Glenn: Time to get out of the herd because you're being led to the slaughter

It was twelve years ago people were inspired by the words "let's roll", willing to undergo self-sacrifice to help others. Today, people seem willing to just be cattle. The latest example? A Baltimore man was arrested for simply standing up and asking tough questions during a Common Core town hall meeting. Could this just be the latest step to government taking control of the American people, and using force and intimidation to suppress objections? Glenn thinks so, and he opened the show by explaining just what happened and what it all means.

Watch:

Below is a transcript of Glenn's opening monologue:

If you’ve been watching my show for a long time, you are familiar with this – nudge, shove, shoot, and it’s how every Marxist utopian dream begins with just, it starts simple with just a little nudge. It’s cash for clunkers. It is trying to figure out a way to make energy prices necessarily skyrocket, nudge you into hybrids or french fries versus carrots, you know? You put them in front of the chip so the kid eats healthy.

Then when this doesn’t work anymore, then they have to start shoving, and that’s when it gets more serious. That’s when they use the IRS to shut down the opposing voices. They use the NSA to monitor and track American citizens. They use labor intimidation, send the labor unions over to people’s houses. Then they start using regulation, and they start arresting people to scare everybody.

Eventually, that doesn’t work anymore, because people want to be free, and they understand common sense, and they want to live in a world that makes sense to them. And so when this doesn’t make sense, and this no longer works, if you really want your Marxist utopia, then it goes to this, and that’s when you start shooting. You start shooting people or you send them to a reeducation camp or you send them to an internment camp.

It happens every time, and it happens when you forget about the individual, and you make it about the collective. It happens with every revolution, whether it is a revolution in the French Revolution or if it is a revolution in Egypt. So now where are we on the scale? Are we at nudge, shove, or shoot? Well, it really comes down to this, how do you transform a nation? How do you do it?

This is the list that I made about six years ago when I first started, maybe right before I started at Fox. I saw what was coming, and I thought okay, so if you’re going to do fundamental transformation, what do you need? How do you do it? How do you take a nation that’s free and do it? And I came up with a list of things you had to control.

You had to control the media. They had that one a long time ago. They control the media. They control the culture through Hollywood. Education, they’re putting the final nails on that. They’ve controlled it for a long time but not like they’re trying now. Banking, well they pretty much control everything. They control through the Fed your money. They control the value of what you’ve even saved.

Medical, they’ve got that coming in the next couple of weeks. Communication, three little letters, NSA, they pretty much have that done. Food and farms, they are currently working on that like you wouldn’t believe. We’ll show you in the next couple of weeks. Police, have you noticed how much money the Department of Homeland Security has put into your local police force? Have you noticed that the Department of Homeland Security is actually being used now as a local police force?

And the military, I never thought they’d get that one. That one’s almost completely done, and of course labor. So they have all this done now. They didn’t have all this done six years ago. They do now. And then they have to do one other thing, they have to use, exploit, or create an economic crisis, security fears, war. And when you’re in war, you get to define who your enemies are, so you redefine the enemies.

Propaganda, we just had, our government just okayed, our Congress actually said it’s okay for our United States government now to do propaganda on our own people. Since when? Why did they need that piece? They have to use behavioral scientists. They have to figure out how to nudge and when to reeducate. Well, we know from The New York Times the president uses behavioral scientists, and nudge, shove, shoot. So where are we? Where are we?

Well, on Thursday, there was an event that happened that I found out about Friday night, and I couldn’t sleep for two hours, because I believe it is a very important piece that moves us further towards shoot. It happened in Towson, Maryland, an upscale, or it used to be upscale suburb of Baltimore. A dad was arrested after a public forum. This is it, Common Core State Standards. This was the invitation. This was the flyer that went out.

It says here “Your chance to get answers to your Common Core questions.” Well, that’s what it was. Dad stands up, and he’s got a question about Common Core. His name is Robert Small, and he wasn’t merely arrested. He was removed with excessive force and today, he faces ten years in prison.

By the way, this story is getting national coverage now. It hasn’t received any local coverage yet. Now, if I told you that story, you would say there’s got to be a catch. I want you to decide for yourself, because it’s all thank goodness captured on video.

But before I show it to you, here’s what was going on: The school board decided that they instead of actually engaging with the parents in a back-and-forth question-and-answer session, that your questions, all the answers to your Common Core questions would need to be written down on paper and then handed in to the schoolmarm.

Now with this method, sure, maybe it’s a little more orderly, but it also removes the possibility of follow-up questions on the spot, takes the microphone out of the crowd, takes the emotion out of the room, which I guess could be argued good thing or bad thing. But what happens is you suppress and minimize any possible objections.

