COS TAKE ACTION: 1,000 People Needed at Texas State Capitol on Jan 31

January 19, 2017

Writer

Texas Governor Greg Abbott will deliver his State of the State address at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

The Texas Convention of States Project (COS) team hopes to have an overwhelming presence at Governor Abbott’s State of the State address, thanking him for his support and making clear that Texans support invoking Article V of the US Constitution and calling a Convention of the States by passing HJR39 and SJR2.

The governor has been a vocal supporter of a Convention of States and their resolution, making it a legislative priority in 2017.

Be among the 1,000 supporters filling seats in the Texas Capitol House Gallery on January 31.

>>> SIGN UP TODAY

As Texas Goes, So Goes the Nation

Mark Meckler, one of the nation’s most effective grassroots activists and a national leader for the Convention of States Project, recently visited The Glenn Beck Program to talk about the important role Texas will play in exercising Article V of the US Constitution.

"The most important state is Texas. Texas is big. Texas leads the way in the South and the Midwest. Always, other states look to Texas. It's really extraordinary what's happened in the state of Texas," Meckler said. "We are the very first priority outside of the Texas Constitution."

The Answer to the Cancer

For decades now, the federal government has overreached its constitutionally-established boundaries, unchecked by an entitled, ineffective Congress. The Founders knew the federal government might one day become drunk with the abuses of power. The most important check to this power is Article V, which gives states the power to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution. By calling a Convention of the States, we can stop the federal spending and debt spree, the power grabs of the federal courts, and other misuses of federal power. The current situation is precisely what the Founders feared, and they gave us a solution we have a duty to use.

Be a Part of History

Help achieve real change and be a part of history by attending Governor Abbott's State of the State address. Texas can help lead the way for a two-thirds majority of states to apply for a Convention of the States, a full-proof process for real change that Congress has no authority to stop.

>>> SIGN UP TODAY

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program or read the transcript below:

GLENN: Stage 19 in the Mercury Studios in Dallas, Texas. Mark Meckler is joining us. He's with Article V ConventionOfStates.com. Welcome, Mark. How are you?

MARK: I'm glad to be here. Always better when I'm in Texas.

GLENN: Yeah, I know.

We were just talking about this historic opportunity. You know, the confirmation hearings are happening this week, and a lot of liberals are really freaked. And I'm not talking about the ones that are in Congress, because I think they'll play to anybody who will give them their power. But the average person is, for the first time in eight years, afraid of exactly the same things we were afraid of. Right?

MARK: It's really interesting how the narratives converged. You know I'm from California, and suddenly in California you have people on the left talking about nullification and succession, which apparently was the province of the rightwing crazy fringe, is now the province of the leftwing crazy fringe. Everything comes full circle.

GLENN: Correct. So I'm talking to my friends who are telling me great things from inside of the Trump administration, that they're gonna make some real changes, etc., etc. And I keep saying, but they're not structural changes. That is just reversing legislation or reversing executive orders. We have to have Constitutional changes. Otherwise we're gonna play this back and forth every four or eight years.

MARK: You know, I'm in the fight for my kids and my grandkids and our posterity, and you're exactly right. Even if we presume that we're gonna get great stuff out of this administration, it's temporary because the pendulum will swing. You know we all look at the map, the red map with excitement after the election. If you take that same map and look at it and only count voters age 18-35, the entire map is blue. So, you're gonna see some demographic shift in this country over time, and if we don't make the structural changes that protect liberty, then we're in trouble. And that's what the Founders knew, right. They knew it was about structure and not about people.

GLENN: So tell me some of the new things that are happening. You know, when we talked to you it was just before the election.

MARK: Yeah, it was right before the election.

GLENN: So now, tell me what's happening on the ground. Is there more steam to get there, less steam?

MARK: Yeah, there's a lot more steam. And I think because the public sentiment in the country is just continuing to be anti-DC. And now, again, this weird alignment, both sides are anti-DC. Folks on the right, we've always been skeptical of concentrated power at the federal government level. Folks on the left are jumping on that bandwagon talking states rights and federalism for the first time. So, you have this sort of unity of narrative. Different purpose coming out of the narrative, but a unity of narrative.

GLENN: What's the purpose from the left?

MARK: Well, from the left it's to defend themselves against Donald Trump and federal overreach. And then a lot of the things that we say, conservatives, we want to defend ourselves against the federal government all the time, in the image of the Founders. The left, it's about personality and people. So now they fear Trump, they fear a Republican Congress, they fear these people coming through the confirmation hearings, they fear a conservative Supreme Court, so now they're on the bandwagon, at least temporarily, about federalism.

GLENN: So, do you trust the people that are getting involved. Because, you know, we have been very leery of a highjack, which last time you were here you explained just cannot happen. It cannot happen because of the laws and the rules of Article V. But are there any states like California that, I guess they would be alone, wouldn't they? I mean, if they came up with their list of things and it wasn't the same, then --

MARK: Well, and they will come up with their list of things, and they will attempt to introduce them at any convention. And if they're not germane, if they don't fit the rails that have been set for a convention, somebody from Texas or North Carolina will stand up and object that it's not germane, and it will be ruled out of order.

GLENN: Texas could say, "We move to -- we move for secession." And it would --

MARK: It's not germane. Right. And so that will be objected to, and we'll move on.

You know, we saw sort of the ultimate example of that this week. I thought it was really interesting to see of all people Joe Biden shut down the protests over the count on the electoral college, right?

And he basically said, "Look, there are rules. It's game over. We follow the rules. It's an institutional thing."

And he shut down the protests in Congress over the electoral count. So rules work, institutions work. This is the way our country is set up. We've survived a lot of crises. We know how to do this kind of stuff in this country.

GLENN: So what are the states that are moving -- where do you need help?

MARK: Well, I think, to me, the most important state -- I'm not saying it just because I'm here, is Texas. Texas is big. Texas leads the way in the South and the Midwest. Always other states look to Texas. It's really extraordinary what's happened in the state of Texas.

They've named the resolution in the Senate SJR2, the second joint resolution. That's a priority. The first one is reserved, by the way, for Texas constitutional matters, specifically in Texas. So we are the very first priority outside of the Texas Constitution.

By the way, that same thing is happening all over the country. In Utah, we have a low priority number. Just found out, in Missouri, we've got a low priority number. Those are three states that for me are really important right now: Texas, Utah, and Missouri. Likely to happen early -- very high priority states for us.

GLENN: So what is the word? Because I have heard that here in Texas, there are many in the G.O.P. who are, again, kind of the progressive arm of the G.O.P. saying, "Oh, it's not so bad. We don't need to have this now." Are we -- who is winning on that argument?

MARK: I think we, those who say we need to have it now, are winning. But I think there are those who are saying it. And to be fair, there are even some good conservatives who are saying that. They're excited by the fact that Trump has taken office. They're hearing the same things you and I are hearing from the transition team. What I say about that is, with all due respect to the Trump administration, be -- don't be Trump drunk. And what I mean by Trump drunk is, if you think things are going to change, then you're not looking at Congress, right? This is the exact same Congress that didn't stand against Obamacare. This is the exact same Congress, same leadership that didn't stand against illegal, unconstitutional executive amnesty. So the idea that these guys are suddenly going to get a spine -- all we have to do is look what they tried to do with the ethics office. Look what they just tried to do with the pork barrel spending and earmarks. Same Congress. So the idea that suddenly we're going to have a magical transformation in Washington, DC -- if you believe that, then you're Trump drunk.

GLENN: And anybody who is a real conservative should -- even -- if I had Ronald Reagan in the office, I would still be for Article V. And I would think Ronald Reagan would be for Article V as well.

MARK: In fact, he was. And he spoke about it, and he was in favor of Article V.

Now, look, Reagan, the great conservative icon, with everything he tried to do and everything he said he was going to do was such a great communicator of conservative ideals. The federal government grew under Ronald Reagan's watch.

GLENN: Yeah.

MARK:: He specifically set out to do away with the Department of Education. He appointed a secretary to do that. It grew under his watch. So the idea that somehow Donald Trump or any other individual is going to magically transform the federal Leviathan is just fantasy.

GLENN: You can't. Because -- I mean, even if -- if you've ever run a company, and you're like, "I've got to shut this division down," that division will spend all of its time trying to find ways to show you, you cannot shut it down.

MARK: Absolutely. So, you know, Glenn, that's another thing. When I talk about being Trump drunk, this idea that 1.35 million federal employees are simply going to roll over, give up their jobs, give up their benefits -- I mean, this is not to be critical against them. It goes against human nature. They're not going to be in favor of shrinking their own agencies, just not human nature.

GLENN: Okay. So how do people get involved?

MARK: ConventionofStates.com. And what we need is people to get serious. Go there. Sign petition. Volunteer to be involved. That's the most important thing they can do.

GLENN: What do you do to get involved?

