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Glenn's Show Prep

How to Prevent the Collapse of Western Civilization in Times of Terrorism

March 16, 2017
Staff

WRITER

Dr. Michael Youssef, whose ministry broadcasts the gospel of Jesus Christ to more than 160 million homes in the Middle East, joined Glenn on radio recently to discuss the growing threat Islamists present to the United States. In his new book, The Barbarians Are Here: Preventing the Collapse of Western Civilization in Times of Terrorism, Dr. Youssef offers practical steps to begin a New Reformation that will restore the hope of Western civilization and stop terrorists from establishing a global caliphate. It's not too late, but we haven't a moment to lose.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: Hello, America. And welcome to Dr. Michael Youssef. He is the author of the new book, The Barbarians Are Here.

And, Doctor, I want to talk to you from the perspective of somebody who says they really care, as do I, about the refugees. And getting the right refugees out of a war-torn country.

But that's --

MICHAEL: Sure, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate that.

GLENN: Sure.

MICHAEL: I want you to know -- and I want all your audience to know that I love everybody. And I have no hatred in my heart toward anybody.

Having said that, that is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, we as a ministry, we have a television station, 24/7 going into 160 million homes in the Middle East in the Arab world, preaching the gospel. So we're doing everything we can to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We've seen a lot of people come to Christ.

Let me first talk about, as an immigrant myself, you see, I am immigrated to this country many years ago, but I had to provide all kinds of information. I had to be examined by the embassy doctor. I had to provide tax information that I don't owe the government tax, that I have good police records.

And I came here, and I love this country. I am grateful. Every single morning, I'm thankful to God that I live in this country. So there's nothing wrong. This country has always loved immigrants.

But when you say we want to take the refugees without any vetting, without any interviews, except by blinded United Nations officials, who are really very bias. They have bias against Christians. We've seen it firsthand on the Jordanian side, on the Lebanese side. And so what we're saying is we're going to let the terrorists come in.

And here's the problem: Islamists always -- somehow got into cohort with the leftists in order to accomplish their purpose. They, in a sense, consider them to be a useful idiot.

And sadly, we've seen recently that the feminist movement that is being -- protesting as recently as yesterday and then the day after the inauguration. Who was leading it? Linda Sarsour. Linda Sarsour is a woman who wants to bring the Sharia law to America. Just think about this. I want to scream and say to these women, do you know what Sharia law says about women? You're half a man. You inherit half of what your brother would inherit. In the court of law, you are considered to be half of a man. You can be beaten by your husband or your father --

GLENN: She'll say she doesn't want any of that.

MICHAEL: Pardon?

GLENN: She'll say, that's not what Sharia law means to her. She doesn't want any of that.

MICHAEL: She can't pick and choose. That's what the Sharia is. You look at Saudi Arabia and you see the way they apply the Sharia, literally. Chopping the hands of somebody, a petty thief. Left hand first, then the right hand. You see people maimed everywhere in Saudi Arabia.

And so -- I mean, she can't really pick and choose. That's what Sharia is. That's what the Koran says. That's what -- all these teachers on the satellite channels, Muslim, Islamist satellite channels, they actually are showing the young men, the lengths of the stick by which they can beat their wives and their daughters. I mean, I have seen it. I actually screamed it to my congregation to just wake them up to the fact that we -- this is -- these people mean business. And their ultimate goal is to dominate the west and take over -- they feel that they failed twice back in the 700s, then the 1400s to take over Europe.

Now this is their final third jihad. And they're going to do it by birthrate. And they're going to do it by financial investments.

GLENN: Now, you say -- in chapter three, you talk about Germany and New Year's Eve.

JEFFY: Yep. Yep.

GLENN: And you say the barbarians are already here. You can see what the -- what the migration of undocumented or at least poorly screened immigrants are doing to Europe.

JEFFY: Right.

GLENN: And yet, still the media over in Europe still is not awake.

MICHAEL: I know. This is a blindness of biblical proportion. I mean, almost you got a blinder -- iconic picture that I saw that really told the whole story. These young bearded men from the Middle East in a German train, coming out of the station, shouting "Allahu Akbar," which means Allah greater, which is a cry of jihad, the cry of war. And these sweet German ladies holding this placards that says, "Welcome refugees." I mean, I said, "This said it all."

