Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcast
Fine Art
Real Estate
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Glenn's powerful interview with NRA member seeking to oust Grover Norquist from NRA board

August 26, 2015
Staff

WRITER

On radio Wednesday, Glenn spoke with Stu Weber, a life-time NRA member, who has taken matters into his own hands in starting a petition to recall Grover Norquist from the NRA board.

This fascinated Glenn, who said Norquist is among the "top ten most dangerous men in America on the right because you don't see him coming."

Listen to the exchange or read the transcript below.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.

GLENN: Grover Norquist is a guy that honestly when the left used to say, you know, Grover Norquist, he's a bad guy. He's a real puppet master. I was like, I don't even know who Grover Norquist is. We used to ridicule people who said he was a bad guy.

PAT: We used to do Grover Sesame jokes.

GLENN: Right. Because he --

PAT: Silly to us.

GLENN: Like a lizzie (phonetic). Then we found out who Grover Norquist is. Grover Norquist, most people just think of him as a low tax guy or a free market guy. He's a very dangerous guy. Very dangerous. I believe on the right, he is one of the more dangerous people on the right. Probably top ten most dangerous men in America on the right because you don't see him coming. You don't know who he is or what he's capable of or really what his viewpoint is. He's done so much to enable the Muslim Brotherhood and radicalized Islam here in America, that it is -- it's inexcusable and there's no way -- I mean, we had him on the show. And took him apart. And there's no way to answer logically anything that he is trying to defend. He is friends with some of the worst people in the world, and business associates.

So, anyway, we did this exposé and the NRA is doing an investigation on him. And somebody brought to my attention a new website called Recall Grover Norquist. I think it's called recallGrover.com. And Stu Weber is the guy who started this. And we wanted to get him on. Hi, Stu, how are you?

STU WEBER: I'm very fine, Glenn. A little intimidated talking to the king of talk, you know.

GLENN: Yeah, I know. Well, you going to be talking to Rush later? Because now you're just talking to me.

So, Stu, tell me why you're doing this.

STU WEBER: Well, I'm one of the little people that's in that phrase, we, the people. I live out here in the northwest, have all my life, except when I went to college in Vietnam. And I love my country, and I appreciate the NRA. And I read a lot. I enjoy Bonhoeffer as you do. I remember his statement, not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. And I have breakfast every week with two or three guys, who -- we just talk about personal growth issues and concerns. And we finally decided one day, it's time to stop talking, and it's time to do something. So each of us picked a task. And mine ended up being, I'll help the NRA focus on its mission today at a crucial point in our 2016 election cycle and not get distracted by things like Grover.

GLENN: Grover has temporarily stepped aside while this investigation is going on. But it's going to be a long, drawn-out thing. And expensive. And that's the one thing that really kills me with the NRA is that it's really expensive. And they need to focus on winning an election.

STU WEBER: That's where I'm at.

GLENN: Okay. But you're not just trying to get -- you know who Grover is? I mean, why is --

STU WEBER: Well, I've done a lot of reading about Islam. So when I see certain names in association with certain people, it raises my eyebrows. To start at the very beginning, I believe in the Constitution. I took an oath to defend it. It never expires. And I particularly value the first and second amendments because there wouldn't have been a Constitution ratified without them.

And the first one is my freedom of religion and faith and assembly and speech and press. And the second one is the ability to defend it. So those two are very important to me. And that makes the NRA very important to me.

And I happen to know from reading, there is no freedom of religion in Islam. It's, by definition, a state religion. It's a totalitarian way of life. It dictates the religious, economic, social, military, political lives of all the people. It's called a caliphate, a single word. And that's very scary to me.

And then in 2005, I was reading a book by a guy named Paul Sperry called Infiltration: How Muslim Subversives Have Penetrated Washington. And it was scary. It was real. And there was an entire chapter, maybe even a little more than a chapter devoted to Mr. Norquist, whose name to me at that time was just as you described earlier, a conservative tax guy. And I liked that a whole lot. So I was a little surprised by what I read there in 2005. And now it's been years.

GLENN: And nobody has done anything.

STU WEBER: It's an old adage, tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are. And that's what's so scary to me.

GLENN: Exactly. So how can we help you? What has to be done? How does this work?

STU WEBER: Well, thank you. It's all spelled out in the bylaws of the NRA. They're available in different spots on the web. But I think --

GLENN: You're not with the NRA?

STU WEBER: No, no.

GLENN: You're just a member.

STU WEBER: I'm just a member. I think I initially joined probably in the '70s. I forget. And I have never really done anything with the NRA except read the magazines. But when I kind of vowed to take some action, this one came to mind.

So all we have to do, according to the bylaws, is get 450 life members or 450 people who have been a member of the NRA for five years or more to sign a petition to recall an individual. And those 450 petitioners, there needs to be at least 100 from three different states. So I encourage all my friends to grab all their friends that live nearby and get them to sign this.

And all we have to do is go on that website that's recallGrover.com. And it's only a one-page thing. It's not complicated. There's only two little press points. One gives you a summarizing link of all the research that reflects some of those associations that you've referred to that Mr. Norquist has. It's phenomenal. And the people that I think you've mentioned them in the past, that put this together are amazing kinds of people, like a former US Attorney General, like CIA Director James Woolsey, who, by the way, I had the privilege of sitting in a national security seminar and listening to him at the Army War College years ago. Brilliant, thoughtful, patriot, wise. And I know he feels pretty strongly about Grover. And I happen to know Jerry Boykin as well. And they both signed this letter, along with eight other highly credible, professional, intelligent practitioners. They know what they're talking about. And you can't just dismiss them like children on a playground saying nah, nah, nah -- into calling names.

So the petition is 450 names. We need to fill them out correctly. All you do is press the -- get the information on that one little link there. Then download the form. Then fill out the form correctly. All it needs is your name and your membership number. But it needs to be the name that you have with the NRA, like their records. Your address. Your signature. And sign it and date it. And snail mail it to the NRA. It's that simple.

GLENN: I mailed mine yesterday. So you know.

STU WEBER: I did too.

STU: What happens when you get the 450 petitions that make it to the NRA?

STU WEBER: Well, by the bylaws, the board calls together a special hearing committee, and they review the petition to make sure they're all qualified people. And then they go ahead, and this hearing committee makes a recommendation to the board. And there's published in the NRA magazine issue that follows, a ballot. And -- so all we're trying to do is get NRA members to have a voice. I mean, they're members. And we're not trying to indict anybody or convict anybody or send anybody to prison or any media fanfare. We just want to give the guys a voice and remove this distraction and expense, which is killing the NRA at a crucial time.

GLENN: What I understand it will do is, it will bring it to the NRA. The NRA then has the board look at the charges. And then they say, yes, we think he should be removed, or no, we don't. Then that's published in the magazine. Then it goes to a general vote, right?

STU WEBER: Yes, that's my understanding, as well.

GLENN: Okay. Stu, thank you very much. And I appreciate it. Thank you for standing. This is exactly what we've been talking about, is just regular people, not waiting around. Like you said, just sitting with three friends. And you're all like, I'm going to do something. What is my thing I'm going to do?

STU WEBER: Yep. Exactly. I'm with you. And I appreciate you. And I thank you for supporting us this way with a little opportunity to put the website out there.

GLENN: You bet. When are these due?

STU WEBER: Yeah. Crucial, crucial question. I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned it before. We have to have all this done and all the petitions into the NRA headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, by September 14th. Basically in two weeks.

GLENN: So you got to do it today.

STU WEBER: You got to do it today.

GLENN: Go to recallGrover.com. RecallGrover.com. Fill it out. We need 450. They have to be filled out exactly right.

STU WEBER: Yes.

GLENN: And then that process will go through. Stu, thank you very much.

STU WEBER: Thank you.

GLENN: I'm with you, brother. Thank you. RecallGrover.com.

Featured Image: Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, participates in a session on "Strategic Communication" at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, on February 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Washington Post EXPOSED: How Watergate editors almost published a fake Pulitzer Prize-winning story

Episode 6 of Glenn’s new history podcast series The Beck Story releases this Saturday.

This latest installment explores the history of Left-wing bias in mainstream media. Like every episode of this series, episode 6 is jam-packed with historical detail, but you can’t squeeze in every story, so some inevitably get cut from the final version. Part of this episode involves the late Ben Bradlee, who was the legendary editor of the Washington Post. Bradlee is legendary mostly because of the Watergate investigation that was conducted on his watch by two young reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Bradlee, Woodward, and Bernstein became celebrities after the release of the book and movie based on their investigation called All the President’s Men.

But there is another true story about the Washington Post that you probably won’t see any time soon at a theater near you.

In 1980, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee wanted to expand the Post’s readership in the black community. The paper made an effort to hire more minority journalists, like Janet Cooke, a black female reporter from Ohio. Cooke was an aggressive reporter and a good writer. She was a fast-rising star on a staff already full of stars. The Post had a very competitive environment and Cooke desperately wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Readers were hooked. And outraged.

When Cooke was asked to work on a story about the D.C. area’s growing heroin problem, she saw her chance to win that Pulitzer. As she interviewed people in black neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the heroin epidemic, she was appalled to learn that even some children were heroin addicts. When she learned about an eight-year-old heroin addict named Jimmy, she knew she had her hook. His heartbreaking story would surely be her ticket to a Pulitzer.

Cooke wrote her feature story, titling it, “Jimmy’s World.” It blew away her editors at the Post, including Bob Woodward, who by then was Assistant Managing Editor. “Jimmy’s World” would be a front-page story:

'Jimmy is 8 years old and a third-generation heroin addict,' Cooke’s story began, 'a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes and needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms. He nestles in a large, beige reclining chair in the living room of his comfortably furnished home in Southeast Washington. There is an almost cherubic expression on his small, round face as he talks about life – clothes, money, the Baltimore Orioles and heroin. He has been an addict since the age of 5.'

Readers were hooked. And outraged. The mayor’s office instructed the police to immediately search for Jimmy and get him medical treatment. But no one was able to locate Jimmy. Cooke wasn’t surprised. She told her editors at the Post that she had only been able to interview Jimmy and his mother by promising them anonymity. She also revealed that the mother’s boyfriend had threatened Cooke’s life if the police discovered Jimmy’s whereabouts.

A few months later, Cooke’s hard work paid off and her dream came true – her story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Cooke had to submit some autobiographical information to the Prize committee, but there was a slight snag. The committee contacted the Post when they couldn’t verify that Cooke had graduated magna cum laude from Vassar College. Turns out she only attended Vassar her freshman year. She actually graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. degree, not with a master’s degree as she told the Pulitzer committee.

Cooke’s editors summoned her for an explanation. Unfortunately for Cooke and the Washington Post, her resume flubs were the least of her lies. After hours of grilling, Cooke finally confessed that “Jimmy’s World” was entirely made up. Jimmy did not exist.

The Pulitzer committee withdrew its prize and Cooke resigned in shame. The Washington Post, the paper that uncovered Watergate – the biggest political scandal in American history – failed to even vet Cooke’s resume. Then it published a front-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning feature story that was 100 percent made up.

Remarkably, neither Ben Bradlee nor Bob Woodward resigned over the incident. It was a different time, but also, the halo of All the President’s Men probably saved them.

Don’t miss the first five episodes of The Beck Story, which are available now. And look for Episode 6 this Saturday, wherever you get your podcasts.


5 Democrats who have endorsed Kamala (and two who haven't)

Zach Gibson / Stringer, Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

With Biden removed from the 2024 election and only a month to find a replacement before the DNC, Democrats continue to fall in line and back Vice President Kamala Harris to headline the party's ticket. Her proximity and familiarity with the Biden campaign along with an endorsement from Biden sets Harris up to step into Biden's shoes and preserve the momentum from his campaign.

Glenn doesn't think Kamala Harris is likely to survive as the assumed Democratic nominee, and once the DNC starts, anything could happen. Plenty of powerful and important Democrats have rallied around Harris over the last few days, but there have been some crucial exemptions. Here are five democrats that have thrown their name behind Harris, and two SHOCKING names that didn't...

Sen. Dick Durbin: ENDORSED

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

High-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin officially put in his support for Harris in a statement that came out the day after Biden stepped down: “I’m proud to endorse my former Senate colleague and good friend, Vice President Kamala Harris . . . our nation needs to continue moving forward with unity and not MAGA chaos. Vice President Harris was a critical partner in building the Biden record over the past four years . . . Count me in with Kamala Harris for President.”

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: ENDORSED

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

The Monday after Biden stepped down from the presidential VP hopeful, Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on X: “Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States [...] In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ENDORSED

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

Mere hours after Joe Biden made his announcement, AOC hopped on X and made the following post showing her support: "Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ENDORSED

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is arguably one of the most influential democrats, backed Harris's campaign with the following statement given the day after Biden's decision: “I have full confidence she will lead us to victory in November . . . My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal, and political.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ENDORSED

Drew Angerer / Stringer | Getty Images

Massasschesets Senator Elizabeth Warren was quick to endorse Kamala, releasing the following statement shortly after Harris placed her presidential bid: "I endorse Kamala Harris for President. She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."

Former President Barack Obama: DID NOT ENDORSE

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama wasted no time releasing the following statement which glaringly omits any support for Harris or any other candidate. Instead, he suggests someone will be chosen at the DNC in August: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."

Prominent Democratic Donor John Morgan: DID NOT ENDORSE

AP Photo/John Raoux

Prominent and wealthy Florida lawyer and democrat donor John Morgan was clearly very pessimistic about Kamala's odds aginst Trump when he gave the following statement: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither. It’s others turn now . . . The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck . . . [Harris] would not be my first choice, but it’s a done deal.”

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?