The real death of shame

January 22, 2015

Writer

Another off the record conversation Glenn shared on radio today focused on technology. After speaking with a silicon valley power player, Glenn relayed the new way of thinking about emerging technology discussed in the conversation. Basically, no matter how hard government tries, they will not be able to contain advancements. How will this all lead to the real death of shame?

GLENN: Facebook is now cited in a third of all divorce cases.

PAT: That's amazing to me.

GLENN: That is incredible. Now, what does that mean?

Because Facebook is an ongoing log of our lives, the sharing of written posts and pictures many times with geotracking provides a record of activity that is being used today in court cases in divorces. In one-third of all divorces.

If a partner refers to an impending bonus, a new job offer, plans for a holiday, it may provide evidence that they're not telling the truth about their financial pos. At the very least, it could call their credibility into question. It's like having a massive public notice board.

Someone says she's not in a relationship with anyone new, but then posted a message inviting everyone to a house-warming party for her and her boyfriend. Specialists at the firm examined over 200 cases and found Facebook was used by legal teams in a third of the divorce cases.

This is -- this is the new future that I want to talk to you about here.

And I think there are very few people in the world that understand this. And I may come to the wrong conclusions, but I want you to understand this because we should have a debate -- a conversation about what is coming.

I think, and I told you at the time, that the Sony hacking was a massive moment. Was something really, really important. Because I thought it sent a signal -- wait a minute. I can get a company like Sony. I can go in and hack in. I can get a company like Sony to move. Why wouldn't I do that with GM or GE? Why wouldn't I do that with some of the biggest corporations in the world. Why wouldn't I do that with the federal government? And they're now hacking into the federal government.

I've also told you that what you put online and this is one thing -- I said this to somebody yesterday and they looked at me for a second and they said, oh, crap, I never even thought about it that way.

Look at your phone. Your phone has a listening device and an eye. It has -- it has those two things that we would never bring in to -- I'd never say, hey, if I put a -- I was going to put a secret camera in your bedroom and a listening device in there. And you don't know if I'm listening or not. Or somebody else might be listening. Do you mind if I put it in there? Everybody would say no. But because I put it on a phone, you immediately say, oh, I'll do that. And it's unlike a phone that you have in your bedroom now, that doesn't have an eye and doesn't have a receiver end.

This is propped up in a cradle, so as you put it in to the cradle to recharge, the eye is staring right at you in bed. Everything that you look at -- and I don't know if you've ever seen those guys that people hack in and they're online. And all of a sudden porn comes on to the screen and it's people hacking in, and they're putting really inappropriate things up on the screen.

JEFFY: I hate that.

GLENN: Yeah, I know.

[laughter]

And you watch their reaction and some people follow the scent of the porn. And that is able to happen without somebody putting the porn on your i Pad. Somebody can be watching what you're doing -- somebody can be watching what you're reading, what's happening. Okay.

Now, we know that all of those things can happen. We know now that Sony has been hacked into. We know that Google has told us -- Eric Schmidt has told us that this generation will have to change their name by the time they're 25 to be able to get away from all of the stupid stuff that is online under their name. Because you just will have too much out there.

PAT: It's already costing kids jobs now because employers are looking at their Facebook posts and what they've done on Instagram and all that stuff and they're saying, no. No. I don't want you.

GLENN: Yeah. So you're an open book.

Now, let's add the Sony factor in. And let's add the future of technology. Phones are going to be everywhere. Phones will be on your watch. You know, some -- or cameras. Cameras will be on your watch. Some cameras will be embedded in your home. Some will be embedded in clothing. And you'll put them on. Your glasses. Did you guys see what happened yesterday with Microsoft? Their new hologram glasses?

PAT: No.

GLENN: Oh, jeez. Go to my Facebook page and see if there's any audio worth pulling up. I pulled it off Microsoft yesterday. They're on -- it's unbelievable. It's absolutely unbelievable. So they're holographic glasses you wear. And it's unlike -- it's more like the Google glass, except it puts in your environment all your apps. You want to watch Netflix, you don't have to have to have TV.

