Category: politics

Glenn Beck Also Misled Ted Cruz Audiences About George Washington's Diary Entry

In at least seven speeches I have found online, Glenn Beck misled Ted Cruz rally audiences about his copy of Don Quixote once given by George Washington as a gift. Beck told audiences that he owned the copy of Don Quixote purchased by George Washington on the day the Consitution was signed. He didn’t. He has a later one which Washington gave as a gift to Tobias Lear. While Beck has yet to admit to his readers or listeners, he did admit it to HuffPo yesterday (see this link for the speeches and background).
Now I can report a discrepancy between Beck’s story about George Washington’s diary and the diary entry for September 17, 1787 found in the published collection of his entries online.
Here is just one instance where Beck tells audiences that Washington’s September 17, 1787 entry consisted of two lines. Watch:

(Transcript)
The last day of the Constitution…the last day of the Convention, in George Washington’s diary he only wrote two lines. The first one was ‘signed the Constitution today.’ Next line, ‘I picked up my copy of Don Quixote.’ Now I’ve never understood that. ‘Hey, I just saved the world today and I’m going to Barnes and Noble in about an hour.’ This is George Washington’s copy of Don Quixote. This is the copy he picked up the day they signed the Constitution.

However, according to the online Diary of George Washington, Washington didn’t mention Don Quixote or buying any books in his September 17, 1787 entry. He did mention the Constitution and provided more than one line about it. For photos of the original entries see the Diaries of George Washington (page one, page two).

Monday 17th. Met in Convention when the Constitution received the Unanimous assent of 11 States and Colo. Hamilton’s from New York (the only delegate from thence in Convention) and was subscribed to by every Member present except Govr. Randolph and Colo. Mason from Virginia & Mr. Gerry from Massachusetts. The business being thus closed, the Members adjourned to the City Tavern, dined together and took a cordial leave of each other—after which I returned to my lodgings—did some business with, and received the papers from the secretary of the Convention, and retired to meditate on the momentous wk. which had been executed, after not less than five, for a large part of the time Six, and sometimes 7 hours sitting every day, sundays & the ten days adjournment to give a Comee. opportunity & time to arrange the business for more than four Months.

The members partied at the City Tavern and then Washington recorded that he went to his lodging. He did pay for the copy of Don Quixote on that day but we don’t get that information from his diary. Thanks for the good folks at Mount Vernon, I can show you that we know the book was paid for on that day because Washington recorded the purchase in his cash account book.
In Washington’s Philadelphia Cash Accounts, he recorded the purchase of Don Quixote on September 17, 1787.
PhilCashAcct91787
On the 17th of September, Washington recorded the purchase of the 4 volume set of Don Quixote.
The story behind the purchase more likely relates to Washington’s meeting earlier that month with the Spanish ambassador who engaged Washington in a discussion of the book. For more on that, see this entry on the Mount Vernon website.
If Beck has a source for his claim, I would certainly like to see it.
However, I feel sure he doesn’t. If Rick Tyler gets fired for relating a false story he thought was true, then how can Cruz make Glenn Beck the front door of his campaign?

Glenn Beck Says He Takes Full Responsibility for Misleading Ted Cruz Crowds Then Faults Huffington Post for Calling Him Out

No wonder Glenn Beck likes David Barton so much.
At recent Ted Cruz rallies, Glenn Beck told audiences he owns the copy of Don Quixote originally owned by George Washington and which was picked up by Washington the day he signed the Constitution. As it turns out, Beck’s copy of Don Quixote was given as a gift by Washington to Tobias Lear. That is not what he told audiences, and to HuffPo, Beck admitted the error. However, on his website, he chides Calderone and HuffPo as if they made the error. Let me unpack this.
First, in a January 30 HuffPo article, Calderone reported that Beck told a Cruz rally he owned the copy of Don Quixote purchased by George Washington the day he signed the Constitution.

Beck also described how Washington picked up a copy of Don Quixote on the day he signed the Constitution, before holding up what he claimed was Washington’s own copy. Beck joked that today, the action would be as extraordinary as signing the Constitution before taking a trip to Barnes & Noble.

About the copy of Don Quizote brandished by Beck, Calderone yesterday quoted Beck as saying:

He wrote two lines [in his diary] on the day of the signing of the Constitution,” Beck said of Washington during a Jan. 30 stop in Ames, Iowa.”First line: ‘Signed the Constitution today.’ Second line: ‘I pick up my copy of Don Quixote.’ This is his copy of Don Quixote that he picked up that day.

Watch Beck tell the same story at Morningstar Church in South Carolina (see below for another time when Beck related the same story):
[youtube]https://youtu.be/jjlYclfDqpI[/youtube]
Contradicting Beck, Calderone yesterday published a report demonstrating that the copy of Don Quixote Beck displayed was not the copy he said it was. The copy of Don Quixote secured by Washington the day he signed the Constitution is owned by Mount Vernon’s Washington library. The library also owns a Spanish language copy of Don Quixote.
In his speeches, Beck clearly identified his book as Washington’s copy which he picked up the day he signed the constitution. In a statement to HuffPo today, Beck acknowledged his false statement:

“The lesson that I take from Washington’s diary where he says ‘Signed the constitution. Bought Don Quixote’ is that we are never done in our service to God and Country,” Beck said. “I have incorrectly stated that my copy is the copy that Washington purchased the day he signed the Constitution. That version is one of the copies owned and housed in Mount Vernon. I take full responsibility for connecting my book (which is dated 1796) to the book Washington purchased that fateful day of September 17th, 1787. But make no mistake the copy in my possession is from the private library of George Washington.”

I don’t think Beck and I view taking “full responsibility” in the same manner. On Beck’s website, here is what his readers see:

Unlike Glenn, the Huffington Post is evidently not a student of history — nor fond of research, for that matter.
Rather than publish with journalistic integrity, HuffPo decided to throw caution to the wind and publish an unsubstantiated hit piece questioning the authenticity of a book Glenn owns and has taken along on the campaign trail. The book in question is George Washington’s volume of Don Quixote. The hit piece, titled “Mount Vernon Says It Owns George Washington’s Copy Of Don Quixote, Not Glenn Beck,” was published yesterday.

Beck’s article doesn’t provide the statement given to HuffPo. Beck tries to change the subject. Calderone questioned exactly what Beck claimed. Beck told audiences repeatedly that he had a book he didn’t have. Either Beck intentionally deceived the audiences or he is not the history buff he claims to be.
On his website and on his show, he doesn’t admit what he did to HuffPo and doesn’t take any responsibility for connecting his copy to the book picked up by Washington on the day he signed the Constitution.
When Ted Cruz’s former campaign communications director Rick Tyler falsely reported a story about Marco Rubio’s statements about the Bible, Tyler was fired by Cruz.  Will Cruz now demote Beck or remove him from the rallies?
More Instances Where Beck Connected His Copy to the Copy Held by Mount Vernon
It appears that Beck told Richard Dreyfuss the same or a similar story. Watch at the beginning of this clip.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IFB8TfLVHc[/youtube]
In the description of the video with Dreyfuss, the story appears:

Published on Jan 31, 2016

Glenn Beck ran into actor Richard Dreyfuss by surprise backstage at a Ted Cruz rally over the weekend and had a chance to show the actor two of George Washington’s personal artifacts he was carrying with him in a briefcase. (Video: Josiah Ryan http://bit.ly/1Kj0iWo)

One was George Washington’s compass, which he received at age fourteen and carried with him for his entire life. The other was the first president’s copy of Don Quixote,
“A compass is used for exactness,” said Beck, later from the stage. “I’m here to support Ted Cruz because he is exact in everything he does. His word is his bond. He believes, as George Washington did that deeds not words.”
Beck said Washington went and purchased the copy of Don Quixote just hours after signing Constitution signaling that the responsibility of keeping the Constitution was now in the hands of the voters.
He joked it was the modern day equivalent of running to Barnes & Nobles.
“The response is always the same, especially for his compass — reverence and awe,” Beck said later on his Facebook, referring to his encounter with Dreyfuss.

Beck said yesterday that he sometimes said the copy of Don Quixote was the one Washington picked up the day he signed the Constitution and other times he didn’t say that.

GLENN: Jeez. If I need to drag around the documentation for everything — so when I was on the road and said, “This is George Washington’s.” And we went back and checked the tape. There were times that I said, this is the one that he got on that day, and that wasn’t the one he got on that day. He had three copies. So that wasn’t the one that he got on that day. But usually I said, “This was George Washington’s copy of Don Quixote.” And they’re questioning that this was George washington’s copy. And the only reason why they said that it wasn’t was because they went on record because people were calling Mount Vernon saying, “Glenn Beck is lying, isn’t he?” And they said, “No, we have George Washington’s copy of Don Quixote.” Yes, you have two of two them. He had three of them. I have the other one. But nobody cares to listen to that. And so it’s just sloppy journalism, at best.

If Beck has a video of a speech at a Cruz rally where he didn’t claim to have Washington’s Constitution Day copy of Don Quixote, he should post it.
In Aitken, South Carolina on February 15, Beck told the same story. Watch:

Here’s the same story at Ames, IA (at 7:00), a rally in SC (at 16:07) and then again in Nevada (start at 3:39)
[youtube]https://youtu.be/M4z4qNFRmRA?t=3m39s[/youtube]
As recently as February 21, Beck told a Nevada crowd that he had Washington’s Constitution signing day copy. Watch:

 

Celiac Disease Advocacy Groups Denounce Remarks by Ted Cruz About Gluten-Free Meals in the Military

glutenfree2This is exactly what I expect advocacy groups to do. I agree completely with these statements and hope that the result of Cruz’s ill-advised statement will be that more people understand the medicine behind the disease. I so appreciate the many restaurants and food manufacturers who have developed products for Celiac and gluten sensitive people.
If anything, I hope this dust up will advance the cause of accommodations in the military.

