Heartless Bloomberg: You'll have to suffer a little bit

It's hard to believe that someone could come up with something worse than the soda ban, but don't underestimate the sheer arrogance of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Soda bans, trans fats bans, idling car bans, gun bans, smoking bans - what’s next? The progressive icon who doesn't think you know how to take care of yourself has proposed a new rule to limit the amount of pain killers available at NYC hospitals. Even worse, he said that the many patients with legit pain may have to "suffer a little bit" in order to stop the few that would abuse the medication.

"Michael Bloomberg over the weekend unveiled a new initiative to limit supply of prescription painkillers to the city's emergency rooms as a way to combat what he described as a growing addiction problem in New York," Glenn explained.

"Now, if there's one place that I would think that the addiction problem would not be coming from, it would be the emergency rooms, and this is a medical decision. Now, if it's a ‑‑ if it's a ‑‑ and you'll never get this part of the story. If it is a problem of addiction coming from the emergency rooms, that means the people who use the emergency rooms as their primary doctor, usually the poorest among us or the immigrant population, if that is ‑‑ immigrant, I shouldn't say that. Illegal population. If that's the case, then we've got something else going on that we need to talk about," he said.

"But he says it's a growing addiction problem. Well, that means that your doctors are knowingly or unknowingly maybe making the wrong calls. That should be something we should talk about. If our doctors in our emergency rooms can't tell the difference between real pain and a drug addict, then we have a problem with the doctors. But what Bloomberg is deciding to do is to limit the number of painkillers and the amount of painkillers and so if there is an emergency, the hospitals will not have the right amount of painkillers."

While Bloomberg's efforts are targeted at those who are going to the emergency room as their primary doctor, Glenn said the people who will suffer - in this case in real, physical pain - are the law abiding citizens who go to the hospital because they have a legitimate need for medicine.

"So Bloomberg can take care of another problem that he doesn't really even fully explain how this is even going to help. What are we turning into? This is the nanny state. He knows better and he's going to take care of it. First it's your sodas. Now it's your painkillers in the hospitals. And what kills me, it's a politician telling the hospitals exactly how to prescribe medicine," Glenn said.

Rather than have the government rationing and monitoring painkillers, Glenn said it should be up to the individual to be a responsible adult. As a recovering alcoholic, Glenn understands the dangers of addiction and goes through great lengths to make sure he doesn't develop dependencies or over-medicate.

"I know a lot of people that have painkillers. Tania is a great example. If you give me painkillers, I'm going to take them. That's why I have painkillers. She takes care of them. They're in a safe in our house that I don't have the combination to. I don't want the combination to that safe. If I need a painkiller, she gives it to me. And she looks at me, 'You really need a painkiller?' I'm dyin' here. That's how it happens in my house because I'm a raging alcoholic. I know. I'm a responsible adult. She has the painkiller; she puts it in there. What's the problem with that? That's being a responsible adult," Glenn said.

Unlike Glenn, Tania Beck and Pat Gray both keep painkillers in the house for their bad backs. But the doctors don't tell either of them they can't keep painkillers because they associate with Glenn. But by Bloomberg's rationale, people who don't have problems with addiction will have to suffer pain because some people aren't taking care of themselves.

"There is no reason for anybody in this country to ever be in pain. If you are under a doctor's care or you're in a hospital, make the pain go away. There is no reason for anybody to be in pain, unless it's therapeutic pain," he said.

Stu pointed out that there is no way that Mike Bloomberg is denied painkillers if he is ever in pain and needs to be rushed to the hospital. Stu brought up the story of how Bloomberg had a window A/C unit cool off his SUV during a heatwave. Bloomberg had pushed an environmentally friendly anti-idling law, and the window A/C unit in his vehicle seemed to be a way for Bloomberg to use his resources to circumvent his own rules.

"He can't take the heat of a hot car that is parked outside of his office building.  He takes a window air conditioner and wheels it ‑‑ had a device made to hold it up and wheels it into the window of his car so it can be cold when he gets in.  You think that guy's going to wait a second for pain relief?" Glenn asked.

"He might not be number one necessarily on conservatives like, you know, a list of annoying progressives but, man, he might be the most pure one because in a way he comes off sometimes as this ‑ he used to be a Republican.  But he's such a progressive.  He's such a 'I know better than you' guy.  Even more than sometimes like a Nancy Pelosi," Stu said.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

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The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

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Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

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Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

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If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

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On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE