On the June 28 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck commented on a mock ad -- produced by subscribers to his website known as "Insiders" -- depicting a “giant refinery” that produces “Mexinol,” which, according to the ad, is a fuel made from the bodies of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Beck read from the ad: “At Evil Conservative Industries, we know four things for certain. The country needs cheap, alternative fuel source. Two, the human body is 18 percent carbon. Three, carbons can be turned into hydrocarbons. Four, we have a buttload of illegal aliens in our country.”
Beck continued to read from the ad: “Evil Conservative Industries is proud to present the fuel of the future, Mexinol. A clean-burning, cheap alternative to gasoline, Mexinol's future seems unlimited in its potential. There are other gasoline alternatives available such as ethanol. However, Mexinol has certain advantages from corn. Corn has to be grown, harvested, and processed. With Mexinol, raw materials come to you in a seemingly never-ending stream. Go ahead and purchase that boat-sized SUV. There's plenty of Mexinol for everyone.”
Beck introduced the discussion by saying, “Sometimes the Insiders go too far,” and later said, “I don't think we need to make the illegal aliens into fuel.” Beck also said, “That would be evil conservative, yeah. I don't even know if that's conservative. That would be ... [p]sychotic, perhaps? Sociopathic, perhaps?” Beck's executive producer and head writer, Steve "Stu" Burguiere, added, “Just evil, pretty much.” However, as of June 29, the ad was posted on the front page of Beck's website under the title “Picture of the Day,” with a caption that described the “ad” as a “brilliant creation.”
As Media Matters for America noted, on the May 5, 2006, edition of his radio program, Beck aired a mock commercial for a fictional amusement park called “Cinco de Flag” that touted rides such as the “tractor-trailer run,” in which "[w]e simulate an 18-wheeler full of illegal immigrants trying to cross the border when the INS [Immigration and Naturalization Service] breaks in." The mock commercial also advertised the “craziest ride ever to come to Mexico: a job application!” The commercial added: “Feel the exhilaration of what it would actually be like to apply for and get a job in Mexico. Imagine the rush of an economy that won't make residents of its country prefer a life away from family while running from the law.” After the commercial ended, Beck played the 1958 song “Tequila” by The Champs in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, referring to it as the “Mexican national anthem,” and added, “and, of course, we changed the words to English.”
A week earlier, on the April 27, 2006, edition of his radio program, Beck had claimed that there are three reasons an illegal immigrant “comes across the border in the middle of the night”: “One, they're terrorists; two, they're escaping the law; or three, they're hungry. They can't make a living in their own dirtbag country.”
In addition to his radio show, Beck hosts a CNN Headline News television program and is scheduled fill in for CNN host Paula Zahn during the week of July 2. As Media Matters has noted, ABC News hired Beck in January as a “regular commentator” for Good Morning America, and The Washington Post reported in June that Washington Post Radio is reportedly “considering” picking up a show hosted by him.
From the June 28 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: Sometimes the Insiders go too far. “Evil Conservative Industries,” according to the Insiders -- and they've made an ad for it -- “The future is now. Welcome to Evil Conservative Industries Bluff Pointe's Mexinol Plant Number 2,” and it's a giant refinery.
“At Evil Conservative Industries, we know four things for certain. The country needs cheap, alternative fuel source. Two, the human body is 18 percent carbon. Three, carbons can be turned into hydrocarbons. Four, we have a buttload of illegal aliens in our country.”
I don't think we need to make the illegal aliens into fuel.
“Evil Conservative Industries is proud to present the fuel of the future, Mexinol. A clean-burning, cheap alternative to gasoline, Mexinol's future seems unlimited in its potential. There are other gasoline alternatives available such as ethanol. However, Mexinol has certain advantages from corn. Corn has to be grown, harvested, and processed. With Mexinol, raw materials come to you in a seemingly never-ending stream. Go ahead and purchase that boat-sized SUV. There's plenty of Mexinol for everyone.”
Yeah, Insiders, I think we should stay off the Mexinol. What do you think? Stu? What did you say, Stu?
BURGUIERE: I think that one actually would be evil conservative.
BECK: That would be evil conservative, yeah. I don't even know if that's conservative. That would be --
BURGUIERE: Just evil, pretty much.
BECK: Psychotic, perhaps? Sociopathic, perhaps?
BURGUIERE: A tad, a tad.
BECK: Yes.
BURGUIERE: Yeah.
BECK: Yeah. It's people! What is it? Soylent green? Soylent green, it's people!