Guest Contributor: Annabel Park

Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration. M-H

Fri, 08/27/2010 – 11:14am — AnnabelPark
I have been asked many times in recent days, “What do you think about Glenn Beck?” I haven’t commented because I haven’t been focused on him enough to really know. But since his rally at the Lincoln Memorial this weekend is distracting so many Americans who could put their time to much better use, here is my take:

I wrote the following in Wednesday’s Facebook post, without mentioning Mr. Beck but with him partially in mind:

Before we call someone a racist, we should ask ourselves: are we moved to call someone a racist because we feel compassion for the victim or because we feel hatred toward the perpetrator? What if, instead of being divided against each other over race, we stood together against those who perpetuate economic injustice against us all? Imagine how the world would change.

Martin Luther King’s march was called the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” While so many of us are immensely distracted by Mr. Beck and other wedge issues of the day, Rome burns. If we continue to follow Pied Pipers who want to see our country fight itself rather than come together to solve our problems, what problems can we expect to solve? We are headed for a deep economic depression if We the People fail to show our leaders that we want solutions not distractions. To do that we must lead by example.

In short: Glenn Beck’s rally is a corporate-sponsored ragtime show. An unfortunate distraction in tough times when we should be pulling together.

Over the past decade, millions of Amerians have been shoved into poverty, with no safety nets and no healthcare. And what are we doing about it? We are dividing and arguing over race. That is Dr. King’s dream gone wrong. That is the American dream gone wrong.

The game that Mr. Beck plays is so obvious, isn’t it? He prances and dances around the line of what is responsible, what is inappropriate, and, yes, even what may be “racist.” His hope is that the entire nation will notice, that some will condemn him, and others will defend him. If so, he becomes the center of attention, his ratings go up, and his devout followers are thrilled to have another reason to be angry at the rest of the country. I don’t see any winners in this game other than Mr. Beck and his corporate sponsors.

If you have the energy for active citizenship in this crucial period in American history, consider volunteering for a non-partisan organization that is trying to help fellow Americans cope with tough economic times, and/or trying to unite our country rather than divide it.

An additional message from Eric and Annabel regarding the Coffee Party:

57 Thoughts to “Annabel Takes on Glenn Beck”

  1. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I had forgotten about the coffee party. How is it going with the five of you?

  2. Who are you addressing, Slowpoke?

  3. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    The “coffee party”

  4. Diversity Gal

    That doesn’t seem like a relevant response to Annabel’s contribution. Slowpoke, is there anything you would care to say about Glenn Beck’s rally today?

    Also, if it makes you feel better to celebrate that there are perhaps more people willing to speak out angrily and hatefully than those who take the time to speak out about coming together and finding common ground, then gleefully enjoy it.

    Thank you for this contribution, Annabel. Beck is definitely trying to say this event will be about honor and respect, but given his history (such as continuously insulting the President’s daughter by putting on an offensive accent, etc.) I am so uncertain of how this will go down. I have trouble giving Beck and his event the benefit of the doubt, but I am sure we will all see footage of how this plays out.

  5. Emma

    I’m pretty sure the cameras will zero in on one or two unattractive people acting ugly and will make them the face of the event. I would put money on it.

  6. I feel compassion for victims and I get very pissed off at the injustice of it all. And non-partisan groups are the way to go. It’s common knowledge that I don’t align to any political group.

    My daughter was supposed to go with friends to the rally today, based on the description that it was a non-partisan show of support for our armed forces and their children, which is why the friend’s mom is going. I am not a Palin fan in the least, but supporting our troops is common ground as far as I am concerned.

    When I heard Sharpton was going to be there and Slow saying he’d be the first to throw a punch (or something like that) and that the Tea Partiers were going to be out en force and that the crowd was going to be enormous, I said “no.” She is home today because I don’t trust lunatics and extremists who tend to take over.

    This rally has become a political demonstration, and I don’t feel it is safe. I want my kids to learn compassion, a desire for peace and dislike for extremism. How can I teach them these values if adults are out there being loony and in a crowd to boot? I am upset that the politicos have turned this into a political event, detracting from what should be something positive? And who knows how many haters are going to show up?

    I distrust crowds in general, but a crowd like this is more than I can handle, and I am quite sure my daughter would have trouble with it. I can see her wondering like she is wont to do in a crowd, and that worried me.

