 Glenn Beck is seen here on the Insider Webcam, an exclusive feature available only to Glenn Beck Insiders. Learn more... |
GLENN: There have been many times in our nation's history where we needed somebody to stand up and say, wait a minute, guys, we're good, we're okay. Gas prices, I listened to John McCain this morning on television. He's the worst speaker I've ever heard. He was talking about something he calls the Lexington project. All of the details sounded fantastic, but I wanted to hang myself when he was giving them to me. I'm like, oh, jeez. He could have been saying, "And I'm going to personally come over to Glenn's house and feed him chocolate cake every 15 minutes, "and I would have been saying, shut up, John. I've got to look into his Lexington project. Sounds pretty good. Finally a politician talking about doing something about gas prices. And I don't mean like, well, we're going to take those evil capitalists and roll them up a flagpole.
As we are looking at our jobs and going in and looking at milk, up 265% and gas up 700% in the last seven years, America's pretty tired. America's pretty tired of having common sense and nobody doing anything about it. We all know. You know. I know. John McCain, while Barack Obama flies over to Europe -- oh, yeah, like I giving a flying crap what those clowns think. While he's over flying over to Europe and then finally to Afghanistan and Iraq -- good for you -- John McCain is in Mexico and, what, Colombia? He wants to talk about the drug problems that we have down on the border. Oh, really, John? Now you're on to the drug problems? Apparently there's some sort of problem with our border and drug lords? Huh. Who would have thought of that? America has been so far ahead of these clowns that think they run the country, that I wanted to spend some time and do a couple of things, remind them that they don't run the country, you do; that we don't need to listen to them for answers because we have them.
The whole thing from the beginning has been about we the people, and I'll tell you a few stories that you've heard before. You have heard, "The British are coming, the British are coming," but you've never heard the real story. Most likely the only name you can name in that story is Paul Revere. Paul Revere played a pretty small role in that. That story involves women's underwear, actually saved three patriots' life on that ride. Did you know that? You will after today's show.
American history is being mistaught. American history, our kids roll their eyes because they're being taught what date this happened on, what city, where did this battle happen, what was the name of the general. Can I tell you something? I can't tell you what date Paul Revere got onto his horse and said, "The British are coming, the British are coming," but I can tell you the details. The details of that night speak volumes of who we are and how we get out of the messes that others have caused.
The other thing I want to do is start a little fire, not a fire that I think a lot of us would like to have, you know, torch and the other side of our body, the arm and the hand would be extended and we would have a pitchfork. Instead, a spark in another kind of torch, the torch, the lamp that Lady Liberty holds that guides the way. When the clouds are thick and the seas are rocked with storms, Lady Liberty holds her torch as a beacon, as a lighthouse saying "This way. Everything is going to be okay. Just follow the light."
In today's world I think we're being taught that, "Don't look at the light! Don't walk towards the light. I think it could be bad down there. Uh-oh, the light, that may be a train." The light, the light is where we should be looking.
Right after 9/11 do you remember when all of these politicians suddenly became human beings and they stood on the steps of the capitol and they all sang "God Bless America." Remember that? You're like, my gosh, they're real people! Maybe we can solve something! Look at that! Wow! The antichrists from both parties joining hands and all of a sudden being decent human beings! They became just like us, and we were all together. It didn't last long but, boy, wasn't that amazing. It's really appropriate that that song was played right after 9/11. The first time, the first time it was heard was in 1938, and storm clouds were gathering again and a woman who I think sounds strangely like a man sang it. You've heard this version a million times.
("God Bless America" playing)
GLENN: What you probably don't know about this song is that it was first heard by Americans in 1938 but it was actually written 20 years before. It was written after World War I. It was written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it for a play called Yip Yip Yaphank, which is a super, super classic that I wish I could see again. He felt the song was inspired and came from God but because of that, maybe it wasn't appropriate for Yip Yip Yaphank. But he also had a problem with the song. So he put it in a drawer and there that song sat for 20 years until Kate Smith. Kate Smith, she walked into Irving Berlin's home and she said the anniversary of Armistice Day which was the end of World War I, was coming up. And they all sensed that World War II was right around the corner. Nobody would know it better than Irving Berlin. He was a young Jewish man who lived in Siberia. He immigrated here to the United States. He loved the country. He was an immigrant. She said, "Irving, I need a song. World War I was over and that was the war that was supposed to end all words and now, Irving, you feel it and I feel it. War is coming again and great evil is gathering on the shores of Europe." She said, "I need a song. I need a song. I want to sing it for the anniversary of Armistice Day, she said, but I want something that will convince America that America's going to be okay. It doesn't matter if war is coming. It doesn't matter if Hitler is coming." He said, "Kate, I don't really have anything like that." She said, "Come on, Irving." He thought back. He said, "You know, I wrote a song about 20 years ago. I don't know." He said, "I don't feel comfortable with it." She said, "Why not?" He said, "It's not right. I don't have it down yet." And he said, "The lyrics are more of a prayer than anything else." And he said, "As I wrote it, I just -- Kate, I don't think it's right." He went into the drawer and he dug it out. It was at the bottom of everything. He dug it out and she looked at it. She could sight read. He didn't need to play it on the piano. She read the lyrics and hummed it to herself. She said, this is perfect. He looked at her and said, "It's boastful. It assumes that America is blessed and that God continues to bless it." Kate Smith looked at Irving Berlin and said, "Irving, it is, he does, I'm singing it." He reluctantly gave it to her but on an understanding. He said, "Kate, I can't take money for this song." She said, "Irving, but who's going to get the rights because I'm telling you right now this is going to be a huge hit. Everybody in the country is going to want a copy of this song. Who do you want the money to go to?" He said, "It was inspired by God. I can't take money for it." He said, "You know what? I know who to give the money to. If this thing does sell, I know who to give the money to."
Well, she sang it. It didn't just sell. Within a week it was sold out in copies all across the country. People were going into music stores and buying the sheet music. They were buying anything they could get for "God Bless America." It has sold and sold and sold and sold.
So who got the money? Well, let me play this and enhance the resources of the Boy Scouts of America.
("God Bless America" playing)
GLENN: It's amazing that a young Jewish man from Siberia wrote such a powerful song. Well, it's amazing to some people. I don't find it that amazing when people fall in love with America, when people come to America. It's because of her promise. It's because we understand that it's not today that we're living for. It's not the promise of yesterday. It's the promise of a brighter tomorrow that makes America so great. And that promise for a brighter tomorrow is not for money. It's that people, when they come here, can see and believe that they can become anything, that they can do incredible things, even if they want to keep those incredible things in a drawer for 20 years.
