Many people found themselves overwhelmed with emotions and visceral reactions in the wake of the bombing in Boston. Anger. Sadness. Shock. Glenn himself found himself frustrated and there were plenty of things he wanted to talk about in regards to the attack – but when he got down on his knees to pray he was left with just one message that he felt he was supposed to deliver today: Build up the Kingdom of God.
“There are few things that I know that I shall say. I know while I disagree with most of what politically the people of Massachusetts have done to their state and brought in Washington to our Congress, it doesn't mean anything because in the long list of things that make us Americans, how we vote is at the very last of the list. Because we are Americans, we are brothers. I know Massachusetts, I know what it feels like and know that millions of Americans prayed for you last night. We prayed for your protection. We prayed for your healing.”
“I know Americans will help. I know Americans will comfort. I also know that this too shall pass.”
And while Glenn knows that Americans will come together, there were several things that he knew weren’t going to make the situation better. Refusing to acknowledge this incident as an act of terror, as President Obama did in the early hours after the bombing, does not help the situation. Labeling that terrorist attacks like Ft. Hood “as “workplace shootings” doesn’t help either. It’s important to call terrorism what it is.
It also doesn’t help to place the blame at any one group or religion. It doesn’t help to rush and blame Muslims, nor should anyone rush to place the blame on Patriot groups.
“I also know that we are not responsible for acts of terror. Acts of terror are created by madmen. Period,” Glenn said.
Glenn then singled out the organization CAIR for their tweet: ‘Please don’t let it be a Muslim.’
He had responded to them with a tweet saying: CAIR should not worry if it were a Muslim. The Problem is with those who kill for God. The people not the faith. Trust Americans!
He said that CAIR didn’t need to worry about Americans turning on anyone for their faith, and that nothing like that had happened since FDR and the Japanese internment during World War 2.
“I trust the small government minded people never to make mistakes like that again. Because small government people look at the individual, not the collective. It's small government people that say it is the act of the individual, not the collective,” he explained.
“Any decent, honest, peaceful, Muslim or Muslim group should not fear Americans. We are fair and decent and honorable. You should fear statists,” he said.
He did say that when the perpetrator of the attacks are found and brought to justice, it will be incumbent on people of that faith or group or whatever to distance themselves and condemn the actions of the the individual madmen. He does not, however, believe that CAIR will condemn an extremist.
“With all that said, here’s one thing I know that needs to be said: It does no use to speculate on who did it. But I also know it’s getting harder to get the truth. But it makes no use to speculate on who did it, and when we find out who did be it Christian or Muslim. If it's a Patriot group they must distance themselves from the trash,” Glenn said.
“If it is Islam they must do the same. They will not, however, at least CAIR will not. CAIR is a powerful front organization, and they hold power in all of the networks and the news outlets, and the government. I will be demonized for saying even that. So be it. There are many things that I believe that I shall never say but I shall never say the things I do not believe,” he explained.
Glenn also critiqued the failure the media and the government, not for the Boston bombings but for abusing the trust of the American people - even though it’s more important than ever for people to be able to truth those institutions and each other.
But Glenn said that with everything horrible going on in the world today, between the Boston bombings to the Gosnell murder trial, he had somewhere else he had to be today – by the side of a dear friend.
“I started my day with prayer today, and I'm a horrible listener sometimes but I asked the Lord today, what do you want me to say? What do you want me to say because everything I want to say I'm not supposed to say for you. What do you want me to say? And I started writing this list - and I don't know if he wants me to say any of these things. Here's what he wants me to say: Work on building His Kingdom. Period. That's what he wants me to say. I'm not a preacher,” Glenn said.
“I got a phone call last night on the way back home from a fundraiser. I was dead tired and emotionally spent yesterday. And I had given a speech to raise funds for the Corrie Ten Boom house. And I had seen terror come to our streets. Seeing pictures of Boston ripped apart - it looked more like the Middle East than America.
“A dear friend of mine is dying and she's afraid. I talked to her a couple of weeks ago and she said ‘I hope you're right about God.’ I said ‘I am.’ She said, ‘I just will feast on your faith then’,” Glenn said.
“When I heard that she can no longer eat, and it is not going to be much longer my staff said to me, ‘Well, maybe you can go in a day or two. You have appointments and things and God forbid it is - with what happened in Boston - it's an important day’, and I knew what I had to do, and this is just the first I guess because Sunday I was sitting in church and praying for help and advice and understanding and guidance, and I've heard this a million times before, but it never -- it struck me different this time somehow. Build up the Kingdom of God. Put your attention there. And everything else will fall into place.”
“So as much as I would like to continue to vent, continue to be in the newsroom today and find out what's going on and make sure we're bringing you everything that needs to be done, I know I have hired an amazing staff. I know I have some of the best people on the case. I know we will tell the truth. No matter what it is, we will tell the truth.”
“I know that I trust my staff. I know I trust my neighbor. I know that I trust my church. I know that I trust my God. I know the one thing that is true. That He loves us. He will save us. If we will just turn from our hate, from our arrogance, and the things that we think are important and turn to him.”
“I'm going to spend the day doing the things I should do and I will see you tomorrow.”