You've no doubt heard about and likely seen a video clip of Bill O'Reilly at an Obama rally in Nashua, NH on Sunday. O'Reilly took exception to an Obama staffer who was blocking O'Reilly's camerman's shot of the event. O'Reilly "gently" (O'Reilly's term) pushed the staffer out of the way. I just saw a clip of this on The Factor, and it will likely be all over YouTube soon.
There's no doubt that O'Reilly did put his hands on the staffer, and pushed him out of the way. It was certainly not overly violent, but it was physical.
What interests me most about this event was O'Reilly's justifcation of his actions. He pushed the Obama staffer out of the way, O'Reilly said on The Factor tonight, because he was standing up for "the Constitution".
What part of the Constitution would that be?
The First Amendment, and its insistence that Congress make no law abridging "freedom of speech or press"?
Well, let's allow that O'Reilly and his camerman were press, and their freedom to videotape Obama was being abridged by the Obama staffer. Was that staffer an agent of the government?
Not the last time I checked.
But he would have to be, in order for the Constitution to be invoked.
For there is nothing whatsoever in the Constitution that says people running for office have to permit cameras in their faces.
I have no sympathy for political staffers who get in the way of the press. But it would be nice if O'Reilly had a slightly better grasp of the First Amendment.
Or, if he had shown a little more sympathy for Andrew Meyer, whose First Amendment rights were indeed abridged when cops pulled him out of a John Kerry event in Florida last year. At that time, O'Reilly's appreciation of the Constitution only went as far as ridiculing Meyer for his "don't taze me, bro" plea to the police.
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Full disclosure: I've been on the Factor several times (see my YouTube clips), and on O'Reilly's radio show, too, and in fact was told to "shut up" by O'Reilly last time I was on his radio show - this past October. But I actually consider that a badge of honor, and therefore don't hold it against O'Reilly...
Showing posts with label Andrew Meyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Meyer. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2008
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Coming to Bill O'Reilly's Defense about Restaurant Comment: Ridiculous not Capital Media Offense
I think Bill O'Reilly's comments about eating in a Harlem restaurant - "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.'" - are regrettable and tasteless, but not a capital media offense.
Unlike Imus' remarks, which were directed at college students and were personally insulting to them, O'Reilly's remarks are at worst general, racist banter. They bespeak an antiquated, general bigotry - which many white people in my father's generation suffered from, which presumably far fewer do now, and which O'Reilly claims he was actually critiquing in his comments. Whatever his intentions, his remarks were inappropriate (if only because they could easily be taken out of context), but so general as to be laughable rather than really damaging to anyone.
Of far more concern are O'Reilly's statements and attitudes about many other things - including his ridiculing remarks about Andrew Meyer's taserng in Florida last week, in which O'Reilly said Meyer was hamming it up for the cameras when he was screaming in pain.
To use a metaphor from The Factor: O'Reilly's comments about the patrons of the restaurant would be The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day, not the lead Talking Point memo, or even close to it, which is the way some in the media are playing it.
Unlike Imus' remarks, which were directed at college students and were personally insulting to them, O'Reilly's remarks are at worst general, racist banter. They bespeak an antiquated, general bigotry - which many white people in my father's generation suffered from, which presumably far fewer do now, and which O'Reilly claims he was actually critiquing in his comments. Whatever his intentions, his remarks were inappropriate (if only because they could easily be taken out of context), but so general as to be laughable rather than really damaging to anyone.
Of far more concern are O'Reilly's statements and attitudes about many other things - including his ridiculing remarks about Andrew Meyer's taserng in Florida last week, in which O'Reilly said Meyer was hamming it up for the cameras when he was screaming in pain.
To use a metaphor from The Factor: O'Reilly's comments about the patrons of the restaurant would be The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day, not the lead Talking Point memo, or even close to it, which is the way some in the media are playing it.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Former Homicide Detective Rod Wheeler on Hannity & Colmes Tonight: "Anyone Listening to John Kerry Should be Tasered"
"Anyone listening to John Kerry should be tasered" - that "joke" from a former homicide detective, one Rod Wheeler, who Fox News chose to have as a guest on Hannity and Colmes tonight.
Wheeler said a lot more - that Andrew Meyer clearly deserved to be tasered, that he was clearly threatening the police who were escorting him away from the microphone - even though the videos of the event clearly show otherwise.
