"Or do we all just sit around reacting to stupid posts by peopel who live in an imaginary world where they can pretend they are smart?" - GAtkinson

 I would say GA that the only one living in an imaginary world would be you. You see, only in an imaginary world could anyone call Bill O'Reilly a "journalist". In fact all he does is present his opinion on what other people say or write and has found a niche by combining Jerry Springer type nonsense with politics. I really could care less about the guy but I do find it disturbing when people begin to believe that a show like his represents "reporting of the news". It does not. It's an entertainment and opinion show. He's Ricki Lake with no studio audience and guests from the political realm. Why that doesn't sink in for you is beyond me. Hell, even Pat admitted the reason he enjoys the show is because he likes seeing O'Reilly foam at the mouth and go after someone. I can understand that aspect and why it would be entertaining and that's the whole point...that's his gimmick.

    Kent has a valid point when he says his show is  "dumbed down" and I would add "hyped up" discussion of current events. I believe that the folks at FOX have read the studies that say the majority of Americans read at a fourth grade level. In the United States that's presented as "average" in some studies. Really that's frightening.

  I read the O'Reilly article you referenced and it was nonsense. He trys to validate FOX as a force in news media by referencing a couple of polls. These polls mean nothing and are pretty much useless. The fact that FOX has chosen to sue people who poke fun at their news division reflects the fact that they know they are not taken seriously and obviously this worries them. If you are a conservative, and I presume that's your slant, I'd be a bit discouraged by the fact that the folks at FOX are working so hard to relate "dumbed down" with your political agenda.

   Franken is just a comedian. Everybody is aware of this fact it seems except that dope O'Reilly and the "sue everybody" crew at FOX. Mr. No-Spin does a damn good job of spinning things in the article you posted. It's always obvious (and this goes for either side right or left) when someone points to polls or stats to make an arguement that they've entered the spin zone. That's what polls and stats are for, to give you some numbers to manipulate (usually disproportianate to anything that could be called reality) to back an arguement. Opinion polls, like the ones Billy references, are the worst. Due to the fact that they are always based on responses from a small group of people, opinions change like the weather, and God only knows who they polled. To use this sort of info to back an argument is nonsense and a master spinmeister like O"Reilly knows that. So while Franken is attempting to be funny (and I'll give you his target audience would be left wing) it's O'Reilly that's spewing bullshit and spinning things to support his network. They do sign his checks after all.

  Until you discover that Franken and O'Reilly are both entertainers and that you can't rely on either one to present you with "news" then I'm afraid that Kent's assessment of you would be correct. Don't worry GA, I won't accuse you of "pretending to be smart" as long as you continue to live in your "imaginary world" and present us with "stupid posts" that refer to Bill O'Reilly as a "journalist".

                                    Now back to the music,

                                                                   Reg