Fox's O'Reilly Supports Al-Qaida Attack On SF For Opposing Gay Military Ban

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Fox's O'Reilly Supports Al-Qaida Attack On SF For Opposing Gay Military Ban

by Mary Ellen Peterson, 365Gay.com San Francisco Bureau

Posted: November 13, 2005 11:00 am ET

(San Francisco, California) Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly is under fire for suggesting that al-Qaida should "blow up" Coit Tower, one of the San Francisco's most famous landmarks, because voters backed a resolution discouraging military recruiters on public high school and college campuses.

The proposition passed by a healthy majority last Tuesday. It does not ban recruiters, but it does urge schools to reject them.

The proposition is not binding but its let the Pentagon know how the city feels about 'don't ask, don't tell' the military's ban on gays serving openly.

On his Fox television show O'Reilly called for President George W. Bush to withdraw any military protection for the city.

"...If al-Qaida comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead," O'Reilly said.

City supervisors reacted angrily to O'Reilly's comments.

"Coit Tower's a monument to San Francisco's firefighters," said Supervisor Chris Daly. "They put out the fires in San Francisco after the great quake. American heroes -- they were there on Sept. 11 and now you want al-Qaida to blow up Coit Tower? Give us a break. You are out of line."

In September, Supervisors voted 8 - 3 to reject a plan to berth the USS Iowa on the city's historic waterfront and turn it into a museum and tourist attraction. (story) The Supervisors cited the military's ban on gays serving in the armed forces for their rejection of the proposal.

The same month the California legislature voted to call on Washington to abolish 'don't ask, don't tell'.

On Veterans Day, LGBT vets held a memorial in Oakland for gays who gave their lives in the service of their country. (story)

A bill was introduced in Congress last March to repeal the ban on gays in the military. It is sponsored by Representative Marty Meehan (D-MA), is co-sponsored by 100 Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including nine members of the House Armed Services Committee. (story)

A recent poll shows that 79% of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly.

According to the Pentagon, it has discharged more than 10,000 service members for being gay, including nearly 800 with skills deemed “mission critical” by the Department of Defense.

©365Gay.com 2005

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