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Glenn Beck

Corporate Sponsors for Border Fence, Good Idea?; Unbridled Consumption: Over the Top Celebrations

Aired May 31, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, HOST: Hello. I`m TV and radio`s Glenn Beck. Why do so many illegal aliens come to this country? Is it the jobs? The freedoms? No, it`s me. That`s right. Millions of people are risking their lives just to catch a quick glimpse of me. But can you blame them? Don`t adjust your sets America. I really am this handsome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: What a stupid show this is. Hello and welcome.

You know, a lot of people are saying the best way to solve illegal immigration is to build a giant border fence along the border. But, I mean, who`s going to build it, you know? More importantly, who`s going to pay for it?

I think the answer is simple. We do what most sports arenas and stadiums across the country are doing. We sell the naming rights to a giant corporation. So that way, instead of having, like, a bland, depressing fence like this. Have this. Yes, baby. Just imagine the Frito Lay Wall of America. I mean, who would dare break through that? You know what I`m saying?

Plus, it might become a tourist attraction. Come on, think with me. You could build a museum full of interactive exhibits, called the virtual reality alien experience, where you and your family could actually feel what it was like to be stuffed in the back of a flatbed truck for three days. That`s got to be fun.

And that`s not all. I`m thinking amphitheater. OK? It would feature nightly performances by who else, other than Charo. I`m loving this.

We could turn the border into Branson, Missouri, and isn`t that what America needs? Another Branson?

So come on, corporate America. Don`t just sit on the fence, build it.

Now, corporate sponsorship of the border fence, I mean, seems actually like a pretty good idea to me. But what do I know? I`m just a pasty faced gringo. To help us understand our cousins to the south is Gustavo Arellano.

Hello, Gustavo, how are you?

GUSTAVO ARELLANO, COLUMNIST, "O.C. WEEKLY": How`s it going, Glenn?

BECK: Very good. You`re actually a columnist for the "O.C. Weekly", and you do a column called "Ask a Mexican".

ARELLANO: "Ask a Mexican". I could answer any and all questions about Mexicans. Anything.

BECK: OK. Let me ask you this: I mean, are you authorized to speak for all Mexicans?

ARELLANO: In fact, there`s a little known provision in the 1917 Mexican constitution that said, "In the future, our spokesperson for the Mexican race is going to come out of Orange County, California, and he`s name is going to be Gustavo Arellano."

BECK: Wow, what a crazy constitution.

ARELLANO: I know. We`re so prophetic. We`re so prophetic.

BECK: Let me ask you this, Gustavo. I mean, I`ve, you know -- I`ve been studying up on my Mexican-English dictionary, and I know the word "illegal" is in there. Maybe it`s a pronunciation thing. Pronounce the word "illegal" in Spanish.

ARELLANO: Illegal.

BECK: So it`s not pronunciation. What part of illegal don`t Mexicans understand?

ARELLANO: Well, the illegal part, because illegal is in English and when we hear illegal we don`t understand. We heard "illegal," OK, we`ll understand that, too. And at the same time, though, the American people really haven`t understood the word "illegal" for the past 50 years because they keep hiring us.

BECK: Yes, yes. You`re right. You`re -- I`ll give you that. By the way, you are a legal U.S. citizen, right?

ARELLANO: I was born here. My dad, though, was an illegal immigrant. He came in the trunk of a Chevy in 1968. So he probably -- he could be a guide for your interactive museum on the border.

BECK: That`s so weird. That`s how I came into this country, too.

ARELLANO: Really?

BECK: Let me ask you this. Both political parties, I think, are just pandering to the Hispanic community on this issue. And what really bothers me is I really think this is racist to assume that just because you`re Hispanic, you`re all for those illegal immigrants.

ARELLANO: Definitely. Both Republican and Democrat parties think that all Latinos are wanting to have more illegal immigration. I would ask them to talk to my father, the former illegal immigrant. Now he`s against illegal immigration. He`s a truck driver, and he says that illegal immigrants are driving down wages. And that`s really -- that`s just another perspective to this debate.

BECK: Right. A recent Zogby poll said 73 percent of Mexicans consider Americans to be racist. I mean, what the -- what is that all about?

ARELLANO: Yes. Well, I mean, traditionally, down in Mexico, the United States, you know, north is always seen as this great enemy that`s trying to take away all of Mexico`s resources. But you know, then you have the Mexicans going to the United States and getting United States resources and just sending them down to Mexico. So it`s a bit hypocritical. There`s always a love-hate relationship in Mexico with the United States.

BECK: Since you`re authorized to speak for all Mexicans, let me ask you this.

ARELLANO: Sure.

BECK: The Virgin of Guadalupe.

ARELLANO: Yes.

BECK: What`s the need to display her on everything from T-shirts to bumper stickers? I mean, she`s not Dora the Explorer.

ARELLANO: No, she`s our beloved mother. You know, the empress of the Americas. And, you know, Mexican Catholicism is different from, I guess, American Catholicism in that we treat the sacred and the profane the same way. So we could have the Virgin of Guadalupe in our churches, but we`ll also have her on hub cups. And I`ve even seen her in guacamole, too.

BECK: Chipotle sauce.

ARELLANO: Chipotle sauce.

BECK: Thank you very much. Let me ask you one serious question.

ARELLANO: Sure.

BECK: How can we build a bridge to each other on understanding? I mean, with a giant wall in between, but a bridge nonetheless.

ARELLANO: Well, we -- we just have a lot of restaurants. If we go to the table, let`s talk over tacos and tequila. And after the fifth or sixth tequila, we`re going to be, you know, hanging out, just hugging each other and probably, you know, decrying all those illegal immigrants.

BECK: I think you`re mocking me here, quite honestly.

Gustavo, thanks a lot.

ARELLANO: Thanks a lot, Glenn.

BECK: You bet. Bye-bye.

Well, now that I think we all understand illegal immigrants just a little better, what should we do about them? Radio host and fellow hate monger -- honestly, he`s also a guy who just loves big fences -- Pat Gray joins me from KPRC Radio in Houston.

Hello, Pat. How are you, sir?

PAT GRAY, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I`m doing good. How`s my fellow hate monger?

BECK: I`m pretty good. I`m not as full of hate as I usually am.

GRAY: Really?

BECK: I`m trying to have that hate kick in. I`m not feeling it tonight.

GRAY: There`s pills. There`s pills that will help you do that.

BECK: Let me ask you this. I think the corporate wall, you know, is a way to go. What is your solution to the border jumpers?

GRAY: I think a corporate wall so big. I`m looking for a wall so high you can see it from space. I mean, if and when...

BECK: Wow! That`s a big wall.

GRAY: If we ever finally do the mission to Mars...

BECK: Right.

GRAY: ... I want, after the Mars lander has touched down on the ocean surface...

BECK: Sure. Yes.

GRAY: ... the first American astronaut that gets out on that Martian sand...

BECK: Yes.

GRAY: ... or rock or whatever it happens to be, and looks back toward this planet, I want him to say, "Houston, I can see the U.S. border fence from here. "

BECK: Yes. That`s a good idea. So you`re so far away, you can use it kind of as a map. You`re like, you`re lost: I don`t know, where`s Earth? And you`re like, well, there`s the fence. That must be Earth. I get it.

GRAY: Space alien cultures will find us with the U.S. border fence.

BECK: You know, the big wall kind of does seem Cold War-ish. You know what I mean?

GRAY: A little.

BECK: I mean, we have the Minutemen. But I mean, if you`re going to the have Cold War style, you know, fence, do you need something else? I mean, we had -- it was the nukes, not the fence.

GRAY: Well, we used to be a little bit more intimidating. We had the Marines along the border. That didn`t work out real well for us. So I`m thinking maybe a very big Pat Buchanan just waiting on the other side of the wall. Just standing there. Wouldn`t that be intimidating?

BECK: That`s disturbing. That`s what that is.

GRAY: It is disturbing, and I think it`s a little intimidating.

BECK: Let me ask you this. I had a guy call me up on the radio recently, and he`s -- you know, he`s talking about the fence and everything else. He said, we`re building a Berlin Wall. It`s a slippery slope right into a police state.

Isn`t the world a different place since 9/11? I mean, don`t we have to make -- we`re making choices that I really -- I`m not comfortable with any of the solutions, but don`t we have to make these choices?

GRAY: Well, I think we do. And the United Stats has never had to build fences or walls to keep people in. It`s only to keep people out. If we were in Germany`s situation, it would be a little bit different.

And I -- you know, I think we all need to be cognizant of the words of Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who said similar things. Thomas Jefferson said, "If you`re willing to sacrifice your freedom for your security, you deserve neither and you`re going to lose both."

BECK: Right.

GRAY: But I don`t think that`s the issue here.

BECK: Let me ask you this. I mean, I don`t hate immigrants. I know you don`t hate immigrants.

GRAY: Not at all.

