WATCH: TheBlaze staffer shocked to find out he knew Washington Navy Yard shooter

September 17, 2013

Writer

Chris Childs, director for Pat & Stu realized something shocking yesterday: he knew Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis. Childs had frequented the Ft. Worth, TX Thai restaurant where Alexis had worked, and had had many conversations with the suspected killer.

"Well, the first time we met obviously was at the restaurant, and I had gone in there with a couple of friends from my previous job before I started working at TheBlaze and we were big lovers of Thai food and we found this place and he was a waiter, a waiter kind of just hanging out," Childs explained.

"How did he seem to you? Did he seem like a guy who would ever do something like this?" Pat asked.

"Absolutely not," Childs responded.

Childs said that Alexis was very nice and pretty quiet, and that he was really into the video games Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

"Did you ever have any sense at all that he was trouble at all," Glenn asked.

"No, that's the thing that floors me is he was not that type of person. He never seemed angry, he never seemed like he was bitter about anything and even when I was talking to one of my friends who was with the owner of the restaurant last night, he was saying they're all just floored."

WATCH:

Full Transcript below:

Last night I was on the show and the picture came on the screen of the guy who was the killer, and I did the show. And right after a couple of our employees came and said, "Glenn, we know this guy." Now, Chris is the guy who's known as the guy who wears the Hawaiian shirt at TheBlaze and Mercury studios.

PAT: And he wears it every day.

STU: It's on his business card.

GLENN: No, he's got different shirts and it's not just that one Hawaiian shirt.

PAT: No, several.

GLENN: He's got every Hawaiian shirt that has ever been made, I believe.

STU: (Laughing.)

GLENN: And I'm not one to mock somebody's sense of fashion, I just want you to know that.

STU: That's just because you know we will mock you in return.

GLENN: Yes. So Chris comes up and he said, "I know this guy, know him quite well. He works at a Thai restaurant in Fort Worth that I go to." Now, all of this has been verified, but this was 5:00 yesterday afternoon. Brought Chris in this morning. He's actually the director of the Pat and Stu show. He's the guy in the control room that makes all the calls, which, he hasn't made the call, and I guess this might be mine, to cancel the show, but ‑‑

STU: (Laughing.)

GLENN: But anyway, we wanted to bring Chris in and talk a little bit about, how did you meet him and who was he?

CHRIS: Well, the first time we met obviously was at the restaurant, and I had gone in there with a couple of friends from my previous job before I started working at TheBlaze and we were big lovers of Thai food and we found this place and he was a waiter, a waiter kind of just hanging out.

PAT: So you'd just, you would go in there and strike up a conversation with him when you went in to eat?

CHRIS: Yeah. Because you didn't go to Happy Bowl for a quick lunch. I mean, it was a good solid hour and a half just because it was, you know ‑‑

GLENN: Well, it's a happy bowl.

CHRIS: Huh?

GLENN: It's a happy bowl.

CHRIS: It's a happy bowl.

GLENN: It implies happiness.

CHRIS: Yeah, happiness takes time.

GLENN: Yes, it does. Now, did you know, for instance, that he was a Buddhist?

CHRIS: No, I didn't.

GLENN: Okay.

CHRIS: I mean, I know that he was living with the owner of the restaurant, Wi, and I know Wi was a Buddhist. So it doesn't surprise me that ‑‑

GLENN: You and who else?

CHRIS: Huh?

GLENN: You and who else?

STU: No, stop. Let him do the stupid story, please.

GLENN: No, come on. That's ‑‑ you don't get a guy named Wi very often.

STU: You do many times in certain areas of the world, yes, you do.

GLENN: Okay. All right. So ‑‑

CHRIS: I knew that ‑‑ you're killing me, just killin' me. Wi was a Buddhist and so it doesn't ‑‑ like I said, it doesn't surprise that ‑‑

GLENN: If we could just get ‑‑ if we could just get Hu into this story.

CHRIS: Who?

PAT: We're done with the whole thing.

STU: See, we have plenty of opportunities to do the Hu joke and the Wi joke. Can we get the story from a guy who actually knew?

GLENN: I don't ‑‑

STU: ‑‑ the murderer here? I mean, is that too much to ask?

PAT: So the obvious question then is, Chris, how did he seem to you? Did he seem like a guy who would ever do something like this?

CHRIS: Absolutely not. He's that stereotypical ‑‑

PAT: Quiet?

CHRIS: ‑‑ quiet. He would ‑‑

PAT: Nice? Was he nice?

CHRIS: Oh, he was really friendly, really nice.

PAT: Really?

CHRIS: And just, you know, he would sit up at the ‑‑ sit up at the counter and take orders and just be as nice as could be. And he would ‑‑ you know, I do know that he taught himself the language of Thai, self‑taught, which was real easy since the owners were also from Thailand. So I'm sure he had lots of people to practice on.

STU: When he ‑‑ would you say, was there any conversations you have outside of, you know, pad Thai‑related conversations? Did you talk to him about what he did in his life, did you talk to him about ‑‑

GLENN: Because you said to me yesterday you knew that he was into the shooter video games.

CHRIS: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: You said he was really into them.

CHRIS: Really into them. When a new game would come out, there's a couple of guys that I worked with that were also kinda sorta into shooter games but by the first new one would come out, he would know a lot about the game, like maps and that kind of stuff.

PAT: So you would talk to him about these video games?

CHRIS: Yeah.

PAT: Like Call of Duty or what?

CHRIS: Yeah.

PAT: Resident Evil?

CHRIS: Yeah. And I think he was a Warcraft guy too.

PAT: Now, were you the one, because somebody has said that he played these games up to 16 hours a day. Is that information coming from ‑‑

CHRIS: That didn't come from me but it wouldn't surprise me because I think basically all he did was work a little bit at the restaurant and then go home and ‑‑

GLENN: Did he seem like an angry guy?

CHRIS: No. No, that was the thing.

GLENN: Because they're reporting today that he had problems with white people.

PAT: And anger management.

CHRIS: Yeah, I read that, but he didn't show that towards us. I mean, we were a table full of white guys.

PAT: And clearly you're as white as it gets.

STU: (Laughing.)

PAT: I mean, nobody is whiter than you, Chris. Am I right?

CHRIS: That's coming from you?

PAT: Yes. You're even whiter than I am.

GLENN: Well, because of the Hawaiian shirt, I think.

PAT: Yes, I think the Hawaiian shirt really ‑‑

GLENN: Only because of wearing the Hawaiian shirt.

CHRIS: I am wearing pants today. So that is a good thing.

PAT: That is a good thing.

GLENN: I will tell you that I have been thinking about instituting a "You must wear pants" policy.

STU: We just had an adult on TV brag about wearing pants.

GLENN: Yeah. I know. We are really kind of ‑‑ you know, operating in television and operating in television in the South is a little different.

PAT: It is different.

GLENN: You're like, I decided not to wear pants today. "Okay."

STU: So how many times would you say you frequented this restaurant? It was a place you went a lot? I mean, did you get a lot of conversation?

GLENN: Yeah, how many times did you actually ‑‑

CHRIS: I probably went there, once we found the place, we went up there quite often, like once or twice a week.

GLENN: Is he a guy that if you would have walked on the street, he would have said, "Chris"?

CHRIS: Probably not. Because he was that ‑‑ I don't think he was that kind of guy really. He wasn't outgoing or anything. I mean, he's literally real quiet. I would have been the one to say, "Hey, Aaron, how's it going?" He would be like, "Oh, hey, dude." You know, I mean, it was just, he was not very ‑‑

PAT: So you guys never, you never did anything with him outside of the restaurant?

CHRIS: No.

STU: You weren't in his wedding or anything?

CHRIS: No.

GLENN: Did you ever have any sense at all that ‑‑

CHRIS: None.

GLENN: ‑‑ he was trouble at all?

CHRIS: None.

GLENN: Anybody walk away from that conversation and say...

PAT: That guy's got some issues?

GLENN: That guy's got some issues, man, there's something about that guy?

CHRIS: No, that's the thing that floors me is he was not that type of person. He never seemed angry, he never seemed like he was bitter about anything and even when I was talking to one of my friends who was with the owner of the restaurant last night, he was saying they're all just floored.

STU: Oh, man. The interviews with the owner of the restaurant were heartbreaking because the guy seems to be a standup guy.

CHRIS: Yeah.

STU: And once a small business. He, you know, brought this guy into his home.

GLENN: He ‑‑ yeah, tried to help him.

STU: Tried to help him.

CHRIS: Aaron was the best man at his wedding last year.

GLENN: No, I think he was supposed to be and then he had to miss it, didn't he? He went some ‑‑

CHRIS: I didn't make the wedding, either, but I know he was supposed to be.

GLENN: Would you have ‑‑ you're a good customer. If you would have been invited to the ‑‑

CHRIS: I would have gone, absolutely. Wi's a good guy. It's a really good family.

GLENN: Who?

CHRIS: And it's ‑‑ you guys.

STU: I don't want to say us guys. It's Glenn.

PAT: Yeah, it's just Glenn.

STU: Just Glenn doing this today.

GLENN: So good. I mean, it's just so good, all the way through I had Wi and Hu jokes the whole time.

STU: That was you exercising restraint.

'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.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

Glenn's Show Prep

WATCH: TheBlaze staffer shocked to find out he knew Washington Navy Yard shooter

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

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.

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

Picking up his torch

Two turning points, decades apart

A time for courage

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

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

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

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

From Muhammad to Marx

Gifts from God, not the state

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

Do you think the Gen Z support for Trump is an opportunity for conservatives to win them over with anti-establishment reforms that preserve liberty?