It’s just not really clear why CNN gives this talentless nutjob, who engages in the nastiest smears imaginable almost on a daily basis, a microphone. Check out this bizarre, rambling essay, "America needs a 12-step program" featured today at CNN.com.
Must. Fisk.
My name is Glenn Beck, and I am a recovering alcoholic.
It took me a lot of years and a lot of pain to be able to say those words and really believe them. Along the way, I was arrogant, greedy and self-destructive.
Was?
Even at the lowest, darkest points of my life, I still thought of myself as that successful guy who everyone loved. I was the life of the party, the guy who could do no wrong — the guy who everyone else only wished they could be.
Yeah, I’ve got bad news for ya, Glenn. In addition to being an alcoholic, I’d say you’re suffering from pronounced cases of megalomania and narcissism.
I think America can relate…Maybe America should consider starting on the same kind of 12-step program that’s helped millions of other addicts who couldn’t see that they were slowly killing themselves.
Like Rush Limbaugh.
Step One: Admit we are not powerless.
Take a look at our Constitution.
I have. I’m pretty sure it says Congress has to declare war and that torture is wrong. There’s lotsa good stuff in there!
Step Two: Believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
I think this one pretty much speaks for itself.
Yes, all that ails us is due to the fact that we don’t have enough religion. Uh-huh.
Step Three: Decide to take our power back.
A recent polls says 81 percent of Americans now say that our country is on the wrong track. If you’re one of those people, who do you blame? The Bush administration?
Yes.
Step Five: Admit our wrongs, and our rights.
We’re constantly reminded about America’s faults and flaws, but what about our achievements?
So true. If only just celebrated how awesome we are more often, I’m sure gas prices would go down, we’d win in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’d solve the climate crisis, the middle and working classes would rebound and that whole health care thing would just take care of itself. CLAP LOUDER, PEOPLE!!!1!!!
If you want to teach our kids about Vietnam, that’s fine, but you better also teach them about World War II.
Oh, I will. And I’ll teach them that during World War II we had a Democratic president who mobilized the country, enacted a draft, and with our allies, defeated Germany and Japan in just 3 1/2 years. I’ll teach them that instead of borrowing the money to fight the war, he raised taxes — including a 91% rate on the nation’s wealthiest citizens. I’ll teach them that he asked the nation to sacrifice, not go shopping. I’ll teach them that he told them not to be afraid instead of trying to scare the beejebus out of them. And I’ll teach them that Americans didn’t torture prisoners and that the Nazis and Japanese did.
That’s what I’ll teach them.
Step Six: Be ready to remove our defects.
Just like an alcoholic, we simply cannot go from sleeping on the street to perfection overnight. This is a big ship, and it takes a long time to turn it around.
But we have to start somewhere, and the best place is with the defects that almost all of us agree on. For example, does anyone really believe that being addicted to Saudi Arabia’s oil is a good idea? What about China owning billions of our debt?
Yes, there are people who think those are good ideas. We call them the "Bush administration" — the people you’ve been shilling for for the past 8 years.
Can someone please get this asshat off their air once and for all?
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BT!
Yeah, there was a lesson in that column from Beck. But I don’t think it was the lesson he thought it was.
Gawd, he is so pathetic…
Steps seven through twelve don’t even deserve mention, eh?
Off the wagon?
He should’ve lost his job when he raised the question (hiding behind ’some people’)
Is Obama the Antichrist?
Everyone knows that’s Darth.
Must be a hard-core addict.
Seems we’ve all been here before
That would be a marked improvement over his present condition, IMO. The man is an ultra-maroon.
This is clearly 12 Steps for Dummies, which is where the term “halfway house” originated.
mac r us
From Beck’s step six:
Actually, that may be some good advice. Unfortunately for him, McCain does not represent “someone new.”
Beck also writes:
That is, actually, not a fact, Glenn.
ygm
heh. Pretty funny reading this.
step 1 – Admitted that we WERE powerless.
step 3 – turned our will and our life over to the care…
Fucking a-hole hasnt even got step one right. He’s completely opposite as a matter of fact.
Steps 1,2,3 are all about humility and piercing the prison of self-will gone riot. He’s obviously got a way to go towards even getting the basics.
for the record here’s the 12 steps. Nothing even near what he’s talking about. It about being right sized, admitting our shortcomings even while working on them, working to become better and more closely aligned with a greater good and becoming selfless towards others.
You know, the opposite of Glen Beck style Republicanism.
CNN is a fracking clownhouse. How any executive with a modicum of self respect could employ a gibbering nitwit like Beck is beyond me.
I see him and I want to throw shit at the TV.
30 years ago he’d be spouting his loser talk from a ham radio in Idaho.
