Brave Enough

I could easily have watched Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally - Interviews With Participants added my smug, flippant, elitist comment and passed it along on Facebook or Twitter. I would have bandied about words like ignorant, uniformed, red state, bible belt, and so on, but after watching this video three times, yes I am sick I know, I was left with a pile of pity so heavy in my lap that I had to write about it, so as to be able to sleep tonight.

Before I really get into it, let me say I understand that it is not fair to use videos like this to paint an accurate picture of an entire country or even a small group of people, even if those people are suspected Tea Party members. We cannot look at interviews with the same six people and claim they represent the ideas of even right wing fanatics, conservatives, or Republicans, whatever we are calling them these days. It is easy to edit the worst of people, stand back and laugh at the results. I get that. But there has to be some truth of the views being represented in this video.

There is something sad buried in here not too far below the surface. There is something scary in there as well. There is something that screams of fear and failure. We have failed, all of us as Americans if we allow this level of ignorance to continue. This misinformation seeped in panic and fear of the unknown brings out the worst in us. I see such terrified, insulated, uneducated people. I don’t mean stupid or even uniformed when I say uneducated, I mean people who are simply not thinking. They have never been taught that the world is made of many shades of grey.

Ideas, religions, even reality can be good and bad at the same time. We must question ideas and weigh the options. Look for reasons, motives behind our thoughts as well as the thoughts and ideas of others. I will not blame the lack of critical thinking on the American public school system, because after all I am a product of this system, and because teachers are getting a lot of bad press these days, I will simply ask- how can we as a nation work to help our citizens think more critically? How can we open their minds to the world outside America? This insulation is destroying our country.

Rather than ridicule or belittle the victims of this video, I want to see if we can think of a way we can reach out and share our knowledge of the world with Americans who perhaps see little more of the world than the talking points Fox News forces into their exhausted minds. Are you a teacher in a small rural town? Are your students afraid that Mexican hordes are coming to the US to drop anchor babies? Have you done a unit on Mexican history? Did your students learn all they need to know about Islam on 9/11? Can they find Iran, Malaysia, Qatar, or Indonesia on a map? I have lived in all four places and can Skype into your class and clear a few things up quickly. I am no fan of religion in general, but I will do my part to prove that Islam is not the enemy here.

The things these people say may border on the absurd, but careful examination shows that they are the main talking points of the punditry at Fox. If we deride and make fun of the most exploited amongst us, we are allowing Fox News the right to call us elitists and vilify us as they wish. If we do not help educate our citizenry, Fox will be more than happy to do it. We will never be able to compete with the Koch’s of the world, but maybe we can help open minds. We can move forward small classroom by classroom and help young people understand that America is not the last bastion. She is just a nation who struggles with other nations. She is made of people who struggle like all people.

I am not sure what percentage of people actually think that Al Sharpton has the ability to mobilize battalions of Black Panthers, but I would venture it is more than we think. Comments like the one about the Panthers illustrate how little people really understand the way our nation was built. I bet if asked to offer one aspect of the Panther philosophy, the subject of Black Power would quickly be changed or ignored.

There is something wrong with a nation if in the google age we cannot grasp the basic idea of what the Panther Party was about: We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. Do we teach students about the Panthers, Chicago in 1968, Malcom X, Tupac Shakur, of course not, so why do we belittle people for being terrified of African Americans, when a Mormon puppet master tells them 100 times a day that their president is a Muslim monster. Once we understand our history both black and white, we will realize that Al Sharpton has about the same chance of mobilizing these kinds of numbers of African Americas as Glenn Beck does.

But that’s just it. Glenn Beck does mobilize his base. How? By repeatedly appealing to their pride, faith, and fear. American is the only worthy nation on Earth blessed by God himself. It says so right on our money, how could that be wrong? We are the Last Bastion of freedom, not even Canada has a chance. If we don’t watch out we will all be living as slaves to black Muslim communists. We won’t be allowed to pray at the monuments. How will we know all of this, “ we will be told by the news.”

I don’t teach in the US, so I will do my part by teaching my Muslim students to be open minded and have them kind enough and ready to interact with Americans if they you ever brave enough to come out into the world and join the rest of us on this beautiful planet. You can watch the video, but after writing all that, I don’t recommend it.

Soul Force

I wasn’t sure how or if I would even write this post tonight. I have endured nearly twenty-four hours of stewing in my own rage and disgust. I will, however, do my best to shield you, dear reader, from such offensive mojo. Having said that, I have decided that duty binds me to write something about a repulsive act of vandalism to the wonderful work of Martin Luther King Jr on this fine day in our fading summer of 2010.

