2009 American of the Year: Glenn Beck

This was a year of tremendous change for America, and the vast majority of it was not for the good. Our national debt, already out of control as the year began, has now soared to previously unimaginable levels. Our government has taken over control of large portions of private industry, and is poised to take over even more in the coming years.

On the international front, we have become indecisive and noncommittal in fighting a war against a determined Islamofascist enemy that continues to look for ways to attack us, kill our citizens, and deal crippling blows to our economy and our way of life. Thanks to recent election results, we face a future of increasing debt and taxation and decreasing personal freedom and liberty.

Not willing to stand by and simply whine and complain on the airwaves, radio talk show host Glenn Beck took his blossoming television program from CNN's Headline News and moved to the Fox News network in early 2009. This move allowed him to get out from under the umbrella of the liberal mandate of CNN and into the Fox world that allows fair and balanced reporting of all sides of the issues.

Beck then began a year-long education of the American people on civics, history, and current events that was quite simply not being discussed anywhere else in any clear and consistent manner. For his efforts as a truthful voice crying out in the wilderness, and for his out-front leadership of traditional America, this website is proud to name Glenn Beck as it's 2009 American of the Year.

Beck follows in the footsteps of previous honorees Pat Tillman (2004), Bill O'Reilly (2005), Rev. Billy Graham (2006), P/O Chuck Cassidy (2007), and President George W. Bush (2008). While many years have seen a number of worthy individuals fall just short while being considered, no one really came close to challenging Beck for this year's honor.

There is no doubt that websites, magazines, and news programs run by and catering to ultra-liberals, socialists, and Europeans will look to make their 'Person of the Year' selections soon. Many of them will no doubt select Barack Obama for his, uh, for...hmmm. There is the whole being sworn in and becoming the first-ever minority, well, half-minority President in American history thing. But then that is really a ceremony.

Should we give someone an award for contributions during an entire year when all they really accomplished was ceremonial? Well, apparently they give out the Nobel prize for accomplishing nothing. But this website will not fall into that trap.

The more important thing would seem to be not winning an election, but what you do once you are in office. Other than driving up debt, decreasing freedom, and lessening national security, it's hard to find any accomplishments of Obama this past year.

This year, Beck released another in a what is fast becoming a series of best-selling books. His latest is titled "Arguing With Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government" and in it he takes on these targets with simple facts. Gun control? Government-run health care? Illegal immigration? You might think that you have an opinion, but in this book, Glenn will help you to understand the facts.

The 45-year old Beck did more than lend a leading voice to the most worthy cause of protecting and preserving the U.S. Constitution and restoring American exceptionalism, though that enough would be worthy of the honor. As a concrete measure, he organized the '9-12 Project' to embody the spirit that the vast majority of Americans felt on the day after the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks.

Beck's '9-12 Project' is based on 9 principles and 12 values that embody this spirit. The principles include basic ideals such as "America is good", "I believe in God", "The family is sacred", and "The government works for me." The 12 values are: honesty, reverence, hope, thrift, humility, charity, sincerity, moderation, hard work, courage, personal responsibility, and gratitude.

Beck also gave a voice to the 'Tea Party' movement which grew at formal town hall gatherings all across the country during 2009. Based on the 'Boston Tea Party' concept of protest against excessive government actions and taxation, these localized events exploded into a massive taxpayer march on Washington on September 12th, 2009.

His style is one of intellectual inquisitiveness mixed with what he himself calls a 'rodeo clown' persona. Open about being a recovering alcoholic, Beck sprinkles his television program with the same humor that is a hallmark of his radio show, adding formal charts and graphics and video accompanied by simple presentations made by him alone standing at a chalkboard. He engages guests at both venues of all political persuasions in conversation rather than rancorous debate.

Critics of Beck's programming presentations have often used terms such as 'fear-monger' and 'conspiratorial', and yet almost never do you here any substance behind such accusations and commentary. As is a hallmark of the liberal community in general, name-calling is about all that the left has to offer up in rebuttal when challenged on-air by Beck's biting tongue and sharp wit.

In September of 2009, Beck was highlighted by the usually left-leaning Time magazine in a cover piece titled "Is Glenn Beck Bad For America?" In this sweeping article that basically painted him as one would expect from a liberal tome, Time had this to say of his programming: "As melodrama, it's thumping good stuff. But as politics, it's sort of a train wreck — at once powerful, spellbinding and uncontrolled." What the magazine did not say is perhaps the most telling thing. It did not say that he is a liar.

