The fiery media icon Glenn Beck.

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he video: On Wednesday's edition of Glenn Beck's popular radio show, the conservative icon laid into Gene Cranick, the Tennessee resident who did not pay a $75 charge to his local fire department, then protested when the department did not save his home from flames. (See video below.) Beck's point: If firefighters "make an exception for your house," you would be "sponging off of your neighbor's $75." He added that "this is the kind of stuff that's gonna happen" in the future.
The reaction: Beck's stance is that the city did the right thing and "to a point, I understand the policy," says The Right Scoop. "But really, isn't there a better way to make this point than actually letting the man's house burn down?" Beck went too far, says Bob Cesca at The Huffington Post. "What kind of a man hectors and pillories an average, innocent American family during their darkest hour ... all for the sake of ratings, personal profit, and a few super-cheap laughs?" Watch Beck's take on the fire: