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Glenn's Show Prep

Former Progressive Caller Josh Reveals His Incredible Transformation After Reading 'Liars'

November 29, 2016
Lori Hanes

Writer

The truth will set you free. Tuesday on The Glenn Beck Program, listener Josh called from North Carolina to tell Glenn about the transformation he experienced after reading Liars: How Progressives Exploit Our Fears for Power and Control.

"I was a very, very progressive liberal, almost to the point of communism," Josh explained.

WATCH: Alternate Trailer for Glenn’s New Book Shows Wild Side of ‘Liars’

Glenn's latest book opened Josh's eyes and set him on a course of exploration that led to reading the U.S. Constitution, the Bible and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

It also prompted him to learn more about this Glenn Beck guy.

On YouTube, Josh found a video from TheBlaze in which Glenn quoted one of his favorite phrases, found in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to Peter Carr:

Fix reason firmly in her seat, and question with boldness the very existence of God. For if there is a God, he must rather honest questioning over blindfolded fear.

"I will never forget that statement. Because that statement brought me to Christ. I was an atheist before that," Josh said.

Josh's remarkable transformation, his willingness to open-mindly explore new ideas and his discipline to do the actual research inspired Glenn.

"That gives me a lot of hope," he said.

Read below or watch the clip for answers to these powerful questions:

• Which story in Liars made Josh's jaw hit the floor?

• How vigorously would Josh have voted for Hillary Clinton this year?

• What about Josh's transformation made Glenn say Holy Cow?

• How many books has Josh read since August 15th?

• What book did Glenn advise Josh to read next?

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: Let me go to Josh in North Carolina.

Hi, Josh, you're on the Glenn Beck Program.

CALLER: Good morning, Glenn.

GLENN: How are you, sir?

CALLER: I'm doing great.

I wanted to tell you a little -- I'll make it quick, but a little story.

GLENN: Okay.

CALLER: I -- a buddy of mine -- I -- let me start it this way: I was a very, very progressive liberal, almost to the point of communism.

GLENN: Wow.

CALLER: I believed everybody should be -- in the wage gap and all that kind of stuff. So a buddy of mine that I've known since I got out of the Army, he came to me one day and gave me your book -- one of your books.

GLENN: Which one?

CALLER: And he says -- he said, "You got to read this."

Liars.

GLENN: Okay.

CALLER: And he said, "You've got to read this book." And I said, "Oh, come on. Really?"

"No, you've got to read this book. You'll never believe some of the stuff that's in it."

So he told me the first chapter to go to. And it was in August. I can't remember to be honest, what chapter it was. But it was the part of the book where it talked about how they -- with Prohibition, and how they put --

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

CALLER: -- poison in the alcohol to find out the tracking routes of where it was going.

JEFFY: That's an amazing story.

GLENN: Yes.

CALLER: So I read that, and my jaw hit the floor. And I --

GLENN: You looked it up too, didn't you? You didn't believe me.

CALLER: I did. And I finished that book in three days. It was the most -- it was the most amazing book I've ever read. And I said, "I've got to do more research on this, and I've got to find out who this Glenn Beck guy is." So I went to YouTube.

GLENN: Oh, boy.

CALLER: And I searched your name and I found a video that you did on TheBlaze. I don't know how long it was. But you spoke to a guy that was an alcoholic, and you talked to him about some -- I forget who said it. It was to Peter Carr.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

CALLER: And the statement was, "Set reason firmly in her seat, and question with boldness the very existence of God. For if there is a God, he must rather honest questioning over blind-folded fear." I will never forget that statement. Because that statement brought me to Christ. I was an atheist before that.

GLENN: Holy cow.

CALLER: And I will never, ever, ever --

GLENN: So you were a communist, an atheist?

CALLER: Yeah.

PAT: And how long ago was this, Josh?

GLENN: He said August.

CALLER: I got that book on August 15th of this year.

PAT: Of this year? Wow. That's --

CALLER: Yes. I voted for Barack Obama twice. I'm sorry, but I did.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: Holy cow.

