Buck Sexton: It's time to stand up for the cops who protect us

December 22, 2014

Writer

Hello, America. Welcome to The Glenn Beck Program and TheBlaze. I’m Buck Sexton. Just over a week ago, protesters marched the streets of New York chanting this:

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[What do we want it? Dead cops. When do we want it? Now.]

Just a few days later, two NYPD officers, police officers from the City of New York, were ambushed and brutally executed by a 28-year-old who acted on the sick, twisted calls for death, it seems. “I’m putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of hours….Let’s take 2 of theirs.” That’s what he wrote.

In most cases, protesters cannot reasonably be held liable for the actions of a crazed individual, but in this case, it appears the attacker, the assassin, did exactly what the protesters wanted someone to do. They were screaming out for someone to do this. So where’s the outrage? Where’s the universal condemnation? Where are the demands for justice?

If you recall, the left was up in arms after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. They blamed the Tea Party and Sarah Palin because there was a map that targeted political races, “targeted” political races. So it was on them that this complete lunatic shot Gabrielle Giffords. These guys, these protesters we were just talking about, they called for dead cops, and someone actually did it. Shouldn’t there be some sort of call for those who incited violence to be held accountable, at least in our discourse, at least in our debates over these issues?

People want to talk to me about how we should take this movement seriously. This movement for what, for police reform? How? In a sane world, there would be accountability for this. Yes, there would be, but instead of universal condemnation and calls for actual justice, we’re being told that the act, this murder, double murder, the act of one crazy gunman, that shouldn’t take our attention away from the cause. The movement is what matters, not the dead officers.

They haven’t even had their funerals yet, and there are so-called civil rights leaders and community organizers who are saying maybe we should take some time to think about how this will affect the movement. Oh, we don’t want any backlash against the movement. A movement for what? We’re told that we should focus on healing now. The president actually came out and said that we should have a dialogue. What does that mean? We should be addressing awareness…no thanks.

This country is fractured almost to the point of no repair. We’re on the verge of civil unrest and the kind of violence we haven’t seen since the 1960s. Anti-police sentiment has been simmering beneath the surface for a while, but it has been rising and getting hotter, and it could boil over at any moment. We’re on a powder keg right now, and if you want me to essentially ignore the people who are in the streets calling for the murder of innocent cops, I’m not going to just ignore this. I’m sorry, they’re the problem.

There are millions of people who don’t believe there is such a thing as innocent cops. This is a very big problem. This hatred for police is being stoked, and it’s being stoked every day. The police acted stupidly. It started with that, if you will recall, and then there was Occupy Wall Street where protesters insisted on calling cops pigs and saying that there was all this police brutality. I was there. I saw it. The police in New York acted admirably in a vast majority of cases when dealing with Occupy Wall Street, 99 out of 100.

In the wake of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, now the anti-police rhetoric has reached new lows. On Saturday night, following the shootings, Ferguson protesters took to the streets of St. Louis to taunt local cops. It’s not just a bunch of imbeciles running around in the streets screaming at those who protect us day and night. It’s actually coming, this anti-police venom, is coming from the highest offices in the land.

Americans are being left with the impression that cops are a bunch of raging maniacs who murder minorities for sports. Look, do cops make some bad calls sometimes? Yeah, of course they do. I’ve seen cops who made bad calls. I worked with cops. Are there bad cops? Yes, of course. They have a name for them, the cops. They call them perps in uniform.

Now, how to get rid of bad police behavior or police brutality is a conversation worthy of discussion—how to limit it really, because you will never get rid of it because people are imperfect. But what is not worthy of discussion is any talk that paints a broad picture of cops as just bad, inherently bad, bad in general bad.

These are men and women who put their lives on the line every single day. If a cop lets their guard down for even an instant during a routine traffic stop, it could be fatal. Every 911 call responded to, every request from dispatch, every disabled vehicle on the side of the road has the potential for violence. Officers never know when they are coming across someone so desperate to remain out of jail that they’re willing to shoot anyone who stands in the way of their freedom.

Most cops, the cops, are amazing people, and we should be proud of them. The term finest is not a stretch. When something goes wrong, when there is a threat, when things go bad, when people are running for cover, it’s cops who are running to the scene. I’ll say this to protesters who want to see dead cops, I will say this to anyone, when things go bad for you, guess what, they’re still going to show up. The cops are still going to show up and help, regardless of any disdain shown for them and no matter how big of a cowardly dirtbag some protester may be. That’s the kind of people the cops are.

For their willingness to do what they do, they deserve our respect, but you protesters filled with hatred, lies, and repulsive blood lust for vengeance, deserve neither our attention nor our respect. Anyone who marches alongside scum like this or in any way stands in solidarity with them should be condemned as well. The call to murder any group of human beings is beyond reprehensible. What’s lost in all of the mindless rhetoric is probably just that.

Police officers are people too. They are human. They are parents, siblings, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends. Ralph Ramos, one of the two officers killed this weekend, he leaves behind two sons. One of them, Jaden Ramos, recently posted this image on his Facebook wall for his dad’s 40th birthday with the caption, “Happy birthday to the best dad in the world, you are always there for me even when it’s almost impossible.

We have so many good times it’s not even funny, I love you so much. How does it feel to be 40? You’re getting old dad but you still look good. Hope you have the best birthday, you deserve it.” Jaden’s father was a man of faith who recently shared this image on Facebook, “My unknown future is in the hands of the all-knowing God.” The very day he was murdered, he was set to be officially commissioned as a lay chaplain. His family has said they’ve already forgiven the killer, and they don’t believe in vengeance. This was a good man taken far too soon.

So many people place a lot of trust in officers like Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, and that’s because they stand guard day and night to protect us. Now it’s time that we stand up for them.

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

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picking up his torch

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two turning points, decades apart

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

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

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

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

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

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

A time for courage

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

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

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 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.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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