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Really?!: Bloomberg diverts resources to NYC Marathon while city struggles to recover - UPDATED

November 02, 2012
Wilson

Writer

UPDATED: The New York Times has confirmed at 5pm ET Friday the NY Marathon will not take place on Sunday DETAILS

Common sense died today in a truly obnoxious fashion thanks to of non-other-than your least favorite mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

While Bloomberg's city, and the entire Tri-State area, is hurting from the aftermath of one of the biggest storms the country has ever seen, he's decided to move forward with the New York City Marathon. Yes, despite the millions of New Yorkers without power, homes completely destroyed, the climbing death toll, and countless other issues (like a major gas shortage), Mayor Bloomberg will be diverting countless resources to the marathon.

In utter disbelief, Glenn explained how much of a slap in the face this is to those suffering around the city.

"If you've never been to New York or you've not lived in New York, you don't know what it takes to run, for instance, the Macy's Day Parade.  The Macy's Day Parade, they take down light poles. The cost of doing anything in New York is astounding.  To do the New York City Marathon," Glenn explained, "you have to have city trucks and city workers out putting barricades on all of the streets, and they start doing that days in advance."

The marathon brings in tens of thousands of people from all over the world -- it is an international event. There are huge tents, giant signs, water stations, food stations, clocks, generators -- it's enormous. So while downtown Manhattan is transportation-less, possibly still without power; while the people of Staten Island are trying to rebuild what's left of their homes; while the citizens of Coney Island fight off looters, Mayor Bloomberg will divert NYPD, water, generators, city workers and more to the Marathon.

"You have people in Staten Island who are crying out for food," Glenn said. "You have the mayor saying we have to put cops on all of the bridges and all of the tunnels for checkpoints because everybody who comes in has to have three people in their car or they can't come in.  So he's putting checkpoints at all of the bridges and tunnels because traffic is so bad because of the hurricane, and yet he's blocking the streets this weekend to run the New York City Marathon."

When Glenn lived in New York City, he could see Coney Island from his apartment. The people there are crying out for water, food, electricity and safety. There are looters, now labeled "wolf packs," that have citizens so scared that they won't even leave their homes. While the citizens of New York are doing what they can to survive, their nightmare of a mayor is more worried about how many ounces of soda they ingest at one time and that all of the people coming in town to run his precious marathon have their hotels rooms. So all of the people who have hotel rooms right now and don't have a house to go to will be kicked out of their hotel because somebody's coming in to run the race.

Glenn had a better idea for the runners:

"What do you say you have the people grab the water from the tables that you're setting up and you have those runners who are the best in all the world run up 70 flights of stairs to the elderly people that live up at the top who cannot take an elevator down and may not have water," Glenn suggested. "Has anybody checked on them?  No.  Because you live in New York and you don't know your neighbors."

Earlier in the show Glenn shared some of the devastating stories that are now being reported in the wake of the horrible storm -- stories that will make any humane individual question Mayor Bloomberg's sanity for moving forward with the race this weekend, just days after Hurricane Sandy ripped through the region.

The starting line for the race is being prepped on Staten Island -- one of the hardest hit areas in New York. While the rest of the island is left to deal with the aftershocks of the hurricane, the notion of diverting even one police officer, one responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational.

"On Nelson Avenue, not far, an elderly couple was found dead, pinned beneath a 41‑foot power cruiser that had been lifted up by the storm.  Lifted up in the harbor a mile away and dumped on this elderly couple," Glenn told listeners. "But don't worry about that.  We've got to set up the starting line for the New York City marathon."

In another story, two days ago, right at the starting line, police found the bodies of two young boys, ages 2 and 4. They were swept away in their mother's arms after her SUV had been taken over by waves. They had nowhere to go -- there was nothing the mother could do. The waves overwhelmed the SUV and swept the children out to the sea.

"They found the bodies two days ago, where they are now setting up water tables and clocks and they'll have the start gun," Glenn said.

In a basement on Beach Avenue, the mayor of the town, age 51, was found in the basement of his home arm-in-arm with his 20-year-old son. Both were dead.

This is not a partisan issue, Glenn explained, this is an issue of sanity and common sense. America is wide awake, and it's the out-of-touch politicians who are in desperate need of a wakeup call.

"I am so sick and tired of these politicians telling us who we are, telling us how to live," Glenn said. "Take your 16‑ounce soda, Mayor Bloomberg, and shove it up your ass.  You're telling me that I don't have the common sense to stop drinking, if I wanted 18 ounces of soda, I'm just reckless?  And you are setting up the New York City marathon two days after this stuff?  Are you out of your mind?  Take your soda and shove it up your ass.  Mayor Bloomberg and progressives like him, both Republican and Democrat, are damn near insane.  They are out of control."

Sandy and Benghazi are a wake-up call to the way progressivism has changed the country and the attitude of many Americans toward government. Big government is not a solution to a crisis, it is a mechanism that hides or uses a crisis to gain more power and control. The president told the leaders of the communities in the Tri-State area to overlook the red tape, not to take no for an answer -- but what happens when it's the community leaders who are saying no? Does he follow-up? Does he ask Mayor Bloomberg about his priorities of the marathon versus the people left dark in the destruction on Staten Island?

No. He takes his endorsement and leaves.

Glenn explained that this is why America must once again look to it's neighbors, churches, and religious organizations for help when they need it. Your neighbor won't put a race above your personal well-being. A government official won't pray with your or help you cope with personal loss after a storm like Sandy.

"Let Sandy and Benghazi be a wake‑up call," Glenn told listeners. "You have damn near been fundamentally transformed.  This is your last call, America.  This is it.  You don't think it makes a difference?  It does make a difference.  It does.  There is no difference between the way the president is handling Sandy and how the president handled Benghazi.  He went out and campaigned.  He did his little show and he went out and campaigned."

"Benghazi, he left Americans to die.  He left Bloomberg to run the New York City marathon."

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.