CALLER: And I would have voted for Hillary Clinton with vigor. However, I -- I pulled the lever for Evan McMullin this year.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: You didn't even go --

CALLER: And I have never ever, ever --

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

CALLER: I'm telling you -- I want to be as serious as I can with you, Glenn, because this is a dream of mine, to speak to you, since August. I have never, ever realized the difference -- I thought all conservatives hated me. I thought conservatism was complete hate, until I listened to you. Because I read that book, and I did research and I found out what the Blaze was. I don't go anywhere else for my news. I listen to TheBlaze every morning. I found out who Doc Thompson is. I listen to Doc Thompson.

PAT: That's great.

CALLER: I listen to you every single day. I got a subscription on TheBlaze now. I turned my life around because of your book.

GLENN: Wow. Josh. Josh, I want you to hang on for just a second.

JEFFY: That's fantastic.

PAT: Yeah, that's awesome.

GLENN: Wow. Thank you so much.

May I say one thing: Do not use TheBlaze as your only news source. Read everything you can. Question with boldness, even what we tell you.

[break]

GLENN: I've asked Josh in North Carolina to hold on because I think this is a fascinating story. A friend gave him a copy of my book that came out this year called Liars, which I think is a very, very powerful book to share with progressives. Because it's -- it's all history, and it takes you through and shows you the progressive movement, really at least some of the supplemental stuff that you can find online. It goes all the way back to Martin Luther. I mean --

PAT: And josh said he was progressive. He was an atheist. And this helped turn him around --

GLENN: Yeah, voted.

PAT: First of all, the open-mindedness to go from that to where he is now is just amazing. That's astounding.

GLENN: Amazing. Amazing. A lot of people won't do that --

PAT: No.

GLENN: -- because they guard what they believe.

PAT: Well, think about it, is there anything that could turn you to a progressive? I mean, I can't think of...

GLENN: If I lost my faith.

PAT: Yeah. Yes.

GLENN: So I would have to lose my faith -- because my faith teaches me that all men are created and are endowed by a creator with certain inalienable rights to live their life. I'd have to lose my faith.

PAT: Yes. They have agency. Yes.

GLENN: That everyone has a right to their agency and a right to screw their life up.

PAT: You'd really have to believe in force, right?

GLENN: Yes. You'd have to believe -- you'd, A, have to believe that rights don't come from God.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And then you'd have to believe that global warming or, you know, people are so stupid that they're going to destroy everything.

PAT: So we have to fix this.

GLENN: So we have to fix this. We have a right to take away somebody else's right to fix that. That would change me.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: That's a tall hurdle.

PAT: That's a tall order.

GLENN: Yeah.

Josh.

CALLER: Yes, sir.

GLENN: So I'm curious. You read that one chapter. Then you went back and then you read the whole book, right?

CALLER: Yes, sir.

GLENN: And what was it that was challenging you? What was it that opened your eyes or made you say, "Wait a minute, if this is wrong, then maybe everything else I believe is wrong?" How did this happen?

CALLER: Well, first, it was the fact that -- I had always heard the statement of, I believe it was Stalin, that said, "In order to make an omelet, you got to crack a couple eggs."

GLENN: Yes.

CALLER: And I never really took that to heart, until I read your book.

And I realized that it was true that by hook or by crook, a progressive will get whatever they have to get done, done. And no matter what weight stands behind them or who stands in front of me, it doesn't matter.

And what you were talking about just a second ago, if I may -- I don't want to veer too far off.

But what you were talking about a second ago, about, you know, what would make you a progressive in your faith, the first question that came to my mind -- because I -- you know, when I read that book, I was awe-struck. And I said -- like, none of this fits without something making it so.

What I mean by that is, you can't have these rights if they didn't come from anywhere.

PAT: Uh-huh.

CALLER: So I read -- I said, "There's got to be somewhere to start." So I went and I got a pocket copy of the Constitution. And I said, "Let's start from the beginning."

GLENN: Jeez, Josh, do you realize how remarkable you are?

PAT: And rare.

GLENN: I mean, you are just so rare to, A, have the open mind, to, B, be willing to challenge the things that you hold dear. To see -- and then go do the actual work is remarkable.

CALLER: But see, the thing is, Glenn, communists don't hold those things dear. That that's the problem. That they don't know what to believe in. So they believe in nothing but the state. That's what I was. That's where I was. I had nothing to believe in, Glenn.

And then I said, "Okay. These rights come from a creator." And when I watched your video, I said, "I have to find that creator. I have to find where this all began."

