Does NBC's 'Emerald City' Feature the First Transgender Kid Hero?

NBC's Emerald City is based on the L. Frank Baum Oz books, which inspired the movie classic The Wizard Of Oz. The TV new series features different versions of beloved characters like Dorothy and The Scarecrow, as well as Tip, a young boy. Tip is a character from the original books who is ultimately revealed as the long-lost Princess Ozma, heir to the throne.

"This kid has been kept by a witch, locked in this room forever, and escaped. She kept giving him this medicine, otherwise, he would die. She was protecting him because he is not a he. He's a she," Glenn said Monday on radio.

In the last episode, the newly transformed Tip wears a dress and says, "I feel like a boy inside. I don't want to be a girl. You don't know the struggle."

While it's unlikely Baum was writing a book about transgendered people, Ozma works pretty well to promote the agenda --- and apparently the network was happy to oblige.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: Anybody watch the show Emerald City?

PAT: No.

STU: No.

GLENN: So Emerald City, the end of the season --

STU: What is this?

GLENN: NBC show. So at the end of the season, they had Ozma, who is this princess, okay? She's been lost. Well, you find out that Ozma --

PAT: Is this the spoiler alert for people --

GLENN: Yeah, spoiler alert. Well, I mean, we're going to talk about stuff. We're going to talk about life from time to time. It's an NBC show. And it doesn't really wreck anything.

This kid who has been kept by a witch, locked in this room forever, and escaped. And she kept giving him this medicine. Otherwise, he would die.

She was protecting him because he is not a he. He's a she. So in the last two episodes --

PAT: Oh.

GLENN: She's he -- he is wearing a dress, and he's like, "I feel like a boy inside. I don't want to be a girl. You don't know the struggle."

PAT: Oh, boy.

GLENN: I think it's the first kid trans hero of network television. And notice, nobody is really talking about it.

PAT: No. Nobody cares anymore.

[break]

GLENN: You know what's -- you know what's strange to me is how we have gone from a country 15 years ago and you can look at some of this and say, "This is really good." And some of it, not so good.

We are a country that has such tolerance, that while we are at war with Islam, we need -- and we are Islamists. While we're at war with Islamists, we elect a guy named Barack Obama.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: That it just -- we know the difference.

PAT: Barack Hussein Obama.

GLENN: Yeah, Barack Hussein Obama. We know the difference. It's not like, oh, my gosh. Look at -- they all have slant eyes. Quick, let's put them in internment camps. We're not that people anymore.

PAT: No.

GLENN: We've gone from a country that 15 years ago it was a big deal to have Ellen have a kiss on her show.

JEFFY: Yeah.

GLENN: First lesbian kiss.

Now -- right? Wasn't it, Stu?

STU: Wasn't it Roseanne had the first --

JEFFY: I was just going to say, I think Roseanne did have the first one. But Ellen was --

STU: She was the first openly gay character, I think. That like --

JEFFY: It was a big deal.

GLENN: Was it?

STU: First openly gay character that had her own shoe, I think, was the -- she had some barrier --

GLENN: No, there was some --

JEFFY: She did have the big kiss.

GLENN: I remember -- because I remember there was a show that was important.

JEFFY: That was over the top, yes.

PAT: Yes.

GLENN: And I don't remember what it was.

STU: That was her coming out, wasn't it?

GLENN: I don't remember. But I remember it was a big deal. And even then, I don't think America had a problem with that episode. America had a problem with the agenda, that it just became the agenda, you know what I mean?

PAT: Right.

And what is it, 98 percent of all shows now feature homosexual encounters? I mean, it feels like that. It feels like that.

GLENN: Especially if you watch the BBC, it's almost every show.

JEFFY: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: And I was just telling you about, Oz, I don't know if this is where they're going. But you can't not see the parallels of what we're talking about. Here's something that we are still discussing, transgendered bathrooms.

And, by the way, for anybody who says that, you know, it's not a problem -- did you guys hear the woman from Disneyland. She went to Disneyland.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: She said I was off to the side waiting with the two boys when I noticed a man walk into the restroom.

My first thought was, oh, crap, he's walked into the wrong restroom by mistake. He took a few more steps. At which point, he would definitely notice all the women lined up, and he kept walking.

My next thought was, maybe he's looking for his wife or his child. They had been in there for a while.

But he didn't call out any names or look around. He just stood there off to the side and leaned against the wall. At this point, I'm like WTF.

(chuckling)

GLENN: There is definitely a very large burly man in a Lakers' jersey who just walked in here. Am I the only one seeing this?

I surveyed the room, and I saw roughly 12 women and children in tow, staring at him with the exact same look on their faces. Everyone was visibly uncomfortable.