I am talking of course about the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally in Washington DC today on the 47th anniversary of Dr. Kings historic I Have A Dream Speech. I have written about Beck before, and I fully understand that I should simply ignore his idiocy, but something unnamable will not allow me to do that. The man himself is at best is a charlatan snake oil salesmen, feeding on the ignorance of a defeated populace. No! He is not my concern. Nor are his backers at Fox. I am concerned by the ideas he represents and the power they seem to being having on a large segment of American citizens. Most importantly I am afraid of the effect his words have on me. Or how I allow him to make me so angry.

Before I continue, let me say that I can already clearly hear the voice of my good friend and reader Keith of People’s Parking saying that this post is a perfect example of my only see a distorted image of the political theater currently on stage in the America. I can hear him reminding me that these vaudevillian circus shows do not really reflect the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the US citizenry. I know he is right, but I cannot help myself. I need to wrestle with these words tonight and see who remains standing. It is with a confused mind and a heavy heart I sit at this machine.

I do not want to rail against Beck. Too many people will do that in the next few days, all over the Internet; most will be better wittier writers than me. Furthermore, I do not want to express my anger, disgust, or pity for the poor people who must be so lost and scared that this clown is the only form of political action they feel they can understand.

Before writing, the first thing I did was reflect on how Martin Luther King Jr. would handle this beast if he were to somehow magically appear along side Beck on Saturday. What would he say? How would he react? Surely his dignified aura would illuminate and inspire rather than nitpick and belittle. MLK would approach Beck with reverence and respect. He would stay true to his entrenched vision of truth and justice and allow the people to choose between the power of truth and the smoke of lies. He would weave words together allowing listeners the ability to fly above the scene and glance about the blanket of truth for themselves. He would unshackle us from our own fear and ignorance, allowing us to truly marvel at the power of love and peace. To reveal even a glimpse of reality, a hint of love is enough to expose the pettiness of a dogma built from fear and lies.

In short, that is what I hope to do tonight. My intention is to take the higher rode. Except for the opening shots at Beck in the beginning, I simply hope to honor Dr. King by exploring my own shortcomings when it comes to fear and ignorance, in order to show that we all suffer from judgment and hate.

The first thing I did before I started to write was re-read his I Have A Dream Speech, in addition to my previous post where I examined his speech about Vietnam. I was once again struck by how revolutionary Dr. King was despite the whitewashing of his legacy. Yes, he was a man of peace, and yes he preached non-violence, but this Ahimsa was not a passive ideal. His words clearly reflected his vision, which was that of full fledged revolution.

…one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.

As I was reading this I could feel the tears well up in my throat. I could feel pure hatred and anger coursing through my veins and cover me like a cloud. How could we allow an imposter taint the words of such an amazing revolutionary with empty epitaphs and clichés? I was suddenly aware of my own seething breaths. I ran to my books and grabbed some Thich Nhat Hanh. I needed something, or else this post would soon head south. I would be embedding Dead Prez videos and quoting Public Enemy.

I flipped the pages and swore to copy verbatim any passage I found highlighted within:

The war stops and starts with you and me. Every morning you open your eyes, the potential for violence and war begins. So every morning when you wake up please water the seeds of compassion and non-violence. Let peace begin with you.

It is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do, but also the simplest: If you hate violence and ignorance do not react with violence or ignorance even in your words.

Our enemy is never another person; our enemy is the wrong perception and suffering within him, within her.

Feeling better I went back to the speech:

Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

You are not helping Martin. Suddenly I see hordes of angry African Americans from across the country, armed and blasting the raunchiest angry hip-hop swarm upon the Lincoln Monument. The nightmare of every white America comes true. A Negro Armageddon of violence and destruction. This time they have brought the tribes of Central and South America. The ghosts of Native Americans charging on destructive steeds. The poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free were descending on Washington with a taste for the blood of pasty white flesh. Beck is cowering beneath a curtain, urine staining his trousers, he weeps as his paltry crowd dissipates once and for all. America reclaimed by those who built her. Those who make up her flesh and blood. The 99% without the wealth. Those who created her art, her jazz and gave her soul. A true America built on the blood and sweat of millions of cast off immigrants and degenerates. Brown, black and queer all marching in the light of redemption and justice. Beck and his impotent minions eradicated once and for all. Disappeared beneath the true face of America.

Damn it Martin! You can’t do that. More Thich Nhat Hanh:

Violence is not inevitable. Peace is there for us in every moment. It is our choice.

I am getting a bit psychotic, so I am impressed if you are still reading. As I was typing that last line Tupac came blasting from my headphones. How do we deal with this battle between love and hate? How do we watch Glenn Beck on a daily basis and stay sane? How do we reconcile the fact that even within our own hearts we face a battle every minute of our lives? What chance do we have in our communities? Our nations? This planet? How can we bring peace to a world where Glenn Beck not only exists, but holds sway over large groups of people? (I see a vision of Tupac spitting in Becks face. I smile. I am wrong. I know. Hatred feels too good. We are doomed.)

Back to the speech:

I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

There it is Martin. Thank you. The secret is that we are aware of our own ignorance. We learn to shed a light on it and expose it’s influence not only on our thoughts, but our actions too. What is it about Beck that makes me so angry? What is it in me that he taps into so adeptly? This is where my battle must take me. Where you go is up to you. We can, however, remember:

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

You know the rest…Where did this post take me? I have no idea. I didn’t know what I should say, but obviously I had a few things. As you watch the news today, or walk alone on the beach, play with your kids, plant a tomato, or wallow in grief I say this:

If we truly believe in love, if we truly believe that justice and truth shall set us free, then the only thing we can do is promote these ideals in every action we take. In every blog post, every conversation, we must quell our need to be hurtful and angry and spread some love. Even if it means we wrestle with ourselves every minute of our lives.

I am sorry Glenn Beck. I am sorry Sarah Palin. Yes, I love you too….(The day that sentiment is sincere, we will be closer to something real.)

Thank you for reading and good night!

More Attention

Many people I know say that the best way to diffuse Glenn Beck is to simply ignore him and not give credit to any of the things he says, but like a car accident or any other public spectacle, I find it hard to look away. I find myself watching him with a drop jawed awe, the same way I would look at a clown or public drunk.

It wasn’t until tonight however that I realized what a great actor he really is. I sat in my kitchen and actually watched the entire forty-four minute interview he gave did Katie Couric. Throughout the interview I was waiting to throw up my hands and scream profanities at my screen, but what I saw was not the buffoon who normally stirs the pot on Fox, but a somewhat level headed man simply expressing his opinions, many opinions with which I strongly disagreed, but some that I actually agreed with him on. His stance on gay marriage was refreshing for a Mormon, and I have been ranting about the corporatization of American politics for as long as I have been political.

What has left me thinking long after the interview is not how unsettling it was that I found Glenn Beck sane, but what has really got me thinking is why is this not the man on his show? If he is truly concerned about being a voice for “tired little guys” than why does he choose to play the part of the crying bumbling idiot? Why is he making fun of Rachael Carson and trying to bring back DDT?

I feel the answer is more complicated that I want to delve into right now, but it has a lot to do with the manipulation of the “tired little guy” by the very forces Beck derides. This chameleon and his Oscar-worthy performance is simply a tool to sway the opinions of people who have no history or experience expressing their own. This is dangerous. If Beck was an independent spokesperson visiting small towns and talking to people about their lives and their ideas he would be far more effective, but instead he chooses to polarize and radicalize an anger he himself promulgates. In the interview he compares himself to John Stewart and admits he is no journalist, but what he fails to admit is that John Stewart is making fun of the very media machine Beck uses to spout his rhetoric.

I encourage you to watch this interview in its entirety, because Glen Beck is not a jester who can be ignored. He is a much more subversive, dangerous arm of the corporate propaganda machine. A machine that can steer hearts and minds regardless of which party it has placed in power.

Beck is slowly stealing the revolutionary zeal of the true left wing and wrapping it in his own version of reality. The anger he is tapping into is the same anger that could be used to instigate real change in America. The difference is that by denouncing big government and championing the idea of “the little guy” he is reinforcing power of the very corporate entities he says have taken over government. Beck is the tool corporate America is using to radicalize the “little guy” to dismantle the last vestige of the very concept of government.

The difference however between his revolutionary rhetoric and the real thing, is that true progressives are fighting to give the power of government back to the hands of the people. What progressives repeatedly fail to understand is that we should be speaking with the very people that Glenn Beck is speaking to. They are not a mob of ignorant savants. They are a very important American demographic. They are the very people who have been used by corporate America to create the very corporate state they find themselves so dissatisfied with. While Glen Beck tells them that they should dismantle government and place their bets on whatever comes next, we should be telling them to dismantle corporate government and rebuild it on the assumption that they can be the government. We the people can and should govern ourselves. There should be no such thing as big bad Washington, but rather Americans governing themselves based on their own best interests.

Glenn Beck is stealing our independent third party revolution and handing it over to the people who run Fox news, and as convoluted as it seems these are the same people who are in Washington. It takes a certain type of chameleon actor to pull something like this off, and Glenn Beck is just that man.

Glenn Beck demands much more of our attention not less of it. See for your self:


Watch CBS Videos Online

I take back everything I said. Here is our friend playing the part. I love myself some Story of Stuff and here he goes:



Very, very dangerous.