Glenn: Why is the Confederate Flag our #1 priority?

June 23, 2015

WRITER

Many are calling for the Confederate flag to be removed from grounds of the South Carolina state capitol in the wake of the church shooting in Charleston. Yesterday, Glenn made it clear that he doesn’t think it should be flown at the capitol, but he also knows that as a resident of Texas he doesn’t have much say in the matter. But he did see a deeper issue with the story - with everything in the country we should be upset about, why are we making the Confederate flag the top priority? Glenn delivered an epic response to everyone worried about a flag in South Carolina while ignoring some very scary problems in the U.S. and abroad.

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

GLENN: Nikki Haley. I want to start here. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag. Cut 176.

NIKKI: We respect freedom for expression. And that for those who wish to show their respect for the flag, on their private property, no one will stand in your way.

But the statehouse is different. And the events of this past week call upon us to look at this in a different way. Fifteen years ago after much contentious debate, South Carolina came together in a bipartisan way to move the flag from atop the capitol dome. Today, we're here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will, to say it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds.

[applauding]

GLENN: Okay. I'm not going to get involved in this debate. I made my feelings clear on the Confederate flag yesterday. I don't see a reason for it. A lot of people do. That's up to the state. They don't fly it here in Texas. So I as a citizen of Texas, have nothing to say about it. If you want to fly something yourself, you can fly the Nazi flag for all I care. I -- I actually like to know -- you know, like the guy who is a Nazi -- and I'm not comparing the Confederacy with the Nazis. But you have to a right to do what you do in your own life and on your own property. That's what you have.

Yesterday when we talked about the Nazi wearing the Nazi armband in Seattle. Said, what do you do about that? There's nothing you can do about that. You have a right to wear the Nazi armband. I wish everyone would wear an armband. I know that goes towards the Nazi rule. But you at least know who this guy is. You at least know who this guy is.

So the worst thing I can think of is the Nazis. You can fly that flag if you want. I know exactly who you are then. Done.

So we're not even talking about the Nazi flag. We're talking about the Confederate flag. I don't agree with it. But I didn't grow up in the South. If you want to fly that put it on your truck, you can put that on your truck. Whatever. I don't like in a state like South Carolina where they are flying it on the grounds. I don't think it should be flown on the grounds. But I don't live in South Carolina. That's up to you. Now, with that being said, could I ask a question?

This is the biggest thing we have going on in our country? Because if this is the biggest thing going on in our country, we have a sweet, sweet life

PAT: Well, it caused the shooting in South Carolina. You have to take it down so it doesn't cause anymore.

GLENN: No, it didn't cause the shooting in South Carolina.

We have $18 trillion in debt. We have the latest on Jonathan Gruber in the White House. And play the audio for you in a little while. We have the press not even willing to say the president lied. Here's yet another lie, and nobody is willing to say the president lied. Obamacare is in collapse. Your insurance rates for your children is skyrocketing. Kids in fourth grade, they can read as well as a kindergartener. Mutual fund managers all around the world is saying, you better have cash on hand. You better have cash on hand.

Our fed has lied to us, said they would never print money. They did. And we taught the rest of the world how to print money. Now the central banks all over the world are printing money. That's not going to end well. Our wars are still going. And they're not going well. ISIS is still beheading people, throwing homosexuals off the roof. Killing Christians because they won't comply. Muslims who aren't Muslim enough are enslaved. There was a new contest on the Koran with ISIS. The winners got women to be used as sex slaves.

Yesterday, the parliament of Iran met. They talked about the president's proposal. And they rejected any -- any inspections of their nuke sites. Oh, and then the parliament got together and, you know -- I don't understand parliamentary rules, but they got together and they chanted, death to America. But we're still going forward on a -- on a pact with Iran.

Baltimore is still on fire and hasn't been solved. Ferguson is still on fire and hasn't been solved. Debt for student loans is higher than ever. People don't even know how they'll pay these debts off.

Jihad. The threat against jihad. Our government came out and told us it is the highest threat level we've ever had. And we're talking about the Confederate flag? Are you kidding me?

This is the biggest thing we've got? The Confederate flag is the thing that America has got to stop and talk about and solve right now?