MARK: So primarily what you do is we generate the people who are interested in helping. I mean, there are literally now 2.1 million volunteers in the field. We need people who are willing to just help send the emails, make the calls. Make sure people show up for legislative hearings. You know, we're going to have the governor here in Texas at the end of the month, we intend to have over 1,000 people there. So that takes people calling. You can't just send emails. And one of the things our organization believes in is high touch. We definitely use technology, but we believe in reaching out and building this network of people.

GLENN: Thank you. Thank you for everything you're doing. I think you guys are absolute patriots and the answer to the cancer that is eating us. Over 100 years ago, the progressives introduced a cancer that was designed to eat the Constitution. It's time to look for the pill that the Founders gave us if the Constitution were being eaten. And it's Article V. Thank you so much.

MARK: Thank you for your support, Glenn. I appreciate it.

GLENN: It's ConventionofStates.com. Volunteer. ConventionofStates.com.

Does France's latest move PROVE lawfare is on the rise?

Sam Tarling / Stringer | Getty Images

An all-too-familiar story unfolded in France this week: the is law being weaponized against a "far-right" candidate. Does that ring a bell?

Glenn was taken aback earlier this week when he learned that Marine Le Pen, a popular French conservative, had been banned from the 2027 election following a controversial conviction. The ruling shocked French conservatives and foreign politicians alike, many of whom saw Le Pen as France’s best conservative hope. President Trump called it a "very big deal," a view shared by French commentators who fear this marks the end of Le Pen’s political career.

But this isn’t just about France—it’s a symptom of a larger threat looming over the West.

A double standard?

Fmr. President Sarkozy (left) and Fmr. Prime Minister Fillon (right)

BERTRAND GUAY / Contributor, Chesnot / Contributor | Getty Images

As of Sunday, March 30, 2025, Marine Le Pen led the polls with a commanding edge over her rivals, offering French conservatives their strongest shot at the presidency in years. Hours later, that hope crumbled. Found guilty of embezzling EU funds, Le Pen was sentenced to two years of house arrest, fined €100,000 ($108,200), and banned from public office for five years, effective immediately.

Glenn quickly highlighted an apparent double standard. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and former Prime Minister François Fillon faced similar—or worse—corruption charges, yet neither was barred from office during their political runs. So why Le Pen, and why now? Similar to Trump’s "hush money" trial, legal troubles this late in the election cycle reek of interference. The decision should belong to voters—France’s largest jury—not a courtroom. This appears to be a grave injustice to the French electorate and another crack in democracy’s foundation.

This is NOT about France

Andrei Pungovschi / Stringer | Getty Images

This pattern stretches far beyond France; it’s a tactic we’ve seen before.

In early 2025, Bucharest’s streets erupted in protest after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round of its presidential election. Călin Georgescu, a rising conservative, had clinched an unexpected victory, only to have it stripped away amid baseless claims of Russian interference. His supporters raged against the decision, seeing it as a theft of their voice.

Both Georgescu and Le Pen echo the legal barrage President Trump endured before his 2024 win. The Left hurled every weapon imaginable at him, unleashing unprecedented lawfare. In America, the Constitution held, and the people’s will prevailed.

Now, with Tesla vandalism targeting Elon Musk’s free-speech stance, a coordinated pushback against freedom is clear—spanning France, Romania, the U.S., and beyond.

The war on free will

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Trump’s 2024 victory doesn’t mean lawfare is dead; Europe shows it’s thriving.

France and Romania prove its effectiveness, sidelining candidates through courts rather than ballots. Glenn warned us about this years ago—when the powerful can’t win at the polls, they turn to the gavel. It’s a chilling trend of stripping voters of their choice and silencing dissent, all the while pawning it off as justice. The playbook is polished and ready, and America’s turn could come sooner than we think.

Melania Trump's fashion influence inspires the next generation

Aaron P. Bernstein / Stringer | Getty Images

First Lady Melania Trump’s impeccable style has long captivated admirers across the globe, but for one young woman, it sparked a creative revolution.

Lorelai, a young Glenn Beck fan who requested a degree of anonymity, first met Glenn while attending America Fest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona with her grandmother. An aspiring fashion designer and illustrator, Lorelai shared with Glenn some of her sketches of characters from Glenn’s latest book, Chasing Embers. She also explained how Melania Trump became the cornerstone of her artistic journey, inspiring her to craft modest yet beautiful clothing that redefines modern fashion.