Okay, so you could play that either way. You could be okay, well, they’re just trying to move things along, make sure people don’t get longwinded, and make sure nobody gets angry, but then they screened and edited the questions in advance. So for over an hour, the crowd had to listen to the county superintendent talk about how wonderful Common Core was. Then they showed a video on how great Common Core is. Then they started reading some of the softball questions, and that’s when Robert Small couldn’t take it anymore, but he stood up in total self-control, and here’s what happened. Watch.

VIDEO

Robert Small: I went to Community College. I finished at the University of Maryland. And now I move my family out to Howard County because of the reputation the schools. My children are being prepared for community college. You’re not talking to them about which colleges. You’re not preparing them for Harvard.

Take control. We’re sick of this. This is not a CNN political debate. This is a public town hall. Don’t stand for this. You’re sitting here like cattle. You have questions. Confront them. They don’t want to do it in public. Is this America? This is not a CNN political debate. Parents, you need to question these people. Do the research. It’s online.

Look at this. Okay, now did he look at all out of control? That guy was intimidating him. He was manhandling him. This is the way it used to happen in mother Russia, not America. Now here’s the kicker: The reason why I couldn’t sleep on Friday is because this guy, the father, was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, faces a $2,500 fine and up to ten years in prison. Excuse me? Show me the physical threat. Show me the assault.

The assault happened the other way around as the officer was violently yanking him by his arm in an attempt to remove him. Remove him from what? What was his crime, asking a question about what’s going to happen with his children? What law did this man break that warranted such a use of force? I’ll tell you what it was, doing this, doing this. You know this picture? You know what that is?

That’s Norman Rockwell, a guy standing up in a school board meeting and speaking his mind. That’s what Norman Rockwell said was one of the four freedoms, stating your opinion. As Small was being dragged out, he said don’t stand for this. You’re sitting here like cattle. Mr. Small’s admonition to the herd is spot on.

Where were the teachers as he was being removed, you know, the ones that always teach about it’s a wrong to bully people? Did no one feel that he was being bullied? Did not one person have the decency to say stop, stop, stop? Up there on the board, no one said lets him…stop? One woman taping asked that question. Another woman stood up, said something to the guard to no avail, but other than that, nothing, nothing.

We have seen in the last few months teachers stand up for a colleague who sexually molested and raped an eighth grade student, but the teachers don’t stand up against this? No one, none of the parents dare ask a question out loud or directly addressed the almighty school board without writing it down on paper first; otherwise it will turn into the Salem witch trials. Cattle, time to get out of the herd, because you’re being led to slaughter.

Perhaps people were afraid to speak because they were afraid of being dragged off by a police officer, and so the option is I sit here with my mouth closed like cattle. And when nobody is there to stand up for you, it’s because you weren’t there to stand up for everybody else that was dragged off. I just want you to put this in perspective. It was 12 years ago. We’re still the same Americans. It’s not like some past generation. We’re still the same generation that 12 years ago we were inspired by the rallying cry of the typical American that said let’s roll.

We’ve gone from let’s roll to cattle in 12 years. Don’t tell me that we haven’t lost our country. Don’t tell me that we haven’t been fundamentally transformed. I don’t even recognize Americans anymore. Now, here’s why I want you to remember this video: I want you to write this down. If you keep a journal, I want you to write this down, because you’re going to look like a prophet to your kids someday. Believe me on this.

Do you remember when I was at Fox and I told you about the fruit cart vendor in Tunisia that set himself on fire? And I said that guy, that, nobody will understand, and everybody will call me crazy, which they did, but that will lead to a watershed moment, and it will spread across the Middle East, and it will turn everything into chaos. And it did. Write it down in your journal. This is a watershed moment.

It doesn’t matter if this guy goes to jail or not. Did people learn their lesson? It’s dictatorship 101, make someone an example, and the rest will stay in line. The next meeting of that school district, they should have 10,000 people there, but I doubt they will. To quote Mr. Small, “is this America?” I don’t know.

Now, I want to take you to the other big story that happened this weekend, but I want to make sure you couple it with this story, because remember, we started with that list of how do you take over a nation like this. This story’s happening on the other side of the globe. It happened in Kenya, where at least 62 people are dead as terrorists have taken an upscale mall by violent and coordinated attack that targeted non-Muslims.

