The stage is set. Glenn Beck, in his famous brown shirt, will stand at the base of Abraham Lincoln's huge statue to address the American people on August 28, 2010, the annivesary of Dr. King's I have a dream... speech.
Like other malcontents that have staged coups, Glenn Beck has a plan. It is actually called "The Plan," and it will address the course of our nation for the next 100 years. Mr. Beck has chosen his stage well. He wants the backing of Abraham Lincoln to remind all citizens that America is worth fighting for. To reinforce this image, Mr. Beck will invite military members to stand beside him. They will lend him validity that otherwise would not exist.
But it is possible to prevent this coup - or at least undress it. We can help change the setting of this stage with a concerted effort. You may have read about this before, in my rant of a few days ago. Don't let that stop you from reading further. We need your interest yet again to take our own movement forward.
Read on...
Our first goal in the undressing of this event is to change the way Glenn Beck will fund it.
Currently, he is using an unconventional method to give his donors a tax deduction to support his next book release. And this method is actually a part of his stage dressing. He is using a small charity, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, to lend him validity - to make him look like an altruist and a patriot.
We have already been hard at work, a few Kossacks and unknown others who read my original rant and call to action. But we have yet to make much of an impact. Here is what we have definitely accomplished since last Thursday -
The charity has moved the advertisement of Glenn Beck's "Restore Our Honor" rally to the bottom of their website. It no longer receives top billing. They have replaced it with their 4 star Charity Navigator rating. If you visit the page, you will actually have to scroll down to find the name, Glenn Beck.
We have also heard back from the charity that they were unaware of the "unoffical" Facebook page. They are trying to shut it down. I don't believe they will have much luck. On February 28, the Official Page, Restoring Honor had 89 members. It had grown by 3 new fans in two days. The unofficial Restore Honor page has grown from 588 to 633 members in the same amount of time. This is the site full of racism and outright hatred for the government. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.
I personally received a letter from the Executive Director that I would like to share with you. This is my response, placed in between the points he made:
Major McLeary,
I appreciate your that you took to the time to answer my letter. I want to remind you that my concern isn't with SOWF past fundraising or how the charity is run. My concern is with this single event. I have responded to your comments below.
The event will not have any politics involved and is not an event to showcase Glenn Beck. The Rally is to honor our military and the Founders of our great nation. It will not be a political platform.
Glenn Beck has already advertised this event, long before your organization was invited to participate. He first made this announcement in September, 2009 and repeated announcements in November, 2009. In January, he made the announcement that fundraising would take place with the help of Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Many non-profit organizations hold fundraising events such as concerts with major stars, gala’s with guest speakers, and other large events. We are not encouraging people to support or not support Glenn Beck’s views. But he does have a national audience that will help promote our cause.
I have no qualms with non-profits holding fundraising events with guest speakers. You are very right, it is done all the time. But your organization is not holding a fundraiser. Glenn Beck is holding a rally to reveal, "The Plan" to his followers and has invited your organization to handle the fund raising.
This same link tells us that "The Plan" is a book.
"All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding."
Furthermore, it is a political book,
I have begun meeting with some of the best minds in the country that believe in limited government, maximum freedom and the values of our Founders. I am developing a 100 year plan. I know that the bipartisan corruption in Washington that has brought us to this brink and it will not be defeated easily. It will require unconventional thinking and a radical plan to restore our nation to the maximum freedoms we were supposed to have been protecting, using only the battlefield of ideas.
Unless I see on Glenn Beck's website that the event is no longer a launch point for his book or to preach to his followers about the "refounding" of America, I will continue to have serious doubts about the purpose of this event and the legality of the fund raising.
You may not be aware of the event we held a few years ago when our main speaker was Senator Hilary Clinton. We received many emails because then Senator Clinton wanted to support our Foundation. We did not change our course because of the criticism of those who do not support our guests politics. We remain focused on our mission and being non partisan.
