Biased Much? VP-elect Pence Lectured by Cast of Hamilton; Hillary Lauded

The so-called inclusive left is making it almost impossible to enjoy any entertainment venue without their very exclusive agenda being shoved to the forefront.

This weekend, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his family attended the Broadway show Hamilton and were subjected to ridicule, boos and a lecture. Actor Brandon Victor Dixon had this to say from the stage following the show's conclusion:

We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir.

This is in direct contrast to Hillary Clinton's experience at the Broadway spectacular. Earlier this year, Clinton hosted a fundraiser at a special performance of the Tony-winning musical. Following the performance, she stood on stage with the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda who rewrote lyrics to the show in honor of Clinton.

"All these actors are very pleased to be there, be doing well. But the left can't let it go. Whether it's sporting events --- I was told recently by a friend . . . that he can't watch ESPN anymore because ESPN is now MSNBC with sports. I didn't even know because I don't have cable --- but you can't escape this anywhere. There's nowhere you can go where you will be safe," Buck Sexton said, filling in Monday on The Glenn Beck Program.

This shameful display of self-righteous incivility is exactly why Americans delivered the decision they did on November 8.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

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

BUCK: Buck Sexton here in for Glenn Beck today on the Glenn Beck Program. Thank you so much for joining. As always, great to have you here.

So I'd like to think I'm in the holiday spirit, considering that we have Thanksgiving in just a few takes, and we have a number of other holidays coming up after that. Even here on the set where there are snowflakes falling gently, it's exciting. It gets me happy. Soon there will be presents, perhaps a bit of overeating. All good things.

You'd think that maybe there could be a bit of a delay in all of the nastiness in our politics. You'd think that perhaps they can just sit back for a moment and say, "Well, we lost that election, but let's all just eat some turkey and maple ham." Whatever else gets you excited. Stuffing -- some people are stuffing people. And they can look forward to that. And time with family and friends, and hopefully some time off from work. And that that would be exciting, and they'd be ready to go.

But if you thought any of that, unfortunately, you would be wrong, it seems. At least based on a bit of the headlines.

You see, over the weekend, our vice president-elect, VP-elect, Mike Pence, went to go see a show, a show in my hometown. I've seen a few shows before. I tend to see them broken down. For those of you who are going to be soon-to-be visitors of New York or have been in the past, usually there's the sort of Lion King-style musical extravaganza. And then there's the more artiste kind of stuff that goes on. There's the more high art, high concept Broadway plays, and they get a lot of attention. And they get a lot of people making noise about them, generally on the left. Because politically speaking, they're always one way.

So I don't go to the theater that much, but I'd like to think if I went to the theater, there would be no reason for me to be concerned that it will turn into a political lecture, that there would be the booing of our VP-elect, that it would turn into an opportunity for people once again to politicize absolutely everything.

They're at Hamilton, Hamilton, a show that I have not yet seen, which I blame, well, one on the fact that from what I have seen of it, I'm deeply unimpressed. And, two, at $700 a ticket, which I think is still about the going rate and the fact that it's sold out many months in in advance, just not in the budget. Haven't seen it. But I have seen some of the numbers because they've performed them. I am unimpressed. Easy to say that now, some would say, because politically speaking, they have annoyed me.

But huge, huge success. A lot of people have gone to see it. I even think Dick Cheney likes it, if memory serves. A lot of people think it's great. Celebration of the Founding Fathers. A predominantly, if not entirely -- predominantly minority cast. And people like it, right? It's like Founding Fathers, history of America with sort of the hip-hop flavor to it. Okay. Great.

Not necessarily my cup of tee. But maybe, I don't know, I haven't seen it. But we would think that anybody should be able to go to this, and you're at something that celebrates America, celebrates diversity, very successful.

All these actors are very pleased to be there, be doing well. But the left can't let it go. Whether it's sporting events -- I was told recently by a friend -- I had never heard this before, that he can't watch ESPN anymore because ESPN is now MSNBC with sports. I didn't even know because I don't have cable. But you can't escape this anywhere. There's nowhere you can go where you will be safe.

The audience at Hamilton booed vice president-elect Mike Pence. They thought, well, why let this guy -- who is there with his family, by the way. He's trying to enjoy a Broadway show. Maybe we could just let it go, guys. Probably a fair amount of New Yorkers there. I'm sure a fair amount of out-of-towners that everybody should know the basic decorum in the theater, everybody is there to relax and have a good time. They want to watch the show.

I'm not complaining about the politics of the show. That, you sign up for. But you don't think you'll get singled out in the audience to be booed, to be heckled, and then on top of that, to be lectured in a very condescending fashion by the cast of the show, after you've been booed. And you are the have not-elect of the United States of America, at a play about the American founding. You think maybe they could just tone it down a little bit, just not notch it down a few bits.

But, no, they didn't do that. In fact, we can play the audio for you because I'm sure some people knew that there was going to be something of a lecture coming. And the lecture came. And here's what it was: Play it.

VOICE: We have a message for you, sir. We hope that you will hear us out.

And I encourage everybody to flaunt your phones and tweet and post because this message needs to be spread far and wide, okay?

Vice president-elect Pence, we welcome you and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton in America musical. We really do.

We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us.

(applauding)

VOICE: Our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights.

We truly hope that this show has inspired to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us.

(applauding)

We truly thank you for attending the show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds, and origins. Ladies and gentlemen --

(applauding)

VOICE: (inaudible) represent all of us. To that, ladies and gentlemen, we also thank --

BUCK: All right. So you get the idea. To put this in the proper context, by the way, Hillary Clinton, the would-be president-elect, except she lost -- aw, so sad. She attended Hamilton, she was there. She actually had a fundraiser there. So Hamilton was co-opted by the Clinton machine for the purposes of raising even more cash to add to the billion dollars that was spent to make sure that she would not get elected, it seems. And she was hugged by the creator and star of Hamilton, the musical. She was treated as an honored guest.

So clearly Mike Pence was not treated as an honored guest. Now, I suppose we can't expect the left, which just based on the way that comedians thought it was their job after the election, to cry and spout profanity, instead of trying to make us all laugh together. They abandoned their craft in the face of politics now. They just can't keep it all together.

I guess we shouldn't expect all that much for VP-elect Pence at the Hamilton theater. But then when you start to put in the aftermath, the discussions -- because this became quite a thing over the weekend. I was hoping to avoid politics for a day or two, but sure enough, you open the Twitter feed or you open the Facebook, and what do you find? Battles raging over whether this was disrespectful or not.

Now, I know on the -- if you're putting this out on the ledger, on the side of it's not disrespectful. You have Pence himself saying, "Oh, he didn't feel disrespected -- what he's going to say? "Boohoo, I feel so sad on the inside. It gives me the sadness, that people said mean things."

Or, I'm sorry, the booing was mean. Then we get into the verbiage used in the lecture itself. And I even had a couple of exchanges with some of my fellow journalist colleagues over the weekend on this one, on the Twitter, which probably -- it just -- Saturday night Twitter should just be avoided. Just like stay away from the Twitter on Saturday, Buck. It's a much better way to be.

They're saying, "What's disrespectful in what they said? It was a message of unity and hope."

Really? If somebody told me that they were worried that I was going to be -- I mean, I'm unmarried. So let's just go -- we're worried that you're going to be an abusive husband. We're really hoping you can avoid being an abusive husband because a good husband would be great.

I wouldn't take that as some compliment. I wouldn't take that as some moment of unity. I wouldn't think to myself, "Oh, wow. They really have the best interests of humanity at heart here." I'd think, "That's really nasty. I don't deserve that. Why are they saying that?" And that was really the tone.

To say that somebody needs to be reminded or rather that you are -- let me use their exact words because I don't want to be accused of making it sound worse than it is -- alarmed and anxious, they say. That your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. So they're alarmed that he won't uphold the Constitution. They're alarmed that he will single out their children, their parents. Won't protect them.

Won't protect the planet. I suppose that's some sort of a nod to climate change hysteria. But even Obama didn't stop the rise of the seas. Oh, the rise of the seas is not that big of a deal actually. But don't tell anyone. It's fun for them to freak out about it.

But this is now the America that we live in, given that Hillary Clinton did not win. See, they had eight years of Obama, and they figured that it would just be Democrats from here on out. They became really used to getting their way.

We were living in an America where the prospect of a Republican candidate or Republican winning and then making Supreme Court appointments, a Republican who actually has members -- a majority in the House and in the Senate, at the same time, they are going to have to deal with some pretty disappointing stuff going forward. And they're not ready for it. They're willing to throw our most revered institutions under the bus, so to speak. They're willing to say that the way that our government is construct is not this act of genius.

Speaking of the Founding Fathers and all the great stuff that they did, based on one result of one election, we need a rethink, they say.

The popular vote is what should matter. States' rights have nothing to do with anything that isn't slavery. That still seems to be the meme. That's the thought process out there. At least if you listen to it on social media and you see what they have to say.

Of course, Donald Trump himself decided to weigh in on this, as well as some other journalists. But I just -- before we even get deeper into this because I think there are a couple more layers worth exploring, I just wanted to say, "Not even safe to go with his family to the play. Mike Pence can't just hang out there without people booing him and acting like children and being disrespectful." And the actors piling on at the end, I don't care what anybody says, including Mike Pence, the words used were condescending. The message was unnecessary. But this is a harbinger of things to come. This is now a post-Obama, Trump-as-president America, where there will be only safe spaces, so to speak, for the left.