    Finally, to turn this into a non-partisan event, all parties should be represented, not just Palin and Beck. There should be a non-partisan support for our troops who are in danger. It bothers me when our leaders cannot even agree with THIS.

  7. “Align WITH,” that is. And “wandering” not “wondering” (though it might have been both).

  8. Need to Know

    @Posting as Pinko

    Well stated. I wouldn’t go anywhere near something like this either. It’s going to be a zoo. Closing all but one lane of I-66 eastbound approaching the Beltway combined with large, opposing rallies convening at the same makes this a day to stay away from downtown.

    Also, I’m not interested in being hassled by Beck’s gold investement sponsors, who are sure to be there.

    I have a business meeting in Balitmore today anyway (yes, some of us have to work on Saturday) but I’m taking I-95 to the Beltway and going counterclockwise around the Beltway.

  9. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Posting as Pinko
    Well, actually, I said because there’s no chance of anything heavy happening, it’s not worth my time.

  10. It is just another point of view, Slow.

    It isn’t always about numbers and popularity unless you are counting votes. Even then it isn’t. Look at what happened with Bush and Gore.

    HI DG. Perhaps Beck learned his lesson re the Obama girls. His behavior certainly was low class but…I believe people can change. Perhaps that is naive on my part. I keep saying it though because my normal tendency would be to say that leopards don’t change their spots.

    Sarah Palin certainly isn’t respectful of people either. I recall her look of distain and the eye rolling when the woman said she was a teacher. She makes caustic remarks about people and mimicks them. Nasty stuff.

  11. Emma, there might be many to choose from.

  12. Pinko, I wouldn’t let one of my kids go to rally of something I agreed with 100%. There are too many variables and too many outside forces over which you have no control. This one sounds like it coukld be over-charged as well. I definitely think you made the right decision.

    Now the fact that it involves Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin…double and triple the remarks. The first paragraph was my non-partisan comment.

  13. Good luck NTK. I hope traffic isn’t awful.

  14. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Diversity Gal
    You are quite right, my response had nothing to do with Glenn Beck’s rally. Honestly, it’s like the GZ Mosque thing, I’m just not interested. It just reminded me that there was this coffee party that some desperate soul tried to start, and how funny the whole notion was.

  15. kelly3406

    Annabelle’s rhetoric that we should pull together rather than focus on race is simply laughable. Her race-baiting propaganda, ‘9500 Liberty’, removes any credibility she might have in discussing this issue.

    As for pulling together, how’s that ‘hope and change’ thing workin’ for you, Annabelle? I thought that was supposed to pull us all together.

  16. Kelly, I would be willing to bet you haven’t viewed 9500 Liberty. It is anything but race-baiting and if that is what you think it is about, then you are just dead wrong.

    And if everyone were honest, they would admit that hope and change isn’t going to be working out too well for anyone until the economy rights itself. No president can possibly correct the damage to the economy that Obama (or McCain, had he been elected) found when he took office. Presidents don’t create jobs. The economic crash didn’t happen overnight and it won’t fix itself over night. These things take time.

    I only hope that there are all sorts of tea party know-nothings elected in November. I will make it my business to rag on them every second they are in office and demand to know why the stop spending crowd hasn’t fixed the problem.

    The economy would be better if a little more spending took place to get us out of recession.

  17. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    The economy would be better if a little more spending took place to get us out of recession.

    Nothing spells prosperity like debt!!

  18. kelly3406

    Moon-howler :
    Kelly, I would be willing to bet you haven’t viewed 9500 Liberty. It is anything but race-baiting and if that is what you think it is about, then you are just dead wrong.

    I saw much of it when it was on-line. Rather than argue, I shall simply defer to your unmatched knowledge and perception of … well … everything.

  19. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I listened to a little bit of the Beck rally. I bit preachy for me. I listened for maybe five minutes, and thought of you all when Beck made with the tears in the five minutes I was listening. I thought you’d all appreciate it.

  20. Rick Bentley

    “What if, instead of being divided against each other over race, we stood together against those who perpetuate economic injustice against us all? Imagine how the world would change.”

    20th Century History showed quite clearly how things change when capitalism is labeled “economic injustice” and people work towards “economic justice”. We saw it in Russia, China, Cuba, and other places.

    “Over the past decade, millions of Amerians have been shoved into poverty”

    Good lord. Annabel is a real old-fashioned leftist.

