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Glenn Beck

Illegal Immigrant Activist Arrested, Deported; Is Legal Immigration System Broken?; Are Gun Regs or Immigration Policies to Blame for Newark Murders?; CBS Reality Show Accused of Child Abuse

Aired August 20, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, the poster woman for immigration reform arrested and deported. Why this headline grabbing activist may actually have hurt her own cause.

Plus, scientists claim they`re close to creating human life from scratch. Just like momma used to make. I`ll take one of these, please.

And, from playing God to getting played. Michael Vick`s closest friends turning on him, and his legal troubles are mounting. I`ll tell you why his arrogance is ultimately to blame.

All this and more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, hello, America.

The battle against illegal immigration took an ugly turn when a mother actually tried to use her own 8-year-old son as a protective shield from the law. It is disgusting, and it is true.

Tonight, here`s the point.

Anybody who sneaks into this country needs to understand one simple thing: America is the greatest country on earth because we live by a set of rules and laws. Forget about where you came from, when you came to this country you play by the rules or you go home. And you can save your tears for the Tijuana hometown crowd. And here`s how I got here.

Elvira Arellano, she`s a Mexican who illegally entered this country in 1997. She was caught and sent back. Then in 2000 she snuck back in. Looks like she doesn`t want to play by the rules.

She was then arrested in 2002. She was convicted of using a fake Social Security card when she was working at O`Hara International Airport cleaning airplanes on the tarmac. Hmmm. We should probably have people with real I.D.s in that position. Don`t you think?

She was ordered to surrender to authorities last year, but instead, she decided to go another way by breaking the law yet again and seeking sanctuary in a store front church on Chicago`s west side.

Oh, I guess I should also mention that along the way she chose to give birth to a child here in the United States, giving her what we like to call an anchor baby, because any child who is born here in the U.S. is a U.S. citizen.

Where is Dad? I don`t know. I don`t even know if he`s still in the picture.

Eight-year-old Saul is now an American citizen, and his mom isn`t. So after spending a year in the sanctuary church, Elvira and her son decided on a little road trip to Los Angeles, and that`s when authorities finally apprehended them both. And in a matter of hours deported Elvira right back to Mexico, where she immediately began singing this song.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELVIRA ARELLANO, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION/ACTIVIST: I want to live in the United States and raise my son, who is a U.S. citizen. I do believe that the majority of the people of this country have come to believe that the law is broken, that it must be fixed -- fixed and that families should not be separated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, you`re exactly right. Families shouldn`t be separated. Gee, I wonder who made that decision?

We didn`t allow you to live here, Elvira. You snuck in and broke the law. The one thing you were just referring to that was broken. You finally got what you deserved.

Tonight, America hears what you need to know about this story. The only one responsible for Elvira`s plight is Elvira. She chose to sneak into America two times. She chose to use a fake Social Security card. She chose to have her child here in America.

I personally think that the boy is better of with his mother. What was it she said, families shouldn`t be split up? Yes, I agree with that. Living in the United States is no substitute for preserving a family.

We must never forget that she is the one making the decisions here. She`s the one who chose here -- to come here illegally. She is ultimately being deported because of that decision. For that action, she also chose to leave her son behind. We did not split this family up. She did. Why is the question?

Because she knows that being an American has value. And I believe that value needs to be protected. Citizenship is not given out; it`s earned.

Javier Salas hosts a radio show for Univision Radio.

Javier, she actually claimed that she was the Rosa parks of the illegal immigrant movement. Do you agree with that?

JAVIER SALAS, RADIO HOST: She did say that last year. Nice to be on this show.

BECK: Thank you.

SALAS: She said that at the beginning of this sanctuary, last year. I -- me as a radio host, I disagree with that matter, and I gain a lot of enemies. But then again, I guess everything comes to the fact that we don`t have comprehensive immigration reform. That`s what we need. And Elvira, again, is just a small part of the whole big picture.

BECK: You know what? We`re going to talk here in a minute on how there are plenty of immigrants trying to come here the right way and our government is doing everything to slow that process down. And it`s an outrage.

However, when you come into this country -- she used a church to shield her. I believe she used her son to shield her, which is an outrage.

Do you believe that there`s -- do you believe it`s better to -- do you believe it`s better to have your child raised by somebody else in America or keep a family intact down in Mexico?

SALAS: Me as a father, myself, of two babies, I wouldn`t like to be apart from my kids. That I believe is a mistake from her side. I hope the best for her and her kid -- for the kid. I hope they get together one -- they are together very soon.

