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Glenn: The essence of truth

July 23, 2013
Wilson

Writer

Forget the Republicans, forget the Democrats - in order to restore America we have to get back to truth. Our currency says ‘In God we trust’ and people protest it. But what does that really mean? God is truth - and in order to gain the trust of the world again we have to value truth. Glenn explains in a stirring radio monologue today.

Read the full transcript of the segment below:

GLENN: You know what? Let me go in a surprising place and I'm not going to tell this story because I'll butcher it because I'm not a sports fan. But let me go to Ryan, is it Braun?

PAT: Yeah, Ryan Braun.

GLENN: Ryan Braun, this story from what I know of it is a story that, again, shows the health of our nation and the health of our citizens.

PAT: Yeah, you might think it's just about steroids, but it goes so far beyond that. Last year ‑‑ well, Ryan Braun is one of the best players in Major League Baseball. In 2007 he was rookie of the year. In 2011 he was NFL MVP. Last year I think the guy hit 43 home runs.

GLENN: Yeah.

PAT: And he was accused of steroid abuse. And he was suspended, and he fought it vehemently and denied it. And on a technicality, because of the way his sample was handled, he had his suspension overturned and he came out and made this statement, really strong statement that he would stake his life, that he guaranteed with his life that he had never ingested steroids or any performance‑enhancing drug. I mean, it was one of the strongest denials I think I've ever seen. And you thought, well, okay, maybe this guy really was innocent. And I think a lot of people were convinced because ‑‑

GLENN: Liars, truth ‑‑ liars, deceivers, lovers of themselves and not the truth.

PAT: And so the arrogance with which he ‑‑ and it looks now like arrogance because he continued the steroid abuse, they found him out again and a second time, and this time he's been suspended for the rest of the season and has admitted it. Now he comes out and says, "Oh, yeah, look, I'm not perfect. As I've said in the past, I'm not perfect. I don't remember you ever saying in the past you weren't perfect. You said you had perfectly performed your duties as a baseball player by never ingesting steroids. You kind of did say you were perfect on this issue. Now he's saying, "Oh, I'm not perfect. I made a mistake. Sorry."

GLENN: Now let me ‑‑ let me go to ‑‑ let me take from this story where his teammates are saying, "Hey, he said he wasn't perfect. None of us are perfect. Let's get over it." The truth matters.

Let me take you to another story now. Let me take you to a story, a personal story of a hedge fund manager that I was talking to and said, you know, what do you think of ‑‑ what do you think of the economy? What do you think's coming? He said, Glenn, I know what you think, he said, and, you know, we disagree on a lot of things, he said, but on this one you're right. He said, but for different reasons because I see it from the inside. He said, we're no longer investing in America. We don't like investments in America now. I said, why is that? He said, "Because we don't believe any of the data that's coming out. We can't believe that any of the data that the corporations or the government is actually churning out is real." So if we don't know what the real metrics are, if we don't know what the data is, how are we going to invest in anything? We'd rather put our money overseas, someplace else, someplace in Asia because we at least know that those metrics, while they may not be as good as the metrics that are happening here in America, we don't believe these metrics. We just don't think these are real." He said, so a collapse is coming. A reset has to happen.

Okay. So let me tie these two stories together. On our money we always focus on the God part on "In God we trust." On our money it says "In God we trust." Gold was up again yesterday. It's now, what, 1360 an ounce? Remember I was a villain when it fell down to 1100 and I said, "Now would be the time to buy some more. Because when everybody else is selling, that's the time to buy." It's back up over 1300. It might go down again, but it will go up again. Why? Why?

Do you know that J.P. Morgan now has less unallocated gold than they have ever had. People are saying, "I want gold. I want gold. I want my gold. I want my gold." So unallocated gold. And this is after the Germans came and said to the Federal Reserve, "We want our gold." That caused more people to go to the bank and say, "I want my gold. I want gold." They have less gold on hand unallocated, less gold on hand than ever before in recorded history. Why again? "In God we trust" is on the money. "In God we trust."

We also say "In the full faith and credit of the United States of America." Well, that's gone. There is no full faith and credit in the United States of America. And that's why it doesn't say that on our money. It says "In God we trust." And everybody always fights, "Oh, God, oh, God." Let me speak ‑‑ let me speak a language that everybody can accept. What is another name for God or another, another descriptive word for "God"? People will say, "Well, God is love." Well, yes, God is love, but what is love? When you boil it down to its essence, God is love, but love is truth. You can't be a parent and not tell your kids the truth. You can't ‑‑ and we've all done it. We know this to be true because we've all watched American Idol. And we've all said, where was their parent? Was there nobody that loved them enough to tell them the truth? "You suck!" Was there no one that loved them enough to tell them the truth? God is not love. God is truth. If you want to ‑‑ if you want to make yourself feel better because you hate God so much or you just think God is some sort of fable or whatever, every time you look at that, just replace the word "God" with "Truth." "In truth we trust." Whose truth? Universal truth. When we say "In God we trust," we're talking about the principles of the Ten Commandments. And I don't know anybody that won't give me seven out of the Ten Commandments. I'm the Lord thy God. There should be no other gods before me. Okay. "Well, I don't believe in God." All right. Great. What do you believe in? Because you do have a god. You serve something. You worship something. "Well, I worship reason." Okay. All right. That's your god. But let's get down to the essence of the ones that we can absolutely agree on. We all agree you can't murder people. It doesn't say thou shall not kill. It says thou shall not murder. We can all agree on that. You get into the thou shalt not kill, "Well, what about war?" Okay. Well, it doesn't say that. It says murder. Can we all agree we don't murder people? "Yes" is the answer. Thou shalt not steal, can we all agree on that? Can we all agree on "covet"? Do you know we're in society now where we can't even agree on coveting. We are a society built on covetness. We are doing nothing more than coveting all day. "They have something. Have you seen this? Have you seen what they have? They have the latest. They have the greatest. Have you seen what's out? I want that. I want that. I want that." My parents used to say there's a difference between need and want. You'll always have what you need, but you may not always get what you want. When's the last time you said that? When's the last time you heard another parent say that? When is the last time you heard that message coming from anybody of any kind of power? You may not always get what you want because life isn't fair. Well, we don't do that anymore because our society is built on covet. I will covet my neighbor's goods. I will even covet my neighbor's wife.

But in our heart of hearts and in our darkest moments and when we have really, truly found truth in our life, every single one of us would admit coveting someone else's stuff is not good. Lying is not good, cheating is not good, stealing is not good, murder is not good. That's the truth. And so when we go down to the basic, "In truth we trust," what it says on our money is we will not lie, we will not steal, we will not covet and because of that you can trust that the system will work.

PAT: I see what you're saying. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need. You'd get what you need.

GLENN: You know, if we were living in the 1960s, that would be so relatable but I just really, it's just really ‑‑

PAT: Still.

GLENN: We are living in a time that if we can restore the basic truth. Forget about the Republicans. Forget about the Democrats. Forget about all of that stuff. Forget about all the trappings and all the things that man has made. We have to boil it down to the essence of truth. And if we will just live those truths, we can restore things. But until you do, the hedge fund managers are not going to invest. They will invest someplace else because they don't believe that we won't lie, cheat and steal all the way to the top. All the way to the bottom. And baseball will go on because baseball is baseball and who really gives a flying crap if they are all on crack cocaine. I don't really care. But in the end our society doesn't make it. If we don't teach the truth matters. And I'm sorry. Sitting out for 65 games isn't a big enough punishment. Is there ever going to be anybody that says the truth matters, and if you won't tell the truth, we don't want you around. And if that means that we suffer for a while, I am convinced, I am convinced, and I know because I know the millennial ‑‑ what is the millennial choir? The ‑‑ jeez, I can't remember. It's the 2,000 voice choir and orchestra out of California and Arizona. These people are amazing. 2,000 you voices, all volunteer. How do you get people to volunteer and to really be that dedicated? 2,000 people, how do you get them to do it? By having standards. I'm convinced that if you just start having standards and people say, "You know what? I don't really care. If it's only five of us over here, it's only five of us, but we're going to live our lives this way," you are going to be the biggest success story of all time.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.