BEYOND CELIAC DENOUNCES REMARKS MADE BY SENATOR TED CRUZ ABOUT GLUTEN-FREE DIETS
February 17, 2016
Beyond Celiac strongly denounces the remarks made by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in which he associated adherence to a gluten-free diet with “political correctness” and “social experiments.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA (February 17, 2016) – Beyond Celiac, formerly known as the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, strongly denounces the remarks made by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in which he associated adherence to a gluten-free diet with “political correctness” and “social experiments.”
Alice Bast, President & CEO of Beyond Celiac, released the following statement:
“Senator Cruz’s remarks equating the need for gluten-free food options with ‘political correctness or social experiments’ propagate misinformation about celiac disease that is both harmful and disparaging to the celiac disease community. Celiac disease is a serious, genetic autoimmune disease, and left untreated, it can lead to other autoimmune diseases (like thyroid disease), osteoporosis, and certain cancers. When people in positions of power disregard celiac disease, they simultaneously disregard the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been diagnosed and the millions who are estimated to have the disease but have not been diagnosed.
Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. Remarks, like those made by Senator Cruz, that downplay the existence and seriousness of celiac disease directly obstruct efforts to educate the public and hinder accurate diagnosis. It is our mission at Beyond Celiac to improve awareness and understanding of celiac disease. We know firsthand how difficult it can be to live with a disease that is not taken seriously by those who should know better.
Senator Cruz would benefit greatly by learning to empathize with people who live with celiac disease and other misunderstood or marginalized diseases. We encourage him to visit BeyondCeliac.org to learn more about celiac disease and to hear directly from the patient community about why his position is detrimental to the health and well-being of millions of people.”
About Beyond Celiac
Beyond Celiac, formerly known as the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, is a leading international advocacy organization committed to increasing diagnoses and understanding of celiac disease as a serious genetic autoimmune disease; accelerating innovation to support those with celiac disease to live life to the fullest; and forging pathways to a cure. We aim to inspire hope, build a strong community and serve as a trusted resource on celiac disease. For more information, please visit www.beyondceliac.org.
Media Contact:
Claire Baker
Beyond Celiac
267-419-2111
[email protected]
Will Hall
WE Communications
617-234-4115
[email protected]

The Celiac Disease Foundation just tonight released the following statement.

Ted Cruz Says NO Gluten-Free Meals

At a rally yesterday in South Carolina, Senator and presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, said in a speech about supporting the U.S. military, “That’s why the last thing any commander should need to worry about is the grades he is getting from some plush-bottomed Pentagon bureaucrat for political correctness or social experiments – or providing gluten-free MREs.”

As reported in TIME
Senator Cruz’s comments are emblematic of the widespread ignorance about celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity that Celiac Disease Foundation must fight everyday of every year. We need investments in research. We need increased rates of diagnosis. We need drugs to treat accidental exposure to gluten. We don’t need this nonsense.
Help us help the millions who suffer. Add your data to iCureCeliac today. It’s time for a cure.

For my other posts including video of Cruz’s comments on this matter, click here.
 

More on Ted Cruz and His Opposition to Gluten Free Meals

Yesterday, Ted Cruz linked gluten-free meals with political correctness.
There is something to be gained by watching Ted Cruz deliver his anti-gluten-free position instead of just reading about it. Watch

As it turns out, having Celiac Disease isn’t well tolerated in the military. Instead of Cruz being a voice for inclusion and sanity, he sticks up for intolerance of gluten-intolerance. Watch:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcCwoOxIpqU[/youtube]
If there is a movement to provide gluten free meals in order to attract and keep good people with Celiac Disease, it is incredible that any presidential candidate would oppose it.
I continue to wonder if Cruz thinks Celiac isn’t a real disease. Given his advisors, I honestly would not be surprised if he doesn’t believe it is real.

Ted Cruz Says No Gluten Free Meals for Soldiers – What? (UPDATED)

CNN is reporting that Ted Cruz opposes gluten free meals for solders:

“That’s why the last thing any commander should need to worry about is the grades he is getting from some plush-bottomed Pentagon bureaucrat for political correctness or social experiments — or providing gluten-free MREs,” Cruz said, using the shorthand term for Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

As one who has celiac disease, I am flabbergasted that Cruz picks on soldiers with gluten-insensitivity and celiac disease in an effort to seem tough. I hope some reporter follows up and asks Cruz if he believes celiac disease is a real thing.
Perhaps, I shouldn’t be too surprised since Cruz is advised by a guy who thinks PTSD can be cured by Bible verses.
Celiac support groups weigh in: