The Progressive End Game: Top Down, Bottom Up, Inside Out

Top down, bottom up, inside out. It's a strategy that's been going for a hundred years that progressives have used to accomplish their agenda. The elites like Mike Bloomberg and George Soros believe they know best and they are doing whatever they can to take advantage of crisises in America and across the globe to push their plans. Just in the past few weeks, this strategy has been applied to global economy, war, and gun control. On tonight's Glenn Beck Program, Glenn went through each and explained what the ultimate outcome of the progressive end game could be.

Below, Glenn addresses the situation in Cyprus and how it impacts the global economy:

Let’s start with Cyprus and money. Cyprus, a small little island that nobody really cares about, and a last-minute deal was reached that will “spare the East Mediterranean Island a financial meltdown.” Oh, well that’s really good news, right? Well, not really, and not really good for you.

The Bank of Cyprus is going to be shut down and then turned over to the Greek banks – but aren’t they in trouble? But here’s what they did. Deposits over €100,000 will be frozen. Now, €100,000, that’s about $130,000. They’re going to be frozen and then used to resolve government debts and restructure. The government plans to take an estimated 30%, maybe up to 40%, of all of the assets from the frozen accounts.

Now imagine, first of all, a week ago it was going to be between 6 and 10%, but what they’ve decided is to freeze people’s account, anybody who has $130,000 in their bank account, freeze them and then pay off all the government debt. Can you imagine that happening here? The media is reporting this massive, multi-billion-dollar theft as a deal that saved the day. But did it save the day, and what does it really mean? What does it accomplish?

Well, if you’re a Marxist radical, it accomplishes an awful lot. First of all, it redistributes the wealth, redistribution of wealth, but that redistribution of wealth will cause civil unrest because of a couple of things. First of all, anybody who saved for an entire lifetime for a retirement, if you played by the rules, you know, you’re screwed, you’re screwed. They’re going to take your money.

But more importantly, and something I don’t hear anybody in the media talk about, small companies, any small companies with payrolls to meet. For instance, we’re a small company. I have all of my money in the bank. Well, if somebody took 30 to 40%, and first of all, froze my bank accounts, I’m not going to be able to pay my employees because everything is in the bank. And then, if they decided to take 30 to 40%, I can’t meet payroll, which means unemployment goes up and so does strife, so does hunger, so does anger. Wait a minute, that’s almost like civil unrest. So what they did causes the top coming down. Taking this causes the bottom to rise up.

More people take to the streets, the goal of the radical left, and the Progressives have successfully confiscated private funding for the greater good – first time, no private property. That’s very unconstitutional, but it’s Cyprus, so why pay attention? Unless, it’s not like anybody here has been saying about this kind of stuff.

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President Obama: That’s why I have proposed taxing the record multibillion dollar profits of oil companies.

Hillary Clinton: I want to take those profits, and I want to put them into a strategic energy fund that will begin to fund alternative smart energy…

I want to take those profits. Got it. So there’s no private property because they know better. They’re the ones that made the mistake, the people – I don’t know about Cyprus, but here, we’ve been saying stop the spending, and I’m telling you, they will do what they’ve just done. This is a test. Cyprus is a test, and really it’s all about control. I mean, it empowers. Who do you think it empowers? Do you think George Soros, Bloomberg, Al Gore, Warren Buffet, Bill Clinton, and all those people, do you think they’re going to be impacted by this sort of confiscation at all, or do you think they’ll be emboldened by it?

Do you remember when I said spit yourself out of the system because you know what, if you’re not designing the system, you’re going to be a slave to it? Do you remember that? Do you think the people who sat at the table trying to work this deal out, to approve confiscation of 40% of everybody’s asset that has anything in their life savings in a bank, do you think they approve that if they went, Oh, gee that’s going to hit me 40%? Do you think they were affected by it at all?

This kicks the snot out of everybody who comes up behind because the Soroses and the Bloombergs of the world, they don’t care. They got theirs, and they’re designing the new system. And what happens, this kicks the snot out of everybody who’s semi-rich behind them, anybody who has $130,000 in the bank. This creates greater instability in the region. It causes runs on the bank. You watch, it will happen, but also instability politically speaking for a couple of reasons.

