Is there any other figure in American politics whose name alone conjures such heated emotions? I’m not sure I can think of any.

Some of you may be aware  of an internet meme which took root in early September, “Is Glenn Beck the one responsible for raping and murdering a girl in 1990?” The inflammatory question, which is meant to play on Beck’s style of making accusations and then noting that they haven’t been refuted, began on a Fark board and spread like fire, finding a focal point within a day on the website glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com. Two days later, Beck filed an ICANN complaint through WIPO.

T.D. Ruth has written a three part series on the affair, Beck’s complaint, and the responsive pleadings at The Brown Tweed Society. The series is definitely worth a click-through:

• Rape, Murder, Rumor, and Rhetoric: The Strange Case of Glenn Beck, Part 1
• Rape, Murder, Rumor, and Rhetoric: The Strange Case of Glenn Beck, Part 2
• Rape, Murder, Rumor, and Rhetoric: The Strange Case of Glenn Beck, Part 3