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Glenn Beck

The Politics of Hurricane Katrina; Iran 101; Case Falls Apart in JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case

Aired August 28, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

GLENN BECK, HOST: All right, coming up: the very latest twist in the JonBenet case. Just when you thought it couldn`t get any more bizarre, it does.
Plus: a very un-P.C. discussion about Ray Nagin and Hurricane Katrina; and everything you need to know about Iran, but were afraid to ask -- coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode of GLENN BECK is brought to you by the Ray Nagin Political Consultant Group. If you`re an inept screw-up and want to run for public office, call the Ray Nagin Political Consultant Group. We will get anyone elected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: All right, reports late this afternoon saying that Captain High Pants not the guy in the JonBenet case. Details are still sketchy, but apparently, his DNA doesn`t match the DNA at the crime scene. What a surprise. We will have much more on that in just a bit.

But, first: Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst disasters in this country -- in this country`s history, the death and devastation, absolutely heartbreaking. But I want to have a discussion with you that I haven`t seen anyone else say on television. And that is how this whole thing has become about politics and politicians.

With that being said, as we remember the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, let`s speak frankly about the politics of Katrina. I, for one, am so sick and tired of Ray Nagin and the adventures of chocolate city.

By the way, buckle up. It`s going to be one of the more un-P.C. things I say tonight. That`s just really a beginning.

I hate to break it to -- to you, New Orleans, but you weren`t the only city affected by Katrina, or by George Bush trying to drown you that day, as Louis Farrakhan thinks. The entire Gulf Coast was devastated. Houston is still feeling the effects of it.

I have got a few questions. Why is it that New Orleans, which is run by some of the most inept public officials I have ever seen, how come New Orleans can cry, poor us, when everybody has started rebuilding?

Last year, Ray Nagin was sitting on his couch at home on a Sunday, I don`t know, eating Pop Tarts, after he got a frantic call from the weather bureau, saying, Ray, you got to get your people out of there. Only then did he finally put the Pop Tarts down. That was the day after President Bush called him and told him the same thing.

I want you to know, I -- I love New Orleans. New Orleans is one of our -- our great American cities. The jazz is nice. The food`s good. It has got a real unique feel to it. But let`s be honest. Why are we spending billions of dollars to rebuild a city below sea level?

Here`s what Ray Nagin said last night on "60 Minutes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")

BYRON PITTS, "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: So, you`re convinced that, Cat 3, Cat 4, this wall will hold?

RAY NAGIN (D), MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: Look at this, man. Where`s this going to go?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This guy`s insane. "Where`s this going to go?"

You think it will survive a Category 3 or 4? Hey, Ray, there is another category you`re forgetting, namely, a category 5. The experts say a Category 5 is happening, and the same thing will happen to this wall that happened to the last one.

Also, on "60 Minutes" last night, Mayor Nagin compared his city`s rebuilding effort to the rebuilding effort in New York following 9/11. His comments were typical Nagin, thoughtful, sensitive, oh, and not crazy at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")

NAGIN: You guys in New York City can`t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it`s five years later. So, let`s be fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This guy, I mean, I swear to you, he`s the mayor of chocolate town. This guy`s a cartoon character. He`s like Mayor McCheese.

No, no, actually, I think Mayor McCheese would have gotten his people out of there more efficiently.

Finally, Mayor Nagin was asked if he felt any personal responsibility for what happened last year. Watch what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")

NAGIN: Absolutely. I think about whether I could have ordered a mandatory evacuation earlier. And I think about what we could have done differently and better with the Superdome, and with getting more people out of the neighborhoods. I contemplate and think about that a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Whether or not he could have ordered an evacuation. Yes. The answer, Ray, is yes. It`s great that you`re thinking about it a year after the fricking hurricane.

So, here`s what I know tonight. In 2004, I did a radio special on how New Orleans was the most vulnerable city in America. It surprised many listeners, because they thought I was going to say that it was vulnerable because of terrorism. It wasn`t. It was vulnerable because of a potential hurricane.

With all of this new information that is out there, you would think, gee, maybe we would catch on to that. It wasn`t new information. It was at least 20 years old. And, after they finished rebuilding, New Orleans will still be one of America`s most vulnerable cities.

Why are we pouring money into this place, if the same thing could happen all over again?

Here`s some good advice. New Orleans, if you want to rebuild, great. Let`s rebuild it right, with huge fricking walls. Otherwise, I have got news for you. Why are we paying for it? Buy some land. Move your tasty food and your pianos to higher ground. We will visit there, as well.

I also know New Orleans wasn`t the only city affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many people`s lives were destroyed, in Mississippi, in Florida, all over the Gulf Coast. When did we turn into this nation of whiners? Since when did we become a nation that sits around and waits for the government to save us?

You know what? If your house is on fire, are you going to call the fire department before you all get out of the house, just wait for everybody to come? No, you get out, and then you wait to be rescued. Government is supposed to back us up, not bail us out.

Here`s what I don`t know tonight. I don`t know if New Orleans can withstand another storm. Everybody`s saying they`re prepared. I don`t know if they really are. I think everybody involved seems corrupt to me.

I also don`t know if there are any politicians out there that defy logic more than Ray Nagin. Maybe somebody from the Kennedy clan. I literally have no idea what people are thinking when they pull the lever and voted for this guy.

Leonard Moore, a history professor at Louisiana State University, the author of the forthcoming book tentatively titled "An Oreo in Chocolate City."

Professor, what do you mean by that?

DR. LEONARD MOORE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY/DIRECTOR OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY: I think, man -- thank you, Glenn.

I think, whatever our criticisms are of Nagin, that does not in any way absolve the federal government of their complicity in some of the destruction. So, let me throw that out there, first and foremost.

BECK: Well, yes. All right. Let me -- let me -- let me respond to that.

MOORE: OK.

BECK: You`re not one of these people that actually think George Bush went up and blew up the levees, are you?

MOORE: No, I`m not.

But you have to understand that, you know, poor black folk and poor working-class black folk have been neglected for so long by the federal government. So, when the conspiracy theories do pop up, it leads some to believe that, hey, that may have been the case.

BECK: OK. We`re never going to get to Nagin...

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: ... because I got to respond.

MOORE: All right.

BECK: If you go back and you look at this -- and you know -- you live there -- they have been saying this about -- about New Orleans since the 1950s, that it`s coming.

MOORE: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: It`s going to be destroyed.

It certainly was not this administration or just one administration. This is everybody ignoring the situation, because they didn`t want to spend the money, because they were just keeping...

MOORE: Well...

BECK: ... their fingers crossed that...

MOORE: Well, Glenn...

BECK: ... nothing would happen.

MOORE: Well, Glenn, I think it`s unfair to place all the blame on the city officials in New Orleans. I think there is a state legislature that ignored -- has -- has ignored New Orleans for years...

BECK: Right.

MOORE: ... and also a federal government. So, I don`t want to put all the blame on...

BECK: As long as you`re willing -- as long as you`re willing to spread that blame liberally for everybody, I`m totally cool with it.

MOORE: Yes, that -- yes. I mean, that`s me, man.

BECK: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: All right. So, you say Oreo in chocolate...

MOORE: Yes. Let me...

BECK: ... in chocolate city. Why?

MOORE: Let me -- let me explain myself.

I think corporate America -- you know, Ray Nagin had a corporate -- corporate background.

BECK: Mmm-hmm.

MOORE: I think corporate America has a way of taking out racial consciousness from African-American professionals. So, I think, although he was born and raised in the city in New Orleans, very -- very -- you know, very content in his racial identity, I think what happens, when you move up in corporate America, you become a CEO, I think, to some degree, you lose contact with basic black folk.

And my criticism of Nagin is that he didn`t pay enough attention to the black poor and working class before the storm.

BECK: Why -- why is this...

MOORE: And now it seems...

BECK: Professor...

MOORE: Go ahead. I`m sorry.

BECK: ... why -- why -- why is this necessary? Why -- I mean, shouldn`t you care...

MOORE: Why is what necessary?

BECK: Shouldn`t you care about white people and black people just as much, I mean, poor and rich just as much? Why is this that he`s become white, and he didn`t care about black people?

Why isn`t it he just didn`t care? He became a businessman and didn`t -- and lost touch with the poor elements of the community.

MOORE: Yes. But, Glenn...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Why does it have to be black and white?

MOORE: But, Glenn -- but, Glenn, understand this. In the African- American community, there`s a certain responsibility that goes with the position once you get there.

People believe that, if someone is black, then they will look out for the interests of black people. That`s just -- that`s just...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: That is the most -- that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

MOORE: No, Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, Italians do it. Jews do it. Germans do it.

BECK: And it`s wrong when Italians do it and Jews do it.

MOORE: OK. So what? People of all nationalities do that, Glenn. So, don`t sit back and say, well, why do black folks do this?

BECK: Oh, wait. Now, hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

MOORE: We`re just following the trend -- a trend that has been set by many nationalities.

BECK: Hold on, let`s not get into a full-fledged race fight here.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: Let`s not get into a race battle here.

It`s wrong when anyone does it. There is -- when you`re in a place of responsibility, I don`t ever -- what would you say about if the president - - if -- if you -- if I came to you and said, hey, the president has a responsibility to white people; he`s white; that is the most racist thing I have ever heard. The president has a responsibility to all people, as -- as do...

