February 11, 2009 3:55 PM
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Bill O'Reilly: Kids Have Rights, Too
Bill O'Reilly has spun his "no spin" outlook into an empire that includes the top-rated "O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Channel, a daily radio talk show, and a series of best-selling books.
His latest, "Kids Are Americans, Too," debuted at No. 8 on The New York Times best-seller list.
The conservative commentator spoke about the book, and some affairs of the day, with The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Wednesday.
O'Reilly's first book for kids, "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids," was the bestselling non-fiction title for kids in 2005.
This one is a blunt look at what he says are the challenges kids face as they examine their rights as young Americans. It covers issues from religion in the classroom and dress codes at school to freedom of speech and kids' right to privacy.
O'Reilly says he hopes the book helps to empower kids across America.
He says "good kids" are being scorned these days in school, and they need to know their rights as compared to those of other kids, and adults, in the classroom, and elsewhere.
O'Reilly also urges kids and parents to discuss issues before they grow into major disagreements. That, he says, is why he wrote this book: to help further dialogue, once kids become aware of their rights.
And he says it's meant for parents' and grandparents' eyes, as well.
"I am so angry about how children are being treated in America today," O'Reilly told Storm. "Here's the latest. If you're a kid from a religious, conservative, traditional home, you go to school, you're called a geek, a moron, a nerd. The pendulum shifts. It used to be the stoners were mocked. Now, it's the straight kids are mocked. It's just a matter of our society.
"The cool kids now are the kids who are 'bad.' We see it every day, we report it every day. But kids, no matter who it is, shouldn't have to take that stuff. If you go to school, and you're 14 or 15 years old, and somebody's calling you a nerd because you go to church, that's wrong.
"So, I wrote this book for parents to put in the hand of their child and say, 'Look, you're an American. You have rights. Somebody can't browbeat you, just like somebody can't lay hands on you. Know what your rights are, and what they aren't, because they're different from the rights of Hannah Storm and Bill O'Reilly. That's what's in the book. That's what we all should be teaching our children."
O'Reilly also had some choice comments about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his discussion with Storm.
To read an excerpt of "Kids Are Americans, Too," click here.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. His latest, "Kids Are Americans, Too," debuted at No. 8 on The New York Times best-seller list.
The conservative commentator spoke about the book, and some affairs of the day, with The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Wednesday.
O'Reilly's first book for kids, "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids," was the bestselling non-fiction title for kids in 2005.
This one is a blunt look at what he says are the challenges kids face as they examine their rights as young Americans. It covers issues from religion in the classroom and dress codes at school to freedom of speech and kids' right to privacy.
O'Reilly says he hopes the book helps to empower kids across America.
He says "good kids" are being scorned these days in school, and they need to know their rights as compared to those of other kids, and adults, in the classroom, and elsewhere.
O'Reilly also urges kids and parents to discuss issues before they grow into major disagreements. That, he says, is why he wrote this book: to help further dialogue, once kids become aware of their rights.
And he says it's meant for parents' and grandparents' eyes, as well.
"I am so angry about how children are being treated in America today," O'Reilly told Storm. "Here's the latest. If you're a kid from a religious, conservative, traditional home, you go to school, you're called a geek, a moron, a nerd. The pendulum shifts. It used to be the stoners were mocked. Now, it's the straight kids are mocked. It's just a matter of our society.
"The cool kids now are the kids who are 'bad.' We see it every day, we report it every day. But kids, no matter who it is, shouldn't have to take that stuff. If you go to school, and you're 14 or 15 years old, and somebody's calling you a nerd because you go to church, that's wrong.
"So, I wrote this book for parents to put in the hand of their child and say, 'Look, you're an American. You have rights. Somebody can't browbeat you, just like somebody can't lay hands on you. Know what your rights are, and what they aren't, because they're different from the rights of Hannah Storm and Bill O'Reilly. That's what's in the book. That's what we all should be teaching our children."
O'Reilly also had some choice comments about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his discussion with Storm.
To read an excerpt of "Kids Are Americans, Too," click here.
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