See Glenn at the movies!

November 23, 2010

Radio Clips

The Glenn Beck Program

Glenn Beck is seen here on GlennBeck.TV, a feature available exclusively

to Glenn Beck Insider Extreme members.

Learn more...

GLENN: Just want to continue just for a minute on this Rome analogy of

America, and you'll find it in the beginning of the

book Broke. But we looked,

we studied because, you know, the question is how did we get here and where are

we headed? And so the book starts with ancient Rome and talks about what did our

founders learn from the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, written by Edward

Gibbon, and you heard the bread and circuses, feed the people, distract them and

maybe you won maybe they won't realize what you've done to them. The ancient

Rome ploy is that when things are starting to fall apart, you distract the

people for a long time. Now, by 31 BC, Octavian was coming into power and he

knew that major changes had to be made in the Roman Empire. But the people still

worshipped the republic. This is before they were an empire. They worshipped the

republic. They liked freedom. They liked who they were and they didn't want to

lose that, and Octavian knew it.

You know, comparing Barack Obama to anybody always gets you in trouble, but

looking for the right Roman emperor might be the thing to look for, and he may

be Octavian. At least in this regard.

In 31 BC, they knew that the people loved the republic, which I don't think

Barack Obama knows that, but changes had to be made. And so Octavian's solution

was to give the people both what they wanted and what he thought they needed. So

instead of abolishing things like the republic or the Senate, he continued them.

They were still elected by the people. Assemblies still gathered. The Senate

still oversaw some of the provinces and advised Octavian, but it wasn't the

same. It was no longer a republic. And so they left the facade of the republic

there, and Octavian camouflaged his absolute power. Then he took over the

control of the armed forces and made resistance futile.

Now, here is the real beginnings. Listen to this. Things were falling apart.

Entertain the people. Give them stuff. And if you can concentrate on the stuff

for a while, they will forget what freedom really meant. Then while you're doing

that, then you camouflage your moves as emergencies and you camouflage your

moves also as freedom, under the guise of the republic, under the guise of the

Senate. But you just push it through. You maintain the illusion of the republic

and then you make resistance futile.

On Thursday, December 2nd, Glenn Beck brings his latest book to life on

stage and on silver screens nationwide for the timely event, Broke -

Restarting the Engine of America. Broadcast LIVE from Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania’s Benedum Center to movie theaters nationwide.

- Find a movie theater and

buy your tickets

- In Pittsburgh?

Get tickets for the show...

One textbook writes about Octavian: In keeping with his policy of maintaining

the appearance of traditional Republican government, Octavian refused, refused

to be called the king or even dictator like Caesar. Instead he was just the

first citizen. This is what Tocqueville wrote in 1840: Thus having each citizen

in turn taking them and putting them into powerful grasp and shaping them to his

will. The government then extends its embrace to include the whole of society.

It covers the whole of social life with a network of petty complicated rules

that are both minute and uniform. Isn't that what we're doing? You knew have to

file forms. If you want to sell something over $600, isn't that what we're doing

now? How many how much more paperwork are we going to have to do? What is that?

We keep asking ourselves why would you do that? Well, Tocqueville wrote about

it. It covers the whole of social life with a network of petty complicated rules

that are both minute and uniform. Though even though each men or wait, wait,

wait. Through which even men of the greatest originality and the most vigorous

temperament cannot force their heads above the crowd. So what's that doing?

That's forcing everybody to be the same because even people who are in there and

they are fighters and they are, "I'm going to do it" and they're dreamers, they

just can't make it. They can't do it anymore. They give up. It does not break a

man's will, but it softens. It bends. It guides. It seldom enjoins. But it often

inhibits action. It does not destroy anything, but it prevents much from being

born. It is not tyrannical. It just hinders, restrains, stifles. If I may, it

nudges. That's all it does is nudge. Tocqueville said it nudges people into a

flock of timid and hardworking animals with the government as its shepherd.

