Glenn: People are being destroyed by political correctness

February 03, 2015

Writer

Way back in the early 1600s, scientist Galileo Galilei was sentenced to house arrest for holding the belief that the Earth revolved around the sun. The Inquisition, the tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church, persecuted Galileo and other scientists, banning their works and ideas. On radio today, Glenn took a look at the world political and cultural landscape today and wondered if history was repeating itself. Has the church been replaced with the state? Is anyone who disagrees having their life destroyed by political correctness?

Below is a rough transcript of this segment:

GLENN: I had dinner last night with a friend who was not a friend of mine two years ago. Didn't want to be with me. And then became friends with me. He's on the left.

And his business partner, this woman, she hates me.

PAT: Still?

GLENN: Listen. Hates me. Hates me. Hates me. Hates me. Would like not -- I'd call his office and say, can I talk to him? Yeah, no, he's -- he's -- he's anywhere, but around a phone for you. So she didn't like me.

So last night, we have dinner, and I can just feel it coming off of her. And my friend brought her because he wanted her to listen to me. Be around -- because she didn't really listen. So she listens. She cries -- before we leave, she cries, and she says, I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I had no idea. We may not agree on everything. But I know who you are, and I'm in. I'll help you.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: I mean, unbelievable. And it's not that we agree on everything because we don't. But we're willing to sit down and say, where do we have common goals? Where do we have commonality? Where can we -- we have to stop the bickering back and forth. We have to stop name-calling. We have to stop -- we have to stop this. We have to stop trying to win. Because winning -- right now -- in the old days, we used to -- when the Republicans would win, they would get a bill passed and they would win, they would hold up and say, we won. And the Democrats would hold the same bill up and say, we won too because we got these things. And so everybody walked away a winner. Now everybody is walking away trying to crush the other one. It doesn't even matter if you get what you want in Washington. It does for the American people, but it doesn't even matter if you get what you want as long as we win and you lose.

I'm not interested in making somebody lose. I'm not interested in being vindictive. I'm not interested in punishing -- what was it the president said? Punishing our enemies? I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in moving forward. I'm interested in moving to common sense. I'm interested in moving in a direction of freedom. And so when it comes to these measles vaccinations, we have a lot in common with the left.

And we can't separate ourselves. We have to reach out to -- to allies that say, okay, I disagree with you on many things, on this, let's agree. Let's move forward on this.

PAT: Is it possible that the godless animals on the left love their children too? Is it possible?

GLENN: No, it's not. It's not possible.

PAT: No. We can't consider that. We don't have that in common.

GLENN: No.

PAT: We can't come together on this --

GLENN: They're just hatching children and then -- I don't know what they do it for, but...

PAT: Well, they do it for a tax write-off.

GLENN: I don't think they're interested in tax write-offs.

PAT: They pretend not to be, but they are.

GLENN: They're just that evil.

PAT: They're liars. All godless animals are liars.

GLENN: Thank you, Pat. I think you helped out a lot there.

PAT: It's great. But we have that commonality. We all want the right thing for our kids and no one wants measles to spread through the society. How can we possibly come together on this?

GLENN: Wait. None of us want measles. None of us want our children to have measles. Nobody wants an outbreak or somebody to die from measles. Let's have that as a baseline.

PAT: Right.

GLENN: However, we also don't know what's going on with autism. We don't know what is happening to our children and to our families. If you look at what the numbers were for autism 25 years ago to what they are now, and now they're saying.

PAT: Yeah, there's something going on.

GLENN: I don't know what's going on, but there's something. One in 300 now have autism. It used to be like one in 5,000. Now it's one in 300. They're saying, if this trend continues, by 2025, it will be one in every two will have autism. Well, I think that's concerning.

PAT: Very.

GLENN: And if you happen to be a parent and you say, you know, I'm sorry, God gave me a brain. God gave me personal choice and responsibility for those choices, I'm going to say no to those vaccines because I've done my homework.

It's not like -- nobody that hasn't done their homework says no to vaccines.

PAT: By the way. According to the CDC, about one in 68 children have identified with autism spectrum disorder. One in 68.

GLENN: Wow.

PAT: And you're right. It used to be something like one in 5,000 or greater than that before. Now it's one in 68. It's amazing.

GLENN: And that could be our food. That could be our environment. That could be -- it could be vaccines. I mean, there are -- there is research that shows that the vaccines somehow or another, are tied to some children having -- you know, going into --

PAT: It was that study in 1998 that threw a lot of people. And since, I think the doctor was kicked out of the medical association and it's been pretty discredited. And there's been a lot of evidence that they've thrown at us that is, no, it has nothing to do with it. A lot of people remain unconvinced because there's something going on somewhere and we don't know where.

GLENN: And the way to solve that is to not just brush it under the rug. Not to say, it has nothing to do with that. Science is settled on that.

PAT: And you're a moron for even thinking it.

GLENN: Right. That doesn't help. That won't convince anybody. Coming out and saying, yes, it might. We don't know. Now, let's look at all the evidence.

PAT: That's essentially what Obama was saying in 2008.

GLENN: Exactly right. Let's really look at all of the evidence. We all have a right to opinions.

Now, we also have a responsibility -- when we execute those opinions, we have a responsibility. So if you don't want to have a vaccine for your kids, then the community does have a right to say, you're not going to school. And you're going to have to home school. That's fine. That's fine.

I mean, we have a right as a community to do those things. We don't have a right to bash each other and say you're a moron and I'll strap you down to this table or I'll take your children from you. You don't have a right to do that.

I mean, since when? You know, Pat and I were you be talking about this. And I'd like to take some phone calls on this. We have a lot of great people who are on the phone already. I'm going to spend a lot of time on the phone today. But I'd like to hear. I'd like to make a list of all the people who have been discredited or destroyed in the last ten years.

PAT: By political correctness?

GLENN: By political correctness and by the political machine. On both sides. But look at how many people have been destroyed. This hasn't happened before in my lifetime. Here's another group of people that are now being rounded up and pointed at and being called morons and idiots and crackpots and crazies. Just totally discredited. If you stand -- if you stand out of line, where is anybody saying, my gosh, we're living in the days of Galileo. The church has become the State. And if you don't practice their religion exactly the way they tell you to practice it, you're done.

How many people have lost their jobs? Have lost their credibility? Start all the way back to -- the -- the -- the -- the auto bailout, with the GM dealers. Remember the GM dealers. All of a sudden they wake up morning, and the government says, you no longer have your dealership. What?

PAT: Mostly Republicans. Right?

GLENN: Yeah. I mean, that -- that was the beginning of this. And it just doesn't stop. We have got to unite. We've got to stand together.

I was talking to the chief rabbi of England, and he was so powerful. Man, he was one of the most powerful men I've met in a long, long time. And I said -- you know, I told him where I thought things were headed. And he said, Glenn, let me tell you what God is telling me.

And this was off the air.

He said: God is calling all of his children to stand together. Muslim. Mormons. Catholics, Jews, Hindu. Buddhists, atheists, all of them. We all need to stand together. Because evil is going to pick us off one by one. And unless we stand firm on a few basic principles that we all have in common, we ain't going to weather this storm. And he's right.

We have to reach out and start talking about basic principles that we have in common. Because those things work. And I'm sorry, if freedom is a crazy idea, as Rand Paul said, well, then, you go ahead and call me crazy. I will -- I will -- I'll proudly be deemed crazy for standing up fort freedom of choice.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The dangerous lie: Rights as government privileges, not God-given

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is America’s next generation trading freedom for equity?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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