Joe Conason: Should Fox fire Glenn Beck? Or should he resign?

[babylonsister]

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2010/07/16/beck

Should Fox fire Glenn Beck? Or should he resign?
The combative talk host, who said Helen Thomas should be ousted, utters a classic anti-Semitic slur
By Joe Conason


Has Glenn Beck been touting anti-Semitic propaganda again? If so, should he suffer the same fate as Helen Thomas, the legendary Hearst columnist forced to resign last month after an idiotic tirade urging Israelis to "go home" to Poland and Germany?

Those unpleasant questions were provoked by Beck's latest bizarre outburst concerning religion when, in the throes of yet another lecture July 13 on why Christians should abhor social justice, he alluded to his belief that "the Jews" had killed Jesus Christ.

Discussing liberation theology and its portrayal of Jesus, Beck said: "If he was a victim and this theology was true, then Jesus would have come back from the dead and made the Jews pay for what they did."

Beck's recitation of the old Christ-killer canard -- a foundation of anti-Semitic ideology from the Passion Plays of the Middle Ages through the rise of Nazism to Mel Gibson's contemporary spewing -- may or may not represent personal prejudice. As the Fox News star might say, some of his best friends (including his publicist Matthew Hiltzik) happen to be Jewish.

But this fresh gaffe is hardly the first time that Beck has given wide circulation to ideas and ideologues hateful to Jews. Whether he is a bigot in his heart is unknowable, but he is a repeat offender.

snip//

So what is the appropriate sanction for him? Former Clinton aide Lanny Davis, whose demand for Thomas to be suspended was widely publicized in the Murdoch press, today told me that Fox News should "suspend his privileges of an on air platform for a reasonable period of time at least as a statement of the unacceptability of Mr. Beck's comments."

Perhaps it is most appropriate to turn to Beck's own judgment, however, at the time of the Thomas blowup. On June 7, when he aired the Thomas sound bite that quickly became so notorious, Beck was unsparing. "The old hatreds are reappearing," he said. "Now, how Helen Thomas has a job today is beyond me ... You know, may I tell you, this Jewish-run media, really, they're bad at running the media, if they are indeed Jewish. You know what I mean? The Zionist masters really suck at being Zionist masters ... if you still have Helen Thomas sitting in the front row after saying go back to Germany, go back to Poland. Play it again, please."

Fox News should replay Beck's rancid blather so he can hear it again -- and then, if he has any self-respect, he should resign.

[The Magistrate]

1. Mr. Conason, Ma'am, Is Absolutely Right

Beck has revealed himself to be a major-league Jew-hater....

[opihimoimoi]

2. The Boy is Psychotic and a Cultist....many out there are the same and suck for his shit

His act is so far to the fringe he should be embarrassed

But the need for Fame Fortune beckons without resistence

BECK IS A CANCER

[Ozymanithrax]

3. I agree that Beck shoudl be knitting tea cozies with Helen Thomas...

I've sent my demands to Fox. I doubt they listen to anyone with less money than their investor, the House of Saud.

[AsahinaKimi]

4. Beck is indeed a hater..

But it seems this is what Fox News wants out there... They sure have been amping up the rhetoric of hate in the last few years.

[WillyT]

5. Big K & R !!!

:kick:

:hi:

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I don't get it. My friend in Jerusalem just discovered Beck and is a serious fan.

Said he'd like Beck and Palin on the 2012 ticket.

I've shown him articles like Conason and it makes no impact.

[Cyrano]

8. Which goes to prove that schmucks exist everywhere.

[LWolf]

7. He should resign. If they fire him, he's a martyr. nt

[UTUSN]

9. K&R #18 for, Faux can't do anything and BecKKK won't do anything, but K&R!11 n/t

[Scurrilous]

10. K & R

:thumbsup:

[gratuitous]

11. "If he has any self-respect" Good one!

Old Vaporub Eyes? Self respect? Hardly. And the excuse will be the tried-and-true "oh, he's an entertainer, that's just schtick." So Beck stays put.

[niyad]

12. seppuku would be better

[Ross K]

13. I was thinking more along the lines of.....

...making Glenny Boy an impact probe to an assteroid.

[cascadiance]

14. Even without this, there's so much more... Like contemplating on air how to kill Michael Moore...

... as if that wouldn't prompt crazies to try and do that for real someplace else.

[spanone]

15. faux and mr murdoch are proud of their star pupil

[eppur_se_muova]

16. FAUX should air Mr. Beck 24/7.

So he can bring his marvelous ratings to all their time slots.

[joeybee12]

17. Oh come on, big difference...

Glenn BecKKK makes money for Faux...Helen Thomas didn't. Of course nothing will happen.