Dear Gary Susman
By John Amato Friday Nov 20, 2009 2:00pmYour defense of Glenn Beck is touching on AOL, but it comes up very short and very sad. You claim that the big bad lefty meanie comedians are picking on Beck even when he is sick. Well, let's get something straight. Glenn Beck is inciting violence and helping legitimizing radical militia and white nationalist movements that otherwise would still be chatting on their MySpace pages. And the hatred that he is helping to unleash on this country is indefensible.
He was the butt of a few jokes by comedians at a time that you disapprove of. OK, are you now saying that the ADL is also being mean to him when they call him the "fearmonger in chief?" Will you weep for him over that too?
What did you think of those gun-brandishing "patriots" who showed up for teabagger protests? Were you happy to see all that vitriol targeted at President Obama by a lot of clueless robots who are out their because of talkers like Beck who have only one goal in mind -- to tear down this president after Bush and conservatism tore down our country for the last eight years?
It's not as though Beck himself hasn't been demonizing people -- his McCarthyite attacks on a number of people have not only been absurdly distorted but viciously personal. And it's not as though Beck is an innocent in the media personal-attack game; indeed, you may recall that he was responsible for one of the ugliest on-air smears in broadcast history: When Beck had a falling-out with a former radio-show partner named Bruce Kelly, who became a competitor in the Phoenix market, Beck embarked on a series of dirty tricks, including an invasion of Kelly's wedding. But Beck hit a new low a little later:
The animosity between Beck and Kelly continued to deepen. When Beck and Hattrick produced a local version of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" for Halloween -- a recurring motif in Beck's life and career -- Kelly told a local reporter that the bit was a stupid rip-off of a syndicated gag. The slight outraged Beck, who got his revenge with what may rank as one of the cruelest bits in the history of morning radio. "A couple days after Kelly's wife, Terry, had a miscarriage, Beck called her live on the air and says, 'We hear you had a miscarriage,' " remembers Brad Miller, a former Y95 DJ and Clear Channel programmer. "When Terry said, 'Yes,' Beck proceeded to joke about how Bruce [Kelly] apparently can't do anything right -- about he can't even have a baby."
Two wrongs don't make a right, and here at C&L we've avoided making it personal with Beck (beyond pointing out his utter lunacy). Just because we choose to pitch clean, though, doesn't mean we much mind seeing a toxic clown like Beck face a little chin music.
Please, spare us the tears and defend somebody who truly deserves it.
John Amato...
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The site linked has a "poll" of three answers. 1 says "leave him alone", the other two say "he deserves it". I guess by splitting the "screw Beckerhead" voters Beck'll look like he should be left alone. :)
Gary Susman huh? For shame Gary.
"Two wrongs don't make a right, and here at C&L we've avoided making it personal with Beck (beyond pointing out his utter lunacy)."
BECK IS NOT CRAZY!
He has a job. He does it well.
I am not a bigot or a neocon so I can't agree with what he says, but to call him crazy is like calling Cheney a moron. It doesn't fit.
Beck makes millions spitting hate and lies. That's not crazy. It's the American Way. Even a cursory study of our history proves that.
Love of money is crazy.
Cheney made 100% moronic decisions.
Beck is a psychopath, not crazy.
Cheney tried to take over the world - that's getting pretty crazy too.
"Cheney made moronic decisions."
He got away with the greatest crime in history and marginalized our civil rights more than any person in history. He walks freely among us. He enriched the defense Industry, got to torture people and is a hero for it among many. His decision have led to a perfectly fulfilled life for someone like him. Moron? LOL!
"Love of money is crazy." Really? Tell that to a Union carpenter.
He may go to prison yet.
Actually to be precise - the love of money is the root of all evil.
Eddie Money?
*And* he set up every member of his family with lifetime wingnut welfare. Crazy like a Fox News contributor!
Exactly! Billions of dollars transferred from the middle class and poor to the rich. Thousands murdered and tortured. An absolute dream come true for a 21st century American Anglo Saxon oligarch!
Or "delusional psychopath"? Or "depraved narcissist"? Or "psychotic persecutory complex"? There are lots of options to describe him other than "crazy".
