What did John Wayne say about liberalism in 1975 that has even greater significance today?

October 18, 2013

Writer

Glenn opened the radio program this morning with a flashback to 1975, playing some eerily germane audio from John Wayne about liberalism in America.

“You know, I got up early this morning. I was up at about 4:30 this morning. I couldn't sleep. I decided to get up and, God help me, exercise. I thought I'd try exercise for a day and if that didn't make me feel better, I'm going to start drinking again. It didn't work. I'm going to start drinking again,” Glenn joked. “I just hate all of the stupid people around the rest of the country nowhere near my life. You know what I mean? I just, I can't take the people in Washington anymore. I want to go back up to the farm and just hang out with my cows and people who make sense, and my cows make more sense than the people in Washington do.”

While Glenn was ‘exercising’ bright and early this morning, he found the story with excerpts from a 1975 interview between Tony Macklin and Wayne on TheBlaze. His words, which are nearly 40 years old, sound like they could have been uttered today, as Wayne digs into liberal political tactics and fiscal policies.

(Content Warning: Perhaps unsurprisingly, a bit of salty language ahead)

“That could have been recorded yesterday,” Pat said. “Amazing.”

“Yeah. I was working out this morning, and I heard that and I thought: That's everything that I want somebody to say. That's everything I want somebody to say. You know, I've listened to people from all walks of life, and then I decide what I want to believe. And they go off and they decide what they want to believe. That's who Americans are. That's who we've always been,” Glenn said. “But, as he says, some son of a bitch is out there and they want to make the decision on what you think and then, because they control the press and control the media and control culture, they'll go out and they'll try to make you into something that you're not.”

Yesterday, Glenn talked about the research done by a Yale law professor, Dan Kahn, who much to his surprise discovered the TEA Party was a lot brighter than he expected. Kahn candidly owned up to his misjudgments, but many people today are not nearly as open-minded.

“Look what they tried to do to, you know, conservatives. They try to make us look stupid. And Stu just showed yesterday a research paper that came out of Yale that shows the TEA Party have a better grasp of scientific knowledge than the average person does,” Glenn explained. “[The] researcher at Yale said ‘I was surprised’ and then did the right thing and said, ‘I guess I have to change my opinion on this. I expected to find one thing. I found something exactly the opposite. And so I have to change my opinion.’ But that's not going to happen with most people.”

Whether it be Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s nanny policies in New York City or Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign, the government is trying to dictate people’s lives. As Wayne explained so bluntly, you cannot legislate people’s morality.

“So we keep trying to change the laws,” Glenn said. “Now, this is [1975]. Think of this. He's saying as communication gets better, you're going to be able to show people where people are hurting, and people will help because that's who we are. That's who we always have been. And we'll go out and we'll help, and that's true.”

With 75,000 cows dead in South Dakota after a record-setting blizzard, the ranchers in that area are hurting. But, as Glenn has heard from several of his listeners who have called in from the region, these people may be down, but they are not looking for a government handout.

“I got a letter from the guy who runs a few of the cows for me [on my ranch]. He helps me on the farm… making sure the cows don't starve to death because I'd have no idea, you know. And he wrote to me last night and he said, ‘You know, the people up in South Dakota, Glenn, they don't want all of these handouts. They don't want the government coming in when they lost so many cattle.’ Cattle are expensive. Now, here's a guy in a small little town. He said, ‘Glenn, I want to talk to you because we've been talking about it as neighbors, and maybe all of us will get together and we can send some of our cows up.’ And he said, ‘I know this would work if you could just get the word out. I know there'd be a lot of ranchers out there that would donate a cow. And they would replenish the stock for them,’” Glenn explained. “That's what John Wayne was talking about. He said, ‘With a voice like yours, we could get the word out.’ That's what John Wayne was saying. As communication gets better, we can change things. As communication gets better, then all of a sudden people will help because that's who we are.”

It is really easy to listen to the narrative of this Administration, to listen to the narrative of the media and feel discouraged. The ‘us against them’ mentality of hatred and divisiveness is a tactic of the left seeks to break the sprit that Wayne speaks of. But Glenn believes there is hope.

“They want you to be angry. They want you to feel uncomfortable. They want to punish. But that's not who we are,” Glenn concluded. “Well, we have hope. At the first opportunity, you throw that out. It's like fish. They bite on it. That is who we are. Hope. People that want to believe that there are good people out there, and there are.”

99% see THROUGH media’s L.A. riot cover-up

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Glenn asked for YOUR take on the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, and YOU responded with a thunderous verdict. Your answers to our recent Glennbeck.com poll cut through the establishment’s haze, revealing a profound skepticism of their narrative.

The results are undeniable: 98% of you believe taxpayer-funded NGOs are bankrolling these riots, a bold rejection of the claim that these are grassroots protests. Meanwhile, 99% dismiss the mainstream media’s coverage as woefully inadequate—can the official story survive such resounding doubt? And 99% of you view the involvement of socialist and Islamist groups as a growing threat to national security, signaling alarm at what Glenn calls a coordinated “Color Revolution” lurking beneath the surface.

You also stand firmly with decisive action: 99% support President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to quell the chaos. These numbers defy the elite’s tired excuses and reflect a demand for truth and accountability. Are your tax dollars being weaponized to destabilize America? You’ve answered with conviction.

Your voice sends a powerful message to those who dismiss the unrest as mere “protests.” You spoke, and Glenn listened. Keep shaping the conversation at Glennbeck.com.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

EXPOSED: Your tax dollars FUND Marxist riots in LA

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Protesters wore Che shirts, waved foreign flags, and chanted Marxist slogans — but corporate media still peddles the ‘spontaneous outrage’ narrative.

