The New York Times recently reported that frequent Glenn Beck target Frances Fox Piven has been receiving death threats. The threats against Piven are the latest in a growing series of threats and incidents of violence linked to Beck's extremist rhetoric.
Research/Study
Glenn Beck's Rhetoric Inspires More Death Threats
Written by Ben Dimiero & Melody Johnson
Published
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NY Times: “Spotlight From Glenn Beck Brings a CUNY Professor Threats”
NY Times: According To Piven, “Anonymous Visitors To [Beck's] Web site Have Called For Her Death.” On January 21, New York Times reporter Brian Stelter wrote:
On his daily radio and television shows, Glenn Beck has elevated once-obscure conservative thinkers onto best-seller lists. Recently, he has elevated a 78-year-old liberal academic to celebrity of a different sort, in a way that some say is endangering her life.
Frances Fox Piven, a City University of New York professor, has been a primary character in Mr. Beck's warnings about a progressive take-down of America. Ms. Piven, Mr. Beck says, is responsible for a plan to “intentionally collapse our economic system.”
Her name has become a kind of shorthand for “enemy” on Mr. Beck's Fox News Channel program, which is watched by more than 2 million people, and on one of his Web sites, The Blaze. This week, Mr. Beck suggested on television that she was an enemy of the Constitution.
Never mind that Ms. Piven's radical plan to help poor people was published 45 years ago, when Mr. Beck was a toddler. Anonymous visitors to his Web site have called for her death, and some, she said, have contacted her directly via e-mail.
In response, a liberal nonprofit group, the Center for Constitutional Rights, wrote to the chairman of Fox News, Roger Ailes, on Thursday to ask him to put a stop to Mr. Beck's “false accusations” about Ms. Piven.
“Mr. Beck is putting Professor Piven in actual physical danger of a violent response,” the group wrote.
Fox News disagrees. Joel Cheatwood, a senior vice president, said Friday that Mr. Beck would not be ordered to stop talking about Ms. Piven on television. He said Mr. Beck had quoted her accurately and had never threatened her.
"'The Glenn Beck Program,' probably above and beyond any on television, has denounced violence repeatedly," Mr. Cheatwood said.
He said he had no knowledge of the threats against Ms. Piven, and noted that The Blaze was operated independently of Fox News. [The New York Times, 1/21/11]
Beck Regularly Demonizes Piven
Beck Suggests Piven Is “Inciting Riots” And “Asking For Violence.” On the January 17 edition of his Fox News program, after reading an excerpt from a Nation article by Piven, in which she asserted that “an effective movement of the unemployed will have to look something like the strikes and riots that have spread across Greece,” Beck asked: “Is that not inciting riots? Is that not asking for violence? Is this not outlining and how to make it happen?”:
BECK: So let's just say we have malcontents, but she claims they're malcontents because they're unemployed. We need to gather them and we need to look at what the prisons are doing.
And she says, “Second, before the people can mobilize for collective action, they have to develop a proud and angry identity.”
Now, this is where she parts ways with, let's say, the 9/12 Project that said, hey, people should get together, not necessarily those in prisons or the angry malcontents, but now, she is encouraging -- while we encourage values and principles, she says they need to develop an angry identity and a set of claims that go with that identity.
They have to go from being hurt and ashamed to being angry and indignant. Third, protesters need targets. Has she been on the Sarah Palin Web site, or is this her own doing?
“Protestors need targets, preferably local and accessible ones, making the kind of angry response to angry demands.”
She goes on, “An effective movement of the employed would look something like the strikes and riots that has spread across Greece and in response to the austerity measures forced on the Greek government by the European Union, or like the student protest that recently spread with lightning speed across England in response to the prospect of greatly increased school fees.
You have it? It's not, hey, let's get together in the tea party. She's saying it should look like the video I showed you in Greece. Is that not inciting riots? Is that not asking for violence? Is this not outlining and how to make it happen?
She says, ”The protests should be led by the unemployed young workers and by students who face a future of joblessness, who might just become large enough and disruptive enough to have an impact in Washington."
She closes it with this, “Shouldn't we hope for another American social movement from the bottom? And then join it.”
I go back to my definition of “enemy.” An enemy of the Constitution, foreign or domestic -- it is defined as one seeking to injure, overthrow or confound an opponent. All of that applies to what she is saying.
We're accused of being government-hating, but they hate the government. Government-hating, yet we cling to that Constitution. She is talking about riots, violence. There is no excuse for violence from the right or the left.
I think the tea party gets that. I haven't seen this or anybody calling for this from the right. But if they do, I reject them. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/17/11, accessed via Nexis]
- Asked by the Times to respond to this segment, Piven denied her comments amounted to a call for violence:
Ms. Piven came under additional scrutiny when she wrote in the liberal magazine The Nation this month that unemployed people should be staging mass protests.
Her assertions that “an effective movement of the unemployed will have to look something like the strikes and riots that have spread across Greece,” and that “protesters need targets, preferably local and accessible ones,” led Mr. Beck to ask on Fox this week, “Is that not inciting violence? Is that not asking for violence?” Videos of fires in Greece played behind him.
“That is not a call for violence,” Ms. Piven said Friday of the references to riots. “There is a kind of rhetorical trick that is always used to denounce movements of ordinary people, and that is to imply that the massing of people itself is violent.”
That, she said, is what Mr. Beck is doing, trying to frighten his viewers. [The New York Times, 1/21/11]
Beck: Cloward And Piven Are “Fundamentally Responsible For The Unsustainability And Possible Collapse Of Our Economic System.” on the January 5, 2010, edition of his Fox News program, Beck introduced Piven and Richard Cloward, her late husband, as “the people you would say are fundamentally responsible for the unsustainability and possible collapse of our economic system.” From the show:
BECK: I'm going to give you a hard concept to get your arms around: It's the concept that there are people in this country who want to intentionally collapse our economic system.
How could it be that any American would or would want to do such a thing? Well, those involved sleep just fine at night because they tell themselves that they're not collapsing, they're transforming -- transforming -- America into something better.
[...]
