Open Letter to Mr. Bill O'Reilly, Fox news Channel

Dear Mr. O'Reilly:

I watched your show last night, as I often do.  I enjoy both your commentary and your guests, but I have to ask you... Really O'Reilly?

You claimed last night in your Willie Nelson segment that anytime somebody purchases a marijuana joint they support Killers and criminals in Mexico.  And yet, you remain vehemently against the legalization of marijuana which would, at least for marijuana, eliminate the black market and criminal importers literally overnight.  If you know that legalization would fix the criminal problem, why not consider the issue with an open mind?

On one hand, you believe that Americans speciifcally, and people in general, should have opportunity to live their life as they choose.  You support the notion that we each should also be accountable for our actions.  You seem to believe in freedom.  

However, your stance supports the idea that people need to be protected from themselves.  Your notion of freedom ends when a person's choices violate your sense of sensibility.  To that I say, Really O'Reilly?

To be clear, people should be accountable for their actions.  The moment that somebody hurts another person because they are drunk or high, the person should receive maximum punishment.  But is it government's role to protect us from ourselves?  Can we have a policy of freedom that ends when such freedom permits acts that aren't acceptable to you or some lawmaker?

Or, does the Libertarian philospohy represent the only pure, logical freedom philospohy?  Put simply, live and let live until and unless a person violates the rights of another.  Government's role should be limited to enforce laws that protect us from others.  Isn't any other policy simply inconsistent with itself and therefore hypocritical?

All the best Bill,

R Braun

O'Reilly- Pinhead or Patriot?