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Glenn Beck

American Entertainment Going Downhill; Author Says Liberals Responsible for 9/11

Aired January 18, 2007 - 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. What role did pornography play in that shocking kidnapping case in Missouri, if any?
And are liberals to blame for terrorism? I`ll answer both of those questions next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by Wildest Extreme Backyard News Guy Brawls Volume 3. Sixty minutes of extreme violence, extreme mayhem and extreme pastiness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right. For the 10 or 12 of us that weren`t watching the debut of "American Idol" on Tuesday night, it drew 37.3 million viewers. Those are the highest premiere ratings in the show`s history. It was the second highest rated premiere in FOX`s history.

Now, the question is, were all of those millions tuning in to see incredible performances by truly talented singers? Not so much. People were tuning in to see Simon be mean to people and trash their dreams and goofy people standing up and making idiots of themselves. That is as big of a part of the show as the singing is and maybe even bigger.

So tonight, here`s the point. Simon isn`t being, you know, bad for being cruel to contestants, and we`re not bad for watching it. But make no mistake about it, our culture is on a slippery slope. And when we start rewarding people for being cruel to others and others willingly offer themselves up for humiliation in their pursuit for fame and fortune, it`s killing us, both figuratively and literally.

Here`s how I got there. In Sacramento there was a 28-year-old mother of three. She died as a result of a stupid radio contest, where she drank over two gallons of water without going to the bathroom. She literally drowned in her own body, and she did it just to win a Nintendo game system and some tickets to see Justin Timberlake.

Three children lost their money -- or their mom, for what? Video games, tickets from some pop star with the "Mickey Mouse Club". In retrospect, not so worth it, was it?

Even when she was feeling the initial effects of the water intoxication, she was willing to drink more water if she could win more stuff. At one point somebody called into the radio show and warned that people could die from drinking that much water. And the deejays running the contest just joked. They said, "Oh, that`s OK, you know, if they throw up, then they`re out of the contest before they die. So that`s good, right?"

Nobody is really laughing anymore.

Now here in New York, three young girls, age 14, 14, and 15, were arrested on Long Island when they verbally assaulted and then kicked, slapped and just beat the snot out of a middle school girl all over the head and the body. Look at that. They were taping this attack. They were posting it on YouTube.

Now, some have said that the young victim was chosen at random just so the girls could be -- you know, put the video up on the Internet.

When you search YouTube using the words "kids fight", nearly 7,000 videos pop up. If that alone doesn`t break our hearts, then we are in worse shape than I thought.

You know, America -- America used to be a nation with role models. We used to have people who stood for something. Today we`ve replaced those honorable men and women with people who are just famous. There are people like Paris Hilton who are famous for being famous. She`s not good at anything. Well, OK, maybe one thing. But other than that, she`s not famous for anything.

Fame is not a goal. That kind of thing inspires and justifies all the wrong kind of behavior. Fame is a by-product of hard work, of perseverance, of dedication, of doing something of value. If we lose sight of that, then we are -- then we`re left with nothing but vacant celebrities, mothers throwing away their lives for 15 minutes of radio fame, children brutalizing each other for 50 cents worth of videotape.

So tonight here`s what I know. I know I am the pot calling the kettle black. I know who I am and what I do, and sometimes I`m not very proud of it. But at least I like to think that I`m honest.

You know, just last night we were running on this very program a segment on the "Girls Gone Wild". I`m still torn over this thing. It was a legitimate story, but in telling it I showed some provocative footage. I sat there on the couch watching it with my child, my newborn child, my daughter on my lap. And I thought, you know what? I wouldn`t want my kids to see this. A big part of me thinks that it was gratuitous.

And as a parent and a broadcaster, look, I`m aware of my responsibility. But sometimes, sometimes I`m confused and I screw up.

Here`s what I don`t know. And this is why I screwed up. Where`s the line? Where do we draw it? Do we draw it at the cruelty of "American Idol", the salaciousness of "Girls Gone Wild", the violence of a show I love, "24"? And while I may not know where that line is, I`m pretty sure that on one side of that line is the new American side show where our worst instincts are free to roam, and the other side is our dignity and our humanity.

Patricia Leavy, she is a sociology professor at Stone Hill College.

Patricia, let me start here with finding out do you think anything has really changed? I mean, we used to have lobster boy and the bearded lady. Have things changed from the days of P.T. Barnum?

PATRICIA LEAVY, SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR, STONE HILL COLLEGE: I think so. I think we`re in a celebrity obsessed culture now where you have all of these images and a huge bombardment. The average American sees over 3,000 advertisements a day. And I think to break through the clutter you need a lot of big personalities, and that`s how you get the Simon Cowells and so forth.

BECK: OK. But the freak show hasn`t changed. I mean, what you`re watching now on "American Idol" or whatever, or this show, is just the freak factor, but you`re saying it`s just a lot more of it.

LEAVY: It`s a lot more of it. And I think it continually gets more outrageous in order to catch the audience`s attention. And unfortunately, the audience thinks of it as entertainment, which deters people from thinking about the potential social consequences.

BECK: OK. And one of those consequences as I see is we have taken, you know, the bearded lady or whatever was a freak. And you`d go and you`d look in horror and move on with your life. Now we look at the freaks, and we aspire to become them. We`ve replaced our role models with freaks. Are we not?

LEAVY: That`s right. I agree. And part of the problem stems for the fact that, in a celebrity-driven culture, appearing on television or on radio, even for a moment, is seen as social capital. It`s seen as a way of increasing social status. So regular people want a part of that.

BECK: What`s the next step from here? I mean, we have gradually gotten worse and worse and worse. Do you see us ever -- I mean, this sounds insane. Do you see us ever getting to the point of accepting "Running Man"? Do you remember that movie?

LEAVY: No, I don`t remember the movie, actually. But I really think it`s going to be up to the public. The public is going to have to think of themselves as something beyond consumers. They`re going to have to think about themselves as citizens who are socially responsible. And it`s at that point that people demand ultimate forms of media and will stop tuning in to see people beaten up on "American Idol" and shows like it.

BECK: Do you really think that`s going to happen?

LEAVY: I think it`s -- I think it`s the only way it will happen. I think it`s the only way it will happen, and individuals certainly can make a choice when they`ve had enough.

BECK: What causes that to happen? You know, for instance, 9/11. That caused us to change for I think it was about 12 minutes. We stopped calling each other names for -- I think we made it all the way to Wednesday evening. And we changed, but it was for a very short period of time.

People don`t change unless there`s great pain. There`s got to be a pivot point. What would that pivot point be that would change this culture?

LEAVY: Well, I hope it doesn`t come down to the kinds of tragedies that you`ve mentioned. I hope it comes down to people really looking at what`s out there and making alternate decisions and realizing that we are a democracy. And we are a republic. And we are citizens. And we`re not just consumers. And we`re not just, you know, into salacious gossip.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, as a guy whose life was destroyed by myself, a flaming alcoholic, my father taught me one thing. He said always ask them. They say they`ve changed, ask them what the pivot point was. And if they can`t tell you where they where at the moment they went, "Oh, I get it, I`ve got to change my life," they haven`t changed.

We unfortunately, are going to need a giant pivot point. Because look at this. Here you have a family show, "American Idol". Right? It`s billed as family entertainment. Who`s the star of that show? It`s not the singer. It`s Simon Cowell. We`ve got a guy who`s ghastly, to use one of his words, as the star of the show.

LEAVY: Yes. And a part of that, as well, is Paula Abdul, who on the other side tries to be very sweet to the contestants, is ridiculed for, in fact, being so sweet to them.

BECK: Yes, yes. Patricia, thank you so much.

Now, with so much violence on TV and the movies, on the Internet, you know, I want to point out that there are a few companies out there willing to go the extra mile and produce that kind of wholesome entertainment that the entire family can enjoy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Now for children of all ages, it`s Extreme Violent Backyard Wrestling, the family edition. Thirty minutes of awesome wrestling action, carefully edited for your family viewing pleasure.

Sit back and enjoy all the graphic violence of backyard wrestling without any of the graphic violence of backyard wrestling. Finally, backyard wrestling the entire family can enjoy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is GLENN BECK.

BECK: That doesn`t look like the definition of white trash, does it?

Coming up, I`ll speak to a guy who says the liberal left is the reason terrorists tried to kill all of us.

And the fully loaded Lindsay Lohan finally checks herself into rehab. Who didn`t see that one coming? That`s in today`s buzz.

Plus, Michael Devlin pleads his case in Missouri court just as a Florida man charged with allegedly kidnapping, raping and torturing his own wife just to make a porn video. What is wrong with these guys? I`ll tell you tonight in "The Real Story". Don`t miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Robert Kennedy Jr., RFK Jr., has called me a fascist. And I don`t think -- I think it`s all downhill from here. I don`t think you go any higher than Robert Kennedy calling you a fascist.

