Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcasts
The Glenn Beck ProgramThe Glenn Beck PodcastThe Beck Story
Fine Art
Real Estate
Shop
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

What made Glenn say he doesn't want his citizenship anymore?

September 02, 2015
Staff

WRITER

Congressman Duncan Hunter (Rep) joined Glenn on radio Wednesday to discuss Charles Martland, an American Green Beret who was recently relieved of duty after serving his nation proudly for ten years. When he learned the reason for his discharge, Glenn’s blood began to boil, and not against Martland.

Here's what Glenn had to say.

In his own words, "I fully understand that during a previous deployment in Afghanistan, my detachment commander and I were absolutely wrong in striking one of our Afghan local police commanders."

So he struck him. Now, why would one of our soldiers strike an Afghani police commander?

In his own words, "This action was in response to the police commander kidnapping and brutally raping a young local boy and then beating the boy's mother after she came to our camp to plea for help. We've already had two other Afghani police commanders receive no punishment from the Afghan government for the rape of a 15-year-old girl and the honor killing of a commander's 12-year-old daughter for kissing a boy. My detachment commander and I felt morally we could no longer stand by and allow our allies to commit such atrocities."

In reaction to the letter, Glenn told Hunter he doesn't want his citizenship anymore, saying, "I think my citizenship is going to be used as an indictment against me in the eternal courts."

Later, he clarified, saying he really does want his citizenship, but wished there was a place like the United States used to be when Germany started to go down its road, where people could to stand on moral principles and not be punished for it.

Listen.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.

GLENN: Charles Martland. He has been relieved of duty. He has served his nation proudly for ten years. In ten years of service, he has only had one negative action against him. And in a letter that I have, he is apologizing to the military and said, I have learned and matured greatly since that incident. What was the incident?

In his own words, I fully understand that during a previous deployment in Afghanistan, my detachment commander and I were absolutely wrong in striking one of our Afghan local police commanders. So he struck him. Now, why would -- why would one of our soldiers strike an Afghani police commander?

In his own words: This action was in response to the police commander kidnapping and brutally raping a young local boy and then beating the boy's mother after she came to our camp to plea for help. We've already had two other Afghani police commanders receive no punishment from the Afghan government for the rape of a 15-year-old girl and the honor killing of a commander's 12-year-old daughter for kissing a boy. My detachment commander and I felt morally we could no longer stand by and allow our allies to commit such atrocities.

Nothing has happened to the -- to the police officers. Our, quote, allies. But he has been relieved of duty. Duncan Hunter is on the phone with us now. How are you, sir?

DUNCAN: I'm doing great. Pretty crazy story, isn't it?

GLENN: This is -- this is -- this is an atrocity in and of itself.

DUNCAN: Yeah. You know, what you see, Glenn, and this is what's happening in the military. This is why getting a commander-in-chief is of the utmost importance.

You see a military class that's now a political class, and they're in uniform instead of in suits. And that's what you get here. This is what you get when lawyers run US military, and it's not used to kill people and influence things. It's used to make sure that everybody in it is regulated and does not step across the line, which in this case doing nothing, in my opinion, would have been grounds for immediate removal from the Army. Doing nothing would have been grounds for kicking out Sergeant First Class Martland. Not doing something. He was reprimanded by a general. General Hoss. I mean, there's -- we have the letter of reprimand. Can you imagine setting up these village stability operations? By the way, this is not in Kabul. It's not in a big city. It's where six or seven Green Berets go to the towns out in the middle of nowhere, these little villages, and try to set up some form of stand-up government that is not the Taliban. That's what these Special Forces guys were doing.

So they're out there. They're alone and unafraid. And you find out that the police chief that we're paying for with taxpayer dollars that we're training with US soldiers has just raped repeatedly over six or seven days, this little boy, chained to a bed. And then as you said, beat up the mother, and the soldiers didn't even rough him up that badly, Glenn. They even say he exaggerated his bruises, meaning they didn't do enough to him, in my opinion. He would have been lucky to walk out of there with his life. But we know, you know, if you watch the movies now and you see like Lone Survivor, you know that there's no right answer for our guys on the front lines because they don't want to go to jail. That's the end decision.

