Return to Transcripts main page

Glenn Beck

Texas Man Kills Two in Case of Vigilante Justice; Pelosi Jumps Into Debate Over Non-English Speaking Workers; Liberty Dollar Offers Alternative Currency

Aired November 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, a Houston man shoots and kills two men breaking into his neighbor`s house.

JOE HORN, NEIGHBOR: Move, you`re dead!

BECK: Is this just the latest example of how ordinary Americans are feeling abandoned by their government?

Plus, a language barrier. Nancy Pelosi takes on the Salvation Army to protect those who don`t or won`t speak English.

And Hugo`s latest power play. How the Venezuelan dictator is using Citgo refineries in the U.S. to tighten his grip back home.

All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, hello, America. In a minute, I`m going to play a tape for you that may seem obvious to you, but it`s not obvious to a growing number of people around the country. It is a guy who was protecting his neighbor`s property at their request and wound up killing two people over stuff.

Here`s "The Point" tonight. When this country selectively enforces its own laws, the people feel like they are being pushed and there is no justice, and they will push back. Here`s how I got there.

I want you to listen to this tape here. But I want you to listen to it with different ears, OK? You may have heard it before. When you hear it this time, it -- it sounds like a guy who went out in frustration and in anger and killed two people. But I want to reframe it for you. I want you to listen to it with it the ears of many Americans, particularly Texans.

I have talked to a lot of Texans, and there`s something going on down in Texas. These people have been pushed up against the wall with crime, with illegal immigration, with their government being dirty and selling out. At least that`s what they feel. And their government not listening and responding to them. They don`t feel like there`s justice anymore.

And it`s fuelled by stories of innocent children getting murdered in Houston, Mexican consulate trying to get the killer out of a death penalty or Mexican consulate trying to get Ramos and Compean in jail. Somehow or another, one of these cases just went all the way to the Supreme Court while our border guards are in solitary confinement.

People are beginning to believe that laws won`t be enforced and the good guys don`t always win. That`s not America, is it? I want you to listen to this tape now from that reference point and tell me what you hear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t go out the door. Mr. Horn? Mr. Horn?

HORN: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) They just stole something. I`m going out the window. I`m sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t go outside.

HORN: I ain`t going to let them get away with this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). They stole something. They got a bag of something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t go outside the house.

HORN: I`m doing it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK? Mr. Horn, do not go outside the house.

HORN: I`m sorry. This ain`t right, buddy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun. I don`t care what you think.

HORN: You want to make a bet? I`m going to kill them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK? Stay in the house. I don`t want you going outside, Mr. Horn.

HORN: Well, here it goes, buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking, and I`m going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t go outside.

HORN: Move, you`re dead.

(GUNSHOTS)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Now, it seems to me, at least right now, that the guy went out and killed two people. Not in cold blood, but kind of lukewarm blood.

I suppose the best way to avoid getting shot is to make sure you don`t break into somebody else`s house, but protecting stuff, at least to me, is not worth risking your life or taking somebody else`s. If criminals had a weapon or if he felt threatened, then that changes everything. But he shouldn`t have walked outside in the first place, at least the way I see it.

Now, listen to the person at 911. Right? As it stands now, America, here`s what you need to know about this story.

The important part of this story to me is that I think this is a flashpoint. This guy could become a rallying point. What provokes a guy who apparently has no record whatsoever to go out as a vigilante? When you have a portion of the population that feels as frustrated and disenfranchised as some Texans do, and they`re not alone. They`re just ahead of the rest of the country.

These sort of incidents will continue happening. We need to enforce our own laws. So people like this guy don`t think that they need to go out and take the law into their own hands and find justice themselves.

Pam Bondi is a Florida state prosecutor.

I want to talk first about the legal side of this. If you were his lawyer, Pam, he`s in trouble, isn`t he?

PAM BONDI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is, Glenn. He is. Great monologue, by the way. He is in trouble because Texas has expanded their law to protect its citizens in their own home. You have no duty to retreat now in your own home.

Florida has a very similar law. We call it stand your ground.

However, what`s going to hurt him is he went to a neighbor`s house. The house wasn`t occupied, and he almost provoked the -- the bad guys.

BECK: Yes. The thing that...

BONDI: But he`s in a lot of legal trouble.

BECK: Right. The thing that really bothered me is, he said, "I`m going to kill them."

BONDI: Right.

BECK: To me, that`s a state. He`s angry and he`s frustrated. Now, I`ll get into that here in a second.

