O'Reilly: Interest in Darfur "may have something to do with color."

[Fenris]

During the May 1 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly questioned the motivations of actor/director George Clooney and other activists focused on the genocide in the Sudan, stating that while "the slaughter in Darfur must be stopped," their interest in Darfur "may have something to do with color." O'Reilly added, "Surely the Marsh Arabs in Iraq slaughtered by Saddam did not get George Clooney's attention." In fact, Saddam's slaughter of Shiites did get Clooney's "attention." In October 1999, Clooney starred in the film Three Kings (Warner Bros.), which, as the Los Angeles Times described it, depicts three U.S. soldiers who "come face-to-face with Iraqis -- who had been encouraged by the West to rise up against Hussein -- being rounded up, tortured and killed by Hussein's Republican Guard," and "must decide whether they should drop what they are doing and help the Iraqi civilians escape."

In promoting the film, as noted in an October 1, 1999, Knoxville News Sentinel film review, Clooney stated:

"This is a story" with "absolute truths. Did we rearm the Republican Guard after we beat 'em? You bet. And did the Shiites who had been told to rise up and overthrow the government, were they left there as targets? Absolutely. If it makes people open their eyes and question things, great. Then go read and learn."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200605030004

[ComerPerro]

1. I didn't hear Republicans complain in the 80's, when Saddam was

actually doing most of the killing they accuse him of...

In fact, weren't they supporting him?


Interesting...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. They weren't just supporting it. They helped cover it up.

They had the CIA come up with some fake memos making it look like it was the Iranians that gassed the Kurds.

[JohnKleeb]

2. What's his point

We should be getting involved in Darfur becasue it's you know a genocide and being indifferent to it is the wrong thing do to. Blowhard thy name is O'Reilly.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Interest in Darfur may have to do with mass murder

Personally, I don't like mass murder, rape, etc. I don't tend to worry too much about the color of the victims. Neither do the NGAs that go there. Check out http://www.refugeesinternational.org and watch the film to see what is happening in Darfur.

[havocmom]

7. Interesting that Bellicose Bill had his panties in a twist about Christmas

and how saying Happy Holidays was somehow a threat to Christians. Is the idiot aware that the people getting murdered in Dafur are mostly Christians? Where is his religious rage when it might actually be well spent?

:shrug:

Personally, I just want something done to stop it because it is horrible what is being done to HUMAN BEINGS. I give not one whit what color or religion they are. Bellicose Bill's values seem to be somewhat variable.

If my daughter's ol buddy from work in Tucson, John Majok (one of the 'Lost Boys' who managed to make it out of Sudan alive and is now working in D.C.) is reading DU today: :hi: :hug: and how many congressmen are you gonna talk into getting arrested this year? ;) :thumbsup:

[marmar]

5. He has completely flipped his wig...

If anything, the reverse argument could be made - that it's been IGNORED so long because of color, and George Clooney recognizes that. O'Reilly is a major asshat.

[LiviaOlivia]

6. Bill's got it bad.

The Falafel-loofah perv has a hard-on for Clooney.

[jrw14125]

8. Don't you get it, people?!

His main concern is smearing George Clooney as much as possible. Getting people all worked up about those "uppity hollywood libruls," so that any time they actually do speak out about something that's right (but that goes against GOP/Bush policy), his viewers will think it ok to ignore them.

So, instead of running newscast after newscast about the continuing death of 400,000+ people, like a good journalist would do, he's spending his newscast smearing an activist who's trying to get us to stop it. This is the difference between someone who won a Peabody/Pulitzer on the one hand, and someone who lied and said he won one on the other!

Sorry, I am so g-damned tired of the chain emails being forwarded to me, with misplaced apostrophes, conflation of you're/your, smearing of Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame, Charlie Sheen, Cindy sheehan, etc. - you know, all those people with all the power to stop a genocide! - and this smear-meister is one of the leading causes of the wealth of misinformation out there that enables these criminals in power.

Pravda, thy name is Fox News.

How about this for a new slogan: "Fox News. Responsible for the deaths of millions and counting!"

[FrenchieCat]

9. Yep...O'Reilly, 200,000+ dead people and our DIS-interest is most likely

due to Bush and his News Cabal, which includes you.....O'Reilly!

[azurnoir]

10. Finally

Why was * soooo sure Saddam had WMD? Cause his daddy gave them to him!!!! At the very least nerve gas which Saddam then in turn used on the Kurds. It is of very little surprise that al-Zarqawi was in Kurdistan. But not as the wing-nuts claim to give aid and comfort to Saddam, far more likely (almost certainly) to recruit Kurds for AQ.
This would be born out by a statement a Kurdish Friend made to us shortly after the 3/03 invasion he said the general feeling at home (Kirkuk) was that "Saddam and George were sitting on a beach somewhere sipping mint juleps and toasting they're brilliance for pulling this charade off". It should also be noted that about 2weeks after the invasion this family decided to call home they had not had any word from family in Kirkuk. Shortly I mean moments after they hung-up the FBI was at their door and questioned them for hours about any possible contact with AQ (this made no sense to me at the time) the Kurds were supposedly our allies. These people had been here since Gulf War1 on asylum from Saddam, one of the men in family was applying for citizenship, when he went to the INS center to fill out some final paperwork he was arrested and held for 9 months without explanation. It took 5 federal judges saying there was no reason to hold him (5 separate appearances)and several character witnesses (my boyfriend included) for him to be released still with no explanation as to why he was being held.




Very sorry I went somewhat off topic meant to stop after first few sentances, but got on a rant.

[RedStateShame]

11. Last I checked

There isn't enough oil in the Darfur to interest anyone in office right now. Good luck getting as much as an accidental missile.

[Lerkfish]

12. why do republicans hate all the brown people?

genocide is genocide.

[Marnieworld]

13. Reverse that

the lack of interest in Darfur, interest of our government and the resources and power behind it, has "something to do with color." Perhaps it would not have spiraled into its current hell if it wasn't just happening to some poor brown people. So we should just ignore genocide when the victims aren't Anglo because it would appear too PC otherwise? Why do I let O'Reilly make my head hurt?

[azurnoir]

14. Now for what

I was going to say -I've read (and I believe it was here on DU) that Black water has a substantial force in Dar fur, but just what are they doing there? it's apparent what they're not there for -protecting anyone, except oil interests. I believe there is a substantial amount of oil in that region most of it untapped. O'Lielly's contention that LLL or Dem's or moonbats (whatever we're being called at the moment) are only interested because black people are involved is purest BS repuke propaganda, probably to cover up that we're either actively participating in the genocide or idly standing by and letting it happen. You gotta' clear those natives out so as to maximize profit, when the drilling starts.