He had me at LOL

Fox's Glenn Beck announces comedy tour
By DAVID BAUDER David Bauder Sun Apr 12, 10:56 am ET

NEW YORK – Glenn Beck, Fox News Channel's latest sensation, is taking a comedy show on the road for six live performances over six days during the first week of June.

Beck calls his act a "poor man's Seinfeld" and intends to mix topical humor with his modern-day reimagining of Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet "Common Sense."

The radio and TV talk show host will start June 1 in Denver, then perform in theaters in Phoenix, San Diego, Kansas City, Houston and Richmond, Va., over the next five days, he said.

Beck has done such live performances in the past, most recently during the downtime between his departure from CNN's HLN network and joining Fox's schedule in January.

His profile has increased exponentially since then, with his 5 p.m. show nearly doubling Fox's ratings in the time slot. He's become a favorite target for Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert to lampoon, and been criticized by liberals for over-the-top criticisms of President Barack Obama.

"I couldn't have guessed this success at Fox," Beck said. "We would never have put money down on the table that we would have had this kind of success."

Since he began doing live performances in 2004, Beck has appeared before more than 100,000 fans.

The live shows give him the chance to see firsthand what sort of themes are resonating among his regular followers, Beck said. For the first time during his most recent tour, there seemed to be no regional differences in the concerns that his fans expressed, he said.

"I learn something from the audience," he said. "I know my thoughts but I can see their reaction to things."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090412/ap_en_tv/tv_beck_s_tour_4/print

Is that real?

btw tax day tea party

This is going to be a lot of fun, and THIS is why:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=19812

The Mirror Speaks, The Reflection Lies

by John Cole

So a crazy person got up at one of Glenn Beck’s 9/12 get-togethers (and I realize that “crazy person at a Glenn Beck funtion” is redundant) and started ranting about who knows what, and LGF has the video tape and a transcript:



OF course, because Charles Johnson has noted these are crazy people, the usual suspects are amassing to attack… Charles Johnson. The problem for the right is not Charles Johnson, but all the crazy people in the party. Dan Riehl states that the guy talking is a “fairly obvious nutcase gets up in an open mic forum and makes some outlandish claims.”

Oh really? What I heard was pretty standard fare for mainstream Republicanism. Here is a transcript, starting at 2:20:



The only thing missing was a little ACORN love, and this rant from an “obvious nutcase” is fundamentally no different from ANY afternoon at the National Review’s Corner. Nothing he said is any different from anything you would hear on an O’Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, or Glenn Beck show. Nothing he said was fundamentally any different from anything you would hear at the McCain/Palin rallies last fall. You had a Vice Presidential candidate saying the current President didn’t like America and palled around with terrorists. You spent months peddling nonsense about Obama not putting his hand over his heart or being sworn in on a Koran or not being an American citizen. This week, you had the former chief strategist for Bush, a former Republican Senator, and a Washington Post columnist all basically questioning the loyalty of the President. This guy’s fault isn’t just that he is a nutcase- his problem is he just believed the bullshit pushed through the right-wing email lists.

And even then, the problem isn’t one nutcase. The problem is that you are whittled down to nothing but the bitter rump, and you are discovering that not only does the camera add ten pounds, but it also adds a heap of crazy. When you play back the nonsense you have been spewing for the past couple of years, you don’t like what you see. I guess you have something in common with the rest of the country.

The best part about all the attention the tea parties will get the next couple of days is that it will all be on film. The usual suspects are already trying to do damage control, pretending that they will have been infiltrated by no-gooders (who else- Soros funded ACRON!), but that is pure nonsense, and the country is going to get a good look at some pure, undiluted, right-wing crazy.

This righteous rant in the Daily Beast boils it down for what is left of the GOP:



But don’t worry. You surround us. And you have teabags.

Morans.

The Mormons here in Utahrd land revere Glenn Beck as probably second only to their prophet. He honsetly scares the living shit out of me.

So says the blogger, who gets their information from another blogger, who gets their information from Media Matters or TPM. Sheesh. When did any of these people talk about a secret fifty year plan? Who talks about burning books? When on earth did Limbaugh, Beck talk about how the new converter boxes were there to brainwash people? It's impossible to take you seriously when you post stuff that can't be taken seriously David. Particularly when you're bolding the most asinine part of this.

