The question posed in the headline above isn't rhetorical. The Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally, despite its clear appeal to the Tea Party, has an interesting kink in the setup.
Glenn Beck's rally tomorrow is dedicating its proceeds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. That organization is a non-profit dedicated to providing scholarships to the children of special ops soldiers killed in action or training.
Because Glenn Beck's rally is donating its proceeds to a non-profit organization, they are not allowed by IRS law to make the event a political one. The Washington Post notes that this is why Beck did not invite any elected officials to speak tomorrow.
It is also stated on the Restoring Honor Rally's web site that attendees are asked to not bring "signs political or otherwise" along with all the usual restrictions for such gatherings, such as alcohol or firearms.
So the Glenn Beck rally can't be openly political. But the description of the event insists on claiming the country needs to restore values that once made it great and that Sarah Palin apparently embodies them since she'll speak tomorrow. Not to mention MLK's niece, Alveda King, who recently compared same-sex marriage to genocide.
Is the Glenn Beck rally going to be openly political? They seem to be trying not to be while slipping in dog whistles. Not to mention having political organizations like the National Rifle Association as co-sponsors.
There are going to be watchdog groups at the Glenn Beck rally keeping an eye out for extremism. They should take note of any overt politicization of the event if they're going to be fair about it. It would be wrong for a charity as sensible as the Special Operations Warrior Foundation to be tarred by such a brush.
Article ©2010 Brenda Daverin for Gather.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Comments: 35
BTW....so how does it feel knowing that the american people are turning away from you guys enmass.....thank god we still have time come November to turn it around. We should make this coming November election date another national holiday...the day we starting fighting back for the american way of life.
1. It was George W. Bush who made the deficit soar by prosecuting unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and by giving the banks huge bailouts after their continued risky investing destroyed the economy...much like a 3rd world country.
2. The Republican Party -- as well as the Tea Party -- were the ones preventing the US from having -- like first world countries as Britain, Canada, and Taiwan -- any sort of meaningful universal health care system.
3. Both the Tea Party and the Republican Party are the ones pressing for even greater eliminations of what little social safety net we have by gutting and/or privatizing Social Security -- again, like a 3rd world country.
4. Moreover, the GOP has been the party arguing to gut Social Security and veterans' benefits to make up for the huge deficit shortfall they will create to make permanent the tax cuts for people making over a million dollars -- again, like a 3rd world country.
5. Carl Paladino, the GOP/Tea Party gubernatorial candidate in New York, is advocating for the state to place welfare recipients in camps, where they would "work for the state" and learn "...the personal things they don't get when they come from dysfunctional homes." Because Arbeit Macht Frei is so American, and not at all like a third-world country.
As for the Constitution...I don't see liberals (aside from a shameful few that I repudiate wholeheartedly) trying to restrict Muslims' rights to practice their religion. Or trying to destroy a woman's constitutionally protected right to control her own body by having an abortion. Or trying -- and in most cases, succeeding -- to destroy whatever vestige of a right to privacy extant in this country by allowing George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping of civilians to go largely unchecked. Or advocating for the torture and indefinite detention of people, in contravention of the right of habeas corpus and the solemn treaties to which the US is a signatory.
All of this is why the Tea Party's rhetoric about protecting the Constitution and making America great again rings hollow to me. You all are willing to fight to the death for those few property rights that the excessively rich have -- but in terms of the rights of human beings to their dignity and freedom of expression, you are silent.
If you truly want to see the real problems with America, sir, you should look in the mirror.
1. George Bush did all that....maybe you need to take a class on how our government actually works. The President can't spend one dime...all he can do is sign bills. The budget has soared the largest ever the last 4 years with the dems in controll of both the house and senate(including Obama)....get your facts straight.
2. Most European countries are parring down their national health care because it is bankrupting them and the care is going downward and costs going upward. BTW...the US has the greatest health care system in the world...oh and nobody goes without either.
3. The conservatives are pushing for us to do what we can afford, hears a clue....once we go bankrupt things will be 10 times worse than it is now....who is going to pay once they've been taxed out of business.
4. Isn't it interesting that the liberal left hammered Bush for pushing for SS reforms ....well SS is worse now because of lack of addressing the problem. Also explain to me how putting SS money into the stock market is such a bad thing.....but it is perfectly a good thing for the dem politicians, big unions and the biggest democratic contributors to put their money.....weird right.
5. To get his last stimulous billions to pay for unemployment extensions Obama signed a bill that cuts billions from the food stamp program....literally taking food from the mouths of needy babies....care to explain that one?
Oh no you didn't bring up the Bush wiretapping.....you mean the same program that the Obama administration has continued? Thats right....Obama has kept most of the programs you left wingers were crying about....why the silence now? Oh...lets also address the closing of Gitmo....you dems had a filibuster proof senate...huge majorities in the house and all you needed was an Obama signature.....what happened?
Well you fooled the american people long enough.....November is the start of getting our country back....us conservatives are really going to drive you liberal, marxist wackjob socialists nuts starting next January...lol
Socialism Fascism---also called Nazism...libs really don't agree with this.
Communist
Marxist
Socialist---a hard core socialist turns into a Marxist...then communist
Far left
Liberal
Moderate Center
Conservative
Libertarian
Anarchist
I know you libs don't want to admit this most widely accepted formula, I wouldn't either if I were you....
For the life of me I still can't believe where you guys get your faith and trush in government and where in the world has socialism ever worked. It has failed in every society it has ever been allowed to take control of.
This is the greatest difference between conservatives and socialists....we believe in the individual and you believe in government....we believe more money should stay in the hands of individuals and you believe government knows best and should redistribute a great amount of profits. We blieve government should be kept at a minimum...you believe a bigger government is better.
The only good thing about our current financial state is that it is going to force us to pull back and reduce the size of government whether we do it willingly or by default once we are bankrupt....unfortunately if it goes that far it will have a devestating affect on the people that most needs the help.
I'm confused.
At what point in history were our values better than they are today?
*The early 1800's when we were all carrying guns but only a few were really the law while the rest either ran for cover, panned for gold, or robbed, killed, and raped?
*During the Civil War when we were killing our own brothers over taxes, state's rights and slavery?
*How about the late 19th, early 20th century when we were working our children 60 hours a week?
*Maybe during WWI?
*How about during Prohibition with the lawlessness of bootlegging?
*During suffrage?
*Okay, it's gotta be during WWII or shortly after when we were herding asians into internment camps while sending off black men to war while not letting their families own land or vote.
*I know, I know, it was in the sixties when Americans were killing Black Americans because of the color of their skin and other Americans were building bomb shelters because of the Red Scare.
Hmmm. I am still confused.
When exactly were these so-called values?
How about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Lincoln Emancipation, saving Europe in WWII... on and on. We got to where we are today because of the people that came before us. We stand on their shoulders. Sadly, too many in America have nothing but contempt for our great history. Don't worry, we will save you from yourselves.
1. Our education system was better...before the teachers union got their stranglehold
2. Crime was a lot lower....with women having to work out of the home now leaving children time alone at home is a root cause.
3. The ease of breakup of the traditional family.....this includes making almost 50% of black children being raised without dads is another root cause...this is real racisism today...how many democrates ever talk about this?
4. The increase of entitlements.....instead of helping us it is only exploding out debt and making more people relying on the government....this is not sustanable and once we are bankrupt all of our safety nets will disapear making us look like a 3rd world country.
Chris for the millions of americans who own homes, have a stock portfolio and are able to take vacations, own boats and trucks and live a life of ease you can thank capitalism pure and simple. If you want to enrich peoples lifes let corporations have more money to give to their employee's, if you want to lower the standard of living then give more money to government to waste and pick winners and loosers....which is all the stimulous has done.
*Our educational system has never educated more children and there is no statistical data that accurately shows the actual amount of money spent per child. Those so-called stats include overall education funds. That would be like applying all military expenses to each member of the service and then I would say that we spend an ungodly amount per personnel. That would not be fair.
*Crime was a lot lower. Innaccurate and misleading. You fail to cite time periods, locations, types of crime, etc. These type of comments show the inability to look at a subject objectively. Overall, throughout our country's almost 250 year history, violent crime (rape, murder) has steadily fallen.
*The breakup of the family can be corrrelated to poverty rates, demographics, education (see above), and the culture of race in this country over the last 100 years. Another unfair, baseless, comment.
* Entitlements - funny how people who oppose the increase of "entitlements" have no issues with almost every other (thousands of) charity in this country accepting tax-payers money to distribute it back to the handicapped, ill, unfortunate or needy!!
Everyone agrees that they want to help the handicapped, ill, unfortunate, or needy, and ask them in private to give you $10 to help, they will gladly pay, but ask it through legislation, vote, tax, or referendum, and all of the sudden, it is a liberal give-away!
I would ask that you fairly address issues.
What happened in Rome when men stood up... like the Gracchus brothers who attempted land reform? Murdered.
The 'good ole days' weren't. It's simply true. A greater percentage of our population are now college educated, a greater percentage working in white collar jobs, and there are fewer lynchings. But we sacrifice a level of cruelty to get that. A willingness to make others suffer. And that emboldens our enemies. Brave men and women will still fight and die to see that our brighter futures are assured. But the rest of America must accept that those brave people return changed. And that those men and women must always be more savage than we want our citizens to be.
And many of those repubs paid the price...we don't hold up those blue blood country club repubs and are seeking to take them out....the dems are moving further to the left.
Douglas...surely you aren't saying our educational system is better today? Do you know in Chicago where Obama was involved in the educational system that only 50% of the students graduate? The average scores of our kids today is far behind what the average was 20-30 years ago....you must be a teacher to believe otherwise.
Crime...there are so many places today that you can't walk down even in broad daylight, 30-40 years ago you didn't even have to lock your doors. And that is on top of having more police per capita than ever before.
The breakup of the black family can tied directly to the government paying minority women money that relied on the man not being around and also paying them more for each extra child. Libs think that by giving people money they are helping them, the reality is that if you give them too much it will cause them long term harm....ever hear of the saying teach a man to fish.....Todays perfect example is the unemployment extensions....I agree we should have some set safety net, many but not all will take the payout and not a job if the offered job isn't worth more than the payout. They will do this until the time comes that the payouts are going to be stopped.
Does that mean people are going to have to take jobs they don't want....yes it does. But a working man or woman will be better off in the long run than one on the public dole. Our biggest problem is that most of us bought into the false sense of the good ole american dream and went into to hock way over our heads. If we get anything out of this recession I hope its a sense to buy what you can afford and save for what you want in the future.....let the bankers keep their money.
The cultural trend away from the beaver-cleaver family style began long before welfare came into being. The free-love, anti-war, 1960s isn't a result of the liberal children of the greatest generation; it's a result of the liberalism of the late 19th century (note that the liberalism of the 19th century was Republican). Increased public education (including the MGIB), better living conditions and working conditions (thank you unionization), an end to slavery, and giving women the vote all combined to drive towards the liberalization of society. Liberalization of society led to the break down of the 19th century family. The nuclear family was the pater familias last bastion and it could not stand in the face of all the other social changes occuring in the early 20th century.
Blaming the breakdown of the family on welfare is a result of intentionally narrowing one's vision against policies one already has it out for. The real causes are huge, historical, and not altogether bad. Freedom costs more than the lives of our men and women in uniform. It also costs societal heterogeneity and personal responsibility. Should we return to one we give up the other and vice versa. Until we find a third path we will be between these two worlds. Don't blame long term effects on immediate policy. It just doesn't make sense.
What do you mean tax payers money??? Americans give more to charity than any other country, it is one the still bright shining parts of this great country.
I would love to see you explain how any of that is tax payer money? Oh wait...you probably mean since it creates a tax deduction right? This is another great difference between liberalism and conservatives...liberals believes that all earnings belong to the government and what you take home is what they leave for you. Us conservatives believes all that you earn is yours and the government is taking much more than they should be. The poor is always going to be with us and redistribution of wealth only makes our leaders and the ruling class...yes some dems too, wealthy beyound their dreams.
If we accept laissez faire economics, then we accept that the bottom third of our economic strata will suffer starvation, disease, malnutrition, and crime when the price of a boom comes due in a bust. Liberals want to cushion those blows and mitigate the chances that some worse; more liberal group will sway those masses suffering to pay for the growth in wealth of the already wealthy. It is liberalism and not conservatism that defeats communism. You cannot take the rug out from under a communist movement by taking away all benefits granted to the lowest classes.
Now, as for the government taking more than they should... in the period of greatest sustained economic growth in American history (i.e. the late 1940s - early 1970s) the tax rate on the highest earners in the U.S. was between 70 and 90%. It is now less than half that. After a severe economic downturn and a 10 year war (note that the current conflict is twice as long as World War II) one would think that the upper .01% of income earners could contribute more, after all, their great grandparents did - also note that they did both under democrats and republicans in that period.
The rich are getting richer and are finding more and more ways, political and otherwise, to justify that process. The anti-tax movement is unpatriotic and wrong. Our country needs you... needs your money; and the Republican Party intends that Americans turn away and store it away for some imagined future rather than doing the noble thing, the thing that their grandparents did, and provide for the future of our nation.
If it is a bad thing to raise taxes in a recession shouldn't the same thing hold true during good time as well....In fact you should lower the tax rates during boom years to limit the growth of government. There is one big positive impact of a recession, it forces all government to shrink in size....well that always been true except in a Obamaworld.
I just love you liberals spouting about the 2 wars and the costs to the deficits....according the CBO..the spending on the two wars is minimal compared the rest of the explosion in deficit spending....any liberals care to explain that...and I thought it was all because of the 2 wars. As an Obama official stated..."we can take advantage of a crisis"...well they've most certainly done that...to the tune of 1.6 trillion dollars.....how much were those Bush deficits? 300-400 billion....wow what a bargin.