    As far as dividing America, Beck (and I have no idea what he’ll be yammering about this weekend in his histrionic feminine tones) is probably uniting America, by undercutting the Al Sharptons and NAACPs of the nation. If we are to speak in a common language, black America must come to understand white conservative thought, and there needs to be a stop to promulgation of the notion that America is about standing up, screaming, and holding your hand out which is IMO (and ITO of so many white Americans) what the “civil rights” movement has degenerated into.

    Not that most black Americans are whiners or looking for handouts – but the Sharptons and Jacksons and Jealouses and the Democratic party in general paints that impression. In point of fact while American politics is totally f’ed up on racial issues most people black white and other are getting along quite well. I’d go so far as to suggest King’s draem came true. You just won’t hear the hucksters who profiteer off race accept the notion.

  21. Kelly, bite me.

    It was never online.

    As for unmatched knowledge, you are sure one to talk. At least I have seen the video, several times. Otherwise I wouldn’t comment on it.

  22. Slow, I wasn’t suggesting going into debt to spend.

    Hording money and cash is not helping end the recession.

  23. Second-Alamo

    Photos of the Beck rally gathering on the Mall look strikingly identical to the crowds for MLK, that is if you convert the photo to B&W. That has got to scare the hell out of the critics here!

  24. I don’t know why we would be scared, SA.

    What I don’t like is the bad taste. Beck should have changed weekends when he was informed (and I feel certain he knew) that it was the MLK I have a Dream anniversary. He has every right to be there, but like many have said about the proposed mosque near ground zero, it is just bad taste.

    He can never become MLK or relicate that event. Anyone who thinks it can happen is deluded.

  25. Just out of curiosity, where did you all watch it. I checked on all the cable news channels and only saw snippets of it.

  26. @Second-Alamo
    Initial reports indicate the rally was peaceful and that MLK family members spoke as well. That’s a very good sign!

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100828/ap_on_en_tv/us_dc_rally

  27. RingDangDoo

    There’s a couple people at the event (Becks, not Sharptons).

    Courtesy of the BBC….

    http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48906000/jpg/_48906677_010057025-2.jpg

  28. kelly3406

    @Moon-howler

    I did see a lot of it on-line. There were plenty of videos from 9500Liberty on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/9500Liberty ). I watched several dozen of them, certainly enough to get an idea of their slant. The videos were very one-sided.

  29. Watched the Glenn Beck Rally on c-span. He seemed very subdued, compared to the clips you’ve shown of him, Moon. I couldn’t help thinking, if you’re going to a rally led by a TV/radio personality, that Bob Hope would have done it better.

    As for the scary crowd? Yes! Woooo. I was. They were like, you know, those people in the audience on Lawrence Welk Show reruns! Frightening! Thank God it was a bagpiper and not someone playing the accordian. Polkas might have broken out!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xGC6KTc-c&feature=related

  30. Second-Alamo

    I watched portions of the Beck rally on CNN feeds, and there was little in what was said that I could find fault with. It was very positive overall unlike some of the video I watched of brother Al. Maybe someone should tell Al that the president of the country is half black, but then maybe that’s what he meant by ‘they hadn’t arrived yet’. When we get a 100% black person as President, then maybe he’ll shut his race baiting mouth.

  31. Emma

    @Slowpoke Rodriguez I checked in on the Coffee Party a few weeks ago, and some diehard was wishing that a “t-bagger” would just cut loose and commit some act of violence, I guess so he could have something real to be outraged about. I find that sad. So much for “civility”.

    Pass.

  32. Kelly, I believe if you saw the film you would see that all ‘sides’ were represented. I felt that they were. Did Eric and Annabel have a point of view? Yes, but they didn’t Oliver Stone you to death.

    The various snippets of videos really don’t represent the finished product.

    Emma, I am sure Annabel and Eric wouldn’t want something like that posted under coffee party. And of course we don’t know who puts things like that out. There is always political sabatague going on.

    I am certain no one wants any acts of violence.

    And as a reminder, Annabel is a guest contributor here. I don’t think that the piece is even about the Coffee Party, is it?

  33. SA, I didn’t see Sharpton either. I thought Sharpton had toned it down a lot. I am sorry to hear you report that he hasn’t. I am still waiting for him to say he was wrong about the Duke lacrosse players. Good thing I am not holding my breath.