I sat in front of the television this weekend, watching the glittering spectacle of corporate media do what it does best: tell me not to believe my lying eyes.

According to the polished news anchors, what I was witnessing in Los Angeles was “mostly peaceful protests.” They said it with all the earnest gravitas of someone reading a bedtime story, while behind them the streets looked like a deleted scene from “Mad Max.” Federal agents dodged concrete slabs as if it were an Olympic sport. A man in a Che Guevara crop top tried to set a police car on fire. Dumpster fires lit the night sky like some sort of postapocalyptic luau.

If you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

But sure, it was peaceful. Tear gas clouds and Molotov cocktails are apparently the incense and candles of this new civic religion.

The media expects us to play along — to nod solemnly while cities burn and to call it “activism.”

Let’s call this what it is: delusion.

Another ‘peaceful’ riot

If the Titanic “mostly floated” and the Hindenburg “mostly flew,” then yes, the latest L.A. riots are “mostly peaceful.” But history tends to care about those tiny details at the end — like icebergs and explosions.

The coverage was full of phrases like “spontaneous,” “grassroots,” and “organic,” as if these protests materialized from thin air. But many of the signs and banners looked like they’d been run off at ComradesKinkos.com — crisp print jobs with slogans promoting socialism, communism, and various anti-American regimes. Palestinian flags waved beside banners from Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador. It was like someone looted a United Nations souvenir shop and turned it into a revolution starter pack.

And guess who funded it? You did.

According to at least one report, much of this so-called spontaneous rage fest was paid for with your tax dollars. Tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration ensured your paycheck funded Trotsky cosplayers chucking firebombs at local coffee shops.

The same aging radicals from the 1970s — now armed with tenure, pensions, and book deals — are cheering from the sidelines, waxing poetic about how burning a squad car is “liberation.” These are the same folks who once wore tie-dye and flew to help guerrilla fighters and now applaud chaos under the banner of “progress.”

This is not progress. It is not protest. It’s certainly not justice or peace.

It’s an attempt to dismantle the American system — and if you dare say that out loud, you’re labeled a bigot, a fascist, or, worst of all, someone who notices reality.

And what sparked this taxpayer-funded riot? Enforcement against illegal immigrants — many of whom, according to official arrest records, are repeat violent offenders. These are not the “dreamers” or the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These are criminals with long, violent rap sheets — allowed to remain free by a broken system that prioritizes ideology over public safety.

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg | Getty Images

This is what people are rioting over — not the mistreatment of the innocent, but the arrest of the guilty. And in California, that’s apparently a cause for outrage.

The average American, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, is supposed to worry they’ll be next. But unless you’re in the habit of assaulting people, smuggling, or firing guns into people’s homes, you probably don’t have much to fear.

Still, if you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

The left has lost it

This is what happens when a culture loses its grip on reality. We begin to call arson “art,” lawlessness “liberation,” and criminals “community members.” We burn the good and excuse the evil — all while the media insists it’s just “vibes.”

But it’s not just vibes. It’s violence, paid for by you, endorsed by your elected officials, and whitewashed by newsrooms with more concern for hair and lighting than for truth.

This isn’t activism. This is anarchism. And Democratic politicians are fueling the flame.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck's 'No King but Christ' merch: Will faith STOP the chaos?

On Saturday, June 14, 2025 (President Trump's 79th birthday), the "No Kings" protest—a noisy spectacle orchestrated by progressive heavyweights like Randi Weingarten and her union cronies—will take place in Washington, D.C.

Thousands will chant "no thrones, no crowns, no king," claiming to fend off authoritarianism and corruption.

But let’s cut through the noise. The protesters' grievances—rigged courts, deported citizens, slashed services—are a house of cards. Zero Americans have been deported, Federal services are still bloated, and if anyone is rigging the courts, it's the Left. So why rally now, especially with riots already flaring in L.A.?

Chaos isn’t a side effect here—it’s the plan.

This is not about liberty; it's a power grab dressed up as resistance. The "No Kings" crowd wants you to buy their script: government’s the enemy—unless they’re the ones running it. It's the identical script from 2020: same groups, same tactics, same goal, different name.

But Glenn is flipping the script. He's dropping a new "No Kings but Christ" merch line, just in time for the protest. Merch that proclaims one truth: no earthly ruler owns us; only Christ does. It’s a bold, faith-rooted rejection of this secular circus.

Why should you care? Because this won’t just be a rally—it’ll be a symptom. Distrust in institutions is sky-high, and rightly so, but the "No Kings" answer is a hollow shout into the void. Glenn’s merch begs the question: if you’re ditching kings, who’s really in charge? Get yours and wear the answer proudly.

Truth unleashed: 95% say media’s excuses for anti-Semitism are a LIE

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Glenn asked for YOUR take on the rising tide of anti-Semitism, and you delivered. After the Boulder attack, you made it clear: this isn’t just a news story—it’s a crisis the elites are dodging.

Your verdict is unmistakable: 96% of you see anti-Semitism as a growing threat in the U.S., brushing aside the establishment’s weak excuses. The spin does not fool you—95% say the media is deliberately downplaying the issue, hiding a cultural rot that’s all too real. And the government’s response? A whopping 95% of you call it a disgraceful failure, leaving communities exposed.

Your voices shatter the silence. Why should we trust narratives that dismiss your concerns? With 97% of you warning that anti-Semitism will surge in the years ahead, you’re demanding action and accountability. This is your stand for truth.

You spoke, and Glenn listened. Your bold response sends a message to those who’d rather ignore the problem. Keep raising your voice at Glennbeck.com—your input drives the fight for justice. Take part in the next poll and continue shaping the conversation.