A reader writes:
According to Wikipedia, in 1979, the date of the commercial that made Glenn Beck cry, his mother drowned in a mysterious boating accident. His parents had divorced in 1977 and he then had to move to a different town to live with his father. His step-brother subsequently committed suicide. Keep those apparent facts in mind and watch the Youtube clip again.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2009/10/the-way-he-was/195336/