"For those last stubborn hold-outs, still skeptical about the existence of global warming, e.g., CNN`s cheap corporate fascism advocate, Glenn Beck, who broadcast yet another denial of global warming."

Stu, can you go back and check out when I broadcast that another -- I`m sorry. Another formal denial of global warming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that`s what you got your last payment from Exxon Mobil.

BECK: So that was last week. Then he`s right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, honestly, that`s got to be one of the highlights of my career so far. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. knows my name.

Especially, Robert, since I never, ever said anything like that. You know what? The point here really is that people who disagree with me don`t actually listen or watch this show. They don`t listen to what I say. They could watch. They could say they`re listening. But they`re hearing what they think I would say. What they think someone like me, you know, a conservative hate monger, is supposed to believe.

For example, I want to do a little test tonight. I`m about to say something that is in no way controversial, yet I guarantee you that I, tomorrow, will have a stack of e-mail blasting me for what I`m about to say. Are you ready?

Hillary Clinton and Michael Moore are in absolutely no way responsible for the attacks of 9/11. Now just wait. We`ll check back tomorrow. I`ll show you the letters. Because about 10 percent of the viewers just translated that into Glenn Beck says liberals caused the trade -- World Trade Centers to fall, which is clearly a view I don`t have. But my next guest does.

So let`s just see if there`s anybody there on the extreme left or the extreme right who will actually listen to the differences in our views or if they`re all just too busy right now blogging and logging onto their blog sites.

Dinesh D`Souza, he is the author of "The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and It`s Responsibility for 9/11".

Dinesh, I have to tell you, I`m -- I`m disappointed in this book. I`m a fan. I read your book -- I believe it was called "What`s so Great About America" -- and I found it inspiring. This book, or at least the premise - - I haven`t read it -- the premise is divisive and I believe untrue. Please explain your premise.

DINESH D`SOUZA, AUTHOR, "THE ENEMY AT HOME": Well, remember, after 9/11 there was a kind of gorgeous moment of national unity. And I think my earlier book, "What`s So Great About America", reflects that.

But the truth is, Glenn, we live in a divided country. I mean, look, one half of the people in this country seem to want to fight a war on terror, and there`s an organized camp in this country that seems to want Bush to lose the war on terror.

BECK: That`s not the same, Dinesh, as causing 9/11.

D`SOUZA: No, no. I agree with that. But what I`m saying is five years after 9/11, it`s not a bad idea to take a cold, critical look and see what are the roots of 9/11.

Take a simple example. The radical Muslims have been around since the 1920s. They first got a major stake when they captured Iran. Khomeini was the first guy to cal America the great Satan, who instigated Muslims to have martyrdom and jihad against us.

And how did we get Khomeini? Because Jimmy Carter came into office. He said, "I`m a virtuous man. I believe in human rights. We support the shah. The shah is a tyrant." So America pulls the Persian rug out from under the shah. And in trying to get rid of the bad guy, we get the worst guy.

So here`s a concrete way in which we put a major state into the hands of radical Islam.

BECK: I can`t believe -- why would you put me in this situation? I mean, I`m a conservative. Why are you take -- putting me into this situation where I have to just now tear you to shreds?

What are you talking about, 1979 is the first time this reared its ugly head? Jimmy Carter caused this stuff? Are you crazy?

In 1950, the Muslim Brotherhood, in fact if I can give this guy`s name, Sayyid Qutb. He`s a guy who moved over to the United States in the 1940s. I mean, it took me a while to look this us, but I knew I had read this someplace before.

He moves over to the United States. He leaves. In about 1950, he goes back to Egypt, because he says America is just a decadent place.

And let me quote some of the things that he said. "The poor hair cuts in America, the enthusiasm for sports, the animal-like mixing of the sexes." This predates Jimmy Carter just by a few years.

D`SOUZA: I know. But see, Qutb was one of the thinkers of radical Islam. I`m talking about the radical Muslims moving from the theoretical phase to the phase of actually capturing a major state and making it a beachhead for launching the Khomeini revolution.

Look...

BECK: Dinesh...

D`SOUZA: ... you`ve done five minutes of Internet research but I`ve been researching this for four years. I look at all these thinkers. I look at their impact on action.

Now look, let me give you another example. After the Cold War the radical Muslims went back to their own countries. Bin Laden went back to Saudi Arabia. Al Zawahiri went back to Egypt. They were fighting the near enemy, their own governments.

But then they decided to shift strategy and attack the far enemy, which is us, the United States. Why? Because Bin Laden said, "I have come to the view that the United States, the far enemy, is more cowardly, is more vulnerable than the near enemy."

And how did he decide that? Because the radical Muslims launched a bunch of strikes, the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the Khobar Towers attack, the embassy attacks, the bombing of the Cole. And Bill Clinton did absolutely nothing. So this emboldened bin Laden, by his own account, was emboldened to strike at 9/11.

BECK: Boy, you`ve done -- you`ve done a great job of mixing some fact with some fiction. You`re exactly right; that did embolden Osama bin Laden. But your point -- and please correct me if I have this wrong -- is that the liberals in America are the root of the problem.

I am a conservative, sir, who is telling you the nut jobs over in the Middle East have used the fertilizer of things like Hollywood and liberalism, or the idea here of, you know, Bill Clinton emboldening them or even, dare I say it, Ronald Reagan doing the same thing in Beirut. Yes, that`s fertilizer. That`s not the root, Dinesh.

D`SOUZA: No, true. But I agree with this. But you have to realize that the radical Muslims, while they are exploiting these things, are striking a resonant chord among traditional Muslims. And the traditional Muslims are the recruiting pool of radical Islam.

So we will not be able to drive a wedge between traditional Islam and radical Islam if we cannot effectively answer the charge that we are trying to impose secularism, family breakdown and moral decadence of Islamic society. Simply snorting about it isn`t going to solve the problem.

BECK: Simply separating ourselves and saying that anyone beside those hijackers flew those planes into those buildings, those are the people responsible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Every single day you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including 1170 KFAQ in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Now, if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, sign up. Listen online at my web site, at GlennBeck.com.

Dave Glover is in St. Louis on our affiliate, KFTK, 97.1 FM.

By the way, David, congratulations on being No. 1 in St. Louis. Tremendous ratings for you came out yesterday.

DAVE GLOVER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you. Thank you. It was very nice.

BECK: Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay Lohan, drinking. You see this one coming?

GLOVER: You know what`s refreshing is it`s nice to see someone who goes to rehab who actually appears to have a drinking problem. You know, it`s like Foley, you know, messes with those little kids. He`s like, "I obviously am a drunk." And so it`s nice to see someone go away because they have a drinking problem, because she used to drink a lot. So...

BECK: Right. You know, I`m -- I`m sorry to say -- actually -- no. Let me rephrase this. America, I am proud to say I have not been following the Lindsay Lohan story.

GLOVER: Yes.

BECK: What exactly are the problems in her life, other than, you know, boozing it up?

GLOVER: You know, having all that money and being really attractive.

BECK: That`s horrible.

GLOVER: Things like that. Also a compulsion to show the cash and prizes. I don`t know. It seems to be going around.

BECK: And I want to be delicate on this because I`ve -- no, seriously, I do.

GLOVER: OK.

BECK: Because I -- I believe this person has back problems or some injury, and I can`t get anybody to tell me about it.

GLOVER: OK.

BECK: And I would like to know sincerely. Because I`m actually worried about her.

GLOVER: Paula Abdul, right?

BECK: Yes.

GLOVER: Yes, yes.

BECK: What`s the deal with her?

GLOVER: She`s acting real goofy like someone who -- like Lindsay Lohan. And FOX came out and said that it was because of technical difficulties, as in technically you shouldn`t have five gin and tonics before you shoot a television show.

BECK: That`s not necessary. That`s not being tender, I mean, I`ll tell you that right now.

GLOVER: Yes.

BECK: Right. Have you ever -- do you know anything about what that is?

GLOVER: Again, people have so little credibility, but it looks a lot like she`s drunk. She looks a lot like I do when I`ve had too much to drink. And then she says, "Boy, people are talking to me in both sides of my ears here," or "Boy, my back`s killing me."

BECK: Sure, sure.

GLOVER: What are you supposed to do with that?

BECK: Yes, now I`m going to tell you. No matter how much people are talking in my ears, I don`t start sounding like, "Hey, hey, I love you man." It doesn`t work that way for me.

GLOVER: Not so much.

BECK: Rosie O`Donnell has moved her sites over to Paula Abdul, which you know what? Let me -- may I ask you a question?

GLOVER: Sure.

BECK: Rosie O`Donnell, I mean, she just says stupid things.

