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Glenn Beck

Absolut Insanity with Billboard Ad; San Francisco Invites Illegals to Use Social Services; Condoleezza Rice Reportedly Angling for VP; Clintons` Biggest Charity: Their Own Foundation; Remembering Charlton Heston

Aired April 07, 2008 - 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, Absolut insanity. The vodka company serves up controversy with a new ad, one part billboard, one part really bad idea, two parts loss of sovereignty. I`ll explain.

Plus, new reports that secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is pushing to be McCain`s running mate. Really? McCain seems to be surprised.

And movie icon Charlton Heston died. A look back at a true original Hollywood legend and a Hollywood conservative.

All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America.

You know, you see ads every day. I mean, I think the number is like 5,000 ads the average person sees every day, so it`s understandable. Advertisers are doing everything they can to be as compelling and as provocative as possible. Oh, yes. Doesn`t this look luxurious?

They want your attention. Usually, they try sex to sell us stuff, but one company has decided to use sovereignty instead. Not ours, but Mexico`s. Absolut vodka ran an ad south of the border with the slogan "In an Absolut World." There it is. It`s featuring a map of the United States, a little redrawn, giving, you know, the American southwest back to Mexico.

So here`s "The Point" tonight. This movement is real. It`s called Reconquista. Its goal is alive and well, and it is absolute insanity, and here`s how I got there.

Hey, Mexico, how about this idea? How about Jack Daniels redraws an ad, and they`ve got a map of Mexico, but Mexico is all California. How would you like that? OK, actually, that`s a bad idea, because you probably would.

According to an Absolut, spokesperson their ad, quote, "Harkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal." More ideal? Really? Well, considering that Mexicans can`t seem to leave your country fast enough -- half a million a year sneak into the U.S. -- it doesn`t really make a lot of sense, at least not to me.

The truth is that many Mexicans -- and there are plenty of sympathizers here in America -- feel that the southwest was stolen from Mexico and should be returned. They advocate a reconquest of that territory. They want to reclaim Aztlan, the mythical birthplace of the Aztecs. In Hispanic folklore, Aztlan includes California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Texas.

So tonight, America, here`s what you need to know. At the end of the Mexican-American War, I`m pretty sure that we won, and we ended up with a bunch of their land. That`s how it works. Sucks to be you, doesn`t it? If you want it back, Mexico, come and get it. I just don`t see that happening. So pipe down and get over it. The war has been over for a very long time.

As for Absolut, their spokesperson stated that this ad was explicitly created with a Mexican sensibility. Well, let me ask you this. How about we start doing ads, you know, and redrop -- redraw the map of Europe to include 1940 Nazi Germany? You know, to appeal to the German sensibility. Doesn`t really sound like a good ad, does it, Absolut?

Mark Krikorian is at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Mark, their apology -- I love this -- it says this particular ad was based on historical perspectives and created with a Mexican sensibility, hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal. Do you think Absolut would do an ad where there is no Israel? It`s just Palestinian land?

No, I don`t see that happening or, like you said, Absolut Germany, you know, including France and Poland. That sort of thing.

BECK: Why -- do why do they think they can get away with it with America?

MARK KRIKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: We`ve taught them that you can get away with it. You teach people how to treat you, and we have made very clear through not just immigration policy but all kinds of other policies that we won`t do anything when Mexico pushes its sovereignty into the United States.

The problem here isn`t that Mexico is going to take Texas back. That`s never going to happen. It`s that this kind of ad just illustrates a mindset that our sovereignty, that American sovereignty, is kind of questionable. It`s up for grabs.

BECK: Well, Reconquista is absolutely a real movement. Here it`s still fringe, but it`s growing here in America. Here it`s still fringe, but this map is a real point of view and a strong point of view in Mexico. Is it not?

KRIKORIAN: Sure. It`s part of the discussion -- part of the background music of Mexican politics, is that all of their problems are due to the fact that they lost half of their territory, empty territory. They`d only ruled it for 20 years anyway. To us 150 years ago.

And what that really leads to, like I said, is not any kind of effort, any meaningful effort to take Texas back or California, although there are parts of California maybe we would like to have them take back.

BECK: San Francisco in a minute. Yes. You can have it.

KRIKORIAN: But, more importantly, what we`re seeing is a real thing with Mexico`s sovereignty overflowing into the United States where Mexican consulates are involved in local politics and governance. And they work with city councils and sheriffs telling them what to do. It`s outrageous. That`s the real sovereignty problem we`re facing.

BECK: It`s not just -- I guess it`s not just that. I mean, we were just showing them pictures of these rallies and these big movements that have happened. Those pictures are from the United States. You see these Mexican flags everywhere.

