REVIEW: "PINHEADS AND PATRIOTS"

Your Commander just completed reading Bill O’Reilly’s latest best-selling book “Pinheads and Patriots” with the sub-title “Where You Stand in the Age of Obama.” That should tell you the tone of O’Reilly’s latest literary effort.

If you are a fan of Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” program, you may have purchased a copy and read his in-your-face style of presenting his side of the story. If you are not a fan, you no doubt have not purchased the book or checked it out at your local library, no matter what I or anyone else may say about its contents.

Personally, I have lost interest in his program because I am getting tired of the constant confrontational shtick, but I must tell you that O’Reilly can write a good book with convincing conviction to his points of view. Most surprising to me was his repeated suggestion that the electorate may be presumptuous in not giving President Barack Obama sufficient time to solve the many problems facing the country. While O’Reilly frequently classifies Obama as a “pinhead,” I feel he gave Obama far too much wiggle room in the book at this time.

While I do not think O’Reilly is getting soft, I do suspect that he and many other conservative cable talk-show hosts are quite concerned that the Obama Administration may soon work toward silencing their voices by re-instituting the Federal Communications Commission’s Fairness Doctrine Rule (equal time by radio and TV for opposing views at no cost). Newspapers do not come under the rulings of the FCC and the internet is wide open to opinion. I think that action against electronic media would be inappropriate, but it would not surprise me for one minute given this Administration’s “take-no-prisoners” political atmosphere.

O’Reilly is to be saluted for his extremely generous support and personal financial contributions to our troops and other charities. Like him or not, he does promote good causes for his fellow man. O’Reilly may deserve to be classified as a “patriot,” but sometimes he acts like a “pinhead,” and can be his own worst enemy. I think the book is a fun read whether you like him or not.

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