GLOVER: She does.

BECK: But so do I. Please tell me there`s a difference between me and Rosie O`Donnell.

GLOVER: Oh, there`s a big difference.

BECK: Really?

GLOVER: Yes, yes.

BECK: I was driving into work today going, "My gosh, I think I may be the male version of Rosie O`Donnell."

GLOVER: I`d say about 100 pounds and a flannel shirt. You know the thing is, Rosie`s really not unique. Everyone has an aunt or uncle who you dread/look forward to being at Thanksgiving with, because they just say stuff and everyone cringes. She just happens to get paid millions of dollars for it.

BECK: So there`s nothing wrong with that.

GLOVER: No.

BECK: It`s like seeing your really weird aunt.

GLOVER: Very much like that.

BECK: Remind me not to come over to your house for the holidays.

Dave, thank you very much.

Coming up next, "The Real Story". You don`t want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story."

Yesterday, three senators proposed a resolution against sending additional troops into Iraq, and one of them was a Republican. Yes, was. Chuck Hagel stood right up there with Carl Levin and Joe Biden, which allowed Biden to say Iraq is not a partisan issue.

But the real story tonight? Joe Biden, come on, man, you don`t actually believe that. Iraq is a very partisan issue in Washington.

Here`s the one thing that everybody forgets. Partisanship, on its own, isn`t always a bad thing, if it`s based on a genuine disagreement about policies, not on politics.

I want to illustrate this point to you by telling you about two politicians on this issue in Iraq. Both of these guys are against the troop surge strategy. One is against it for the right reasons; one of them is just transparently playing political games with our national security.

First, Chuck Hagel. This is the guy who stood next to Carl Levin yesterday. Now, I couldn`t disagree with him more on the war. I think, man, let`s go in and fight it to win. But you know what? Chuck Hagel has been consistently railing against this war since 2001, well before anybody even contemplated going into Iraq.

In 2003, on the Senate floor, Hagel sounded almost like Nostradamus with his concerns about the war. He said, and I quote, "How many of us really know and understand Iraq, its country, its history, people and the role in the Arab world? The American people must be told of the long-term commitment, risk and cost of taking this undertaking. We shouldn`t be seduced by the expectations of dancing in the streets."

You were right then. Since that speech, he`s continued to throw up every red flag he can find, at every chance he`s had, from being one of the first to say that he had lost faith in Rumsfeld, to leading the charge for a new strategy. Agree with him or not -- and I don`t -- Chuck Hagel has been 100 percent clear and consistent with his opinions.

Now, let me tell you the confusing story about another politician, Congressman Silvestre Reyes. He`s the new chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligent, the chairman. Got it?

In early December, Reyes shocked everybody, probably, you know, nobody more than Nancy Pelosi, by supporting the troops for Iraq. He said at the time, quote, "We have to consider the need for additional troops in Iraq. I`d say 20,000, 30,000 for the specific purpose of making sure those militias are dismantled," end quote.

I remember reading that thinking, "Wait a minute. You`re kidding me, really? Somebody who`s in with Nancy Pelosi says this?" Unfortunately, not so much. Reyes apparently wasn`t allowed to have his own opinions, at least for very long, because after the president gave his speech announcing that exact strategy, Reyes gave this quote to a newspaper: "We don`t have the capability to escalate our troops, even to this minimal level. The president hasn`t changed direction but is simply changing tactics."

Uh-huh. So can I translate? I voted for the troop increase before I voted against it. Mr. Reyes, you`re the one who`s changing tactics, and I think it`s because you realized you can`t be the chairman of Intelligence Committee and also disagree with Nancy Pelosi. Am I wrong?

Joe Biden was right: Bringing our troops home safe and sound shouldn`t be a political partisan issue. Unfortunately, it is. People like Mr. Reyes seem to make it that way.

Next, Michael Devlin, this is the guy who was accused of the kidnapping of the two boys in Missouri. He made his fist appearance in court today and pleaded -- are you ready -- not guilty? Oh, there wasn`t a question mark there, I`m sorry. He pleaded not guilty in the kidnapping of Ben Ownby.

That plea must have come as quite a surprise to the prosecutor in the case who claims that Devlin confessed to the kidnapping shortly after being arrested. And didn`t they find the boys in his house?

Meanwhile, the other teen went on Oprah today, and his family told Oprah that they believe the boy was sexually assaulted during his time there. Well, that must have been an uncomfortable moment for the kid. This would make sense, given the reports that child pornography was found on Devlin`s computer.

