Glenn Beck took a few moments at the beginning of tonight’s show to not address recent assertions that he hates Jesus (the most hyperbolic of which can be found at Time) . (Presumably, he doesn’t.) Instead, he laughed it off and opted to focus on his hatred of the health care bill! Which, regular viewers will know, is great.
However, in the course of explaining why the health care bill is not okay, and moreover goes against everything the Founders had in mind, Beck appears to mess up what most would consider basic junior high American history. I actually had to listen a couple of times to make sure I had heard right.
Beck begins by calling out Sen. Tom Harkin for saying during a speech last December that the health care bill would finally make health care “an unalienable right of every American.” Here is Beck’s response:
Tom! I don’t know if you’ve read the Declaration of Independence but you don’t have the power to grant people rights. You don’t create them, you don’t enhance them. They are not yours…In case you missed it “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Who the hell do you think you are Congress? You are not God.
Okay. I am going to leave out the God part (something I think the Founders also endeavored to do?) and just focus on the “you don’t create them, you don’t enhance them” part which is staggeringly untrue. Because that is exactly what Congress does.
They create rights, also known as a Constitutional amendment. Then they take this proposal for an amendment and send it to all the State legislatures, 3/4 of which must ratify it in order for it to become law. Therefore guaranteeing an individual’s rights. (Option 2: Constitutional Convention.)
This is how we got everything from Freedom of Speech to Womens’ Right to Vote. This is pretty basic American history. Which I have to assume Beck has read. Which makes me wonder if he is assuming his viewers haven’t? Not sure, either way, wildly out of character. Video below. Show opener below that.
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