We have -- we are living in an Alice in Wonderland world. We have stepped threw the looking glass, and we're having tea parties with the Mad freaking Hatter. Don't say the N-word! Whatever you do! Yet Cornel West can say the N-word on television, and nobody seems to care. The network doesn't come out. They don't apologize. They don't say, oh, my gosh, we're so sorry. We apologize for him using that word. We're still concerned that Sarah Palin might use the word "targeting."

Meanwhile, the president has a podcast. And on his podcast, he's asked a question, and he uses the N-word without hesitation. The president of the United States uses the N-word, but that's not really the big deal.

I mean, after all, he was on a podcast called WTF. I'd tell you what WTF means, if you didn't know, but I'm on a federally licensed radio station, and so I can't tell you.

But let's spend the day talked about the Confederate flag. Because once we get that settled, everything will be fixed.

PAT: When you lay it out that way, I mean, it doesn't sound as important.

[laughter]

GLENN: You think? You think?

PAT: Wow. That's --

GLENN: What are we doing? We're insane. We're insane.

Look, I care about the Confederate flag. It's a part of history. I wish it would stay in the history books. I don't think that it is something that people should fly over the state. If you want to fly it because your family fought in the Confederacy and they weren't for slavery -- and I know all of the rigamarole. I've lived in the South long enough. I know it. I know the argument. That's great.

I don't think it should be flown on state property. I don't think that it is something that should be flown there. If you do and you live in a state where they're flying it, that's for you to decide. Here's my evil Libertarian plan: To slowly take over the world and then leave everyone alone. Yes! I've said it out loud.

That's for you to decide.

Maybe we should decide together the things that affect all of us. $18 trillion in debt. How are we going to pay for that?

Are we okay with someone who said, okay, so a couple of guys go walking down the street at night and decide to kill some Americans, what difference does that make? And we know that's a lie. We know that's a lie. Someone who erases their own hard drives and lies about it. Are we cool with that person being president of the United States? Apparently yes. The Confederate flag, God forbid!

We're being lectured about how we're supposed to live our lives and how we're supposed to be better people by a guy who uses the N-word, while telling us to never use the N-word. While telling us that we are supposed to watch our language in every step of the way, has made us so afraid of saying anything, that we could lose our job for calling a -- a homosexual couple a homosexual couple or is it a gay couple -- I'm not sure which one is politically correct anymore.

We are so skittish on probably 100 words right now. One hundred words. It's gone from, hey, it's not very nice to call people handicapped. Wouldn't it be better if we call them handicapable. To, you use that word, I'm going to boycott your company. And yet, the president uses it without hesitation.

Meanwhile, while he's doing that, he is telling us, you can keep your health care if you like your health care, when he knows it's a lie. And how do we know it's a lie? Because Jonathan Gruber told us that they sold that because they looked at us as stupid people. That we were nothing, but sheep. That the American people were so stupid, they would buy anything. That's Jonathan Gruber. That's what he said. But then the president came out and immediately said, he's a know-nothing. I don't even know who this guy is. He didn't work on health care. He had nothing to do with it. We finally find out yesterday, finally, it is confirmed -- something that everybody knew -- finally it was confirmed that, yes, indeed, he was one of the main architects of universal health care. He was one of the main guys in the White House with Obamacare.

So the president has lied again! Do we care? Get the flag down!

Watch the other hand. Watch the other hand.

They talk to us about women's rights and a War on Women, really? A War on Women?

ISIS has already committed countless unspeakable acts on Christian and Yazidi girls and women in Iraq. But the terrorist army may have now reached a new low with a twisted new contest in which female slaves captured in war are given away as prizes to fighters who show they have mastered the holy book of the Koran.

The shocking practice, giving away human beings as prizes called Sivia (phonetic) was organized by the Dawah and the mosque's department at Al-Barkara (phonetic) Province in Syria, in honor of the beginning of the new holy month of Ramadan.

So for their highest holy month of Ramadan, which, by the way, we moved Fourth of July to the third of June as to not upset any Muslims because we didn't want to say to them that our Fourth of July, our Independence Day, would interfere in any way with their holy month of Ramadan. Which, by the way, to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan, they're now giving away women and children, slaves that have been captured in war. They're giving them away as prizes, if you've mastered the holy book, which God forbid, we ever say a word about, the holy book! If you've mastered that, then you know you can capture slaves. You know you can give them away as prizes. You know you can have sex with them any time you want, against their will, because it's the holy book, and you have mastered it. And God forbid, as the president said, I will not live in a world where someone can blaspheme the prophet or the holy book.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is getting ready to decide what they're going to do with Christians and Christian churches. Tax-exempt status will probably be attacked nationwide. Christian colleges and schools, their accreditation will be attacked. Faith-based adoption and foster care providers will be attacked. Federal contractors and grantees including those with loans at religious schools will be attacked. They already are. Religious staffing at faith-based organizations will be attacked. Those in military who don't follow the agenda are already being attacked.