But Wheeler is entitled to his erroneous opinion of what happened.
He's of course also entitled to his misguided sense of humor. I guess we should at least be happy that someone with his values is a former rather than a current homicide detective.
But where was Sean Hannity's outrage or even disagreement with his guest for taking such a tasteless shot at John Kerry's supporters, at a time in which tasering and politics and freedom of speech have become sadly intertwined?
Now, more than ever, we need candidates like Ron Paul who respect both the First Amendment and the necessary limits of police authority.
Wheeler said a lot more - that Andrew Meyer clearly deserved to be tasered, that he was clearly threatening the police who were escorting him away from the microphone - even though the videos of the event clearly show otherwise.
But Wheeler is entitled to his erroneous opinion of what happened.
He's of course also entitled to his misguided sense of humor. I guess we should at least be happy that someone with his values is a former rather than a current homicide detective.
But where was Sean Hannity's outrage or even disagreement with his guest for taking such a tasteless shot at John Kerry's supporters, at a time in which tasering and politics and freedom of speech have become sadly intertwined?
Now, more than ever, we need candidates like Ron Paul who respect both the First Amendment and the necessary limits of police authority.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
O'Reilly Sinks to New Low: His Site is Giving Away "Please Don't Taze Me, Bro" Bumper Stickers
There seems to be one aspect of the tasering of Andrew Meyer at the University of Florida, after he was pulled away by police in the middle of asking a series of questions of John Kerry, that most people at least acknowledge if they do not strongly agree with: Meyer should not have been tasered.
There is much disagreement about whether Meyer was deprived of his First Amendment rights (I think he obviously was), but few disagree over the inappropriateness of the tasering.
Not Bill O'Reilly. Apparently the tasering of a person already down on the floor and totally under police control is of so little import to him, and indeed such an occasion for humor, that he is allowing 'Please Don't Taze Me, Bro' bumper stickers to be given away on his site, with every purchase of a pen, books, or whatever else some lucky fan may decide to acquire.
You can hear Andrew Meyer saying "Don't taze me, bro" to the police, several times - right before they tasered him.
This plea not to be hurt is a source of amusement to O'Reilly?
Something he thinks worthy to lubricate sales of his promo items on his web site?
If ever there was an example of the disregard someone has for the First Amendment, not to mention an indifference to human suffering, O'Reilly has just demonstrated it.
There is much disagreement about whether Meyer was deprived of his First Amendment rights (I think he obviously was), but few disagree over the inappropriateness of the tasering.
Not Bill O'Reilly. Apparently the tasering of a person already down on the floor and totally under police control is of so little import to him, and indeed such an occasion for humor, that he is allowing 'Please Don't Taze Me, Bro' bumper stickers to be given away on his site, with every purchase of a pen, books, or whatever else some lucky fan may decide to acquire.
You can hear Andrew Meyer saying "Don't taze me, bro" to the police, several times - right before they tasered him.
This plea not to be hurt is a source of amusement to O'Reilly?
Something he thinks worthy to lubricate sales of his promo items on his web site?
If ever there was an example of the disregard someone has for the First Amendment, not to mention an indifference to human suffering, O'Reilly has just demonstrated it.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bill O'Reilly about Andrew Meyer: "I Was Tasered, and It's Not that Bad"
Did you see Bill O'Reilly's take last night on the tasering of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer?
O'Reilly revealed that he, too, had been tasered once, and it didn't really hurt that much. Meyer was therefore hamming it up, according to O'Reilly.
Well, one thing O'Reilly's revelation can teach us about tasering: it obviously doesn't knock much sense into your head about the First Amendment, and what it means for freedom of speech in this country.
The First Amendment certainly does not say or mean that it's ok to interfere with speech, and taser a speaker, as long as the pain is not that bad. No pain is acceptable if meted out by the government or its agents. No interference with free speech by the government or its agents is acceptable. Period.
Now the University of Florida police might not have been the Secret Service or the FBI. But they were still acting as agents of the government - that is how any police force, however local, derives its powers. The 14th Amendment says states cannot withhold rights of citizens guaranteed under the Constitution. That's pretty clear.
So O'Reilly, as he so often does, missed the forest the trees. He missed the most important factor in the tasering of Andrew Meyer - the blatant violation of his First Amendment rights - because O'Reilly was more interested in making his personal experience with the taser the focus of his story.
