Far from empty threats, it seems that the defendant, I mean Bill, could be entering criminal territory here with his frequent threats to callers he disagrees with. Not enough to hang up on them - not to be confused with turning off Lis Weihl's mike when she points out something he got wrong - he lets them know he has their phone number.
Doubtless, any lawyer - at least any who to date have not lost an O'Reilly case - could easily plead "nolo threato intendo" to defend Bill, who was well within his "Looking Out For The Folks, What-A-Macho-Guy" rights.
But let's get back to what Bill could do if he had your number. Bill often talks about being a man of action. An action hero of sorts. An action type of guy who I doubt would ever admit to being a bluffer. Certainly his fans wouldn't believe it. He's tough as nails and his threats offer far more jeopardy than just a finger-spinning warning. For God's sake, this is the guy who opens his radio show every day by telling us all that, "If you don't do the right thing I'm coming after you, and I'll rip your throat out." Hyperbole? The power and reach of Bill and the Factor have often been brandished.
Bill took credit for the good behavior of the Hollywood Left on Oscar night. "Cable News is watching every move they make. These people don't want that kind of heat."
He took credit for lower gas prices - remember when they were lower? "(Gas companies) got scared. Because of my reporting and the reporting of some others." Thankfully the others don't have your number.
Did you know that John Kerry lost the election because he refused to show up on the Factor? Bill does. Of course, that Kerry might have thought it was a mistake not to appear on The Factor offers another reason for his loss.
You don't dismiss someone as a innocent soapboxer who spends valuable air time (he is the top cable guy, right?) diligently attempting to destroy teachers', judges' and writers' careers, media outlet solvency and in the case of France, an entire country's economy.
A couple week's back, in response to www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/16841981.htm"> a column I wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer,
Bill told listeners that "everyone knows he's crazy" and that my credit as a television">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0950085/">television writer wasn't true. It's difficult enough landing a job writing for TV when you're over forty. Having a TV icon who millions of people think he tells it like it is saying I wasn't what I was, could be devastating, though probably not devastating enough to be legally prosecutable, damn it.
And lest we forget what he did with his producer Andrea Makris's phone number. My guess is that she would have rather had Fox Security contact her instead of Bill. Being threatened to be hauled off in shackles smacks of a better fate than to be threatened with being felt up by Bill's felafel.
That's why today I am calling for FCC, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission, and any other policing organization starting with an "F" to start investigating O'Reilly's threats. I'm not so sure if Homeland Security wouldn't have some kind of alphabetical jurisdiction. It definitely wouldn't hurt if Mr. Gonzalez's replacement opened an investigation at Justice.
Remember. This is a guy who said of blogs, that "If I can get away with it, boy, I'd go in with a hand grenade." And he doesn't even have all their numbers.
If there are any Radio Factor callers who have been threatened or felt threatened when Bill lets you know that he "has your home number" or address, please contact one of the "F" agencies above to file a complaint.
We must protect the public airwaves from becoming a demagogue's personal tool to strike fear into the public.
Either that, or to be fair, perhaps we should all have Bill's home number.
How safe would Bill feel?
Steve's">http://www2.dailynews.com/steveyoung">Steve's weekly L.A. Daily News column appears just to the Left of Bill's every Sunday.
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