Folks around the blogosphere rip on Glenn Beck because they disagree with his opinions and the manner in which he deals with people. They see a genuine disconnect between Beck's preachings and his lavish lifestyle. He seems to have inflated his sense of importance and that rubs people across the entire political spectrum the wrong way.
His latest project, called Restoring Honor, is a rally which Mr. Beck claims will celebrate America and her return to historical roots. It's also being pegged as a fundraiser for Special Operations Warriors Foundation, a very noble cause indeed. All in all this would be a fantastic unifying opportunity if it wasn't what it is - a chance for Glenn Beck to enhance his fame.
The rally and the megalomaniacal adverts are sponsored by Goldline. While promoting his rally this week, Mr. Beck told listeners to have "faith" and buy gold, naturally from Goldline.
What he's not telling you is that gold is a terrible investment, awful for the environment, and humanity-destroying. Yes, gold prices are higher now than before, and they are not going to stay this high unless people keep buying it thinking it is a good financial choice. Hence, why Goldline pays celebrities to endorse the shiny metal. Even if Goldline were not under investigation for ripping decent people off, gold would still be one of the worst things to sink your hard earned dollars into. And here's why:
Gold has hit a value plateau and it will go down in value because gold is being found all over the place, from Africa to Vancouver Island. The gold marketers are trying to create a demand before the market becomes saturated and the monetary value drops dramatically. People bought gold because of illusions of financial security in an unsafe world and the price was driven to an unreasonable level. It pays companies to want to keep the public afraid for their future because they buy their product, be it duct tape, emergency food storage systems, or precious metals. That's why their advertisements continually discuss the financial collapse and the supposed uncertainty of our new world, and Glenn Beck is the perfect spokesman for a generation of fear.
Secondly, gold mining is absolutely awful for the environment. If you have images of old, where men with pickaxes hacked out chunks, you are dated in your view. Large veins of gold have already been mined out, and now gold is found in very low concentrations. Nowadays your mine is considered a monumental success if you can extract anything in the neighbourhood of one-third of an ounce of it from one tonne of the Earth irretrievably destroyed. Gold is produced by vast open-pit mining. The rock is blasted away with nasty explosives (which have their own effects) and the rock is ground into a powder. The gold is dissolved out of the dust by turning it into mud and then dousing it with a cyanide solution.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy
Michelle,
From your article, I can understand your disgust with gold, and I would suspect that someone living in BC would know something about stripping the environment bare.
But the value in gold is not the amount it will fetch in dollars - it is what it will fetch after the dollar has collapsed. I'm not rich enough to follow my own advice - to buy gold coins or bullion, a good troy scale and a very sharp knife. But if you look at mineral exploitation, you'll realize that the "golden story" is as old as the hills. And as long as gold can fetch value where currency cannot, it will continue.
2 - Ruvy
But, Michelle, an afterthought. My advice is based on what I figure will happen to currency. When it collapses you need something with which to barter or buy that which you yourself cannot produce. However, Biblical commentators warn that even gold and silver will have no value. Perhaps they foresaw - or sensed - the evil you report in this article.
3 - Tom Degan
That convention of angry white people in Washington yesterday was a keeper for sure. Good thing I taped it on C-SPAN, I really must look at it again to be sure that I wasn't hallucinating.
And the theme: "Restoring honor to America". Wasn't that a hoot? Restoring the honor that was snatched away by Barack Obama? Really? These fools are actually nostalgic for George W. Bush. Well, they can breathe a sigh of relief. The American people (as of this writing anyway) appear hellbent on putting these silly people back in power on Election day. Let freedom ring.
Who would have dreamed that the election of a BLACK MAN would make so many people behave in such a weird and foolish manner? It truly was something to behold. Glenn Beck: This generation's Martin Loony King. Don'cha just love it?
Tom Degan
4 - Michelle Galipeau
I do indeed know firsthand about the tragic outcomes of mining, as my uncle owned a mine on Vancouver Island. I believe that it is the public's right to know the story behind the commodities they promote.
People absolutely rip on the diamond industry and leave gold be because people use gold as currency, and that is the shame.
it doesn't shock me that people as selfish as Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee promote gold, but it repulses me that they promote Goldline. Goldline has a reputation of defrauding investors and pressuring them to buy "collectibles" as opposed to big gold bars.
goldline is a shame and gold mining is horrifying, and the same types of folks who promote precious metal mining are generally in favour of all kinds of environmentally dangerous activities.
The arrogance displayed by gold exploration firms and gold marketers will always find a welcome home with those who promote toxic agendas alongside products of evil.
5 - Michelle Galipeau
And Ruvy, current gold prices are the result of an artificially inflated market value and will not sustain. The only people that will make money off of gold are the ones who purchased it 10 years ago and sell today before the imminent decline.
6 - Christopher Rose
Arch Conservative: If you write even a single further comment that consists of nothing but insults, such as the one I have deleted from this thread, you WILL be banned immediately and permanently. This is your final warning.
7 - Thurman Speer
If their is so much gold to be gotten that it will become such a bad investment as stated in this article, why does the article go on to state the earth will be destroyed just to mine a few more grams?
8 - Michelle Galipeau
Because they will mine it until there is nothing left and it is easier to wipe out a third world country's environment for gold than to deal with people in Canada, for example, who want to be paid to rip apart mountains for the few remaining monster veins of gold.
I could actually get into it further in the future.
9 - Phil Williams
The environmental impact of gold mining should not be underestimated.
Few people realize that over 20 tons of rock is now excavated to yeild enough gold for just one wedding band. The smelting process also releases large amounts of lead, carbon and cyandide into the air and water within the local area.
10 - Michelle Galipeau
I concur. There has even been talk of ripping apart the rainforests of Vancouver Island purely to get at the suspected vast amounts of gold, diamond, and coal underneath.
The scary part- our government is considering doing this.