Whatever someone's political position, he or she should be outraged about what happened to Andrew Meyer in Florida. It's a shame O'Reilly wasn't.
O'Reilly revealed that he, too, had been tasered once, and it didn't really hurt that much. Meyer was therefore hamming it up, according to O'Reilly.
Well, one thing O'Reilly's revelation can teach us about tasering: it obviously doesn't knock much sense into your head about the First Amendment, and what it means for freedom of speech in this country.
The First Amendment certainly does not say or mean that it's ok to interfere with speech, and taser a speaker, as long as the pain is not that bad. No pain is acceptable if meted out by the government or its agents. No interference with free speech by the government or its agents is acceptable. Period.
Now the University of Florida police might not have been the Secret Service or the FBI. But they were still acting as agents of the government - that is how any police force, however local, derives its powers. The 14th Amendment says states cannot withhold rights of citizens guaranteed under the Constitution. That's pretty clear.
So O'Reilly, as he so often does, missed the forest the trees. He missed the most important factor in the tasering of Andrew Meyer - the blatant violation of his First Amendment rights - because O'Reilly was more interested in making his personal experience with the taser the focus of his story.
Whatever someone's political position, he or she should be outraged about what happened to Andrew Meyer in Florida. It's a shame O'Reilly wasn't.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
YouTube As A Check on Police Brutality
How many of you have seen the tasering of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer? He was tasered by police after he was pulled away from the microphone by the same police, in the middle of asking John Kerry a series of questions about why he did not contest the election results of 2004.
If you haven’t seen the video of the incident, you can see it here -
Now, I’ve actually wondered about the same thing myself - about why Kerry didn’t contest the counts in Ohio, and several other states. Given the closeness of the election, and the stakes involved with a war going on, John Kerry should have erred on the side of leaving no stone unturned or possibility at large that either deliberate or accidental miscounting cost him the election.
But that’s not the point of this post - which is, bravo to YouTube for making videos of police brutality, such as occurred with Andrew Meyer in Florida, more accessible than ever to the general public.
Video allowed the public to see the Rodney King beating - nothing the police said in its aftermath could contradict what the public was able to see with its own eyes. YouTube has taken this once step further - allowing us to see such videos without having to wait for television to show them to us. The iPhone is helping as well, by allowing people to see such videos when they are away from their desktops and laptops. All of this is by no means stopping police from trampling on First Amendment rights - but it is making it harder than ever for them to get away with it.
On the one side, we have retrograde forces like the commissioners of the FCC, and incompetent out-of-control police, who each in their ways threaten our freedom. On the other hand, we have miracles of technology, which speed us news of the FCC's misdoings, which provide immediate, irrefutable images of policy brutality and misconduct.
Perhaps for the first time in American history, these technologies have made freedom-loving people more equal to the task of combating these totalitarian thugs. At very least, they can't pretend it never happened...
If you haven’t seen the video of the incident, you can see it here -
Now, I’ve actually wondered about the same thing myself - about why Kerry didn’t contest the counts in Ohio, and several other states. Given the closeness of the election, and the stakes involved with a war going on, John Kerry should have erred on the side of leaving no stone unturned or possibility at large that either deliberate or accidental miscounting cost him the election.
But that’s not the point of this post - which is, bravo to YouTube for making videos of police brutality, such as occurred with Andrew Meyer in Florida, more accessible than ever to the general public.
Video allowed the public to see the Rodney King beating - nothing the police said in its aftermath could contradict what the public was able to see with its own eyes. YouTube has taken this once step further - allowing us to see such videos without having to wait for television to show them to us. The iPhone is helping as well, by allowing people to see such videos when they are away from their desktops and laptops. All of this is by no means stopping police from trampling on First Amendment rights - but it is making it harder than ever for them to get away with it.
On the one side, we have retrograde forces like the commissioners of the FCC, and incompetent out-of-control police, who each in their ways threaten our freedom. On the other hand, we have miracles of technology, which speed us news of the FCC's misdoings, which provide immediate, irrefutable images of policy brutality and misconduct.
Perhaps for the first time in American history, these technologies have made freedom-loving people more equal to the task of combating these totalitarian thugs. At very least, they can't pretend it never happened...
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