Here's how Bill Oreilly anchoring 2 hours of primetime nightly coverage of Katrina on the highest rated cable channel has chosen to cover the tragedy from the "no spin' zone. Talk about misusing a bully pulpit.
Bill Oreilly has surely shown his true colors over the last few days as a bigot and idiot. His coverage has concentrated on exaggerated reports of looting and disorder often looping the same footage of looting. He proudly trumpted how his "Fox military consultant" took his private for profit swat team to rescue a single tragically stranded elderly citizen (no doubt with costs covered by Fox in exchange for exclusive access to the footage. The consultant then said he hoped his company will be able to assist more in the area "frankly it's a business opportunity for us." Hey Bill maybe you could have offered to pay the guy's company to work 24/7 on rescue with Fox picking up the tab ? You could even have them put your logo on the side of the helicopter and weart the Factor wear clothing you hawk on your site.
Here's Bill in action
77-year old Shirley Mae Washington spoke to The Factor from her home,
where she was still stranded. "I stayed here because my mother is here and she's
98. We are sipping on water that I had put into a cooler. I hope they'll get us
out of here." The Factor promised to help Ms. Washington find a way to
safety. "We'll have our producers call the authorities and try to get somebody
over to your house in a boat to get you out."
As Geraldo reported about the desperate conditions at the convention center with poor black elderly folk dropping dead on the spot and the Police Superindent pleading for buses to move the people out Oreilly remarked that it was good to see the security situation was stabilized. He cut away from the scene: "yeah we get the idea we'll work (no mention of how) to get some buses there. Maybe take some of the money like the bucks you spent to save a single elderly white woman Bill ?
as for those masses of people living in their own excrement among dead bodies in a major American city. Don't worry Bill is looking out for you:
The Factor promised to keep an eye on officials to make sure people are
being helped, and to expose anyone who is politicizing or exploiting the
catastrophe
of course as usual the "no spin zone" was spinning like crazy when it reported disproportinately on the violence.
all the above from the Oreilly website
From today's LAT
Forty-four troops pressed together in their truck, swaying as one at every bump and turn like reeds in a river.
As they plunged into the dark water engulfing the business district of
New Orleans, their wake pushed the body of a woman onto the steps of
the Superdome. The floodwater had ripped her pants down to her knees.
She was facedown in the muck, a red ribbon still tied neatly around her
graying hair.
The troops, members of an elite Special Response
Team from the Louisiana Army National Guard, were the first convoy out
of what was rapidly becoming a massive military staging ground.
Their mission, simply, is to turn New Orleans into a police state — to "regain the city," 1st Sgt. John Jewell said.
The truck lurched through the streets, past buildings burning unabated
and MPs in gun turrets. When they stopped to gear up for their arrival
at the New Orleans Convention Center, where more than 15,000 people had
been living in squalor since Katrina, these words echoed — for the
first time, one would imagine — through the intersection of Poydras
Avenue and Carondelet Street: "Lock and load!"
"Sixteen in the clip!" one Guardsman shouted, a common refrain used to indicate that rifles are fully loaded.
But when they arrived, they did not find marauding mobs. They did not
come under fire. They found people who had lost everything in the storm
and, since then, their dignity.
Their mission was to establish a command post at the center, which
officials have increasingly turned their attention to, particularly as
the evacuation of the Superdome nears its end. They would then build a
staging area to bring in food and water. Finally, they would send in
teams to seize control of a massive and lawless facility.
The troops braced for the worst.
"Is this the calm before the storm?" one asked as they rolled through the streets.
"There are a lot of gangs out here in the water," said Sgt. 1st Class
Maris Pichon, a 26-year veteran of the National Guard who served in
Afghanistan last year. "This is not going to be a cakewalk."
A troop carrier rolled over an empty water bottle, popping it like a
balloon. The troops yanked their weapons to a firing position before
realizing what it was.
"No civilians in this parking lot!" a sergeant shouted. "Hold your perimeter!"
No one came at them but a nurse. She was wearing a T-shirt that read "I
love New Orleans." She ran down a broken escalator, then held her hands
in the air when she saw the guns.
"We have sick kids up here!" she shouted. "We have dehydrated kids! One kid with sickle cell!"
Oreilly's take on the situation . His expert assesment from the comfort of his air conditioned NY studio
There has been rampant thievery in New Orleans, and New York Post
reporter Jeremy Olshan was on hand as some residents went on a rampage.
"I was far less concerned about the rising water level than the
capability of the police to keep the place safe. You could feel it
become scary, and it was clear the police had no control." Fox News
Radio correspondent Lisa Carton also witnessed chaos. "It was mayhem.
Police told us they were releasing prisoners from the local jails and
they could not protect us. We saw people running in and out of stores
and taking things." The Factor
urged federal authorities to re-take the streets. "We hear there are
gangs roving the streets with AK-47s because gun stores were looted,
and we hear reports that police have been looting. We need to get the
National Guard there to get things under control."
ahd here's Bill's expert policy advice (sic):
Talking Points Memo
Straight talk on Hurricane
Katrina
"Not in my lifetime has a major American city been wiped
out, but New Orleans is not functioning. The city has little fresh water, power,
or infrastructure. Millions of people are at risk and only a methodical,
disciplined strategy will allow them to begin living normally again. Talking
Points has some suggestions: Any person or company exploiting the situation
should be immediately identified and prosecuted. This includes looters. Every
American should immediately cut back on gasoline and oil consumption. Don't
drive unless you have to, and watch the thermostats in your house
duh how about the "no spin zone" calling for a real energy policy. Own a boat Bill ?
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