BECK: Now, as we discuss this, keep in mind that you're watching all of this through your eyes; you see this as trying to collapse our economy. But progressives see this as a fundamental transformation -- something better than we've ever had -- as promised by Barack Obama:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OCT. 30, 2008)
THEN-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE BARACK OBAMA: We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So, let me introduce you to the people you would say are fundamentally responsible for the unsustainability and possible collapse of our economic system: Richard Cloward and Francis Fox Piven, authors of the Cloward-Piven strategy. Something else to remember is that this isn't some conspiracy theory that we're tossing out; they wrote about collapsing the economy and how they planned to do it in the article they co-authored in the '60s called, “Mobilizing the Poor: How it Could Be Done.” Six months later, it was published in The Nation, under the title “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/5/10]
Beck: Cloward And Piven “Want To Destroy” America. On the November 5, 2010, edition of his Fox News program, Beck asked if “people really want to destroy” America. He continued:
BECK: There are some things that we have to address as a nation. We have to try to be better. We have to learn from our mistakes -- not bury them, learn them from -- but also not exploit those mistakes.
And there are an awful of lot of people in America that would like to exploit those mistakes; equal number that would like to bury them and forget them.
But do people really want to destroy it? Well, people like Cloward and Piven do. Cloward and Piven -- you probably didn't even know who these people were, I mean, unless you were -- I mean, unless you were living in the basement of your -- if you were a progressive, maybe, a diehard progressive. Or you were living in the basement of your mom's house, you know, in your underpants eating Cheetos and going, “I'm telling you, it's Cloward and Piven.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 11/5/10]
Beck Included Cloward And Piven On His “Tree Of Radicalism And Revolution.” From the September 18, 2009, edition of Glenn Beck:
Beck: The Federal Government Is “Trapping The States Into Massive Debt” Because Of “Cloward And Piven.” After accusing the federal government of “trapping the states into massive debt,” Beck praised Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who he said “put it best” with his statement that “the federal government is hijacking the state budgets.” Beck continued: “Why would you do that? Two words. You know them. Say it with me: Cloward and Piven. If you don't, turn that damn set off and go to the computer and look it up.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/11/2010]
Beck Ties “Inflation All Across The Board,” Rising Gas Prices, And Food Stamps To A Cloward And Piven Plot To Collapse The System. From the November 18, 2010, edition of Glenn Beck:
BECK: You want to save your country, you have to be part of the solution, not the problem. You have to think outside of the box. We were just talking about people who live on the edge, how many millions of Americans are living on the edge.
If -- let's say oil shoots through the roof; we have $5 a gallon gasoline. That translates to inflation all across the board. People who are living on -- we already have 50 million people living on food stamps right now. If it collapses because of oil prices, how many more people need to go on to food stamps? It is Cloward and Piven. Be a shelter for your family and then if can you afford it, for others as well. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 11/18/2010]
Beck Suggests The Left Is Cutting Police Budgets As Part Of A Cloward-Piven Strategy To Frighten People. Discussing reports that police budgets are being cut around the country, Beck questioned why those budgets were being cut “first.” Beck then said:
BECK: So, in other words, if I come home and I've discovered that my house has been broken into in the middle of the night, I just walk in. I have no idea if it's safe to re-enter or anything else. Oh, wouldn't it be really great is if I didn't have a right to have a gun either 'cause I could just walk unarmed to my house in the middle of the night. And I know the police aren't coming.
That's what I like to call fear. They accuse me of fearmongering -- that's fear, America. And that's why the Second Amendment is more important than ever: your right to own a gun. If it is taken away like it is in Oakland, California, who's got the guns? Oh, yeah, that's right, the bad guys who the police aren't gonna come if they break in to your house.
We cannot break out into the Wild West. It doesn't mean go get your gun. “I got to defend everything.” It doesn't mean that. It means you have a right to defend yourself. And if the bad guys know the police aren't coming, does it make it less dangerous or more dangerous for you?
The average person, I don't think -- the average person doesn't look at this and they don't understand how chaos works for radicals. It doesn't make sense to the average person to have chaos, but it does to radicals. This is happening in Oakland, the home of militant communist Van Jones and his organization Cop Watch.
Radicals, like Jones and Ayers, are always against, quote, “the pigs,” as they call them. They need the unrest. They want the unrest. They want you to be afraid and have somebody to blame it on. Why?
Go back to Cloward and Piven. When chaos breaks out, people will look for anyone with an answer, anyone who will say, “I can feed you. I can protect you. I can make the madness stop.” All they need are people that are frightened. If you don't have food, if you don't have money, and you don't have a way to protect yourself, who's going to do those things for you?
They're succeeding in frightening people in Oakland, Tulsa, and Norton, Mass. Let's keep an eye on the seeds that are being planted. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/25/10]
Beck Ties Health Care Reform To Cloward And Piven Strategy To “Melt The System Down And Have It Collapse Into A New System.” Beck claimed that by attempting to pass health care reform legislation, progressives were “building a machine” and “a cage,” which he tied to “social unrest” and a Cloward and Piven strategy to “melt the system down and have it collapse into a new system”:
BECK: Now, when TARP was -- they were telling everyone we had to do TARP. Congressman Brad Sherman said members of Congress were told if they didn't pass TARP, there would be martial law. Congressman Kanjorski was told that without fed intervention of electronic bank run, the world would have economic collapse and it would happen within 24 hours.
Wow! The worst is behind us. It doesn't -- it sure doesn't feel like that. And nobody but the president is really saying that.
And what I'd like to know is what are members of Congress being told if what -- what's going to happen if we don't pass health care. Whether health care is stopped or not, please consider the possibility that world finance as we know it is going to reset. It has to reset. And anybody with half a brain, any -- the president of the United States knows this -- this bill is the centerpiece of the progressive structure.
You know how I've said they're building a machine and you don't want this thing to pass because it's a framework. Quite honestly, and I know progressive will beat me up for this, but stand in line, they're building a cage -- a cage. Social unrest -- a cage. They are preparing.
Remember, what we said, Cloward and Piven is to melt the system down and have it collapse into a new system. This is not just about health care. It's about grab all the education dollars as well.
We'll show you a video in a few minutes that you've never seen. This is a long-term strategy. Someone has to be standing when the evil capitalism finally fails us.
Well, I got news for you, gang. I'm going to be standing. Please be standing as well. Shore yourself up! Don't allow yourself to become or your state to become a slave to what's being built in Washington.
This is exactly what happened in the Soviet Union. And the Soviet Union collapsing bothered me so much for a long time. It took me a while to figure it out.
Nobody ever talks about this. I want you to look something up. See, the leaders of the Soviet Union saw the writing on the wall. They knew. They knew it was going to collapse.
We knew! We were spending them into oblivion. What do you think we were doing it for? We knew. They did, too. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/18/2010, via Nexis]
Beck Connects Piven To “Intentionally Trying To Collapse The Dollar.” From the October 21, 2009, edition of Glenn Beck:
BECK: You know, I've been for a while now trying to figure out how we're going to pay for all this spending and how could anybody be for all this spending, the $871 billion over 10 years for health care.
