Beck and SOWF

[Richard]

All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF.

http://www.glennbeck.com/828/

RE: WaPo OpEd: Martin Luther King III is president and chief executive of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

And so it goes...

Richard

Still striving for MLK's dream in the 21st century
Martin Luther King III, WaPo, 25 Aug 2010

Forty-seven years ago this weekend, on a sweltering August day often remembered simply as the March on Washington, my father delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. A memorial to him is being erected at the Tidal Basin, not far from where he shared his vision of a nation united in justice, equality and brotherhood.

This weekend Glenn Beck is to host a "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial. While it is commendable that this rally will honor the brave men and women of our armed forces, who serve our country with phenomenal dedication, it is clear from the timing and location that the rally's organizers present this event as also honoring the ideals and contributions of Martin Luther King Jr.

I would like to be clear about what those ideals are.

Vast numbers of Americans know of my father's leadership in opposing segregation. Yet too many believe that his dream was limited to achieving racial equality. Certainly he sought that objective, but his vision was about more than expanding rights for a single race. He hoped that even in the direst circumstances, we could overcome our differences and replace bitter conflicts with greater understanding, reconciliation and cooperation.

My father championed free speech. He would be the first to say that those participating in Beck's rally have the right to express their views. But his dream rejected hateful rhetoric and all forms of bigotry or discrimination, whether directed at race, faith, nationality, sexual orientation or political beliefs. He envisioned a world where all people would recognize one another as sisters and brothers in the human family. Throughout his life he advocated compassion for the poor, nonviolence, respect for the dignity of all people and peace for humanity.

Although he was a profoundly religious man, my father did not claim to have an exclusionary "plan" that laid out God's word for only one group or ideology. He marched side by side with members of every religious faith. Like Abraham Lincoln, my father did not claim that God was on his side; he prayed humbly that he was on God's side.

He did, however, wholeheartedly embrace the "social gospel." His spiritual and intellectual mentors included the great theologians of the social gospel Walter Rauschenbush and Howard Thurman. He said that any religion that is not concerned about the poor and disadvantaged, "the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them[,] is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial." In his "Dream" speech, my father paraphrased the prophet Amos, saying, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

The title of the 1963 demonstration, "The Great March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," reflected his belief that the right to sit at a lunch counter would be hollow if African Americans could not afford the meal. The need for jobs and shared economic prosperity remains as urgent and compelling as it was 47 years ago. My father's vision would include putting millions of unemployed Americans to work, rebuilding our tattered infrastructure and reforms to reduce pollution and better care for the environment.

In my efforts to help realize my father's dream, supporting justice, freedom and human rights for all people, I have conducted nonviolence workshops and outreach in communities across this country and numerous other nations. My experiences affirm the enduring truth of my father's words: that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and that "we are all bound together in a single garment of destiny."

I pray that all Americans will embrace the challenge of social justice and the unifying spirit that my father shared with his compatriots. With this commitment, we can begin to find new ways to reach out to one another, to heal our divisions, and build bridges of hope and opportunity benefiting all people. In so doing, we will not merely be seeking the dream; we will at long last be living it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...082405003.html

[koz]

Originally Posted by Richard

All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF.

That's standard on most (99.9999%) fundraisers. The cost to bring in the speakers, permits, lodging, etc.. are always first covered by donations. So part of Becks $50k will go to those expenses.

You spend $10k to make $200k to donate SOWF...

Same reason there are sites that show how much of your charitable donation actually goes to help people. I think the Red Cross is $.70 for every dollar.

[SF-TX]

Dr. Alveda King explains her reason for speaking at the "Rally to Restore Honor:"

Glenn Beck 8/28 rally: It's a matter of honor

Dr. Alveda King – the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., – explains why she's speaking at the Glenn Beck 8/28 rally in Washington this Saturday.

By Alveda King
posted August 26, 2010 at 3:30 pm EDT
New York —

In front of the Lincoln Memorial in June, a group of students caught up in a moment of spontaneous patriotism broke into song. But the US Park Police were quick to shush the members of the Young America’s Foundation, saying singing is not allowed at the memorial. The song that was stifled? “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

So much for freedom of speech.

