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Here’s what Glenn has to say about the Satanist display at a Capitol building

December 05, 2014
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The Glenn Beck Program

TheBlaze's Billy Hallowell recently published an article stating that Satanists have won the right to place a “grossly offensive” holiday display next to a Nativity scene inside Florida’s state capitol in Tallahassee. The display is said to feature "an angel falling into burning flames, Bible verses and a 'Happy Holidays' message." This morning on radio Glenn weighed in on the debate and shared his opinion on the separation of church vs. state.

GLENN: So I talked to one of the guys up in New York today and they said, I'm on my way to my — I'm on my way to my daughter's Kwanzaa party. And I said, what?

PAT: What?

GLENN: Yeah. The school is having their Kwanzaa party today. I said, get out of New York City. Get out of New York City.

PAT: I think you've said that before.

GLENN: Yeah.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: I have.

PAT: The Kwanzaa party, good.

GLENN: You got that going for you.

PAT: Did you also see —

GLENN: In Florida?

PAT: Yeah, the Florida thing is agonizing, because we have to now all of a sudden — we have to treat everything equally. And that's not the constitutional — that's not constitutional. Nobody — there's nothing in the Constitution that says every religion is equal. This just isn't.

GLENN: Hang on a second. All they are saying is they wanted to put a diorama of an angel falling in hell with a banner that says, happy holidays from the Satanic Temple. That's all they're saying.

PAT: Is that too much to ask?

GLENN: The state of Florida said yes, you can but the satanic nativity scene up in the Capitol —

PAT: This is.

GLENN: I have news for you. Destruction is coming our way.

PAT: That is what we're going to do for sure. You can't treat it as an equal because it's not. It's not. Satanism is not equal to Christianity, Judaism, Islam. It's not — Satanism — and how many people practice it in America? Five. 666? I don't know. It's — you don't — the Constitution says that the government shouldn't get involved in religion. That's what it says. And it — Congress should not pass a law regarding how you worship. When you put up a nativity scene at the state Capitol, that's not Congress enacting any law. And when Satanists come to you and say, well, we want equal time, you tell them tough. You're not getting it.

GLENN: Why, Pat?

PAT: Because you don't deserve it.

(laughing).

GLENN: No, here's the thing. It is the definition of evil.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: Satan is the definition — he's the chief elf of the evil kingdom.

PAT: You don't give equal time to it.

GLENN: No. You don't — you call it what it is. Evil. You are the definition of evil. And when you show me what good the satanists have done, you let me know. But I'm going to judge them by the fruits of their labors. And if you really are a Satan worshiper, by definition you are drinking blood — you are sacrificing things to the dark lord. I mean do, we need to watch an episode of "Star Wars" again to see that doesn't work out well?

PAT: Or Harry Potter?

GLENN: Any of them.

PAT: Any of those —

GLENN: Any of them.

PAT: Show you the road that that leads to.

GLENN: "The Godfather" will show that you. Evil, bad.

PAT: But —

GLENN: I don't know, do they know this? That in "The Exorcist,"" the girl with the pea soup —

PAT: Vomits?

GLENN: She was the bad — that was the bad character in that movie?

PAT: Her head spun all the way around.

GLENN: That was satan that was doing that.

PAT: Yeah. That was not a good — that wasn't happy time.

GLENN: No, it wasn't. You know what? I have to tell you, if I were was — if I had were in the state Capitol, I would refuse to go into it. If this is what this Capitol has become, to where this Capitol will not say no toe welcoming satan — "no" to welcoming satan into its doors, I have no place here. You can meet me and I will vote outside on the lawn. But I will not enter a building that houses satan and welcomes satan into its front door.

PAT: That's how lost we are, though. I mean —

GLENN: I bet you there's not a single person — in the south, in the — the south is — I expect this from Massachusetts. Like satan, we were out drinking the other night, he was a great cat. In the south. Where are your baptists. Where are the preachers. In the south. I open the door to the Capitol and I want to talk about riots in the streets. There should be peaceful congregations that are gathering together and going as a congregation —

PAT: I've not heard a peep out of anybody, though.

