If the US gets hit with strategically placed EMPs, it's lights out permanently for the whole country. Would it be worth $2 billion to protect America's power grid?
Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:
GLENN: Two things -- two things happened over the weekend. Remember, what did Russia say after we put the virus and it came out that we were the ones that put the virus in Iran that stopped all their centrifuges?
PAT: I don't remember.
GLENN: You don't remember?
PAT: Uh-uh.
GLENN: He said, at the time, the next war will be fought with ones and zeros. It will not be -- it's not going to be fought --
PAT: This is what Russia said.
GLENN: This is what Russia said. It's not going to be fought with missiles. The next one is going to be fought with ones and zeros. Shortly after that, he came out and said, World War III is already underway. People just don't realize it yet.
PAT: Hmm.
GLENN: Now, he said that about two years ago. And so what happened about two years ago? He started ramping up all of these -- all of these hackers.
And so we're being fought with ones and zeros. And -- and he said, at the time, that we gave the world permission to now fight this way.
So when we did it -- now, if we did it a second time, we're emboldening the world to fight with ones and zeros. Which is very bad for us. We lose that war.
Russians are used to not having anything in their supermarket. Russians are used to being cold in the winter.
Chinese, you turn off their grid, not that many -- I mean, those in Hong Kong, et cetera, et cetera. But the mass does not die. You shut off our electricity and our grid, and 90 percent of us die in the first year alone.
Remember, because of our medication, you shut down medicine, how many of us are -- how many of us are alive today that shouldn't be alive because of blood pressure medication, because of diabetes medication? They die elsewhere.
PAT: Yeah, yeah.
GLENN: Here they don't die. So 90 percent of us will be dead in the first year.
Now, the reason why I bring this up is because the United States did two things on Friday. The Pentagon announced two things. One -- and how long have we been asking for this? We started asking for this under George W. Bush
PAT: A long time, yeah.
GLENN: And nobody would pay attention to it.
PAT: Because we were told -- and it was a ridiculously low number. Relatively speaking.
GLENN: $2 billion. $2 billion.
PAT: Yeah, $2 billion to protect our infrastructure from an EMP.
GLENN: So to protect our infrastructure from an EMP --
PAT: Even if it's 20 billion or 200 billion, you do it, right?
JEFFY: Right!
GLENN: You do it.
So it was like $2 billion. Now, this is when we first started talking about it, so I don't know what it is now. But the number we heard was $2 billion, to protect the power grid from an EMP.
PAT: Because it's not that difficult really.
GLENN: Correct. All you have to do is put Faraday cages around the -- around the important structures that doesn't let an electronic pulse hit. And when you're talking about electronic pulse, just think of Oceans 11, except the power never comes back on. It fries all computer chips.
PAT: Yeah, it's not directed at just one casino. It's the whole country. And it's permanent.
GLENN: It's the whole -- yeah, right. And so it takes about three nuclear missiles. You have to hit them at the right altitude. But you don't worry about the radiation. It's not -- they're not trying to explode a missile on the ground. They're trying to explode it up -- I can't remember what the altitude is. But you would look up one day, and you'll see a giant explosion way above you. And you're not going to be burned up in the fire. You don't have to worry about any of that.
If you ever see that happen, don't go to the television, turn it on, or radio to listen to what happened. Because anything with a -- with a silicon chip in it is gone forever.
So take three of them placed strategically over the United States to knock out all of the United States, parts of Canada, and parts of Mexico.
Kills 90 percent. Friday, the United States announced that we are now going to protect our critical infrastructure and our power grid against an EMP. But also, cyber attack.
STU: Hmm.
GLENN: Those are both things we should have done ten years ago.
JEFFY: Uh-huh.
PAT: Easily.
GLENN: It's good. But it makes me -- it makes me say, we know that we are now engaged in World War III. We understand now. And we're not telling the American people. What Putin said is true.
STU: We should also point out that one of the ways we're preparing for an EMP is by storing fat cells.
GLENN: Not just the fat cells. The fat itself.
STU: Right. And so what you do, while things are fine, if you take in more calories than you burn, those calories will be stored on your body. And that's why we're doing this.
PAT: My doctor said I'm set until 2034.
STU: 2034.
GLENN: My doctor said I might live forever.
JEFFY: 2034, standing --
GLENN: Yeah.
(chuckling)
I can work out every day to 2034 and still just be feasting on myself.
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.
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.
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.