We are going to I urge you to look at the book Broke. I keep picking this thing

up. I'll be at night and I'll pick it up and I'll just open it up to a different

section and I'll reread it and, oh, my gosh, this is it. This is what's

happening. I urge you to pick it up. Or if you I don't even know. Well, you can

go to the movie theatres. I don't know if the thing is sold out. Can I get a

ticket count on the thing in Pittsburgh, the live Broke show in Pittsburgh? I'm

doing one night on December

PAT: 2nd.

GLENN: 2nd. So is that next week?

PAT: I think it is.

GLENN: Yeah, next week I'm going to do something in Pittsburgh at the

Benedum

Theater which is a great, great theater. And tickets I guess are still

available. It's almost sold out. And tickets also will be available in

movie

theatres nationwide. And I'm going to show you the country as compared to a '65

Chevy I mean '65 Mustang.

STU: I don't what are you doing with the show? I don't think I understand it.

GLENN: What do you mean?

STU: Like what are you going to be doing in it? Like you are saying you've got

the I mean, it's the Mustang. You are saying that

GLENN: The Mustang is look

STU: Analogy again?

1965 Mustang - It's Unbelievable!

GLENN: Here's what we have to decide. Do we want a classic car? Do we want a '65

Mustang? I picked the Mustang because it's a car I've always wanted. I've always

wanted a '65 Mustang and a '62 Continental with suicide doors, convertible. Love

that.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: Love that. But the Mustang is the greatest American car, I think,

greatest American car built.

PAT: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette, Stingray.

GLENN: Oh, Stingrays? Ick. Really?

PAT: Really.

GLENN: You're a Stingray guy? Oh, I lost so much respect for you.

PAT: What? Why is that so much worse than a Mustang?

GLENN: A '67 Stingray Corvette? Really? That's your dream car?

PAT: That's cool, yeah. Now, that's

Unrelated: Since we couldn't find a 1967 Corvette commercial, here's one

from 1984

GLENN: That's your dream car?

PAT: That's a car.

GLENN: All right. So '65 Mustang. Pay no attention to Pat. That is not the car

you're looking for.

STU: (Laughing).

GLENN: '65 Mustang I think is just, just, it epitomizes, I don't know, just that

free spirit and that Mustang, in the horse and in the car. And what we've done

is we have, over the years, tried to make it into a family car and we've tried

to make it into a station wagon and then we've decided it was going to be public

transportation and then we've put some other things on it, maybe a solar panel

on the back to make sure that it's that's not what it is. That's not what it is.

And that's we've done this to the entire country. We have to decide, do you want

freedom? Do you understand that it's a Mustang? If not, if you don't want a

Mustang anymore, then sell the damn Mustang. But let's stop taking it and

bastardizing it and then blaming it on the Mustang: Well, that's just a crappy

car. No, no, no. No, that was one of the best cars made. That is just a great

car. But you have to understand what it is. It's not a hybrid. You want a

hybrid? Sell the damn car. Recognize it for what it is. That is a great car. And

maybe it was a great car for 1965 and it's not one today. But somebody

appreciates it. I do. So we either recognize it and sell it and then we start

all over again and we get whatever it is we want, a little, you know, we'll be

Yugo, or we restore it. That thing restored, who doesn't want a 1965 Mustang

besides Pat? Fully restored? Who? As long as you understand that's what it is.

It's not a Ferrari and it's not a Smart car. It's a '65 Mustang.

PAT: Of course, there's a 1973 AMC Gremlin, too. That's a car. That's a car.

GLENN: That's what we're building.

PAT: It really is.

GLENN: That's what we're building.

PAT: Really is.

GLENN: We're building the Gremlin.

PAT: Yeah. We tried to turn the Mustang into the Gremlin.

GLENN: Into the Gremlin, and the bus.

PAT: Which everybody knows does not work. Never did. Never will.

GLENN: Never will. So that's what do you understand?

