Sometimes you have to give the devil his due.
If you would have told me a media hack and reactionary loudmouth lacking anything particularly interesting to say could rise to be the most popular political gabber in the cable talk world, I would have said you were on something.
But here stands Bill O'Reilly at the summit of talk show mountain. And he has announced he will be writing a book next year on President Barack Obama.
Yawn! ...
The College Survival Guide
A Fridge
Regardless of whether you have a wonderful sized meal plan, your fridge may come in handy with leftovers or when you feel like stocking it with bottled drinks.
Computer
The convenience of a computer is essential when sending your kids off to college. Forget the hike to the computer lab across campus students need a computer in the comfort of their room. A printer comes in handy as well. Depending on whether your child plans to carry his laptop around campus, you might opt for a desk top since they're lighter on the pockets.
Snacks
You will surely survive with off of a meal plan but it doesn't hurt to stock up on snacks when you don't feel like leaving your dorm room. Bottled water, pop corn, cereal and Ramen noodles are all low budget snacks to stock up on. Just be weary of the freshman 15.
Things from home
Some college students suffer from homesickness the first year. It's best to surround yourself with things like photos of the family, pillows or even stuffed animals. Anything that reminds your child of home.
MP3 Player
With all the stress that comes from school and exams, sometimes it's nice to block out the chaos in your life and even your roommate with music. It's nearly impossible to find students walking to class who aren't jamming to tunes.
Budget
Students who enter college often come in at the ripening age of 18. A great time for credit cards. Parents beware, your child may end up ruining their credit at a young age
Alarm Clock
When you're in college you don't have the luxury of getting awaken by your parents. It's now your responsibility to get to class on time so alarm clocks are a must. But keep your roommate in mind. You shouldn't wake him up ever morning with a blow horn alarm.
Cleaning supplies
Now you don't necessarily need to bring in the rubber gloves, mop and gas mask but it doesn't hurt to bring along Clorox all purpose wipes for spills or dust. Vacuums and brooms come in handy too depending if you have a carpeted dorm.
Bedding
What most parents aren't aware of is that most college beds are twin sized but extra long and require special sheets. When shopping keep your eye open for sheets that clearly state 'extra long' or else your child may come up short.
Shower shoes
You really don't know what some people do in the shower these days. College showers are known to be creeping with germs so spare yourself the fungus and purchase flip flops for the shower. You'll thank us later!
Two things are certain.
Sadly, one is that the book will be popular.
Anything with Obama as a central character will sell and O'Reilly is an unabashed shill. Using his program as a soap box, O'Reilly, who already has five best-sellers to his credit, will draw a huge audience.
The other certainty about the book is that it will be so full of slights, misrepresentations and half-truths aimed at the president, the book should be confined to the fiction section of any book store selling it.
The reason this is assured is that O'Reilly has spent much of his airtime shooting at Obama and most of his missiles are misses.
It's not as though Obama has been perfect in his first months as president. The vetting process he has installed for his Cabinet appointees has been an embarrassment. As bad was his inadvertent swipe at the mentally challenged in his "Special Olympics" comment on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
But O'Reilly finds fault with Obama on EVERYTHING. And that isn't fair - accurate.
Don't we all know what the book is going to say already?
"Obama is a big spender. Obama is transferring wealth like a Socialist. Obama is turning the U.S. into a welfare state. Obama is soft on the war in Iraq." And on and on and on.
So I'll give O'Reilly his due. His brand of loud conservative politics has made him rich and successful far beyond what he legitimately deserves.
What I won't give him is one cent for a book that will prove to be a superficial attack job on Obama.
_________________
Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of politics for Black Voices. He has been a journalist for 16 years on the national urban/minority affairs beat for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and for AP in Washington, D.C. He now runs his own public affairs firm, Shepard Strategic Communications.
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Comments: (187)
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By: mesaman on 4/07/2009 9:37PM
BV Bookshelf should have to be approved by the FDA. It is a purgative, non-suppository type, but certainly gets the job done.
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By: zane on 4/07/2009 9:36PM
of course this wouldnt be wrong if the book was by a radical liberal and was about bush
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By: ME on 4/07/2009 9:47PM
Black Voices???? YAWN..... Who cares????? No one!!!! Paul Shepard??? WHO??? Another retard with an opinion....YAWN YAWN YAWN!!!
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By: Rob on 4/07/2009 9:39PM
Bill, you're nothing but an over inflated gasbag! Go home...close the blinds and stay there!!!!
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By: gerard on 4/07/2009 9:43PM
why can't bill o'reilly slip on ice and bang his head like that diet doctor did?
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By: Liz on 4/07/2009 9:58PM
"The other certainty about the book is that it will be so full of slights, misrepresentations and half-truths..." You mean like this article is full of slights and misrepresentations? If you watched The O'Reilly Factor, you would see that Bill O'Reilly often defends Barack Obama to rightwing pundits; he criticizes a number of President Obama's policies, but that's his right as an American citizen, is it not? You're a journalist, yet you don't even bother to take the time to hear out fully someone's criticisms before calling them "slights and ...misrepresentations." You obviously only read O'Reilly AFTER he's been misquoted by others who are out to smear him.
