What follows comes from an article at AlterNet.
On his TV show back in June, 2010, Glenn Beck "told his audience that Democrats like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi had used progressive revolutionaries to gain power and that the only way to stop them would be to 'shoot them in the head.'"
We are rightly proud of our First Amendment right to speak freely in this country. But because words do have an effect (not withstanding the childhood rhyme about sticks and stones to the contrary) we have generally agreed that one cannot yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
Glenn Beck yells "Fire!" constantly in a nation crowded with people who are feeling oppressed and distraught.
"Beck's words were such an obvious incitement to violence that it's hard to believe Fox ever allowed them on the air. But the fact is that they did, and the full context of Beck's remarks make it clear that he meant every word to be taken literally."
In the video of that show, "Beck delivers his monologue in front of a Swastika that he's put on his chalkboard earlier in the program. Beck argues that Democrats have risen to power by cynically leveraging the efforts of progressive revolutionaries who are plotting to overthrow the American government. Together they form an unholy alliance that threatens America's very existence."
Beck's targets include Obama, Pelosi, Michael Moore, Bill Maher and Rosie O'Donnell, among others.
Beck is a lunatic. He's also a moron. He's very dangerous. He's a threat to our democracy. Inciting people to violence is a crime. That makes him a criminal. He should not be on television. He should be in jail.
Read the AlterNet article here.
The video is at Daily Kos, here.
1 comment:
I think this is in support that words do have an affect. It might not have been an issue with the shooting in Tucson, but we will never know unless the shooter tells us.
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