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Glenn Beck

Are We Too P.C. Over Islam?; Sports Drink Named after Narcotic Raises Ire

Aired September 29, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by bunnies, fuzzy, adorable bunnies, the only thing we can poke fun at without getting sued.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I just want to warn you. I`m all fired up tonight.

A renowned opera house in Berlin has canceled a production of a Mozart opera because they were afraid to offend Muslims. Apparently, there`s a scene in this version of the opera which features a king carrying the heads of Jesus, Buddha, and the Prophet Mohammed. Wow, that sounds good.

Now here`s why it was canceled. The Germans aren`t really worried about offending, you know, the Buddhists or the Christians. No, no, no. They`re just worried about the Muslims. All over the world we`re fricking retreating, and it has to stop now.

Here is tonight`s point. I can see the future, and here`s what it looks like: we are going to lose this war unless you are as sick and tired as I am of being called a hate monger.

Here`s how I got there. You can`t even mention Mohammed in a knock- knock joke. Not that I have a good one or anything. But you can`t without getting burned in effigy. But Jesus? Oh, he`s fair game.

For example, remember the singer Charlotte Church? When she was a teenager, she was a nice girl. She had a cute little song called "Blessed Jesus". Well, I think she`s trying to change her image. She`s now got a new talk show in England, and here are just some highlights from the first episode.

First she called the president, President Bush, clearless (ph) and a four-letter word that I can`t mention on our air. She said the pope was a Nazi. She stuck a wad of chewing gum on a statue of baby Jesus. And then she dressed up like a nun while pretending to eat Ecstasy-covered communion wavers and act all high. And that`s great.

So just to sum up here, Christ bashing on TV, oh, that`s fine. But Mozart? An opera in Germany with Mohammed in it? Oh, no, not so much.

I am sick and tired of everybody else`s little complaints about how offended they are. I am sick of everybody being a loving, non-racist person except for me. I am really sick of everybody else`s religion being off limits except for mine. I`m sick of being called a hate monger.

I am mad as hell, and I ain`t going to take it anymore! And I know that sounds a lot like the movie "Network", because it is. But until everybody opens up their window and screams it at the top of their lungs, nothing`s going to change.

The small part of this story is that political correctness is going to cripple our children. If they`re not able to handle someone saying something bad about their religion, what the hell are they going to be like when they enter the business world?

The bigger part of this story is that, by continually buckling under pressure, we are killing ourselves. They complain about a cartoon, and we retreat. The pope makes a speech, and we retreat. They complain about an opera; we retreat a little more. Pretty soon we`re going to be backed up right against the wall. And you know when your back is against the wall, you know what happens? Yes, usually, you`re facing a firing squad.

We have made too many compromises and too many retreats already. Not again. The line has to be drawn.

But how is it? How is it that I have to apologize -- oh, and they`ll be pounding on my door to make me apologize for this monologue. But yet nobody gets pissed off -- in fact, the media doesn`t even bother to cover something like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: We have ruled the world before, and by Allah, the day will come when we will rule the entire world again. The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world, except for the Jews.

The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule, because they are treacherous by nature, as they have been throughout history. The day will come when everything will be relieved of the Jews, even the stones and trees which were harmed by them. Listen to the Prophet Mohammed, who tells you about the evil end that awaits the Jews. The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I am mad as hell, and I`m not going to take it anymore.

Don`t tell me that this war is about what we`re doing over in Iraq. Bull crap. You know it and I know it. Look at the words. Listen to what they`re saying.

Here`s what I know tonight. I have absolutely no desire to offend anybody about their religion. We can all live together. But we are in a fight for our lives here. I refuse to listen to a group of people who say that we`re offending them and yet they make speeches like that one that you just saw. They kidnap journalists. They behead prisoners. They blow up school buses. I don`t give a flying crap if I offend those Muslims.

But by the same token I also know that when good, moderate Muslims reach across the table, speak out about terrorism and smearing of other religions and then back it up with action, which is apparently missing too much in our society, well, you know what? Then we can talk about the Mohammed cartoons. And we`ll all have a big hug and we`ll share a Coke and sing "Kumbaya" on a mountain top. Won`t that be fun? But until that happens, sit down, shut up.

Here`s what I don`t know. Why is it OK to bash other religions every two seconds? I just saw it. Anybody see "Studio 60"? Just saw it. Nobody sets fire to anything. They`re bashing Jesus and Christians. But boy, everybody walks on eggshells the minute you say anything about Islam.

Ibrahim Ramey, he is from the Muslim American Society`s Freedom Foundation.

Ibrahim, I`ve got to tell you, I`m at the end of my -- at the end of my rope on this. Tell me your perspective, sir, as a Muslim.

IBRAHIM RAMEY, MUSLIM AMERICAN SOCIETY`S FREEDOM FOUNDATION: Well, my perspective, first of all, in the name of God, most beneficent, most merciful, thank you for your invitation to be here.

My perspective is that we all ought to be trying to not look at political correctness but moral correctness. It is wrong to bash a person`s religion. It`s equally wrong to respond violently.

What I`d also like to say, just as a point of information, is that Islam is the only non-Christian religion that reveres Jesus as a messenger of God. And we certainly would not ever think of reciprocal action against Christians in any way that defames Jesus. Nor would we sanction the defamation of anyone`s religion in the name of a political agenda. It`s simply wrong, as is the violent reaction that we`ve seen on occasion from that.

BECK: OK. I know that -- I appreciate your attitude. But I know that there are a lot of people that are watching right now, and they`re saying, "What the hell is he even talking about?"

I`m asking you, sir, about the reaction to the threats that are made, the language -- the pope makes a speech where he says -- you know, did you read the pope`s speech, sir?

RAMEY: Yes, I did.

BECK: OK. What was his point?

RAMEY: He made several points. The first was an inaccurate -- mischaracterization of Islam that I don`t think was done in a malicious way. The second point I think was that religious violence is wrong. And on the second point we are in total agreement.

BECK: His bigger point, sir, was that it was a slap against the west, saying we are becoming an irreligious society. And you can understand why people are upset because we`re not teaching it in schools. We`re saying, you know, you can`t be a man of faith and a scientist. That was his bigger point.

And yet you have people going out on the streets threatening his life and killing him. That`s the point, sir, is that I don`t understand who these people even are.

RAMEY: Well, understand that the gasoline of violence and war is simply igniting extremism all over the world. And certainly, the extremism of some Muslims is reprehensible.

BECK: Wait, I`m sorry. You said the gasoline of what, sir?

RAMEY: The gasoline of violence.

BECK: Uh-huh.

RAMEY: Of the war and the continued war and the threat of more violence...

BECK: Please, sir...

RAMEY: Pushing extremism...

BECK: Please do not try to tell me that it is because of the war that this is going on. Sir, this has been happening -- they -- Osama bin Laden said he was going to come and kill us all and slit our throats in the 1990s. Don`t talk to me about the war, sir.

RAMEY: Well, the war -- the war...

BECK: This is an Islamic extremist -- there are fundamentalists who want to rule the world. You know it and I know it. You might be in denial. I am not.

RAMEY: I`m not in denial of anything, sir. But let me also say one other thing, and that is simply that extremism is not a viable option for anyone at any time in history.

And what I would propose to you and particularly to other Christians or to Christians listening to the broadcast is that now is the time to try to elevate the dialogue, not based upon some understanding of political correctness but rather on an understanding of moral correctness.

And that means that Muslims need to look at their response, but we also need to look at what`s being provoked -- what`s provoking the sort of response you`re seeing...

BECK: Sir, I completely agree with you if it wasn`t so insane. I completely agree with you. I have no desire -- I think it`s reprehensible to make fun of Jesus and everything else. I think it`s equally reprehensible to make fun of the Prophet Mohammed. However...

RAMEY: Peace be upon him.

BECK: What happens is -- what happens is you get to a point where you`re like me right now. I am so frustrated, because sure, it`s horrible to do those things. However, then they set the world on fire. And they`re using that. They`re using a politically correct -- incorrect cartoon to do that very thing.

RAMEY: I don`t believe that the United States of America, given its prestige, its history, its technology, its prowess in so many ways, is going to be set on fire by anyone.

BECK: Oh, you...

RAMEY: But let me also -- but let me also say that there are nine million Muslims...

BECK: Yes.

RAMEY: ... roughly in the United States of America that are not pursuing a violent extremist agenda. And as a matter of fact, the Muslim American Society has been encouraging people to become more civically involved in voting and youth service and...

BECK: Sir, I appreciate it. I am out of time. I appreciate everything you`re doing. I would like to see a few more Muslims pick up a gun and go fight for our side. Thank you very much for your time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I remember telling you at the time of the smoking ban, you know, I like it, but only because I`m selfish. We should let the market figure it out. But when has the market ever worked anything out? We need socialism!

I got to have -- I got to go to restaurants where I`m guaranteed to not smell anything I like. Not guaranteed because, you know, the market worked it out and said, "Boy, I bet there`s a lot of people that wouldn`t like to smell smoke, so I`ll make this a no smoking restaurant." I want it because the government stepped in, because they know better than us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Coming up with a new name for a new product is one of the hardest things to do. Businesses, you spend millions of dollars on focus groups and studies and experts just to come up with the right word or the right phrase.

For instance, this show spent something like five or, er, dollars coming up with the name of this program, yes. So when a new energy drink decides to call itself something ridiculously stupid like "Cocaine," you got to wonder: were they just trying to create some controversy and media attention so they good get a boob like me to hold up their stupid can on television and give them free advertising? Yes, probably.

For the record, and much to the disappointment of a lot of recovering alcoholic prime time cable talk show hosts, the drink doesn`t actually contain real cocaine. But, it does have 280 milligrams of caffeine per serving. That is three times more than a double espresso. So, including a class-A narcotic might not even be necessary.

Najee Ali, he is a community activist, who is organizing a national boycott against the Cocaine drink.

Najee, the guy who`s the founder of this company says, "Oh, please, kids already know about cocaine, so what`s the difference?"

NAJEE ALI, PROJECT ISLAMIC HOPE: Well, Glenn, right now, we`re having a war against drugs here in the United States and certainly, cocaine is a killer. It`s devastated numerous families across America ranging from President Bush`s own family to many poor families in South Central L.A., where I live and work at.

So this is not just a black problem. This is a national problem that cocaine has devastated and destroyed lives.

BECK: Well, now why do you say this isn`t just a black problem? I mean, is that the target? Is this a black targeted product?

ALI: Well, cocaine has destroyed many lives in the community of South Central where I live and work at.

BECK: Yes.

ALI: And many residents are outraged. But what we`re trying to say is that cocaine has destroyed and transcended other lives also, so we want to make sure that the community knows that it affects all of society, not just one segment. That`s why this energy drink is so dangerous.

BECK: Yes, I have to tell you, I was -- I`m a recovering alcoholic and former drug user. And I used cocaine, and it was, I mean, it`s just -- it`s a horrible, horrible drug that if I wasn`t just -- if I was more stupid than I am, I`d be dead right now because of it.

So, the -- the product is called Cocaine, and they obviously called it that for a reason. And let me play devil`s advocate with you. Aren`t you playing into exactly what they want? They want somebody to stand up and say, "This is an outrage," because then people will do what we`re doing right now.

ALI: No, not at all. In fact, I want to thank you for your courage and your conviction from beating cocaine and doing what you`re doing now. But more importantly, you`re giving us the platform to help shut this guy down.

And we`re also going to be calling for the stores to not carry the drink, because in fact, we`re going to boycott the stores also. So this person who created the energy drink will not have a platform to sell this drink once we get through with him, Glenn.

BECK: OK. But again, the question really is, aren`t you giving him what he wants? I mean, if anybody would like to protest this show, please, I`ll -- I mean, I`ll send a bus for you. You can picket in front of the Time Warner Center. That only really helps people, because that media pays attention to it.

So what is the balance here on making sure that you`re not just giving this company publicity?

ALI: Well, I believe it`s free publicity, but it also helps us get our message out. You`re giving us a national platform to organize against him, where eventually we`ll be successful in shutting the drink down. And that`s why we`re glad you`re talking about this.

BECK: So have you seen -- they claim that there`s some sort of, quote, "throat-numbing ingredient" in the product. And yet, they don`t mention what that secret ingredient is. Do you know what`s in this stuff? I mean, it`s pretty potent stuff.

ALI: Well, actually, we don`t. In fact, that`s caused us some concern and we think the FDA should get involved to make sure they investigate to what that ingredient actually is. And certainly, the drink itself is unhealthy for anyone to drink.

BECK: Najee, thank you very much. I appreciate it. I`ve heard a lot of stories about you that you are a big community activist in your area, and appreciate all the hard work on this. Thank you very much.

Now, I -- you know, this drink is going to be gone before you know it, before it will ever catch on. But if it does catch on, I mean, they are probably going to be some competitors he trying to get into the act, don`t you think?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: If you`re wound up and need to calm down but quick, then it`s time to try the new soft drink that`s taking the nation by storm. Introducing Heroin, made with real turkey breast and just a sprinkle of Carson Daly.

And if you have kids who are just bouncing off the walls, then why not try Heroin Jr., now with twice the tryptophan? Drink Heroin today and sleep all your troubles away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right. Every day you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including 560 WGAN in Portland, Maine. And by the way, if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, you can sign up and listen online at my web site, GlennBeck.com.

Roe Conn is in Chicago with WLS-890 AM.

Roe, did you -- did you hear the story at all today about the trans fat ban that -- that is being proposed here in New York?

ROE CONN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, they tried that here in Chicago a number of months ago. You know, we love to ban food in Chicago.

BECK: Right.

CONN: We banned foie gras. We were going to ban trans fats. And you know, trans fats are French fries. They are donuts. They are everything you like to eat, Glenn.

BECK: Pie. Pie has trans fats in them. I have to tell you, it makes me want to have more trans fats just looking at these great pictures.

CONN: Well, how is it possible that in New York you would ban French fries? There are 26,000 restaurants in New York. There are something like 12,000 restaurants here. How do you -- how do you enforce that? Are there enough police to actually do that? I don`t think so.

BECK: You know, the real problem is -- by the way, also looking at the donuts there. I want to take -- I`m working on this. I want to take a donut, cut it, then take a big piece of meat, some Velveeta, and French fries, and a donut top. I`m not a -- I`m not a food scientist, but I am a thinker. That`s how much I want the trans fats.

CONN: If I vomit during this segment, I apologize.

BECK: No, come on. I mean, that would be horrible for you, but it would be OK. I think I`m willing to experiment.

Here`s the -- here`s the problem that I see. It is -- I mean, it`s my right to eat, you know, McDonald`s French fries. And I love the way McDonald`s French fries are made.

CONN: Although they are not as good, Glenn, as they were before. Remember, they were using beef tallow in the French fries, and they were really, really, really good.

BECK: Roe, here`s what happened. If you saw the lawsuit out with the cigarette smokers who said, "Well, I thought these were light cigarettes. I`ve got to sue" -- you know what`s going to happen? People are going to sue McDonald`s because they`re going to say, "You weren`t using trans fats. I thought these were the new healthy French fries."

CONN: These French fries are good for you. It`s healthy. Let`s talk about God as a movie producer here for just one second.

BECK: OK.

CONN: FOX, the same people who made Paris Hilton a household name and saved so many circus workers with "When Animals Attack"...

BECK: Sure.

CONN: ... are going to give you a brand new studio, FOX Faith, which because of the success of "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Passion of the Christ" -- and "Passion of the Christ" made, I think, $750 million after costing under $100 million to make. They -- FOX smells the money. And so they want to do an entire studio dedicated to faith-based movies and programming.

And I can just see it now. I can see it now, "Eleven: The Lost Commandment". DMX as Moses. Can you see this? Are you with me, Glenn?

BECK: You know what? Can I tell you something? That`s what I`m most afraid of. I don`t think these guys have any clue. One Hollywood producer actually said they made "The Omen" because they knew how much people love Jesus movies. I`m thinking, they know -- they know that Damien`s playing for the other team, don`t they? They`re clueless.

Roe, thanks a lot.

CONN: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: We`ll be back with "The Real Story" in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media spin and figure out why a story is actually important to you.

First tonight, the Democrats` assault on the Republicans over Iraq is continuing after a small portion of that classified intelligence assessment leaked out on Sunday, inferring that the Iraq war had increased the terror threat.

The real story tonight isn`t that the Democrats are so shamelessly playing politics in calling for hearings and investigations, like that; it`s the fact that everyone is ignoring the White House`s comment, which came out at the time. It was, quote, "The characterization of the report is not representative of the complete document."

Now, I have a theory. I shared this on the radio show this morning, and it is complete speculation. But what if the Republicans knew exactly how the Democrats would respond to this "mysteriously leaked" paragraph and they decided to use that extraordinarily predictable reaction against them?

Today, President Bush said, "All right, I`ll declassify more of the report," to which the Democrats promptly said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. We want a secret session." Now, they were denied, but this is something that has only happened five times since 1812.

Why is it the Democrats suddenly wanted to talk about this in secret? What happened to all those big, public hearings with the TV cameras? This story is about politics. But my bet? The party behind it isn`t the one everybody thinks it is.

Next, the big story today is that prices of existing homes had their second largest drop in 38 years last month. There are now more homes for sale than ever before. But the real story is these numbers shouldn`t come really as a surprise to anybody.

Last year, my favorite sleep-aid, "The Economist" magazine, said that the housing boom was, quote, "the biggest bubble in history." But you know what? Bubbles have happened before, and some of them were just absolutely nuts. In the 1600s, the Dutch went nuts over tulips. Yes, tulips.

At first, it was just professional growers who were involved, but once the word spread -- and I`m not making this up -- how huge the profits were in tulip bulbs, everybody wanted in. They started selling tulip bulbs multiple times without ever leaving the ground. I mean, the futures market sprouted up faster than the tulips did. And people were selling bulbs to people who didn`t own bulbs and who couldn`t pay for bulbs.

I think you know how this story ends. Not happy. Buyers got nervous about prices, and the whole industry basically collapsed overnight. Tulips were being sold, once again, rationally, like tulips.

Looking back, the tulip bubble possibly the first-ever instance of "the greater fool theory," which says that people, you know, they`ll buy anything, for any price, if they believe they`ll be able to sell at even a higher price to a bigger fool.

But apparently, the people who flocked to Florida in the 1920s never really heard of that theory. They drove up the price of land in 1925 over 400 percent in one year. The market was so hot that there were over 25,000 real estate agents in Miami alone. That was a city of 150,000 residents.

That summer, "The Miami Daily News" printed an edition of the newspaper 504 pages long because of all the real estate ads. It was the largest paper ever printed. A few years later, a series of hurricanes made the people question whether the greater fool was still around. Turns out, no, not so much, and the prices collapsed in Florida.

Then came what we all know now as the Great Depression, but at the time, they called it "a new era." The old rules just don`t apply anymore. Does this sound familiar? No, don`t worry about those old rules. Three years later, after the market had lost 80 percent of its value, people realized, "Yes, maybe the old rules still do apply."

Then, almost 60 years later, the market crashed again. This time, it took one day to fall 23 percent, $500 billion in value gone. A decade after that, the Internet was the brand-new thing. Every bar in America -- you remember this? -- everybody had CNBC on, and everybody you knew was an expert. Six years, the Nasdaq climbed from 700 six years later to 5,000; 2 1/2 years later, it had lost 78 percent, $5.6 trillion dollars in value gone.

Today, there are more real estate shows on television than ever before. California has 500,000 real estate agents. That`s one for every 52 adults. Even with the recent decline, housing prices are still up nearly 100 percent in under a decade. Mark Twain once said, "History doesn`t repeat itself, but it does kind of rhyme."

Shawn Tully, he`s a senior writer for "Fortune" magazine. Is history repeating itself or does it just sound like all the other bubbles?

SHAWN TULLY, SENIOR WRITER, "FORTUNE": History is definitely repeating itself. It`s very similar to the tulip bulb craze in the sense that, when tulips got really expensive, there was a lot of money in farming tulips, and they sprouted everywhere.

Buildings are sprouting everywhere, and so are houses, and that`s driving the prices down. There`s an oversupply of existing homes, and there`s also an oversupply of new homes. And there`s only one way this thing can end up, just like every other cycle in the real estate industry: Prices have to go down.

BECK: OK. Here`s what`s frightening to me, at least, me and my wife. We just bought a new home in Connecticut. Driving down our street, there are eight homes for sale. There are builders still building homes on our street. And I`m thinking to myself, "Boy, I wouldn`t want to be that guy." How bad is this thing going to get?

TULLY: Well, typically what happens is, in the first two years of a correction, the prices drop substantially, usually about 10 percent a year. So you have 22 percent drop in two years. After that, they go flat, and they tend to stay flat.

This is in the bubble area. It`s not the whole country. But the coastal areas, especially in certain markets like Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas, that are inland markets, that are very, very hot, or have been very, very hot. So then you have just a flat market for several years, very few transactions, hard to get out if you want to sell. And you just lose to inflation. So that`s what`s going to happen.

BECK: OK, so we`ve seen this movie before. But isn`t it actually worse this time? Because I remember, when we bought our house, you know, they talked to us and, "Hey, you could get this kind of loan and this." And I said, "What? That doesn`t make any sense at all. Interest only? Are you out of your mind?" So many people have these loans that -- I mean, they couldn`t afford the house in the first place. They were only paying for the interest.

