As we’ve discussed, the secular-progressive belief that the government, not the American citizen, should hold ultimate power over private property is one of the most dangerous aspects of the secular-progressive agenda. This is what the slogan “tax cuts for the rich” is all about, a way of suggesting that reduced taxes for all Americans is somehow a kind of theft from low-wage earners. Similarly, the concept of “eminent domain”—the government’s seizure of private property for the “greater public good”—is a stark indication of the S-P desire for centralized control of private property.
Simply put, traditional warriors will defend private property. If you’ve paid taxes on your money, your land, your home, your stuff…then it should be yours forever. No pinhead public official should be able to take it away from you. That is why the so-called death tax is an abomination. After an American dies, Congress has deemed it can seize more than half of the deceased person’s property if he or she is wealthy. I believe that is stunningly un-Constitutional, and it certainly is a very swift redistribution of wealth.
In defense of such actions, the S-Ps will point to the right of taxation written into the Constitution. And it is an easy play to convince most voters that the “rich” should pay the vast amount of taxes in America. After all, the “rich” have much more than most Americans will ever have. So who’s going to feel sorry for them?
No one—and no one should. As a wealthy person, I believe I have a responsibility to pay more of my earnings in taxes than most other Americans pay, and also to give large amounts of money to charitable causes. I have no problem with that, unless the taxation becomes punitive or is repeated, as it is in the death-tax situation.
Let’s be brutally honest here. T-Warriors simply do not believe in social engineering and income redistribution. I feel it is morally wrong for a distant government agency to take my hard-earned money and hand it over to someone else unless the person is simply not capable of caring for him- or herself. Once again, if we want to turn America into a socialistic republic, let’s vote on it. But this “tax the rich” mantra is getting out of control. Socialism has never worked anywhere in the world, and traditionalists understand that.
But the secular-progressives don’t care. They want “economic equality.” It is amusing to watch mass demonstrations in France every time the hapless government there tries to institute new work rules. As stated earlier, the French government recently passed a new law that would allow companies to fire new employees under the age of twenty-six during the first two years of their employment. The authorities came up with that policy because the economy of France is moribund. No growth at all. That’s because companies don’t want to hire young workers knowing they can’t fire them no matter how useless they turn out to be.
Naturally, the S-Ps in France took to the streets in protest because they love that kind of worker protection, even when it results in economic stagnation, which it inevitably does. And naturally French president Jacques Chirac, a champion of S-P thinking, backed down. France rescinded the new law.
In America, traditional warriors must fight against the government’s running the economy and regulating what people earn. The United States has dominated the world economically because we the people are ambitious and are free to move up the economic ladder if we work hard and experience a bit of luck now and then. The S-P vision is that the nanny state will dictate what we have—and it will be based on “broad prosperity.” That’s S-P code for a guaranteed government-provided lifestyle—something the young French can’t do without.
If you oppose that government guarantee, you will be branded “insensitive” and “hostile” to the workingman and to the poor. But the truth is that the code of the traditional warrior encourages generosity, philanthropy, compassion, and moderation in the pursuit of material things. However, it rejects the seizure of private property and the looting of the affluent. Class warfare is a strategy the S-P forces use very well. But that warfare goes against what America was founded on: the freedom to compete in the marketplace without governmental interference. Personal ambition has strengthened America and led to incredible opportunities for hundreds of millions of people. The traditional warrior understands that and rejects the voodoo economics of the income redistributors. It didn’t work for Fidel or the Sandinistas, and it won’t work for the S-Ps.
So, as you can see, the code of the culture warrior encompasses many things: ethical behavior, theory, spirituality, a realistic worldview, and a determination to fight for the soul of your country. Obviously, full engagement in the culture war demands energy and commitment, courage and persistence. You will be challenged; you may even be attacked and threatened. This culture war is not for the timid.
Traditional preparation for a shooting war requires a strict physical regimen to build up stamina and strength. If you’ve served in the military, you know how difficult basic training can be. You build up your body and mind to absorb whatever the enemy will throw at you.
Training to fight the culture war requires more mind than body work, and it’s not just about absorbing knowledge, although that is very important. It’s also about adopting an ethical life philosophy. As Deng Ming-Dao writes: “It takes a strong person to be ethical, for ethics are standards you may decide to follow even when others do not agree. Unless you are completely in control of your life and have a great deal of discipline, you cannot be ethical.”
That’s what separates the traditional warrior from his or her S-P counterpart—that strong emphasis on personal discipline and control of your actions. While the S-P corps practices “relativism” and theorizes about “nurturing” everyone (including the most horrendous among us), the T-Warrior chooses a belief system that realistically benefits society as a whole and tries to implement it with fairness and compassion. T-Warriors do make judgments, but based only upon strong evidence. T-Warriors believe society must protect the weak and look out for individual rights, but strictly within a framework of emphasizing personal responsibility and accountability.
While the S-P brigades clamor for legalized drugs, unfettered destruction of human fetuses, euthanasia, rehabilitation instead of criminal punishment, vastly more freedom for minors, parity for alternative lifestyles, forced sharing of personal assets, a “one world” consensus on foreign policy, banishment of spirituality from the marketplace, and other “enlightened” social policies, the T-Warrior understands the erosion of societal discipline that those policies would cause and, thus, rejects them.
But T-Warriors are not just naysayers. Like the Taoist “Scholar-Warrior,” we are champions, defenders, and protectors of a noble country and of people worldwide who are decent, well-intentioned, and generous. T-Warriors adamantly support something that has succeeded for 230 years: the American Constitutional concept of freedom and justice that allows individuals to prosper and help others.
So there you have it—the code of the traditional warrior. To review, let’s break it down into ten pithy segments:
• Keep your promises.
• Focus on other people, not yourself.
• See the world the way it is, not the way you want it to be.
• Understand and respect Judeo-Christian philosophy.
• Respect the nobility of America.
• Allow yourself to make fact-based judgments.
• Respect and defend private property.
• Develop mental toughness.
• Defend the weak and vulnerable.
• Engage the secular-progressive opposition in a straightforward and honest manner.
Words for all T-Warriors to live by.
Central Command (CENTCOM): Final Mission Statement
Life is tough. You know that. There are people you love and people you loathe. Every day of your life bad things happen, but the strong person soldiers on and consistently turns negatives into positives.
Sometimes—it’s true—I wish I were not a traditional warrior. The fight is hard and exhausting. If you’ve followed my career at all, you
know I have become a major target. Believe me, things were a lot easier when I was running around the globe reporting news stories. I’m not complaining, just bloviating (a little). As I’ve shown, I have taken on some very powerful interests in the United States and they are not at all pleased.
It’s been ten years now since I began this fight. Mostly, I have won. My programs are hugely successful, my books are bestsellers. But I’ve paid the price, and so have those around me, because the amount of hatred directed my way is staggering.
Still, I have chosen my own path and do not regret it. A decade ago, the Fox Newschannel and The Factor did not exist. Think about what America would be like now if we had not arrived on the scene and provided Americans with an alternative to the strongly S-P established media. Over that same span of time, the secular-progressive movement has acquired a tremendous amount of money and power. They do not yet own the hearts and minds of most Americans, but they do have the resources, especially by controlling the media, to change that situation. So each American has to figure this out and understand that today’s culture war, along with the war against terror, will define this country for decades—and maybe generations—to come.
Think about all the changes you’ve seen in your lifetime. My grandparents were born in a time when even cars did not exist! The amount of progress we’ve all seen is incredible. As with most things, some of that change has been terrific and some of it horrific. Therefore, it is our commitment as T-Warriors to hold on to the good and destroy the bad. Because we do make judgments, traditional people are in a good position for that task, but only so long as our judgments are sound and based upon the true philosophy of America.
So that is the mandate of the mighty T-Warrior. I hope, as more and more Americans begin to understand what’s at stake, that the traditional forces will grow in power and influence and we will win the culture war and win it quickly. This may be wishful thinking, but hey, traditionalists can “nurture” that kind of optimism, right?
But even if I’m wrong and the unthinkable happens—that is, the United States “evolves” into a secular-progressive country—I’ll know that I have fought on the side of the angels. I will have fought the good fight, and will have fought it honestly. Also, I will always have insights the S-P legions will never have: There is a right and a wrong in this world. There is justice and fairness. And, finally, there is a strong, binding tradition that has made America the most successful country the world has ever seen.
Let’s keep it that way. Thanks for reading this book.
Bill O’Reilly
Fall 2006
Another Christmas message from a President leading our nation in wartime.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Unlike many high-profile people, I write my books myself. But no one can complete a manuscript alone. My editor for many years, Charles Flowers, continues his brilliance in this publication. Broadway Books’s best editor, Gerry Howard, keeps an eye on me and Flowers with style and wit.
Since I am incapable of negotiating a computer, my wife, Maureen, routinely stops my bad language and presses the buttons that need to be pressed. Also, Makeda Wubneh continues to provide me with the best research on earth.
My literary agent, Eric Simonoff, is a great sounding board, as is the top guy at Broadway, Steve Rubin. Thankfully, the boss at Fox News, Roger Ailes, continues to lend me perspective. Every time I tell Ailes that I have another idea for a book, he rolls his eyes. But he’s always been supportive, and, obviously, that’s a huge help.
My broadcast agent, Carole Cooper, also continues to help me in ways far too numerous to mention. No way could I complete a project like this without her help and counsel.
So that’s the C-W team. And believe me, it’s a winner.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Chapter One Associated Press/AP
Chapter One Associated Press/AP
Chapter One Associated Press/AP
Chapter Two CBS/Landov
Chapter Two Getty Images
Chapter Two Reuters/Fred Prouser/Landov
Chapter Two (left) Getty Images
Chapter Two (middle) Photofest
Chapter Two (right) Getty Images
Chapter Six Getty Images
Chapter Nine Associated Press/AP
Chapter Ten (left) Flip Schulke/Corbis
Chapter Ten (right) Associated Press/AP
Chapter Eleven Photo by David Fisher/Rex Features, courtesy Everett Collection
Chapter Eleven Nicolas Guerin/Azimuts/Corbis
Chapter Fourteen Associated Press/AP
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BILL O’REILLY, a two-time Emmy Award winner for excellence in reporting, is a thirty-year veteran of the television industry. He served as national correspondent for ABC News and as anchor of the nationally syndicated newsmagazine program Inside Edition before joining Fox News, where he is currently executive editor and anchor of his own prime-time news program, The O’Reilly Factor. He is the author of the megabestsellers The O’Reilly Factor, The No Spin Zone, and Who’s Looking Out for You?, as well as The O’Reilly Factor for Kids (with coauthor Charles Flowers) and the novel Those Who Trespass. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
Also by Bill O’Reilly
The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life
The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America
Who’s Looking Out for You?
The O’Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America’s Families (coauthored by Charles Flowers)
Those Who Trespass: A Novel
PUBLISHED BY BROADWAY BOOKS
Copyright © 2006 by Bill O’Reilly
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States by Broadway Books, an imprint of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.broadwaybooks.com
BROADWAY BOOKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS constitutes an extension of this copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Reilly, Bill.
Culture warrior / Bill O’Reilly. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. United States—Social conditions—1980– 2. Social values—United States. 3. Mass media—Social aspects—United States. I. Title.
HN65.O74 2006
306.0973'09045—dc22
2006047482
eISBN: 978-0-7679-2639-3
v3.0
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