But once again, let me tell you this, she went to a Methodist church. A vast majority of Mexicans, we`re Catholics. That was the first signal that something was wrong with the decision of her by getting into that church.

BECK: How do you mean? Are you saying that Hispanics can`t be Methodist?

SALAS: No. Well, I`m not saying that. What I`m saying is that the vast majority of Catholics, we`re really into a religion. We`re Catholics. We go to church. And we could expect that she was going to go and be protected and look for sanctuary in a Catholic church, not a Methodist church.

Once again, let me tell you this. I believe that the most important matter here is we need comprehensive immigration reform, and the Congress is to blame in part for all of these consequences, which is severe.

BECK: No, the only one to blame in this situation is her. She`s the one that made the choices every step of the way. She`s the one who went into the church sanctuary. She`s the one who could have said, "I want to take my son back to Mexico with me. It`s important that he stays with me."

So she`s -- she`s either using her son as a shield and a wedge and trying to get some sort of publicity and sympathy on her side, which is despicable as a mom, or she actually believes that it is better to raise a child here in the United States without a family. It`s better to raise them in the United States and give them the opportunity that you have in the United States than it is back in Mexico.

But you know what? If that`s true, she doesn`t get the free pass, does she? I mean, I can understand a mother saying, "Please take my child. Give him this opportunity. Please take my child."

But what she did is: "Take my child and I deserve it, too."

SALAS: The sad part of this news is that -- let me tell you, is there is thousands of people like Elvira Arellano. And let`s focus on that people. I`m telling you, there`s a big picture out of this now (ph). Elvira, again, is big because the media, like your show and some other radio shows, they pay attention to her, you know. If I call a press conference and I said, "I`m the leader"...

BECK: Yes, OK. I think I get your point.

Thank you very much for being on the program.

You know, one of the problems that is keeping illegal immigrants out of our country -- that`s one of the problem. But it also seems we have another problem, letting the legal ones in, especially the high skilled, evidently. The Citizens and Immigration Services Agency, a little behind on the processing of the visa applications by just, oh, a couple of hundred thousand requests.

Here with thoughts on the matter is Steve Camarota. He`s from the Center of Immigration Studies. Steve, what -- I read this story. And what amazed me when I read the story over the weekend is I`m called a racist, because I apparently hate Mexicans because I want an orderly intake in the country. I say seal the borders, both north and south, for security reasons and then open the door wider.

Who can I blame and call racist today for finding out that this system is completely broken and no one is trying to fix this?

STEVE CAMAROTA, CENTER OF IMMIGRATION STUDIES: Well, the legal immigration system is very complex. First off, you do have to remember it is a government bureaucracy, so they often don`t run.

BECK: I can`t wait till I get my health care from them.

CAMAROTA: But the other thing is, is that most of the terrorists who come into the United States have used the skills base or have been skilled individuals.

So you do have to carefully vet each applicant, verify their story, verify again, make sure they don`t have a criminal record in their home country. And that takes time. So you have to realize that. The other thing is Congress has made a decision to basically fund the entire legal immigration system through the fees that they collect. Now in theory, that should make sense. Make people pay if they want to come.

The problem is that there`s no money really often available for capital improvement. But say you need new computers. Well, the fees they collect generally pay for existing costs. So there`s no money to upgrade the computers. Congress would have to allocate that money. There`s a certain reluctance to do that.

BECK: OK. Why?

CAMAROTA: Well, the general principal of immigration when it comes to Congress is that they pass laws setting certain numbers without -- and they`re very high. But at the same time, there`s no reflection on what the administrative capacity of the system is to handle that. So you often end up with various kinds of backgrounds.

BECK: This really doesn`t sounds like a government system. I mean, this one sounds like a bad one, and they`re all so lovely.

The question, though, remains, why? Why isn`t it fixed? Why isn`t there a movement to fix it? How come I can be racist, but those in Congress who would call me racist won`t fix the system where legal immigration can happen?

CAMAROTA: Yes. Well, they`ve set the numbers so high and haven`t created the bureaucracy to process it. That`s the short answer.

Besides, if you have a problem with the system, who do you turn to? Your member of Congress. So this can create a lot of grateful constituents who use their member of Congress to navigate the system. So that`s not necessarily bad from a political point of view, because that person is then likely to vote for you and be appreciative. So there is, in a very cynical way, blessing (ph) the Senate. So...

BECK: I was going to say, Steve, that`s rather cynical.

CAMAROTA: But there is a political science literature on this that suggests that, as the bureaucracy has grown, it also made members -- it helped members because they could, you know, help folks navigate the system.

BECK: OK. See you. Thanks a lot.

Coming up, who is to really blame for murder? Sixth suspect in custody now for the execution-style killings in Newark, New Jersey. Why is the state`s governor now blaming guns and not people?

And what`s behind Russian president Vladimir Putin`s dramatic military expansion? Is it more image than might? Should we be worried? Tonight`s "Real Story", coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, scientists say they`re as little as three years away from creating artificial life. Isn`t that good news? Oh, no, I don`t think so. With great power comes great responsibility. At least I heard that, I think, in "Spider-Man". Are we ready to create life?

And an update for you tonight. I had an exclusive interview with Dog the Bounty Hunter just last Thursday. He had only just learned about his troubles with the Mexican government and how they had now turned into troubles with the U.S. government. What a surprise there.

I wish I had good news for you tonight, but the feds want to keep the Dog on a leash just a little bit longer. Keep in mind, the nation of Mexico has dropped all charges against the Dog. Yet our government, strangely, has decided they need a little more time to work on this case until the judge gets back in October.

I`m going to go out on a limb. I think America is a pretty big country. What do you say we hire another judge? You know, so we just have an extra one hanging around while that one is on vacation? Stay tuned for updates as they happen. Something`s not right here, but what a surprise.

Now let`s move on to those who truly do belong in jail. Early yesterday morning in New Jersey, authorities arrested a sixth and final suspect in the execution style killings of three college students in a Newark schoolyard.

In response to the Newark massacre -- massacre, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine announced that his state will finally begin tracking illegal firearms, thanks to a federal weapons database.

Well, it`s about time, Governor. I mean, you know, a little late for the families of the three dead kids, but hey, I understand. You`ve been busy causing high-speed accidents on your way to stop that evildoer Don Imus. There was a priority for you.

But here`s the bigger picture. Those who pulled the triggers in that schoolyard two weeks ago were a mixed bag of foreign nationals and illegal immigrants. Wake up, New Jersey, and wake up, America.

Newark is a sanctuary city -- oh, doesn`t that sound nice?-- for illegal immigrants who, in at least one instance, are doing the jobs Americans won`t do, pushing children to their knees and blowing their brains out.

We can`t do anything about the executions in Newark, but we can do something to prevent it from happening again. If not now, what in the name of God will it take?

Tom Fitton is the president and spokesperson for Judicial Watch.

Tom, going after the guns, I mean, you know, illegal guns, who`s not for getting those off the street, but isn`t this is a distraction?

TOM FITTON, JUDICIAL WATCH: It is a distraction, and the politicians want to distract the voters and the citizens from their policies that allow these illegal immigrants to be on the streets, some of whom have violent criminal histories, who should have been off the streets.

One of the new rules, Glenn, is in Newark, they`re going to have to register their guns. So I`m sure all the illegal immigrants are going down to the mayor`s office.

BECK: Sure, of course they are. That happens all the time. Let me just give America an idea of who one of the guys is. He was described in the "New York Times" as a construction worker from Lima, Peru.

He was arrested October 1 after a bar fight and charged with aggravated assault and weapons possession. Three days later he had his bail reduced, and he was out. January 18 he was arrested on ten counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, 15 counts of child endangerment, five counts of sexual assault on the child under the age of 5.

Set another bail. It was reduced; he was out.

Just a couple of months after that, it happened again with another child and more charges on sexual abuse. There are so many issues here, it`s not just that he`s an illegal immigrant, but also child abuse.

Shouldn`t we be going -- instead of the guns, shouldn`t we be going after the prosecutors, the judge, the system, the politicians?

FITTON: That`s right, the judges are pointing the fingers at the prosecutors, and the prosecutors are saying, well, we weren`t involved in lowering this gentleman`s bail.

The -- one of the other folks arrested was on the lam for a stabbing that he had committed, allegedly. And he was let out on bail.

So, you know, in New Jersey, they have this issue -- and I think the issue needs to be addressed by the governor -- of letting violent offenders accused of stabbing and child rape out on bail on very -- on very easy terms. And as a result, these folks go on to commit crimes.

Glenn, crimes of this sort usually are not committed by first-time offenders. They usually have a record. And in this case they had a record the cops knew about, but the prosecutors and the judges failed those poor people murdered.