  34. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Emma :
    @Slowpoke Rodriguez I checked in on the Coffee Party a few weeks ago, and some diehard was wishing that a “t-bagger” would just cut loose and commit some act of violence, I guess so he could have something real to be outraged about. I find that sad. So much for “civility”.
    Pass.

    Well, you may have seen the person in the open thread who stopped consuming his own feces long enough to wish a “tea-bagger” would assassinate obama. That would be the left’s ultimate wet dream, but I don’t think they’re going to get their wish. The level of pure hate on the left these days is astounding. Death threats for Dick Armey’s group, it just goes on and on with the looney left.

  35. Slowpoke, that kind of comment is simply unacceptable and unwelcome on this blog.

    It does nothing but create divisiveness as well as making me sick.

  36. Seriously, if you all want to conduct a conversation like the one above, go somewhere else to do it.

    Slowpoke, it is comments like the one you just made that set off the loony left. In fact, it is setting off the loony center because the level of unacceptableness is so severe. I don’t want to hear about assassinations.

  37. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    Slowpoke, it is comments like the one you just made that set off the loony left. In fact, it is setting off the loony center because the level of unacceptableness is so severe. I don’t want to hear about assassinations.

    But when rod said it, ACTUALLY SAID IT in the post in the open thread IT WAS FINE WITH YOU….NOT A GOD-D&*N WORD!

  38. Actually Slowpoke, I didn’t see it. I went back and just commented on it, before I saw your remarks. I think it was the feces remark that actually pushed me over the edge.

    But you are right, I should have addressed the assassination thing and I would have, if I had seen it. It has been covered. If I was meaner to you than him, it is because you also grossed me out.

  39. And no, it wasn’t fine with me. Elena usually screens and she is sick in bed. She is the words police. It would not have been fine with her either.

  40. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Moon-howler
    Here’s what I saw:

    Rod mentions a tea-partier taking out the president. Not a word.
    I mention how vile I see this person and their comments….immediate condemnation.
    Looks an awful lot like approval of Rod’s comments to me.

  41. Second-Alamo

    One thing all seem to agree on is that our country isn’t operating the way it was meant to. Even the 9500 folks theme is Restoring America’s Democracy. Nonpartisan, now that I have a difficult time buying!

  42. @Slow

    I don’t approve of the comments. I don’t see everything on here. I couldn’t even go on a vacation without having to run blog interferrence. Elena was very sick and someone had to do it. If something is said inappropriate, call it to my attention. That’s the best I can do.

  43. Elena

    Maybe its because I am still getting over the flu, and although I disagree with the tone of Rod’s comment, the fear that some nutty person will attempt to take Obama’s life is very real. I don’t even think it will be a tea partier, but I do believe it would be some fruitcake.

    As an aside, I find it pretty depressing that Moon howler has said multiple times that she was on vacation and I am sick, and yet, not one word of, “gee, sorry for giving you crap, I know this is not a paid position and you do a great service for us, a place to bitch and moan and complain”……………………………

  44. kelly3406

    @Elena

    Thank you for maintaining this site. I did not know that you are sick or MH is on vacation. Hope you feel better soon.

  45. I am home now. It was a short vacation and my internet service extremely frustratingly bad.

    I was a young person when the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, and near assassination of George Wallace took place. Wallace was left paralyzed and in a wheel chair.

    I was young but not a little kid. It sticks with you. There is not a person who was of conscious age who can’t tell you where they were and what they were doing when they learned of JFK. It sticks with you. There was an attempt made on Gerald Ford’s life and also Reagan was shot. We aren’t a third world country. That is not how political disagreement is settled. Not even close.

    I get unnerved speaking of such things. I was very upset when that man threw the shoe at George Bush. I considered it an assault.

  46. Rick Bentley

    “I am still waiting for him to say he was wrong about the Duke lacrosse players.”

    Or Tawana Brawley!

  47. Elena

    Thank you Kelly 🙂 I am feeling better, as you might have guessed from my flurry of posts!@kelly3406

  48. Rick, her too. I couldn’t think of her name, but her too. You are right.

  49. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Elena :
    As an aside, I find it pretty depressing that Moon howler has said multiple times that she was on vacation and I am sick, and yet, not one word of, “gee, sorry for giving you crap, I know this is not a paid position and you do a great service for us, a place to bitch and moan and complain”……………………………

    I know the feeling.

  50. Elena

    Slow,
    I think you need to get a good nights rest, a full 8 hours at least. Take a brake from blogging.

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