There are any number of radio talk hosts, television commentators, political pundits, comic satirists, and armchair politicians out there. But exactly because he is so "powerful, spellbinding and uncontrolled" as well as truthful, Glenn Beck taps into the raw nerves of the large numbers of Americans who are as rightfully frightened for the future of our once-great nation as he himself has become.

For his expressive courage, his moral conviction, his articulation of truth, his love of America, he is an example to us all. For what he has overcome in his personal life to become a wealthy, influential opinion shaper, as well as a devoted, loving family man, he is an example as well. For all of this, and for his work with the '9-12 Project' and the 'Tea Party' movement, Glenn Beck is this website's 2009 American of the Year.

NOTE: To view the write-ups for all of the 'American of the Year' winners simply click on to that label below this article at www.mattveasey.com

4 Videos: News on 9/11 Anniversary

From Denny: On the 9/11 anniversary there was reported there were shots fired near the President as he was attending a memorial ceremony at the Pentagon. Actually, it was a Coast Guard training exercise.

Apparently, it was wrongly reported first by CNN and nothing like that happened. Or so they say. One never knows as the White House may be trying to downplay this story.

The death threats against this President have gone up 400% since the Bush years. Something is definitely "rotten in Denmark" as Shakespeare liked to say... When a President is threatened this often and this viscerally by the Republican Party there is a moral rottenness in that political party among its followers and promoters.

You don't around on radio talk shows and in print and television advocating their loyalist followers that "Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, should be poisoned" such as radio talk show host Glenn Beck did recently. People who are already given to fantasy thinking and violent action are easily tipped over the edge to do wrong when strongly suggested by those they consider an authority figure like a celebrity.

Nerves are still raw eight years later after the bombing on 9/11. People throughout the country are still angry and want revenge.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is President Obama's first year observing the 9/11 anniversary. He vows to still pursue those who are responsible. Let's hope when they are caught, tried and imprisoned that someone like the British won't let them out of prison in exchange for an oil deal like they did to the victims' families of the Lockerbie bombing.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Videos: Amateur News Footage from 9/11 Memorial Museum and More

From Denny: Talking about upcoming 9/11 Anniversary

8 years later after the event:



How 9/11 impacted the country and business:



Filmaker talks about gathering all amateur 9/11 video for musuem:

Video: Beer with the President in the Rose Garden

From Denny: The long awaited "Beer Summit" went well by all accounts. VP Joe Biden also attended.

CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the White House meeting between the Harvard professor and the Cambridge cop.

Video: 3 American Hiking Tourists Detained in Iran

From Denny: Three Americans were hiking in Turkey and crossed over the Iranian border inadvertantly. A fourth member of the party was too sick to hike and remained behind and so did not end up arrested in Iran.

This comes at a delicate time. The opposition party protestors are on trial in Iran. Holding these Americans can be a bargaining chip with the West, a real victory lap for the harsh regime and a way to shut up America about how the trial turns out. It will be interesting to see how this new subplot to the ongoing drama plays out.

Three Americans have been arrested after they strayed over the Iraqi border into Iran. CNN's Arwa Damon reports

Video: President's Coming Beer Summit

From Denny: This Presidential comment about the racial profiling case with Prof. Gates has unleashed a firestorm of racial blowback across America. Understandably, the President was himself racially profiled when younger and is hypersensitive to the subject. The wise thing to do would have been to get all the facts of the case before - or if - offering any comment. The President now realizes that his word carries a lot of power and to use it carefully. Every new President goes through this process in their first year of discovering every word they utter has greater significance than before they took office.


CNN: Obama said Sgt. Crowley acted "stupidly." The reporter that asked the question spoke with CNN's Carol Costello.

Video: Comedian Bill Maher Rips Palin

From Denny: On a lighter note about circus acts in politics...

CNN: Comedian Bill Maher attacks former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.




Here's the news story about her leaving the Alaskan Governor's Mansion with 18 months left to serve. She just up and quit like some diva, surprising everyone and angering Republicans for being a quitter. Guess she can't fade the heat of 16 ethics charges.

CNN: CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the questions remaining following Sarah Palin's decision to quit her job.

Video: Foreign Exchange Student Scandal in United States

Update: There were such a great comments on this story that I just had to repost this story for you to read. I really like it when someone wants to seriously discuss a social issue. What comes out of any good discussion is more understanding and some new facts to investigate. I have an inkling that this story is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Time will tell as more reporters look into the veracity of the experts and the accusers.

Federal Agents Investigate Burger Kings Treatment of Foreign Students - An excerpt: "RIVERTON, Wyo. – Federal agents from the Department of Immigrations are expected to arrive in Riverton today to investigate a possible indentured service case involving foreign students. Five university students working in the states through an exchange program said they were fired from the local Burger King and evicted from squalid living quarters provided by the company after they complained about the conditions.

