Kevin Barrett: Scholar for 9/11 "Truth" (snicker)

They posted previously on the Loose Change blog about Kevin Barrett complaining that FoxNews host Bill O'Reilly had threatened him. Now I am not the biggest O'Reilly fan, but I suspected this story was false, especially because he wouldn't actually quote what O'Reilly had said. Here is the first part of Barrett's complaint:

Rupert MurdochBull-Goose Loonie & Fascist Billionaire Extraordinaire
Fox News

Dear Mr. Murdoch,It has come to my attention that one of your announcers, Bill O’Reilly, has stated on national television that he would like to see me murdered and thrown into Boston Harbor.

Since I get so many email death threats I can’t keep track of them (among the 10% of my 9/11-related emails that are negative) this is a pretty inflammatory thing to say. If anything were to happen to me, Fox News would find itself facing the mother of all lawsuits, and my family might very well end up in control of the Murdoch fortune.

Of course the "Scholars", never ones to miss an opportunity for self martyrdom or publicity issued an ominous press release on the subject.

FOX COMMENTATOR THREATENS 9/11 ACTIVIST

O'Reilly suggests he should be "floating in the river"

Duluth, MN (PRWEB) July 21, 2006 --- Bill O'Reilly, the host of "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel, has suggested that Kevin Barrett, an outspoken 9/11 truth activist, belongs "in the Charles River floating down". James H. Fetzer, founder and co-chair of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, a non-partisan society of more than 300 members dedicated to exposing falsehoods and revealing truths about 9/11, said that the absence of response from the FCC, Fox News, and the national media speaks volumes about the state of the nation. "When public threats can be made to a citizen's life for expressing his opinions on a controversial topic and neither the government nor the media respond," he observed, "that is a sure sign we are living in a fascist state."

Well I heard that this story was going to be on the O'Reilly Factor tonight, so I set my Tivo, and behold, O'Reilly played the clip of what he really said. If anyone can find the clip on the web, let me know, but this is the exact transcript:

This guy would have been gone at Boston University, my alma mater, in a heartbeat. The Chancellor there, John Silber, this guy would be, you know, in the Charles River floating down towards the harbor.

Funny, it doesn't say anywhere that O'Reilly would murder him. O'Reilly doesn't even say that he "should be floating in the river". All he is saying is that if Barrett had taught at Boston University he would have been immediately fired.

Well I am glad they are scholars for the "truth".

BTW, if you want to hear threats, read the words of Kevin Barrett.

On O'Reilly:

Also, you might want to tell O’Reilly that HE'S the one who should worry about ending up in Boston Harbor. 9/11 was an act of high treason and mass murder, and media figures complicit in the cover-up will be viewed, a few years hence, the way we now view Dr. Goebbels.

On President Bush:

I am writing because I am concerned that Mr. Cook's statement may be incorrect, and I wish to request Secret Service guidelines about how I may correct Mr. Cook's mistake without running afoul of your agents. As I understand it, the usual penalty for treason is hanging, not death by firing squad. In that case, it is likely that Mr. Bush will be hanged, not shot, for treason. By making this prediction, am I running the risk of having my clothesline confiscated? I also think that there is a real possibility that Mr. Bush will be electrocuted for the mass murder of 2,500 Americans in the World Trade Center. By stating this, am I risking a court order shutting off my electricity? I also foresee a small but very real possibility that Mr. Bush will die in the gas chamber. Does raising this possibility mean that my gas could be cut off?

In an e-mail written to Senator John Kerry:

Either way, it appears that masturbating in a coffin in front of your sick Yalie frat buddies doesn't do much for your intestinal fortitude. As far as I'm concerned, you're history. But hey, prove me wrong. Get onboard with 9/11 truth NOW or condemn yourself to historical irrelevance.

He is hardly the one to be complaining about a lack of civil discourse.

Update: I just noticed. If you read down in the press release they quote O'Reilly. So they know he didn't threaten to murder Barrett, and they still lie about it.