Glenn Beck Is On Our Side
David Frum has responded — sort of — to my Newsreal critique of his blistering attack on Glenn Beck in tones you would normally use for a Ward Churchill or a William Ayers or a Cynthia McKinney.
I say “sort of” because he has not addressed the points I made and has instead misrepresented my views. I did not say that Beck’s comments were false. Beck’s sin so far as I can tell from David’s posts are that he conflated Cass Sunstein with Peter Singer. His bad. Yet, how big a sin is this? Well it’s all about context isn’t it? Animal rights is not what is agitating Beck. What he is concerned about is Sunstein’s apparent desire to expand the libel laws and clamp down on the Internet. It’s about free speech, something a blogger like David should be concerned about. So while I do think that Beck should have been more careful in his characterization of Sunstein, I don’t think in the present political atmosphere it’s unusual to overstate a case nor that somebody should be read out of civilized company for making such mistakes.
Joe Klein describes Republican critics of Obama as “racists” in the current edition of Time. What has David got to say about Klein? That’s a big part of my problem with David’s current crusade. His passionate defense of Sunstein (who after all is a member of an Adminstration that is busily wrecking the country and had no problem serving with Van Jones) is extraordinary for a man of David’s normally conservative temperament. I’ve never heard David raise his voice this way in defense of maligned conservatives. (Maybe I just missed it.)
So it’s not that I don’t worry about mistakes people make on our side — I worry greatly about David’s mistake in regard to Beck — but I believe it’s important to correct people who are fighting for our freedoms in a somewhat gentler way than one should correct people who are on the other side of these battles. Moreover, I don’t like excommunications in political movements unless the guilty party is actually a racist or an anti-Semite — or a Communist like Van Jones.
On David’s first point, that the attack on Sunstein was stupid and counter-productive, I don’t agree with either statement:
First, even in Leninist terms, Beck’s attack on Sunstein was stupid and counter-productive. Every legal conservative who cares about the issues of regulation and deregulation agrees that Cass Sunstein is the very best choice for the OIRA job to be hoped from a Democratic president. Had conservative opposition somehow derailed the Sunstein nomination, President Obama’s next appointment would almost certainly have been worse – very possibly, a lot worse.
The attack on Sunstein as an animal rights activist may have been misplaced — David does not provide Beck quotes, does not seem to be familiar with the show on which Beck interviewed David Martosko of the Center for Consumer Freedom. It was Martosko who said Sunstein was “a disciple of Peter Singer’s” and a “raving animal rights nut” — but even if Martosko misrepresented Sunstein, Beck’s error in failing to vet him is hardly a capital crime. The attack on Sunstein as a would-be Internet censor, on the other hand, is hardly stupid or counter-productive. Just couple Sunstein’s support for censorship (as Beck did) with the Stalinist Mark Lloyd, Obama’s diversity chief at the FCC, who really wants to shut down conservative air waves and you can see that there’s a problem here and Beck is providing a service in showcasing it.
What David is overlooking is the fact that behind this administration and influencing it at every turn is the network built by George Soros, Harold Ickes, and John Podesta over the last decade which has radical agendas and whose role in the appointment of Sunstein we can only guess at. In other words, the Obama czars are the spearhead of a movement, which each of them has signed onto. David is looking at the Sunstein appointment as though the Obama team was being assembled in the way a Republican Administration would assemble its team. The very existence of so many czars to indicates that that is a mistake.
Second, this right-wing Leninism exacts a terrible moral price. Notice that David Horowitz calls the left “deceitful†in his blogpost. Presumably that’s a bad thing. Likewise, when Rep. Joe Wilson shouted “You lie†at President Obama, he did not intend that as a compliment. So truth is important to conservatives, or at least we talk as if it were. Yet now David Horowitz tells me that it’s 10,000 times more important to “fight for our side.â€
Let me pause for a moment here to say that I resent David’s use of the term “Leninist” to describe me. That is not an accident. It’s a term my enemies on the left use with great frequency in order to exculpate themselves from their romance with Leninism and demonize me at the same time and I don’t appreciate David’s picking it up (particularly when he is on a crusade to purge conservatives who disagree with him from the conservative movement). I did not in my original criticism of David say that truth didn’t matter, nor do I think that. What I said was that the lengths to which he went to demonize and anathematize Beck were objectionable. I do think truth matters. I think Glenn made a mistake in conflating Sunstein with Singer — although I do not speak 
with any real authority on this issue. Nonetheless, I will concede this for the sake of the argument. Nor am I in a position to judge Beck’s concerns about Sunstein’s censorious agendas because I haven’t read his new book. But it’s pretty obvious that there’s a push on the left side of the war zone to shut down conservatives, that the Obama Administration and the Democratic Party’s House leadership support this and that Glenn Beck is on the front lines opposing it, while David’s friend and teacher Cass Sunstein is not.
David’s third point is clever but is more a debater’s maneuver than a serious challenge to the issues we began with:
Third – how do we define “our side� Horowitz harshly condemns Obama appointee Van Jones. Van Jones was eventually forced to resign not because of any of the allegations Glenn Beck hurled at him, but because the Gateway Pundit blog unearthed evidence that Van Jones had consorted with 9/11 denialists. So that’s the other side, right? Except… the American politician who most closely associates with 9/11 denialists is Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul. And who acts as Paul’s chief TV enthusiast and publicist? Glenn Beck of course.
Ron Paul is a crackpot, a conspiracy nut and a public menace. His crank views of the economy have a lot of Republicans snookered enough to ignore the fact that he is an anti-Semite and an America-hater — fundamentally at odds with America’s role in the world as the guardian of freedom. I have to confess that I am not familiar with Beck’s promotion of Paul. If David wants to engage this I would have to review Beck’s statements about Paul first. But I can say this — the question that David puts at the end of his blog — whose side is Glenn Beck on, is easy. He’s on our side. When I listen to Beck I don’t have any sense that he does not love this country — the actual country we live as opposed to some fantasy of the way it might have been 200 years ago or 200 years hence. In fact I have the sense that he loves this country and will risk his career to defend it — and that’s good enough for me.
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“Ron Paul is a crackpot, a conspiracy nut and a public menace.”
This is great!!
Will the real David Frum please stand up…
His opining feeds right into the open arms of the left…if we spend a great deal of time debating who’s who in the conservative party with Frum; it’s a distraction…a distraction he seems to want to keep going.
I don’t consider myself one of the “fringe” he refers to in the LA Times today,
but I am offended by his suggestion that we not associate with those people/groups …before long he’ll have David Horowitz and the rest of us in that fringe tent and he will have joined the Marxist…isn’t that what they do?
What makes him act so?
LA Times story:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gop-fringe14-2009sep14,0,940651.story
David Frum is a foil, a panderer, and nothing more, he is only a conservative in his own mind. He has no audience and very little following, even his books on the subject are selling in the low four figures. I would suspect that more people are currently reading Mr Horowitz’s blog about David Frum’s comments about Glen Beck then are reading Mr. Frum’s website in any given week. I’m of the theory that whatever he writes or says is strictly for shock value in a desperate grab for attention, the last thing that anyone should do is give him that attention.
With regard to Ron Paul, I am not familiar with all of utterances and beliefs, on the size of government he is quite correct, on foreign affairs he is indeed a crackpot. He may even be correct regarding the monetary system, the banking system, and the Federal Reserve, however when it comes to constructive alternatives he seems a bit fuzzy.
Frum’s support of Sunstein over Beck, shows how far into Globama he has fallen- such a wonderful career tarnished by adulation of a left wing President leading our nation into CHANGE WE SEE and DONT LIKE
David Frum…is the Liberals’ Tokyo Rose calling on Conservatives to surrender and to give up their defense of their God, the Constitution and the American way of life.
I’m disappointed David that 1) you even acknowledged Frum’s existence and 2) that you responded in a such a patriarchal fashion-like a Dad gently scolding his son for getting a “D” on an exam.
Frum is not a conservative and never was. By publishing Dershowitz on Frontpage, Horowitz calls his own conservatism into serious question. That Dershowitz defends Israel is no excuse on this count. What matters is that Dershowitz is an Obama supporter and is trying to get people to vote Democrat when the country’s best interest is in another direction.
Great Work, David!
Now we have come to the point that because David Horowitz published some comments by Dershowitz he is some how suspect. talk about feeding the liberals with fodder to claim all conservatives are censors or fear other opinion it gets no better than this. As for Frum I lost any confidence in him long ago.
Sometimes one needs to pick the flydung out of the pepper.
A welcome analysis and thanks to Mr. H.
(OT I do believe that Dersh is a coward for not taking on his Demtard disaster president on mid East policy.)
Mr, Horwitz,
I do not believe Ron Paul is either a crackpot, or an anti-semite. If we are going to get back up on our feet, there are to things that stand in the way. The Federal Reserve, and Israel’s incessant bullying of Palestine! It isn’t being anti-semetic to say that. It is the simple truth! Reagan recognized this. We invaded Sadamm Hussein’s nation because he disregarded UN resolutions for 10 years. Israel has disregarded Un resolution 242 for 40 years! I love the Jewish people, but come on, they’re government is a bit, do I dare say this, nah I better not! Let’s just say, they’re the bully on the block! Get over this calling people anti- semite for every little criticism. We need that to keep us honest. Hell, I may be wrong. It’s just the way it looks to me.
Advise? Lebanon was very, very, nasty! Someone lobs missiles from the bushes, and Isarel goes in bombing Beruit, and everything in sight! That’s not right; it’s not humanity. It looks bad when they do that. We’re all friends of Israel but, when they do things that aren’t right, they deserve criticism! We can’t overlook turning our back on common decency.
The suicide bombers are crazy! There’s no excuse for bombing school kids on busses. My God, that’s cowardly and, if it’s done, someone should pay, but not an entire country; not the children or the innocent.
Israel needs to face up to UN resolution 242, quit building settlements on Palestinian land, quit bulldozing the homes of Palestinian people, and they all need to stop this insanity of killing each other.
I know, it’s easy to say, but someone has to stop it!
Joseph Coleman
Regarding Ron Paul – He’s been proven correct more often than crackpot, a conspiracy nut and a public menace as David said. As time goes by, Obama and his administration look more like the public menace than what we could have ever gotten with Ron Paul, who at least believes in the Constitution.
What we are facing is far worse, and other alternative was democrat lite – more of the compassionate conservatism that continued to incrementally shave our rights.
We’ll never know, without having an alternate universe… how the future would have laid out with either McCain or Paul, maybe as long as we can avoid permanent damage from this administration the slap in the face will wake enough up to value of a structured Constitution. Which over the span of years could be viewed as the best thing.
David, please, in another thread post the Ron Paul statements in context that makes him as you view him. I’ve heard this said before, but I’ve never seen him actually say anything that would support these claims.
Samuel
Beck is good, but he is a Ron Paul supporter. He is an avid third party supporter. He somehow believes that a person from a third party would be immune to the temptations and degradations of power offered in Washington. It’s not the party that makes the person.
I confess that I am not very familiar with Ron Paul’s positions — I ignored him when he publicly opposed toppling Saddam Hussein. I am surprised that he can legitimately be characterized as an anti-Semite, and I suspect that “America-hater” is over the top.
