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TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

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Glenn's Show Prep

Getting to know Ben Carson's Seventh-day Adventist Faith

October 22, 2015
Ted Tuttle

Editor

While speaking with presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson on Wednesday, Glenn asked him if he was ready to respond to criticisms about his religion. He resolutely said yes.

Knowing next to nothing about Carson's Christian faith other than that he's a Seventh Day Adventist, Glenn thought it would be a good idea to get someone from the religion to shed some light on things, before the inevitable attacks from the media begin.

The secretary of the North American division of the Seventh Day Adventist, Alexander Bryant, joined Glenn on the radio Thursday to discuss.

Listen to or read the revealing interview below.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.

Two, two lines that have changed my life and guided me. And the first one has come from Thomas Jefferson, and I've said it a million times. Thomas Jefferson said this in a letter to his nephew Peter Carr. And he talked about how he needs to learn mathematics and how he needs to learn literature and all of the different things he needs to know. And the very last section is on religion. And he said, "When it comes to religion, above all things, fix reason firmly in her seat, for if there be a God, he must surely rather honest questioning over blindfolded fear." So there is no such thing as a question that comes from the devil. There is no such thing as questioning, as long as it is honest. If you're trying to prove yourself right, then that falls out of the category.

The second thing that has guided my life is "by their fruits, ye shall know them." When I watch Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, and I watch him on the campaign trail and I watch him personally, I see the fruits of his religion, and I see the fruits of his faith. He seems like a very good, decent, honorable man.

Now, when I talked to him yesterday, I said, "Are you prepared -- because I know what Mitt Romney went through. "Are you prepared because you are a religious person for what's going to happen to you?" Because I read between the lines. And I could be wrong. Because I read between the lines and he seems to believe that we're living in the latter days, which I do. But that makes you a kook to the media. And when I said that to him, "Are you prepared," he was more resolute -- correct me if I'm wrong, boys. I think he was more resolute on that than anything else he said.

STU: Anything else you talked about.

JEFFY: Yeah.

GLENN: Right? When it came to his faith, he was unshakable.

So when he left, we started talking about it. We realized none of us have an idea what the Seventh Day Adventist -- except Stu thinks that they're vegetarians, and I think it has something to do with Saturday is the Sabbath. And that's as deep as we go.

STU: We're really informed on this one.

GLENN: We're very informed.

So we called the church and we said, "Is there a spokesperson?" Mr. Alex Bryant, he's the secretary for the North American division of the Seventh Day Adventist church. And he joins us now. Alex, welcome to the program.

ALEX: Thank you. It's good to be here, Glenn.

GLENN: Thank you.

First of all, I want you to know, you're not walking into a hostile situation, and I think that's important as a media person to say to a person of faith.

We really just want to know what you guys believe and what sets you apart and different and, quite honestly, I want to get all of the stuff out on -- because every church has its kind of kooky quirks. And from inside the church, it's totally normal. Outside the church, it will look crazy. And every church has that.

So I'm trying to figure out, what is it they're going to? Let's understand in a reasonable way so everybody can defend someone else's faith and say, "Back off, Jack. Back off." So can you tell us -- give us a nutshell first of what you guys believe.

ALEX: We believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again. We're part of the Christian faith community. We believe that God's grace encompasses all of humankind, their entire world. And that God loves everyone. We are Bible-believing people. We base our beliefs, our faith, our actions, and our behavior on the Bible. We're also Seventh Day Adventist, where we keep the Sabbath and we believe in a second coming of Christ. But we're part of the larger Christian community and the Christian family who uplifts the name of Jesus Christ. And we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to lift humanity into hope and wholeness out of our brokenness.

GLENN: Now, you believe --

ALEX: And that's what we advocate.

GLENN: Okay. You believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He -- body and all, and he was taken up into heaven and all of that, right?

ALEX: Yes.

GLENN: Okay. When you say -- now I want you to know, I'm a Mormon. So I'm the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, so I'm not asking you this in a hostile away.

I believe we are in the latter days. What that means, I don't know. The apostles have believed that for when they were there, they thought Jesus was coming back. I have read, in doing a little bit of research, that your church said that it was in the 1800s that Jesus would come back. I think my church might have said that he was coming back.

But do you believe we are literally living in the latter days, whatever that might mean to God?

ALEX: Absolutely. We believe that we're living in the last days, according to what we read from the Bible in Matthew Chapter 24 and 25 and the signs that Jesus gave of his soon return and the things that will happen before he returns.

GLENN: You believe in the -- the devil and the Antichrist and all of that stuff from the Book of Revelation as well?

ALEX: Yes, we believe in the Book of Revelation and that there is a devil.

GLENN: Can you go into -- Stu seems to think that you guys are vegetarians.

STU: Well, I know there is at least some -- because I'm actually a vegetarian. Again, the only conservative vegetarian in America potentially. And I know we go to -- there are stores near your churches and schools that sell a lot of vegetarian stuff. Is that part of the faith? Is that a recommendation? What's the vegetarian connection?

ALEX: Well, Stu, you're correct. We do advocate healthful living, and that encompasses a vegetarian lifestyle and even a vegan lifestyle. And not all of our members are vegetarian or vegan --

GLENN: Can I tell you something, Alexander, that's what -- now I know why I didn't go -- I mean, I went to some crazy churches. I went to a church, when I was on a church tour, where the pastor didn't even believe in God. That's how crazy I went. That's why I didn't visit your church now, I'm sure of it. Because you said no to steak. I'm sorry, there is no God, if he's against steak.

ALEX: That's right. But we do advocate a healthful lifestyle.

GLENN: Okay. So it's not about -- is it about the care of animals or is it -- is it that and a healthy lifestyle, or what?

ALEX: It's a healthful lifestyle. And we do feel that God has made us stewards of the earth. But our -- most of our emphasis is on living healthier and having a better lifestyle here on earth.

PAT: Does that include not drinking and smoking?

ALEX: It includes not drinking alcohol and smoking and taking any other harmful substances to the body.

PAT: We have that in common.

GLENN: We have that in common. Ours is called the word of wisdom where we can't eat certain things for health reasons. So there's lots of similarities there. Can I ask you a question? Because you sound rather mellow yourself. Is it required to have a very even temperament like Dr. Ben Carson --

PAT: Has?

ALEX: Well, we believe and try to follow the example of Christ.

GLENN: Right.

ALEX: And the example of Christ, temperament is a part of what God teaches us in the development of our Christian character. We're not always perfect in that regard. But we try to advocate that example that Christ gave us and we believe part of that is an even -- you know, is being temperate in everything, including our temperament.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: So is Ben Carson the first Seventh Day Adventist to run?

ALEX: He's the first one I'm aware of to run.

GLENN: Is this kind of an exciting thing? Like when Mitt Romney ran and -- to the Mormons, that was like, whoa, that's cool. We're suddenly cool. And we're like, no, you're not. No, you're not.

Is this kind of a neat thing to have him run?

ALEX: Well, you have to understand Ben Carson's relationship to the church. Ben Carson has had a very storied life, where he came from, how he studied and how he lifted himself out of poverty. And he wrote the book, Gifted Hands. And many, many people in our church and outside of our church were blessed as a result, inspired as a result. And many lives have been changed as a result of reading how God used him, how God changed him. So his lifestyle, his life has been very inspiring to us from the beginning, even before the run for presidency. And we are very proud of what God has done through him. And how God has used him.

PAT: So you are pretty excited about it, but this is your excited voice?

(laughter)

ALEX: I guess that is as excited as it gets.

GLENN: So, Alex, I hope you understand the spirit this is in.

ALEX: Sure.

GLENN: We really admire Ben Carson has a man. We may not agree with his policies. But I'd vote for him. And I really, really admire him as a man. So you must be doing something right in your church.

PAT: What are some of the misconceptions of Seventh Day Adventists as you see it?

GLENN: First of all, are you the inventor of the Advent Calendar?

STU: Hmm.

ALEX: Not to my knowledge.

GLENN: Not to your knowledge. Okay. All right. Good.

ALEX: Not to my knowledge.

GLENN: So what are the things that are --

ALEX: Sorry. Go ahead.

PAT: What are the things that people have wrong about it?

GLENN: Right. That we'll hear on the news. Like, you're going to hear this, and this is not what it is.

ALEX: You know, I'm not exactly sure what we're going to hear wrong about the Seventh Day Adventist church on the news. I know that, you know, we are -- we worship on the Sabbath. We don't worship on Sundays as we believe from the Bible.