GLENN: Let me tell you something. Congressman Duncan Hunter, let me tell you something, this is why we're hated around the world. We're hated around the world because we don't stand for anything. If we allow our ally to brutally chain and rape a 15-year-old boy after he's kidnapped him and then beat up the mother and then two other commanders also got away with an honor killing and another rape of a girl, who the hell are we? We expect the rest of the world to respect our uniform when we will stand idly by and see that atrocity going on?

DUNCAN: It's moral decay at the highest levels. And, see, that's the problem too, Glenn. It's not the guys joining. The guys from 18 years old to 25. I mean, these are great Americans. Right? But as you get up that ladder and you get promoted over and over again and you want to make general, what you don't want is for anything bad to come out on your record whatsoever. And that means not standing up for your men.

And that's what's happening now at the highest levels, especially in the Army, that the men at the lower levels that are out there doing the grunt work each and every day are not being stood up for by their commander-in-chief or their higher officers. And you have total moral decay in that -- what we think as right as Americans and what we would do in any situation, is not just frowned upon now in the US military, it's discouraged and even punished.

GLENN: I have to tell you, Congressman, I don't want my citizenship anymore. I really don't. I think my citizenship is going to be used as an indictment against me in the eternal courts. I mean, this is -- we're so far off the rails. We are supporting Iran today, the 34th vote came in for the Democrats. So we're supporting Iran over Israel. And the rest of our allies around the world who say this is insanity. We're -- we're telling this guy that he can't serve in -- he's been a Green Beret for 11 years. A Green Beret and we're kicking him out because he stood up for a 15-year-old boy and his mother. Good God Almighty, I don't want my citizenship. It's an indictment.

DUNCAN: Yeah. I've done a couple of tours, so I paid for this citizenship with my time. So I'll keep mind for a while, Glenn.

GLENN: No, I understand. And I know that's an outrageous thing to say, Duncan. But I think you can at least understand how people -- I mean, really, what does our citizenship mean? We are becoming a very dark, evil country if we can't stand clear on this one.

DUNCAN: No, we can't stand clear on this. We can forget about being pro-choice or pro-life. We're now selling baby bodies.

GLENN: Yeah.

DUNCAN: We're supporting Iran. This is a real -- it's all coming down.

GLENN: And what did Mitch McConnell say today? Mitch McConnell said that it's not a good time. It's just not a good time to defund Planned Parenthood. Good God, when they're selling baby parts, when is a good time?

DUNCAN: Right.

Now.

GLENN: So how can we help you on this? How can we help Charles Martland?

DUNCAN: What you can do is just let people know about it. I mean, that's all I can do even. There's no legislation I can pass. The president doesn't care. The SecDef hasn't answered me back yet. Just people need to know about this. It has to put pressure on the Army. The last thing the Army should want -- because it's an all volunteer force is for parents sitting at home going, hey, you know what, Johnny, I'd prefer if you don't join the Army. Join a different service that will at least look out for you when you do the right thing as an American when you're overseas.

GLENN: That we can do. That we can do.

DUNCAN: That's the only pressure, it comes from you and the public seeing this, and the Army realizing, hey, we better shape up, or we're not going to be able to even get people to join.

GLENN: So who should they call? Should they call the Pentagon?

DUNCAN: Yeah, call the Pentagon. Call the Secretary of Defense.

GLENN: Okay.

DUNCAN: And if you call my office in D.C. -- it's (202)225-5672 -- we can put you guys in touch with who to call. There's a great article out on this in Newsweek that just came online this morning that is a different case. Jason Amerine, who exposed the hostage -- the lack of hostage rescue ability the United States has. He's being kicked out of the Army. You have Major Golsteyn, who killed a terrorist. The CIA found out about it. He's being kicked out of the Army. You have all these Special Forces guys doing the right thing for us.

GLENN: That's easy. That's easy.

DUNCAN: And we're trying to publicize this stuff.