And it really, truly amazes me that no one seems to value assimilation anymore. Nobody seems to say, "You know what? America is a great place to be, and it`s a great place to be because it`s different." And they don`t assimilate. They just want to bring their crap here and just whatever. It was good there. It`s good here. You accept us the way we are.

KRIKORIAN: And the problem here, Glenn, is not really that the immigrants today are bringing different views or values from 100 years ago. It`s that when they get here, they encounter different expectations.

BECK: Right.

KRIKORIAN: My mom was the daughter of immigrants. She went to public school, Medford, Massachusetts, and they memorized the Gettysburg Address and the whole thing. What are the kids of Mexican immigrants in the L.A. Unified School District learning?

BECK: Right.

KRIKORIAN: The problem is not the immigrants themselves. It`s that we have lost our own self-confidence, basically.

BECK: Sure. We don`t -- we don`t believe that we`re worth anything anymore, and everything is -- everything is equal.

KRIKORIAN: And changing that is something that has to happen before we have these kind of huge levels of immigration. I mean, that`s a very difficult thing to change. Immigration is something that comparatively is a lot easier to fix.

BECK: OK, Mark, thanks a lot.

Now, if there is one part of America that I would gladly give back to Mexico, I`m begging you, Mexico, take San Francisco back. Please. I told you tons of times on the program, they love to flaunt to the rest of the country that they`re a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. They don`t seem to abide by the same laws that we have to in the rest of America.

Well, now Mayor Gavin Newsom is, quote, "inviting people to come out of the shadows and take advantages of city services." I love this story. This is the same week -- they`re launching this $83,000 ad campaign in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian. I don`t think they have anybody in Swedish yet, but it might be in Swedish, as well.

They`re encouraging illegal immigrants to use their city social services, which is really funny, because last week Mayor Newsom cut 301 American jobs from the city`s payroll and told everybody to prep for more layoffs as he tries to slash his budget by $338 million.

So I`m trying to get this right. He spends $80,000 to get illegals to use the services the city obviously can`t afford, which is an interesting financial policy, but only one that San Francisco would understand.

This, you know, from the people who hate the war: "We can`t afford this war. America first." And then they give it away to illegals.

Tom Ammiano is on the board of San Francisco supervisors.

Tom, $338 million shortfall. Last wee, you lay off 301 people. And then you open the door and say, "Hey, come on and get these city services." What kind of economic policy is this?

TOM AMMIANO, BOARD OF SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISORS: Well, you know, the budget has an entire life of its own. It`s a $6 billion budget, and what this program would cost was about $83,000. It was already previously...

BECK: No, I`m not talking about the ad campaign. I`m talking about the city services that you guys can`t afford for Americans.

AMMIANO: Yes. Well, we serve not only Americans, but we also serve people who perhaps have questionable residency, citizenship issues, because in the long run, you save money. We don`t -- that term "illegal" doesn`t really work for us. These are people...

BECK: Let me ask you something.

AMMIANO: No, no, let me ask you. These are people who pay taxes so that we don`t have budget shortfalls. These are people who contribute to our industry, which is one of the biggest industries in San Francisco.

BECK: You do have a budget shortfall. You do have a shortfall of $338 billion.

AMMIANO: Yes, but they`re not -- they played their part just like any citizen in San Francisco. And you know, it`s about time that we recognized their contribution.

BECK: Yes.

AMMIANO: Particularly to our tourist industry. You know, a lot of them...

BECK: Are they coming to visit, or what is it?

AMMIANO: They work in it. They`re the ones who clean your toilets. They`re the ones that make your beds. They`re the ones that have the work ethics.

BECK: Americans won`t do that?

AMMIANO: Americans apparently don`t want to do that kind of work.

BECK: Yes. You know what`s really weird, Tom, is -- because we have a story about...

AMMIANO: What`s weird? This interview is weird. That`s what`s weird.

BECK: You got that right. We`re having fun now, aren`t we?

Tom, here`s what`s really weird. Is up in New Bedford, Mass, they had a story about all these illegals just being rounded up by the government, and they were all shipped off.

And what`s weird is the other story the next day was the line of Americans that were applying for those positions. They were lined up around the block to do it.

And what`s even more weird is, once they forced the companies to hire American citizens, no matter where they used to come from, now that they`re citizens, they actually had to pay them a higher wage, actually had to give them health care, and actually treat them like human beings, not slaves. Isn`t that weird?

AMMIANO: Well, I don`t think it`s as weird as you think it is. I...

BECK: Not as weird as this interview?