Those are virtues in 21st century politics. Look around.
For Republicans. how's that going for them?
You think Schumer and Pelosi aren't narcissists? 2012 is not that far away.
My Rep Russ Carnahan D-MO is in serious shit! I mean dire straits! People are freaking out over the economy. Remember who came to power when a certain European country was falling apart.
Schumer and Pelosi are for another day.
this is about Cheney and Beck, and the entire Republican block.
Take a look at the billboards popping up in Missouri.
http://www.firedupmissouri.com/content/lafaye...
Hate vendors. Hate profiteers.
Exactly!
You can read quite a few posters calling the Lafayette County, Missouri, GOP to task on posting those billboards. "Treasonous" comes to mind. One veteran who has seen war wonders if people really want what these stupid billboards propose; another says that if there's war it will be legal to put a bullet in a Republican's head. I am shocked that this billboard campaign comes from the state that gave us the wonderful, compassionate liberal President who wanted a national healthcare system, the inimitable, honest and well-read Harry S Truman!
Just go ahead and say it. Hitler! Hitler! Hitler!
It's become the standard tea party screed now and we've all heard it ad nauseum since January 20th.
But 2 out of 3 are prerequisites to getting a job at Foxnews.
Only tribalism makes people cheer for Sarah Palin when she snarkily insults Barack Obama at her "debut" and then immediately turn around and start shrieking that Obama is being "disrespectful" to her.
Tribalism makes people adopt double-standards and defend them viciously. They really *do* think that different standards apply to their in-group and to everyone else. After all, it would be okay to lie to a German soldier if you were an American POW in a camp during WWII, wouldn't it? That would be GOOD lying! And these maniacs feel the same way about liberals and Obama and Pelosi and the rest -- if you lie about *them*, it serves the larger right-wing ends, so it isn't really a sin...
They aren't pushing a double-standard that they could ever be embarrassed about. Rather, they are showing their bigotry. They feel like their in-group somehow inhabits an inherently higher moral standing, so even when they misbehave, it's only because times are desperate and the liberals have already misbehaved SO MUCH that they're really just, in their own minds, getting even.
Remember "Meatballs"? How our heroes decided it was okay to start cheating in the inter-camp competition once the other camp cheated first? That's pretty much how the Right feels about us. WE STARTED IT in their minds, whether it's the War on Christmas or the Homosexual Agenda or fictional spitting on Vietnam vets or ACORN stealing the election. First they believe a story that says the Left threw the first punch; then they can tell themselves that every punch they throw is in self-defense.
Remember, these are some of the people who declare loyalty to "the Southland" instead of America, who call it "The War Between the States" (remember, cults always have to have their own jargon)... and most importantly, they tell themselves that it was a "war of Northern aggression".
In other words, this is a category of people -- a mindset -- that has been telling itself "THE OTHER GUY STARTED IT!" and casting itself as the victim for *centuries*.
promising things AOL got involved with and destroyed.
He's unbalanced and dangerous. Arianna was 100% correct with KO last night, and John is right on target here. Amen brother.
We're not gonna take it anymore!!!
LOL
I hope Mr Susman gets deluged with letters like yours!
Now, where did I put that Vicks® VapoRub®?
I mean, can you imagine the repressed guilt of knowing you raped and murdered a girl in the early 90's?
That's some tough shit to be dealing with.
So give the guy a bit of slack, mkay?
Morning Zoo DJs are the scummiest scum
Morning Zoo DJs who become reichwing commentators are what scum spits on.
glenn beck is a tool of his corporate masters who care little about him. he is there to do a job for them and they don't care about what you think.
he is probably the worlds lonliest person, and he deserves it.
The Beck defenders and the "let's ignore Beck" people haven't shown up here yet.
Just as long as C&L a doesn't get obsessed with Beck, which I don't really see, as all of Fox's people are saying more and more outrageous garbage. Better C&L watch it and report than I.
The Real Wall, Pt. 1 (The history of separation)
The Real Wall, Pt. 2 (In the words of the founders)
The Real Wall, Pt. 3 (What Christian principles?)