Melania Trump’s elegance—stunning, powerful, and undeniably feminine—first captured Lorelai’s attention during the First Lady’s time in the White House. Unlike the casual, often immodest trends dominating her peers’ wardrobes, Melania’s wardrobe exuded grace and sophistication. From tailored coats to flowing gowns, her choices were a masterclass in balancing boldness with dignity, a philosophy that resonated deeply with Lorelai. This admiration grew into inspiration as Lorelai began designing apparel specifically with Melania in mind, aspiring to design pieces that could match the First Lady’s grace. She strove to reflect Melania’s breathtaking style in her sketches in an effort to demonstrate how modesty can be beautiful.

The First Lady’s poised and graceful presence has redefined modesty for the modern era. To Lorelai, the First Lady’s style proves that more fabric offers boundless room for imagination, allowing personality to shine without sacrificing dignity. Melania embodies this perfectly—her fashion commands attention with stunning, memorable elegance. Inspired by this, Lorelai’s mission is to craft clothing for her generation that mirrors Melania’s influence, blending contemporary flair with classic beauty.

After her meeting with Glenn at America Fest, Lorelai’s passion and resolve have only deepened. Through fashion and art, Lorelai hopes to inspire others with the same grace that Melania Trump exemplifies. Below are some of Lorelai's sketches she was eager to share with Glenn.

Melania Trump: First Lady

I really adore First Lady Melania Trump’s grace and timeless beauty. She is extremely intelligent and brave but also strong and poised. Her fashion style displays these traits. I was inspired to create these outfits for our First Lady in hopes that she would see these drawings. -Lorelai

Melania Trump: Lady Liberty

We, as a country, will be celebrating next year our 250th anniversary of independence. The designs that inspired this patriotic gown came from Lady Liberty and Lady Columbia art. I also love our American flag, and this design is a combination of all three. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Character Art (Ember)

I chose to draw the characters Sky, Azaz and Ember from Glenn Beck and Mikayla G. Hedrick’s Chasing Embers series. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Concept Art (Ember)

I was inspired to draw a younger and teen version for Sky and Ember. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Character Art (Sky)

Chasing Embers Concept Art (Azaz)

I also gave multiple outfits designs for Sky and Azaz. I loved that their personalities and character development meant in my mind a wardrobe development too. -Lorelai

Glenn: Government workers bought luxury cars with YOUR tax dollars

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

The deep state isn’t a conspiracy theory — it’s a reality. And the corrupt, free-spending Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is just one example of how Washington insiders enrich themselves.

A little-known agency in Washington perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with our bloated, corrupt government: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. It should be the poster child of everything that Elon Musk is exposing.

The agency was established in 1947 under the Labor Management Relations Act to serve as an independent agency mediating disputes between unions and businesses — a noble mission, perhaps. But like so many government institutions, it has rotted into something far removed from its original purpose.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft.

What was once a mechanism for labor stability has morphed into an unchecked slush fund — an exclusive playground for bureaucrats living high on taxpayer dollars.

The FMCS is a textbook case of government waste, an agency that no one was watching, where employees didn’t even bother showing up for work — some hadn’t for years. And yet they still collected paychecks and spent government money — our money — on their personal luxuries.

Luxury cars and cell phone bills

The Department of Government Efficiency discovered how FMCS employees used government credit cards — intended for official business — to lease luxury cars, cover personal cell phone bills, and even subscribe to USA Today. The agency’s information technology director, James Donnan, apparently billed taxpayers his wife’s cell phone bill, cable TV subscriptions in multiple homes, and personal subscriptions.

FMCS officials commissioned portraits of themselves and hung them in their offices, and you footed the bill. They took exotic vacations and hired their friends and relatives to keep the gravy train rolling.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft — and it went on for decades, unnoticed and unchallenged.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to abolish the FMCS — a necessary and long-overdue move. But the FMCS is just one of many agencies within the federal government burning through billions of taxpayer dollars. How many more slush funds exist in the shadows, funneling money into the pockets of bureaucrats who produce nothing? How many government-funded NGOs operate in direct opposition to American interests?

Perhaps the most disturbing question is why Americans tolerate such corruption. Why do so many Americans tolerate this? Why is the left — supposedly the party of the people — defending the very institutions that rob working-class Americans blind?

Corruption beyond bureaucracy

The recent rallies led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and their socialist acolytes claim to be a grassroots uprising against corruption and greed. But GPS data from these rallies tells a different story. The majority of attendees aren’t ordinary citizens fed up with the status quo. They’re professional activists — serial agitators who bounce from protest to protest.

Roughly 84% of devices tracked at these rallies were present at multiple Kamala Harris events. A staggering 31% appeared at over 20 separate demonstrations, tied to Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and pro-Palestinian causes.

Many of these organizations receive federal grant money — our tax dollars — and they’re using those funds to protest the very policies that threaten to cut off their financial lifeline.

