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Glenn Beck

D.J.s Fired for Crank Call; Mitt Romney Grilled with Personal Questions; Iranian President Holds Anti-American Rally

Aired May 14, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, the shocking story of two radio shock jocks fired for saying something shocking. Political correctness run amok or a left-wing witch-hunt.

And Mitt Romney in the hot seat.

MIKE WALLACE, "60 MINUTES": Did you have pre-marital sex with Ann?

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I`m sorry. We don`t go into those things.

BECK: I`ll show you why the fixation on his religion might actually be veiled bigotry.

Plus a 91-year-old man carjacked and punched 21 times before bystanders finally moved in, for a better view.

All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, just a month after Don Imus and radio shock jocks J.V. and Elvis were fired from CBS Radio after a prank call they made in an overly exaggerated Asian accent.

Here`s the point tonight. Whether you like it or not or want to admit it or not, free speech is under fire. But this is not about corporate responsibility; I believe it`s about personal responsibility. And here`s how I got there.

The actual joke in question isn`t really that funny, but it`s something that every D.J. on every top 40 station has made since Bob Hope was on the air. This is what happened.

Shock jocks Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay broadcast a call to a Chinese restaurant and then embellished their accent. They placed an order for "slimp flied lice." The caller claimed that he was a student of kung fu and compared menu items to employees` body parts. And the laughs, I guess, ensued.

When the bit was originally broadcast, nothing happened; nobody called and complained. It was only after a rerun had aired after Don Imus was fired that an Asian group began campaigning for their dismissal. And it wasn`t only one group. And in the age of Imus, those groups got their wish.

Shock jocks like J.V. and Elvis are a reflection of our society. If they weren`t hugely successful, then nobody would have hired them to begin with. It wouldn`t have been worth any kind of risk. But the fact is, millions of people tune into this stuff, and it, in turn, makes millions of dollars.

Remember the saga of Opie and Anthony? Remember these guys? About five years ago, they had a radio stunt where they encouraged a couple to have sex and then describe it in great detail in St. Patrick`s Cathedral. Their bosses at CBS Radio tried to do the right thing, I guess, and fired them.

Well, guess what happened next? The ratings at CBS went into the crapper. So how did they fix it? They rehired Opie and Anthony. The ratings went back up. More money comes in. Shareholders are happy. In a capitalist society, there`s nothing more corporately responsible than that.

If you`re really offended, I mean really offended, why don`t you exercise some personal responsibility? Translation: if you don`t like it, turn the damn thing off.

This recent outcry over shock jocks is not being driven by the American people. You`re consuming this garbage. If you take a look, of all across America, including the heartland, these types of shows exist, and not just on radio. Have you watched television lately? So why is radio the target, I wonder?

Special interest groups have circulated a list of all the radio hosts who are on their radar. Guess what? Guess who`s on the top of the list: people like me, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Gee, I can`t recall the last time I encouraged listeners to have sex in a church. Wait, I remember. Never!

This thing is not being driven by standards; it`s being driven by special interest groups. Why is it that someone can`t do an Asian accent, but it`s OK to say, in a mock Southern accent, "Last night, I was making out with my sister," and nobody complaints?

I`ll tell you why. Because white southerners don`t have a special- interest group. And you know why? Because if they did have one, they`d again be called racist.

So here`s what I know tonight. When it comes to political speech, more not less, equals better. If someone on TV or radio is doing something you find offensive, it`s not corporate responsibility. It`s your responsibility to turn it off. If you stop consuming it, I promise you, they`ll stop broadcasting it.

So here`s what I don`t know. Will I or any other voices on the right get fired soon as a part of this politically correct witch-hunt?

Joining me now is Debbie Wolf. She`s the co-founder of People Against Censorship. And Michael Harrison. He`s the editor and publisher of "Talkers" magazine.

Debbie, I want to start with you. What did I miss? These two firings, I believe, only embolden these small special interest groups, don`t they?

DEBBIE WOLF, CO-FOUNDER, PEOPLE AGAINST CENSORSHIP: Absolutely. And thank you so much for having me on.

I wanted to applaud for you as you were speaking, because you`re saying something that just isn`t being said for some reason. There isn`t attention to this side of the argument.

There`s been more than two firings, by the way. There have been firings across the country and other threatened firings going on, as well. And every interest group that`s been coming out of the woodwork is saying, well, Al Sharpton achieved it. Al Sharpton did it. I`m going to do it, too. They`re actually coming out and saying that as they`re making their pitch.

BECK: Michael, let me go to -- let me go to you. You`re a -- you`re a guy who studies radio. I`ve been saying on the radio since Imus, radio, look out. When this starts to come -- the replacement devices are already there. You`ve got satellite radio. You have iPod; you have the Internet.

This is not driven by the people. They`re not wanting these standards imposed. These are special interest groups. And if people lose that, they`ll just move it over to someplace else. This product will be found.

MICHAEL HARRISON, EDITOR & PUBLISHER, "TALKERS": There`s no doubt about it. It`s just going to hurt terrestrial broadcasting, which is regulated by the FCC, AM/FM, VHF and UHF broadcasting. But you can`t stop free expression. You can`t stop free speech. It`s just going to go elsewhere.

However, I think that a lot of these special interest groups in cahoots with the government would love to be able to regulate all broadcasting: satellite broadcasting. They`d love to get their hands on the Internet if they can figure out a way to do that, too.

BECK: Michael, how much -- how much of this do you think is driven by, that the end goal really is, again, the Fairness Doctrine, where if you had to balance everything you said, if you did right, you had to do left.

So I guess if you had, you know, some of these shock jocks on, you`d also had to have the Church Lady on. I don`t know. But they can`t pass it through Congress. People don`t support it. How much of this do you think is just a grand design by some of these people?

HARRISON: I think it`s a grand design by some of the people. But I don`t think it`s really what`s motivating it. What I think is motivating it is the age of Internet, the age of the special-interest group and the age of mass, big-time media, capitalizing on this and broadcasting it and amplifying it, because it makes for entertaining, sensationalist copy, if you will, even the fact that we`re talking about it now.

BECK: Debbie, I mean, when did we lose sight in America that sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me? When did we become these wishy-washy pansy little girls that just can`t handle any kind of speech?

WOLF: Somebody decided that they could get a platform by just drawing attention to a couple of words that hurt somebody`s feelings. We don`t have a right not to get our feelings hurt in this country.

And like you said, we`re talking about second grade humor here. To have a national movement to have somebody fired from the airways because they made what is essentially equivalent to a pee-pee joke that every second grader in the country is making is absolutely absurd. People need to get a thicker skin.

BECK: Debbie, I have to tell you, because I`m watching this, obviously, closely. Because I am for a while -- I think I`ve been bumped down to number six. I was No. 1 on the hit list.

And you know, I think this is a dangerous, dangerous thing that is starting to happen in America. And I`m watching the speech. And I`ve been called -- since Imus, I`ve been called the chief maligner -- I think it`s the chief maligner of Mohammed and Islam.

Today, there was something that came out that said that I -- that I was a racist bigot, all these kinds of things, just because I say that 10 percent of Islam has been radicalized and 90 percent of Islam is good.

And I notice the change in the language. It`s almost as if these groups are positioning the language and changing the language to control the argument here. Do you see a blacklist kind of scenario coming, a McCarthy or a witch-hunt coming?

WOLF: It`s not just coming; it exists. And it`s really frightening to me that other broadcasters don`t see this. When I see somebody like Mancow going on the air and speaking out against fellow broadcasters, it physically makes me ill. How does any broadcaster not see that this is going to affect their livelihood and their future?

How any musician or comic isn`t standing up with outrage out of -- they should be afraid for their livelihood. They should be afraid of their ability to continue practicing their art.

BECK: You know, I tell you. I saw the -- you know, when Tom DeLay came out against Rosie O`Donnell, I said, you know, "I`m a conservative, Tom. Ain`t with you on this one." And that`s -- we should all be standing together here. Exactly right.

Michael, final question for you. I read an article in the "New York Times" where they talked about the -- you know, all the sex stuff that`s going on, but they were monitoring, you know, shock radio.

And Mancow was one of them. And the shocking things that he said was if America doesn`t wake up, my children will probably be dead, because they`ll be forced to wear a burka in some extreme Islamic state. How is that compared to shock jock radio?

HARRISON: It`s all -- it`s all so random; it`s so subjective. There`s no rhyme or reason to it. It`s chaotic. And the best thing we can do is be an open society and turn off what we don`t like, live and let live and let freedom of expression ring.

BECK: OK. Michael, Debbie, thank you very much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): Now, my next guest is one of those shock jocks, the host of the third most listened to radio show in the country, shock jock Glenn Beck.

And welcome to the program.

