Glenn Beck the anti-Christ anti-King?

[Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA]

Some biblically illiterate folks have been waiting for years for the advent of the so-called anti-Christ, whatever or whoever that may be. Some of these biblically illiterate folks have told me that President Obama is the anti-Christ.

I don't think so. I think the anti-Christ is Glenn Beck. He spews vitriol and spawns hatred - all in the name of some deity he pretends to follow. He spits on our Constitution by pretending that our founders were Christians and founded a Christian nation even though all the evidence proves the contrary. He is a monumental liar and a sower of chaos and fear. He wraps himself in robes of righteousness that fail miserably to cover the stink of his person.

No?

Okay, Beck is probably not the anti-Christ. I was just yanking your chain. But he sure as hell is the antithesis of Martin Luther King, Jr. And if Martin were walking our streets today, Beck would be one of those out there running him down with bullhorns, dogs and nightsticks.

Yesterday, in anticipation of Beck's rally held today, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, and in the very place King stood those many years ago, Think Progress posted an article titled "REPORT: Glenn Beck's Philosophy Is Opposed To Everything Martin Luther King, Jr. Stood For."

Here are the main points:

1. "KING believed that it was America's collective responsibility to provide economic justice for all. In 1961, the civil rights leader addressed the AFL-CIO on his vision of the American Dream. King said that his vision of America's promise was a country where 'equality of opportunity, of privilege and property [are] widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few.' ...

"BECK, on the other hand, has repeatedly insulted any government attempt to help the poor. The host has offensively claimed that 'Big government never lifts anybody out of poverty. It creates slaves, people who are dependent on the scraps from the government, the handouts.' The pundit has declared that President Obama 'really is a Marxist' because he 'believes in the redistribution of wealth.'"


2. "KING championed using his faith to achieve social justice. ... [He] saw Jesus's teachings as commanding him to take part in progressive activism to achieve 'social justice.' ...

"BECK has derided social justice and attacked Christians who want to use their faith to achieve it. ... He ... [has] accused progressives of trying to 'hijack churches' with a message of social justice."

3. "KING believed in loving those who disagreed with him and engaging in thoughtful dialogue. One of the hallmarks of King's philosophy ... was his advocacy for maintaining thoughtful and respectful dialogue with those who disagreed with his goals. ... He practiced nonviolence and even asked civil rights demonstrators to not fight back when attacked by white racists. ...

"BECK, on the other hand, has repeatedly attacked his political opponents with vicious and hateful language. He has compared president Obama to the Antichrist and said that it was 'approaching treason' to elect a more progressive Congress. He has said he hates the 9/11 victims' families and derided supporters of cap-and-trade as 'greedy,' 'wicked,' and 'treasonous.' ... "


It's hard to know what today's rally was all about today. Anti-government, for sure. Beck, in his dementia, claimed a "miracle" would occur and the nation would begin returning to God (the Christian god) which would bring the blessings of heaven down upon the land.

Beck also claimed it was non-political, and about restoring "honor." If there is any person without honor in our country today, it is Glenn Beck! He is also a terrible liar. Beck is a political force. Everything he says and touches is political. So far as I know, no liberals, Democrats, or progressives were invited to speak at the rally. The speakers were all people who crawled out from under the ultra-conservative, teapot crackpots, "Christian" right-wing rock.


One reader of the Think Progress article, going by the name Osage, had this to say, which is, I believe, a perfect commentary on Glenn Beck and his "rally" to restore honor:

"Glenn Beck trying to cover himself in the mantle of Martin Luther King is akin to Adolf Hitler sporting a Yarmulke and holding a rally at Temple Emmanu-El."


Please click here to read the entire article and the subsequent comments at Think Progress.