Now, I want you to put that story in the back of your mind as you listen to this one. And, please, let me warn you. If you have children in the room, ask them to leave or turn off the television set, TiVo, pause, whatever you`ve got to do.

This story comes from Orlando, Florida. A guy by the name of Christopher Wood, he was on this canoeing trip with his wife when he suddenly paddles over to the shore. And she says, "What`s going on, honey?" He takes her and he rapes her at knife point. Then, he hangs her naked from a tree branch for hours and rapes her again, while he sticks a knife blade into her side.

The sickest part of all of this is this guy videotaped the whole thing with the hopes of making and selling a bondage porn film, which -- I love those things. Have you ever seen "Kiss Me, Tie Me, Shiv Me"? That`s a -- a lot of people would hear those two stories and immediately think, you know, OK, here goes Beck, he`s going to rail against the evils of pornography, which kind of.

But let me surprise you with the real story tonight. The real story is that, basically, people like this are porn extremists. Pornography, you know, doesn`t make the average Joe go out and molest children or rape their wife. But it still doesn`t mean that it`s completely harmless.

A Harris poll found that 51 percent of adults believe that pornography, quote, "raises men`s expectations of how women should look." Forty-four percent say it harms relationships between men and women. Yup. And 57 percent of women say it`s demeaning to them. Uh-huh.

None, none of these things are horrific as raping your wife, but they`re far from harmless. The reason I don`t watch pornography isn`t because, you know, I think I`m going to turn into a child molester. It`s because, honestly, I think it`s going to hurt the relationship that I have with my wife, hurt the relationship that I have with my daughters, my family and my God.

But that doesn`t mean I want to legislate morality. You know, I`m just trying to live the best life I know how to. For example, I`m an alcoholic. If I have one drink, my life will spiral out of control. But, man, you, you can have a few drinks and not end up in a Denny`s in Tijuana. God bless you, brother. It`s your right.

I believe pornography is the same thing. You have the right to view it. Whether you admit it or not, it will impact your life. Some people will notice the impact right away. Some will notice it when they start to wonder why their wife doesn`t look as good or as hot as the women in those movies. For others, unfortunately, I don`t even know if they`ll even notice it while they`re raping their wife as she`s hanging from a tree.

Bob Peters is the president of Morality in Media, Inc.

Bob, is there a link between porn and violent sex crimes?

ROBERT PETERS, PRESIDENT, MORALITY IN MEDIA, INC.: Well, in my opinion, there`s no question there is a link. That doesn`t mean that every violent sexual crime has a connection to pornography. But I think, if you look at the evidence, it`s clear that many sexual crimes have a link to pornography.

And I would, you know, say one other thing, that I would agree with you that most people who look at pornography don`t become violent sexual offenders. But when you look at the large numbers of people who look at pornography, even a relatively very small percentage who will act out violently, that can translate into a lot of dead, tortured, injured bodies which, in my opinion, is what it translates into.

BECK: OK. I`m going to get a ton of mail, because I get it every single time we do something on pornography. People say, oh, Glenn, we`re consenting adults, it doesn`t affect me at all. Can you tell me, Bob, how it does affect people? I mean, regular people.

PETERS: Yes, well, I`ll tell you, at one level, apart from the horrifics of this case, it represents two ways that pornography injures relationships. One of which is that guys that get into pornography often want to act out what they see in the pornography with their wives, not that it as extreme as this particular case. But more often than not, in my opinion, the wife doesn`t appreciate it, and it can wreck a marriage. A second...

BECK: OK, wait, wait. Let me stop here for a second. But what if the wife does appreciate it? What if the wife says -- because I get these calls on the radio show -- oh, please, my wife and I, we do it all the time. And you hear in the background, "It`s great." What happens if they`re both enjoying it?

PETERS: Well, I don`t doubt that there are -- you know, that there are cases where both the male and the female enjoy the pornography and enjoy acting out what they see. But if I were a betting man, I would say that, for every instance when you have that sort of thing, particularly when it`s initiated by the man, you have five situations where the wife is either not comfortable with it, she doesn`t like it, or she`s hurt by it deeply.

I mean, nobody has ever done the definitive study. But if pornography was such a builder of relationships, my god, all of our male -- you know, at this point in our history, problems between men and women should be a thing of the past because we`d be all enjoying the fruits of looking at pornography together. It isn`t working that way.

BECK: You know, it kills me that McDonald`s will spend, you know, $2 million for an ad on the Super Bowl and nobody will question it. They`ll spend $2 million for like a 30-second ad because you know that it is powerful, and yet people will say, Oh, I can look at pornography for, you know, 20 minutes a day and it doesn`t affect me.

These images are powerful beyond most people`s recognition. And beyond that, it desensitizes us, doesn`t it? It`s like you see these, you know, "Jackass" movies. Well, I believe those are tied into this case where you`ve got the girls videotaping themselves beating up the little girl here in Long Island.

PETERS: Well, I`ll tell you two things. I mean, if a guy -- let`s say a guy, it`s usually the man, not always, but if he`s looking at pornography 20 minutes a day and almost always masturbating to it, at bare minimum he`s going to have less sexual energy for his wife than he would otherwise have.

Another effect of pornography is that most of it focuses on you, you know, the teen pornography phenomenon. There is older porn, but most of it is still young. And most of us don`t look like porn stars, and we all get older. So if you`re into porn, your sexual fantasies are going to be on kids, 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids, in some cases younger than that. Meanwhile, you`re getting older and so is your wife. So how is that going to build a relationship?

BECK: All right, Bob, thanks. That`s "The Real Story" tonight. And if you`d like to real more about this or if you found a real story of your own, please tell us about it. Visit glennbeck.com and click on that "Real Story" button. Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Where are the parents that are allowing their kids to be eviscerated on national television? Apparently there was this kid on last night, who was this fat kid, you know, kind of the kid -- he`s got a little lisp and everything else, and probably has had a tough go of it, because you know what kids are like. Has absolutely no singing talent. Shouldn`t you tell your kid he has no talent when that kid sounds like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her, and guide her...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right. Debra Mandel, she specializes in family matters like this. And, Debra, I want to know one question. And this makes me a horrible person and parent, I think. How do you tell your kid that they suck?

DEBRA MANDEL, PHD, FAMILY PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, Glenn, I can tell you, don`t give up your day job, OK? You know, when we have our kids, we want them to feel good about ourselves. But the pendulum has swung so far over from where it used to be, where we were almost cruel to our kids and there was all the, you know, child abuse awareness. And now it`s this, let`s just have our kids just feel good about everything. So parents overindulge their kids. They don`t give them a realistic assessment of who they really are. So how do you sit down and tell a child you`re not that good?

BECK: Yes.

MANDEL: You sit them down and you say, "Hey, you know what? You`ve got some talents in all kinds of areas. Let`s develop the areas where you really do have talent." And we have to kind of appreciate the things that we don`t.

BECK: Wait a minute. I`m a guy who -- I knew what I wanted to do when I was 8 years old. At 13, my folks were driving me to work. My mom sat there in the lobby with me when I went in for my first job interview.

I`ve got to tell you, I was worse than I am now, if you can possibly imagine. And I`m on radio at 13. My voice hadn`t even changed. I sucked beyond belief, but my parents never said that. I remember them listening to me, and I`d say, "How did I sound?" And they`d say, "You`re in there trying, and that`s a good thing."

So how do you not take away their dreams -- because that was my dream -- and yet not have them humiliated?

MANDEL: It is great to encourage your children`s dreams, but it`s also great to encourage them to have more than just one dream about one thing. It`s OK to tell them, hey, you know what? You climb and reach for the stars and go as far up as you can go. Just be aware that everybody may not appreciate you in the way that we do.

And it`s not really to burst their bubble. It`s just to get them prepared for what`s out there. I mean, we all know when we`re growing up it can be pretty cruel in the world. Now, that`s not a bad thing. You know, mind you, it`s OK for kids to fail. You know, in fact, we don`t want to protect them so much and give them so much information that might be perceived as negative, because it really is OK to make mistakes and for kids to learn the hard way.

BECK: But wait. There`s a difference between failing -- there`s nothing I hate more than the games where everybody gets a trophy. You lost. Get over it. There is a difference between failing and then being on "American Idol," where 37 million people saw you make an ass of yourself.

MANDEL: Yes, it`s kind of crazy, huh? Yes, but sometimes people actually put themselves out there because any fame they get feels good, you know, even though...

BECK: I mean, that`s a different -- that`s a whole different other psychological issue. I`m just talking here about the parents.

Because I talked about this on the radio program today. And I had a lot of people call up, you know, and have both sides of it. I would never let my kids on, period, because I have a right to protect them. And you`ve got to let your kids go.