BECK: Here is -- here is the thing. Common sense can`t be allowed to work anymore. I mean, you`ve got a guy who`s raping children, and you can`t get him in on something -- you get him. I mean...

FITTON: You don`t give him bail.

BECK: We used to take Al Capone on income tax evasion. My gosh, don`t we care about anything any more? If you can`t use one law, you get another law. And we can`t even ask if these people are illegal immigrations (sic). You`ve got a problem of the MS-13, which is a horrible gang, in New Jersey in Newark. Why do you suppose? It`s a sanctuary city; cops can`t even ask if they`re illegal immigrants? It would be a haven would it not?

FITTON: That`s right. The officials in Newark originally tried to downplay the MS-13 connection but they caught some of these individuals involved in the crime down here in Virginia in a house where MS-13 members were getting tattoos, gang tattoos.

BECK: Well...

FITTON: So, you know, how is it you address MS-13, an illegal gang based on illegal immigration, run from Central America, if your cops can`t ask someone where they`re from?

BECK: That is exactly why Bill Clinton started a program called Rendition. You couldn`t break up al Qaeda one way; you break them up. You get them on a technicality and you ship them to Syria for another reason.

Tom, thanks a lot.

But the liberals were cool with that when it was Bill Clinton. Now, of course, it`s evildoers.

The latest reality sensation now from CBS has taken some serious heat. Why some parents are crying foul over "id Nation". Because you know, they didn`t sign their kids up to be famous or anything.

And NFL quarterback Michael Vick scrambles and cuts his own deal in the dog fighting case. But did he wait too long? All the latest details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: We are still a month away from all of the new fall TV shows, but already, one is stealing all the headlines and our hearts. CBS` new reality show, "Kid Nation", puts 40 kids unsupervised in a deserted New Mexico mining town for 40 days. What could possibly happen around a deserted mine? Without any running water or electricity.

And of course, no surprise, accusations of child abuse are now surfacing. Most shocking being -- get this -- kids drinking bleach from an unmarked soda bottle.

Who`s to blame? CBS trying to make a buck or the parents signing their kids up for it?

Joining me now is Carlos Castanada. He is from the New Mexico Department of Work Force Solutions.

Carlos, CBS didn`t seen tell the state what was really going own. They said this was a summer camp, right?

CARLOS CASTANADA, NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF WORK FORCE SOLUTIONS: That`s correct, yes, Glenn.

BECK: Yes. And so when the allegations starting coming out, what did the state say?

CASTANADA: Well, we -- we sent inspectors to the site to see what exactly was going on. Unfortunately, our inspectors were unable to get in. Security held them off at the gate, and we were unable to accomplish anything.

We did this at the site more than once. Each time we, again, were unable to talk to the CBS representatives. We basically wanted to make an investigation or a quick site investigation to make sure that the conditions were appropriate for the conditions, or rather for the children that were working at the site.

BECK: OK. Now, they were apparently working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, yada, yada, filming this thing. But honestly, I mean, one of the allegations, one parent is suing because, you know, their child was splattered with grease while they were cooking, et cetera, et cetera. I mean, I`ve gone to summer camp before. A lot happens, man. It`s lucky I came out alive.

CASTANADA: Well, Glenn, and again, this is exactly what we were looking for, to make sure that there is appropriate personnel, certified and qualified individuals that were assisting the children during this production with the cooking and the safety, the sanitary part of it.

And, again, this was shot during the school year and we wanted also to make sure there was tutors and certified teachers on site, as well.

BECK: OK. So hang on. Why -- why would the state want all of these things for a TV show but not for a summer camp? Not for a camp?

CASTANADA: Well, summer camps are a little bit different. They`re -- obviously, the children are not working. We wanted to make sure that was the case.

Initially, when we received complaints about this, we were told it was a TV production, so obviously we were going to assume that the children are participating in a production and working and getting paid for it. But CBS told us that in the end that it was a summer camp and that those regulations did not apply.

BECK: But in a way it is. I mean, they`re not memorizing scripts or anything. This was just a -- you know, I have to put the air quotes around it -- a "reality show." They weren`t memorizing scripts. They were just being at a camp and creating their own, you know, their own town, right?

CASTANADA: Well, we still require a certain permits to be taking out by a production company or any non-profit organization. We require the Boys and Girls Club to do it when they do a summer camp. We require the Boy Scouts of America to get a permit, make sure -- and it`s all to protect the children and make sure the conditions are appropriate.

