'Lord of the Rings' star shares surprising story about Islam and slavery

June 05, 2015

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John Rhys-Davies, star of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and 'Indiana Jones' films, joined Glenn on radio to discuss his new movie that Glenn really enjoyed - 'Beyond the Mask'. The conversation took an interesting turn when Davies spoke of his fear of the end of western European Christian civilization and need for people to unite against true evil in the world. To illustrate his point, Rhys-Davies shared a story from his childhood when he saw a real-life slave ship bringing children to Saudi Arabia.

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Below is a rush transcript of this segment:

GLENN: So last night, Tania and Cheyenne and I went and we saw a new movie that we hadn't heard about. Somebody on Facebook said, hey, Glenn, you need to look into this movie called Beyond the Mask. I posted, does anybody know about it? It posted in select theaters. We saw it last night and absolutely loved it. Just loved it. It is made by two guys. Two families that were home-schooling families, and they used to get together. And they liked to make historic videos and films. Well, that doesn't sound like a good movie. That sounds like, okay, that's great. And I'll let somebody else watch that. This is a really good movie. This is something that reminds me very much like the Swamp Fox or Johnny Tremain that Walt Disney did with, you know, modern production tied to it. Really well done. Well acted. And one of the main guys in it, in fact, he plays the evil uncle is John Rhys-Davies. You may not know his name, but you've seen him a million times. He played Gimli in Lord of the Rings. He was the guy who wore the fez -- I don't remember the character's name -- but the guy who wore the fez in Indiana Jones. Indie's -- I can always just hear him say, Indie! He was the friend over in Egypt of Indiana Jones.

John, are you there?

JOHN: I am indeed -- [inaudible] welcome for our film. I think it's rather generous of you. Thank you very much.

GLENN: Thank you. First of all, you're over in England. And we appreciate you talking to us today. But one thing that I don't think people know is you were a guy that you were very radically left in the 1960s, and Margaret Thatcher kind of changed your mind. Actually kind of -- you were trying to shout her down or something. And she had a great comeback. Right? Do I have the story right?

JOHN: I was a young left-wing idiot in those days. And she was our constituency MP in Finchley, and a bunch of us decided to go along and, you know, make her look tough, rough. And each one of them got up and asked a question, and she shot them down in flames. I chickened out. I decided that I would just forget my question. And just -- just listen for once. And she was -- she hadn't actually gotten into her full stride yet. Her voice was still a bit shrill. But she had an absolute mastery of fact. And she could -- it was pretty easy for her to shoot us down.

GLENN: Now, here you are, you're playing a bad guy, and you play it really well. A bad guy in Beyond the Mask. It's opening in select theaters this weekend. You're in Whales. Are you not?

JOHN: I'm in London, actually. But I'm working on something else in London.

GLENN: So how did you get involved with this American family Christian movie that, you know, was made by homeschoolers. I can't imagine that that was the thing, hey, I have to do a film done by a couple of homeschoolers.

JOHN: Well, you make it sound a little more radical than it was. The truth of the matter is, I like independent films. And I like independent filmmakers. And you can get great production values out of Hollywood. But you seldom really get something where people are trying to talk from the heart. And, you know, I -- I'm -- I'm in this paradoxical situation of being I suppose a radical -- a skeptic and a rationalist really. But I have an enormous -- I have an enormous number of Christian friends who put up with me rather well. And I have an enormous sympathy for them. And, you know, right at the moment, I'm one of those who actually believes that we're in danger of losing western European Christian civilization. And now is not the time to bicker. Now is the time to find what we have in common.

GLENN: Holy cow.

JOHN: And, you know -- you know, and build bridges, rather than sneer and scoff and scorn.

GLENN: John, you are -- you're speaking to an audience of 10 million people here in America that feel exactly the same way. That we are -- we're in real trouble. And nobody is willing to say it. Nobody is willing to do it. And the religious people -- and really, some of the atheists too. We're just tearing each other apart. And we have a lot we agree on. We have a lot we agree on. I'm good friends with Penn Jillette who is a big atheist in America. And we get along famously because there's so much to agree on, the basic principles of life. And western civilization and we really are on the verge of losing it.

JOHN: Well, I mean, I think -- I think America is still the last best hope of mankind. But I think we really are going to lose it in Europe. You know, we --

GLENN: When was the last time you were here? We're not doing so well?

[laughter]

JOHN: I lived in the states incidentally. I used to live -- I listened and watched your show whenever I got back to the states.

GLENN: Oh, you're kidding.

JOHN: So, but the -- here in Europe, you know, the demographics have just been ignored by the politicians. And, you know, I'm not a statistician or anything like that. But, you know, when you have contraception in a country for 40 or 50 years and your birthrate goes below that magical 2.1 per woman figure on average, you get a declining population. And what we are doing, we're not merely replacing our indigenous European population with refugees from Africa and the third world, we're actually replacing our culture as well. And that is catastrophic. You know, we are -- I grew up in Africa. I was taught to respect Islam in all those customs that Muslims must endure. I was aware of. You know, and would try and observe. I have some -- some -- let's put it this way. I have many friends of mine who are Muslim, but I would not wish to live in an Islamic world or an Islamic country.

There is -- there is -- it isn't a question of finding similarities. You know, there is in Islam a direct confrontational attitude towards, you know, the unbelievers. And it's -- and it's really set in stone because the prophet was the last -- the last person that God talked to as a prophet. Therefore, everything he says is set in stone. You cannot contradict the prophet. And some of the things that the prophet said, though you will always people saying, well, he didn't actually mean this. What it really means is, you know. But it is really there. And I've got -- I'm one of those people who have a particular bee in my bonnet about slavery.

The reason is simple. I grew up in Africa. My father was a policeman. He came home one day. We went at lunchtime. He said, get in the car. And he drove me down to the dockside. And there was an Arab dhow in the harbor. And he said, you see that dhow? Twice a year it comes down from Saudi Arabia. It stops in Aden. It comes down the Somali coast. It stops here. It's bringing trading goods down. Then it goes on to Beira in Mozambique. But on the way back up, it always have two or three little black boys ,and they're being taken back to Saudi Arabia as slaves.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

JOHN: And his anger was palpable and communicated itself to me. And I've always been -- you know -- you know, when people have a little bee in their bonnet about things and you say, oh, that's odd. But a little out of place. That was one of my bees in my bonnet. And I was outraged. Outraged to see justifications for slavery again.

GLENN: Yes. And the world is -- you know what is amazing. Here in America, we're spending so much time celebrating Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner. And we're not talking about the slave trade that's going on. The slaughter of even the homosexuals. The slaughter of -- the crucifixion of children because they're Christians in the Middle East. We're not paying attention to that. We're just dead asleep in America. It's shameful. It's shameful, John.

JOHN: Well, it's shameful. We have exactly the same thing here. I mean, you know, obviously I'm in show business. You and I both have friends who are gay. You know, but gay marriage here was just about the last thing that the -- that the gay community was expecting. It was so -- down the list of things that needed real serious attention because harm was being done. I mean, you would have got to about 15,000 other things that were priorities, you would have thought. And I always sort of -- I always say, look, if I could have one week to change the world, I would probably execute everyone who used the word "rights" if they didn't back it up with the obligation of responsibilities.

GLENN: Responsibilities. Oh, my gosh. Wow, John. Man, we are up against the clock here. I hope that we can have you back. Because you are fascinating. And one of the few that are really willing to say the truth and say it in a kind way, in a loving way, and just speak common sense. And, A, I wish you all the best of luck. And best of luck on this latest film. Which, again, I recommend highly. If you are anywhere, look for it this weekend. It's open in select theaters. It's called Beyond the Mask. But it is really good. Really, really good. And John Rhys-Davies plays the bad guy in it. And --

JOHN: The bad guys. How dare you, sir. I am the queen's most loyal object.

GLENN: John, thank you so much. And God bless you. Thank you.

JOHN: And you, sir. Thank you very much for having me.

Media cover-up: Why Clinton deported six times more than Trump

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MSNBC and CNN want you to think the president is a new Hitler launching another Holocaust. But the actual deportation numbers are nowhere near what they claim.

Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, in an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, compared Trump’s immigration policies to Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust. He claimed that Hitler didn’t bother with German law — he just hauled people off to death camps in Poland and Hungary. Apparently, that’s what Trump is doing now by deporting MS-13 gang members to El Salvador.

Symone Sanders took it a step further. The MSNBC host suggested that deporting gang-affiliated noncitizens is simply the first step toward deporting black Americans. I’ll wait while you try to do that math.

The debate is about control — weaponizing the courts, twisting language, and using moral panic to silence dissent.

Media mouthpieces like Sanders and Matthews are just the latest examples of the left’s Pavlovian tribalism when it comes to Trump and immigration. Just say the word “Trump,” and people froth at the mouth before they even hear the sentence. While the media cries “Hitler,” the numbers say otherwise. And numbers don’t lie — the narrative does.

Numbers don’t lie

The real “deporter in chief” isn’t Trump. It was President Bill Clinton, who sent back 12.3 million people during his presidency — 11.4 million returns and nearly 900,000 formal removals. President George W. Bush, likewise, presided over 10.3 million deportations — 8.3 million returns and two million removals. Even President Barack Obama, the progressive darling, oversaw 5.5 million deportations, including more than three million formal removals.

So how does Donald Trump stack up? Between 2017 and 2021, Trump deported somewhere between 1.5 million and two million people — dramatically fewer than Obama, Bush, or Clinton. In his current term so far, Trump has deported between 100,000 and 138,000 people. Yes, that’s assertive for a first term — but it's still fewer than Biden was deporting toward the end of his presidency.

The numbers simply don’t support the hysteria.

Who's the “dictator” here? Trump is deporting fewer people, with more legal oversight, and still being compared to history’s most reviled tyrant. Apparently, sending MS-13 gang members — violent criminals — back to their country of origin is now equivalent to genocide.

It’s not about immigration

This debate stopped being about immigration a long time ago. It’s now about control — about weaponizing the courts, twisting language, and using moral panic to silence dissent. It’s about turning Donald Trump into the villain of every story, facts be damned.

If the numbers mattered, we’d be having a very different national conversation. We’d be asking why Bill Clinton deported six times as many people as Trump and never got labeled a fascist. We’d be questioning why Barack Obama’s record-setting removals didn’t spark cries of ethnic cleansing. And we’d be wondering why Trump, whose enforcement was relatively modest by comparison, triggered lawsuits, media hysteria, and endless Nazi analogies.

But facts don’t drive this narrative. The villain does. And in this script, Trump plays the villain — even when he does far less than the so-called heroes who came before him.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Exposed: America’s ancient power grid is a national security disaster

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If America wants to remain a global leader in the coming decades, we need more energy fast.

It's no secret that Glenn is an advocate for the safe and ethical use of AI, not because he wants it, but because he knows it’s coming whether we like it or not. Our only option is to shape AI on our terms, not those of our adversaries. America has to win the AI Race if we want to maintain our stability and security, and to do that, we need more energy.

AI demands dozens—if not hundreds—of new server farms, each requiring vast amounts of electricity. The problem is, America lacks the power plants to generate the required electricity, nor do we have a power grid capable of handling the added load. We must overcome these hurdles quickly to outpace China and other foreign competitors.

Outdated Power Grid

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Our power grid is ancient, slowly buckling under the stress of our modern machines. AAI’s energy demands could collapse it without a major upgrade. The last significant overhaul occurred under FDR nearly a century ago, when he connected rural America to electricity. Since then, we’ve patched the system piecemeal, but it’s still the same grid from the 1930s. Over 70 percent of the powerlines are 30 years old or older, and circuit breakers and other vital components are in similar condition. Most people wouldn't trust a dishwasher that was 30 years old, and yet much of our grid relies on technology from the era of VHS tapes.

Upgrading the grid would prevent cascading failures, rolling blackouts, and even EMP attacks. It would also enable new AI server farms while ensuring reliable power for all.

A Need for Energy

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Earlier this month, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt appeared before Congress as part of an AI panel and claimed that by 2030, the U.S. will need to add 96 gigawatts to our national power production to meet AI-driven demand. While some experts question this figure, the message is clear: We must rapidly expand power production. But where will this energy come from?

As much as eco nuts would love to power the world with sunshine and rainbows, we need a much more reliable and significantly more efficient power source if we want to meet our electricity goals. Nuclear power—efficient, powerful, and clean—is the answer. It’s time to shed outdated fears of atomic energy and embrace the superior electricity source. Building and maintaining new nuclear plants, along with upgraded infrastructure, would create thousands of high-paying American jobs. Nuclear energy will fuel AI, boost the economy, and modernize America’s decaying infrastructure.

A Bold Step into the Future

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This is President Trump’s chance to leave a historic mark on America, restoring our role as global leaders and innovators. Just as FDR’s power grid and plants made America the dominant force of the 20th century, Trump could upgrade our infrastructure to secure dominance in the 21st century. Visionary leadership must cut red tape and spark excitement in the industry. This is how Trump can make America great again.

POLL: Did astronomers discover PROOF of alien life?

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Are we alone in the universe?

It's no secret that Glenn keeps one eye on the cosmos, searching for any signs of ET. Late last week, a team of astronomers at the University of Cambridge made an exciting discovery that could change how we view the universe. The astronomers were monitoring a distant planet, K2-18b, when the James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide, two atmospheric gases believed only to be generated by living organisms. The planet, which is just over two and a half times larger than Earth, orbits within the "habitable zone" of its star, meaning the presence of liquid water on its surface is possible, further supporting the possibility that life exists on this distant world.