The Real Wall, Pt. 4 (Separation and prayer in schools)
The Real Wall, Pt. 5 (Separation and local/state governments)
The Real Wall, Pt. 6 (Religion and taxes)
I'm I the only one that thought the piece was satire on Susman's part? I mean he goes out of his way to mention all of Beck's faults and puts as much mockery of him that one web page can hold.
Is Beck crazy/stupid? Or is he just ACTING crazy/stupid? I wager he's getting a bigger paycheck at Fux than he did back at CNN. He doesn't care who he provokes or hurts. He just cares about the dollar. And that, my friends, makes him an asshole.
In other news, did anyone pick up the new Mad Magazine? I did! It quite the good read, and Becky's in there too.
dangerous and I think maybe drunk with the power his sheep have given to him. Anyone who expects the left to hold their verbal fire against him are kidding themselves.
When is Glenn Beck NOT sick?
"I'm coming, Elizabeth!!!"
Why do you do Fox the favor of linking Beck footage so frequently? If I wanted to watch him, or gave his theories any consideration, I'd watch Fox. I've never clicked on a Beck link you provided. Stop expanding his reach
"I've never clicked on a Beck link you provided." :-/
is a treasonist. He is whipping the dim-witted rethuglican base up and is in effecrt telling them to kill Obama.
The government needs to stop this motherfucker in his tracks. As much as I hate this stupid fucking idiot, I do not want him waterboarded or tortured in any way.
I am an American and I stand by the NATO resolution THAT AMERICA AUTHORED --and refuse to have anyone tortured. Even this ass-hole.
Susman's pile was the most absurd piece of crap I've read in a long time. Good grief, when legitimate news sources like AOL start defending a manipulative creep like Beck, we are in trouble.
That alone puts him in an all-new category for me. I just had a miscarriage and to think of someone not only saying this to my husband, but saying it live on the public airwaves, I...just don't know if he actually has a soul. He can't go through with something that cruel and have any sort of goodness in him. This is the most awful thing I can think of ever saying to anyone in this situation. Granted, I'm hormonal, but I can't stop crying over it...
Glenn Beck is a vile waste of human tissue and breath. It is the epitome of injustice that while Mr. & Mrs. Kelly's and my child could not be born, this disgusting mass of hate and putridity survives and thrives. And to think that his child with CP is "off-limits" after what he said to the Kellys, ugh, I don't advocate violence, but this brings me pretty close.
I just hated his politics and polemics before, now I hate him with every fiber of my being. To think people actually revere him makes me nauseous. Gary Susman can go to hell but I hope Glenn Beck beats him there.
Crowley grew up in a staunch Brethren household and was only allowed to play with children whose families followed the same faith. His father was a preacher, travelling around Britain and producing pamphlets. Daily Bible studies and private tutoring were mainstays in "Alick's" childhood.
"If one were to take the Bible seriously one would go mad. But to take the Bible seriously, one must be already mad."--Aleister Crowley
AOL - Now get
40,80,120, free. AOL is a Portal-John"I am a religious NUT-JOB"--Glenn Beck
I am not defending Glenn Beck, per se. I think I've made my feelings about Beck pretty clear; I stated the case against him, backed it up with links, and embedded several videos of clips mocking him, most of which I thought were fair and not over the line. What I am defending is a minimal standard of civility, even though Beck will not hold himself to such a standard. That doesn't mean Beck should be let off the hook, bur rather that those who lampoon Beck shouldn't stoop to his level by resorting to such Beck tactics as ad hominem attacks, quoting people out of context, and wishing people dead, lest the lampooners be accused of hypocrisy, allowing Beck defenders an excuse to dismiss the substance of their criticism. I've explained my position better, I think, in a post at my blog, Pop Culture Warrior.
I'm sorry if that position makes me come off as a concern troll. I'm all for criticizing and spoofing Beck, and for letting him hang himself with his own words and deeds, as exposed on sites like this one. There's enough fodder there without having to resort to tactics no better than Beck's own. John, you seem to believe the same thing, as you write, "Two wrongs don't make a right, and here at C&L we've avoided making it personal with Beck (beyond pointing out his utter lunacy)."
Keep up the good work.
--Gary Susman
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