Glenn Beck: Every American — black and white, left and right — should see 'Selma'

Glenn Beck speaker at FreePac (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

Conservative talk radio host and commentator Glenn Beck on Saturday saw a screening of “Selma,” a film shot in the Yellowhammer State about the Alabama city’s role in the Civil Rights struggle, and immediately after it concluded took to Facebook to urge every American to go see it.

His thoughts are below (lightly edited for minor errors likely made while typing on a mobile device).

We saw Selma tonight. I really wanted to see it but at the same time I worried about the spin of the story. It is an Oprah movie. She attended J. Wright’s church. If she could sit through those sermons, God only knows what she really believes. The last thing I want to do is be preached to about how racist America is.

Would it be a message movie or would they tell the whole truth and let it speak for itself?

I am thrilled to say, this is a movie that every American should see.

First. Every cop killer, looter, liar and “take it because I’ve been wronged and I am owed good things” American needs to watch. Listen in particular to what a friend of C. Scott King says to her before she goes in to speak to Malcolm X.

“We come from a proud and noble people. People who have struggled and fought and survived slave ships. But created great civilizations. We were the first people. We can overcome anything. We are Noble.”

They need to watch to see what people went through so they COULD VOTE! They just wanted to have control of their lives and make their own way fairly. They were educated against all odds, brave for no reason and had tremendous faith even though God hadn’t be clearly present for a long time.

Inspiring and damning of today’s attitude and behavior.

I was also shocked and glad they told the truth about MLK’s personal flaws. I am glad that they did not harp on it, but they did address it. I thought this was important. It shows that he was not perfect and that if we just are willing to obey Him, He will not be thwarted. He will use anyone who says, “I may be afraid, but I will do as you ask.” Watch the kneeling scene on the bridge, powerful God moment. Again, willing to be unpopular because God told him.

It’s important to note that 1/3 of those marching were white.

Every progressive should see LbJ in all his racist glory. Notice the painting of Andrew Jackson on his wall. Anti-hero. Read up on how the Civil Rights Act was originally a Republican bill that LbJ blocked in the Senate in the late 1950s, that it was the Republicans who were the champions, not the Democrats.

*The Kennedy’s were the exception, especially RFK.

Don’t let the movie fool you on one very important point: George Wallace was a DEMOCRAT. HIS ENTIRE LIFE.

The only flaw, beside historical nit-picking (the Resolute Desk was in the Smithsonian after JFK and not in the Oval, etc.), was the fact that they tried to make Wallace look like a Republican. He was against LbJ, liberals and progressives. He was a Democrat. It can happen, just as I am against the progressives in the Republican Party, but it bothered me.

***I am not saying all Democrats are bad and Republicans are good. That is clearly not true. However, let’s make sure we are telling history correctly.

The important thing for those on the Left to see is the role of God in the civil rights movement. They could have skated around this but they didn’t. I was really pleased to see how much of a role they allowed God to play in this movie. It makes all the difference if you really want to tell the truth.

Now, it is equally important for those on the Right to see this film. Many think we are living the civil rights era again… I do not believe we are, yet there are some of the same roots. The targeting of King and anyone who stands against the power in D.C., the loss of rights, although nowhere to the extent of what blacks went through.

To me this film tells me it will be our children — black and white, Left and Right — that will fight this battle and not us. Will they be prepared, educated and humble enough to stand for “all men are created equal”?

*Note the opening scene with Oprah’s character. How she handled herself was much more like a tea party person than an Occupy Wall Street or black lives matter protestor.

These people were heroes. We should be so lucky to be this brave, restrained and smart.

The movie also shows the want of many to run to violence and guns. The Malcolm X character is important. You hear many things that I have heard from the outer fringes of the people who think the tea party doesn’t go far enough. You will see why the Right lost at the Bundy Ranch.

Humility, a non violent posture at all times is critical and the only way to win.

*****Important note: the Right has not been violent. OWS was. Unions (SEIU) were. However, look at the images here. The bad guys were the ones shouting, pointing and pointing guns. The good guys were quiet, humble, open, meek, God-fearing, kind, defenseless.

***I don’t think it was needed but the film did only hint to Malcom X’s change of heart as he fell away from the Nation of Islam. I think this is important to address somewhere as the Nation of Islam is growing in the black community once again.

It is not a coincidence that Sirhan Sirhan killed RFK over Israel, JFK was killed by a communist, Malcolm X was killed by Islam and MLK was killed by a hate-filled racist.

BE NONE OF THOSE THINGS AND CHANGE THE WORLD.

If you want to understand history, see a compelling movie, great acting and directing, a message we can all learn from WITHOUT IT BEING A MESSAGE MOVIE, and you want to see what real struggle is like, how Americans can and do come together when they see real injustice and how NOBLE and God fearing people who seek to love change the world: SEE SELMA.

Beck’s thoughts on the movie are drastically different from those of Joseph A. Califano Jr.,who was President Lyndon Johnson’s top assistant for domestic affairs. You can read his harshly critical op-ed here.