February 09, 2007 Bill O'Reilly Removed from NCMEC Speaker Gig Bill O'Reilly's execrable statements made shortly after the recovery of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby have come back to haunt him again. After O'Reilly's statements, Keith Olbermann pointed out the fact that O'Reilly was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for a fundraising event held by the Florida branch of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Today, the following announcement was posted on the NCMEC website:
In response to the numerous e-mails and inquiries we have received, we are providing the following update regarding the Collier County, Florida branch fundraising dinner scheduled for March 9, 2007 in Naples, Florida. Bill O’Reilly, host of The O’Reilly Factor, will not be a speaker at the dinner. The dinner will be held as scheduled. John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted, will be the keynote speaker.
We would like to thank everyone for their comments and e-mails.
I was actually preparing a different blog entry when I received an e-mail about this announcement.
A man named Dan McCormick set up an online petition to request that the NCMEC remove O'Reilly as the scheduled speaker, which I signed. My intent with the planned blog entry was to direct more readers to the petition, but now it looks as though it may no longer be needed.
The NCMEC deserves kudos for doing the right thing. John Walsh is an appropriate choice to speak to an organization devoted to the cause of bringing missing children home again.
I wish I could shake hands with all the good people who flooded the NCMEC with those comments and e-mails. You've made a difference. Now I am beginning to feel as though Shawn Hornbeck may finally be getting a fair break in the public dialogue.
It's about time.
Posted by Steve