We were all trading looks and motioning with our eyes over to him. Like, what's had he doing in here? Every single one of us was silent. This is why I wrote this blog.

PAT: I mean, think of that. You're supposed to be okay with that. Right?

JEFFY: Yeah.

PAT: They're haters now. They're made to feel like you're not supposed to say anything. And that's what she kind of goes through here.

GLENN: She says, if this had been five years ago, you bet your ass every woman in here would have been like, what are you doing in here? But in 2017, the mood has shifted. We've been culturally bullied into silence.

PAT: Yep.

GLENN: Women were mid-changing their baby's diapers on changing tables. I could see them shifting to block his view, but they remained silent. I stayed silent. We all did.

Every woman who exited a stall and immediately zeroed in on him said nothing. And why? Because and I'm sure all others were scared of the, what if. What if I say something and he identifies as a woman? And then I come off as the intolerant one in the happiest place on earth.

STU: And I got news for you, in local news reports and national news reports, that would follow. You would be presented that way.

JEFFY: Yes, you would.

GLENN: Yep. Yep.

PAT: And, again, this guy is not identifying -- he's not saying anything about being a woman. He's just being a guy leering at women in the bathroom.

STU: And knowing he can now get away with it.

PAT: Which is what we said would be the problem the whole time.

STU: Yep.

GLENN: An older lady said to me out loud, what is he doing in here? I'm ashamed to admit I silently shrugged and mouthed, I don't know. She immediately walked out. I saw two other people leave with their children.

This is why -- and this is why pushing for laws to allow anyone to use the bathroom, whatever they identify with is absurd and dangerous. Before 2017, we shared the ladies' room with transgendered people, and we either didn't know, or we never said anything because we knew we weren't in danger. It's something you didn't talk about. You just pee and leave.

But the making of a capital case out of it, literally inviting anyone into a female safe space, the government has put women and children at risk for peeping Toms, rapists, pedophiles, drunks, and vagrants. Predators already capitalize and count on women's reluctance to fight back or speak out. Now it's worse because if you do speak up, you'll be labeled transphobic, and the predators know it. She goes on. This is quite an amazing thing.

She goes on. She was for -- she was for, you know, tolerance and everything else.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: She now has experienced for herself. The moral of the story is speak up, ladies. If a man walks into the bathroom, don't stop and think about it. Start yelling, get out, while dialing 911. Take whatever criticism any loon wants to throw at you. Your life and the lives of your children are worth more than public opinion.

JEFFY: Good luck.

PAT: And, again, that happened at Disneyland. Disneyland.

GLENN: So here's what -- and isn't Disneyland the place to go if you're a pedophile? You go by yourself.

STU: I will say, it's not in their advertisements, if that's true. That is not their slogan.

GLENN: No. It's not.

STU: The place to go if you're a pedophile!

GLENN: You know they hang out where there's children.

STU: Well, of course.

GLENN: Just leering at children.

STU: Of course.

GLENN: I mean, it only makes sense.

GLENN: The thing is -- remember when I went over to Auschwitz and I met with the woman, Paulina, she's the -- I know. I'm the only person who can make --

STU: We're joking about a ridiculous Disney slogan. You brought it to Auschwitz in 12 seconds. You're the only person in America who could do this.

GLENN: That's the charm of this show. That's why we are where we are. So, anyway, I brought this -- we met this woman named Paulina. I've told this story a million times. What did she say?

She's a woman who saved the Christians from the Germans.

PAT: She just didn't go off the cliff with the rest of the people.

GLENN: Right. That makes more sense to me now than ever before.

PAT: Yeah. She said, "The righteous didn't suddenly become righteous. We just didn't go off the cliff with the rest of humanity." Meaning, we just stood in place. We just continued to do the things we always would have done. Which is her point.

PAT: And we did something. They hid Jews. We can do something. All you have to do is speak up and say, "Get out of here. Get out. Get out of this bathroom."

JEFFY: Well, the people are speaking up a little bit with their money though because according to Marvel, their sales have been struggling. They've been wanting to sell more comics. And while feminists and progressive activists pushed for more diversity in comics, minority and female heroes, Dan Gabriel, senior vice president of sales, Marvel's core fan base just wasn't interested.

PAT: How about that? How about that?

GLENN: I will tell you this, I talk to Raphe all the time about going to get comic books. And let's get into comic books. Won't do it. Don't know where a local comic bookstore is even in Dallas. But want to go to a comic bookstore and get all the old ones. I don't want the new ones.

Just, I'm not interested. I'm not interested.

JEFFY: Yeah, he said we saw the sales of any character that was diverse, any character that was new, our female characters, anything that was not a core Marvel character --

GLENN: Nothing.

JEFFY: -- no sales.

STU: Not interested. Well, because they don't -- no one minds having a different character, having diversity. It's when it feels forced that people reject it.

GLENN: It's an agenda.

STU: When you're trying to make -- you know what, as a comic book, I'm going there -- if I'm going to read comic books, I'm going there to be entertained, be part of the story. You're not going there to be lectured by people about who you're supposed to accept and not accept.

GLENN: For instance -- for instance, didn't have a problem with Ozma from the Wizard of Oz because I don't know if that's the story or if they were trying to make it a political point.

Now, my radar is up on political point, so I thought -- I just assume, this is a political point. Stop it.

However, it might just be that that's logical, if he was -- if she was transformed by a motion into a girl. However, I just don't think that this is -- I mean, five years ago, ten years ago, that story line wouldn't have stuck out at all. You would be like, oh, wow. Yeah, that would suck. You see yourself -- right? But now, is NBC -- and it's NBC, that's another reason. Is NBC now telling us, oh, yes, the planet is on fire. You have to do something about the planet. And the progressive way of life is absolutely the right way of life. And, oh, look, here's this poor little character who is a kid who sees him -- sees herself as a him.

I mean...

PAT: Uh-huh.

STU: Well, it goes to your point -- we talked about this with Beauty and the Beast. Is that everyone was like, oh, there could be a gay character. The story is about bestiality.

JEFFY: Right.

GLENN: Right.

STU: We're all fine with the bestiality story for decades. But it's like, wait a minute. You're starting to see these things because a lot of times it is about agenda. I think it was NBC that aired it a few weeks ago. And I don't know, it was some mini-series about the struggle of gay Americans and something. And, look, there's been -- there are amazing stories in this world. I'm glad they're told. The one about World War II --

GLENN: Turing.

STU: Yeah, Alan Turing, that just came out. I mean, I'm glad these stories are coming out.

However, they just represent it in such a bizarre way. Like, they had this one conversation between like a son and his dad. And I just happened to flip it on. And the son is like, Dad, I want you to know that I'm gay.

No, you will not be gay! I have raised you in a way and you will not tell anyone that you're gay. And it's like, all right. How preachy do we have to be here?

JEFFY: Right.

STU: Like, I get that there have been these -- I get it. I understand. These networks, however, seem to have this idea that if we can tell these stories in the most overt way possible --

JEFFY: Yeah, they do.

STU: Try to make every person who has ever gone to church an alien, then we've accomplished our duty for the week. I mean, that is -- there's got to be some balance there between these two positions.

JEFFY: Remember when you went to Auschwitz?

(chuckling)

GLENN: Shut up, Jeffy.

The government is WAGING WAR against these 3 basic needs

NICHOLAS KAMM / Contributor | Getty Images

The government has launched a full-on assault against our basic needs, and people are starting to take notice.

As long-time followers of Glenn are probably aware, our right to food, water, and power is under siege. The government no longer cares about our general welfare. Instead, our money lines the pockets of our politicians, funds overseas wars, or goes towards some woke-ESG-climate-Great Reset bullcrap. And when they do care, it's not in a way that benefits the American people.

From cracking down on meat production to blocking affordable power, this is how the government is attacking your basic needs:

Food

Fiona Goodall / Stringer | Getty Images

Glenn had Rep. Thomas Massie on his show where he sounded the alarm about the attack on our food. The government has been waging war against our food since the thirties when Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. They started by setting strict limits on how many crops a farmer could grow in a season and punishing anyone who grew more—even if it was intended for personal use, not for sale on the market. This sort of autocratic behavior has continued into the modern day and has only gotten more draconian. Today, not only are you forced to buy meat that a USDA-approved facility has processed, but the elites want meat in general off the menu. Cow farts are too dangerous to the environment, so the WEF wants you to eat climate-friendly alternatives—like bugs.

Water

ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO / Contributor | Getty Images

As Glenn discussed during a recent Glenn TV special, the government has been encroaching on our water for years. It all started when Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, which gave the government the ability to regulate large bodies of water. As the name suggests, the act was primarily intended to keep large waterways clear of pollution, but over time it has allowed the feds to assume more and more control over the country's water supply. Most recently, the Biden administration attempted to expand the reach of the Clean Water Act to include even more water and was only stopped by the Supreme Court.

Electricity

David McNew / Staff | Getty Images

Dependable, affordable electricity has been a staple of American life for decades, but that might all be coming to an end. Glenn has discussed recent actions taken by Biden, like orders to halt new oil and gas production and efforts to switch to less efficient sources of power, like wind or solar, the price of electricity is only going to go up. This, alongside his efforts to limit air conditioning and ban gas stoves, it almost seems Biden is attempting to send us back to the Stone Age.

4 signs that PROVE Americans are hitting rock bottom

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

As we approach the presidential election in November, many Americans are facing dire economic straits.

Glenn has shown time and time again that Bidenomics is a sham, and more Americans than ever are suffering as a result. Still, Biden and his cronies continue to insist that the economy is booming despite the mounting evidence to the contrary. But who is Biden fooling? Since the beginning of the year, gas has gone up an average of 40 cents a gallon nationwide, with some states seeing as much as a 60-cent per gallon increase. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are on the rise, evictions are surging, and America is experiencing a record amount of homelessness. We can't survive another Biden term.

Americans across the country are hitting rock bottom, and here are four stats that PROVE it:

Evictions

John Moore / Staff | Getty Images

Across the country, people are being evicted from their homes and apartments. Between 2021 and 2023, evictions increased by 78.6 percent. With inflation driving up prices and employers struggling to raise wages to compensate, rent is taking up an increasingly larger percentage of people's paychecks. Many Americans are having to choose between buying groceries and paying rent.

Foreclosures

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Renters aren't the only ones struggling to make their monthly payments, foreclosures are on the rise. This February saw a 5 percent increase in foreclosures from last year and a 10 percent increase from January. More and more Americans are losing their homes and businesses.

Bankruptcies

Chris Hondros / Staff | Getty Images

High interest rates and inflation have driven bankruptcies through the roof. Total filings have risen 13 percent and business bankruptcies rose 30 percent in 2023. It's getting harder and harder for businesses to stay afloat, and with California's new law requiring most restaurants to pay all employees a minimum of $20 an hour, you can expect that number to keep climbing.

Homelessness

FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor | Getty Images

The result of all of these issues is that it is getting harder and harder for Americans to afford the basic necessities. January of 2023 saw a record-breaking 650,000+ homeless Americans, a 12 percent jump from the previous year. More Americans have hit rock bottom than ever before.

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

I want to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. Life is tough, but it is worth it in the end.

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. They just won’t let go of their power even though their time has passed.

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

The generation coming of age is right to feel frustrated.This mess — with high costs and a massive debt burden — was not of their making.

Iwant to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. ≈

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. ≈

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed.

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

Once the government said that they were going to guarantee everybody’s college tuition, universities found out that they could just charge more because the government would give you virtually any amount in your loan. And they have been charging more and more ever since. In 1965, the average college tuition was $450 a year. Adjusted to inflation, that's $4,000 a year. You're currently paying an average of $26,000 a year as opposed to the inflation-adjusted $4,000.

What happened? The answer is always the same: government regulations. Gas is up. Why? Government regulations. Can't afford a house? Well, that's due to several things. Many of them revolve around the fed and our national debt. But the simple answer is the same: government regulations.

Moreover, the U.S. government has run a staggering national debt. We have been concerned about it forever, but the people in power haven't been listening to your mom and dad and people like me. A lot of other people just thought, "Oh, well. We could get away with it. We're the United States of America, after all. Somehow or another, it will all work out."

People like me have been saying, "No. We can't pass this on to our children." You're now seeing what we have passed on. When you say that the adults are responsible for creating this world of problems, in some ways, you’re right. We were lied to, and as many people do, they want to believe the lie because it makes them feel better.

There are big lies being pushed in your generation as well. You're being told that a man is a woman and a woman is a man. At the same time, you’re being told that gender doesn't even exist at all. It makes us feel better to go along with the lie because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

My generation believed the same kind of lie about our national debt. We were told that we could spend all this money on subsidized programs because it would provide you, our children, with a better life. Some people warned, "Wait, how will they pay this off? This will cost them." We didn't want to believe them. The lie sounded better, and it was easier to believe that than the truth. We never saw the consequences, and even if we did, they were always way out in the future. Nobody wanted to listen to the doomsday people saying, "No. It's going to come faster than you think."

And that time is right now. Our government now is printing $1 trillion every 100 days. That's never been done before. We have more debt than any country has ever had in the history of the world. But we’re not alone. Every country is doing this. They’re going into debt like we’ve never seen before, and we’re all about to pay for that. It’s going to make your life even harder.

There are Democrats and Republicans who still believe in spending all kinds of money and getting us involved in every global conflict. Then there are constitutional conservatives who believe that we should conserve the things that have worked and throw out the things that don’t and follow our Constitution and Bill of Rights. You haven't really learned about those most likely. But you should. All of our problems are caused by the government and the people who feel they can bypass the Constitution. That's what this election is really all about.

