Glenn Beck's Homecoming Draws Protests in Washington State

Meredith Jessup | September 28, 2009 2:15 PM

Glenn Beck was welcomed back to his hometown in Washington state this weekend by groups of demonstrators in the streets and city council meetings. Petitions were even circulated which called for the visit to be canceled. Glenn Beck received the key to his hometown city of Mount Vernon, Wash., as one small business owner hung signs in the window that read: "Glenn Beck & Hatred Not Welcome Here."

Can you feel the warm fuzzies? Welcome home, Glenn.

Mount Vernon Mayor Bud Norris had invited Beck to receive a key to the city and pronounced Sept. 26 as "Glenn Beck Day" as a way to honor his success as a nationally syndicated radio and tv host. In response to the protests, Mayor Norris replied, "I decided to recognize him for his professional achievement, not for his political views."

One neighboring town offered a key to their city to Comedy Central's Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," to rebuff Beck's honor. "For me the bottom-line issue is, is somebody adding to the national conversation in a good way, or are they adding to civic culture and civic discourse or not? I don't think Glenn Beck doesn. I think Stewart does," said neighboring Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike.
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In a statement, Beck said "the people of Mt. Vernon are great people and I am humbled by this honor and proud to be from there." He also added that he learned the value of hard work growing up in the Mt. Vernon community.

During a sold-out appearance at Safeco Field, Beck poked fun at the controversy surounding his visit and mocked Seattle, a town drowning in liberals.

"I'm afraid of even landing in my home state. It used to be sane in Seattle. In the outlying areas, it used to be sane. Now, not so much," Beck said prior to his visit. "You don't know some of these people in Seattle... They don't have a life. They're out hugging salmon and setting them free."