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Glenn Beck

Would Terror Attacks on Schools Lead to Economic Ruin?; How Valid Are Cries of Racism in Jena 6 Case?

Aired September 20, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, thousands of New Jersey students home today, thanks to a bomb scare. While in Seattle, a school bus becomes engulfed in flames as the driver vanishes. Take a look at the emotional and economic impact of terror aimed at our schools.

Plus, New York rolls out the unwelcome mat for President Ahmadinejad. Tell you why this nut job shouldn`t be allowed in the country, period.

And "Survivor" host Jeff Probst. He`s been everywhere from China to the South Pacific. But can he survive a conversation with yours truly? All this and more with no immunity, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Well, hello, America. I want you to give me five minutes, if you will. Just for -- just for five minutes, pay attention to a story that you probably haven`t heard yet. And when it`s all over, I want you to ask yourself one question. Why is no one else in the mainstream media in America covering this story?

It starts in New Jersey, where 12 school districts, encompassing at least 12,000 children, were shut down late yesterday afternoon and today after a bomb threat was mailed into the part-time mayor of the small town. Fortunately, it looks to be just a false alarm and some nut job sending off a note.

But the rest of the country better start paying attention, because this should serve as both a wake-up call and a warning. Tonight, here is "The Point". And I know it`s not going to be popular.

Our economy could be one coordinated attack away from a knockout blow. And here is how I got there.

Under normal circumstances, we can survive almost anything. We have an amazing economy, from world wars to the World Trade Center, our economy is unbelievably resilient. We can handle debt. We can handle a housing slide, inflation, sky rocketing oil prices, trade deficits, a falling dollar, foreign wars, even terrorist attacks. But I wonder if we can handle all of it at once. And that`s why I`m worried.

One-line threat, a one-line threat, anonymous note kept 12,000 kids out of school today. How many would it be if that threat was sent to 500 towns across the country? How many parents would have to stay home from work to take care of their kids?

Let me talk to you a second, not as a guy on TV, but as a dad. I have four children. And if terrorists would attack our schools here in America and massacre our kids like they did in Beslan, as I laid out for you last week, I`m pulling my kids out of school immediately. Wouldn`t you do the same?

Here`s what you have to ask yourself. Would you start looking into home schooling? How long would it take you before you felt comfortable to put your kid back on a bus or feel safe about going to the mall or the grocery store? The impact on our economy, of an attack on our schools, is unimaginable. One study estimates that an unscheduled absence from work costs the American companies $660 per year per employee.

What would that number look like if an actual terrorist attack happened and parents stayed home with their kids for days, weeks, months? How many gas stations, restaurants, dry cleaners, delivery services, taxi drivers would go bankrupt from the domino effect? What would happen to an economy that is so built on consumption over production?

The answer is nobody knows. Because no one is considering the full ramifications of what something like this would do to us. So, tonight here`s what you need to know.

Despite what you hear from biased analysts in the media, our economy is vulnerable. And our enemies are watching. Osama bin Laden believes that he -- this is critical. He took down Russia by squeezing them financially. He announced the same bleed until bankruptcy plan for us. He said, quote, "It is very important to concentrate on hitting the U.S. economy through all possible means," end quote.

Every dollar that we rack up in debt is helping terrorists like him put us on the ropes. And we have to consider that targeting our children, with all of the economic devastation it would cause, may very well be his attempt at a final knockout blow.

Joseph Ax is a reporter for the -- on the -- for "The Record" in Bergen County in New Jersey. And also, Brad Thor is joining us again. He`s the author of "The First Commandment" and a former member of the Homeland Security Department`s red analytic program.

Let me go to Joseph. First of all, this doesn`t seem like terror. This is -- it must have been some sort of a hoax. But why weren`t the kids just escorted out to a -- you know, to the lawn while, you know, the bomb dogs sniffed? Why was this treated so differently?

JOSEPH AX, "THE RECORD": Well, I think it was because the letter that arrived specifically said that the bombs, which obviously weren`t there, would go off this morning at 11:30.

So, even though they did escort all the kids out yesterday morning, once they became aware of the letter, and they did search all of the buildings with dogs, they decided it was prudent to call school off today. They brought some dogs back and searched a lot of the schools again last night and again this morning, just to be safe.

BECK: OK, Brad, I think this goes into our theory that you just don`t mess around with this stuff. This goes -- this is good news, because it shows our schools are taking -- this is a one-line bomb threat. How many schools get this kind of stuff?

BRAD THOR, AUTHOR, "THE FIRST COMMANDMENT": That`s true, Glenn. I mean, that is what happened. But what`s interesting here is the schools that did remain open in Bergen County, New Jersey, had an almost 20 percent, as of the last time I checked, a 20 percent absenteeism rate today, where parents said I`m not letting you go to school.

BECK: OK. There was another case, Brad, in Florida where there are...

THOR: Right.

BECK: Can we bring this up on the screen? These are -- these are post cards that are coming into our schools. Tell me about these.

THOR: What happened, these post cards were sent just before 9/11 in Marion County, Florida, to nine different schools. And written on there were the words "jihad boom" with a handwritten picture of buildings -- a building, presumably a school, exploding with dead bodies falling out.

And what`s interesting is it had the numbers 9-11, question mark, 10- 10. And there`s been a lot of speculation as to is there any significance to the 10-10 date.

BECK: OK, Joseph. Do you know, has there been any -- in Bergen County, has there been any FBI, Department of Homeland Security -- is there any involvement on a national level or is this all being handled by the local people?

AX: As far as I know, it`s all been county and local authorities. I know that they -- the Bergen County sheriff`s office, which handles all the forensic investigation, is looking at the note and the envelope, testing for DNA, trying to see if they can figure out who sent it.

I think they`re treating it as just an isolated -- essentially a practical joke. They`ve -- I don`t think they`ve involved national authorities as of yet.

BECK: I can`t even imagine the copycats now. I mean, if it was a joke, the copycats. You just had a snow day for 12,000 students.

THOR: And Glenn, there`s a real uptick with these things now. What hasn`t been reported, as well, is that there were multiple e-mails to college campuses across the United States over the last two months that were tracked down to a computer in a foreign country overseas.

So, we are really seeing this stuff, for some reason -- the bomb threats, whether they want to see how we`re going to respond or what we`re going to do, they`re all starting to pick up on it.

BECK: OK, hang on just a second, Brad. You`re saying these are coming -- the ones in the last few have been coming from overseas?

THOR: The post cards in Florida were mailed in Florida. But there was a rash of very threatening e-mails that went to college campuses across the country. Those were tracked down to a computer overseas.

BECK: So, Brad, we talked last week about how dangerous things would be if this actually happened to the economy, you know, what would happen to the economy. You don`t even -- really even have to hit us and go through it. I mean, it would be much worse. But, I mean, you could just -- you could just do these and -- and spook people.

What do you suppose the actual numbers would look like to our economy?

THOR: Glenn, let me give you one staggering number right now. A recent study suggests that parents who were at work, who are just concerned about their kids -- am I going to get home on time, am I going to make the pick up at school -- that costs our country $300 billion in lost productivity every year.

And that`s just parents who are worried about their kid. That doesn`t take into consideration parents who are going to say, well, you know what? We`re not letting the kids go to school so that means one of us has to give up our job. And most middle class parents need both those jobs.

BECK: And Joseph, one final note. Everybody back to school tomorrow and everything`s fine?

AX: That`s the plan, yes. They -- they did their sweeps. They`re pretty confident that there`s nothing wrong with the schools. And as far as I know, all the districts are going to be back in tomorrow.

BECK: Brad, Joseph, thanks.

Now, I want you to listen to this local reporter`s account of a school bus fire that occurred last week in Washington state. See if anything sounds a little odd to you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chopper was over that bus, taking a look at what was going on with firefighters. They arrived on the scene, and they were doing what they could to actually put out the flames.

When they got that call, they told me they were very, very concerned, hearing a school bus on fire right at the time when school was out, was frightening for them. They sent many units just in case.

When they arrived, they found that bus in flames. They say it looks like it was an engine fire. They say the driver walked away from the bus. That`s what witnesses are telling them. The driver walked away from the bus tonight. They`re looking for that man, and they`re investigating exactly what happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: The driver walked away from the bus? Do you find that just a little curious? I did. I had this tip in from a viewer.

We called both the police and the media to find out what`s going on here. I was told no comment. Case closed. Nothing to see here. Move along, people. There apparently is no investigation happening at all. No one seems to care about a bus driver who walked away from a burning bus. Oddly enough, a bus that no company has reported missing.

Remember at the top of the show I asked you why we`re not hearing about any of these hundreds of isolated incidents going on around the country? Well, maybe we have the answer. It`s because no one, including the media or perhaps in some places the police, is asking the right questions.

Coming up, President Tom is in New York. He`s been banned from Ground Zero, but should he be in our country at all?

And in tonight`s "Real Story" a closer look at the growing threat from Russia and China. They`re spying on us. Military experts now are recommending we bolster our military. Could we be headed into another Cold War?

Back in just a minute with Ed Koch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Yesterday, I told you about John Atchison. He is the Florida prosecutor who was arrested after flying to have sex with a 5-year-old girl. This morning, this guy tried to hang himself with a bed sheet in his cell. Unfortunately another inmate saved him.

Not really surprising that he tried to kill himself. Besides facing up to 60 years in prison for soliciting sex with a 5-year-old, there were reports today that he also had a diaper fetish.

The "Macomb Daily" says that his MySpace page lists his occupation as "daddy". And he has several pictures of young adults dressed in diapers. Unfortunately, we will have more on this disturbing story Monday.

Now, the saying goes keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But I think we`re taking that a little too far. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit New York City on Monday to address the United Nations General Assembly.

He`s been invited to speak on American soil, and he`s made it quite clear he`s no fan of the U.S. or people that love freedom. You know it; I know it. Too bad the U.N. is still a little unclear about that.

Iran is the puppet master for the entire Middle East. And they are, without exaggeration, the modern face of evil on planet earth. His actions speak louder than his words ever will.

And to make matters worse, Ahmadinejad has the audacity to ask permission to lay a wreath at Ground Zero during his visit. Thankfully, his official request was denied. But he announced earlier today he`s going anyway, Monday morning, 10:30, Ground Zero.

Then, some Ivy League geniuses come up at Columbia University with a thought that it might be a good idea to have a little chat with some students. Liberal professors, quite frankly, are bad enough. But should parents really have to shell out over $30,000 a year so their kids can listen to a modern day Hitler? Must we compound Iran`s darkness with Columbia`s stupidity?

Earlier today, I spoke to Mitt Romney in an interview that will run on my radio program tomorrow. Here is his reaction to Ahmadinejad`s visit to Columbia University.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When President Khatami of Iran came to -- came to Massachusetts to address Harvard University, not only did I express outrage that he`d be addressing the university, I also said we`re not going to provide police escort and the kind of dignity that he thinks ought to be given to a former head of state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Ed Koch is the former mayor of New York City.

Mayor, Columbia University, if they invited Hitler, would that be all right?

ED KOCH, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I think it`s wrong for Columbia University to do these things. I draw a distinction between the university and the students. While I would condemn the students` judgment, I would more condemn the judgment of the administration if it extended the invitation. Which is what I think is happening here.

BECK: Here`s the amazing thing. Last year, they pulled out. They invited him and then they pulled out and they said they didn`t think that was probably a good idea. So they do it again this year. This is the same university that won`t let the ROTC on campus against the students` wishes.

KOCH: Well, we should cut off funding from Columbia University, which I think is what the law requires, if you don`t permit ROTC.

BECK: But wait a minute. The point of that is the ROTC -- the reason why the university says they won`t -- they don`t want it is because of the don`t ask, don`t tell, because of the stance of the military on homosexuality. Well, this guy, Ahmadinejad, is responsible for the death penalty for homosexuals.

KOCH: It`s more than that. Ahmadinejad is designated as a terrorist by the State Department, as is Iran. For Columbia University to invite a terrorist and give him a position of authority, so to speak, to make his comments is an outrage. And I think people ought to tell Lee Bollinger, who is the president of Columbia, how disgusting this action on his part is.

BECK: I know we have to have these guys in our country because it`s the U.N.

KOCH: It`s a contract. It`s a contract. We must provide protection and allow people in who represent countries, whether we like them or not.

BECK: Correct. I get that. But that`s -- go to the airport. Go to the U.N. and get the heck out.

KOCH: They`re allowed to go within a 25-mile radius. I don`t have any objection to that. But what I would suggest is that the police commissioner, Ray Kelly, do is to do what Mayor LaGuardia did back in 1934.

When the German consul after Kristallnacht was threatened and required protection, which he was entitled to as an official, representing his country, as bad as they were. What LaGuardia did was to ask for Jewish volunteers in the police department to provide the protection. And I think that`s exactly what should be done again.

BECK: Do you think he`s going to go to Ground Zero?

KOCH: Well, he has a right to go there. What the city said is we`re not going to give you the opportunity of an official photo op with ceremony.

BECK: Can he just pull over?

KOCH: Anybody can walk in the streets and go anywhere they want, whether they are people who represent countries or you and I.

BECK: But that won`t -- over there, there`s nothing you, as mayor -- when you were mayor, there`s nothing you could have done to have him stop taking a photo, which you know will either be a tribute to the hijackers or...

KOCH: Look, look. Glenn, I`m as incensed as you are at him. But I also believe in carrying out the law. And the law requires that we provide protection to...

BECK: I`m not...

KOCH: Well, you are.

BECK: No, I`m not.

KOCH: If you`re saying we should stop him.

BECK: No, no, wait. Hang on just a second. First of all, Rudy Giuliani said that he would -- he would have the Secret Service, he would not protect him. I think that`s insanity. You can`t -- you must protect this man.

