# Does Bill O'Reilly know what a patriot is? Answer: No **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588 "2008-02-21T17:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/21 "2008-02-21T19:57:38Z")
Another lie of his is that I actually did hear that on NBC news. On the flaming left-wing ultraliberal Joe Scarborough’s show. ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/22 "2008-02-21T20:43:42Z")
Fair and balanced commentary through intimidation and sanctimony -the spin never stops. lynching parties, pinheads, and patriots. Oh, the power of language. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/23 "2008-02-21T20:47:11Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It is the only place to get fair and balanced coverage. [/QUOTE] No, really? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/24 "2008-02-21T20:47:46Z")
But is he the Worst Person in the World? Because **that’s** such an accurate and straightfoward label. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/25 "2008-02-21T21:27:47Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy] No, really? :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] What you don’t believe me? OK: The show can be hilarious. I think the Colbert Report should redo some of the segments verbatim like the Daily Show used to with those kids. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/26 "2008-02-21T22:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It is the only place to get fair and balanced coverage. [/QUOTE] Balanced between what, Cambrian and Jurassic? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/27 "2008-02-21T22:11:12Z")
% I don’t wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a Flag that I could go for % ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/28 "2008-02-21T22:16:24Z")
Some lyrics of a old Boomtown Rats song about Ireland > [@](#): > > Chorus: > Banana Republic > Septic Isle > Screaming in the Suffering sea > It sounds like crying (crying, crying) > Everywhere I go, oh yeah > Everywhere I see > The black and blue uniforms > Police and priests > > And I wonder do you wonder > While you’re sleeping with your whore > That sharing beds with history > Is like a-licking running sores > Forty shades of green yeah > Sixty shades of red > Heroes going cheap these days > Price; a bullet in the head If Geldof was American and had sang a song about the US that had the same sentiment, hacks like O’Reilly would be railing on him for hating his country and telling him if he doesn’t like it to leave. BTW, Geldof didn’t like it and left for the UK 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/29 "2008-02-21T23:11:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Wrong. You should have said: “Inga, we don’t shove the food in Shitake’s mouth - we place it gently on her tongue.” [/QUOTE] I love you. 🙂 You are a gentleman well schooled in American cinema. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/30 "2008-02-21T23:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] His ass is on his shoulders. You know where the flashlight goes. It seeks hamsters. [/QUOTE] Why gonzo! You know, that was actually pretty amusing. I have to admit I not only chuckled but pretty much almost fell out of my seat. Mind, I do that with a lot of your posts…but this time I have to say that you were actually trying to BE funny. And succeeded. Good show! I have to second (or third or forth) the question of why anyone in these parts watches O’Reilly? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/31 "2008-02-22T00:41:15Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] I have to second (or third or forth) the question of why anyone in these parts watches O’Reilly? -XT [/QUOTE] It’s important to know the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/32 "2008-02-22T02:30:06Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] I have to second (or third or forth) the question of why anyone in these parts watches O’Reilly? -XT [/QUOTE] On occasion, when there is absolutely nothing else on and I’m in a good enough mood, it’s fun to watch him get all quivery in self righteous indignation and red in the face over what the eeevil libruls are doing now. There’s also the “how many news items can he mangle in one show?” game. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/33 "2008-02-22T15:15:43Z")
Rather than start a new O’Reilly pit, I’ll piggy back onto this one. “I don’t want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there’s evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that’s how she really feels – that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever – then that’s legit. We’ll track it down.” > **[Bill O'Reilly: "I Don't Want To Go On A Lynching Party Against Michelle Obama...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-oreilly-i-dont-want_n_87616)** > > Bill O'Reilly: "I Don't Want To Go On A Lynching Party Against Michelle Obama Unless There's Evidence" There it is, folks. If Michelee Obama thinks America has a signle imperfection, O’Reilly is saying “We’ll track her down and lynch her.” This is much worse than nappy headed ho. If there’s consequences for that, there definitely should be consequences for saying (not insinuating, but flat-out SAYING) that some uppity n---- what sez bad things about 'merica gotta get lynched. And that’s the word he used. No subtext, just text. And somehow it has been a little bit buried. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/34 "2008-02-22T19:44:45Z")
[QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] Another lie of his is that I actually did hear that on NBC news. On the flaming left-wing ultraliberal Joe Scarborough’s show. [/QUOTE] Isn’t Scarborough’s show on MSNBC rather than NBC? However, I have seen both the NBC Nightly News and Today doing stories on Bush’s support for programs to combat AIDS in Africa, so Bill O can’t weasel out on that technicality. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/35 "2008-02-22T19:58:56Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] Some lyrics of a old Boomtown Rats song about Ireland If Geldof was American and had sang a song about the US that had the same sentiment, hacks like O’Reilly would be railing on him for hating his country and telling him if he doesn’t like it to leave. BTW, Geldof didn’t like it and left for the UK 😉 [/QUOTE] That reminds me of the couplet from the first play written in Australia (by a transportd convict): [QUOTE=George Barrington] True patriots we, for be it understood, We left our country for our country’s good. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/36 "2008-02-22T20:16:07Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] Some lyrics of a old Boomtown Rats song about Ireland If Geldof was American and had sang a song about the US that had the same sentiment, hacks like O’Reilly would be railing on him for hating his country and telling him if he doesn’t like it to leave. BTW, Geldof didn’t like it and left for the UK 😉 [/QUOTE] I thought he left to bang Paula Yates. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/37 "2008-02-22T20:28:42Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] I have to second (or third or forth) the question of why anyone in these parts watches O’Reilly? -XT [/QUOTE] Same reason I sometimes lurk on Free Republic and Stormfront . . . education in alternate viewpoints . . . Or, perhaps, the same reason you’ve just **got** to sniff that rotten milk before you throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588/38 "2008-02-25T16:13:00Z")
I’ve always thought I was a much better patriot than Bill O’Reilly, though I’m a lefty atheist. I taught in the Middle East for six years (and I plan to go back). I think I served my country as a sort of good-will ambassador, showing Arabs that not all Americans are war-mongering assholes. O’Reilly, on the other hand, intentionally tries to get different Americans to hate each other, and he does so for the basest motives–ratings and money. I’m sorry, who is the patriot here? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bill-oreilly-know-what-a-patriot-is-answer-no/438588.md?page=1)