AMMIANO: We`re not empowering -- if the enforcement isn`t there for that, then what is San Francisco, or L.A., what are we supposed to do? Ignore that population?

BECK: No. Just telling (ph) the rest of us and say maybe we should enforce our own laws, but that`s crazy.

AMMIANO: We`re not breaking the laws. We`re not breaking the laws.

BECK: I know you`re not. You`re not.

AMMIANO: The enforcement is under ICE.

BECK: Right.

AMMIANO: You know, obviously, we would cooperate with anything they want to do. But in the meantime, the feds and the state are dithering around this issue.

BECK: That`s right.

AMMIANO: And we would rather have a productive program than something that would cost us a lot of money in the long run.

BECK: You got it. And I don`t understand it, but that`s great. Tom, thanks a lot.

Coming up, Condoleezza Rice reportedly pursuing the vice presidency. What that might mean for the GOP this November.

And a "New York Times" poll shows the Americans are blaming the government for the mortgage mess. What a surprise. Government can`t seem to do anything right. Find out on tonight`s "Real Story."

Then we`ll take a look back at legendary -- the legendary life of actor and advocate Charlton Heston. I`m sorry. A little flustered earlier today. I read an obit about him that really kind of ticked me off. We`ll get the story right, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, the government has taken a lot of the blame for the economic crisis. Good. So I`ve got to wonder, instead of trying to pull themselves out of it, why are they grabbing the shovels and digging themselves into a deeper mess?

It`s never been more evident than in their latest "solution," and this one is coming from Florida Senator Mel Martinez. I`ll have more on this story in "The Real Story," coming up in a few minutes.

But first, when it comes to the Democratic nominee for president, the choice is either an African-American or a woman. Well, reports now are suggesting that vice presidential nominee for the Republicans could up the ante a bit. Come on. Can anybody give me a Chinese person?

We`ve got an African-American woman now. It`s Condoleezza Rice that, ABC News is reporting, that is actively campaigning in the last recent weeks. I don`t personally buy this story, but let`s give it a whirl. She`s been showing up at events frequented by influential conservatives, making it well known that she wants the job.

On the other hand, there are some in Washington who want to make sure that one person doesn`t get the job, and that`s rich white man Mitt Romney. He`s -- there`s 26 conservative leaders now who have formed the Government is not God political action committee. I don`t even know what that means.

They say that Romney`s record as governor of Massachusetts make him, quote, "utterly unacceptable as a vice presidential choice."

I`m going to give you that the health care thing up in Massachusetts, oh, it`s Crazy Town central now, but other than that, wouldn`t you want a VP to be a man of high moral standard who has been dedicated to public service and is wildly successful, you know, in economics? Just saying. We should let the qualifications get in the way of politics? Why not? It`s America.

Jim Geraghty is a writer for the campaign spot blog on the "National Review" online.

Jim, let`s go with Condoleezza Rice. You buy this story?

JIM GERAGHTY, WRITER, "NATIONAL REVIEW" ONLINE: No, Glenn. In fact, I`m about as skeptical as you are.

BECK: Yes.

GERAGHTY: Just for a whole bunch of different reasons. One of them being that Condi Rice has a full plate, as is, as secretary of state. Kind of hard to buy her angling and name-dropping the idea of putting herself as a running mate possibility.

BECK: It`s weird, because just last week I read a story that said something along the lines of her personal life couldn`t stand up to scrutiny or -- I don`t even know what that means, quite honestly. I don`t want to know about your personal life. I want to know about your policies. Do we even know anything about what her policies would be like? Where does she stand on issues?

GERAGHTY: That`s a great point, Glenn, in the sense that this is a woman who has been the right-hand woman of George W. Bush for the past seven and a half years. She`s always been kind of in this advisory capacity, or a cabinet capacity. And she`s, I think, performed pretty ably in those roles, but she hasn`t necessarily stood on her own two feet.

It would be interesting to have a running mate who had never run for any office in her entire life. It would just be, you know -- generally, if you`re going to do that and be assuming the presidency or be a heartbeat away from the presidency, as the vice president is, you basically have to be Dwight Eisenhower. You have to be someone who is so revered by Americans that everyone assumes you can handle the job immediately.

I think Americans think highly of Condi Rice, but -- and I think she is right now, I think, fifth in line to the presidency. But, you know, she expressed no interest in the job so far.

BECK: I have to tell you, I am so sick and tired of hearing -- I mean, it`s a woman, an African-American, or now Republicans, I don`t think this is actually happening, but it`s almost like Republicans are like, "Oh, yes, well, we can get a black woman."

"Oh, yes? Well, we can get a handicapped Indian."