I'm very glad that you were able to hold an event with former Senator Hillary Clinton. I have heard that Senator John McCain helped arrange for her to speak in his place as he was unable to attend. I've also read the conversations found online about the criticism. It is a shame that your organization received criticism for her speaking role. She was not there to promote a book, nor did she ask SOWF to raise funds to hold her own event. It could be argued that she was hoping to gain goodwill for the future President election. But if she did not speak of getting elected, or of how she would change the nation in the future, or promote a book for sale, at the fundraising event, then your organization was right to have her speak.
There will be other speakers at the event and we are working to have people who are well known and will draw the people to attend and who will also donate to our cause. We would not have entered this event unless there was a large profit opportunity.
I am looking forward to seeing the speaking list for this event. There still seems to be some confusion, however, as to which organization is responsible for the planning and for the invitations to speakers. Is this event Glenn Beck's and the 9/12 Project, or is it being planned by Special Operations Warrior Foundation?
If this event is indeed the responsibility of SOWF, I would suggest making this a day to celebrate the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's famous speech by inviting a well known Civil Rights activist to participate. August 28 is the anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech and it it took place in the very same place, the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Next, I would like to address your comment about the one million dollars. Before entering into any event we compare the costs with the estimated profit. We don’t know where the rumor began about the event costing a million dollars. We have not seen any budget for the event that comes to that amount. We would not be holding the event if it was not profitable or was not going to raise funds for our cause.
The event is actually estimated to cost $2 million, according to Mr. Beck. He is willing to cover half of the costs. The one million dollars comes from two sources - one is the article in which you were interviewed. It also comes from Glenn Beck's radio show. He made the announcement of costs while introducing his unique fundraising plan.
Please let me give you an example of a fundraising technique we do not use. You may have received solicitation from other non-profit organizations in the mail. These are called direct mail campaigns. The typical cost for a direct mail campaign is 70% of the funds go to fundraising with only 30% going to the charity. So, would you question every charity that used that technique to raise funds? We don’t use direct mail because of the cost ratio.
I'm glad your organization doesn't resort to direct mail campaigns. I agree that they are very wasteful. I don't make donations to charities that use them. I have yet to have a military-affiliated charity send me a request for donations by direct mail. If they did, I would be vocal about the waste.
Our events are not about who the guest speaker is ...they are about supporting our cause. We have the highest rating from Charity Navigator for four years in row making us one of the best rated charities in America.
I understand that your organization has the highest rating from Charity Navigator. That is actually one of the reasons this unconventional fundraising event originally caught my attention. I have also searched the internet and found numerous examples of your great work and the wonderful people who work to raise funds for SOWF. I hope that SOWF will have the opportunity to continue these great relationships with so many patriotic Americans in the future. I know many people who would like to engage in a fund raising campaign for SOWF. Personally, I am waiting to see what kind event is actually held in August. I would hate to make a donation to your cause and find that it was used to promote Glenn Beck, his book, or his political ideology.
We remain focused on our mission and this event will provide an opportunity to reach about 4 million television viewers and nearly two million radio listeners. It is our hope these viewers and listeners will support our cause and thus help with our mission to serve the children and families we have served for nearly 30 years.
I sincerely hope that you are able to reach these viewers as well. But until this event is advertised clearly and solely as a fundraiser for SOWF, I will have my doubts. Glenn Beck continues to advertise this event in very political terms and as his own as late as February 22, a week ago:
The current crop of clowns running things in D.C. rarely look to the Founders for inspiration. President Obama gets his inspiration from himself apparently, as he reportedly has pictures (not of founders) but of himself all over the White House. Perhaps that explains why no one has figured out how to get America's ducks in a row - they've forgotten how we got here. Glenn is on a mission to remind people with the Restoring Honor Rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on 8/28.
Major Leary,
I have serious concerns for your charity and I don't believe you or your staff are hearing them.
The fundraising taking place is for the benefit of a private individual and his enterprise, specifically Glenn Beck, the 9/12 Project, and the book, "The Plan".
The event itself does not fit the mission of SOWF. It is intended to address Glenn Beck followers in order to push them to further action - to "refound" America. Fundraising for your charity is secondary to the main event itself.