Come on, Nancy, bring it on. It's under $900 billion. There she is. That's a big picture of her. Under $900 billion. How do you pay for that? By the way, that's 10 years of paying for it, five years of coverage.
You know, maybe their calculator is broken. Maybe they were all sick when they taught math every day in school. Maybe she believes in magic gnomes riding on unicorns, riding in and paying off the debt. Or maybe, maybe, they just think they can print more money.
You know, we need more money, and just keep printing it over and over again. Maybe they all believe in Cloward and Piven and they're intentionally trying to collapse the dollar. Oops, did I say that out loud?
It doesn't matter, because you can't pay it off. You cannot pay this off, because that's not what it is going to cost. Look, we are worried about health care. I have had a problem in the hospital, what, two years ago. It stunk on ice. But this isn't going to fix it, because when we did the health care, this is our national debt.
This is insane. $343,724 -- that's -- every citizen owes that. Are you getting a super neat job at -- what, the 7 Eleven? How are you going to do that? We are setting up a situation where our kids will have nothing.
The possibility now of a second stimulus, add more spending like health care, cap and trade. Some economists fear the dollar could collapse. Oh, well. Do you even know what that means, the dollar could collapse? [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/21/09, via Nexis]
Palin Agrees With Beck's Cloward And Piven Conspiracy That “They're Intentionally Trying To Spend Us Into Oblivion.” From the January 13, 2010, edition of Glenn Beck:
BECK: Have you seen the case that I've made on Cloward and Piven and they're intentionally trying to spend us into oblivion.
PALIN: Yes.
BECK: Do you believe it?
PALIN: I do. I do believe it, because again, Glenn, we can't be so stupid as to see these common sense solutions -- hey, government, quit thinking that the health care solution is for the government to take it over and run a system better than the private sector system. We see something like that, we scratch our heads and say, “Well, what are we missing?” It's a ridiculous notion that the White House has to take over health care and think that they can run it better.
We cannot be missing something so blatantly. It has to be purposeful what they are doing. Otherwise -- otherwise I would say, Glenn, that there is no hope, that there are no solutions. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/13/10, via Nexis]
Beck Hosts Author To Tie Obama To Supposed Cloward And Piven Conspiracy. On the December 20, 2010, edition of his Fox News program, Beck hosted author Stanley Kurtz to discuss how President Obama has supposedly been influenced by Cloward and Piven:
BECK: They were a pair of Columbia University professors, married couple who developed a revolutionary technique in 1960s to force political change that is still being used in this country today in a massive way. Their mission: flood the system with impossible demands so the system will collapse and a new one can form.
Stanley Kurtz writes a great deal about Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven in his new book “Radical-in-Chief,” and explains their strategy and influence on our country and our president now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STANLEY KURTZ, AUTHOR, “RADICAL-IN-CHIEF”: Around 1966, Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven met with a civil rights activist named George Wiley and created the National Welfare Rights Organization.
The idea was to flood welfare office with so many recipients asking for payments that they would effectively break the bank of state and local welfare systems. They wanted to have as many riotists and violent protests as they possibly could. You scare politicians into thinking, man, we've got to do something to placate these people.
In fact, Wade Rathke, who went on to head ACORN was an organizer for the National Welfare Rights Organization and he was involved in some of their most violent protests.
Cloward and Piven actually created their strategy based on a very careful study that they did of American Communist Party organizing tactics and strategy in the 1930s. Communist organizers were trying to spark a revolution. That revolution failed.
But in the mind of Cloward and Piven, what succeeded was that these violent tactics scared American public officials into increasing their welfare payments.
Now, how did all of this influence Barack Obama? When Barack Obama lived in New York City between about 1983 and 1985, he attended a series of socialist scholars conferences. And those conferences are where Barack Obama first learned about community organizing.
Those conferences changed Barack Obama's life. They made him embraced this whole career and vocation of community organizing. And they taught him all of these socialists strategies.
We know that Obama, for example, attended a very important socialist scholars conference at the Cooper Union in New York in 1983. That conference was addressed by Frances Fox Piven. He would have heard her again in 1984. If he attended the conference in 1985, which he quite possibly did, Piven would have been there.
So, Obama would have had many, many opportunities to learn about Cloward and Piven and their theories.
On the one hand, we know that Obama has immensely increased the American welfare state, immensely increased American entitlements through, of course, the health care legislation.
Now, I don't believe that the Obama administration is aiming to create a financial and economic crisis right now. Obama doesn't want to create economic crisis on his own watch because he would be held responsible. He would be politically punished.
But I do think that Obama is flirting with a fiscal crisis in order to heed the country toward a larger welfare state in order to expand taxation perhaps through a value-added tax, as we see in Europe. He's walking a fine line. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 12/20/10, via Nexis]
“Violence Is Coming”: Beck Has A Long History Of Spewing Violent Rhetoric
Beck: “You're Going To Have To Shoot Them In The Head.” On the June 9, 2010, edition of his Fox News program, during a long monologue about “Communist revolutionaries” that are trying to take over the Democratic Party, Beck said:
BECK: The media and the politician have all of this wrong. In every single walk of life -- you want to know why TV doesn't reflect you? You want to know why Washington doesn't reflect you? Because they don't understand, from the radical revolutionaries to the Islamic extremists -- and yes, DOJ, they do exist -- to the Tea Party movements.
Just because you in Washington and you who are so out of touch with life in the media, just because you don't believe in anything doesn't mean nobody else does. We do. You know why you're confused by this show? It's because I believe in something. You don't.
Tea parties believe in small government. We believe in returning to the principles of our Founding Fathers. We respect them. We revere them. Shoot me in the head before I stop talking about the Founders. Shoot me in the head if you try to change our government.
I will stand against you and so will millions of others. We believe in something. You in the media and most in Washington don't. The radicals that you and Washington have co-opted and brought in wearing sheep's clothing -- change the pose. You'll get the ends.
You've been using them? They believe in communism. They believe and have called for revolution -- revolution. You're going to have to shoot them in the head. But warning, they may shoot you.
They're dangerous because they believe. Karl Marx is their George Washington. You will never change their mind. And if they feel you have lied to them -- they're revolutionaries. Nancy Pelosi, those are the people you should be worried about. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/9/10]
- Responding to recent controversy over these remarks, Beck said on January 21:
BECK: If you look at the full video, or if you read the transcript ... you'll see that the word “you” refers to the leftist politicians in Washington and the people in the media on the left; and the “them,” “they” refers to radical leftists friends. In this clip, I am warning that they, the revolutionaries, that have been co-opted by the politicians and the media, they actually believe and have called for a violent revolution. They believe it. And I was warning last summer, if you don't -- if they feel betrayed, if they feel like you've been lying to them, you've been using them, they'll kill you. They'll kill you because they believe in something.
STU BURGUIERE (producer): And we know that because they've said it in their own words.
BECK: Yes. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 1/21/11]
Beck Pours Gasoline On “Average American,” Asks: “President Obama, Why Don't You Just Set Us On Fire?” On his television show, Beck claimed to be imitating Obama while pouring liquid from a gasoline can -- which he later stated was water -- on an actor portraying the “average American.” Beck said during his demonstration: “President Obama, why don't you just set us on fire? ... We didn't vote to lose the republic.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/9/09]
Beck Turns To Violent Rhetoric In Discussing Flu Vaccine: “Meet Mr. Smith And Mr. Wesson.” On his radio show, Beck developed a hypothetical scenario in which the government would consider taking his children because he refused to have them receive a mandatory flu vaccine. Beck explained to the audience that his response to the government showing up at his house to take his kids would be, “Meet Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson,” a reference to the gun manufacturer. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 10/15/10]
Quoting Jefferson, Beck Warns About “Rivers Of Blood.” On his Fox News show, Beck quoted a letter by Thomas Jefferson warning that " 'if they lose freedom' -- he's speaking of us, future generations -- 'if they lose freedom, there will be rivers of blood.' " Beck continued in his own words, “Boy, I hope that's not true, but I can tell you there will be rivers of blood if we don't have values and principles.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 5/14/10]
Beck: “To The Day I Die, I Am Going To Be A Progressive Hunter.” Telling his listeners that they “are going to learn so much on Friday,” Beck compared himself to “Israeli Nazi hunters” and commented: “I'm telling you, I'm going to find these big progressives and, to the day I die, I'm going to be a progressive hunter.” He added:
BECK: I'm going to find these people that have done this to our -- you know, to our country, and expose them. I don't care where -- I don't care if they're in nursing homes. I'm going to expose what they have done and make sure that the people understand, because our Constitution, our republic -- if it survives -- it will only survive because the people are waking up and through the grace of God, because we are that close to losing our republic. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 1/20/10]
Ranting That Gov't Under Nixon “Wasn't As Corrupt As It Is Now,” Beck Suggests Obama Administration Might Kill “10 Percent” Of Population. On his June 10, 2010, show, Beck warned that “anarchists, Marxists, communists, revolutionaries, Maoists” have to “eliminate 10 percent of the U.S. population” in order to “gain control.” They couldn't achieve such a goal when Richard Nixon was president, Beck stated, because “the family was together” and the government under Nixon “wasn't as corrupt as it is now.” Beck added: “Now they can. Now they can.” Beck later played a clip of an FBI agent who infiltrated the Weather Underground and warned about extremists who want to kill people. Beck responded to the clip by stating: “These are the same people that are everywhere in our government and our education system. Please, please. Learn from history. Please.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/10/10]
Beck Portrays Obama, Democrats As Vampires, Suggests “Driv[ing] A Stake Through The Heart Of The Bloodsuckers.” On his March 30, 2009, Fox News show, Beck aired a graphic portraying Obama and Democrats as vampires and said: “The government is full of vampires, and they are trying to suck the lifeblood out of the economy.” Beck then suggested “driv[ing] a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/30/09]
Beck: Progressives Are “Vampires” Who Will Become “More and More Violent.” On his radio show, Beck warned listeners that progressives are “vampires” who now have a “taste of blood” and are “gonna start getting more and more violent.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 1/19/10]
Beck Talks About “Put[ting] Poison” In Pelosi's Wine. In 2009, Beck's Fox News show featured a segment in which Beck said the following to a woman wearing a mask of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
BECK: So, Speaker Pelosi, I just wanted to -- you gonna drink your wine? Are you blind? Do those eyes not work? There you -- I want you to drink it now. Drink it. Drink it. Drink it.
I really just wanted to thank you for having me over here to wine country. You know, to be invited, I thought I had to be a major Democratic donor or a longtime friend of yours, which I'm not.
By the way, I put poison in your -- no, I -- I look forward to all the policy discussions that we're supposed to have -- you know, on health care, energy reform, and the economy. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/6/09]
Beck: “Grab A Torch.” Asserting that politicians are addicted to spending, Beck stated: “When do we ever run those who are bankrupting our country and literally stealing our children's future out of town? Grab a torch.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/6/10]
Beck Suggests That Progressives Support “Armed Insurrection.” After President Obama signed health care reform legislation into law, Beck suggested that progressives support “armed insurrection” and asked, “Why would the president take up immigration right away, after he's just punched you in the face with health care?” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck Suggests Pelosi and Obama Support “Pick[ing] Up A Gun” To Advance “Revolution.” Beck also said that “violence is the wrong way to go,” but asked his viewers: “You'd pick up a gun? Have you ever thought of that?” He then pointed to several pictures, including images of Obama and Pelosi, and stated: “These people have. Because possibly, maybe the question should be asked, maybe they're tired of evolution, and maybe they are waiting for revolution.” Beck also said: “Haven't we just been spanked? Hasn't most of the country -- doesn't most of the country feel like they've been spanked over health care? You bet. I do, you do. A lot of people do.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck Suggests Obama Administration May Kill Him. Beck said: “For those of you in the administration, who are coming after me ... remember, you've broken three [of the 10 Commandments], let's not make it four; thou shalt not kill.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck: “The Revolution Of 1776 Was A Picnic Compared To What The Revolutionaries Of Today Would Like To Do. ... Usually, Millions Of People Die.” While discussing “radicals” in the country, Beck told his audience: “Here's what you'll learn. The revolution of 1776 was a picnic compared to what the revolutionaries of today would like to do. It's not a lot of fun. Usually, millions of people die.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/9/10]
Beck Suggests Progressive Coalition Will Become Violent And Riot “A Year From Now.” On his Fox News program, while discussing how progressives are supposedly trying to “nudge” the United States towards “global governance,” Beck said that “violence is a part of the overall strategy.” While discussing a coalition of unions and progressive groups that were planning a march in Washington, D.C., Beck said that he believes the march will be “peaceful,” but suggested that “a year from now” there may be violence and riots “when the cuts take place.” Beck also proclaimed that the Democrats have been “infected with the tree of revolution” and “radicals” who are a “danger to our republic.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/14/10]
Beck Connects U.S. Progressives To The Holocaust, Says They “Have Not Changed Their Viewpoint.” Beck announced that “if you don't know your history, you are doomed to repeat it” and went on to link several U.S. progressives to eugenics and the Holocaust. He proceeded to say that progressives “have not changed their viewpoint; they've only changed their language.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/3/10]
Beck: After Election, “Our Streets Will Not Be Peaceful” Due To Progressives “Agitating.” Discussing the November 2010 elections, Beck told his viewers that “activists” were “about to go back to agitating, because once they lose control of the House, they have to.” After encouraging people to vote, Beck said that after the election, “our streets will not be peaceful. They will start protesting and agitating again.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/30/10]
Beck Warned That “In The End, In Revolutions, Real Dangerous Killers Show Up When Things Start To Fall Apart.” Discussing how the government is “growing out of control,” Beck attacked former White House green jobs adviser Van Jones and “the government” for using “fear tactics.” Beck told listeners that he “told you this would happen” and added that “I told you just last week that I believe these are the most dangerous two years of our republic. Because in the end, in revolutions, the real dangerous killers show up when things start to fall apart. When the nudge moves to shove, and the shove doesn't work, the killers show up. It happens every time. That's why we must be united for peace, we must be united with love, we must be united with God.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 9/27/10]
Beck: “Violence Will Come. And Violence Will Come From The Left. Violence Is Part Of The Plan.” Beck warned listeners that “if you don't think violence is coming, I'm going to share some audio of Frances Fox Piven that will boggle your mind.” Beck said that “they don't mind violence. Violence will come. And violence will come from the left. Violence is part of the plan. Not mine, not yours.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 9/13/10]
Beck On Progressives: When The “Soft Revolution” Fails, They “Just Start Shooting People.” Beck claimed that progressives are engaging in a “soft revolution” designed to silence voices like his. He added: “If somebody starts to turn on them, or they 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. I hope we don't get to that point. I pray that we don't get to that point, but I never thought this country would get to the point where we are today.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 5/27/10]
Beck Warns Of Violence: “Trouble” By The “Most Violent” Progressives “Is Coming.” Beck suggested that Obama would respond to potential GOP victories in November elections by “going right directly” to the “most progressive, most violent, the worst of the worst on the left and stir 'em up. 'Get out into the streets. Cause trouble.' It's what's coming. It's what's coming.” [The Glenn Beck Program, 9/24/10]
Beck: “Violence Is Coming” And “The Left Will Blame Me.” Beck said that people need to “wake up” and see “what is coming,” which Beck described as “violence.” He added that “the left will blame me.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/2/10]
Beck: “God Will Wash This Nation With Blood If He Has To, But He Doesn't Have To.” Referencing Lincoln's second inaugural address, Beck said that “God will wash this nation with blood if he has to, but he doesn't have to.” Beck added that “we are passing all of the exits. Gang, there is one exit left. There is one exit left, and it is God. Everything that is coming our way is too big to handle on our own. If we do not put God at the center of our own personal lives and the center of our country, we will not survive. The country will be washed with blood and then someone will have to start over, and God only knows how long that takes.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/25/10]
Beck Warns Of “Revolutionaries” Who Will “Set Our Streets On Fire.” Urging people to vote in the November elections, Beck said that “in the short term” this election is “going to make things worse” because “revolutionaries” are going to “rise up” and “set our streets on fire.” He added that “our future is at stake right now.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 9/16/10]
Beck: “The Army ... Of The Extreme Left Is Gathering” And They Are Saying “Cops Are Bad, Kill The Cops.” On his radio show, Beck discussed riots in Oakland, stating: “The army, if you will, of the extreme left is gathering, and they are coming to the conclusion of cops are bad, kill the cops, they're the oppressors. It's all the 1960s, you know, pig stuff. It's the same stuff.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 7/12/10]
Beck: “This Game Is For Keeps”; "[Y]ou Can Shoot Me In The Head ... But There Will Be 10 Others That Line Up." Asking his audience to “pray for protection,” Beck claimed that “the most powerful people on the planet on the left” were “not going to go away easy” because "[t]his game is for keeps. This is who controls the United States of America and its destiny." He asked his listeners to “please keep me in your prayers, keep my staff in your prayers, for safety, for wisdom,” adding, “Just pray for protection, please.”
Later in the same program, Beck said:
BECK: You can try to put the lid on this group of people, but you will never silence us. You will never -- you can shoot me in the head, you can shoot the next guy in the head, but there will be 10 others that line up. And it may not happen today, it may not happen next week, but freedom will be restored in this land. Period. And no matter what you want to call it, it is a totalitarian state that you're headed towards. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 9/8/09 and 9/8/09]
Beck: "[Y]ou Will Have To Shoot Me In The Forehead Before You Take Away My Gun" And “Before I Acquiesce And Be Silent.” Beck has warned “ACORN, GE, Obama, SEIU” that “you are awakening a sleeping giant, and I have nothing to do with it,” and that “America is waking up. You know the American Revolution took place with 12 percent of the population? Twelve. Are you telling me there is not 30 percent of this population that you will have to shoot me in the forehead before I let somebody into my house to tell me how to raise my children; you will have to shoot me in the forehead before you take away my gun; you will have to shoot me in the forehead before I acquiesce and be silent.” Beck further stated:
BECK: They cannot move on these things, because they are building a machine that will crush the entrepreneurial spirit and the freedom that our Founding Fathers designed. This machine, whatever it is they are building, will crush it. Do not let them build another piece.
So while I turn away, I want to make sure that I have at least 10 million eyes watching -- watching every single move they are making.
[...]
We know why they're doing what they're doing. You need to do what you need to do, and as long as that is peaceful, we will save our country. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 7/30/09]
Beck Suggests Obama Is “Trying To Destroy The Country” And Is Pushing America Toward Civil War. While discussing the ongoing controversy over Arizona's immigration law, Beck told his listeners that “we are being pushed” toward civil war and that Obama is “trying to destroy the country.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 5/19/10]
Beck: “There Is A Coup Going On. There Is A Stealing Of America.” Beck has claimed that “there is a revolution, and they think they can get away with it quietly,” adding: “At this point, gang, I'm not sure, they may be able to because they are so far ahead of us. They know what they're dealing against; most of America does not yet. Most of America doesn't have a clue as to what's going on. There is a coup going on. There is a stealing of America, and the way it is done, it has been done through the -- the guise of an election, but they lied to us the entire time.” He also said, “And they're gonna say, 'we did it democratically,' and they are going to grab power every way they can. And God help us in an emergency.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/31/09]
Beck: “There Are Those People That Really Want This To Collapse, And They Are Planning On Violence.” Referencing a speech he had given the previous weekend in Alaska, Beck discussed how he told the audience that “you are Fort Knox.” He explained that if the economy collapses, Alaskans must “grab your guns” because “the Russians, the Chinese -- everyone is coming to Alaska, because that's where the money is. Now, that's not begging for World War III; that's called giving you the facts. But see, there are those people that really want this to collapse, and they are planning on violence. They're planning on it -- we've already shown you. We've already seen it with SEIU. We've shown it to you over in Europe.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 9/13/10]
Beck Says His Audience Contains “The Leaders Of Tomorrow” Who Will Save You From “Camps, Maybe Literally.” Referencing an event he appeared at the previous weekend with Sarah Palin, Beck said that they have “30 million people in our footprint.” Beck explained that “this 10 percent is going to be the shelter for the other 90 percent.” He added: “This is the group, this 10 percent will be the ones that when all hell goes to handbasket, and everybody on the left and the right are yelling and arguing and trying to pull you into camps, maybe literally, pull you into camps. You're gonna say 'Don't go, don't go, everything's fine. Don't worry, we can take care of each other. We've got each other, we're Americans, we're better than this.' ” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 9/13/10]
Beck: “They're Trying To Beat It Out Of You Slowly. Boil You, Basically, Like A Frog.” After agreeing with a caller who suggested we should “collapse the Federal Reserve” and “build it back up,” Beck said that the government already “started planning for the next phase, and the next phase is a global governance sort of situation.” Discussing how people should prepare for a global collapse, Beck added that “people are not going to go peacefully into the night if it is a quick collapse.” Beck said that “the fear here is that they already have the structure to box you in. They don't come with the jackbooted thugs on the first day. They come and take away your sugary sweets. They come and take away your right to go to the beach and dig in the sand. They come and they watch your credit cards. ... They're trying to beat it out of you slowly. Boil you, basically, like a frog. I think we win. I think we win if things remain stable, but a power grab is a possibility in this crazy upside-down America that we live in.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 9/21/10]
Beck: “I Don't Know How Much Time Each Of Us Has. I Don't Know How Much Time The Country Has.” Beck “beg[ged]” his listeners to “please give me the benefit of the doubt,” and said:
BECK: I'm begging you to get back down on your knees. I'm begging you to be the person that you were and you promised yourself you would be on September 11th and 12th. I'm begging you to get down on your knees. What is coming is not good. I don't know how things end. I should rephrase that. I do know how things end. But I know how things end after a long struggle. I don't know how that struggle is gonna work out. I don't know how much time each of us has. I don't know how much time the country has. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/25/10]
Beck: Obama Administration Is “Poking” At “People Who Have A Record Of Violence” And “Stirring Up Trouble.” Discussing how Obama had criticized people on the left on the same day that cuts were announced to food stamp programs, Beck speculated that the administration was “poking” the left the same way that he “poked” the tea parties. He added that this “makes Barack Obama look like he's more centrist. But also, you're poking people who have a record of violence and taking to the streets and stirring up trouble. Hmm. I wonder if there's anything there.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/11/10]
Beck's Advice To Liberty Grads: “Shoot To Kill.” During his May 15 commencement speech at Liberty University, 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.” [Glenn Beck, Commencement Address At Liberty University, 5/15/10 and 5/15/10]
Beck: “I Fear A Reichstag Moment, A -- God Forbid -- Another 9-11, Something That Will Turn This Machine On.” During an interview with Newsmax.com in which he discussed opposition to Obama's Federal Communications Commission policies, Beck said: “I fear an event. I fear a Reichstag moment, a -- God forbid -- another 9-11, something that will turn this machine on, and power will be seized and voices will be silenced. God help us all.'' [Newsmax.com, 10/7/09]
Beck's Rhetoric Has Previously Been Linked To Violence And Death Threats
Williams Wanted To “Start A Revolution” By “Killing People Of Importance At The Tides Foundation.” On July 18, 2010, Byron Williams, a convicted felon, engaged in a shootout with police after being pulled over on I-580 in California. Williams was heavily armed, wearing body armor and wielding “a 9mm handgun, a .308-caliber rifle and a shotgun.” After being taken into custody, Williams reportedly told investigators that “his intention was to start a revolution by traveling to San Francisco and killing people of importance at the Tides Foundation and the ACLU.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/21/10]
Williams' Mother: Son “Was Upset” With “The Way Congress Was Railroading Through All These Left-Wing Agenda Items.” The San Francisco Chronicle also reported that Williams' mother, Janice Williams, described her son as “angry at left-wing politicians” and at “what's happening to our country.” The Chronicle further reported: “Williams watched the news on television and was upset by 'the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items,' his mother said.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/19/10]
Williams: “The Things” Beck Exposed “Blew My Mind.” During an interview with reporter John Hamilton after his arrest, Williams said: “I would have never started watching Fox News if it wasn't for the fact that Beck was on there. And it was the things that he did, it was the things he exposed that blew my mind. I said, well, nobody does this.” Williams continued: “You need to go back to June -- June of this year, 2010 -- and look at all his programs from June. And you'll see he's been breaking open some of the most hideous corruption. ... A year ago, I was watching him, and it was OK, he was all right, you know? ... But now he's getting it.” [Media Matters, 10/11/10]
Williams Was Driven By Belief In Conspiracy Theories That Have Been Pushed By Beck. Hamilton noted that in one letter to him, Williams “repeatedly cites Beck when discussing the Soros-Obama-Petrobras story and insists I check out Beck's 'June' shows.” Hamilton continued:
In his letter to me, Byron writes: “I have been praying for a media advocate; one, to make people aware of why I'm in here (public opinion could help me), and two, to make people realize that corrupt killers are in power, and want re-election! I was also fearful that this issue would be 'burried.' ”
Byron writes, “You want to know about Soros and Tides, yes, Glenn Beck is doing very well uncovering his wickedness, check his 'June' programs for 'Petrobraz', also look into 'DiscoverTheNetworks.com.' ”
Byron also writes that “very good information regarding 'Petrobraz' can be found in Glenn Beck's 'June' shows, where he accurately covered the Obama-Soros-Petrobraz-Chicago (Crime Inc.) connections for several days. It's all true.”
Byron adds that he “found allusions to the Horizon disaster as a 'false-flag' operation in Alex Jones 'Info.Wars.com' and 'PrisonPlanet.com.' "
“Think like a conspiracy theorist,” Byron tells me during the interview. “Except don't use the word 'theory.' Because the conspiracies are not theories. The official report is the lie; the conspiracy is the truth.”