But you say there was a case similar to this in Florida, where the jury actually cited -- the jury`s sympathy was on his side, kind of in an arget (ph) sort of way, where people were like, "You know what? I understand."

BONDI: You know, Glenn, prosecutors, our job of course, is to carry out the laws that were enacted by our lawmakers.

And we had a very similar case in Tampa where I prosecute. A guy owned a restaurant. Someone broke into this restaurant, robbed him, left the restaurant. The store owner locked the restaurant, was on the phone with 911 and then chose to take the law into his own hands. Got in his car, drove off and ran the guy over and ran the guy over and killed him.

We charged him with murder. It was appropriate under the law. And the jury basically pardoned him and acquitted him for that crime.

BECK: OK. Why do you suppose they did that?

BONDI: I think it`s what you said in your monologue. I think that people believe that they have a right to protect their property.

BECK: Yes.

BONDI: However, you know, this isn`t the Wild, Wild West. You can`t have vigilante justice in our country. And at that point, no one`s life was in jeopardy.

BECK: OK. And, you know, I don`t want to put you in an awkward situation. But help me on my thesis here. I believe this is a sign that people are starting to feel there is no justice, that cops won`t do it. They won`t find the criminals. It`s just more crime.

I mean, especially if you put yourself in the -- in the head of Texans, which is an important part of this to understand.

BONDI: Right.

BECK: They`re different down there. They understand the republic more. This is -- they`re just a different breed of people. This is -- this is them taking it into their own hands. Am I right? Or is this guy a psycho, do you think?

BONDI: Well, no, I think he believed he was protecting his neighbor`s property. But, again, you know, you can`t condone that type of conduct.

BECK: Right.

BONDI: Think how our country would operate, Glenn. And I firmly believe in Florida, and in Tampa we have great law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to protect our rights.

BECK: OK. I understand. OK. Thanks, Pam.

I want to go to Dan Patrick now, who is on our affiliate, KSAV-AM 700, in Houston.

And, Dan, you`re a state senator.

DAN PATRICK, TEXAS STATE SENATOR: Yes.

BECK: Am I calling this one wrong?

PATRICK: I think you may be, Glenn. And your former guest is wrong. The law in Texas under Penal Code Section 943 definitely gives any citizen the right to protect another person`s property if there`s a certain series of crimes that are taking place. Burglary is one of those crimes.

BECK: OK.

PATRICK: So this citizen had the right, Glenn, to go out and protect his neighbor`s property, which I think all neighbors would appreciate someone protecting our property.

BECK: OK. So, am I -- so Dan, here`s what I want to know.

PATRICK: OK.

BECK: The law in Texas, I know it`s different. And I`m not talking...

PATRICK: In a good way.

BECK: Yes. I`m not talking about -- I`m not necessarily talking about the law. What I am talking about, what my thesis is, is this is Texans being pushed to the limit and not -- and almost having that full- circle. It`s almost a Ron Paul thing. Having that full circle of, you know what? Originally the Declaration of Independence was written "life, liberty, and the defense of property."

PATRICK: Right. Yes. We`ve come the full circle, Glenn.

BECK: Right.

PATRICK: Originally, individuals took care of themselves and their neighborhoods and their neighbors. And then government took over. Now we`re back to the individuals.

And this man, I think, was frustrated. He was waiting for the police. He was -- he was aggravated about this crime taking place. He had a gun. He worked himself up on the phone. He`s a 61-year-old man. As you said, as far as we know, with no criminal record.

BECK: Right.

PATRICK: He went out and -- and the important facts here, Glenn, these two gentlemen, these two people who were breaking into the home next door, were much larger than he was. He shot one of them on his property. They were coming through his gate and his fence.

So the law clearly says you cannot go out and shoot someone in cold blood to protect property. However, once he went outside, if he felt his life was in danger, and two big, hulking guys, to him, coming towards his home, I think that a jury may find that he was justifiable.

I think everyone was right here, Glenn. The dispatcher did the right thing. The police actually there undercover in the neighborhood, not knowing what was happening, going on. He didn`t know that.

We always talked about American citizens. Why do they stand by and watch crime happen? This citizen did something. Some people may argue with it, but I think -- I think you`re right, Glenn. People are saying it is time that crime ends. Time that we stand up for ourselves.

BECK: All right. So, Dan...

PATRICK: Yes.

