Via Ars Technica, Glenn Beck has sent his lawyers against the owners of the satirical site, http://glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com/.
Apparently he doesn't like it when his own tactics are used against him.
UPDATE: The above URL is no longer live, but the site is still up. I'm sure you guys can find it if you really want to.
How'd the site come about? Like all satire, somebody just thought it would be funny and went for it:
One of the Fark readers then took the forum meme to the next level, registering a domain name and launching a web site in order to make a point about talking head TV demagoguery. "Why won't Glenn Beck deny these allegations?" asks the site. "We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990—in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder, since he has failed to deny these horrible allegations. Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?" At the very bottom of the page was a small text disclaimer saying that the site was satirical.
The site went big, fast -- more than 120K hits in a day after it went up on September 1. Beck immediately went berserk:
By September 3, lawyers for Beck's media company, Mercury Radio Arts, had contacted the domain registrar demanding that the "highly defamatory domain name" glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com be deleted, that the WhoisGuard privacy protection service be revoked, and that the owner's contact information be turned over to the lawyers.
Heck, he even took it international!
Beck's lawyers also filed a case with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Switzerland, the group which handles the worldwide domain dispute resolution process, on the grounds that the new website was improperly using Glenn Beck's trademarked name.
Poor Glenn Beck. The actual legal case isn't clear cut -- check the Ars article for the details -- but it sure sounds like he's feeling the pressure these days. Who could have predicted that his dangerous and extremist fear-mongering would lead to people returning the favor? Speaking of which...
On the site forums, readers are already thinking of ways to extend the satire. "Glenn Beck hosts a daily radio show from 9am-noon," wrote one. "I think we should begin calling and asking why he refuses to address his alleged rape and murder of a young girl in 1990... If you do call in, please record and upload, so we can share his answers (or lack there of) with the world."