Enlighten up
(In response to Zach Levin-Epstein’s Aug. 30 column “‘Beck’oning the masses to ignorance.”)
Mr. Epstein, The only thing you did in “‘Beck’oning the masses to ignorance” was display your own ignorance. Disagreeing with Beck is fine, but your article describing the event was inaccurate and nothing short of eye rolling. The religiously themed 8/28 Project brought hundreds of thousands of people to restore honor. You claim Beck is trying to jack Dr. King’s pure legacy. Beck’s rally had little to do with civil rights, although he made a brief reference to reclaim the civil rights. He was referring to recent injustices that he explains in detail on his Sunday interview with Chris Wallace. Furthermore, Beck has explained he has no intention of jacking King’s legacy by stating he would never be as inspiring or pure, and the date issue was coincidental.
You neglected to give some information. Beck’s rally was focused on restoring America to our traditional values and bringing God back into America. As promised, the rally was not political but raised $5 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a program helping troops and their families. There were several speakers, including King’s niece, Alveda King (who says Beck’s message is in line with her uncle’s), and Sarah Palin who spoke as the mother of a soldier. Lastly, Mr. Epstein, the quotes you cherry picked have explanations and reason behind them. I urge you to research the full stories behind each quote (as a journalist should do), and I hope you find enlightenment.
Robert Celaya
Undergraduate
