Jewish World Review May 13, 2002 / 2 Sivan, 5762

Bill O'Reilly

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Silence of the lambs


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Here's the question of the day: Why do Americans keep electing wimps to powerful positions? Why do we do this? For every Rudy Giuliani there are 10 Gary Condits -- weasels with whom you'd never share a foxhole in battle.

Let's get specific. In Boston right now, there is great anger directed at Cardinal Bernard Law for enabling pedophile priests to do their evil deeds. Seventy-five percent of Boston's Catholics want Law to resign and slink away. But what does Massachusetts' most famous Catholic say? Well, Sen. Edward Kennedy has not taken a "position" on the controversy. Asked if he wanted Law to resign, Kennedy issued a statement that said his thoughts on the Cardinal would remain "private." What a profile in courage old Ted is.

For 40 years, Kennedy has represented the Bay State in the Senate, and when the most brutal scandal since the Salem Witch Trials occurs, where is Teddy? Missing-In-Action, that's where. At first, Kennedy said the Cardinal should not resign. But when the winds started to shift, Kennedy went "private" with his thoughts. That must be a great comfort to the victims of child molestation.

Sen. Edward Kennedy should be angry and demanding answers from Law and the Vatican. Kennedy was elected to represent the people of his state. Molested kids fall into that category. So when will Kennedy hold a press conference on all this? When will he request a meeting with Law? When will he reassure the victims of molestation that he is looking out for them? What say you, senator?

And then there's Jeb Bush. As a candidate for governor of Florida in 1998, he vowed to protect the state's unwanted children and reform Department of Children and Families, which was a mess under Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles. Bush was elected and doubled that agency's budget. Unfortunately, much of the new money went to buy computers that didn't work. Meantime, a 4-year-old girl in foster care named Rilya Wilson went missing. But her state caseworker, Deborah Muskelly, did not inform anyone about that, and a judge says she lied about the status of the child. Fifteen months have passed. Little Rilya is still missing.

Our pal Jeb has appointed a "committee" to find out what happened. But the press wants to talk with Ms. Muskelly. The State of Florida, however, will not produce her, and Gov. Bush will not say where she is. Why? Because the case is under investigation, he says. So what? There's no law or policy that says Bush can't tell everybody where this Muskelly person is and what she's saying. Perhaps that information could help in finding Rilya. But no, Bush is mum. Instead of taking a hands-on interest in finding out what the hell happened to a defenseless 4-year-old, he has formed a "committee." What a guy.

Are you getting the picture here? We are a nation that continues to elect people who are so cowardly and self-interested that they won't even extend themselves for abused children. Where is the outrage over pedophilia and the disappearance of a 4-year-old under state supervision? Kennedy and Bush should be on every news program in sight. They should be raising holy hell. But that is way too risky. It might come back to hurt them politically.

I have had it with gutless politicians who don't have enough moral fiber to lead the charge to protect American kids. These guys have big names and big bucks. What they don't have is grit and a sense of moral outrage. In the face of rampant pedophilia and the loss of an innocent child -- we get "committees" and "private" thoughts. Well here's a public thought directed at Ted and Jeb, and all our elected officials: You people better start standing up and looking out for the weakest among us -- because someday the American people are going to wake up and clean house.



JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.

Up


05/06/02: Hide the children
04/29/02: 'Paul, Paul, Paul!'
04/22/02: Barbarians in the Church
04/15/02: Pray for peace, polish the weapons
03/11/02: Do no harm? Time to spank "Dr. Phil"
03/04/02: Promoting the general welfare
02/25/02: Who's responsible?
02/19/02: Lay it on them
02/11/02: Buy dope, fund terror
02/04/02: Back room deals
01/28/02: From boom to bust
01/21/02: The Fairness Doctrine
01/14/02: Hey, Paula, take it to the bank and hush up
01/07/02: And justice for none
12/31/01: All that's left
12/24/01: Santa is appalled
12/17/01: Fight the power
12/10/01: The black challenge
12/03/01: How things have changed
11/26/01: Waiting in the Bushes
11/19/01: The sign of the Cross
11/09/01: Hollyweird strikes back
11/06/01: The fear factor
10/26/01: Show me the money
10/22/01: See no evil
10/15/01: Peace, but no quiet
10/08/01: The air war
10/01/01: I don't understand
09/24/01: We are all soldiers, and we have a job to do
09/14/01: Evil on display
09/11/01: Family matters!
09/04/01: End of summer blues
08/27/01: Summertime -- and the livin' ain't easy
08/20/01: The rap on rap
08/13/01: The truth hurts
08/06/01: Amnesty for illegals: Bush's political investment
07/30/01: The big picture on Condit-Levy
07/24/01: Silence of the Shams
07/16/01: Condit, Kennedy and cable news
07/09/01: Heather needs a childhood: The unnecessary loss of innocence
07/02/01: What would have happened if Steven Spielberg had recut "Schindler's List" for German audiences so they wouldn't be confronted with "emotional issues"?
06/25/01: Freak dancing
06/18/01: Work or die
06/11/01: Soundbite nation
06/04/01: Paying through the nose
05/29/01: Graduation Day 2001
05/21/01: Accepting the unacceptable
05/14/01: The Clinton legacy
05/07/01: Kerrey's ordeal
04/27/01: Is the party over?
04/20/01: Racism in public education
04/16/01: The fleecing of America
04/10/01: People who need perspective
04/03/01: Dubya's bottom line --- and ours
03/27/01: Don't tell, don't ask
03/20/01: Greenspan with envy
03/13/01: Clinton and Jackson
03/07/01: All that's left in America
02/27/01: The Letterman experience
02/20/01: Bread and circuses
02/06/01: How the Clintons do it
01/30/01: The Bush dilemma
01/24/01: I have been investigating Jackson's finances for the past two years
01/17/01: Sifting Ashcroft's record

© 2001 Creators Syndicate