BECK: Just a quick correction here. I`m not a shock jock. I do a conserve talk radio show everyday. I don`t think I should be lumped in with the other shock jocks in the morning.

BECK: Sure. You`re entitled to your opinion here. But we only have 30 seconds. What do you have to say to your critics who say that shock jocks like you thrive on the controversy, go out of their way to say the most shocking, vile, repugnant things...

BECK: Let me just make a correction here. Again, I`m not a shock jock. I`d like to make that very clear.

BECK: Yes. All right. Thank you very much. Sorry, we`re out of time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: That was shock jock Glenn Beck.

Coming up now, the ultimate hot seat for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Did you see "60 Minutes" last night? "60 Minutes" pounding Romney with questions about his faith and his life. Forget about his stance on foreign policy. Let`s ask if he and his wife had pre-marital sex.

Also, 91-year-old vet brutally pummeled before people move in to get a better view. "The Real Story" tonight on why our society is dominated by voyeurs and narcissists.

And "West Bank Story", a musical comedy set in the Middle East. I`ll talk to the movie`s director, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up a little later in the program, it seems like an epidemic in this country, a vicious attack caught on tape, and nobody does anything to stop it. I`ll try to find out what is turning us into a nation of self-centered voyeurs, coming up.

First, last night, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney experienced that rite of passage for all up and coming newsmakers: he was interviewed by Mike Wallace on CBS`s "60 Minutes."

The conversation included questions about his Mormon past and the present state of George Bush`s presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Well, he`s the person where the buck stops, the whole administration.

WALLACE: They screwed up.

ROMNEY: Well, they made mistakes. I`m not going to use the same phrase you would. And we`re paying for those mistakes.

Great-grandfather, they were trying to build a generation out there in the desert, and so he took additional wives, as he was told to do. And I must admit, I can`t imagine anything more awful than polygamy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Well, Rudy Giuliani may be the most popular candidate the Republicans are running right now. Mitt Romney may be the most compelling. He has got good looks. He`s smart. His answers are great. He comes across with a poise that is undeniably presidential.

But he`s a Mormon! That`s faith that a lot of people don`t understand and some -- like Al Sharpton -- openly bash without even noticing that they`re doing it.

So regardless of his inconsistent positions on some issues -- and he certainly has some explaining to do on several issues, should he also have to answer questions about his faith? Where does curiosity stop and bigotry begin?

Amy Holmes is a Republican strategist.

Hello, Amy. How are you?

AMY HOLMES, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Great. How are you?

BECK: Tell me, and just answer that question. Where does one start and where does one -- where does one end?

HOLMES: Well, Glenn, I think a lot of Americans would be surprised to know that the Democratic majority leader of the senate, Harry Reid, is also a Mormon, and nobody asks him questions of whether or not he`s able to serve.

BECK: Amy, let me play back -- because that`s what I say. How many times have you heard these very questions about Harry Reid or even Orrin Hatch? And they always say this. They always respond to me this way, well, they`re not running for president.

HOLMES: Well, but they`re serving their constituency, and they`re serving the United States and they don`t get that question.

Glenn, I think that you know that for a lot of people they don`t know very much about Mormonism.

BECK: Sure.

HOLMES: And so clearly, they want to know, if the president of the United States has a faith, what is that about? Do I understand it?

I think Mitt Romney has been handling it very well. He`s talking about being a man of values, being a man of faith, not getting into a lot of the particulars. If you look into any religion, you would probably find things there that you would say, I don`t really understand that.

But the American people can understand about Mitt Romney or any other presidential candidate, including Al Gore, who back in 2000, if you remember, wore a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet to reassure -- to reassure the constituency and the public that the has some humility, who understands his place in the universe, that does not just answer to himself and to a higher authority.

BECK: I find it very interesting. I mean, you know, you look at Gingrich. People are screaming for Gingrich. People are screaming for Rudy Giuliani. Bill Clinton, people were screaming for him.

You`ve got three people, three guys who the American people, for the most part, are comfortable with, and yet all of them have had extramarital affairs. All of them have really humiliated their spouse in public on more than one occasion, on some of these guys.

And yet you have another guy who has never cheated on his wife that we know, has the traditional values. And everybody seems to be uncomfortable, at least in the media.

HOLMES: Well, again, it`s because we don`t know very much about the faith and what we do know, oftentimes, you know, there`s a big court case going on in terms of polygamy. We see the most sensational stories about the Mormon faith.

And I think Mitt Romney, he`s doing, you know, his faith a very good service by putting forward, you know, the more traditional, centrist view of it.

BECK: Right. Yes. I have to tell you, I can`t -- there`s nobody other than a Mormon that is more outraged than those people who claim to be Mormon and are practicing polygamy.

What do you think about Mike Wallace asking about pre-marital sex last night? I mean, can you imagine that question being asked of anyone else?

HOLMES: No. I thought that was bizarre question. I also thought it was really odd that he was asking Mitt Romney`s sons whether or not that they would serve in the military, presumably because Mitt Romney is a Republican and he supports the war.

Well, you know, the war was voted by 77 senators. There are presumably a whole bunch of Democrats, and they don`t get the question, "Is your son or your daughter serving in the military?"

I thought that was sort of -- that was going down a road that, for some reason, only a Republican and only someone who is a professed believer would be getting.

BECK: And I`m wondering if it even was noticed by most of the American people, that Romney`s sons, all five of them, dedicated two years of their life in service. It might have been for their church. But what is the percentage of people that serve in the Peace Corps?

You have all five of your sons serving on a mission, another, I think, remarkable thing that was -- was passed by most of the viewers last night, I`m sure. The...

HOLMES: Again, Mike Wallace is asking the question, why hasn`t there been some sort of rebellion? Why isn`t there sort of a wild one in the bunch? As if that says anything.

If anything it should say a good thing about Mitt Romney as a man, as a father. But only a Republican and only someone who`s very open about their faith would be getting asked that.

BECK: I only have got 30 seconds here. Do you think that some of this stuff is coming, because he -- for some reason, even though he`s low in the polls right now, for some reason people see him as a real threat?

HOLMES: Sure. That`s why he got to be on "60 Minutes". That`s why he got that much attention. Because he`s raised $21 million. He`s No. 1 in New Hampshire. He`s a real contender.

And everyone, you know, who looked at the debate -- I shouldn`t say everyone, but a lot of political commentators who looked at the first Republican debate felt that he won it.

BECK: Yes.

HOLMES: So in a certain way, all this attention was a good thing, even if some of the questions were a little bit unfair.

BECK: I will tell you that I haven`t made up my mind. I don`t know if I would vote for Mitt Romney at this point. But in the debate, he was stunning. Amy, thanks a lot.

HOLMES: Thank you.

BECK: Coming up, don`t forget about this guy. Iran`s president holds an anti-American rally in Dubai. And guess what? He still hates us. I`ll tell you how he`s blaming us for all the troubles in the region.

And how many punches does it take before people help out a 91-year-old man? Answer: too many. That`s tonight`s "Real Story", and it`s coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Iran`s President Ahmadinejad was on a madcap weekend getaway when he decided to lead a raucous anti-American rally this past Sunday in Dubai. He blamed the U.S. for creating instability and robbing the region of his wealth.

He said, quote, "We are telling you to leave the region. This is for your benefit and the benefit of your nation. The nations of the region can no longer take you forcing yourself on them."

Then, later this morning, he said, "They" -- meaning us, the U.S. -- "cannot strike Iran. The Iranian people can protect themselves and retaliate."

It`s ironic. Here in the U.S., we can`t even begin to start calling them our enemy, while Iran can`t seem to stop calling us theirs.

Patrick Clawson is the deputy research director for Washington`s Institute for Near East Policy.

Patrick, what is the significance of the rally in Dubai this weekend, do you think?

PATRICK DAWSON, INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Not many people showed up. Here`s a place where there`s a couple hundred thousand Iranians, at least, living there, and he was able to only turn out a few thousand. I`m not impressed, frankly.

BECK: OK. So -- but he is making this tour in the region. Is he going to be able to unite people, or is he just going to look like an idiot? Because I mean, especially when you go to Dubai, Dubai is very successful. The people in Iran are, you know, darn near starving to death.

DAWSON: Right. Thirty years ago, Dubai was nothing, and Iran, on the other hand, was doing pretty well. Now, when he visits Dubai, even Ahmadinejad has to notice that this place that used to be so much poorer than Iran has passed it by, because it`s been open to the world and Iran, on the other hand, has been closed.

BECK: So now we are sitting here, and we are talking about talking to them, sitting down and negotiating with Iran. I don`t even begin to understand that. People -- do we really think that we can trust these people in a peace process?

