Beck strikes me as an intelligent loon, navigating this world in the wake of personal trauma -- like Jack Cafferty with a better haircut, Nancy Grace with something relevant to say. Passion is his currency.
This recovering addict and latter-day Mormon [sic] is fragile, fractious, self-effacing. He highlights scars rather than hiding them. He plies his trade in conservative media, but his libertarian leanings distinguish him from the rest of the über-right FOX-and-talk herd.
Although I don't follow Beck closely or make appointments for his commentary, I find myself agreeing with much of what I hear him say. He's fundamentally an ideologue, however, so he's prone to self-sabotage. His credibility suffers almost daily from incendiary, where-the-hell-did-that-come-from statements that win share and lose me.
Recently he's become the butt of jokes over an ad that's run during his Faux News broadcast. Here's the clip, followed by the satirical genius of Stephen Colbert.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Survival Seed Bank | ||||
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Now that's nuts.
My own preparedness bent is no secret to readers of KintlaLake Blog. I'm a big believer in practicing sustenance gardening and stockpiling seeds, but I know a scam when I see one.
I apply the same filter to Beck's commentary, judging some of it smart and some of it unprocessed crap. The key is recognizing the difference. (Not having a weak mind keeps fearmongers at bay, too.)
Yes, Glenn Beck may be crazy -- but (with apologies to the Piano Man) it just might be a lunatic we're looking for.