We're not really shooting ourselves in the foot, we're shooting ourselves in the head. And we're saying, hey, come on in. Destroy us. Take over. We're so blind as to who you are and what your ideology is. And it doesn't matter.

I often wonder sometimes if these folks really just hate America. I mean, I think if people like Soros and so forth, I just wonder -- you know, I don't want do accuse anybody of anything, but it just makes me wonder. Why would they not allow the government to vet people before they come into this country? Why they don't give them time in order to -- it took me two years to immigrate -- actually more than that. So what? That's fine.

I think every country has the right to determine the criterion by which they accept people to come in.

GLENN: You talk about some solutions and some things that we have to do. But about halfway through the book, you talk about the pattern of Babylon.

MICHAEL: Yes.

GLENN: And that we have been saved over and over again. But you -- if I may quote, again and again, God has defended Western civilization from an attack from barbarian slave merchants, totalitarianism, genocidal racists, segregations. But instead of thanking God for his mercy and protection, we have now taken all the credit for those victories. Instead of giving God glory, we give credit to secularism, materialism, multiculturalism, pluralism, political correctness, feminism, the welfare state, moral relativism, progressivism, environmentalism, atheism, humanism.

MICHAEL: Yeah. That is exactly what -- in fact, I would refer to these Christians who turn their back on the Christian faith or have Christian heritage and turn their back on the Christian faith, they're equally barbarians too. Because it was turning away from the Christian faith first in Europe, now it's happening here, is the very thing that has created that vacuum in society. And the vacuum has got to be filled. And it is filled by the Islamists who are coming in with pure ideology. It's very simple. Allah has spoken. And, therefore, he must be obeyed. And we have to do it. If we kill or impose jizya, which is a form of high taxation on Christians and Jews, in order to make Islam dominant.

You see, that is -- and that happens every time. And you see it in Israel, when they -- the Prophet Jeremiah, who literally pleaded with them and pleaded with them and pleaded with them, turn back to God. Turn back -- stop worshiping Baal. Stop worshiping false gods. They wouldn't do it. Finally, God said, okay. Not -- God is not capricious. He's going to say, okay, I'm going to sock it to you. No, I'm just going to take my hand of protection off and leave you to the consequences of your choices. And so the Babylonians, the terrorists of their day came over and ransacked Jerusalem and took hostages. Seventy years.

It happened again in Rome, when Rome fell. Rome fell because of similar things that are happening for our day. But what happened, the pagans blamed the Christians for it. And so some Augustan sat down, wrote a book, and that's really the book that influenced me the most, the City of God. And I began to see things from that perspective, where he literally maps out biblical history to the point when Rome fell. And I'm seeing that pattern almost repeated. And that's what I talk about in the book.

And the only answer, the only solution, the only hope is for God's people to stop being compromisers and stand up for the truth and stand for their faith and stop watering it down and preaching a false gospel.

GLENN: Give me the pattern. Give me the pattern from City of God.

MICHAEL: Well, the -- what -- what some Augustan did. And, again, I say that in the book, he influenced me greatly. So, you know, it's not all original with me.

GLENN: Right.

MICHAEL: He begins back in the garden of Eden. And he starts from there, and then he shows historically two strain, if you like, of humanities, one who are pursuing what he calls the city of man. That is secular humanism to the core. And the other who are pursuing the city of God.

For example, Abraham. The Bible said Abraham looked forward to that city, which is -- which is built by God, whose architect is God and built by God.

Even back then, he was looking forward to the city of God. So there's a Godly line from Enoch all the way to Abram. And down to even Lot. Even though he lived in such a miserable place, Peter said that he was literally torturing himself by living in that kind of central environment.

But you go all the way down through. And then God remembers his people when they were in slavery in Egypt. And he sends them a delivery. And Moses comes in and he delivers them from the horrors of the whips of the Egyptians. And he takes them out. And then in the book of Deuteronomy, toward the end of it, he says, look, I'm sending it to the Promised Land. I promised that land to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I'm going to send you there. But here's the temptation: You're going to be facing it. You're going to be facing the temptation to turn against me and worship other gods. And if that happens, my judgment is going to be -- is going to follow.

And sure enough, they go into the Promised Land. And what happens? They start worshiping Ashtor and Baal and Ashtoreth and so forth. And God says, okay. I'm going to take my hand.

GLENN: Okay. So I just saw a study from Barna who does research --

MICHAEL: Yes. I know George very well.

GLENN: So you know, if you saw his latest, that we say that America now has a 49 percent biblical worldview. Meaning that 49 percent of the people view truth and right and wrong and how they just view the world through the truths in the Bible. That's only 49 percent. However, he did something new, and he attached morals and principles to it.

MICHAEL: Yes.

GLENN: So he asked, do you believe in Noah. Do you believe in Moses? Do you believe in the Ten Commandments? Instead of just that, the other half was, hey, do you think it's okay to steal.

And he found that actually that number is 15 percent biblical worldview. So how do you save it, if that's true?

MICHAEL: Well, his here's the core of the problem: So many evangelical pastors who started well because and for the sake of popularity, they started kind of watering down the message. One pastor said, well, I believe in the virgin birth, but you don't have to. I believe in Noah, but you don't have to. I believe in Jonah, but you don't have to.

Okay. What you've done, you've just basically disintegrated or you've destroyed the integrity of Jesus. If you believe that he is a triune God, lived -- was there before the foundation of the world and together with the father and the son created the world; and so, therefore, he was there, and then in his earthly life, he talked about Jonah, and he talked about Noah. And, of course, we know about his virgin birth. And has to be, in order for him to be divine. Otherwise, if he was born of the seed of a man, just like all of us, then he cannot be the sin bearer. He cannot take away our sin. So all of that and my appeal to these preachers who have sold out and -- their birthright for a pot of soup, return to God. Return to God now because you are misleading a lot of people. And in misleading them, you have created this -- this 15 percent. And that is one of the saddest things I think that I've seen.

In fact, Barna also said 64 percent of those who call themselves born again evangelicals, that they believe there are many ways to God. Give me a break. The word evangelical comes from the Greek word Evangélio (foreign language), which means the gospel. Namely that Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father, but by me. That is the very core of what they call themselves. And yet they are denying by their very practice what they claim to be entitled.

GLENN: Dr. Michael Youssef, thank you so much for being on the program. The name of the book is The Barbarians Are Here: Preventing the Collapse of Western Civilization in Times of Terrorism.

4 signs that PROVE Americans are hitting rock bottom

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

As we approach the presidential election in November, many Americans are facing dire economic straits.

Glenn has shown time and time again that Bidenomics is a sham, and more Americans than ever are suffering as a result. Still, Biden and his cronies continue to insist that the economy is booming despite the mounting evidence to the contrary. But who is Biden fooling? Since the beginning of the year, gas has gone up an average of 40 cents a gallon nationwide, with some states seeing as much as a 60-cent per gallon increase. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are on the rise, evictions are surging, and America is experiencing a record amount of homelessness. We can't survive another Biden term.

Americans across the country are hitting rock bottom, and here are four stats that PROVE it:

Evictions

John Moore / Staff | Getty Images

Across the country, people are being evicted from their homes and apartments. Between 2021 and 2023, evictions increased by 78.6 percent. With inflation driving up prices and employers struggling to raise wages to compensate, rent is taking up an increasingly larger percentage of people's paychecks. Many Americans are having to choose between buying groceries and paying rent.

Foreclosures

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Renters aren't the only ones struggling to make their monthly payments, foreclosures are on the rise. This February saw a 5 percent increase in foreclosures from last year and a 10 percent increase from January. More and more Americans are losing their homes and businesses.

Bankruptcies

Chris Hondros / Staff | Getty Images

High interest rates and inflation have driven bankruptcies through the roof. Total filings have risen 13 percent and business bankruptcies rose 30 percent in 2023. It's getting harder and harder for businesses to stay afloat, and with California's new law requiring most restaurants to pay all employees a minimum of $20 an hour, you can expect that number to keep climbing.

Homelessness

FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor | Getty Images

The result of all of these issues is that it is getting harder and harder for Americans to afford the basic necessities. January of 2023 saw a record-breaking 650,000+ homeless Americans, a 12 percent jump from the previous year. More Americans have hit rock bottom than ever before.