BECK: Tell me where I`m wrong here. I think this story really is not for the average American. I think this story should be played relentlessly for the average person in Washington, D.C., that calls themselves a representative. Somebody who is a politician and has disenfranchised themselves, disconnected themselves from the American people.

Tell me I`m wrong.

PATRICK: No, you`re not.

BECK: They put this guy in jail. Texans won`t see it necessarily the same way the rest of the country will. And this guy could be a rallying point or a flashpoint. Wrong?

PATRICK: Yes -- no. You`re not wrong, Glenn. And we still have to get more facts. In other words, there`s a question...

BECK: Yes, I understand.

PATRICK: But right now...

BECK: As it stands today.

PATRICK: Right. As it stands today, I think the overwhelming majority of people think that this person did the right thing, that he was actually an American who stood up for his neighborhood to protect his neighbor`s property.

And I think that it is -- it does show a disconnect between those who sit in Washington or in Austin in my own state...

BECK: I have to tell you...

PATRICK: ... and who think that the -- that individuals feel safe and secure in our country. They do not feel safe and secure.

And, again, I think everyone was right here: the police department, the dispatcher, and this citizen.

BECK: OK. Thank you very much, Dan.

And I got to tell you, America, this is why the media gets it wrong every time, because they`ve never lived anyplace but this damn city, in New York City or Los Angeles. They don`t understand the complexities of America that has been stitched together.

All right. Coming up, Nancy Pelosi is on fire lately. First she had that trip down to Laredo, Texas. Now she`s going after the Salvation Army for firing workers who don`t speak English. Oh, the first 100 days never looked so good.

And the U.S. dollar in major trouble. Another record, again. Before we all convert to the euro, should be consider something called the Liberty Dollar? We`ll speak to somebody who thinks we should, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, just to make sure you get your fix of Crazy Town news, Hugo Chavez`s quest to become El Presidente for life continues. I`ll explain in a few minutes how Hugo`s decision to sell Citgo refineries in the U.S. is helping him stitch together his own little Soviet Union just south of our border. Isn`t that great? Don`t miss tonight`s "Inconvenient Segment," coming up at the bottom of the hour.

But first, Christmas is right around the corner. What better way to honor the good folks at the Salvation Army than by forcing them to hire people who don`t speak English? After all, I don`t know about you, but I`ve always felt somewhat of a connection and more charitable when somebody starts yammering at me in a foreign language that I don`t understand and they don`t understand me.

Unfortunately, that scenario is a lot closer to reality, thanks to our good friend, Nancy Pelosi. There she is. The House speaker is pushing to kill an amendment that would protect employers like the Salvation Army from federal lawsuits if they require their employees to speak English.

Last March, the EEOC sued the Salvation Army because one of its thrift stores required workers to speak English on the job. No matter that that requirement was clearly posted and all the employees were given a year to learn some English.

John Fund is the editorial page writer for the "Wall Street Journal."

John, this is insanity. What is driving this?

JOHN FUND, EDITORIAL PAGE WRITER, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Diversity run amuck and the anti-assimilation lobby.

You know, this country was funded on immigrants, but the bargain with the immigrants is, you know, we don`t have ethnic or blood ties that define whether someone is an American. There are only a few things that unite us: the principles in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, our common history and a common language, English.

Now they`re trying to take that away from us and basically create a Tower of Babel.

BECK: Yes, but you know what? Here`s the problem. What people don`t understand who are against assimilation, assimilation at the beginning causes slavery for those who don`t assimilate, because they can`t navigate in our society. They can`t make money. They`re trapped in poverty.

And then, through birth rates, it leads to loss of sovereignty and loss of culture. Am I wrong?

FUND: Absolutely. I think we`re doing people a favor by encouraging them, prodding them even, to learn English. Because they can`t really get a promotion; they can`t really enter the mainstream of American life without English.

And I think there`s a political agenda at work here in some cases. I think there are some people who want people to stay in linguistic barrios. They want people not necessarily to know English so they can be better- controlled and guided publicly.

BECK: You know, they talk about equal protection under the law, which I think is the biggest bunch of bull crap I`ve heard. There is no equal protection under the law anymore.

You look at our income tax rate. The top 1 percent pays 40 percent of the bill. The top 10 percent plays -- pays 70 percent of the bill.

And then you -- and then you talk about equal rights. What about the right of a business owner to be able to have somebody speak and understand English in their business?

FUND: Well, the EEOC would say, "Well, we give a waiver to anyone who can prove that there`s job safety or critical job responsibilities that requires the use of English." But basically requiring every shoe-shine stand in America...