But I will not live in a country that blasphemes the prophet, peace be upon him.

Stop it. Stand up. Raise your hand. Be counted. Don't be shop! Be counted. For once in your life, do something. You're about to do something great.

Be counted. You are not born just to exist. You weren't born just to take up space. You weren't born to do the stupid job that I'm doing now or you're doing now. That's not what you were here for. You were meant to make a difference. Stand up, right now. Raise your hand and say, enough is enough! Yes, the Confederate flag is important. That's not the priority! How about we save some lives? How about we stop the madness? How about we stand for honor and truth and real justice, not social justice, equal justice?

Then maybe we can take care of the flag.

Colorado counselor fights back after faith declared “illegal”

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

The state is effectively silencing professionals who dare speak truths about gender and sexuality, redefining faith-guided speech as illegal.

This week, free speech is once again on the line before the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake is whether Americans still have the right to talk about faith, morality, and truth in their private practice without the government’s permission.

The case comes out of Colorado, where lawmakers in 2019 passed a ban on what they call “conversion therapy.” The law prohibits licensed counselors from trying to change a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, including their behaviors or gender expression. The law specifically targets Christian counselors who serve clients attempting to overcome gender dysphoria and not fall prey to the transgender ideology.

The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The law does include one convenient exception. Counselors are free to “assist” a person who wants to transition genders but not someone who wants to affirm their biological sex. In other words, you can help a child move in one direction — one that is in line with the state’s progressive ideology — but not the other.

Think about that for a moment. The state is saying that a counselor can’t even discuss changing behavior with a client. Isn’t that the whole point of counseling?

One‑sided freedom

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, has been one of the victims of this blatant attack on the First Amendment. Chiles has dedicated her practice to helping clients dealing with addiction, trauma, sexuality struggles, and gender dysphoria. She’s also a Christian who serves patients seeking guidance rooted in biblical teaching.

Before 2019, she could counsel minors according to her faith. She could talk about biblical morality, identity, and the path to wholeness. When the state outlawed that speech, she stopped. She followed the law — and then she sued.

Her case, Chiles v. Salazar, is now before the Supreme Court. Justices heard oral arguments on Tuesday. The question: Is counseling a form of speech or merely a government‑regulated service?

If the court rules the wrong way, it won’t just silence therapists. It could muzzle pastors, teachers, parents — anyone who believes in truth grounded in something higher than the state.

Censored belief

I believe marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God. I believe that family — mother, father, child — is central to His design for humanity.

I believe that men and women are created in God’s image, with divine purpose and eternal worth. Gender isn’t an accessory; it’s part of who we are.

I believe the command to “be fruitful and multiply” still stands, that the power to create life is sacred, and that it belongs within marriage between a man and a woman.

And I believe that when we abandon these principles — when we treat sex as recreation, when we dissolve families, when we forget our vows — society fractures.

Are those statements controversial now? Maybe. But if this case goes against Chiles, those statements and others could soon be illegal to say aloud in public.

Faith on trial

In Colorado today, a counselor cannot sit down with a 15‑year‑old who’s struggling with gender identity and say, “You were made in God’s image, and He does not make mistakes.” That is now considered hate speech.

That’s the “freedom” the modern left is offering — freedom to affirm, but never to question. Freedom to comply, but never to dissent. The same movement that claims to champion tolerance now demands silence from anyone who disagrees. The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The real test

No matter what happens at the Supreme Court, we cannot stop speaking the truth. These beliefs aren’t political slogans. For me, they are the product of years of wrestling, searching, and learning through pain and grace what actually leads to peace. For us, they are the fundamental principles that lead to a flourishing life. We cannot balk at standing for truth.

Maybe that’s why God allows these moments — moments when believers are pushed to the wall. They force us to ask hard questions: What is true? What is worth standing for? What is worth dying for — and living for?

If we answer those questions honestly, we’ll find not just truth, but freedom.