(CROSSTALK)

MOORE: I agree. I -- I...

BECK: Go ahead.

MOORE: I agree with that. But if the president is the -- we have a Norwegian-American president, then, you best believe those folks who are descendants of -- from Norway would feel a certain identification with the president.

BECK: And I got to tell you something. I would vote to veto that man.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: I would vote to veto that man.

He has a responsibility to all Americans.

Professor, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Now, coming up: the latest twist in the JonBenet murder case.

But, first: Is anybody really surprised what Nagin said on "60 Minutes"? I think Ray Nagin`s record really speaks for itself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: New from Get a Life Video, it`s "Ray Nagin: Blunders, Bloopers, and Practical Jokes," three hours of hilarity from the man America loves to laugh at. You will get all the classic favorites, like:

NAGIN: This city will be chocolate at the end of the day.

I think this is a big reality TV show for the nation.

ANNOUNCER: And, of course,

NAGIN: This city will be a majority African-American city. It`s the way God wants it to be.

ANNOUNCER: Buy it now, and you will laugh until it hurts.

(LAUGHTER)

ANNOUNCER: Ouch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: The alleged killer in the JonBenet case, not so much, according to DNA evidence. What a shock there, huh? Details in a minute.

Now, Iran has spent the weekend testing out a high-speed torpedo capable of destroying huge warships and submarines. They also, on Saturday, had time to open up a new heavy water reactor. Nuclear experts say that -- I mean, they -- they -- they use heavy water because they can make more plutonium, not really a good thing.

So, here`s what you need to know. People, I believe, sense that Iran is a real problem and a threat. And it`s only going to get worse. This Thursday is the day that they may or may not violate the U.N.`s request on their nuclear program. They may be the biggest problem our nation has ever faced.

But you need to decide that for your -- your own self. And I think one way to do it is through their words and actions. The only way for you to make a decision is to arm yourself with information. And that`s why, this week, all week long, we`re going to do a serious called "Iran 101."

Let`s start here. My ancestors came to the United States in the 1800s from Germany, and I`m sure that there were a few distant relatives living there during the `30s and `40s. And it always bothered me how somebody that maybe in my family could have gone through and seen the Holocaust and did nothing about it.

Well, when I was 30, I wanted to understand, did they know? Were they unaware? That`s why I picked up a copy of "Mein Kampf," scariest book I ever purchased. They knew. The Germans knew. That book outsold the Bible in Germany. The Nazis` intentions were very clear. It was all spelled out there.

The deal was, the Germans were hungry. They were a humiliated people from World War I. The Iranians are in exactly the same boat now. Inflation and unemployment are out of control. President Tom, President Ahmadinejad, is restoring -- or trying to restore -- their former pride through military strength.

It`s the same story that happened in Nazi Germany. And we need to take these people at their word, just as the Germans needed to take Hitler at his word.

So, tonight in our first installment of "Iran 101," who are they, in their own words?

First, watch this.

"There is no significant need for the United States." That comes from President Tom.

Second one, "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation`s fury" -- President Tom.

"The only way to confront the Zionist enemy is the continuation and fortification of resistance and jihad" -- Ayatollah Khamenei.

And, finally, here is what President Tom had to say about his own mission as president: "To pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi. May Allah hasten his reappearance." That`s the messiah.

They have -- what they have said in all of these, to summarize: There`s no need for America. Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn. They`re fighting a holy war against the West, and they want to bring about the apocalypse.

Wow. That`s pretty frightening. That`s Iran, in their own words.

Reza Pahlavi -- I`m sorry for butchering your name, sir -- you are the crown prince of...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: ... prince of Iran. You`re now leading a charge to bring democracy and human rights to your country of Iran.

Tell me -- or better yet, tell the people who are now sitting on their couch in Boise, Idaho, why they need to take Iran at face value, that these guys aren`t kidding?

REZA PAHLAVI, FORMER CROWN PRINCE OF IRAN: Again, first of all, let me thank you for having me on your program.

BECK: Sure.

PAHLAVI: Look, it is not a coincidence what you hear today coming from Iran.

This is a regime that has lost its case among the Iranian people. It is at odds with them. It needs to maintain an apparatus of repression at home. And it needs to fuel the war cry of militants and extremists that are acting as their proxies, in order to carry out what is their fundamental mission, a mission statement which is embedded in fact in the Iranian constitution, which is about exporting a religious revolution throughout the world, and establishing their interpretation of God`s law on Earth.

As such, they have to keep fueling this war cry. And what you hear today coming through the mouth of this fascist head of state, unfortunately, for my country should not be a surprise to anyone, because they have lost their case. They don`t have to worry about the people of Iran anymore, in their opinion.

What they`re trying to do is to provoke the world and -- and shock them, in the sense of saying, we`re here to stay, whether you like it or not. And guess what? We`re going to build our nuclear weapon, and there`s nothing you can do to stop us from it.

BECK: OK. So, why should the average person take these people at their word -- I mean, who wants nuclear war? Who wants to drop a bomb? Why should we take them seriously, and -- and just not think that this is just posturing?

PAHLAVI: You know, this is a regime that has real slogans that they - - that they -- they celebrate death more than life.

Human life means nothing to them. And especially if you`re talking about enemies, then, I guess, to them, anything that will justify their survival and their mission will come into mind. I don`t think they will shy away from actually carrying out their threats.

BECK: You believe they will use a nuke, if they`re allowed to have one?

PAHLAVI: Well, they have used every other weapons available to them under the current situation. What should -- why should the world trust this regime, in terms of it not using weapons of mass destruction?

BECK: Would you be willing to come back to the program? I talked to Senator Rick Santorum today from Pennsylvania. And he was on the floor of the Senate. And he introduced a -- a bill to demand regime change. Nobody -- nobody listened to him. It -- it -- it failed.

Would you come back on the program and make that case, because I think that`s our best shot?

PAHLAVI: I will be happy to, Glenn.

And let me just, in a very short term, say this. Look, the Iranian people are the first people to demand change. The world needs to decide whose side they`re on...

BECK: Great. Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

PAHLAVI: ... the regime or the people.

BECK: Appreciate it.

Back in a flash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Word today that the DNA taken from the prime suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey murder -- you know, Captain High Pants -- what a surprise - - doesn`t match the DNA found at the crime scene. There`s a shocker for you. Charges now have been officially dropped.

Dr. Joseph Michelli is a -- a forensic psychologist in Colorado. He has been a special investigator for public prosecutions there. He has got his own radio show on our affiliate KVOR in Colorado Springs.

Joseph, is this a shocker to you at all?

DR. JOSEPH MICHELLI, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I think there may be three or four people in America who are surprised right now.

BECK: Three or four people. Yes, that`s -- that would be -- well, not me.

Let me ask you, do you -- are you up on the DNA evidence? Because, they said, last week, that the DNA evidence was tainted. Now they`re saying that he doesn`t match the DNA, so they`re dropping charges. What do you think of this?

MICHELLI: Yes, they -- they had some degraded DNA, but it was sufficient for them to be able to make a match that was in a high degree of probability, whether he was the guy or not.

And, if only Johnnie Cochran were alive, we would have the conclusion that, if the DNA does not fit, you must acquit. And I think that`s kind of what has happened here.

BECK: So, you have been -- I mean, you guys are right there at ground zero. What has -- what has the word been? When they found him in Thailand, were you guys ahead of the rest of the country. It took us a couple of days before we went, hmm, not so much.

MICHELLI: Well, everybody was excited.

I mean, we were excited probably right as soon as this story broke. But I -- I think people were still trying to come back up to speed. This had been 10 years. The community has dropped it off of the radar, except for the -- you know, with Patsy`s death earlier in the year. People got a little bit more interested.

But, Yes, we had to get back up to speed on the whole situation and the facts of the case again.

BECK: You think this guy is more dangerous? I do. More dangerous now...

MICHELLI: I think he`s -- I think he`s definitely dangerous.

And -- and I`m afraid of now what the media will do with him, and whether or not he`s going to be the next "American Idol" on the perverse side of the world.

BECK: Well, is there any way that you know that -- I mean, that we can hold this guy for anything? I mean, is he just gone now?

MICHELLI: You know, he may very well be going back to California, so that he can deal with his skipping out on the last set of consequences for his sex offense.

I -- I guess, you know, theoretically, depending upon what statements he has made since he has been in custody, he could be giving false information to police officers. But the likelihood is, Glenn, he`s just going to be living next door to you.

BECK: Wow.

So, now are we back to Patsy Ramsey?

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: Are we back to condemning her? Or where does that...

MICHELLI: No, we get to -- no, we have a whole opportunity now to condemn the Boulder Police Department, mostly the Boulder district attorney`s office, for having brought us through this nightmare of the last week, and the ups and downs therein.

BECK: Well, it is really...

(CROSSTALK)

MICHELLI: And, so, there`s going to be a lot of `splainin` to do.

BECK: Well, wait, wait. Was it really their -- was it really their fault, though?

I mean, they -- what were they going to do? The guy admitted -- they aren`t -- I mean, they were starting to look bad with some media sources this weekend that they never paid attention to that confession back in, what was it, 2001.

MICHELLI: Oh, all the people who think the Ramseys did it have been on them from the onset.

They felt as though there wasn`t any evidence; this was simply a distraction; they were trying to do another bit of the bidding for the Ramsey family. So, there have been people who -- on them from the beginning of this whole thing.

And, then, the flight back to the United States didn`t -- didn`t endear people much, and the fact that we had to pay for this guy being in custody, while they were doing things that a lot of people thought they should have done before they apprehended him.

BECK: Yes. I -- I got to tell you, I -- I hope that we can get our money back, at least for the flight. That was an expensive flight, and he had duck as well.

Thank you, Doctor. Appreciate it. Talk to you again soon.

MICHELLI: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: We will bring you more information on this case coming up with rMDNM_"NANCY GRACE." Don`t miss Nancy tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we cut through the media crap to figure out why a story is actually important to you and me. All right?

One of the headlines today is that Hezbollah, their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, gave an interview Sunday, during which he tried, I think, to beat Ray Nagin out of the "Idiotic Comment of the Day" Emmy. Listen to one of the things that he said about the recent war with Israel. Roll the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEIK HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (through translator): Very clearly, I would like to say we did not anticipate that there would be even a 1 percent chance that the capture of the two soldiers would lead to a war of this size and magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I mean, listen to that. "It was just a kidnapping! We had no idea." Look how conciliatory and contrite he looks. "I`m practically Hugh Grant after I was caught with a prostitute. I feel so bad."

Here`s the real story tonight. This interview wasn`t done for you and I; it was aimed squarely at the people of Lebanon only. I told you this right after the war ended, and I think it bears repeating: Hezbollah`s greatest military asset is their ability to use the media to turn public opinion whichever way they want, and that`s a global effort. That`s all this really is.

Nasrallah realizes he needs to unite the people of Lebanon. I just read a story in the "New York Times" yesterday, some people aren`t uniting. They`re upset about it. So he`s trying to unite them. That`s why he`s spending millions providing food, and medicine, and shelter for refugees.

This interview, which by the way aired on a very fine Lebanese channel -- it`s my favorite new TV -- was simply meant to deliver the message to the Lebanese people, and Hezbollah had no idea. That`s what they want them to hear. "Oh, we had no clue that we would be viciously attacked like this by those Zionist pigs."

Don`t be fooled. This is just another step in a masterful media campaign that I believe will not end until Hezbollah has, for all intents and purposes, completely brainwashed the Lebanese people and taken full power of the country.

Finally tonight, shocking news broke over the weekend that Russia and China won`t support sanctions against Iran if they fail to comply with the U.N. resolution demanding the stopping of uranium enrichment by Thursday. Wait, wait, nobody was shocked by that!

We already knew how much trade those countries, with Iran and Russia - - they`re actually helping them build the nuclear reactor in Iran. You thought they were going to go with sanctions? It`s the U.N., people.

But if you happen to be one of those people surprised by this news, then know this: Russia and China are not friends of ours. And I believe they are just -- they are on the precipice of clearly putting themselves into the "foe" category. When World War III finally forces every nation to choose a side, mark my words: Russia and China will not be on our side.

But that`s in the future. The real story tonight has nothing to do with Russia or China or even Iran. It has everything to do with everyone continuing to pretend that the U.N. actually has some useful purpose, aside for, you know, writing those resolutions that they never intend on enforcing.

Oh, but wait a minute, Glenn. The U.N. is keeping peace in the Middle East. That`s useful. Dream on.

Now, the troops from countries like Italy and Germany are getting involved. Let me just paint this picture for you. The next time there`s a skirmish that breaks out and Israel is forced to target Hezbollah soldiers, those Hezbollah soldiers will now be using U.N. soldiers as human shields. And now we`ll see dead European soldiers on television right alongside those poor Lebanese children that they were hiding behind.

Those pictures will finally help turn every single European against Israel, including the two or three European Muslims who weren`t already rooting for Israel to be wiped off the map. Thanks for the help!

But just helping with P.R. is really not enough for the United Nations. According to the "Weekly Standard," they also want to help with real battle plans, as well. They apparently decided to post very specific military intelligence -- think of this -- about Israeli troop movements on their Web site in near real time during the last war, things like the number of reinforcements and troop locations, the number of tanks, and basically anything an enemy would find useful.

And since the U.N. is so impartial, the information only focused on the Israeli troops, never on Hezbollah. Who needs an intelligence agency when you can get free, real-time updates from the U.N.? Is it possible that the question we should all be asking tonight is not whether or not the U.N. is useful, but whether or not they`re actually dangerous to us?

Ann Bayefsky, she`s a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute, hello, Ann.

ANNE BAYEFSKY, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Hello, hi.

BECK: So, I got to tell you, you must hate the U.N. as much as I do, because as soon as they found out that you were on the show tonight, they demanded equal airtime. And the great thing about being a non-journalist, I don`t have to give it to them.

Tell me about the U.N. Are they just incompetent, or are they an American foe?

BAYEFSKY: They`re the latter. It`s quite clear, especially with this last set of resolutions, that they have become essentially the political arm of Hezbollah.

They have no definition of terrorism. They have no comprehensive convention against terrorism. The secretary-general spent his time trying to tie Israel`s hands behind his back to protect Hezbollah and to ensure that it would be able to re-arm in the future. The U.N. is part of the problem, not the solution.

BECK: OK, Kofi Annan, he was -- I mean, I can`t believe that we were involved in this latest agreement. I think this was our Chamberlain moment of, you know, peace in our day, sleep well. I think this U.N. agreement to bring in European peacekeepers is extraordinarily bad news for us, very dangerous. Do you agree with what I just laid out in the monologue on that?

BAYEFSKY: Yes. It`s extremely dangerous, there`s no doubt about it. This resolution was designed to prevent a democratic state from fighting back, having had 3,900 missiles directed at its civilian population. They were told to stop aiming, taking fire on those who had, in fact, launched those missiles.

And the UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping troops, apparently, so-called, had sat in southern Lebanon for the last six years, when there wasn`t an Israeli soldier who stepped foot in Lebanon, watching Hezbollah re-arm, watching them build the bases and make preparation for war, and no alarm bells were rung.

BECK: OK, I don`t know exactly what they`re supposed to do. Hezbollah said that they will not allow themselves to be disarmed by the U.N. Nasrallah said that yesterday. I mean, what exactly is it they`re supposed to do, besides being meat shields for Hezbollah?

BAYEFSKY: Well, Kofi Annan has been quite clear: The UNIFIL forces have no intention of disarming Hezbollah until they`re invited to do so by the Lebanese government.

BECK: Oh, then it`s going to happen.

BAYEFSKY: But, of course, the Hezbollah is a member of the Lebanese government. The reality is that Hezbollah is a proxy for Iran. And what does Kofi Annan do? He immediately goes running to Iran in the coming week and a half in order to bring Iran back into the world fold. Just when we ought to be isolating Iran, Kofi Annan is bringing back, as if it`s a legitimate to...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: So, Ann, what do you predict here? Because Thursday, it`s up. I mean, surprise, surprise, everybody wonders why the U.N. is so ineffective. They are the parent that never spanks their child but always threatens that a spanking is coming.

What do you predict is going to happen? What are we going to do? Because we`re going to be in the position again of doing it alone, are we not?

BAYEFSKY: Well, I think it`s about time that the United States actually called their bluff. The Security Council has no intention of getting serious about Iran. It`s very obvious that, as long as we continue to give the U.N. credence and pretend that it might do so some time down the road, we will have a nuclear-armed Iran in the relatively near future, when it`s too late to make the appropriate moves.

So we have to isolate Iran. It isn`t going to happen via the U.N. And as long as we continue to crown Kofi Annan as some sort of king-maker, we`re in big trouble.

BECK: Anne, I`ve only got about 30 seconds, but I`ve got to ask you real quick: Is it true that Venezuela is trying to buy themselves on a seat onto the Security Council?

BAYEFSKY: Chavez is keen on getting a seat on the Security Council; we`ve known that for a very long time. But after all, Syria used to be president of the Security Council in the not-too-recent past.

BECK: It`s nuts.

BAYEFSKY: We`ve got a U.N. Human Rights Council that`s got Saudi Arabia sitting on it. So we`re in trouble when the U.N. is taken too seriously.

BECK: Right. Anne, thank you very much.

By the way, U.N., if you would like to respond, send me Kofi Annan and we`ll talk to him. But I`ve got some tough questions for him.

That`s the real story tonight. Now, if you see something in the news and you`re thinking to yourself, "Jeez, the media is completely missing the mark on it," I want you to e-mail me, along with what you think the real story is. Write to me right away, realstory@CNN.com.

Let`s go "Straight to Hill," Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" here on Headline News. Hello, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, Glenn. I`ve got a question for you.

BECK: Oh, boy.

HILL: How tall are you?

BECK: How tall am I? Why?

HILL: I just want to know. It has to do with the story.

BECK: No, I want to know what the question is. I want to know why. Tell me the story.

HILL: Because as I recall, I think you`re a fairly tall guy, right?

BECK: I`m very tall, unless it`s bad.

HILL: No, it`s good. It`s good news for you.

BECK: I am 12 feet tall.

HILL: It turns out -- it turns out tall people are actually smarter.

BECK: Fourteen feet tall, I am 14 feet tall.

HILL: I`m 15 feet tall.

BECK: Yes.

HILL: So the height-smart ratio...

BECK: But that`s in shoes.

HILL: What`s that?

BECK: That`s in shoes for you.

HILL: No, my shoes are very short today.

BECK: Really?

HILL: They`re only like...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Anyway, so wait a minute. So you`re smarter if you`re taller?

HILL: Well, here`s the deal. Some researchers at Princeton -- two researchers at Princeton publishing this report based on some other studies that they studied, two from Britain, one from the U.K., which took a look at height and occupational choice. Basically, what they concluded here is that, even before kids have been to school, at the age of 3, taller kids did better on cognitive tests. So their result is that taller people are smarter.

BECK: I hate to say you`re right, but as a tall person, it`s a cross I bear. And...

HILL: You know, I feel your pain, my friend, because I ain`t exactly short.

BECK: Well, around me you are, so I`m smarter than you.

HILL: Whew!

BECK: Erica, good talking to you. We`ll talk to you again tomorrow.

HILL: See you tomorrow.

BECK: Thanks. Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: And I`m part of the problem how exactly?

CALLER: Well, I think that you are like Nero. You`re fiddling and entertaining us while Rome is burning.

BECK: I will tell you that I am an entertainer and a businessman. That is what I do. The secret to this show, Terry, is that we entertain and inform. Listen to the slogan of this show. It is the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment.

Let me quote Mary Poppins. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. I like to phrase that the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment. If we all just keep pounding ourselves into the ground of, "The end is near," we`re all going to -- we`ll kill ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Speaking of that, let`s go to Jackie Mason. Jackie Mason, in case you don`t know -- of course you know. He`s famous for pointing out the differences between Jews and Christians. You know, Jews can`t fix things. They don`t know sports. They like to be offered a piece of cake wherever they go. I think I`m a Jew.

He has been getting coverage for something else, at least here in New York. His face is on the cover of a pamphlet, "Jews for Jesus." There it is on your screen. Mason really doesn`t find anything funny about it. He`s suing the group for $2 million for using his name and likeness in their ad.

Jackie, what a pleasure meeting you, sir.

JACKIE MASON, COMEDIAN: How do you do? How do you do? Every time I`ve got a problem, you find a pleasure in it?

BECK: Yes, pretty much.

MASON: I`m furious, and you`re enjoying yourself. So you must have an anti-Semitic tendency. That`s my honest opinion.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I don`t think we need -- all of a sudden, he`s coming right after me.

MASON: How could you enjoy the fact that I`m having such a miserable experience here?

BECK: You know...

MASON: They decided to use my name without my permission and give me a title of a gentile. All of a sudden I`m wondering, "How did this happen?" I`m a Jew all my life, and here I was a gentile and I didn`t even know it.

BECK: Right. And you`re a...

MASON: They decided I`m merely a gentile. First of all, it`s a moronic, obnoxious, idiotic thing to say, "Jews for Jesus." Either you believe in Jesus, which makes you a Christian, so either I converted or I didn`t. Since I never remember converting...

BECK: Well, I mean, we could go down the road -- I mean, you could -- he was a Jew.

MASON: But there are two different religions now. What is the difference between a Christian and a Jew? One believes in Jesus and the messiah, which makes him a Christian. If I didn`t convert, I`m still a Jew. I can`t be a Jew for Jesus. I can`t be a table and a chair. I can`t be a horse and a cow. I can`t be a toilet and a kitchen.

BECK: All right.

MASON: They are two different things, but you`re not intelligent enough to follow the conversation.

BECK: OK, I get it, I get it. Now, you actually -- you have been very helpful to Christians on the fight for Christmas...

MASON: Well, I`m not saying because I don`t want to be known as a Christian instead of a Jew, because if I`m all of a sudden a Christian instead of a Jew, every Jew that was paying for my show will all of a sudden go to the wrong building. They wouldn`t know where to find me. They`ll all think either I`m retarded or I lost my place or I`ve got Alzheimer`s. How does a guy forget what he is? All of a sudden, I`m something else that I never knew.

BECK: OK, so you`re...

MASON: So, of course, I fought for Christmas. I still fight for "Merry Christmas." I think there`s nothing more obnoxious in the history of the world than people saying, "You can`t say merry Christmas." Merry Christmas is a godsend to the Jews. Look, we collect presents, we sell them trees, we make a fortune from Christmas.

Who has any complaint about saying merry Christmas? The gentiles never said you can`t say "Happy Hanukkah," so why should I say they shouldn`t be able to say "Merry Christmas"? This is such a moronic thing in a free country. You`re allowed to celebrate a holiday, but you`re not allowed to say about who. Imagine if somebody said, "Happy birthday to who? I can`t tell you."

BECK: All right, $2 million, you`re going for $2 million.

MASON: Oh, $2 million, I should go to $12 million. But the truth of the matter is, I don`t know if I`ve got time to collect so much money.

BECK: Right, right.

Let me switch gears here with you for a second, because you are a political conservative.

MASON: Right.

BECK: And I have never received a good answer on this. I don`t understand, at least currently, why there are not more Jewish conservatives, because it`s really the conservatives that are saying, "Let`s not let Israel be wiped off the face of the Earth."

MASON: This is the most unbelievable thing in the world. The greatest support that the Jews always have is from the conservative Republicans. The further right a Republican is, the more he`s likely to be supportive of a Jew, and the more they see it as their biblical homeland as far as Israel`s concerned, and they`re 10 times more in favor of Israel and Judaism than the Jews are. There`s a lot of Jews who are in favor of the Palestinians.

BECK: It is true.

MASON: I performed at a college, and all the Jews are in favor of the Palestinians. They treat them as their victims. They see that they`re killing Jews every 10 seconds. The Jews are begging for mercy, and all they tell you is that it`s the Jew`s fault. Imagine if I come to your house to blow you up every 10 minutes, and everybody says, "It`s your fault because, if not for you, I would have nothing to blow up."

BECK: So why is that? What is it that...

MASON: Because, since the Roosevelt era, Jews have always been married to the -- Jews are very guilt-ridden for making money. If a Jew makes a living, and especially if he gets rich, he has to feel that he`s caring, and feeling, and involved with the underdog, with the underprivileged, that he`s suffering, that he`s a suffering soul for the people who can`t make a living.

Because if a Jew makes too much money, they say to themselves, "It doesn`t look nice. I have to pretend I`m really not making this much money. And if I am, I have to pretend I`m giving it away. And I have to go visit a black person every 10 seconds if he hits a Jew in the heart"...

BECK: Wait, wait, wait.

MASON: "I have to buy him a condominium."

BECK: I`ve got 30 seconds. I have to bring this full circle: Has anybody ever said to you that you`re an anti-Semite?

MASON: They have. You know who has said it? The people that are jealous that I make so much money. Gentiles like you, it`s killing them.

BECK: Jackie Mason, thank you, sir. Best of luck.

Coming up next, NANCY GRACE. What a surprise: The DNA evidence doesn`t implicate the guy who killed JonBenet Ramsey, or claimed he did. Authorities dropped the charges against him today. Nancy will have all of the details. Keep it right here. We`ll be back in a flash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: So last night it was so nice to see the world of entertainment make out with itself for a few hours, you know? I mean, it just doesn`t seem like Hollywood actors take out enough time for themselves.

Yes, it was time for the Emmys, the nation`s bronze medal of awards shows. "24" last night was the big winner. It was named the best show on television. Yes, it is, best show on television, even including this show. And I stand by that, you know, until "24" is on in the same time slot.

They won for best directing, best drama series, along with Keifer Sutherland for best actor. With all of "24`s" success, there is apparently a bunch of copycat shows coming out this season, and I just love that. There`s "Kidnapped," "Vanished," "Standoff," and "Runaway." Don`t you just love it when TV does stuff like this, you know? You`ll get one good, successful show, and then just people dog pile on it.

You had "Survivor" and then like, you know, four million other lame copies of "Survivor." You had "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and about four million other lame copies. You`ve got a "CSI" now in every frickin` city with a population above 1,200. I`m waiting for "CSI: Sedro-Woolley." And "Law & Order," from everything from sexual assault to breast feeding in public.

The amazing thing is that only a couple of seasons ago, people were saying, oh, "24," it`s on the bubble. They`re going to cancel it, you know. The same thing was being said about "The Office." "The Office" was almost cancelled after its first season, and last night it wins for best comedy series. It even went up against "Arrested Development," among others, which did get cancelled.

Hopefully, someone somewhere in television will realize not really good idea to cancel the shows. I mean, hang in there for a while. New shows need time to grow and develop, not to mention find a loyal audience. And it`s hard with some shows. "24" has proved that.

The new unbreakable TV rule is: Don`t cancel a show for five years. And I`m glad some television executives from smart networks like -- I don`t know, like Headline News, you know? Those people are geniuses, and I`m glad they`re aware of things like that.

By the way, NANCY GRACE is going to be all over the big breaking story tonight on Captain Highpants and his quest for fame using the body of JonBenet Ramsey. The DNA -- what a surprise -- didn`t match, and this nut is not being charged. Said from the beginning this guy did not do it.

Watch tomorrow and listen tomorrow on the radio program. My claim is, he`s more dangerous than ever before.

END