TULLY: Well, they have interest-only loans. They have ARMs that reset after three years, so the ones that were taken out in 2002 or 2003, at very low interest rates, about 3.5 percent, are resetting now, at 5 percent or 5.5 percent, so that`s a 40 percent increase in your monthly payment.

And, also, you`ve got these negative amortization ARMs where the principal on the loan keeps going up, because you don`t even have to make the full interest payment. So the interest you don`t pay gets rolled back into the principal of the loan, so you lose equity every month, and you could be underwater already. So, I mean, it`s just generating negative equity.

BECK: Shawn, I don`t know about you, but I find it really hard to feel bad for those people that did that. I mean, everybody knew at the time, that is just insanity. What are you doing?

TULLY: People never learn. The world always changes. I was in a restaurant on the Upper East Side, and I was waiting for a friend to come. And the waitress is telling me she`s about to go down to Miami because her sister is buying condos, and she`s got to buy a condo. And I said, "Whatever you do, don`t get on that plane." And I hope she didn`t. If she didn`t, she owes me a commission.

BECK: So I have a sister who is talking about selling her house right now and buying another one. Tips: Do it or not?

TULLY: No. And if you have a house now, you don`t want to be selling. It`s not a great time to sell. And, also, there`s a lot of transaction costs in selling. You`ve got to pay commissions. You`ve got to pay taxes.

In New York, there`s this outrageous transfer tax that you have to pay if you`re a New York resident. So once you pay all these taxes, you`re not going to make any money selling, buying something cheaper, and selling again. If you have a house, you don`t have to sell. Ride out this decline. I think it is not a good time to sell. You...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: And the decline -- quickly, I`m out of time -- the decline you think will last how long?

TULLY: About five years.

BECK: Wow. All right, Shawn, thanks a lot.

That is our real story tonight. If you`d like to read more about famous bubbles throughout history, you`re a loser -- but, I mean, maybe -- including the current real estate, then all you have to do is find "The Real Story." You can visit my Web site at glennbeck.com, click on "The Real Story" button. That`s where you can also send us your real story.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: If I hear one more person talk about this stupid Dog the Bounty Hunter, I think my head is going to explode. If I live in a country where there`s a rapist hanging around, and somebody from another country comes in and arrests him and takes him out of our country, that`s not really a law I really want to pursue. I don`t hunt him down.

In fact, may I give this message? All Mexican bounty hunters, you want to come over here and take all the dirt bags off our street? Come on, brother. Bring it on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Tim Miller is a man who has suffered incredible hardships over the course of his life. But instead of using that as an excuse, he actually channeled this awful experience into something that is having a significant impact in a positive way on people`s lives. Tim Miller, the focus of tonight`s "Real America."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): It`s a blazing day in Houston, Texas, and Tim Miller is hot on the trail of a missing person.

TIM MILLER, EQUUSEARCH DIRECTOR: Busy day in Texas.

BECK: He and his crew are looking for the body of Gloria Ryan who police suspect was murdered by her own son.

MILLER: She`s wrapped in a blanket.

BECK: They think he dumped her body here on the outskirts of the city, somewhere off the highway.

MILLER: Give me that right there.

BECK: Tim has set up a makeshift headquarters at a nearby Harley shop and gathered the local media to help get the word out. Her brother is there, waiting anxiously for any news.

MILLER: We need to get her body home.

BECK: And Tim is determined to make that happen.

MILLER: There`s one thing worse than having a murdered loved one; that`s knowing that they`re dead out there some place and never being able to say good-bye.

BECK: Tim Miller is the founder and director of Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit organization devoted to finding missing people, dead or alive. He`s weathered, wiry, and with a cell phone constantly at his ear. Using four-wheelers, horses, trucks, helicopters, any way he can, Tim hunts for the missing, and he is relentless.

MILLER: The best thing that can ever happen is we find that missing person alive and bring them home, and we`ve done that hundreds of times.

BECK: It`s not a glamorous job. He works around the clock, getting by on donations, sometimes barely making ends meet, but he walks on. He keeps searching, because he has to. You see, Tim made a promise to God and to his daughter, Laura.

MILLER: You see, this is where Laura`s body was found.

BECK: In 1984, Laura Miller was just 16 years old when she went missing.

MILLER: For 17 months, every time my phone would ring or somebody would knock on my door, I`d literally get heart palpitations thinking she was coming home.