At the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta this July, an official at the memorial to one of the greatest civil rights leaders in the world – my Uncle Martin – removed a bullhorn from the hands of Father Frank Pavone, an internationally recognized leader of the pro-life movement. We were a group more than 100 strong, in Atlanta to declare that abortion is the greatest violation of civil rights in our day. We brought a wreath to lay at Uncle Martin’s grave while we prayed, but due to a King Center official’s barricade at the gravesite, we weren’t allowed. The National Park Service said that would constitute a demonstration.

So much for freedom of assembly.
Symbols of liberty

Americans are hungry to reclaim the symbols of our liberty, hard won by an unlikely group of outnumbered, outgunned, underfunded patriots determined not to live in servitude to the British Empire. If we want to sing the national anthem at a memorial to the man who led this fledgling nation out of slavery, and made my people free, we should be able to send our voices soaring to the heavens.

Glenn Beck’s “Rally to Restore Honor” this Saturday will give us that chance, and that’s why I feel it’s important for me to be there.

Before the words were out of Mr. Beck’s mouth announcing the Aug. 28 rally, The New York Times noted that it would be at the same place and 47 years to the day since my Uncle Martin gave his “I Have a Dream Speech.” When asked why he chose that date in particular, Beck said he had not realized its significance, but in thinking about it, he saw it is an auspicious day to rally for the honor of the American people. He has said, and he’s right, that Martin Luther King didn’t speak only for African-Americans. He spoke for all Americans, and his words still ring true.

Other groups are planning rallies and demonstrations in Washington that day, and freedom of speech gives them the right to do so – and to criticize me for not jumping on their bandwagon. But Uncle Martin’s legacy is big enough to go around.
A rally about character, not politics

Though critics see it as partisan, Beck’s rally is not a political event, per se. Instead, it is designed to be a refreshing exercise of freedom of speech.

The rally will be a celebration of who we are as a nation and a chance to stop for a moment, reflect, reorganize, and re-energize. It’s a chance to think about character; both our character as a nation and our character as individuals.

Delineating ourselves as red state or blue, liberal or conservative, minority or majority, we have not quite reached the day when men and women are “judged not by the color of their skin but on the content of their character.” We are still marching toward that day. As Uncle Martin said, “we cannot turn back.”

The rally will also give America another chance to honor and thank the men and women in our armed forces for the dangers they face every day in our stead. Unless you have a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, it’s too easy to forget that tens of thousands of Americans are far from the comforts of home, are directly in harm’s way, facing an enemy who hates us precisely because we are free. And coming just days before the ninth anniversary of 9/11, the day that roused us from our complacency, we could use another wakeup call, one of our own devising.

When I join Beck and all gathered at the Lincoln Memorial this weekend, I will talk about my Uncle Martin and the America he envisioned. I will talk about honor and character and sacrifice. I will be joined by those who represent the diversity of the human race.

On Saturday, Uncle Martin’s dream of personhood and human dignity will resound across America. And the Park Police should consider themselves forewarned: As we stand in the symbolic shadow of the great American who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, we just might sing.

Dr. Alveda King is the director of African-American outreach for Priests for Life, and the founder of King for America.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/...atter-of-honor

[Richard]

This is a pretty good piece on it all.

Richard

The Foundation Behind Glenn Beck's Million-Dollar Rally
Time, 26 Aug 2010

Glenn Beck's 8/28 Restoring Honor Rally has already drawn all sorts of criticism. It's scheduled to take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech – which he delivered on the steps of the memorial in 1963. Given that Beck has said President Obama has “a deep-seated hatred for white people,” some black civil rights {leaders} feel the rally's location and scheduling are offensive.

What's gotten less attention, however, is the group that will financially benefit from the event, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). All proceeds raised through Glenn Beck's promotion of the event go to SOWF – once costs for the rally itself are covered.

The charity, founded in 1980, provides college scholarships for children of special operations personnel killed in action or in training. SOWF is very well-run, with low administrative costs and a four-star rating from the watchdog group Charity Navigator. Some 160 of its scholarship recipients have graduated from college in the past 30 years and there are more than 100 students in college now.

SOWF, which has only eight staff members, is happily inundated thanks to Glenn Beck's promotional efforts. The group typically raises money through banquet dinners – the most one of these events has ever raised is $1 million, which caused the SOWF staff to “do a little happy dance,” according to Edie Rosenthal, a retired Navy lieutenant commander and spokeswoman for the group. Since Glenn Beck has started talking about the group on his radio and television shows in advance of the 8/28 rally, some $5 million in donations have poured in. “We've never had an event that cost this much either,” says Rosenthal. “I was at the Lincoln Memorial just looking at the number of port-a-potties and the screens that are being set up.”

These and other logistics for the rally cost $1 million, according to Rosenthal; the rest of the money raised will go to SOWF coffers. (This arrangement was enough to cause ABC News, which had donated to the event, to pull out.)

...ABC News officials started asking questions about where the Beck auction money was going. Shortly afterwards, the Stephanopoulos page disappeared.

Cathie Levine, vice president for media relations at ABC News explained, "We get hundreds of these solicitations from charities every year and try as much as possible to fulfill them as long as they are meet our standards including that the proceeds go to charity." A few days later, she reported back that, "We sought assurance that the auction money would go directly to charity and while we were told the rally costs were covered and that funds raised from our specific item would go to Special Operations Warrior Foundation, it didn't sufficiently meet our standards. So we withdrew our auction item and George will make a personal donation directly to the SOWF."

http://motherjones.com/politics/2010...stephanopoulos

Rosenthal says Beck is hoping to personally present her group with a $5 million check at the event. (The group also provides counseling and gives $2,000 grants to families of special operations personnel wounded in combat to help the families travel to the hospital.)

Last night, Glenn Beck invited two recipients of assistance from SOWF on his Fox News show and the charity had one of its biggest fundraising days ever, bringing in $350,000.

This flood of money comes to SOWF at an interesting time. Legislation passed by Congress in 2009 amends the GI bill to provide children of all military personnel killed in the line of duty after September 11, 2001 with full scholarships equal to in-state tuition for a public university, plus a stipend for living expenses and books. This largely duplicates what SOWF does, although Rosenthal said funding from her organization will cover tuition for children whose parents were killed before 9/11 and will also supplement the new government funding. The GI bill, for instance, only pays for four years of college, while SOWF will pay for students to attend school longer if they need to. SOWF also pays for more expensive private college tuition and provides money beyond the limited stipends included in the legislation.

I asked Rosenthal if she worries SOWF's reputation could be tainted by its affiliation with the divisive Beck. She said SOWF required speakers at the event, who will include Sarah Palin, to sign an agreement promising not to talk politics. “Because we're involved, it cannot be political,” she says. As for Beck himself, says Rosenthal, “I applaud anyone who stands up and says, ‘I want to do something for the fallen,' and that is what Glenn is doing. Whatever else he does, as crazy as he gets, that's a man who stands up.”

So it's a symbiotic relationship. SOWF gets the largest influx of donations in its history and Beck gets to headline a donor-funded $1 million rally in Washington, DC. Regardless of whether you think Beck's motives are self-promotional or charitable, or both, there's some genius in the whole idea.

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010...-dollar-rally/

[Todd 1]

During the last few months I’ve heard the MSM and liberal politicians talk about the construction of a mosque in New York city near ground zero, they spoke about the constitution, about freedom of religion, civil rights, told me Rauf can build his mosque when and wherever he wants. They said don’t worry about who’s paying for it, ignore his past his motives are peaceful, it’s not offensive, forget about 911. If you oppose this mosque you’re a bigot, a racist, a hatemonger, intolerant, a Nazi. This is America, he has the right! They yelled.

During that same time period I heard the MSM and liberal politicians talk about a rally in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial on 8/28. They spoke about the constitution, about freedom of religion, civil rights, told me Beck can’t have his rally when and wherever he wants. They asked who’s paying for it? look at his past his motives are violent, it’s offensive, remember Martin Luther King JR. If you support this rally you’re a bigot, a racist, a hatemonger, intolerant, a Nazi. This is America, he has no right! They yelled.

[Utah Bob]

"We are 12 hours away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America," Beck said, according to the Post. "It has nothing to do with this city or politics. It has everything to do with God almighty."

"This is the beginning of the great awakening of America ... We must give voice to what God says we must do," he added. "My message to you tonight is stand where He wants you to stand and trust in the Lord. If He tells you to do it, do it. If you can't figure it out, He will. Just do it."

Fundamentally transforming the United States? Really?