I mean, can we just talk about qualifications?

GERAGHTY: Yes. I was going to say, serving as a national security adviser and secretary of state. Those are fine qualifications, and I don`t think anyone would say that Condi Rice is -- well, it beats doing not just one term in the Senate to take one particular candidate over on the Democratic side.

But, really, this is not necessarily -- it`s someone who expressed no interest in the job so far. It`s rather odd that she would have this alleged behind-the-scenes campaign.

BECK: I don`t buy it at all.

The anti-Romney campaign. What is God is not Government? What is that?

GERAGHTY: These are a bunk of Huckabee supporters, and the only thing I can discern about this is that since Huckabee left the race, you really haven`t heard any buzz about him as a running mate.

I don`t -- I think most people would agree that, despite his strengths, he wouldn`t necessarily add something that McCain absolutely, positively needs as he goes into the general election.

So perhaps these are some folks, who are saying, "Well, if we`re not going to get the consolation prize of the vice presidency, we don`t want our rival getting the consolation prize of the vice presidency."

BECK: Huckabee doesn`t have anything except for the, you know, southern Baptist tie. He doesn`t have anything that -- Romney can bring economic experience. If you really -- that`s the one thing that McCain doesn`t have. That and, you know -- I don`t know. Get up and go kind of speech that, you know, nails you to your seat.

GERAGHTY: I would observe that -- look, the fact that we`re going through economic tough times makes Romney as a running mate much more likable -- much more likely. But having said that, this is really putting the cart before the horse.

BECK: Yes.

GERAGHTY: I mean, McCain has said he`s only beginning the most general outlines of this. And the one thing that I would note is that this organization, Government is not God, ran an ad in one of McCain`s hometown papers.

Glenn, do you think John McCain is swayed by an ad in his hometown paper? Does that sound like the sort of thing that would sway him one way or the other?

BECK: No, no. Jim, thank you very much.

OK, America, tell me where I`m wrong here. I don`t think it matters who`s on the ticket with John McCain. Whoever it is, if Barack Obama is running, just not good enough to win. Agree or disagree? I think you could make it a McCain-Jesus ticket, and it won`t make a difference. Go to CNN.com/Glenn right now and cast your vote.

Coming up, we have the Clinton news. They finally released their tax returns this past Friday. They did it on a day when nobody pays attention. It`s dump day, take out the trash day on Friday. The garbage for you in just a second. The details right around the corner.

And then screen legend and gun advocate Charlton Heston is dead at the age of 84. We`re going to look at his amazing life with one of the people who knew him best. His very good friend, NRA president Wayne LaPierre will join us in a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Brace yourself for some shocking news. It turns out that Bill and Hillary Clinton`s favorite charity is Bill and Hillary Clinton.

According to Hillary`s just-released tax returns from 2007 -- from 2000 to 2007, Clintons earned $109 million in that time period. They`re rich. And they donated the bulk of their $10 million in charitable write- offs. Cool so far. They wrote it off to their own charity, the Clinton family foundation. OK. Still not a problem.

The part where this gets sketchy, even for the Clintons, is that their foundation has made contributions to other charities of other politicians who have, coincidentally, become Clinton supporters. Isn`t that weird the way that happens?

Josh Green is a senior editor at "The Atlantic."

I mean, you know what, Josh? My biggest problem with this and Barack Obama, and they`re much better than Barack Obama, is these people say, oh, you know, "These rich people are just so evil. We`ve got to stop these rich people, because they don`t give."

Barack Obama wasn`t giving squat to anybody. Here they are, worth $109 million, and their charity looks a little bit sketchy.

JOSH GREEN, SENIOR EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": I don`t know about that. I mean, you know, politicians have PACs. They give each other money all the time. That`s part of the way they support each other. I don`t really see why it would be any different for their charity.

BECK: Come on.

GREEN: Well, you know, these are all charities. They`re supposed to go to good causes. And if you believe the Clinton Library is a good cause, I guess you can make that case. But you know, this is just the way the system works.

BECK: Yes. And I don`t think I could make a case that the Clinton Library is a good cause. But hey, to each his own.

GREEN: I`m not going out on that limb.

BECK: So you don`t have a problem either with -- I mean, these guys are probably a better example, because they did give 10 percent of their income to charity. And I think Bill Clinton said in his book that it should be 5 percent that you should give. I think you should give until it hurts, quite frankly.

But Edwards, I mean, gigantic hypocrite when it comes to, you know, there`s two Americans -- two Americas. Am I wrong?

