Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin to Hold "Restoring Honor Rally"
The event, according to Beck's website, is designed to honor "our heroes, our heritage and our future." It "pays tribute to America's service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor."
"Our freedom is possible only if we remain virtuous," the site says. "Help us restore the values that founded this great nation."
In addition to himself and Palin, Beck says that Ted Nugent and Marcus Luttrell will appear at the rally, and that country artist Jo Dee Messina will perform. (Note: This story has been changed to reflect the fact that Gary Sinise is not planning to attend the event, according to his representatives. Beck had said Sinise would attend.)
He stresses that the event is not a Tea Party rally.
"There will be absolutely no politics involved," according to a release. "This rally will honor the troops, unite the American people under the principles of integrity and truth, and make a pledge to restore honor within ourselves and our country."
In a video promoting the rally on the Restoring Honor YouTube page, singer Krista Branch tells people to "leave your signs at home."
"Imagine hundreds of thousands of Americans gathering together to honor those in our military who fight to protect our freedoms," she says. "We will commit ourselves to the founding principles of faith, hope and charity. On that single day, with God's help, we will light a fire on this nation that will never be put out."
You can check out a video of Beck promoting the event from the Washington Monument above.
In a release today, the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence noted that the National Rifle Association placed an advertisement for the event outside its magazine First Freedom.
The Brady Center complained that the NRA, Beck and others involved with the rally are "using the anniversary and site of Dr. Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington."
Wrote Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke: "Are Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre...at this place and time, the new keepers of King's dream and of Lincoln's legacy? Or do they, with this event at this place and time, in one of the boldest and most public ways imaginable, mock, and indeed, slander, everything for which these men so nobly stood, and for which they died?"
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But you won't be hearing about Sharpton's comments on blogs like this because it sounds a little too, well....
Here's the deal: The people coming to the Restoring Honor rally are paying every dime of the trip out of their own pockets. And some of us are coming from as far away as HI and AK. I'm going because I really would like to restore some fundamental values to this country. We have been run into the ground by government leaders who have either reflected the dominate, prevailing social values and have grown stronger through the neglect of those of us who haven't spoken up loudly enough.
You can join us -- we'd be glad to have you. Or you can join up with Mr. Sharpton and accuse us of "stealing" the date from MLK and pound your fists against faith, hope, charity.
Although Their Mission Statement Reads:
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.
Beck is asking his fans and supporters to make donations to the 501c3 charity. Those funds will not reach the charity or it?s intended recipients, but instead they?ll be funneled directly to Beck to fund his rally. When the event is paid in full, donations should resume going to the charity.
It is fair to note that any contributions in excess of the total cost of the rally will be donated to the Special Operations Charity Fund.
However, a federal tax-exempt charity organization is raising money for what?s shaping up to be a mass Tea Party Rally planned on the anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington. The ?charity? is run by rabid conservatives like board member Erik Prince, head of Blackwater, the controversial military company whose private army military presence has been negatively felt in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the wars.
Beck is using people to fund an event he claims is non-political and non-partisan in order to stage an epic Tea Party Protest disguised as a Civil Rights Rally.
What kind of charity would lend their name (and federal tax exempt status) to Glenn Beck, of all people, with the belief that politics will not be in play. Why would a non-political rally be held at one of the nation?s most famous and recognizable historical monuments? Because it?s sponsorship is being paid in part by right-wing ideologues rallying for a blood-less 21st century New American Revolution.
On the April 9th edition of his show, Beck stated that he ?wouldn?t be surprised if in our lifetime dogs and fire-hoses are released or opened on us.? Beck added that he ?wouldn?t be surprised if a few of us get a billy club to the head,? and then warned that ?tough times are coming.?
Comparing himself and any potential resistance he may face leading up to the event to the struggles faced by Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters is incredibly offensive and ignorant. Not only to black Americans, but to all of the brave who faced down police dogs, fire hoses, and violent verbal and physical harassment in actual marches for social and civil justice during the late 50s and 60s.
Beck appears to be using the honorable civil rights movement as a way to shamelessly plug his politically-motivated and opportunistic attempt at pseudo activism for the advancement of the Tea Party Movement and its ultra-conservative right wing agenda.
Beck serves a purpose in the right wing media world known as Fox Entertainment. He easily makes every other commentator on the Fox network and every other right wing media peep look sane by comparison. Unfortunately, he?s bright enough not to go too far in his views that he is shunned by his own party.
I predict that there will be quite a turnout for this event, numbering in the tens of thousands. No matter what the figures end up being, they?ll triple in size for the sake of reporting anyway, so it really doesn?t matter. He?s had plenty of time to persuade people to donate to his fake fund so he can hold his Carnival.
I also suspect that most people won?t give a rats ass until its too late, the day arrives and instead of honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and the accomplishments of the march and speech, media outlets will be focused on Glenn Beck?s Tea Party rally taking place in that very same spot.
The bottom line is despite the fact that Glenn Beck is a seriously disturbed individual, there is something genuine in his wild assertions that draws people to him en masse. His narcissism manifests through paranoia and greed, and the crazier he becomes the more his coffers are filled up. He dislikes everyone, yet people adore him for what they perceive to be genuine concern for their well being.
Beck has successfully emulated those before him who were able to alienate vast numbers of people through driving fear mixed with patriotism mixed with nationalism mixed with scare tactics to mind control. Now he?s not only taking a page out of Dr. King?s book, he?s going to re-write the story with his own version?s sick twist. In classic Beck style; he always manages to make the best out of failure. See more at studwithswag.com
"And I?m proud to be an American where at least I know I?m free.
And I won?t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I?d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
?Cause there ain?t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A."
THIS IS NOT REPUBLICAN FOOLISHNESS IT IS CONSSERVATIVE. GET IT RIGHT!
"the new black panther party is practically a myth trumped up by fox news. it's maybe ten wing nut guys, and fox keeps playing the same tape of the idiots trying to look menacing. glen beck is far more dangerous!"
Oh really? The Panthers are "practically a myth and trumped up by Fox News"?? My lying eyes when I watched the Panther's video tape, right? It gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling. I always get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I think of the Black Panthers, don't you? Yet, I don't fear the NRA. Maybe I would if I saw some video of them today saying "we'll be there" at the next racist Panther or NAACP get-together. You're choosing to ignore the facts. When the warm, fuzzy group says "we'll be there" at the Beck event -- what do you think the message was? Catch on! In 21st century America, one wing-nut guy stopping one voter from voting is one too many for me. Stop trying to clean up for the bad guys. Open your eyes. And on the subject of Beck, what's so "dangerous" about him? Try watching and listening. You might get enlightened. Last time I looked, he wasn't in military garb wielding a baton. And words will never hurt you. It's called getting an education.
"And I?m proud to be an American where at least I know I?m free.
And I won?t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I?d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
?Cause there ain?t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A."