Last night, Stephen Colbert looked at how Glenn Beck is planning a rally on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial this August. Now Beck claims that when he first picked the date, he had no clue it was on the anniversary, but...
BECK (6/18): But now I think it was almost divine providence, I do.
Divine providence. That means it was God's idea. And I believe it's divinely inspired, because whenever I tell people what he's doing, they always say, "Holy shit."
....
BECK (4/22): I was... in the Vatican.... And I was surprised... that the individual I was speaking to even knew who I was.... And they said... "Of course we know who you are.... What you're doing is wildly important...."
Who in the Vatican is validating Glenn Beck? Stephen Colbert reveals the shocking source below the fold.
Here's the relevant part of the transcript.
Speaking of white people co-opting black culture, Glenn Beck. Folks, there is more exciting news from Casper the Frenzied Ghost. As regular viewers know, I have been following Glenn Beck's plan to hold a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, the same place and date as MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. Now some say choosing this date proves Glenn is an egomaniac, but I say his ego has nothing to do with him being a maniac. He is doing all of this for other people.
BECK (6/8): 100 years from now, or 200 years from now, I believe this will be remembered as the moment America turned the corner.
BECK 6/15): As we create history together, your children will be able to say, "I remember, I was there", as we pick up Martin Luther King's dream that has been distorted and lost. It's time to restore it and to finish it.
Finally, someone is bringing Martin Luther King's movement back to its conservative white roots. Now folks, it's a little known fact, they only turned those fire hoses on to cool down those black protesters. What the pictures don't show are the Slip 'n' Slides just out of frame.
Besides, you can't criticize Glenn for picking this place and this date. It wasn't even his idea!
BECK (6/18): It is the anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech from Martin Luther King. And what an appropriate day. At first, we picked that date, we didn't know, and I thought, oh geez. But now I think it was almost divine providence, I do.
Divine providence. That means it was God's idea. And I believe it's divinely inspired, because whenever I tell people what he's doing, they always say, "Holy shit." So, the question is, is Glenn Beck being guided by God? Yahweh or No Way? Well, in this case, I'm gonna have to say, Maybeweh. Now, personally, I take everything Glenn says on faith, because there's never any evidence to back up his claims. But, this time, Glenn has a witness from a higher authority.
BECK (4/22): I was... in the Vatican.... And I was surprised... that the individual I was speaking to even knew who I was.... And they said... "Of course we know who you are.... What you're doing is wildly important.... We're entering a period of great darkness...."
Now as much as I love Glenn, he could speed up his stories a bit. That was like watching paint take itself seriously. Of course, the question is, who was that person at the Vatican? Now so far, Glenn has not revealed who the individual was, but when we return, I will.
And who was Glenn's source? Why, the reporter for the Vatican newspaper, Father Guido Sarducci! He explains that he said what he said to Glenn Beck, mistaking him for guitarist Jeff Beck. What ensues is an entire clip of brutal well-deserved mocking. The quote you see below is when Stephen asks if Glenn Beck could be a prophet.
Rest assured that Stephen will be having more on Glenn Beck as we approach the August rally. :-)
That was such a great segment, I didn't even have time to go over what happened on the Daily Show last night. Great clips there too, from John Oliver saying that since the U.S. won a World Cup game, we are now a third world country, but hey, at least we're in the Top 5! Jon also looked at the media reaction to how Rolling Stone could've gotten that McChrystal interview, and focuses on Gretchen Carlson's stupidity in comparing what Obama does to what... she does as an anchor. Then Senior Black Correspondent Larry Wilmore explains why Obama cannot appear to get angry, lest he be branded an "angry black man". Hmm... I may come back to that one later in the week.