Many are calling for the Confederate flag to be removed from grounds of the South Carolina state capitol in the wake of the church shooting in Charleston. Yesterday, Glenn made it clear that he doesn’t think it should be flown at the capitol, but he also knows that as a resident of Texas he doesn’t have much say in the matter. But he did see a deeper issue with the story - with everything in the country we should be upset about, why are we making the Confederate flag the top priority? Glenn delivered an epic response to everyone worried about a flag in South Carolina while ignoring some very scary problems in the U.S. and abroad.
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it may contain errors:
GLENN: Nikki Haley. I want to start here. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag. Cut 176.
NIKKI: We respect freedom for expression. And that for those who wish to show their respect for the flag, on their private property, no one will stand in your way.
But the statehouse is different. And the events of this past week call upon us to look at this in a different way. Fifteen years ago after much contentious debate, South Carolina came together in a bipartisan way to move the flag from atop the capitol dome. Today, we're here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will, to say it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds.
[applauding]
GLENN: Okay. I'm not going to get involved in this debate. I made my feelings clear on the Confederate flag yesterday. I don't see a reason for it. A lot of people do. That's up to the state. They don't fly it here in Texas. So I as a citizen of Texas, have nothing to say about it. If you want to fly something yourself, you can fly the Nazi flag for all I care. I -- I actually like to know -- you know, like the guy who is a Nazi -- and I'm not comparing the Confederacy with the Nazis. But you have to a right to do what you do in your own life and on your own property. That's what you have.
Yesterday when we talked about the Nazi wearing the Nazi armband in Seattle. Said, what do you do about that? There's nothing you can do about that. You have a right to wear the Nazi armband. I wish everyone would wear an armband. I know that goes towards the Nazi rule. But you at least know who this guy is. You at least know who this guy is.
So the worst thing I can think of is the Nazis. You can fly that flag if you want. I know exactly who you are then. Done.
So we're not even talking about the Nazi flag. We're talking about the Confederate flag. I don't agree with it. But I didn't grow up in the South. If you want to fly that put it on your truck, you can put that on your truck. Whatever. I don't like in a state like South Carolina where they are flying it on the grounds. I don't think it should be flown on the grounds. But I don't live in South Carolina. That's up to you. Now, with that being said, could I ask a question?
This is the biggest thing we have going on in our country? Because if this is the biggest thing going on in our country, we have a sweet, sweet life
PAT: Well, it caused the shooting in South Carolina. You have to take it down so it doesn't cause anymore.
GLENN: No, it didn't cause the shooting in South Carolina.
We have $18 trillion in debt. We have the latest on Jonathan Gruber in the White House. And play the audio for you in a little while. We have the press not even willing to say the president lied. Here's yet another lie, and nobody is willing to say the president lied. Obamacare is in collapse. Your insurance rates for your children is skyrocketing. Kids in fourth grade, they can read as well as a kindergartener. Mutual fund managers all around the world is saying, you better have cash on hand. You better have cash on hand.
Our fed has lied to us, said they would never print money. They did. And we taught the rest of the world how to print money. Now the central banks all over the world are printing money. That's not going to end well. Our wars are still going. And they're not going well. ISIS is still beheading people, throwing homosexuals off the roof. Killing Christians because they won't comply. Muslims who aren't Muslim enough are enslaved. There was a new contest on the Koran with ISIS. The winners got women to be used as sex slaves.
Yesterday, the parliament of Iran met. They talked about the president's proposal. And they rejected any -- any inspections of their nuke sites. Oh, and then the parliament got together and, you know -- I don't understand parliamentary rules, but they got together and they chanted, death to America. But we're still going forward on a -- on a pact with Iran.
Baltimore is still on fire and hasn't been solved. Ferguson is still on fire and hasn't been solved. Debt for student loans is higher than ever. People don't even know how they'll pay these debts off.
Jihad. The threat against jihad. Our government came out and told us it is the highest threat level we've ever had. And we're talking about the Confederate flag? Are you kidding me?
This is the biggest thing we've got? The Confederate flag is the thing that America has got to stop and talk about and solve right now?
We have -- we are living in an Alice in Wonderland world. We have stepped threw the looking glass, and we're having tea parties with the Mad freaking Hatter. Don't say the N-word! Whatever you do! Yet Cornel West can say the N-word on television, and nobody seems to care. The network doesn't come out. They don't apologize. They don't say, oh, my gosh, we're so sorry. We apologize for him using that word. We're still concerned that Sarah Palin might use the word "targeting."
Meanwhile, the president has a podcast. And on his podcast, he's asked a question, and he uses the N-word without hesitation. The president of the United States uses the N-word, but that's not really the big deal.
I mean, after all, he was on a podcast called WTF. I'd tell you what WTF means, if you didn't know, but I'm on a federally licensed radio station, and so I can't tell you.
