Where The Hot Wind Blows

Chunks

Steve Benen, who does the column, 'Political Animal' at The Washington Monthly, noted on Tuesday that "Glenn Beck has lost about a third of his audience, which is a pretty significant drop, and may very well lead the deranged media personality to think of ways to bring viewers back."

One way, for example, may be for Beck to be even more creative when sharing crazy visions of global affairs. Yesterday, the strange man did his best to explain events in Egypt with a take that really has to be seen to be believed.

And you can see it, right here:



"I believe that I can make a case," Little Glenny said, "that there are three powers that you will see really emerge. One, a Muslim caliphate that controls the Mideast and parts of Europe.

"Two, China, that will control Asia, the southern half of Africa, part of the Middle East, Australia, maybe New Zealand, and God only knows what else.

"And Russia, which will control all of the old former Soviet Union bloc, plus maybe the Netherlands. I'm not really sure. But their strong arm is coming. That leaves us and South America."

Marxist Commies Are Not Like Un-Marxist Commies

Benen observed that, for Glenny, the current disparate wars and popular uprisings that appear on our big LCD teevees are "the fault of 'Marxist communists' -- as opposed to, say, Marxists and communists -- Muslims, and progressives. Indeed, Beck insisted that the events only he can see are 'coordinated.' "

While pointing to Egypt on a map of Africa, Beck told the weak-minded gullible Marks in his con game his audience, When you take the Marxists and you combine them with the radical from Islam, when you combine those forces, which is exactly -- we'll show you this week -- what is happening here, the whole world starts to implode.

Bad Teevee Waves Made Me Do This

Glenny reminds me of a story I heard from someone raised in the Bay Area, years ago: in the late 1950's or early 1960's, there was a local children's television show built around a host who made simple sock puppets (One was a Beatnik, wearing a small beret, who spouted gentle nonsense poetry) and used them in a Punch-and-Judy style, box-shaped Proscenium stage. The show was very popular with the kids.

One day, a piece of black electrician's tape appeared, running diagonally across one corner of the archway of the stage. The host used his puppets to perform their skits; nothing seemed out of place. Then, the next day, another piece of black tape appeared, running diagonally beside the first.

Over the next week or so (the person relating the story recalled), more pieces of tape appeared. At the same time, very slowly, the host began using his puppets to make nasty comments about Mrs. Host, and perform skits which mentioned things like alimony, and infidelity -- which, of course, mystified the children.

Finally, after a couple of days of this, pieces of electrician's tape had covered the upper half of the puppet stage. The Beatnik puppet became stuck in the tape, and began thrashing wildly; "I'm caught in the teevee waves, man! Caught in the teevee waves!"

The channel cut to a cartoon. Then another, and another, until the time slot for the host's puppet show had ended. The host was apparently fired, and the show (my friend recalled) was canceled and never returned to the air.

Glenny's End

That's what I expect from Glenny -- an on-air meltdown. Except Little Rupert will continue to treat his on-air babbling as if he were Howard Beale, in the film Network ("Are they yelling in Chicago, Fred?").

In any rational culture, Glenny would be fired for what he's already vomited over the airwaves. However, here in The Land Of The Brave and the Home Of The Hip, he's given even more of the spotlight. What does that tell you?

At Washington Monthly, a commenter at Benen's site, ComradeAnon, drew the correct inference from watching Little Glenny's spiel, and asked the obvious question: "How many gold coins are we required to buy?"

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