I tried, I really tried. Since hearing of Beck’s alleged medical diagnosis a few days back, I’ve done my best to refrain from commenting on the man or his situation.

After 5 days of silence on the subject, I decided to say something. That something is this:

If indeed Glenn Beck has (as he claims) been diagnosed with macular dystrophy and if indeed he will go blind within a year, good.

The man has been deaf when it comes to listening to the facts and dumb when it comes to objectively reporting the facts so he may as well be blind, too.

It may seem to be a harsh attitude to take, but Glenn himself would agree that we in the United States are engaged in a life and death struggle between two diametrically opposed ideologies. I want my side to win and I want his side to lose and to lose big. If his going blind will contribute even 1/1000^th of 1% towards the eventual fall of the American Taliban, then I’m all for it. Every little bit helps.

I do not wish for his suffering, but I certainly do not care if he does. If Beck suffers in the process, it will in no way rise to the level of suffering he and his media masters have caused countless others in this republic and around the globe. For years, Beck has done anything and everything within his power (and the power of FOX News) to undermine the democratic institutions of this republic, all the while posing as a maverick patriot and a folksy moralist. Through his lies and misrepresentations, he has actively supported and promoted seditious demagoguery and anti-democratic obstructionism. He has caused dissension, evil and suffering disproportionate to his intellect or to his place within society.

As any televangelist can tell you, there are worldly rewards to be had for assuming the mantle of Christian conservative hate. While Beck may have genuine religious and political motivations, the financial benefits of his hate-spewing career cannot be ignored:

“In June 2009, estimators at Forbes calculated Beck’s earnings over the previous 12 months at $23 million, with 2009–2010 revenues on track to be higher.^[62] Although the majority of his revenue results from his radio show and books, his website’s 5 million unique visitors per month also provides at least $3 million annually, while his salary at Fox News is estimated at $2 million per year.^[62] Additionally, Beck’s online magazine Fusion sells an array of Beck-themed merchandise,^[62] while his website offers a web subscription service called “Insider Extreme” where for $75 a year one gets access to behind-the-scenes footage and a fourth hour of his daily radio show.^[1] In April 2010, Forbes calculated Beck’s earnings for the previous year (March 2009 – March 2010) to be $32 million.^{[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck”}

Of course, we all know that when one idiot vacates a position of power, there is another already waiting in the wings to take his or her place. But Glenn Beck’s shoes certainly won’t be easy to fill:

I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

The Glenn Beck Program, March 2, 2010

The most used phrase in my administration if I were to be President would be “What the hell you mean we’re out of missiles?”

The Glenn Beck Program, January 12, 2009

“When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I’m just like, ‘Oh shut up’ I’m so sick of them because they’re always complaining.”

The Glenn Beck Program, Sept. 9, 2005

“I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.” – on why people who lost their homes in forest fires in California had it coming.

The Glenn Beck Program, Oct. 22, 2007

“So here you have Barack Obama going in and spending the money on embryonic stem cell research. … Eugenics. In case you don’t know what Eugenics led us to: the Final Solution. A master race! A perfect person. … The stuff that we are facing is absolutely frightening.”

The Glenn Beck Program, March 9, 2009

Another combatant from the culture wars, Christopher Hitchens, has recently shared with the world the unfortunate news of a much graver medical diagnosis – esophageal cancer. Unlike with Beck – who sobbed when relating his diagnosis to the public – when Hitchens was queried about his health in a recent interview with Hugh Hewitt, we do not hear of him blubbering or wallowing in self-pity.  Instead, Hitchens related his condition and treatments to Hewitt in his in trademark stoic and dare I say “manly” fashion. A class act, 100%. Two men; two completely different reactions to adversity. Who would you rather have at the helm in a time of crisis? Needless to say, the world will be a much poorer place when Hitchens expires. The same cannot be said for Beck, although, unfortunately, his current diagnosis is not a terminal one. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to weep and spew hate for many years to come.

Beck seemingly prides himself on his ability to manipulate the intellectually challenged, right-wing radicals and Constitutional revisionists, and I’m sure he’s not going to let that go without a fight. Going blind may limit his options in the medium of television, but he will still be able to inspire morons nationwide by spreading his particular brand of ignorance over the airwaves via hate radio.

In light of potential lifestyle changes, Beck may consider getting a few pointers from another blind promoter of extremist dogma and hate, Omar Abdel-Rahman…the Blind Sheik and the inspiration for the original bombing in 1993 of the World Trade Center. He’s doing life in North Carolina, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon and I’m sure he’d enjoy the company. After they get over their religious differences, I’m sure they’d hit it off just fine.

Let’s just hope the Sheik keeps a lot of tissues on hand.