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Glenn Beck
Is New Orleans Being Rebuilt Right?; Native American Tribes Scamming Illegal Immigrants; Protests Held Over Arab School
Aired August 21, 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, Hurricane Dean slams Mexico, as what-if scenarios and hypocrisy blow into these shores, right around here.
GRAPHIC: (arrow pointing at New Orleans)
BECK: Plus, you think you`re not tough enough on our southern border? I`ll tell you why the real danger comes from the north. Canada`s not going to watch this.
And controversy at the DMV. Wow, shocker. Why one state is saying there`s no room for God on its license plates.
All this and more tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BECK: Well, hello, America. Brace yourself, because I`m going to say something you`re not going to hear anyplace else on TV. And it`s either because I`m really honest or just really stupid. I`m not sure which is which.
I`ve been watching the news about Hurricane Dean, and the truth is it`s not happening here in the U.S. I`m not really connected to it, and I find myself switching channels. I don`t really care that much, and I know that sounds horrible.
I think everybody on TV is missing the point. This story should remind us of the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Now that being said, get ready for the really politically incorrect statement of the day. Back in 2004 I saw the tragedy of Katrina coming. I mean, people have been seeing it for years.
Then when it happened, I thought, you know what, we should just walk away from that city. Why are we there? It`s like the people in Malibu who continue to build their houses on giant mountains of sliding mud and then look to us like, "Gee, help us out."
New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen, and it`s going to happen again. Two years after Katrina, I`m not sure still that we should bother rebuilding it. Here`s the point tonight.
As we see yet another deadly hurricane season, can we please ask the question, in the aftermath of Katrina, if we`re going to rebuild cities like New Orleans, can we at least do it right? And if not, I say we cut bait and not bother doing it at all, and here`s how I got there.
Category 5 storms are rare, but they do happen. There were five back in 2005, making it one of the deadliest hurricane seasons on record. New Orleans and a huge amount of America`s gulf region left in ruins. We all remember seeing the footage, and so many of us are -- have lived through it.
The rebuilding is a long way from complete.
In a decision that seems completely insane to me, the people of New Orleans actually re-elected Mayor Ray Nagin to help them put the city back together again, a city he helped destroy.
Here`s what he had to say to "60 Minutes" last year on CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cat 3, Cat 4 this wall will hold?
RAY NAGIN, MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: Look at this, man. Where is this going to go?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Riddle me this, Mr. Mayor. Can you really afford to be that casual as you walk around a pile of splinters that used to be your city? I mean, that`s outrageous. It`s politicians like you that got your city into the shape that it`s in today.
Hurricane Katrina started as a Category 5. Hurricane Dean was also a Category 5. It could have easily skipped right over Mexico and headed right at New Orleans. Where would you have been then, Mr. Mayor? I mean, other than under water.
Under building the levees isn`t just a waste of time and money. It could end up wasting more American lives. We don`t need a new generation of New Orleans hurricane survivors.
Tonight here, America, is what you need to know about this hurricane story. The people of the gulf region are some of the strongest and most resilient in the nation. They have weathered the storm. They are dedicated to putting their towns, their homes, and their lives back together.
But the rebuilding of the area`s infrastructure is going to cost too much time and too much energy and too much dollars if we`re going to do it right. And if we`re going to do it, shouldn`t we do it right?
In the long run, you know, sadly, it will be a bargain. Sadly, we only need to look at the climbing death toll in Mexico to remember that lives are in the balance.
Douglas Brinkley is the author of "The Great Deluge".
Douglas, it`s the same story all over again. Nothing has changed, due to corruption. We`re not rebuilding the city right, are we?
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, AUTHOR, "THE GREAT DELUGE": No, we`re not.
We should make a distinction, though. There are really two New Orleans. There`s the above sea level New Orleans, which includes the French Quarter and the Garden District, where most of the tourists come, and the port, and then there`s the below sea level.
So the argument -- everybody agrees that the above sea level New Orleans needs to be rebuilt. The port business is the good news. It`s back to about pre-Katrina numbers. And tourism is slowly coming back.
But the question is what do you do with the below sea level areas? Those -- the Army Corps of Engineers built the faulty levees. They`re trying to fix them, but it`s way, way inadequate.
Those low-lying neighborhoods, places like Lakeview, Chantilly, New Orleans East, Lower Ninth, they are not ready. So every hurricane season New Orleans right now is living on a prayer.
BECK: OK.
