Bill O'Reilly, a conservative broadcaster, took offense when a Florida school district decided to remove two of his books from circulation while authorities investigated potential violations of a legislation he had supported.
Due to allegations that they "alleged to contain pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct," the Escambia County School District temporarily withdrew over a thousand volumes from its library shelves. O'Reilly has written many books on the subject, such as Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency and Killing Jesus: A History. In March of 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida gave his signature to the bill.
"Regrettably, we have discovered books in certain libraries that contain extremely disturbing material. It's unfathomable that these books have made it into the hands of middle school students," DeSantis said at the time.
O'Reilly voiced his disapproval when Newsweek reached out to him for comment on Friday. It's ridiculous, he told the magazine. "How absurd."
The abuse that was occurring in Florida was the reason he agreed with the concept when DeSantis signed the book law, he said. Undoubtedly, there were progressives on the extreme left who sought to push their ideology on youngsters. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the safety of children. However, in Tallahassee, the language of the bill was too vague...
There has to be stricter enforcement of that rule, and DeSantis has to publicly declare, "This is insane; we will not cooperate with this; and we will investigate those responsible." Although O'Reilly maintains his support for the legislation, he believes that the seizure of his books constitutes a misuse of that authority.
The reality that some school systems engage in abusive practices that negatively impact students is something he wanted to stress. "The legislation has to include explicit language regarding the materials that are considered inappropriate."
Due to allegations that they "alleged to contain pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct," the Escambia County School District temporarily withdrew over a thousand volumes from its library shelves. O'Reilly has written many books on the subject, such as Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency and Killing Jesus: A History. In March of 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida gave his signature to the bill.
"Regrettably, we have discovered books in certain libraries that contain extremely disturbing material. It's unfathomable that these books have made it into the hands of middle school students," DeSantis said at the time.
O'Reilly voiced his disapproval when Newsweek reached out to him for comment on Friday. It's ridiculous, he told the magazine. "How absurd."
The abuse that was occurring in Florida was the reason he agreed with the concept when DeSantis signed the book law, he said. Undoubtedly, there were progressives on the extreme left who sought to push their ideology on youngsters. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the safety of children. However, in Tallahassee, the language of the bill was too vague...
There has to be stricter enforcement of that rule, and DeSantis has to publicly declare, "This is insane; we will not cooperate with this; and we will investigate those responsible." Although O'Reilly maintains his support for the legislation, he believes that the seizure of his books constitutes a misuse of that authority.
The reality that some school systems engage in abusive practices that negatively impact students is something he wanted to stress. "The legislation has to include explicit language regarding the materials that are considered inappropriate."