Stop blaming Gen Z for the problems WE created

Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

I want to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. Life is tough, but it is worth it in the end.

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. They just won’t let go of their power even though their time has passed.

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

The generation coming of age is right to feel frustrated.This mess — with high costs and a massive debt burden — was not of their making.

Iwant to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. ≈

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. ≈

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed.

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

Once the government said that they were going to guarantee everybody’s college tuition, universities found out that they could just charge more because the government would give you virtually any amount in your loan. And they have been charging more and more ever since. In 1965, the average college tuition was $450 a year. Adjusted to inflation, that's $4,000 a year. You're currently paying an average of $26,000 a year as opposed to the inflation-adjusted $4,000.

What happened? The answer is always the same: government regulations. Gas is up. Why? Government regulations. Can't afford a house? Well, that's due to several things. Many of them revolve around the fed and our national debt. But the simple answer is the same: government regulations.

Moreover, the U.S. government has run a staggering national debt. We have been concerned about it forever, but the people in power haven't been listening to your mom and dad and people like me. A lot of other people just thought, "Oh, well. We could get away with it. We're the United States of America, after all. Somehow or another, it will all work out."

People like me have been saying, "No. We can't pass this on to our children." You're now seeing what we have passed on. When you say that the adults are responsible for creating this world of problems, in some ways, you’re right. We were lied to, and as many people do, they want to believe the lie because it makes them feel better.

There are big lies being pushed in your generation as well. You're being told that a man is a woman and a woman is a man. At the same time, you’re being told that gender doesn't even exist at all. It makes us feel better to go along with the lie because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

My generation believed the same kind of lie about our national debt. We were told that we could spend all this money on subsidized programs because it would provide you, our children, with a better life. Some people warned, "Wait, how will they pay this off? This will cost them." We didn't want to believe them. The lie sounded better, and it was easier to believe that than the truth. We never saw the consequences, and even if we did, they were always way out in the future. Nobody wanted to listen to the doomsday people saying, "No. It's going to come faster than you think."

And that time is right now. Our government now is printing $1 trillion every 100 days. That's never been done before. We have more debt than any country has ever had in the history of the world. But we’re not alone. Every country is doing this. They’re going into debt like we’ve never seen before, and we’re all about to pay for that. It’s going to make your life even harder.

There are Democrats and Republicans who still believe in spending all kinds of money and getting us involved in every global conflict. Then there are constitutional conservatives who believe that we should conserve the things that have worked and throw out the things that don’t and follow our Constitution and Bill of Rights. You haven't really learned about those most likely. But you should. All of our problems are caused by the government and the people who feel they can bypass the Constitution. That's what this election is really all about.

You might say, “I don’t really care. I don’t like either of the political parties.” I know a lot of people who don’t like either of them, but one is going to try to cut the size of this government and one is going to spend us into collapse.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed. You need to learn enough about the truth, about why this has happened to us, and about how our Constitution lasted longer than any other Constitution in the world. The average is 17 years. This thing has lasted hundreds of years. Why? How? And why is it falling apart today? That's what you should dedicate some of your time to figuring out today.

You can complain about the way things are. I complain. Everybody complains. But don't wallow there. Learn what caused this. And if you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework. They always end the same way, and that's exactly where we're headed right now. We can either repeat the dreadful past of nations that have tried it before us, or we can choose freedom, liberty, and prosperity. The ball is in our court.

Government's SECRET crackdown on preppers threatens YOUR right to grow food

Glenn recently had Representative Thomas Massie on his show to sound the alarm about an important yet often overlooked issue affecting what we eat. Whether you're trying to be prepared to weather a catastrophe or just trying to keep food on the table without resorting to eating bugs, it's more important now than ever to source local food. Unnoticed by most, our right to eat home-grown or locally-sourced foods is under attack. The government doesn't just want a say in what you eat; they want you vulnerable and dependent on their system, and they are massively overstepping their bounds to ensure your compliance with their goals.

How did the attack on your food begin?

Government overreach on food can be traced back to 1938 under the autocratic eye of FDR with the Supreme Court case "Wickard v. Filburn." The case was pretty straightforward, but the results were devastating. The case began with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, which sought to control national food prices by placing limitations on how many crops farmers could grow in a season.

