Glenn: You are in the crosshairs, and we’re trying to arm you with everything we can

May 06, 2014

Writer

All right, I want to talk to about this. This book came out today. It’s available at GlennBeck.com or wherever books are sold. It’s called Conform. The government has a hostile takeover of our system, and the co-author is Kyle Olson. As he mentioned in the meeting, Common Core wasn’t created by teachers, wasn’t created by educators. Worse yet, they weren’t even consulted in this.

It was created by a board of directors of governors and business leaders like Bill Gates. There were no laws passed. There was no debate, nothing happening in Congress, nothing that happened in your local area. There was no research done to see if any of this actually worked. Common Core just seemingly appeared out of thin air and after some fancy talk and bribery, Race to the Top, that’s what the stimulus was about, hey, we’ll give you the stimulus package in your states, you just have to do what we’re telling you to do. That’s what it is, Common Core.

And now we and the teachers are waking up to the fact that none of us are in control anymore. In early America, things were much different. There was zero federal involvement in the schools. States were barely involved. It was all local control, closest to the parent. You’ll never guess what began to change all of that. Say it with me, come on, who was it? Woodrow Wilson, the progressive era.

The system for schools was mostly private until the late 1800s, and I’d like to introduce you to one evil dude, John Dewey. He was a professor at the University of Chicago and then Columbia University. He was a leading champion of progressive education. And it’s one thing to say well, I’m a progressive. Okay, that doesn’t necessarily make you a bad dude. This guy was brilliant. What made him a progressive and so evil was he was a social engineer.

He insisted that among a school’s primary goals should be creating social change and reform. He said, and I quote, “I believe, therefore, that the true center of correlation on the school subjects is not science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child’s own social activities.” Look at your kid’s curriculum at school. Does it make any sense at all? Are they focusing on science or literature or history or math? Are they? No, it social engineering.

It’s let’s focus on making, let’s make the children into the people we want them to be. And when I say we, I mean the, you know, government progressives but also the corporations. We are really, look at what happens in China. What happens with China? In China, they grab your kid at six years old because they’ve identified that they’re going to be good at this. They take the child away from the parent and make them into whatever it is because the child, listen carefully, belongs to society and the state, not to the parents. Does that sound familiar?

He said, John Dewey, that we should use techniques that were “previously ignored as trivial, futile, or even condemned us positively evil.” Any surprise 100 years later our schools are teaching things that are positively evil, they’re questioning the existence of the Holocaust or equating the founders to terrorists?

This is one of those fights that exposes the frauds on both sides of the aisle. This is one that can bring all Americans together. The establishment Republicans, the Lindsey Grahams, the John McCains, the Jeb Bushes of the world, and the Democrats, they’re beholden to the almighty corporation and the progressive agenda, both of them, and they’re dutifully escorting Common Core into every classroom against your will.

What credibility does the federal government have on this issue? Ask yourself that question. Have our schools gotten better or worse since the federal government got involved? Why should we listen to the people who gave us the Department of Education in the 1970s? Since its inception, spending per child has tripled while student performance has flatlined or declined. What evidence is there to suggest that they have any earthly idea on what they are doing?

Parents have to stand up. Teachers must stand up. Education needs a Rick Santelli moment, it does, a leader to stand up and cry out and rally the troops. And Ralph Ratto might be that man. He’s an elementary teacher in Long Island, New York. Ralph is the president of his local teachers union. His sixth day of administering the New York State Common Core assessment test, he had had enough.

He said, “I watched my students…,” this is the Washington Post, by the way, “I watched my students valiantly attempt math questions that most adults could not answer. As I watched my students, I was angry that my efforts to stop this madness were not successful. I was angry at my students’ parents for not opting out their children.”

Today, he writes, “…I am ashamed. I am ashamed I didn’t do enough to stop this madness. But I am not done. I am pledging to double my efforts to stop this form of institutional abuse. If my state senator and assemblyman do not work to end this madness, I will work to have them replaced.” Listen to that line, I’m ashamed. Remember when I told you, I told you before, you have the opportunity to not hang your head in shame in coming generations. This guy will be able to do that.

In the Washington Post, “I will work to expose the governor’s education agenda. I will work to have King replaced. Today is a dark day but not for long.” Everybody says that I am a coward for not wanting to go grab a gun and defend a rancher. Not so, I would go stand for any man’s rights, any man’s rights, but I will do it peacefully. And I will stand against injustice every time. Yes, I will not conform. I will not comply. I will resist, but I will do it peacefully. That’s what he’s doing, peaceful resistance.

They are trying to intimidate anyone who disagrees. That’s all right. We as a nation have seen billy clubs to the head and dogs and fire hoses open up. We’ve seen it before, we’ll see it again. Are you prepared to be the peaceful person that stands up? We showed you a couple of months ago the parent in Maryland who was violently escorted out of a school board meeting. Well, the latest comes today.

A concerned parent, William Baer, now, this guy, there he is, and he’s very calm. He’s just very upset that his daughter, he was complaining about the fact that his daughter had to read a book that had incredibly strong sexual content. His daughter is 14 years old. And she had to read it, and he wasn’t happy about it. So he goes and meets in the library, and because he speaks out of turn and goes over his two-minute time limit, he’s escorted out, handcuffed, and arrested. Two minutes, you have two minutes to respond, that’s all you get? It’s a hostile takeover.

Wear that as a badge of honor. If you can’t see yourself getting arrested, look at the sheep that were around him. They didn’t even look at him. They sat there like sheep. They didn’t look at him. They didn’t say come on, this is ridiculous. Nobody in the room? They were afraid. Only people with courage and enough courage to get yourself arrested and be peaceful about it will win.

You are in the crosshairs, and we’re trying to arm you with everything we can. Today, this came out. This has everything we think you need to make this argument, and the back has all of the footnotes so you don’t make the argument and say Glenn Beck said. No, read the footnotes. This has all of the things, you have somebody who’s not awake, give this to them. Rip the cover off the front and say here, read this. It doesn’t need my name on it.

We’ve made it as cheap as we can, and we’ve made it accurate.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is America’s next generation trading freedom for equity?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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