This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," October 4, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GLENN BECK, HOST: I want to start here with what happened over the weekend. And, in fact, let me — let me start with the chalkboard. I want to ask a question, a question that I asked you last week. Who are we? Who are we?
It's critical that you know the answer to this question yourself because you really are the leader. We're looking for, you know, another great leader. That's you. It's critical that you know these answers yourself.
It's more critical that you even get others to start thinking about their answer to this question. Who are we as people? Are we really just about the money? Are we willing to do anything for money or security?
How many people do you know that are living in la-la-land and are completely oblivious to what's coming ashore? They have no idea. I fear, too many.
And yet, we are being presented with a choice. It will come down someday. At this point, we'll look back in history and the world will say, how did they miss this?
Here are the questions and here's a choice: Do we believe in a free market or do we believe in government-controlled entities? Do we believe in hard work or handouts? Personal responsibilities or bail-outs? Individual liberty or controlled liberty? Which is — which is it?
Is America made up of problem-solvers or whiners? Haven't we always been the first ones to lead by example and respond with money, food and support when disaster strikes another country? We're always the first in.
We are the ones that run into burning buildings not out of them. We're the first to come to the rescue of other countries when they're facing adversity. When the world was facing communism, it was the United States that defeated it. When the world was facing fascism, it was the United States that helped defeat it.
Do we still believe in that America?
Are we still the America that did go to the moon or are we the America that is believing the moon-landing deniers now and saying, well, they never did that?
Is America special? Is it different from the rest of on the world?
Is God done with the freedom we enjoyed in this country? Is he neutral? Is he like, ah, whatever? Is he?
Is the world no longer in need of miracles, like rescuing Afghanistan citizens; particularly, women? As much as I despise the fact that our men and women are still over in Afghanistan fighting this ridiculous war at this point, do you know how much good we have done? Do you know how many women and girls we have saved from brutal regimes that have allowed the women to be raped — just because they were walking down the street, they could rape them?
Is America done? Are we done? Does America have any value left anymore? Or are we — has the ship sailed?
You know, it's one thing for America to collectively decide that we're tired of bailing out the world. And I am. And I am sick and tired of being the world's policeman.
But let me ask you this: what happens when America is no longer able to help? Who does the world turn to then? When the United States doesn't have any clout, any power, and we can't — we can't say anything anymore, who does the world turn to? Canada?
No offense, Canada. I love you. You may be the one that has to step in the role now. Is Canada capable of doing it? Australia? England, they've got their hands full — they're on the verge of collapse.
I mean, you could go to U.N. They're great in strongly worded letters, but how many Rwandas have to happen when America doesn't lead the way before we figure out the U.N. is useless?
Where would we be? Where would the world be without an America? Who's going to replace us? China? Brazil?
You see, when you look at this and you realize that to those who have been given much, much is required — not expected — required. Isn't it our moral responsibility to pass on freedom to the next generation? To pass on an America that is at least capable of providing liberty for its people?
People will and have already, including our president, have begun to blame America for all the problems of the world. I just saw this in Bloomberg today: "It has been three years since America began dragging the world into its deepest recession in seven decades."
It was America that did that? We did that. It was just us.
See, they're already blaming it on us. And what are they going to do? What is the world — what is the world going to do? First of all, are they going to punish us? We — it's our fault. I've told you this before — that we're going to be set up as the bad guys. It's our fault, so if we did it to everybody else, don't you think every Third World dictator, everybody in the world, so they don't get thrown out of office, are going to say it's America's fault?
Let me ask you this: Do they forgive our trespasses as we have forgiven others their debts? I don't think so.
And what's their solution? Besides punishment or to make sure that we pay, did you know that Germany just paid the debt for World War I? They just made the last payment last week for World War I. Do you think they'll ever get off our backs and stop taking stuff from us?
No. No one will forgive us.
Their solution is — global government or socialism or communism, which has failed over and over again. I've told you time and again that the question is not: Do we have communists and revolutionaries and socialists around the president and the White House? The real question that we should have been asking from the very beginning is: Does it matter that we have communists in and around the White House? Because we already know the answer now to the first one and it is yes.
But here's what I said over a year ago. Or maybe — maybe not. Do we have it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: The lesson I learn was we must ask the right question — and I apologize to you; I've been asking the wrong question. Well, we start today, the one that we should have been asking at the beginning was: OK, if it is true, does it matter?
You see, the same thing is repeating itself over and over and over again — these are Marxists. No, they're not. Yes, they are. No, they're not. Yes, they are — for almost a year now.
Ask yourself: If it were true — if it were true — would it matter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Somebody here at Fox told me that we should have bumper stickers that says — this is about two years ago — "What if Glenn Beck is right?" Does it — does it matter?
The answer to the "does it matter?" question apparently is a resounding "no," because over the weekend, there was a rally in Washington, D.C. And it was for One Nation. Well, we showed you the list of all the groups that endorsed the event. And they were planning on attending. There they are, the One Nation Working Together. And they were working together.
I was accused of making stuff up when I said communists were planning to head on down to the Mall in Washington, D.C., but it wasn't some conspiracy. I came back the next day and I pointed out the facts. And I showed you — here they are: Communist Party, New York Democratic Socialists of America, Socialists of America, Socialist Organization — I mean, it's just — Campus Progressives. This is it.
I came on and I showed you the list. I showed you all the links of their own website. I showed you what they were saying. They were all organizing for it.
Well, the next night, I guess, I was told that it didn't matter. It didn't matter. Now, even the people who organize this said that it didn't matter.
When the president of the NAACP was asked about the communist and socialist groups attending, he said, quote, "This is a big tent. Anyone who wants to stand up to create jobs and defend the jobs of teachers, police officers, nurses, firefighters, I say, come on and join us."
Communists? Communists, revolutionaries — people who have called for destruction of America. You're OK? What kind of jobs are they creating?
Does it matter, America? The radicals showed up. Oh, they did. How do I know this? Well — I mean, it's one thing, you know, to say, hey, I think that guy might be a socialist. It's another when they are carrying giant signs bragging about it. Here they are: "Socialism is an alternative." "Capitalism is failing." "Capitalism sucks."
This is a scary group. I mean, they are not ashamed of the fact. They are embracing these ideologies. But I guess they should be, right? Socialism and communism has failed every time they've ever been tried. They end every time in mass murder. So, why not? Why not?
This is the exact antithesis of the principles America was founded on. But our children and these guys don't know because they're not taught this in school anymore. No one is taught about the evils of socialism or communism. We were founded on the exact opposite principles as this. And yet, they're excited about it.
All right. They were over 400 progressive special interest groups that brought their signs and their T-shirts. I want to compare and contrast the crowds. Their signs. What were they wearing? What were they wearing over the weekend and what were the people — what was the crowd wearing at 8.28?
America, I want you to ask the question: Which group best represents a brighter future for America? Is it this one or is it this one?
At 8.28, there weren't any signs because the people who came weren't professional protesters or agitators. They just — they came for the day. They're regular working stiffs, moms and dads, people just like you who just care about America and who are willing to do the hard work and are concerned about their country. This isn't a group of freaks. These are your neighbors.
If you remember right after 8.28, here's who the Washington or the Huffington Post said was a crazy person. There's one of the crazy people right there. He's got a flag T-shirt and a hat that says, "Got freedom?" saluting. And here's the red, white and blue on 8.28.
Now, let's compare that with the shirts they were wearing on Saturday. On Saturday, they were all wearing union shirts.
Well, which one is more like you? The union shirt that was paid for with your union dues? Or just coming with your shirt and a flag? Which one? Which one is crazy? Which one is normal?
Now, I wasn't there, but all accounts on the ground, the crowd Saturday was largely unengaged, apathetic and barely paying attention. By the time the last speaker spoke, nobody was even there. There was like 100 people there.
Many came because it was a nice day. They got a free bus ride from the unions and they had a free lunch and a picnic on the Mall. That's great. It doesn't bother me if that's the way you want to spend your union dues. That's totally cool. Me personally, I'd probably put it away in a pension fund. But you want to spend it that way? That's fine. I'm not a member of the union. You may be.
Now, others were told to go, according to a union leader in New York. He told they had to go.
Now, this, I want to show you, is at the end of 8.28. Here are the people that are engaged at the end of 8.28. You'll see that this is what's happening on stage. Can we get a crowd shot? Is there a crowd shot coming?
As you see, this is what's going on. And soon, I'm sure that there's a crowd shot coming. Pretty sure there is.
I want to show you what was happening on Saturday. There's some of the crowd — he's a crazy man. And here it is on 10.2.10 on Saturday. And then there was this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you believe that all people are entitled to decent living conditions —
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Watch the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: — full health care and quality education, say, "I believe."
CROWD: I believe!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: America, which one is authentic and which one is apathetic?
Many at 10.2.10 didn't know why they were there. They were just told to go. The ones who were there, they really did believe in something. And there were a lot that really did believe in something. But when you talk to them, it really didn't make it much better. Watch:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violence is an abstract kind of question. It's a simple matter of it's going to happen in reality. And it's not a moral question, where is it right or wrong to resist? It's right to fight. And as a result, you are going to have to fight. And so, violence against a capitalist class in this instance would be justified, you know, if there were civil war between the classes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: OK, a class war.
Are you more this or this at 8.28?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely want people to be filled with real hope, you know, and conviction, that anything is possible in America, if we just know who we are and we believe in each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: America, we're headed towards tough times. We are headed towards tough times. Who do you want by your side, this guy or this guy?
Here is crowd at 8.28 saying the "Pledge of Allegiance":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation —
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Notice the hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: — under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: If you looked at the crowd, you could see the people were engaged and they were also, they had their hand on their heart.
We have don't have any video because it was pre-show where they did — why put the "Pledge of Allegiance" in the show? Here is the crowd prior to broadcast on Saturday. This is the "Pledge of Allegiance." How do you know? Pledge, pledge, pledge, pledge, pledge, wrong hand but she's trying.
Which one offers hope for America's future by understanding its past and honoring its traditions?
One of the most amazing things about 8.28, and I saw reporters that went. One reporter said he walked from this corner over to this corner by the Mall or by the — or by the ellipse. He said he walked the entire space and he couldn't find a single spot of paper. It was left spotless after the event.
Here we are and we're talking about half a million people out in the sun and virtually nothing left behind.
Here's a few pictures. Look at — look at the green space. This is after the event. This is — this is the Mall after. These are people leaving the 8.28 event.
Wait until I show you what happened here — when we come back.
— Watch "Glenn Beck" weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel
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