The state doesn’t grant real freedom — and it certainly isn’t defined by Colorado legislators. Real freedom comes from God. And the day we forget that, the First Amendment will mean nothing at all.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins Megyn Kelly LIVE — One night ONLY in Fort Worth!

Get ready for sparks to fly. For the first time in years, Glenn will come face-to-face with Megyn Kelly — and this time, he’s the one in the hot seat. On October 25, 2025, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Glenn joins Megyn on her “Megyn Kelly Live Tour” for a no-holds-barred conversation that promises laughs, surprises, and maybe even a few uncomfortable questions.

What will happen when two of America’s sharpest voices collide under the spotlight? Will Glenn finally reveal the major announcement he’s been teasing on the radio for weeks? You’ll have to be there to find out.

This promises to be more than just an interview — it’s a live showdown packed with wit, honesty, and the kind of energy you can only feel if you are in the room. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to see Glenn like you’ve never seen him before.

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What our response to Israel reveals about us

JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor | Getty Images

I have been honored to receive the Defender of Israel Award from Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Jerusalem Post recently named me one of the strongest Christian voices in support of Israel.

And yet, my support is not blind loyalty. It’s not a rubber stamp for any government or policy. I support Israel because I believe it is my duty — first as a Christian, but even if I weren’t a believer, I would still support her as a man of reason, morality, and common sense.

Because faith isn’t required to understand this: Israel’s existence is not just about one nation’s survival — it is about the survival of Western civilization itself.

It is a lone beacon of shared values in the Middle East. It is a bulwark standing against radical Islam — the same evil that seeks to dismantle our own nation from within.

And my support is not rooted in politics. It is rooted in something simpler and older than politics: a people’s moral and historical right to their homeland, and their right to live in peace.

Israel has that right — and the right to defend herself against those who openly, repeatedly vow her destruction.

Let’s make it personal: if someone told me again and again that they wanted to kill me and my entire family — and then acted on that threat — would I not defend myself? Wouldn’t you? If Hamas were Canada, and we were Israel, and they did to us what Hamas has done to them, there wouldn’t be a single building left standing north of our border. That’s not a question of morality.

That’s just the truth. All people — every people — have a God-given right to protect themselves. And Israel is doing exactly that.

My support for Israel’s right to finish the fight against Hamas comes after eighty years of rejected peace offers and failed two-state solutions. Hamas has never hidden its mission — the eradication of Israel. That’s not a political disagreement.

That’s not a land dispute. That is an annihilationist ideology. And while I do not believe this is America’s war to fight, I do believe — with every fiber of my being — that it is Israel’s right, and moral duty, to defend her people.

Criticism of military tactics is fair. That’s not antisemitism. But denying Israel’s right to exist, or excusing — even celebrating — the barbarity of Hamas? That’s something far darker.

We saw it on October 7th — the face of evil itself. Women and children slaughtered. Babies burned alive. Innocent people raped and dragged through the streets. And now, to see our own fellow citizens march in defense of that evil… that is nothing short of a moral collapse.

If the chants in our streets were, “Hamas, return the hostages — Israel, stop the bombing,” we could have a conversation.

But that’s not what we hear.

What we hear is open sympathy for genocidal hatred. And that is a chasm — not just from decency, but from humanity itself. And here lies the danger: that same hatred is taking root here — in Dearborn, in London, in Paris — not as horror, but as heroism. If we are not vigilant, the enemy Israel faces today will be the enemy the free world faces tomorrow.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about truth. It’s about the courage to call evil by its name and to say “Never again” — and mean it.

And you don’t have to open a Bible to understand this. But if you do — if you are a believer — then this issue cuts even deeper. Because the question becomes: what did God promise, and does He keep His word?

He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations and to give him “the whole land of Canaan.” And though Abraham had other sons, God reaffirmed that promise through Isaac. And then again through Isaac’s son, Jacob — Israel — saying: “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.”

That’s an everlasting promise.

And from those descendants came a child — born in Bethlehem — who claimed to be the Savior of the world. Jesus never rejected His title as “son of David,” the great King of Israel.

He said plainly that He came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when He returns, Scripture says He will return as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And where do you think He will go? Back to His homeland — Israel.

Tamir Kalifa / Stringer | Getty Images

And what will He find when He gets there? His brothers — or his brothers’ enemies? Will the roads where He once walked be preserved? Or will they lie in rubble, as Gaza does today? If what He finds looks like the aftermath of October 7th, then tell me — what will be my defense as a Christian?

Some Christians argue that God’s promises to Israel have been transferred exclusively to the Church. I don’t believe that. But even if you do, then ask yourself this: if we’ve inherited the promises, do we not also inherit the land? Can we claim the birthright and then, like Esau, treat it as worthless when the world tries to steal it?

So, when terrorists come to slaughter Israelis simply for living in the land promised to Abraham, will we stand by? Or will we step forward — into the line of fire — and say,

“Take me instead”?

Because this is not just about Israel’s right to exist.

It’s about whether we still know the difference between good and evil.

It’s about whether we still have the courage to stand where God stands.

And if we cannot — if we will not — then maybe the question isn’t whether Israel will survive. Maybe the question is whether we will.

America’s moral erosion: How we were conditioned to accept the unthinkable

MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND / Contributor | Getty Images

Every time we look away from lawlessness, we tell the next mob it can go a little further.

Chicago, Portland, and other American cities are showing us what happens when the rule of law breaks down. These cities have become openly lawless — and that’s not hyperbole.

When a governor declares she doesn’t believe federal agents about a credible threat to their lives, when Chicago orders its police not to assist federal officers, and when cartels print wanted posters offering bounties for the deaths of U.S. immigration agents, you’re looking at a country flirting with anarchy.

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic.

This isn’t a matter of partisan politics. The struggle we’re watching now is not between Democrats and Republicans. It’s between good and evil, right and wrong, self‑government and chaos.

Moral erosion

For generations, Americans have inherited a republic based on law, liberty, and moral responsibility. That legacy is now under assault by extremists who openly seek to collapse the system and replace it with something darker.

Antifa, well‑financed by the left, isn’t an isolated fringe any more than Occupy Wall Street was. As with Occupy, big money and global interests are quietly aligned with “anti‑establishment” radicals. The goal is disruption, not reform.

And they’ve learned how to condition us. Twenty‑five years ago, few Americans would have supported drag shows in elementary schools, biological males in women’s sports, forced vaccinations, or government partnerships with mega‑corporations to decide which businesses live or die. Few would have tolerated cartels threatening federal agents or tolerated mobs doxxing political opponents. Yet today, many shrug — or cheer.

How did we get here? What evidence convinced so many people to reverse themselves on fundamental questions of morality, liberty, and law? Those long laboring to disrupt our republic have sought to condition people to believe that the ends justify the means.

Promoting “tolerance” justifies women losing to biological men in sports. “Compassion” justifies harboring illegal immigrants, even violent criminals. Whatever deluded ideals Antifa espouses is supposed to somehow justify targeting federal agents and overturning the rule of law. Our culture has been conditioned for this moment.

The buck stops with us

That’s why the debate over using troops to restore order in American cities matters so much. I’ve never supported soldiers executing civilian law, and I still don’t. But we need to speak honestly about what the Constitution allows and why. The Posse Comitatus Act sharply limits the use of the military for domestic policing. The Insurrection Act, however, exists for rare emergencies — when federal law truly can’t be enforced by ordinary means and when mobs, cartels, or coordinated violence block the courts.

Even then, the Constitution demands limits: a public proclamation ordering offenders to disperse, transparency about the mission, a narrow scope, temporary duration, and judicial oversight.

Soldiers fight wars. Cops enforce laws. We blur that line at our peril.

But we also cannot allow intimidation of federal officers or tolerate local officials who openly obstruct federal enforcement. Both extremes — lawlessness on one side and militarization on the other — endanger the republic.

The only way out is the Constitution itself. Protect civil liberty. Enforce the rule of law. Demand transparency. Reject the temptation to justify any tactic because “our side” is winning. We’ve already seen how fear after 9/11 led to the Patriot Act and years of surveillance.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic. The left cannot be allowed to shut down enforcement, and the right cannot be allowed to abandon constitutional restraint.

The real threat to the republic isn’t just the mobs or the cartels. It’s us — citizens who stop caring about truth and constitutional limits. Anything can be justified when fear takes over. Everything collapses when enough people decide “the ends justify the means.”

We must choose differently. Uphold the rule of law. Guard civil liberties. And remember that the only way to preserve a government of, by, and for the people is to act like the people still want it.