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Glenn talks with Bob Barr

August 14, 2008
 Radio Clips

The Glenn Beck Program




Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr...

GLENN: All right. We have a couple of things going on. I wanted to talk to Bob Barr about Georgia and what we would do on Georgia and this is where the libertarians always lose me but I don't want to get into another? ?man, we don't need anything else stacked on but what do we do to make sure that we don't let Russia just run rough shod over everything. Thought I'd get a libertarian point of view from possible Barr here in just a few minutes. Real quick, an update? We don't have Sean yet? Then hold him until the end of the show. We have one of the head guys of the national border patrol council and there's been a shooting from another border agent of an illegal immigrants through the buttocks. I wonder if we're going to throw this border agent in jail as well. We'll get another update on that.

Bob, I appreciate you joining me, sir. I'm kind of in a quandary here. I don't know exactly what to do and I find myself becoming more and more libertarian every day because I just don't see us solving any of our problems unless we solve our problems here at home first, which is spending out of control, you know, getting the dollar back on track and then also going for our own energy. But how do we solve this one as a libertarian, Bob? How do we solve the Georgia situation without engaging and really getting ourselves wrapped up into a war with Russia?

BARR: First of all, it's great to be back with you, Glenn, and let me tell you? Response to this malady that you have, you find yourself more libertarian, don't fight it.

GLENN: No, I'm not fighting it.

BARR: Just go with the flow. Your instincts are correct. We need to get our house in order. This is the 73rd anniversary today of Social Security, the greatest Ponzi scheme in the history of our country. We put out and we'll certainly send it to your folks an extensive Social Security plan that gets us out of this entire situation and moves the country dramatically to individual accounts. So we do need to get our house in order but dealing with situations overseas like that in Georgia should not be reduced to sound bites like Senator McCain saying, oh, we're all Georgians now, you know, or because he knows Saakashvili, he knows he's a good guy or what not. This is a very complex situation and one thing we do not need to do is rush over there and start getting involved ourselves.

GLENN: Hang on just a second. Wait a minute. Hang on. Do you know Saakashvili?

CALLER: I've never looked into his eyes and been seduced by him.

GLENN: I'm not asking that. I'm asking you are you up on what Georgia is, what Georgia means, what they have conquered? I mean, these guys are a true Republic and have been hassled every step of the way and we're trying to make sure that there's not a stranglehold of oil between Iran and Russia right now. So they do play a critical role in not only, you know, the security of Europe but also a critical role in the economic or energy security of the world.

BARR: And that's why, Glenn, it's so important as you do but so few of our leaders in Washington to look at the big picture. It isn't responsible just to look at Georgia.

GLENN: Yes.

BARR: There's a lot more there simply than just the Georgia Republic. They have part of the semi autonomous regions in which Georgia exerts pretty brutal methods there, the same as the Russians do. So, you know, it's not the one side is pure and one side isn't. And we also have to look at this in the broader context of Iran. Since that pipeline does indeed, as you just indicate, come through Georgia, we have to look at a much broader picture. Which I'm not sure that Senator McCain is doing here.

GLENN: Okay.

BARR: But I don't think that we need to become directly involved here. We need to be aware of it. We need to be supportive. We need to be talking with both sides, including the Russians. And we have taken very much of a sort of hands off approach to Russia over the last several years which now is sort of coming back to bite us where we don't want to be bitten.

GLENN: So tell me as President of the United States, Bob Barr, the libertarian, would today do? ?what would your plan be today on Georgia?

BARR: The plan today would be to talk directly with both sides to tell the Russians, look, you may not care about whether you come? ?remain in the G8 or not, you may bluster about not caring whether you are admitted into the OECD or not but the fact of the matter is you want to be. This is, a lot of this is about respect. You need to be involved in these efforts, you know. So let's get away from this blustering. And as long as you understand that there are not going to be repressive measures taken by the Georgians against these two semi autonomous regions, there's no need for you to be directly involved here militarily. I don't think they will. They have made their point. A lot of this is making their point, but President Barr would not order U.S. involvement. I don't think it's wise right now even to be sending direct humanitarian aid. Do I support humanitarian relief efforts, yes. Sending on direct U.S. transports, no, I don't think that is wise.

GLENN: So we took, yesterday we took control of the airports and the ports. You wouldn't do that, either?

BARR: No, I don't think that's? ?I don't think that's in our best interests.

GLENN: You? ?

BARR: I think that there are ways to get the aid in there, but it's just like waving a red flag in front of a situation where our interests are not directly involved. They certainly are incorrectly through the oil pipeline and we want to encourage Democratic replication anywhere in the world but were our interests directly affected right now between what's going on between Russia and Georgia? I don't think so.