STU: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

GLENN: So I have a mechanic on stage. We have a Mustang that is not running and

we're going to take the parts out and I'm going to show you what the parts are,

you know, what they're akin to in real life, in our government. What did we do

to this thing? What did we do? Now, we can either, we can ditch it or we can fix

it. And once we understand what all the parts are, then we have to go back and

look for the original parts, put it back together. When we put it back together,

that thing hopefully, by the end of the show, will start up and it will be

great.

STU: You're not going to be, you know, touching the car parts or

GLENN: Well, I'll be touching them but I won't be fixing them, no.

STU: Because if you have anything to do with it, the car will likely explode and

set the entire thing on fire.

GLENN: It's very dicey. It's very dicey. We kind of went down this road and

everybody said, "You don't know how to fix a car." And actually it started

before that. They said, "Okay, well, what parts, you know, what parts are what?"

And I said, oh, I don't know anything about an engine.

STU: (Laughing).

GLENN: And Rich looked at me and said, excuse me? And I said, "No, I don't know

anything about engines." Just find out, you know, like what part would be like

the Fed. And he said, oh, we'll just ask a mechanic that, you dope!

STU: (Laughing). How dare he assume you had knowledge of what you were doing

before you did it! What a jerk! I hate that guy!

GLENN: I just assumed everybody would understand that I don't know what the hell

I'm doing with a car. I mean, did you see the photo shoot? I was in a movie oh,

by the way, have you seen have you brought the kids to Megamind?

PAT: No, not yet.

GLENN: It's really good.

PAT: Is it? It looks pretty good.

GLENN: It's really, really good. I really liked it. But anyway, so I'm sitting

there and my face comes up on the screen and my little kids are like, oh, Dad,

we're so sick of you. And we went out and we, you know, we shot this in a garage

and you know, I never used a blowtorch before and neither has anybody really on

my team, we were in this and the guy, the guy who was running this garage, he

just looks at us like, you people, you are not even men. Get out of my garage,

you know. And then George Lange who's a little flamboyant is like, this is just

so picturesque! And I'm like, no, no. George, shhh, no, it's a garage. They are

going to kill you with a wrench.

Marriage rates PLUMMETED 60 PERCENT since 1970. Why aren't Americans getting married?

Mark Johnson | Getty Images

Only 30 percent of Americans are married, falling almost 60 percent since 1970. This should concern you.

The National Center for Family Research (NCFMR) published a groundbreaking study showing the plummeting marriage rates over the past 50 years. While marriage rates have slightly fluctuated between 1890-1970, they plunged precipitously starting in 1970 to today. While 76.5 percent of Americans were married in 1970, the rate more than halved down to a mere 31.1 percent in 2023.

During a pro-family legislators' conference in 2022, Glenn described the family as "sacred." This was a widely-accepted notion for most of our history. However, the notion that "marriage is sacred" is now considered an archaic notion and is rather viewed as an option of convenience and mutual benefit. How did our cultural assumptions about marriage change so drastically?

The notion that "marriage is sacred" is now considered an archaic notion.

What happened?

It comes as no surprise that the precipitous plunge began during the sexual revolution of the 1970s, catalyzing the breakdown of marriage and the family. Johns Hopkins sociologist Andrew Cherlin told Axios that marriage “used to be a basic institution that everyone had to buy into in early adulthood. You got married, then you moved in together, and then you got a job.” However, according to Cherlin, “Marriage is now becoming the last step into adulthood." First, you look for a job, then you move in with your partner before you tie the knot—only if it's convenient. We have flipped the natural progression of adulthood on its head.

The notion that marriage has become an "option" is evidenced in the report, which found that those getting married for the first time between the ages of 40-59 have skyrocketed in recent years and that delayed marriages have increased by 75 percent since 1990.

“Marriage is now becoming the last step into adulthood."

