Back in August, it seemed Fox News talking head Megyn Kelly had developed some critical thinking skills when she stepped up and defended the “entitlement” practice of maternity leave , conceding that America falls far short of other first world nations when it comes to such basic workplace rights.
Thankfully for Fox fans, the host has since come to her conservative senses, appearing on Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor to discuss the controversial incident last weekend when more than a dozen UC Davis students were pepper sprayed during an Occupy protest. The widely distributed YouTube clip was shared across the globe, sparking outcry, condemnation and a subsequent meme placing the pepper spray-happy Lt. John Pike in all sorts of situations pepper spraying the hell out of people.
While the military grade weapon was certainly used inappropriately- a one second blast is the recommendation, not an upclose dousing- the incident has still created a bit of debate. And not surprisingly, Fox- a network that has been actively trying to discredit the Occupy Wall Street protests since day one- is downplaying the pepper spray brouhaha. Kelly told O’Reilly that pepper spray- which has been known to precipitate severe reactions including death- is essentially “a food product,” brushing off concerns about its use at non-violent protests.
An online petition implores Kelly to prove her statements by eating or drinking the substance- the petition states :
Ms. Kelly, on November 21, you told Bill O’Reilly that pepper spray (as used by Lt. John Pike to assault the UC Davis protestors) is “a food product, essentially.” That was, of course, ridiculous.
While you allowed that the spray was “abrasive and intrusive”, you wondered if it had been diluted (reportedly, it hadn’t).
To back up your claim that pepper spray is a food product, please consume as much of it as was sprayed on each protestor’s face, in one sitting, on camera at Fox News. You may mix the spray with one serving of food or drink, as I am not a sadist. Then, please relate the effects to your audience.
Kelly has yet to comment on the petition.
