Earlier this week, Glenn Beck announced that he was reinventing The Blaze, his online media property, as a global libertarian news network, complete with three foreign bureaus, a nightly news magazine, and, no doubt, lots of Beck himself.
Last night, he announced the next stage of his full-bodied embrace of libertarianism, which seems to be a massive commune inspired by "Galt's Gulch," Ayn Rand's utopian community in Atlas Shrugged.
You can watch Beck's 20-minute rant about the community, which he's dubbed Independence, USA, or you can turn to Right Wing Watch, which reports:
On his program last night, Beck revealed that his intention to "go Galt" is quite literal, unveiling grandiose plans to create an entirely self-sustaining community called Independence Park that will provide its own food and energy, produce television and film content, host research and development, serve as a marketplace for products and ideas, while also housing a theme park and serving as a residential community.At the center -- in the middle of the lake that is itself larger than all of Disney Land - Beck (with the help of David Barton) will create a massive "national archive"/learning center where people can send their children to be "deprogrammed" and elected officials can come to learn "the truth."
The Blaze painted a more sympathetic portrait:
Galt railed against the collectivist system and believed that only through freedom could people tap into their divine potential to become creators of their own: leaders, businessmen, artists, and so on. The community that was created in this spirit was called "Galt's Gulch," and it is that very ideal Beck strives to emulate in his own enterprises. In fact, that's why he moved to Texas.Drawing on this free market, limited-government model, Beck said he aspires to build an actual community based on just that. While the price tag of building an actual city-slash-theme park is steep at an estimated $2 billion, Beck said he feels compelled to move forward with his ultimate plan "once piece at a time." Having toured "three possible sites in three different states" and having spoken to two governors already, Beck is serious in his goals.
Beck doesn't specify where in Texas this community will be, whether it will be based near his Westlake home, or his Las Colinas studio, or on some of that farmland he bought. He also doesn't say if or how the community would deal with state and federal law. We're sure Beck will come up with those answers. Anyways, it's best not to think too hard about it.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/01/glenn_beck_is_planning_a_2_bil.php