This is like the right wing trying to say that Al Gore, Al Franken, and other left wingers are just like truthers, or ecoterrorists.

It does a disservice to everyone. Yet, you have an element of the far left in this country that is specifically trying to label and brand everyone that isn't fully behind Obama as THIS type of individual. A person that thinks a converter box is a brain washing technique.



Not really, but if you want to insist. Read the actual articles. There's no "basic questioning of the presidents loyalty." Why wasn't this such a grave concern when we heard EIGHT YEARS of it with the Bush administration? This is noteworthy David? Major media personal openly called Bush a fascist during his tenure, right wing pundits and politicos cannot even criticize unconstitutional legislation or how he sold us out to a bunch arrogant pissant Europeans?



Of course they are trying to have damage control. Left wing groups have openly advertised the fact that they are going to try and subvert the tea parties. They've already said they were going to bring cameras, and have people sneak into the rallies for the specific purpose of discrediting them. A group on my campus has openly advertised the crashing of tea-parties. It's not like this is some deep seated paranoia on the right. You assholes are openly advertising that you're gonna do it!

Taking video of people is not "subverting" them. If people do ACTUAL subversion, the teabaggers will take video of that too, and that will not be to the left's advantage.

One of my favorite stories about this is that the people organizing these things are SO paranoid that they are advising attendees to not sign up for anything at the rallies for fear that they may end up on some shadowy government list to take away their guns or otherwise round them up for re-education. So basically, theya re going to lose a huge opportunity to organize politically for the future (as Obama and the Democrats did over the past five years) because their paranoia runs so deep. lol.

The problem for us is...how do you prove it? I see it both ways. On one hand left wing groups are going to try and subvert these rallies. They're not just going to send filmers there. They're going to send a few filmers, then send a few subverters. You capture the video of your buddy acting like a right wing nut job, then send it out to the blogs and media outlets. Tea-Parties discredited.

On the otherhand, I do see the point of the blog. It is kind of hedging your bets against the crazies that are out there. But make no mistake about it, it's not a one sided problem. There are utter wacko's on the left, and since the OKC bombing, left wing groups have participated in much more violent acts than right wingers have. On top of it, they've had some utterly insane protests. It's one thing to point at a single indivual crazy who thinks that these TV boxes are brainwashing devices and a woman who wants communist books burned. It's a whole 'nother to have hundreds of thousands of flaming idiots disrupting cities all across the country because the war is was for the oil that six years from the war we still don't have. And you still have major political pundits out there who still believe it was just for oil. Bush just sucked that bad (That was Bill Maher on his latest episode).

There's a lot of problems with this too. If there's one thing I've done on this board, it's that I never TRY to say that one persons opinion is automatically anothers. And if I do, it's an accident. And if I'm wrong, I'll apologize for it. This is because it doesn't forward any type of positive debate. Particularly when the people who supported Obama were seeking unity. The reality is that there is no demand for unity. Before you were patriot if you criticized Bush on the left wing blogs. But now you can't question Obama? It is not productive to pretend that everyone who doesn't support Obama and his initiatives are a bunch nut job conspiracy theorists. What is the purpose? Is it simply an attempt to marginalize the right further? It seems as though there is nothing but arrogance, elitism, and an aura of "too bad so sad, we won, so fuck you" going around the left wing now. Maybe it's deserved. I wouldn't blame them really. But it flies in the face of forwarding unity, and it is NOT going to bring anyone else into the fold. It also destroys credible debate that could easily be had with many other individuals at that Tea Party.

I don't understand how people who supported Cindy Sheehan to the bone, people who supported crazy anti-war protests, are so quick to delegitimize the Tea Parties. Tea Parties that FROM THE START have been promoted as NON-PARTISAN.

To further kill your latest blog entry, here's some quotes from actual organizers, and not in the fantasies of your author.





You blogger is out of control. You need start absorbing some alternative media David. You're really starting to do a disservice to yourself.

Also, after discussing Newt Gingrich's and Dick Armey's roles behind the scenes of the teabag protests, he said something about how the teabaggers will need a "whole Dick Arm[e]y" to accomplish their goals.

He actually said that

I would say the real harsh criticism of Bush didn't really start in earnest until late '04/early '05. But you are right, just as it was ridiculous to call Bush a fascist, it is equally ludicrous to call Obama a communist/marxist or some other similar smear.

Federal agency warns of radicals on right
9-page report sent to police

The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias.

