Ideologues on parade

I have a bone to pick with Bill O'Reilly. (You're shocked, I know.) The Mouth That Roared has a new column up which, on the surface, is something I could get behind. He's talking about the need for stiffer laws, and more importantly, stricter enforcement of existing laws to deal with child molesters. The case he's focusing on is the horrifying, bleak story of Jessica Lunsford, the nine year old Florida girl who was raped and buried alive by a convicted sex offender.

O'Reilly is rightly angered, as I think anyone would be, and is supportive of the new law enacted in Florida which will impose a 25 year sentence on anyone sexually assaulting a child under the age of 12, followed by lifetime electronic monitoring should they be released from prison. Personally, I still think people like that should be eligible for the death penalty, but the law is a good start nonetheless.

The problem with O'Reilly, though, (and this is nothing new) is that he can't just take a stand on the case and the new law without trying to put a GOP spin on the story. I am wondering if the man is genetically incapable of speaking or writing more than ten consecutive words without working in the current neoconservative talking point of the day. He somehow manages to turn the tragedy of Jessica Lunsford into yet another attack on the judiciary.

Florida is ground zero for attacks on children, but they are happening everywhere. Don't believe the propagandists who say the problem has always been there, that it is no worse now. It is worse. That's because our justice system is chaotic and many judges are consumed by politics, making liberal rulings that allow the most vicious people imaginable to roam the streets.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for us, buddy. The problem isn't sick perverts... it's the Godless Liberals™ again! Or maybe all liberals are sick perverts, eh? But even this isn't enough for the intrepid pundit. No, he has to work in the evangelical slant as well.

Jessica Lunsford died for our sins. In the end, her gruesome demise did motivate Florida pols to at least do something.

Come on, Bill. Don't you think "died for our sins" is just a tad heavy on the hypnochrist syrup? Wouldn't it have been sufficient to applaud the Florida legislature for their action and encourage other states to follow suit? Apparently not if you're a hopeless ideologue