GLENN BECK PROGRAM
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GLENN: Popcorn lung is something that Ted Kennedy is fighting, and me personally, I love this. Exposure to microwave popcorn additive linked to a deadly lung disease that has been swiftly regulated under a bill passed on Wednesday, defined the White House veto threat. So I just want to make sure that I understand this. The house has passed a bill on popcorn lung, something that I've never heard of until about a week ago. Have you heard of this, Stu, popcorn lung?

STU: I heard -- no, I don't think so.

GLENN: It was about a week ago that we fist heard, well, maybe a couple of weeks.

Popcorn lung is something that Ted Kennedy is fighting... well that and obesity.

STU: It's a great name. Let me be honest. It's a fantastic name. It's a horrible disease perhaps but a fantastic name.

GLENN: And if I'm not mistaken, the Bush administration is being criticized by the Democrats because of their insistence on not pushing OSHA for stiffer regulations on popcorn lung, and this had been identified several years ago in popcorn workers in Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois, and scientists say that popcorn lung is -- I'm quoting -- astonishingly grotesque and it's all from popcorn.

STU: That's a good thing

GLENN: Why do you think they have been covering up the Orville Redenbacher thing for quite some time? So it has now passed in the house, 260-154. No companion bill is under consideration in the Senate but Senator Ed Kennedy has praised the house and has called for action in the Senate. I just want you to know, they don't deserve this 11% approval rating in congress, they really don't. They are doing the work of the American people. When they can take on issues like popcorn lung and ram rod it through, you know they're out there fighting for the issues that you really care about. And bush has threatened to veto. I mean, I have news. I mean, I can't even -- I couldn't live in that world. Can you imagine working in Washington, D.C.? You'd kill yourself. Everybody should -- when we send a new representative or a new senator or a new President, God forbid we send somebody who's never been in that cesspool before. I mean, that's what I want. But I mean, if you sent somebody who has been in that cesspool, you know, they're used to you it, you know? They know what it smells like. They know. They're living in a cesspool. If you are sending somebody out who's never really been to Washington, never been a part of those politics, we need to send them with rope. They need to be able to -- no, seriously. And we'll put an extra beam in the White House and we'll just say on inauguration day, look, your family's out watching the parade and everything; why don't you come on in here; I want to show you something; we don't really want to tell your family but the rope is in your bottom drawer and we put this extra beam here because at some point -- and it could be by tomorrow, you are going to want to throw this rope over, we've already made it into a noose with the presidential seal, it's very nice, and you just go ahead and hang yourself

STU: You have to believe they want to commit intellectual suicide at this point because you get that to moment in your life when you realize that no matter how good your intentions, no matter how good your ideas, they are not going to go anywhere.

GLENN: They are not going anywhere. There's popcorn lung.

STU: There's going to be some fat head that's going to stop it. Don't you think at some point somebody just wants to go down into the well of the Senate and go, popcorn lung! We're talking about popcorn lung! I mean, it's got to -- somebody has to be -- please tell me somebody in Washington is thinking that. Somebody's sitting there and they've got their little blue suit and the red tie and they're like, popcorn lung? This is what's on my ascend a today?

STU: You've got to believe, I'm no popcorn lung expert.

GLENN: But you are a thinker.

STU: I am a thinker.

GLENN: Let me tell you something. If you deny the effects of popcorn lung, you are either naive or you're in on it.

STU: I didn't know that.

GLENN: I think that's my new slogan. I think I'm going to make that my new slogan. You're either naive or you're in on it.

STU: I like that. That sounds like the program.

GLENN: So which is it? Which is it, Stu, popcorn lung?

STU: This one I'm going to say I'm in on it.

GLENN: You're in on it?

STU: Isn't reason is the stuff they say causes popcorn lung is the stuff that also gives microwave popcorn its buttery flavor and I gotta tell you, I'm going to risk several -- I've already risked heart disease because of that. I'm more than willing to risk several diseases to keep the buttery flavor going.

"I hate to be more in line with God, but let's get it right out of the cow." - Glenn talking about using real butter instead of the artificial butter used in microwave popcorn

GLENN: So in other words, wait a minute. Hang on. Butter's bad for you.

STU: This is buttery flavoring.

GLENN: But this buttery flavoring is worse? Let's just have butter.

STU: A butter milk shake, let me tell you.

GLENN: I hate to be more in line with God, but let's get it right out of the cow.

STU: I like that. Put down the chemicals.

GLENN: Get it right out of the cow. How can -- let me say something to you and I mean this sincerely. How can something that you can get by laying underneath the back end of a cow and sucking right out of its teet. How could that possibly be bad?

STU: What can go wrong by putting your mouth near the bottom of an animal?

GLENN: How is that something that you think, oh, come on, if it was going to be bad, God wouldn't have put it there, right so close to the ass end of the animal. (Laughing)

STU: It's a really good point.

GLENN: That's good, that's good.

STU: I would say, though, that there are solutions other than regulation, Glenn, because we're free marketers here.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: And we don't need the regulation. With a we need is to encourage, maybe give tax breaks to popcorn companies that include cheese on their popcorn and not as much focus on butter.

GLENN: There you go, sure, sure.

STU: What we need is that white which he had arrest that coats the smart food.

GLENN: Can I ask you a question? Is there anybody besides the Redenbacher family that, you know, is like really into their popcorn career? Is there anybody that's like, oh, man, I have wanted to work in this popcorn factory since I was 7? Is there anybody that feels that way? Why don't you just get another frickin' job, man? You're like (coughing) I think I'm getting popcorn lung; I don't know, I'll go work at a gas station. You're in a popcorn factory!

STU: Yeah, I will say that I do have passion for popcorn.

GLENN: I have passion for popcorn. I'm saying passion for working in the popcorn factory. See, here's what you do. You let the system -- no, I was going to say that doesn't work. I was going to say you let that system work itself out where if the factory workers are dying, somebody's going to -- in this economy somebody's going to say, I don't think you should work there. Everybody that works at the popcorn factory ends up coughing up blood.

STU: I don't think you mean that. Obviously there's some point.

GLENN: It's popcorn, for the love of Pete.

STU: I realize that. It's pretty serious proven health thing, popcorn lung. First of all they should name it something that sounds more serious. And secondly, there is -- obviously we want to regulate harmful -- I don't want buildings being built with asbestos.

GLENN: It's popcorn laws. So maybe that's what it is. Maybe they just need to change -- Dan, who do we have on our staff that could find the Latin word for popcorn and lung? Get somebody to translate this to Latin and then you'll have something.

STU: Wait, there is an actual disease name for this because I did a little research on popcorn lung last night. This is what I --

GLENN: Oh, this is bronctiliosis obliterans.

STU: I've got to understand, Glenn, I'm on the road right now. I let loose on the road researching popcorn lung. This is the sort of cool guy I am, you know.

GLENN: We're such losers.

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