What I have heard, and I suspect Glen Beck has heard, of his views on economics he is spot on. To characterize his views on economics as “crank views of the economy” is more a reflection of your ignorance of economics than a disparagement of Ron Paul’s views.
Ah, if only we had a band of angels to lead us in these troubled times. How can Glenn Beck provide the range of information he does without having guests with whom I disagree to varying degrees? Also, it is impossible for him and his staff to be exactly perfect in every way; impossible for anyone. Isn’t that why newspapers have a section where they correct mistakes from prior issues?
Glenn Beck has done this nation a great service by waking up millions to what is going on inside this radical administration. David, I’m so thankful you support him. So many intellectuals are obssessed with impressing each other that they have become obstacles in our effort to restore adherence to the Constitution.
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our
liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a
moneyed aristocracy that has set the Government at defiance.
The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored
to the people to whom it properly belongs.”
Author: Thomas Jefferson, Source: Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin
I agree with Ron Paul on his desire to rein in the Fed. Thanks to Obama, we now have a union leader running the NY Federal reserve! Can it get any worse? Yes. Paul is one of only a handful of people in Congress who seems to get this — I wish we had an angel to lead us in this area, unfortunately we have Ron Paul leading the charge. That doesn’t mean that we look to him to lead the party, become president or formulate foreign policy — we just take his advice in this one area.
Mary Ann, the GOOD Glenn Beck is doing to expose Obama’s thugs (czars and his cronies in Congress, and others) for the actions they’re taking against America far outweighs the fact that he’s a “Ron Paul supporter”. Ron Paul is basically a “good” person. He’s not the “typical corrupt politician” like most on Capitol Hill now. I disagree with Paul on abortion and national defense issues; but there are much worse “things” than being a Ron Paul supporter. That ends my reply to Mary Ann. The rest constitutes just my comments on this forum: Glenn Beck is demonstrating that he has more “backbone” and American pride than all members of Congress, the executive branch, and the judicial branch combined; and, as a result, the multi-millions of us American citizens who are LISTENING to him are much more informed. We are much more united in our allegiance to our country. Thank God, for Glenn Beck and ALL he is doing, by just playing back QUOTES straight from the mouths of those in our “government” whom he is exposing! The information he’s giving us isn’t his opinion…just the quotes the MSM have been hiding from us! For that individual who asked, in reference to Glenn’s program, what is “our side?”,”our side” is made up of all true American citizens who love our country and want to take her back from those corrupt politicians who are taking anti-America actions, on a fast track, against our FREEDOMS, our CONSTITUTION, our American RIGHTS as individuals…and trying to force upon us citizens their anti-America agenda (Cap and Tax, a dangerous national “health care” plan, running America down and calling us “oppressive”, while “cozying up” to known enemies of America, robbing us American taxpayers to give to illegal aliens who are taking away our jobs & our SS funds, and on and on). Our own “government” has made day-to-day living in America a NIGHTMARE for us citizens! After the peaceful, non-violent, pro-America protests in Washington, DC, and around the nation, on Sep. 12, there can be no mistake as to Glenn’s definition of “our side”. Sep. 12 was just the beginning of the awakening of the “sleeping giant”, namely WE THE PEOPLE! BTW, Glenn’s “attack on Cass Sunstein” was neither “stupid” nor “counter-productive”. It was brilliant, and well-documented with ACTUAL FACTS. “Attacks” are that which the anti-God, anti-America politicians and their clueless followers do – against us pro-God, pro-America citizens. For instance, they call us names such as “right-wing extremists”, “mobsters”, and “domestic terrorists” and other ridiculous names, with absolutely no evidence to support their name-calling! We’re the same American citizens we’ve been all along…and we’re looking for the 56 “re-founders” of America who will get rid of the “infection” in our “government”…just as our original founding fathers fought for, and gained, our freedom from the King of England!
The rule on the Left is, “No enemies on the Left.” Obama follows it to a T. I’d hate to see that rule apply to conservatives. I have no problem with criticizing popular conservatives like Beck. Shouting instead of reasoned argument doesn’t do much for me. And frankly, Beck has gone completely over the top since he moved from CNN to Fox. (As for Van Jones, well, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.) I can’t watch him anymore and I used to like him.
For my money, the leading popular thinker on the right is Krauthamer. Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, et al. may have more readers or viewers or listners, but they mostly spout slogans and rarely offer any kind of real analysis or deep thinking or reasoned debate. There may be a place for that but I don’t have to like it and I don’t see any problem with calling them out for it. Conservatives deserve better.
Of course, it would be nice if Frum directed some of his fire at the leftwing shills in the MSM, too.
First I gave thought and consideration to Ron Paul and listened to him a great deal. I came to the conclusion that he was a nut and a crackpot and could possibly be worse than Jimmy Carter.
