Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace: Just get back in your coffins by sunset, OK?

A full hour of both Glenn Beck AND Nancy Grace. Heaven help us. I wish that I could say that I can accurately describe the show, but I was only able to stomach about 20 minutes of it. In the transcript of the show, I did find this part interesting. The message seems very out of character for Grace;

BECK: It was a different age. I`m very active in my faith in our -- we hold to rather traditional values, and it is nice to be able to have some sort of connection to the values of the past, in a way. Do you -- are you religious at all? What role does God play in your life?

GRACE: Yes, I`m religious. I`m a horrible sinner.

BECK: Are you religious, or...

GRACE: I`m bad, and I know I`m bad.

BECK: That is lying!

GRACE: And that`s the only way -- no, this is true. The only way I will ever get into Heaven is if my mother somehow pulls some strings, because she`s a really good person.

BECK: Let me tell you something...

GRACE: If she gets me in, that`s the only way I`m getting in.

BECK: I`ve talked to so many people, "You`ve got to vouch for me. When you get there, you`ve got to vouch for me." I get that.

GRACE: I am a Methodist.

BECK: Are you spiritual or religious?

GRACE: I am devout in my attendance at church and supporting the church. I don`t really like the concept of organized religion, because it can be so wrong, excluding people because of who they are or how they live. I don`t remember seeing anything like that in the New Testament, anything so hateful or exclusive, the way it is portrayed now. And...

BECK: Well, he did turn some tables over for the moneychangers.

GRACE: Yes, I liked that part.

BECK: Yes. He did do that.

GRACE: There`s nothing wrong with being PO`ed.

BECK: OK, back in a second with more Nancy Grace. CNN

I find it interesting that she does not like organized religion, because at times it may excluding people because of who they are or how they live. I would agree with her, but it is odd that she said this as she is often criticized for her tendency to declare individuals guilty on the air before they have undergone trial. This is a journalism no-no for obvious reason.

Still, I would have to agree with her on this point.

On the other hand, some humor can be found in Beck's very immodest statement that people often ask him to vouch for them in heaven, "You`ve got to vouch for me. When you get there, you`ve got to vouch for me." This is from the man who asked Representative Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota). During the interview Beck asked Ellison, who is a Muslim, "OK. No offense, and I know Muslims. I like Muslims. ... With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, 'Let's cut and run.' And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.'"

Beck also approves of torture and is against raising the minimum wage, positions that would appear to be in direct conflict with the teachings of the New Testament. Beck is certainly not without criticism. I would venture to guess that his rank in the hereafter is not as assured as his statement may make it sound. Certainly some might argue that by merely stating that others think that he will receive special treatment in heaven could be construed as the sin of pride. Even if it is just a joke, it sounds sanctimonious.

But that aside, he does offer his fans several interesting and provocative "Glenn Beck" items for sale on his website, two of which I have not seen mentioned in the press and they do seem a bit odd to me. The first is a poster;

Remember, September 11th
- Autographed Poster
ONLY $40.00
Size: 23" x 35"
Availability: Usually ships within 7-10 business days.

Additional Product Information:
In honor of the 5th anniversary of September 11, Glenn has created a poster of the cover image of the September 2006 issue of Fusion Magazine. Each poster will be signed by Glenn.

So Beck feels that he is such a source or authority on the subject of 9-11 that he feel that it is appropriate to hawk a poster (for charity, mind you) that bears a picture of the twin towers with a representation of himself standing next to them.

The artwork for this poster was originally commissioned by Beck for the September 2006 his magazine, Fusion. Think about it: He commissioned someone to draw this picture for the anniversary of 911 issue of his publication.

The same man pretending to have the gravatas to stand alongside the twin towers as America's symbol of righteousness said this about the 9-11 victims;

But the second thought I had when I saw these people and they had to shut down the Astrodome and lock it down, I thought: I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims. Media Matters

So Beck says that he hates the 9-11 victims, but feels strongly that he is something of a spokesman or symbol to explain 9-11 to his readers, at least enough to commission the controversial artwork for the cover of his magazine. I would say that his message is a little confused, to say the least.

As strange as the poster may seem, I am not even sure that I can properly exlpain this next item. It is a Christmas ornament festooned with a picture of a child and some animals around a Christmas tree, cringing in horror at the sight of a nuclear explosion. on the back of the ornament is Beck's company logo.

Baby’s Last Christmas Ornament
ONLY $14.95

Ah...Christmas. It's that time of year for getting the family together, reveling in the spirit of the season, and trimming the tree.

And as it also turns out, it's also that time of year when Islamic Extremism and the nut jobs who embody it are threatening to turn us all into vapor if we don't trade in our mistletoe for prayer rugs. (Though don't get the two confused--you do not want to surprise a radical Muslim with a kiss on the cheek. Don't ask--long story...)

Anyway, what better way to celebrate than with our brand new, "Baby's Last Christmas" ornament. Whether or not you have a baby, or even if we manage to escape a dirty nuke from a rogue Middle Eastern state, that doesn't mean this delightful Christmas collectible can't serve as a Yule tide reminder of the blanket of fear we were all living under in 2006.

God help us, everyone one!

I am all for humor, and I don't care who it pokes fun at - as long as it's funny. But this ornament is certainly not with keeping the Christmas season.

Fear-mongering on Christmas might seem a little inappropriate, but that is not what is really wrong here. Beck is a charter member of the "War on Christmas" crowd, and it seem more than a little hypocritical to be hawking fear-mongering Christmas ornaments on your website while criticizing others for their imagined anti-Christmas slights. This is just one example of Beck's holiday diatribe:

From the December 15 broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America:

SAWYER: All right, here's somebody who has no opinion on this at all, Glenn Beck. As we know, he's a television and talk-radio host. Hello.

BECK: Hi, guys. How are you? Very good.

SAWYER: Merry --

BECK: Ramahanukwanzmas.

SAWYER: Ramahanukwanzmas?

BECK: Ramahanukwanzmas.

ROBERTS: That's all-encompassing?

BECK: That's everything.

SAWYER: You firmly believe it's time to say Merry Christmas and just --

BECK: Oh, you know, I think it's time for everybody to just to relax and take a chill pill, and just understand what Christmas is really about. And everybody focuses on the birth of the baby, and I think it's about the death of the man. And the whole message of Christmas is about redemption, and starting over again, and having a second bite at the apple. That's what Christmas is about. And who's offended by that?

ROBERTS: You'd be surprised.

SAWYER: OK, it's one thing to say "Merry Christmas" to Robin and me, OK. But what if sitting at our table were the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Ali --

BECK: Yeah?

SAWYER: -- and Madonna?

BECK: Well, Madonna would be the only one that I think would be offended.

[crosstalk]

BECK: Madonna is full-fledged, out-of-her-mind nuts. You know that, and I know that. I'm the only one here that'll say it. The Dalai Lama wouldn't be offended by that. Media Matters

So Glenn Beck thinks he can speak for the Dalai Lama. I wonder what the Dalai Lama would think of Beck's "Baby’s Last Christmas Ornament"?

During this interview, Beck also said: "I believe that it is important for all of us to look evil in the eye and crush it"; "I believe there is a cancer that is radicalized Islam, and it must be cut out or it's going to kill all of us"; and "I believe it's Germany, 1938."

Highlights of the media experience that is Glenn Beck
CNN: Holding Court With Nancy Grace
CNN: Glenn Beck transcripts
Media Matters: Glenn Beck called hurricane survivors in New Orleans "scumbags," said he "hates" 9-11 families
Glenn Beck Studio Store: "Remember, September 11th - Autographed Poster"
Glenn Beck Studio Store: "Baby’s Last Christmas Ornament"
Media Matters: Why is Glenn Beck back on Good Morning America?
MSNBC: 'Worst Person in the World': Glenn Beck
Glennpedia
glennpedia.com: Conservative Christmas
Wikipedia: Glenn Beck
Wikipedia: Nancy Grace
Wikipedia: Christmas controversies
CNN: BECK: "What exactly was the nature of your relationship with the fictional manager Reuben Kincaid on the 'Partridge Family'?"