Glenn Beck, a hero to many conservative voters across the country, said that his "Restoring Honor" rally was nonpolitical and its mission was to honor American troops. (Pool photo)
Story Created:
Aug 31, 2010 at 11:42 AM PST
Story Updated:
Aug 31, 2010 at 9:55 PM PST
Right-wing commentator Glenn Beck’s revivalist weekend rally — held on the 47th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech — has been derided in Los Angeles by some local faith-based leaders.
A crowd estimated at between 78,000 and 96,000 assembled Saturday in Washington, D.C. at the park near the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool.
At the event, which also featured former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the controversial Fox News host claimed the rally was about restoring America’s honor and returning the country to the values on which it was founded.
“Look forward. Look West. Look to the heavens. Look to God and make your choice,” he said.
In a counter-demonstration, civil rights activists gathered nearby with the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in a “Reclaim the Dream” rally.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that they have the right to take their country back. It’s our country, too,” said Alvis Deweaver, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women.
Reacting to clips he saw over the weekend, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, of Temple Leo Baeck, poured scorn on Beck’s message and motives.
“I think Beck’s point of view is so far removed from Dr. King’s message as anything could possibly be,” Lee said. “I think the juxtaposition of the rally with the address Dr. King made is, in a sense, a kind of unwitting mockery.”
Beerman added: “Beck has made statements opposing the whole idea of social justice as a religious imperative and that was the very essence of King’s purpose, that the prophetic ideals drawn from the Bible are what animated his insistence on addressing the inequalities he saw in society.
“I don’t know what Beck’s purposes were, except in general his has not been a message of love, the message of love your enemies that was at the heart of Dr. King.”
The Rev. Eric Lee, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Los Angeles, echoed those sentiments and also attacked MLK’s cousin, Alveda King, for speaking at the rally.
“It was evident when you saw the type of audience he attracted, predominantly White, with extreme views that are on the fringe of mainstream society,” Lee said.
“King attracted people of every race, ethnicity and culture, people of multiple faiths. So he was inclusive of all diversity of our country, while Beck has a pretty monolithic following of White folks.
“As for Alveda King, she clearly does not carry the message of Dr. King or Coretta King. Maybe those who invited her were trying to leverage King’s name and reputation by using his cousin to reaffirm their message.”
Referring to Beck’s statement about turning the country “back to God,” Lee was equally dismissive.
“If that’s the presumption he’s making, what it speaks to is the religious extremism,” explained Lee.
“They don’t honor the Constitution, which is about freedom of religion, where we respect people’s varied belief systems and their right to worship God the way they see fit or not to worship God.
“If this is about restoring honor, that in itself is a contradiction of our constitutional rights of freedom of religion.”
Finally, Rabbi Steven Jacobs, of the Progressive Faith Foundation, chided Beck for claiming to be unaware of the rally’s historical date.
“That’s the ultimate act of hubris,” Jacobs said.
“Children in grade school who were not even born know the significance of the date. Even my right-wing friends say to me of Beck, pay attention to his craziness and his divisiveness.”
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