Posted on 02/21/2010 1:14:06 PM PST by Sergeant Tim
I was invited to be the opening speaker at Saturday's CPAC session. I had accepted but then, to my amazement, I learned that the John Birch Society would be one of many co-sponsors. This takes the big-tent idea many steps too far for me. So, I withdrew. Apparently, others were not so moved. That's fine. But it wasn't for me. Bill Buckley and Barry Goldwater, among others, chased the Birchers from the movement decades ago. And they're not a part of the movement. So, to give them a booth at CPAC was boneheaded.
I want to commend Bill Bennett for his wise piece this morning on the Corner. I agree with him.
I have no idea what philosophy Glenn Beck is promoting. And neither does he. It's incoherent. One day it's populist, the next it's libertarian bordering on anarchy, next it's conservative but not really, etc. And to what end? I believe he has announced that he is no longer going to endorse candidates because our problems are bigger than politics. Well, of course, our problems are not easily dissected into categories, but to reject politics is to reject the manner in which we try to organize ourselves. This is as old as Plato and Aristotle. Why would conservatives choose to surrender the political battlefield to our adversaries -- who are trashing this society -- when we must retake it in order to preserve our society? Philosophy, politics, culture, family, etc., are all of one. Edmund Burke, among others, wrote about it extensively, and far better that I possibly can. But all elements of the civil society require our defense. Besides, why preach such a strategy when conservatism is on the rise and the GOP is acting more responsibly?
Moreover, when he does discuss politics, which, ironically, is often, how can he claim today that there is no difference between the two parties when, but for the Republicans in Congress, government-run health care, cap-and-trade, card check, and a long list of other disastrous policies would already be law? The GOP is becoming more conservative thanks to the grass-roots movement and a political uprising across the country, which has even reached into New Jersey and Massachusetts. Why keep pretending otherwise? My only conclusion is that he is promoting a third party or some third way, which is counter-productive to defeating Obama and the Democrat Congress. These are perilous times and this kind of an approach will keep the statists in power for decades.
And what of his flirtations with Ron Paul's lunacy respecting America's supposed provocations with her enemies, including al-Qaeda? Why should such a fatal defect in thinking be ignored? Do we conservatives agree with this?
Finally, Beck is fond of congratulating himself for being the only or the first host to criticize George Bush's spending. This is demonstrably false. I not only attacked his spending, but the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the prescription drug add-on for Medicare, his "moderate" tax cuts, as well as his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, "comprehensive immigration reform," and so forth. And I was not alone -- Rush and Sean did the same, for example. And as someone who fought liberal Republicans in the trenches when campaigning for Reagan in 1976 and 1980, I don't need lectures from Beck, who was nowhere to be found, about big-spending Republicans. But this is not about me, or Beck, or Beck's past drunkenness (which he endlessly wears as some kind of badge of honor). It is about preserving our society for our children and grandchildren. Beck spent precious little time aiming fire at Obama-Pelosi-Reid in his speech, and it is they who are destroying our country.
On as a positive note, I am personally happy to see that Beck has cleaned up his public act -- as best I can tell, no more boiling fake frogs on TV or pretending to pour gasoline on someone -- and the rest of it. But I do think his speech, which contained nuggets of truth heard before and read elsewhere, including on Rush's show and in my book and many other books, may have distracted from some of the more compelling and coherent speeches at the event, including Marco Rubio's superb speech. I fear the media will see to this. I hope not.
Bump (again).
Links to support what you say would be nice.
To think I left the upper west side to move in with you!:)
I don't know what Levin's "stuff" is Beck is supposed to have "borrowed".
And, though I like reading his books, 10 minutes of hearing Mark Levin’s voice is all I can take.
My quote: "The Levin drones are like we personally don't like Glenn's presentation..." was a reply to reaganaut's quote: "but either way his presentation turns me off."
I love Mark Levin dearly - don't get me wrong. I see goodness and cleansing in Beck's speech. If he needs to go well off in one direction for the Country to meet him 3/4 of the way...I say it's a smart move. If he wants a third party I will be the first to go against him.
You sure youre not talkin bout Levin. There are people on this thread who worship him. And he definitely is an egomaniac who thinks it dont stink. Maybe Levin needs a reality check, to make sure he doesnt think he is God.
Well...I was trying to be nice. To make up for my FB post last night.
“Egad...’Suggestions’: Become a fan of John McCain! 544,717 other people can’t be wrong! Ditto Glenn Beck, 676,355. Put em together, get John Glenn, send him on a one-way trip into orbit, and at least 1,221,072 people won’t know what to do for the next week or so. I’d rather see the ads about hot Asian women looking for a guy just like me! I won’t click on it, but I’ll sure look at it!”
A trifle mean, perhaps...
I’m sorry you misunderstood.
The living don’t marry the dead, the living stand in proxy for the dead who are then married for eternity to each other.
Lets say you and your wife/husband are Mormon converts, married before you join with 2 kids.
After one year, you both go to the temple and take out your ‘endowments’. This is where you learn secret handshakes, get a new name and take oaths (they used to be violent blood oaths but they have toned them down). Then you and your spouse are “sealed” to each other, this means that although you were married your marriage was for this life only, once you are sealed you are married ‘for time and all eternity’ meaning you will still be married in the afterlife.
Then you will have your kids ‘sealed’ to you so they will be part of the family unit in the next life as well.
After that, you and spouse decide to do the ‘temple work’ for your never mormon grandparents who died several years ago.
So you and your spouse (or someone else) is baptized in their name so they (after death) become mormon (but not counted as a memeber), then you and your spouse go through the endowment ceremony in proxy for them (as them using their names) to they know all the handshakes and take all the oaths and get THEIR new name.
Then you and your spouse are sealed or married for eternity in their names as well so THEY will be married in the next life, and then you will have your dad and aunt and uncle (only the ones that are dead) sealed to your grandparents as their children.
This is the main reason why Mormons are so obsessed with genealogy. They believe everyone who has ever lived HAS to have this work done for them in order for that person to get to the Celestial Kingdom (mormon heaven).
Is that any clearer?
It’s what it do. /sarc
Correction: It’s what I do. /sarc
When Beck came out with his book on “Common Sense” that is when this started and I would listen to Mark and wonder except for Mark personal legal knowledge (which Beck ever talked about) everything else was public domain.
I still could never figure out what it was that Beck took from Mark!
And when you think about it I don’t think there wasn’t enough hours to get stuff for a radio and TV shows and all the books he read and of course his family life so where would he get the time to listen to Mark?
Try Googling it and a trip to the library to get the books of Beck and Levin, plus the writings of Thomas Paine. Then check out Breitbart vs the YouTube videos of Beck’s shows. Also, I can get from Mark’s show archives to back up what I say what Mark said that’s prove Beck said nearly the same soon thereafter.
Agreed.
Well said. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that there’s a conservative in him who will awaken.
The sooner the better, under the circumstances.
Wow, resty invoking fear? really. I am allowed to post on any thread I choose (except caucus) and you are allowed the same. I have no idea where you get the idea that I am restricting your freedom. Sounds paranoid.
And as I have told you many times, I don’t hate Mormons, I don’t trust many of them but that is based upon experience.
If I hated them, I would adopt a ‘live and let live’ attitude rather than try to teach them the truth.
Although I am always intrigued by how so many of the LDS will vote for another LDS (even a RINO like Romney) over a non-mormon conservative candidate.
Politics and religion are tightly intertwined in Utah. Too tightly.
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