PAT: The HoloLens?

GLENN: Yeah.

PAT: Is it good audio or just visual?

GLENN: I think it's mainly visual. We'll listen to it during the break and see. But it's up on my Facebook page. You should watch it. This is what came out yesterday. That's a two-way street. It's gathering information, and it's giving you information. Whatever you're looking at, it's seeing. Whatever is in the room, it's seeing. It's recording. Two-way information. So when people hacked into Sony, they knew, okay, now we have real power. Governments will be the first ones to say, we have to fight for -- we have to fight for the right to privacy, for them.

For instance, a friend of mine suggested that we put a camera on a politician all the time. That they have to wear a camera. You want a candidate that says, I have nothing to hide. He has to wear a camera all the time. So you see what he sees all the time. If there's anybody who should not have privacy, it's the people who work for the public. But they'll the first ones to say, no, no, there has to be secrets. The next ones that will say that are the corporations. We have no power, no money, we're last on the food chain. Whatever it is that will protect their information, it will trickle down to the private individual.

Here's where it gets good, there is no way to protect the privacy. At this point, there's nothing to protect the privacy. And things will get so bad. What's going to happen is, something called the death of shame. Now, I think we're already at the death of shame. That people just don't have -- there's no shame anymore.

But once there are cameras everywhere, recording everything, once everybody can see what you look like in the bedroom, everybody can see -- I mean, think of this. How many of us -- how many of us even charge our phones there at the bathroom sink? So there you are in all your naked glory, brushing your teeth.

PAT: I'm never naked when I brush my teeth. I put clothes on as quickly as I possibly can so I don't have to look at anything.

GLENN: I do too.

STU: Unless you're in really good shape. Because things are jiggling.

GLENN: Anyway, so -- how many of us have that exposure all the time?

When you have that kind of exposure, when you're seeing the things that people are posting online, and when it is out, whether you want to post it or not, now, everybody is shameful. Now everybody is like, holy cow. That came out about you. Don't worry about it, Bob, you should see what came out about me last month. So shame dies in our society.

What is that like? When there is no shame.

How do you have self-regulation?

Right now, shame is meant -- is used to hold together and keep our feet on a course. And the more that shame dies, the worst it gets.

Okay. So what do you do?

As shame is dying, secrets are opened. Somebody is going to need something where they can embed secrets. Where you have privacy again.

I believe bitcoin is the future of that privacy. Not just for money, but for information.

I was talking to somebody yesterday at Silicon Valley, and they were talking to me about bitcoin. And we talked about the ability for bitcoin, that blockchain, to be able to have information. Because what I was talking to him about was the rise of fascism. And I said, how do we fight against the rise of fascism, when these global governments start to block the way?

And he said, you're not going to be able to -- you'll have to shut down the entire internet. You won't be able to do it. The faster fascism rises, the faster this change will come. The way to do it, is blockchain, he said.

And that is the way to transfer money in bitcoin. He said you'll be able to do it in packets of information. Right now, they can see what you're writing and watching online. But if you encode everything with blockchain, which is the way it's going to have to be done because the giant corporations will need to be able to keep their servers protected. They're going to need to have their money protected. The only way to do that is through a blockchain.

And so he was suggesting that you embed in the blockchain, that's also the way you deliver pacts of information. So all your emails will be individually encrypted and individually opened. If you go online, they won't be able to follow you on what you're watching online. What you're doing online because you'll have an individual blockchain.

If that is true, that solves a lot of the things we're worried about. If that is true, you cannot put the genie back into the bottle. Because what I've been afraid is, do they cut off the supply of information? Can they track you and your every thought?

The answer is yes. However, if you introduce the blockchain, freedom comes with that. Freedom of money -- freedom is money. The more money you have, sometimes, the more free you are. You can go do things.

