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Glenn Beck's chalkboard talks are becoming notorious for their ludicrousness, so in most regards, yesterday's was really nothing exceptional. But it was so absurd that it was worth noting, because it's really emblematic of just how far gone Beck really has become.

The point, as you can see, was to claim that President Obama is taking the same path toward dictatorial rule as Hugo Chavez.

No, really.

Because Obama's history is just like Chavez's:

-- Chavez first attempted to come to power through a military coup.

-- Shortly after his election, he called for a constitutional convention that rewrote the Venezuelan Constitution.

-- He survived a short-lived coup in 2002.

-- He has called for an end to presidential term limits.

-- He has shut down opposition press organs.

Beck seems to think that calling out Fox as a propaganda organ is the exact same thing as ordering it to cease operations. Because, you know, any critical rebuttal of Fox's endless war on Obama is exactly the same thing as silencing dissent.

You could say there's a distinct lack of perspective here. Or, as BC's Alan Wolfe put it, Beck "lives in a complete alternative universe."

We posted a story on Tuesday about John Perry's over-the-top article at Newsmax, in which he makes the totally baseless claim that a military coup to overthrow President Obama was a real possibility.

Some C&L readers noticed Wednesday morning that the link to the original Newsmax article went to the main page instead of the article and sure enough, it appears Newsmax scrubbed the article.

Luckily, the amazing Jamie found the cached article and took the above screen grab. You can read the full, original article here.

Did the powers that be at Newsmax realize that maybe, just maybe, they had finally crossed the line? I'm curious to know why such staunch defenders of the constitution decided to cut and run on this one. They can't put the genie back in the bottle. They published an article suggesting a military coup was a real possibility and now they've scrubbed it. Do they agree with Perry, or not? They need to explain publicly why the article was pulled.

You can write Newsmax directly and ask them why they scrubbed the article -- click here.

From John L. Perry at Newsmax:

There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America's military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the Obama problem. Don't dismiss it as unrealistic.

America isn't the Third World. If a military coup does occur here it will be civilized. That it has never happened doesn't mean it wont. Describing what may be afoot is not to advocate it. So, view the following through military eyes:

Did you get that? Perry doesn't advocate a military overthrow of the Obama administration, he's...just sayin'. Does anyone doubt that we'll see "military coup" signs at the next tea party? Mr. Perry believes he has the pulse of our military, but his assumptions go beyond the pale, straining the limits of credulity:

Top military officers can see the Constitution they are sworn to defend being trampled as American institutions and enterprises are nationalized.

They can see that Americans are increasingly alarmed that this nation, under President Barack Obama, may not even be recognizable as America by the 2012 election, in which he will surely seek continuation in office.

They can see that the economy ravaged by deficits, taxes, unemployment, and impending inflation is financially reliant on foreign lender governments. Read on...

There are so many flaws in this clown's logic, I don't know where to begin. What he's actually describing is George Bush's presidency, not Barack Obama's. If you can stand to click through to Perry's article, I would be most interested to hear your thoughts on his assumptions. As Jamie asked -- can you say treason?

Also worth remembering: Rush Limbaugh actually promoted this idea a few months ago.