeal to a very specific population with a predetermined agenda and proven set of actions?

Lets see, so far there's Elephantman, hunter1941 and odog11 and I'm only 5 pages into comments. These are people who think advocating murder is a fine idea. This should be mentioned in every response to anything they post. They have no credibility whatsoever and this points it out quite starkly.

They're scum with no respect for human life.

Elephantman at Sunday, May 31, 2009 05:02 PM

I can see, from the heated hatred of the Salon faithful in the letters posted in this thread, that if anyhting were to happen to Bill O'Reilly in the next several days, Salon could be responsible.

The radical right really does believe that they're the only ones that can call for legal action. Ironic since O'Reilly's accusations are paranoid and false, but he seems to have incited an actual murder. Ridiculous how he also claims that O'Reilly is a journalist, as though he was just reporting something.

but to suggest his words are in some way legally actionable is proposterous.

I wish to preserve my right to say that O'Reilly has bloodsoaked hands. and that he is "Bill who got that doctor killed".

Everyone has the right to express their opinion but I don't think that this includes the right to foment and incite violence.

My suggestion is that we have the right to vote with our dollars. If someone will keep track of which companies advertise on these shows then we can boycott products advertised and write to these companies informing them of our choice. Stay polite and calm and let them know that this issue is important to you.

Does anyone feel up to the task of creating a website and listening to the drivel in order to get the names of advertisers? I don't know anything about website building and I'm stretched thin for time.

Of course the advertisements are probably for things like Viagra...:-)

O'Reilly cannot be blamed for Dr. Tiller's death but media blowhards must share some responsibility for shaping peoples' opinions. And opinions matter, especially when someone dies.

When O'Reilly's rants feed the mentally weak, and violence results it does not take too much to see a relationship. The sad thing is that the Fox opinion industry is one-sided. It is not "fair and balanced" as they would like us to believe. No network should allow a comentator to accuse anyone not convicted of a crime of being a baby killer.

This constant drumbeat of hateful rhetoric, unsubstantiated accusations, and name-calling is bound to drive some of our weaker-minded citizens to acts of domestic terrorism. The attacks on Planned Parenthood and medical facilities and personnel performing legal medical procedures are acts of terrorism. They are designed to harm and to intimidate people performing lawful work. They are designed to deny medical treatment to people legally entitled to receive it.

In some ways we could compare this to bin Laden inciting the Taliban.

And lets face it that is what these guys are, and if you support them you are just another member of our own brand of religious extremist terrorists. It is easy to convince a would be terrorist because they are easily swayed by a certain kind of misinformation. They seem to believe in their own righteousness, so much so they are willing to kill to impose that righteousness on the nation. They use terror techniques to attempt to control the behavior of a nation. They thrive on the belief they are so correct and actually doing "God's" work. They present themselves as messengers of God, these are the folks who know what God wants. How crazy is that? How Taliban like is that?

What next American Taliban, how will you terrorize us next? Do you realize you are no better than those who follow Osama bin Laden, you are foolish, undereducated, followers, and weak minded.

Bill O'Reilly says stuff to spin up these folks because it makes him rich. Does he even believe what he says? He is immoral, judgmental, and a purveyor of untruths no doubt, but it is the American Taliban and her members who believe we must all comply with their world view. If we do not they will impose their will using terror as their method of intimidation. Kill a doctor that performs abortions and fewer doctors will perform abortions. Guess what, that is what has happened over the years. American Taliban is getting their way, their terror is having an impact. Bill O'Reilly is a dick, no doubt about it and has made a great deal of money playing in the sand with the likes of the American Taliban. But these folks have been laying dormant for a few years now, ready to restart a campaign that began more than 30 years ago. I know I used to escort women into Planned Parenthood clinics. These folks are our own homegrown terrorists. Let's just label them correctly for a change though, let's call them Terrorists. It gives people a better term for what these folks really do.