Filburn was one such farmer, who was allotted 11.1 acres of wheat to plant and harvest annually. Filburn planted and harvested 23 acres, arguing that the extra acres were not headed for the market, but were used for personal consumption. After being penalized for over-harvesting, he fought his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress did not have the authority to regulate crops that never left his farm.

Unfortunately for Filburn (and the rest of us), the Supreme Court didn't agree. They ruled that the mere existence of that extra wheat—whether it left Filburn's farm or not—had an effect on the national value of wheat. Congress assumed the power to regulate just about anything that could be roped under the umbrella of "interstate commerce."

Under the precedent set by Wickard v. Filburn, Congress might bar you from growing tomatoes in your backyard, because it could affect national tomato prices. This was a major blow to our right to feed ourselves, and that right has been eroding ever since.

How is our right to feed ourselves under attack today?

Last June, the Virginia Department of Agriculture shut down Golden Valley Farms, a small Amish farm owned and operated by Samuel B. Fisher in Farmville, Virginia. Golden Valley Farms had started out selling dairy products, primarily, and processed some meat for personal consumption. However, by popular demand, Fisher began selling meat.

Fisher initially hauled his animals to a USDA processing plant, paid to have them processed, and then hauled them back. This process was time-consuming and costly, and Fisher's customers didn't want the meat processed by the plant. A survey done on Golden Valley Farms customers found that an overwhelming 92 percent preferred meat processed by Fisher. So naturally, Fisher began to process more and more meat for his customers.

Moreover, COVID shut down the USDA plant, which made it impossible for Fisher to process the animals by the USDA anyway, though the demand for meat was greater than ever. Fisher made the call to process 100 percent of his animals himself and didn't look back. That was until June when the Virginia Department of Agriculture caught wind of Fisher's operation and shut it down. The VDA seized all of Fisher's products, and he wasn't allowed to process, sell, or even eat his meat. Then they loaded it up in a truck and left it at the dump to rot.

Nobody ever got sick from eating meat from Golden Valley Farms. This was NOT about "health and safety." This was about control. The fact is that informed adults were not allowed to make a simple transaction without the government sticking its slimy fingers into Fisher's business and claiming it was somehow for "our benefit." But it's not for "our benefit." It's so they can regulate and control what we buy and what we eat, and they cannot stand it when we operate outside of their influence.

What comes next?

Where does this end? With so much of our ability to feed ourselves already eroded, is it too late? Is it going to get worse? Before long, will it be illegal to eat eggs from your chickens or pick vegetables from your garden without getting government clearance first? Fortunately, a solution is already in the works.

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie recently told Glenn about a new constitutional amendment designed to limit government overreach regarding food production. The proposed amendment reads as follows:

And Congress shall make no law, regulating the production and distribution of food products, which do not move across state lines.

The amendment is still on the drawing board and has not been formally introduced to Congress yet. But this is where you come in. Call your representative and tell them to support Massie's amendment and take a stand for your right to provide sustenance for you and your family.

If we can build skyscrapers, we can rebuild bridges

Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Images

Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

I am sick and tired of hearing about our limitations. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge this week is an amazing hero story of the cops and first responders who saved an untold number of lives by doing exactly the right thing quickly. But I’m really tired of hearing about how long it’s going to take us to recover from this catastrophe and how bad it’s going to be.


The immediate impact for Americans regarding this bridge collapse seems dire. If you're waiting for a new car to come in from overseas, prepare to wait longer. The Port of Baltimore stands as the nation’s leading import-export site for cars and trucks. It’s also the leading nexus for sugar and gypsum, which is used in fertilizer, drywall, and plaster. A record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo was transported through Baltimore just last year.

To expect more from our leaders is rational. But to expect the most from ourselves is essential.

The bustling port is now cut off after the 1.6-mile-long bridge crumbled and fell into the river early Tuesday, blocking the only shipping lane into the port.

The officials have said the timeline for rebuilding the bridge will be years. The Port of Baltimore creates more than 15,300 jobs, with another 140,000 jobs linked to the activity at the port. This is a major disaster and will continue to cause significant problems on the East Coast for U.S. importers and exporters.

