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Glenn Beck's 9 principles good for him but not a govt. AP Photo Evan Agostini
Glenn Beck's nine principles are the centerpiece of his 9/12 Project along with the 9/12 Tea Party Protest. While I sense that many of the protesters do not even know what the nine principles are, they do deserve some more considerations. With no further ado allow me to give my analysis of the nine principles.
1. America is good.
I agree and I wish Glenn Beck and his followers did as well. Instead Glenn Beck assumes the worst about America by consistently accusing the Democratically elected President and majorities in Congress of somehow conspiring to "takeover" the country. They have even gone as far as comparing the President Obama and other Democratic leaders to the Nazis. So in all honesty they do not believe that "America" is good. They believe that their side of America is good. The other side is just pure evil to them.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
So do I, but the framers of our great country thought that government had no place installing any type of religion for others. The need to escape the persecution of a government which did establish religion is part of what motivated the original settlers to come to this country. We should not forget this important fact.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
I agree but I wish Glenn Beck strived for such honesty. Instead Beck consistently relies on half-truths and distortion to paint his opponents in the worst light.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
By "family" and "spouse" I am assuming they mean only "traditional" families and opposite sex spouses. So once more it is not the "family" they seek to uphold but rather their version of the family. In addition they are not in support of even traditional families when that family contradicts with what they believe. When Terry Shiavo's opposite sex husband sought to have her treatment ended in accordance with her wishes these same conservatives sought for government to overrule his wishes. Who was the "ultimate authority" in that case?
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
I agree, but why do conservatives not support appropriate penalties for CIA interrogators who may have broken the law by torturing terror suspects. Where is this pursuit of justice when it comes to Bush administration officials who broke numerous laws in revealing the name of a CIA operative as part of campaign to discredit opponents?
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
What protesters neglect to realize is that throughout most of the history of our great nation minorities were in fact stripped of these rights. Now after finally ending legal discrimination they assume that everyone has an equal opportunity for "equal results." In reality our past of discrimination has put many minorities in a distinct disadvantage in achieving the "equal results" yet the Tea Party protesters and Glenn Beck oppose any attempt to makeup for discrimination of the past.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
So does this mean every Tea Party protester will not pay their taxes? Because if they truly accept this principle the only acceptable stance would be to pay no taxes. Welfare is in effect a charity and through taxes each of us is "forced" to pay taxes to support welfare programs. The fact is government can "force" us to be charitable by passing laws which use our tax dollars to support charitable programs. If we are upset with this we have the option of voting for representatives who change the laws to end welfare or lower taxes. Until that point government can and will in fact "force" us to support charity.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
I agree once more I just wish the Tea Party protesters agreed when liberal groups expressed their "personal opinion." Instead when groups oppose conservative leaders like George W. Bush they are called un-America, terrorists abettors, and even traitors.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Ultimately true but this does not mean we can not serve government at times as well. Our soldiers who join the military ultimately "answer" to government authority whose head is their Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama. By "serving" their government these men and women perform a necessary duty to keep our government running.
Comments
How come I always hear about these so-called half-truths that Glenn Beck tells, but there are never any examples. Where are the examples, with sources? Beck at least gives sources to his claims.
Yes, I did read that article you linked to, but you obviously did not watch the show, missed the point, or are trying to intentionally mislead people for ideological purposes. No, I do not rely on Glenn Beck for my facts, I actually do my own research to find the proof, or lack thereof.
enough in NW....here ya go just one half truth by Mr. beck which Andrew so thoughtfully answered.. please reread statement #4 Mr. Beck has stated his views on gay marriage and they are quite clear
Foamfollower... actually, if you have actually listened to Beck --from his mouth and not from an obviously biased pundit-- you would hear that his views on Gay marriage are that he doesn't care what someone does in their personal life, and doesn't believe it is the place of the government to decide.
"By "family" and "spouse" I am assuming they mean only "traditional" families and opposite sex spouses." This opening statement shows that Witt obviously doesn't know what Beck's views are, but just assumes to make a point.
So, is it that Beck is giving half-truths or that your biased pundits are giving you half-truths to fit their opinion?
Goodbye mama, now you can have ice cream in heaven! I'll see you again tonight when I go to bed in my head movies. But this head movie makes my eyes rain!
America is good! Unfortunately, Mr. Witt, your notion of America is the precise problem. You identify it with sides. You state, "They believe that their side of America is good." America is not about sides, it is about the principles and ideas espoused by the founding fathers and articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Our politicians, regardless of party affiliation have lost sight of those principles and ideas.
It's interesting that you accuse Mr. Beck of using "half-truths" when in your piece, Video: Rep. Joe Wilson was being dishonest when he said 'You lie!', on Examiner.com you write, "There is absolutely no provision of the health care reform bill which expands health care coverage to illegal immigrants."
In fact, HR 3200 Title II, Subtitle C, sec 246 only states, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."
This language does not preclude "those who are here illegally" from purchasing insurance through the proposed federal plan, thus, allowing the reforms proposed by President Obama to "apply to those who are here illegally."
This is supported and furthered by the Congressional Research Service Report, "Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200."
Continued...
This is supported and furthered by the Congressional Research Service Report, "Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200." As concluded by the CRS report, HR 3200 mandates "unauthorized aliens who qualify as resident aliens (i.e., meet the substantialpresence test), would be required under H.R. 3200 to have health insurance."
In addition, the language of Hr 3200 only prohibits the use of "Federal" payments for affordability credits for those who are here illegally. This, in turn, leaves the door open for State and Local municipalities to be mandated to provide funding comparable to the funding provided by the Federal affordability credits.
As a law school graduate, one would assume you would be familiar with Plyler v Doe, which sets Supreme Court precedent for the prohibition of any state to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Whatever his status under the immigration laws, an alien is a "person."
Foamfollower... actually, if you have actually listened to Beck --from his mouth and not from an obviously biased pundit-- you would hear that his views on Gay marriage are that he doesn't care what someone does in their personal life, and doesn't believe it is the place of the government to decide.
"By "family" and "spouse" I am assuming they mean only "traditional" families and opposite sex spouses." This opening statement shows that Witt obviously doesn't know what Beck's views are, but just assumes to make a point.
So, is it that Beck is giving half-truths or that your biased pundits are giving you half-truths to fit their opinion?
This is a lazily written article with no attempts to actually confirm your facts. I am wondering why all the reporters who are attacking Beck seem to rely on the same false facts. You would see that if you actually checked them. You know a little research goes a long way.
Amy is right..."This is a lazily written article..."
I think Ryan Witt is a closet conservative who was told by the editor to write up some B.S. He puts as much effort into writing this as the Beady Eye B***ch Pelosi puts in reading the bills she tries to pass.
from wikipedia.------> In the economic sphere, many fascist leaders have claimed to support a "Third Way" in economic policy, which they believed superior to both the rampant individualism of unrestrained capitalism and the severe control of state communism. This was to be achieved by establishing significant government control over business and labour (Mussolini called his nation's system "the corporate state").
Sounds like Obama's track record to me.
Foamfollower... actually, if you have actually listened to Beck --from his mouth and not from an obviously biased pundit-- you would hear that his views on Gay marriage are that he doesn't care what someone does in their personal life, and doesn't believe it is the place of the government to decide.
"By "family" and "spouse" I am assuming they mean only "traditional" families and opposite sex spouses." This opening statement shows that Witt obviously doesn't know what Beck's views are, but just assumes to make a point.
So, is it that Beck is giving half-truths or that your biased pundits are giving you half-truths to fit their opinion?
Mr. Witt's half-truths are very unbecoming... In the end, this article is small, petty and written by someone who knows of nothing about Glenn Beck and his message.
Hm. I agree that the "9 Principles" are at least in part illogical but for very different reasons. For starters:
"America is good". Well, ok, we'd like to think so, and more often than not, it is, but as a blanket statement it leaves out some unfortunate facts, like our support of torture or assassinations of democratically elected presidents. Not every action of America has been good.
"I believe in God" etc. Not everyone does, and America was founded on the ideals of freedom from religious persecution, which by extension means the lack of belief.
#4 and #5 contradict each other. #4 states that "My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government", but #5 states that "If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it." So which is it?
i agree with all of glen's principals. THEY ARE WHAT THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON! if you have a problem with any one of them, you can go live in the countries that do not go by these principals. perhaps france or china... we all know how well they are doing!
and erk... the people that we torture... THEY WANT TO KILL US! i support all things that keep me from bein blown up! i mean, we ALL know that terrorists care for our well being and will tell us everything if we ask them nicely... OF COURSE NOT! just like how we all know criminals will consult the law to make sure it is OK to shoot someone with a gun!
erk, baby, lets use our brains here... america is good! its the best damn place in the world! YOU are very fortunate to live here, there are hundreds of thousands of people who would DIE to be in your position! do you see that the only reason america is messed up is that not many realise this... and the politicians dont help either
This 9/12 demonstration was disgusting. Glenn Beck is using his own evil agenda to make money by using other spiritual lacking people. These disrespectful, uneducated, racist people full of hated should be ashamed. Some of these people should be put on the terrorist list! I hope that there are consequences for these horrific signs of hatred. I will pray for these sick people.
This 9/12 demonstration was disgusting. Glenn Beck is using his own evil agenda to make money by using other spiritual lacking people. These disrespectful, uneducated, racist people full of hated should be ashamed. Some of these people should be put on the terrorist list! I hope that there are consequences for these horrific signs of hatred. I will pray for these sick people.
wethepeople, America does not always do the right thing; it is not ALWAYS good. Although China and France are doing great (have you noticed what an economic powerhouse China has become?) I don't want to move there. I just want America to do the right thing.
And sorry to say, torture's effectiveness has never been proven; in fact, there's more and more evidence that it doesn't work. That's not my opinion; it's the conclusion of military interrogators:
(I can't post a link, but Google "RETHINKING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TORTURE")
Put aside Dick Cheney's assertions and popular TV shows, and read what people in the field have to say. It's counter-productive.
And please don't accuse me of wanting America to be attacked. I most certainly don't.
Glenn Beck on Cindy Sheehan: All right, so she's got this crappy book deal, she got that. And that's, you know, everybody's -- she gets to meet [actors] Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen, which has got to be a dream come true. And here's the interesting thing: After all of that happens, the war is still going on, and I think that that is -- that's a testament to Cindy Sheehan -- it is -- and all that she can accomplish. You know, now that I've exposed the overall limpness of the Cindy Sheehan movement, which is not exactly the Viagra that people were hoping for -- that were carrying peace signs and flowers -- but I feel it's necessary, and this is really not as much -- well, it is necessary strictly for your amusement. This is for entertainment purposes only. I feel it is important to tell you about the latest horrible PR stunt from Cindy Sheehan. Again, just for entertainment purposes. Cindy Sheehan, the "tragedy pimp," as we like to call her, is going on a hunger strike. Surprisingly,
What a waste of time that was. A tuly pathetic, and all too predictable, generalized summary.
I love how deep you had to dig to try and make Glenn look bad for 9 good principles. The reason Glenn is becoming more popular every day is not because of his shock value, but because his opinions are widely agreed with. If you actually listed to him rather than get what you know about him second hand then you might find yourself agree more than you think.
It is so blatantly obvious that you have not listened to Mr Beck. You may have heard from other opponents, but you have not heard with your own ears. Too bad. Mr Beck speaks truth and inspires other Americans that we can restore honor to our country. If you were as well read as Glen is, you would only agree with what he questions....and then searches out the answers for, something which you obviously do not do. Sad, that you are just another puppet of the press. I had great hopes for you being better than this.
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