They described the 15x15-foot house as a boiler room prison, because the windows wouldn’t open, bunkbeds with air mattresses were the beds, a hot-plate on a counter sufficed for a kitchen stove and the toilet and shower stall were unsanitary due to corrosion.

Riverton police, who executed the eviction notice over the weekend, were appalled at the conditions found and reported the situation to immigrations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Local Burger King management has refused comment and corporate officials in Florida say they were unaware of the situation. The students were matched with the local Burger King through the work/travel programs of Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE) and Aspire Worldwide. They paid $3,500 to $5,000 each to participate, and were told adequate housing would be provided at an affordable fee.

They said rent for the house was $1,800 a month, paid to Burger King District Manager Peggy Handran. Her phone number listed on the work agreement is no longer in service.

The university students are all men, ages 18-21, coming from Turkey, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and the Ukraine. They have found temporary sanctuary with a neighbor, Donna Michel."

Click on the title link for the rest of the story.

The Discussion

Comments:

smbpott said...

This case is unfortunate and I feel bad for the kids, but the vast majority (95%) of exchanges are positive for the students and the families and communities which host them. I urge the press to investigate Danielle Grijalva, director of Committee for Safety and Chris Gould, a retired British police investigator and PURPORTED consultant to foreign exchange programs worldwide. They say mistreatment of foreign students is significantly underreported. What basis do they use to show underreporting? What is the board make up of the committee for safety? What foreign exchange programs is Chris Gould a consultant for? You will find these two people have NO basis for their setting themselves up as experts, and that they are acting together, but essentially alone (no real committee, no board oversight of organization, restraining order against Danielle...), just trolling the internet for sensationalized cases of exchange student abuse and posting them on one website repeatedly.

16 July, 2009 22:21
Denny Lyon said...
Hi, smbpott, thanks for visiting and leaving your comment!

As with most stories like this, it isn't about how well the majority has been treated but rather about the abused minority that went unreported or not investigated.

This story is really not about the concept of foreign exchange students as it is a great idea culturally. It isn't about the whole organization either.

What this story is about is the fact that nothing was done to address these problems, not enough or perhaps any oversight on the part of our government - most likely the vast majority of issues happened during the Bush years of "non-doing."

It was foolish for our current State Dept. not to fine tooth comb every project they had in operation during the Bush years looking for this kind of thing. As it was the GAO was prevented from investigating AND reporting by Bush and Cheney. Normally, they handle these kinds of investigations as these problems always follow one culprit: follow the money. Most likely, Bush and Cheney cut the funds for oversight and hired outside political cronies as payback for campaign funds.

BTW, do you have proof to back up the stats you give that 95% of the foreign exchange students do not encounter any problem? If there was no oversight, no reporting, no surveys, where did you get this stat?

In the end, we are both coming at this problem from different sides and meeting in the middle in complete agreement: not enough oversight to prove either the good or the bad satisfactorily!

I'm glad these people have finally gotten the courage to speak up and speak out about their abuse. It went pretty much the same in the religious community, especially Catholic, when for decades people complained about sexual abuse. The same arguments abounded that it wasn't that bad, it wasn't true, that 95% etc., etc. Since then the abused began to speak up and the whole truth came out: there were thousands worldwide who were badly abused for decades.

My policy is never to deny a listen to anyone who has been abused, especially when it was as a result of an institutional entity for which as part of the public I am partly responsible.

17 July, 2009 08:57


From Denny: This is a video story I tried to put up yesterday but CNN did not yet have it up on its site until today. Unbelievable what foreign exchange students have lived through when visiting the United States during the Bush years and recently. The truth is just now coming out.

It's a real horror story that our own government funded this abuse and did not take the interest to regulate these agencies that promote and place these students in American homes. Some of those homes were convicted felons, students were raped, starved, forced to live in filthy situations, even placed with known and registered sex offenders! How perverted can you get?



Politics foreign exchange students rape sex offenders starvation abuse America United States State Department investigation

Video: Why Did 168 People Die in Iran Plane Crash?

From Denny: If you haven't already heard of this sad news... a Soviet made plane has crashed in Iran and all 168 people are dead. Complete confirmation may take days.

It does cause us to take pause and ask a few questions: Was someone targeted on that plane and innocent travelers died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Or was it a case of metal fatigue as the old Soviet air fleet is not exactly known for its standard of excellence in the area of maintenance. Metal fatigue comes about when the plane is constantly pressurized and then de-pressurized, causing the metal skin to expand and contract thousands of times. Sooner or later it loses its ability to do so without consequences.

