‘Not on my watch’: Meet an American hero running for U.S. Senate in Nebraska

February 26, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

As the midterm elections draw nearer, Glenn is focused on highlighting promising candidates from around the country. On radio this morning, Shane Osborn, the former Nebraska state treasurer who is running the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), joined Glenn to discuss his military service, his campaign, and what he believes are the most important issues facing the country.

“I want to introduce you to a guy who's not on the [program] for this particular reason, but I find it amazing because this was a time in 2001 where everybody was, I think, on the same page for a minute there. We were like wow, look at the evil Chinese empire as they force one of our planes down and then steal all of the stuff in it,” Glenn said. “If you remember right, the guys on that plane were real heroes. I mean they dismantled everything they could, tried to destroy as much as they could before the Chinese got onto the plane and it was quite an ordeal. The lieutenant that was on that plane is Shane Osborn. He's now running for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, and he's with us now.”

As a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, Shane and his 23-person crew came into the national consciousness in April 2001 when a Chinese fighter jet struck the aircraft Shane was piloting mid-flight. The engines, nose, and wing of the plane were severely damaged as the plane nosedived. After managing to land the aircraft safely, Shane and his crew were taken into Chinese custody. Shane was separated from his crew and spent the next 12 days under intense interrogation before being released.

“I always tell people: What does being a good Navy pilot have to do with being a good U.S. Senator? Not a lot. But at least you know I don’t give up,” Shane explained. “When you are 26-years-old, and you’re in charge of your crew and you are taken off at gunpoint and kept awake for almost seven straight days you find out what you are made of, and how important your faith is to you, and you put your crew first. And that’s what we did.”

After retiring from the Navy in 2005, Shane served as Nebraska state treasurer from 2007 to 2011. In relation to his Senate run, Shane has already been endorsed by FreedomWorks, and he has been touted as a strong conservative voice. Glenn couldn’t help but wonder, however, why Shane would choose to go to Washington.

“You have been tied to a chair by the Chinese. What are you crazy – this is going to be worse,” Glenn joked. “Why would you go to Washington?”

“We have a saying in the Navy that many men and women have given their lives for: Not on my watch. That's why I'm running," Shane explained. "That's why I extended my tour later that year when September 11th occurred and flew some of the initial combat mission information Afghanistan. When I got out of the Navy in 2005, I ran as a state treasurer in Nebraska. I want to give back. This country is worth it."

“I grew up raised by a single mom, who worked three jobs, ran the veterans home, and those veterans taught me the true meaning of service and self," he continued. "I'm keeping promise that I may to the lord when I was sitting in China. We have to fight for your country. The least we could do is have people in Washington that will put the country first like our men and women in uniform do every single day. That's the least we can expect.”

There are countless problems facing the country today, but Glenn asked Shane to prioritize his top three concerns. The debt, energy independence, and veteran affairs topped the list.

Debt

First and foremost is the debt. It’s unsustainable. When I was state treasurer, I cut government. I shrunk my budget 12%. I reduced debt 28%. How many candidates have you ever interviewed could you that they shrunk government? I’ve done it. And I know it's tougher down there in Washington DC, but Nebraskans and Americans realize we have to live within your means. It’s the only way we can leave this country better off than we received it.

Energy Independence

Number two, as I travel around our state of Nebraska – I put on over 40,000 miles – and I can tell you: It is the regulators that are killing this economy. It's even worse than the tax code, which needs to be fixed. If we could get the regulators out of the way an work towards North American energy independence, the millions of jobs, the infrastructure, the diversified energy portfolio we have here, it would be a huge boom to our economy.

Veterans

My third point is keeping our promise to veterans. We are not doing it. We are chewing our men and women up, sending them on four or five deployments. I formed the foundation here the Nebraska that helps fund PTSD clinics.

Back in 2009, I led the rallies against Obamacare. I was saying the same things then that I am saying now: It's failing miserably. We are all seeing it. That's why he's delaying the business mandate. It will crumble under its own weight. And what they want in the end game is government-run socialized medicine. If you want to see how that works, we don't feed to go to Europe, we don't need to go to Canada. Just go to the local VA. It’s the largest healthcare system in our country, and it's completely government-run.

Our veterans are dying every day because they can't get access to healthcare. They keep throwing more money at the VA. It doesn’t work. Guys and gals coming back, it is taking them 12 to 24 months just to get processed through. And if we treat veterans this way with government run healthcare, how do you think they are going to treat the average citizen?

“I appreciate your willingness to run and willingness to serve,” Glenn concluded. “I wish you the best of luck.”

You can learn more about Shane’s campaign HERE.

The Biden admin has let in MORE illegal aliens than the populations of THESE 15 states

GUILLERMO ARIAS / Contributor | Getty Images

There are currently an estimated 16.8 MILLION illegal aliens residing in the United States as of June 2023, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). This number is already 1.3 million higher than FAIR's January 2022 estimate of 15.5 million and a 2.3 million increase from its end-of-2020 estimate. Even Democrats like New York City's Mayor Adams Mayor Adams are waking up to what Conservatives have been warning for years: we are in a border CRISIS.

However, this isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010. In the first two years of the Biden administration alone, the illegal alien population increased by 16 PERCENT nationwide, imposing a whopping net cost of $150.6 BILLION PER YEAR on American taxpayers. That is nearly DOUBLE the total amount that the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine.

This isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010.

These large numbers often make it difficult to conceptualize the sheer impact of illegal immigration on the United States. To put it in perspective, we have listed ALL 15 states and the District of Colombia that have smaller populations than the 2.3 MILLION illegal immigrants, who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration. That is more than the entire populations of Wyoming, Vermont, and South Dakota COMBINED—and the American taxpayers have to pay the price.

Here are all 16 states/districts that have FEWER people than the illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.

1. New Mexico

Population: 2,110,011

2. Idaho

Population: 1,973,752

3. Nebraska

Population: 1,972,292

4. West Virginia

Population: 1,764,786

5. Hawaii

Population: 1,433,238

6. New Hampshire

Population: 1,402,957

7. Maine

Population: 1,393,442

8. Montana

Population: 1,139,507

9. Rhode Island

Population: 1,090,483

10. Delaware

Population: 1,031,985

11. South Dakota

Population: 923,484

12. North Dakota

Population: 780,588

13. Alaska

Population: 732,984

14. Washington DC

Population: 674,815

15. Vermont

Population: 647,156

16. Wyoming

Population: 583,279

POLL: Should the Government control the future of AI?

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Earlier this week, tech titans, lawmakers, and union leaders met on Capitol Hill to discuss the future of AI regulation. The three-hour meeting boasted an impressive roster of tech leaders including, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others, along with more than 60 US Senators.

Tech Titans and Senators gathered in the Kennedy Caucus Room.The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The meeting was closed to the public, so what was exactly discussed is unknown. However, what we do know is that a majority of the CEOs support AI regulation, the most vocal of which is Elon Musk. During the meeting, Musk called AI "a double-edged sword" and strongly pushed for regulation in the interest of public safety.

A majority of the CEOs support AI regulation.

Many other related issues were discussed, including the disruption AI has caused to the job market. As Glenn has discussed on his program, the potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real, and many have already felt the effects. From taxi drivers to Hollywood actors and writers, AI's presence can be felt everywhere and lawmakers are unsure how to respond.

The potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real.

Ultimately, the meeting's conclusion was less than decisive, with several Senators making comments to the tune of "we need more time before we act." The White House is expected to release an executive order regarding AI regulation by the end of the year. But now it's YOUR turn to tell us what YOU think needs to be done!

Should A.I. be regulated?

Can the government be trusted with the power to regulate A.I.?

