And yet, beyond the huge crowd that attended the event in Washington, something important and profound, even taking place in "Restoring Honor Beck" rally: The host of Fox News was trying to take over a mantle of moral authority work and ultimately paid with his life by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. And unfortunately, I think that in the eyes of some viewers, Beck might have succeeded.
If it sounds absurd that a cable TV presenter who regularly breaks mercurial mourn and has asked the U.S. president a racist should be able to get what appeared to be over a hundred thousand Americans to hear and applaud as he applied to King's mantle, it is. In fact, one could even say it's outrageous.
And for all the warnings and wake-up calls "that Beck left the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Saturday, here's another: We have to think about the success of the play Saturday and asked Beck what he says about the lack of moral authority this country today. We also have to wonder what it says about us as a culture that so many Americans on a Saturday in August and more than two million a day on Fox News come to Beck and apparently listening in their own hodgepodge of primary school history and the hodgepodge of moral platitudes and bromides that are meaningless.
The moral authority - that is what the rally was really. That's what the bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace" at the end of the rally in question. That's what all the talk of standing on "holy ground" issue. That's what the repeated use of words like "honor," "integrity" and "trust" issue.
That is what the introduction of Beck Alveda King, niece of Dr. King, was when he said, "your family's past has been washed in the blood" with "his father and uncle both died" for what they believed. And that what all the rhetoric of the New Testament-like and the conclusion of the military who are wounded and killed in battle is approaching.
In fairness to Beck: What made especially to maintain the 3-hour and 15 minutes for being overtly political in terms of attacks.
I suppose that only the presence of Sarah Palin was an overtly political act. But she talked about the sacrifice military primarily as the "mother" of a soldier in "combat." As she said, "Whatever people say about me, but I raised a bet of combat - and you can not remove it."
In a superficial sense, how can an error of concentration that celebrates the military sacrifice and religion - although Christianity certainly the most orders and anything else? And Beck certainly seems to have gone out of their way to at least give the apprearance of diversity and inclusion in the training stage with speakers and singers - and won the Merit Award by faith, hope and charity were awarded.
I will not try to explain the Merit Badges - Beck invented something. It would take all day, and I'm not sure I could resolve the contradictions in the ontology crazed Beck of the award.
But again, in his words, it was an intense moment of confusion when he fell to his knees and asked the Lord "to explain his poor brain, confused what to do - and a response was provided. (Beck always stops just before saying the "Lord" actually spoke to him - at least it did on Saturday. Although the implication is that it is.)
Anyway, the "Lord" told him the answer somehow involved "faith, hope and charity", but had to resolve their own details - and so he came Merit Badges given to faith, hope and charity.
prizes (For some reason that George Washington gave out during the darkest days of the Revolutionary War were also involved in Beck's thought that led to these Merit Badges. But here is where the mish complies with the mass of matter was Beck saying on stage on Saturday and I'll leave it there, such as cable TV hosts are saying.)
However, three people received Merit Badges Saturday, including St. Loius Cardinals baseball player Albert Pujols. His was for hope, only the introduction of Tony LaRusso, the manager of the Cardinals do not really have much to say about hope - mostly just what Pujols guy was good.
But even if it sounds ridiculous, the insignia of Merit also had a profound aspect of them. Set among all the Medal of Honor winners and the Bronze Star and welcomes the scenario presented, new awards Beck acquired a reputation. And most importantly of all, it was Beck and his companions who were the grants - which were the moral authority to determine who should be given this great honor and treated as heroes. The more moral authority to Bec. And in the end, which is very political, because where there is no moral authority, not political power.
As I watched this specatcle Saturday, I wondered how recent American history has been the struggle for moral authority since the death of King and Robert Kennedy. Richard Nixon never had, and lost when Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, and so on and so on with Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton and the election that many feel was stolen from the Florida recount call.
That's what was so powerful in November 2008 in Grant Park where Barack Obama took the stage on election night: Millions of Americans thought they were seeing someone who brought moral authority to the White House. I know I did.
Unfortunately, millions now feel Obama since losing the next morning with too many flip-flops on moral issues, entertainment, television appearances, and days on the golf course as the economy struggles.
We are much wiser, more focused and peaceful nation when we feel like we have someone who can look to the moral authority. Glenn Beck understands that, and that's what makes what happened Saturday in Washington to think long and hard punishment.
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