BECK: OK. Carlos, I appreciate it. This is what happens when big corporations want to make money and the parents want their kids to be famous. Thanks.

Coming up next, the ability to create artificial life may be right around the corner. But are we ready for the responsibility? Better yet, are we ready for the consequences? Tonight`s "Real Story," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, Michael Vick cuts a deal. The NFL star reportedly agrees to plead guilty for his role in the illegal dogfighting ring. Is it going to keep him out of jail? What does it mean to his career? Details coming up in just a second.

First, welcome to the "Real Story." I`m sure you`ve heard the old saying about story dumps, right, story dump tactics? That`s where somebody with really bad news to tell you waits for a big story to distract everyone and they quietly release it in hopes that nobody notices. In some respects, that`s exactly what`s been happening this summer.

We`ve all been distracted by the credit crisis and the trapped miners in Utah and now the season`s first hurricane. Meanwhile, someone else has quietly been making news. The "Real Story" is, this has been the summer of Russia. But in most cases, you don`t have to be reading, you know, "The Economist" or a foreign newspaper to find that out.

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, about 20 Russian bombers along with fighter jets and refueling planes have resumed long- range combat patrols over both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, patrols that ended during the Cold War. NATO, the U.S., the U.K. all have reportedly been forced to scramble jets this weekend as a result of these flights. The Russians have also purposely encroached on U.S. airspace and Guam and the Arctic Ocean near Alaska. Who knows? Maybe they`re just looking down at that submarine who`s claiming the land by dropping the Russian flag near the North Pole.

Last Friday, President Putin announced that these long-range flights will now continue permanently, an announcement that came just before the Russian military performed joint exercises with China this last weekend. It also came just months after Putin announced a $200 million, seven-year rearmament plan for the Russian armed forces. None of that really sounds like good news to me, but I`m not a military strategist, I`m just a thinker.

And every Russian expert I talk to says, "Don`t worry about it." The elections are coming up, and it`s Putin being Putin. Well, great. That`s great. But if Russia is trying to send us a message that they`re not a joke anymore, at what point do we start listening instead of continuing to treat them like a joke?

Richard Weitz, he`s a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Richard, let me start with, well, first of all, this question. Is this the same kind of strategic flight that we used to have, you know, during the Cold War?

RICHARD WEITZ, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Well, first, thank you very much for having me. It`s a similar kind of flight pattern in that, before 1992, Russian bombers would readily take off, assume patrol stations, particularly over the North Pole, and prepare to move towards the coast of the United States where they would launch their missiles.

BECK: OK. And you, I`m guessing, are going to be yet another Russian expert who says, "Don`t worry about it, it`s just Putin being Putin"?

WEITZ: For the most part, yes, although I would worry in the sense that for maybe not the reasons you were thinking of, but these are very old airplanes. Many of them are decades old. And unlike ours, where I`m confident that the maintenance is very good, I`d be concerned about a crash in one of these at some point. It`s unclear if they have nuclear weapons actually on them, but that could be a big mess.

BECK: Yes. An accident, what, it was a mistake. We didn`t mean to drop that nuclear weapon. And, you know, you say this, and best-case scenario, they`ve had an accident already with a one-ton missile dropping into Georgia where they said, "What? That was just a mistake." Some say that they were trying to send a message to Georgia, because now they`re posturing against us and saying, why do you believe Georgia and not us, et cetera, et cetera? I mean, best-case scenario is just what you`re worried about, a nuclear weapon dropped out of the plane.

WEITZ: Well, I`m actually worried about the plane itself crashing and splattering the nuclear material all over the place. But...

BECK: I`ll take either would be bad.

WEITZ: No, but I think in the aggregate that what you said in the beginning, the preparatory remarks, that it is true that if you look at everything that`s happening, it`s not very nice. I mean, you`ve got a reinvigoration of Russia`s strategic deterrent, the air wing...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Hang on. It`s much worse than that. Please help me understand this. You have the Arctic ice claim. They`re claiming part of the North Pole. This is just in the last few months. They`re in bed with Iran. They have joint military exercises with China. They`re buzzing our airspace, Guam and Alaska. BBC with the FM, they`re throwing the BBC out of FM radio. They`ve been killing spies and leaving their fingerprints all over it. At what point, what is it going to take before somebody in your position would say, "You know, we should start taking them at their word"?

