Glenn Apologizes for Being a Catastrophist: 'We're Scaring the Hell Out of the Children'

October 19, 2016

Writer

That which you gaze upon, you become. Glenn has spent the last 15 years gazing upon the problems, albeit to sound the warning bell about the truth. But how does that inspire and give hope?

"I have fixed my eyes on Washington, D.C., the parties, the politicians, the economy, terror, loss of freedom, the culture, Facebook, all of it," Glenn said Wednesday on this radio program.

Where should we fix our eyes?

"Believe in yourself and believe in God, and when you two are partnered, unbelievable things can happen," Glenn said.

Read below or watch the clip for answers to these unapologetic questions:

• Why does Glenn refuse not to have faith in?

• Has Glenn changed or remained steadfast?

• Can we not only survive but thrive?

• Did Glenn help create the conditions that brought us Donald Trump?

• How can we inspire the next generation?

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

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

GLENN: I may be the only person in -- may be the only celebrity, if you can even put me in that category, ever, to be abandoned my own fan club. I don't know if you heard this, breaking news.

STU: I have not.

GLENN: I got a Facebook post from the Daily Beck. Now, the Daily Beck has been around for how many years?

JEFFY: A long time.

GLENN: Long time. Okay. 38,000 members of the Daily Beck. It's a fan club, not started by me. Started by somebody else. Yada, yada. And they have disavowed me.

STU: Oh, no.

GLENN: And so now the Daily Beck has nothing to do with Glenn Beck. And they have disavowed me. So I am the only person, I think, to ever have a fan club that has voted them out.

JEFFY: Happy now?

GLENN: Yeah. So there you go.

STU: There has to be precedent for that.

GLENN: Oh, come on. Let me have this one thing.

STU: No, I will not. The Daily Beck.

GLENN: Yeah, yeah. It's been around for a long time.

STU: Oh, really.

GLENN: Anyway, I bring that up because, A, I'm sad that people think I've changed. I don't believe I have. And I've done a lot of soul-searching on this for a long time. You don't do what I have been doing without having soul-searching. You read my Facebook page. Do you think that would cause somebody to think twice?

PAT: As I challenged on my Facebook page: Name one principle we've changed on. Name one.

STU: Wait. What was the big list? He didn't get a chance to give us a list.

GLENN: Stop. Stop. I want to get to my apology.

PAT: I can give you the list really fast.

GLENN: Stop it. None.

So at least me, I have done a lot of soul-searching over the last five years. And if there is a change in me, the change is this: I believe that some -- in some ways, not meant by me at all, I helped add to our problems of division. I didn't mean to.

Now, I've got people on the left accusing me of creating Donald Trump. And I'm like, "But I'm against Donald Trump. I warned against a guy like Donald Trump." Well, you created the conditions that grew Donald Trump.

"No, I didn't. I think it was the government -- both parties that weren't listening to the people, that the people got so frustrated they wanted to burn the whole thing down." That's a bad thing. However, I have been thinking about this a lot over the last few months, and especially the last few weeks. And I want to -- I have a new perspective. And I want to tell you that, A, yes, I have changed. I have changed. And I'm going to explain exactly how. And I want to apologize for the mistake I made. It was unintentional. I didn't see it.

But here's what it is. And I want to ask everyone to do soul-searching themselves on this.

I believe what I believe. And I've told you I'm a catastrophist. And that's not necessarily healthy for a country to have somebody broadcasting as a catastrophist all the time. But I believe what I believe.

I believe, you know, the parties are irreparably broken. They have gone past the point of no return for trust. We have lost trust in almost all of our institutions. We have an economy that is on the brink. We have a banking system that is on the brink. Our central banks -- you know, I don't know if you saw this, but China is now selling I don't know how many billions of dollars of our treasury bonds, yesterday.

I mean, it's substantial. They're starting to dump our treasury bills. I believe that we are -- we're facing a foe like we did with Japan and Germany: ruthless killers by the name of ISIS. We have a loss of freedom coming our way. Guns. Freedom of press. Freedom of religion. Freedom to choose our own doctors. You name it. We are facing real losses of freedom.

And so I've been ringing that bell. And I've been telling you, "This is going to end in disaster. It's going to end in disaster." No exits left. There's a cliff coming.

That's what I want to apologize for. I still believe that: there's a cliff coming. But that is such a hopeless message that I can barely survive. And it's because I have gazed upon the problems. That which you gaze upon, you become.

And I have spent the last 15 years gazing upon the problems. And I have fixed my eyes on Washington, DC, the parties, the politicians, the economy, terror, loss of freedom, the culture, Facebook, all of it.

I'm tired. See if you feel this way. You're worn-out. You've exhausted all of your options. You've lost hope. And the faith that many people now have is down to this: It doesn't matter anyway because Jesus is coming. Oh, well, let's put the party hats on. I feel better now.

Oh, well, it's the end of days. So good. Once we get past that sticky tribulation part, it's going to be great. That's your hope?

I can't live in that world. I cannot live in that world. And I don't think we're attracting anybody to our world, with that. Because, A, that's -- that's not true. B, it's a bummer. But, A, it's not true. There is change coming.

And I have told you this, more dramatic change, because of technology alone. More dramatic change in our lives coming in the next 20 years than in the -- than in the hundred years of the Industrial Revolution, all packed into a 10- or 20-year period. That's a lot of upheaval. People will lose their jobs and be displaced. And they will find new places to work.

We talk about Common Core and how Common Core is such a problem. Why? Because they're teaching all the wrong things. And they're indoctrinating our kids. That's actually not the problem. Let me come back to Common Core in a second.

So I want to apologize for being a catastrophist. I'm not apologizing for saying that these things are coming because they are. What I am sorry for is giving you the impression that there's no way to survive. Because there is.

The world has faced these times before. And every time, the people choose to be -- choose to live their faith. They survive. When they choose to move without the action that faith motivates, they are destroyed.

But a remnant goes on. We are acting without faith. We are -- and in those days, says II Timothy, people will talk about their faith, they will say that they have great faith, but they will not assign the power of that faith to it.

Because they're not living it. So those under -- those over 40, those my age and above, we have to do one thing: Stop scaring the kids. Because that's what we're doing. We're scaring the hell out of the children.

My poor kids, oh, my gosh, we're scaring the hell out of the children. And more importantly, we are doing what Common Core is doing. What Common Core does, is a group of elites have all got together and they have designed the future. And they say, "These are the things that your kid is going to do." And they're going to design your child from third grade to fit the job that they see in the future.

Well, that's not their job. That's not their right. What education is, is to give them the eternal truths so they can design their future. What we're doing is, we are allowing people up at the top to design a future for our children, that our children most likely will not want, would not design it that way. The future is being designed by people who are 70 years old, for children who are 20 years old or younger. Thirty years old. Adults that would never design that world.

But they're being trapped in that design. That's immoral. But it shows we don't have faith in the future, and we don't have faith in millennials. I do. I do.

I refuse to not have faith in the future. Now, anybody under 40, here's what you need to do: You don't believe -- first of all, don't believe in people. Don't believe in me. Don't believe in Barack Obama. Don't believe in Hillary Clinton. Don't believe in Donald Trump.

Believe in yourself and believe in God. And when you two are partnered, unbelievable things can happen. But beyond not believing in a man, don't believe my words or anyone else that tells you it's all going to burn down and there's nothing you can do. There's no hope. Because that is a lie.

Things are going to be tough. But things, somewhere in the world, are always tough. Every generation faces something tough. We survive this.

The key is: You can thrive. My generation will survive. But you can thrive. It's all happened before. You have to find the patterns of the people that made it through and emulate them. See how they solved it. Because it's not going to be solved in Washington. It's going to be solved by people like you, if you know what is eternally true.

I know this: God keeps his promises. He keeps his promises. And if you are living an unrighteous life, it will fall apart, and you will destroy yourself. Eventually, you will destroy yourself.

Look at Bill Cosby. If that is true about what he did in his life, all -- everything he worked for, now at the end, gone. Gone. He's known as a rapist forever. Everything he did in his entire life: over. That makes a difference.

If you live an unrighteous life outside of eternally true principles, you will destroy -- your life will fall apart. And that is the truth about an individual or a group of people. Eventually, it will fall apart.

But it is equally true that if you live the principles, you will thrive. You will break through. You will change the world. You will set the world free. And that's our goal, isn't it? Isn't our goal to make a difference?

I'd give up all money, I'd give up everything if I could just make a difference. I think most of us would. Millennials have seen us as parents, struggle. And they see what we're doing. And they don't want any part of that. Because they don't believe in any of that.

Millennials, you have to know the system before you distrust it. You don't know the Constitution. You have to know what it says before you distrust it. We are now teaching people just to distrust everything.

They have to come to that conclusion on their own. And if they live their lives with the true knowledge that God keeps his promises and they act with faith in the ways that faith and eternal principles demand that you act, they're going to set everything right.

They have to have hope. We have to have hope. We cannot create a pattern for them. They're going to take our cue from us. And if we have depressed them -- that's why nobody is flocking to us: because we're depressing the snot out of them.

Who wants to hear at 20 years old, "It's all screwed up, and it's not going -- it's all going to be over." Nobody wants to hear that at 20. We cannot take away their hope because that is their fight. We have to enforce them -- reinforce them.

We have to inspire them. And we have to tell them eternal truths. Because, quite honestly, they don't believe in any of the other stuff. Nor should they. They're not buying the lies that we, after being so worn down over a lifetime, have just grown to accept. That whatever Washington says we have to do -- whatever the party says we have to do, whatever the crowd says we have to do. They want to be different. Let's encourage them.

Featured Image: Screenshot from The Glenn Beck Program

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4 ways Biden is SABOTAGING Trump on his way out of office

ROBERTO SCHMIDT / Contributor | Getty Images

President Biden has less than a week left in the White House, but that doesn't mean he's down for the count quite yet.

Next Monday, January 20th, President-elect Trump will be officially sworn into office, marking the beginning of his second term. But after such a bitter and contentious election, the Democrats aren't ready to roll over. Instead, they have been working around the clock to ensure that Trump will face as many obstacles and challenges as possible the minute he is sworn in. These political landmines are designed to sabotage his presidency—at the cost of the well-being of the American people.

Biden's job approval rating currently sits around 38.7 percent, one of the lowest approval ratings of any president, he has nothing to lose from these reckless ploys. Here are four ways Biden and the Left are trying to sabotage Trump:

Pardoning criminals

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

In November, President Biden customarily pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey ... along with his son Hunter and dozens of other controversial criminals, including 37 felons on death row. Hunter's 11-year-long blanket immunity sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents, and we may never know the full extent of the Biden family's crimes and corruption.

Destroying U.S. energy

J. David Ake / Contributor | Getty Images

Biden has made several moves that have damaged America's ability to produce its energy independently, including canceling the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office. Earlier this month, Biden signed another order that has dire consequences for the energy sector, effectively blocking any new drilling off the U.S. coast indefinitely. This not only further kneecaps the U.S. oil industry during a time when gas and energy prices are on the rise, but moreover, the way the executive order was written means Trump will have a much harder time undoing it. Thanks, Biden.

Escalating overseas wars

Global Images Ukraine / Contributor | Getty Images

America's involvement with the ongoing war in Ukraine has been tenuous from the beginning, but under Biden, it has escalated to a Cold War-like proxy war. Neither pleas from Americans in need nor threats from Russia have deterred Biden. He has approved countless aid packages sent to Ukraine, totaling billions of dollars. Recently, Biden has decided to up the ante by supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles, despite Putin's warnings that Russia would consider this an act of war. It's almost like Biden wants to start WWIII before handing the reigns over to Trump.

Installing a "shadow cabinet"

It's time we borrow an idea from our British friends. My proposal for a shadow cabinet isn’t just about holding our political leaders accountable - it strengthens and protects our democracy.

Learn more from my speech today on the House floor.⬇️ pic.twitter.com/cjP8pP7fxw
— ARCHIVE Rep. Wiley Nickel (@RepWileyNickel) November 14, 2024

For years Glenn has warned of the dangers of the deep state, and its very existence has been denied ... until recently. Shortly after the election Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel made a disturbing speech on the House floor where he proposed the creation of a "Shadow Cabinet" designed to hamper the Trump administration and to step in if Trump were removed from office. This "Shadow Cabinet" would be composed of Democrat counter-picks to Trump presidential cabinet members, and they would scrutinize every act made by the Trump administration and propose alternative actions. This just proves that the deep state will do anything to stop President Trump.