BECK: Yes.

FUND: ... to hire a lawyer to prove to the EEOC that you`re not in violation of their law.

BECK: You know, could I have proved to somebody who was working at Windows in the World that there was -- that they had to speak English? No. But when the planes came in and the speakers were saying, "Stay in the building or get out of the building," isn`t it kind of important that they -- that they spoke English?

And would I, as a company, be sued if I didn`t provide a translator to say, "Get out of the building right now" in whatever language they speak?

FUND: Well, similarly, the Salvation Army often deals with people who are greatly in distress: people who are alcoholics, people who have mental problems, people who are really down on their luck. It would be nice if you could have someone there who could communicate with people in the common language we`re all supposed to understand: English. It might even be important.

BECK: John, let me ask you this, because I`ve talked to politicians, and they say, "Oh, this -- this border thing. It`s not really an issue when it comes to election time." And, boy, that`s not what my gut tells me.

I hear so many people upset about what`s happening with the border. And just -- nobody is against immigrants. Well, I mean, there are some whack jobs that are. Just come in here and want to be an American and want to assimilate and come through the front door.

Which party could possibly spin this into a win for them? Is there a winner here from either the Republicans or the Democrats?

FUND: I think both parties have missed the boat on this politically. There`s a new group that`s being formed called "Our Pledge." It`s got Jeb Bush in it. It`s got various other people like Ken Mehlman, the former chairman of the RNC.

What they say is, "We want immigration. We want a system by which we can get in the workers that we need in this country, but we also want assimilation." And the anti-assimilation lobby is killing public support for immigration that`s both legal and necessary.

BECK: Is this going to pass with Nancy Pelosi? And -- and what is it she owes these people?

FUND: Well, the Hispanic lobby basically threatened her with killing the bill that would fix the alternative minimum tax for a year. Because of this action, Glenn, 23 million Americans are in danger of having their taxes raised by the alternative minimum tax. The forms are being printed up right now, but it will raise people`s taxes.

BECK: John, thank you very much.

Coming up, some people say the dollar is going to collapse, and gold is the only answer. I don`t know who those crazy people are. Why one guy is making gold pieces and the government doesn`t like it.

And I`ll speak to two real Americans who decided to take control of their life and make a difference. It is a remarkable story. In fact, it`s two that you don`t want to miss. It`s coming up in just a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, some people would tell you that the U.S. dollar isn`t worth the paper it`s printed on. Well, have you seen the Jay-Z video where he is flashing euros in his latest rap video? You`ve got to ask yourself, if Jay-Z is doing that, how bad is this going to get?

Well, have no fear. The Liberty Dollar is here, in denominations of one, five, and 10 dollars. The Liberty Dollar already has $20 million in paper currency printed and is ready to replace the dollar or not.

Bernard Von Nathaus is a monetary architect and driving force behind the Liberty Dollar and, apparently, in big trouble with the feds, because they say you were trying to collapse the U.S. dollar, which is pretty much the charge that you have made against the feds. Is it not?

BERNARD VON NATHAUS, MONETARY ARCHITECT: It`s something like that, Glenn.

BECK: Yes. Now, how do you -- why do you believe that the federal government is trying to collapse the dollar?

VON NATHAUS: Well, I don`t really think they`re trying to collapse the dollar, but I think that we have a very strong history since 1913 of the collapse of the dollar, because if you look at the charts that the government puts out, since 1913 to 2001, the U.S. dollar has lost 96 percent of its purchasing power.

BECK: Yes. Now, as I -- as I understand this, you`ve been making the Liberty Dollar. And it`s a barter system, if I understand it right. Where you can buy it and, if you can convince people to take the gold or the silver at the face value, they`ll barter for it. What is the problem of the federal government with you doing this?

VON NATHAUS: That`s what we got -- that`s what we`re asking the federal government. I mean, the U.S. Mint posted this warning a year and a half ago, saying that what we were doing was illegal. And we said, "No, it isn`t illegal." You know? And then they didn`t take any action after that, Glenn.

And so what`s a poor boy to do? But I sued the government because I want them to tell me what am I doing illegal?

BECK: OK. Let me play devil`s advocate with you. Because you know, there are a lot of people in the crazy tree here on the government is going to collapse and, you know, whatever. And from time to time, you know, I get into the shade of that crazy tree myself.

