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Beck misleadingly bashes California in show on indoctrination

March 05, 2010 11:40 pm ET by Terry Krepel

Glenn Beck said many odd, fear-mongering things in tonight's special show on school indoctrination, but California was a particular target. Among other things, he claimed that "lawmakers there voted in 2008 for children to be taught by communists."

As you might expect, Beck isn't telling the whole story.

Children being "taught by communists" is not some sort of mandate, as he suggests. In 2008, the state legislature passed a bill repealing a Cold War-era state law that made "knowing membership in a communist party" by a teacher a firing offense. California was the only state in the union that allowed public employees to be dismissed for membership in a political party.

Does Beck oppose freedom of association? It appears so -- after all, it is a progressive idea.

Tags: Fox News Channel, Glenn Beck, Glenn Beck show

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    • Author by Unreality (March 06, 2010 12:10 am ET)
      10  
      I'm waiting for the day Beck says, "Don't buy anything made at WalMart that has label from Communist China or Communist Vietnam!"

      He'll also call out Rush for smoking Communist Cuban cigars.

      Why doesn't Beckdo that?

      Report Abuse
      • Author by Dradeeus (March 06, 2010 1:31 am ET)
        12 1
        That's a corporation. Conservatives believe anything corporations do is perfectly American. Outsourcing, importing, using sweat shops, all totally awesome.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by pete592 (March 06, 2010 2:52 am ET)
          7  
          Precisely. Corporate associations with communist countries is perfectly OK, because it enriches a chosen few. But teachers are held to a different level of scrutiny because they enrich the education of millions of children.

          Let's review...

          Enriching a few with lots of money = good; American.
          Enriching millions with an education = bad; communist.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by alienofwar (March 06, 2010 1:10 am ET)
      8  
      Distorting the truth is a profitable business, but than again, selling illegal drugs is also a profitable business.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by jlw7717595 (March 06, 2010 2:48 am ET)
      2  
      This is interesting. Texas Anti-Communism is where my research is and I have found where Texas Legislators and even the Governor in the mid-50s proposed making membership in the communist party illegal and punishable by the electric chair. That law was never enacted, but a similar law was passed here that outlawed the CPUSA and made membership in it punishable by 20yrs in prison. I wonder what Beck would think of those laws?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by pete592 (March 06, 2010 3:06 am ET)
        3  
        Regardless of what he thinks, Beck won't go near it. One of the last things he wants to do is alienate Texas' contingent of fellow tin-foil-hat, black-helicopter nut jobs, however large it may be.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by ZachWayne (March 06, 2010 3:43 am ET)
         
      In this episode, Beck said, "Education is not a right... If the government grants you rights, then you're a slave to the government because if they grant them, they can also take them away..." Like usual, Beck is all mixed up. The reason that state and local governments can make education funding cuts without demur is precisely because any right to education is not constitutionally guaranteed. In contrast, the right to vote, or more pertinently, the right of parents to control the upbringing of their children, are treated as fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution, and they cannot be infringed upon by government under almost all situations. For some reason, I do not think Beck would say that the right to bear arms would make gun owners slaves.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by nirvision (March 06, 2010 7:04 am ET)
      4  
      If anyone wants to know what factors led to California's budget issues, watching "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room".
      Report Abuse
      • Author by dogbreath (March 06, 2010 10:01 am ET)
        4 1
        There are so many contributors to California's economic problems but Beck has to, of course, dumb it down for his audience. Blaming California's economic problems on communists in the classroom just gives his audience what they want to hear - a simple black vs. white argument. Ultimately, it is an easy way to cast blame for a crisis that has been been many years and involves poor planning and poor policy coming from both the business world and politicians.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by New Frontier (March 06, 2010 10:18 am ET)
      3  
      "California is going broke" is accompanied by a stock photo of a guy with inside-out, empty pants pockets. (Get it??) But remember: Beck has told us he "never talks down to his audience".
      Report Abuse
      • Author by soze169880 (March 07, 2010 4:35 pm ET)
        1  
        Of course he doesn't; he'd be just as lost without illustrations as they would.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Midnight Kevin (March 06, 2010 1:51 pm ET)
      4 1
      Remember some calls in NY-23 race from the right, asking for Scozzafava to be removed from the ticket because the teabaggers thought her to be communist/socialist/Marxist/etc.?

      The far right wants discrimination. The far right opposes various freedoms, but only for people that may have different views from them...
      -----------------------------------
      The Midnight Review
      Report Abuse
    • Author by IRONY 101 (March 06, 2010 11:07 pm ET)
      2  
      I wonder what would happen to Beck if FOX News implemented a policy of mandatory drug testing for all of its employees.
      Report Abuse

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