BRINKLEY: We need -- we need to decide one of two things, Glenn. I think either build these, which may cost $30 billion. It will be the -- to make it safe for Category 5 storms or don`t rebuild in those low-lying areas. We`ve got to do a strong move one way or another.
BECK: Douglas, you and I are in agreement on this. Build them for Category 5. I mean, jeez, there`s a city in the Netherlands that, in the 1950s, built a giant wall to make sure that their city was safe. If we really believe in New Orleans, we should build it the right way.
BRINKLEY: Absolutely.
BECK: Which we`re not going to do.
But here`s the other thing. And tell me where I`m wrong. Let me be completely honest and completely politically incorrect. It is a race issue. Because the race card has been played, no one is willing to speak frankly. No one is willing to say, "We should not be rebuilding this city." Am I wrong?
BRINKLEY: No, I don`t think you`re wrong with that.
I mean, the -- President Bush`s policy is one of inaction. On one hand, publicly, the Bush administration tells victims of the storm, "Come back, reclaim your home." Well, how can you reclaim a home in the Lower Ninth Ward if you don`t have electricity, schools, sewage?
It`s -- so it`s a disingenuous government policy going on right now. Nobody wants to come forward and give any of the hard news about these neighborhoods because the backlash would be so great.
BECK: But it`s not just about -- it`s not just George W. Bush. It is also the massive corruption in New Orleans. The people keep electing the same clowns over and over again. And nobody is willing to say that. It`s corruption.
BRINKLEY: And that`s what`s hurt New Orleans public relations-wise. You mentioned guys are clowns. People like Bill Jefferson, Ray Nagin. People that have been just hurting the city terribly. And people around the country are, like, why are you guys re-electing these kind of people? New Orleans loses some of the sympathy because of the political corruption that`s so endemic.
BECK: I have to tell you, Douglas, that`s exactly how I feel. You know, in a way it is like the people who build their houses up for the mudslides. I mean, there`s only so much you can do before you say you decided to do it.
Douglas, thanks a lot.
BRINKLEY: All right, Glenn.
BECK: The incredible irony here is that the people who are so determined to have New Orleans rebuilt are the same crowd of believers in Al Gore`s global warming doomsday scenario.
To me this is the very definition of hypocrisy. You got to ask yourself, global climate change, is it responsible for more hurricanes and a sea rise of more than 20 feet as Al Gore claims is coming? If so, why the heck would you want to rebuild that city? Why wouldn`t you -- why wouldn`t you say run for your life?
Let`s check in with Chris Horner. He is the author of "Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism" and a frequent guest to this program.
Chris, first of all, there is something new happening in America that is allowing people to sue the federal government, and there`s a lawsuit that is going after Exxon because of hurricanes, and they say Exxon did nothing to stop it. Is that right?
CHRIS HORNER, AUTHOR, "POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO GLOBAL WARMING AND ENVIRONMENTALISM": The argument begins in the federal courthouse in Gulfport, Mississippi, on August 30, claiming that 26 oil companies somehow either created or intensified Hurricane Katrina and, therefore, is responsible for the loss of people who you have to remember, for whatever reasons, live in levels below sea level. OK, elevations lying below sea level in Hurricane Alley.
Now, people like the Europeans tell us that prior to global warming, people living in low-lying coastal areas did not bare the brunt of severe weather, but those storms used to proceed, and they would sail happily overhead as it went in and hit the people -- the rich people living inland.
Now, that`s fantasy land.
New Orleans is, as we see now, not only just a tremendous -- a tremendously expensive and risky and will prove to be fatal bet against Al Gore`s alarmism.
OK. Remember, if you are like most scientists on record, the vast majority of them who recognize the Chicken Littlism about global warming is for what it is, then you can`t -- then you maybe think New Orleans is defensible, except, remember, this isn`t the Netherlands.
This isn`t -- The Netherlands isn`t in Hurricane Alley, and the Netherlands is different than we`ve learned Louisiana is, where they don`t tolerate political corruption. They insist upon it. This is a fatal tremendous bet against Al Gore. On that level, I appreciate it. But otherwise, it is foolhardy policy.
BECK: I have to tell you, Chris, you know, you have to go after somebody, because nobody will give you insurance in New Orleans. I mean, that was your first clue. I`m building my house or I`m buying my house in the wrong place when I can`t get insurance for it.
But here`s something. An amendment that Harry Waxman -- Henry Waxman from California has offered, HR 2635: "Because global warming has the potential to affect all persons in the United States, if the person alleges that the federal agency has failed to reduce its greenhouse gases -- gas emissions in accordance with the requirements under this act, the U.S. Treasury will compensate the plaintiff for any impact from global warming suffered by the plaintiff."
This is incredible.
HORNER: Right. You wonder if maybe they`re just rebuilding New Orleans there as is to set things up for the trial lawyer buddies, as they are in every other count, including the provision in the bizarrely titled House Energy Bill, which is really full of global warming programs like this, and trial lawyer programs.
Remember, our insurance is actually provided or underwritten by the federal government in areas where the market won`t insure them. That`s a moral hazard.
Rebuilding New Orleans where it is, particularly if you are, as you accurately pointed out, one of the global warming alarmists or believers, makes no sense. Moral hazard. But you don`t put these provisions in the energy bill for trial lawyers.
BECK: Do you have any idea why we provide insurance? Why would the federal government provide insurance where you can`t get it? I mean, that doesn`t make any sense. Move. Don`t build your house there.
HORNER: Well, as I like to say to my son when I take him to the beach, high tide isn`t a flood unless you build a sand castle there during low tide. And that`s what we`re finding out now.
New Orleans isn`t a flood, unless -- or cities don`t have to be moral hazards unless you insist upon building in places where people spending their own resources would not build them, and that`s the question why does the government do it? Because the taxpayer -- the answer, because the market won`t.
BECK: Thanks a lot, Chris.
Coming up, illegal immigrants desperate to stay in the country turning to Americans for help. Native Americans. Unrecognized American Indian drives scamming illegals. The sales are right around the corner.
And the battle continues to secure the southern border. But is it the north that could pose the biggest threat. Why security now has Canadians crying foul. That`s tonight`s "Real Story".
Plus, a man`s request for a religious-themed vanity plate is denied by the state of Vermont. I don`t get it. I don`t get the plate. I don`t get the decision. You`ll need to see this for yourself. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: Coming up, America for sale. Get it while it`s hot. An increasing number of foreign countries are investing in this country and translating those investments into tangible ownership of the good old U.S. of A. It is a troubling scenario and part of tonight`s "Real Story".
First, an update on Newark, New Jersey, the school yard executions. I told you yesterday the six suspects arrested in connection with the shootings are a mixed bag of foreign nationals and illegal immigrants.
Well, I guess it shouldn`t come as any surprise, since Newark is proudly flaunting that they are a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. Great plan, Mayor Cory Booker. No, it is. How is it working out for you? You know, harboring illegals that end up pushing kids to their knees before shooting them in the head.
Personally, I think Mayor Booker is a disgrace, should lose his job. And, guess what? In a recent poll, the majority of Americans think that we should go a step further, and Newark should also lose all of its federal funding. And trust me, they don`t really have the cash to spare. Newark streets not exactly paved with gold, although crack is a bit pricey.
According to the Rasmussen poll, 58 percent of voters nationwide favor cutting off all federal funds for sanctuary cities that offer protection to illegal immigrants. Amen. America, thank you.
If sanctuary cities won`t listen to common sense, then we should take away their dollars and cents. The price we`re paying to keep these sanctuaries in business is far too high.
And, of course, if we could find a way to turn all illegal immigrants into legal Native Americans, well, then all of our problems would disappear in a puff of smoke like a smoke from a peace pipe. Yes.
How, you ask? Well, for a fee starting around about $50, two non- federally recognized Indian tribes are now selling memberships to thousands of illegal immigrants. The renegade tribes claim that illegals can achieve legal status by joining their ranks. Not so simple, I`m afraid.
The U.S. citizenship and immigration services agency says you can`t just decide to join a tribe to avoid deportation, just like you can`t, you know, join one to open up a casino. I`ve tried.
They also say that these so-called Indians are giving immigrants false hope and taking their money. Some tribes are collecting literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bottom line, it`s a scam.
Now, there`s no denying that American -- Native Americans haven`t always gotten a square deal since we moved into the neighborhood, but the citizenship for sale scheme hurts both the immigration issue and the proud heritage of true Native Americans.
This is yet just another reminder that you can`t buy your way into this country. You got to do it the right way, and you got to earn it.
Angel Freytez, he is with the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission.
Angel, you say that they are recruiting, or trying to, you know, get new members in churches. Is that right?
ANGEL FREYTEZ, NEBRASKA MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMISSION: Thanks for having me, Glenn.