DAWSON: Not necessarily. But on the other hand, it`s useful for us to be able to say that, look, at least we asked. So for instance, if there`s a dispute about the Iranians claiming that Americans have crossed into their waters, we can say, "Well, look, we asked the Iranians to give us a map where their waters end, and they didn`t."

BECK: Yes, but their main 10 tenet is to -- to -- or their main tenet is to destroy the U.S. and the west. How -- what difference does that make if we can say, "Well, we asked," and they didn`t give -- they`re going to spin it any way they want anyway.

DAWSON: Well, the more we can unite the west behind our position and cause people around the world to think the problem is Iran, not us, the better off we are.

BECK: Wait a minute. How are you going to do that? If you can`t convince people -- now there`s a new poll out. Look at this poll of people, what they say Iran is.

Forty-six percent of the American people say they`re an enemy. Thirty-six percent say they`re unfriendly. Twelve percent say they`re friendly, and three percent call them an ally.

If you can`t get a region that has gone out and kidnapped our hostages as the kick-off to their country, has done everything they can to kill our soldiers and thwart us in Iraq, if you can`t convince us that they`re an enemy, how are you going to convince the rest of the world?

DAWSON: Come on. Fifteen percent of Americans can`t remember which one is Iran and which one is Iraq. All right. So they`re not paying attention to this stuff. I can understand that. I don`t pay attention to sports, so I don`t know when they`re talking about which team is which. Some Americans are like that with these two countries that sound kind of alike.

BECK: All right, Patrick. Thanks.

Coming up next, a shocking video of bystanders watching a 91-year-old man being savagely beaten. Don`t miss it, in tonight`s "Real Story".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up in just a bit, a musical comedy about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Not kidding. The movie actually won an Oscar, so it`s got to be good. I`ll talk to the director in just a bit.

But first, it is time for "The Real Story." It`s almost becoming routine, another week, another insane video of somebody beating the crap out of somebody else. In the last few months, we have had the school bus fight where the parents told the daughter, "Go back there and finish your work," and had her beat up other kids. We had three 14-year-olds beating a 13-year-old outside their elementary school for YouTube. This, of course, another super, super classic girl fight that made its way onto YouTube.

And now, we have another one to add to the list. This is a 93-year- old World War II veteran being repeatedly punched in the face in a parking lot by a carjacking thug, while at least five people -- when it goes back out, look at the other people -- they`re just standing around, and they are doing nothing to stop it.

So what do all those videos have in common? The real story? We are turning into a society full of narcissists. It is all about me, me, me. How much money I can make? What kind of things can I buy? How famous can I become? You can find evidence of it absolutely everywhere, from people who just fight on video to get their 15 minutes of fame to people who ignore fights just because there`s no personal incentive for them to stop. You can even find it at work, where employers are now finding that their younger workers need to be treated differently because they`ve been told their whole life how great and special they are.

The "Wall Street Journal" even did an article on this. They quoted a corporate praise consultant, who says that when these workers show up late, you shouldn`t yell at them or discipline them. No, no, no, you should wait for a day when they show up on time and then praise them for showing up on time. Who showed up on time? You did, yes.

Almost 100 companies a year are getting advice from this consultant because they can`t figure out how to motivate their own employees. Older generations may joke about it, but getting a paycheck just to feed your family just is not enough reward anymore.

We have never been more self-centered, more egotistical than we are right now. There`s a survey out called the narcissistic personality disorder. And it`s an inventory. It`s been given to college students every year since 1982. It`s got questions like, "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," yes or no, or yes or no, "I`m a special person." In the 24 years, the average percentage of students who have showed above- average levels of narcissism has almost doubled. It has gone from 36 percent to 66 percent.

Think about this: Two-thirds of all college students are now considered narcissists. So what does it mean? Well, the lead author of the study describes it like this. Think about how familiar these this sounds. They favor self-enhancement and lack empathy for others. Yes. They`re aggressive when insulted. I think the people on the video pounding each other to the ground proves that one. They seek fame, and attention, and public glory. That`s what they want. Check. They`re materialistic. Well, considering that a new Pew research poll shows 81 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds say that getting rich is their generation`s first- or second- most important goal, I think we can check that one off, as well.

Everything makes sense when you start to look at everything through the lens of narcissism. An elderly woman is mugged and assaulted. A shooter goes on a rampage and then sends a video and pictures of himself to a news network. Our country`s borders are left wide open so we can eat cheap broccoli and politicians can keep getting elected. It`s all about us, it`s all about our ego, it`s all about greed.

