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Controversial talk show host Glenn Beck is planning a “Restoring Honor” rally to raise funds for the children of U.S. service members killed in action. But it’s not the goal of the rally raising eyebrows -- it’s the time and place.


Beck announced he’ll hold the rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. His plans have sparked counter-marches, but they’ve also drawn support from an unlikely source -- people who oppose Glenn Beck.


We’re analyzing coverage of the anniversary altercation from WTTG, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The U.S. News and World Report.


Beck’s website describes the rally, which will feature Sarah Palin, as a  “nonpolitical event” that celebrates America’s heritage. But D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who was at King’s speech, tells Fox affiliate WTTG she believes Beck is intentionally creating controversy.



“His motives come under severe scrutiny, and he has not overcome the notion that he is doing this as a provocation, not as a matter of honor.”


Groups protesting the rally have planned separate marches in King’s honor. On his radio show, Beck says he didn’t deliberately choose the time and place for his rally to coincide with the anniversary, but that he has every right to speak at the Lincoln Memorial.


“I believe in divine providence. I believe this is a reason, because whites don't own the founding fathers. Whites don't own Abraham Lincoln. Blacks don't own Martin Luther King. Humans, humans embrace their ideas or reject their ideas.”


And even people who oppose Beck’s rhetoric are defending his right to speak at the Lincoln Memorial. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Cynthia Tucker calls Beck an “amoral huckster,” but says he’s protected by the same laws that allow others to speak freely.


“...the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of minorities from the inflamed passions of a mob. That same Bill of Rights allows Beck his rally on the mall on any date that the U.S. Park Service gives him a permit.”


U.S. News and World Report contributor John. A. Farrell points out that if mainstream acceptance dictated who is allowed to speak at the memorial, perhaps King would not have been able to give his landmark speech in the first place.


“... somehow I suspect that history will continue to remember King, and his triumphant address, long after Beck has returned to well-deserved obscurity...”


So what do you think? Is Beck’s decision to hold a rally on the same day and place as the “I Have a Dream” speech disrespectful? And should he be allowed to hold the event, regardless of the controversy?