Glen Beck goes Full Galt

[BrainGlutton]

@Damuri_Ajashi

Hmm. I thought it was some sort of doomsday prepper paradise until I saw the photos. There is a faction of the nutty extreme right that are organizing and living in communes in preparation for the end of the world. Their whole life revolves around learning how to live ina post-apocalyptic world. But nope, Glen beck is even nuttier than THAT.

No, he’s nuttier even than that. His stated inspiration for this project is Disneyland, but with cartoonish RW memes substituted for cartoon characters. From Beck’s website:

What are the American Dream Labs building towards? Glenn gave a look at the big picture that everything is building towards: Independence, USA!

While Independence is very much a dream at this point, the proposed city-theme park hybrid would bring several of Glenn’s seemingly disconnected projects into one place. Media, live events, small business stores, educational projects, charity, entertainment, news, information, and technology R&D – all of these things would have a home in Independence. With the rest of the country and the world going away from the values of freedom, responsibility and truth, Independence would be a place built on the very foundation of those principles. A retreat from the world where entrepreneurs, artists, and creators could come to put their ideas to work. A place for families to bring their children to be inspired.

The ambitious project, projected to cost over two billion dollars, has been heavily influenced by Walt Disney. As Glenn has been explaining throughout the week, Disneyland was originally intended to be a place where people would find happiness, inspiration, courage and hope. Over time, Walt Disney’s original vision has been lost. While hundreds of thousands still flock to the town, it’s become commercialized and the big dreams and the heart have been compromised.

Glenn believes that he can bring the heart and the spirit of Walt’s early Disneyland ideas into reality. Independence, USA wouldn’t be about rides and merchandise, but would be about community and freedom. The Marketplace would be a place where craftmen and artisan could open and run real small businesses and stores. The owners and tradesmen could hold apprenticeships and teach young people the skills and entrepreneurial spirit that has been lost in today’s entitlement state.

There would also be an Media Center, where Glenn’s production company would film television, movies, documentaries, and more. Glenn hoped to include scripted television that would challenge viewers without resorting to a loss of human decency. He also said it would be a place where aspiring journalists would learn how to be great reporters.

Across the lake, there would be a church modelled after The Alamo which would act as a multi-denominational mission center. The town will also have a working ranch where visitors can learn how to farm and work the land.

Independence would also be home to a Research and Development center where people would come to learn, innovate, educate, and create. There would be a theme park for people to recharge and have fun with their families.

People would also have the option to live in Independence, with a residential area where people of different incomes could all come together and be neighbors.

[Robb]

@BrainGlutton

No. The streets will be grass, apparently. Well, New Urbanism is distinctly not car-friendly. Presumably Independence Park will be build entirely pedestrian-scale – like Seaside (where the streets are at least paved).

Beck also remarked, in clips Jon Stewart played, that in the Independence Park “Marketplace” there will be no room for things like the Gap. And all the food will be produced locally. How granola-crunching anticorporate lefty can ya get?!

I wonder where he can put his city in Texas that will allow them to reliably grow all their food locally. Large parts of the state are dealing with multi-year drought. (And T. Boone Pickens has been buying water rights in some of those areas.

[BrainGlutton]

Come to think of it, a “city/theme-park hybrid” was Disney’s idea, too – not for Disneyland, but see his original conception for EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow). But nothing ever came of that – the Epcot Center ultimately was built as a theme park only, and when the Disney corporation finally did built an actual town near Walt Disney World, they built Celebration, on a far more traditional model.

[elbows]

Didn’t he say he would take July 4th back from backyard BBQing, beer drinking and Bruce Springsteen?

Yeah, good luck with that Glen!

[Kobal2]

@elbows

Didn’t he say he would take July 4th back from backyard BBQing, beer drinking and Bruce Springsteen?

Yeah, good luck with that Glen!

Off to re-education with you if you can’t see the purity and wisdom of that !

[Bryan_Ekers]

Education is for ivory-tower liberals!

[Robb]

@Bryan_Ekers

Education is for ivory-tower liberals!

And re-education is for?

[Bryan_Ekers]

Re-spect!

[BrainGlutton]

@elbows

Didn’t he say he would take July 4th back from backyard BBQing, beer drinking and Bruce Springsteen?

Yeah, good luck with that Glen!

That’s what happens when you filter the philosophy of Ayn Rand through the mind of a Mormon.

[Rand_Rover]

@gamerunknown

Rand Rover could be eugenics and insurance coordinator. Course, given the inflated costs that come with insurance (Baumol’s cost sickness), they’d need to have someone set fiscal policy too. Maybe he could just rely on the eugenics side of things. Ever notice anyone save money for retirement in the Galt Gulch?

Uh . . . what?

[elucidator]

That’s what happens when you filter the philosophy of Ayn Rand through the mind of a Mormon.

Ayn Rand would rape Glenn Beck.

[Bryan_Ekers]

I dunno, I don’t think she be in love with him.

[BrainGlutton]

@elucidator

Ayn Rand would rape Glenn Beck.

Physically and mentally.

[Lobohan]

@elucidator

Ayn Rand would rape Glenn Beck.

I picture her with an absurdly large hyperandrogenic clitoris that she calls the Tsar’s Hammer.

I also picture Beck getting facially flogged with it. I’m gonna stop picturing this now.

[BrainGlutton]

@Lobohan

I picture her with an absurdly large hyperandrogenic clitoris that she calls the Tsar’s Hammer.

I also picture Beck getting facially flogged with it. I’m gonna stop picturing this now.

:eek: Lucky you can! :mad:

[Ike_Witt]

@BrainGlutton

That’s what happens when you filter the philosophy of Ayn Rand through the mind of a Mormon.

Your reply has one too many of the letter ‘M’ in it.

[Ludovic]

Why do you hate Suze Orman?

[Gyrate]

Glenn hoped to include scripted television that would challenge viewers without resorting to a loss of human decency.

Uh-huh. Because in the past he’s been the poster boy for “scripted television that would challenge viewers without resorting to a loss of human decency”. I guess it’s his evil twin who’s been doing the “incoherent invective-filled ranting appealing to people’s worst instincts” then.