Ann Coulter calls out Libertarians for avoiding the tough issues and playing popular politics

Ann Coulter got into a little hot water with Libertarians last night during an on air debate with John Stossel. TheBlaze.com reports:

Conservative talker Ann Coulter appeared Thursday on Fox Business Network’s “Stossel” to do battle with the show’s Libertarian host — and his 1,400+ Libertarian guests.

Their biggest point of contention? Social Conservatism versus the Libertarian “Individuals Should Be Left Alone” approach.

The evening began pleasantly enough, the two discussing whether the U.S. should’ve invaded Iraq following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Coulter believes military action was justified because Saddam Hussein was “definitely looking for uranium from Niger.”

But then things became a little more heated when Stossel decided to shift gears and brought up legalizing drugs.

“Libertarians and pot,” Coulter laughed. “This is why people think libertarians are pu**ies.”

Does she have a point?

Pat thought so, saying, "I think that's pretty good. I agree with that."

Glenn, thinking more on the side of the way the progressive Republicans like John McCain will drop their principals and become buddy-buddy with Democrats in Congress on issues like immigration to earn votes, wasn't so sure.

"Who do you know that is a Libertarian that is friends with somebody like Paul Krugman or Barack Obama?" Glenn asked. " I guess maybe in Hollywood?"

But that's not the way Pat was looking at it. Pat, like Ann, was referring to the Libertarian base — the young, Ron Paul, Occupy Wall Street types.

That, Glenn can identify with. Those are the Libertarians that refuse to have a conversation with Glenn about anything because they don't see eye-to-eye on one or two issues. They're the Libertarians that will scream and shout about the drug war, but don't make any noise about the heavy regulations destroy small businesses and killing jobs. Whether it's because they're young, and that's not really affecting them yet or it's because they're thats their mechanism to bring people from the left to their side of the argument, it's making them a tool for the Democrats and an antagonist to the Republicans.

Glenn explained that he recently sent one of his employees, Jon, to a Libertarian convention in D.C. Jon thought the people there were great, but about half of them hated Glenn. And when he tried to find out why, he couldn't even have a conversation with them — they weren't interested in coming together on the things they do agree on. It's all or nothing. The individuals who dislike Glenn that Jon was able to talk to based the entire conversation around Ron Paul, and how Glenn doesn't agree with everything that Ron Paul says.

"What I can't understand is that isn't the definition of 'Libertarianism' that we all are different and we're individuals, and we believe in the power of the individual?" Glenn asked.

"That's exactly what Ann Coulter is saying here," Stu responded.

"Right. And I believe in the power of the individual to choose. I don't have to agree with you on everything," Glenn added.

Glenn went on to add that this is why he doesn't understand so many of the Ron Paul supporters who dislike him for not always agreeing with Ron Paul. They let what he supports dictate all of their opinions on everyone else. If someone doesn't stand shoulder to shoulder with Ron Paul, they immediately are on the attack.

"You are supposed to have a mind of your own," Glenn said, "and you're not supposed to be about an individual. Libertarianism is about a set of ideas — maximum freedom — not an individual."

Penn Jillete is one of the Libertarians that has really been teaching Glenn what being a real Libertarian looks like in today's society, and how it works in all of the complicated issues facing our country. One of the things they've been discussing recently is the "tribal mentality".

"He hates tribes," Glenn said of Penn. "I didn't really understand it at first. He's like i just really hate tribes and how we all get into this really tribal mentality."

Glenn explained that he started to understand it the other day when he reflected on where the GOP is right now. Conservatives are really free of "the machinery" of the GOP "tribe" right now.

"We're about 18 months away from them herding us again," he explained.

Glenn believes that the GOP machine is going to be pushing everyone to get behind Chris Christie. If there isn't another person, or group, or a stronger candidate that freedom minded people can get behind and support we're in trouble. For Glenn, he thinks this person is Rand Paul.

"The idea of liberty and maximum freedom and the least about of government without anarchy is not your idea. It's the founders idea," Glenn said address those people who are so quick to attack him for his Libertarian transition.

"You would think at this time in our country, we have the opportunity to get rid of the party system," he added. "But we have 18 months to do it.  We have an opportunity to destroy it right now.  But it won't be done by crazies, radicals, and people who're shouting other people down."

Glenn explained that with TheBlaze he is trying to shine a light on the Libertarian idea — the idea of maximum freedom — but every time he does, he attacked for it because someone thinks he and TheBlaze need to pass some kind of litmus test to go and learn more about what the Libertarians are doing, which is exactly what happened at this convention.

"We go in, we tried to understand it. We tried to make some friends," Glenn explained.

But, despite being the only media organization at this Libertarian convention, they were attacked for it.

"Do you think anybody who doesn't really believe it is going to help?" he asked. "We believe it.  So we'll be back.  And we'll be back at all of the conventions, and we'll report and we will try to learn, and continue to hire people.  Because we believe it."

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.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

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

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

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