But money is also freedom of speech. And what that means is, that blockchain, that bitcoin blockchain will protect your freedom of speech, and it will protect you having money. Because you go -- you go across the border now and they'll say to you, you have $10,000 -- you have $10,000? You carrying any currency across the border? Nope. But the minute I cross the border and I have bitcoin and a blockchain, if I have the code in my head, yes, I'm carrying more than $10,000 cash. I'm carrying everything across the border. And there's nothing they can do with it. So they can no longer stop people. You no longer have to smuggle money. You no longer to have smuggle things because it's all in your head. And as long as you have your blockchain memorized, you're fine.

That's a significant development. And for me, at least, significant hope that we have really weird times coming our way. Really weird times. The death of shame. That's going to be an interesting ride.

However, because of technology that is right over the corner, right over the horizon, we have the possibility of being more free than we've ever been before.

The Deep State's NEW plan to backstab Trump

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move.

In 2016, Donald Trump shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. Conservatives cheered, believing we’d taken back the reins of our country. But we missed the bigger battle. We failed to recognize the extent of the damage caused by eight years of Barack Obama and decades of progressive entrenchment. The real war isn’t won at the ballot box. It’s being waged against an insidious force embedded deep within our institutions: the administrative state, or the “deep state.”

This isn’t a new problem. America’s founders foresaw it, though they didn’t have a term for “deep state” back in the 1700s. James Madison, in Federalist 48, warned us that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the same hands is “the very definition of tyranny.” Yet today, that’s exactly where we stand. Unelected bureaucrats in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice hold more power than the officials we vote for. They control the levers of government with impunity, dictating policies and stifling change.

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege.

We’ve felt the consequences of this growing tyranny firsthand. During COVID-19, so-called experts ran our lives, crushing civil liberties under the guise of public safety. Our intelligence agencies and justice system turned into weapons of political warfare, targeting a sitting president and his supporters. Meanwhile, actual criminals were given a pass, turning American cities into lawless war zones.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 that “the functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty and property of their constituents.” Today, we see Jefferson’s prophecy fulfilled. The deep state exercises unchecked power over our freedoms, and information itself is controlled by the fourth branch of government: the legacy media.

Even when we win elections, the deep state doesn’t concede defeat. It switches to survival mode. Trump’s first term proved this. Despite a historic mandate to dismantle the bureaucracy, the deep state fought back with everything it had: leaks, investigations, court rulings, and obstruction at every turn. And now, with the possibility of Trump returning to office, the deep state is preparing to do it again.

Progressives are laying out their attack plan — and they’re not even hiding it.

U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) recently boasted about forming a “shadow cabinet” to govern alongside the deep state, regardless of who’s in the White House. Nickel called it “democracy’s insurance policy.” Let’s be clear: This isn’t insurance. It’s sabotage.

They’ll employ a “top down, bottom up, inside out” strategy to overwhelm and collapse any effort to reform the system. From the top, federal judges and shadow officials will block Trump’s every move. Governors in blue states like California and New York are gearing up to resist federal authority. During Trump’s first term, California filed over 100 lawsuits against his administration. Expect more of the same starting January 20.

From the bottom, progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union will flood the streets with protesters, much as they did to oppose Trump’s first-term immigration reforms. They’ve refined their tactics since 2016 and are prepared to unleash a wave of civil unrest. These aren’t spontaneous movements; they’re coordinated assaults designed to destabilize the administration.

Finally, from the inside, the deep state will continue its mission of self-preservation. Agencies will drag their feet, leak sensitive information, and undermine policies from within. Their goal is to make everything a chaotic mess, so the heart of their power — the bureaucratic core — remains untouched and grows stronger.

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move. Progressives never see themselves as losing. When they’re out of power, they simply shift tactics, pumping more blood into their bureaucratic heart. We may win elections, but the war against the deep state will only intensify. As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force; and force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege. The deep state has shown us its plan: to govern from the shadows, circumventing the will of the people. But now that the shadows have been exposed, we have a choice. Will we accept this silent tyranny, or will we demand accountability and reclaim our nation’s heart?

The battle is just beginning. We can’t afford to lose.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Drone mystery exposes GLARING government incompetence

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

The drone issue is getting way out of hand.

Earlier this month, Glenn first reported on the mysterious drones stalking the night sky over New Jersey, but the situation is increasingly concerning as the sightings have escalated. Not only have drones been seen across the Northeast Coast, including over New York City, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, but recently, they have been spotted over the night skies of San Diego and other parts of Southern California.

It doesn't take an expert to identify the potential dangers and risks that dozens of undetectable, unidentified six-foot or larger drones pose to national security. Yet, our government's response has been one of unimaginable incompetence, leaving us to speculate on the origin and intention of these drones and wonder in astonishment at the government's ineptitude. Here are three examples of the government's lackluster response to the mystery drones:

Iranian Mothership and Missing Nuclear Warheads

- / Stringer | Getty Images

After several weeks of hubbub, New Jersey Representative, Jeff Van Drew gave an interview on Fox News where he claimed that the drones originated from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States. This theory has since been disproven by satellite images, which show that all Iranian drone carriers are far from U.S. shores. Another theory suggests that drones may be equipped with sensors capable of detecting nuclear material and that they are looking for a nuclear warhead that recently went missing! With these apocalyptic theories gaining traction in the absence of any real answer from our government, one can't help but question the motive behind the silence.

Pentagon's Limp Wristed Response

Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images

In a recent press conference, national security spokesman John Kirby responded to reporters demanding answers about the government's lack of transparency, which has caused increasing public anxiety. He insisted that the drones did not pose a threat and were not assets of a foreign power, such as from Iran or China--even though he is still uncertain about their identity and origin. He also claimed that many of the sightings were simply misidentifications of normal aircraft.

This lackluster answer has only further inflamed national anxieties and raised even more questions. If the government is unsure of the identity of the drones, how do they know if they are a threat or if they aren't foreign assets? If they aren't foreign, does that mean they are U.S. assets? If so, why not just say so?

The Pentagon has also stated that they are leaving it up to local law enforcement to spearhead the investigation after concluding that these drones pose no threat to any military installation. This has left many feeling like the federal government has turned a blind eye to a serious issue that many Americans are very concerned about.

Where's Pete Buttigieg?

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

We are in the closing weeks of the Biden administration, and with the finish line in sight, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg probably figured nothing else could go wrong on his watch—but boy was he wrong. As Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is in charge of the FAA, the agency responsible for managing all air traffic across the nation. One would think that mysterious, 6-foot-long, seemingly intractable drones are invisible on radar and flying above major cities would pose a serious threat to the myriad of legal aircraft that traverse our skies. Yet, Buttigieg has been silent on the issue, adding another failure to his resume which includes: malfunctioning airplanes, the train derailment in Ohio, and the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, just to name a few.

Glenn: How Alvin Bragg turned hero Daniel Penny into a villain

Michael M. Santiago / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty.

America no longer has a single, shared understanding of justice. Two Americas now exist, each applying justice differently depending on who you are and where you live. One America, ruled by common sense and individual courage, praises heroes who stand up to protect others. The other, driven by political agendas and corrupted institutions, punishes those same heroes for daring to act.

This stark division couldn’t be clearer than in the case of Daniel Penny, the Marine whose trial in New York City this week drew strong reactions from both sides across the divided line of justice.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare.

Penny was on a subway train last year when Jordan Neely — a man suffering from severe mental illness and reportedly high on drugs — began threatening passengers, saying, “I’m going to kill you all.” The fear on that subway car was palpable, but nobody moved. Nobody, that is, until Penny did what needed to be done. He took action to protect innocent lives.

In the America many of us used to believe in, Penny’s response would be heralded as heroic. His actions mirrored the courage of Todd Beamer on Flight 93, who, on September 11, 2001, rallied others with the words, “Let’s roll,” to prevent further tragedy. But in New York, courage doesn’t seem to count anymore. There, the system turns heroes into villains.

Penny subdued Neely using a chokehold, intending only to restrain him, not kill him. Tragically, Neely died. Penny, filled with remorse, told the police he never meant to hurt anyone. Yet, instead of being recognized for protecting others from a clear and present threat, Penny stood trial for criminally negligent homicide.

In Alvin Bragg’s New York, justice bends to ideology. The Manhattan district attorney has made a career of weaponizing the law, selectively prosecuting those who don’t fit his narrative. He’s the same prosecutor who twisted legal precedent to go after Donald Trump on business charges no one had ever faced before. Then, he turned his sights on Daniel Penny.

A jury may have acquitted Penny, but what happened in New York City this week isn’t justice. When the rule of law changes depending on the defendant’s identity or the prosecutor's political motives, we’re no longer living in a free country. We’re living in a state where justice is a game, and ordinary Americans are the pawns.

The system failed Jordan Neely

It’s worth asking: Where were activists like Alvin Bragg when Neely was suffering on the streets? Jordan Neely was a tragic figure — a man with a long history of mental illness and over 40 arrests, including violent assaults. The system failed him long before he stepped onto that subway train. Yet rather than confront that uncomfortable truth, Bragg’s office decided to target the man who stepped in to prevent a tragedy.

This isn’t about justice. It’s about power. It’s about advancing a narrative where race and identity matter more than truth and common sense.

It’s time to demand change

The Daniel Penny case — and others like it — is a wake-up call. We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty. Americans must demand an end to politically driven prosecutions, hold DAs like Alvin Bragg accountable, and stand up for the principle that true justice is blind, consistent, and fair.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare. It’s time to choose which America we want to live in.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

CEO Brian Thompson's killer reveals COWARDICE of the far-left death cult

Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Early on the chilly morning of Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance giant, UnitedHealthcare, was walking through Midtown Manhattan on his way to a company conference. Suddenly, a masked and hooded figure silently allegedly stepped onto the sidewalk behind Thompson, drew a 3-D printed, silenced pistol, and without warning fired multiple shots into Thompson's back before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. After a multiple-day manhunt, a 26-year-old lead suspect was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by an employee.

This was not "vigilante justice." This was cold-blooded murder.

As horrific as the murder of a husband and father in broad daylight in the center of New York City is, the story only gets worse. Even before the murder suspect was arrested, left-wing extremists were already taking to X to call him a "hero" and a "vigilante" who "took matters into his own hands." Even the mainstream media joined in on the glorification, as Glenn pointed out on air recently, going out of the way to show how physically attractive the murder suspect was. This wave of revolting and nihilistic fanfare came in response to the findings of online investigators who surmised the murder suspect's motives to retaliate against healthcare companies for corruption and denied coverage. The murder suspect supposedly underwent a major back surgery that left him with back pain, and some of his internet fans apparently viewed his murder of Thompson as retribution for the mistreatment that he and many other Americans have suffered from healthcare companies.

me liking tweets celebrating the assassination of the united healthcare ceo pic.twitter.com/N41w51ZuZR
— 🔻 (@pegasustits) December 5, 2024

The murder suspect and his lackeys don't seem to understand that, other than depriving two children of their father right before Christmas, he accomplished nothing.

The murder suspect failed to achieve his goal because he was too cowardly to try.

If the murder suspect's goals were truly to "right the wrongs" of the U.S. healthcare system, he had every tool available to him to do so in a constructive and meaningful manner. He came from a wealthy and prominent family in the Baltimore area, became the valedictorian at a prestigious all-boys prep school, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in engineering. Clearly, the murder suspect was intelligent and capable, and if he had put his talent into creating solutions for the healthcare industry, who knows what he could have accomplished?

This is the kind of behavior the far-left idolizes, like communists on college campuses who wear shirts that celebrate the brutal Cuban warlord, Che Guevara. Merchandise celebrating the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect is already available, including shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even Christmas ornaments. Will they be sporting his face on their T-shirts too?

A liberal TikToker is selling a t-shirt that glorifies the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in NYC.
“deny , defend, depose” was reported to have been on the shell casings. pic.twitter.com/IWpHYkx2lF
— SteveSant66 🇺🇸 (@SSant66) December 8, 2024

This macabre behavior does not breed creation, achievement, success, or life. It only brings death and risks more Americans falling into this dangerous paradigm. But we still have a chance to choose life. We just have to wake up and take it.

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