BECK: But Laura didn`t come home. And in the year and a half before they found her body, Tim lived in a quiet desperation, begging the police to search for her and try just a little harder.

MILLER: I kind of beat my own self up because I remember when I reported Laura missing that I told them about this area out here where another young girl had been found. Her body was found five months before Laura disappeared.

BECK: But police brushed it off and told Tim to butt out. It was a group of kids that finally stumbled onto Laura`s body, along with the remains of another girl.

MILLER: I miss her every single day. I love her. So many things I wanted to do with her that I didn`t do.

BECK: Instead, Tim honors her here, at the grave marked with a wooden cross he made with his own two hands. Tim also honors her with EquuSearch. Take a good, hard look. You can see the tragedy etched in the lines of his face. He`s overcome a lot: orphaned as an infant, bounced around in foster care, and then Laura.

MILLER: Come on, guys, come on.

BECK: But here at his ranch, with the horses, Tim looks the most at peace. It`s here that he reflects back and tries to put life in perspective.

MILLER: I come out here in my barn, and I start thinking about all the cases that we`ve worked.

BECK: You can`t forget all the people still missing and their families experiencing the same quiet desperation he once felt, like Dave and Beth Holloway, whose daughter Natalee went missing in Aruba. Tim and his team spent 73 days combing the beaches, looking just to bring Natalee home. Wherever Tim and his team are needed, he goes: to Sri Lanka after the tsunami in 2004; and to New Orleans after the ravages of Katrina.

The people who volunteer with Tim come from all walks of life, and many are there because Tim once helped them find a loved one. For Phillip Yates (ph), he does it because he believes in EquuSearch. He took off from work to help find Gloria`s body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s one of the best things I`ve ever done in my life. I just feel good about doing it. I wish I started a long time ago.

BECK: Phillip and Tim and the whole team search for Gloria`s body well into the night. And the next day, after Tim finished his interview with us, he went out looking again. This time, he found her. He brought her body back home to her family, just as he promised.

MILLER: I know what the families are going through. I`ve unfortunately been there. This is not a career I would have chosen, by any means.

BECK: For Tim, it`s just one more family that he`s helped in a list of many and one step closer to his ultimate promise to Laura.

MILLER: This place is OK now. It didn`t used to be.

BECK: He`s come to peace with Laura`s death, because he`s now able to bring that same peace to so many other families.

MILLER: Well, her death wasn`t in vain. It really wasn`t.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: If you`d like to learn more about Tim`s organization or you want to make a donation, you can visit his Web site at www.EquuSearch.org.

Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, when I started this show about 20 weeks ago, there were a lot of doubters and, to be honest with you, I was really one of them. But in the short amount of time that we have been on the air, our audience has exploded. In our 7:00 p.m. hour alone, our ratings are up an amazing 99 percent since our launch last May, and you are responsible for that.

I want to thank you for inviting me into your home every night and for telling your friends about this show. I really do appreciate it, almost, almost as much as I question your judgment. I mean, you know, there`s a lot of things on television you could be watching right now.

So with all the new viewers, I wanted to take a moment to profile one individual who has taken the time to really become interactive with this program. His name is Charles. I mean, that`s what he says his name is. His name, however, is the same as an 18th-century religious leader, so I`m betting it`s an alias.

The reason Charles stands out is because he has sent us 151 e-mails since last Thursday. Not kidding you. We`ve been getting them approximately at that pace since the day we came on the air. For a while, we thought he was just some sort of computer thing that was spitting out random words, but he`s become so much more than that.

So with all the effort, I thought we should at least feature some of his intriguing insight. All of these e-mails have arrived in all-capital letters, with the entire message in the subject line. Here are a few of them. "Anyone who defies Oprah will be punished universally." "Is global golf racist in Ireland? Probably." "Four to seven is over eight is on now live, code, four plus four equals eight, not six."

OK, Charles -- oh, there`s more. Hang on. We have this one. "If I were America, I would hold Catholic priests responsible for the color realm." "We put a little pig oil in everything here in America." "At least `American Idol` votes are not rigged like Irish global golf yellow dances."

You know, I don`t think we have really spent enough time talking about the fixed Irish global golf dances, Charles.

"I bet Bush doesn`t have Bruce Lee Google the universe." "Slavery probably exists with mice." "You need friends." Yes, I need friends. Right. Sure, Charles, that`s the one who needs friends. We`ll see you tomorrow from Los Angeles.

END