GLENN: It's crazy. It's absolutely crazy.

PAT: That's how effective they've been in twisting this thing and what our values really with.

GLENN: Here's the thing. Here's the thing. George Washington received a letter from Aaron Burr. 2:00 in the morning Aaron Burr has a bullet in his head. He's in battle.

It's the battle of Stoney Point. Aaron Burr gets — not Aaron Burr. Mad Anthony Wayne. He has a bullet in his head. He's in battle. They shoot him. They pull him off the battlefield. He wins the night. Surge yon says we have to take the bullet out of your head. He says give me a piece of paper and pencil first. He writes a letter to George Washington, 2:00 a.m. It says, Dear General — your men behaved like men who were determined to be free. General Wayne. We are not acting like men determined to be free. We don't even know what it means to be free. They chose to be free. They declared themselves free. Let's see, what are we? Are we going to be slaves to the king or free? Raise your hand if you want to be free. You know what that means, right? Yes. But you're choosing that, right? Yes, I am. It's not enough just to choose and say it. We have to declare it. So we will write down this piece of paper a decoration of our independence, that we're going to be free, that that's what we are. Damn the consequences. We are determined to be free. We were born free. We were given freedom. We didn't earn this freedom. None of us even chose our freedom. We just were given freedom. That's why we don't value it. We have to choose our freedom. Then we have to declare, I am a free man. I will remain a free man. And that means free of debt. Free of debt. Free of things that tie you down and make you do things you don't want to do. Oh.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: Behave like a man determined to be free. And if you just let that slippery slope go, I guarantee, shackles will be around your legs. You can't do it. Cast off the shackles. Cast off anybody who is — is coaxing you into that slippery slope. Cast it off. Determined to be free. Choose it, declare it, live it.

PAT: And what freedom means in this religious context with the satanists, they can practice that if they want to. They're free to do that. What they're not free to — to go ahead and display what they — their evil at a state Capitol. You don't have that freedom. You don't have that right. We don't have to let you do that.

GLENN: Christianity has earned the right not in the Dark Ages. But in this country they have earned the right to be at the table. And I have news for you. I have a problem with a lot of Christians. A lot of Christians. And I might talk about one today. But I have a problem with a lot of Christians. And they've made a lot of mistakes. We all have. All of us. We've all made mistakes. But for the most part, the reason why America is the most charitable nation in the history of the world is because we're Christians. We're Judeo-Christian people. We worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And because of that, because we actually live it, not because we go to church, but because we live it and we are determined to serve Him and we declare it. We're not declaring it anymore. We're Christians and you're being told not to declare it. Your children are being told that — think of just the damage on this. They can't say Christmas. That instinctively teaches them that there's something wrong with Christianity. There's something wrong with God. If I can't talk about God, there's something wrong. I don't know what it is. No, we're not saying there's anything wrong with it. We just don't want you to bring the Bible to school. That teach them something is wrong with that. And that mommy and daddy if they believe it, society says mommy and daddy are crazy. So not only are we not declaring I will. You've got to start declaring. I made a promise to God last -- in the last 12 months. I promise you, I believe in miracles. You show them to me and I will declare them. I am not afraid of standing and saying, that was a miracle. And we have seen them, starting with the "Man In The Moon." I mean, there's one that — the 20,000 people saw. It hadn't rained in a hundred years on that weekend. It rains on that weekend and I mean rains. I mean, it pours. It pours rain. What happens? We get together, all of us, and we pray. 20,000 people. We pray. There's a double rainbow over the stage. It clears up. It was absolutely miraculous the way this thing happened. We had — we didn't even have a chance to have a rehearsal for the "Man In The Moon." Because it had rained all weekend. We picked that weekend because it hadn't rained in a hundred and some years. We joked and said, well, it's due for it.

PAT: This is — you know, it's in a desert where they get eight inches of precipitation a year.

GLENN: And I bet —

PAT: I bet they got it that weekend.

GLENN: I bet they got five to eight inches just that weekend.

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

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

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor, Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

Jim Vondruska / Stringer | Getty Images

It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?