Moreover, rising cohabitation rates indicate that adults are opting for relationships with an "out" option rather than life-long marital commitments and those who are choosing to get married are increasingly integrating the perks of 21st-century singlehood into their relationships. Nearly 4 million married Americans are "living alone together" (LAT), a growing movement of married couples who live separately to retain the independence that they enjoyed while being single.

Minorities are affected disproportionally.

The decline in marriages is especially prevalent in minority communities, particularly minority women. The report found that marriages amongst Hispanic women declined 33 percent, and marriages amongst black women declined as much as 60 percent within the 50-year time period. Only 26 percent of black women are married, accounting for the lowest proportion of married individuals among all demographic groups. Asian women, on the other hand, have the highest marriage rates among all demographics at 56 percent.

We're living with the consequences.

The sexual revolution has transformed marriage into an option of convenience in the "last step" of adulthood rather than the assumed pre-requisite for it. The revolution purported to emancipate, particularly women, from the obligations of traditional marriage, promising more satisfaction and fulfillment. Did it fulfill its promises? The results are in, and the answer is a resounding no. Fifty years after the revolution, married Americans report the highest levels of fulfillment and satisfaction when compared to those who are single or cohabitating. Moreover, mental health is at a breaking point. As Glenn reported, suicide rates skyrocketed 30 percent in 2022, with a 50 percent increase in the black community alone. Are we really more satisfied and fulfilled than our parents and grandparents 50 years ago? The evidence says otherwise.

Perhaps the "archaic" notion that "marriage is sacred," as Glenn defends, actually has some wisdom to it.

14 'manly' movies that will show your sons how to become good men

When was the last time you saw a recent movie or series that displayed a strong, masculine man in a positive way? They are few and far between. Arguably Top Gun: Maverick's monumental success is largely due to the fact that it told the story of strong, male heroes. It stood out from the rest of the generic woke films coming out of Hollywood.

It is sad that there are so few examples in pop culture that show examples of what true manhood looks like—but there are a few. Glenn's staff compiled a list of films for parents who want to show their children/teenagers positive examples of manhood. These films will encourage your kids to use their strength to fight for what is right, to use their intellect to stand up for truth, to persevere through the overwhelming events and questions that life has in store, and to have compassion.

Note: Given some of the themes such as suicide, brief nudity, and some gun violence, it is recommended that parents watch these films first to ensure they are appropriate for their children.

1. Silverado

Silverado is a classic "modern" Western that pits four unlikely heroes against a cattle baron. The action is excellent and you get 4 versions of "hero" to discuss with your kids. If there is one Western that is modern enough for your kid to sit through, it's this one. PG-13, gun violence

2. Dead Poet's Society

This classic is slower-paced film. However, it has powerful lessons about life, happiness, fulfilment, and how pressure and expectations can impact your soul. Be aware that the film features teen suicide. PG-13, teen suicide

3. Last of the Mohicans

We recommend the most recent version with Daniel Day-Lewis. The Last of the Mohicans is a great history lesson and provides a strong story about how Europeans impacted Native Americans. PG-13, nudity-free sex scene, violence

4. The Man from Snowy River

Call this a "Western" if you want to, The Man From Snowy River is really a coming-of-age story about a young man earning his way and non-violently rationalizing the death of his father. PG, no limitations

5. The Untouchables

The Untouchables is an exceptional and language-clean Mafia film. This story is about Elliot Ness vs. Al Capone. Among the Hollywood-based Mafia movies, this one is "clean" in terms of language. PG-13, gun violence

6. The Way Way Back

This film is especially great for kids with divorced parents or who otherwise lost a father. It's a clean, excellent coming-of-age story, especially for teenagers becoming young adults. This will feel universal and familiar to most young people. PG, tiny bit of language

7. 12 Years A Slave

This film, of course, deals with some very challenging themes, but compared to Roots (which they should also see, but maybe at college as it has slightly more mature themes to it), it's shorter and more digestible. It delves into personal longing and sacrifice. It's just a must-watch. Note: it is definitely R-Rated for violence and scenes of rape. Please watch first and ensure you're comfortable with it. R, violence, rape

8. Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is a classic World War II story told through the eyes of a small platoon sent on a mission to find one man in a "haystack of needles" in Normandy. The opening sequence is very violent, so take that into consideration. However, every American should see this film at some point, so you decide when is the appropriate time. PG-13, violence

9. The Natural

Not only is The Natural one of the best sports films ever made, but it is also an excellent movie to teach important lessons about persistence and being careful. As a plus, it will make your kids fall in love with Baseball. PG

10. Boyz N The Hood

Boyz N The Hood is one of the best examples of inner-city "gang" life. It has some language and drug use, so be prepared for a bit of dialogue when you watch. However, the film gives you a glimpse into inner-city life and teaches lessons without being preachy. R, language, drug use, brief nudity

11. To Kill A Mockingbird

We had to include at least one black-and-white film, and To Kill a Mockingbird is worthy of the spot. An excellent story that teaches about justice, standing up for the truth, and prejudice without being preachy. PG

12. The Secret of NIMH

We also needed an animated film, and there simply isn't a better one that tells a good story and teaches vital lessons than this one. The Secret of NIMF is Don Bluth's best film by far. Though the film has villains and heroes galore, the main hero is a small "mom" mouse, a rarity in animated movies. G

13. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Just among the best comedy films ever, Monty Python and the Holy Grail gives you a chance to expose your kids to the Python troupe but in a complete movie story instead of just sketches. It is a great example of intellectual and tasteful humor. I promise you'll be shocked at how funny it still is. PG-13, brief nudity

15. Rocky IV

Even if your kids haven't seen Rocky 1-3, this film stands on its own. Plus, you can explain the Cold War to them (especially important right now). It's clean of language and sex, and they will see lots of muscles and maybe get inspired to hit the gym. PG-13, violence

'Really shook me': You NEED to know what my researcher told me about NUCLEAR WAR

Screenshot from BlazeTV

You need to read this. It is crucial.

Nuclear war is more imminent than ever since the end of the Cold War, and unless the Biden administration changes course, it can become a real possibility.

As a nation, we are NOT prepared. But YOU can take steps NOW to give you and your family the best chance of survival in a worst-case scenario.

As we do every week, my team sends my email subscribers the exclusive documents behind the Glenn TV special. This week includes practical steps to prepare for nuclear war.

It is vitally important that you have this knowledge. You can enter your email here to get access.

I also wanted to pause and recognize the gravity of the situation.

Many of us remember the looming fear of a nuclear attack.

One of my researchers came to me while working on this particular episode and told me that the weight and fragility of the topic left him feeling helpless, frustrated, and numb.

Many of us remember the looming fear of a nuclear attack while growing up during the Cold War. Now that this fear has returned, it is natural to be overcome by emotion. If you were born after the Cold War, this is likely a fresh new fear that you have no context for.

If either of these feelings resonated with you, you are not alone. I'd like you to read what my researcher shared with me:

On the way into the soundstage yesterday I made the remark to Glenn that we have to research a lot of very depressing subjects in putting together his Wednesday Night Special each week. He laughed because he knows it’s true (and because he comes up with most of these depressing subjects). But, I told him, working on this week’s episode was the most depressed about a subject I’ve been in a long time. Digging into the history of the nuclear arms race and the current nuclear threat was relentlessly disturbing and bleak. The daily headlines about Russia, China, and North Korea just piled onto the misery.

Working on Glenn’s Wednesday Night Special, we’ll often be saturated in a subject for a week and a half, sometimes longer. Doing constant deep dives on the world’s evils, you become numb to it all to a certain extent. But this week’s episode really shook me out of the numbness.

As a child of the 1980s, I have strong memories of being terrified of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. But those fears mostly faded away over the next twenty-five years as communism largely crumbled in Eastern Europe and Russia. We lost our sense of urgency and alarm over nuclear weapons. It was a harsh wake up call to be reminded of the horrific reality that nuclear war would entail. It also didn’t help that I re-watched the 1983 TV movie “The Day After” (which Glenn talks about in this week’s episode).

