Thread: US conservatives rally on civil rights anniversary

I'm told Sarah Palin couldn't say who the Coalition was fighting in Afghanistan...

Beckapalooza: where middle class white folks convince themselves they are: a) victims on the scale of southern blacks at the time of MLK; OR b) the true inheritors of King's legacy. You really can't make stuff like this up.

Wonkette.com had some nice pics of old folks in their scooters there to complain the goverment does too much....on the scooters the goverment bought. They cry the goverment does to much but you won't find many of those middle aged attendees who want to cut the Social Security or Medicare they will recieve. It's anger directed at the ether not real goverment action. Anyone with half a brain has seen enough of Beck to realize He is a liar and a Hate Monger.

Also, I reject the theme. I do not live in a dishonored nation. If they are ashamed of America and believe it dishonored that's their problem.

Originally Posted by Bigfella

Beckapalooza: where middle class white folks convince themselves they are: a) victims on the scale of southern blacks at the time of MLK; OR b) the true inheritors of King's legacy. You really can't make stuff like this up.

Neither,IMO.You missed the part about Washington.The MLK references are there to prevent further ''mis-interpretations'' of their message.MLK is a sacred cow,so no one following in his footsteps can be a ''racist''.
White middle class-interesting choice of words.You don't suggest race and class overlaps in US,so whatever class conflict is also a race conflict,don't you?

Rallies of this kind are more frequent in hard times and always stand in opposition to "them", or those someones who the organizers and attendants believe are guiding the country away from its "core values". There is no way to dismiss them by arguing against their message. It doesn't matter whether our problems today are caused by what these folks think it is. The fact that these rallies are happening around the country, not their content, is the message, and it will be heard loud and clear by every politician campaigning for office. Remember, politicians do not lead the people so much as the people lead them.

Beck told people to leave their signs at home and to forget politics for the day, but the political message was impossible to miss.

At Lincoln Memorial, a Call for Religious Rebirth

By KATE ZERNIKE and CARL HULSE
Published: August 28, 2010

“Something that is beyond man is happening,” Mr. Beck said in opening the event as the crowd thronged near the memorial grounds. “America today begins to turn back to God.”

It was part religious revival, part history lecture, as Mr. Beck invoked the founding fathers and the “black-robed regiment” of pastors of the Revolutionary War and spoke of American exceptionalism.

The crowd was a mix of groups that have come together under the Tea Party umbrella. Some wore T-shirts from the Campaign for Liberty, the libertarian group that came out of the presidential campaign of Representative Ron Paul, while others wore the gear of their local Tea Party group, or of 9/12 groups, which were founded after a special broadcast Mr. Beck did in March 2009.

But the program was distinctly different from most Tea Party rallies. While Tea Party groups have said they want to focus on fiscal conservatism and not risk alienating people by talking about religion or social issues, the rally on Saturday was overtly religious, filled with gospel music and speeches that were more like sermons.

Mr. Beck imbued his remarks on Saturday and at events the night before with references to God and a need for a religious revival. “For too long, this country has wandered in darkness,” Mr. Beck said Saturday. “This country has spent far too long worrying about scars and thinking about scars and concentrating on scars. Today, we are going to concentrate on the good things in America, the things that we have accomplished, and the things that we can do tomorrow.”

Mr. Beck was followed on stage by Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska governor, who said she was asked, in keeping with the theme of the day, not to focus on politics but to speak as the mother of a soldier.

“Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet, and you can’t take that away from me,” said Ms. Palin, whose son Track served in Iraq.

But Ms. Palin did not steer entirely clear of politics. In a veiled reference to President Obama and his pledges to fundamentally transform America, she said, “We must not fundamentally transform America as some would want; we must restore America and restore her honor.”

Many in the crowd said they had never been to a Tea Party rally, but they described themselves as avid Glenn Beck fans, and many said they had been motivated to come by faith.

Becky Benson, 56, traveled from Orlando, Fla., because, she said, “we believe in Jesus Christ, and he is our savior.” Jesus, she said, would not have agreed with what she called the redistribution of wealth in the form of the economic stimulus package, bank bailouts and welfare. “You cannot sit and expect someone to hand out to you,” she said. “You don’t spend your way out of debt.”

Mr. Beck’s themes were ones he returns to on his radio and television shows, and people in the crowd echoed his ideas, saying that “progressives” were moving the country toward socialism and that the country must get back to a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which would limit the role of the federal government and do away with entitlement programs.

“The federal government is only to offer us protection from our enemies and help us when we need it,” said Ron Sears, 65, who came on a caravan of three buses from Corbin, Ky. “The states are supposed to control education and everything having to do with their citizens, except when they need federal help.”

Mr. Beck billed the event as the Woodstock of this generation, telling listeners that for decades, people would be asking, “Were you there?”

He had instructed his fans to leave their protest signs at home and to bring their children.

While there were few signs, people carried American flags or yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” banners, which have become mainstays at Tea Party rallies.

The event had the feeling of a large church picnic, with people sitting on lawn chairs and blankets with coolers and strollers.

Officials do not make crowd estimates because they are unreliable and can be controversial, but event organizers put the number of attendees at 500,000; NBC News said it was closer to 300,000, but by any measure it was a large turnout. The crowd stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument.

The rally organized by Mr. Beck, a Fox News broadcaster who has been critical of Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats, has come under attack as dishonoring the memory of Dr. King by staging the event on the anniversary of his speech. Critics have suggested that Mr. Beck was trying to energize conservatives for the midterm elections.

Across town, several hundred people packed a football field at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School to stage a rally commemorating Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We come here because the dream has not been achieved,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, an organizer of the rally. “We’ve had a lot of progress. But we have a long way to go.”

“They want to disgrace this day,” Mr. Sharpton told the crowd, referring to Mr. Beck’s event.

While the crowd at Dunbar was mostly African-American, the audience at Mr. Beck’s rally was overwhelmingly white, though a number of speakers and performers were black.

Among them was Alveda King, a niece of the civil rights leader, who in a speech said that if Dr. King were alive he would commend the organizers of the event and “would encourage us to lay aside the vicious lies that cause us to think we are members of separate races.”

Mr. Beck made a surprise visit on Friday to a convention held by FreedomWorks, a Tea Party umbrella group, for Tea Party supporters. He received a thunderous welcome from a crowd of about 1,600 in Constitution Hall.

He told the crowd that he had begun planning his march on Washington a year ago, thinking “it was supposed to be political.”

“And then I kind of feel like God dropped a giant sandbag on my head,” he said.

“My role, as I see it, is to wake America up to the backsliding of principles and values and most of all of God,” he said. “We are a country of God. As I look at the problems in our country, quite honestly, I think the hot breath of destruction is breathing on our necks and to fix it politically is a figure that I don’t see anywhere.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/us...nted=2&_r=1&hp

Originally Posted by -{SpoonmaN}-

I'm told Sarah Palin couldn't say who the Coalition was fighting in Afghanistan...

She wasn't asked. She gave a short speech and introduced 3 veterans and told their stories.

But she has a son in Afghanistan, I'm pretty sure she knows who he's fighting against.

Originally Posted by Bigfella

Beckapalooza: where middle class white folks convince themselves they are: a) victims on the scale of southern blacks at the time of MLK; OR b) the true inheritors of King's legacy. You really can't make stuff like this up.

*or C) The Right to protest a government in which they pay taxes to represent them and thier interests be yet fail to do, as they can pass Bills without even one person from the opposite side even having a say such as in your Health Care Bill. It would appear from that instance alone that many dont need convincing as they watched the Bill get passed without even one Republican voting on it. Checks and Balances within the system come into question and a fair reason to protest on whichever day and whichever sight they choose so long as they have permission to do so. It appears they did.

A counter-rally organised by the civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton took place at the same time.

Who couldnt foresee this camera loving shister marching. Many are still trying to figure out just what Ministry he does serve beside the "his own interests" ministry.

So in other words what he is stating is that they are racists for holding it (the rally which is their right) the very same day as Kings speech was held many years before?

Or just exactly what is he stating in all of this. Please, I would rather someone expain it so that many here can better understand.

Furthermore, I more suprised the community still recognizes this guy as legitimate. He's about as far away from Martin Luther King Jr. in idealism as Pluto is to Earth in distance. And a far more checkered past then Kings as well. The man has proved himself a hipicrit on several occassions so many dont even give him the time of day anymore and havent for a long time now.

Al Sharpton is still trying to paint himself into history (Jesse Jackson is already there) and many times it is a contriversy or its a "camera day" affair..

Beck's not a racist,not by far. He's just like Al (above) and every other oppertunist out there beit media, politicaL or religious. Simple difference is though, Beck can offer the truth in material and written fact. Sharpton seems to have alot more trouble in that area.

Do you think Al just might be pissed that someone is using the Lincoln Memorial for their purpose of sending a massage on a particular day other then him being allowed to on MLK's Dream Speech Anniversary? Interesting.

Would he have rallied againt the protest if say it was held in Seattle Washington instead of Washington DC?

There are several other places Sharpton and followers could have gone and sent a message from on the anniversary of MLK's speech, instead they chose to protest anothers right to do the very same thing they do. For some strange reason they seem to believe they have more of a right to do so then anyone including Beck and other attendees. Imagine that.

Originally Posted by Bigfella

Beckapalooza: where middle class white folks convince themselves they are: a) victims on the scale of southern blacks at the time of MLK; OR b) the true inheritors of King's legacy. You really can't make stuff like this up.

You just did.

Of course, it has nothing to do with the rally, which was mostly just a bunch of bible-thumping. Which they have a right to engage in, as per the U.S. Constitution.

Did you know MLK's niece was on Beck's radio show endorsing the rally? Beck showed nothing but humility and deference to her and her uncle. But then you wouldn't be interested in that sort of thing....

[QUOTE=Roosveltrepub;754372]Wonkette.com had some nice pics of old folks in their scooters there to complain the goverment does too much....on the scooters the goverment bought. They cry the goverment does to much but you won't find many of those middle aged attendees who want to cut the Social Security or Medicare they will recieve. It's anger directed at the ether not real goverment action. Anyone with half a brain has seen enough of Beck to realize He is a liar and a Hate Monger.


A "hate monger" as you state that happens to reveal some very interesting and yet provable points every single day he is on about government spending, government favors. clasuses and fine print in Bills that "your political heros" would never once mention to the public. Maybe its because he is unhappy along with many other that surely are not "Tea Partiers". You know that term used to descibe all criticizers and opposition to the Democratic government if you cannot call them racists or white supremeists.

Cute phrase but misleading to the public as well and in more cases not true as compared to the truth.

A liar? Hmm, care to put him up against Democratic politicians, such as Nancy, Harry, Barbra and the bunch in regards to the Health Care Bill, Buyout Stimulis or other political actions they have taken?

Hows about we put him up against Al Sharpton as well? Who do YOU as in YOU Rosey think will win that one?

My money says Beck (does that make me one as well)?

One of the most brilliant analyst's (not by my terms but by many others in Washingtons circles) Charles Krauthammer seems to disaggree with Obama's administration and the Democratic led Congress as well and the way they have treated the people and misled them in some major issues.

Maybe he is a "hate monger" or "Tea Partier" or White Supremesist as you have descibed Beck as well?

Or maybe its just a political cop out label when one is found to be in the wrong and finds it even more diffacult to admit it.