Micheal Medved Part II: The Most Important Cigars in American History

December 13, 2016

Writer

In Part II of Glenn's interview with Michael Medved, author of the new book The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic, the two radio hosts discuss the role divine providence played in Lincoln's presidency, how Sam Houston went from humiliated drunk to Texas statesman and President-elect Trump's pick for Secretary of State.

"With so many outstanding people that could have been appointed by President-elect Trump, where people would say, terrific, whether it's John Bolton or Mitt Romney, I don't know, even arguably Bob Corker or any of the other people he was talking about, why he has to pick someone who won a friendship award from Vladimir Putin . . . I think this will come out in the confirmation hearings, and that's a good thing," Medved said.

The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic, is available in bookstores everywhere.

Listen to Part II of this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

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

GLENN: Michael Medved is with us. He has a new book out called The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic.

Michael, you were just going to talk a little bit about Abraham Lincoln.

MICHAEL: Well, Abraham Lincoln was one of the most unlikely people. In fact, probably the most up likely person to ever become president of the United States. He wasn't a billionaire. He wasn't a celebrity. He was a politician locally in southern Illinois, who had never won statewide office. Had only won one single term, a two-year term in the Congress of the United States. And he saw his own rise to the presidency as -- as an act of Providence, as something remarkable. His contemporaries saw it that way.

And he was haunted with looking for signs of the divine will. And I tell the story in the book of the most important cigars in American history, which were the three cigars that were discovered by a 42-year-old corporal, whose name was Barton K. Mitchell, who's reclining in September 17th, 1862, in an open field in Frederick, Maryland. Reaches out. Finds these cigars in the middle of a field. Has no idea why they're there. Opens them up.

And then his buddy says, "Wait a minute. What are those papers?"

The papers were the lost dispatch, general orders number 181 from Robert E. Lee, which falling into the hands of the Union allowed the Battle of Antietam to happen, which Lincoln told his cabinet was the sign from God he had been waiting for, to free the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation.

GLENN: Isn't humility required for all of this? Because I think that's what scares people when you talk about signs from God. Because Adolf Hitler, he talked a lot about God. He was anti-God. But he used all the rhetoric. And he wasn't a humble man, obviously.

Isn't humility -- you just said, he was haunted by this. He saw it as not him, but as a sign from God. All of the great statesmen, presidents, patriots in our -- in our history have all been deeply humble.

MICHAEL: That's exactly correct. And Lincoln used the term, and he used it more than a dozen times in his public statements and his private correspondence, that he was an instrument. That he wasn't the author of what he was doing. He was the instrument of -- of basically the will of history. Hegel and Tolstoy and great thinkers in the past, who, again, are religiously unconventional, nonetheless say that, "Look, if you look at human affairs and you look at some of the amazing things that have particularly surrounded this incredibly blessed country -- and in terms of America's unique blessings, it's not just Americans who think that.

I cite Goethe, the great German poet, who said very early on in our history, right after America was launched, that there was something special, destined, different about America. That's what America's exceptionalism means. It doesn't mean American perfectionism.

What it means is a very special status for this country, in terms of influencing the rest of humanity.

GLENN: Real quick, tell me one last story. It's in The American Miracle, Michael Medved's new book.

Tell me the story of Sam Houston.

MICHAEL: Well -- well, here, if -- if -- this guy whose Indian name was derisively Big Drunk, who was a Big Drunk. He may have been 6-6.

If he has a successful wedding night and he doesn't go into exile and resign as governor of Tennessee because of the embarrassment surrounding his wedding night -- he never goes to Texas. And where you are today in Dallas, Glenn, is now one of the biggest cities in Mexico.

GLENN: Hang on just a second. I don't know about his wedding night. Can you tell me about his wedding night?

MICHAEL: Yeah. He's Andrew Jackson's protÈgÈ. And he's a hero who miraculously survives battle. And he becomes a young governor of Tennessee. He's a US congressman. He's on the road to the presidency. And he marries the most beautiful young woman in Tennessee whose family is very politically prominent. Something happened on their wedding night where she told a friend the morning after, "I want to kill him." It's something -- and historians have different theories about what actually happened in privacy. In any event, his wife leaves him.

He is so humiliated by that, that he has to resign as governor. He goes into a drinking binge. Goes off to live with the Cherokees. Develops a relationship to native American spirituality. Starts seeing eagles and ravens. His Indian name was Colonneh, the raven. And all of this leads him to Texas.

This is a former governor of Tennessee. And in Texas, he becomes commander of the Texas army fighting for independence. People are slaughtered at Goliad. They're slaughtered at the Alamo, where all the prisoners, everyone is killed. The last chance for that rebellion, which, by the way, was representing a population that was 90 percent American. It was not a Mexican population, though there were Mexican people who were Spanish speakers who were fighting alongside Houston. He wins in 18 minutes this battle of San Jacinto, which remains one of the most remarkable, astonishing, illogical military victories in all of human history and gives Texas ultimately to the United States.

GLENN: He refuses to let Texas join the United States during the civil war though, does he not?

MICHAEL: No. It's quite the contrary. He was opposed to secession. He was -- he was the governor of Texas, at the -- at the time of secession. And he predicted to the South -- he said exactly what was going to happen. He said, "If you secede, you are going to see the destruction of all of your dreams."

And Houston actually was selected by John F. Kennedy as one of his profiles on courage because at the end of his life, he stood up, even though he himself was a southerner. He was from Virginia originally and then from Tennessee and then from --

GLENN: Why did he -- why did he do that? Why did he say, "You have to stay with the United States?"

MICHAEL: Because he believed that America was a God-anointed country. And that to take up arms against this country -- he was a unionist above all else. And that, it seems to me -- one of the great heroes in the Civil War, the Rock of Chickamauga, George Thomas, a Union hero, who right along with Sherman and Grant was one of the most successful generals. He was in Virginia. And, again, a people of conscience in the South understood that the union -- America was the greatest cause worth fighting for.

GLENN: Michael Medved. I'd love to have you down sometime and have you into our vault. We have about 8,000 items from American history that is just -- it's pretty mind-blowing. And I'd love to just take a tour with you and have you tell stories of the things that you find. Because you've proven yourself to be too smart for this program.

All of us are looking at each other -- you're mentioning names. We're all like, of course, that's -- yes, I know exactly who you're talking about.

PAT: I was talking about that yesterday.

GLENN: Yeah. Anyway, Michael, one last question. Can I get your thought on Tillerson? What do you think about Rex Tillerson being Department of State?

MICHAEL: Well, I look forward to the confirmation hearings. Look, I don't understand it. With so many outstanding people that could have been appointed by -- by President-elect Trump, where people would say, "Terrific," whether it's John Bolton or Mitt Romney, I don't know, even arguably Bob Corker or any of the other people he was talking about, why he has to pick someone who won a friendship award from Vladimir Putin, I think this will come out in the confirmation hearings. And that's a good thing.

GLENN: Are you as perplexed as I am on how the right is suddenly fine with Vladimir Putin and we're buddies with Vladimir Putin and, of course, Russia is not doing anything wrong and trying to disrupt our system? I mean, that's crazy talk.

MICHAEL: It is completely crazy talk. And this is not an issue of partisanship. It's an issue of patriotism. Whether you're left, right, or center, people who love America cannot abide with the idea of any foreign nation interfering or attempting to interfere with our election.

And if Mr. Trump were to do the smart thing, it would also be the right thing, which is get out in front of this and say, "Yes, I want as much evidence as I possibly can." And Putin involving himself in American elections and American policy is not legitimate.

And Trump above all saying he puts America first has to put that priority first.

GLENN: Michael Medved, thank you so much. Good friend of the program.

MICHAEL: I appreciate it, my friend. Thank you. And thanks for all of your great work. And I really mean this from my heart: Letting Americans understand that the issues here in our country today go very, very deep and deep into our history.

GLENN: Thank you very much, Michael. I appreciate it.

Michael Medved. The name of the book is The American Miracle.

PAT: Jeffy and I were just talking about the Rock of Cucamonga yesterday or the day before.

JEFFY: Oh, my gosh.

GLENN: Were you talking with Goethe?

PAT: Yes.

GLENN: Yeah, me too.

PAT: Well, I mean, the Gertrude quotes are prevalent on the Rock of Cucamonga.

GLENN: Yeah. I've never heard of the Rock of Cucamonga.

PAT: That's not even what he said.

GLENN: That's not what he said? He said something like that, that I have never --

PAT: It was Chickamauga?

GLENN: I have no idea.

JEFFY: I mean, the former German chancellor Otto von (mumbling). I mean, we quote him all the time.

PAT: Who?

GLENN: He's a brilliant guy. And I will tell you, the stories we will save for another time and maybe after we cross to the other side. Michael Medved is one of the more brave people in America today.

PAT: He's a good guy.

GLENN: He is a very good guy and extraordinarily brave. Extraordinarily brave. And I am appreciative that there are people like him in the world today. Pick up his new book. The American Miracle.

Featured Image: Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French

Media cover-up: Why Clinton deported six times more than Trump

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MSNBC and CNN want you to think the president is a new Hitler launching another Holocaust. But the actual deportation numbers are nowhere near what they claim.

Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, in an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, compared Trump’s immigration policies to Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust. He claimed that Hitler didn’t bother with German law — he just hauled people off to death camps in Poland and Hungary. Apparently, that’s what Trump is doing now by deporting MS-13 gang members to El Salvador.

Symone Sanders took it a step further. The MSNBC host suggested that deporting gang-affiliated noncitizens is simply the first step toward deporting black Americans. I’ll wait while you try to do that math.

The debate is about control — weaponizing the courts, twisting language, and using moral panic to silence dissent.

Media mouthpieces like Sanders and Matthews are just the latest examples of the left’s Pavlovian tribalism when it comes to Trump and immigration. Just say the word “Trump,” and people froth at the mouth before they even hear the sentence. While the media cries “Hitler,” the numbers say otherwise. And numbers don’t lie — the narrative does.

