Last week, prior to Hurricane Ike hitting the Texas coast, Bill O’Reilly told his Radio Factor listeners that the dire warnings of Ike’s potential damage and threats to life were “hype.”

Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, on September 13 at 2:10am CDT as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 mph The 2:00 am advisory cited tropical storm and hurricane force winds extending 275 miles and 120 miles, respectively, from the center.

 The No-spinster explained that this is what the media does.

 Post-storm damage estimates in the US have been placed at 18 billion US dollars.

 Imagine the relief of the Folks™ in the path of Ike who were being told to evacuate.

Sixty-three deaths have been reported in the US — thirty-three in Texas, eight in Louisiana, one in Arkansas, two in Tennessee, one in Kentucky, seven in Indiana, four in Missouri, six in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania.

Wonder how many of those Folks™ listen(ed) to Bill, and believe what he says isn’t hype.

On September 15, 2008 the United States Congress held a moment of silence for those who died in the hurricane.

Bill O’Reilly.  Just looking out for you.

Award-winning TV writer, Steve Young, is author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful" (www.greatfailure.com) and blogs at the appropriately named steveyoungonpolitics.com