Beck Slams Planned Parenthood With “Bad Tree” Double Standard
In an episode dedicated to vilifying Planned Parenthood, Fox News’ Glenn Beck highlighted the organization’s historical ties to Margaret Sanger — a proponent of some forms of eugenics — and stated: “I believe one thing is true: A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Period. You need to know the roots of the this tree.” However, Beck previously promoted a group that was founded by John Tanton, who has also been associated with eugenics and remains on the group’s board today.
Beck: “A Bad Tree Cannot Bear Good Fruit. Period.”
From the February 18 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:
BECK: We have cloaked Planned Parenthood in happiness, in compassion. That’s going to change tonight. Because I believe one thing is true: A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Period. You need to know the roots of the this tree. You need to know the roots of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/18/11]
Beck Didn’t Apply “Bad Tree” Logic To Anti-Immigration Group He Promoted
Beck Repeatedly Hosted Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) On His CNN Show. According to Nexis, Beck hosted representatives of FAIR, an organization that seeks to lower both illegal and legal immigration, on his CNN show seven times. [CNN, Glenn Beck, 5/9/07, 5/22/07, 7/18/07, 8/13/07, 11/6/07, 11/27/07, 2/28/08]
John Tanton Founded FAIR And Remains On Its Board. A March 2010 Center for Immigration Studies document states that Tanton “is one member of [FAIR’s] 12-member board. He helps set policy, but he does not direct it.” The document also states:
John Tanton founded FAIR in 1979. Six years later he was one of several individuals who were instrumental in starting the Center for Immigration Studies. CIS operated under FAIR’s non-profit umbrella for about six months, until its independent non-profit status was approved. In the late 1990s Tanton helped launch NumbersUSA. Because of the prominent role these organizations have played in the national immigration debate, he can rightly be described as the father of the modern movement to restrict immigration [Center for Immigration Studies, March 2010]
Tanton: “The Less Intelligent” Should Have Fewer Kids; “How Will It Be Implemented?” In 1996, Tanton wrote to eugenicist Robert K. Graham, “Do we leave it to individuals to decide that they are the intelligent ones who should have more kids? And more troublesome, what about the less intelligent, who logically should have less? Who is going to break the bad news [to less intelligent individuals], and how will it be implemented?” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 2/09]
Tanton Marketed Eugenics “Under The Term Genetics.” The Southern Poverty Law Center reported:
After starting his own eugenicist group, the Society for Genetic Education in 1996, he wrote to Graham, the California eugenicist, to discuss public relations strategies. In a Sept. 18, 1996, letter, Tanton explained how his new group’s website “emphasized mankind’s use of eugenic principles on plants and the lower animals as a way to condition the public to the idea of genetic manipulation, and raise the question of its application to the human race.” Elaborating, he added: “We report ways [eugenics] is currently being done, but under the term genetics rather than eugenics.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 2/09]
Tanton: “Jewish Outlook On Life” Seeks To Undermine White Dominance. Tanton sent a paper by Kevin MacDonald — who wrote several books claiming Jews seek to undermine the dominant majorities in their host countries – to a right-wing philanthropist, stating, “I’m sure [MacDonald’s article] will give you a new understanding of the Jewish outlook on life, which explains a large part of the Jewish opposition to immigration reform.”
Tanton: Continued Immigration At High Levels Means Millions Of Extra People “Defecating And Creating Garbage.” The Detroit Free Press reported, “[I]if immigration continues at current levels, the Census Bureau projects that U.S. population will approach 400 million by mid-century — with millions of extra people ‘defecating and creating garbage and looking for jobs,’ as Tanton put it.” [Detroit Free Press, 3/14/1997, accessed via Nexis]
Tanton Memo Documents Preoccupation With Fertility Of Immigrants. From an October 10, 1986, discussion memo written by John Tanton:
- “Gobernar es poplar translates “to govern is to populate,” (Parsons’ [Thomas Malthus] paper, p. 10, packet sent May 8). In this society where the majority rules, does this hold? Will the present majority peaceably hand over its political power to a group that is simply more fertile?”
- ” Can homo contraceptivus compete with homo progenitiva if borders aren’t controlled? Or is advice to limit ones family simply advice to move over and let someone else with greater reproductive powers occupy the space?”
- “On the demographic point: perhaps this is the first instance in which those with their pants up are going to get caught by those with their pants down!”
- “What are the differences in educability between Hispanics (with their 50% dropout rate) and Asiatics (with their excellent school records and long tradition of scholarship)?” [Southern Poverty Law Center, Summer 2002]
FAIR Was Previously Funded By Eugenicist Pioneer Fund. FAIR accepted over $1 million from the Pioneer Fund [The Detroit News, 4/24/2007, accessed via Nexis]
- Pioneer Fund was created to “promote racial purity” and has “funded research into theories that blacks are genetically inferior to whites,” according to the New York Times. [The New York Times, 4/14/2000, 1/27/1996]
Tanton’s Social Contract Press Publishes White Supremacist Authors. Tanton created the Social Contract Press, which publishes pieces “by authors who express white nationalist or separatist views.” Tanton’s quarterly magazine The Social Contract is edited by Wayne Lutton who “has also been on the advisory board of the publication of the Council of Conservative Citizens,” a white-supremacist group. [Rocky Mountain News, 7/15/06]
- The Council of Conservative Citizens’ statement of principles states: “We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called “affirmative action” and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.” [Council of Conservative Citizens, accessed 2/18/11]
Beck Noted That Founders Of U.S. Owned Slaves
Beck: “The Problem With The Founders Was We Look At Them With Today’s Eyes On Slavery.” From the February 18 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:
BECK: Tonight we’re talking about abortion. It doesn’t get any more fun than that. This is a topic that nobody on television ever wants to address. This is something that is going to be remembered one way or another as the slavery or slave debate of our time.
[…]
The problem with the founders was we look at them with today’s eyes on slavery. Slavery just was when our founders were growing up. It was a new idea to stop slavery. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/18/11]
Beck Clearly Does Not See America As A “Bad Tree” That “Cannot Bear Good Fruit.” From the January 4 edition of his Fox News show:
BECK: The secret our founders understood is that America is good, because the individual American is honest, just, thrifty, responsible, educated, charitable and God-fearing.
America is great because America is good. It’s not just some trite slogan. It is a deep and well thought out philosophy that has quite frankly over 200 years of evidence — 200 years of evidence of its truth.
Yet, we are being told that it’s all a lie. From every level, from our classrooms to our news rooms: America is not good. And she’s never been great.
My fellow citizens, this country will not survive much longer if that lie continues to be believed. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/4/11, accessed via Nexis]
America Made “Bad Mistakes In Its Past But It’s Still The Best Thing Out There.” From the August 18, 2010, edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:
BECK: I think the good news is, there’s a growing segment of people out there who are following me on a journey and following others on a journey and they’re learning. They’re learning history. And they understand that America was not perfect and is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
Do you feel it? You’re coming out of your child-like love for America and you’re becoming an adult. You can recognize, yes, horrible things have happened in this country. But you can also recognize with a better understanding of the good things that happened. You realize that America had bad — you know, bad mistakes in its past but it’s still the best thing out there. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/18/10, accessed via Nexis]
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Last year, Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos became the face of the opposition to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, going so far as to argue that if Congress lifted the ban against open service and allowed gays to serve without hiding their sexual orientation, the Marines could be so distracted that they would 