A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says.

The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned."

The nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."

It says the federal government "will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months" to gather information on "rightwing extremist activity in the United States."

The joint federal-state activities will have "a particular emphasis" on the causes of "rightwing extremist radicalization."

Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the report is one in an ongoing series of assessments by the department to "facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the U.S."

The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have "specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence."It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.

The report says extremist groups have used President Obama as a recruiting tool.

"Most statements by rightwing extremists have been rhetorical, expressing concerns about the election of the first African American president, but stopping short of calls for violent action," the report says. "In two instances in the run-up to the election, extremists appeared to be in the early planning stages of some threatening activity targeting the Democratic nominee, but law enforcement interceded."

When asked about this passage, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said, "We are concerned about anybody who will try to harm or plan to harm any one of our protectees. We don't have the luxury to focus on one particular group at the exclusion of others."

Congressional debates about immigration and gun control also make extremist groups suspicious and give them a rallying cry, the report says.

"It is unclear if either bill will be passed into law; nonetheless, a correlation may exist between the potential passage of gun control legislation and increased hoarding of ammunition, weapons stockpiling, and paramilitary training activities among rightwing extremists," the report said.

The FBI was quoted Monday as saying that, since November, more than 7 million people have applied for criminal background checks in order to buy weapons.

The Homeland Security report added: "Over the past five years, various rightwing extremists, including militias and white supremacists, have adopted the immigration issue as a call to action, rallying point, and recruiting tool."

The report could signify a change in emphasis for Homeland Security under former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. A German magazine quoted Ms. Napolitano as rebranding "terrorism" as "man-made disasters." Since its inception in 2003, the department has focused primarily on radicalization of Muslims and the prospect of homegrown Islamist terrorism.

In January, the same DHS office released a report titled "Leftwing extremists likely to increase use of cyber attacks over the coming decade."

"These types of reports are published all the time. There have actually been some done on the other end of the spectrum, left-wing," Ms. Kuban said.

A similar headline was used in a report issued in January, Ms. Kuban said, although she could not provide the content of the headline.

Ms. Kuban said she did not know how long the new report had been in the making.

"The purpose of the report is to identify risk. This is nothing unusual," said Ms. Kuban, who added that the Homeland Security Department did this "to prevent another Tim McVeigh from ever happening again."

The Homeland Security assessment specifically says that "rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat."

Jerry Newberry, director of communications for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the vast majority of veterans are patriotic citizens who would not join anti-government militias.

"As far as our military members go, I think that the military is a melting pot of society. So you might get a few, a fractional few, who are going to be attracted by militia groups and other right-wing extremists," he said.

"We have to remember that the people serving in our military are volunteers, they do it because they love their country, and they believe in what our country stands for," he said. "They spent their time in the military defending our Constitution, so the vast majority of them would be repulsed by the hate groups discussed in this report."

The Homeland Security report cited a 2008 FBI report that noted that a small number of returning military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined extremist groups.

The FBI report said that from October 2001 through May 2008 "a minuscule" number of veterans, 203 out of 23,000, had joined groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, the National Socialist Movement, the Creativity Movement, the National Alliance and some skinhead groups.

"Although the white supremacist movement is of concern to the FBI, our assessment shows that only a very small number of people with prior military experience may have an affiliation with supremacist groups," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Monday when asked about the FBI report.

A 2006 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors white supremacists like the Klan, said that white-power groups had an interest in the kind of training the military provides.

Mark Potok, director of the center's intelligence project, said the Homeland Security report "confirms that white supremacists are interested in the military. There is some concern, and there should be, about returning veterans, one need only think of the example of Timothy McVeigh, who was in the first Iraq war."

Mr. Potok added that he was generally pleased with the report.

"Basically, the report tracks fairly closely with what we have been saying for some time now. They mention us a couple of times, though not by name," he said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... ht/?page=3

Marxist-light?

So, protecting Americans from violent radicals is now Marxism?

Call me when they start rounding up peaceful protesters, m'kay?

this article is brilliant. behold the logical disconnect that fuels republican hypocrisy these stupid tea parties.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory185.html

Maybe I should apologize for LW in advance. His heart is in the right place; he's just a bit misguided. But this is further proof that you guys, including Mr. Gregory, just don't get it.

what don't i get?

It.

Beat me to it.

well played, mr. d.