As Glenn prepares for his trip to the border this weekend, he offered an impassioned monologue about what the immigration crisis says about our nation. For all of those – President Obama included – who try to downplay American exceptionalism and the role of this country as a beacon of hope for the rest of the world, this crisis should serve as a wakeup call.
Below is an edited transcript of the monologue:
America has always been the beacon of hope for the rest of the world. Always. If it weren't so, people would not risk their lives and the lives of their children just to gain a foothold on our solid ground.
Think of this: There are thousands of children that now being sent by loving parents, who have not only put their children on death trains, but some of them have paid up to $7,000 to smuggle their children to the United States of America. That amounts to a year's salary for some of these parents. The fact that is happening should be seen for what it is: A repudiation – a strong repudiation of all those that claim we are not exceptional land and we are not an exceptional country and people.
Think of this. There are mineral-rich lands everywhere. There are beautiful vistas everywhere. But what we have always had is a rule of law based on some fundamental principles that have shaped this nation into what it's always been known for. We are the nation that doesn't leave men behind on the battlefield, or at least we used to. We're the first responders when someone needs aid. Even if it's an enemy on the battlefield, we'll a patch you back up. We led the drive for food in Ethiopia and Haiti. Our dollars, our churches, even the Peace Corps are a beacon of light in the world's darkest and most dangerous places. Even in war, we do not just kill our enemy and go home when the war is over because we always had the Judeo-Christian ethic of hate the sin and not the sinner. We heal the people and their land.
Even when we dealt with the Nazis, some of the worst scum ever to walk or crawl on their bellies on the earth, we didn't drag their bodies through the streets, as some nations do. We found the leaders, and we gave them an open and fair trail for all the world to see. Meanwhile, we airlifted food to the starving Germans, then we helped rebuild their cities. We are an exceptional people. This is what we are. This is what made America great. Perhaps after a decade or more now of war, we have been begun to forget what being good feels like.
Do we even remember September 11th? When we think of those days, the fear and the rage of September 11th, we fail to teach the lessons of that day. But, more importantly, we have completely forgotten the joy, the peace, and the simple kindness to total strangers on 9/12. We stood arm in arm with those who we thought actually were our enemies. We recognized on that day what truly made us American was our brotherhood in a higher purpose. America is great because America is good.
Man, I am really pissed off at everything happening in Washington. It's been happening for years. I am really upset about what's happening on our borders. They are fundamentally transforming the United States of America, and this is something I cautioned while Bush was still in office. I continued to caution we couldn't have two sets of laws, a set of laws for those in power or would be granted special exception, and then another set for others.
I, for one, love immigrants. I believe they renew us, make us stronger through naturalization. Our front door should be made wider by fixing the visa program, so those who want to stay here, those who have a job, those who will make us stronger can stay here. But I also believe, at the same time, we have to close all the windows and the side doors. No country in the world allows this to happen, and no country in the history of the with this kind of a problem has ever survived.
The families down on the borders need to be sent home. And quite honestly, their countries need to be held responsible for it. With that being said, the children – and yes, some of the bad guys that are there, too – instead of shipping them deeper into our nation, we need to gather them together and then we need to gather together and help those American towns and cities that are dealing with this crisis first-hand. The churches are overwhelmed, the public systems are overwhelmed, and our government doesn't seem interested at all in doing anything to make it better. They're just playing politics.
This government believes that with every crisis there's an opportunity to win in politics. I believe every crisis there is an opportunity just beneath the surface. It is not at political opportunity, but rather an American opportunity – one of service and kindness. One that reflects the true meaning of our nation, of what it means to be an American.
My charitable organization, Mercury One, has a goal this week of raising $1 million by this Saturday to help bring shoes and clothing and water and food and teddy bears and soccer balls to these children, who find themselves, through no fault of their own, in the middle of a political hurricane. As of today, we have already raised just over $700,000 from you.These are not corporate donations. These are denotions coming in, nickels, dimes, and dollars. That's a hard road to plow – $1 million coming in in $20 increments. It's even harder when you realize that most of all of my viewers and listeners feel exactly the same way I do: We're pissed off.
Most of us have done everything we can to ensure this wouldn't happen. We asked. We begged. We even marched. We were mocked. We were ridiculed and called racist. My listeners are nothing of the sort. In fact, my listeners and viewers are in a category all by themselves, I believe. They are the people in America that are willing to stand against the wind. They are willing to stand against the tide and be beaten up against the rocks. They will even stand against those who they share political ties with, even if their principles dictate otherwise. These are people who want to be better neighbors. These are people looking for anyone who will put principles over parties to join them with strong backs and strong arms. They are not rich. They are not powerful. They are just Americans. They're people who still believe in doing the right thing. As I said, the average donation is under $20, and many who have nothing left have volunteered their time or volunteered their prayers. They're loving, God-fearing Americans who still believe we are a special place – not because of who is in or who is out of Congress or the White House. But because we are still in charge of our house.
‘We, the people,’ in that big fancy script, doesn't mean anything anymore, I don't think. ‘We the people’ is so overdone. It is almost a joke. But when you get down to it, ‘we the people’ can and do make all the difference in the world. That's what sets us apart. A president or a congress, no matter which side, can't dictate that we need to be good to each other. No one can force you to love your neighbor, and no law called ever change your heart from hate to love. These things come from the free will and the free choice of service and the practice of those higher laws that has always set us apart as a people – those laws of faith, hope and charity.
I would ask: Will you help us change the world? I talked to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)on Friday. Ted Cruz has to speak in Denver. He's trying to find a way to get a plane to get him down to feed the kids, and then back up to Denver to not miss his speaking engagement. When I called him on Friday and spoke to him, he understood exactly what was going on. He sees it the same way I do.
We are going to fight fiercely, but we are also going to be the only ones standing up, bringing food. It's one thing for the president to feed some people. He's not doing it. It's another for those of us who have been called the haters and the racists to go and try to heal and to hold and to feed. How do you explain that? How does the left possibly explain that?
The truth sets us free. Judge us by the fruit of the tree, the fruit of our labors. You talk a good game all up. You could talk about loving people, caring about people, but judge us by the fruit of our tree. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is going to be there. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is going to be there. They all understand we are not allowed to talk about politics.We aren't going to talk about politics. The following Monday, that's when you talk about politics. You go back to Washington and say, ‘I have been there. I'll bring you the stories.’
I'm going to go to places no one's been allowed to go into. It's amazing what happens when you bring a quarter of a million dollars worth of shoes to children. The doors that opens. I'll bring my camera. I will show you what I see, and I will tell you the stories that I have seen –good and bad. But we will love first, then we will argue about policy.
Just maybe we'll have a better seat at the table. Maybe we'll be the ones to call everybody to the table because we are the ones that will know the situation. We'll be the ones who ever actually provided actual compassion – not compassion through tax dollars. I don't know about you, but on April 15th, I have never felt compassionate. I have never felt charitable. But when I actually reach in and do it myself, that's when my heart changes, and that's when the world changes.
If you would like to support us, you can go to MercuryOne.org. You can click on the Children and Family Border Relief Fund. If you don't want to give to that, you can give for the VA. We are also raising money to help our veterans. We are also helping Israel. You can help support the people who are being bombed now in Israel. You can help us build schools and help us build hospitals here in America. You choose. But we'd sure love your help and your support. Go to MercuryOne.org.