Byron says he thinks Beck has improved in recent months. “I don't think he's a natural newscaster, you know what I mean?” he says. “I look at it more like a schoolteacher on TV, you know? He's got that big chalkboard and those little stickers, the decals. I like the way he does it.” [Media Matters, 10/11/10]
Williams On Beck: He Denies “Violent Approach” and “Conspiracies” To “Protect Himself. ... I Understand What He's Doing.” In his interview with Hamilton, Williams also said that “Beck is gonna deny everything about violent approach and deny everything about conspiracies, but he'll give you every reason to believe it. He's protecting himself, and you can't blame him for that. So, I understand what he's doing.” Williams continued:
“And I'd say, well, you know, that's the thing. It's that anything you do is going to be considered promoting terror attacks or promoting violence. So now they've got Beck labeled as this guy that is trying to incite violence. And what I say is that if the truth incites violence, it means that we've been living too long in the lies.
”Because it's gonna be too many -- it's gonna be more and more people that are, you know -- when you become unemployed, desperate, you can no longer pay your bills, when your society has come to a standstill, and cannot grow anymore, you're becoming socialized, everything, you know -- companies are moving overseas, what do you think is gonna happen? You know, for crying out loud. It's gonna get worse. And more and more people are gonna get desperate." [Media Matters, 10/11/10]
Beck Linked With Stoking “Fears” That Caused Charles Wilson To Threaten Murray
Wilson Sentenced For Threats Against Sen. Patty Murray. In October 2010, Charles Alan Wilson was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for threatening Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) with “violence” in phone calls to her office. [The Seattle Times, 10/22/10]
Wilson Said He “Want[ed] To [Expletive] Kill” Murray Because Of The Passage Of Health Care Legislation. In an April 6 article, Politico reported that Wilson “allegedly called Murray's office on numerous occasions” saying that she " 'had a target on her back,' and 'I want to [expletive] kill you,' according to court documents." Politico also reported that Wilson “allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he carries a concealed firearm with a permit, and said he was 'extremely angry' with the passage of health care legislation.” The article continued:
On March 23, the day President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law, the caller said, “I hope somebody kills you, and I hope somebody kills [the president]. Yes, die, dead.”
“Not only do I say, 'Kill the Bill' I say: Kill the [expletive] senator,” the caller said.
When the FBI reviewed phone records for Murray's office, it found Wilson's number appearing several times, with some calls made as early as 4:34 in the morning, according to court papers.
On April 1, an agent called Wilson's home number posing as a representative of “Patients United Now,” a group that was “ostensibly” attempting to have the health care reform law repealed.
In the course of the phone call, Wilson allegedly told the officer that he regularly called Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
According to the documents, two other phrases in that conversation convinced the FBI that Wilson was man who had left the stream of threatening voicemails: He called Murray and Cantwell “Pike Street whores” and called Murray “sneaker shoes Murray” -- both phrases captured when he allegedly called the senator's office from a blocked number. The man who made the phone calls also said “they need to be strung up, and I mean put [in] the gallows” adding that “they want to come throw me in jail, they can go ahead and do that. that's fine.”
The caller also mentioned that he was registered to carry a concealed weapon.
“I do pack,” court documents say Wilson told the FBI agent -- a term that refers to carrying a gun. “And I will not blink...when I'm confronted, and that is a guarantee. It's not a threat, it's a guarantee.” [Politico, 4/6/10]
Wilson To Murray: “Kill The Fucking Senator! ... Now That You've Passed Your Health-Care Bill, Let The Violence Begin.” In court documents, federal prosecutors pointed to several voicemail messages Wilson left for Murray that raised “serious concerns,” including:
“Just remember that as you are politicing for your reelection. It only takes one piece of lead. ... Kill the fucking Senator! Kill the fucking Senator! I'll donate the lead. ... Now that you've passed your health-care bill, let the violence begin. Let the violence begin.”
“By your attempts to overtake this country with socialism, somebody's gonna get to you one way or another and blow your fucking brains out, and I hope it does happen. If I have the chance, I would do it.”
“Kill the fucking Senator! Hang the fucking Senator! I hope somebody puts a fucking bullet between your fucking eyes. Far left liberal socialist democratic bitch. You mother-fucker. You sold the fucking people of the country out for socialism. I hope somebody fucking erasers your fucking life. Yes, I hope somebody assassinates you, you fucking bitch.”
“We are going to fuck you up. We are going to fuck you up as bad as we can. Yes, the independents. The real people of this country, not you spineless fucking socialists. You better watch your fucking back, baby, because there's people gonna come after you with fucking both fucking barrels, bitch.” [Media Matters, 10/28/10]
Relative: Wilson's Threats Occurred Because He “Was Under The Spell That Glenn Beck Cast.” In a September 17 letter, Wilson's cousin wrote:
What happened later with Charlie is something I think I can understand. He became basically housebound due to illness and his small world became even smaller. His brother got him a computer and he was able to stay connected with family. And he watched television and found Glenn Beck... I found Glenn Beck about the same time Charlie did. I understand how his fears were grown and fostered by Mr. Beck's persuasive personality. The same thing happened to me but I went in a different direction with what I was seeing. Rather than blame politicians for the current issues, I simply got prepared for what Glenn said was coming. I slowly filled our pantry as Glenn fed fear into me. I did not miss watching his show and could not understand why the rest of the world didn't get it -- Glenn became a pariah to me. But I was finally able to step away and realize the error of my ways. The media lost its grip on me. But it still held very tightly to Charlie.
While his actions were undeniably wrong and his choices were terrible, in part they were the actions of others played out by a very gullible Charlie. He was under the spell that Glenn Beck cast, aided by the turbulent times in our economy. I don't believe that Charlie even had the ability to actually carry out his threats. [Media Matters, 10/28/10]
Self-Described “Militia Leader” Kenneth Kimbley Reportedly Idolized Beck
Kenneth Kimbley Jr. Pleaded Guilty To Federal Gun Charges. The Spokesman Review of Spokane, Washington, reported in November 2010 that “self-described militia leader” Kenneth B. Kimbley Jr. pleaded guilty to federal gun charges connected to a grenade manufacturing operation at his trailer in Idaho:
A self-described militia leader pleaded guilty this week to federal gun charges connected to a grenade manufacturing operation at his trailer in Spirit Lake, Idaho.
