O’Reilly says he saw N. Ireland’s ‘Troubles.’ What really happened?

[Botany]

Source: Washington Post

snip

In his 2013 book, “Keep It Pithy,” the Fox News host recounted,“I’ve seen soldiers gun
down unarmed civilians in Latin America, Irish terrorists kill and maim their fellow citizens
in Belfast with bombs.”

On another occasion, he said, “I’ve covered four wars,” and ticked off El Salvador’s civil war
in the 1980s, the 1982 Falklands conflict, Northern Ireland and an unspecified conflict in Israel.
“I’ve seen the best and the worst.”

snip

Asked about O’Reilly’s statements Friday, a Fox News spokesman said that O’Reilly was not an
eyewitness to any bombings or injuries in Northern Ireland. Instead, he was shown photos of
bombings by Protestant police officers.

The clarification is similar to one O’Reilly made in the wake of questions raised this week about
his characterization of his experiences during the Salvadoran civil war.






Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/is-bill-oreilly-making-things-up-or-just-bloviating/2015/02/27/bd5e7f66-bea4-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html

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[slumcamper]

1. Such puffery from this pompous ass! Clearly, O'Really is "COMPENSATING." n/t

[notadmblnd]

11. clearly he is a compulsive liar

what a miserable childhood he must have had

[mountain grammy]

23. He grew up in white bread Long Island..

he's a miserable human being, always has been.

[randys1]

2. Honest people would differentiate between photos and in person, Bill is not honest

He is like every single republican I know in real life, a liar.

Incapable of telling the truth unless by coincidence.

Always looking at something from the viewpoint of how can it enrich me.

Can you imagine working on his staff, having to rely on that asshole for fair treatment?

Wow...Bill, you are a first rate asshole and need to be publicly shamed.

[ybbor]

6. What you said!

Perfect!

[candelista]

8. No, imperfect.

Unless you think logical fallacies are examples of perfection.

[ybbor]

18. Yes

But I meant his reply was perfect.

Billo is an idiot, liar, fabricator, bombastic boob.

[candelista]

19. No.

The reply was imperfect. Hasty generalization.

[cheapdate]

20. I like to find logical fallacies. I see none here.

In fact, there are no arguments (series of premises supporting a conclusion) at all in the post -- just statements about Bill O'Reilly and Republicans, which you can either agree with or disagree with.

"He is like every single republican I know in real life, a liar." is either a true statement or a false statement, but it's not a "fallacy", which describes an argument, which again, is a series of premises supporting a conclusion.

Are we talking about the same thing? randys1, post #2?

[candelista]

21. Hasty generalization.

It's impossible for him to know that all the Republican that he knows are liars. He may have caught some of them in lies, but not all, and probably not a representative sample.

[cheapdate]

29. It's very unlikely that you know (a) how many Republicans he knows "in real life"

(b) whether all, none, or some of them are untruthful (c) whether he has certain knowledge of it one way or the other.

You claim without evidence to have certain knowledge of (c) ("it's impossible for him to know&quot . That you have knowledge of (a) is a semi-implied premise in your argument.

Your argument is valid, but unsound.

[A Simple Game]

44. Has no one ever heard of hyperbole? n/t

[candelista]

49. Well, that's what it is.

But some fanatical pseudo-liberal partisans in this thread want to say it's literally true, and should not be questioned.

[Botany]

7. The sad thing is that among Bill O's viewers they will see these stories as attacks on ...

.... Bill by the liberal media because he stands up against them and tells the truth.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. Bill says what Fox News wants him to say

Fox News is part of Rupert Murdoch's empire. Feeds ignorant viewers.

[elehhhhna]

28. some people are are easily lead by confident bullies

[maddiemom]

43. It was ever thus:

These days they comprise the faithful Fox audience. A confession: O'Reilly is not the person I hate most at Fox. That would be Sean Hannity. Billo is so over-the top that he can actually be amusing. Hannity presents a less blustery persona, but he is mean as dirt and nasty in a back-stabbing way. He's way more insidious, just doesn't blow phony credentials while he lies. It looks as if he has his own hair, but sports that little Eddie Haskell type part. A true waste for many balding men. I truly can't watch him for more than a few minutes (clips that crop up on the internet, not on Fox itself). If tortured by being forced to view O'Reilly or Hannity, I'd take Billo because he's so over the top that he's much funnier.

[BillZBubb]

3. He's a typical right winger: As phony as a three dollar Bill.

He couldn't say "I've seen pictures of...", he had to spice it up and imply a first person witnessing of the events. It is lying, it is deceitful, it is spin. From the "no spin" guy.

[Thor_MN]

4. Well, damn, by those standards...

I've seen the Civil War, WWI and II, Korea, Viet Nam, etc. I saw the Titanic leave England, watched Neil Armstong step onto the moon, The Beatles play to just 18 people before they were stars. I saw JFK shot and his brother moments after he was shot.

Bill O'Reilly, Walter Mitty. What's the difference?

[Botany]

9. Did I ever show you the pictures of my girlfriends?

[Thor_MN]

14. Nicely done.

BTW, I watched as they used a paint brush to delicately make the sand cling, just so... I want that job. Didn't get the job, but watched the guy do it.

[Populist_Prole]

42. Oh, I know her! We went to different high schools together

Not only that, her ma and my ma were both mothers!

[mahina]

40. PERFECT.

a meme is born!

[A Simple Game]

45. Big whoop! Me and 300 other guys once held off a million Persians for a few days.

They even had a giant and some elephants.

It was real tough and we all died but I will never forget it.

[TexasProgresive]

5. I always suspect people who go on and on about their "combat" experiences.

In the past this has always been men who alleged to have served in the armed forces. This is now extended to faux journalists who do the same thing. I know combat vets and to a person the are reticent about their combat experiences. They will talk about bizarre and funny things that happened during combat tours but never about the actual fighting.

[Lochloosa]

10. Nail meet hammer. Agree 100%

[father founding]

13. Oh, the humanity !

The only violence he has ever seen is Fox News killing the truth

[Snotcicles]

15. Ole Bill The Embellisher. nt

[Enrique]

16. I don't even believe he was shown any photos

of bombings in Ireland or of nuns in El Salvador.

[alcibiades_mystery]

46. Exactly...his story of being shown photos of the murdered nuns doesn't ring true either

I'd bet money that no such showing took place.

[oldandhappy]

17. Guess this is why he wrote the books about the killing of people.

Strange person.

[tavernier]

24. I'd be surprised if he wrote 3 pages

of those books, and probably was forced to share credit with the actual author.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. I'll never forget when Ann Coulter was confronted with stuff from one of "her" books...

It was a part where the book praised Joe McCarthy as being a patriot that was absolutely correct who had been unjustly vilified by the Liberals who write history books for our susceptible children.

She had a "deer in the headlights look" obviously not having a CLUE that was in there. It was like watching Jackie Gleason going "habbida habbida habbida" for the rest of the interview.

All the talk of her not writing her own books got so bad she had to rush out and pose next to McCarthy's grave in a lame attempt to try to convince people she really DID write that nonsense.

These books are cranked out by Conservative "Think" Tanks and are boosted to "best seller" status through bulk sales. The Conservative Movement simulates wide spread support that isn't there.

[Sheelanagig]

22. I've never seen a photo that wasn't a static image. His must be Harry Potter-quality.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. So? I've seen a priest shot down in Central America by American mercenaries...

It was on an episode of "Miami Vice".

[elehhhhna]

30. i was on Apollo 13

With Tom thanks!

[LuckyLib]

26. Billow has problems with the verb "to see", especially where war zones

and macho posturing come together. He's "seen" it all.

[MisterP]

39. "The Optics of O'Reilly: Hermeneutics of Gaze and Pegging in the Media"

[HardLineDem]

31. Me too!

I saw some of those photos too, Bill! Can I bloviate on my own show, too, Mr. Murdoch? Pleeeeeeeze?

[Botany]

33. Welcome to DU

[niyad]

35. what a thoughtful welcome. only thing missing is the chocolate!

[Botany]

36. Look between the apple slices

niyad

[niyad]

41. ooops, my deepest apologies!!

[Telcontar]

48. wow now I know what I want for beakfast

[niyad]

34. welcome to du

[stupidicus]

32. O'Wiley has always been a legend in his own behind

but pretty much just a turd to the rest of us.

Someone needs to thank Williams for this, because I doubt this story would a developed as it has without his failings..

[edbermac]

37. I was there when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

[randr]

38. Was O'Reilly a Irish Christian Radical Terrorist?

[Doctor_J]

47. I saw pictures of the civil war.

I guess that makes me a witness