How do you feel about the timing, location, and general theme of Glenn Beck's rally today?

I find it pretty arrogant and tasteless of Beck to pick today of all days to hold his rally. It also deeply concerns me that the theme of the rally is taking America “back to the good ol’ days” (read: less social liberties), which of course, is coupled with religious overtones.

In no way are these a couple of great Americans and I can’t understand how Americans let other peoples opinions stir them up. I guess its like some preachers—preaching to one’s emotions! And I also would like to know, while people like Palin, Beck, and others are busy contradicting and bashing the current administration, what would they really do if they or their party were in office. My rant for the day.

Which “good ol’ days” are they really talking about? No they are not great Americans in my book. I am sick of the administration bashing that is going on. If they spent as much time trying to help the current admin as they do bashing it, perhaps more goodwill could be established.

Beck is a dick among dicks.

I have no opinion either way. Free speech, and all that.

We are thankfully free to express disapproval, ire, approval, ambivalence, whatever just as much as they are free to assemble and say whatever they want as long as nobody’s rights are infringed upon. It’s how this country works.

I also think that Voltaire (in actuality, Evelyn Beatrice Hall) had something to say about this:

I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

It’s a calculated stunt…Only Beck could be that arrogant, ballsy and belligerent to stomp on such sacred ground all for ratings. IMO there needs to be some respectful boundaries to this freedom of speech and gathering allowance in our constitution. Who ever issued that permit for this rally needs to have their head examined.

@Cruiser, out of curiosity and with no intention to start any kind of fight or clusterfuck in this question thread, but how do you define “respectful boundaries to freedom of speech and assembly?” Whose definition of “respectful” do you use? How do you even quantify “respectfulness?”

Well, let’s see now… having been at the Lincoln Memorial in ‘64 and stood in King’s presence as he made his “I have a dream” speech and despising Beck… what do YOU think?

@Austinlad You were there? That’s awesome. Witness to one of American history’s more famous events. Congrats.

@cockswain, I was, and it was a magical experience. I was working in NYC and bussed down with some co-workers. I even published a short piece about an incident that happened there.

Can you give me a link to read it or something? That’s really cool.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Certainly not by my definition for sure…but I think there are certain elements of our nations history and legacy that should be deemed sacred and out of bounds for most things especially blatantly obvious political stunts. I mean this country is enormous and there are plenty of public places that one could hold a rally especially a stunt for ratings rally, and anywhere but at one of our nations most hallowed memorials.

Just my own humble opinion of course!

@Cruiser, thanks for your reply.

It’s a testament to how full of himself he is. He’s an attention whore and this is just another way to get that attention.

I think it shows more than anything how utterly delusional Beck* and the Tea Partiers are.

That they compare their desire to avoid taxes to the civil rights movement, that they are invoking Lincoln—the only president to do away with habeus corpus, by far the most powerful executive we’ve ever had—in their grandstanding against “big government” is really just a testament to their pathetic level of ignorance and cognitive dissonance.

* Beck may not be delusional. I have a sneaking suspicion he’s been faking this whole spiel from day 1. It’s certainly made him a ton of money. Then again, there’s a thin line between a fraud and a cultist who genuinely convinces himself of his own bullshit.

i say so what. let them rally. this is what this country is all about. everyone gets their right and their chance to do anything, protest anything, rally for anything.

I feel like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are intentionally desecrating on not only one, but two memorials that are an important part of American history: The Lincoln Memorial, and the star embedded in its foyer where Martin Luther King once stood to give his most famous speech.

That is their choice and their right to choose this spot. What saddens me is that so many people showed up to support them.

@cockswain Here is the Wikipedia link to Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s history.. Here is the link to Mr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

@Pied_Pfeffer Thanks for the links, but I’m familiar with MLK and his speech. I was asking @Austinlad for a link to his published account of his experience at that event.

@cockswain My apology…I overlooked that. I’d also love to read it.

@jca, you do realize that you can be against something while simultaneously allowing it, right?

This is a particularly annoying undercurrent in American culture. The idea that criticizing something is the same as wanting to ban it.

@Qingu, you are correct. There is also, however, another undertone that people would readily ban what they normally would only criticize if they had the opportunity. I’m not accusing you of holding that position, of course, but it is evident, even on Fluther.

Correction: I said the The March on Washington I attended was in 1964. It was ‘63.

Anyone who has an issue with the date and of location is deluding themselves if they say they believe in equality among races.

@MeinTeil, I don’t follow your logic.

Dr. Kings speech was asking for peace and equality for everyone, why should Glenn Beck and company not be allowed to speak where Dr. King did? He, and anyone else, for that matter, is allowed to speak his mind and disagree with the current administration, just as the people who disagreed with the Bush administration had a right to voice their disagreement. That’s covered under the First Amendment. If you don’t like what people have to say then turn off the TV or log off of FB. By the way, the same amendment allows you to criticize Beck, even on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, if you so choose. So, whether you like or agree with Beck’s message, or don’t like his message, it doesn’t matter, he has the right to speak where he did and it doesn’t “desecrate” the spot or the people who formerly spoke there.

@Tuesdays_Child, who on earth are you even responding to? Nobody is saying Beck shouldn’t be “allowed” to speak where and when he’s speaking.

Just to be clear: what people are saying is that it’s stupid, disingenuous, and/or hypocritical for Beck and the Tea Partiers to say what they’re saying while trying to piggyback on MLK’s movement.

The Tea Partiers have defined themselves, as a movement, against the “redistribution of wealth”—i.e. taxes and socialism.

“The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

They’re also overwhelmingly conservative, in the sense of wanting to preserve the institutions that existed during the time of the founding fathers. During the time of the founding fathers, Martin Luther King would have been a slave, because our founding fathers thought slavery should be legal. Like the Bible says.

To be frank, while I may not agree with what Glenn Beck has to say, I’m going to fight for his right to say it.

That being sad, I think that this is pure arrogance and it pretty much shows what him, Palin and their followers are really truly about.

@Qingu I was, in general responding to the question and the desecration part came from and earlier comment on this question. Sorry, I didn’t realize that you were the post police.

@Tuesdays_Child He may not be the police, but you can get fined for talking to him that way.

@cockswain but he can be rude to me? Nice.

@Qingu You may be right and I may be wrong about using the word “desecrating”. It doesn’t change the way I feel about why Glenn Beck and his team chose the date and location to give a speech. Until he explains why, I will continue to feel that it was a tacit point being made. As a U.S. citizen, he has the right to speak where he did, as I said before.

@Pied_Pfeffer, I don’t have a problem with the word “desecrating”—did you mean to respond to someone else?

I believe several posters have assumed that by “desecrating,” you mean “should be banned” ... which I have said is not a fair conclusion to draw.

“Desecrating” may be a bit strong, but what Beck and the Tea Partiers are doing is certainly dirty and hypocritical.

@Qingu Sorry friend…I did. It was meant for @Qingu

post FAIL!

I feel fine about it.

That place and time is not the property of King’s race.

@Qingu I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…I did it again. That post was meant to be directed @Tuesdays_Child. My double apologies to you. Tomorrow, I’m scheduling an eye appt. and a typing class.