Kenneth B. Kimbley Jr., 58, discussed bombing local bridges with an undercover federal agent and made threatening statements toward President Barack Obama, leading investigators last July to seize 20,000 ammunition rounds and several firearms from Kimbley's property, where he and other suspected militia members gathered to construct grenades, according to court documents. [The Spokesman Review, 11/23/10]
Kimbley's Public Defender: Beck Is Kimbley's “Idol.” In publicly available court documents, Kimbley's public defender based her defense on the fact that “everything said by Mr. Kimbley is no different than” what Beck regularly says on air:
His public defender, Kim Deater, did not return a phone call seeking comment. In court documents, she described Kimbley as a nonthreatening man who has passionate political views.
Though prosecutors have emphasized his militia ties and his dislike for Obama, Kimbley “made absolutely no threats to harm anyone at anytime,” Deater wrote in court documents.
“In fact, everything said by Mr. Kimbley is no different than what his idol, TV commentator Glenn Beck, typically states on the air and is protected free speech.”
Deater writes that though Kimbley was “frequently baited” by an undercover agent, he and his friends “simply discussed their concerns of a communist takeover and the need to be prepared to defend themselves and the country if in fact a takeover occurred.” [The Spokesman Review, 11/23/10]
Officials At League of Women Voters Received Death Threats, Linked Them To Beck Rhetoric
Debate Organizer, Moderator Report Increase In Hateful Calls And Emails After Being Attacked By Beck. In October 2010, the moderator and organizer of an Illinois congressional debate reported receiving aggressive calls and emails, including death threats, for refusing a request to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the debate. Both the moderator and the organizer told Media Matters that there was an increase in hateful calls and emails after Beck attacked them by name on the October 25, 2010, edition of his Fox News Show. [Media Matters, 10/28/10]
Beck On League Of Women Voters Officials: They Are “Almost Like In Bed With George Soros.” During the October 25, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, Beck said that the two women are “almost like in bed with George Soros”:
BECK: We wanted to look at the moderator, Kathy Tate-Bradish, from the League of Women Voters. Oh, she sounds so neutral and everything. I mean, she's even neutral on the Pledge, apparently -- just a typical woman voter trying to get the truth out. No, not so much -- not so much.
She is on fire for Obama. She is a big-time Obama supporter. In fact, so much so, she's part of his Organizing for America arm. Hmm.
She's even hosted campaign event in her home in 2007, part of her post on OFA's, Organizing for America Web site, “Hope Action Change”: “On March 31st, people across America open their homes to friends, families, neighbors, to kick off a week of support for a movement for Barack Obama and the movement to change America.”
That's great. I didn't know that change was, you know, meant to abandon the Pledge, but hey.
Now, what about czar -- Jan Czarnik -- just another regular woman voter from the League of Women Voters. Well -- and she also worked with ACORN's Project Vote, which is funded by Tides, and Soros, his Democracy Alliance, which she also worked with progressive people for the American Way, which is a group that recently joined Tides to call for the advertisers to stop advertising on FOX because of this program, which is also funded by George Soros. It's weird, isn't it?
They're so neutral that it's almost like they're not. They're so neutral that they're almost like in bed with George Soros of Tides.
America, I mean, all you have to do -- all of this stuff can be found. It's not hidden. It's not hidden. It's all the same people.
You are being duped. You got to get out and flood the voting booths next week. Do your own homework.
Don't take my word for it. Don't take the League of Women Voters. Ooh! Really? I'll add that to my list of people that I don't trust anymore. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/25/10, via Nexis]
Executive Director Of League Of Women Voters: “I Am Getting Death Threats.” Jan Czarnik, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Illinois told Media Matters, “I am getting death threats and I am taking it to our local FBI. There are postings on Fox News' Facebook page that include threats on my life.” Event moderator Kathy Tate-Bradish also confirmed receiving threats by phone. Czarnik sent the following emails she had received to Media Matters:
Please tell Executive Director Jan Czarnik and Kathy Tate-Bradish that if they prefer (and probably would), people in the crowd of any future debates can sing the Soviet hymn ... If they do not wish to do that, please tell those c*nty douche bags to go f*** themselves :)
You had better put a leash on your liberal lunatic Tate-Bradish. She will take you down. Her Pledge of Allegiance video is going viral, now that Beck outed her fanaticism. You will follow NPR down the rathole, thanks to her. [Media Matters, 10/28/10]
Moderator Intended “No Disrespect For The Flag.” In an interview with Media Matters, Tate-Bradish explained that the Pledge had “never been requested” at previous forums:
“I have absolutely nothing for or against saying the Pledge of Allegiance,” Tate-Bradish said at the time after denying the request. That caused some in the crowd to boo and others began reciting the pledge themselves.
Tate-Bradish then commented that she had intended “no disrespect for the flag,” but that the pledge is not usually said at LWV debates and “has never been requested” at the forums she has moderated. [Media Matters, 10/28/10]
Fox News Allegedly Inspired Gregory Giusti To Repeatedly Threaten To Destroy Pelosi's Home
Giusti Sentenced For Threatening Pelosi. In December 2010, Gregory Lee Giusti was sentenced to a year and nine months in federal prison for threatening to destroy former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home if she voted in support of the health care reform law. [San Francisco Chronicle, 12/3/10]
Giusti Admitted To Making “More Than 30 Phone Calls” Threatening Pelosi Not To Support Health Care Reform. The Associated Press reported in April 2010 that in one recorded call, “Giusti said, 'if you pass this freaking health care plan don't bother coming back to California cause you ain't gonna have a place to live,' according to a transcript of the message included in an amended complaint.” The AP added: “Officials said the caller often recited Pelosi's home address and said if she wanted to see it again, she should not support the health care overhaul bill that since has been enacted. Giusti left at least two recorded messages containing threats involving one of Pelosi's residences in Northern California, according to the complaint.” [Associated Press, 4/8/10]
Giusti Called Pelosi “A Witch” And Said He Didn't Like Her Pushing Health Care Bill “Down The People's Throats.” The AP further reported that Giusti “told investigators he had phoned Pelosi about a half-dozen times, called her a witch and said he did not like her 'pushing the health care bill down the people's throats,' the complaint stated.” [Associated Press, 4/8/10]
Giusti's Mother Blamed Fox News For Her Son's Actions. During an interview with the local San Francisco ABC affiliate, Giusti's mother, Eleanor Giusti, stated that Fox News was a factor in her son's actions. She stated:
ELEANOR GIUSTI: Greg has -- frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family and -- which gets him into problems. And apparently I would say this must be another one that somehow he's gotten onto either by -- I'd say Fox News or all of those that are really radical, and he -- that's where he comes from. [ABC's San Francisco affiliate, KGO-TV, 4/7/10]