WEITZ: Well, I`ve always said we should take them seriously and think that we spent way too much concern with Iraq and not enough concern with Russia. And I think this is evidence of that. I think most people in the field hope that, once Putin leaves office, once his administration in both Washington and Moscow, you`ll have a new opportunity for a change of course in either direction. It`s unclear how much of this is due to the relationship between the two countries and what`s going on domestically within Russia itself.

BECK: Right, I mean, I know that they want their image back. You know, they`re kind of going through what we went, correct me if I`m wrong, in the `70s with Jimmy Carter, where they just felt like they were losers, and Putin is kind of playing the Reagan card of, "No, we`re not losers, and the world will pay attention to us, and we`re a strong military, et cetera, et cetera" That, again, could be just the answer that he`s just trying to be a nationalist kind of guy.

WEITZ: Well, he also might be trying to position the future domestic political scene in Russia. He wants someone he likes, one of his successors to continue his hard-line foreign policies. There`s also uncertainty what role he himself will play at the end of this. It`s the first time you`ve had a modern Russian leader leave office in such a way where he potentially could play some role. And if he portrays this as a tense international environment, this would be helpful.

BECK: All right, Richard, thanks a lot.

Next, if there`s one lesson that science and progress should have taught us by now is that very rarely can you make advancements without paying a price, and sometimes a hefty price. The faster we make a computer chip, the hotter it gets. The more we all hop on the corn ethanol bandwagon, the higher milk prices go. The more we continue to tinker with genetics and DNA, the better chance that someday we`ll be living in some sort of real-life version of "The Matrix" comes along.

Experts now say that, within the next three to 10 years, scientists may make a major announcement that they are able to create life in a Petri dish from scratch. I don`t know if you use butter and flour or what, but a Petri dish and life.

The real story is, just because we can do something doesn`t mean we should. According to an executive with Proto Life -- this is an Italian company that`s working with the so-called wet life technology -- quote, "We`re talking about technology that could change the world in pretty fundamental ways, in fact, ways that are" -- I`m quoting -- "ways that are impossible to predict."

Yes, see, that`s kind of where my problem is. Shouldn`t we know exactly what we`re getting into before we start manufacturing genetically engineered blobs that, I don`t know, can do our housework and yard work for us? But don`t worry. Proto Life executive went on. He said it will be a very long time before anything like that could happen. Quote, "When these things are created, they`re going to be weak. Them getting out and taking over, never in our imagination could this happen."

Hang on just a second. Doesn`t that completely contradict his earlier statement that the future is impossible to predict? Yes, seems like it to me. Besides, how many times does history have to prove that our imagination has no relevance to the evolution of technology? In 1899, the commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office said -- and I quote -- "Everything that can be invented has been invented." Yes, I think he was wrong on that one. The chairman of IBM once said, quote, "I think there`s a world market for maybe five computers."

History should teach us that human inventions are unpredictable. But I believe our creator would tell us, if anyone would actually listen to him, that human life or life itself is even more unpredictable. Pat Mooney is the executive director of Etc Group.

Pat, is there anybody in the scientific field that maybe has a little problem with this?

PAT MOONEY, DIRECTOR, ETC GROUP: Actually, I think a lot of the scientists that are doing the work are concerned themselves. They`ve been debating within their own communities, kind of, about what the implications are, ethical and in terms of warfare, democracy, and so on. I think you do see there are issues that have to be addressed.

BECK: I mean, you bring up warfare. You can`t tell me that if we`re announcing that we`re a couple of years from creating life and that life is something that can make our life and change our entirely, that there isn`t some government lab some place. I mean, good gracious, almost everything has been invented or progressed because it could be weaponized. This is a very bad move, isn`t it?

MOONEY: There are concerns, certainly. There are lots of labs out there, public and private labs, and certainly a lot of them, I`m sure, in the Defense Departments. It has very broad, very wide implications. For the first time, we`re not building artificial life; we`re actually in the process of really making living materials.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: We`re creating it, and you`ll have to talk down to me here for a while, because I`m a rodeo clown, but we`re creating something brand-new, totally foreign to the Earth. This is not -- we`re not trying to re-create something. We`re trying to create something, right?

MOONEY: Yes, we`re building new organisms the world has never seen before, even moving beyond the idea of having four-letter DNA to perhaps even six-letter DNA.

BECK: You know, call me crazy, I know it was just an H.G. Wells book and a Tom Cruise movie, but wasn`t it a virus that killed the aliens? Wasn`t it smallpox that was foreign to North America that killed so many Indians? Couldn`t we easily come up with something that we just don`t know what it`s going to do and is foreign to us?

