Beck attacks social justice
Glenn Beck has repeatedly attacked the concept of social justice and churches that promote it, asserting that it is "code language for Marxism" and warning that "when you see those words, run." In fact, numerous churches and religious faiths, as well as prominent religious scholars, espouse social justice, including the Catholic Church, the Conservative and Reform movements of Judaism, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Social justice is a tenet of mainstream faiths and has been promoted by respected religious scholars
The Catechism of the Catholic Church deals specifically with "Social Justice." From the Catechism: "Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority."
Conservative and Reform Jews promote social justice. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism has a section of its website devoted to "Social Justice," detailing positions on topics such as "Judaism and Health Care Reform" and "Jewish Community Budget Priorities." ("We have long been involved with the annual budget process, advocating for policies and programs that assist the most vulnerable people in our nation.") And the Union for Reform Judaism's Commission on Social Action "seeks to apply the insights of Jewish tradition to such domestic and foreign issues as human rights, world peace, civil liberties, religious freedom, famine, poverty, intergroup relations, as well as other major societal concerns"; its website cites a statement by Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, that "the thread of social justice is so authentically and intricately woven into the many-colored fabric we call Judaism that if you seek to pull that thread out, the entire fabric unravels."
National Association of Evangelicals promotes call to "work toward social justice." In presenting its Charitable Choice 2000 program, the National Association of Evangelicals, a coalition of more than 30 denominations dedicated to "serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry and strategic planning," wrote:
Government funding can significantly expand the number and scope of faith-based agencies available to work with poor and broken people. As the Church answers the biblical call to care for the poor, seek racial reconciliation, and work toward social justice, it should exercise caution in stepping through the doors of opportunity opened by Charitable Choice. Government funding is not appropriate in every situation, and a religious organization should always be vigilant and refrain from accepting public funds and concomitant government regulations if the aid should compromise its beliefs or undermine its effectiveness and integrity.
Church of Latter Day Saints says social justice integral to Mormonism. A March 11 blog post on the New York Times blog, The Caucus, quoted two Mormon scholars explaining the importance of social justice in Mormonism:
Mr. Beck himself is a convert to Mormonism, a faith that identifies itself as part of the Christian family, but which is nevertheless rejected by many Christians. Two Mormon scholars said in interviews that social justice is integral to Mormon teaching too.
Kent P. Jackson, associate dean of religion at Brigham Young University, said in an interview: "My own experience as a believing Latter-day Saint over the course of 60 years is that I have seen social justice in practice in every L.D.S. congregation I've been in. People endeavor with all of our frailties and shortcomings to love one another and to lift up other people. So if that's Beck's definition of social justice, he and I are definitely not on the same team."
Philip Barlow, the Arrington Professor of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, said: "One way to read the Book of Mormon is that it's a vast tract on social justice. It's ubiquitous in the Book of Mormon to have the prophetic figures, much like in the Hebrew Bible, calling out those who are insensitive to injustices.
"A lot of Latter-day Saints would think that Beck was asking them to leave their own church."Mr. Barlow said that Mr. Beck's comments were particularly ill-timed because just this year, the church's highest authority, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, issued a new "Handbook of Instructions" to church leaders in which they revised the church's "three-fold mission" and added a fourth mission statement: care for the poor.
Martin Luther King, Jr. "devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all." In a December 18, 1963, speech on the topic of social justice, King stated: "I think with all of these challenges being met and with all of the work, and determination going on, we will be able to go this additional distance and achieve the ideal, the goal of the new age, the age of social justice." He also said: "It is tragic how individuals will often use religion and the Bible or misuse religion and the Bible to crystallize a status quo and justify their prejudices." The U.S. government website about the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service states that King "devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all."
Beck attacks churches that promote social justice, encourages listeners to leave them
Beck: "Look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church website. If you find it, run as fast as you can." On his radio show, Beck stated: "I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church website. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words." He continued: "Now, the idea -- hang on -- Stu is saying, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes. If I'm going to Jeremiah Wright's church, yes. Leave your church." He later added, "If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop and tell them, 'Excuse me. Are you down with this whole social justice thing?' " Co-host Steve "Stu" Burguiere said, "It's possible they need to be illuminated to the hidden meaning behind some of these terms." Beck replied, "There's a very good chance that people don't know what it is. That's why you have to educate yourself." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 3/2/10]
Beck: Question church leaders who are "basing their religion on social justice." On his radio show, Beck read an article on the Christian Post website reporting that "[a]nti-poverty Christian groups are up in arms after popular political commentator Glenn Beck urged Christians to leave their church if they talk about social justice." Beck asserted, "No, no, no. Didn't say that. I said if they are basing their religion on social justice -- if they -- social justice and economic justice are code words. Look for those code words, and then ask your church, 'What do you mean by that? What is that?' Because they're code words. And don't be sucked into that." Burguiere replied, "And you clarified that two minutes after that statement, by the way." Beck later referenced criticism of his remarks by Rev. Jim Walls, founder of the group Sojourners. Co-host Pat Gray said of Wallis, "He's a leftist. He is a operative for the Democratic Party. He is an apologist for communist atrocities in Cambodia and Vietnam. He's a dedicated foe of capitalism." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 3/11/10]
Beck: Social justice "is a perversion of the Gospel," "not what Jesus was saying." On his radio show, Beck addressed a caller who said his daughter was taking classes for confirmation in the Catholic Church that were "becoming more and more about social justice." Beck stated: "I want you to know that even some members in my faith, where I go to church -- there are members that preach social justice as members. My faith doesn't, but the church -- the members preach social justice all the time. It is a perversion of the Gospel. Nowhere does Jesus say, 'Hey, if somebody asks for your shirt, give your coat to the government and have the government give them a pair of slacks.' That's not what -- that's not what Jesus was saying." [The Glenn Beck Program, 3/11/10]
Beck and crew warn that progressives are trying to "hijack churches" with "social justice." On his radio show, Beck stated, "Economic and social justice, it is a code word." He later added: "When it comes to social and economic justice, people will say that.'I, you know, I want social justice, I want economic justice.' It has been mainstreamed. So, it's one thing if somebody says, 'Hey,we're going to get social justice,' or 'This is going to be economic justice,' or whatever, that's fine. But if you're talking about -- if it is a doctrine in your church. Or, if you are -- if you go to your church's website -- and I've seen several of these. You go to your church's website and click on the thing: 'Help Haiti.' Now, most churches will go and say, 'Yeah, I want to help Haiti,' so they'll put it up. But they don't know that if they click, you know, three clicks into it, you're now at, like, the Center for American Progress. You know what I mean?" He later stated that progressives are trying to "hijack churches." [The Glenn Beck Program, 3/2/10]
Beck warns of "Marxist code words" like "social justice" in "infiltrated" churches. On his radio show, Beck warned his listeners to "watch the messages in your own church. Because if you see the words 'social justice,' you're in trouble." He continued:
BECK: If you see the words -- what is -- social justice, and what was the other one? Economic justice. You see these -- these are code words. These are the Marxist code words for the new global order. You see those words, if you see things that are now being preached about from the pulpit in many churches, about health care. Warning. Warning. Many churches have been infiltrated with this line of thinking that is absolutely against the freedoms that our Founding Fathers designed. And you can find them, you can find them. And they're not hard to find. Look for them and wake your fellow parishioners and your fellow congregants up to what is going on, because there are hidden messages that are there. And they're not hidden. I mean, it's not a conspiracy. It's all out in the open. [The Glenn Beck Program, 12/15/09]
Beck: Creamer book to blame for pastors, priests, and rabbis preaching "social justice." On Fox News, Beck linked the bookListen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight!: How Progressives Can Win by Robert Creamer to religious groups and places of worship that preach "social justice." He stated, "You ask yourself this one question: In the last six months, have you heard this message come from your pastor, priest, or rabbi? Anything about social justice? Anything about health care?" He added: "I have been looking at church websites. I cannot believe what I am seeing. There's -- several of these websites you can go three clicks from your churchwebsite and you are at HCAN." [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 12/7/09]
Beck's advice for when you see the words "social justice": "Run, and don't listen to anyone who is telling you differently." On his radio show, Beck stated:
BECK: [T]here are big forces within the faith of different churches that have joined hands with truly Marxist groups, and it's all under social justice. And this is why social justice started. It started in groups in Latin America that they knew they couldn't get into the government because the government -- what was really regulating people there was the church. And so the churches were so powerful, they knew they had to weasel their way in there and tie it to God.
It's the same thing that progressives did in the early 20th century. They used God and the churches, and then they broke it apart. That's what's happening. And I'm going to share some evidence next week on different faiths that, known or unknown to many people in the faith, they are part of the social justice movement. And it is Marxist, and it is extraordinarily dangerous. These people have been laying eggs, and they have hatched a long time ago. They are in many, many organizations. You are doing exactly the right thing. You cannot take anything on its face value anymore. You've got to look at the layers and know what you're looking for.
Whenever you see some thing that talks about a strong democratic movement or strengthening democracy, you're in trouble. If you see anything that talks about social or economic justice, you're in trouble. Those two things are the language of people like Hugo Chavez. We are a republic, not a democracy.
[...]
BECK: When you say, you know, I see "social justice" -- when you see those words, run. Because social justice is what Jeremiah Wright preaches. Run, and don't listen to anyone who is telling you differently. Look at the roots of social justice. See what radicals put it together. [The Glenn Beck Program, 10/8/09]
Beck links social justice to Nazis, communists, socialists
Beck: Nazis and communists both backed "social justice." On his Fox News program, Beck stated that both communists and Nazis promoted social justice. From the March 3 edition of Glenn Beck:
BECK: Both the communists, who are on the left -- they say -- you know, these are communists. And the Nazis are on the right. That's what people say. But they both subscribed to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. One had the hammer and sickle; the other was a swastika. But on each banner read the words, here in America, of this -- "social justice." They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly -- I love this -- democracy. [Glenn Beck, 3/3/10]
Beck: "What I would call socialist or communist, they'll call just social justice or progressive." On his Fox News show, Beck stated, "Progressives don't speak the same kind of language that you and I do. Economic justice -- that's Marxism. It's taking from the haves and giving to the have-nots." He continued:
BECK: Social justice -- what is that? Well, let me quote Mark Lloyd, the guy I introduced to you again to last night. "Someone needs to step down so someone else can have a turn."
And, transforming America -- I would say that that means collapsing the system as we know it and rebooting it as a progressive utopia.
None of the language is the same, and that's why people get lost. What I would call socialist or communist, they'll call justsocial justice or progressive. [Glenn Beck, 1/5/10]
Beck: "Social justice is taking money from one group and giving it to another." On Fox News, Beck stated:
BECK: This is Barack Obama in 2001 -- 2001, look at what he said, he talked about social justice. Social justice is taking money from one group and giving it to another. He talked about economic justice, the same thing. He talked about the political and community organizing, and the events in the organizing on the ground that cobble together the coalitions of power that lead to redistributive change.
[...]
BECK: He believes when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody. That's Marxism. ... Spreading the wealth around. Well, that's not a capitalist idea. [Glenn Beck, 10/5/09]
Beck declares that phrases "lives in the real world," is "compassionate," and "understands social justice" are really "code language for Marxism." While discussing President Obama's remarks about what traits he would look for in a Supreme Court justice, Beck stated on his radio show:
BECK: They're now talking about making sure that they can correct -- progressive phrase -- "social justice." That does not come from the bench.
[...]
BECK: Barack Obama comes out and says he wants somebody who lives in the real world, somebody who is compassionate, and somebody that is -- that understands social justice. That's code language for Marxism. It's called, to quote Hillary Clinton, that very American, early 20th century progressivism, where they did a loophole and a couple of somersaults to deny that they were progressives, to show the difference was enlightenment. Progressive is enlightened. Marxism is at the barrel of a gun. That's the difference to these guys. Really? Yeah, you're telling me that you're not doing things through the barrel of a gun? You're gonna have to. They're going to have to. You don't need enlightenment. Justice is blind. [The Glenn Beck Program, 5/4/09]
Beck clarifies stance on social justice
Beck: Social justice in which "you empower yourself to go out and help the poor" is permissible. On his March 12 radio show, Beck reacted to criticism by the Sojourners' Wallis:
BECK: So now, Jim Wallis comes out, and he has started to attack me personally because I have said on this program, "social justice" is code language -- code language -- for big government. I want you to understand. When it comes to your church, if your church is preaching social and economic justice, you better do some digging and find out exactly what that means. Because if that means big government, if that means yes, you need to support these big government programs, you don't have a church. What you have is an organ of the government. You have the Anglican Church over in England, which we left. You have the Church of England.
Separation of church and state. It's weird that I have to argue with someone like Jim Wallis the separation of church and state. Now, if your church is talking about social justice in the way that you empower yourself to go out and help the poor, well then that's exactly what Jesus or Allah or Buddha or whoever it is, would like you to do.
GRAY: Yeah, they're trying to make this an anti-poor thing. They're trying to make this that you're against the poor?
BECK: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
GRAY: I mean that's just ridiculous.
BECK: And so now, they're ramping up a boycott on Christians to boycott our show. Oh, really? Look out, here it comes again, gang. The smear. [The Glenn Beck Program, 3/12/10]
Beck: "There's a lot of people that will say 'social justice,' and some people don't mean Marxism, but others do." Also, on his March 12 radio show, Beck stated:
BECK: The other thing they do is they always change and confuse the language. Political correctness comes from the progressive movement. Change and confuse the language. Look at this case. Social justice. There's a lot of people that -- who say "social justice" and some people don't mean Marxism. But others do, and you need to know, which is it?
The people who brought us, you know, the language into the political religious sphere were looking for ways to bring progressivism into the church. It continues today. Where's black liberation theology come from? Black liberation theology -- Jeremiah Wright's theology -- comes from South America. The church had the power down there. The church was all-important. What the church said, people listened to. It wasn't the government, because the government was always corrupt. People had faith in the church, and they knew they could never have a communist revolution if it wasn't for the church. If the church wasn't into it, so what did they do? They came up with black liberation theology. It's Marxism. And they got it -- spooned it in -- to the Christians, piece by piece. Just little bit -- progress. Little by little spoon feed it to people until the church would decay and collapse on itself.
Why do people in Europe not go to church? Because it's one with the government. It always has been. You must protect your church and make sure that it is not an organ for the government. That doesn't mean that you don't fight and protest, and you know, your church when it comes to a moral issue like abortion, that you don't stand up and fight for it. But you don't become one with the government. Separation of church and state. Progressives have been waiting for this moment for a hundred years. [The Glenn Beck Program, 3/12/10]
What's Glenn Beck a code word for?
?
Someone else can start the list.
would it be rude if I were to mention that I think
Beck is a Whack Job?
I do not really like to be rude, so if it's rude,
I won't say it.
Because i am not God and i have no Right to Claim his Throne.
You watch Glenn Beck & you think you're really watching his Evil Clone.
Poor Glenn, He attacks Chruches? Talk about getting between a Dog & his Bone.
Speak truth to power.
Mr. News
Remember: In any discussion or argument, usually both parties are right to some degree, depending on your ability to think. What is lacking is Beck fans and Religious followers do not have a reputation for thinking.
William
It's obvious that Beckie Boy has no idea of what he is talking about. One minute he's calling for the intervention of religion in the government via his 9/12 Project, and in the next minute, he's calling for separation of church and state. Beckie Boy is a very confused man. The sad part of the entire fallacy that is Beckie Boy is that he has millions more as confused as he is.
"Social justice" is a nice sounding coined term. Sounds fair but it's no different then how Hugo Chavez(and now Mark Lloyd)use the term Democratic to describe Venezuela. What is social justice? Basically taking from the "haves" & giving to the "have-nots", right? How does that sound just? The sad thing is when you take money or property from another by force and give it to another there is nothing Christian about it. In fact it is completley the opposite. It's not a gift unless it's is given freely.
Wrong. It's about changing conditions and structural factors that perpetuate poverty and inequality. To equate it to simple wealth redistribution is to miss the point entirely.
THAT is exactly the problem with this whole dialog, not just here, but in the country in general. There are too many people who think this is just about moving money from some people to different people. It's sooo not about that.
I'll take a wild guess and say that NoNannyNeeded is not the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation. I have an acquaintance who works for a small company who is a staunch Republican. She regularly mentions her fears of her wealth being redistributed. I'm pretty sure she gets more in alimony than she earns at her job.
Social justice is really about accountability rather than taking something from anyone. Taking responsibility for each other is scary to Beck and many others who are just scratching by. With these folks, doing something for others can only mean something sinister. Interesting.
What structual factors perpetuate poverty and inequality?
http://www.google.com/search?q=structual+factors+perpetuate+poverty+and+inequality
But think about some obvious bits of our history: voting rights, rights for workers, land rights, rights for mothers & families, the power of land & business owners to abuse those dependent on them... all these issues have been tackled by various stages of the social justice movement. The fact that you (I'm assuming) and I work a 40 hour week instead of 12hrs a day for 7 days is a result of the social justice movement. The fact that we have rights if we are injured on the job, that everyone is (in theory anyway) entitled to a decent education, that we can vote even if we're not land-owning white males... all of this is the result of a social justice movement comprised of secular and religious groups with the shared belief that people have basic rights and should not be exploited or oppressed.
Things like voting rights, workers rights, etc., seem obvious in retrospect, but were not so obvious before people fought for them. In the same way, there are many not-so-obvious factors today (access to education & health care, corporate abuse of power, hiring prejudices, corporate welfare... just a few off the top of my head) that perpetuate poverty and inequality.
BTW, it never ceases to amaze me how much the practice of propaganda (from any side or belief) relies on generalized labels. "Liberal", "conservative", its so easy to make boogey monsters out of abstract concepts, but I would never have imagined "social justice" could be used that way. Talking to people about specifics like their basic rights or fiscal responsibility or health care costs produces a very different response, all of a sudden we have common ground and foundation to build on.
Which is why I'm glad the wingnuts are attacking the concept of social justice; they are finally being honest about the fact that they don't believe in any of these things. If they really believed that people should be awarded according to their hard work, and not who their parents are, they would be aghast at the fact that in the last thirty years, people moving from lower income brackets to higher ones has become less and less common, largely due to policies which they favor. They would also be horrified by the vast gap between the quality of education poor children recieve versus that of the well-to-do.
But alas, it's quite clear that what republicans really want is for the poor to stay right where they are, so that they and their progeny wont be forced to compete on a level playing field for the elite status they currently have. It's nice to see right-wingers finally being honest with themselves.
Social justice apparently doesn't allow for people to hand down their wealth or property to the children either. You have mentioned that twice now. So some people may have more advantage than someone else, when did someone tell you life was fair? if yo are concerned with the education system if this country regarding the poor then you should untie the hands from the back of parents & supoport he voucher system.
Conservatives do not want anyone to stay poor. We want them to have a chance to make something out of their own lives & not live off someone else. Benjamin Franklin said we should make poverty uncomfortable in order to kick people out of poverty. The damage of poverty is being increased by the comfort entitlements are creating.
To sum up you posting it's socialism. I know that's the "taboo" word now but basically by reading your posting you have cofirmed to me my initial conclusion & that is social justice = socialism. Their is certianly nothing Christian about that.
So, you would be in favor of a massive new Works Project Administration, to create jobs for all the people currently looking for them? Because right now, we have 1 job for every 6 people looking for work. That means that approximately 16% of the people looking can have jobs and the rest are just screwed.
Poverty is uncomfortable, but right now, the problem is not people who don't want to work, it is a lack of jobs for those who need them. Ben Franklin lived in a different time - i time when if you couldn't find a job, you could go claim a piece of land and start working it and it would be yours. It doesn't work that way anymore. The world has moved on apparently without the right-wingnuts. They don;t seem to have noticed the changing circumstances.
This is something that self-described conservatives don't seem to get, no matter how many times it's mentioned. As I've said elsewhere, I think this is why there are so many of the most solid pockets of GOP voters in depressed areas of red states. There's almost a jealousy in their hatred of "comfortable" poor people that can only come from those who would be considered underachievers in more prosperous areas.
For most of my life, I've known very few people personally who were not employed full-time and continuously. I've never known anybody who was happy to be on unemployment and wasn't doing everything possible to get away from it.
Here in southern California, at least, I can't imagine anybody being comfortable trying to live on public assistance. That's probably only believable to people who have never managed to make a very good living.
Every time I hear this argument I ask one question - and never get an answer. How many open spots are there at these private schools? Are there unlimited desks available, or is it really a small number - too small to make a difference. I am not saying I oppose vouchers, but no one has supplied me with numbers which make me believe it is a "solution."
It just doesn't work that way in the real world.
No, sir.
No, sir.
You should look up "socialism". It is a very specific concept and, while there may be overlap (many tenets of socialism are based on concepts of social justice), concern for social and economic justice can be expressed in the context of a market-based economy: the two are not synonymous. Furthermore, I find it most presumptuous that you would deign to define Christianity in a manner that excludes social justice. I don't know how anyone could read Jesus' teachings and not conclude that social justice is a major component of his message.
What do you think our current economic system is doing? Globalism and capitalism redistribute wealth and especially to those with unfair advantages. This, of course, flies way way over Beck's head. Currently those who are already wealthy and powerful do all they can to manipulate and weaken the government to increase their undue advantages. With less government intervention in the economy, undue advantages and wealth redistribution by corporate and monopolistic interests would even be worse than it already is now.
Its funny how a hundred years ago progressives saw that it is irresponsible to let the market players run the show. They realized that we the people need to use our civic and political rights to referee the system. Beck is an enabler - his efforts aid those who want even more undue advantages to redistribute wealth from the poor to the rich. Affirmative action indeed!
If you don't want people to stay poor why attack labor unions and student loans? Why prop up the already wealthy with more corporate welfare?
To sum up its not socialism seeing as how we now have the highest ever gap between the rich and poor. And aren't Christians told to sell everything and give to the poor?
I came from an exceptionally poor background and was the recipient of a less than desirable childhood education and a rather unhealthy -- even abusive -- upbringing. Somehow, I acquire an excellent, even superior education and a comfortable -- if precarious -- middle class life. I wish I could credit my success to my high intelligence, superior work habits, and undiverted motivation. Unfortunately, I can't. I'm not exceptionally intelligent, not a particularly hard working, and especially motivated. But, unlike many of the very intelligent, workaholic, and driven people I grew up with and who still suffer the pangs of poverty, I was very, very lucky to be in the right time at the right place.
I, knowing how close I came to joining them, feel we owe a debt to those bypassed by success. After all, they build our homes, grow our foods, wait our tables, fight in our wars, pave our streets, drive our buses, and provide a million other serves that we never think twice about in addition to agreeing to a common currency which caters most to those with means. The very least we can do for the poor, whose labor created our nation's wealth, is to allow taxes to help them when they are in need of shelter, food, clothing, or protection.
We can survive well without the pittance of tax money used to help the poor, and we should all remember that each of us could easily join their ranks through a simple twist of fate -- my apologies to Bob Dylan. But since I stealing words from the more talented, I will conclude with the eminently-quotable Oliver Wendell Holmes, who thusly replied when asked by a secretary, "Don't you hate paying taxes?":
“No, young fellow, I like paying taxes, with them I buy civilization."
I came from an exceptionally poor background and was the recipient of a less than desirable childhood education and a rather unhealthy -- even abusive -- upbringing. Somehow, I acquire an excellent, even superior education and a comfortable -- if precarious -- middle class life. I wish I could credit my success to my high intelligence, superior work habits, and undiverted motivation. Unfortunately, I can't. I'm not exceptionally intelligent, not a particularly hard working, and especially motivated. But, unlike many of the very intelligent, workaholic, and driven people I grew up with and who still suffer the pangs of poverty, I was very, very lucky to be in the right time at the right place.
I, knowing how close I came to joining them, feel we owe a debt to those bypassed by success. After all, they build our homes, grow our foods, wait our tables, fight in our wars, pave our streets, drive our buses, and provide a million other serves that we never think twice about in addition to agreeing to a common currency which caters most to those with means. The very least we can do for the poor, whose labor created our nation's wealth, is to allow taxes to help them when they are in need of shelter, food, clothing, or protection.
We can survive well without the pittance of tax money used to help the poor, and we should all remember that each of us could easily join their ranks through a simple twist of fate -- my apologies to Bob Dylan. But since I stealing words from the more talented, I will conclude with the eminently-quotable Oliver Wendell Holmes, who thusly replied when asked by a secretary, "Don't you hate paying taxes?":
“No, young fellow, I like paying taxes, with them I buy civilization."
Render unto Caesar...
We're not talking about alms, gifts, or charity. Social justice is about protecting the powerless from the powerful.
1. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
-Lovely. Other than the fact that to believe in these values you have to exclude large portions of people in America, such as atheists or agnostics, this point seems spiffy. Of course, it seems that Becky's definition of an American is one that also believes in God. Rather terrifying when you think about it, since America was specifically designed to separate the church and state, and to make sure that people weren't discriminated against for their religious beliefs.
2. America is good.
-History begs to differ. America has been the perpetrator of some of the most heinous crimes in history. As a matter of fact, America continues to perpetrate some of the most heinous crimes in history. America has done good in its history, but whitewashing to simply claim that America is 'good' is beyond laughably simple at best and at worst it's clearly trying to alter history and people's perception of history.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
-I don't know about you, but I tend not to lie enough in my life that I have to make a promise to myself to try and be more honest than I was the day before. I tend to pretty much tell the truth all the time. I guess this should be like a support group admission or something, I suppose, for Becky. He's telling everybody in a roundabout sort of way that he's a liar and trying to fix the issue. You want to follow a principle which claims that you lie enough to actually make an effort to be more honest? How much lying is involved here, to have to have this as a guiding principle of a group?!?
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
-If you live in a country, that country's government is the authority there. Now, I'd personally add a caveat claiming that they're the authority if they don't invalidate it by acting to harm others or becoming totalitarian. This is a thinly veiled swipe at homosexuals wanting the right to marry acknowledged. The whole 'sacred family' is one of the battlecries that has been used since the beginning of the arguments.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
-Simplistic, but I suppose you can't get into extenuating circumstance in a statement of values. He's actually correct in this, nobody should be above the law. I'm stunned that I actually said Becky was correct about something.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
-Stunned again, because here's something else I agree with that he came up with. Yes, I can freely admit that this is a nice rule. You have the rights but not the right to the same results as somebody else. Given, of course, that you aren't hindered in those rights by others tilting the system to their favor so much that you have no chance of success ever, but I digress.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
-A swipe at being taxed, but phrased in a way to make it sound reasonably sane. Yes, a government cannot force a person to make donations to charity. Understand though, the distinction between 'charity' and 'taxes'. If he actually meant this in a non-Beck, sane way, I'd agree with this.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
-It's not, he's right. As long as that personal opinion was based on the best facts and reason that you had, and was as truthful as you could make it given your limited knowledge. A point to be sure to add is that when you discover new knowledge you change your personal opinion if it is shown that you are wrong. This seems to be an ignoramus' plea to be able to call people 'racist' and other nasty slurs, and spout ignorant nonsense like Becky does all the time, only to claim that it's his 'opinion' and that 'he's entitled to that'.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
-Yup, the government's ultimate purpose is to work for the people. Don't misunderstand this so as to think that you can order around government officials, or that they have to listen to everything you or your buddies say though. Even if you have a majority, the American system of governance doesn't work that way. It's supposed to be based on reason and thoughtfulness, not brute force by strength of numbers or arms or anything like that.
I'd suggest that you take a close look at the 'values' the 9/12 project claims are the highest in the land and try to reconcile them with not only what Becky displays on a daily basis, but also with logic and reason. You might find yourself at a few rather uncomfortable crossroads, to say the least.
1. Yes, God is the center of my life. The problem you have here is you are thinking on a "collective level" rather than an "individual level". I don't care if someone believes in God or not, (I would hope he/or she does so they have salvation, but it is their choice) God gave me my unalienable rights not the gov't. Two very important documents which established this country agree to this concept. That doesn't mean I expect everyone to become a Christian but it certainly does not exclude them from beign part of the process.
2.America is good. have we done some bad things? Absolutely. What country hasn't? We are not perfect, but we are certainly the best offer. No other nation has done more to benefit & prosper this world. Where would this world be without the USA? We are the last greast hope, unfortunately we are losing that fast.
3.I do my best not to lie as well. Big things I don't lie about. I live an honest & decent life as well. Integrtrity is very important to me. Everyday I try to be a better person. I think you are misinterpreting the statement. If I didn't mess up I wouldn't need Jesus. (refer back to #1 for better understanding). It's stiving to be better person today then you were yesterday because I know somewhere yesterday I screwed up.
4.My family is sacred & yes me & my husband are the ultimate authority regarding our children. Considering the condition of today's family, if the only thing you are seeing is an attack on homosexuals, your seeking for an agenda. Public schools are indoctrinating our children & I as a parent have the right to say stop. I will determine what is best for my child, I will chose their schooling, their diets, the healthcare, and their discipline, and support the nurturing in the religious affiliation our family has chosen. I know who to raise my kids, I don't need the gov't trying to do it for me.
5. we agree justice needs to be blind & that's what we need to get back to.
6.Agree again. Freeddom to fail is a good thing.
7. No one has a problem with taxed to keeps out infrastucture such as roads, courts, the basic fucntions going. what everyone has a problem with is over spending from elected officials & then they just come back for more!! Many people have a problem how big the social programs have gotten & are tired of gov't taking more & more all the while being called hate mongers because we feel we are being robbed! I never wanted to fund a tunnel for turtles & I'm sure you didn't either! I don't problem helping the poor, but let ME decide where my money goes. Quit robbing me & telling me you know better than I do.
8. Well agree with the value but disagree with your statement. I personally would love for everyone who shares their opinion to do it factually & reasonably, but where is that in the Constitution? people only seem to have a issue with freedom of speech when it opposes their own. If you tired of Beck's statements are you just a fed up with Olbermans?
9. Yes, how I long for us to turn things around & remind those mini despots in Washington they work for us. Unfortunately, many Americans became lazy in their education fo our history, and participation & now we have what we have.
I'm glad you responded to my posting. I love the open dialect. Remember if 2 people argee on everything-one of them is irrelevant!
What are those two documents? And why do conservatives like Scalia and Thomas say you don't have a right to anything unless it's in the Constitution?
The difference between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives accept that America is imperfect and will fight tooth and nail to keep it that way while liberals say we can do better.
I personally think religion is a crutch for the weak-minded.
What are you doing to make yourself better besides fighting against those who believe health care is a right?
Public schools aren't indoctrinating anyone; they're teaching our children. Intellectualism is a good thing; it's not something to be disparaged.
But we should help those who can't help themselves.
[i][/i]
We take less from those who are struggling to survive and we take more from those who can handle it.
I think we call you guys hate mongers for the disdain you show towards the poor and the working class. You guys have a sick fetish with the rich in this country.
I think what Beck is doing is yelling fire in a crowded theater. It would be alright if he was just another lunatic on the street corner but he's on TV and radio and he has a bunch of unstable people worshiping him. It could lead to a very dangerous situation.
How so?
[i][/i]
What history do you know that other Americans lack?
He's probably talking about the kind of history Texas is planning to teach.
I think Beck is a fool. Why should that opinion make me think the same of Keith Olbermann? There is no reason to assume equivalency. If you determine that Olbermann has said something foolish and/or outrageous, then expose him. Show his actual words so that all may condemn and ridicule. That's what this exercise is all about.
I enjoy an open dialogue regardless of the dialect we use to express ourselves. :)
Here's the thing, though. I haven't seen one single, credible, rational analysis of an Olbermann "lie" from anybody who's compared him to Beck. Not one. Beck says that 1.2 million people showed up to the 9/12 rally in Washington, which was a bald faced lie (there were 75,000 in attendance). Where's the equivalent Olbermann gotcha moment? Beck repeatedly smears people he doesn't like with lies and half-truths spun into, well, more lies. Got a second to put together a list of Olbermann's unsubstantiated smear campaign?
For Christ's sake, Beck just called both Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen "un-American!" You don't have a problem with that? Because, in my mind, the most "un-American" thing anyone can do is call someone un-American.
But his sins are minor compared to the outright lies on Beck's show. I don't know what scares me more - the idea that Beck is doing this all for ratings and doesn't care about the effects or the idea that Beck actually believes all these weird six degrees of separation conspiracies and the other drivel he talks about.
Yeah, Beck SAYS this, but is he pressing for investigations into the fraud that led to the economic crisis? Is he pressing for prosecution of those who committed war crimes?
-If you live in a country, that country's government is the authority there. Now, I'd personally add a caveat claiming that they're the authority if they don't invalidate it by acting to harm others or becoming totalitarian. This is a thinly veiled swipe at homosexuals wanting the right to marry acknowledged. The whole 'sacred family' is one of the battlecries that has been used since the beginning of the arguments.
A swipe at homosexuals?? That seems like a little paranoia on your end. As far as ultimate authority for my family decisions it is certainly not the government. I obviously don't have the right to break the law of the land but raising my children and teaching them my values is my responsibility.
As to your seeking documentation of where our rights actually come from - We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by there creator with certain unalienable rights,...
I personally don't care if your creator is the big bang theory, god or aliens. Your rights do not come from government.
Rev. Wallis didn't "personally attack" Glenn Beck - he merely suggested that the two of them get together and have a public, civil discussion about this. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Beck continues to indulge in one of his favorite tactics: guilt by association. Like this: "There's -- several of these websites you can go three clicks from your churchwebsite and you are at HCAN." Making it seem like your church is somehow associated with HCAN if you can get to the HCAN site by clicking three different links starting from your church's site. Now seriously, how much sense does that make???
And there's this: "When you say, you know, I see "social justice" -- when you see those words, run. Because social justice is what Jeremiah Wright preaches. Run, and don't listen to anyone who is telling you differently. Look at the roots of social justice. See what radicals put it together."
Oooh, if your pastor/priest preaches about helping the needy, he/she must be just like Rev. Wright! Run away!
And, yeah, look at those roots of social justice! Why it's stuff Jesus preached about! It is true that Jesus was quite the radical in His day - I didn't realize that His teachings was still considered "radical" nowadays.
Remember: In any discussion or argument, usually both parties are right to some degree, depending on your ability to think. What is lacking is Beck fans and Religious followers do not have a reputation for thinking.
In decrying churches which incorporate “social justice” as part of their teachings is Beck, e.g., anti-Catholic?
You decide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice#Catholic_social_teaching
He did no so such thing. I used to be a democrat, I voted for Obama in my first vote ever and this disgusts me. You all (Progressives) are worse than Bush and the neo-cons.
Blacks as a whole are socially conservative and stuff like this is waking us up. No we don't want gays to get married. I respect their fetish but it as nothing to do with me or my children. You can keep your money, your healthcare welfare and all. Just dont burn down our churches and schools when we build them. Dont pump our communities full of crack Neo-Con Bush Oliver North Rick Ross. Leave us alone. Don't put a homosexual pastor to speak for Christians or continue to pervert or faith or the truth. The tea party is about America, 912 is about the people. Leave us alone that's all of us Blacks White's Native Americans (so called Latinos) want. Stop it.
Get out of our bedrooms, our families our lives. We got rid of Bush we thought Obama was about freedom; I was wrong. We were wrong. Get Europe out of America.
Freemen Freedom for all. We are not your social experiment. We do not want to fight wars that have nothing to do with us. That's why Bush Jr. beat Gore. We dont give a crap about International affairs or Open Borders and Trade.
And we dont want Black Boxes in our Cars.
You know, those networks that have more viewers in one night than what Beck gets in one week?
Bad Excuse for a Conservative Kook.
He can snow a relatively small number of people on FoxNews, or the truth about his nonsense can speak out on one 3 minute segment on a nightly network news show to many more people!
Source
According to these numbers here, Beck would have finished second when comparing his entire weekly ratings to the various top shows on network television.
Does this make you a liar?
MagCynic, I checked your source, and could not find data to back your claim that Beck's total viewer count for March 1 - 5 was 13.2 million. Did you just add up the daily viewers to get that number?
According to the website you cited, Beck pulled about 2.7 million viewers over the age of 2 for the month of February.
Perhaps you should check your sources and methodology before you start throwing around the word "liar".
Of course, the fact that a given story will be forgotten isn't evidence that it isn't important or ought to be forgotten. And this is one of those stories that a wiser society wouldn't forget. Next time we hear Beck say something, we should remember that he recently said what is quite possibly the stupidest thing that has ever been said in the history of human beings: that worshippers of Jesus Christ should not be committed to social activism. You know, making the world better for the poor, healing the sick, and all that stuff that he EXPLICITLY TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO DO.
Once again my head is about to blow up. Glenn Beck is saying things that are obviously absurd, and his career just goes on and on. I wish I lived in a world where there was a real God who took such offense at this kind of nonsensical crap that he would reach his foot down from the clouds and kick Glenn in the sack for saying anything this stupid.