Inside out, there’s no private property. You can’t trust the rules anymore. Inside out, a new power class. They’ve just destroyed everybody who was coming up, so anybody who made the rules, those are the people that now have the money for power. But you’ve also made new enemies, the people in Germany. The Cypriots now are saying, Germans, those evil Germans. It’s not the Germans. It’s not the Germans. Who’s making the decisions? Watch the other hand. But also Russia – up to 40% of the Cypriot bank deposits are estimated 40% to belong to Russian businesses and individuals’ worth about $32 billion. Okay, that’s not a good idea.

Dmitry Medvedev, he called the actions of Cyprus “the stealing of the stolen.” Don’t steal from the mob. Do the people in Cyprus not watch the news? Have they not seen what happens to the enemies of Russia and those people who they don’t like or steal their money? Journalists mysteriously fall out of buildings nine stories up. Dissidents are mysteriously poisoned to death. Political enemies, like this guy just this weekend, ended up mysteriously dead in the bathtub. Hmm, I wonder what happened there.

Everything that happened in Cyprus is a major progressive victory. Okay, top down, no private property, redistribution of wealth, take the savings. Bottom up, it’s going to cause unemployment, civil unrest, and those who saved are screwed, and runs on the banks. Inside out, no more private property, new power class, and new enemies. Top down, bottom up, inside out, it’s happening with money, and this is just the beginning.

Next, he tackled the growing unrest in the Middle East:

Next, we go to war. This one’s strange. Something’s happening here, and I can’t really put my finger on it yet, but it’s not good, not good. Let me show you this. Do you remember this video? This video we ran when I was over at Fox. The IDF will routinely inspect flotillas heading to Gaza to ensure that there are no weapons on board, and the aid is truly humanitarian and everything else. Nearly all the time, these inspections happen without incident, but this flotilla was different, and we knew about this flotilla going in. We knew about it because we covered it almost live as it happened.

The IDF soldiers were ambushed and immediately attacked by activists and beaten with iron bars. Some soldiers were stabbed. I know these things because we have the video. There they are, beating them. We have the video. I’ve talked to members of the IDF. I’ve talked to leaders of Israel. It’s very clear what was going on. One of the soldiers was tossed overboard. An activist wrestled a gun away from an Israeli soldier and opened fire. The Israelis then shimmied down from helicopters and returned fire, and nine activists were eventually killed in the fight. This was clearly a case of self-defense. No one in the media covered it. We did.

I covered it for months, the only one that was covering it. But now, nearly three years later, something happened over the weekend. Israel formerly apologized for this. They’re paying compensation to activists and the families. I saw the video. What’s up with that? Israel doesn’t apologize for things when they know they’re in the right, so why now? What’s different? We are, the United States of America. We have virtually no power left. This apology indicates the disillusion of America’s long-standing with a strong alliance with Israel and I think a signal to the rest of the world. We don’t count anymore. Even Andrea Mitchell called Obama’s and Netanyahu’s relationship one of the worst she’s ever seen.

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Andrea Mitchell: It’s gotten off on the wrong foot, and they’re trying to fix it, but it is one the worst relationships I can remember. And I’ve covered ever president going all the way back to Ronald Reagan.

Yeah, no he’s the best friend. Israel understands this. It understands that it can no longer count on America to watch her back, so they’re going to start playing their own game now, and right now they’re just trying to buy as much time as possible. I think they know that they’re appeasing Turkey’s anti-Israeli Prime Minister, a good friend of Barack Obama’s, and they know they’re not going to win him over, but I think they hope that they’re going to slow him down.

I’m not entirely comfortable with this explanation of what’s going on, but so far it’s the best theory that I’ve heard or read, and it seems to make sense. But something else is afoot. There is a clock that has been started on the war front. Something has started. One thing that stuck out with President Obama is that he is oddly beating the war drums on Iran, saying we’re going to do everything possible to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. He’s gone on and on about this.

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President Obama: And I will repeat, all options are on the table. We will do what is necessary to prevent Iran from getting the world’s worst weapons.

Okay, he’s starting to sound more like me five or six years ago. I’ve been saying for years that Iran is the head of the snake. It’s not Iraq. It’s not Afghanistan. It’s Iran. And I’ve been warning that this is extraordinarily dangerous because they believe in creating world chaos. Why? Because it will hasten the return of the 12th Imam. Who’s the 12th Imam? The one that radial Islamists believe is the savior of all mankind. Others, who shall remain nameless at this point – me – think that he might be the literal Antichrist, and no, not this guy who, come on, let’s be serious, he looks just like Barack Obama. Come on, how do you deny it? How do you deny it? It’s like father and son here, just like the guy who last night played Herod. See this guy? Do you think it’s a coincidence that this guy looks just like Harvey Weinstein? I don’t think so.