GREEN: No, I don`t think you`re wrong. I don`t think the American people begrudge politicians making a lot of money when they leave office. I think -- I think, you know, the reason we haven`t heard more about the Clintons` $109 million is because, you know, they`ve given a fair amount of that to charity. They haven`t flaunted it in the way Edwards has by building the largest house in his county. You know, they`ve been somewhat tactful about their money and what they`ve done with it.

BECK: I have to tell, I think I disagree with you on Americans don`t have a problem with politicians leaving office and making a lot of money. I think people see the White House as a cash cow. You can go out, and you can make a ton of cash. I mean, that`s not what George Washington did.

GREEN: As long as you`re not making that money while you`re in the White House. I mean, look, take a look at Wall Street and these executives who make $300, $400 million while driving their companies into bankruptcy.

You know, as I recall the 1990s, the Clinton presidency was a pretty good time for most people. For him to leave office and go and make six, seven, eight, nine figures is, you know, not all that terrific a scandal, I don`t think.

BECK: Isn`t this -- isn`t this really a story about how you can`t win with charities? I mean, "American Idol," there`s a scandal now on there. You know, these people are giving money. Here`s the Clintons. You know, say what you want about them, but they are giving $10 million to charity. Isn`t this you just can`t win?

GREEN: No, I don`t think you should ever say that about charities and about scandals. I mean, yes, there`s something somewhat tacky about giving all these millions of dollars to your own charity, but look, at the end of the day, this is not money they`re spending on yachts and mansions the way other politicians have done.

BECK: Yes.

GREEN: Some good will come of this money. You never want to discourage people from giving away their millions.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, I think it shows that they`re conservatives. That`s what a conservative would do: "I can spend this money better on charity than some other organization or the government." I think they`re actually just inconsistent on that one.

Josh, thanks a lot.

Coming up, we have the latest on Congress`s newest plan to bail you out. Yes, they can do better with your money. The housing crisis in tonight`s "Real Story," coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: My fellow Americans, as a non-candidate for president of these United States, I want you to know I hear your voice loud and clear. I have seen the new poll. It says 81 percent of you think our country is on the wrong track, and it is time for real leadership. I just wish I knew where I could find that leadership. Yes. Yes. Thank you. My friends, this -- stop with the applause. This non-campaign is about to change, because it`s al about change. Change and hope and hope, but mostly change with a little bit of hope. I hope, and I think the change that I`m hoping for, and I think you`re hoping for, is the change of the way we do business in America. That`s why when I am never your president I pledge that I will make all of my decisions by doing exactly what the polls say. Your voice will rule this country once again. Yes. Even those of you who answer don`t know slash undecided will finally be heard in this great land.

Right now polls say that 40 percent of you blame our government regulators for the current mortgage crisis. I applaud you for your courage. I also see that 43 percent of you would prefer more government. Most people would say these two things just don`t really go together. They don`t make any sense, but they make perfect sense to me. As I see it, you want big government so you`ll have someone to blame when things go wrong. Am I right? Yes! And together we can find a scapegoat. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.

The real story is the poll numbers I just gave you are, unfortunately, actual. They are 100 percent real. People hate government regulations. Yet, they just can`t seem to get enough of them. You couldn`t possibly fit more politicians on the regulation bandwagon right now. Yet, virtually all of them want to regulate everybody but the government.

The two government sponsored mortgage lenders, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, together guarantee $5 trillion of our home loans, and most of them are the most risky. They were supposed to navigate the country through this housing collapse, but, instead, they have been on the verge of collapse themselves. From accounting scandals to billions in losses from bad mortgages to stock prices that are down over 40 percent in just the last year. Fannie and Freddie both likely would be bankrupt right now if they couldn`t keep running back to the government teat every time they got into trouble. I don`t know about you, but my teat is a little sore. Yet instead of announcing some big new oversight reform package for them, our government is doing the exact opposite. They`re loosening the regulations by letting them take on even larger loans and hold even less collateral than Bear Stearns did when they collapsed. Everyone hold on to your teat. It`s about to get bad.

Does anybody see a problem with this? No, no, no. It`s government money. It`s not coming from actually in here. Nobody is going to miss it. If you really want to know why 81 percent of Americans think that we`re on the wrong track, it`s our teats that are sore. It is government stepping in to save us from every problem we have while ignoring the biggest one of all. Them. Stephen Moore is the economic editorial writer for "The Wall Street Journal." Stephen.

STEPHEN MOORE, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Hello, Glenn.

BECK: How is your Glenn?

MOORE: You can`t make this stuff up, can you?

BECK: You can`t. Here`s the thing. Last -- in the last six months these two mortgage lenders lost $9 billion right before the collapse of Bear Stearns. They lost and wrote of $1.9 billion. Nobody is talking about these two, and the government is just releasing them from all real -- any kind of regulation.

