It's Official - O'Reilly Lied About Opposing Death Penalty !

[stewert]

O'Reilly had a woman attorney on last night to discuss this case.

----------------
LOUISIANA - The sentencing to death of a Louisiana man for raping an 8-year-old girl has
reopened a debate about whether crimes that do not involve killings may ever be punished by
death. There has not been an execution for rape in the United States since 1964, and no one has
been executed for any crime that did not involve a killing since the Supreme Court reinstated the
death penalty in 1976.

The Louisiana law under which the man, Patrick O. Kennedy, was convicted allows the death
penalty for the rape of a child under 12. It was enacted in 1995. Graham da Ponte, one of Mr.
Kennedy's lawyers, said the punishment was disproportionate to the crime.
-----------------

First you must know how O'Reilly feels about the death penalty. For 7 years he has been saying he
opposes the death penalty. He says the person should get life in prison, breaking rocks in Alaska,
with only bread and water to eat.

O'Reilly said he opposes capital punishment under any and all circumstances. He insists that
America has a "moral question" about "taking a life" through use of the death penalty.

Listen to O'Reilly in an interview with American Enterprise: I'm against the death penalty, and I
also believe in big government intervention to protect the environment.

----

You either oppose the death penalty, or you support it, there is no in-between. Last night O'Reilly
said this guy should get the death penalty, he also called for the death penalty in the
westerfield/van dam case. That makes 2 cases where O'Reilly has called for the death penalty.

This is conclusive proof that O'Reilly was lying about opposing the death penalty.

The woman said he should get life in prison, O'Reilly asked her why, she said because he did not
kill anyone. Then O'Reilly said life in prison is not enough, he told her the guy should be put to
death. That was a quote, he said life in prison is not enough. He spent the whole 3 or 4 minute
segment arguing for the death penalty.

When was the last time you heard someone who claims to oppose the death penalty say life in
prison is not enough.

I am guessing never, I always had a good idea O'Reilly was lying about opposing the death
penalty. Now I know for sure, he does not actually oppose the death penalty, he just says he
opposes it.

People who oppose the death penalty, oppose it all the time. This is just another example of the
spin and lies put out by Bill O'Reilly. And more proof he is a republican pretending to be an
independent.

[Warren Stuart]

1. Moral Conscience or market share

If you were Bill O'Reilly what would you chose?

[Brucey]

2. Bigger ideas

People need to rethink the idea of punishment. If humans are animals, and their actions are influenced by laws of biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology, then prevention is possible and desirable. When a person acts in a way we don't like, what is the proper response? Compassion and understanding are never wrong and nearly always useful (certain psychopaths may be lost causes, but still should get compassion and understanding since this sets an example and is morally justifiable). Revenge is not useful except to momentarily give emotional release. Punishment is harmful to the individual and the society in the long run. Resources should be spent on prevention, rehabilitation (when possible), and humane treatment for those who are failed and must be kept away from civilized society. In fact, there are a number of people who are now running governments and corporations who should be humanely kept away from civilized society!

[TahitiNut]

4. Hear, hear!

This is the 'moral relativism' to which I subscribe.

We must diligently balance our reaction to crime wherein we view the victim as though (s)he were our child with the view that the perpetrator were our child.

How would Adam and Eve deal with Cain slaying Abel??

[sandnsea]

7. It is about US

I agree with your post totally. The death penatly is about the kind of people we are, not about the crime committed. It doesn't say much about us when killing is the best solution we can come up with. And it doesn't say much about us when we can't even recognize the mentally ill always deserve humane treatment, even when it's necessary to permanently incarcerated them. When we treat the least amongst us well, we change ourselves as a people. We could eventually become a people who value all human life. I think that's what Jesus actually had in mind. (just a little rw irony there)

[Brucey]

9. Thanks for your response

You make good sense and say it well. Keep fighting for the good causes. You are appreciated!

[stewert]

3. Good Point.......

According to Drudge his ratings are slipping, maybe he is pandering to his
conservative base to boost his ratings.

The death penalty opposition was one of the issues he used to claim he is
not a conservative. It looks like ratings are more important to him, we can
now cross that one off the list.

Any bets he still claims to oppose the death penalty ?

[poskonig]

5. Bill O'Whiney lies again?

I'm totally stunned. :crazy:

[calm_blue_ocean]

6. Lie?

This sounds more like a change of position on O'Reilly's part, rather than a lie.

All this guy's recent career moves seem like bad strategy. I hope they don't start running ads for his program during my Simpsons reruns. The Steve Edwards ads are bad enough as it is.

[stewert]

8. Yes It's a Lie !

He said he opposes the death penalty, yet he called for death in the westerfield/van dam
case, and this current case.

This is proof he was lying about opposing the death penalty, as far as I know, he still
claims to oppose the death penalty. He has not said he now supports the death penalty.

I watch the show every night, he was lying, how hard is that to understand. He even stated
he opposes thedeath penalty after he called for westerfield to be put to death.

You clearly do not know O'Reilly very well, I have been monitoring him for close to 4 years now.

One day he calls for the death penalty, then 2 weeks later he claims he opposes the death
penalty. He was lying, he uses the death penalty as one of his reasons to deny he is a
conservative.

You are now informed.

[Fixated]

11. .....

You didn't prove that he didn't change his mind. I hate O'Reilly as much as the next guy, but he could have changed his opinion. If he said in the FUTURE that he didn't support the death penalty, that would be a lie.

[stewert]

14. I Did Prove It !

1) Way back during the westerfield trial O'Reilly called for the death penalty.

2) Since then he has claimed to oppose the death penalty, I heard him say he
opposed it as early as 2 weeks ago.

3) He has openly opposed the death penalty for 7 years, he has never said he supports
the death penalty.

4) He admitted he opposes the death penalty after calling for westerfield to be executed.

5) You can not prove he supports the death penalty, I can prove he does not, and I just did.

[Rooktoven]

10. O'Reilly aside,

I think raping an 8 year old warrants the death penalty, and I'd pull the trigger with no remorse or twangs of conscience.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

12. And that's why you don't get to pull the trigger

Of course is was a despicable act. Of course the guy needs to rot in jail the rest of his days. And of course I can't help but think of my own daughter and how I would want to personally kill the guy with my own hands.

But we're not a vigilante nation; we're a nation of laws. Sentences handed down are not supposed to be based on emotion.

Keep him alive in the general population for life. I'm certain he'll get to experience rape from the other perspective.

[Brucey]

13. Again...

We need to rethink this idea of punishment. It does no good to tell us how awful you feel about the harmful behavior of others, and it does no good to say how great you will feel when they suffer. The point is to prevent harmful behavior. Humans are animals that are subject to the laws of nature. Behavior is determined. You can hate certain behaviors, but why not try to prevent them instead of reacting with the revenge that is programmed into our brains by our evolutionary past and reiterated by nearly every Hollywood movie and TV show. We have frontal lobes. We can think past our emotions. It is not cool to say how horrible someone's behavior makes you feel and what terrible tortures you'd like to impose on them. Prevention and containment should be our goals. And these should be humane, sane, and compassionate. That requires thinking as well as feeling.