And I feel it`s somewhere in between being the dad from the movie "Rudy" and being the one that says, "My kid lost, and that`s OK, he deserves a trophy." Where is that line?

MANDEL: You know, and I think the line is different for different kids, as well, because you have some kids who were very, very sensitive just by nature. They`re born into the world more sensitive than other kids, and you have other kids that are super-resilient.

So you might want to coddle the one that`s sensitive just a little bit more and be a little softer in your style, whereas the other kid that`s more resilient, you can kind of pretty much lay it on the line and be straight with them.

So you have to judge your kids according to who they are. But it`s a building process. You know, you can`t really -- some of these parents who would let their kids go on with no talent, you know, they probably haven`t even been thinking about this balance all the while, so no wonder this kid is willing to go, because maybe the parents have completely blown up their egos, you know, where they think -- they can`t even imagine that somebody wouldn`t think that they`re great, and hot, and wonderful.

BECK: I would love to hear your response as a trained professional. One parent -- there was this kid who was singing, and he was awful, and he was juggling. And they said, "You don`t have talent. I mean, you`re not even a good juggler." And he walked out and he was crying, and he said, "Mom, I`ll never be famous." And she said, "Oh, yes, you will." And I thought, "That`s not the response I would give my kid." What is the proper response?

MANDEL: The proper response to that is, you know what? You`re hurting right now. It`s OK. You`re hurting, because you feel bad. You didn`t get what you wanted. That`s OK. And you can work toward whatever you want. Maybe you`ll be famous; maybe you won`t.

But you don`t want a child`s self-esteem to be based exclusively on fame, because, again, there`s so much that we don`t have control over when we have dreams like that. Our dream can be, "I`m going to be the best person I can be," or, "I`m going to develop my talents in the best ways that I can," because that`s where the control is, is within the person. You can`t say, "I`m going to achieve that goal," because that means that the world has to cooperate.

BECK: Unfortunately, that`s a better answer. I came up with, "You thought you`d be famous as a juggler?" Anyway, Debra, thanks a lot. We`ll be back with your e-mail in just a minute. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, time for the e-mail. Patrick heard me on the radio show today talking about how I wouldn`t let me kid audition for "American Idol" if they sucked. If anybody in the family is going to be humiliated on national TV, it`s going to be me, all right? Like 21 times a week or so.

He writes in, "Glenn, let`s put into perspective the `Idol` auditions, shall we? Seventeen thousand people in Seattle, 240 tryouts per day, so 16,760 were rejected outright. Clearly, only the best of the best and the worst of the worst were allowed to record the tryouts. The ones that drew the most critical remarks were the ones with the extreme attitude. The ones that went quietly in the night, regardless of their failure to have any talent or tone sense, were not brutalized."

All right. I mean, I understand the odds of making your kid a laughingstock in front of 35 million people might not be that high, but still not really willing to risk that. If my kid is a horrible singer, I think I`m going to tell them, "You stink," you know, I mean, in the most indirect way humanly possible, but maybe it`s just me.

Ed writes in, "Glenn, on the week that you had classy Jerry Rice on your show, I hope you read the story about our very own, Michael Vick, and his interesting choice of refreshment." Actually, Ed, I did early this morning.

In Atlanta, the Falcons` quarterback, Michael Vick, was at the airport. Security tells him, "You can`t take your bottle of water on the plane." But they get a little suspicious when he says, "Oh, no, what, hmm?" Security takes a closer look at the bottle, and they find a secret compartment in it, which, when they open it up, they find a substance that smells an awful lot like marijuana.

Although, I love this quote, tests have not confirmed what it was. Yes, I`m still testing over her, Bob. Obviously, stupid thing to do, especially after 9/11. Sneaking substances onto a plane really not as cute as it used to be.

But, really, the real question here is, Vick doesn`t have hangers on that can carry his substances around for him? This is why you get a posse, Mike, jeez.

All right, we`ll see you tomorrow, which I hope will be as exciting as today was. Today, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called me a fascist. Actually not accurate. He technically called me an advocate of fascism, which I wasn`t really aware of. And the John Birch Society screamed at me for being too liberal on the same issue, which means I guess that I`m somewhere between Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the John Birch Society, right along with approximately 93.4 percent of America. Feels kind of nice.

You can e-mail me at GlennBeck@CNN.com. We`ll see you tomorrow. Good night, good luck, courage, see you tomorrow.

END