BECK: I mean, immigrants -- immigrants built this country. None of us would be here. The problem is, is that too many people are spinning this story and not truth telling. Don`t we need to open the door wider but seal the cracks?

GRAY: Well, I think the door is already open as wide as we possibly get it. When Vicente Fox and President Bush got together in 2004, they signed a deal whereby we went from something like 450,000 guest worker visas every year to an unlimited number for Mexico. And I don`t know how it gets any more open.

BECK: Pat, appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

GRAY: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: Now, lots of people are saying that illegal immigrants are doing jobs that just no one else will take. Americans don`t want that jobs. Well, what are those jobs, exactly? Our own Brian Sack hit the street to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN SACH, "THE GLENN BECK SHOW": What job would you not you take?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no job I wouldn`t take if I had to feed my family.

SACH: So there`s not a single job you would just leave up to an immigrant guy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, you know, my family came here as immigrants. They had to start at the bottom. We`ve risen above to the next level. I don`t have a problem with that. You can go on strike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bus boy.

SACH: A bus boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I paid my dues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bus driver.

SACH: A bus driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or taxi. But they probably get reimbursed, right?

SACH: Well, everybody gets -- I mean, if they have a job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No job.

SACH: You`ll do any job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`d do any job.

SACH: And you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know.

SACH: There`s not one job that you just wouldn`t do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wash cars.

SACH: You wouldn`t wash cars?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn`t wash cars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pigeons. Pigeons are dirty to begin with. So I don`t want to be cleaning up dead pigeons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Work in a sewer.

SACH: You wouldn`t work in a sewer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Garbage man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`d say garbage.

SACH: Anything garbage related?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

SACH: No garbage related jobs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The truck seems kind of fun because you get a buddy and stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any job on Wall Street.

SACH: You wouldn`t take a Wall Street job?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

SACH: So it`s OK for the immigrants to work on Wall Street because you just don`t want that job?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SACH: OK. So they`ll be doing all the bidding, the asking, the selling?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they were qualified, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up on GLENN BECK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Here`s an idea. I say we let them start with penny stocks. Better idea, let`s just give them all pennies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I took this picture of her and now I look at this picture and I think she is so pretty. And her eyes are, you know, she has her mother`s eyes or her mother`s mother`s eyes, which are so beautiful. And I`m starting to look at her, and I`m thinking, wow, she is really pretty.

And then I realize, wait a minute. Hang on. That could be that dad gene, you know, where God makes -- I really do think that God makes parents -- it`s something that he`s -- he`s a miracle worker. I mean, he`s a genius. He`s God. He tells parents -- you know, he puts them, I don`t know, in some sort of trance or something so they don`t see the ugliness of their own kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: True, man.

One of the topics that I like to talk about on the radio and in our magazine, "Fusion", is something we call unbridled consumption. It`s that weird, twisted, alternative universe where money is no object and common sense, man, is a thing of the past.

You know what I`m talking about. It`s the guy who buys himself his very own sonogram machine, you know, just to have it around the house. Or the moron who has to buy every single DVD that ever comes out, regardless of how terrible the movie might be, which I -- that`s what I do.

Anyway, since we`re in the heart of prom season, I thought we`d actually tackle the subject of life events. Weddings, bar mitzvahs. You know, those quaint, simple, once in a lifetime events that somehow or another are now all of a sudden single-handedly fueling our economy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): In the Jewish religion, the bat mitzvah is a rite of passage, a crossover from childhood to adulthood, where the child becomes responsible for his own deeds, spiritually, ethically and morally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She loves the ruffles, because she wanted a poofy dress. But it`s a service. So she needs -- so that`s why she needs a custom, too, because she can kind of take a ruffle but put a jacket with it as opposed to just going and buying a poofy dress off the rack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just like how it`s so poofy.

BECK: Scholars have yet to find any reference to poofy in the Talmud. But the main theme and focus of the bat mitzvah is the celebration of becoming a young woman in the eyes of Jewish tradition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the exact same color as the flowers. And everything I bought was just pink and orange. They`re all pink and orange; everything is pink and orange.

BECK: It`s about taking your place within the Jewish faith and becoming a responsible member of the community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the tablecloths are pink and orange, and all the flowers are pink and orange. And I think the decorations also are pink and orange. We`re going to get (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for favors that are pink and orange.

BECK: Preparation for the bat mitzvah takes years of study and preparation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s September 6, 2008.

BECK: That means her bat mitzvah is only two years, six months and, I don`t know, a long way away for an 11-year-old to worry about anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to do it customized, like, so it`s not the same as everybody else`s. And I want it to have a lot of accessory but not too much.