The situation is a nationwide problem. It`s not just happening here in the state of Nebraska. It`s happening in Texas, California, Kansas, and Tennessee.
And you`re right. They`re approaching churches and church members and promising them legal status, and once they become members of a tribe, of course, they can earn that legal status.
BECK: OK. So you know, Angel, I`m kind of torn here, because I don`t know if this is like the Nigerian prince scam, you know, that everybody says, "Hey, I`ve got money, and my father is a Nigerian king" on the Internet. Or if it`s like a tarot card reader, where they`re saying, "God is saying that you should come to me and keep giving me money."
I mean, either way these are really bad guys that are perpetrating this scam.
FREYTEZ: Yes, you`re right. Actually, what they`re doing, they`re approaching the church members, telling them that this is just for believers. This for -- this is a blessing from God, and they`re getting away with this. Because they also know that these people, because of their legal status, they`re afraid of being deported. So that`s pretty much how they`re getting away with it.
BECK: If -- Angel, I don`t know where you stand on the immigration issue. If this were legal, if you could buy your way into an Indian tribe, would you be for it, or would you say that it was still wrong?
FREYTEZ: Well, according to an official from the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Department, basically you have to be a Native American. You have to have blood ties.
BECK: No, I`m not asking that. I`m asking you should you be able to buy your citizenship here? Should you be able to buy your way in?
FREYTEZ: No, no. Actually not. I don`t think that`s the way -- that`s the solution. I think it`s a broader problem, but actually what`s happening is that people are desperate. And they`re, you know, approaching these desperate measures.
BECK: So what needs to happen? I mean, what are people in your community doing to let people know that this is a scam? And what should happen next?
FREYTEZ: Well, actually what we want to do, we want federal agency and also state agencies to investigate these two tribes. It`s not just one tribe. There is another tribe out of Florida, the Indian tribe that`s called Pambina (ph), and it`s also doing the same.
So, we need a formal investigation from federal agencies to approach the situation.
BECK: So, I`m trying to make sure I understand this. So the federal government should enforce some laws, but not other laws? At least maybe according to some.
Angel, thank you very much. And we`ll follow the story. Appreciate you being on the program with us.
Coming up, outrage over the Arabic language school in New York spills into the streets. Protesters from both sides continue to plead their case as the start of the school year quickly approaches. We`ll have the latest for you next.
And is America really for sale? Unfortunately, it appears that way. More and more foreign countries -- and wait until you see the list -- buying up American interests. I`ll tell you why you need to be concerned in tonight`s "Real Story."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: Well, the latest chapter in the story of that all-Arab language school that we`ve been telling you about now for quite some time here in New York has people literally taking the fight to the streets.
Concerned parents and community leaders have questioned the political and religious affiliations of this publicly-funded school from day one. Its supporters have said attacks on the school are, of course, racist and have no basis in truth.
On Monday the bitter back and forth spilled out into the streets in the form of a rally, where one speaker called the coalition of concerned parents opposing the school, quote, "an extremist."
Joining me now is Pam Hall of the Stop the Madrassa Coalition.
Pam, an extremist now, are you?
PAM HALL, STOP THE MADRASSA COALITION: No, I hope not. I don`t think so. No, we very, very much support the instruction of Arab languages and electives in the schools. We are not extremists, and we are not racists.
BECK: So now wait a minute. You say that, you know, you just kind of brushed this off, but an extremist or a racist doesn`t say that there should be an elective of the history of the Middle East or an elective of Arabic language in schools, which seems completely reasonable.
Your problem is you haven`t seen the textbooks. Even a Freedom of Information Act has not -- three requests through Freedom of Information Act has not gotten you a copy of the textbooks, and you`re saying the whole thing is going to be taught in Arabic. And who knows what they`re teaching?
HALL: Well, and who knows what`s being taught in Arabic? They will not release the curriculum, the lesson plans, who printed the textbooks.
The Department of Education and Chancellor Cline, they`re behaving shamefully. They want to make this out to be an anti-Arab situation. It is not, and we are supporting the teaching and instruction of Arabic. We just do not support the secrecy that is around the Kahlil Gibran School.
BECK: OK. The founder of the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, an organizer with the American Muslim Arab Foundation last week, when they -- when the principal of the school quit, they were -- she was replaced with a Jewish woman, and he said, quote, "It doesn`t make any sense. It`s like someone spit in our face as Arabs. This is no respect to our community. Where is the respect?"
Why couldn`t you have a Jewish person run this school?
HALL: Of course. Who`s the racist? Who just made the racist statement? We would never make a statement like that. No. If Salzberg is going to be the principal, fine.
It`s the school that`s wrong. It`s the school that is hidden in secrecy, and we are -- please reveal the curricula and the textbooks or stop this school. We have a legal fund at this point of $25,000. We are ready to continue and pursue this.
It is outrageous that the Department of Education and Chancellor Cline continues to hide everything about this school. We keep asking what are they hiding? What are they afraid of?
BECK: What was the -- what was the feeling like on the streets of the rally? Does it feel that -- did it feel like a bunch of people bussed in? Is this a grassroots movement on either side? Who organized this?
HALL: Well, it seemed to be the focus was on AWAAM, the organization of the young girls who made that Intifada New York City T-shirt. It was basically their message, and they kept complaining that people did not understand that Intifada New York City was not a bad statement and that Almontaser had done nothing wrong in defending it.
And the rest of the people there didn`t seem to be the Arab Muslim community. They seemed to be a lot of the organizations like Peace and Justice and ANSWER and all of the people who have a different political agenda.
BECK: OK, Pam. Thanks a lot. We`ll talk to you again, I`m sure.
Up next, an increase in security on the northern border has Canadians crying foul. Deal with it, Canada. Don`t make us come up there. Don`t miss tonight`s "Real Story." It`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: Coming up, if you haven`t seen the latest issue of "GQ" then you don`t know how sexy I am. I think I just made Jody (ph), our camera operator throw up a little bit in her mouth. Right there.
I have a couple of issues on the profile "GQ" did with me, like I didn`t get the cover. Obama did, but we`ll clear that up in just a bit.
But first I want to quickly alert you to two men. And here they are. The FBI is looking to question these two in connection of suspicious activity aboard ferries in Washington State. According to the FBI spokesperson, the pair apparently made passengers and crew suspicious after seeing them aboard different ferries over the last couple of weeks taking pictures, asking questions about the boats that, let`s just say, the average tourist really wouldn`t care about.
If you have seen these men, can we put the pictures up -- seen these men or have any information about their whereabouts, please contact the FBI right away.
Now welcome to "The Real Story." Remember last year when our politicians were furious over the Dubai ports deal. Oh, how dare we sell our security to some foreign country? Remember that old thing? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news yet again, but the "Real Story" is we`re still selling that country out to foreign interests. What a surprise. I told you last time it`s just not making headlines this time because there are no elections to be won. Hmm.
I`d like to introduce you to something called sovereign wealth funds. They`re basically investment vehicles through which governments can invest in foreign countries, like, let`s say, the United States, for example. Expert believe these funds currently control $2.5 trillion if worldwide investments. That may grow to, you ready, $17.5 trillion in just the next 10 years. So now, why am I telling you about this? Everybody knows that countries like China own a lot of our debt, but what if those countries not only buy all our debts, but they also put their money into tangible things? Things like real estate or American companies, and it`s already happening.
Dubai, yes, the same Dubai that wanted to buy our ports just bid $1 billion to buy Barney`s Department Store. OK. It`s ties and jackets, but China recently spent $3 billion for a stake in Blackstone. That`s a cute little company whose holdings include firms that create military software. But aside from the obvious conflict of interest in this issue, there is also another big problem. With money comes power. With power is influence. As the SEC chairman acknowledged recently as he tried to warn senators about the risks of these funds, the modus behind these investments may quote, "Go beyond profit and loss."
People love to talk about Halliburton and how evil Dick Cheney is, but what if you replace Cheney with China? What if you put Venezuela own and controlling gas stations here in the united -- nope, sorry, that`s already happening. It`s called Citgo. The troubling thing to think about is that these large, virtually anonymous foreign countries, are buying up land and assets, but it`s far more troubling to think about what those countries could do with those assets the next time we face a crisis.
Peter Schiff is president of Euro Pacific Capital, the author of "Crash Proof, How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse," which is a cheery book, Peter. Do you see a time when foreign countries have at least a parity of assets here in America?
PETER SCHIFF, PRESIDENT, EUROPAC: I mean, you hit the nail on the head, and I think you`re looking at the short-term. Certainly we`ve made a deal with the devil here in what we`re doing, but the immediate risk is not that these foreign so - wealth funds continue to lend us money but that they stop. We`re addicted to it. If it wasn`t for these foreign governments buying up U.S. debt, including mortgage backed securities, interest rates and consumer prices would be much higher in the United States right now. We would probably already be in a severe recession.
BECK: Peter, help me out. Because President Bush said -- when the Chinese thing came out, they said they had all this cash and everything else, and Bush said, well, that would be stupid of them to do. They wouldn`t do that. It would hurt them. I think people -- a country who has been drowning their children in rice patties for centuries don`t really care. They think of things in terms of thousands of years, not six months. We`re the exact opposite. Where am I wrong?
SCHIFF: Well, the thing is what`s happening now is hurting. See, the Chinese are suffering because so much of their purchasing power is being diverted to America. You know, imagine what would happen if the Chinese let the dollar collapse and their own currency went up? The Chinese all of a sudden, all of the products that are now being shipped to Wal-Mart would stay in China, so we wouldn`t have all those low prices, and if you think gasoline is expensive now, imagine if yuan went up and all these Chinese turned in their bicycles and bought automobiles?
BECK: So, do you see us at any point, because of our addiction -- I mean, you know, you have said that we`re heroin addicts when it comes to spending.
SCHIFF: That`s it.
BECK: Do you see a time when we are basically -- I mean, heroin addicts become slaves.
SCHIFF: Yeah. Look, I think it`s happening right now. I think you are seeing it right now in these mortgage back securities that are blowing up. I think foreigners are getting the message that we can`t pay them back, and what you are going to see is a big movement by sovereign wealth funds and private individuals around the world out of or debt and into our stuff. And when that happens, you`re going to see asset prices in the United States really drop and the dollar is going to collapse, and then, yeah, a lot of our best companies -- I think in a few years you can start to see the majority of the Dow Jones fall into foreign hands as well as some of the choice properties around the United States because Americans will have those assets bought out from under them. We`ll be like a bunch of sharecroppers in our own country.
BECK: Peter, you have just gone on again and said that the dollar is going to collapse, which is quite a statement. Most people -- television, if you`ll notice, hasn`t been reporting on the stock market at all since, you know, since the Fed helped it out a little bit. Everybody will say, oh, well, that crisis is over. We`ve averted a disaster. You still as concerned as your honor last week?
SCHIFF: Oh, sure. Remember, the dollar would have already collapsed if China and Japan and the rest of Asia and the Middle East weren`t buying up so many dollars that they don`t even need to buy our debt instruments.
BECK: OK. Peter, thank you very much.
Next, President Bush met today with leaders of Canada and Mexico for day two of their annual security and prosperity, SPP meeting, otherwise known as the three amigos. Oh, what a cute little harmless summit that is, huh?
Reports say that one of the leaders brought up their frustration over our border security with President Bush. I bet you`ll never guess which one it was. If you are thinking the Mexican President Calderon, try again. It was actually Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Turns out the Canadian businesses aren`t too keen on checking passports at our border. Unfortunately for them, the real story tonight is our new little passport program doesn`t nearly go far enough. With all the attention being paid to our southern border, is anybody thinking it just might be the northern one that terrorists are actively looking to exploit?
Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA`s search for Osama bin Laden and the author of "Imperial Hubris." Michael, this, to me, this shows what a farce this cry of racism from Mexico really is because Canada is now crying the same thing. It`s just that money doesn`t talk. It screams. Economy -- the economies will tell you that they need those borders to be as open as possible.
MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER SENIOR CIA OPERATIVE: That`s exactly right, sir. The communique said we`re going to do security as long as it doesn`t interrupt trade. I think you could really call this summit the summit of bin Laden`s success. The borders are going to stay open. The Canadians are going to leave Afghanistan in 2009. He has to be smiling in whatever cave he is in at the moment, sir.
BECK: The passport backlog that we have, do you think that`s real, or do you think that`s a delay tactic? We`re saying we can`t possibly get these passports all done in time to meet our own standards. We`re going to have to wait.
SCHEUER: I think in terms of Canada, sir, you can have priorities, and they`re not going to have priorities. The power of business, the power of money is just too extreme at the moment to be able to change anything.
BECK: Michael, if you were a betting man, and I had a gun to your head right now, which I would never do with you, you scare me -- if I were a betting man and I said you have it lay your money on the table and it was your last $1,000, would you say our terrorists would be coming over a better chance of coming over the north or the southern border?
SCHEUER: Right now, sir, I would say the southern border, but the northern border is not much better than the southern border.
BECK: Isn`t it -- isn`t the northern border where we -- the LAX guy came across.