Nothing is safe. Nothing is sacred. They particularly dislike that word. Nothing is sacred to protect the right, to protect our rights. If it means that they get to throw a tantrum and they get to make a point, they will do it.

[break]

BUCK: Buck Sexton here in for Glenn Beck today on the Glenn Beck Program. Thank you so much for joining and for staying through the break. Any and all of the above.

I just want to have some fun, if I could for a minute with the reactions that you got to this whole Hamilton controversy. People are saying, "Aren't there more things for Donald Trump and the new administration to be worried about than this?" Because Trump tweeted out, quote, the cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated -- I'm not going to lie, I've heard that too -- should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior, Trump wrote, in his third tweet on the subject.

(chuckling)

Look, the POTUS Twitter account -- or, the soon-to-be POTUS, I should say, Twitter account, I don't think it's going to be turned off during the presidency. And I think that it's okay. I think if Donald Trump wants to weigh in on these issues -- you'll recall, we had a president who thought it was fine to weigh in on whether a friend and I believe former professor of his was treated brusquely by the police, when he was trying to get back into his home. Remember the Cambridge police acted stupidly, so there's no issue that's too small on its face for the president to weigh in.

And I think -- I think your vice president getting booed and then a stern -- or, I shouldn't say stern -- a condescending lecture from the state at the most famous Broadway play in the country right now, I think Donald Trump is going to weigh in on that.

There are some who already see conspiracy afoot here. We have -- what is this? Someone from Politico, Ben white: Sir, you just settled the $25 million fraud lawsuit, and your cabinet is looking racist -- this is one of the media's favorite things to talk about -- don't worry, I'll distract them all with dumb Hamilton tweets.

So this was -- this is Trump's fault now? Get used to this, by the way, whether you like Trump or not, get used to the dishonesty you're going to see in the media. It's not what people do to the administration. It's not maligning very decent government servants, life-long public servants, people that have served in the military for decades who have been asked to serve in a Trump administration.

The problem is not with all the nastiness and all the lies and the propagandizing of the left against a Trump administration. The problem is with whatever Trump's reaction is to all of that stuff, that's the way they're going to play this.

It's really a corollary. It's a sort of addition to the old any time a Democrat makes a mistake, quote, Republicans pounce. Or the right-wing media pounces.

What are we supposed to do? There's a mistake. Something bad happens. You're going to point it out. If pointing it out and talked about it as pouncing -- yeah, it gets me to pounce a little bit.

I guess we've been known to pounce. But that's the formulation that they come up with so that the focus is never on the wrongdoing or the mistake. The focus is on those who point out the mistake.

And in this case, not only was the big problem -- and I just had -- I was really drinking this in. I have my little brother's birthday over the weekend, having a great time. And so when I wasn't out celebrating for that, I'm looking at -- I need to stop using the article here: The Twitter. Because I guess it's just Twitter. But it's fun to call it "the Twitter." And the Facebook. Or if you're in France, le Facebook.

I'm looking at all this stuff and the arguments going back and forth, and I think to myself, "Well, hold on a second here. Give me a minute. Wait. Why is Trump's speech somehow considered to be unacceptable? Why is it not okay for Trump to respond to speech with speech?"

This is now considering silencing. Ooh, I've got a great one. Robert Reich, who has -- he's a former administration official, I think, under the Clintons. 310,000 followers. So I assume a few people read this. He wrote: I'm with Brandon Dixon -- I think is one of the actors on Hamilton, but I'm not sure. RealDonaldTrump -- this is what the left comes up with -- RealDonaldTrump, must stop using tweets to criticize free speech he disagrees with. That's un-American.

Well, hold on a second, so using speech to criticize speech is now, quote, un-American. This is what -- this is what we've been pushed towards, everybody. You're no longer allowed to even object. Your objection to their transgression is the problem. Anything that you do that shows that you don't agree with them, that you want to push back, that you think they are either disrespectful or just wrong, well, you're going to do something that upsets them, because you see now, the left thinks that America is one giant safe space for them. And with the media completely in their pocket and under eight years of an Obama administration that was far left and as progressive as it could possibly be, they thought that it was all over, that the battles had been won, that nobody would be willing to push back. And if they had the temerity to do so, they would be crushed.

And then the Republicans come along and they win everything. And it's a sad, sad day for the progressive left. The statists are all like, "Whoa, hold on a second, bro, I thought we had finished them off." No. In fact, there are a lot of us still left. And we have a First Amendment right to say that you use your First Amendment right like a bunch of bozos.

Featured Image: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the Broadway musical 'Hamilton' stand onstage after a special performance of the Tony-winning musical at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 12, 2016 in New York City. Clinton hosted a fundraiser at the special performance, with supporters paying from $2,700 to up to $100,000 for the chance to attend. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

Civics isn’t optional—America's survival depends on it

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'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 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

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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.