What do you guys think of Glenn Beck?

[Ex_Nihil0]

I've heard the guy call himself a Libertarian, he seems to think legalizing Pot is a good idea maybe in the future, but doesn't seem to think very highly of atheism (because he obviously doesn't understand it), but otherwise doesn't care what your religion is if you have any.  [Full disclosure, I am not an atheist, but I fully respect the validity of non-belief, which is why I disagree with Glenn Beck on this point.]  Glenn Beck doesn't seem to be against military expansion, which is one area that I disagree with him on the most.

What prompted me to ask this quesiton to you all was this video here:
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Antybu86 is attacking Glenn Beck for his use of the term "social justice" and "economic justice" as a codewords for socialism.  Now, I'm only a causal listener of Glenn Beck, so I don't have a huge stake in defending him as a super fan, but it seems like his video is a little one-sided and equivocates these terms as spoken by different politicians.  Social justice in the context that Glenn Beck uses, applies to the Progressive Movement (those people on both sides of the isle, whom we Libertarians are already familiar with, who seek to increase Federal Power).  The very fact that the Progressivism component of Glenn Beck's argument, coupled with the absence of exploring the meaning of "Social Justice" in the progressive context, seems rather dishonest.  Further, I'm not sure why people think Glenn Beck is a nutjob, anyway.  He doesn't advocate stockpiles of guns or food for an imagined coming apocalypse, or the construction of bunkers or any notions of vast conspiracies.  He's not a Birther or a Truther, either.  What I see, instead, is an eccentric man who is misunderstood because of his wacky theatrics, and that this misunderstanding gives people license to throw out everything Glenn Beck ever said.  I'm not superfan of Glenn Beck, but this is no way to treat somebody's arguments.  If anything it is anti-intellectual and exposes just how the counter-arguments are.  Its all a bloody ad hominem.

What particularly hacked me off about Antybu86's video was his opinion that everybody is entitled to food and clothing without any justification whatsoever.  Why should we take from some in order to give to others?  Why don't they understand that this is theft?  That's really what Glenn Beck is getting at, but because he's a cry baby and likes theatrics, he's somehow a nuttjob.  Truth is, he's only a nuttjob because he is against the welfare and entitlement state.  Now, if only Glenn Beck would get 100% behind drug legalization and start standing against Military Expansion, then I'd probably become a super fan.  For now, he leans too conservative for my tastes.  But even so, I didn't think Antybu86's video was fair to Glenn Beck.  If it truly is Antybu86's opinion that people have entitlements, then it is little wonder why he chose to skewer Glenn Beck in this way.  It just isn't a good, strong, rational discussion based on the arguments.

I truly detest character assassination and ridicule as a substitute for a good, rational discussion on the issues.  Anything less then a good rational discussion will not increase or knowledge or understanding, and it blocks our minds from exploring ideas that we had not considered before.  This is why I'm giving Antybu86 an F for informal logic.  Somebody "rational" like him shouldn't be stooping to the level of Sophistry like that.

[Gumba Masta]

I think Glen Beck is a pretty cool guy, he's putting frogs in pans and does'nt afraid of anything.

[Travis Retriever]

I think Glen Beck is a pretty cool guy, he's putting frogs in pans and does'nt afraid of anything.

Love that meme. XD

[Gumba Masta]

I always knew there's a reason they call us disgusting degenerates.

[Travis Retriever]

The video (or embed) doesn't work.

[VectorM]

Glenn Beck was for the Patriot act. Nough said.

[Ex_Nihil0]

The video (or embed) doesn't work.

It works for me.  Try again.  It's probably just a YouTube glitch.

[Ex_Nihil0]

Glenn Beck was for the Patriot act. Nough said.

I need an update on his view of this legislation, because a lot of people where for the Patriot Act who think it was a mistake today.  I thought I remember him regretting the passage, though such regrets were years after the fact.  Or did he regret it?  I don't remember, but even I thought it was a good idea, at least for a moment, before I came to my senses and realized it was just more government intrusion that had nothing to do with the problems that allowed the 9/11 terrorists not get caught.  This was before I dumped the Republican Party and became fully Libertarian. 

[MrBogosity]

It works for me.  Try again.  It's probably just a YouTube glitch.

No, I fixed it. When you embed a video, you ONLY need to put in the bit after the "v=" or else it won't work properly.

[MrBogosity]

I need an update on his view of this legislation, because a lot of people where for the Patriot Act who think it was a mistake today.  I thought I remember him regretting the passage, though such regrets were years after the fact.  Or did he regret it?  I don't remember, but even I thought it was a good idea, at least for a moment, before I came to my senses and realized it was just more government intrusion that had nothing to do with the problems that allowed the 9/11 terrorists not get caught.  This was before I dumped the Republican Party and became fully Libertarian. 

I know Bob Barr turned against it completely within two years.

[AHPMB]

When he started going through the murals around Rockefeller Center looking for secret socialist code I was done with him.  He actually used to be pretty funny, but he's slowly transmogrifying into a John Birch Society member minus the anti-Semitism.  Plus the guy is a rabid millennial Morman to boot, and just can't wait to tell everyone why we're living in the final days, and why Israel should be given carte blanche to take over whatever territory it wants to.  And every time he opens his mouth about rights, I want to beat him with the Constitution like a rolled up newspaper and say, "show me where it says our rights come from God Glenn!  Bad ! Bad religious nutjob!"

[Ex_Nihil0]

When he started going through the murals around Rockefeller Center looking for secret socialist code I was done with him.  He actually used to be pretty funny, but he's slowly transmogrifying into a John Birch Society member minus the anti-Semitism.  Plus the guy is a rabid millennial Morman to boot, and just can't wait to tell everyone why we're living in the final days, and why Israel should be given carte blanche to take over whatever territory it wants to.

I don't know if all of that is true, but if it is, I agree with you.

And every time he opens his mouth about rights, I want to beat him with the Constitution like a rolled up newspaper and say, "show me where it says our rights come from God Glenn!  Bad ! Bad religious nutjob!"

At least he doesn't think rights come from people or are subjective.  That, to me, is the important part.  People who say "rights come from people" or "rights are subjective" trouble me more and seem even more dangerous then your bunker building Christian gun nut, though I would say they (the collectivists) are less dangerous then the Jihadists. 

[MrBogosity]

I don't know if all of that is true, but if it is, I agree with you.

At least, the first part of it is:

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I wonder what he would think if he saw all that ancient Indian and Chinese art with the Swastika on it...

[FSBlueApocalypse]

When he started going through the murals around Rockefeller Center looking for secret socialist code I was done with him.  He actually used to be pretty funny, but he's slowly transmogrifying into a John Birch Society member minus the anti-Semitism.  Plus the guy is a rabid millennial Morman to boot, and just can't wait to tell everyone why we're living in the final days, and why Israel should be given carte blanche to take over whatever territory it wants to.  And every time he opens his mouth about rights, I want to beat him with the Constitution like a rolled up newspaper and say, "show me where it says our rights come from God Glenn!  Bad ! Bad religious nutjob!"

Bingo, Glenn is a crazy nutjob that belongs on Coast to Coast AM but spins it well enough he has a national TV show.

[Gumba Masta]

I wonder what he would think if he saw all that ancient Indian and Chinese art with the Swastika on it...

Bah, forget those hooked crosses, what about the sex scenes depicted on those murals.