I first heard
Glenn Beck on the radio while living in Georgia and began to listen to him along with
Neal Boortz, and
Rush Limbaugh. When I was driving over-the-road across America’s highways I also listened to
Art Bell (Coast-to-Coast Radio). He was something different in terms of conservative radio (
Neal Boortz is a Libertarian) with a different approach to topics.He is the enemy of liberals, Sociocrats and Progressives and even disliked by some conservatives – the controversial Glenn Beck …
Biography …
Glenn Lee Beck [i] was born on February 10th, 1964 in Everett, Washington and later moved to Mount Vernon, Washington. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic school. At the age of 13 he won a contest which enabled him to broadcast as a deejay for his hometown radio station, KBRC.
That same year his parents divorced (1977) and Glenn moved once again, this time to Sumner, Washington where he continued his schooling. Two years later, in 1979, his mother died in a boating accident at Puget Sound along with the man she was fishing with. Beck then, along with his older sister moved to their father’s home in Bellingham, Washington, where Glenn graduated from Sehome High School in 1982. Soon after his mother’s tragic death, his stepbrother committed suicide and soon after he began to drink. Glenn had stated the he used Dr. Jack Daniels to cope. After Glenn graduated high school at 18, he relocated to Provo, Utah and worked at a radio station (KAYK), staying there for only six months. He took a job at WPGC, Washington, DC in February of 1983.
Glenn met his first wife, Claire at WPGC and they had two daughters, Mary and Hannah. Mary was born in 1988 with cerebral palsy because of a series of strokes at birth. Glenn and Claire divorced in 1994 due to Glenn’s substance abuse. After some help from Alcoholics Anonymous he has stopped drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, he also, since his recovery from alcoholism been diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
In 1966 while he worked for a New Haven, Connecticut radio station, Glenn was admitted to Yale University through a special non-traditional student program. One of his recommendations for admittance was from Senator Joe Lieberman. Glenn only took one class, Early Christology, and dropped out.
In 1999, Glenn Beck married Tania and they joined The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints in October of 1999 due to the request of his daughter Mary. They live in New Canaan, Connecticut and has two children, Raphe and Cheyenne.
In 2002, Glenn created Mercury Radio Arts, which is a media platform that broadcasts, publishes online projects as well as his live performances.
Political Views …
Glenn’s political views have rubbed people the wrong way – especially liberals, but sometimes conservatives as well. Glenn says about his political views:
I consider myself a libertarian. I’m a conservative, but every day that goes by I’m fighting for individual rights.
Glenn fervently advocates core values like personal responsibility, private charity, right to life, freedom of religion, low debt, limited government, and family being the cornerstone of society. Glenn supports individual gun ownership rights and is against gun control legislation. He has suggested that President Barack Obama’s health care reform is a way to obtain reparations for slavery, which the liberal paint him as a racist. Glenn is against the theory of global warming in the sense that if it existed; it is not caused by human activity. He views the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a means of wealth redistribution and promoted a petition that rejects the Kyoto Protocol.
Philosophy …
Glenn Beck’s political ideology and philosophies have been influenced by W. Cleon Skousen (1913-2006) who was –
… an anti-communist[25] and limited-government conservative[26] whose works involve a diverse range of subjects (including, for example, Mormon eschatology,New World Order conspiracies, history, and even child rearing).[26] Beck praises Skousen’s “words of wisdom” as “divinely inspired”, referencing Skousen’s The Naked Communist [27] and especially The 5,000 Year Leap (originally published in 1981),[26] which Beck said in 2007 had “changed his life”.[26] Leap reflects Skousen’s passion for the United States Constitution, which, according to his nephew Mark Skousen, Skousen “felt was inspired by God and the reason behind America’s success as a nation.”[28] The book is touted by Beck as “required reading” to understand the current American political landscape and become a “September twelfth person”.[29]Beck authored a foreword for the 2008 edition of Leap and Beck’s on-air recommendations in 2009 propelled the book to number one in the government category onAmazon for several months.[26][30]
Glenn is the founder of the 9-12 Project, named for nine principles and twelve values that he states represent the spirit of the American people on September 12th, 2001, the day after the infamous attack on New York City and Washington, DC. Glenn also has supported the tea party protests since the beginning and held a broadcast from one in April of 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. In September of 2009, the conservative political activism group FreedomWorks organized the Taxpayer March on Washington against President Obama’s policies.
Glenn Beck is a radio and television celebrity and author/publisher of six books and a seven to be released in 2009. Glenn is the publisher of Fusion Magazine. Glenn has participated in several live events and was a background singer in The Delray recording entitled Red, White and Blues, available in CD format.
Glenn Beck is loved by some and hated by others – people of different political ideologies. He is well known for his conspiracy theories, sometimes making people think or take a closer look at a topic. Glenn states that his advice to Americans is to do the opposite of what the government wants them to do.
Glenn Beck was a promoter for the undercover operation that finally brought the ACORN corruption to the forefront of news that led to the House vote and Senate vote to stop all government funding after a series of scandals that finally proved the organization’s under-the-table and unlawful practices.
Jonah Goldberg recently wrote an article, In Defense of Glenn Beck who readily admits that he is sometimes off-the-wall on subject material …
For a self-described rodeo clown who frequently admits he isn’t that bright, Glenn Beck must be doing something right. A de facto leader of the populist backlash against President Obama, he made the cover of Time magazine, with his tongue sticking out no less. His books are immediate best-sellers. His radio and TV shows have stratospheric ratings. His one-man comedy performances draw packed audiences, and the proceeds from his numerous ventures have him making north of $20 million a year. But perhaps his most impressive feat is his ability to unite a broad coalition of liberals, media scolds and conservatives under the single banner of Beck-hatred.Now, before I proceed, I should disclose the fact that I like Beck personally and that his support for my book “Liberal Fascism” was a huge boon, helping to push it to No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list. … Still, much of the anti-Beck backlash (He’s an extremist! He’s paranoid! He’s hate-filled!) from the left is hard to take seriously. … Many conservatives believe Beck is undermining conservatism with his often goofy style and his sometimes outlandish and paranoia-tinged diatribes. … popularity is what the intellectuals were fighting for: to create a conservative culture (Americans describe themselves as conservative over liberal 2-1 ). By definition, making conservatism popular means making it less stuffy and intellectual and more accessible. Not only is Beck good at that, he actually gets people to read serious books in ways Buckley never could. Besides, why should conservatives support an unfair double standard? Liberals never see the antics of their more flamboyant celebrities as an indictment of liberalism itself. Perhaps it’s time conservatives adopted a more liberal standard.
Indeed, Glenn Beck’s advocacies are presented quite often in a wacky manner, but the gist of what he says is selling founded upon truth, [ii] and despite his unorthodox approach is likened upon the philosophy of the late William F. Buckley who stated that his presentations were designed to make people not only think, but think for themselves. And if he has and continues to inspire people, especially the youth of America, there will be a better chance to see a brighter future for America and real reform of our government back to the basics principles it was founded upon.
Links …
Glenn Beck Suddenly Coy About Whether He’ll Get Flu Shot … Christian Science Monitor
Glenn Beck Program
Glenn Beck … FOXNews
Beck … Media Matters
Stephen Colbert Compares Himself to Glenn Beck … Comedy Central
Thank You! – Glenn Beck … Huffington Post
Glenn Beck, Goldbug … Think Progress
Bette Midler Warns Glenn Beck Could Set Off a Rwanda-like Civil War in US – Newsbusters
[i] Wikipedia entry.
[ii] Although sometimes his conspiracy theories are founded mostly upon unsubstantiated evidence and logical speculation.
Lighthouse Journal 
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