Can Silicon Valley be trusted to regulate AI?

Should AI development be slowed for safety, despite its potential advantages?

If a job can be done cheaper and better by AI, should it be taken away from a human?

Do you feel that your job is threatened by AI?

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Glenn wrote this essay on September 12, 2001. Are we the same people now?

ED JONES / Contributor | Getty Images

Twenty two years ago today on September 12th, 2001, Glenn wrote an essay called "The Greatest American Generation." These were his visceral thoughts immediately following the 9/11 attacks. This beautiful essay calls upon the American spirit to rise to the occasion to pull us through what was one of the darkest days in our nation's history. He called us to unite around the common vision that unites us as Americans.

Yesterday, Glenn revisited this essay, wondering if we are the same people who could have pulled through that dark hour. Do you still believe the things that he wrote in this essay? Or have we become a people too divided to overcome a tragedy of the magnitude of 9/11? Consider these questions as you read Glenn's essay below, "The Greatest American Generation," published on September 12, 2001.

I've always believed that the greatest American generation is the one that's living, in the here and the now. The question is not if this is the greatest American generation. The question was when were we going to wake up? I remember staying at my grandparents' house in the summer when I was small. Every morning my grandmother would open the attic door and call up, "Kids, time to wake up." For me she'd have to do this a couple of times before I'd lumber out of bed and cross the cold, squeaky wooden floor. But finally, I would. And she'd be there in the kitchen ready with breakfast. My grandfather was already outside in the henhouse because there was work to do. They were hardworking, good and decent people. Seemed to me that they were from not only a different time but a different place. They weren't.

The spirit of our parents and our grandparents isn't from some foreign place. It hasn't died out. It's a flame that flickers in all Americans. It's there and it's ready to blaze to life when we're ready to face the challenges that now lie at our feet. It's what sets us apart. It's what built this country. It's why our borders still teem with the poor and the tired and those yearning to be free, burned with zeal in the hearts of millions of immigrants from every corner of the Earth who came here in search of a better way of life. The flame that Lady Liberty holds is the American spirit which burns deep within all of us, no matter what our race, gender, our religious background. And today the world is watching us. It's really nothing new. It always has.

Since the dawn of man people dreamt of a better life, dreamt of a better way, of freedom. But it was Americans that finally found a way to build it. And out of all that we've built, the powerful machines, the computers, the weapons of mass destruction, hardware and software that we spent millions on every year to protect and keep the plan secret, our biggest seeming secret, the one the world wants most of all, isn't a secret at all. It's something we freely give to the rest of the world. And while it seems self‑evident to us, for some reason it can't be duplicated. Yet it can be passed on from person to person, torch to torch. It's the American spirit.

If you weren't trapped in one of those towers or on a plane or in the Pentagon, then you have great reason to humbly give thanks today, not for our lives but because we're the lucky ones. God hasn't forsaken us. He's awakened us. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, he's gently called out, "Kids, it's time to wake up! We've been given another chance."

Thousands of years ago in Babel, the great civilization in their arrogance built a tower that reached the sky. It crumbled and they were scattered. Our heart and steely symbols of power and wealth may have crumbled, but we have not been scattered. Americans aren't ever going to scatter. Let the world recognize through our actions today that those firefighters in New York are not the exception. They are the rule. Americans don't run from burning buildings. We run into them. It was a beautiful fall morning on the edge of the land created through divine providence. Coffee shops were open. Children were on their buses and people easing into another typical workday when America's greatest generation heard the voice: "Kids, it's time to wake up."

Several times we've ignored the voice. We've drifted back into twilight sleep muttering, "I know, I know, in a minute." But finally we are awake and out of bed, for there is much work to do. The task before us is much more daunting than what our grandparents and parents faced, but we are stronger, a more prepared nation. The torch has been passed. We are the greatest American generation. The American spirit is alive and well. Our flame has not burned out. It had just been dimmed while we were asleep."

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