This isn’t democracy in action. This is political theater — astroturfing perfected. And the American taxpayer is funding it.

Rooting out corruption

Trump was a battering ram against this corrupt system. Elon Musk is a surgeon, meticulously exposing the infection that has festered for decades — and that’s why the leftists hate him even more than they hate Trump. Musk threatens to dismantle the financial web that sustains their entire operation.

When we allow the government to grow unchecked and our leaders to prioritize their own wealth and power over the good of the nation, figures like Trump and Musk are necessary. Rome didn’t fall because of an external invasion but rather due to internal decay that looked an awful lot like what we see today.

We must demand better. We must refuse to tolerate this corruption any longer. The FMCS may be gone, but the fight to root out this deep-seated corruption is far from over.

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

Did the CIA hide the real truth behind JFK's assassination?

Bettmann / Contributor, NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Many were disappointed by the recent release of the JFK files, frustrated by the apparent lack of answers to decades-old questions. The problem? They’re asking the wrong question.

Everyone wants a "who"—a smoking gun, someone to blame. It’s understandable; Americans crave justice for a slain president, to hold the culprits of one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes accountable. But the real answer isn’t a "who"—it’s a "what." That "what" is the CIA and proof of their nefarious dealings since the 1960s.

In his most recent TV special, Glenn delves into the JFK files, where he found the crucial information that everyone else seemed to miss. Be sure to watch the TV special here.

The CIA's Dirty Fingerprints

Did Oswald act alone? I tested the Warren Commission's "lone gunman" narrative and discovered something SHOCKING.

Watch the full experiment TONIGHT at 9PM ET only on https://t.co/Ki1CX633fq pic.twitter.com/DwNSUFXJ1r
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 26, 2025

While the recent JFK files don’t explicitly pin the assassination on the CIA, the evidence between the lines is compelling.

If you follow Glenn on X, you’ve seen his newest artifact: an exact replica of Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle. Glenn tested it at the range, attempting to replicate the notoriously difficult shot Oswald allegedly made that fateful day in Dallas. While Glenn shares more takeaways in his TV special, one thing stood out immediately: the rifle’s abysmal quality, its shoddy scope, and the odd caliber of ammunition it uses.

Oswald’s rifle, a Mannlicher-Carcano, is chambered in 6.5mm—an unusual caliber. Much like today, the average gun store in the ‘60s didn’t stock 6.5mm rounds. The largest known supply was owned by the CIA, who had shipped the ammo from Greece after World War II. Suspiciously, there’s no record of where Oswald got his ammunition, but the JFK files confirm that the gun store where he bought the Mannlicher-Carcano had CIA connections.

It’s well-known that Oswald defected to the USSR and lived there before returning to the U.S. The JFK files reveal that from the moment he touched down stateside, the CIA tracked him like a hawk. They followed him across the country and even to Mexico City—but, conveniently, seemed to lose him in Dallas just as President Kennedy arrived. What a coincidence.

Whether by design or gross incompetence, the CIA greased Oswald’s path, letting him slip unhindered into that sixth-floor Book Depository window.

The Cover-Up

SAUL LOEB / Staff | Getty Images

If the JFK files aren’t the smoking gun many hoped for, why did the CIA fight so hard to keep them buried?

The answer is trust. Hard as it may be to imagine today, Americans in the ‘60s trusted their government—at least more than they do now. This cover-up preserved that trust longer than it might have lasted, allowing the CIA to pull off more scandals before the public caught on. From Benghaziand 9/11 to COVID-19 and January 6, the same dirty marks found in the JFK files stain these events. It’s about saving face. The files make the CIA look incompetent at best, complicit at worst.

This might feel like common knowledge today—especially to Glenn’s audience—but 40 or 50 years ago, saying such things could land you in the loony bin. It’s taken 60 years of growing suspicion to reach this point. Imagine if the JFK files had been available back then. Could we have stopped six decades of CIA shenanigans in their tracks?

The thought is chilling.

What Now?

Fotosearch / Stringer | Getty Images

The files don’t name a mastermind or explicitly confirm the darkest JFK assassination conspiracies that have swirled for decades—but they’re far from empty. They expose a disturbing truth: the CIA’s unchecked power in the ‘60s echoes into today.

In one of his most exciting TV specials yet, Glenn delves deep into the files, proving why we can’t ignore these revelations. Stop chasing a "who" and start demanding accountability for the "what." Only by confronting this can we hope to rein in the agency that’s dodged scrutiny for too long.

Glenn's Show Prep