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Transcript from The O’Reilly Factor, 6-14-2002 Pedophile Priests Will be Defrocked BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. Lots of stuff to tell you about this evening, including a new Zogby poll taken in Mexico. That's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points" memo. The Bush administration will not say it publicly, but things continue to deteriorate along the Mexican border. We have word of yet another incursion by the Mexican army onto U.S. territory. We're checking it out, we'll report next Monday. But this new Zogby poll really tells the story. Fifty-seven percent of Americans polled believe they have the right to enter the United States without American permission. Just 35 percent say they don't have that right. And 58 percent of Mexicans believe the territory of the United States Southwest belongs to Mexico. Whoa! Combine this attitude with Canada's incredibly lax immigration policies, and we have an enormous problem here in the USA. At this point, the Bush administration has decided to keep a lid on the border problems, and the greater good is being served by not cracking down on the Mexicans and the Canadians because that would hurt the economy. Mr. Bush understands that his reelection will be in doubt if the economy is not stable come 2004. The same calculation is being made in the environmental area. Mr. Bush has decided that strict clean air policies must be bent to allow energy concerns to make more money so they'll put out more energy. The ideologues on both sides will scream about the environment and the border, but it is reasonable to factor in economic benefit for all while making these decisions. However, "Talking Points" believes you can have it both ways. As far as Mexico is concerned, our government must militarize the border. That's the only solution, station military units to back up the border patrol. This can be done quickly and efficiently, and with national security on the line, there's no reason not to do it, because Mexico is not going to help us with this problem, period. Canada, on the other hand, can be persuaded. Secretary of State Colin Powell should privately lay it on the line. Either Canada stops admitting immigrants who do not have proper identification, or the administration will publicly discourage Americans from visiting Canada. Believe me, that will do it. We live in a dangerous time, and the time for putting politics over public safety is over. If the Bush administration does not begin securing our borders, it will be letting all of us down. And that's the memo. Now for the "Top Story" tonight. The American bishops wrap up their meetings in Dallas with a new policy that would force most child molester priests out of the church. Any priest who admits or is convicted of molesting a child would be defrocked, unless that priest voluntarily leaves his mission to live in a monastery or another vehicle away from the public. And all abuse allegations have to be reported to the authorities by the bishops. With us now is William McGowan, the author of the book "Coloring the News: How Crusading for Diversity Has Corrupted American Journalism." Mr. McGowan says the American press has been too hard on the Catholic Church. How so, sir? WILLIAM MCGOWAN, AUTHOR, "COLORING THE NEWS": Bill, it's not that it's been too hard, but there have been fundamental inaccuracies in the reporting that I think makes the scandal look worse than it is. And largely this revolves around the use of the word "pedophilia." Ninety percent of the abuse cases that have been brought to light do not involve the sexual abuse of children, they involve the sexual abuse of post-pubescent teenage boys... O’REILLY: You don't consider, you don't... MCGOWAN: ... and that's not pedophilia. O’REILLY: ... consider 16-year-olds to be children? MCGOWAN: No, no, I... O’REILLY: You really don't? MCGOWAN: ... they're minors, but they... O’REILLY: You don't, you don't consider them to be children. MCGOWAN: ... I don't consider -- it's not the same as abusing an 8- year-old... O’REILLY: No, it's not the same... (CROSSTALK) MCGOWAN: ... but by the use of the term "pedophilia," what they do... O’REILLY: Yes. MCGOWAN: ... are three things. The first is, they exaggerate the seriousness of the abuse. Secondly, they make the Catholic priesthood as a whole look like it's a magnet for sexual sickos. Thirdly, they make the bishops' cover-up, already irresponsible and perverse, they make it look even worse. And the fourth thing is, it basically allows the sidestepping of the role that homosexuality has played in the scandal. O’REILLY: Well, that's true. Now, look, let me rebut that. First of all, when I was teaching, we were told that any student was a child, and that's 18 and down in high school. All right? And I believe that, because they're emotionally immature. They may be physically mature but emotionally they're not. Second of all, even if it's molesting a 14- or 15-year-old, it's a heinous crime... MCGOWAN: Absolutely. O’REILLY: ... it's a heinous crime. MCGOWAN: Absolutely. O’REILLY: So you can cut, you know, split hairs, pedophilia, pederasts, you can do all of that stuff. The bottom line is that this scandal would never have come to the light if not for The Boston Globe and then subsequent follow-ups from people like me. Wouldn't you agree? MCGOWAN: I agree, and I think you guys should be applauded for that... O’REILLY: Well, we're not being applauded... MCGOWAN: ... I think it's... O’REILLY: ... we're being condemned... MCGOWAN: Well, I'm not sitting here... O’REILLY: ... by many... MCGOWAN: ... condemning