MOORE: Yeah. This is such a frustrating story because what we`ve seen, of course, in the last six months is the housing market has melted down. At least the people who were the bad actors, the people who took out bad loans or the people who lent them the money in the first place are the ones that are going to take the losses. In all of its brilliance, Congress said, well, we can`t have the bad actors, the people who made bad financial decisions take the losses. We`re going to put all of these loans on the federal balance sheet. And you said it well. Almost $5 trillion, that`s trillion dollars with a T, of new debt being put on the backs of the taxpayer. I don`t get it. Why should we be liable for this?

BECK: OK. So Mel Martinez is coming out, tell me about his plan.

MOORE: Well, he basically wants to say, look, if we`re going to expand these government-sponsored enterprises, which by the way, Glenn, have the best of all worlds. They have private shareholders, they are like corporations, but they`ve got this hammock that they can`t fail, so they are -- you know, it`s the best of both worlds. I think it`s the worst of both worlds.

BECK: The only one that could lose is us.

MOORE: Is the taxpayer, exactly. And so what Mel Martinez is saying is at least if we`re going to expand these, let`s have some accounting standards here. Let`s have some oversight so -- these are 50 times bigger than Bear Stearns, to give you a sense of how large these government-sponsored enterprises are. Right now there`s no government oversight whatsoever.

BECK: So, Stephen, everybody said if Bear Stearns would have failed, then the whole thing would have snowballed, and we would have had an economic collapse that, you know, I have been talking about, and people say, oh, that`s crazy talk. If they would have let it go down, that probably would have happened. When you had .

MOORE: I wouldn`t have had a problem with that, by the way. I don`t think we should -- I don`t get the whole debate, Glenn. I mean, my goodness. If people make -- it`s capitalism. If people make bad financial decisions, they`re responsible. They get the rewards, but they also have to take the punishment. There are 55 million Americans who have mortgages, Glenn. Only 52 million of them are paying their mortgages on time.

BECK: Here`s the thing. You can`t get crazier plans than what we have in Congress. They`re now talking about -- one of the plans is to bulldoze all of the surplus houses. To go down in Florida and just bulldoze all of those empty houses so we can get rid of the bubble. What?

MOORE: Yeah. That`s the way to get rid of excess housing.

BECK: This is crazy.

MOORE: Let`s not forget that the government also in its infinite wisdom was what created this bubble in the first place both through easy credit a couple of years ago and by really bulldozing the banks into making these loans to noncredit worthy people in the first place, but now the government is saying, you know, when we take on these new mortgages, the people under the GSEs and the federal housing administration, they`re making low down payment loans to people without good credit rating. Doesn`t that sound like exactly what created the crisis in the first place?

BECK: I have to run. I can only take a one word answer from you. Better, worse, or about the same, the economy since we saw each other last?

MOORE: I think it`s getting worse because the dollar keeps falling, Glenn, and as long as the dollar keeps falling, it`s going to get worse.

BECK: Thanks, Mr. Sunshine. See you later.

Last week I told you about a group called the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. They are protesting in the lobby of the Bear Stearns building here in New York just a couple of weeks ago. There they are. They claim to help low income borrowers fight gents the big bad lenders, but they use extortion and threats of public embarrassment against CEOs to get their own way. Bruce Marx (ph), he is the group`s founder. He was on the program last week. He tried to explain how he justifies targeting the children of CEOs with his protests in their schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The point is that it`s personal, Glenn. Just like the way .

BECK: So answer the question. Where is the line? Should you be able to say .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The limit is -- Glenn, the limit is it`s nonviolent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. But it`s personal. Yeah. Well, if it`s personal, then I should make fun of his hair, but I won`t because not everything is personal. I love to play you more of the clip of that answer, but that`s all I could get out of him. You know, his limit apparently is no violence. Everything else, fair game. I want you to know we`re not dropping the story. We`re working right now to track down some of the people and the families this man has terrorized over the years. We hope to bring you their stories later on this week. Nonviolent terrorism. I got to tell you, it`s still terrorism, and it`s time this man`s tactics are finally exposed.

Also, on tomorrow night`s program, I`m going to tell you about a reporter that was trying to did a fair impartial story for the BBC. Then the activists got a hold of him and pressured him to change his story. How bad did the pressure get? We have the actual e-mails for you. I`ll read them to you, and then you decide why the reporter caved. Tomorrow night`s program. Don`t miss it.

