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Published January 14, 2015
This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," June 14, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GLENN BECK, HOST: The congressman gone wild.
You know, it doesn't have to be spring break for your elected officials to go nuts for apparently no reason whatsoever. Fortunately for you, there is absolutely no nudity involved, but I find this video extraordinarily disturbing.
Democratic Congressman from North Carolina, Bob Etheridge — he is approaching a couple of students who have the unmitigated gall to ask a congressman a question! Thanks to Andrew Breitbart of BigGovernment.com for bringing this to my attention earlier this morning.
Here it is:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you fully support the Obama agenda?
REP. BOB ETHERIDGE, D-N.C.: Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Wow. I mean, I could see, faced with such an outrageous question as, "Do you fully support the Obama agenda," who wouldn't go wild and slap a camera out of somebody's face demanding, "Who are you?" That wasn't spooky at all.
What Congressman facing reelection should expect to answer such an incendiary question as that? I mean — and Bob — well, he demanded a few answers himself. Good for you, Bob. Watch:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ETHERIDGE: Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.
ETHERIDGE: Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just a —
ETHERIDGE: Tell me who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just here for a project, sir.
ETHERIDGE: Tell me who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just here for a project. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) my hand.
ETHERIDGE: I don't care about that. Tell me who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just a student, sir.
ETHERIDGE: From? Tell me who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just students. That's all we are.
ETHERIDGE: I have a right to know who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we are is students.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a public place.
ETHERIDGE: So am I. Who are you? Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please let go of my arm, sir.
ETHERIDGE: Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, sir, sir! Please let go of me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman —
ETHERIDGE: Who are you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: I've never seen anything like that.
What is our Congress and our government turning into? You don't have to tell anyone who you are. That's assault. I didn't see him acting despicable.
You should try some of my encounters on the street there, Congressman. Today, the Congressman is begging for your forgiveness. Great if you can forgive. Is this a guy you vote for and put back in Congress? Is this guy going to listen to you and respect you and know that you are his employer?
Just as the president said about BP CEO, "I'm not interested in words. I like to see their actions." And you just did. Fortunately, the people of North Carolina have this video now to take into account when they go to the voting booth. Will they remember?
Seems like a helpful piece of information to have. That was kind of spooky, wasn't it? Can you imagine if that was your college age son or daughter?
As the president also said last month, sometimes with all of today's technology, there can just be too much information. It can get confusing for you. Are you confused? You have seen cell phone videos depicting supposed police brutality — some legitimate, some not. And then, this brutality. There are laws in place in about a dozen states that say you must have all parties consent before you videotape anyone.
It seems fine on the face. But there is some overactive courts and officials that claim that this means that you now cannot record any police activity. Really? Since the police aren't stopping to arrest and then, "Hey, can I video you?"
Those who videotape anyone being arrested or being questioned by the police — you'll be breaking the law. You can go to jail. Now, even most states have exceptions for recording in public where you have no expectation of privacy — you know, courts are saying now that police officers don't count.
I mean, if you are getting in the way of a police officer doing their job, that is one thing. But taping an arrest from a safe distance to document it, not only must remain legal for our civil liberties and for thugs that you might encounter on the street. But it's also going to help police far more than it hurts them.
Why do you think there are cameras in police cars? Who do you think the offender usually is? The police? Not in my experience, but I'm not the president. I am an overwhelmingly strong defender of the police and of the law, and most people are the same way. They're not violators of it.
There are some bad cops here and there. But video winds up proving that more times than not, the cops are good guys. When there is an occasional bad cop who does something wrong, he must — he must be seen. We must have the right to document it.
We must be able to show videotape like that because we sure — I've never seen people with power get out of control. Have you? Every officer I have ever met is happy to get rid of the rare bad cop that goes over the line, just like our politicians.
No one should be able to shield themselves from the law. And the camera is the best weapon we have to protect those telling the truth no matter what side they're on. It's what helped free people in the south in the 1960s — the camera.
Meanwhile, Apple and Google recently got a scolding from somebody else in Congress. A key Senate committee leader falling into — started yelling at these guys because they didn't accept an invitation to testify at a commerce subcommittee updating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
Now, I'm not comfortable with everything that Google is doing. I think something is wrong with Google, quite honestly. I'm no fan of providers collecting personal information from children under 13. But I am even more uncomfortable with the ever expanding government interference into absolutely everything.
Listen to this amazing statement from Senate Commerce Chair Jay Rockefeller:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER, D-W.VA.: When people don't show up when we ask — I have power of the subpoena I'd absolutely love to use. I have not to this point. But what all it does, it increases our interest in what they're doing and why they didn't show up. So they made a stupid mistake not showing up today and I say shame on them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Oh, yes. I don't like it when they don't show up. I ask them and then they don't. I wonder what they are doing now. Do you have ways of making them talk, senator? Yes? The media goes nuts when I ever play actual words from elected officials who make outrageous statements.
We draw conclusions from those words. That's what thinking human beings should do. But I don't have any power. I don't have the power to subpoena anybody. None. No power.
On the other hand, the media has no problems with congressman attacking students for simply asking questions or Senate hearings where Jay Rockefeller insinuates that Google and Apple didn't show up to a hearing because maybe there is something more nefarious going on that we should look into, and then threatens them with subpoenas and more intense scrutiny.
That seems to be fine with the rest of the media. They don't seem to understand that it is the power of subpoena, forcing people to appear and testify and that the power to act on what comes from that hearing — that is the dangerous power.
That is what Joseph McCarthy was doing. If I get out of control and start leveling baseless charges that can't be backed up, guess what happens? I'm fired. I lose my job. If Congress does the same thing, you lose your freedom. Maybe that is what the press should focus on, hmm?
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