anybody, I'm... O’REILLY: ... including the cardinal of Honduras and the Vatican. MCGOWAN: Well, the cardinal of Honduras, who gave that very much over-the-top statement where he compared the American press to Stalin or... O’REILLY: Yes. MCGOWAN: ... to Nero, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) his rhetoric, totally bombastic, over the top. But you also have to, have to, have to acknowledge that some of the American press has been over the top... O’REILLY: Which... MCGOWAN: ... Maureen Dowd calling, calling the Catholic hierarchy equal to the Taliban, Jimmy Breslin calling the American cardinals 14 men in a dress who are telling people... O’REILLY: Well, you know Jimmy Breslin. (CROSSTALK) MCGOWAN: ... what to do. O’REILLY: These are columnists, though. These are opinion makers. And you (UNINTELLIGIBLE) do you know of any hard-news vehicles that have been unfair and over the top? MCGOWAN: Well, I think mostly in the hard news, the problem has been inaccuracy. And again, I think it gets back to the problem of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- to be... O’REILLY: Oh, I think you're splitting hairs... MCGOWAN: ... to the portrayal... O’REILLY: ... on this, Mr. McGowan. MCGOWAN: ... of -- it's not splitting hairs. And I think... O’REILLY: I think it's splitting hairs. MCGOWAN: ... it's very, very important to -- the -- a fundamental dimension here, not the only one, but the role of homosexuality in this problem. O’REILLY: Well, look, that's another issue, because the press has bent over backwards, all right, not to offend the homosexual community... MCGOWAN: Right. O’REILLY: ... in this regard. Now, whether that's right or wrong, I don't really care. I'll tell you, I don't care. I mean, the big story here is not homosexuality, and it's not individual priests molesting children. That's terrible. And those people have got to be dealt with as far as the molestation is concerned. The big story here is that cardinals, all right, with tremendous power have been able to circumvent the law in this country and have prosecutors cowers before them, senators cower before them. And these cardinals, supposed to be pillars of morality, are so arrogant they won't resign after they allow the pedophiles, the Geoghans, the Shanleys, to run around, still won't resign. That's the big story here. MCGOWAN: Well, I agree with you, that is the big story. But defining what the big story is, is different than solving the problem. And I think unless we address all of the factors here in the broad equation, we're not going to get to a proper solution. We got to have the right diagnosis first. O’REILLY: Now, do you believe that the establishment elite media inherently hates the Catholic Church? MCGOWAN: No, but I think there's a broad prejudice. And it's interesting, because I don't think this prejudice necessarily comes from elements inside the media who are not Catholic. I think there are a lot of self-hating Catholics in the media. O’REILLY: I, see, I don't see it. I'm not a self-hating Catholic. I go to church. MCGOWAN: No, but if you read some of these, some of, some of these people writing... O’REILLY: Yes, but I'm as angry as... MCGOWAN: ... horrible, horrible... O’REILLY: ... anybody about this, because... MCGOWAN: That's OK, you're not disparaging... O’REILLY: ... these guys... MCGOWAN: ... you're not using disparaging, horrible, you know, terms and, and, and usage to kind of get an easy shot in here. This is a very, very... O’REILLY: But who's done that? (CROSSTALK) O’REILLY: You haven't told me... MCGOWAN: Well, I think you see editorial writers, you see people like Bill Keller in "The New York Times" with a headline that said, "Let Us Prey," P-R-E-Y. You see cartoonists... O’REILLY: Well, that's out of line. MCGOWAN: ... you see cartoonists. I mean, you see a lot of stuff that could -- that seems to spring from... O’REILLY: All right. But you always... (CROSSTALK) MCGOWAN: ... anti-Catholic... (CROSSTALK) O’REILLY: ... overall, I haven't seen, I have seen pretty fair coverage, because I don't believe the hierarchy of the United States Catholic Church and in Rome as well, from the pope on down, I think that if we didn't do this, they would have let it go on. MCGOWAN: I would agree... O’REILLY: They would have let it go on. MCGOWAN: ... with you -- I would agree with you entirely. O’REILLY: And how horrible... MCGOWAN: I would -- I agree... O’REILLY: ... is that? MCGOWAN: ... with you entirely, and that is horrible. These guys still don't get it. O’REILLY: They still don't care... MCGOWAN: They still don't get it. O’REILLY: ... about those children. MCGOWAN: And let me just weigh in on something on "The Boston Globe" has been barred from... O’REILLY: Yes, because they broke the story. (CROSSTALK) MCGOWAN: ... because they broke the story... O’REILLY: And the church... MCGOWAN: ... the elite... O’REILLY: ... trying to slap them around. MCGOWAN: Totally, totally inappropriate. O’REILLY: Look... MCGOWAN: They don't get it, they have a really... O’REILLY: And until they do... MCGOWAN: ... rather tone-deaf... (CROSSTALK) O’REILLY: ... get it, Mr. McGowan, I think it's the press's responsibility to keep hammering them. MCGOWAN: Just be accurate when... O’REILLY: We are, we haven't had... (CROSSTALK) O’REILLY: ... to retract anything. Thanks for coming on, sir, we appreciate it. MCGOWAN: Thank you. O’REILLY: Next on the rundown, a religious fanatic in Massachusetts convicted of killing his baby by starvation. We will talk with the man's lawyer, wants a new trial. Kind of outrageous. Just a few moments.
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