I`ve been working on a theory. I call it Glenn Beck`s Grand Unified Theory, and it is this, that narcissism is the one common denominator in almost every problem that you see in the news. Start doing the homework on that one. It`s still a work in progress, so stay tuned, but I`m sure it`s far better than any theory you could ever come up with. And I believe the world would finally be at peace if everyone would just start listening to me.

Jeff Gardere is a clinical psychologist, and Bill Maier is from Focus on the Family.

Jeff, narcissism. Was it narcissism or fear that stopped those five people from coming to the aid of a 91-year-old?

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I think it`s a combination of both, Glenn. Here you have people that who perhaps are afraid that, if they became involved, they`d have to fill out a police report or they might get hurt themselves. So it`s the fear of getting involved, but also the narcissism of not wanting to get hurt themselves. It`s not their problem. As you said, it`s all about me, me, me, me.

BECK: You know, I worked with a guy who has -- and I`ve talked about this before -- who has stopped purse snatchings. I mean, I`m walking down the street with him, and I don`t even see it because I`m oblivious. Stopped purse snatchings, you know, just has clothes-lined a guy before and grabbed the purse and returned it to lady. And I thought, how many people would even do that now? It`s just not their problem.

GARDERE: Again, it`s part of that narcissism. And let me say this very quickly before you go to your next guest. I think part of the problem in our society, yes, it is narcissism. But as part of that, we also have an issue. We don`t have heroes anymore. Everyone is watching their own behinds. Everyone is taking care of themselves and not stepping up and taking care of society. It should be about the greater good.

BECK: Let me go to Bill. Death of shame and morality, I mean, it doesn`t seem like we have any shame anymore. I was talking on the radio program today about -- when`s the last time you saw something that made you blush?

BILL MAIER, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: It`s tragic, Glenn. And, you know, really, it all starts in the home. It all starts with what we model for our kids. And we have a whole generation of parents who are more concerned about their kids liking them then about laying down the law, about setting boundaries and appropriate limits for their kids.

And now we`re seeing the result. We`re seeing the result in the surveys you mentioned, in the behavior that we`re witnessing in public. These kids don`t know what right and wrong really means; they don`t know the difference between good and evil.

BECK: But you know what? I`ve got to tell you, though, that even adults don`t know it. I mean, how many times have you been sitting in a supermarket or -- you don`t want to say anything to anybody anymore, because you know an adult is going to turn around and say, "Hey, mind your own business," or, "You don`t know what you`re talking about." Everybody is about them. And these are people that were raised not in the times we`re living in now. Good heavens, what is it going to be like when our kids grow up?

MAIER: You know, it really started in the 1960s, Glenn, when we threw out authority. We said, "We`re not going to listen to anybody else`s rules, and we`re just going to do what makes us feel good." And now we`re seeing the result 40 years later in its full-blown glory, and it`s not a pretty picture.

So I think it really does need to start with a self-examination of who we really are as a nation, who we are as people, and what`s really important. And, obviously, what`s not important is it`s all about me, because if we go there, what are we destined for? It`s chaos and anarchy.

BECK: So, Jeff, is it possible -- and this is one of my biggest fear on America -- is that we are going to grow into a country that is truly divided, more divided than we are now, between people who see right and wrong completely differently, that we won`t even be able to understand each other. I mean, how many times do we as individuals watch TV, and we`ll see something like that, and we`ll say, "What`s wrong with these people?" And there are becoming more and more of them. What`s our future look like? Will there be two Americas?

GARDERE: Well, I think there`s already two Americas, because there is a lot of confusion. There is a schizophrenia, if you will. Your guest talks about we have to start in the home. I agree with him 100 percent, but it also has to start from the top on down.

We have to have a government that can clearly show us the difference between good and evil, and we haven`t seen that in this particular government. So the kids are saying, "Hey, listen, if America can`t get it straight, why should we get it straight?"

So we have to examine all of this and come back and look at true morality and look at living for society, and not just for ourselves. And good is about giving to others. It is better to give than to receive and not have our hands out all the time.

BECK: You know, Bill, you know, I understand Jeff`s point here, but I think that the family is the only thing that is ever going to solve any of this stuff. We can`t get through it, and I mean this sincerely. I know I`m on television, but, America, turn off the frickin` TV. Stop it. We are becoming -- we are seeing this garbage, and we`re saying, "Oh, well, that`s what America is like." That`s not what America is like. This isn`t who we are.