Anyway, just a few months ago, the vice presidential debate, Joe Biden was laughing about Iran, dismissing the possibility of war. Do you remember?

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Vice President Biden: This is a bunch of stuff. Look, here’s the deal –

Martha Raddatz,: What does that mean, a bunch of stuff?

Vice President Biden: Well, it means it’s simply inaccurate.

Rep. Ryan: It’s Irish.

Vice President Biden: It is. We Irish call it malarkey.

The only reason why I’m bringing this up is because they were so clear there was no war. There was nothing with Iran, and now I keep reading, and most of the people in the mainstream media I don’t think is noticing it. Most people who are watching the mainstream media are noticing, but there’s a change. What has changed? Why is Mr. Diplomacy now threatening war? Why is this so important all the time?

Even a few sources of ours have come up and said, oh, there’s war right on the horizon. Why? Why? Because this is now the last thing that we should be doing, because that will set the Arab world on fire. Is it that now’s the time, because if you set the Arab world on fire you could set the whole world on fire? So the Iran situation is escalating, and then on top of it, you have the latest from Syria. Why is no one really talking about this?

The opposition has a new prime minister in Syria, going to head up the effort to form a new government post-Assad. Who is he? Well, he’s a friend of ours. He’s a good friend of ours, this guy. He’s great. He was born in Damascus. Then he left Syria in 1980 and became a naturalized American citizen. In fact, he was neighbors with us. I didn’t know this at the time. I wish I would’ve known. He resided right here in Texas. He was the choice of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood. Isn’t that great?

Now, there was one objection, besides mine, to his appointment from the free Syrian army, and wouldn’t you know it, I mean, such bad luck. The day they announced that they were against the Muslim Brotherhood’s guy, there was a bad, nasty car crash. Well, it wasn’t a crash as much as it was POOF! And he gets himself blown up, so, it was just a coincidence and what timing, huh? I mean, cars mysteriously explode all time, especially, I don’t know I haven’t checked yet, but it might have been a Chevy Volt.

This is all about the Brotherhood. Hitto is the man now, and he’s been there for quite some time. If you look at his resume, boy he loves the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Society of North America, the North American Islamic Trust, the Muslim American Society. He was a representative for CAIR who definitely has nothing to do with terror or Muslim Brother – what?

Many of these groups have been identified as part of the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, he went to Turkey just at the end of last year, well last December, and then he goes to Syria just a few days ago. Isn’t that weird? So this guy was living right down the street from us. There’s the studio. Right there, the Texas, there’s TheBlaze studios. That little black dot, that’s the Muslim Brotherhood guy. We were neighbors. Why didn’t we have barbecue or go see a Cowboys game?

The next day, he’s over in Syria as the new prime minister of the opposition forces fighting to get a Muslim Brotherhood Egypt-style government implemented post-Assad. Whoa, that’s weird. It’s almost like this is further confirmation that everything in our documentary called The Project was true.

The Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the White House, this administration. It is alive and well inside of our borders, even the great state of Texas. And you know what else is weird, that America was running guns from Benghazi to the Syrian opposition. At the same time he went over to Turkey, our boats were landing in Turkey, and we knew full well that those guns were landing in the arms of radical Muslim Brotherhood fighters. It’s almost again like what reported and nobody else did about Benghazi attack being connected to gunrunning operations are true. Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody else would connect the dots from time to time?

Here’s something else nobody else bothers to report on or connected the dots on, America’s popularity in the Middle East. Guess what, we are so popular right now. Support for the United States of America in Egypt Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan is great. It’s a little lower than it was in 2008 in the closing year of George W. Bush, but hey, you know, we faced some headwinds. Our approval rating now – do we have it – our approval rating right now is 15%. Okay, like I said, a little lower, you know. It’s down about 20% in the last four years, down from 35% during the last year of Bush. It was so bad at 35%, this guy was going to save us, and now it’s at 15%. Wait a minute, that sounds a little like bottom up.

Now why is our approval rating so low in the Middle East? Because we have the savior, right? Here’s why, because at least during the Bush, Clinton, Reagan years, we did go to bed with dictators that we didn’t like. I mean, we were in bed with dictators and we’re like, Ooh, I just can’t get clean, but now we’re seducing them. Now we’re taking brutal Islamic thugs, and we’re dressing them up in something low cut and lacy. Say, is that a bomb in your pants Mr. Muslim Brotherhood, or are you just excited to see me? That’s what’s happening.

We’re propping up the Muslim Brotherhood, a band of radical Islamists who want to control every aspect of human life. Kind of sounds like the Progressives, doesn’t it? They are worse than the previous dictators, and we’re putting lipstick on these pigs and my apologies to pigs.

Look at the words of Mohammed Morsi this weekend about those people on the streets, bottom up, that are protesting him. He said this weekend, “If I am forced to do what is required to protect this nation, then I will do it. And I fear that I might be on the verge of doing it.” Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good. Sounds an awful lot like what Adolf Hitler said right after the Night of Long Knives. President Obama supported this guy was well. No wonder people hate us.

The top is coming down even more, and the bottom continues to rise. And we are sowing the seeds of discontent literally, arming the Syrian opposition and funding a civil war and wooing the opposition leaders in the wings. And who stands with Hassad – you’re going to love this. You’ll never guess. New Alliance, war with Iran, Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, we were gunrunning. Bottom up, discontent on the Arab streets, nobody likes us anymore. We have a new alliance. This is inside out. We’re powering the Muslim extremists, and we’re also making enemies of Russia. Wait a minute, oh that’s right, that’s right. They stand with the other side, don’t they? Wait a minute, those of the same guys that the Western banks pissed off. What could possibly go wrong here? Nothing, I’m sure. When we come back, the last piece of top down, bottom up, inside out. We go to guns.

Finally, Glenn detailed the escalating efforts of the progressive elites to disarm the American people through increased gun regulations:

Glenn Alright, last piece here I want to tell you about is guns. Look who’s leading the charge now to dismantle the Second Amendment. It’s this guy:

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Mayor Bloomberg: I think I have a responsibility, and I think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities to try to make this country safer for our families and for each other, and if I can do that by spending some money and taking the NRA from being the only voice to being one of the voices so the public can really understand the issues, then I think my money would be well spent. And I think I have an obligation to do that.

David Gregory: So you’ll spend money on ads?

Mayor Bloomberg: We’re starting to run ads today or tomorrow.

Okay I can’t take it. Please pray for me as we get into writing this speech for the NRA convention in about a month from now. I’m going down, and I’m going to give the keynote address at probably the most important NRA convention of all time, and boy I’ve got a lot to say. I’m not sure I should say all of it, but here’s a guy who views himself as a one-man warrior versus the special interests of the NRA.

Okay, let’s go over this. The NRA is a group with about 5 million members. Mayor McFascist is one person with $30 billion. So you know, the $30 billion, more than George Soros and a butt load more than the Koch brothers. So which one, the 5 million or the one is about the special interests? Which one’s about the Constitution, one with 5 million supporters, one with giant bank accounts?

Now, to be fair to Mayor McFascist, he also has Hollywood on his side, and I mean, there’s really a group of people that are, I mean, who could be more in step with mainstream American values than a Canadian in Hollywood?

Jim Carrey is the latest boob to actually support gun control, and he released the parody song – oh look, and he’s mocking country-western music and Hee Haw. He released this on the website Funny or Die, and after watching the painful 5 minutes and 56 seconds of this atrocity, attempt at comedy, I think it’s clearly or die for this one.

He called the song “Cold Dead Hand,” and in it, he mocks Charlton Heston. He also goes on the say, “Cold Dead Hand is abt u heartless motherf%ckers unwilling 2 bend 4 the safety of our kids.” Yep, that’s me. I say screw the kids, Jim. “Sorry if you’re offended.” Jim, I’m not offended, but I’m not surprised that you’re blinded by the lights in your eyes. You don’t see the hypocrisy here? I mean, in your upcoming film Kick-Ass 2, there’s – oh that’s a gun in your hand – nor the fact that you allegedly have armed bodyguards to keep you safe.

You at home, no, you’re not important enough to have armed bodyguards. Of course, you could have them. You just have to pay for ‘em. What? What’s the problem? He’s paying for ‘em.