SCHEUER: He came through Vancouver. That`s exactly right, sir. There is a large community of Tunisians, Moroccans and Algerians in Montreal and Quebec City, and those communities have ties into the Boston area in the United States, so it`s a dangerous situation.
BECK: OK. And tie in birth rates for me, Michael, because I know Canada is having not as extreme as Europe is having, but they`re having a problem with birth rates in Canada. Why is that dangerous?
SCHEUER: Well, especially in the French-speaking province of Quebec, their immigration rules are such that almost anyone who speaks French can get into the country in order to beef up the numbers of the French community, and so people from French-speaking Africa, French-speaking Asia come in very easily, but also, French-speaking North Africans from those three countries I just mentioned, Glenn.
BECK: Do you think, Michael, that -- I believe global warming if you are a non-vegan and a global warming alarmist, you`re full of crap. Do you believe that people who say that this immigration issue is about security and they`re not concerned with the northern border are just as full of crap?
SCHEUER: Yes, sir, I do. I think the key to this is protecting America, and Mr. Bush, again, proved today he is not interested in doing that if it requires disturbing the business interests of the country.
BECK: When is it going it happen? When are we going to have -- is some security on the northern border?
SCHEUER: When bin Laden delivers another 20,000 to 40,000 dead Americans inside the United States. I think then Americans will realize they`ve been hoodwinked by both parties.
BECK: Michael, thanks. That`s "The Real Story" tonight. I interviewed the man who interviewed me. I`m going to put him in the hot seat. Stick around for what didn`t make "GQ`s" new profile of me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: All right. I want you to try to picture yourself one day being asked by a national magazine if they could do a full feature profile of you for an upcoming issue and include a tease right there on the front cover for all the world to see. Using just a few words, how do you think that magazine would sum up your entire life and career?
Well, I don`t have to wait for my answer anymore because my answer came last week when "GQ" published a profile of me in their latest issue and decided to sum up my whole life of the article on the cover. I initially thought they might go with sexiest man alive or, "Gosh, he sure loves cake," but my ego came crashing down the second I saw the six words they chose. "The most annoying man on TV," see page 325.
Ben Wallace is the "GQ" writer who spent quite a bit of time following me around for the profile. Ben, what`s the answer? Most annoying man on TV or does it just seem that way?
BEN WALLACE, "GQ MAGAZINE": I think the short answer is that it just seems that way, Glenn, but you are in contention, apparently.
BECK: You know, I don`t even know who am I running against? Who is in this running?
WALLACE: There is some tough competition. Criss Angel. This is my opinion, not "GQ`s."
BECK: The magician?
WALLACE: Criss Angel, Mindfeak, the magician. I would probably agree with you that Michael Moore and Rosie O`Donnell are up there. The attorney general for my money.
BECK: Do we have to put -- you know what, keep that picture of Michael Moore up there because it makes my chin look smaller. Let me ask you this, Ben. First of all, I have to tell you, while didn`t agree with everything that you wrote -- I mean, there are a couple of body blows in there -- to me it was at least fair, and I asked you at the very beginning of this process if you would at least be fair with me, and you really were, and I appreciate that.
Was there something that you -- going in you thought this is who this guy is and then you were surprised by?
WALLACE: I think on TV and even on your radio show, to a lesser degree, you come off maybe as less relatable than I found that you did in person.
BECK: That`s not possible, is it?
WALLACE: When you have to package the material for an hour on TV, obviously some nuances get left out. I think on radio, that Glenn Beck is truer to the Glenn Beck I spent a couple of days with.
BECK: The thing that I was intrigued by is towards the end you talked to a lot of my detractors and some of them at these liberal blogs and everything else you said that somebody said off the record that I actually had a heart, or what was the exact phrase? That they suspected .
WALLACE: That you had glimmers of a heart.
BECK: Glimmers of a heart, but they wouldn`t go on record. They had to go off record? Tell me about that conversation, and will you tell us who it is or give me some sort of clue?
WALLACE: No. I`m already skating close to the edge by even using the quote, since it was off the record, and all they were saying was you had glimmers of having a heart, and I didn`t name them, it would be OK.
BECK: Did they whisper it?
WALLACE: No, but they made sure that, you know, I knew it was off the record. It came after 20 minutes of vitriol .
BECK: Bashing me.
WALLACE: Bashing you, yes.
BECK: Are you surprised of the hatred of me?
WALLACE: I think you are good at pushing the buttons of a certain, you know, set of bloggers, and so .