And I went, and I grabbed my -- my uncle's Bible, went over to his house, and I said, "I want to read this." So I started in the beginning. And I challenged myself every day to read a chapter. And I couldn't stop.

PAT: Wow.

CALLER: And I've read all the way through the Old Testament. And I'm almost all the way through the Gospels. And I can't stop.

GLENN: Wow.

CALLER: And I can't stop. I now know that the state is not the Almighty. And I have something now that I can believe in, that's not going to -- that's not going to tax me into oblivion.

GLENN: Josh, I want to meet you some day. I want you to hold on. I want to get your name and address and everything else.

A, I'm going to send you an autographed copy of the book. I might send you some other books too, that are not necessarily mine, but that you should read. But I'm really impressed with you. Really impressed with you, Josh.

Congratulations.

CALLER: Thank you. Can I say one more thing, Glenn?

GLENN: Yes, sir.

CALLER: I appreciate all the time, thank you so much.

But there's one book that I read after all these books that has done the most for me, and it's kind of obscure. Not probably -- most people -- a lot of people have read it. Most probably haven't. It's Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

STU: A lot of reading, man.

JEFFY: No kidding.

GLENN: You went to Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged.

PAT: You've done some serious homework, wow.

GLENN: Do you have a life? Do you have a job?

CALLER: Yes. I have --

GLENN: How did you get through Atlas Shrugged --

PAT: The Bible.

GLENN: -- and the Bible?

PAT: Liars. Since August?

JEFFY: To be fair --

CALLER: I'm not all the way through the Bible.

JEFFY: Yeah, to be fair, he's not finished with the Bible yet.

PAT: That's true.

GLENN: Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Just the Old Testament and most of the Gospel. Oh.

CALLER: Well, because -- and the reason is, is because I don't sleep.

GLENN: Right.

CALLER: But when I start something, there's a drive, a challenge to finish it.

GLENN: Holy cow, Josh, you and I are so much alike.

You remember, Pat, this is the way I was?

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: Once I got onto it, I couldn't stop. I just couldn't stop.

You're right on Atlas Shrugged too. However, do yourself a favor, Josh, read Anthem. You are going to love Anthem, I will bet, until the very end. And when you read the last couple of pages, then try to put together what you're telling me about the rights coming from God and then Anthem. Because she's an atheist, and she has a very, very different point of view.

And I -- Anthem is one of my favorite stories. It's easy. It's not Atlas Shrugged. It's easy. It's a quick read. You could read it in a day. But it throws me every single time on the last -- the last page. And it's good mental gymnastics to do.

Josh, thank you very much. Hold on. I want to get your name and address and a way to contact you. I appreciate it.

PAT: Wow. That's a lot of work.

JEFFY: You aren't kidding.

PAT: In a few months. That's amazing.

GLENN: That gives me a lot of hope.

PAT: Yeah. That's great.

GLENN: That gives me a lot of hope.

Featured Image: The Glenn Beck Program

URGENT: FIVE steps to CONTROL AI before it's too late!

MANAURE QUINTERO / Contributor | Getty Images

By now, many of us are familiar with AI and its potential benefits and threats. However, unless you're a tech tycoon, it can feel like you have little influence over the future of artificial intelligence.

For years, Glenn has warned about the dangers of rapidly developing AI technologies that have taken the world by storm.

He acknowledges their significant benefits but emphasizes the need to establish proper boundaries and ethics now, while we still have control. But since most people aren’t Silicon Valley tech leaders making the decisions, how can they help keep AI in check?

Recently, Glenn interviewed Tristan Harris, a tech ethicist deeply concerned about the potential harm of unchecked AI, to discuss its societal implications. Harris highlighted a concerning new piece of legislation proposed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This legislation proposes a state-level moratorium on AI regulation, meaning only the federal government could regulate AI. Harris noted that there’s currently no Federal plan for regulating AI. Until the federal government establishes a plan, tech companies would have nearly free rein with their AI. And we all know how slowly the federal government moves.

This is where you come in. Tristan Harris shared with Glenn the top five actions you should urge your representatives to take regarding AI, including opposing the moratorium until a concrete plan is in place. Now is your chance to influence the future of AI. Contact your senator and congressman today and share these five crucial steps they must take to keep AI in check:

Ban engagement-optimized AI companions for kids

Create legislation that will prevent AI from being designed to maximize addiction, sexualization, flattery, and attachment disorders, and to protect young people’s mental health and ability to form real-life friendships.