As much as Glenn Beck says this event is non-political, his calls to "refound" America and his desire to eradicate progressivism, cannot be separated from this it. The man is touring America this summer to teach people how to "refound" America and take it back from progressives. He has said these events will culminate on 8/28 when he releases "The Plan". Politics is more than Republicans and Democrats. Politics is also conservatives and progressives.
I respectively request that you address these concerns and that you forward them to both General Stiner and the Board of Directors.
I will also pursue other avenues to address this matter and encourage others to do the same.
Sincerely,
Angie Drake
Hopefully, this letter will spur you on to write your own. Please share any responses that you receive in the comments below!
Here are the action items - I am asking everyone that reads this diary to take at minimum TWO actions! We won't do this with less!
ACTION - Call Special Operations Warrior Foundation, 813-805-9400, and ask for Edie Rosenthal, the Public Relations Director, Steve McLeary, the Executive Director.
We're adding a direct ask today - "Will Special Operations Warrior Foundation stop raising funds for Glenn Beck?"
ACTION - Email Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Let them know what you think. You can address your emails to:
Carl W. Stiner, Chairman
General, USA (Ret.)
2nd Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command
John T. Carney, Jr., President
Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, 720th Special Tactics Group
You can also email Edie Rosenthal or Steve McLeary directly.
If anyone gets a response, please share!
ACTION - write a letter to the editor of the Tampa Tribune. You could just send a copy of your email slightly edited. They have a 150 word limit.
2 Letters have been sent
And to the St. Petersburg Times. Their guidelines: Because of space limitations, letters should be of reasonable length (250-300 words maximum, as a rule). Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. All letters must contain the writer's name, address and telephone number. (Addresses and telephone numbers will not be printed.)
2 Letters have been sent
ACTION - for Florida Residents - file an online complaint with the Florida Attorney General.
You will need to call the charity first and complain. Remember the name of the person you spoke to. Send this information to the AG. You will also need to know their address, including Hillsborough County:
Special Operations Warrior Foundation
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13483, Tampa, FL 33681-3483
Physical Location: 4409 West El Prado Blvd, Tampa, FL 33629
Phone Numbers:
(813) 805-9400
(813) 805-0640
(813) 839-4059
Toll Free: (877) 337-7693
Fax: (813) 805-0567
Tax ID#52-1183585
ACTION: Attorneys General in other states; before contacting, please call Special Ops first. Most of these forms require you to have contacted the charity and ask with whom you spoke. Also, if any of these links don't work, please let me know. I'm bound to have made at least one mistake.
AK,
AR,
AZ,
CA, Registry of Charitable Trusts, Office of the Attorney General
CO,
CT,
DC,
FL Contacted by 2 people
GA, Phone:(404) 656-3300, Fax:(404) 657-8733
IL,
KS,
KY,
MA,
MD,
ME,
MI,
MO,
MS,
NC,
ND,
NH, Terry Knowles, Assistant Director, Charitable Trusts Unit
NJ,
NM,
NY,
OH,
OK,
OR,
PA,
RI, Adam J. Sholes, Special Assistant Attorney General
Phone: (401) 274-4400, Ext 2219
TN, Secretary of State, Department of Charitable Giving
SC
TX Contacted by 1 person
UT,
WA,
Email Charity Navigator and ask them about the legality of such fundraising.
3 Emails have been sent.
File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
2 complaints have been filed.
ACTION - Spread the word. Facebook, Twitter, Email... it's the best way to grow a campaign.
BONUS ACTION - Email Glenn Beck, and let him know that military's honor has not been tarnished and does not need restoring, thank you very much.
Do you have a suggestion for the name of our Facebook page? Please leave in comments!
Have at 'em! Make today a good one!
PRIDE * HONOR * SACRIFICE * DEDICATION * STRENGTH *
STATUS UPDATE - More people and more organizations are getting involved, from a comment below:
I'm in contact with their PR person, I brought in Angelo from StopBeck.com and Beth Becker who does things with NFTT.
We're going to have a polite discussion with them.
"Not dead ... yet. Still have ... things to do." -Liet Kynes
by Stranded Wind on Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 10:46:17 AM MST