PAT: So the Sabbath being Saturday?

ALEX: The Sabbath being Saturday, that's correct.

PAT: Okay.

GLENN: I love that because then you can watch football on Sunday.

PAT: But that's college football day, though. So does that eliminate college football for the day for you?

ALEX: Well, we have Jesus football on the Sabbath.

GLENN: If that's what stops you from joining, you've got a really -- you've got to reevaluate your life.

ALEX: Yeah. And we think Jesus football on the Sabbath trumps college football on the Sabbath.

PAT: Yeah, you're probably right. You're probably right. Quarterback. He's got a great arm.

STU: He does. He does.

GLENN: So we sure appreciate it, Alex. I hope that your faith doesn't come under attack. We have to stop attacking each other.

ALEX: That's correct.

GLENN: The body of Christ and the body of God needs to start standing together. The children of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob need to stand together because these are --

PAT: I've said that for years. How many times have I said that?

GLENN: Shut up.

JEFFY: Oh, my gosh.

GLENN: Alex is going to be nice. I'm not a Seventh Day Adventist, shut up!

This is truly a time where we really need to stand together.

ALEX: Yes.

GLENN: Because perilous times are coming, and I wish you all the best. And, Alex, thank you so much for having the guts to come on the program. Because you had to have thought, "I could be walking into a buzz saw."

ALEX: Yes.

GLENN: Let me say it more like Ben Carson, you had to have thought --

ALEX: Well, we're hopeful that if attention does come to our name that the good works of the Seventh Day Adventist church, some of the humanitarian things that we do that we're involved in, the disaster relief that we do, what we do in the community -- we were just in San Antonio earlier in the summer where we provided free health care to over 6,000 people. Over 17,000 health professionals valued over $20 million.

PAT: Wow.

ALEX: And that's one of the heart -- that's one of the mainstays of the Seventh Day Adventist church. We have a very strong emphasis on community and helping our brother and sister, especially in the areas of health and education.

PAT: I've been saying that a lot.

ALEX: Disaster relief and hope is a major focus of what we try to do. And so if attention would come to the Seventh Day Adventist church's name, I hope that they could see that the Seventh Day Adventist church exists to help lift our brothers and sisters to join with our Christian brothers and sisters.

You know, Glenn, you have the Mercury One project. And we are in every state. And there are many ways we can come together as Christians to help lift our brothers and sisters. We have over 90 million people unemployed in this country. And it seems to me that we can use this as an opportunity, as Christian brothers and sisters, and join hands together and lift each other and not denigrate each other, not try to find all the negative things about each other or the differences that we have. There's so many, many things that we have in common. And I think if that can be accomplished as a result of attention brought to our name, I think the Lord would be blessed and the people that God has called us to be served would be lifted.

GLENN: Alexander Bryant, from the Seventh Day Adventist church, thank you so much, sir. I appreciate it. God bless you.

ALEX: Thank you. Okay. God bless you.

GLENN: God bless you.

EXCLUSIVE: Tech Ethicist reveals 5 ways to control AI NOW

MANAURE QUINTERO / Contributor | Getty Images

By now, many of us are familiar with AI and its potential benefits and threats. However, unless you're a tech tycoon, it can feel like you have little influence over the future of artificial intelligence.

For years, Glenn has warned about the dangers of rapidly developing AI technologies that have taken the world by storm.

He acknowledges their significant benefits but emphasizes the need to establish proper boundaries and ethics now, while we still have control. But since most people aren’t Silicon Valley tech leaders making the decisions, how can they help keep AI in check?

Recently, Glenn interviewed Tristan Harris, a tech ethicist deeply concerned about the potential harm of unchecked AI, to discuss its societal implications. Harris highlighted a concerning new piece of legislation proposed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This legislation proposes a state-level moratorium on AI regulation, meaning only the federal government could regulate AI. Harris noted that there’s currently no Federal plan for regulating AI. Until the federal government establishes a plan, tech companies would have nearly free rein with their AI. And we all know how slowly the federal government moves.

This is where you come in. Tristan Harris shared with Glenn the top five actions you should urge your representatives to take regarding AI, including opposing the moratorium until a concrete plan is in place. Now is your chance to influence the future of AI. Contact your senator and congressman today and share these five crucial steps they must take to keep AI in check:

Ban engagement-optimized AI companions for kids

Create legislation that will prevent AI from being designed to maximize addiction, sexualization, flattery, and attachment disorders, and to protect young people’s mental health and ability to form real-life friendships.

Establish basic liability laws

Companies need to be held accountable when their products cause real-world harm.

Pass increased whistleblower protections

Protect concerned technologists working inside the AI labs from facing untenable pressures and threats that prevent them from warning the public when the AI rollout is unsafe or crosses dangerous red lines.

Prevent AI from having legal rights

Enact laws so AIs don’t have protected speech or have their own bank accounts, making sure our legal system works for human interests over AI interests.

Oppose the state moratorium on AI 

Call your congressman or Senator Cruz’s office, and demand they oppose the state moratorium on AI without a plan for how we will set guardrails for this technology.

Glenn: Only Trump dared to deliver on decades of empty promises

Tasos Katopodis / Stringer | Getty Images

The Islamic regime has been killing Americans since 1979. Now Trump’s response proves we’re no longer playing defense — we’re finally hitting back.

The United States has taken direct military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Whatever you think of the strike, it’s over. It’s happened. And now, we have to predict what happens next. I want to help you understand the gravity of this situation: what happened, what it means, and what might come next. To that end, we need to begin with a little history.

Since 1979, Iran has been at war with us — even if we refused to call it that.

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell.

It began with the hostage crisis, when 66 Americans were seized and 52 were held for over a year by the radical Islamic regime. Four years later, 17 more Americans were murdered in the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, followed by 241 Marines in the Beirut barracks bombing.

Then came the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996, which killed 19 more U.S. airmen. Iran had its fingerprints all over it.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian-backed proxies killed hundreds of American soldiers. From 2001 to 2020 in Afghanistan and 2003 to 2011 in Iraq, Iran supplied IEDs and tactical support.

The Iranians have plotted assassinations and kidnappings on U.S. soil — in 2011, 2021, and again in 2024 — and yet we’ve never really responded.

The precedent for U.S. retaliation has always been present, but no president has chosen to pull the trigger until this past weekend. President Donald Trump struck decisively. And what our military pulled off this weekend was nothing short of extraordinary.

Operation Midnight Hammer

The strike was reportedly called Operation Midnight Hammer. It involved as many as 175 U.S. aircraft, including 12 B-2 stealth bombers — out of just 19 in our entire arsenal. Those bombers are among the most complex machines in the world, and they were kept mission-ready by some of the finest mechanics on the planet.

USAF / Handout | Getty Images

To throw off Iranian radar and intelligence, some bombers flew west toward Guam — classic misdirection. The rest flew east, toward the real targets.

As the B-2s approached Iranian airspace, U.S. submarines launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities. Minutes later, the bombers dropped 14 MOPs — massive ordnance penetrators — each designed to drill deep into the earth and destroy underground bunkers. These bombs are the size of an F-16 and cost millions of dollars apiece. They are so accurate, I’ve been told they can hit the top of a soda can from 15,000 feet.

They were built for this mission — and we’ve been rehearsing this run for 15 years.

If the satellite imagery is accurate — and if what my sources tell me is true — the targeted nuclear sites were utterly destroyed. We’ll likely rely on the Israelis to confirm that on the ground.

This was a master class in strategy, execution, and deterrence. And it proved that only the United States could carry out a strike like this. I am very proud of our military, what we are capable of doing, and what we can accomplish.

What comes next

We don’t yet know how Iran will respond, but many of the possibilities are troubling. The Iranians could target U.S. forces across the Middle East. On Monday, Tehran launched 20 missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, Syria, and Kuwait, to no effect. God forbid, they could also unleash Hezbollah or other terrorist proxies to strike here at home — and they just might.

Iran has also threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. On Sunday, Iran’s parliament voted to begin the process. If the Supreme Council and the ayatollah give the go-ahead, we could see oil prices spike to $150 or even $200 a barrel.

That would be catastrophic.

The 2008 financial collapse was pushed over the edge when oil hit $130. Western economies — including ours — simply cannot sustain oil above $120 for long. If this conflict escalates and the Strait is closed, the global economy could unravel.

The strike also raises questions about regime stability. Will it spark an uprising, or will the Islamic regime respond with a brutal crackdown on dissidents?