Establish basic liability laws

Companies need to be held accountable when their products cause real-world harm.

Pass increased whistleblower protections

Protect concerned technologists working inside the AI labs from facing untenable pressures and threats that prevent them from warning the public when the AI rollout is unsafe or crosses dangerous red lines.

Prevent AI from having legal rights

Enact laws so AIs don’t have protected speech or have their own bank accounts, making sure our legal system works for human interests over AI interests.

Oppose the state moratorium on AI 

Call your congressman or Senator Cruz’s office, and demand they oppose the state moratorium on AI without a plan for how we will set guardrails for this technology.

Glenn: Only Trump dared to deliver on decades of empty promises

Tasos Katopodis / Stringer | Getty Images

The Islamic regime has been killing Americans since 1979. Now Trump’s response proves we’re no longer playing defense — we’re finally hitting back.

The United States has taken direct military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Whatever you think of the strike, it’s over. It’s happened. And now, we have to predict what happens next. I want to help you understand the gravity of this situation: what happened, what it means, and what might come next. To that end, we need to begin with a little history.

Since 1979, Iran has been at war with us — even if we refused to call it that.

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell.

It began with the hostage crisis, when 66 Americans were seized and 52 were held for over a year by the radical Islamic regime. Four years later, 17 more Americans were murdered in the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, followed by 241 Marines in the Beirut barracks bombing.

Then came the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996, which killed 19 more U.S. airmen. Iran had its fingerprints all over it.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian-backed proxies killed hundreds of American soldiers. From 2001 to 2020 in Afghanistan and 2003 to 2011 in Iraq, Iran supplied IEDs and tactical support.

The Iranians have plotted assassinations and kidnappings on U.S. soil — in 2011, 2021, and again in 2024 — and yet we’ve never really responded.

The precedent for U.S. retaliation has always been present, but no president has chosen to pull the trigger until this past weekend. President Donald Trump struck decisively. And what our military pulled off this weekend was nothing short of extraordinary.

Operation Midnight Hammer

The strike was reportedly called Operation Midnight Hammer. It involved as many as 175 U.S. aircraft, including 12 B-2 stealth bombers — out of just 19 in our entire arsenal. Those bombers are among the most complex machines in the world, and they were kept mission-ready by some of the finest mechanics on the planet.

USAF / Handout | Getty Images

To throw off Iranian radar and intelligence, some bombers flew west toward Guam — classic misdirection. The rest flew east, toward the real targets.

As the B-2s approached Iranian airspace, U.S. submarines launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities. Minutes later, the bombers dropped 14 MOPs — massive ordnance penetrators — each designed to drill deep into the earth and destroy underground bunkers. These bombs are the size of an F-16 and cost millions of dollars apiece. They are so accurate, I’ve been told they can hit the top of a soda can from 15,000 feet.

They were built for this mission — and we’ve been rehearsing this run for 15 years.

If the satellite imagery is accurate — and if what my sources tell me is true — the targeted nuclear sites were utterly destroyed. We’ll likely rely on the Israelis to confirm that on the ground.

This was a master class in strategy, execution, and deterrence. And it proved that only the United States could carry out a strike like this. I am very proud of our military, what we are capable of doing, and what we can accomplish.

What comes next

We don’t yet know how Iran will respond, but many of the possibilities are troubling. The Iranians could target U.S. forces across the Middle East. On Monday, Tehran launched 20 missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, Syria, and Kuwait, to no effect. God forbid, they could also unleash Hezbollah or other terrorist proxies to strike here at home — and they just might.

Iran has also threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. On Sunday, Iran’s parliament voted to begin the process. If the Supreme Council and the ayatollah give the go-ahead, we could see oil prices spike to $150 or even $200 a barrel.

That would be catastrophic.

The 2008 financial collapse was pushed over the edge when oil hit $130. Western economies — including ours — simply cannot sustain oil above $120 for long. If this conflict escalates and the Strait is closed, the global economy could unravel.

The strike also raises questions about regime stability. Will it spark an uprising, or will the Islamic regime respond with a brutal crackdown on dissidents?