And now... for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (Mosiah 4:26)
So Becky...how do you square your ravings with your purported Mormonism?
In case you hadn't noticed, MC, it represents an opportunity to equate 21st Century American conservatism with mean-spirited, intellectually and morally bankrupt, and just plain nutty. Conservatives who do not actively work to put daylight between themselves this orgy of insanity risk a branding problem of epic proportions.
As a liberal, I am not displeased that this is happening. As a conservative, your strategy of sitting tight and hoping it will bolow away will not--I predict--serve you well.
He's obviously more at home at Fox then in church.
The Faux motto “We report, you decide”
Translated from Orwellian newspeak “We distort, you comply”
What amazes me is that Beck's listeners are sucked in by his revisionist history bloviations. It's horrifying to think that people actually give credence to the rantings of this uneducated, misinformed, opportunistic clown.
What's really scary is that the Texas School Board just voted to TEACH the revisionist view of history.
Thank Nature's God for Stephen Jay Gould and MediaMatters for America.
HEY BECKIE GET TO A NUT DOCTOR....MAYBE, THATS NOT A GOOD IDEA, AMERICA DOES NOT WANT, TO WASTE A GOOD NUT DOCTOR!!!!!!!
Essentially, it is a Darwinian perspective which totally rejects the idea of any commonweal and substitutes, instead, a cult-like belief in salubrious laissez faire capitalism as the single most compelling organizing principle of society.
If we eliminate from our minds and hearts the idea of "social justice", and "community" and any notion of what Beck and his soul mates sneer at as "progressivism" -- then, ipso facto, we devolve and eviscerate government activism to the point where individuals either take care of themselves in all conceivable circumstances or they perish.
Naturally, the strongest (and wealthiest) will prevail -- which is precisely what Beck et al want.
Beck has identified as his philosophical mentor, former FBI Special Agent W. Cleon Skousen. Like Beck, Skousen believed that "liberalism", "progressivism", "socialism", "communism", "nazism" and "fascism" are various forms of "collectivism" (i.e. government activism) -- and in the Beck/Skousen scheme of things, collectivism represents a cancer which must be excised from the body politic if genuine freedom and prosperity are to exist.
For more details about Skousen, see my report at:
http://ernie1241.googlepages.com/skousen
Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen was the beginning of that,in my opinion, and now, amazingly, CHURCH.
I think he might lose a few fans with this particular angle. And God help the person who would actually denounce his place of worship, or even FAITH from listening to this self absorbed madman.
The ignorance in his statements is simply astounding. It's as entertaining as the time that he asked if America was ready to live like 'our parents and grandparents' during the Great Depression. No thank you, Glenn, I'd rather just work with the system we have.
Well, I base my concern for social justice on my religion, not the other way around. My spiritual views also inform my political positions.
The Monsignor is a very kind man as the shepherd of a very large and wealthy congregation. You should see this church, it is simply beautiful. But, I digress, so, I asked him what point he was trying to make in his sermons and he explained the Catholic Church says it is our duty as Catholics to promote social justice to help those less fortunate than us to lift themselves out of poverty and to be able to take care of themselves.
I agreed with the idea, however, I questioned the means of achieving the idea through government intervention, since, it didn't seem charitable to me to take from one man to give to another, since, we have that pesky "Thou shalt not steal" commandment in our faith. I asked if it was ironic to be standing in a multi-million dollar building while promoting the idea of taking from others to give to the poor?
I left the meeting a bit disillusioned and I question being part of such a congregation as I try to weigh the merits of my faith versus someone else's interpretation of it.
Of course at the time, a city generally had less than 10,000 people in it and things were a lot different. Churches today may try to perform that function but it is so hit or miss that lots of people fall through the cracks. The government, like it or not, is the only entity big enough to provide a safety net for everyone.
Try this on for starters:
Social justice is about protecting people and the planet from powerful and unjust malefactors. If you do not believe that they exist, you are either blind or willfully ignorant.
Tell ya what there sparky. YOU announce you are no longer going to pay taxes. Cuz after all, all of your taxes end up going to someone else. Fireman/women, police, schools, highways, military, research and on and on and on and on.
YET the idea that those of us with more than others should be allowed to make sure none of our taxes go to helping those less fortunate than us particularly with regards to their health.
If I were you I would worry less about where you go to church and worry more about what makes you someone who has so little regard to your fellow humans.
And get over thiscrap about "stealing" from you.
In other words, grow up.
Wealth, no matter how such things are measured, relies upon the common definition, as such. If a society values a thing, the thing is valuable. Having a great deal of the thing, we say, is wealth. The thing we value now, by and large, is government issued and backed currency. Money. Money that does not belong to any individual. Money is owned by us all.
Modern day conservatives rail against taxation. The call it theft (particularly stupid analogy, by the way). They characterize it as wealth redistribution, socialism, tyrrany, etc. They engage in disingenuous, ignorant, and flat out contradictory campaigns of disinformation wrought from fear and greed. "What's mine is mine," they say, hoarding to themselves whatever comes within their reach, like grasping little children. But what's yours is not yours. It never was, because the money belongs to all of us. The currency, the earning of it, the keeping of it, even the spending of it, all these things are reliant upon structures put in place by a stable and durable government. You can't spend government issued currency if there is no government (see post-war Germany).
But let's put it into terms that a modern day conservative cannot refute: we are all obliged to be patriotic; patriotism is defined as serving one's country in some substantive fashion; obvious examples of those who have served their country are: military, first responders, public school teachers, Peace Corps; less than 10% of America's living population has served in the military; just over 2% of Americans are teachers; less than .2% are police officers, .5% are firefighters; and less than .001% of Americans have served in the Peace Corps. Now, given that there are other examples of patriotic service, such as Federal, State and Local government employment, we'll just put the number at about 15%. 15% of Americans have actually served their country. 15% of Americans actually put country first.
15%.
So, paying taxes, supporting the structures that are absolutely necessary for the operation of the government that in turn makes it possible to accrue wealth in the first place, this is the only patriotic service that roughly 85% of Americans ever perform in their life. Suck it up. Pay your taxes. Freedom isn't free.
-Concerned Conservative
Twist and spin however you want. Distort and lie, but Beck qualified which type of "social justice" he was talking about.