Since the plane crashed in a part of the world that does not allow true investigation and professionals into their country to help them solve the problem we may never know the truth of why this plane crashed.





Breaking News, CNN, international politics, investigations, Iran, metal fatigue

Make Pirates Walk the Plank

Shiver me timbers, thar's pirates lurkin' in the waters off the coast of Africa in 2009! Who woulda thunk it! Blue Beard? Black Beard? Captain Hook? Do these fellas have peg legs, long beards, bandannas, eye patches, and parrots on their shoulders? A bit light-hearted there, but there is really nothing funny about what is happening these days off the African coast, as modern day pirates are taking over ships, attacking crews and holding them hostage, and making off with loot by the millions. One of the questions usually asked relates to wondering how a small speedboat can overcome a large fishing trawler or a huge cargo ship. Here is the general attack scenario. The little speedboat moves at high speed and is loaded up with a small crew of 'pirates', often from areas around either Somalia or Nigeria. It approaches the larger ship suddenly and then the pirates cast a rope ladder onto the larger ship. They climb the ladder and make their way through the ship to the crew, taking them hostage and sometimes killing them. The pirates are armed with sophisticated weaponry that includes high-powered automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and even hand grenades. Even at times when the larger ship sees the pirates coming, they cannot overcome them because of this advantage in weaponry. Due to international shipping regulations, insurance concerns, and for other reasons, the crews on the ships do not normally carry the weapons necessary to overcome the pirates attacks. The pirates can hold the ship cargo and crew for ransoms which can run into the millions of dollars, or they can simply hijack the ship and have it taken to land, where they steal whatever they can from that cargo. The pirates come from poor lands, and that is the simple goal of their mission: money, wealth, material goods. CNN reported that the pirates also threaten and attack tourists, stating that "In March, Somalis hijacked a yacht and its crew of seven off the Seychelles." The modern-day pirates attack sometimes hundreds of miles from the shorelines, and while U.S.-led efforts to combat the pirates has resulted in a decrease in their success rate, the overall number of attacks is increasing. Despite the fact that the problem has been going on for some time, this past week saw the issue finally addressed by the American mass media, and thus the American public finally began to become aware of what is happening. The American ship 'Maersk Alabama' was attacked by pirates in the waters off Somalia on April 8th. The crew initially managed to beat back the pirates, and the ship's Captain Richard Phillips agreed to remain on-board with the pirates with his crew freed while negotiations took place between American authorities and Somalian groups. Just yesterday a rescue was effected when 3 of 4 pirates were picked off by snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge. The Somali groups have now vowed revenge on America, saying “France and the U.S. will encounter unforgettable lessons...We will take quick revenge on American ships if we don’t receive apologies...We will not only target ships and crew in the sea, but also American agencies’ staff in Somalia.” Wonderful. They attack our ship, take our citizens and workers hostage, but we need to apologize to them? That would be hilarious if the pirates weren't so deadly serious. President Barack Obama and his national security people need to ensure safe passage through international waters for the American shipping business and for American tourists. Taking out the 'Maersk Alabama' pirates with sniper fire was a tremendous first step, but much more needs to be done. People need to learn that the answer to their need is never forcibly taking what belongs to someone else, especially when that action puts human lives in danger. However, the larger solution to this problem ultimately will only be addressed by the solution to a far greater problem, that of African government instability. In the short run, the piracy needs to be dealt with harshly while those governing issues are dealt with diplomatically.

Look at Those Tits on Jocelyn Kirsch !