But the -- the government is -- is saying that you are trying to compete with our own currency, that you are trying to fool people into thinking that this is U.S. currency. And quite honestly, if I looked at that -- can we show that again? If I looked at that with the Statue of Liberty, and it says "Liberty" and "USA" on the bottom and then "trust in God," not "in God we trust," it does look like a -- a U.S. minted coin.

VON NATHAUS: I beg to differ with you, Glenn. Similitude is what you`re alluding to there. And it is not in violation of any of the similitude statutes at all.

BECK: I believe...

VON NATHAUS: And...

BECK: I believe there`s a -- a jail sentence if you are trying to print your own currency.

VON NATHAUS: No, sir. We`ve been printing our own currency for ten years. And I don`t believe there`s a jail sentence here at all. Because we`re not trying to fool people into thinking this is U.S. currency at all. We have built our whole marketing campaign on the simple fact that it is not government currency.

BECK: OK. Real quick, because I`ve only got about ten seconds for you to answer this. I just want to make this clear. You printed Ron Paul`s face on the back of one of these coins. He says he wasn`t involved in that at all. Did you ask permission? Was he involved in that?

VON NATHAUS: No, sir. We did not ask his permission at all because, according to the Federal Election Commission rules, to make it an independent contribution, we could not have his support.

BECK: OK.

VON NATHAUS: So it was a surprise.

BECK: What a surprise it is. Your face is on a coin.

Bernard, thank you very much. We`re going to talk about oil and its shortage coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, welcome to "An Inconvenient Segment." Last weekend on an extremely rare OPEC summit, it was hosted by our very dear friends in Saudi Arabia. What hijackers? They love us. What happened at that meeting over those two days should send chills down the spine of every single American.

First, they decided not to increase oil production, even though prices are now close to $100 a barrel. That means they`re either stupid, not likely, or they have a very good reason for keeping the price so high. What could the reason be?

Well, consider the comments made be two of our favorite OPEC members, Iran and Venezuela. Venezuela`s leader, Hugo Chavez said, and I quote: "The fall of the dollar is not the fall of the dollar, it is the fall of the American empire." True that.

He also then urged OPEC to use oil as a weapon against us and then threaten that if we attack Iran, oil will reach at least $200 a barrel. True that again. Remember, this is not some fringe radical group of psychopaths we`re talking -- OK, well it is a fringe group of psychopaths, but they`re called OPEC and these are the people who are literally fueling our country.

We have to take their threats extraordinarily seriously. Now if you take OPEC out of the mix, Chavez alone could use his Citgo ownership to cripple us. Energy banker Matthew Simmons believes that if Chavez turns off his oil spigots for just 90 days, he would literally destroy our economy.

But something strange is happening. Instead of opening more gas stations and increasing his stranglehold on the U.S., Chavez has actually been selling off some of his U.S. assets and scaling down his investment here in America. Why?

This guy, we know, only acts in his best interest. So is it that he sees something coming our way that we don`t? Or is it just all about him accumulating cash to fool his people into supporting him as dictator for life? Mark Falcoff is a resident scholar that American Enterprise Institute.

Mark, why is he selling off pieces of Citgo?

MARK FALCOFF, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Well, he has been wanting to do this for a long time. It`s a political and ideological decision, not an economic decision.

BECK: OK. How do you mean?

FALCOFF: I mean that he wants to distance Venezuela from the United States. He wants to eliminate Venezuela`s dependence on the U.S. oil market because we take 80, 90 percent of their production. They represent about 14 percent of our imports. And he -- this strictly has to do with Chavez`s hatred of the United States.

BECK: Right. And he`s taking some of this money and he`s not just giving it to the people of Venezuela, but he`s also funding elections and funding people that are friendly to him all throughout South America. It is almost like he`s trying to stitch together his own little version of the Soviet Union south of our border.

FALCOFF: Well, I wouldn`t say the Soviet Union. He`s certainly trying to create his own alliance of countries that are loyal to him. But it hasn`t been very successful until now.

BECK: Yes, but it`s not just loyal to him. It is anti-American.

FALCOFF: Well.

BECK: It`s knit together. You disagree with that?

FALCOFF: Well, I think that you`re dignifying it with a kind of ideological gloss. I mean, this is strictly a matter of corruption and millions of dollars changing hands in exchange for votes in the U.N. or votes in the OAS or public statements.

BECK: But you say I`m dignifying, you know, this with ideology, and really it`s just corruption.

FALCOFF: Well, it`s a combination of corruption and Chavez`s need and global media attention.