You claim that "O'Reilly finds fault with Obama on EVERYTHING." Actually he doesn't. If you said that Sean Hannity finds fault with Obama on everything, I'd agree with you 100%, but O'Reilly? Watch the show a few days in a row and you'll think differently. But who am I kidding--you're probably worried that watching his show will turn you into a racist and make you a sell-out to the black community.
You say "Don't we all know what the book is going to say already?"
I say that's a question NOT exemplary of a real journalist.
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By: BlueGirl on 4/07/2009 9:58PM
His missles are misses? Do your homework, sir, and pay attention to what's really going on in the world and at home. Stop listening to the driveling media bias.
I hope you enjoy your universal healthcare. As a worker in the healthcare industry, I hope you're ok with the fact that Obama is breaking every privacy law known to mankind to have your records on a national database. Look at the cure rates for things we consider simple here and then compare them to other countries who have universal (read:SOCIALIZED) healthcare. You'll die while you wait for a government panel (who don't know you, don't want to know you and don't care about you) to decide whether or not you actually need treatment.
I hope you all enjoy the socialist country we're now living in. Enjoy your lines for anything & everything. Enjoy the government denying you a loan or credit to better your living situation/pay your bills/buy a house, etc. Oh, and your retirement? Don't even count on it. When the government owns everything, they own you & your money, too. And you morons voted him into office. Good Job. What is this world coming to?!?
The vetting process for Obama isn't even a process. It's more like throwing darts at a board full of pictures of every person that Obama owes a favor to and then picking them for whatever cabinet spot is still open.
Obama has done on his Apology Tour of Europe when they should all be kissing our feet for saving their sorry butts in World Wars I and II. They can't even help themselves and they all think we're bad?!? I say revoke all the foreign aid they get and see how long it takes them to come crawling back to beg for our forgiveness and more money.
I'm sick and tired of being called a racist or worse because I don't agree with Obama. Does anyone else find it interesting that the only people screaming about hate & racism are the Democrats? I never heard one Republican or Independent say anything racist or hateful about Obama. But all of us who disagree with Obama's policies and his rush to socialize our country, are called such for speaking out. I have the First Amendment right to say whatever I want and I don't care if any of you like or not! You know why? Because you do not make a difference in my life. You have no impact on how I live my life and I will NOT give up my Constitutional rights to make you liberal, tree-hugging, bleeding heart bigots feel better.
By the way, I'm so excited about the extra $17 that Obama's 'tax cut' put into my paycheck. Maybe I'll go out and, wait, $17 isn't enough to do anything with, these days. Guess I'll spend it trying to pay 1/8 of one of my bills. Thanks for nothing.
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By: LILA on 4/07/2009 10:03PM
I AM NEITHER DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN. I LISTEN TO BILL O'REILLY BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY FAIR NEWS PROGRAM ON TV. FORGET ABOUT MAIN STREAM MEDIA. THEY ONLY HAVE ONE SIDE OF THE STORY. I GUARANTEE THAT ANYONE WHO WATCHES FOX NEWS WILL SEE 2 SIDES TO EVERY STORY. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO PICK WHICH SIDE YOU AGREE WITH. O'REILLY HAS SAID SOME GOOD THINGS ABOUT OBAMA, BUT JUST BECAUSE HE DOES NOT AGREE 100% IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE IS WRONG. WHAT MAKES ME LAUGH IS ALL THE LIBERALS WHO ARE AFRAID THAT IF THEY WATCH FOX NEWS THEY MIGHT REALLY CHANGE THEIR MIND. I HAVE YET TO MEET SOMEONE IN THE MIDDLE CLASS THAT THINKS THAT IF YOU WORK 2 JOBS AND MANAGE YOUR MONEY, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE MORE THAN THE LAZY PERSON WHO DOESN'T WANT TO WORK HARD AND IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SCAM THE SYSTEM. IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS, I SAY MOVE TO CALIFORNIA WHERE THEY ARE GOING BROKE FROM GIVING, GIVING, GIVING. THAT IS A MAIN THING ABOUT OBAMAS BELIEFS THAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN.
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By: Larry on 4/07/2009 10:04PM
To quote Shepard "The other certainty about the book is that it will be so full of slights, misrepresentations and half-truths aimed at the president ..."
I guess that Mr. Shepard is not only a "journalist" but also a seer into the future.
Based upon this one "article????" by him, I would dismiss anything he might "publish" in the future.
As someone commented, earlier, he obviously has never watched The O'Reilly Factor or else he would not have made such a biased comment as he has.
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By: CaptainMelonhead on 4/07/2009 10:05PM
"FYI what do you think public schooling,the police force, and social security are? THEY ARE FORMS OF SOCIALISM! "
Well let's limit school funding to a county/state level. I'd abolish the Dept. of Education in a heartbeat considering how the state of education has declined since its inception.
A national police force? You mean like a well-regulated milita or something guaranteed in the constitution? What's wrong with that?
Social security is socialism, as instituted by a former socialist president. Let's privatize it and problem solved.
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