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Three Things You Need to Know - October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017
Staff

WRITER

You need to listen to all of George Bush's speech.

"George W. Bush, in a stunning attack, Bush accuses Trump of promoting falsehoods and prejudice." That's the headline. Headline from the LA Times yesterday about President Bush's speech at the George Bush Institute in New York. Headline is what we might classify as, I don't know, spin.

George Bush never flat-out accused Trump of anything in his speech. But he did call for the awareness of a disturbing trend of nationalism, that has become popular with Trump and the right.

"We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought into America. We see a fading competence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability, and poverty that follow in the wake of protectionism.

We've seen the return of isolationist sentiments, forgetting that American security is directly threatened, by the chaos and despair of distant places, where threats such as terrorism, infectious disease, criminal gangs, and drug trafficking tend to emerge."

Okay. Everything that he said was true. I don't think they were directed at Trump. But anyone who participates in the isolationist mindset. Protectionism. Nationalism. They have never ever been a part of American success. Never. We've never needed them to be proud citizens of the home of the free and the brave.

Our pride in America emanates outward, not inward. We want to share everyone. We want to share our values, our principles, and our prosperity. That's what makes us great.

Come over here. Participate. Share in this.

But because they just wanted to kill Trump, his words fell on deaf ears. The left just heard him say, Trump, bad. And now George W. Bush is suddenly a progressive darling, which I can't take anymore. How is George Bush all of a sudden a leftist hero?

I guess it happens when you completely ignore the later comments in the same speech, where he excoriated their side as well.

"There are some signs that the intensity of support for democracy itself has waned, especially among the young, who never experienced a galvanizing moral clarity of the Cold War, or never focused on the ruin of entire nations by socialist central planning.

Some have called this Democratic de-consolidation. Really, it seems to be a combination of weariness, frayed tempers, and forgetfulness."

Look, here's the deal, both the left and the right are facing philosophical and ideological challenges at the moment. Both sides. It took George W. Bush to sit us down and explain why we're both looking at American democracy in the wrong light.

I fear, however, the right and the left will only listen to his words when it suits them. Before you trash or exalt Bush for the edited sound bite that you heard, that might have been promoted in your carefully selected news feed, I implore you, it's 15 minutes long, listen to the entire thing.

Is nothing sacred in this country anymore?

Is nothing truly sacred in this country anymore? Representative Frederica Wilson’s politicizing of a phone call between President Trump and a Gold Star mom is just disgusting. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly responded yesterday:

"And I thought at least that was sacred. You know, as a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred. Looked upon with great honor. That's obviously not the case anymore, as we've seen from recent cases. Life. The dignity of life is sacred. That's gone. Religion, that seems to be gone as well. Gold star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer."

"I just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die on the battlefield, I just thought that that might be sacred."

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kelly this emotional and genuine. If anyone has something to say of substance here, it’s Kelly. He’s lived this nightmare when his son was killed. Every American should listen to Kelly’s recount of what happens when one of our soldiers falls in combat. It was heartbreaking.

What made it even more devastating was knowing that, as he was describing in detail how a slain soldier is packed in ice and laid in his coffin, he was probably visualizing his own memories and pain. He told the President that, because of the pain involved, there’s really no good way to talk to the family of a fallen soldier. But to Trump’s credit, he tried anyway. What does it say for the state of our country that someone was waiting to turn this into a political advantage? What is happening to us?

Shame on Wilson and anyone else that is trying to score a win from this. To prompt a man that has lost a son in combat to explain how this works is a tragedy. And all this was because of politics. One side may not have started it, but BOTH sides need to drop this immediately. Kelly deserves better than this. Gold Star families deserve better than this. The entire country deserves better than this.

Truly, nothing is sacred in this country anymore.

Real men want more than plastic.

A woman waits in her car outside a dingy street in Dortmund, Germany.

Annoyed, she checks her watch for what seems like the thousandth time. She’s been waiting over an hour for her husband.

He, on the other hand, is having a great time inside the first ever sex doll brothel. The aptly named “Bordoll” is the first of its kind. Paying customers can have their way with one of the eleven dolls that are on rotation.

Since opening, Evelyn Schwartz, the 29 year old owner, says the dolls are booked up to 12 times a day. And she is proud to report that customer satisfaction is high, with 70% of men returning for a second visit.

Her business is booming thanks to her clients and their tolerant wives. And she’s only had to replace one doll so far after a customer broke it. Some, like Evelyn Schwartz, claim that using sex dolls is not harmful, but beneficial to one’s health. A UK report recently found that a significantly high number of Brits say that sex with a robot or doll would not be cheating. It’s not like it’s another human! Some people truly feel that way.

But let’s look at the consequences of this behavior.

It reduces the very act that creates life into a simple reaction. It degrades the relationship between a man and a woman. And it will become more dangerous than the porn industry. Why would a man have any incentive to pursue a real woman when there is no effort involved in getting a “dream woman” to sleep with him? But I have hope for our inevitable slide into Westworld.

I hope real men will still put in the effort. The men who value true companionship, love, and respect for woman will always want something more than plastic.

MORE 3 THINGS

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 resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

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

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

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.