GLENN: Aren't they principles of freedom and free markets and sovereignty, aren't those important principles that require more than just, hey, you two knock it off and I want to talk to both of you. You seem to be withdrawing entirely and shouldn't the? ?shouldn't NATO offer, you know, what we've offered Israel and Japan and even Pakistan, that you're not a member of? ?an attack on you is not an attack on us but we will help you every way that we can. Opening up the NATO door. Shouldn't the countries of the West that understand human rights and freedom in a much different way, shouldn't we stand together against things like this?

BARR: Well, we should but here again I don't think that Georgia has entirely clean hands here, Glenn. Plus the fact my concern for freedom and free markets is more here in the United States, my concern is why did we just pass a housing bailout bill that certainly does not move us in the direction of freeing up housing markets in this country? It increases government control. But I think we need overseas, yes, it's important for us to foster democracy and free trade and representative government, but I don't think that means simply stepping in and aiding militarily or directly in some other way the Georgia regime because they apparently? ?and I've seen some pretty good evidence on this? ?have been involved in some fairly repressive violent measures against the breakaway provinces.

GLENN: Bob, we'll talk to you again.

Are electric vehicles REALLY the best solution? Here are the FACTS

Electric vehicles are the wave of the future. They are so much better for the environment. At least that's what we have been told, but is this correct?

On his TV special, Glenn Beck explained how electric vehicles (EVs) might not actually be the environmental solution we've been led to believe. In fact, they may not be a solution at all.

Glenn shared a recent article from LiveScience that reported:

A 2014 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at the entire life cycle of an EV's emissions, from mining the metals required for the batteries to producing the electricity needed to power them, and then compared this with the average emissions of a gas-powered vehicle. The team found that when electric vehicles are charged with coal-powered electricity, they're actually worse for the environment than conventional gasoline cars.

He next shared an article from The Greenage, which stated:

The Union of Concerned Scientists has calculated that manufacturing a mid-sized EV with an 84-mile range results in about 15 percent more emissions than manufacturing an equivalent gasoline vehicle. For larger, longer-range EVs that travel more than 250 miles per charge, the manufacturing emissions can be as much as 68 percent higher.

Noting how electric vehicles and other fossil-fuel alternatives require the use of mined minerals like lithium, cobalt, zinc, copper, and nickel, among others, Glenn quoted an International Energy Agency report that warned reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement "would mean a quadrupling of mineral requirements for clean energy technologies by 2040. An even faster transition, to hit net-zero globally by 2050, would require six times more mineral inputs in 2040 than today."

"Can [you] predict which country is the world leader in processing the minerals needed for these batteries? Right, China," Glenn stated. "The average EV requires over 200 kilograms of minerals. The average gas vehicle requires 40 kilograms of minerals, mostly copper. A single EV has 22 pounds of lithium in it ... yet another way that the green reset of American energy is putting us all at the mercy of Communist China."

"Oh, and remember during the Obama administration when the world was gonna end' over fracking?" Glenn asked. "Well, the Institute for Energy Research now says, and I quote, 'Mining and processing of lithium, however, turns out to be far more environmentally harmful than what turned out to be the unfounded issues with fracking.'"

Watch the video clip from Wednesday night's episode of "Glenn TV" below for more details:

Want more Glenn TV?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

SAVE $10 WITH PROMO CODE GLENN.

Glenn Beck Presents: The 1776 Report the Left Didn't Want You to See

We've heard a lot about the 1776 Commission over the past several months. From the mainstream media, you've heard lies and slander: It was a racist panel put together by President Trump to peddle a whitewashed version of American history.

In reality, the 1776 Commission was established by President Trump in the fall of 2020 with the purpose of promoting "patriotic education." Not to mandate it, not to propose legislation – simply to PROMOTE it. The media and academia lost their minds over this now controversial idea that we should teach young Americans to appreciate the nation they've inherited. And predictably, just hours after Biden took the oath of office, he signed an executive order to dissolve the 1776 Commission, calling the commission's report "offensive and counterfactual."

Glenn Beck presents the 1776 Commission's report in its entirety, because unlike the media and President Biden who want to hide it from you, Glenn wants you to seek the truth and celebrate Independence Day with pride.

Watch a preview below or catch the FULL, 5-part presentation of the 1776 Report on BlazeTV.com or Glenn Beck's YouTube channel.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

5 reasons WHY the Declaration of Independence defined America as exceptional

I am an Irishman and in 2006, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend Independence Day in America. It was a magical experience I will never forget and one I am desperate to repeat.

Everything about the day was magical. I can remember every little detail: seeing the pure joy on people's faces when they saw family members, not seen since Christmas; enjoying burgers and hot dogs being grilled to perfection in the mid-afternoon; jumping on a boat and witnessing an awe-inspiring fireworks display with the feel of a cold beverage in my hand; coming ashore and sitting around an open fire, toasting marshmallows.

As fun as these activities were, they are NOT what made the day magical.

The day was and is made magical remembering WHAT Americans are celebrating: being thankful for the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the idea of America which improved EVERY aspect of our world.

I would be honored if you would allow me to share five pivotal points from the Declaration, explaining how they started America on the path to becoming an exceptional nation, and how you can learn from the founders' example today.

1 The Layout

Take a look around society today, and you will notice a prevalent theme. The majority of people are angry, upset, and frustrated. They love to highlight the parts of society they view as a problem and tear it down. This requires zero talent. Even newborn babies with no verbal skills and very little knowledge of the outside world will let you know when they are unhappy by crying for a clean diaper, food or attention.

History is filled with people complaining and starting wars because they feel they have been wronged and sought a future "free from their oppressor".

Thomas Jefferson and your founders were different. Before mentioning any issues with the King (they waited 1338 words), they first explained their vision and how America would be different from other nations. They boldly declared that all men were created equal and have a God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This principle of explaining what you are for has a long track record in American society and has long lead to effective change.

This principle of explaining what you are for has a long track record in American society and has long lead to effective change. This includes famous speeches by John F. Kennedy declaring, "We will go to the moon by the end of this decade," or the great Martin Luther King Jr. telling everyone how he "had a dream."

LESSON: Tell the world what you stand for -- not what you stand against!

2 Role of Government

I have spent over seven years with The Blaze, promoting your founding principles and explaining how America is unique and different to every other nation in the world. Every principle, policy, plan and idea can be traced back to one core principle: How we view government and its role in society.

On the surface of history, it is very easy to believe that our world is very different and would provide many different answers to this simple question.

Just look at our world today and you see many different power structures. England retains a monarch. European countries, like mine, are democracies. Iran is a theocratic-controlled country. Russia is an oligarchy. Inside those countries, you will notice differences in ideologies between communism, socialism, fascism, liberalism and even conservatism.

YES, they all look very different. However, if you look deeper into those countries, you will notice they all view government the exact same.

Government is a central agency that possesses the power to be the moral arbiters of society, the ability to be the great equalizer and most importantly they are the provider of rights.

Does this mean every government uses this power every day?

NO.

Clearly, there are governments around the world who are more open to freedom and view government as the last resort. However, every country believes government always has that power and there are situations when government must take control for the "greater good".

If you doubt this, look at the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Even countries that love to talk about freedom and identify as freedom-loving, removed their citizens' rights in the name of public safety. You witnessed everything from governments shutting down businesses, banning you from traveling more than three miles from your home, limiting the number of people you could have to visit your own house and enforcing you to wear a mask.

How could they do this? Because government is the power structure of all these countries and providers of rights. Any government that has the power to confer can also rescind them under the right circumstances.

Your founders were very clear that they did not share the world vision of an all-powerful government.

The idea of America is different. Your founders were very clear that they did not share the world vision of an all-powerful government. You can see this by reviewing the structure of the Constitution, but that foundation was started in the Declaration of Independence when they spoke about the Law of Nature and Nature's God, which highlights ALL rights come from God. You are born with these rights and it is the government's sole responsibility to ensure these rights are never taken away.

3 RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Take a step back and look at the public discourse today. You will notice the majority of people love to talk about their rights. My friends on the right love to talk about their right to free speech and guns. My friends on the left love to talk about their right to healthcare and abortions. When was the last time you saw anyone online talk about their duty and responsibilities? It's not a very popular topic.

Your founders were not dumb men.

Their genius was understanding the laws of nature and basic first principles. They researched world history -- from the great empires of the past to senates that were supposed to last forever, examining why they failed. While there are countless reasons for each, understanding one concept is critical. When freedom becomes all about rights and forgets about responsibilities, it creates a vacuum. Historically, the government always fills that vacuum. This creates a prime opportunity for a tyrant to come to power and solve a public need and always ends the same way - gaining more power and stripping you of your individual rights.

Your founders feared this vacuum and warned against it TWICE in the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. They spoke about your right to alter and abolish your government, instituting new safeguards. Then they spoke about your right, and duty, to throw off the government and provide new guards.

LESSON: Freedom without responsibility will always lead to tyranny.

4 RACIST FOUNDERS

As an outsider, nothing annoys me more than the constant attacks on your founders and their brilliance. Were they perfect? NOPE. Should they be worshipped like Idols? NOPE. Are there things we can improve upon? Yes. For example, it's 2021; why does the post office need to be included in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution?

Despite their flaws, they provided America with a great platform on which to build. If America is to survive and prosper, the IGNORANT attacks that America's founders were old racist white men with wooden teeth must stop. Why? Because it is a LIE!!!

I could write at length about this issue alone, but I will provide two simple facts.

Firstly, please close your eyes and imagine an actual racist (no, not your typical Donald Trump supporter). Imagine how they look, how they sound, what words they use and everything down to what aftershave they wear. Got that vision? Good. Now try imagining that vile, disgusting racist say the following:

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!

Did your vision say those words? Do you think people like David Duke would say them, let alone sign their name to a statement declaring this as a self-evident principle for the world to see?

Answer: NO!

The second fact requires you to have a reading of history before America. Thomas Jefferson could have very easily left these five powerful words out entirely or just use the accepted language of the day from the Magma Carta which stated:

"All FREE men are created equal."

If Jefferson and the founders were racist, why did they improve on the language of the day and declare this truth as self-evident?

If ...the founders were racist, why did they improve on the language of the day and declare this truth as self-evident?

5 FORGOTTEN FOUNDERS

If you look at culture and politics today, you will notice a common theme where everyone just wants to win, regardless of the cost. Society tells us winning is everything, and there is no room for failure. Is this true? Can society progress really progress without failure and sacrificing everything they have for the greater good?

American history is so vast and deep that it can be straightforward to focus on the great and famous leaders who survived like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison and Franklin.

This particular weekend, I would like to briefly highlight three patriots who took the ultimate risk by signing the Declaration of Independence. They lost everything, and are sadly forgotten by many who teach history.

JOHN HART: John was a widowed farmer in New Jersey with 12 kids. He was rich, well-known in society, and employed many. When he signed the Declaration, troops attacked his farm with orders to execute him in Hopewell. He fled and eventually died in hiding.

FRANCES LEWIS: Frank was involved in international business and made a fortune on the mercantile exchange. Like John, he was rich, powerful and employed many. When he signed, he returned to find armed troops at his home, taking possession of it. They arrested his wife, starved and mistreated her and although she was later released, she soon passed away due to the horrific treatment.

RICHARD STOCKTON: Richard was a wealthy lawyer who studied at Princeton. He served on the New Jersey Supreme Court and had the respect of his peers. After signing, he was locked up, starved, tortured, and robbed of his possessions. His treatment was so bad that his final days were spent living on the charity of friends.

These brave men could have chosen a much easier road in life. They could have ignored the calls for Independence, paid any additional taxes to the King and still lived a great life. They had everything you would deem desirable in society -- money, earthly possessions, name recognition, and respect.

...these men... risked everything they had so everyone could have a brighter and freer tomorrow.

When they signed the Declaration of Independence, the only thing they could gain was an opportunity for absolute freedom. This ideal was so powerful that these men, and countless others, risked everything they had so everyone could have a brighter and freer tomorrow.

LESSON: Pursuing a higher aspiration is more important than winning.

Personal Request:

It is popular for Americans to say "Happy 4th" or "Happy 4th of July."

PLEASE STOP SAYING IT!

After reading this, realize how important and significant your founders to America and the world. It is disrespectful to them, their memory, their sacrifice, and everything they fought for. After all, would you go up to a Christian and say "Happy 25th?"

NOPE.

May I wish you and your exceptional nation a very HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

If you enjoyed this column, I released a special on The Blaze this week where I did a deep dive into the Declaration of Independence with KrisAnne Hall. You can listen for free on Apple or Spotify or The Blaze.

No BEEF for you? Here's how we can SOLVE the impending beef crisis

Glenn Beck predicts average Americans will not be eating beef in the future, thanks to America's current monopoly on meat processing that is all but destroying the small farmer.

There's already talk of switching to lab-engineered or plant-based "meat" and severely limiting how much land is used for cattle grazing. One of the strongest voices in Congress pushing back against these plans is Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

Rep. Massie joined Glenn on the radio program to explain how farmers are being demolished by big-market regulations, but also to share some ways Congress can fight back. He gives an update on his efforts to pass the PRIME Act and solve the looming meat crises, without getting the government too involved.

Watch the video clip below for more details:

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.