Who's Watching Glenn Beck? [Says FoxNews Must Not Allow Platform For "Extremists"!]

LATimes ^ | November 24th 2009

[Steelfish]

Opinion Who's Watching Glenn Beck?

Much like the Depression-era demagogue Father Charles Coughlin, the Fox News personality is promoting a mass movement. Should his bosses be pulling the plug?

By Tim Rutten November 24, 2009

For nearly a century, the Anti-Defamation League has stared unflinchingly into the dark corners of America's social psyche -- the places where combustible tendencies such as hatred and paranoia pool and, sometimes, burst into flame.

As a Jewish organization, the ADL's first preoccupation naturally was anti-Semitism, but in the last few decades it has extended its scrutiny to the whole range of bigoted malevolence -- white supremacy, the militia movement, neo-nativism and conspiratorial fantasies in all of their improbable permutations. These days, the organization's research is characterized by the sense of proportion and sobriety that long experience brings.

That makes its recent report on the extremist groups and propagandists that have emerged since President Obama's election -- "Rage Grows In America: Anti-Government Conspiracies" -- particularly notable. For the first time in living memory, the ADL is sounding the alarm about a mainstream media personality: Fox News' Glenn Beck, who also hosts a popular radio show.

[FrankR]

"....anyone else think it’s ironic that a press outlet built on free speech and free press is now lecturing us on the evils of those ideas and suggesting that maybe free speech/press is a bad idea? "

Well, I still think it's a good idea, but those who (formerly) made their living based on it seem to think it's more of a suggestion, than an right.

I was watching a snippet on the news tonight - and I forget the country - but they just found mass graves with lots of people buried in them, INCLUDING 12 JOURNALISTS.

Then it occured to me, these 12 Journalists probably thought they had freedom of the press too...however there comes a point in totalitarian regimes that once the "dictator" has acquired the power he needs, that the useful idiots of the press can go bye-bye and the czars and "generals" can take over. Maybe that's what happened with the dozen journalist in that grave.

The kenyan is fairly close to that point, as he's already turned the lamestream press into publishers of "The Weekly Reader", a newsletter-photo opp-sound byte chain that exists solely for aggrandizement of "dear leader".

The kenyan promoted a mass movement, but most of his power didn't come from "the people", it came from thuggery outfits like ACORN and SEIU.

These thugs didn't promote freedom, liberty, the Constitution, or a stronger America...they registered Mickey Mouse and dead people to vote, and floated the rumor that if "obama didn't get the nomination there would be riots in the streets". Chicago style primaries.

Now, here comes Glenn Beck - outshining most America by exhibiting the courage and willingness demonstrated by very few others in America. Yes, he's angry, but so are the majority of us.

The left is trying to morph this movement into something that needs to me controlled by the government, and they are trying to use anti-semitism as the catalyst. I'm a fairly regular watcher of Glenn's show, and I've read a couple of his books...never have I seen or read anything anti-semite.

From those who have been trying to "hush Rush" all these years, we now have the "spin Glenn" movement. But the weird thing is, it's mostly the press doing the bitching about Glenn's "free speech". Oh, I know the top 10 newspapers probably have a conference call every morning with the White House to get the latest daily talking points, how else could they all jump on the same bandwagon at the same time?

But, you could just take a transcript of Glenn's idea about "organizing", do a "search and replace" with obama's name...and, it's "Community Organizing". Using their own ploy against them is ripping them a new one. "Fighting fire with fire" is not just an old adage we heard from our parents, it actually works.

The left throws everything that's not tied down at conservatives - everyday it's Palin bashing, Glenn Bashing, Rush Bashing, Hannity Bashing, et al. But I got to thinking, I never, ever gripe about all the squirrels in my yard, until they start chewing on my logs (log home), then I gripe about them. Same with the left, they never attack us unless we're chewing on something they don't want chewed on.

Well, it seems Glenn's little rally has - at least - the LATimes worried, they have sounded the alarm, pulled out their coveted copy of "Mein Kampf" to find all of the Nazi synonyms to throw at Glenn.

Now, I'm retired, and don't know how I'll afford it, but I'm stashing back my pennies and I'm going to try to be at Abraham Lincoln's feet next August in Washington. I'd like to see us all rally here on FR and charter some buses to share the transportation costs and call it the "Free Republic Express", and turn out in force like we did back during the Republican Revolution.

Oh, and LATIMEs...here's my freedom of speech..."F*** YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON."

[airedale]

The LA Times is extremely liberal but the editorial page makes the rest of the paper look conservative. To give you an idea about the paper for a short time they added Mallard Filmore but they quickly dropped it saying it was too political for the comic page and not suitable for the editorial page leaving Dunesbury, La Curcaracha and one other liberal strip (not counting Prickly City) which are all very political and of course very liberal on the comic pages.

This op-ed is written by Tom Rutten who is one of their more outspoken liberals who seems to dislike anything that is even the tiniest bit moderate. Based upon his writings he makes Bernie Saunders look like a conservative.

[sourcery]

If major news organizations shouldn’t provide a platform for extremists, then the author of this piece is advocation his own blacklisting.

[Will88]

Didn’t realize the ADL had branched out so much. I think I’ll send off for their reports on Code Pink, The New Black Panther Party, Keith Olberman and Chris Matthews and other lightening rod leftist organizations and individuals.

[Peter Libra]

The writer throws in Father Coughlin of the depression era. He mentions the statements of Father Coughlin said to create anti-semitism.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Glenn Beck. It is an old liberal tactic and possibly still works well. This tends to confuse honest persons who have not done their homework. They then associate Beck with a "rabid" Father Coughlin. Coughlin is long dead.

One type of person will used this method to whip up the masses. One could say of the writer, he has a touch of the would be demagogue about him.

No fan of Beck myself, since he bit off the head of an innocent caller, a woman, who mentioned the electoral college and the question of Barack Obama's birth.

[CaliforniaCon]

RE: “Glenn is getting to the Socialist Elites”

***************

Any minute we will hear from leftist Martha (ex-con) Stewart that Glenn is confused, boring, and dangerous (interesting combo!), and that Stewart would never read anything Glenn has written — the same things Stewart said about Palin the other day. LOL

[CaliforniaCon]

RE: “I am watching Beck and I believe most of what he says. Actually, he says what I am thinking, much like Limbaugh. And that must scare the hell out of the socialists who are in control!!!!!”

****************

Yes! It was a relief to find Beck as I was thinking about and saying exactly what he says now — well before the election of 11/08. He’s not teaching me anything — I already felt the same way he does!

[RAY]

Glenn must be getting to the bastards!!! Good!

[volunbeer]

It is ironic how the rest of the media constantly attacks the delivery or style of Beck.

They can’t attack the message.

[screaminsunshine]

Think for a moment how bad it would be without Fox and Talk Radio.

[American Constitutionalist]

FOX NEWS ? GLENN BECK ? ... you need to remind the LA TIMES of their hypociry and make it a week long report in how the LA TIMES is withholding a tape that show Obama praising ( Rashid Khalidi ) at a dinner back in 2003.

YEAH LA TIMES !!! WE KNOW YOU KNOW THIS GUY !!!

YOU HYPOCRITES !!!!!

Rashid Khalidi

[dalereed]

Who cares what the commie ADL says or thinks?

[Steelfish]

Yes, yes, yes. Thanks for reminding us how these press-swine withheld what could have been a piece of dynamite exposure against the Obama election campaign.

[dalereed]

I canceled the L.A. Times almost 50 years ago and told them to shove their communist rag up their ass!

[Steelfish]

For the past 25 years I’ve been on the verge of doing so. I now subscribe only for the advertisements and for the occasional feature accounts of natural and man-made disasters.

[snowtigger]

I ALWAYS make it a point to send back their postage paid envelopes when they BEG for subscriptions about ten times a year

But, do you glue it to a brick? This was the suggestion of Abby Hoffman in "Steal this Book" First class postage guaranteed. Costs a lot more to send a brick....

[DoughtyOne]

Yeah, as long as their extremist is in the White House, who needs other extremists...

[DoughtyOne]

Dale, I canceled my subscription back in the 70s, before I had half a clue how bad they really were.

I couldn’t consider myself a Conservative and subscribe to a paper like Pravda on the Pacific.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

bttt

[Lee'sGhost]

Where’s the email I sent to the writer.

Not one...

Not only did you not refute one fact that Glenn Beck uses to make his arguments, you did not even GIVE any facts or points attributed to him TO refute. To play off your ultra-biased report —

Like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Chavez before them, Rutten, the LA Times and the ADL are trying to kill free speech by establishing straw man arguments or simply no argument at all.

As a “journalist” whose very livelihood is made possible by the 1st Amendment, you should be ashamed. You’ve already disgraced yourself.