BECK: Right.

FALCOFF: Every week he has to figure out some new gimmick to try to get in the U.S. headlines. And this is the latest.

BECK: Is there anything that communism is besides corruption and just a little bit of ideology? It`s all about controlling people and oppressing people and yet people in Hollywood will run to it.

FALCOFF: Well, the people in Hollywood seem to not understand the difference between a populist dictator and either a socialist or a communism. I don`t consider Chavez either a socialist or a communist, regardless of what he says.

BECK: You think he`s just a dictator?

FALCOFF: He`s just a dictator. He`s a populist dictator in the mold of Peron in Argentina. He`s using his resources to buy support in other countries, among other governments. He must have spent a fortune trying to buy a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Didn`t make it.

BECK: Neil (ph), do you feel better? He`s just a dictator. Neil feels better, I feel better. Mark, thanks a lot.

Now, what do you think it is going to take for America to finally wake up and realize we have got to have a Moon shot to get us off of our oil addiction. Let`s get away from these dictators, whether they`re communist or just plain old old-fashioned dictators.

Oil shocks haven`t done it. Wars in the Middle East haven`t done it. China drilling for oil right off our own shores hasn`t done it. Even oil prices nearing $100 a barrel, no, uh-uh, doesn`t. So what is it going to take?

Some believe it is going to take something catastrophic, war with Iran, nuclear attack by terrorists, a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. But other people like me believe we have a golden opportunity right now and we`re blowing it.

Not only are oil prices so high that alternate technologies are now viable, but we`re also sitting here day after day debating both climate change and oil dependency when in reality, they can both be solved as the same time.

There are very few issues left in this country that can unite people from the extreme left and the extreme right, but this one can. My next guest will prove it to you. He`s a former oil industry consultant turned climate change activist turned Greenpeace member who is now none of those things and he`s sounding the peak oil alarm bells and trying to convince people that we can solve both problems at the same time if we just listen to each other. You`re going to meet him in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. We`re talking about how the end of the oil crowd needs to unite with the climate change crowd and demand a Moon shot that will kill both of these birds with one stone. Jeremy Leggett is a former oil industry consultant and former Greenpeace member who is now the CEO of Solarcentury.

And, Jeremy, I quote you in my new book. And while I don`t agree with everything that you say, I love your story. Correct me if I`m wrong, you were a guy who went into the oil industry. You were helping find oil. Then you started thinking, wait a minute, decades before anybody else, the CO2 thing is bothersome.

So then you join Greenpeace. You were disillusioned by them, you quit them. And then you did what? You started saying, wait a minute, we can put both of these things together and come up with a better solution?

JEREMY LEGGETT, CEO, SOLARCENTURY: Yes, I wouldn`t say I was disillusioned. I just did my six years in the environment movement and I came to the view that if there is a solution to this problem of climate change and energy security, then it`s going to come from enlightened business leadership and joining together with people.

BECK: OK.

LEGGETT: So consumer pressure.

BECK: OK. All right. So I.

LEGGETT: And that`s why I set up the company.

BECK: Right. I actually agree with you on that. The solutions are going to come from entrepreneurs. And that`s what we should be focusing on. I will tell you that I read -- maybe I read too much into it that you were disillusioned with Greenpeace, because it seems to me that Greenpeace -- and I say this about all of the people on all ends, they only want their solution.

And I don`t think that there is one solution. I think we need to look at nuclear energy. I think we need to look at coal to oil, if we can sequester the gases. I think we need to look at solar power and everything. Am I wrong?

LEGGETT: Well, I think you`re right in that there`s no magic solution. We need the whole family of clean energy technologies. I would argue with you on nuclear and coal sequestered. You know, I think these are solutions that we may get right one day, but far off.

So nuclear, in the case of the U.K., we`re being told by the nuclear industry they can`t bring on board a new generation of nuclear reactors before 2017. And it`s game over by 2017.

BECK: Oh, absolutely.

LEGGETT: And with sequestered coal, you know, I heard your former energy secretary, Mr. Schlesinger say the other day we`re 20 years away from getting that at an industrialized scale.

BECK: OK. So what do -- Jeremy.

LEGGETT: So we need the stuff we can do in the short-term.

BECK: How long -- I mean, when China comes on-line, I mean, I`d like to call it DND, "damn near doom" for our economy and the world. How -- what do we do in the short run and how much time do we have?

