Today, Saturday, Agust 28, Glenn Beck holds his “Restoring Honor” rally on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.
The Marooned Astronaut admits, I do not watch Glenn Beck much. What little I have seen of him makes me not want to watch more of him. Based on what little I have seen of him, if forced to make a determination, I say I do not like him. So there’s your grain of salt for what follows.
That being said, let’s assume (maybe I’m wrong) that among the many intended purposes of today’s “Restoring Honor” rally, is to make Glenn’s followers feel good about themselves, and to draw the attention of and (ultimately) the support of people who are not yet numbered among his audience. So, let’s assume (until he tells me otherwise) that he hopes I participate, at least as viewer, in the event.
I am fairly sure I shall not. And here are two thoughts on why:
Glenn Beck contends that he did not know, before booking the affair, that it is on precisely the same date as MLK’s most memorable and celebrated moment, and the encapsulation (if there could ever be one) of that martyr’s great contribution to humanity, August 28. Beck’s exact words, from his show of June 28, “I had no idea until I announced it.”
This amazes me.
If I had even an inkling that I might be making a speech (let alone holding a huge rally) in the shadow of the Lincoln memorial, the first thing I would do, even as I checked my date book, is look up information on Dr. MLK Jr.’s speech and on Marian Anderson’s performance of My Country, ‘Tis of Thee (April 9, 1939 – took me 18 seconds to find), just because I am a cretin and those are the only two people who come to mind as my hypothetical predecessors there. I’d want to know whose footsteps I’d be following, playing at such an A-list house.
Glenn Beck claims passionately to be a devotee of the foundations of American democracy and liberty. When he was informed about, and then challenged for insensitivity over, his choice of August 28 and its coincidence with King’s speech, he became defensive, insisting (on that same June 28 show) “…Whites don’t own Abraham Lincoln…Blacks don’t own Martin Luther King.”
True enough. Actually, an excellent point.
But, as someone who represents himself as an expert to be listened-to about the American ideals that Lincoln and King represent, one might expect Beck to be a little more up-to-speed on some of the particulars regarding the most influential speech made at the memorial of the former and the most influential words ever spoken by the latter. If you go up those steps on August 28 of any year to make a speech, and you didn’t know ahead of time that this was the date and place where Lincoln sat in audience of a synthesis of King’s great vision, you have nothing important to say about either Lincoln or King. Because they are obviously not subjects in which you are versed. QED.
So, as someone who styles himself an expert on American ideals, but claims ignorance of one of the seminal, inspiring American events ever, which occurred at a shrine to American ideals where he is having a rally to celebrate those ideals, Beck seems to be a nincompoop.
Secondly, I take some offense at the event’s name. Restoring Honor. I doubt this is Beck’s intended reaction if he wanted me to participate, or at least watch on TV.
As I say. I’m just your average Marooned Astronaut, cast here from another world. I know much less about your culture than I should. While I assume that the honor Beck refers to is America’s honor, I was unaware that America had lost any of it. As an interested observer I shall go now to Beck’s website and find out what I can of this erosion in American (or some other) honor which is in such need of restoration. Give me a moment. I’ll be right back. If you want to come with me, here’s the link:
…Whew. There was nothing there, right? It took me two links to find out that the event benefits the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (That sounds pretty cool.) and three links to read, “Help us restore the values that founded this great nation.” But no mention of why these values are in need if restoration. Or even THAT they need restoring. I’m all for celebrating, extolling and exercising them. So why not name the rally with something like that? I’m not saying he was required to do so. Just that he should have if he wanted me to hearken to his message. (Incidentally, the name of the event at which MLK spoke was “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” No mystery there. And an agenda I can sign up for blindfolded.)
Maybe the need to restore fallen honor (here I’m still conjecturing that it’s American honor) is on the event’s Facebook page. Let’s take a look:
Nope. Nothing there either. The rally’s stated mission is, “…to recognize our First Amendment rights and honor the service members who fight to protect those freedoms.”
So why isn’t it called, “The Rally for First Amendment Rights and to Honor Spec Ops Warriors” or "The Rally to Honor our Rights Protectors"?
RESTORING honor.
Where and what is the nature of the broken, shattered, dishonored honor Beck invokes? Special Operations Warriors? I strive to honor them every time I speak of them. I can’t THINK of the last time I even heard anyone say anything bad about them. Since even LONG before 9/11. So, is it American honor? Internationally? I dunno, but I think America is doing fair-to-midland in the international honor department. At least compared to how the nation was perceived, say, 5 or 6 years ago. Domestically? Well, everybody, everywhere wishes their society behaved more honorably than it does. But I wrack my brains trying to think of some recent crisis of honor that would spur a Lincoln-memorial-rally in order to revive it. Honor of the 1st amendment? Well, so far, though it has cast a light on America's embarrassing, cravenly bigoted side, the "Ground Zero Mosque" has yet to precipitate a breach of that Bill of Rights faith: The free speech debate about it is open and lively and, so far, the State has taken no measures to restrict anyone's free practice of religion. Now, maybe Beck knows something I don’t. Again, I am not a regular viewer. But, just as a curious citizen, one would hope that he presented clearly, up front, just what has so dishonored whom that warrants Beck’s divisive name for this event. And that’s kind of my point.
"Restoring Honor" is a provocative, if not inflammatory, name, especially for something to be held in front of a memorial honoring one of America’s most honorable sons. And this weirdly confrontational name is backed up, quite literally, by NOTHING in Beck’s own first-tier literature on the event. I’m not saying Beck is wrong in presenting his case for the dishonored. I’m saying I don’t see where he states any case at all. So, it appears he's having a rally named after a non-cause. In other words, he really seems to be a nincompoop. And I don't feel inclined to spend any time hearing him out. I'm not being facetious here. If he wanted my ear, he should not have proven himself such a nincompoop straight out of the gate.
Maybe he’s trying to restore his own honor? His website lends as much evidence for that as anything else (ie: none). I don’t know. I’m not a regular viewer/listener, so you tell me. Has Beck done anything dishonorable lately for which he needs to beg forgiveness at the hem of Lincoln’s robe and in the long shadow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? If so, I wish him the best of luck. That must be some BIG dishonor on his part.
perhaps he means "restoring honorarium".
ReplyDeletePatrick is probably right. They like concise messages, and so the latter part was left off, especially as it sounds kinda' Latiny.
ReplyDeleteThey could also mean to simply "re-store", as in store again, honor. Bottle it up and put it away, deep in the back of the pantry, so that we don't have that pesky honor troubling us again.