We always strive to produce important, relevant episodes, but this week’s has a particular urgency as the U.S. deepens its commitment to Ukraine in their war with Russia. The world has changed – we no longer have just one nuclear foe. We desperately need a potent reminder that the world sits on a tinderbox of nearly 13,000 nuclear warheads. And we have cartoonish villains like Kim Jong-un who apparently like to play with matches.

After seeing this week’s episode, some younger members of Glenn’s staff remarked that they didn’t know about “nuclear winter” or the terrifying details about nuclear war and its consequences. It’s not something that’s fun to think about. But it’s vital to think about. We must renew the conclusion reached by Reagan and Gorbachev at their 1985 summit: “…a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”

I don't want to create the same type of feelings and paranoia I had growing up during the Cold War, but I do want us to be aware that this is a real possibility that we can prepare for, even if our government isn't. Even though it often feels like there is so little that we can control on the national stage, there is so much you CAN do to protect and prepare you and your family.

SIX things you MUST know to survive a nuclear attack

GraphicaArtis / Contributor | Getty Images

Do you know what to do in the event of a nuclear bomb? If you were in school anytime before 1989, you probably do. Preparing for nuclear bombs was a routine drill in schools and workplaces during the Cold War. However, most people born after the Cold War have never been taught what to do before, during, and immediately after a nuclear explosion.

As nuclear war feels more imminent now than at any other point since the Cold War, it is vital that we know what to do in the case of a nuclear event. As Glenn discussed last night on his Glenn TV special, here are 5 things you MUST know in case of a nuclear explosion. To get the full research that went into the Glenn TV special about nuclear preparation, click here.

1. Get inside as soon as possible, preferably underground.

As soon as you can, get inside your house or a building, preferably something brick or concrete. The main objective is to avoid "nuclear fallout," which are tiny radioactive particles and dust that result from the initial blast with the potential of causing lethal radiation poisoning.

Stay as far away as possible from windows, outer walls, and the roof. If you have access to a basement, that’s even better. Underground is always going to be better.

If you don't have a basement, get to the center of the building or house, like a stairwell.

2. Stay inside for at least 24 hours, preferably longer.

Nuclear fallout's radiation levels drops to 1 percent of its initial radiation levels after two weeks, so it would be ideal to remain inside for that duration.

3. If you CAN'T make it inside, here's what to do:

Take cover behind something, lay flat on the ground, and cover your head. It could take up to thirty seconds for the blast wave to reach you.

Cover your mouth with some kind of cloth material.

As soon as you can get indoors, remove your clothes and seal them off in a plastic bag. Put the bag as far away from people as possible.

Removing your clothes can reduce your fallout contamination by up to 90 percent. Blow your nose and wash out your ears, in case there is any contaminated dirt particles It’s best to take a shower with plenty of soap and shampoo—no conditioner as it can bind radioactive particles to your scalp.

4. What you CAN and CANNOT eat and drink.

It’s okay to eat and drink anything that’s in a sealed container, package, bottle, or can. You can eat food from your pantry and refrigerator. However, any food left uncovered, even inside your house, and especially anything from an outdoor garden, is not safe.

You cannot boil water to get rid of radiation. But you CAN use tap water to wash dishes and take showers. Even if the public water supply is contaminated from fallout, the water dilutes the radiation enough to keep it from being harmful.

5. Do NOT scratch your skin.

Don't scratch your skin – if you do have scrapes, try to cover them. Scratches enable radioactive material to enter your bloodstream.

6. Battery-powered technology is essential.

Following the initial blast, there will be an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) explosion, which will render all electrically-powered essentially useless—goodbye smart phones! Battery or crank-powered radios will be essential to keep tabs on the "outside world."

To get the full research that went into the Glenn TV special about nuclear preparation, click here.

Glenn's Show Prep