Observations of an Irishman: Two Warnings for Americans

January 29, 2018

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Contributor

Anytime you take a stand in life or speak out against injustice, you are going to get noticed, criticized and, most likely, ridiculed. In today’s world of social media and technology, it is easier than ever before to make a positive difference in society, but it is also a lot easier to become a target. I am sure many people reading this have dealt with their fair share of insults, ridicule and hate, and may have been the victims of threats of physical violence or even death.

Popular Criticism

One of the most popular criticisms I receive from both Americans and non-Americans is that I am biased toward America and its people. I get told a lot that the America I speak about never really existed, that the truth is it is no different from other nations, that it's not exceptional and at times that it really sucks. Sadly, many don’t see America the way I do or have the same mission or focus. While my duty requires me to study and know history, my focus is not on what America was or even is. My time is spent entirely focusing on what American can be, what it must be and what its inhabitants owe to themselves and their forefathers. America is man’s greatest experiment of freedom and individualism, and is a place where dreams can come true for anyone.

Observations of an Irishman: Good Americans Turned My Travel Nightmare Into a Miracle

As you may imagine, my most recent vacation and speaking tour delivering 16 presentations across eight different states required a lot of planning. I had to book flights, hotels and cars for each location, ensuring I had time to get between each stop.

Everything was fitting together nicely until about one week before the trip, when I had an unexpected freakout.

I was feeling blessed with how everything was fitting together nicely until about one week before the trip, when I had an unexpected freakout. It had nothing to do with planning the events or missing flights or booking the wrong hotel. This fear was a lot worse. Let me explain.

I have had a 20-year love affair with America and I am so passionate about its principles and have a deep desire to give back to this wonderful nation. Having recently received disappointing news of my inability to qualify for a visa to live in the United States, I was emotionally hurting and my feelings were raw.

I had become very protective of everything in my life I was passionate about, and I honestly felt like I could not lose anything else that mattered to me.

My Bias

On this day, I realized I had a very biased view of America and it was not a positive bias. The only real-time view of America I receive comes from three sources:

Any media I consume (highly discredited on ALL sides, in my view)

Talk radio / opinion pieces which are largely political-based

Americans on social media where everyone seems to love insulting others, spewing hate and seeking their pound of flesh.

What would happen if I arrived stateside and America had become what I saw on the media and social media? What would the future hold if the American people were not the kind, loving, open-minded and optimistic people I grew up loving and defending? What if Americans started acting in everyday life, the way they acted on social media? What would happen if the American society had forgotten to see the human heart and today all they saw was the countless “labels” we have today that have broken down society?

Left v Right

GOP v Conservatives

Trump v Never Trump

Race

Gender

Sexuality

Money / Class

Religion

Education

I could easily continue with the societal breakdowns, but I think you get the point.

I sat and reflected and asked myself, how could I make a difference? What was it America needed to hear from a crazy Irish guy? And was I the right one to deliver the message?

My Selfish Fear

As I continued to freak out I start to think in a very selfish manner. If America had changed, how would I feel? Could I really handle losing my dream job with Glenn, the prospect of never living in America and the idea America had stopped being good to each other all in the space of 6 months?

If you are reading this and thinking, "Why is this such a big deal to an Irish guy who will likely never achieve his dream?" The blunt answer is because I am stuck in Ireland and there is nowhere else for me to run to. It’s not like I can say my first option of America did not work out, so I will now move onto option two and try move to another country. I may only have a 1 percent chance of achieving my dream, but there is still a chance.

There is only one America, one country that is an idea, one dream to be free, one country that recognizes everyone has rights.

There is only one America, one country that is an idea, one dream to be free, one country that recognizes everyone has rights that come from our creator and it is government’s role to protect these rights.

Sigh of Relief

Thankfully all my worrying was for nothing. I was in 10 different states with different ideologies (New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Oklahoma) and I received a warm reception in each of those states. America's people on the street saw me as an individual and not as a label. Those I met were warm, friendly, outgoing, optimistic and always helpful.

I tend to be a very quiet and reserved person, but on this trip, I spent some extra time to speak at every stop including the gas stations and places I ate. I really wanted to see what the man on the street felt like and what their thoughts for the future were, but I never brought up any politician.

It’s clear to me that many Americans are worried about their future, they are hurting through price increases, wages staying the same and a sense of lacking opportunity for themselves and future generations. Oddly, the only time politics came up in our conversations, was when someone was trying to highlight how disgusted they were with both sides, and that neither party knew what was important to them, let alone how to fight for them.

It is not the role of an Irishman to warn any American. But for those interested, I have two warnings to share.

First Warning

My journey was truly amazing in so many ways, but I will admit I am worried about the future of the American people. The America I love and promote is based on the sentiments of Alexis de Tocqueville, who said America is great because Americans are good.

The people on this trip were truly amazing. However, emotions like anger and hatred are not like a switch --- you can’t just flip them on and off. If Americans don’t start reflecting how they treat each other on social media, it is only a matter of time until the people making the comments change how they act in everyday life. It’s inevitable.

I honestly don’t see any way America can exist or be great if its people are not good. I truly hope that day never comes, because truly as a nation America is exceptional because of its people, and its people are still amazing.

Second Warning

To those reading this who are thinking, "How can we win in the future?" Americans today know things are not right. Start having conversations with your fellow Americans about the principles of freedom that are for everyone and stop trying to get them to vote a certain way.

I firmly believe America does not have a single problem today that Americans can't fix. The question is, will you cast your political loyalty aside and focus on principles, or will you continue on the path of “my” party is better than yours?

Jonathon Dunne is an Irishman with a lifelong dream of becoming an American citizen. After waiting for over 13 years, Dunne received a job offer from Glenn Beck so he could achieve his dream, but unfortunately, he did not meet the requirements to apply for a visa. Unless laws change or Dunne decides to break the law (he won't), his American dream is dead. Despite this setback, he still loves America and seeks to be a positive influence on society by promoting the idea of America and God-given freedoms. While on a recent vacation, Dunne delivered sixteen presentations (for free) in eight different states across the U.S. During this time, he kept notes and we asked him to share some of his experiences. As you read the column below, imagine the words are being spoken in a thick, Irish accent. If you're having trouble imagining how that sounds, you can hear it for yourself by tuning into Dunne's free weekly podcast, "Freedom's Disciple," on TheBlaze Radio, available on SoundCloud, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Google Play and Stitcher.

Antifa isn’t “leaderless” — It’s an organized machine of violence

Jeff J Mitchell / Staff | Getty Images

The mob rises where men of courage fall silent. The lesson from Portland, Chicago, and other blue cities is simple: Appeasing radicals doesn’t buy peace — it only rents humiliation.

Parts of America, like Portland and Chicago, now resemble occupied territory. Progressive city governments have surrendered control to street militias, leaving citizens, journalists, and even federal officers to face violent anarchists without protection.

Take Portland, where Antifa has terrorized the city for more than 100 consecutive nights. Federal officers trying to keep order face nightly assaults while local officials do nothing. Independent journalists, such as Nick Sortor, have even been arrested for documenting the chaos. Sortor and Blaze News reporter Julio Rosas later testified at the White House about Antifa’s violence — testimony that corporate media outlets buried.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened.

Chicago offers the same grim picture. Federal agents have been stalked, ambushed, and denied backup from local police while under siege from mobs. Calls for help went unanswered, putting lives in danger. This is more than disorder; it is open defiance of federal authority and a violation of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

A history of violence

For years, the legacy media and left-wing think tanks have portrayed Antifa as “decentralized” and “leaderless.” The opposite is true. Antifa is organized, disciplined, and well-funded. Groups like Rose City Antifa in Oregon, the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club in Texas, and Jane’s Revenge operate as coordinated street militias. Legal fronts such as the National Lawyers Guild provide protection, while crowdfunding networks and international supporters funnel money directly to the movement.

The claim that Antifa lacks structure is a convenient myth — one that’s cost Americans dearly.

History reminds us what happens when mobs go unchecked. The French Revolution, Weimar Germany, Mao’s Red Guards — every one began with chaos on the streets. But it wasn’t random. Today’s radicals follow the same playbook: Exploit disorder, intimidate opponents, and seize moral power while the state looks away.

Dismember the dragon

The Trump administration’s decision to designate Antifa a domestic terrorist organization was long overdue. The label finally acknowledged what citizens already knew: Antifa functions as a militant enterprise, recruiting and radicalizing youth for coordinated violence nationwide.

But naming the threat isn’t enough. The movement’s financiers, organizers, and enablers must also face justice. Every dollar that funds Antifa’s destruction should be traced, seized, and exposed.

AFP Contributor / Contributor | Getty Images

This fight transcends party lines. It’s not about left versus right; it’s about civilization versus anarchy. When politicians and judges excuse or ignore mob violence, they imperil the republic itself. Americans must reject silence and cowardice while street militias operate with impunity.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened. The violence in Portland and Chicago is deliberate, not spontaneous. If America fails to confront it decisively, the price won’t just be broken cities — it will be the erosion of the republic itself.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Colorado counselor fights back after faith declared “illegal”

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

The state is effectively silencing professionals who dare speak truths about gender and sexuality, redefining faith-guided speech as illegal.

This week, free speech is once again on the line before the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake is whether Americans still have the right to talk about faith, morality, and truth in their private practice without the government’s permission.

The case comes out of Colorado, where lawmakers in 2019 passed a ban on what they call “conversion therapy.” The law prohibits licensed counselors from trying to change a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, including their behaviors or gender expression. The law specifically targets Christian counselors who serve clients attempting to overcome gender dysphoria and not fall prey to the transgender ideology.

The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The law does include one convenient exception. Counselors are free to “assist” a person who wants to transition genders but not someone who wants to affirm their biological sex. In other words, you can help a child move in one direction — one that is in line with the state’s progressive ideology — but not the other.

Think about that for a moment. The state is saying that a counselor can’t even discuss changing behavior with a client. Isn’t that the whole point of counseling?

One‑sided freedom

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, has been one of the victims of this blatant attack on the First Amendment. Chiles has dedicated her practice to helping clients dealing with addiction, trauma, sexuality struggles, and gender dysphoria. She’s also a Christian who serves patients seeking guidance rooted in biblical teaching.

Before 2019, she could counsel minors according to her faith. She could talk about biblical morality, identity, and the path to wholeness. When the state outlawed that speech, she stopped. She followed the law — and then she sued.

Her case, Chiles v. Salazar, is now before the Supreme Court. Justices heard oral arguments on Tuesday. The question: Is counseling a form of speech or merely a government‑regulated service?

If the court rules the wrong way, it won’t just silence therapists. It could muzzle pastors, teachers, parents — anyone who believes in truth grounded in something higher than the state.

Censored belief

I believe marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God. I believe that family — mother, father, child — is central to His design for humanity.

I believe that men and women are created in God’s image, with divine purpose and eternal worth. Gender isn’t an accessory; it’s part of who we are.

I believe the command to “be fruitful and multiply” still stands, that the power to create life is sacred, and that it belongs within marriage between a man and a woman.

And I believe that when we abandon these principles — when we treat sex as recreation, when we dissolve families, when we forget our vows — society fractures.

Are those statements controversial now? Maybe. But if this case goes against Chiles, those statements and others could soon be illegal to say aloud in public.

Faith on trial

In Colorado today, a counselor cannot sit down with a 15‑year‑old who’s struggling with gender identity and say, “You were made in God’s image, and He does not make mistakes.” That is now considered hate speech.

That’s the “freedom” the modern left is offering — freedom to affirm, but never to question. Freedom to comply, but never to dissent. The same movement that claims to champion tolerance now demands silence from anyone who disagrees. The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The real test

No matter what happens at the Supreme Court, we cannot stop speaking the truth. These beliefs aren’t political slogans. For me, they are the product of years of wrestling, searching, and learning through pain and grace what actually leads to peace. For us, they are the fundamental principles that lead to a flourishing life. We cannot balk at standing for truth.

Maybe that’s why God allows these moments — moments when believers are pushed to the wall. They force us to ask hard questions: What is true? What is worth standing for? What is worth dying for — and living for?

If we answer those questions honestly, we’ll find not just truth, but freedom.

The state doesn’t grant real freedom — and it certainly isn’t defined by Colorado legislators. Real freedom comes from God. And the day we forget that, the First Amendment will mean nothing at all.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins Megyn Kelly LIVE — One night ONLY in Fort Worth!

Get ready for sparks to fly. For the first time in years, Glenn will come face-to-face with Megyn Kelly — and this time, he’s the one in the hot seat. On October 25, 2025, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Glenn joins Megyn on her “Megyn Kelly Live Tour” for a no-holds-barred conversation that promises laughs, surprises, and maybe even a few uncomfortable questions.

What will happen when two of America’s sharpest voices collide under the spotlight? Will Glenn finally reveal the major announcement he’s been teasing on the radio for weeks? You’ll have to be there to find out.

This promises to be more than just an interview — it’s a live showdown packed with wit, honesty, and the kind of energy you can only feel if you are in the room. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to see Glenn like you’ve never seen him before.

Get your tickets NOW at www.MegynKelly.com before they’re gone!

What our response to Israel reveals about us

JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor | Getty Images

I have been honored to receive the Defender of Israel Award from Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Jerusalem Post recently named me one of the strongest Christian voices in support of Israel.

And yet, my support is not blind loyalty. It’s not a rubber stamp for any government or policy. I support Israel because I believe it is my duty — first as a Christian, but even if I weren’t a believer, I would still support her as a man of reason, morality, and common sense.

Because faith isn’t required to understand this: Israel’s existence is not just about one nation’s survival — it is about the survival of Western civilization itself.

It is a lone beacon of shared values in the Middle East. It is a bulwark standing against radical Islam — the same evil that seeks to dismantle our own nation from within.

And my support is not rooted in politics. It is rooted in something simpler and older than politics: a people’s moral and historical right to their homeland, and their right to live in peace.

Israel has that right — and the right to defend herself against those who openly, repeatedly vow her destruction.

Let’s make it personal: if someone told me again and again that they wanted to kill me and my entire family — and then acted on that threat — would I not defend myself? Wouldn’t you? If Hamas were Canada, and we were Israel, and they did to us what Hamas has done to them, there wouldn’t be a single building left standing north of our border. That’s not a question of morality.

That’s just the truth. All people — every people — have a God-given right to protect themselves. And Israel is doing exactly that.

My support for Israel’s right to finish the fight against Hamas comes after eighty years of rejected peace offers and failed two-state solutions. Hamas has never hidden its mission — the eradication of Israel. That’s not a political disagreement.

That’s not a land dispute. That is an annihilationist ideology. And while I do not believe this is America’s war to fight, I do believe — with every fiber of my being — that it is Israel’s right, and moral duty, to defend her people.

Criticism of military tactics is fair. That’s not antisemitism. But denying Israel’s right to exist, or excusing — even celebrating — the barbarity of Hamas? That’s something far darker.

We saw it on October 7th — the face of evil itself. Women and children slaughtered. Babies burned alive. Innocent people raped and dragged through the streets. And now, to see our own fellow citizens march in defense of that evil… that is nothing short of a moral collapse.

If the chants in our streets were, “Hamas, return the hostages — Israel, stop the bombing,” we could have a conversation.

But that’s not what we hear.

What we hear is open sympathy for genocidal hatred. And that is a chasm — not just from decency, but from humanity itself. And here lies the danger: that same hatred is taking root here — in Dearborn, in London, in Paris — not as horror, but as heroism. If we are not vigilant, the enemy Israel faces today will be the enemy the free world faces tomorrow.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about truth. It’s about the courage to call evil by its name and to say “Never again” — and mean it.

And you don’t have to open a Bible to understand this. But if you do — if you are a believer — then this issue cuts even deeper. Because the question becomes: what did God promise, and does He keep His word?

He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations and to give him “the whole land of Canaan.” And though Abraham had other sons, God reaffirmed that promise through Isaac. And then again through Isaac’s son, Jacob — Israel — saying: “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.”

That’s an everlasting promise.

And from those descendants came a child — born in Bethlehem — who claimed to be the Savior of the world. Jesus never rejected His title as “son of David,” the great King of Israel.

He said plainly that He came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when He returns, Scripture says He will return as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And where do you think He will go? Back to His homeland — Israel.

Tamir Kalifa / Stringer | Getty Images

And what will He find when He gets there? His brothers — or his brothers’ enemies? Will the roads where He once walked be preserved? Or will they lie in rubble, as Gaza does today? If what He finds looks like the aftermath of October 7th, then tell me — what will be my defense as a Christian?

Some Christians argue that God’s promises to Israel have been transferred exclusively to the Church. I don’t believe that. But even if you do, then ask yourself this: if we’ve inherited the promises, do we not also inherit the land? Can we claim the birthright and then, like Esau, treat it as worthless when the world tries to steal it?

So, when terrorists come to slaughter Israelis simply for living in the land promised to Abraham, will we stand by? Or will we step forward — into the line of fire — and say,

“Take me instead”?

Because this is not just about Israel’s right to exist.

It’s about whether we still know the difference between good and evil.

It’s about whether we still have the courage to stand where God stands.

And if we cannot — if we will not — then maybe the question isn’t whether Israel will survive. Maybe the question is whether we will.

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