Mayor of Mount Vernon to give Glenn Beck Key to the City

we should go there with water balloons filled with ketchup. 

Why is the left so INTOLERANT when you are supposed to be all about tolerance and diversity of opinion and lifestyles? Glenn Beck has every right to say whatever he pleases, even hate filled tirades if that is what you perceive it to be. You don't have to listen to him, pay attention to him or protest him. Why don't you just ignore him like the sponsors you have listed have? 

GREAT JOB BECK.  GOOD LUCK IN THE FUTURE.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1924348,00.html

Contact: Marc Oommen, YDSC President

Phone: 360-336-1555

Email: ydskagitcounty@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Young Democrats of Skagit County

September 10, 2009

THE YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF SKAGIT COUNTY CALLS ON COMMUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST MAYOR BUD NORRIS AND GLENN BECK

Mount Vernon, Wash. -- The Young Democrats of Skagit County calls on the community to demonstrate against Mayor Bud Norris giving Glenn Beck the key to the city. The demonstration will be held outside of McIntyre Hall 2501 East College Way at Skagit Valley College on Saturday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m. PDT.

The message of the protests is, “Hate isn't a Skagit Valley value.”

“This will be a peaceful demonstration expressing our disappointment with the mayor in attempting to align Mount Vernon with hate speech. We will not meet hate with hate,” Young Democrats of Skagit County President Marc Oommen says.

News media from around the nation have picked up the story including the New York Times, the Huffington Post, the Bellingham Herald, the Boston Herald, Air America, KOMO 4, KING 5, the Seattle Times, Q13 Fox, and the Skagit Valley Herald.

Groups and individuals are encouraged to bring friends and family to show the friendship and diversity of our community.

For further information please visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118820349754#/group.php?gid=118820349754.

# # #

Sample news sources:

“Honoring Beck one of mayor’s worst ideas.”

http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/honoring_beck_one_of_mayors_worst_ideas/

“Proposed Honor Stirs Up a Firebrand’s Hometown.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/us/10vernon.html

“Bellingham mayor offers 'Daily Show' host key to city.”

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/localnews/story/1060869.html

“Mayor’s plan for ’Glenn Beck Day’ divides Wash. Town”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view/20090903mayors_plan_for_glenn_beck_day_divides_wash_town/srvc=home&position=recent

“Mount Vernon proclaims Sept. 26 Glenn Beck Day”

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009800563_apwaglennbeckday1stldwritethru.html

“Glenn Beck To Get Key To City; Protesters Say "Change The Locks!”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mann/glenn-beck-to-get-key-to_b_275873.html

“Protesters await Mt. Vernon native Glenn Beck”

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_090109POB-glenn-beck-key-protesters-TP.13b3a02bb.html

Are there seriously people defending Glenn Beck right now?  Honestly, I watch Beck now and then.  Not because I find it entertaining or educating, but because it is comical.  Frankly, he is both close minded, and simple minded (also called climple minded).  Just because somebody has an opinion, doesnt mean they should spew it forth on national television and label it "news".

Ever heard of CNN? 

Didn't know anything about him until I read this thread.  The guy is a total twit.  I love the way he takes advantage of the poorly educated masses by gently massaging their limbic system.  How many studies have been done on the ability for emotions to trump rational thought?  hmmmm....

Exactly.  I'm from Mt. Vernon, too, (but not within the city limits, so I couldn't vote for mayor) and this is repulsive.  Just because someone is from here and becomes famous doesn't mean that he has done anything good for our city.  In fact, he has tarnished Mount Vernon.  Why can't we give the key to Jim Caviezel?  He's from here and became famous.  And he was great in The Count of Monte Cristo.

I just think it's ridiculous.  I deserve the key more than Beck.

B-Sizzle wrote:

Exactly.  I'm from Mt. Vernon, too, (but not within the city limits, so I couldn't vote for mayor) and this is repulsive.  Just because someone is from here and becomes famous doesn't mean that he has done anything good for our city.  In fact, he has tarnished Mount Vernon.  Why can't we give the key to Jim Caviezel?  He's from here and became famous.  And he was great in The Count of Monte Cristo.

I just think it's ridiculous.  I deserve the key more than Beck.

It always amazes me when people lash out at other without even knowing what they are talking about. Before posting your post, did you even see hear why Mr. Beck is receiving the key? Listen to the mayors reasoning. It has nothing to do with being famous. And even if you disagree with the reasoning, move on man!!!

He was a kid on the street and did political crap, yada yada yada.  That's nice.  But when he spouts opinion ("Obama is racist") as truth, that's when I can't take it that he is being honored by our city.  It's our city.  Not just the mayor's.  I think we should all agree on who gets these city keys.

So the mayor decided to give the key to someone who helped him campaign when Beck was younger? Everything Beck has done and said since then doesn't matter, he just decided to choose someone who helped him out a long time ago (which, even if it wasn't Beck, would seem a bit wrong)?

It's amazing how intolerent the left is when it comes to people they don't like. Not everbody likes Jon Stewart but you don't hear anybody complaining about trying to give him a key to Bellingham.

[/quote]

So the mayor decided to give the key to someone who helped him campaign when Beck was younger? Everything Beck has done and said since then doesn't matter, he just decided to choose someone who helped him out a long time ago (which, even if it wasn't Beck, would seem a bit wrong)?

[/quote]

It does seem a bit wrong even if it wasn't Beck.  I don't really see why the City of Mount Vernon should bestow this honor to anyone who helped with a campaign a bunch of years ago.  Let alone someone the whole City of Mount Vernon doesn't agree deserves it.  The mayor shouldn't be allowed to just choose whom to give keys to willy-nilly.  It just puts the nail in the coffin that it's Beck, and that's why a lot of Mount Vernonites are irate.

I agree with sanborm2. 

That's because Jon Stewart isn't a fear-mongering schmuck; he's just a funny dude who likes to make fun of the political world. I mean, if there were a libertarian guy similar to him, I would still watch and laugh. I get similarly pissed at liberal people who start spouting off about how Bush was leading us towards a fascist regime as when conservatives talk about Obama leading us towards a socialist regime.

I'm sorry, but when someone is just as intolerable about people as Beck is, then we can be intolerable to him.

Open your mind and think about it. Liberals are very open minded people, but when someone says crap about other people/cultures/races, etc., we're not going to stand for it.

Just because everybody doesn’t  think the same way as you doesn’t make them stupid. I really appreciate the fact that your party claims to be the great unifier where all beliefs can come to be safe, as long they as they all believe in putting more power in the Democratic Party. And saying that he’s spouting to the ignorant masses, real classy. The old you don’t agree with me so you must be stupid. What is this, third grade? But don’t worry, the Republicans are the partisan party. With such deep and rooted arguments like that I guess I have no choice to agree with you. Thank you for showing me the light. From the right wing, I truly apologize for Glenn Beck. I do. How dare he question anything that the Messiah Obama says?

Now if i remember correctly the racist comment is one of may oddball tirade Glen Beck does on his show to make a point (he uses something called irony) if its taken out of context it would be seen as hateful and racist. Now If you'd ever take the time to listen to him or understand his political perspective you would see it as the complete opposite of close minded and hateful. I'd venture that most of these kids attending these protests haven't bothered to watch more then a few clips of the man's show on U-tube or the pseudo news shows of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Now it seems to me that if you want to attack a man with such a serious charge like being a hatemonger or racist (or liar) you should take the time to know their perspective and why they said the things they said, then make up your mind.

You say that Glenn Beck isn't worthy. OK, so who is? Who in your opinion would best deserve a key to the city? But be careful for your deciding factors.   It amazes me how close minded people can be; I wonder how many of you actually listen to his show every day or listen to the radio broadcast. If you haven’t listened, I would strongly recommend you do your research before spewing off false or irrational comments.  I love to listen to Glenn Beck. I may not agree with everything he says but at least he is speaking his mind. Which, my I remind you, is a right given to us by our Founding Fathers, no matter their political positions or opinions. If it were any other person getting a key to the city who has done the same has Beck, meaning speak their mind on Public Broadcasting, would you take offense? If you are so “open-minded” as democrats why can’t you take an hour of your time and listen to his show? You may learn a lot. I’m not saying one side is better than the other. But everybody knows you can make your arguments stronger by listen to what everyone has to say.  So stop trying to rally people to protest against him, because of a post or an e-mail someone sent to you. Don’t fallow the crowd because you can’t think for yourself

Wait, is Bellingham trying to give John Stewart a key the city? If that is the case then people should be fighting against it on the grounds that John Stewart doesn't really have anything to do with Bellingham proper. I think there is a real big disconnect with this whole Beck v. Stewart  argument.

It's just Mount Vernon, people. Let the city feel significant for one day. Then the nexy day, it's back to low low prices at WalMart!

Besides, Obama doesn't hate white people. They funded his campaign!

He probably secretly hates white-trash, though. But who doesn't?

That's precisely the thing, though; he's speaking his mind, what he thinks. It's not news, but he tries to label it as such. It's just him ranting. Not to mention that a large portion of his ranting is inane and can definitely borderline on fear-mongering, antiquated, racist, homophobic, and/or bigoted. Also, don't confuse "open-minded" with "insanely agreeable." Just because you're "open-minded" doesn't mean you have to agree with everything you hear and accept it as okay. You just have to consider it. I have heard some of the arguments of Glenn Beck. They are not rational. Because I think that doesn't mean I'm close-minded.

I don't, they provide me with endless amusement.

Yeah, that is pretty terrible.  I'm glad Bellingham staked the key to the city on an ideological pissing match.  That's really great, very adult.

Glen Beck spouts off his racist, far-right, Obama hating rhetoric on a newstation that claims they are "fair and balanced."  Do I hate Rush Limbaugh as much as Glen Beck? Yes; but at least when you listen to Rush Limbaugh he specifies that he is a talk radio host giving his own opinions on the world.  In that sense, he's no different than Rachel Maddow.  I just think it is irritating and generally degrading to our country to have somebody hiding behind the guise of fair and balanced journalistic integrity spouting off his own crazy ideas.  It's fine that he's an idiot, just don't let him be an idiot on a news station, please.

This is Beck's interpretation of "fair and balanced."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yAwjK3DgjQ

Apparently many of you "college educated, liberal minded" people don't understand that Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat is a media game.  Don't you understand it's intended to divide the public?  Once you begin to investigate the game being played on your mind by the media you'll understand that the war is not between "political ideology" of which there is no difference, (case in point: Bush vs. Obama - they have exactly the same policies, only Obama has expanded all of Bush's disgusting, evil policies) the war is between the freedom of humanity and total enslavement of humanity.  That's what this is all about.  Period. 

Quit listening to Glenn Beck, quit watching mainstream news.  Glenn Beck's sole purpose, it may be hard for you to believe it is this evil, is to hijack the inevitable movements in this country against the tyranny we're facing (watch the G-20 police crackdown) and make them extreme, religious, and silly.  He is a corporate whore that can't be trusted, and this should be obvious in the fact that he's able to thrive under Rupert Murdoch's evil empire.  That said, he will cover important topics, but not the truly crucial ones that tell you how this whole mess is orchestrated and who's really in control.  The only two you will find who speak the truth in mainstream media are Judge Andrew Napolitano and Lou Dobbs.  This is why Judge Andrew Napolitano is only allowed in the margins of "fox business" and Lou Dobbs undergoes endless slander by the evilarchy disguising themselves as "progressive" (i.e. George Soros and mediamatters).  It is also why he was shot at last weekend, and receives threatening mail continuously.  If you are a normal person who watches the news, you probably think Lou Dobbs is a "racist" that "hates immigrants", but you probably don't know that he's married to a Latin American woman.

And Mark Sanford (e.g.) was a big proponent of "family values," but you probably don't know that he had a lengthy international affair with an Argentinian woman.

Hypocrisy: It's possible!

 There seems to be a fair amount of people backing Glenn Beck. Why is this exactly? Could someone provide me with some sort of evidence that shows that he is a competent, fair, or even intelligent person? If this can happen I will seriously rethink and reconsider my view of Glenn Beck. Thanks a bunch.

 "It's amazing how intolerant the left is when it comes to people they don't like. Not everybody likes Jon Stewart but you don't hear anybody complaining about trying to give him a key to Bellingham"

And the right doesn't? It seems like every time a democrat takes a new political position the right wingers waste no time and begin to bash basically everything about them (I exaggerate when i say 'every' of course but that is sure what it seems like). 

Actually about 1-2 weeks after Obama was in office, conservatives started to bitch about how he hadn't done anything yet, and now he is considered to be pure evil. In fact, two weeks ago I saw a group of people downtown holding up signs protesting Obama, one of them even had a picture of him with a Hitler mustache drawn on his face and another with devil horns. Now, I'm not a raging Obama fan by any means, but really? Hitler and the Devil? He definitely doesn't deserve that.