GLENN: This is the easiest thing I've ever asked anybody today because this is exactly -- because I have people coming up all the time and asking me, Glenn, would you put your son or daughter in the military today? And the answer is for the first time in my life, absolutely not. Absolutely not. You call the Army and say, I will put my son in the Air Force. I will put my son or daughter in the Navy. But I will not do it. I will not put you in the Army. I will not allow my children to go into the Army. If this is the way you treat people, if this is the standard that we have, I don't want anything to do with anybody in a military uniform with a US Army, if this is what you stand for. This is obscene! This is obscene! Duncan, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Anything we can do to help, you let me know. Please stay in touch with my office and tell us how we can help.

DUNCAN: Okay. We will do it. Remember, Marine Corps. Always got that option too.

GLENN: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. God bless you. Thank you so much.

Okay. Next we're going to go to a police officer in Philadelphia who says he's afraid to do his job. We'll talk to him in a second.

Let me tell you, everything is coming undone. I told you everything that you could believe in. Everything that you you thought you could believe in will turn to sand. Everything that you thought was solid will be liquid. Do you remember me saying that six, seven, eight years ago? Here we are. When you can't -- when a guy wearing a US Army uniform is kicked out of the Army for standing up against someone who was raping a 15-year-old boy and then beating his mother as he comes to the US Army for help, there's nothing left to believe in, except God.

Why do Americans feel so empty?

Mario Tama / Staff | Getty Images

Anxiety, anger, and chronic dissatisfaction signal a country searching for meaning. Without truth and purpose, politics becomes a dangerous substitute for identity.

We have built a world overflowing with noise, convenience, and endless choice, yet something essential has slipped out of reach. You can sense it in the restless mood of the country, the anxiety among young people who cannot explain why they feel empty, in the angry confusion that dominates our politics.

We have more wealth than any nation in history, but the heart of the culture feels strangely malnourished. Before we can debate debt or elections, we must confront the reality that we created a world of things, but not a world of purpose.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

What we are living through is not just economic or political dysfunction. It is the vacuum that appears when a civilization mistakes abundance for meaning.

Modern life is stuffed with everything except what the human soul actually needs. We built systems to make life faster, easier, and more efficient — and then wondered why those systems cannot teach our children who they are, why they matter, or what is worth living for.

We tell the next generation to chase success, influence, and wealth, turning childhood into branding. We ask kids what they want to do, not who they want to be. We build a world wired for dopamine rather than dignity, and then we wonder why so many people feel unmoored.

When everything is curated, optimized, and delivered at the push of a button, the question “what is my life for?” gets lost in the static.

The crisis beneath the headlines

It is not just the young who feel this crisis. Every part of our society is straining under the weight of meaninglessness.

Look at the debt cycle — the mathematical fate no civilization has ever escaped once it crosses a threshold that we seem to have already blown by. While ordinary families feel the pressure, our leaders respond with distraction, with denial, or by rewriting the very history that could have warned us.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

We have entered a cultural moment where the noise is so loud that it drowns out the simplest truths. We are living in a country that no longer knows how to hear itself think.

So people go searching. Some drift toward the false promise of socialism, some toward the empty thrill of rebellion. Some simply check out. When a culture forgets what gives life meaning, it becomes vulnerable to every ideology that offers a quick answer.

The quiet return of meaning

And yet, quietly, something else is happening. Beneath the frustration and cynicism, many Americans are recognizing that meaning does not come from what we own, but from what we honor. It does not rise from success, but from virtue. It does not emerge from noise, but from the small, sacred things that modern life has pushed to the margins — the home, the table, the duty you fulfill, the person you help when no one is watching.

The danger is assuming that this rediscovery happens on its own. It does not.

Reorientation requires intention. It requires rebuilding the habits and virtues that once held us together. It requires telling the truth about our history instead of rewriting it to fit today’s narratives. And it requires acknowledging what has been erased: that meaning is inseparable from God’s presence in a nation’s life.

Harold M. Lambert / Contributor | Getty Images

Where renewal begins

We have built a world without stillness, and then we wondered why no one can hear the questions that matter. Those questions remain, whether we acknowledge them or not. They do not disappear just because we drown them in entertainment or noise. They wait for us, and the longer we ignore them, the more disoriented we become.

Meaning is still available. It is found in rebuilding the smallest, most human spaces — the places that cannot be digitized, globalized, or automated. The home. The family. The community.

These are the daily virtues that do not trend on social media, but that hold a civilization upright. If we want to repair this country, we begin there, exactly where every durable civilization has always begun: one virtue at a time, one tradition at a time, one generation at a time.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

A break in trust: A NEW Watergate is brewing in plain sight

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

When institutions betray the public’s trust, the country splits, and the spiral is hard to stop.

Something drastic is happening in American life. Headlines that should leave us stunned barely register anymore. Stories that once would have united the country instead dissolve into silence or shrugs.

It is not apathy exactly. It is something deeper — a growing belief that the people in charge either cannot or will not fix what is broken.

When people feel ignored or betrayed, they will align with anyone who appears willing to fight on their behalf.

I call this response the Bubba effect. It describes what happens when institutions lose so much public trust that “Bubba,” the average American minding his own business, finally throws his hands up and says, “Fine. I will handle it myself.” Not because he wants to, but because the system that was supposed to protect him now feels indifferent, corrupt, or openly hostile.

The Bubba effect is not a political movement. It is a survival instinct.

What triggers the Bubba effect

We are watching the triggers unfold in real time. When members of Congress publicly encourage active duty troops to disregard orders from the commander in chief, that is not a political squabble. When a federal judge quietly rewrites the rules so one branch of government can secretly surveil another, that is not normal. That is how republics fall. Yet these stories glided across the news cycle without urgency, without consequence, without explanation.

When the American people see the leadership class shrug, they conclude — correctly — that no one is steering the ship.

This is how the Bubba effect spreads. It is not just individuals resisting authority. It is sheriffs refusing to enforce new policies, school boards ignoring state mandates, entire communities saying, “We do not believe you anymore.” It becomes institutional, cultural, national.

A country cracking from the inside

This effect can be seen in Dearborn, Michigan. In the rise of fringe voices like Nick Fuentes. In the Epstein scandal, where powerful people could not seem to locate a single accountable adult. These stories are different in content but identical in message: The system protects itself, not you.

When people feel ignored or betrayed, they will align with anyone who appears willing to fight on their behalf. That does not mean they suddenly agree with everything that person says. It means they feel abandoned by the institutions that were supposed to be trustworthy.

The Bubba effect is what fills that vacuum.

The dangers of a faithless system

A republic cannot survive without credibility. Congress cannot oversee intelligence agencies if it refuses to discipline its own members. The military cannot remain apolitical if its chain of command becomes optional. The judiciary cannot defend the Constitution while inventing loopholes that erase the separation of powers.

History shows that once a nation militarizes politics, normalizes constitutional shortcuts, or allows government agencies to operate without scrutiny, it does not return to equilibrium peacefully. Something will give.

The question is what — and when.

The responsibility now belongs to us

In a healthy country, this is where the media steps in. This is where universities, pastors, journalists, and cultural leaders pause the outrage machine and explain what is at stake. But today, too many see themselves not as guardians of the republic, but of ideology. Their first loyalty is to narrative, not truth.

The founders never trusted the press more than the public. They trusted citizens who understood their rights, lived their responsibilities, and demanded accountability. That is the antidote to the Bubba effect — not rage, but citizenship.

How to respond without breaking ourselves

Do not riot. Do not withdraw. Do not cheer on destruction just because you dislike the target. That is how nations lose themselves. Instead, demand transparency. Call your representatives. Insist on consequences. Refuse to normalize constitutional violations simply because “everyone does it.” If you expect nothing, you will get nothing.

Do not hand your voice to the loudest warrior simply because he is swinging a bat at the establishment. You do not beat corruption by joining a different version of it. You beat it by modeling the country you want to preserve: principled, accountable, rooted in truth.

Adam Gray / Stringer | Getty Images

Every republic reaches a moment when historians will later say, “That was the warning.” We are living in ours. But warnings are gifts if they are recognized. Institutions bend. People fail. The Constitution can recover — if enough Americans still know and cherish it.

It does not take a majority. Twenty percent of the country — awake, educated, and courageous — can reset the system. It has happened before. It can happen again.

Wake up. Stand up. Demand integrity — from leaders, from institutions, and from yourself. Because the Bubba effect will not end until Americans reclaim the duty that has always belonged to them: preserving the republic for the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Grim warning: Bad-faith Israel critics duck REAL questions

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Bad-faith attacks on Israel and AIPAC warp every debate. Real answers emerge only when people set aside scripts and ask what serves America’s long-term interests.

The search for truth has always required something very much in short supply these days: honesty. Not performative questions, not scripted outrage, not whatever happens to be trending on TikTok, but real curiosity.

Some issues, often focused on foreign aid, AIPAC, or Israel, have become hotbeds of debate and disagreement. Before we jump into those debates, however, we must return to a simpler, more important issue: honest questioning. Without it, nothing in these debates matters.

Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.

The phrase “just asking questions” has re-entered the zeitgeist, and that’s fine. We should always question power. But too many of those questions feel preloaded with someone else’s answer. If the goal is truth, then the questions should come from a sincere desire to understand, not from a hunt for a villain.

Honest desire for truth is the only foundation that can support a real conversation about these issues.

Truth-seeking is real work

Right now, plenty of people are not seeking the truth at all. They are repeating something they heard from a politician on cable news or from a stranger on TikTok who has never opened a history book. That is not a search for answers. That is simply outsourcing your own thought.

If you want the truth, you need to work for it. You cannot treat the world like a Marvel movie where the good guy appears in a cape and the villain hisses on command. Real life does not give you a neat script with the moral wrapped up in two hours.

But that is how people are approaching politics now. They want the oppressed and the oppressor, the heroic underdog and the cartoon villain. They embrace this fantastical framing because it is easier than wrestling with reality.

This framing took root in the 1960s when the left rebuilt its worldview around colonizers and the colonized. Overnight, Zionism was recast as imperialism. Suddenly, every conflict had to fit the same script. Today’s young activists are just recycling the same narrative with updated graphics. Everything becomes a morality play. No nuance, no context, just the comforting clarity of heroes and villains.

Bad-faith questions

This same mindset is fueling the sudden obsession with Israel, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in particular. You hear it from members of Congress and activists alike: AIPAC pulls the strings, AIPAC controls the government, AIPAC should register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The questions are dramatic, but are they being asked in good faith?

FARA is clear. The standard is whether an individual or group acts under the direction or control of a foreign government. AIPAC simply does not qualify.

Here is a detail conveniently left out of these arguments: Dozens of domestic organizations — Armenian, Cuban, Irish, Turkish — lobby Congress on behalf of other countries. None of them registers under FARA because — like AIPAC — they are independent, domestic organizations.

If someone has a sincere problem with the structure of foreign lobbying, fair enough. Let us have that conversation. But singling out AIPAC alone is not a search for truth. It is bias dressed up as bravery.

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

If someone wants to question foreign aid to Israel, fine. Let’s have that debate. But let’s ask the right questions. The issue is not the size of the package but whether the aid advances our interests. What does the United States gain? Does the investment strengthen our position in the region? How does it compare to what we give other nations? And do we examine those countries with the same intensity?

The real target

These questions reflect good-faith scrutiny. But narrowing the entire argument to one country or one dollar amount misses the larger problem. If someone objects to the way America handles foreign aid, the target is not Israel. The target is the system itself — an entrenched bureaucracy, poor transparency, and decades-old commitments that have never been re-examined. Those problems run through programs around the world.

If you want answers, you need to broaden the lens. You have to be willing to put aside the movie script and confront reality. You have to hold yourself to a simple rule: Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.

That is the only way this country ever gets clarity on foreign aid, influence, alliances, and our place in the world. Questioning is not just allowed. It is essential. But only if it is honest.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

A nation unravels when its shared culture is the first thing to go

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Texas now hosts Quran-first academies, Sharia-compliant housing schemes, and rapidly multiplying mosques — all part of a movement building a self-contained society apart from the country around it.

It is time to talk honestly about what is happening inside America’s rapidly growing Muslim communities. In city after city, large pockets of newcomers are choosing to build insulated enclaves rather than enter the broader American culture.

That trend is accelerating, and the longer we ignore it, the harder it becomes to address.

As Texas goes, so goes America. And as America goes, so goes the free world.

America has always welcomed people of every faith and people from every corner of the world, but the deal has never changed: You come here and you join the American family. You are free to honor your traditions, keep your faith, but you must embrace the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. You melt into the shared culture that allows all of us to live side by side.

Across the country, this bargain is being rejected by Islamist communities that insist on building a parallel society with its own rules, its own boundaries, and its own vision for how life should be lived.

Texas illustrates the trend. The state now has roughly 330 mosques. At least 48 of them were built in just the last 24 months. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex alone has around 200 Islamic centers. Houston has another hundred or so. Many of these communities have no interest in blending into American life.

This is not the same as past waves of immigration. Irish, Italian, Korean, Mexican, and every other group arrived with pride in their heritage. Still, they also raised American flags and wanted their children to be part of the country’s future. They became doctors, small-business owners, teachers, and soldiers. They wanted to be Americans.

What we are watching now is not the melting pot. It is isolation by design.

Parallel societies do not end well

More than 300 fundamentalist Islamic schools now operate full-time across the country. Many use Quran-first curricula that require students to spend hours memorizing religious texts before they ever reach math or science. In Dallas, Brighter Horizons Academy enrolls more than 1,700 students and draws federal support while operating on a social model that keeps children culturally isolated.

Then there is the Epic City project in Collin and Hunt counties — 402 acres originally designated only for Muslim buyers, with Sharia-compliant financing and a mega-mosque at the center. After public outcry and state investigations, the developers renamed it “The Meadows,” but a new sign does not erase the original intent. It is not a neighborhood. It is a parallel society.

Americans should not hesitate to say that parallel societies are dangerous. Europe tried this experiment, and the results could not be clearer. In Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, entire neighborhoods now operate under their own cultural rules, some openly hostile to Western norms. When citizens speak up, they are branded bigots for asserting a basic right: the ability to live safely in their own communities.

A crisis of confidence

While this separation widens, another crisis is unfolding at home. A recent Gallup survey shows that about 40% of American women ages 18 to 39 would leave the country permanently if given the chance. Nearly half of a rising generation — daughters, sisters, soon-to-be mothers — no longer believe this nation is worth building a future in.

And who shapes the worldview of young boys? Their mothers. If a mother no longer believes America is home, why would her child grow up ready to defend it?

As Texas goes, so goes America. And as America goes, so goes the free world. If we lose confidence in our own national identity at the same time that we allow separatist enclaves to spread unchecked, the outcome is predictable. Europe is already showing us what comes next: cultural fracture, political radicalization, and the slow death of national unity.

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

Stand up and tell the truth

America welcomes Muslims. America defends their right to worship freely. A Muslim who loves the Constitution, respects the rule of law, and wants to raise a family in peace is more than welcome in America.

But an Islamist movement that rejects assimilation, builds enclaves governed by its own religious framework, and treats American law as optional is not simply another participant in our melting pot. It is a direct challenge to it. If we refuse to call this problem out out of fear of being called names, we will bear the consequences.

Europe is already feeling those consequences — rising conflict and a political class too paralyzed to admit the obvious. When people feel their culture, safety, and freedoms slipping away, they will follow anyone who promises to defend them. History has shown that over and over again.

Stand up. Speak plainly. Be unafraid. You can practice any faith in this country, but the supremacy of the Constitution and the Judeo-Christian moral framework that shaped it is non-negotiable. It is what guarantees your freedom in the first place.

If you come here and honor that foundation, welcome. If you come here to undermine it, you do not belong here.

Wake up to what is unfolding before the consequences arrive. Because when a nation refuses to say what is true, the truth eventually forces its way in — and by then, it is always too late.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.