And don`t forget, the only place you can get the perfect blend of enlightenment and entertainment, besides this program, is "Fusion" magazine." My magazine. Get the latest issue which features an exclusive author with David Walker on not just our one, but the four federal deficits. Order your copy of "Fusion" magazine today glennbeck.com. Coming up, we have a tribute to Charlton Heston written by a conservative about a conservative.

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BECK: Well, this weekend Hollywood lost a legendary actor. Maybe one of the best of them. Charlton Heston. He passed away in his home in Beverly Hills with his beloved wife Lydia. Sixty four years. They met in college. Heston was known for far more than just his acting skills. He was also known as being one of the few conservatives in Hollywood that wasn`t shy to talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLTON HESTON, DECEASED ACTOR: The Lord of Hosts will do battle .

BECK (voice-over): Most people knew Charlton Heston as the actor who played Hod`s right-hand man.

HESTON: Behold His mighty hand.

BECK: Born Charles Carter in a Chicago suburb on Cctober 4th, 1923, Heston grew up in rural Michigan where his father operated a lumber mill. Known for his strong screen presence and his chiseled good looks, Heston says his love of acting came out of a lonely childhood. And in 1959 he made the epic film "Ben Hur" which won him the Oscar. His talent commanded respect and conveyed integrity on the big screen and the small one.

HESTON: Who are you?

BECK: But Heston was not only a towering figure in the movies. He was also a towering figure in politics. Heston was the longest serving president of the Screen Actors Guild and, later, he diverted much of his attention to conservative politics and fought the forces of gun control, and most notably, served as president of the NRA from 1998 to 2003. At the time Heston became NRA president, the group was dealing with internal strife and hostility from Bill Clinton`s administration, but he took command and raised the NRA`s membership to four million members during his time.

HESTON: From my cold dead hands.

BECK: Heston was a lone conservative voice in liberal Hollywood. That only made him push harder to stand for what he believed in. Many people didn`t know that in the 1960s Heston strongly opposed segregation, supported Dr. Martin Luther King, and campaigned for civil rights. No, you probably wouldn`t have heard about that because most of the time the media only focused on his support for the Second Amendment and tried to squeeze this larger than life man into a little left or right box instead of the larger right and wrong box.

Then in 2002 the man who had lived his whole life in front of the public told America about his private battle. Alzheimer`s.

HESTON: I`m neither giving up, nor giving in. I believe I`m still the fighter that Dr. King and JFK and Ronald Reagan knew, but it`s a fight I must someday call a draw.

BECK: In 2003 Heston was given the Medal of Freedom, America`s highest civilian honor.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: Charlton Heston himself has become one of the great names in film history. Charlton Heston has left his mark on our country as an artist, a citizen, and as a patriot.

BECK: Actor, activist, or just plain old American. Heston loved the power he had with crowds.

HESTON: Thank you for everything. Not only now tonight, but through all the years. It`s been a wonderful run.

BECK: On Saturday Heston died at the age of 84, but leaves for the rest of America a path as clear as the one he made in the Red Sea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (on camera): Last summer I was having dinner in Washington, DC with Wayne LaPierre and behind him was the White House all lit up at night, and at some point in the evening I said, Wayne, what is Charlton Heston like? He -- everybody got quiet, and he started telling stories, and I wanted have one of his good friends, Charlton Heston`s good friend, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, to may tribute the way it should be done to Charlton Heston. Wayne, sorry for your loss. I know you two were very close. Would you tell the story that you told me that night and again on the radio program today about the cop killing song that he dealt with?

WAYNE LAPIERRE, EVP, NRA: Sure. I mean, Charlton Heston had values, and he acted on them, and he wasn`t going to be intimated by Hollywood, and when Ice T and Time Warner came up with that song "Cop Killer" which basically glorified the killing of police officers, the police groups had met with Time Warner asking them to withdraw the song, and Time Warner told them, look, we have First Amendment rights. You can complain about this for a few days, but we`re not withdrawing it.

And the police groups went to Charlton Heston and told him that story of what happened, and he said we`ll see about that. He was a shareholder. He went to the shareholders` meeting at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, packed ballroom the next day. Walked in there and the first thing they did, they threw out all the electronic media, which I thought was kind of ironic. The largest entertainment company throwing out all the electronic media so there wouldn`t be a record of it, and he eventually took the floor, and he pointed to the guys up on the dais and said, look, you know, you say this is about the First Amendment. Let me tell you something, he said when you guys do it, he said it`s not about that. It`s about making money. If it was about the First Amendment, would you print of script from every struggling script writer that walks in your door. No. When you guys do is about making money, so I`m going to stand here and read you every filthy word of what you have decided make money off of.

And he sat there and read all the words of "Cop Killer", and you could just see the heads bow in shame in that ballroom.

BECK: It had to be -- I mean, I would kill for a copy of a tape of that. You know, having Charlton Heston read these and to be able to see these guys. They must have had their hands over their faces because there`s nobody that could read those lyrics quite like Charlton Heston. When he walked out, what did he say to you?

LAPIERRE: He looked at me when he walked out and said, well, I guess I`ll never work again for Time Warner, but he said, Wayne, I bet I never get another speeding ticket either. The truth is a couple months later -- because he had a Corvette. He used to drive around L.A. pretty quick. He was pulled over on the 405, the interstate, and he thought, oh, I`m in trouble now. The police officer walked up to the car and said, well, you did need to slow down, Mr. Heston, but that`s not why I stopped you. I stopped to thank you on behalf of all the officers what you did.

BECK: You know, what really disturbs me, Wayne, is in the obituaries today there was this line. "Playing larger than life heroes seemed to carry over in real life politics for Heston. He was one of the major Hollywood stars who marched with the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights era. But Heston`s politics soon veered right."

It`s almost as if to say that if you are on the right, you know, damn these civil rights -- you know, we want separate drinking fountains. It is so incredibly insulting to think that Charlton Heston was left and right and not right and wrong. That`s why you can change parties back and forth because the parties aren`t always right.

LAPIERRE: Yeah. I completely degree with you, and I don`t think Charlton Heston changed at all. I had known him for 27 years, and his beliefs were based on the fact that he really believed the sanctity of American freedom flowed from the Bill of Rights, and he believed what made the United States of America different from al the other countries in the world were those freedoms in the constitution, the Bill of Rights, and he was bound and determined to defend those freedoms, whether it was the First Amendment or the second amendment. When the Second Amendment was under attack, as it was viciously in the 1990s, Charlton Heston stepped forward and led a brick by brick restoration of that great American freedom that had been lost in countries like England, Canada and Australia.

BECK: His wife Lydia, they met back in 1941 at Northwestern University. She was a speech student. I got to believe she played some role in the way he could deliver lines. How is she doing?

LAPIERRE: It`s tough. They were one of the great love stories of all time. They met her at Northwestern, and whenever I would be on the road with him, the only thing he would want to do is get back to her. I mean, he was about family, and he loved her so much, and it`s very tough for her.

BECK: Wayne, we`ll se you in Louisville in a few weeks.

LAPIERRE: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: Wayne Lapierre.

Hollywood, let me just leave you with this. Where`s your Moses now? Back in a minute.

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BECK: Let`s go out with an easy pop quiz for you. What can allow you to download an entire feature length movie in HD within seconds and just might wind up killing you?

The answer is the guy your teenage daughter just added as a friend on Facebook, but another possible answer comes to us from Europe, and it`s called the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC. This is a particle accelerator. I mean, I don`t want to talk over your head. I know, this stuff, but, you know. The scientists are needing it to look back in time and reconstruct the beginnings of the universe. The LHC has cost about $8 billion, and it will recreate energies and conditions last seen a trillionth a second after the Big Bang. Whew. Finally.

Now, how does all of this affect you? Well, apparently it`s spitting out so much information they have to record all of the information so the LHC, the people who made that, will create and invent something -- well, these with the people that invented the Internet. Sorry, Al Gore. They`re going to create something called the Grid. Spooky? Yeah. The Grid is -- well, its technical name is the ultra fast Internet thingy. At least that`s my technical name for it. It can apparently transfer an entire Rolling Stones back catalog from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds, according to "The Times" on-line.

Apparently the LHC will create enough data to fill 40 miles of CDs every year, so they need a new way to send data to scientists around the world. I wonder if anybody is going to read all this stuff. Eventually, they hope, that this may lead you to get your pictures of Jessica Alba just a little faster. No promises.

But that might not happen, according to Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho. They have charged that the invention could produce a tiny black hole or create a strangelet that could convert our planet along with us into a lump of strange matter. Of course, I know what that means, and I know you know what that means, so I won`t even bother explaining that, and it definitely isn`t because I have no idea what it actually means.

The good news is if the Earth is about to disappear into a black hole, what a better time to put that flat screen on the credit card? You know what I`m saying? Now would be the time to buy it? Watch the commercials. It`s coming.

Before we go tonight, let me take a second to welcome a new radio affiliate. When I was in high school I dreamt about driving from my home in Seattle down to the Pacific Coast Highway and starting any new job at 76 KFMB San Diego. Today we officially started at 760 AM KFMB San Diego. Love you. See you tomorrow.

END