MAIER: No, it`s not, Glenn. And, you know, I meet people all over this great country of ours, and I know that what we see on television is really a poor reflection of our culture.

And you talk about this all the time. We need to turn off the TV. We need to turn off the rap music. We need to turn off the violent video games. And it`s parents taking responsibility with their own kids. We`re not taking responsibility, in many cases, and we`re seeing the result. And the result is really scary.

BECK: I will tell you, Bill, that I think it`s more -- it used to maybe just the violent video games, et cetera. But I encourage you, go get a video of "Little House on the Prairie." Television that we grew up with, even in the `70s, and compare to -- go look at "Adam-12" and then look at, you know, Miami "CSI" and you tell me that`s even in the same realm at all.

Real quick, Jeff, 25 percent of the American people say that they are isolated, that they have no one to reach out to. Where does that lead us?

GARDERE: What it tells me is that we are a very isolated society. And I saw that study that you`re talking about. And basically, these people are saying, "We want to be able to pour out our lives. We want to talk about values. We just want to communicate. We want to be a society." And it`s just not happening anymore. We are isolated. And as part of that isolation, we see that we are getting more into ourselves, because we can`t get out.

BECK: Seems to me that`s what I saw in that manifesto from the Virginia Tech shooter. Bill, Jeff, thanks a lot.

And here`s the "Real Story" tonight. If you`d like to read more about it, you can find it online at glennbeck.com. You can also share a story of your own. Just click on the "Real Story" button on the front page of the Web site.

Next, how do you solve one of the deadliest and most complicated conflicts mankind has ever faced? Unleash singers and dancers, turn it into a Broadway-style show. Don`t miss the video of "West Bank Story." It`s coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: What is shock radio? I believe the only thing shocking in America is for somebody to not be politically correct and just lay it all out on the line. Now, a lot of people look at shock radio and say, "Well, it`s shocking because they`ll make fun of a certain minority." I mean, that`s what people have done forever. When is it going to be shocking for me to say, "Well, I was just sleeping with my sister last night"? Why is that not politically incorrect? Because there`s no special interest group, that`s why.

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BECK: What do you get when you take the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cross it with some show-stopping song-and-dance numbers? The Oscar-winning short film, "West Bank Story," it`s about an Israeli guy whose family runs a kosher stand. He falls in love with a Palestinian girl, whose family owns a falafel stand. Families hate each other, but the couple finds a way to be in love despite all of their differences.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I knew the punishment would be severe. Shame for my family is what I fear. I can`t be so silly and forlorn. I am (INAUDIBLE) in love with a man in an Israeli uniform.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): I work at place of unrest, a little bit scary and a lot of stress. If only I had a good spiel where I could tell her just how I feel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Joining me now is Oscar-wining director of "West Bank Story," Ari Sandel.

Ari, what made you come up with this idea?

ARI SANDEL, DIRECTOR AND CO-WRITER, "WEST BANK STORY": You know, I really wanted to make a film that was going to do a few things. First, it was a graduate thesis film, so I wanted to make a movie that was a calling card. I wanted to make a movie that was pro-peace. I wanted to make a film that was evenhanded in how it dealt with the situation. I really wanted Israelis and Jews to watch it and find themselves liking the Palestinian characters and Palestinians and Arabs watching and to find themselves liking the Israeli characters.

BECK: OK, what have you found so far? Is this airing -- I mean, are you measuring at all any kind of qualitative data that`s coming back after audiences are seeing it, whether that indeed is happening?

SANDEL: Absolutely, I mean, the film came out in 2005 at Sundance. I never expected it to go as far as it did. It just kept going to festivals and festivals. It went to several festivals in Israel. It was shown in Dubai, which is a country that does not recognize the state of Israel. It got a very positive response, especially from Palestinians who were at the festival.

I got a lot of people who`ve come to me and say, "I was nervous about seeing the film at first, because I thought you were going to trivialize my side or the suffering of my side." But then when they walk out, they realize that really the movie is about hope. It`s not meant to make fun of anybody. It promotes the idea that both sides are more similar than they care to admit, and people really, you know, have gravitated to it.

BECK: I`ll tell you, Ari, when I went over to the Middle East for the first time, it took me about three days before -- as I was trying to figure things out and just get a lay of the land and everything us, it took me about three days that, really, there`s no difference here. It`s really, in many ways, the politicians and the power structure up above that are using the people and separating them. I mean, I don`t know if you feel the same way, but it seems to me that they have much more in common than difference.

SANDEL: Well, there`s no question. As a matter of fact, I was just in Israel two days ago. And I went to Jerusalem, I want to Elat, Tel Aviv. I was also in Ramallah in the West Bank. And I visited a school called Hand-in-Hand, and it`s run by Israelis and Palestinians to promote a co- existence in the school system.

And you sit there in the classroom in kindergarten, and you watch Israeli Jewish children and Arab Israeli children, Muslims, Christians, whatever they are, and you can`t tell who`s who. And I even asked teachers, who say, "I don`t tell you, because it doesn`t matter."

So I think, in general, yes, there are obviously a lot of politicians using the situation. But, you know, the film really tried to promote the idea of hope. And I think that there are a lot of really informative and educational documentaries and films made, but they always leave you feeling like this thing`s never going to end. And I wanted to make a film that would at least be a drop in the bucket of positivity.

BECK: Did you get any pushback from anybody?

SANDEL: I would say probably maybe 2 percent or 3 percent, you know, of any audience, they just don`t want to see a movie that`s going to show the other side as anything other than absolutely evil. So you always have certain Jewish contingencies and certain Arab contingencies that don`t want to see the movie or, you know, think that it`s absolutely ridiculous. You know, some people have said, you know, "You`re a self-hating Jew," or some Muslims have said, you know, "This is a traitorous film. It`s a Zionist movie."

But the vast majorities -- and, I mean, this movie has played in over 150 festivals around the world, China, Switzerland, Australia, Dubai, wherever it`s played, it`s been a tremendously positive response.

BECK: And the thing that they have in common, at least according to the film, is good. So you could do -- Italians and Americans could join them at some point for a sequel.

SANDEL: After I won the Oscar, I woke up the next morning, I had 1,500 e-mails. And by the end of the week, I had 4,000 e-mails from people all around the world, Palestinians, Israelis, southern Baptists who wrote me -- they married a Methodist, they live in South Carolina, a Jew who married an Arab. So I think, you know, the interfaith, interracial relationship, you know, speaks to a lot of people.

BECK: Good. Ari, thanks a lot.

We`ll be back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, time for the e-mails. This one comes in from Rex in Virginia. He writes, "Glenn Beck obviously doesn`t like Michael Moore`s politics or movies. Too bad he can`t justify his position without repeatedly making reference to Mr. Moore`s physicality. He manages to use every word in the thesaurus for fat. Why he resorts to such offensive name-calling can only be justified by the fact that Mr. Beck is a stupid, dumb, absurd, idiotic, retarded, mentally deficient, lame, moronic, feeble, low I.Q., brainless, deluded, pathetic doofus. And, oh, yes, it wouldn`t hurt if he hit the gym once in a while, too. Rex, Winchester, Virginia."

Thanks, Rex. I mean, if you don`t know what he was referring to, on Friday, I did get just a little heated up about Michael Moore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: There`s somebody out there who knows a little something about dessert. It`s Michael Moore. A wildly fat man...

... more fiction than fat...

... even wider than his waistline...

... quadruple, extra-large Che Guevara t-shirt...

... be my husky guest.

... fat man...

... heavy fines...

... our bearded fat man is for real...

... he`s the fat kid who`s still dying for a heaping helping of approval...

... your party has been hijacked by a wide load in a baseball cap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I mean, I`d like to apologize for that. And here`s what I`d like to apologize for. I believe I left out "lard-butt."

Next e-mail is from Sheryl Crow. Yes, the Sheryl Crow. This is from her actual blog. Quote, "I`d like to thank Glenn Beck for his apology and his acknowledgement that he had reported my little toilet issue sketch as real news."

Yes, a few months back, I mentioned how Sheryl Crow suggested that we can fight global warming by using, you know, one square of toilet paper. It was obviously a joke, and when eventually I realized that it was, I did apologize.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I offer a full apology, sincerely. Sorry, Sheryl Crow for believing the media and not giving you the benefit of the doubt. I officially offer the penance of an entire segment on my program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK, Sheryl, let`s review. First, I apologized. Then, you accepted my apology. And now, I am officially thanking you for accepting my apology. I think the next step is for you to thank me for thanking you for accepting my apology, which you can do when you come on the program. An entire segment, set aside just for you. You can, you know, talk about that global warming until you`re blue in the face, or perhaps perform a couple of your snappy numbers. Choice is yours. I`ve got a favorite, but you decide.

From New York, good night.

END