MOONEY: We certainly could. I mean, they are aware that they need to keep the stuff in the lab, as they do the work, but ultimately, of course, if they`re going to commercialize this material, if they`re going to use it for the environment or for our health, it`s going to get out of the lab and it`s going to be used, and we need to have the right kind of regulatory mechanisms in place before that happens.

BECK: I don`t know...

MOONEY: We need to have society understanding the issue, as well. Society does not know this is happening.

BECK: I mean, we have it in a Petri dish. What do we do, just poke it with a stick for a while to see if it grows teeth? I mean, how do you know what it`s going to turn into eventually?

MOONEY: Well, that`s really an important point, because they are building sort of a stripped-down microbe. The first move is to really create the simplest possible life form.

BECK: OK. And we go from there. That one didn`t kill us. Let`s try adding this. Pat, thanks a lot.

Up next, Michael Vick cuts a deal to plead guilty on the dogfighting charges, but will this save his career? Stick around and find out, it`s coming up next.

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BECK: Sumner wrote, "As soon as A observes something which seems to him to be wrong from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B. And A and B then propose to get a law passed to remedy the evil to help X. Their law always proposes to determine what C shall do for X, and sometimes A, B, and C. But what about C? There`s nothing wrong for A and B helping X. What`s wrong was the law and the indenturing of C to the cause. C is the forgotten man, the man who paid the man who is never thought of. How true that is.

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BECK: And I wasn`t ever good at algebra, and I kind of followed that one. At the end of the football game, a team sometimes throws a desperation pass -- and I know this because I`m not a sports fan -- called a Hail Mary and tries to win the game. I think I`ve seen it in a movie.

As a quarterback, Michael Vick really never good at those. Now it turns out he`s pretty bad as a defendant, as well. In a statement today, Vick`s attorney said that they have reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on Friday. Vick intends to plead guilty and accept responsibility for all federal dogfighting charges against him. As a result, Vick is likely headed to prison, where he`s going to be mighty popular. He could spend as much as 18 to 36 months reciting a lot more than Hail Marys than he is throwing him.

The case against Vick gathered steam recently when two of his co- defendants took plea deals in exchange for describing to prosecutors how he bankrolled the gambling that occurred at the dogfights. I`m guessing this came as quite a shock to Vick, who he praised his fans for their loyalty just a couple of years ago. He said, quote, "We all stuck together before I was Mike Vick, before the fame, before the stardom, before the money." Right, well, Glenn Beck thinks that they won`t be sticking together for much longer. And Glenn Beck loves people who talk in the third person.

Gene Wong is the NFL editor for the "Washington Post." Gene, I can`t believe this. Were you shocked at all today to see him take this plea?

GENE WONG, NFL EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, certainly, Glenn, I won`t be talking in the third person, but you know what? I was not shocked in the least. You know, I don`t think it would have been a surprise if Vick had gone to trial, but the writing was clearly on the wall last week.

BECK: Really? You know what? I have to tell you. And, see, you`re a sports guy, and I`m not. And when I saw over the weekend that he hadn`t taken this plea deal yet, I thought, "Here`s a guy," correct me where I`m wrong, "Here`s a guy who was going to be one of the best-paid NFL quarterbacks of all time. He`s just in this culture of, `We can do no wrong, we can get away with it.`" I thought his arrogance would be the downfall.

WONG: Well, I think he wanted the weekend to talk it over with his family, and that`s exactly what happened. Now, I`m not sure I`d go as far as saying his arrogance led him to this point. I think what led to this point was when he grew up with these people, that`s kind of -- those were his boys in the off-season. Those were the people he hung out with. And it was difficult for him to separate himself from those people. And that`s a lesson for future NFL stars to learn when they come into the league.

BECK: Are you just trying to get into the locker room with these people again, Gene? Because come on, you`re telling me that sports players are not arrogant?

WONG: No, I think they`re confident. I think there`s a big difference there. I think there`s a big difference.

BECK: Yes, one is confident, "I know I can do the job." And the other is, "I can get away with anything because I`m a star."

WONG: Well, you know, what? He`s not getting away with anything because he reached a plea agreement, so therefore he realizes what the consequences are of his actions. He`s now ready to accept it, and that means going to prison. So I think if he was at the level of arrogance that you`re describing, he would have said, "OK, you know what? I`m going to get off no matter off, so let`s just go to trial and I`m going to win, and then I`ll show everyone else."

