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Beck caps two weeks of violent fear mongering about progressives by warning that eventually "they just start shooting people"

May 27, 2010 1:30 pm ET by Ben Dimiero

Glenn Beck is in the fear mongering business, and business is booming.

For the past year and a half, Beck has frequently warned his viewers about progressives' supposed penchant for resorting to violence. He spent pretty much the entire month of January doing this, culminating in a "documentary" linking progressives to some of history's greatest atrocities, enlightening his viewers to the supposed similarities between progressives and Hilter, Stalin and Mao. At the time, history professors labeled the film a "complete lie" that represented an "alternative universe" - which, of course, didn't stop Fox News from re-airing it in its entirety in March.

Jump ahead to earlier this week, when, during a discussion of how we are headed to "dangerous places," Beck suggested that the government might use anti-terror policies - including assassination -- to target Tea Partiers.

Well, Glenn Beck is apparently done hinting at the violence progressives are supposedly going to do to his viewers and listeners, and is now just outright saying it. Earlier today, Beck continued his recent fearmongering about the supposed "soft revolution" taking place in America (purportedly designed to silence voices like Beck's), and claimed that if the administration "can't get everyone to silence, that's when the arrests come, or that's when they start a hard revolution. That's when they start just shooting people."

This is absurd, outrageous, and potentially dangerous -- and maybe not even the most insane thing he's said in the past two weeks.

Starting with his dual speeches last weekend at Liberty University and the National Rifle Association, Beck's violent rhetoric has reached a fever pitch.

During his tear-soaked, unhinged commencement speech at Liberty U, Beck told graduates that they "have a responsibility" to speak out, or "blood...will be on our hands." His advice for graduates (as well as his daughter) included "shoot to kill." He also claimed that God installed an "alarm bell" in people that is telling them that "your rights are being taken." If you were wondering which rights these might be, he cleared up any confusion later that night during his speech at the NRA, when Beck agreed with Mao that "power comes from the barrel of a gun" and then asked the audience "why do you think they want to take yours away?"

Since then -- keep in mind we're just talking about the last two weeks here - Beck has done the following:

  • While lauding the fact that he has supposedly accurately predicted so much of what is going on right now, Beck informed listeners that "what's coming is horrific. I don't even want to speak it out loud."
  • Beck has continued his bizarre obsession with administration official Cass Sunstein, who he claims "controls everything" and "will control your every move." He has also suggested that Sunstein has "frightening similarities" to Joseph Goebbels. So, putting two and two together, Beck is suggesting that the person who "controls everything" right now is "frighteningly" similar to the Nazi propagandist behind Kristallnacht.  
  • While talking about how the "world is on edge," Beck told his viewers that "those who survive" will "stand in the truth" and "listen."
  • While discussing the ongoing controversy over Arizona's immigration law, he told his listeners that "we are being pushed" towards civil war and that Obama is "trying to destroy the country."
  • He told his listeners that "you have to be prepared to take rocks to the head. You have to be prepared to lose everything."
  • He responded to criticism from Media Matters by telling us that we "will have to shoot [him] in the head. We are not stopping."

Once again: that is all since last Monday.

And after informing his listeners earlier today that eventually the administration will "start just shooting people," Beck stated that "lives are at stake."

Beck frequently makes a show - or, more accurately, a mockery -- of Gandhi and civil rights leaders by stressing non-violence to his listeners. In March, Beck claimed that Obama was "poking and prodding" the "crazy tea baggers" to set them up to commit violence, but urged his viewers to resist. Keeping this in mind, I've got a question for Glenn Beck.

Repeatedly over the last two weeks, you have praised your own ability to supposedly predict, with unerring accuracy, everything that is happening right now. When you transition from telling your viewers and listeners that you have so far been right about everything to telling them that the administration wants to silence, arrest, and shoot people while starting a second Civil War and that there "will be rivers of blood if we don't have values and principles," then what, exactly, would you say you are doing?

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    • Author by NiceguyEddie (May 27, 2010 1:39 pm ET)
      5  
      That's why he's LEVEL FOUR.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by progressive zeppelin 13 (May 27, 2010 4:26 pm ET)
        2 1
        Good Stuff!
        Report Abuse
        • Author by NiceguyEddie (May 27, 2010 6:43 pm ET)
          2  
          Thanks
          Report Abuse
          • Author by srichardson (May 27, 2010 9:14 pm ET)
            1  
            I think Michelle Malkin would be a level 4 as well. Great way to rate the "conservatives".
            Report Abuse
          • Author by Unreality (May 28, 2010 2:19 am ET)
               
            They had me at Level 1. I can do without levels 5, 6 & ...n.

            Sort of like "Little Cats X, Y and Z" with apologies to Dr Seuss.
            Report Abuse
    • Author by afriend (May 27, 2010 2:03 pm ET)
      3  
      I still think all the fear-mongering is tied to selling gold via Goldmine. This is why I don't think the drivel they spew on the show daily is speech protected by the First Amendment, but rather constitutes unfair and deceptive business practices, subject to fines and penalties.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by lynneg (May 27, 2010 2:04 pm ET)
      6  
      How is this not screaming fire in a crowded theatre? Will we wait for some horrific event before this "master of propaganda" is held accoutable for his dangerous, violent and insidious words?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by epkklk851 (May 27, 2010 2:10 pm ET)
        3  
        Unfortunately, that is how this works. He hasn't committed a crime, and neither has anyone that can be firmly linked to his show. Until then, he is as entitled to free speech as you or I, and Fox is entitled to free commerce.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by afriend (May 27, 2010 2:49 pm ET)
          3  
          Commerce is regulated, and businesses in most states cannot use unfair or deceptive practices to sell products and services. I can't go on the radio and tell you I'm selling you new widgets, knowing they are used widgets. I can't then yell "free speech" to defend my deception. No crime is necessary. I know this is a bit out of the box, but I'll go there. Apparently Fox as a corporation is entitled also to individual liberties like freedom of speech, according to the SCOTUS campaign financing decision. I guess the final step in the process will be to declare that individuals have no individual rights,; only corporations do.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by epkklk851 (May 27, 2010 3:22 pm ET)
            3  
            Fox sells news, and any distortions can be written off as good intensions by the reporters, and distance can be given to people like Beckie and Hannity with a simple disclaimer, "The opinions expresses by this program do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or the Fox New Channel. I don't like Glennie's rot any more than you do, but, until something happens, he has the right to keep talking. We need to keep an eye on him, and that is why Media Matters is a good thing, he isn't hiding in a corner, we can see him.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by Unreality (May 28, 2010 2:47 am ET)
                 
              "Fox sells news.." I suggest this is incorrect. "Fox sells opinions..." is more accurate, but still incorrect.

              "Fox sells eyeballs." The job of on-air talent is to attract and retain eyeballs through the commercial break. If it takes biting the head off a live chicken to get an audience*, bring on the chickens. Watch for the hen house to be built in the Fox studios.
              * a true 1969 story
              Frank Zappa phoned Alice Cooper to ask if the story, which reported that he had bitten the head off the chicken and drunk its blood on stage, was true. Cooper denied the rumor, whereupon Zappa told him, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell anyone you didn't do it", obviously recognising that such publicity would be priceless for the band. source Wikipedia
              The Wikipedia story is accurate. Through a mutual friend I met Glen Buxton, lead guitarist for Alice, shortly after the event and we were all nonplussed. I'd done enough time in the rock business to know this was more than stagecraft. But Zappa hit it on the nose - you never deny that kind of legend-making story, but recognize that your audience will constantly demand it for an encore.

              Glenn's audience is addicted to spectacle - what will he do next! Tune in tomorrow.

              Report Abuse
          • Author by Nathan Garcia (May 28, 2010 5:07 am ET)
               
            Fox wouldn't be able to get away with a fraction of what it does were there a Fairness Doctrine renewed. Were Fox required by law to give equal time regarding political matters both in reporting and Opinion/Editorial, their market would dry up. It's the same corporate interests that wrangled deregulation allowing single corporation to own radio, television and print news businesses in a single market, and the huge conclomerations like ClearChannel and New Corporation to defeat renewal of the Fairness Doctrine that have also gutted the FCC's authority to require honesty on the air.

            The airwaves belong to the people. It's an outrage that corporate intereests are able to corrupt, filter and confine the messages being delivered to gullible, fear struck consumers at all our expense and peril.

            Doublespeak has truly arrived.

            Report Abuse
    • Author by epkklk851 (May 27, 2010 2:08 pm ET)
      3  
      You also left out his references to Julius Caesar, remember, Caesar was assassinated by those who wanted to restore the Republic, bringing him up and cloaking Obama in his red cloak invites people to react to Obama the same way that Republicans reacted to Caesar.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by thedailyphosdex (May 27, 2010 2:11 pm ET)
      2  
      Could it be that Glenn Beck is now channelling, if not already, Enoch Powell, a British Conservative MP whose 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech led to a few instance of civil disorder across England's Green and Pleasant Land?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by jmh (May 27, 2010 3:59 pm ET)
      8  
      there are only two options in regard to explaining Blenn Geck:
      Either he is not sane, or he is deliberately attempting to incite harm to others
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Malik Nidal (May 27, 2010 4:49 pm ET)
         
      How's that Joe Sestak thing working for you?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by vipers (May 28, 2010 8:32 am ET)
        1
      you go glenn
      Report Abuse

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  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.