Here is the first 7 min of Beck's rambling and disjointed address yesterday. Apologies for the video quality as it was recorded off the tv screen itse
May 16, 2010

Here is the first 7 min of Beck's rambling and disjointed address yesterday. Apologies for the video quality as it was recorded off the tv screen itself, by a fan of Beck I assume.

The Lynchburg News & Advance describes the spectacle as so:

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, a conservative firebrand and prominent figure in the Tea Party movement, stayed away from politics during his commencement speech, instead dishing advice such as “look to God and live.”

Beck received an honorary degree from Liberty. He never graduated from college but spent one semester at Yale University when he was 30, he said, leaving because he could not afford the tuition.

Beck, who is Mormon, delivered a speech that emphasized the power of faith in righting a country that he said has gone off track.“I look at the things that are facing you today: the worst economy in generations, the euro on the road to collapse, we’re spending ourselves into oblivion…” he said. “We live in a time where you must have great courage; you must have great faith. We live in a time where it seems truth is on the run.”

His message to the graduates was peppered with tears, humor and even some offbeat wisdom, such as “cabs smell worse in the summer” and “labels are meaningless, but Louis Vuitton shoes are really the best.”A significant portion of the ceremony was devoted to honoring the university’s founder.

As for paper's assertion that he "stayed away from politics", Beck sure spent a lot of time railing against the Obama administration and trying to link Obama himself with book burners and Adolf Hitler, as is his wont to do. Later he would offer the advice "Shoot to kill", which you can hear in context.

I suppose it is fitting that a ceremony designed to honor the memory of Jerry Falwell, the university’s founder, would feature Glenn Beck.

Later in the day Beck would address the NRA's Celebration of American Values Freedom Experience [sic], where "10,000 stood and roared."

Beck, backed by his familiar chalkboard, depicted a nation that has lost its faith in God, honor and American institutions.

"We have to think of something, because the Titanic is going down," he said. "We need to save the passengers, that's what we need to worry about. Let the ship sink if we have to. We have a great plan: It's called the Constitution, and we'll build another one."

In the end it's hard to decide which is the more depressing fact: that Glenn Beck should be awarded an honorary doctorate from anywhere or that Liberty University itself exists. Probably both are equally offensive.

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