I noticed MMFA syndrome is alive and rampant here, using MLK, Mormon scholars, and other quotes which don't address the idea of Marxist "social justice" to confuse the issue.
Typical progressive, MMFA, Beck hate speech.
Keep up the good work.
I appreciate one-liners when they are funny, but sarcasm in absence of humor is simple-minded arrogance.
Perhaps you could explain the misinformation you were refferring to.
Really? All I heard was "social justice," blah-blah-blah, "social justice," blah-blah-blah, "social justice," blah-blah-blah. Not that I tuned him out, but seriously I never heard one qualifier for 'social justice' in any of his commentary.
"Philip Barlow, the Arrington Professor of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, said: "One way to read the Book of Mormon is that it's a vast tract on social justice. It's ubiquitous in the Book of Mormon to have the prophetic figures, much like in the Hebrew Bible, calling out those who are insensitive to injustices.
"A lot of Latter-day Saints would think that Beck was asking them to leave their own church."
Mr. Barlow said that Mr. Beck's comments were particularly ill-timed because just this year, the church's highest authority, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, issued a new "Handbook of Instructions" to church leaders in which they revised the church's "three-fold mission" and added a fourth mission statement: care for the poor."
As I've said many a time, "What a freakin' idiot!"
Thing is, I don't remember any liberal screwpots telling me to disassociate ourselves.
This is a carefully orchestrated plan to distance religion from Health Care. They HAD to. The conservatives have been telling us to vote what is morally right. Who cares about privacy when we're fighting Arabs? Who cares about the pursuit of happiness when there's homos getting married? Who cares about a woman's choice to live the way she wants to when there's abortion involved?
But what to say when it comes to helping the poor, who by several factors outside of their control, can't afford basic medical care?
"This is against our rights!" Where was your plea for rights before?
If you are a Catholic, it is not your place to either agree or disagree with the Church - it your obligation to obey the CHurch. If you support abortion, you are not a Catholic.
I 100% agree.
Bobby Jindal fan has reached the point of self-parody. In another thread he actually tried to claim that Jesus himself was a Roman Catholic.
When we vote we are voting for government for all of our community, not just our co-religionists. We must vote according to our consciences for the greatest benefit of the whole community. Often, laws prohibiting behaviour of which we disapprove will create a greater evil than the behaviour of which we disapprove. Do we just try and criminalise things we don't like and unleash a greater evil on society or do we try and persuade people to behave as we believe is proper whilst avoiding the greater evil. For example, the laws prohibiting alcohol, gambling and prostitution which have given organised crime an almost unassailable hold on much of U.S. Society - not to mention the ill-advised "war on drugs".
We have an intellect and a conscience and it would be blasphemous for a Believer not to use that intellect to inform his or her conscience. The only obligation on the faithful as members of the Church is adherence to dogma.
This coming from a person who questions the church's position on global warming. You don't get to decide who is Catholic, who isn't. What denomination is Christian and what isn't.
You sir, are a perfect example of why I left the church - way too many arrogant hypocrites there for my taste.
Meglomaniac:
1. A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
2. An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.
That is beckerhead to a "T".
Delusional and probably fancies himself as the Reichminister of Officially Released News that has been preapproved.
He does have visions of himself as a great leader and power with any regard to what on of those words mean.
But, with the latest news out of the texas board of education as additional evidence this loon-meme just seems to become more a spectacle and global embarrassment for America on a daily basis..
Sure it is being "cloaked" in the current times, but can easily be seen deriving from Karl Marx! "...Marx claims that by making everyone’s distribution of social goods completely equal class distinctions will be abolished and things such as political power will cease to exist..." .
THAT my friend is the very basis if Marxism which is not only contrary to the scripture but IS THE ENEMY OF ALL CHRISTIANS! Since it is so blatantly obvious that you are also an enemy of Christianity all I have left to say is:
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.[1Co 2:14]
If ever there were "false prophets" it is this man, and his ilk.
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These people are absolutely disgusting.
This man is a true idiot and an antagonist. I do hope that these comments will be the final straw and people will see how out of touch with reality he is and how dangerous he has become.
This latest Becktastrophe is a frightening reframing the neocon's are engaged in now. First they irrationally scared Joe Sixpack to death with terrorists under the bed, then the spooky black President (Where IS he from??? Is he ANGRY? THEY get very angry you know!), and now the nonexistent specter of a demonic bastardized version of "socialism" looming overhead to drive a deep wedge of distrust between citizens and their governments (Oh I long for the Bush years where government was thoughtful, so principled, so warm and fuzzy and lovable and all about ME!). Now, they appear to be trying to drive a wedge between another significant institution in peoples' lives, their religious organizations.
"Be very afraid of your government. Be very afraid of your church. They are lying to you. TRUST US, the uberwealthy corporatocracy, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING."
And like cultists, Beck's fans' worldviews are bizarre constructs immune to logical penetration. As long as their leaders keep reinforcing the collective worldview of the hive, it matters not what that view is. Seeming order is soothingly ladled out, and the psyche of the fragile follower is protected.
I don't know what to make of the guy. Are his antics just morning zoo hijinks taken to an absurd level, the sad result of mental illness, or deliberate attacks prompted by paranoid hatred?
In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. Sooner or later, his lunatic rhetoric packed with violent imagery is going to result in one of his acolytes going berserk and taking a bunch of people out.
He's the hed of the klu klux klan
He's got him a medal he won in the war
it weighs 300 pounds and sleeps by the door
He don't like dissention i know
he said so last night on his own TV show
And when eledctions start coming around
We'll be lucky to get out of town
With apologazies to Joan Baez..
End this F@#*%#@ War...
Im q 30 yeaqr coast guard vet and they gone n dun it drgged us into anudder Viet Nam even making the same mistkes Westmoreland made
Wake up folks.
Everything that Beck does that gets even a few people angry MMFA will try to turn into a national scandal that deserves a petition to take Beck off of the air. Beck better hope he never lets a fart slip during a live telecast. They might get the pitch forks out for that one.
Thanks Blueneck!
Conservatives are actually working against these core principles of capitalism.
The only principle they want is "laissez faire" and they disregard the fact that businesses collaborate against workers and society with trade associations, large lobbying groups and with interlocking directorates. Big business uses the banks and media against the public.