How California leadership is to blame for HORRIFIC wildfires

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

California's progressive policies emphasize ideology over lifesaving solutions. The destruction will persist until voters hold their elected officials accountable.

America is no stranger to natural disasters. But it’s not the fires, floods, or earthquakes that are the most devastating — it’s the repeated failures to learn from them, prevent them, and take responsibility for the damage.

My heart goes out to the families who have lost homes, cherished memories, and livelihoods. But if we’re going to help California rebuild and prevent future disasters, we need to confront some uncomfortable truths about leadership, responsibility, and priorities.

California — ironically, in the name of environmentalism — continues to ignore solutions that would protect both the environment and its residents.

While Californians continue to face heart-wrenching losses, those who have the power to enact change are mired in bureaucracy, regulation, and ideologies that do nothing to protect lives or preserve the land. The result? A state that keeps burning, year after year.

Where did all the water go?

We all know that water is essential to life. When NASA searches for signs of life on other planets, it looks for water. Yet, California has spent decades neglecting its water infrastructure. The state hasn’t built a new major reservoir since 1979 — over 40 years ago. Back then, California’s population was roughly half what it is today. Despite massive population growth, the state’s water storage capacity has remained frozen in time, woefully inadequate for current needs.

Moreover, billions of gallons of rainwater flow straight into the ocean every year because no infrastructure exists to capture and store it. Imagine how different things could be if California had built reservoirs, aqueducts, and desalination plants to secure water for its dry seasons.

Water is life, but the state’s failure to prioritize this essential resource has put lives and ecosystems at risk.

Misplaced priorities and critical leadership failure

This neglect of critical infrastructure is part of a larger failure of vision, and in California, the consequences of that failure are on full display.

Consider the progressive leadership in Los Angeles, where the mayor cut the fire department’s budget to fund programs for the homeless, funneling money to NGOs with little oversight. While helping the homeless is a worthy cause, it cannot come at the expense of protecting lives and property from catastrophic fires. Leadership must put safety and well-being over political agendas, and that’s not happening in Los Angeles.

The same misplaced priorities extend to environmental policies. Progressive leaders have blocked sensible forest management practices, prioritizing dead trees over living creatures. They reject controlled burns, forest thinning, and other commonsense measures, bowing to the demands of activists rather than considering real solutions that would protect those they govern.

California’s wildfire crisis is, in many ways, a man-made disaster. Yes, factors like Southern California’s dry climate, strong Santa Ana winds, and little rain play a role, but the biggest contributing factor is poor land management.

The forests are choked with dry brush, dead trees, and vegetation that turn every spark into a potential inferno. The crisis could have been mitigated — if only the state had made forest management and fire prevention a higher priority.

Finland and Sweden, for example, understand the importance of maintaining healthy forests. These countries have perfected the art of clearing underbrush and thinning trees sustainably, turning potential fire fuel into biomass energy. This approach not only reduces the risk of wildfires, but it also creates jobs, boosts the economy, and improves the ecosystem. And yet, California — ironically, in the name of environmentalism — continues to ignore these solutions that would protect both the environment and its residents.

We need to stop pretending that something as devastating as the Palisades and Eaton fires are just “part of life” and hold leaders accountable.

Insurance rules put California residents at risk

California faces another major and often overlooked liability when it comes to natural disasters: insurance.

California’s ongoing disasters make the state an uninsurable risk. Insurance companies are pulling out because the odds of widespread devastation are just too high. This creates a vicious cycle: With private insurers gone, the government steps in to subsidize high-risk areas. This enables people to rebuild in fire-prone zones, perpetuating the destruction. The solution isn’t more government intervention; it’s better decision-making.

This doesn’t mean abandoning people to their fate, but we must address the root of the problem: California’s inadequate disaster preparedness and poor land management. If the state continues to resist commonsense solutions like forest thinning, controlled burns, and better zoning laws, no amount of insurance or government assistance will ever be enough to mitigate the losses. The cycle will repeat until the costs — financial and human — become unbearable. It’s time to stop pretending the risk isn’t real and start making decisions that reflect the reality of California’s landscape.