Headline grab your attention? The picture perhaps? Maybe it was the combination? Well, that is exactly the point of this posting. In a city where murder happens on an almost daily basis, why are the crimes of Jocelyn Kirsch worth all the attention that they have received? Sure it's not right to steal the credit card information of friends and use same to take a vacation and spend on your own vanities and desires. It's a crime, and if caught you go to prison. But the funny thing is that this type of non-violent crime happens all the time. The not funny aspect is that credit card fraud, identity theft, selling 'hot' or 'knock-off' goods, and many other methods of fraud are used all the time by terrorists and organized crime organizations to further their nefarious purposes. Often times these are purposes that directly affect our national security, the security of all the citizens of our entire city of Philadelphia. But rarely, if ever, have I seen a detailed expose' on this problem with continual follow-ups relating to these large criminal organizations that keep a spotlight on updates highlighting the individuals and businesses involved. No, what you see, frankly, is Jocelyn Kirsch's bikini shots. Kirsch is a good looking woman with a nice figure. An attractive woman by most any man's standards. And there are attractive and even sexy photos of her available to the public. There is no other reason that the story of Kirsch and her paramour, Edward Anderton, who in the end defrauded a dozen friends of a little more than $100,000 total, is still so much in the spotlight. So much worse is happening out here in the world that goes completely uncovered simply because there is no 'sexy' angle for the media to work. Frankly, that is not true. The public wants to hear and know the stories behind the everyday criminals and miscreants that wreak havoc on their neighborhood and city. They want the spotlight turned on these individuals, to have their pictures spread across the newspapers, to have the media look into their lives and their backgrounds and their criminal records. But except for the occasional 'worst of the worst' heinous offenders, it just doesn't happen on a regular basis. Women who are, shall we say, less attractive than most are abducted every day, are the victims of abuse every day, commit crimes of that heinous nature every day. But television programs such as CNN's Headline News staple 'Nancy Grace' choose to constantly go for the 'sex sells' angle. They only take and publicize stories involving attractive women who go missing, attractive women who kill their kids, attractive women who go bad. And if they can get their hands on video or photos of them in bikinis, or tight tops, or bare midriffs, or cavorting at clubs they will show them to us over and over and over again. Jocelyn Kirsch ripped off some friends and is going to jail for it. But we don't need to keep seeing the same old bikini shots every time the story is told. In fact, we don't need to hear this story ever again. Kirsch is not worth our time, and in fact the publicity likely just feeds that ego that she herself was feeding with her crimes all along. Here's to hoping that in 3-5 years when she and Anderston are released we won't hear about it at all, and won't see those same old pictures drug out yet again. If you are that hard up to look at Jocelyn Kirsch's boobs, just pull up this story and there they go. But start demanding that our local and national news media get away from this blatant sexuality that they would scream is a sexist position if taken against one of them.

Islamism Series: Honor Killings

Let's get the Islamofascist rants out of the way with right off the bat. Yes, America is a society where murder has become epidemic in some communities, and domestic homicides are nothing at all peculiar to only the Muslim community. That much is obvious simply by watching a few weeks of the 'Nancy Grace' program on CNN's Headline News network, were the latest murder of an attractive woman by a husband or boyfriend is the topic of discussion at least 50% of the time. People kill people for many reasons, and some kill people that they do now, or at least used to love. What the topic of this post discusses is the particular problem of Islamic 'honor killing', which is indeed peculiar to that community. The newsworthiness to the American public is that the phenomenon is new here, is growing, and is taking the lives of American citizens. Tomorrow night, Saturday July 25th, at 8pm, Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly will host a special titled "Murder in the Family: Honor Killing in America" in which she will discuss the problem of fathers killing daughters, brothers killing sisters, husbands killing wives, all in order to restore their families' 'honor'. Kelly is an outstanding reporter and host, and this program should prove as eye-opening as it's title implies. Last night (Weds July 24th) on The O'Reilly Factor, Kelly previewed the special by discussing with host Bill O'Reilly the particular case of a father killing his two teenage daughters in Texas, simply because the man felt that the two girls were becoming too 'westernized'. Amina and Sara Said (pictured) were shot by their father (an audio exists of the 911 call made by the girls during the shooting) last year, and their Egyptian Muslim father is now a fugitive from Texas justice. The man had come to the States and married a Texas woman, so the two girls were American citizens. The 17-year old Sara had recently begun seeing an American boy, and had told friends that if her father found out he would "kill her." Little did the friends know just how serious she was. In Chicago, Subhash Chander killed his pregnant daughter, son-in-law, and 3-year old grandson because he disapproved of his daughter marrying a man from a lower caste, as was discussed by Michelle Malkin in her oustanding blog. In Georgia, Chauhdry Rashid strangled his 25-year old daughter to death after she threatened to divorce her husband. Radical Islamists believe that Islamic law, or Shariah, should be the primary source of law and cultural identity within a state, and they believe that every state should be governed by this law and follow the teachings of the Koran and the Sunnah. If they gain control of the world, including America, which is their stated goal, then every woman will lose her civil rights. The Islamists claim that these types of killings are perfectly within their rights as established by their society and culture. Unfortunately for these particular men highlighted, they committed their crimes here in America. Here in America we simply call it 'murder', and that it is of family members is considered particularly heinous. These men should face the full force of the American judicial system, and be incarcerated for life when found guilty. They should certainly not be deported to some country that may sympathetically release them based on that society's culture. No matter how you slice it, no religion or culture that specifically authorizes murder of family members can be considered as legitimate. Period. The title to this blog entry will link you to hear the phone call from the Said girls to 911 on the night that their father murdered them. Listen, and then be sure to watch or record the Fox News special at 8pm on Saturday night and begin to get more educated on this particular type of domestic homicide, coming soon to your town.