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(photo credits- #1 by the author, #3, USO, #4, Minute Man National Historical Park)
Mr. Glenn Beck has been talking about his “Plan” (Beck capitalizes it) for a year now and we saw it in action this weekend. Remind you of something other than America???
How long till we find out from a Beck insider that he specifically targeted MLK speech date and location, contrary to his protests otherwise? Or he is truly insensitive. He would not have been allowed a permit under Freedom of Speech if he had not made a point to steer away from politics and selling snake his oil, so he reluctantly reinvented his rally for US troops and veterans. Those who have read some of my earlier posts know I am dedicated to honoring our troops and others in harm’s way trying to encourage peace. Bu how soldiers many were there? Taking into consideration how many US soldiers have been and are non-white, how many non-white soldiers showed up to be “honored?” No, this was not so much about honoring our troops as it was about Mr. Beck shining a spotlight on his own head.
If you want to honor our troops- work with the USO.
An “open salon” blog titled “A trip to Glenn Beck’s America” has a report by someone who went to the event and reported seeing few non-whites except vendors on the side of the street except for one African American man who was rare enough to deserve a special photo, but as you pan the crowds…. white.
You see the same thing in pictures from the Christian Science monitor,
The one place you see more photos of African Americans is on Glenn Becks official photo page. Wonder why that would be? Of course, he would rail against liberal media (Christian Science monitor???) but we have seen this at most of the T-Shirt party events and Plain’s bookselling lines. Lines and lines of white folks. Of course, Beck went out of his way to include a symbolic person of as many races and religious groups as possible. Few in the crowd seemed to know the words, or care about the words, of the anthem MLK’s nice sang. Even in my predominantly white Christian Church, where, yes, it is still our practice to pray on our knees, we know that song.
Palin said it was humbling to be huddled with “patriots” as though Americans who could not or chose not to be there we somehow not patriots. Apparently wearing an Uncle Sam costume qualifies you as a patriot these days.
The golden days of Beck’s childhood he wants to return to are gone. America is better than those racist, Christian only days that were only golden I do not believe for one moment Mr. Beck’s goal is the American Dream for those who buy his books, watch his television shows and believe “..If only we could get back to those good old days” which never existed in the first place.
I prefer real patriots, like the one in Lexington, Mass., to verbose imitations like Mr. Beck.