BECK: I mean, they all live in their mom`s basement anyway, so what difference does that make? Let me ask you this, is there anyone - because I thought it was a hopeful article in a way. Is there anyone on the other side of me that is just as tired of the politics and the garbage as I am?
WALLACE: I -- there`s no one that comes to mind, but I think that`s partly because there aren`t that many people on the other side of the aisle who have talk shows.
BECK: Or at least the ones that you have interviewed.
WALLACE: Or that I have interviewed.
BECK: And that are annoying and that might fit into the most annoying people on TV list. Ben, thank you very much.
WALLACE: Thanks.
BECK: I appreciate it, and thanks again for a fair article.
Let`s take a left turn, go to Peru. That`s where we find tonight`s CNN Hero, Ana Dodson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANA DODSON, PERUVIAN HEARTS: My parents hadn`t adopted me, I would have probably either been on the streets or in an orphanage. I was born in the hills of Cuzco, Peru. My mom first got me when I was four weeks old. I really wanted to go se an orphanage in Cuzco. I felt this great pull toward these girls who had nothing, and I was, like, wow, I could have been one of these kids, but there was this one girl, Gloria, who came up to me, and she said, Ana, I know that you`ll never forget me, and I know that one day you`ll help us. That just really made me decide I need to do something. My name is Ana Dodson, and I have started an organization called Peruvian Hearts that helps orphans in Peru.
UNIDENTIIFED FEMALE (through translator): Hello, Ana. I want to tell you that you are a good friend with a big and generous heart. They have given us vitamins, ask we are now in very good health.
DODSON: We have sent money and food and for their education. Each day after school a tutor comes over for three hours. We have done renovations, painted the orphanage, and there are 19 children right now. The change that I have seen in them is amazing.
One girl said we are now getting fat because of the vitamins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Anita, I will always carry you in my heart, no matter what happens in life.
DODSON: This orphanage, it is to the point where these girls can dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: You know that bumper sticker you see from time to time that says that "Jesus is My Copilot." Well this story is kind of like that, only different. The state of Vermont has an issue with this license plate. JN36TN. Yeah, I don`t know what this t means either, but David Cortman represents a Vermont resident who would like that as his plate number. David, what is the problem with this?
DAVID CORTMAN, SR. LEGAL COUNSEL, ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND: Well, first, thanks for having me here. But there shouldn`t be a problem for this. This is just a case of government discrimination against people of faith. They allow license plates to go to hundreds of thousands of drivers, and this gentleman wanted to put John 3:16, the well-known scripture verse on the back of hits car.
BECK: Wait, wait, wait. Show me the plate again. Show the plate. I would have never - I would have come up with John, I would have said 36 and Tennessee.
CORTMAN: What`s incredible about that, if the reason you gave on your application was exactly that, it would have been permitted. But the fact that he gave a religious explanation automatically denied by the State of Vermont.
BECK: How long has he been fighting this, because this is not a new issue with him.
CORTMAN: It is not a new issue. We`ve been fighting this for over two and a half years, and still have not been to resolution.
BECK: Is he independently wealthy, or are you independently poor?
CORTMAN: Neither, actually. A little bit .
BECK: A two and a half year fight with an attorney over a license plate.
CORTMAN: Well, the good thing is the Alliance Defense Fund, we represent our clients free of charge, so it is actually not costing him any money. We are flipping the bill.
BECK: You`re doing it because -- are they -- is Vermont this stringent on everything, or just God or .
CORTMAN: Well, just God and religion. What`s incredible, when you look at the license plates that have been allowed in Vermont, you have license plates like anarchy, ACLU, tree hugger, leftist. You name it, it`s on there, but apparently John 3:16 is a little too controversial for the state.
BECK: Somebody has been getting into too much maple syrup. So it`s ok to have vegan or go solar or stoner or something like that, but not God in Vermont? They actually have that plate.
CORTMAN: They do. They categorize religion in the same grouping as offensive speech or vulgar speech or obscene speech, and that obviously is not what the Constitution requires.
BECK: But topless is not offensive to anybody?
CORTMAN: Not at all. That`s right. That`s the problem with this case. You have a few government bureaucrats who are sitting at a table and deciding to them what`s religious or what`s to religious or what`s offensive, and people of faith should not be treated as second class citizens.
BECK: David, good luck.
See you on the radio in the morning, and right back here tomorrow night, America, from New York. Good night.
(NEWSBREAK)
END