RADIODecember 28, 2023

THIS lesson from the 1970s rings true TODAY

The chaos of 2023 reminds Glenn a lot of the chaos of the 1970s: economic turmoil, despair, an energy crisis, rampant crime. In the 70s, many people stopped believing in America. But in 1978, Glenn heard something that he believes still rings true: Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," featuring Henry Fonda. After re-listening to it, Glenn used it as a model and rewrote the speech in his own words for our time.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Sometimes, all the time, when you listen to this program. It can kick you to the curb.

It can just kick you in the head, repeatedly, and repeatedly. And you feel like everything is out of control.

Let me start with something that will give you perspective.

In 1978, at a time that was much like this one. See if this sounds family. The country was in shambles. Stagflation. Despair.

Energy crisis. Rampant crime. People were hopeless. Disillusioned. They stopped believing in America. They stopped believing that things will get better.

The greatest city as was declared in the early 1960s. Detroit had fallen from its perch.

The car industry, once the greatest in the world, was in shambles.

America was now being clobbered by a country in the Far East, who were coming here buying our land and our landmarks.

Americans felt America was over.

Does that sound familiar at all?

So at that time, 1978, one of the greatest American composers, Aaron Copland, joined with Henry Fonda, just to remind Americans of who they were, where they came from.

Aaron Copland wrote -- he's just written some of the greatest American music of all time. He had the Philharmonic, playing all of his beautiful music.

And Henry Fonda took to the stage, and spoke. He spoke of the dark times, and the hope of Abraham Lincoln. I listened to that, over the last few days.

And the feeling of 1978, because I remember hearing that, when I was a kid.

And the feeling of that time and the words that he was speaking, rang true to me. I don't have the license to be able to play the Aaron Copland thing with Henry Fonda. But you should look it up and listen to it.

Now, I don't have Aaron Copland backing me up, and I don't have Henry Fonda's voice or credibility. But I do have mine. And I do have my thoughts. And I do know history.

So I took his speech, as a model. And I wrote it anew.

Now, his whole story of Lincoln, but I chose the words of three presidents and one average citizen to tell the story of you and me.

And all of us who are lucky enough, to dare call ourselves American.

In the early dawn of our nation, we stood at freedom's threshold.

That is what he said. That is what George Washington said.

Citizens of a young nation, behold, our path of freedom.

We in this fledgling republic, carry the weight of a new world on you're shoulders.

Our actions, humble or grand, will forge a legacy beyond you're lifetimes. The responsibility of freedom.

The duty of honor. These are the burdens that we bear, for future generations.

Let the standard of the wise, the honest, guide us under the watchful end of providence, he said.

This is what George Washington said. In times of peace and uncertainty, our resolve must never falter.

The sacred fire of liberty, entrusted to the American people, demands our vigilance. In this great experiment of government, our actions will echo through the ages.

Citizens of a young nation, behold the path of freedom.

That is what he said. He was born in Virginia, land of rolling hills and boundless skies.
And this is what he said. This is what George Washington said.

Let us raise that standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.

Duty, honor, country, these are not mere words. They are the foundations of a life well-lived.

In stature and in spirit, he stood tall. And this is what he said: The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destination of the -- the destiny of the Republican model of government, are entrusted to the hands of the American people. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will only be because we destroyed ourselves.

A leader, a reluctant general, a president, a man of deep honor and integrity. A father of a country. George Washington was a man of few, but powerful words. But when he spoke of duty and honor, this is what he said.

He said, labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

George Washington, the first president of these United States forever etched in the annals of history.

In the winter at valley forge, this is what he said. He said, perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.

Let us therefore, rely on the goodness of our cause. And the aid of the supreme being.

In whose hands victory is. To animate and encourage us, to great and noble actions.

Later, admits the turmoil to end an ancient evil, try to right the nation's wrongs. A voice rose again.

A beacon of hope, amidst the sea of despair. And this is what he said: This is what Abraham Lincoln said.

Fondly do we hope. Fervently do we pray. That this mighty scourge may speedily pass away.

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all of the wealth piled by the bondsmen 250 years of unrequited toil, shall be sunk, until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.

As it was said 3,000 years ago, still it must be said. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

He said, with malice toward none, with charity for all. With firmness, in the right as God gives us, the right to see it.

Let us strive, to finish the work we're in, and bind the nation's wounds. The storm passed. But our nation's wounds were deep.

This time, it took a king to pull us back together. Not like the kings of old, who claimed God gave them the right to rule and be master over men.

This king, quietly, meekly, peacefully, became the servant of God and man.

Martin Luther King, who told us to love and forgive, and live up to our own ideals. To live as one. Not seeing the color of skin.

Almost a century after that great and bloody war, evil in the heart of man, dared showed its face again.

And this king joined Abraham Lincoln, as he too was crowned in glory as a martyr.

But this is what he said: He said, when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note, to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men, yes. Black as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it is obvious today, that America has defaulted on this promissory note, in so far as her citizens of color are concerned.

But we refused to believe that the bank of justice is abrupt.

We refused to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

And so we come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand, the riches of freedom, the security of justice.

This is what he said. This is what Martin Luther King said.

I have a dream today. That all men can live together, live as one. And not be judged by the color of his skin. But by the content of his character.

In the quest for freedom, we stand as one. That is what he said.

That is what Ronald Reagan said. In the quest for freedom, we stand as one. Across the globe, wherever tyranny cast its shadow, here or abroad. It is the duty of every American to be a beacon of hope.

Our nation conceived in liberty, carries the torch that enlightens the world. And in the face of oppression, we shall not waver.

Our resolve is strength. Our unity, our shield.

Born in Illinois, who like Washington, Lincoln, and MLK, never lost his God-given optimism.

Reagan had found it in his upbringing. And he too dreamt of a world unchained.

And this is what he said. This is what Ronald Reagan said.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for. It didn't be protected.

And then handed on for them to do the same. Standing firm, he looked beyond the horizon, and this is what he said.

He said, evil is powerless. If the good are unafraid.

We are a nation, that has a government, not the other way around.

This is what makes us special among the nations of earth.

Ronald Reagan, once a Democrat, then a Republican.

An American Financing president and leader. A man who saw America not just as a country, but as an ideal.

But when he spoke of Americans duty, this is what he said.

He said, we must always remember, we must always be prepared.

So we may always be free.

Our cause is noble. And it is the cause of mankind.

In his words at the Brandenburg Gate, this is what he said. Let us be a force for good. A force for freedom. A force that fights for peace and justice, in a world too often scarred by the opposite.

And as the dream of freedom endures, its guardians emerge in new forms. This is what Ronald Reagan said. In the quest for freedom, we unite against darkness. The darkness of tyranny.

Our nation, a beacon of hope, stands resilient against the bullies of the world.

We inherit not just a land. But a legacy of freedom. That we must defend with unwavering courage.

He said, let us be unafraid in the face of evil. Our unity is our strength. And in that strength, lies the power to shape a world that cherishes freedom and justice. Our destiny is not predetermined. It is only crafted by our own hands, our hearts, and our unwavering spirit.

And the symphony of our nation's history, these voices blend into a single enduring Melody. From the foundations laid by the vision of Washington to the unyielding resolve championed by Reagan, and the enduring hope of justice. That was articulated by Lincoln. Our journey is one of continuous striving.

We as a people have weathered the storms of change, and stood as a pillar against the tides of oppression.

Together, these voices echo. Our legacy is not merely in the battles won. But in the unrelenting pursuit of a world where freedom reigns supreme.

The spirit of America, resilient. Bold. Inspires us to uphold the ideals of democracy and humanity.

So in unity, we must affirm. As heirs to this great legacy.

We must carry forward the torch of liberty. Let us here and abroad be the keepers of this flame. A light that guides the world, toward a brighter, more just future.

For in unity. In our courage. In our commitment to the ideals that have always defined us. We will find strength to build a world where freedom, justice, and hope flourish for all.

Shocking train video: Passengers wait while woman bleeds out

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.