Dana Loesch tweeted about this, and after absolutely demolishing him, he said this over the weekend: “I’d like to respond to all the conservative pundits out there personally but I’m far too busy NOT stumping for the gun companies!” Yeah, what are you implying you dope, that we’re getting kickbacks from Beretta? I feel like I’m at the end of Scooby Doo and I would’ve gotten away for it, too, if it wasn’t for that pesky kid.

They make a product that we use. I mean, was Sally Struthers stumping for the food companies? Or did she see a bigger picture, no pun intended. Jim, look, let’s be honest with each other. I’m sorry that you’re not feeling well. It was a bad weekend for you. Bad weekend for me, I had to put my dog down. You had a pretty big box office bomb, and you know, Burt Wonderstone sounds good. I’m thinking that maybe we should send it to Syria. Then, they’ll have the biggest bomb in the Middle East.

Let me explain this to you nice and slow because I speak Canadian. I proudly give the money to the NRA that I give because the NRA is standing up for the Constitution when nobody else will, and they work for us. You see, this is the way that government is supposed to be, at least here in America. I don’t know what it’s like in Canada, but here in America, the government works for us. But see, Canadians, like you, come down here and try to convince us and people in, you know, universities, you know, and other morons, they try to convince people that you work for the government. But that’s not how it works.

Now, the gun lobby, there’s 5 million of us. They work for us. See, we’re not their puppets. They’re standing up to the people like you because we don’t have the money that Hollywood and Bloomberg and everybody else has. Now, I know that’s how you feel about President Obama, and I and millions of others, you know, don’t. I mean, I don’t believe that government knows better than me, and I do believe, as Mayor Bloomberg you know, doesn’t, that the government is infringing on the right of my freedom.

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Mayor Bloomberg: I do not think we should ban most things. I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.

Oh, he does believe that we should infringe on rights. You see, I believe in the individual. He believes in himself. I believe in the individual, for liberty. I believe in individual freedom, to live my life, and you live your life. You want to make funny faces, that’s cool. It works for you. It did for a while. Then do it. Do everything you want as you see fit, as long as it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. That’s the way it works. If you or I make poor choices, then I believe we have to have maximum personal responsibility and live with the consequences of those choices.

I’m not a puppet. I’m not looking for a puppet. I’m a man, and I really just want to be left alone so I can be busy helping others and creating jobs, but thanks for the Canadian sidebar there, I appreciate it. The American Constitution gives us the right, and I will defend it. And I’ll look for all like-minded Americans that will stand against mister-take-your-soda-away because it’s bad for people.

You see, a peaceful government is not the norm in human history. It’s a fluke. It’s a freak. What keeps a government in check is a responsible citizenry which we don’t really have very much; an educated people. The teachers unions and the universities have pretty much taken care of that one; or a media that is responsible and tethers themselves to the truth. We haven’t had that one for quite some time, either; and people, willing to stand up to the power of the man, as long as the man is trying to violate principles.

Now, I thought that you would’ve been with us on that last one. I don’t know how you anti-fascist, anti-controlling government people suddenly have found yourself either in bed with or actually playing the role of the man, but really you should look at yourself in the mirror, I mean, without making all those funny faces that you do that were so funny about 15 years ago.

The rest of us are busy protecting the right to defend ourselves, especially when the government is going all top down, bottom up, and inside out, especially on the Second Amendment. And what’s really strange is they are infringing, and they are mocking top down. At the same time they’re doing that and flipping the Constitution, turning things inside out, they’re trying to take away our right to defend ourself, at the same time they’re threatening to cut back police and releasing prisoners in the name of sequester. So what would be the result? What would be the result of releasing prisoners and also all of the policies that they have from finances and all of the really pissed off Arabs in the world? What do you think’s going to happen? Chaos, fear, crime.

So people are rightly worried about the safety of their families as government is not enforcing the laws, and if you don’t believe me, watch this.

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Wayne LaPierre: Look, we’re 5 million families, we’re 80,000 law enforcement families, we’re 11,000 law enforcement trainers. We want to make people safe. That’s what the NRA does every day.

That’s what it was really all about, and they are rightly upset, because the Constitution is being threatened by Progressives armed with an agenda, not the truth, and agenda. We have gun laws on the books, enforce them. If the Second Amendment is allowed to be infringed, what does it mean for the other amendments, the charter of negative liberties that so many Progressives say is outdated and no longer useful? What is the endgame, and can they win, next.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'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 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 critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

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.