The bridge collapse means it will not be possible to get to the container terminals or a range of the other port terminals in Baltimore. Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul J. Wiedefeld told reporters on Tuesday that vessel traffic in the port would be suspended until further notice but noted the port is still open to trucks.

Michael Mezzacappa, an attorney and expert on property damage cases in the shipping industry, told the New York Post that the collapse will have a major impact on shipping and traffic routes in the East Coast for the foreseeable future. “It’s not going to get fixed any time soon,” Mezzacappa said. “It’s going to take a lot longer than anyone expects. This is going to be a major problem for the Northeast.”

Remember the American spirit

I am absolutely sick to death of all of these stories that say things like that. Have we forgotten who we are? Have we forgotten what we’ve done?

Let me remind you of the American spirit, a spirit so potent and so vibrant that it has scaled towering mountains, mountains nobody thought they could cross.

It’s the spirit that constructed marvels of engineering. Have you ever been to the Hoover Dam? Have you seen the New York City skyline? The skyscraper was invented here for a reason. Here we are on the threshold of tomorrow, and none of us knows what is going to happen. But I'm getting the impression that we’ve been so beaten down that we believe we’re not going to make it tomorrow.

Have we forgotten who our ancestors are and what they did? If you look through our history even briefly, you will see a group of people who never take no for an answer. You will see a people who can do anything.


I want to stop just briefly in 1930. The Great Depression had its icy grip on us. It was a time that felt like a flickering candle in the vast darkness just barely holding on. Yet, it was in this crucible of adversity that Americans did great things.

The Empire State Building rose. It wasn’t just a structure of steel and stone. It was a beacon, a beacon of hope and American resilience and ingenuity. The way that thing was built — no one has ever seen anything like it before and since. In a record-shattering one year and 45 days, an army of workers, as many as 3,400 men on certain days, transformed this audacious vision into a cowering reality.

If you look through our history even briefly, you will see a group of people who never take no for an answer.

The Empire State Building wasn’t constructed. It was conjured into existence with a symphony of clanging metal and roaring machines and the inexhaustible spirit of its builders. The men perched on steel girders that were being flown in by giant cranes whispered tales about how they could still feel the warmth of the freshly poured metal beneath them. That beam was still warm, even though it was poured in Pittsburgh, put on a train, then put on a boat, then on a truck, then hauled up into the air.

They could fill the warmth because we moved that fast. It was a feverish pace of construction. It seemed to defy the laws of time and physics.

For a long time, it was the tallest building in the world — an architectural achievement. It was also a declaration to the world that America was a land where the impossible became possible, that we are a people of determination, innovation, with a relentless will to succeed.

These aren't merely historical footnotes. They are blazing torches illuminating our path forward. They remind us that when we're faced with adversity, we don't just endure it. We overcome it. We don’t wait for history to chart our course. We write it with the sweat of our brow and the strength of our backs. That’s who we are. Have we forgotten that?

What are we waiting for?

We find ourselves at another crossroads faced with the challenges that threaten to dim the bright future that we all dream for our nation, for our children. The spirit that built the Empire State Building, laid down miles of railroads, cut through the Rocky Mountains, and sent astronauts to the moon is still inside of every heart of every American, somewhere.

Awaken that spirit. Scale new mountains. It's not just rock and earth. Scale the mountains of innovation. Build. Not just physical structures but a future that upholds the spirit of adventure, hard work, and ingenuity. Stop tearing everything down. Let's start building.

Why are we waiting? If this isn't a national emergency, I don't know what it is.

And I don't just mean the bridge. I mean all of it. You might say, “Well, our government has to lead.” Really? Does it? Maybe that’s our problem. America is led by its values and principles that are found in the souls of those who still remember who we are and who we serve. Americans lead the way. The government always follows.

You might say again, "Well, we can’t act without the government." Nonsense! Where are the bridge builders who will stand up today and say, “I'll get it done!” As soon as that happens, you’ll see who is leading and who is stalling. The government is the one that stalls the engine out. To expect more from our leaders is rational. But to expect the most from ourselves is essential.

There is nothing we can't achieve when we all stand together, united by our dreams, and driven by the will to see them fulfilled. Don't listen to anybody else who tells you differently.