But let's spend the day talked about the Confederate flag. Because once we get that settled, everything will be fixed.
PAT: When you lay it out that way, I mean, it doesn't sound as important.
[laughter]
GLENN: You think? You think?
PAT: Wow. That's --
GLENN: What are we doing? We're insane. We're insane.
Look, I care about the Confederate flag. It's a part of history. I wish it would stay in the history books. I don't think that it is something that people should fly over the state. If you want to fly it because your family fought in the Confederacy and they weren't for slavery -- and I know all of the rigamarole. I've lived in the South long enough. I know it. I know the argument. That's great.
I don't think it should be flown on state property. I don't think that it is something that should be flown there. If you do and you live in a state where they're flying it, that's for you to decide. Here's my evil Libertarian plan: To slowly take over the world and then leave everyone alone. Yes! I've said it out loud.
That's for you to decide.
Maybe we should decide together the things that affect all of us. $18 trillion in debt. How are we going to pay for that?
Are we okay with someone who said, okay, so a couple of guys go walking down the street at night and decide to kill some Americans, what difference does that make? And we know that's a lie. We know that's a lie. Someone who erases their own hard drives and lies about it. Are we cool with that person being president of the United States? Apparently yes. The Confederate flag, God forbid!
We're being lectured about how we're supposed to live our lives and how we're supposed to be better people by a guy who uses the N-word, while telling us to never use the N-word. While telling us that we are supposed to watch our language in every step of the way, has made us so afraid of saying anything, that we could lose our job for calling a -- a homosexual couple a homosexual couple or is it a gay couple -- I'm not sure which one is politically correct anymore.
We are so skittish on probably 100 words right now. One hundred words. It's gone from, hey, it's not very nice to call people handicapped. Wouldn't it be better if we call them handicapable. To, you use that word, I'm going to boycott your company. And yet, the president uses it without hesitation.
Meanwhile, while he's doing that, he is telling us, you can keep your health care if you like your health care, when he knows it's a lie. And how do we know it's a lie? Because Jonathan Gruber told us that they sold that because they looked at us as stupid people. That we were nothing, but sheep. That the American people were so stupid, they would buy anything. That's Jonathan Gruber. That's what he said. But then the president came out and immediately said, he's a know-nothing. I don't even know who this guy is. He didn't work on health care. He had nothing to do with it. We finally find out yesterday, finally, it is confirmed -- something that everybody knew -- finally it was confirmed that, yes, indeed, he was one of the main architects of universal health care. He was one of the main guys in the White House with Obamacare.
So the president has lied again! Do we care? Get the flag down!
Watch the other hand. Watch the other hand.
They talk to us about women's rights and a War on Women, really? A War on Women?
ISIS has already committed countless unspeakable acts on Christian and Yazidi girls and women in Iraq. But the terrorist army may have now reached a new low with a twisted new contest in which female slaves captured in war are given away as prizes to fighters who show they have mastered the holy book of the Koran.
The shocking practice, giving away human beings as prizes called Sivia (phonetic) was organized by the Dawah and the mosque's department at Al-Barkara (phonetic) Province in Syria, in honor of the beginning of the new holy month of Ramadan.
So for their highest holy month of Ramadan, which, by the way, we moved Fourth of July to the third of June as to not upset any Muslims because we didn't want to say to them that our Fourth of July, our Independence Day, would interfere in any way with their holy month of Ramadan. Which, by the way, to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan, they're now giving away women and children, slaves that have been captured in war. They're giving them away as prizes, if you've mastered the holy book, which God forbid, we ever say a word about, the holy book! If you've mastered that, then you know you can capture slaves. You know you can give them away as prizes. You know you can have sex with them any time you want, against their will, because it's the holy book, and you have mastered it. And God forbid, as the president said, I will not live in a world where someone can blaspheme the prophet or the holy book.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is getting ready to decide what they're going to do with Christians and Christian churches. Tax-exempt status will probably be attacked nationwide. Christian colleges and schools, their accreditation will be attacked. Faith-based adoption and foster care providers will be attacked. Federal contractors and grantees including those with loans at religious schools will be attacked. They already are. Religious staffing at faith-based organizations will be attacked. Those in military who don't follow the agenda are already being attacked.
But I will not live in a country that blasphemes the prophet, peace be upon him.
Stop it. Stand up. Raise your hand. Be counted. Don't be shop! Be counted. For once in your life, do something. You're about to do something great.
Be counted. You are not born just to exist. You weren't born just to take up space. You weren't born to do the stupid job that I'm doing now or you're doing now. That's not what you were here for. You were meant to make a difference. Stand up, right now. Raise your hand and say, enough is enough! Yes, the Confederate flag is important. That's not the priority! How about we save some lives? How about we stop the madness? How about we stand for honor and truth and real justice, not social justice, equal justice?
Then maybe we can take care of the flag.