What was most remarkable about this allegedly “anti-government” movement was that — with some isolated and principled exceptions — it completely vanished upon the election of Republican George Bush, and it stayed invisible even as Bush presided over the most extreme and invasive expansion of federal government power in memory. Even as Bush seized and used all of the powers which that movement claimed in the 1990s to find so tyrannical and unconstitutional — limitless, unchecked surveillance activities, detention powers with no oversight, expanding federal police powers, secret prison camps, even massively exploding and debt-financed domestic spending — they meekly submitted to all of it, even enthusiastically cheered it all on.
Funny how that works. Greenwald correctly ties this into the Santelli debacle:
The week-long CNBC Revolt of the Traders led by McCain voter Rick Santelli and the fledgling little Tea Party movement promoted by the Michelle Malkins of the world are obvious outgrowths of this 1990s mentality, now fortified by the most powerful fuel: deep economic fear.
Beck uses that economic fear to posit the withdrawal of America as the world’s policeman and predicts that would lead to chaos from Muslims. Remember Beck’s the guy who asked Keith Ellison, our first Muslim Congressman, this gem:
“I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, ‘Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.’ ” Beck added: “I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.”
And here’s Beck on the “War Room” program:
…what would happen in the Middle East is also tied in to just running over Europe. Europe, itself, is teetering with Muslim extremists as well. How does the world stand without America standing there and being prepared to deal with it?
Nice.
And, yes, it gets worse.
Finally, Beck veers from paranoia to darn-near sedition:
OK. Michael, the government coming in and disenfranchising people over and over and over again, and having the people say, “Please listen to us,” the average person, some people will listen to the government, but others - and I’m seeing it already.
They know the Constitution. They know the writings of the founders, and they feel that the government, or they will in this scenario, and I think we’re on this road - the government has betrayed the Constitution. And so they will see themselves as people who are standing up for the Constitution. So how do you defuse this, Michael, or how long even do we have before this becomes a crazy real scenario?
MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER HEAD OF THE CIA BIN LADEN UNIT: Well, I don’t think you would want to defuse it, Glenn. We have had a 40-minute program so far, and all of the problems we have talked about in one way or another are the result of the American government either overspending or overreaching.
BECK: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute. Are both of you guys saying that you don’t want to - I don’t think we would head for an American revolution. We would head for a French revolution.
SCHEUER: Civil war.
Etc. etc. Hey, I’m not the biggest fan of the government, but come on! Beck’s even worse when he tries to be responsible:
BECK: I am against the government, and I think that they have just been horrible, and I do think they are betraying the principles of our founders every day they’re in office.
But I have to tell you, this scenario scares the living daylights out of me
because it is completely - it is shaking nitroglycerine.You both served in the military. You tell me, do the soldiers come in and do they round up people? Or do they fight with the people for the Constitution? What is the Army? What does the military do?…
SCHEUER: No. I don’t think the military is ever going to shoot on the American people.
colbert is the man, the doom bunker was hysterical
#1 Posted by ian, CJR on Thu 12 Mar 2009 at 03:47 PM
It seems to me the goal of Reaganomics and Bush-whatever (you can't really call it economics, can you? More like robbery) is precisely to turn New York into Mexico City. During the last 8 years, wealth became as narrowly concentrated in the US as it is in many Third World countries. At the same time our national debt reached 5% of GDP -- the very same level that has triggered the collapse of Argentina, Brazil and other developing countries that are still undergoing the tender ministrations of the IMF. Meanwhile, of course, the top 1/10% per cent get obscenely wealthy and are careful to stash enough money in other locations so that they can escape when things get too rough at home.
#2 Posted by Christian Doering, CJR on Fri 13 Mar 2009 at 12:58 PM
After hearing the some of the most absolutely bat shit insane rantings of such "respected" left wingers like Gore Vidal, Naomi Wolfe, and Harvey Wasserman for the past 8 years (with nary a peep from guys like Chitum here) it strikes me as less than convincing to see all this outrage over Beck.
#3 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Fri 13 Mar 2009 at 02:25 PM
Well Mike, Vidal is a pretty good student of history. He didn't have to make anything up. When he does he's damn good. I recommend Burr, despite the dig at the boats my family built for free for the sake of the country back in 1775. He didn't have to make anything up about the last 8 years. It was all right there. Junior Bush did what he did on all fronts and now we have the result. How's that workin' for ya?
#4 Posted by Mark A. York, CJR on Fri 13 Mar 2009 at 11:07 PM
Yeah.. when the Fascist Regime of Bush going to seize power. I had to suffer Naomi Wolf's book tour and hearing about how the Under Deputy Assistant Managing Acting Subordinate Principal Supervising Director of the Supervising Director Principal Subordinate Acting Managing Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Department of Conspiracy was replacing the blood in her tampons with Sarah Palin's and it all came to nothing!
Now we have real fascism and Glenn Beck is a freak for noticing. um ok
#5 Posted by VinceP1974, CJR on Sat 14 Mar 2009 at 03:31 AM
Beck is right things are extremely stressed, but otherwise his rants just push folks to DO NOTHING, but tolerate all shit (lest "extremism" come to visit you!)
USA is already conquered by Controllers of PR, of what is "money," of the mainstream media (brain deadening TV, alpha state funneling), of "education" (now lacking our history and reviling white Christian roots of core settlers.)
Turn off the boob tube. Get back to your roots and original God-given law - not later manmade law, inserted via manipulatable democracy, funded by "money" men. (Oh, "money" was Keceph, meaning silver, in Bible words.)
Real "Bubbas" really need to get educated on such history and identities (who is who, not even taught now in commercial churching). They need to withdraw from the toxic "money" system. Tough, like kicking tobacco or sugar addictions.
The Beck scenario had as phase one (in their PR piece of "concerns"), the idea banks would be nationalized. To me that indicates bankers, notably global ones, especially the core Fed Res gang and Rothschild empire, fear they'll lose control over our lives. This is their agend being pushed in this PR work. So we are told to "fear" such change. Nonsense!
Dont bail bankers or globalist corps. Instead, END THE PRESENT "MONEY" and savings and debts. (Bankers are like "royals" and need a French Rev solution, or they'll just keep tightening nooses.) Iceland repudiated debt dumped on them. Greece needs to do it. And USA! By all means do form closed communities of like folks (diversity destroys unity, leaving only commerce), and rebuild on that, outside "mixed" cities. Halt importing third world goods, but rebuild our industries (in our mostly rural areas, not lumped in huge mixed cities). Ruralists don't need cities, but cities (bankers, lawyers, corporate squeezers) need food and fuel. Whites don't need others etiher. (And others CAN take care of themselves too.)
PS: There is historical precedence for what I say. Mayan temple centers grew for centuries, fed by farmers outside, farther and farther, while preists played dominator games. For some reason the food supply stopped. (Some now find evidence of inferior foods and contruction materials in the core at the end due to stress or revolt.) Rapidly the temple-cities and leaders died. It spread and the whole system ended. (Many Mayans outside cities survived and still farm.)
There is futurist "postcedence" too! Scripture calls us to get out of "babylon" (the urbanized multicult trading network) in end times when we're oppressed, and dstroy it, in Revelation 18. It must happen before a whole new regime is installed. (King JC returns to rule his Kingdom.)
#6 Posted by Adam A, CJR on Wed 9 May 2012 at 12:26 AM