Now, by the way, Kenya is a country that has all kinds of gun restrictions, can’t have an automatic weapon, can’t have a semi-automatic weapon. You can’t even have a handgun yourself. If you use a gun in self-defense, you’re in trouble. So what happens? The group responsible for this was an Al Qaeda affiliated group, you know, Al Qaeda, the one that’s on the run that we’ve pretty much put out of business.

This group is called Al Shabaab. You need to know the name, Al Shabaab. They claim to be retaliating against “what Muslims in Somalia experienced at the hands of Kenyon invaders.” So when they went into this mall, they asked the shoppers what is the name of Muhammad’s mother? Sylvia isn’t the right answer apparently. If you couldn’t answer it, you got shot.

They tweeted the rampage live, “Like it or loathe it! Our mujahideen confirmed all executions were point blank range.” I loathe it, I don’t know about you. So people will watch this, and they’ll say how does this even affect me? I mean, we’re here in America. Well, here’s how: One of the Twitter accounts used by the terrorists identified ten of the gunmen. Three of them, at least three they say, were Americans, two allegedly from Minneapolis, an area which is Al Shabaab.

They have actively recruited in Minneapolis. Now, U.S. officials don’t have any confirmation of Americans having been involved in the attacks as of yet. They’re still working on it. We’ll focus on that angle tomorrow, but you’re not going to believe who our government is inviting and moving into our country, and you won’t believe the numbers that they’re doing it in.

This administration says they believe the U.S. is not really a priority for Al Shabaab right now. Really? That’s not what For the Record tells us. Two weeks ago, For the Record, a new program, the 60 Minutes of our generation – mark my words; put that in your journal as well – they reported just two weeks ago that there was documented proof that Al Shabaab members had crossed oh, our unsecured Mexican border into the U.S.

VIDEO

The Al Qaeda linked terrorist group Al Shabaab based in Somalia has attracted dozens of American recruits.

Sara Carter: I’ve covered stories where we know Somalians were attempting to cross into the United States from the Mexican border that were connected to Al Shabaab. That was documented. The documents were right there. I was able to write the story, prove that there were terrorists connected to Al Shabaab trying to enter the United States from Mexico. The Mexican authorities had released them, and then they disappeared inside Mexico. And there was a scramble to try to find them.

Really? Are they coming here looking for some undocumented jobs? Is that what it is? We have an administration that has sided with radical Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, who by the way were banned once again today in Egypt, while our own government is cozying up to the Brotherhood and turning a blind eye to dangerous extremists and making it easy, beyond making it easy, they are sending them here. We’ll tell you about that tomorrow.

In 2010, the president issued an executive order allowing 80,000 refugees to immigrate to the U.S. So what happens when all hell breaks loose? What happens to us when, let’s say, Al Shabaab members start shooting in our Westlake malls, and people plead for help? The top comes crashing down all too ready to help with all kinds of excuses that will be made to remove more freedoms from America, all of course in the name of safety.

And as the people in Baltimore demonstrated, even though people know it’s wrong, they won’t do anything. They’ll sit like cattle. Anyone who disagrees and stands will be deemed an enemy of the state, a security risk, and will be shoved and eventually shot. I said at the beginning, this is happening in Egypt. This is current. Fifty-five thousand unlicensed clerics were rounded up this weekend because they were deemed a threat to Egypt security. See, it happens this way every time.

If Egypt can round up that many people, I mean, do you think our government could do…I mean, can you imagine what we could do in a weekend? And please don’t start with me oh, yeah, he’s crazy talking. It’s never happened here. It already has happen. You need to go back and look at the images from the Japanese internment camps? All you need is a war. All you need is a threat. All you need is somebody at the top, and it’s always a Progressive that says round them up.

Oh, and in totally unrelated news that would make it easier for government to round people up, President Obama turned the naval yard memorial into a gun control speech, believe it or not, arguing that transformation was needed. Watch.

VIDEO

President Obama: These families have endured a shattering tragedy. It ought to be a shock to all of us as a nation and as a people. It ought to obsess us. It ought to lead to some sort of transformation.

And it will. Translation: We have to disarm more Americans. Watch the speech. It’s outrageous. Disarm more Americans, all in the name of safety, of course. Let me ask the question that I’ve asked a few times here, and I don’t seem to get an answer to. We are arming Al Qaeda and the rebels in the Middle East, not just with guns but automatic weapons and rockets, and some of the rebels are from here in the U.S., and yet at the same time, the same guy arming them is trying to disarm loyal American citizens.

The time to decide who you are and what you believe and what’s worth standing for, fighting for, dying for, going to jail for, is not when you’re sitting in a school district meeting. The time to decide who you are is right now, long before you have to make that decision.

'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 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?

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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?

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?