Unfortunately, humans won't be able to visit K2-18b to see for ourselves anytime soon, as the planet is about 124 light-years from Earth. This means that even if we had rockets that could travel at the speed of light, it would still take 124 years to reach the potentially verdant planet. Even if humans made the long trek to K2-18b, they would be faced with an even more intense challenge upon arrival: Gravity. Assuming K2-18b has a similar density to Earth, its increased size would also mean it would have increased gravity, two and a half times as much gravity, to be exact. This would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for humans to live or explore the surface without serious technological support. But who knows, give Elon Musk and SpaceX a few years, and we might be ready to seek out new life (and maybe even new civilizations).

But Glenn wants to know what you think. Could K2-18b harbor life on its distant surface? Could alien astronomers be peering back at us from across the cosmos? Would you be willing to boldly go where no man has gone before? Let us know in the poll below:

Could there be life on K2-18b?

Could there be an alien civilization thriving on K2-18b?

Will humans develop the technology to one day explore distant worlds?

Would you sign up for a trip to an alien world?

Is K2-18b just another cold rock in space?

Big Pharma’s role in rising neurological disorders: Will RFK Jr. uncover the truth?

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Our children are sick, and Big Pharma claims to be the cure, but is RFK Jr. closer to proving they are the disease?

For years, neurological disorders in our children have been on the rise. One in nine children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with ADHD, and between 2016 and 2022, more than one million kids were told they suffer from the disorder. Similarly, autism diagnoses have increased by 175 percent over the past decade. RFK Jr. pledged to investigate the rising rates of neurological disorders as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and this week, he announced a major initiative.

Earlier this week, RFK Jr. announced that the HHS has embarked on a massive testing and research effort to uncover the root causes of autism and the sharp spike in recent diagnoses. The HHS Secretary vowed that the results will be available by September of this year, leaving many skeptical about the study's rigor. Conversely, some speculate that the HHS may have unpublished studies revealing critical insights into these disorders, just waiting to see the light of day.

Glenn brought up a recent article by the Daily Wire referencing a New York Times piece in which experts questioned the legitimacy of ADHD diagnoses. Glenn agreed and suggested that people are just wired differently; they learn, work, and study differently, and the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all school system simply fails to accommodate everyone.

New York Times' ADHD Admission

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Earlier this week, the New York Times published an article that made a shocking admission: there are no concrete biological markers for ADHD. The clinical definition of ADHD is no longer supported by the evidence, and there are no physical, genetic, or chemical identifiers for the disorder, nor is there any real way to test for it. The paper also admitted that people diagnosed with ADHD would suddenly find that they no longer had any symptoms after a change of environment, profession, or field of study. This suggests that "ADHD" might simply be a matter of interests and skills, not a chronic brain sickness.

The most horrifying implication of this admission is that millions of people, including children, have been prescribed heavy mind-altering drugs for years for a disorder that lacks real evidence of its very existence. These drugs are serious business and include products such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Desoxyn. All of these drugs are considered "Schedule II," which is a drug classification that puts them on the same level as cocaine, PCP, and fentanyl. Notably, Desoxyn is chemically identical to methamphetamine, differing only in its production in regulated laboratories rather than illegal settings.

Worse yet, studies show that these medications, like Desoxyn, often provide no long-term benefits. Testing demonstrated that in the short term, there were some positive effects, but after 36 months, there was no discernible difference in symptoms between people who were medicated and those who were not. For decades, we have been giving our children hardcore drugs with no evidence of them working or even that the disorder exists.

RFK Jr's Autism Study

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Autism rates are on the rise, and RFK Jr. is going to get to the bottom of it. In the year 2000, approximately one in 150 children was diagnosed with autism, but only 20 years later, the rate had increased to one in 36. While some claim that this is simply due to more accurate testing, RFK Jr. doesn't buy it and is determined to discover what is the underlying cause. He is an outspoken critic of vaccines, asserting that the true scope of their side effects has been buried by greed and corruption to sell more vaccines.

RFK Jr. doesn't plan on stopping at vaccines. Similar to ADHD, RFK Jr. suspects other environmental factors could increase of autism or exacerbate symptoms. Factors like diet, water quality, air pollution, and parenting approaches are all under investigation. It's time to bring clarity to the neurological disorders that plague our nation, cut through the corruption, and reveal the healing truth.

Neurological Intervention

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Big Pharma has been all too happy to sit back and watch as the rate of neurological disorders climbs, adding to the ever-growing list of permanent patients who are led to believe that their only choice is to shell out endless money for treatments, prescriptions, and doctor visits. Rather than encouraging lifestyle changes to improve our well-being, they push ongoing medication and costly treatments.

All RFK Jr. is doing is asking questions, and yet the backlash from the "experts" is so immense that one can't help but wonder what they could be hiding. Both Glenn and RFK Jr. have their suspicions of Big Pharma, and the upcoming HHS study might be one of the most important steps to making America healthy again.

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