Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

GLENN BECK'S "RESTORING HONOR RALLY" IN WASHINGTON, DC

I appreciate the photos from the right scoop:

 

J.E. Dyer, "What Beck Does Right" (excerpts):

" . . . What Glenn Beck believes he has been appointed to say is about character in the American people.  He’s been making that point for months, as far as I can tell.  It’s why he invokes Martin Luther King, Jr. so often.  If you weren’t prepared for Beck’s Restoring Honor rally to be about character, then you don’t know much about him.  And for Beck – as for millions of other Americans – character cannot be addressed apart from God.  For Beck, as for these others, there is nothing artificial or strained about calling on God and behaving as if we live in His presence; it is natural, reflexive, and unforced. . . .

When we see 500,000 or more people turn out on the Mall at the end of August – in the heat and humidity, in a painful recession, after school and sports have already started in many states – are we going to insist that that’s “not conservatism,” that it’s something we need to triangulate away from and reject, because people prayed to God, got emotional, and talked about character?

And if so, what is it we’re waiting for that we think is better?  From what standpoint is it better? Glenn Beck, for all his intellectual faults (and we each have them), sees something very clearly:  that America needs a restoration of character.  Our republican liberties depend on republican virtues, and there is no future for our republican ideal if the virtues are not re-identified and cultivated again.  His unique perspective on this is

ALBERT PUJOLS SPEAKS AT THE "RESTORING HONOR" RALLY IN WASHINGTON, DC

From Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit:

St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa introduced Cardinal great Albert Pujols today at Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” Rally in Washington DC. Albert was the recipienct of this year’s Hope Award. The hundreds of thousands of attendees roared when La Russa and Pujols took the stage.

Here is Albert Pujols accepting this great honor today at the Lincoln Memorial.

Me: What struck me was Pujols' taking this opportunity to testify to his faith in Christ: "My job as a Believer is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. . . .  Twelve years ago I made the best decision of my life, and that was following Jesus Christ."  In addition, I am impressed and moved to know of his foundation's work with  children and adults with Down syndrome.

DICK ARMEY - GLENN BECK'S "SERIOUS, SCHOLARLY WORK"

Robert Costa over at NRO reports:

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R., Texas) spoke with National Review Online on Friday at FreedomWork’s “Take Back America” conference in Washington. The evening rally, which was attended by thousands of conservative activists, was a precursor of sorts to Saturday’s “Restoring Honor” event at the Lincoln Memorial. Armey calls “Restoring Honor,” which will be hosted by Glenn Beck of Fox News, an “important moment for America.”

Armey, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma, has high praise for Beck’s ability to provide viewers with a “more true and accurate history of the United States.”

“We see it documented at levels of rigor that, in fact, one would expect out of Ph.D. dissertations — [it is] serious, scholarly work,” Armey says. “[Liberal critics] don’t have to argue with Glenn Beck. They have to argue with his documentation and they can’t match that level of rigor.”

HAYEK'S "ROAD TO SERFDOM" NOW #1 AT AMAZON

- Update 6/28/10 - Russ Roberts explains in today's Wall Street Journal why Friedrich Hayek is making a comeback.

- (Original post) I just checked National Review's Corner blog.  John J. Miller reports:

At this precise moment, The Road to Serfdom, originally published in 1944, is the #1 bestselling book on Amazon.com.

Ah...  would you say Glenn Beck influences book sales?  Miller's report prompted me to seek more information.  I found this at the Hayekcenter.org:

I just got off the phone with Stephanie Hlywak of the U. of Chicago Press and it’s official — the U. of Chicago Press is SOLD OUT of copies of Friedrich Hayek’s classic The Road to Serfdom after selling over 13,000 copies in less than 24 hours, after the broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show on Hayek and his timeless book.

Beck seems to be a one-man educational enterprise.  Good for him!

Update 6/15/10 - Thanks to Mike's comment and link, here's a YouTube video rapping the differences between John Maynard Keynes and F.A. Hayek:

LEFT WING CHRISTIAN ACTIVIST JIM WALLIS, "SOCIAL JUSTICE," AND GLENN BECK

The Family Research Council sets out the issue clearly:

The Bible speaks consistently and forcefully about the need for justice throughout society. But the term "social justice" has become a code-term used by the Religious Left to mean everything from socialized medicine to redistribution of income. Their argument goes like this:  Since God wants   Christians to show compassion to the poor, government should work to meet the needs of everyone. But this argument is, oddly, a form of merging the roles of the church and state--something the Left says it opposes--and thoughtful conservatives should oppose. Faith and policy are closely linked but the institutional roles of church and state are, as our Founders recognized, distinct.

Last week, talk show host Glenn Beck said on his program, "I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church website. If you find it, run as fast as you can." To which Jim Wallis, a leader of the Religious Left, responded that

GLENN BECK - INDOCTRINATION IN OUR SCHOOLS

Yesterday I was working at my desk.  Glenn Beck was on. (I have a TV in the corner of the room.) It's rare I have an opportunity to watch him.  As I listened with one ear, I thought to myself: "This man is performing a valuable service with what he is saying about indoctrination in education."  I didn't hear everything, but in the hopes that the whole is as good as the part I heard, I am posting his program.  It comes in four parts.

GROWING LIST OF SPONSORS BOYCOTT GLEN BECK PROGRAM

Update 8/19/09 - Ed Morrissey suggests an "unintended consequences" result.  Many sponsors (e.g. Wal-Mart) are backing away from news commentary shows in general  - which could mean devastation for lower-ranked MS-NBC shows.  CVS and Best Buy never advertised on Beck in the first place.  Same with P&G

(Original Post) - HotAir reports that Wal-Mart, CVS, and Best Buy have joined the boycott of the Glen Beck Program, thus adding their companies to ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men’s Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

My first reaction is:  What's the deal???   I don't like this!  I may not be a totally sold-out aficiando of Glen Beck, but I think he says a lot of important things that need saying.  So why the big boycott?  WorldNetDaily does the necessary investigative reporting and fills in the blanks.  I think you will be surprised.  Read the report here.  Read also how fans are fighting back.