Today, Beck was on one of has rants because his latest target, Robert Craemer, had the audacity to defend himself from Beck's attacks. So much for Craemer's free speech, right Glenn?!
Beck vehemently denied smearing Craemer, the denial being mixed in with a thick layer of Beck's typical hateful, smug derision.
Specifically, Beck beseeched the world to point out specifically where he was lying about what he was saying on the show.
I'll give it a shot. Today Beck said that he never tells anyone to shut up. (It's the left who tells people to shut up, Beck accused.) Beck said: "I don't want people on the left to shut up. I've never said for them to shut up."
Glenn Beck, May 3, 2008:
Responding to Gloria Steinem's statement that John McCain would be treated differently if he were a woman, Beck exclaimed: "You self-centered, self-righteous, socialist, out-of-control, dangerous, man-hating bitch. Shut your mouth. We might have bought into this crap in the 1960s because too many people were doing LSD. We're not on LSD anymore. You need to start making sense." [The Glenn Beck Program, 5/3/2008]
I would take "Shut your mouth" to be the equivalent of "Shut up" - wouldn't you?
And just for grins, I will throw in the phone call where Beck tells a female caller to "get off my phone you evil little bitch" - is that like Shut Up?
Would this qualify as a "shut up" event: Kathy challenges Beck on health care. Beck: GET OFF MY PHONE! GET OFF MY PHONE!
Beck also asked for evidence that he (Beck) had incited violence. I think the following may cause people to be concerned that Beck may be inciting violence:
An astonishing thing seems to have happened to the case of Richard Poplawski and the three dead Pittsburgh policemen: It's been turned into a story about dog pee -- and not about the fact that Poplawski was fueled by a toxic mix of white-supremacist/conspiracy-theorist paranoia and mainstream-media fearmongering, including from the likes of Glenn Beck and Fox News.
Maybe the media are collectively embarrassed by the way this case demonstrates how they play an important role in whipping up the far-right crazies out there -- and they should be. Because not only did Richard Poplawski avidly participate in white-supremacist online forums and right-wing conspiracy-theory sites, he also avidly consumed mainstream conservative media, particularly Fox.
The classic instance of this: A few weeks ago, Poplawski posted a clip of Beck talking about FEMA concentration camps on the neo-Nazi Stormfront forum site. (You can see the clip from the show in question above.)
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Meanwhile, Mark Pitcavage at the Anti-Defamation League published his findings Monday:
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... Poplawski bought into the SHTF/TEOTWAKI [S--t Hits The Fan/The End Of The World As We Know It] conspiracy theories hook, line and sinker, even posting a link to Stormfront of a YouTube video featuring talk show host Glenn Beck talking about FEMA camps with Congressman Ron Paul. When the city of Pittsburgh got a Homeland Security grant to add surveillance cameras to protect downtown bridges, Poplawski told Stormfronters that it was "ramping up the police state." He said, too, that he gave warnings to grocery store customers he encountered (but only if they were white) to stock up on canned goods and other long-lasting foods.
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So when the memes regarding "suppressed knowledge" that these extremists organize around suddenly appear in the mainstream media -- in places like Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs' and Sean Hannity's cable-network shows -- it has a real amplifying effect: Not only is it final and consummate confirmation of their beliefs in these conspiracy theories, but it induces an extreme apocalypticism, a fear that things must be even worse than they suspected.
Beck also asked what he said about Craemer that was a smear. Does this constitute a smear?
Beck falsely claimed Robert Creamer "stole" $2 million from banks
December 08, 2009 9:34 pm ET — 23 Comments
Glenn Beck falsely claimed that progressive activist Robert Creamer "stole" $2 million from banks while serving as Executive Director of the Illinois Public Action Fund. In fact, Creamer was never accused of stealing any money and the judge in the case reportedly gave Creamer a lighter sentence because no one suffered any "out of pocket losses."
Beck falsely claims Creamer "stole" $2 million "from the banks"
From the December 8 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:
GLENN BECK: America, our politicians are ignoring you. They're following a guy now in Washington, this guy, who's a felon. Convicted felon. He wrote it in prison.
[...]
BECK: Now David Axelrod calls the prison plan a blueprint for progressives. Forget the measly $2 million he stole from the banks. Please, banking fraud, who hasn't done a little $2 million theft? He's here to help now, help fraud America on one sixth of the economy.
Creamer did not steal any money - banks incurred no financial losses in case
Judge reportedly stated no one lost any money. Contrary to Beck's claim that Creamer "stole" $2 million from banks, U.S. District Judge James B. Moran reportedly gave Creamer a lighter sentence because no one suffered any "out of pocket losses." [CBS 2, 4/05/06]
Draw your own conclusion. Did Beck lie today? Did Beck smear anyone? And a bold question for Beck: If Beck can receive redemption for a his past discretions, why can't Craemer receive that same redemption - Craemer has done his time. Does The Christmas Sweater really mean anything to you Glenn, or is it just schtick?