Early signs aren’t hopeful. Reports suggest hundreds of arrests over the weekend and at least one dissident executed on charges of spying for Israel. The regime’s infamous morality police, the Gasht-e Ershad, are back on the streets. Every phone, every vehicle — monitored. The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a shelter-in-place warning for Americans.

Russia and China both condemned the strike. On Monday, a senior Iranian official flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. That meeting should alarm anyone paying attention. Their alliance continues to deepen — and that’s a serious concern.

Now we pray

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell. But either way, President Trump didn’t start this. He inherited it — and he took decisive action.

The difference is, he did what they all said they would do. He didn’t send pallets of cash in the dead of night. He didn’t sign another failed treaty.

He acted. Now, we pray. For peace, for wisdom, and for the strength to meet whatever comes next.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Globalize the Intifada? Why Mamdani’s plan spells DOOM for America

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

If New Yorkers hand City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, they’re not voting for change. They’re opening the door to an alliance of socialism, Islamism, and chaos.

It only took 25 years for New York City to go from the resilient, flag-waving pride following the 9/11 attacks to a political fever dream. To quote Michael Malice, “I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”

Malice is talking about Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman from Queens now eyeing the mayor’s office. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state representative emerging from relative political obscurity, is now receiving substantial funding for his mayoral campaign from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR has a long and concerning history, including being born out of the Muslim Brotherhood and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case. Why would the group have dropped $100,000 into a PAC backing Mamdani’s campaign?

Mamdani blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone.

Perhaps CAIR has a vested interest in Mamdani’s call to “globalize the intifada.” That’s not a call for peaceful protest. Intifada refers to historic uprisings of Muslims against what they call the “Israeli occupation of Palestine.” Suicide bombings and street violence are part of the playbook. So when Mamdani says he wants to “globalize” that, who exactly is the enemy in this global scenario? Because it sure sounds like he's saying America is the new Israel, and anyone who supports Western democracy is the new Zionist.

Mamdani tried to clean up his language by citing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which once used “intifada” in an Arabic-language article to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. So now he’s comparing Palestinians to Jewish victims of the Nazis? If that doesn’t twist your stomach into knots, you’re not paying attention.

If you’re “globalizing” an intifada, and positioning Israel — and now America — as the Nazis, that’s not a cry for human rights. That’s a call for chaos and violence.

Rising Islamism

But hey, this is New York. Faculty members at Columbia University — where Mamdani’s own father once worked — signed a letter defending students who supported Hamas after October 7. They also contributed to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. And his father? He blamed Ronald Reagan and the religious right for inspiring Islamic terrorism, as if the roots of 9/11 grew in Washington, not the caves of Tora Bora.

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

This isn’t about Islam as a faith. We should distinguish between Islam and Islamism. Islam is a religion followed peacefully by millions. Islamism is something entirely different — an ideology that seeks to merge mosque and state, impose Sharia law, and destroy secular liberal democracies from within. Islamism isn’t about prayer and fasting. It’s about power.

Criticizing Islamism is not Islamophobia. It is not an attack on peaceful Muslims. In fact, Muslims are often its first victims.

Islamism is misogynistic, theocratic, violent, and supremacist. It’s hostile to free speech, religious pluralism, gay rights, secularism — even to moderate Muslims. Yet somehow, the progressive left — the same left that claims to fight for feminism, LGBTQ rights, and free expression — finds itself defending candidates like Mamdani. You can’t make this stuff up.

Blending the worst ideologies

And if that weren’t enough, Mamdani also identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone. But don’t worry, New York. I’m sure this time socialism will totally work. Just like it always didn’t.

If you’re a business owner, a parent, a person who’s saved anything, or just someone who values sanity: Get out. I’m serious. If Mamdani becomes mayor, as seems likely, then New York City will become a case study in what happens when you marry ideological extremism with political power. And it won’t be pretty.

This is about more than one mayoral race. It’s about the future of Western liberalism. It’s about drawing a bright line between faith and fanaticism, between healthy pluralism and authoritarian dogma.

Call out radicalism

We must call out political Islam the same way we call out white nationalism or any other supremacist ideology. When someone chants “globalize the intifada,” that should send a chill down your spine — whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, or anything in between.

