Hey Occupy, if America is so terrible why do people risk dying to get here?

by Sara Johnson

While Occupy marches through the streets of Chicago protesting “corporate greed” (yet demanding they be given things they haven’t earned), “police brutality” (while breaking store windows and plotting acts of terrorism), and countless other ridiculously backward complaints, one man joined a large number of brave men and women who have risked their lives to experience the freedom we have been blessed with in America.

Over the weekend the blind Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, who escaped house arrest and risked his life to get to the U.S. embassy in China, finally made it to America. The 40-year-old activist, known as a leader in the civil rights struggle in China, is symbolic of a new breed of activists that the Communist Party finds threatening. Why? They appeal to the average citizen, making them effective in empowering others to join them. Chen was well known for fighting for disabled farmers’ rights and fighting against forced abortions in his community, and because of this, he and his family had been living under house arrest for about seven years.

Bob Fu, founder and president of the U.S.-based human rights group China Aid, played a key role in publicizing Chen’s escape and updating the events that took place leading up to his transport to the U.S.  Fu, who also escaped persecution from China, was instrumental in keeping pressure on our leaders here at home; getting Chen two opportunities to speak to Congress live from China. Fu’s PR success with this story helped make the average American aware of the dire situation Chen was in after making it to the U.S. Embassy adding pressure to our government leaders. The story was all over the news, and you would have been hard pressed to find an American who didn’t think we should protect Chen and get him to America.

Despite the public support, most American-born citizens don’t know what it is like to have a real fear of their own government, my generation in particular – the “20-somethings.” The average American under the age of thirty has barely been taught enough about the countries where citizens have or do live under oppression to really comprehend how blessed they are to live here. As Glenn has revealed on his program many times, there are many college professors that are teaching their students that America isn’t great and our government is oppressive. Any proof needed of that can be easily found in the “Occupy” movement.

As the “I want” generation demands free education, housing, and refer to a guaranteed job as a human right, Chinese citizens, like Chen, are fighting the right of life or the life of their second child. While young, single women around the country are complaining about their college making them pay tens of dollars a month for birth control, women in the Sharia governed countries would be stoned for needing it. Young people listen to music and watch TV shows and movies every day that talk about women like they are a commodity, well in countries like China, they are. The female infanticide rate is through the roof because of the one child policy. So, while women within our borders claim abortion is a matter of “women’s health and women’s rights,” citizens of China are fighting for the right to life, or at least to choose.

When in the last time you saw people fleeing the “oppression” of America to go to China? Never, yet that is exactly what many of the Occupy protesters are fighting for. They want guaranteed housing, healthcare, education, jobs, clothes – you name it, they want it, and it’s Uncle Sam’s job to provide it for them. Well Occupy, all of that can be found in communist China, along with forced abortions, death rooms for babies, more executions than any other country in the world, religious persecution, etc.

Chen arrived at NYU on Saturday and recounted how he made his way to America, and thanked those who helped him. He also shared some stories how he and his family were persecuted, and the fear he has that his extended family will be punished. Have you ever had to worry about the government physically hurting or imprisoning your extended family because of something you did? Of course not, but that doesn’t keep members of my generation from marching through the streets shouting “F*** the police, throwing things at officers and claiming police brutality.

Chen is expected to attend law school at NYU, a dream of his, and if NYU wasn’t too busy offering class credit to join the Occupy movement that’s pushing to overthrow the U.S. government for a system like the one Chen fled, they might take this opportunity to highlight what people are willing to risk to get to America. And, how unique our country is for allowing refugees, like Chen, to come to here and pursue their dreams.

We are all guilty of taking the blessings of America for granted from time to time, and our country isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is exceptional. If we opened our borders and stripped away the immigration laws, do you think there would be a huge influx of people into our country or out of it? What country do people run to when they are being persecuted in their own country? Who do they ask for help from? There is one reason for that, and our current President refers to it as a “negative charter of liberties.”

Every American could probably learn a thing or two from Chen Guangcheng about how blessed we are to live where we do, but younger especially the younger generations. Every time you see a mother with two kids, a female or disabled child, even a (peaceful) protester, thank God you live in America.

How RFK's example can help our nation in the wake of Trump's attack

Rowland Scherman / Contributor | Getty Images

How did you feel last Saturday when you heard the news that a former president of the United States narrowly avoided an assassin's bullet by a mere few inches? Were you angry at the media for their constant demonization of Trump and his conservative contingency? Did you blame the left for curating a political climate that fostered an assassination attempt?

In his immediate reaction to the news, Glenn pointed us back to a similar moment in American history: April 4th, 1968—the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

"The best speech I've ever heard given was by RFK Sr. on the day Martin Luther King was killed" - Glenn

Robert F. Kennedy, the father of current independent presidential candidate RFK Jr., was en route to Indianapolis when he heard the terrible news. His security team, expecting violent outrage across the country, asked RFK Sr. to turn around and head back to safety. But as Glenn said, RFK Sr. believed in the good in people and demanded to give his speech. He arrived in Indianapolis Park late in the day, and he addressed the crowd of predominantly black campaign supporters.

There were no riots in Indianapolis that night.

The message RFK Sr. gave that night wasn't one of vengeance, hatred, or hopelessness, but of calm and goodness. He appealed to the best in people. He called for people to set aside their differences, anger, fear, and confusion and instead express love and compassion towards one another. RFK Sr. asked for wisdom and the pursuit of justice so that we might be resolute in our unity as the country faces another difficult chapter.

What we need in this country is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.

Glenn has made a similar plea to our nation—a plea for unity and not to lash out in fear and anger. Don't use this time to blame your friends and family who disagree with you politically for what happened or to tell them "I told you so!" Instead, reach out with compassion and grace. This is a turning point in American history. Let's turn it upward, away from hatred and violence and towards unison and compassion.

Fortunately, President Trump walked away from his attempted assassination with very minor injuries. The bullet that wounded Trump's ear could have just as easily ended his life, and his survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Sadly, that miracle didn't extend to everyone attending Trump's ill-fated Pennsylvania rally. Three other people were shot. David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both Pennslyavia residents, are thankfully in stable condition. Corey Comperatore, however, tragically died after being shot while protecting his wife and daughter from the hail of gunfire.

“Corey died a hero."

Camperatore, a 50-year-old loving father and husband from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania leaves behind his daughter Allyson, his wife Helen, sister Dawn, and many other friends and family. Camperatore was a man of service, having spent 43 years as part of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company and had worked his way to becoming the fire chief when he stepped down to spend more time with his daughter.

Corey Comperatore's firefighting gear outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Corey's friends and family have nothing but good things to say about him, and judging by their testimonies, Corey's final heroic act was consistent with how the volunteer firefighter lived his life.

According to many people who knew Compertore, he was a true patriot who loved his country. He was a fan of President Trump. Compertore was very excited to attend Saturday's rally, which he expressed in his last social media post.

Corey_Comper/X

During his speech addressing the shooting, President Biden expressed his condolences to the Comperatore family, stating that "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired.”

Democrat Mutiny? These prominent Progressives and Democratic leaders DEMAND that Biden withdraw

NurPhoto / Contributor, Justin Sullivan / Staff, Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

Biden is still taking hard blows from both sides of the aisle after his abysmal performance in last month's presidential debate. As Glenn pointed out in his post-debate coverage, Biden came across as so incompetent that it has made many Americans scared that, should the country face a major threat, Biden would be unable to respond to it. This includes many Democrats, who are finally admitting that Biden isn't as fit as they have been claiming for the last four years.

Many names have already been suggested as potential replacements for the Democratic nominee, but many people, including some Democrats, don't believe Biden should even stay in office for the election. Here are some prominent progressives and Democratic lawmakers who have called for President Biden's resignation:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Texas)

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Arizona)

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Seth Moulton (Massachusetts)

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Mike Quigley (Illinois)

Pool / Pool | Getty Images

Rep. Angie Craig (Minnesota)

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington)

Scott J. Ferrell / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Pat Ryan (New York)

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Hillary Scholten (Michigan)

Bill Clark / Contributor | Getty Images

Senator Peter Welch (Vermont)

Bonnie Cash / Stringer | Getty Images

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

BONUS: Actor George Clooney

Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

These TOP 5 new technologies left Glenn SHOCKED

Peter Macdiarmid / Staff | Getty Images

Glenn has been covering some of the most groundbreaking, exciting, and often terrifying technological advances. Some new tech has the potential to make a positive impact. Some tech is just SUPER cool, like a flame-throwing robot dog. However, there is also a dark side to technology. Glenn exposes how some new technological developments, particularly in the realm of AI, pose serious ethical questions.

Here are the top five new technologies that Glenn covered that will make your jaw drop:

Anti-gravity device

This new technology developed by Dr. Charles Buhler and his team may change everything we know about transportation and travel. Described as "propellant-less propulsion" by Dr. Buhler, this technology appears to defy gravity and is potentially a way for people to travel into and through space without the need for rockets. It doesn't stop there either, this tech could be used to forever change the way we travel here on Earth.

Human embryo-powered supercomputer

To have massively powerful AI, something, which many people seem to have an invested interest in, you need a lot of electricity to power the computers that host the artificial intelligences. Naturally, this energy consumption upsets the environmentalists so in response a terrifying solution was developed. Bio Processors are essentially computer chips powered by human cells, specifically stem cells, which are predominantly harvested from embryos. These Bio Processors have a limited shelf life, meaning they need a steady supply of stem cells to keep the computers that use them operational. What could be more terrifying than an AI that eats human cells?

Voice-stealing AI

When ChatGPT came out in late 2022 its power and versatility took the world by storm. Suddenly, students had it write entire essays in mere seconds, and it was creating songs and poems with ease. The capabilities of the ChatGPT AI were as disturbing as they were impressive, but after a recent update, it took a hard turn towards disturbing. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, decided to give the program a voice and tried to recruit famous actress Scarlett Johansson to lend her voice to the machine. After she declined the offer, OpenAI went ahead and released the update for ChatGPT featuring a voice that sounded eerily similar to Johansson's. While OpenAI claims it's a different, similar-sounding voice actress, the idea that a computer is going around with your stolen voice is terrifying.

Flamethrower robot dog

How could you possibly ever make something cooler than a flamethrower? Simple, strap it to the back of a robotic dog of course! Originally built to help fight forest fires (ironically enough) by creating backburns, Glenn pointed out that a pack of these bad boys patrolling your property would be the ultimate home defense. Nobody would come anywhere near your house if it was guarded by a few of these firey companions.

Wormhole-generating UFO's

It's been a decade since the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. No trace of the aircraft or any of its passengers, except a few small pieces of debris, were ever found nor was an official cause of the disappearance ever given. There have been an infinite number of theories explaining what might have happened, but this one from investigative journalist Ashton Forbes might take the cake for the wildest. Forbes joined Glenn on his radio show and brought with him convincing video evidence that seemed to show the now-missing aircraft being circled by three mysterious orbs before suddenly disappearing in a flash of light. Does this video show the doomed aircraft being sucked into an artificial wormhole, or is it an amazing piece of hoaxwork?