BECK: Wait a minute. Aren`t you like 11 years old?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like this color and this kind of fabric.

BECK: You should be outside playing with other girls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This one is so simple and has little bows.

BECK: Well, perhaps, like these girls, you should also start worrying about your prom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to wear something that would kind of, you know, stop everything.

BECK: The prom is about individuality, about picking the right dress that will look great no matter how many times your date throws up on it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just would die if I walked in and someone was wearing the same dress as me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It worries me a lot, but like, I`ve talked to a few girls about it, and everyone says that I`m OK for now. But I mean, if one other senior has it, then I have to change my dress.

BECK: The prom is also a ritual that has withstood the test of time. It`s a ritual as sacred as the pre-prom, the pre-pre-prom and, of course, the post-prom beach party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, there`s pre-pre-prom and that`s with just like the people in your limo and, like, the families. That`s where you take all the pictures, like, kind of like the typical prom pictures, with the poses and stuff. And there`s pre-prom with everybody. And then like - - like...

BECK: And then like, like, you know, then what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then after the prom is after-prom. People usually go for like the city club attire, like really short dresses, like really like kind of low-cut tops, like more revealing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More fun looking.

BECK: Ah, the innocence of youth.

Weddings. What could be more beautiful than a couple stating their vows of love and commitment to each other, amongst friends and family, and videographers and florists and valet parkers and a team of lawyers that have just drafted your prenup? You get the idea.

This is why some people hire a wedding planner, to make those tough choices a little easier.

MARCY BLUM, WEDDING PLANNER: The idea of either you can have chicken or fish or beef sort of didn`t -- didn`t work for me.

BECK: They can help you with things like preparing a simple menu, one that will appeal to everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a lobster salad with crushed avocado and tomatoes. The entree was a lamb chop and the dessert was aged Gouda and cherry strudel.

BECK: Does anyone think cherries and smelly old cheese are a good combo? But anyway.

A budget is always useful when planning a wedding, especially when you`re young, starting a life together and your parents are footing the bill. Just remember, it`s not about how much you spend.

BLUM: You don`t ever want someone to leave and say, "Do you believe how much money they spent on that?" That`s certainly not my intent.

BECK: Oh, yes, that`s right. It is about how much you spend.

BLUM: Maybe between $500 and $1,000 a person.

BECK: But let`s be honest. Let`s not let the wedding get in the way of the true meaning of this day. The true reason people are here.

CHARMAINE JONES, CAKE DIVA: It`s really the cake. Hello. The cake is like the total center of attention. And it totally makes the party, and it`s like huge. I love -- I love huge cakes.

BECK: Meet Charmaine Jones, who would prefer that you call her the cake diva. And you thought I was kidding.

JONES: I`ve lived my life for the past 16 years to change the world of cakes.

BECK: And single-handedly she has made the world of cakes really expensive.

JONES: This cake would probably feed about 250 people. So we charge like $10 a person.

BECK: Wow, that comes to $25,000. No wait, $2,500. Oh, well, that`s not as expensive as $25,000 a cake but still an awful lot of money for flour and frosting. I`m sorry. Go on, ambiguous cake diva.

JONES: You always pretty much have to have a separate ceremony for the cutting of the cake, because the cake is what`s going to be in the picture when they go through their album. The cutting of the cake, the feeding, when the bride and groom feed each other, not smashing it in the face, because people get divorced because of that.

BECK: Which brings us to divorce. Ah, the untapped market. My mind is racing already. Divorce diva, stay tuned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You remember the Muslim riots over the Mohammed cartoon? How could you forget? Riots could actually happen here, too, but for a very different reason. And we`ll show you why in just a few minutes.

But first, important stories to address in today`s "Quality of Life" market update. So let`s get right to it.

Let me ask you this question. How many people do you think are actually injured in a lawnmower accident every year? If I told you it was 2,000 people, you would say, that`s nuts, right? Three thousand? Couldn`t possibly be more than 5,000 lawnmower injuries requiring hospitalization in one year, Glenn. Could there be?

Yes, try 5,000 per month. Almost 80,000 morons a year ruthlessly mauled by their lawnmower. And remember, the grass only grows half the year in a good portion of the country. As you might imagine, those stats led to a big jump in the stock of stupidity.

So the next time you do something dumb, think of this. Think of the NFL, and then consider the fact that the equivalent of every person in that entire stadium every year has a bloody run-in with their lawnmower. That actually should make you feel pretty good about yourself.

Now on to Florida, where the wild bird sector was pounded by news that a ferocious, blood-thirsty hawk is on the loose. The red-shouldered hawk apparently moved into a neighborhood recently and has been getting its jollies by swooping down on the heads of unsuspecting retirees. Neighbors understandably concerned, because the acts seem random and the victims don`t appear to have anything in common with this hawk.

A local retiree upped the fear quotient in the neighborhood when she said, "You just don`t know where they`re going to come from."

Run for your lives, old people in Florida. The retiree killer hawk is going to peck your eyes out.

Finally, hello, my name is Glenn, and I`m an evil conservative. I`m also a hate monger. Because of that, I must be against that pollution free, completely environmentally friendly wind power. Right?

Actually no, I mean, I`m totally cool with it. I mean, if wind power actually works, I`m for it, brother. You know, I`ll just go ahead and put the turbine right in my front yard.

That drove the stock of conventional wisdom way down today. And let me tell you why. First of all, I mean, gas prices are nuts. Secondly -- secondly, I don`t really want to depend on countries like Saudi Arabia, I mean, even for cupcakes, even though I hear they make them delicious. Let alone powering our country. Thanks, but no thanks, Saudi Arabia.

And most importantly, and think this is really why I am for wind power. Because apparently Mr. Environmentally Friendly guy, Ted Kennedy, against it. You heard me right. He`s actually trying to kill a plan to build the world`s largest wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod. It would generate 75 percent of Cape Cod`s power, but the Kennedys and the neighbors are worried about their precious view and property value. Others think it might kill some migrating birds.

And as an evil conservative, that just makes me want wind power even more. Rock on, wind power. Rock on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I got to get this off my chest. We all have choices to make. Our parents made choices; many of our parents made really bad choices. But you know what? No matter what they did to you, you also have a choice.

You know, we don`t blame the sins of the son on the father or the sins of the father on the son. We don`t do that, you know what I mean? Everybody has an individual choice.

Why can`t we start looking at people as people and not the collection of their weird families? You know, I know you grew up in a bad relationship, and your stepfather beat you, and yadda, yadda, yadda, but you had a choice and you chose wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: It really is all about choices. And, you know, one of the things -- it`s so easy for us to take the good things in life we have for granted, simple things, like a roof over our head, food on the table, our health.

Kevin here, he gets to work with me every day. Cherish it, brother. Cherish it.

Sure, we complain when life doesn`t go the way we envision it. I mean, there`s lots of stuff. There`s stress at work. There`s not enough money to buy some little thing that we may or may not have that would make our life better or not. It`s easy to forget how good we actually have it. It`s kind of an American thing, isn`t it?

I`d like to give you a little reality check in a segment we call "The Real America." It`s a story of three vibrant, young women who have lived most of their lives battling serious illnesses. It`s a story of their families dealing with that potentially devastating life event with grace and strength that inspires hope and maybe some perspective in our own lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The name of the game today is just have a lot of fun, enjoy yourselves.

BECK (voice-over): They look like your average teenage girls, pretty, funny, nuts with excitement. But these young faces have already overcome more in their short lives than many of us will ever have to deal with in a lifetime.

MEGAN MURRAY, DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKIN`S DISEASE: I was 13 when I first got diagnosed, and I went through four months of chemo and three months of radiation.

CARLY SHEFFIELD, DIAGNOSED WITH JUVENILE DERMATOMYOSITIS: They diagnosed me and started me on a lot of steroids.

AMANDA ALCALA, DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA: When I was, like, just turned two years old, I was diagnosed with leukemia.

BECK: Today, these three girls, each dealing with a life-threatening disease, will have a dream come true, granted by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, to be a supermodel for the day.

CATHY ATRIA, MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION: We know we medically can`t cure these kids, but we hope to heal spirit.

BECK: It`s a day of happiness and a time when their parents can look on as their daughters experience the fun most kids take for granted. Carly Sheffield was diagnosed with a rare disease called juvenile dermatomyositis when she was just eight years old.

C. SHEFFIELD: The disease first presents itself as a skin rash on your knuckles or your joints. And we just thought it was an exercise rash, because I was really active.

BECK: Carly was a rough-and-tumble kid, in gymnastics and sports.

DIANA SHEFFIELD, CARLY`S MOTHER: You just thought about her, and you thought about her being strong.

BECK: But she had to give it up when she was diagnosed. The disease was eating away at her muscle tissue. Even worse, it grew stronger in the sunlight, so Carly had to limit her time playing outside. Eventually, Carly`s mom made her a promise.

D. SHEFFIELD: I kind of went out on a limb. I said, you know, Carly, if you can just hang in there, we`ll take -- Sarah and I will take you anywhere you want to go, if you can just hang in there and not, you know...

BECK: And that`s just what Carly did. For the last five years, she`s undergone aggressive treatment, taking steroids with horrible side effects that would make her bloat and have dramatic mood swings.

C. SHEFFIELD: My family was always there to encourage me, and we would always just sit down and pray together, because we knew that it was going to be OK and that God had a plan.

BECK: Through faith, family and a ferocious will to live, Carly is beating the odds.

C. SHEFFIELD: When you`re on steroids, you don`t really take good pictures. And all from fourth to seventh grade, I didn`t take very good pictures.

BECK: And today she`s getting the chance to celebrate and to recapture a part of her childhood that so many children just take for granted.

C. SHEFFIELD: So this is just a chance, now that I`m done with my medicine, to have good pictures of me.

BECK: But instead of a school photographer, she`s getting her shot with one of best photographers in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s get this party started, people!

BECK: This is the stuff dreams are made of for most teens. And for these girls in particular, it`s overwhelming. Makeup done by artists who usually spend their days pampering celebrities like J-Lo and Madonna, suitcases full of clothes and probably more free stuff than one kid would probably know what to do with.

MARY ALICE STEPHENSON, STYLIST: The moment I started doing these wishes, I really rallied. And how can we make these girls feel beautiful? And it just gives them hope.

BECK: Stylist Mary Alice Stephenson put this whole thing together.

STEPHENSON: It takes the focus off their disease and or what they`ve gone through and allow them to have fun and feel great about themselves.

BECK: And it gives parents a chance to experience something amazing, something completely unique with their children.

ELVIRA ALCALA, AMANDA`S MOM: It`s been a long road, and I`m so glad I did it with her.

ATRIA: You talk to the parents. And while they`re so happy to be here for this day, they`ll kind of give you a little bit of background of what it took to get here. And then that`s when -- you know, that`s when the eyes well with tears, and then that`s when you realize what a journey a whole family goes on when a child is sick.

BECK: It`s a journey that they won`t soon forget. For these families, it is an arduous road that has ended, for today, in sharing, sharing real joy.

C. SHEFFIELD: My illness was a big bad part in my family and everything, but everything always turns out perfect, and this is what the perfect ending of my journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: What a great story, on a day I`m sure the girls are not going to soon forget.

Cathy Atria is from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She joins me now.

Cathy, I got to tell you, my daughter was born about a month ago, and I looked at the nurse in the hospital and I said, "You have probably the best job and simultaneously one of worst jobs, because, when things are great, it`s just a miracle. But when things go wrong, it`s got to be tough."

Are you in that same kind of situation, where you have the best job and the worst job?

ATRIA: Very often. Yes, we grant wishes, and that is a wonderful thing and such a unique profession to be in that profession. But, unfortunately, we do see the sad side of things sometimes.

The interesting thing that I have always found is that all of the people who work on the side of wishes, when people ask us, "What illness does that child have?" We honestly can answer, "I don`t know." We focus on Made a Wish is not to focus on the illness; it`s to focus on the positive that we can do.

BECK: These girls didn`t even look sick. I mean, is that usually the case?

ATRIA: That`s very common. We hear that from a lot of people that we work with, that these children, they don`t look sick. And a lot of times, again, the wish is granted sometimes a long time after they`ve dealt with the chemo and the radiation, especially in the instance of these girls who want to be models. We very often heard we want to wait until our hair grows back and we want to wait until we`re feeling better.

BECK: I have to tell you that, when this story was first brought to me and they said, "Glenn, we want to do a story on this," I said -- you know, I was a little bothered by it at the beginning, because I thought, well, it`s kind of shallow. I mean, it`s about clothes and models.

But then, as we started talking about it in our story meeting, what these girls have gone through, especially in our society, where so much is based on looks and everything else, for a child going through a serious illness and not being able to have a photograph of themselves as a teenager that was anything other than, you know, no hair or whatever, that`s pretty -- that`s harsh stuff.

ATRIA: Absolutely. And that`s the thing. You spend five minutes with these children, and you realize how much this wish is everything beyond just the simple what it seems like from the outset.

To be a model is so much more than hair and makeup. And as it said in the piece, they`re having their hair and makeup done by the best in the world. They`re getting clothes, and jewelry, and shoes from the designers themselves. It`s just an amazing, amazing opportunity for these kids.

BECK: Let me go the other direction. I remember it must have been about 1990. I was broke. And I remember the Christmas that I couldn`t afford to buy the presents that I wanted to buy my kids for Christmas, and it tore me up inside. I mean, it still tears me up just even remembering it.

This must do amazing things for the parents, as well, to be able to see their kids happy, and living a dream, and not thinking about illness just for a short period of time.

ATRIA: Absolutely. And that`s one of the things that Make-a-Wish, says is that we provide that respite from the illness, and from the needles, and the hospitals, and the doctors to just a magical getaway, whether it be a one-day experience, like these children who wanted to be models, or kids who travel to some place that they really only dreamed of.

And the best part is that we can say we`re going to do this -- grant this wish without any financial impact on the family. That`s what Make-a- Wish`s job is: It`s to make this a carefree experience for everybody who`s involved.

BECK: Cathy, this kind of hits home close to me. I have a daughter who has cerebral palsy, and I remember when she was little. She had a seizure. And she came down to the breakfast table, and her hands were still shaking real hard, and the Cheerios fell out of the spoon.

And I asked her, I said, "Are you OK, honey?" And she said, "Yes, Dad, I just want to be normal. I just want to stop feeling this way."

Thank you, Cathy, for giving these three kids a chance to just feel normal for the day.

ATRIA: And thank you so much for having us and letting us tell our story and what Make-a-Wish really can make happen for these children and their families.

BECK: You bet. Thank you.

ATRIA: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Mom and Dad, if your kids are in the room, you might want to boot them out for a minute because this is really sick. A student paper in Oregon, "The Insurgent," recently depicted a cartoon depicting Jesus hanging on the cross sporting -- and this is the medical term -- an erection.

No, I am not going to show you that, but here`s what they did print with that covered up. Apparently, it was in response to those Muhammad cartoons published just a few months ago, not only in Europe, also in the "Oregon Commentator," another campus paper.

Those cartoons, of course, led to this happy scene: Muslim riots that started in Denmark and then spread to Indonesia, and India, and Thailand, and Allah knows what other countries.

Am I offended by this? Absolutely. I find it repulsive. Am I going to call for the murder of every student at the University of Oregon? Absolutely not. That`s the difference between a free society and a whacked-out one.

It all comes down to rights versus responsibility. I agree, you`ve got the right to say whatever you want. If you`re a lunatic that wants to paint a picture of an aroused Jesus, go ahead. Help yourself to all the paint you can find. However, isn`t it the responsibility of the school or an editor to decide not to print it?

Let me give you another example. I have the right on this program to show the image of Muhammad. It`s not against any law, but it`s my responsibility as an employer not to. Why?

Actually, we talked about this on the radio show when the cartoons were first published. I think it`s irresponsible for me to put my employees at risk from radical Muslim nut jobs who want to kill anybody who has a different opinion different from theirs. I mean, what would be the point?

Rights versus responsibility, get it? The students that are at this alternative paper at the University of Oregon doesn`t seem to get it.

Michael Gross is a former ACLU attorney and a civil rights lawyer, ordinarily the kind of guy that makes my head explode. But I talked to him, and I asked him, "What was the point of publishing these cartoons?"

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL GROSS, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I assume that this was a way of saying, "So how do you like it? How do you feel when your God is desecrated, if you want to know why we were so upset?" Maybe that was it, if it was Muslims. Or, if it was Christians, then maybe the point was, "Hey, look, we can kid ourselves here. Don`t take it so seriously." A fatwa is not necessary, because we are putting out images.

BECK: First, let me say this: The president of the university said - - because this is not a university newspaper. He said the best response to offensive speech often is more speech. I agree with that. Michael, I assume you agree with that.

GROSS: It`s what we call the marketplace of ideas, as Justice Holmes said. That`s where you get the truth. Don`t suppress it.

BECK: Got it. And I agree with you. I love you. Thank you for...

GROSS: Especially students, especially on campus. This is not a campus paper.

BECK: Let me run through just a couple yes or no questions, and then I want to get to some meat of some stuff, OK?

GROSS: Yes.

BECK: Yes or no, people have the right to draw and print whatever they want?

GROSS: Unconditionally.

BECK: Great, me, too. Yes or no, people have the responsibility to their country to be decent human beings?

GROSS: Well, responsibility has nothing to do with the law. This is morals. This could be blasphemy, but that doesn`t mean it`s illegal.

BECK: No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait. Don`t necessarily tie those together, because I do believe you`re right.

GROSS: But I`m not here for decorum. I don`t have any way of teaching that. I`m not good at that. I like truth.

BECK: No, you do. You know what, Michael? You know what I think the problem has been? I think the ACLU, while I disagree with almost everything you guys do, you`re an important thing. However, not in a society that has abandoned shame.

I mean, you have rights, but you also have to have responsibility. Once you lose that responsibility, your rights will go away.

GROSS: Glenn...

BECK: Don`t you think that our country has come to a place where nobody -- everybody is talking about, "Hey, it`s my right to say it." Yes.

GROSS: This is not easy. The heart and soul of America is free speech; the acknowledgment that we speak freely is more important than who we offend by what we say. When you express yourself freely, when any opinion you have can be thought about and articulated, you live free. That`s what being a full human being is all about. When you suppress that because you offend somebody...

BECK: Are you getting angry? Are you getting angry?

GROSS: I`m getting passionate because I don`t want speech suppressed.

BECK: Don`t get angry. We can have a nice exchange of ideas. Don`t get angry.

GROSS: I apology for my tone.

BECK: Believe me: I was already there about a half-hour ago. It`s not worth it.

GROSS: I know. I`m sure.

BECK: What I`m asking you -- I agree with you that law is one thing. You have a right to do anything that you want. But will you agree with me, not as an attorney, but as a human being, that you have a responsibility to do what`s right for more than just you?

GROSS: Glenn, yes, of course. When I listen to what I have to defend, that the Ku Klux Klan wants to say, or the neo-Nazis want to say, I have to defend that. Yes, I find it, as you said, revolting, stupid, dangerous. But I must recognize that their right to say it is more important than my sensitivities.

If we can open up free speech -- after all, you can either look at those cartoons or not; you can either argue about them or not; you can reason with people who are allowed to express themselves.

We`ve got a worldwide war going on here between opinions. This is dangerous stuff. We`re in a religious war here. Let`s talk about it.

BECK: Michael Gross, I appreciate it. Thank you very much for having the conversation with me today.

GROSS: I appreciate the opportunity of being here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is GLENN BECK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Please, for the love of everything that`s good and sacred, can we stop with the stupid cell phone and e-mail language? Can we please stop with it? I can`t take it. For example, "See you later" would be "C U L8R." Come on. Our kids are doomed.

Have you ever read anything, like, from our Founding Fathers? Have you ever read anything from, like, you know, the 1700s or 1800s, even the turn of the century, 1900s? I mean, people actually used words like "reticent."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Look, I`m not a guy who leads causes. I`m a guy who sits at home and plays with my kids. I watch TV. I do eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting, and I ain`t kidding about that. I am definitely not a guy who leads boycotts. In fact, I boycott boycotts. They hack me off.

I don`t march in protest of anything. I don`t even stay on the line to express my opinion on phone surveys, and I never, ever write my congressman, or woman, or whatever it is.

I know some cable news hosts are "looking out for you." I want you to know: I`m looking out for me, and that`s my promise to you.

But, from time to time, an issue that comes around that cannot be ignored and action by the citizens of this great country is not only important, it`s required. And that`s why I`m asking you to join me in a fight, America, a fight again the penny.

Today, I take a stand. I take a stand and say the penny needs to be eliminated.

First of all, they`re annoying. I commissioned a study of my own life and I discovered that I spend about 83 percent of my time just trying to figure out where to put the pennies. They`re in jars; they`re in seat cushions; they`re always jingling around in my pants.

Secondly, they waste our valuable time. The National Association of Convenience Stores came up with an estimate that using pennies wastes two seconds per transaction. The convenience store people were researching that instead of coming up with new, delicious Slurpee flavors.

And finally, pennies don`t actually buy anything. Vending machines don`t even take them. Two-thirds of them immediately drop out of circulation because people hate lugging them around.

And what`s worse, because of the rise in the price of zinc, it actually costs 1.4 cents to produce one penny. So surprise, surprise, the government is actually losing money on them.

If you can have a piece of currency that sits in a tray, in a convenience store, in the worst part of town, with a sign that says "Take me," and people still ignore it, I think it`s time we melt them all down.

You might say, "But, Glenn, we can`t get rid of the penny. It honors Abraham Lincoln." Look, Abe already has that memorial thing in Washington, a center in New York, a pretty nice car company, a city in Nebraska, about 64,000 high schools named after him, and the $5 bill. What more does the bearded man need? Are we talking Abe Lincoln or Donald Trump?

Think about it. If he were here today, wouldn`t the man who freed the slaves also want to free us from the tyranny of the penny? Oh, I think so, America.

I`m Glenn Beck. Good night.

END

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