Anarchist Publisher to Glenn Beck: "We're like you, except we support real freedom, and that's why you're afraid of us"

Back in March, I wrote on the coming intersection of the anarchist and tea party movements, highlighting Glenn Beck's popularization of the anarchist book "The Coming Insurrection" as well as the potential for anarchist actions revolving around the April 15th tax day tea party protests. Beck has apparently continued to present anarchist materials to his viewers and listeners, alerting them to another tract published by the AK Press, namely, "We Are an Image From the Future." The AK Press Collective has now written an open letter to Glenn Beck, suggesting that they and he have more in common than he would like to admit. Some excerpts from a lengthy text:

Hi Glenn . . . We’re thrilled that you featured our book We Are an Image of the Future: The Greek Revolts of 2008 on your May 3rd show. We were, however, a little confused by your description of the book, and the way that it fit into the overall argument you made . . .

So we asked ourselves: What could account for this guy waving around a book written and published by anarchists, while never quoting a single word from it, and then going on to associate the book with political groups—like the Revolutionary Communist Party and the Workers World Party—that no one in the book, or associated with the book, would endorse? How could he miss something so obvious?

Then it dawned on us: you’re afraid of anarchists. You’re not afraid of the fake media portrayal of anarchists as bomb-throwing maniacs: that’s your bread and butter. You’re afraid of real anarchists, the actual ideas they espouse, the real work they do . . .

Like you, we believe that people’s lives would be much better off without government intervention. Centralized power suppresses individual and community initiative and keeps people from achieving their full potential. Like you, we don’t think the solution to our current economic crisis lies in socialized industry or new layers of well-paid government bureaucrats. And, like you and many of your tea party pals, we agree that bankers and fat-cat corporate elites aren’t exactly concerned with our best interests. As you put it, it’s time to take down the folks who “line their pockets with wealth gained from enslaving a whole group of people.” And, although you seemed a bit confused on this point, that means putting “people before profits,” which is pretty much the central concern of the protesters in Greece right now. And we mean all people, regardless of income, race, gender, sexuality, or immigration status.

You’re right: we’re revolutionaries. But aren’t you? . . . As anarchists, we’re dedicated to the idea of abolishing the state and capitalism altogether . . . We understand that you’re confused–these are confusing times. But, deep down, you and the tea partiers know that you can’t trust any politician, or banker, or corporate hack, or union bureaucrat…or anyone who makes their living sucking power and profit from ordinary people . . . Admit that your passionate and convoluted rants are a nervous dance around your inability to support real freedom (anarchism) over unbridled power (Communism and capitalism). And then use your massive wealth and power for the forces of good.

No word yet on whether Beck has responded to this letter.