-G
At times like this, not paying for cable makes me feel superior.
Ha, we used to make phone calls from the Nam by connecting with ham operators and they would call home for us!
aaaaach! we’ve been so busy here. already 3 sets of out of town visitors, and yes, all in April. I MISS my computer and you guys and the constant enlightenment I get at this wonderful place. don’t forget me! i’m TRYING TO GET BACK!
lol
hugz to ALLLLL PUPS!
MARS
I wonder what Beck’s ratings are like – anyone know?
Now those were a trip! Beat those little reels of tape, though.
“How’s it going, Raven? Over.”
But now, 30 years later, he makes 10 million a year for this bullshit.
Only in America.
You’d be surprised by some of the fuckers who think they’ve “done” the steps.
I “came in” (walked into AA), about the same time as a very famous talking head. He was crushed during his decline and was a pretty great guy I thought, especially as he got better.
Here we are a dozen plus years later and every once in a while I turn the channel to see this fucker spewing his selfish, mean-spirited shit into the cable ethos, and I want to shoot my tv.
We’re all fucked up I guess, but some are definately more so than others.
Raven we had a MARS station when I was in Germany… but then they took it away. But the good part is wen then put up direct connections to Andrews AFB… We could tap in and the Andrews operator would dial up a Military base near our homes, who in turn connected us to home…. We loved it free calls to home and the brass never caught on… Just some of the bennies of running a mickey wave station….
yea, the article on that MARS site talks about how helpful the AT&T folks were. I guess it like when the stews would put us in 1st class when we flew stand-by.
Last I recall seeing, he was in the Tuckery territory.
Famous talking head.
Hmmm.
Thankfully, they blow.
The lesson is, prolonged smoke-blowing up one’s ass, combined with specious factoid-pulling out of one’s ass can have consequences.
Always wash your hands, kids
;>)
Oh man you are bring back the memories… That was when AT&T was a good company…. actually helping not assisting these current assholes spy on us!
I live in a happy little place where my teevee never stops on CNN Headline News.
I do like his rah-rah enthusiasm pro-American enthusiasm here, though: “Americans are way too lazy to stick around for all 12.”
Hey! Good (I think) to see you, darkblack.
It’s not often that I post here, just when I feel I can add something. I followed the link back to what Glenn had to say, because (above) I didn’t see one of the most important AA steps, which is one step all who go into program, struggle with. Reading what Glenn had to say, I noticed he only glossed over the 4th Step (Inventory), as in doing it he didn’t have details on what America needed to look at for healthy introspection (bring to it’s own light). In the Country’s case, it would be how it exploited and killed those that prevented it from grabbing everything it wanted (including OIL). In Glenn’s personal case, it would be his treatment of those who he disagrees with. In case of America’s 4th Step, then some of what Rev Wright had to say, would have to be discussed honestly and not as “he hates America”. For example, what actions of this country provoked 9/11? There are honest issues to discuss related to 9/11, but the political climate right now will not allow that honest discussion. Unfortunately, too many of us are not willing to look at our part in things we’re not proud of. Like the country in General, Glenn certainly won’t and instead would bash all those who seek to. To quote AA’s 4th Step: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves“. Yes, Glenn totally blew past the parts of America that need work and if you don’t have a complete moral inventory (your 4th Step), then everything that follows the incomplete step is on less than solid ground!!! For most, game over, go back to Step 1 and start over when your misery brings you back to the Rooms–…usually after you’ve relapsed! If you don’t relapse right away, then chances are you become “a dry drunk” and more often than not, become more miserable than someone who is an active drunk. In a “dry drunk’s” case, you’ve still got the behavior causing the problem, but now you’ve taken away the escape (coping mechanism)!! Something tells me that Glenn has missed the entire purpose of the 12 Steps, which is not to stop drinking–but to find a way to live with yourself once you’ve stopped!!! It goes without saying that if you can’t live with yourself, then chances are that you will relapse, or worse–become a dry drunk. Each step in the program builds on the successful completion of the proceeding step. If you skip one, then the foundation of all the others is undermined. In Glenn’s case, I also doubt that in addition to a solid 4th step, that he’s done a good 5th Step, which is: “Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” In his case, wouldn’t that also include how he’s treated other human beings (read Liberals)? How can you call yourself a member of AA, when you treat others as he has? All I’ll add is that I’ve been “a friend of Bill W” since May 1994.
I don’t see any Beck there. Maybe his ratings are zero?
Beck – Debra:
My favorite is No. 1. Me, I think America’s biggest problem is a bunch of right-wing whiners who keep telling us we’ve been emasculated and rendered powerless, that we’ve lost our sanity, blah blah blah. In fact, I think we’ve never been more powerful (though we’re losing that, thanks to right-wingers like Bush and his apologists) and in many ways, we’re remarkably sane these days, especially in the historical perspective. We’re at least finally approaching a semblance of sanity regarding race and gender relations. At least we’re closer to getting there than we would be if we always listened to right-wing twits like Glenn Beck.
He’s under “HLN” @ 7 & 9PM
Thanks, dakine.
That only gets you off the air if you are an America-hating librul.
I’m always up for a discussion of the relative demerits of Glenn Beck, Loo Hoo.
;>)
OMG, here’s a rich Beck from 4.1.08. I’ve never really watched this idiot before.
This is good….AsiaTimes gets it right and takes Lieberliar and Graham to task and spanks Bush and Petraeus:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/M…..0Ak04.html
Hey RussRon, welcome to the lake. :)
I was thinking that too. You actually think this guy ever made a searching and fearless moral inventory even once in his whole life?
“Grasping”.
I meant to add that your comment is wonderful too *g*.
Just got here. I love it when Blue Texan gets cross!
Glenn, Reading the Big Book while stupefied is not recommended. You sorta get everything backwards that way.
I know that this is hopeless, but …
Please do not continue to defame the courageous journalist Robert Fisk by using his name the way the wingnuts do. Please call a point-by-point rebuttal something else.
I’d like top apologize for this stupid sack-o’-shit. We’re not all like him. And I can tell you that most alcoholics don’t give a shit about eing the life of the party. That takes social skill. All I cared about (and i’m not atypical) was being at the party. And getting drunk. I watch a little of this guy when I’m channel surfing. Seems to me sort of Nazi Tom Snyder.
Beck’s phenomenal: “Yeah, I’m completely ignorant; I know that I have no idea what I’m talking about. But I’VE got a talk show, so you have to explain yourself to MY satisfaction. Nyah nyah!”
Kind of like Tucker Carlson without the money (until now).
Another asshat I’ll have a good time getting drunk after reading his obituary.
My poor mom is 86 and I’ve walked into her apartment while she had this idiot on and had to explain to her a few times now (mom is not always thinking clearly these days) that he doesn’t really report the news. That it’s just a talk show where he doesn’t have to tell the truth. It always concerns me that she has friends who live in senior housing, who vote, and watch this shit and can’t differentiate between this and real news. They are so used to the days of the Fairness Doctrine and real reporters. They are used to Bill Moyers and Jim Lehrer and Huntley and Brinkley. It must be hard for many elderly people to grasp what is going on in media these days. One more reason to bring back the Fairnes Doctrine and update to cover more than just air waves.
Have you ever thought about one of the most intriguing parts of conservatism? Fear! Please consider these points, and reflect on the lives of those in power right now, but also on the lives of those in the media who claim that “they know” what is best for the country. (1) As my wife has frequently noted, our officials take an oath to ‘protect and defend the Constitution’ . . . and is aimed at ‘we the people’. How many of these elected officials and conservative mouthpieces do you think have SERVED in the military battle theatre? They would much rather go to the GreenZone, protected by Blackwater, and send “our best” to do the actual fighting. (2) Consider that ‘those who torture’ are usually running on the fumes of fear. (3) What do these people fear? Basically, it’s fear itself . . . and what is most to be feared: a large middle class, a strong people’s working climate (unions), an educated populace,and an electorate that might actually make them uphold their oath. This fear is an irrational, behavioral response to “I will collect as much wealth and power as possible–not caring who I abuse along the way.” War–by their definition–is nothing more than a devious way to restrict the rights of ‘we the people’, to subvert our opportunity for equality and freedom, as they continue to chase wealth and power. Folks, if you’re not afraid–when are you going to stand up and be counted?
otchmoson April 11th, it seems that neither you nor your wife understand what the oath “to protect and defend the Constitution” means and does not mean. It is not a pledge to take up arms nor does it mean that only those who have taken up arms are worthy to take the oath.
Those who take the oath “to protect and defend the Constitution” are swearing,in many ways, to do different things based on the position that requires that they take the oath.
The glory and success of our country is, to a large degree, based on that one critical difference that was a bomb shell in its day. We don’t take oaths to individuals but rather to a set of principles.
The glory and success of our country is also, to a large degree, based on that very diversity of obligations for those who swear to defend and up hold “the Constitution of the United States of America”.
Our Founding Fathers were absolutely brillaint. They were philosophical giants and also fully conversant with the dark side of human nature. The checks and balances between the three branches of our government is a masterpiece. The twisting and tugging between the three branches keeps us on an even keel over the long haul.
If any of the branches of government just rolled over and played dead to give another branch carte blanche they would be violating their oath of office. “Protect and defend” means that the inherent tension between the branches is, and should be, constantly scrapped over. Therein lies our safety.