LEGGETT: I`m in the camp that thinks we don`t have much more than a decade. And I think the peak oil problem, the premature and largely unexpected peak of oil production that so many of us think is now coming is going to help a little in this regard.

Of course, it`s going to bring really grim economic news, but it`s going to push us with even greater urgency towards the short-term survival technologies, and here I mean the full family of energy conservation and energy efficiency technologies and all of the renewables and all of the alternative fuels, and we need all of them to explode into big markets.

BECK: I`m with you, man. I`ll put a solar panel on my roof. I have no problem with that. Ted Kennedy has got to handle the windmills in his backyard. If you want to read the solutions for global warming and our oil addiction and 20 other major problems, don`t forget, check out my new book. It was just released today. It is in book stores tonight. What are you doing watching TV? Go learn something, man. Read a book. You can find it anywhere books are sold or online right now at glennbeck.com.

Now, you want to see a living, breathing example of the American dream? Rags to riches, an inspiration, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Tonight I want to give you a personal note. It was 10 years ago this next Christmas that I cried all night long. It was Christmas Eve, because I felt worthless as a man and worthless as a dad because I could not afford the presents that my kids so desperately wanted that Christmas that night. It taught me an awful lot. And I`ve worked very hard to straighten out my life so I could afford those presents.

Even though the presents aren`t really important, it was at the time. It`s not now. Here we approach the holidays and Thanksgiving. And it`s really more of a holiday, less of reflecting or just giving thanks, but it really started as a time to get together and share each other`s bounty. That`s what the pilgrims and the Indians did. They provided food for each other.

Well, this week food banks all around the country experiencing shortages, price increases. If you have been as blessed as I have been, I ask you to share your bounty, give thanks for the blessings that we have and share with each other. Sometimes the difference between poverty and prosperity is one person willing to help and maybe this year that person is you.

Saw a movie this weekend. And I couldn`t wait to get him on. He`s a guy who went from homeless dad to just right, trying to raise his son the right way to a CEO whose life story has been turned into a movie featuring Will Smith. He`s truly an inspiration. Chris Gardner is the author of "Pursuit of Happyness."

What a pleasure to have you, sir. How are you?

CHRIS GARDNER, AUTHOR, "THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS": Good to be with you, Glenn. I`m absolutely fabulous.

BECK: I just saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" this weekend. I know it`s old news for everybody else, but what an inspiring story. I can`t imagine. I related to you so much as a dad, played by Will Smith, just trying to create a life for your kid that wasn`t a horror show. How tough was that for you?

GARDNER: Well, you know what? I cannot -- we don`t have enough time, but I will say this, Glenn, I cannot be more proud of the work that Will Smith did, his son, Jaden, did. And our director, Gabriele Muccino. I could not be more proud of the work they did.

But what I`ve learned, Glenn, it`s not about me. It`s the story of every father and every mother who ever had to do what no one else thought could be done.

BECK: Yes. It is the story, it is the quintessential -- we were talking on the radio show today, the quintessential American story that you just never give up. Would you share the story about the basketball scene?

GARDNER: Well, you know, as that scene is seen in the film, Glenn, it was not written that way. That scene was written very differently. When that little boy says, I`m going pro. I`m going to do this. The father, it was written, says, don`t ever say you`re going to do that. I was never any good at it and that means you`ll never be any good at it.

I waited until that day of filming. I went to Will Smith on the set and I said, you cannot tell that little boy what we cannot do that`s not what my mother told me. I have one of those old-fashioned mothers, Glenn, who taught me that I could do or be anything I wanted to do or be and I believed it.

BECK: That is really the secret, don`t you think? The secret is believing in yourself, believing that nothing can stop you, believing that if you work hard enough, if you live a decent life, you`re decent to other people, do the right things, you can accomplish anything. American -- the American dream is alive and well.

GARDNER: Let me tell you another part of the secret, Glenn.

BECK: Yes.

GARDNER: Passion. Find something that you care about to the point the Sun can`t come up soon enough because you want to go do your thing and then, Glenn, you`ve got to be bold enough to go and do it.

BECK: Yes. It is amazing if you`re not passionate how -- well, let me reverse that. It`s amazing how many people are attracted to passion. Just looking people in the eye and saying, I believe it. Come follow me, and they will.

GARDNER: And you know what? I`m so glad you made that comparison. You mentioned passion and eyes. Passion is like the color of your eyes, Glenn. Somebody can look in your eyes and they know. They can see it and it`s real.

BECK: They do. Chris, it is a pleasure, sir. And I hope we can do more things together. We talked about some things off the air. And I think we can just really do some exciting things together.

GARDNER: Well, we`ve got to get together, Glenn. Thank you for being here.

BECK: You got it. Thank you.

All right. Tonight`s "Real America" is brought to you this evening by CSX. And I have to tell you I`ve been waiting to tell this story for quite some time. I`ve been lucky enough to find a story of hard work and determination right here in my own studio. And I`m not telling you just because I get free pie out of the deal, I promise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): Shar Singleton (ph), she`s a camera operator on my program, the GLENN BECK show. She makes me smile, she makes me look good and, oh, yes, she makes me pie. What once was a hobby, eventually turned into a business with all of the profits going to just one cause, her mom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every pie that I make, it goes to about an hour, hour-and-a-half of more health care that my mom could get. So each pie that I bake, my heart is in it.

BECK: Shar`s mom had a stroke a few years back and insurance doesn`t cover the cost of full-time care. So a second income became a necessity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I decided, well, what can I do to earn -- to supplement my income and to help my mom out? So that`s what I decided to do. And I had a lot of encouragement along the way. Glenn was one of them, and some other coworkers and friends.

BECK: Word spread from New York City to New Jersey, and now Shar is taking her pies over the bridge and selling them at local restaurants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re heading to Irving`s Deli in Livingston, New Jersey, to drop off a shipment of key lime pies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shar`s key lime pie is the best this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

BECK: At a time when most people are focused on giving thanks, for Shar, it`s the giving part that matters most. And now her family recipe is serving up a lot more than just desert. And not only does she make it look good, she makes it as, well, easy as pie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: I am humbled by Shar. She has never complained. I didn`t know it was about her mother for a very long time. I thought was her passion. I am proud to work with Shar. I love you.

Coming up in just a second, some final thoughts. Tonight`s "Real America," sponsored by CSX. How tomorrow moves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You may have heard rumor that I have a new book out. Yes. Came out today. It`s "An Inconvenient Book," and I promise you -- this is a promise I made to Al Gore, made 100 percent out of trees. And that`s the Glenn Beck guarantee. So to celebrate today, I sent my radio producer Stu out with his flip video on an inefficient book tour where we attempted to set a world standard for environmental ineptitude in a three-hour period.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STU BURGUIERE, GLENN`S RADIO PRODUCER: Get ready, America, because the least efficient book tour in history is happening right now. We have the Hummer H2, as you see. A nice, big, shiny yellow one with literally one book. We`re delivering them one at a time right now.

Some people are saying that this is an inefficient book tour. Really, I don`t understand it. Right now I`m multitasking. I`ve got my laptop open on my desk -- or on my lap while I`m driving. I`ve got the phone here. I`ve got the radio. Glenn blabbing about the end of the world yet again.

All right. We`re here at our second stop on an inefficient book tour. It took us about 45 minutes to deliver one singular book in the back -- in the Hummer. The first bumper sticker we look at is this on "SICFRK," from an insider (ph) convention. The second one, you really didn`t even that. You didn`t need that specific a Glenn Beck reference, because the second one is right here. And it says it all. "U.S. Out of the U.N., U.N. out of the U.S." So I think we`re in the right place.

(INAUDIBLE) 94, I`m buying lunch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no doubt it`s going above 94.

BURGUIERE: No, it`s going to stop any second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That has got to be a 30-gallon tank in here.

BURGIERE: You think?

Wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, there it is, $86.39 of gas. Good work, guys. When it was all over, Stu drove the Hummer around for three hours in Philadelphia and successfully delivered a grand total of two books. So basically it was like $43 worth of gas per book. Nice work. Al Gore was proud. It`s like picking up a Nobel Peace Prize in a big, giant jet.

Remember, the book is available today in book stores everywhere. I mean, you don`t even have to wear pants. Just get up off the couch and go to the store, it`s still open. Have pity on me. My children are very, very hungry.

Also, there`s a new issue of WatchTime magazine with my sexy, sexy face on the cover. Yes. I promise you, I`ll leave you alone soon. I don`t know when. When will I stop assaulting you in stores? I don`t know.

And don`t forget, tomorrow, Anderson Cooper turns the table on me. Oh yes, Mr. "60 Minutes" himself, he takes me on. He interviews me for the full hour tomorrow. Come on, Coop. You don`t scare me. Uh-uh. From New York, we`ll see you tomorrow. Good night, America.

END