There's a very good reason you won't be seeing Glenn on 'Real Time with Bill Maher' anytime soon

October 05, 2014

Writer

In an interview with Dan Gibson in Tucson Weekly, Gibson asked Bill Maher about his vocal opposition to radical Islam and Glenn's invitation to come on TheBlaze TV for an open and honest conversation on the topic. Glenn's 5pm show has become a place for strange bedfellows to find common ground, but in the interview Maher didn't seem too eager to have that conversation with Glenn. Instead, Maher downplayed the similarities between his opinion and Glenn's on radical Islam and made several assumptions about Glenn's point of view.

Below is an excerpt:

DG: I saw that after your Charlie Rose interview that Glenn Beck offered an open invite to come on his internet show or whatever it is now to have a civil dialogue about Islam. Is it possible for you and Glenn Beck to have a civil dialogue about Islam?
BM: Of course! We could have a civil dialogue about anything. Glenn Beck has had an open invitation to appear on my show for years. I would reiterate that invitation. Glenn Beck, come on my show and I'll come on yours.
DG: That seems like a fair trade.
BM: I've heard that a lot about Glenn Beck and I walking hand in hand about Islam. Not really. First of all, Glenn Beck is a Christian. A serious Christian, although Mormons aren't really Christians, wink, wink. Glenn Beck is more on the Ann Coulter page that what we should do is conquer the Middle East and convert them to Christianity. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying all religions are stupid. Islam just happens to be the one right now, in this century, that's most dangerous and violent. Christianity was the one that was dangerous and violent in the 14th century and the 15th century. In the 16th century, Christians were slaughtering each other by sect, Protestants and Catholics were cutting each others heads off, just the Shiites and the Sunnis are now. But we had a reformation and that's what Islam needs, a reformation. That's what I'm saying and that's different than what Glenn Beck is saying. But, hey, I get where he's coming from.

After reading the interview, Glenn posted a response to Maher's comments on his Facebook page:

It is funny that Bill comments on my POV when he doesn't know my POV. Sorry to disappoint him but, while I wish everyone, including Bill Maher himself, could find the joy I have found in my faith, I am a man who actually believes that everyone must and will find their own way. If Bill wanted to know sincerely about my faith, I will send the boys with the bikes over :)
But I am not waiting for that call.
In the meantime I hold up his right to believe what he does, as I do the right of all Muslims. UNLESS IT INVOLVES KILLING PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH YOU. I have been holding up people like Zuhdi Jasser for many years now. He is Muslim and a Martin Luther style reformer. I support him without any idea of "baptizing him".
Penn Jillette and I have been down this road years ago. He really disliked people of faith. He doesn't now. He still doesn't believe in God, but he doesn't feel he needs to call others stupid. It was beneath him and he is so much better than that. I admire him for the man he is and has become on this issue.
I think it is time we stop playing this game of my way or the highway. Or, "I love you in hopes I can get a leg up and make you see the light of my answer so then I can 'win'."
There is no winning in this game. We can move the world forward, but never in name calling and belittling others. It was played in the beginning and will be played until the end.
I think Bill and I disagree on this: I believe people who call God Allah are not stupid nor are billions of others on this planet that believe in God and worship him faithfully. Bill does. If I were like Bill I would then have to claim something else I do not believe: That people like Bill or any of my atheist friends are stupid for not believing in God.
Why can we not all understand the Classic liberal that most of our founders did.
I do not need to change you nor you me. We can live side by side, worship in different ways and RESPECT one another?
Why can't we stop calling each other names? I know this is hard for many people to swallow from me. I do not claim to be perfect. In fact far from it. But everyone needs to start somewhere. I am trying to change my ways and be a better man. It begins with listening to others and not claiming to have all of the answers. It begins with humility and a willingness to admit to being wrong.
I have been wrong in the past and I am sure I will be wrong in the future. But I am really trying to make an effort.
This is why I won't accept an invite on his show. I want an actual discussion. One based in respect. One that I think can actually help reknit the fabric of our country and world,
I think Bill wants to discuss things but he also wants to "win" and he really wants a good show.
I don't blame him. I used to live somewhat in that world. Then I woke up. Times have changed. We need to be better men than most of us have allowed ourselves to become.
I apologize to Bill for putting those words into his mouth or heart. I do not know him and it is unfair of me to project my feelings on him especially in the same piece where I am asking him to stop making statements on what I believe when he clearly does not know what I believe.
I pray that he and others will see the sincere desire in my heart to move forward in a spirit of peace and reconciliation. Our way of life depends on it and our children will ask us why we didn't come together sooner when we all knew what was at stake.

The Biden admin has let in MORE illegal aliens than the populations of THESE 15 states

GUILLERMO ARIAS / Contributor | Getty Images

There are currently an estimated 16.8 MILLION illegal aliens residing in the United States as of June 2023, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). This number is already 1.3 million higher than FAIR's January 2022 estimate of 15.5 million and a 2.3 million increase from its end-of-2020 estimate. Even Democrats like New York City's Mayor Adams Mayor Adams are waking up to what Conservatives have been warning for years: we are in a border CRISIS.

However, this isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010. In the first two years of the Biden administration alone, the illegal alien population increased by 16 PERCENT nationwide, imposing a whopping net cost of $150.6 BILLION PER YEAR on American taxpayers. That is nearly DOUBLE the total amount that the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine.

This isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010.

These large numbers often make it difficult to conceptualize the sheer impact of illegal immigration on the United States. To put it in perspective, we have listed ALL 15 states and the District of Colombia that have smaller populations than the 2.3 MILLION illegal immigrants, who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration. That is more than the entire populations of Wyoming, Vermont, and South Dakota COMBINED—and the American taxpayers have to pay the price.

Here are all 16 states/districts that have FEWER people than the illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.

1. New Mexico

Population: 2,110,011

2. Idaho

Population: 1,973,752

3. Nebraska

Population: 1,972,292

4. West Virginia

Population: 1,764,786

5. Hawaii

Population: 1,433,238

6. New Hampshire

Population: 1,402,957

7. Maine

Population: 1,393,442

8. Montana

Population: 1,139,507

9. Rhode Island

Population: 1,090,483

10. Delaware

Population: 1,031,985

11. South Dakota

Population: 923,484

12. North Dakota

Population: 780,588

13. Alaska

Population: 732,984

14. Washington DC

Population: 674,815

15. Vermont

Population: 647,156

16. Wyoming

Population: 583,279

POLL: Should the Government control the future of AI?

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Earlier this week, tech titans, lawmakers, and union leaders met on Capitol Hill to discuss the future of AI regulation. The three-hour meeting boasted an impressive roster of tech leaders including, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others, along with more than 60 US Senators.

Tech Titans and Senators gathered in the Kennedy Caucus Room.The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The meeting was closed to the public, so what was exactly discussed is unknown. However, what we do know is that a majority of the CEOs support AI regulation, the most vocal of which is Elon Musk. During the meeting, Musk called AI "a double-edged sword" and strongly pushed for regulation in the interest of public safety.

A majority of the CEOs support AI regulation.

Many other related issues were discussed, including the disruption AI has caused to the job market. As Glenn has discussed on his program, the potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real, and many have already felt the effects. From taxi drivers to Hollywood actors and writers, AI's presence can be felt everywhere and lawmakers are unsure how to respond.

The potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real.

Ultimately, the meeting's conclusion was less than decisive, with several Senators making comments to the tune of "we need more time before we act." The White House is expected to release an executive order regarding AI regulation by the end of the year. But now it's YOUR turn to tell us what YOU think needs to be done!

Should A.I. be regulated?

Can the government be trusted with the power to regulate A.I.?

Can Silicon Valley be trusted to regulate AI?

Should AI development be slowed for safety, despite its potential advantages?

If a job can be done cheaper and better by AI, should it be taken away from a human?

Do you feel that your job is threatened by AI?

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Glenn wrote this essay on September 12, 2001. Are we the same people now?

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Twenty two years ago today on September 12th, 2001, Glenn wrote an essay called "The Greatest American Generation." These were his visceral thoughts immediately following the 9/11 attacks. This beautiful essay calls upon the American spirit to rise to the occasion to pull us through what was one of the darkest days in our nation's history. He called us to unite around the common vision that unites us as Americans.

Yesterday, Glenn revisited this essay, wondering if we are the same people who could have pulled through that dark hour. Do you still believe the things that he wrote in this essay? Or have we become a people too divided to overcome a tragedy of the magnitude of 9/11? Consider these questions as you read Glenn's essay below, "The Greatest American Generation," published on September 12, 2001.

I've always believed that the greatest American generation is the one that's living, in the here and the now. The question is not if this is the greatest American generation. The question was when were we going to wake up? I remember staying at my grandparents' house in the summer when I was small. Every morning my grandmother would open the attic door and call up, "Kids, time to wake up." For me she'd have to do this a couple of times before I'd lumber out of bed and cross the cold, squeaky wooden floor. But finally, I would. And she'd be there in the kitchen ready with breakfast. My grandfather was already outside in the henhouse because there was work to do. They were hardworking, good and decent people. Seemed to me that they were from not only a different time but a different place. They weren't.

The spirit of our parents and our grandparents isn't from some foreign place. It hasn't died out. It's a flame that flickers in all Americans. It's there and it's ready to blaze to life when we're ready to face the challenges that now lie at our feet. It's what sets us apart. It's what built this country. It's why our borders still teem with the poor and the tired and those yearning to be free, burned with zeal in the hearts of millions of immigrants from every corner of the Earth who came here in search of a better way of life. The flame that Lady Liberty holds is the American spirit which burns deep within all of us, no matter what our race, gender, our religious background. And today the world is watching us. It's really nothing new. It always has.

Since the dawn of man people dreamt of a better life, dreamt of a better way, of freedom. But it was Americans that finally found a way to build it. And out of all that we've built, the powerful machines, the computers, the weapons of mass destruction, hardware and software that we spent millions on every year to protect and keep the plan secret, our biggest seeming secret, the one the world wants most of all, isn't a secret at all. It's something we freely give to the rest of the world. And while it seems self‑evident to us, for some reason it can't be duplicated. Yet it can be passed on from person to person, torch to torch. It's the American spirit.

If you weren't trapped in one of those towers or on a plane or in the Pentagon, then you have great reason to humbly give thanks today, not for our lives but because we're the lucky ones. God hasn't forsaken us. He's awakened us. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, he's gently called out, "Kids, it's time to wake up! We've been given another chance."

Thousands of years ago in Babel, the great civilization in their arrogance built a tower that reached the sky. It crumbled and they were scattered. Our heart and steely symbols of power and wealth may have crumbled, but we have not been scattered. Americans aren't ever going to scatter. Let the world recognize through our actions today that those firefighters in New York are not the exception. They are the rule. Americans don't run from burning buildings. We run into them. It was a beautiful fall morning on the edge of the land created through divine providence. Coffee shops were open. Children were on their buses and people easing into another typical workday when America's greatest generation heard the voice: "Kids, it's time to wake up."

Several times we've ignored the voice. We've drifted back into twilight sleep muttering, "I know, I know, in a minute." But finally we are awake and out of bed, for there is much work to do. The task before us is much more daunting than what our grandparents and parents faced, but we are stronger, a more prepared nation. The torch has been passed. We are the greatest American generation. The American spirit is alive and well. Our flame has not burned out. It had just been dimmed while we were asleep."

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