What’s the solution? California’s government needs to put its people over harmful political agendas that put its residents at risk. Start by managing your forests. Implement controlled burns, remove dead trees, and clear underbrush.

But how you vote matters. California’s progressive policies have focused on political correctness and ideology instead of practical, lifesaving solutions. Until voters hold leaders accountable, the cycle of destruction will persist.

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

Crazy enough to be true? The connection between the Cybertruck bomber and cryptic drones

WADE VANDERVORT / Contributor | Getty Images

Not knowing — and not being told — fuels distrust and speculation.

A chilling story has emerged: A whistleblower, claiming to possess knowledge of advanced military technologies and covert operations, took his own life in a shocking explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. He left behind a manifesto filled with claims so extraordinary they sound like science fiction. Yet if even a fraction of them prove true, the implications are staggering and demand immediate attention.

This whistleblower alleges that the United States and China developed “gravitic propulsion systems,” technologies that manipulate gravity itself to enable silent, undetectable flight at unimaginable speeds. According to his claims, these systems are not theoretical — they are operational, deployed both in the United States and China. If true, this would render conventional defense systems obsolete, fundamentally altering the global balance of power.

America’s founders warned us about unchecked government power. Today, their warnings feel more relevant than ever.

Imagine aircraft that defy radar, heat signatures, and missile defense systems. They carry massive payloads, conduct surveillance, and operate without a sound. If such technologies exist, they pose a national security threat unlike any we’ve faced.

But why haven’t we been told? If these claims are false, they must be debunked transparently. If true, the public has a right to know how such technologies are being used and safeguarded.

The whistleblower’s manifesto goes farther, claiming that with this technology, the United States and China developed and deployed the infamous drones that were seen across the United States starting late last year. He alleged that China launched them from submarines along the U.S. East Coast, calling them “the most dangerous threat to national security” because of their stealth, ability to evade detection, and unlimited payload capacity. He ties this advanced technology to other surveillance systems, creating a network so advanced it makes our current intelligence capabilities look primitive.

These claims may sound far-fetched, but they highlight a deeper issue: the cost of government secrecy. Not knowing — and not being told — fuels distrust and speculation. Without transparency, these incidents dangerously erode public confidence in our leaders and institutions.

The cost of secrecy

Beyond technology, the manifesto also alleges moral failures, including war crimes and deliberate cover-ups during U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan. In one particularly harrowing claim, the whistleblower describes attacks in Afghanistan’s Nimroz Province in 2019. He alleges that 125 buildings were targeted, with 65 struck, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths in a single day. Even after civilians were spotted, he claims, the strikes continued knowingly and deliberately.

The United Nations investigated similar incidents and confirmed civilian casualties during these operations. However, the whistleblower’s accusations go farther, implicating high-ranking officials, the Department of Defense, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Central Intelligence Agency, and even top military generals in a broader pattern of deceit, eroding the moral integrity of our military and government.

Whether these specific claims hold up, they underscore a larger issue: Secrecy breeds corruption. When people in power hide their actions and evade accountability, they break trust — and everyone pays the price, not just those at the top but also the citizens and soldiers they serve.

Transparency is an imperative

America’s founders warned us about unchecked government power. Today, their warnings feel more relevant than ever. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the Capitol riot on January 6 to the potential misuse of advanced technologies, the American people have been kept in the dark for too long.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and sunlight is coming. Transparency must become our rallying cry. As we look to the future, we must demand accountability — not just from those we oppose politically but from all leaders entrusted with power. This isn’t about partisanship; it’s about preserving our nation from self-destruction.

As we enter a new chapter in our nation’s history, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Whether it’s uncovering the truth about advanced technology, holding perpetrators of corruption accountable, or seeking justice for war crimes, we must act. This isn’t just a call to action — it’s a moral imperative.

Our strength lies in our unity and our resolve. The powerful fear an informed and vocal citizenry. Let’s prove them right. By demanding transparency and accountability, we can restore trust and ensure that the government serves the people — not the other way around.