You might say, “I don’t really care. I don’t like either of the political parties.” I know a lot of people who don’t like either of them, but one is going to try to cut the size of this government and one is going to spend us into collapse.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed. You need to learn enough about the truth, about why this has happened to us, and about how our Constitution lasted longer than any other Constitution in the world. The average is 17 years. This thing has lasted hundreds of years. Why? How? And why is it falling apart today? That's what you should dedicate some of your time to figuring out today.

You can complain about the way things are. I complain. Everybody complains. But don't wallow there. Learn what caused this. And if you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework. They always end the same way, and that's exactly where we're headed right now. We can either repeat the dreadful past of nations that have tried it before us, or we can choose freedom, liberty, and prosperity. The ball is in our court.

Glenn recently had Representative Thomas Massie on his show to sound the alarm about an important yet often overlooked issue affecting what we eat. Whether you're trying to be prepared to weather a catastrophe or just trying to keep food on the table without resorting to eating bugs, it's more important now than ever to source local food. Unnoticed by most, our right to eat home-grown or locally-sourced foods is under attack. The government doesn't just want a say in what you eat; they want you vulnerable and dependent on their system, and they are massively overstepping their bounds to ensure your compliance with their goals.

How did the attack on your food begin?

Government overreach on food can be traced back to 1938 under the autocratic eye of FDR with the Supreme Court case "Wickard v. Filburn." The case was pretty straightforward, but the results were devastating. The case began with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, which sought to control national food prices by placing limitations on how many crops farmers could grow in a season.

Filburn was one such farmer, who was allotted 11.1 acres of wheat to plant and harvest annually. Filburn planted and harvested 23 acres, arguing that the extra acres were not headed for the market, but were used for personal consumption. After being penalized for over-harvesting, he fought his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress did not have the authority to regulate crops that never left his farm.

Unfortunately for Filburn (and the rest of us), the Supreme Court didn't agree. They ruled that the mere existence of that extra wheat—whether it left Filburn's farm or not—had an effect on the national value of wheat. Congress assumed the power to regulate just about anything that could be roped under the umbrella of "interstate commerce."

Under the precedent set by Wickard v. Filburn, Congress might bar you from growing tomatoes in your backyard, because it could affect national tomato prices. This was a major blow to our right to feed ourselves, and that right has been eroding ever since.

How is our right to feed ourselves under attack today?

Last June, the Virginia Department of Agriculture shut down Golden Valley Farms, a small Amish farm owned and operated by Samuel B. Fisher in Farmville, Virginia. Golden Valley Farms had started out selling dairy products, primarily, and processed some meat for personal consumption. However, by popular demand, Fisher began selling meat.

Fisher initially hauled his animals to a USDA processing plant, paid to have them processed, and then hauled them back. This process was time-consuming and costly, and Fisher's customers didn't want the meat processed by the plant. A survey done on Golden Valley Farms customers found that an overwhelming 92 percent preferred meat processed by Fisher. So naturally, Fisher began to process more and more meat for his customers.

Moreover, COVID shut down the USDA plant, which made it impossible for Fisher to process the animals by the USDA anyway, though the demand for meat was greater than ever. Fisher made the call to process 100 percent of his animals himself and didn't look back. That was until June when the Virginia Department of Agriculture caught wind of Fisher's operation and shut it down. The VDA seized all of Fisher's products, and he wasn't allowed to process, sell, or even eat his meat. Then they loaded it up in a truck and left it at the dump to rot.

Nobody ever got sick from eating meat from Golden Valley Farms. This was NOT about "health and safety." This was about control. The fact is that informed adults were not allowed to make a simple transaction without the government sticking its slimy fingers into Fisher's business and claiming it was somehow for "our benefit." But it's not for "our benefit." It's so they can regulate and control what we buy and what we eat, and they cannot stand it when we operate outside of their influence.

What comes next?

Where does this end? With so much of our ability to feed ourselves already eroded, is it too late? Is it going to get worse? Before long, will it be illegal to eat eggs from your chickens or pick vegetables from your garden without getting government clearance first? Fortunately, a solution is already in the works.

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie recently told Glenn about a new constitutional amendment designed to limit government overreach regarding food production. The proposed amendment reads as follows:

And Congress shall make no law, regulating the production and distribution of food products, which do not move across state lines.

The amendment is still on the drawing board and has not been formally introduced to Congress yet. But this is where you come in. Call your representative and tell them to support Massie's amendment and take a stand for your right to provide sustenance for you and your family.