Early signs aren’t hopeful. Reports suggest hundreds of arrests over the weekend and at least one dissident executed on charges of spying for Israel. The regime’s infamous morality police, the Gasht-e Ershad, are back on the streets. Every phone, every vehicle — monitored. The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a shelter-in-place warning for Americans.

Russia and China both condemned the strike. On Monday, a senior Iranian official flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. That meeting should alarm anyone paying attention. Their alliance continues to deepen — and that’s a serious concern.

Now we pray

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell. But either way, President Trump didn’t start this. He inherited it — and he took decisive action.

The difference is, he did what they all said they would do. He didn’t send pallets of cash in the dead of night. He didn’t sign another failed treaty.

He acted. Now, we pray. For peace, for wisdom, and for the strength to meet whatever comes next.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Globalize the Intifada? Why Mamdani’s plan spells DOOM for America

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

If New Yorkers hand City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, they’re not voting for change. They’re opening the door to an alliance of socialism, Islamism, and chaos.

It only took 25 years for New York City to go from the resilient, flag-waving pride following the 9/11 attacks to a political fever dream. To quote Michael Malice, “I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”

Malice is talking about Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman from Queens now eyeing the mayor’s office. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state representative emerging from relative political obscurity, is now receiving substantial funding for his mayoral campaign from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR has a long and concerning history, including being born out of the Muslim Brotherhood and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case. Why would the group have dropped $100,000 into a PAC backing Mamdani’s campaign?

Mamdani blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone.

Perhaps CAIR has a vested interest in Mamdani’s call to “globalize the intifada.” That’s not a call for peaceful protest. Intifada refers to historic uprisings of Muslims against what they call the “Israeli occupation of Palestine.” Suicide bombings and street violence are part of the playbook. So when Mamdani says he wants to “globalize” that, who exactly is the enemy in this global scenario? Because it sure sounds like he's saying America is the new Israel, and anyone who supports Western democracy is the new Zionist.

Mamdani tried to clean up his language by citing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which once used “intifada” in an Arabic-language article to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. So now he’s comparing Palestinians to Jewish victims of the Nazis? If that doesn’t twist your stomach into knots, you’re not paying attention.

If you’re “globalizing” an intifada, and positioning Israel — and now America — as the Nazis, that’s not a cry for human rights. That’s a call for chaos and violence.

Rising Islamism

But hey, this is New York. Faculty members at Columbia University — where Mamdani’s own father once worked — signed a letter defending students who supported Hamas after October 7. They also contributed to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. And his father? He blamed Ronald Reagan and the religious right for inspiring Islamic terrorism, as if the roots of 9/11 grew in Washington, not the caves of Tora Bora.

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

This isn’t about Islam as a faith. We should distinguish between Islam and Islamism. Islam is a religion followed peacefully by millions. Islamism is something entirely different — an ideology that seeks to merge mosque and state, impose Sharia law, and destroy secular liberal democracies from within. Islamism isn’t about prayer and fasting. It’s about power.

Criticizing Islamism is not Islamophobia. It is not an attack on peaceful Muslims. In fact, Muslims are often its first victims.

Islamism is misogynistic, theocratic, violent, and supremacist. It’s hostile to free speech, religious pluralism, gay rights, secularism — even to moderate Muslims. Yet somehow, the progressive left — the same left that claims to fight for feminism, LGBTQ rights, and free expression — finds itself defending candidates like Mamdani. You can’t make this stuff up.

Blending the worst ideologies

And if that weren’t enough, Mamdani also identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone. But don’t worry, New York. I’m sure this time socialism will totally work. Just like it always didn’t.

If you’re a business owner, a parent, a person who’s saved anything, or just someone who values sanity: Get out. I’m serious. If Mamdani becomes mayor, as seems likely, then New York City will become a case study in what happens when you marry ideological extremism with political power. And it won’t be pretty.

This is about more than one mayoral race. It’s about the future of Western liberalism. It’s about drawing a bright line between faith and fanaticism, between healthy pluralism and authoritarian dogma.

Call out radicalism

We must call out political Islam the same way we call out white nationalism or any other supremacist ideology. When someone chants “globalize the intifada,” that should send a chill down your spine — whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, or anything in between.

