Liberalism and Human Rights

As you may know, we are independent thinkers here. Looking out for you requires that discipline.

That being said, the state of liberalism in America is confusing to say the least, especially in the human rights arena. For example, the record shows that after the 9/11 attack, the USA waterboarded three — three — high-ranking Al Qaeda bigshots, getting lifesaving information from them.

Yet some liberals still insist that America is a torture nation. The New York Times and others continue to paint the USA as a consistent human rights violator under the Bush administration. No matter how much evidence is presented to prove that is a gross overstatement, the myth is still being perpetuated, even by President Obama.

But when a liberal cause is shown to be brutal, left-wing reaction is quite something else. Investigators in Kansas have presented strong evidence that late-term abortion doctor, George Tiller, who was murdered by a domestic terrorist, destroyed viable fetuses for trivial reasons. The former head of the psychiatric school at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Paul McHugh, says flat out that Tiller used a so-called mental health provision to brutally terminate fetuses for just about any reason.

But The New York Times, The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and other liberal newspapers have no problem with that. In fact, The Times actually called Tiller a hero.

Now think about this. The waterboarding of heinous terrorists who participated in mass murder is called barbaric. But the destruction of thousands of late-term fetuses for casual reasons is called heroic. Now if that's liberalism, I will never be a part of it.

There is no question that what Tiller did was brutal and had nothing to do with Roe v. Wade, as the liberal media would have you believe. Thirty-six states outlaw or severely restrict late-term abortion. Four others have fought the courts that long because it is rarely necessary and always lethal.

And then there's Jessica's Law. Again, very few liberal media outlets support mandatory minimum sentences for convicted child rapists, even though more than 40 states now have it. But the liberal media doesn't want it, although they're inflamed over Guantanamo Bay.

Finally, let's go back to Private William Long, assassinated last week in Arkansas by an American Muslim terrorist. Now I criticized the network news and CNN for basically ignoring the story while ginning up the Tiller murder. As I reported last Friday, I didn't misspeak about CNN. They did cover the story dayside, but their prime-time coverage was scant. In fact, up to the point where I mentioned the Long-Tiller comparison, CNN had devoted approximately 190 minutes, more than three hours to Tiller while giving about 36 minutes to Private Long. That's about a six to one margin. So there you go.

There's no question the liberal media doesn't much like reporting on deadly Muslim terrorism or gruesome late-term abortions where babies are extracted from the womb and a medical instrument driven into their skulls. No, those realities are ignored by many liberals. So who is really looking out for human rights here: The New York Times and their acolytes, or those of us who want to save as many lives as we can, both inside and outside the womb?

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Anchorage, Alaska, is exactly 3,360 miles from New York City. That's how far Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin traveled during a fund-raising walk Sunday for the Autism Speaks charity. The governor's nephew has the condition. She helped raise more than $400,000 to fight autism, so Sarah Palin is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, the former lead singer of the rock group Poison, Bret Michaels, had a pretty tough time of it at the Tony Awards last night.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!

Mr. Michaels was taken down by part of the stage. He may have a swelled head, but he's not a pinhead. Those who designed that stage have that mantle.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com