KOCH: Of course.

BECK: If something happens to this man here, you know, a guy who stood in the well at the United Nations last year and said, "Allah, give me the strength to do the things that I have to do to hasten the return of the promised one" is nuts enough to say, "Go ahead, bring it on."

KOCH: What you`re suggesting is that there be some physical stopping of this guy, who wants to exercise the right that every tourist has to walk the streets of New York City? Not doable.

But think it would show how we feel about him if we did what LaGuardia did, which is to assign volunteer cops, who are Jewish, to provide that protection.

BECK: Fantastic. Thank you very much, Mayor. Appreciate it.

Coming up, racial tension in a small Louisiana town draws thousands of marchers. I`m going to explain some common sense here, why there`s plenty of blame to go around on both sides of this story.

And signs of things to come: thousands of angry depositors scramble to get their money out of a failing bank. This time it`s in London. Tonight in "the Real Story", I`ll tell you why it could happen here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Thousands gathered in Jena, Louisiana, today, in support of the six teens that have become known as the Jena 6; drew parallels between their fight and that of the early civil rights movement.

The tensions stem from an incident at a local high school back in 2006. Black students sat under a tree reserved for white students. Next day, nooses were hung. Tempers obviously flared. And eventually, the situation escalated into violence. Six black teens beat a white student until he lost consciousness.

I think there`s a lot of blame to go around on both sides of this. How valid are the cries of racism and discrimination?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, syndicated columnist.

Earl, I -- let me just -- because I think all of this can be pounded out with common sense. First of all, the white tree? It should have been chopped down a long time ago.

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: And not only that, Glenn. Think about it. Nooses on top of it. And we certainly know, given the whole history of violence and racial discrimination in the south what nooses certainly symbolize to the African-Americans.

BECK: Yes, OK. You`re right. So you`ve got the -- you`ve got the nooses. The white tree should have been gone. The nooses -- the kid who hung it -- hung the nooses actually got, I think, two days suspension in school. There`s the second mistake.

HUTCHINSON: Right.

BECK: That`s clearly not enough for something like that. Right?

HUTCHINSON: Exactly. And I think this is what really set everything off. Because now Glenn, one thing we have to realize, many people think, oh, this just happened yesterday or last month. Actually, it happened last year.

BECK: Right.

HUTCHINSON: So it`s an old case. Now, why has it developed to the point where it has? Where you`ve got Sharpton, you have Jackson, you have the NAACP, every organization has jumped in. Thousands of people are talking about it.

I think the thing that really set this off -- and Glenn, you really kind of touched on it a little bit, is there or was there a disparity in terms of how the whites were treated, the white teens...

BECK: Absolutely.

HUTCHINSON: ... the noose, and of course the young man that actually put the noose up there, as opposed to the blacks?

Now I don`t think anyone that I have heard, certainly not myself, has said that a crime wasn`t committed. Beating is a crime. That`s fair to say.

BECK: They`re charging him with attempted murder.

HUTCHINSON: Attempted murder. I think that`s where it came in.

BECK: Sure.

HUTCHINSON: Now, the second question is, beyond the double -- the disparity, is there a double standard here in terms of how the black teens are being treated versus the white teens?

BECK: But see, I`ve got to tell you, I think the answer to that, any American on planet earth that`s using common sense says yes. The kid who`s hanging the nooses on the white tree should have gotten more.

HUTCHINSON: Yes.

BECK: The white tree should have been cut down. They beat this kid up. Six teens beat this kid up. Shouldn`t have been attempted murder. Should have been assault and battery. And they should have been -- and they should have been prosecuted for that.

Beyond that, here`s where the trouble really, for me, it just kind of goes off the tracks. You`ve got Jesse Jackson, the week that he says Barack Obama is acting white, which is an unbelievable racist statement.

I mean, if I said, "I don`t know. I don`t think I can vote for that Rudy Giuliani, because he`s acting a little black" he`d be picketing in front of my building tonight.

These guys are using this, again, just to stir things up. Or am I wrong?

HUTCHINSON: Yes, but Glenn, come on. You couldn`t be surprised at that. And here`s -- here`s something else about it. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton didn`t make this issue.

As a matter of fact, a lot of young people that do blogging on the Internet, that`s where it came across my radar scope, they`re the ones that started talking about the Jena case. So what happens is they jumped in on it.

BECK: Yes, it is a real case. But now it just seems like it`s just being used for -- to get some face time for people.

HUTCHINSON: Well, it is. And let`s face it. Are you surprised at that, that that`s happened a lot? I mean, that`s the M.O. for a lot of these organizations and individuals.

BECK: I know. All right.

HUTCHINSON: But there`s still issues here.

BECK: Thanks a lot, Earl. Next -- sorry to interrupt you. Old friends or new enemies? Find out in tonight`s "Real Story".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, he has survived in places like the Outback, Africa and even the Amazon. This season, he takes on China. "Survivor" host Jeff Probst stops by to see if he can outlast an interview with me. And it`s not going to go well.

Welcome to "The Real Story," where we try to cut through the media spin and find out why a story is actually important to you. If you could tear yourself away from watching O.J.`s every move for just a second, as we all cry ourselves to sleep because Britney may lose custody of her own kids, maybe we can finally take a look at this. You tell me what this is, America. It`s not an introduction of a new hamburger. This is a run on the banks in Britain, their first in over a generation.

The "Real Story" is, what`s happening over there could happen over here if we don`t get our act together, and soon. People are lining up and sleeping overnight to get their money out of England`s Northern Rock banks. Brits are worried, and for a good reason. As England`s fifth-largest home lender, they`re yet another victim of the global crunch that is being fuelled by our subprime home lending crisis. Our overspending is having a ripple effect all over the world, Spain, Holland, yes, Britain all love us this week. Never mind the queen, God save the banks.

It seems strange that when the U.S. treasury secretary wants to increase America`s credit limit, we`ll hit our debt ceiling just under $9 trillion by October 1st. And then we`ve got to raise it, because I don`t know where I left my wallet. We`re already at the position where they`re going to cut off our credit cards, and this is why it`s so frustrating to me.

I can`t live beyond my means. You can`t do it, either, but Washington seems to think that they can. Our overdraft checks are long gone. We`ve got to stop spending money we just don`t have, that is, unless we`re feeling nostalgic for the Depression-era lines outside the banks, lines like these. They`re beautiful, aren`t they? Brother, can you spare a dime?

I`m afraid that trouble overseas isn`t just limited to England. Experts agree now that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the big trouble in little China, the "Real Story" is that China is growing at a breakneck pace and forming economic and military alliances with somebody who`s never been a buddy of theirs, Russia. It`s a play date that could make the Cold War seem like light and breezy in comparison.

Since the end of the Cold War, America has been the globe`s lone superpower, and that seems like it may change, not for the better. There`s overwhelming evidence now that is suggesting China and Russia are forming some sort of an unholy alliance that neither of them really like that would give them undeniable superpower status and then make us vulnerable. Our national security, both economic and military, could be at stake.

Look at the facts. Between 1997 and 2003, China has doubled its military budget and continues to increase it by as much as 10 percent every year. As of right now, China`s military budget is nearly equivalent to the United Kingdom and Japan. Add to that, their strength of the economy. China is second only to the United States, but they have far less debt than we do. As I told you just a while ago, America holds a global IOU of just under $9 trillion.

Now, let`s move to Russia. While we`ve been laughing at Yakov Smirnoff and pictures of Putin with his shirts off, which is quite frankly disturbing, Russia has spent the post-Glasnost years rebuilding their economy at an alarming rate, and they just so happen to hold the world`s largest natural gas reserves and the second largest oil producer in the world is Russia.

Earlier today I spoke with presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and he shared this shocking fact. Each year, Russia takes in $500 billion in oil revenues while the U.S. spends $320 billion on defense. We`re spending; they`re saving. Yes, they`re energy-rich, but we also must never forget their military prowess. In response to America`s mother of all bombs, they`ve now created the father of all bombs, the most powerful, non-nuclear weapon in the world, and I for one don`t want to see what happens when mom and dad fight. Maybe it`s just me.

The biggest factor in all of this is that these countries are not democracies. They have authoritarian rule and capitalist fuel. That makes them nimble and prosperous. It`s the same system used by Germany and Japan in World War II. There`s a lot of red tape here in the red, white and blue. And our big democratic government bureaucracy doesn`t allow us to react fast enough.

So why am I worried? Doesn`t prosperity make countries more peaceful? I wish it were so, but it`s not true in the oil-rich Middle East, and it won`t be the case in China and Russia, if they become best friends, friends that don`t really like each other, but friends that are friends because of their American enemy.

If you don`t believe me, maybe you`ll listen to the U.S. Air Force secretary. When asked why he thought the United States should spend almost $300 billion on 2,400 F-35 fighter jets, why we needed so many planes that could cover so vast a distance, he paused and then he said, quote, "How big do you think China is?"

This is the first time in modern history that such a direct statement has been made about China being a threat and an enemy.

Paul Joyal, he is an expert on Russia and post-Soviet intelligence, as well as vice president of security firm for National Strategies. And Gordon Chang is an expert in China, as well as an author of "The Coming Collapse of China." I`ve got to hear about that first, the coming collapse of China. Is that because they`re buying so much stuff right now?

