Exhuming McCarthy

I do not spill much digital ink on the obviously crazy person called "Glenn Beck." It's not that I think it is beneath this space, or that I'm trying not to contribute to his spotlight. It's more that I don't think I could add anything more; that I would find it difficult to provide additional, useful insight on the guy. I did purchase a domain name that I really should be more active on: glennbeckistan.com. Considering that Sen. Byrd has recently used the phrase, perhaps I should get on it. I dunno. Does BB really need another frakking blog? And wouldn't that mean I'd actually have to watch this madman? I am grateful, though, for a few things regarding Beck. For starters, it is tempting as this post title shows to compare him to Joe McCarthy. Plus, you get to lift from a really bitchin' R.E.M. song. But there is a stark difference between Beck and old Joe: Glenn Beck does not chair a Senate subcommittee. Thank goodness. Second, a striking similarity between the two, in that Beck is starting to trip over his own shoes as did McCarthy. McCarthy was just fine so long as he was investigating the State Department or Hollywood. Then he decided to go after Commies at the Pentagon. The Army said well the hell with this and decided to hold some hearings of their own, going after McCarthy and his chief counsel on unrelated charges. The Army didn't get anything on Joe himself, but he certainly didn't look good on the TV, especially as under fire from Ed Murrow as he was. He was censured and rendered a lame duck in office until he died. One can only hope that Beck has also gone after the wrong leviathan, taking on the churches for any promotion of the great evil that Beck says is "social justice." The problem with Beck though is that his position offers him a very comfy cushion of non-accountability. But who knows. Maybe the churches can finally shame this shameless bastard into shutting the hell up.