BECK: As I stated, I can`t believe it, I`m willing to admit that I misjudged the guy and his level of arrogance here, but that`s a different story. Is his NFL career done, or will this give him street cred, God forbid?

WONG: Well, listen, we can say certainly it`s done this season, even if he were going to go to trial, it was still going to be done this season, at a practical level. As far as the future goes, certainly he`s going to be -- at least a year in prison, if not longer. He`s 27 years old. If he gets out of prison, and this is presuming the NFL doesn`t suspend him for life, then he`s going to be, what, 28, 29 years old. You can`t play quarterback in the league after missing that much time. And it just seems out of the realm of possibility that this guy will ever play in the NFL again.

BECK: Let me ask you this. I have heard rumblings -- and I don`t even know if this is true -- that there are people that just say, once again, it`s the Weitz man coming down on the black man and they`re just trying to get him. If this would have gone to trial, I mean, they would have gone for the race thing again.

WONG: Well, there is definitely a segment of the African-American population in Atlanta, based on the history of our country in terms of racial bigotry in that part of the region, in terms of segregation, that feels like, you know, what is different about this than so many other times where an African-American or minority has been mistreated in this country?

BECK: Gene, would you have played the race car? I mean, good heavens, man, people that have your last name or look like you in this country were treated pretty horribly, as well, 100 years ago.

WONG: Absolutely. I`m not saying whether I would or wouldn`t. I just think it`s understandable, when you are a minority in this country, that so much of it does come down to race. If you`re a Caucasian in this country...

BECK: No, no.

WONG: ... it`s not the same.

BECK: I agree with that. I agree with that.

Real quick, because I`ve only got about 20 seconds here left, football and really athletes have such a bad name. I read something about Beckham, who is here in town in New York this weekend playing soccer, and I thought, boy, this guy is at least seemingly a classy guy and at least seems on the up-and-up and finally a role model. Do you think that`s any kind of harbinger of success for him in America and bringing fans in?

WONG: Oh, no, I think for certain David Beckham is going to bring more soccer fans into the sport and more fans into soccer in this country, because he carries himself very well and he`s still an excellent player. Of course, he has face recognition and name recognition worldwide, and, you know, soccer is certainly not the sport football is in this country, but David Beckham will get it to a level where at least they have a chance of competing with ratings-wise the NFL.

BECK: Gene, thank you very much. Always great to have you on the program. We`ll be back in just a second.

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BECK: Well, as Mitt Romney picks up steam in the polls, the criticisms of him get more and more ridiculous, at least in my book. As you may know, Romney changed his stance on abortion after reconsidering stem-cell research. So ABC News looked into the "Boston Herald`s" revelation that Romney actually owns stock in companies that conduct embryonic stem-cell research.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But to see that he owns stock in these companies raises questions about the genuineness of his stance.

JAKE TAPPER, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yet another question about Mitt Romney`s genuineness.

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BECK: All right, I started to question the genuineness of the questions about his genuineness when I heard the explanation from the Romney camp. Here it is.

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TAPPER: The governor assets are in a blind trust. The trustee of this blind trust makes all of the investment decisions for the trust. Governor Romney is prohibited from communicating with the trustee about investments. The spinning of our friend, Kevin Madden, Romney spokesman and his response to this story.

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BECK: The "spinning" of Romney`s spokesman? I mean, that sounds evil, doesn`t it? Although it doesn`t really sound like spin; it sounds like a blind trust. He`s prohibited from having input into what he`s invested in. That`s how a blind trust works. It works that way for the Clintons; I`m sure it works that way for Romney. But is the fact that he didn`t have control really an adequate excuse?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he set up that blind trust, he had the opportunity, as anybody does, to stipulate which stocks or perhaps investments that he doesn`t want his money spent toward, and he didn`t do that when he created this. So, you know, it rings a bit hollow.

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BECK: Does it, now? He says that clearly Romney had the chance to change the investments, quote, "when he created the trust." So the obvious question is, when did he create it? Was it before or after his conversion to pro-life?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, he set up the blind trust in 2002, right before he took office as governor. So it was really before he had announced his conversion, which really came in 2005, when stem cells were being debated in Massachusetts.

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BECK: OK, so Romney`s genuineness is at question, because he didn`t foresee a change three years later in his opinion. You know, how dare him not be able to see into the future. Well, at least he didn`t launch his campaign in New Orleans complaining about poverty while he was invested in companies that were foreclosing on Katrina companies. Yes, that was John Edwards.

So we`ll see you tomorrow night. God bless. Good night, America, from New York.

END