The left may try to shame you into silence with words like “Islamophobia,” but the record is worn out. The grooves are shallow. The American people see what’s happening. And we’re not buying it.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

How private stewardship could REVIVE America’s wild

Jonathan Newton / Contributor | Getty Images

The left’s idea of stewardship involves bulldozing bison and barring access. Lee’s vision puts conservation back in the hands of the people.

The media wants you to believe that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is trying to bulldoze Yellowstone and turn national parks into strip malls — that he’s calling for a reckless fire sale of America’s natural beauty to line developers’ pockets. That narrative is dishonest. It’s fearmongering, and, by the way, it’s wrong.

Here’s what’s really happening.

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized.

The federal government currently owns 640 million acres of land — nearly 28% of all land in the United States. To put that into perspective, that’s more territory than France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom combined.

Most of this land is west of the Mississippi River. That’s not a coincidence. In the American West, federal ownership isn’t just a bureaucratic technicality — it’s a stranglehold. States are suffocated. Locals are treated as tenants. Opportunities are choked off.

Meanwhile, people living east of the Mississippi — in places like Kentucky, Georgia, or Pennsylvania — might not even realize how little land their own states truly control. But the same policies that are plaguing the West could come for them next.

Lee isn’t proposing to auction off Yellowstone or pave over Yosemite. He’s talking about 3 million acres — that’s less than half of 1% of the federal estate. And this land isn’t your family’s favorite hiking trail. It’s remote, hard to access, and often mismanaged.

Failed management

Why was it mismanaged in the first place? Because the federal government is a terrible landlord.

Consider Yellowstone again. It’s home to the last remaining herd of genetically pure American bison — animals that haven’t been crossbred with cattle. Ranchers, myself included, would love the chance to help restore these majestic creatures on private land. But the federal government won’t allow it.

So what do they do when the herd gets too big?

They kill them. Bulldoze them into mass graves. That’s not conservation. That’s bureaucratic malpractice.

And don’t even get me started on bald eagles — majestic symbols of American freedom and a federally protected endangered species, now regularly slaughtered by wind turbines. I have pictures of piles of dead bald eagles. Where’s the outrage?

Biden’s federal land-grab

Some argue that states can’t afford to manage this land themselves. But if the states can’t afford it, how can Washington? We’re $35 trillion in debt. Entitlements are strained, infrastructure is crumbling, and the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and National Park Service are billions of dollars behind in basic maintenance. Roads, firebreaks, and trails are falling apart.

The Biden administration quietly embraced something called the “30 by 30” initiative, a plan to lock up 30% of all U.S. land and water under federal “conservation” by 2030. The real goal is 50% by 2050.

That entails half of the country being taken away from you, controlled not by the people who live there but by technocrats in D.C.

You think that won’t affect your ability to hunt, fish, graze cattle, or cut timber? Think again. It won’t be conservatives who stop you from building a cabin, raising cattle, or teaching your grandkids how to shoot a rifle. It’ll be the same radical environmentalists who treat land as sacred — unless it’s your truck, your deer stand, or your back yard.

Land as collateral

Moreover, the U.S. Treasury is considering putting federally owned land on the national balance sheet, listing your parks, forests, and hunting grounds as collateral.

What happens if America defaults on its debt?

David McNew / Stringer | Getty Images

Do you think our creditors won’t come calling? Imagine explaining to your kids that the lake you used to fish in is now under foreign ownership, that the forest you hunted in belongs to China.

This is not hypothetical. This is the logical conclusion of treating land like a piggy bank.

The American way

There’s a better way — and it’s the American way.

Let the people who live near the land steward it. Let ranchers, farmers, sportsmen, and local conservationists do what they’ve done for generations.

Did you know that 75% of America’s wetlands are on private land? Or that the most successful wildlife recoveries — whitetail deer, ducks, wild turkeys — didn’t come from Washington but from partnerships between private landowners and groups like Ducks Unlimited?

Private stewardship works. It’s local. It’s accountable. It’s incentivized. When you break it, you fix it. When you profit from the land, you protect it.

This is not about selling out. It’s about buying in — to freedom, to responsibility, to the principle of constitutional self-governance.

So when you hear the pundits cry foul over 3 million acres of federal land, remember: We don’t need Washington to protect our land. We need Washington to get out of the way.

Because this isn’t just about land. It’s about liberty. And once liberty is lost, it doesn’t come back easily.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.