The left may try to shame you into silence with words like “Islamophobia,” but the record is worn out. The grooves are shallow. The American people see what’s happening. And we’re not buying it.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

How private stewardship could REVIVE America’s wild

Jonathan Newton / Contributor | Getty Images

The left’s idea of stewardship involves bulldozing bison and barring access. Lee’s vision puts conservation back in the hands of the people.

The media wants you to believe that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is trying to bulldoze Yellowstone and turn national parks into strip malls — that he’s calling for a reckless fire sale of America’s natural beauty to line developers’ pockets. That narrative is dishonest. It’s fearmongering, and, by the way, it’s wrong.

Here’s what’s really happening.

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized.

The federal government currently owns 640 million acres of land — nearly 28% of all land in the United States. To put that into perspective, that’s more territory than France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom combined.

Most of this land is west of the Mississippi River. That’s not a coincidence. In the American West, federal ownership isn’t just a bureaucratic technicality — it’s a stranglehold. States are suffocated. Locals are treated as tenants. Opportunities are choked off.

Meanwhile, people living east of the Mississippi — in places like Kentucky, Georgia, or Pennsylvania — might not even realize how little land their own states truly control. But the same policies that are plaguing the West could come for them next.

Lee isn’t proposing to auction off Yellowstone or pave over Yosemite. He’s talking about 3 million acres — that’s less than half of 1% of the federal estate. And this land isn’t your family’s favorite hiking trail. It’s remote, hard to access, and often mismanaged.

Failed management

Why was it mismanaged in the first place? Because the federal government is a terrible landlord.

Consider Yellowstone again. It’s home to the last remaining herd of genetically pure American bison — animals that haven’t been crossbred with cattle. Ranchers, myself included, would love the chance to help restore these majestic creatures on private land. But the federal government won’t allow it.

So what do they do when the herd gets too big?

They kill them. Bulldoze them into mass graves. That’s not conservation. That’s bureaucratic malpractice.

And don’t even get me started on bald eagles — majestic symbols of American freedom and a federally protected endangered species, now regularly slaughtered by wind turbines. I have pictures of piles of dead bald eagles. Where’s the outrage?

Biden’s federal land-grab

Some argue that states can’t afford to manage this land themselves. But if the states can’t afford it, how can Washington? We’re $35 trillion in debt. Entitlements are strained, infrastructure is crumbling, and the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and National Park Service are billions of dollars behind in basic maintenance. Roads, firebreaks, and trails are falling apart.

The Biden administration quietly embraced something called the “30 by 30” initiative, a plan to lock up 30% of all U.S. land and water under federal “conservation” by 2030. The real goal is 50% by 2050.

That entails half of the country being taken away from you, controlled not by the people who live there but by technocrats in D.C.

You think that won’t affect your ability to hunt, fish, graze cattle, or cut timber? Think again. It won’t be conservatives who stop you from building a cabin, raising cattle, or teaching your grandkids how to shoot a rifle. It’ll be the same radical environmentalists who treat land as sacred — unless it’s your truck, your deer stand, or your back yard.

Land as collateral

Moreover, the U.S. Treasury is considering putting federally owned land on the national balance sheet, listing your parks, forests, and hunting grounds as collateral.

What happens if America defaults on its debt?

David McNew / Stringer | Getty Images

Do you think our creditors won’t come calling? Imagine explaining to your kids that the lake you used to fish in is now under foreign ownership, that the forest you hunted in belongs to China.

This is not hypothetical. This is the logical conclusion of treating land like a piggy bank.

The American way

There’s a better way — and it’s the American way.

Let the people who live near the land steward it. Let ranchers, farmers, sportsmen, and local conservationists do what they’ve done for generations.

Did you know that 75% of America’s wetlands are on private land? Or that the most successful wildlife recoveries — whitetail deer, ducks, wild turkeys — didn’t come from Washington but from partnerships between private landowners and groups like Ducks Unlimited?

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized. When you break it, you fix it. When you profit from the land, you protect it.

This is not about selling out. It’s about buying in — to freedom, to responsibility, to the principle of constitutional self-governance.

So when you hear the pundits cry foul over 3 million acres of federal land, remember: We don’t need Washington to protect our land. We need Washington to get out of the way.

Because this isn’t just about land. It’s about liberty. And once liberty is lost, it doesn’t come back easily.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.