As for the comment above in regard to Isreal I spent 16 months there helping train people in several different areas regarding investigative procedure. I have to laugh when there is umbridge taken against this tiny nation because it ignores the UN who through this mess has never issued a resolution condemning the Fine people of Hamas, PLO the Alqasa mayters brigade and others for there violent acts. Just imagine if Mexico were firing 122 rockets or artilllery rounds into Texas the response would be swift brutal and final. Every politician would understand that they would have to do what ever it takes to stop the attacks on our Pizza Huts and Walmart or they would be gone in a heart beat. Private malitias would form that would devastate the bor4der towns and the firepower is out there to do it. Israel has shown remarkable restriant, so it sounds like anti-Semitism to me. By the way any thing passed on to Israel was improved and they shared as well. We do not have a better ally
Joseph Coleman, I am comcerned with your support for the den of vipers, known as the United Nations. So, I am going to give you a brief history of Judea. But first, if a gang of thugs came into your home, kidnapped you and prevented you from returning to your home for let’s say 2 years, when you are finally able to break free and return home, is it still your home. You betcha.You would be fighting mad if someone else and their family set up housekeeping in your home. Now a bit of history. Long ago, but not that far away, the Roman emperor Hadrian became very miffed at the Jews because they would not worship him as their god. And because at that time the Romans owned all the maps, he instructed his mapmakers to remove the Jews from the map and replace the name of their land with the name of Palestine.What he was attempting to do was humiliate the jews by naming their land after their arch enemy, the Philistines. As you can see by the mispelling, even a Roman emperor can be an idiot. The name stuck, and over time it was written into maps, etc. The term was reinforced by the Europeans when the need for oil increased. However, if you consult the Koran, it plainly says that the land from the Nile River to the River Euphrates was given to the Jews by the “covent and promise of G0d”. Interesting that even the “holy” book of the Muslims fighting the jews states that it is the property of the Jews. Go figure. I guess it was a case of selective reading. Anyhow, Arafat, recoined the term in 1965, when he declared that the arabs on the land were Palestians. In actuality, those arabs in the West Bank are Jordanian, and those in the Gaza strip area are Egyptian. it is interesting that both of these countries do not want this particular “tribe” back and will do anything to keep them out, this is why they support the notion of calling the land Palestine. Before the return, that area was a barren dust bowl, with no way of supporting any population. Now, is a very short period of time, it is a modern population center that is thriving. As to restrictions passed by the vehemently anti-semetic UN, Israel has no obligation to follow them. If someone were firing rockets into your neighborhood, you would be up in arms, demanding a brutal, swift response from your government.There would be an ennormous outrage when those rockets explode near your children’s school. Where is the condemnation of Hamas and the other groups that have a sole focus of murder (both muslim and jew). And, Joseph, no I am not jewish, just someone that prays for the peace of Israel with the realistic knowledge that there can never be a sharing of the land.
I don’t think Ron Paul is crazy, If you believe strongly in something, and somebody brings something to your attention that makes you question it, your going to think that person is attacking you and your belief, which means, your going to reject what ever that person telling you, whether you can prove it or not. What does that mean, it means in some cases that its easier to believe the lie than it is believing the truth.
If you understand what im saying, then you will understand how easy it is to convince millions of americans of a weapons of mass destruction story or about the 911 attack..
The elites are still using an age old strategy, divide people up and have them fighting each other.
You can even see it in our own history, when the white slave masters turned the native americans agianst the african americans slaves, in other words if a black slave escapes, a native could turn him in for money, thats used to protect the elites that are in power. So instead of attacking the elites that put Obama in office, they’ll have us attacking each other.I would think that most americans want freedom and justice, the difference is methodology.
Both Glenn Beck and David Horowitz are Americans who want the best for an America which was fought for by our Founders, not old recycled ideologies which our country has had to fight against to both become free and sustain our liberties. If Frum cannot see this he needs a refresher course in American history.
I have watched Glenn Beck nightly for the past 9 months. I started watching Beck at the same time as I abandoned the democratic party after having given them 57 years of resolved service.
I was enormously RELIEVED when I came upon Glenn Beck in particular – and FNC in general. After having studied Obama’s past for the previous few years and becoming fairly knowledgeable about such, I understood from my own research that the democratic party had lied to me about the party’s underlying intentions and reasons for being. It was more or less an epiphany for me as I read the daily lies told by Obama and noted the similarities to the lies also told by the party, and how the lies of each corroborated the lies of the other. You see, I had personal knowledge of the facts and thus personal knowledge that both Obama and the democratic party engaged in prolific lies.
It was shortly after this realization that I found Glenn Beck. Where I felt “hoodwinked”, isolated and out of place before – I suddenly felt like I had a “friend” that was passionate about the same things as I, stood for the same core values and principles that I had always tried my best to live by, and who could be depended on for THE TRUTH. This was a critically important time in my life because I had learned that everything I previously held as true suddenly WAS NOT. Not only that – but at that point I had not turned the television on ONCE since the year 2000 – a direct protest of the media bias and gradeschool mishandling of that year’s election. In fact, I had never before watched FOXNews.
In 2008 (with some misgivings) I turned the television back on and within minutes detected that the mainstream media bias was 100% worse than it had been back in the year 2000 – so much so that my immediate thoughts leveled on the “state-run” media possibility (something I still believe).
But it was Glenn Beck that saved the day for me. It was wonderful to watch someone that affirmed the facts I had already learned in my own studies and to learn new things as well. I know that Glenn Beck speaks the facts because I already knew what was going on before I ever even heard of Beck. Because of this I quickly learned that I could rely on and trust Glenn Beck’s word – a value that the democratic party does not uphold and, in fact, breached.
Glenn Beck is a genuine person who cares deeply for this country AND the fates of its citizens. And, you are correct David: Glenn Beck shows more concern for the public good than anyone I’ve ever met – including all those in this administration who, under oath, guarantee their public-interest alliances. I don’t know where those of us in opposition would be today without the injection of Glenn Beck’s brilliant work and the personal sacrifices he has made. We should all thank him a million times over for believing in us, motivating us, and for giving us a public voice.
One more thing: I have watched Glenn Beck nightly on FOX (a re-run of the earlier show) since December. Not once have I heard Glenn Beck mention Ron Paul on Beck’s FOX program. I have only heard him occasionally mention that he is an Independent and believes that “both Republicans and Democrats” are equally responsible for the problems in Washington D.C. This is certainly true.
I don’t know about Glenn’s radio program because I am unavailable at that time.
Who cares, anyway? Why would a different belief affect YOU and why would anyone spend his precious time getting bothered by this? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that this country is going DOWN in more ways than one. We need to get a grip.
We as a people must learn to be more accepting and respectful of another’s beliefs even if we disagree with those beliefs. It’s not up to any one of us to judge another’s life and beliefs and how he chooses to live his life and the content of his beliefs. Who are we to issue moral ultimatums by dictating right from wrong or good from bad. What makes one of us more right in his beliefs than another? Beliefs are subjective, anyway, and therefore not subject to another’s ridicule and/or judgment.
Glenn Beck does not judge us. Neither has he issued moral ultimatums to us. He speaks of us as a group of people who might have remedial differences – but who are joined at the hip as “Americans”! He has equally advocated for ALL OF US – rich or poor, or regardless of physical differences. Should we not be big enough to do the same for him? We SHOULD.
These are “golden words” in today’s world – what with the amazing amount of disparaging comments, rudeness, criticism, ridicule and outright defamation constantly lambasting and renewing itself on the internet. I am consistently shocked by people’s internet comments that spring up out of nowhere, uninvited. You might have merely given a one-sentence opinion comment – or something even less – only to be instantly targeted in protest by a person looking to “slit your throat” in retaliation – and does just that by issuing a wordy but vapid spew of venom and hate. We can’t even begin to talk about non-existent “manners” under these kinds of circumstances. Indeed, we have regressed.
Acceptance of others and respect shown towards others is HUGELY important. Glenn Beck can teach you about this concept if you have a problem understanding it.
But, it didn’t used to be this way. I, like David, was a radical while growing up in the 60’s. Even with bad behavior coming from the likes of Bill Ayers and his affiliates – and although radical in our own beliefs – most of us understood and were respectful of our differences and, in fact, took delight in the vastness of our differences. Irrational verbal assaults were not part of this movement. Peace, Love and Kindness were part of the movement – as were quiet, philosophical discussions in coffeehouses and on college campuses. The word “hippie” is meaningless to me today because back then we ALL were “hippies” regardless of our differences.
So, I don’t know what all this ranting today is about – nor do I understand what fuels the internet verbal assaults. I just know that you’re automatically guilty if you’re slightly different and you can expect to be verbally crucified for that difference.
Obama has certainly set the tone and helped fuel the fire in that regard since he, himself, behaves badly, elicits and provokes conflict, and then engages in unspeakable retaliatory conduct. And, he surrounds himself with people that he feels comfortable with – in other words, people that behave just like him! “Polite” is not a word you would normally attribute to Obama. Also fueling the fire is Obama’s despicable fascist-oriented habit of trying to silence those that state opposing viewpoints. Besides being especially repulsive – this habit of Obama’s also violates our first amendment rights. It is just plain wrong. DARN WRONG.
THAT is one of the reasons why I find Glenn Beck so appealing. The man actually believes in ethics, politely tells the truth, and lives by certain unchanging principles.
Can’t find that kind of stuff on the internet……
Glenn Beck DOES NOT SHOUT. He is a passionate, involved person that very much loves this country.
Passion can sometimes get louder depending on how affected by the subject you happen to be. Beck is affected by his knowledge that Obama is taking away OUR freedoms and rights in his deliberate dismantling the United States of America. Beck is affected by this fact and any of you who are bothered by its profound affect on Beck should wonder why you, yourselves, are not similarly affected. It has nothing to do with you but yet you criticise?
Everyone needs to stop the ridicule. It is not helpful. It used to be that people refused to say anything at all if a lowly criticism is all they could cough up. Maybe we should work towards developing this as a new social skill!
Anyway, we have much to do and can’t afford to waste our energy on these petty little nuances.
Susan, you are exactly right, and your posts are excellent on all counts. I hope there are MILLIONS of Americans like you out there, who are finding out the truth about the new-age liberal Democrat agenda…and are turning away from it because it’s un-American. There was a time when I voted both Democrat and Republican, because I listened to those who were running for office, learned their platform re: issues and policies, and voted for INDIVIDUALS – not party politicians! However, the liberal new-age Democrats of today do not even RESEMBLE those of days gone by. They have stopped THINKING and researching for themselves. They are either too busy, too lazy, or too apathetic, and too brainwashed, to look for for and discover the TRUTH for themselves. Not you, though. Your mind was open, you began to think for yourself, and you knew how to become informed. May God bless you, may He continue to bless America, may He intervene and stop the insanity in our “government”, and may He help more and more American citizens to come out of the darkness of lies, deceit, and corruption and “see the light of truth”; and may they join hands and hearts with all true Americans in a united effort to leave the legacy of a FREE country for our children, grandchildren, and future generations, as our parents and grandparents left for us…or better! I appreciate your comments about Glenn Beck, as well. I, too, have been watching his program every day. If more American citizens would do the same, with an OPEN mind, rather than with prejudice that came from liberal political brainwashing, those 56 “RE-FOUNDERS” he’s asking to come forward and clean up the “infection” that has spread around the country from our “government”, would do just that!
So back to Cass Sunstein, did Glenn Beck yell fire when only a candle was burning? Or conversely did he yell fire, when a city was inflames? What I read of Cass Sunstein, I think Glenn Beck has understated the fear, how could these people be get into these positions if Obama didn’t on some level agree with them? And if he didn’t agree point on point, wouldn’t he have to figure there is an underlining problem with these folks thought process? And does he really think they can do their job without bringing their agenda into their work?
I could right a book about what is wrong about his animal rights views, but I’ll pass on that because folks are led to believe that is the “only” fly in the soup, so he isn’t so bad…wrong.
You be the judge, here are some of Cass Sunstein’s own words:
“Consider the view that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to own guns.
The view is respectable, but it may be wrong, and prominent specialists reject it on
various grounds. As late as 1980, it would have been preposterous to argue that the
Second Amendment creates an individual right to own guns, and no federal court
invalidated a gun control restriction on Second Amendment grounds until 2007. Yet
countless Americans politicians, in recent years, have acknowledged that they respect the
individual right to bear arms, at least in general terms. Their views are a product of the
energetic efforts of meaning entrepreneurs – some from the National Rifle Association,
who have press a particular view of the Second Amendment.”
–Cass R. Sunstein, A Constitution of Many Minds, Princeton University Press,
2009, p. 172-173
“Consider the “fairness doctrine,†now largely abandoned but once requiring radio and
television broadcasters:
…[I]n light of astonishing economic and technological changes, we must doubt whether,
as interpreted, the constitutional guarantee of free speech is adequately serving
democratic goals. It is past time for a large-scale reassessment of the appropriate role of
the First Amendment in the democratic process.”
“In what sense in the money in our pockets and bank accounts fully ‘ours’? Did we earn
it by our own autonomous efforts? Could we have inherited it without the assistance of
probate courts? Do we save it without the support of bank regulators? Could we spend it
if there were no public officials to coordinate the efforts and pool the resources of the
community in which we live?… Without taxes there would be no liberty. Without taxes
there would be no property. Without taxes, few of us would have any assets worth
defending. [It is] a dim fiction that some people enjoy and exercise their rights without
placing any burden whatsoever on the public fisc. … There is no liberty without
dependency. That is why we should celebrate tax day …â€
– Cass R. Sunstein, “Why We Should Celebrate Paying Taxes,†The Chicago
Tribune, April 14, 1999–Cass R. Sunstein, Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech, The Free Press,
1995, p. xi
“My major aim in this book is to uncover an important but neglected part of America’s
heritage: the idea of a second bill of rights. In brief, the second bill attempts to protect
both opportunity and security, by creating rights to employment, adequate food and
clothing, decent shelter, education, recreation, and medical care.”
– Cass R. Sunstein, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR’s Unfinished Revolution and
Why We Need it More Than Ever, Basic Books, New York, 2004, p. 1
“Those of us who have plenty of money and opportunities owe a great deal to an active
government that is willing and able to protect what we have.”
– Cass R. Sunstein, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR’s Unfinished Revolution and
Why We Need it More Than Ever, Basic Books, New York, 2004, p. 4
“For better or worse, the Constitution’s framers gave no thought to including social and
economic guarantees in the bill of rights.”
– Cass R. Sunstein, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR’s Unfinished Revolution and
Why We Need it More Than Ever, Basic Books, New York, 2004, p. 115
Socialism? Van Jones didn’t stand alone. So…Has Glenn Beck complained too much…or not enough?
Samuel
Sorry for the formating of those quotes, they are worth the read and thought.
Samuel
Van Jones stepped down because he was forced to face up to his past. Mind you – only he, and he alone, is responsible for his past. The Left has a pattern of regularly blaming other people for misdeeds that led to their demise – or for anything else that they can conform to fit into their generic “smear campaign” package. I’m sick of hearing blame placed on others.
In the past, Van Jones showed poor judgment in his actions. Not once. But many times. He did not have the good sense to look to the future to evaluate the possible consequences of his actions. None whatsoever. Again, Van Jones regularly acted in poor taste and regularly displayed poor judgment. I give this statement even greater weight given the fact that Van Jones long ago displayed his interest for work done in the public arena. In that light, Jones’ actions constituted a showing of something worse than poor judgment.
I think we need to know if any job would be right for Van Jones given the poor judgment he has shown in the past?
If not dysfunctional and state-run, the mainstream media could have called Jones out by asking: If you, Van Jones, cannot take responsibility for the fact that you no longer occupy the taxpayer-funded “Green Czar” position, can the American people trust YOU to take on the responsibility that comes with having a job?
Clearly, not.
Further, stating the true facts about a person’s actions for which that person is fully responsible does not equal a smear campaign. By definition, there was never ANY smear campaign against Jones – unless it came from his pals on the left who are much more experienced in this area.
The Left should know this since inciting smear campaigns is one of their preferred methods of operation! Concocting and Conducting smear campaigns is something at which the Left is highly experienced. For instance, calling the “opposition” (Tea Party Goers) such things as “Teabaggers”, “domestic terrorists”, “right-wing extremists”, “Nazis”, and falsely claiming they are “Swastika-Bearing” is PRECISELY the kind of thing that constitutes a SMEAR CAMPAIGN. Why? Because it is defamation and, as such, all of it is FALSE.
Shame on the Left for accusing others of doing the very things that the Left does the BEST.
Always tricky & deceiptful! That’s what’s on the Left!
Jones is singularly responsible and only has himself to thank.
Step up to the plate, Van Jones.
I do not believe anyone said he was crazy? Just a nut and a crackpot there is a difference. the fact is there were weapons of mass destruction anyone that can reason knows that they were used in the war against Iran and they were used against his own people for which the man that run the chemical attack I believe has just been sentenced to death. Also every intelligence agency in the world knew they had them they were simply removed and sent to the Bakka Vally in Syria. It was easy to convice the vast majority of Americans about the 9/11 attack because everyone seen the event with there own eyes. Sadly there are fruitcakes that believe that our own Government blew up our own people. Having dealt with the Gooberment for years that would be an impossible secret to keep and would involve to many people to keep it secret. It is just as stated nutty.
Let me also apoligise for the above typos I am a two fingered typist and I am doing this in the dark to keep from raising the ire of the boss lady and the peepers are not what they used to be. I just read the post and I am appalled, shoud have read Bakka Valley, also saw instead of seen on and on and on.
Susan
I dumped the democrats after Carter when I realized he was causing terrible damage to our security and was destroying the morale of our military not to mention that he is now completely and with out any disguise in the tank for the Arab killers and has his pockets lined with oil dollars from the thugs in the middle east. One could almost say he has total disdain for the nation of Isreal either that or he just might might be an anti-Semite. Recommend a book title The Real Jimmy Carter.
Susan
I never trusted Obama I knew from day one he was owned by the unions and the trial lawyers as well as ACORN and had far to many comunist in his life. Again in regard to Ron Paul I have not read where anyone clamed he was dishonest. I believe he is honest an honest crack pot however is still a crack pot.
I like Beck but I am not going to date him.
Cass Sunstein is just as dangerous as any comunist that would be given power. There is no question what the founders meant by the second amendment it is explicit in there writings yet people like this commie would try and muddy the water in regard to the amendment. Him and his pals have been attempting to do this for 40 years at least and all it does is spur more gun sales. This thug even wants to serverly curtail the first amendment which is by no means absolute but to trust him would be kind of like Ron Paul nuts.
Julie
I am not suprised it will probably be mandatory reading in Saudi and Syria, Iran. It will probably sell more copies to Hamas than here.
David Horowitz should re-read his own book Radical Son. In it we find Horowitz’ horror and disgust at the left’s willing to sweep the murder of his friend under the rug in the name of the revolution.
Glenn Beck is a character assassin who is clearly lying (on cannot excuse his portrayal of Sunstein as being the result of ignorance since he has at his disposal a pretty capable research team).
Yet In the name of the movement, Horowitz is willing to sweep this under the rug.
Hello,
Now with all the negative news that has been generated about his so-called czars they have changed the names of them to advisors. Funny thing about that is that it does not change the fact that they are needed in the federal gov. It is just anohter way to show everybody that has enough common sense to see it that he-(OBAMA)-is just so inexperienced that he should have never been elected to the office for which he holds right now, and to that end all I can say is may the Holy-One of this universe help us through the time of the Obama Yrs. Help us Dear Lord. Help your Dear Children because we do not deserve this at all. We Beseech you Dear Lord, HAVE ETERNAL MERCY ON US, AND FORGIVE US THE SIN OF ALLOWING THIS TO FALL ON YOUR COUNTRY. WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE IN THE FUTURE, AND WE ASK THAT YOU HELP, AND THAT YOU GUIDE US YOUR CHILDREN IN THE FIGHT TO GET RID OF UNHOLINESS IN THE NATION AMEN.
Thanks,
Larry D. Crumbley
bearone7777@yahoo.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phUxP_br-zI
Looks like Beck doesn’t necessarily believe in American Exceptionalism any more.
Be careful out there.
Joseph Coleman…
You sound like every other closeted anti-Semite. Therefore, it’ so predictable you would see the world through Ron Paul’s eyes. This is the same story the Europeans have used for decades now. It’s like the axiom…â€Some of my best friends are…but…â€. The idea that Anti-Israeli doesn’t equate to anti-Semitism is for the most part simply nonsense! Don’t tell me how much you care for the Israeli people as I’m relatively sure you don’t know very many Jews to begin with…That being said, I’m also quite certain you don’t one Israeli Jew. And just to let you know Joe, the difference between American and Israeli Jews is like the difference between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims. American Jews don’t behave or think like Jews any longer…they lost their way in the great melting pot of America. Therefore, I would suggest you write about things you actually understand. It would be like me, a 64 year old conservative Jew, saying I like the European people, and it’s just their government(s) that promote anti-Semitism. However, not only is that a false statement, we mustn’t forget a government is representative those people who elected them.
E. A. H., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, History, Princeton University
As a Ron Paul supporter why do you give a rat’s ass about the UN and it’s pronouncements?
Your views of Israel are rather jaundiced. As an antidote I recommend that you start with
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths/mftoc.html
Mr. Coleman,
The UN resolutions sanctioning Isreal are issued by the General Assembly & therefore non binding and have no enforcement mandate . The resolutions against Saddam’s Iraq are Security Council resolutions & therefore are binding.
DBL,if not for those conservative talk show hosts, the entire population would “be in the dark” along with all those uninformed followers of the liberal socialist, anti-God, anti-America movement.
I’ve been watching ALL of Glenn Beck’s programs, and there has been very little “shouting” of which you accuse him…and even then, it was more like PLEADING for politicians to hold law-breaking people and organizations accountable for the damage they’re doing to our nation; as well as pleading with us to help,too. Well, duh! If you’re an American, don’t you want the same? Don’t you get “heated up” about the things BIG GOVERNMENT are doing? Doesn’t the political corruption bother YOU…or do you actually know ANYTING about it? Glenn’s mostly presenting videos of anti-America people (A.C.O.R.N. members, czars, the MSM, and others who are in Obama’s pocket,and letting those speak for themselves. He’s letting US (millions of American citizens who are listening to him) to help keep our nation intact)to HEAR for ourselves exactly what those people are saying and doing – such as those A.C.O.R.N. members who are seen in a video PLANNING how to set up a prostitution brothel, using 13-year-old illegal girls for that purpose! In another video, a member of that same organization ADMITS killing her husband, after she had “set the stage” for other people to think he was abusing her, so SHE wouldn’t be imprisoned! There was a video of Obama in one of his pep talks to his “worshippers”, telling them that “between now and my inauguration, we’ll be calling YOU in to help us blah, blah, blah”. And there were a few clips of Van Jones “revving up” his audience with such bellowing statements as, “We ain’t gonna just CHANGE parts of the system…we gonna CHANGE the WHOLE SYSTEM. We gonna have a WHOLE NEW system”…and on and on. So, DBL, you might do well to WATCH Glenn Beck, and see for YOURSELF what he’s doing…rather than listen to the lies someone has told you about his “shouting”. He does some strong PLEADING for us to ASK QUESTIONS about such things as WHY Obama needs czars, who hired them,why weren’t they confirmed by Congress, how much WE’RE paying them, etc. And he encourages his viewers and listeners to get off our couches and actively take part in taking our country back from the corrupt politicians in W’ton. He wants us to help him find 56 RE-FOUNDERS of America, to get rid of the “infection” that’s in our “government”…and I, along with 4.2 MILLION other viewers of the Glenn Beck show (on just ONE day) happen to agree with him, because we have the same questions, the same thoughts, the same fears and dread of the nightmare our government is putting this nation through…in the name of “change”. Well, they can KEEP their “change”. Most Americans want OUR AMERICA to stay as we’ve always known her! We don’t want a new world order, with one global leader! I would think YOU would be more concerned about our freedoms and our national sovereignty, as well…rather than nit-picking the WAY Glenn presents his own program; and running down others who are just keeping us informed. I, for one, don’t WANT to be “in the dark”.
Yeah but why let the facts get in the way of a good “schmear”
Are you saying that we had UN approval to invade Iraq? Because we didn’t. In fact, the head of the UN said something about it being illegal, actually.
I don’t know much about Ron Paul except that his beliefs on recent subjects quickly caught my attention.
I know Ron Paul advocates an audit of the Fed. I 100% agree that this should be a top priority. The Fed is supposed to be an independent entity – but right now it is not. Given the dismantling of America that is Obama’s true but despicable agenda, Obama would not have re-appointed Bernacke if Bernacke were not doing Obama’s bidding. Bernacke is thus complicit in all matters financial.
Plus, I strongly believe that the federal government looted us citizens and that they lied about not only the theft – but also the reasons for having stolen from us. The Fed is complicit in this as well. Thanks to Bloomberg News and its FOIA that was recently held up in federal court , the Fed + Silly Geithner + Even Sillier Obama – might be compelled to cough up information that could implode their entire secretive but conspiratorial financial scam operation that I believe involved richly rewarding the billionaire elitists (who claim to control this country) with our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. The Fed also aided and abetted to THE EXTREME in this effort. Ron Paul wants to put an end to that scam. I’m with him on that. BIG TIME.
Ron Paul sounds like he is an honest man. I didn’t give him a chance before but, in rethinking it and after experiencing the effects of way too many lies, for me I think that honesty might be 90% of the battle. Honesty is embedded in one’s character. It’s not something that one learns with a college education. But, honesty is a BIG DEAL because, as we can see, our trust in Obama disappeared more and more with each of his lies. Today, due to his prolific lies we have good reasons not to trust or listen to Obama. But a reinvigorated economy is fully dependent on our having trust in the government.
Won’t happen. Once gone – trust is something that won’t ever come back. It is of utmost important that we have a leader who is open and honest. Perhaps Ron Paul is that person – or…….even Glenn Beck!
Frum does seem to be singularly interested in shock value. Definitely.
Like any corporation, it all starts at the TOP!
Thanks Samuel, I’ve not read any of Susstein’s works, but at least I have a starting point now…
When he talks about not meeting the “democratic goals”, it kind of says it all…defined by whom?
No, it’s $$$…Frum should have played the hand he had at National Review & rode the GW Bush coat tails for a while. Having decided to break away and start his own venture, he quickly realized in order to gain readership & collect advertising $ he had to appeal to a more left leaning audience; he has prostituted himself to the point of irrelevance.
Jack, have you heard about the latest from Bin Laden? He’s endorsed Jimmy Carter’s book.
Great, just great.
Julie
Jack,
Even Jimmy’s got to be a bit unnerved knowing the most hated man in America is endorsing him…maybe he’ll have a change of heart, one can only hope.
Julie
“The idea that Anti-Israeli doesn’t equate to anti-Semitism is for the most part simply nonsense!”
Only in your narrow little world, sweetie, You can’t be a sovreign nation and not expect the entire world to embrace every foreign policy decision you make.
Do I think Israel has a right to exist? Absolutely. Do I think you should have the right to send all your money there to help them achieve their goals? Absolutely.
Do I want my government to go deeper in debt to send them my money? Nope. But it just isn’t Israel. I don’t want my government to send tax money to any foreign country. Not in Africa, not in Europe, and not in the Middle East.
Doesn’t mean I hate Jews. Just means I don’t want to support the entire world with American dollars unless there’s some specific form of trade involved.
Oh wait – you’re an academic intellectual. Go ahead, tell me what I really think, even though you’ve never even met me. You know you can’t help yourself.
I totally agree with your statements about Glenn Beck. I have had my head in the sand for many years until this election cycle. I was a Huckabee supporter so I paid special attention to what all the candidates were saying and what I heard from Obama was scary. All these people that are surprised about what he is doing were just not listening to what was coming out of his mouth. Of course it did not help that he had and still has the MSM in his back pocket. This gave a very slanted view of things and if it were not for FNC no one would know the real skinny on things. Glenn has been a God send for me in many ways and has got me off the couch and standing in the streets having my voice heard. I have been to tea parties, marches and am a co-founder of a local 912 group.I will continue to support Beck and keep him and his family and staff in my prayers as they are all under attack from this radical left wing movement taking place in this country.
Judy,
I appreciate your history lesson, and agree with your sentiments. But I do need to correct a factual error. You stated that Palestinians in the West Bank are Jordanians. In truth, the majority of them are ethnic Syrians. If they were ethnic Jordanians, Jordan would not have fought to expel them from their territory.
Poppakap
Judy is correct they are Jordanian. The king expelled them for there radicalism and trying to take over his Gov. But Jordanian they are.