GORDON CHANG, CHINA RELATIONS EXPERT: I think it`s because they have a fragile political system. Yes, China`s becoming more prosperous, but it`s also becoming less stable, and the Chinese leaders realize that. And that`s why I think you see China being such a difficult partner for anybody right now, because the leaders in Beijing are very insecure. That`s why they have bad relations with Japan and, to a certain extent, that`s why they don`t have perfect relations with us.

BECK: OK, so what is happening with Russia and China? Because they`ve never liked each other. They don`t like each other. They have a history of hating each other. Why are they getting together here? And then why are they joining in the Middle East?

PAUL JOYAL, VP, NATIONAL STRATEGIES, INC.: Well, I think it`s a marriage of convenience. There`s no alliance here. There`s no love lost for one another. Both nations are extremely skeptical of one another, but there`s opportunities to buy. There`s opportunities to sell. Energy is needed by China. China needs military equipment. It`s a marriage of convenience, nothing longstanding and I think nothing to be overly concerned about.

BECK: OK. When I saw Russia, Russia has just as many problems as we do with Islamic terrorists, maybe even more, in some regard. They seem to be getting into bed with the devil themselves of Iran. And I thought -- and now they`re doing it with China. And tell me where I`m wrong.

To me, it`s almost like we were with Stalin in the former Soviet Union in World War II. We said, you know what? We need him right now. We`ll jettison him later. We`ll deal with him later. We can deal with that later. Are these guys getting into bed with each other and in bed with the Middle East partly because they know that the Middle East will do their dirty work, and hurt us, and bring us down?

JOYAL: Well, I think that, in terms of Russia, Russia will take any opportunity to poke a finger in our eye, because that makes Russians feel strong, powerful and important. However, if you look at some ideologies in Russia, the Eurasia movement, they outwardly say, "We should align ourselves with Islamic fundamentalism to attack the West."

CHANG: Yes, I mean, if you look at China and Russia, you know, they both see themselves as rising giants. They share common friends. They want to upset the existing international order, and they identify the same adversary, which is us. And so, therefore, I think you see Iran being sort of like the cat`s paw. You know, Russia has really no interest of stability in the Middle East. China wants to get in bed with all of these Middle Eastern countries. Iran is the perfect opportunity to give the United States a really difficult time.

BECK: OK. Both of you guys said a minute ago that nothing really to worry about.

CHANG: He said that. I don`t.

BECK: You don`t say that, OK. Tell me about China. China is spying on us at levels that were Cold War levels. We haven`t had this kind of spying in a long time. They have been helping destroy us in Iraq. They`re in bed with the Taliban. These guys are bad news.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Hang on. Hang on. I want to go to China first.

CHANG: Yes, I mean, you certainly -- you see China -- what they`re trying to do is they`ve got this grand strategy to sort of create a framework for a post-America world. And they are willing to use the Irans and North Koreas to bedevil us. I mean, the Chinese are willing to push. And the bad thing about it is, we`re not willing really to sort of fight back, because, as you said, you know, that`s the first time that an American official has acknowledged the Chinese threat.

You know, the Chinese have been hacking our military computers since about 2003, and President Bush was expected to say something about this to Chinese President Hu Jintao a couple of weeks ago when they met in Sydney. But the only thing that Bush could say was, "Oh, I`m happy to go to the Olympics next year in Beijing."

BECK: That`s because he owns -- they own our debt. I was reading about the founding fathers with Jefferson, and Jefferson said, "If you allow yourself to get into debt, you`re going to be beholden to these countries." And it seems like that`s exactly what`s happening with us.

CHANG: Well, we think that way, but I don`t think that China is holding of our debt really creates that much leverage, because if they`re going to want to dump it, other countries are going to have to buy it, which means their currencies are go through the roof, which means basically Europe and Japan are going to be buying dollars. So we`re never going to see, as our debt sort of get over to our friends, and the Chinese are basically going to expose themselves as adversaries.

BECK: OK. And you were saying?

JOYAL: Well, I`m saying that we have to worry about China. We have to worry about Russia as individual countries. I don`t believe we have to worry about an alliance. These are marriage of opportunities. But let`s talk about China. China holds our debt, but they`re beholding to us, also, because we buy their product. It`s a mutually dependent relationship. I think that actually...

BECK: But if that were true, why would they -- what was it, last year they targeted our satellites?

CHANG: And we didn`t say anything.

BECK: Nothing.

JOYAL: You know, there`s another side to the story, too, because the Chinese recently, defense ministry pointed out that they`ve had some problems with their computer networks, as well, that they lay on the doorstep of the United States. In other words, some things we can talk about. There`s some things diplomatically you say privately; there`s other things you say publicly. So I would not say that because there was not a public statement of the president of the United States on this issue it settles the issue.

BECK: OK, gentlemen, I would love to have you back. Thank you very much.

That`s the "Real Story" tonight.

Up next, he`s traveled the world for one of the most popular television shows on TV, the reality show that started reality shows. Next stop, right here, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst joins me right after the break. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, now that we have established in the last break that China is a major threat to the United States, what we need to do is film a reality television show right there. Oh, wait, it`s already been done. Jeff Probst, how are you, sir?

JEFF PROBST, HOST, "SURVIVOR": I`m good. You`re right. It was funny. I was watching thinking, "Wow, they built this whole show around the `Survivor` theme."

BECK: This is great. This is actually the first time a television show has ever been filmed in its entirety for the United States in China.

PROBST: Yes, yes. I don`t know why they finally said yes. We`ve wanted to go there for a long time, because of all the culture. I don`t know if it`s because they have the Olympics coming up or they just decided, hey, it`s time, but they were great hosts.

BECK: Yes. Any like spooky, weird stuff that you`ve got to watch out for?

PROBST: You know, not really. I mean, looking there, China -- when you get to the rural part of China, it`s...

BECK: Stop, stop. Look there? I look down. And it`s -- I mean...

PROBST: It`s the wrestler, Ashley, she`s a wrestler. And the girl in the orange dress doesn`t have a bra on, and she`s in heels.

BECK: I mean, this is ridiculous.

PROBST: Well, the idea was...

BECK: Are you guys looking for people -- no, I`m sorry, she`s got to have bigger bazangas?

PROBST: No, but you know what? Ashley is a WWE wrestler. So she`s got tats, rights, she`s got the whole package. And she was good. We wanted her on the show.

BECK: OK.

PROBST: Yes. Nothing to do with bringing your own flotation device.

BECK: No, nothing to do with that, I`m sure.

PROBST: You are a little flustered by that.

BECK: Well, no, I don`t usually, you know, talk about, but -- seven years been on the air.

PROBST: And coming on eight.

BECK: Does that blow you away?

PROBST: Yes, 15 seasons, 15 times we`ve done this, 15. And we`re still -- last season, we were still like top 12.

BECK: You have the best job on the planet.

PROBST: One of.

BECK: Because you...

PROBST: Pat Sajak may have an easier job. Regis has got a pretty good job.

BECK: Yes, no, Regis has to be there every day.

PROBST: Everyday, see, that`s the thing.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: You go to these exotic places. And, you know, while you have somebody spooning coconut milk into your mouth...

PROBST: Of course.

BECK: ... you know, they`re all dying. And then you show up and you`re like, "Man, I`m full."

PROBST: I`m full.

BECK: I`m full. Can`t eat another...

PROBST: I`ve got a little mustard on the lip. Sorry about that. How are you guys doing? Yes, no, it is a great job. And I know it every time -- literally, I`m the guy out there every day waking up going -- you know, we walk around, John Kuroff (ph) and I, my buddy who works on it, we`re in shorts walking along the sand, and he will always say, "This is our office." And I think, "God, you`re right. This is our office."

BECK: Do you ever look at these people and go -- think to yourself, I know you wouldn`t say this, but think to yourself, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

PROBST: You know what? I actually think I`d like to do it.

BECK: Really? Really?

PROBST: Yes, honestly.

BECK: Uh-huh.

PROBST: I don`t know how well I would do.

BECK: Uh-huh.

PROBST: I`ll tell you why.

BECK: I bet you they could make that happen if you really wanted that to happen.

PROBST: I`ve asked.

BECK: Really?

PROBST: I`ve asked Burnett.

BECK: And they said no?

PROBST: I said, is there any way to have be -- well, how would you do it? You`d become host, and then I`d lose the greatest job.

BECK: Yes, right. Unless you`re doing it in like Belgium with chocolate...

PROBST: Here`s what I like about it. I like the idea that you test what you`re made out of. Because "Survivor" ain`t "The Apprentice" or "Amazing Race" or "American Idol" where you`re going home to a hotel room and a nice meal at the end of the day. You`re on your own, on your own.

BECK: Let me play the flip side. Doesn`t it teach people that you`ve got to stab people in the back, you`ve got to lie, you`ve got to cheat? It brings out the worst in people, as well.

PROBST: I think it brings out the truth of people.

BECK: Has anybody won who`s been just a really good person?

PROBST: Yes, Ethan Zohn.

BECK: Never stabbed anybody in the back?

PROBST: Never. And from the beginning, he said, "I`m a nice guy, and I`m going to play a nice game." And at the end, they said, "You`re a nice guy. You deserve it." That`s not typically the case, though. But even this season, we have a woman, Leslie, who hosts a Christian radio talk show. Right away, we put them in a Buddhist temple, and she lasted about a minute. She goes, "I can`t do it. I bear down -- I can`t give witness to a false God. I can`t do. I`ve got a relationship with Christ. And that`s it."

Well, right away people are looking at her going, "You`re easy pickings. You`ve already told me where your morality line is." That`s what I find interesting about this. Where`s your line? We tell you right upfront, outwit, outplay, outlast. No rules. Can`t hit anymore, can`t conspire to share the money. That`s it. Where`s your line, Glenn?

BECK: I have no idea. I`m doing this show. Guy with the best job in the world, Jeff Probst. Thank you very much.

PROBST: Thanks for having me on.

BECK: Now, time for today`s "CNN Hero."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH SUNDQUIST, "COMMUNITY CRUSADER": There`s no way you can sort of separate having an amputation from the rest of my life. People say, well, did it change you? It changes everything.

As a kid, no one my age had ever beat me in a foot race. I figured I was probably one of the fastest people in the world. That`s kind of what I told myself. I started having pain in my left leg when I was 9 years old. The doctor found cancer. A lot of the grieving sort of happened for me before I lost my leg. I really remember thinking, can I just go out and live a normal life with one leg?

An amputee that I met was a guy named Larry Chloupec. He drove a convertible. He had a normal job. And I was just like, wow, you know, he lives like a normal life. That was really what kind of turned the corner for me. I don`t think most amputees have friends that are also amputees.

Online, there wasn`t really a good place for people to like meet centrally, provide information, and ask for information, and meet other people, and so I thought that just needs to happen.

I`m Josh Sundquist, and I created an online community for amputees to meet other amputees, ask questions, and get answers. I wanted it to be a catchy name, you know, like Give Me a Hand, or like A Leg Up. And every pun I could think of was taken. So finally I thought of Less Than Four, which admittedly is not quite a pun, but it`s kind of catchy and also can be sweetly abbreviated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stumbled across this site looking for a t- shirt with an amputee on it. The site seems pretty cool.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a bad habit of staring at people that are staring at my arm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You make me laugh, and if you only knew how much that helps me out.

SUNDQUIST: The best thing about it is that the community is sort of rising up. Leaders from within are sort taking the baton to like help other amputees, and I think that`s pretty cool.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, Dan Rather is back in the news. Yes, don`t panic. I mean, I don`t mean he`s got a job or anything. I mean, people are strangely talking about him. It seems he`s suing his old bosses over at CBS because he believes that he was used as a scapegoat during the whole Memogate scandal. You remember that? Just before the 2004 presidential election, Rather went on the air with these documents bashing George Bush`s military service. Oh, yes. He wants $70 million because he alleges that CBS`s handling of the incident cost him -- and I`m quoting -- "significant financial loss and seriously damaged his reputation."

Some might say that the problem was that he used documents with the credibility of asking Ronald McDonald about the quality of the Whopper, but I digress. The problem with the lawsuit, you know, besides the fact that the market value on Dan Rather`s reputation was probably closer to 70 cents than $70 million, is that it was shoddy reporting, along with the immediate and forceful defense of that reporting that destroyed what was left of his good name.

After CBS realized how shaky the story was, they eventually retracted the story and apologized and investigated it themselves. The panel found that Rather`s team had never obtained clear authentication of the documents, even though they claimed that they had. They didn`t scrutinize the source, who was highly questionable, despite the claims that he was unimpeachable, not to mention what CBS called, quote, "a clear conflict of interest" when the producer of the segment actually called the Kerry campaign. "Hey, you`ll never guess what we`re running tonight." Now, that`s sweet.

Rather now downplays his involvement in the story, even though he reportedly conducted the interviews and micromanaged the script. Rather says in his own on-air apology that he was coerced, that CBS`s intent was to produce a biased investigation with pre-determined conclusions. I`m not sure exactly why they would do that, Dan, considering that their entire news reputation was built on his shoulders. People love to bash Katie Couric for the problems at CBS News, but at least the country, when you think of CBS News, you think of Dan Rather up at night, you know, forging documents. That is the story that killed their credibility, and it`s cost them millions. If there`s a lawsuit involving Rather to be filed, maybe it should be CBS filing it. I`m just saying.

Don`t forget, if you want to know what`s on tomorrow`s program or if you`d like a little more in-depth commentary of the news of the day, sign up for my free e-mail newsletter. It is at glennbeck.com. Don`t forget, tomorrow on the TV show is D.L. Hughley and, on the radio, Mitt Romney, an interview that start with an apology. From New York, good night.

END