Numbers don’t lie

The real “deporter in chief” isn’t Trump. It was President Bill Clinton, who sent back 12.3 million people during his presidency — 11.4 million returns and nearly 900,000 formal removals. President George W. Bush, likewise, presided over 10.3 million deportations — 8.3 million returns and two million removals. Even President Barack Obama, the progressive darling, oversaw 5.5 million deportations, including more than three million formal removals.

So how does Donald Trump stack up? Between 2017 and 2021, Trump deported somewhere between 1.5 million and two million people — dramatically fewer than Obama, Bush, or Clinton. In his current term so far, Trump has deported between 100,000 and 138,000 people. Yes, that’s assertive for a first term — but it's still fewer than Biden was deporting toward the end of his presidency.

The numbers simply don’t support the hysteria.

Who's the “dictator” here? Trump is deporting fewer people, with more legal oversight, and still being compared to history’s most reviled tyrant. Apparently, sending MS-13 gang members — violent criminals — back to their country of origin is now equivalent to genocide.

It’s not about immigration

This debate stopped being about immigration a long time ago. It’s now about control — about weaponizing the courts, twisting language, and using moral panic to silence dissent. It’s about turning Donald Trump into the villain of every story, facts be damned.

If the numbers mattered, we’d be having a very different national conversation. We’d be asking why Bill Clinton deported six times as many people as Trump and never got labeled a fascist. We’d be questioning why Barack Obama’s record-setting removals didn’t spark cries of ethnic cleansing. And we’d be wondering why Trump, whose enforcement was relatively modest by comparison, triggered lawsuits, media hysteria, and endless Nazi analogies.

But facts don’t drive this narrative. The villain does. And in this script, Trump plays the villain — even when he does far less than the so-called heroes who came before him.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Can Trump stop the blackouts that threaten America's future?

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If America wants to remain a global leader in the coming decades, we need more energy fast.

It's no secret that Glenn is an advocate for the safe and ethical use of AI, not because he wants it, but because he knows it’s coming whether we like it or not. Our only option is to shape AI on our terms, not those of our adversaries. America has to win the AI Race if we want to maintain our stability and security, and to do that, we need more energy.

AI demands dozens—if not hundreds—of new server farms, each requiring vast amounts of electricity. The problem is, America lacks the power plants to generate the required electricity, nor do we have a power grid capable of handling the added load. We must overcome these hurdles quickly to outpace China and other foreign competitors.

Outdated Power Grid

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Our power grid is ancient, slowly buckling under the stress of our modern machines. AAI’s energy demands could collapse it without a major upgrade. The last significant overhaul occurred under FDR nearly a century ago, when he connected rural America to electricity. Since then, we’ve patched the system piecemeal, but it’s still the same grid from the 1930s. Over 70 percent of the powerlines are 30 years old or older, and circuit breakers and other vital components are in similar condition. Most people wouldn't trust a dishwasher that was 30 years old, and yet much of our grid relies on technology from the era of VHS tapes.

Upgrading the grid would prevent cascading failures, rolling blackouts, and even EMP attacks. It would also enable new AI server farms while ensuring reliable power for all.

A Need for Energy

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Earlier this month, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt appeared before Congress as part of an AI panel and claimed that by 2030, the U.S. will need to add 96 gigawatts to our national power production to meet AI-driven demand. While some experts question this figure, the message is clear: We must rapidly expand power production. But where will this energy come from?

As much as eco nuts would love to power the world with sunshine and rainbows, we need a much more reliable and significantly more efficient power source if we want to meet our electricity goals. Nuclear power—efficient, powerful, and clean—is the answer. It’s time to shed outdated fears of atomic energy and embrace the superior electricity source. Building and maintaining new nuclear plants, along with upgraded infrastructure, would create thousands of high-paying American jobs. Nuclear energy will fuel AI, boost the economy, and modernize America’s decaying infrastructure.

A Bold Step into the Future

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This is President Trump’s chance to leave a historic mark on America, restoring our role as global leaders and innovators. Just as FDR’s power grid and plants made America the dominant force of the 20th century, Trump could upgrade our infrastructure to secure dominance in the 21st century. Visionary leadership must cut red tape and spark excitement in the industry. This is how Trump can make America great again.

POLL: Did astronomers discover PROOF of alien life?

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Are we alone in the universe?

It's no secret that Glenn keeps one eye on the cosmos, searching for any signs of ET. Late last week, a team of astronomers at the University of Cambridge made an exciting discovery that could change how we view the universe. The astronomers were monitoring a distant planet, K2-18b, when the James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide, two atmospheric gases believed only to be generated by living organisms. The planet, which is just over two and a half times larger than Earth, orbits within the "habitable zone" of its star, meaning the presence of liquid water on its surface is possible, further supporting the possibility that life exists on this distant world.

Unfortunately, humans won't be able to visit K2-18b to see for ourselves anytime soon, as the planet is about 124 light-years from Earth. This means that even if we had rockets that could travel at the speed of light, it would still take 124 years to reach the potentially verdant planet. Even if humans made the long trek to K2-18b, they would be faced with an even more intense challenge upon arrival: Gravity. Assuming K2-18b has a similar density to Earth, its increased size would also mean it would have increased gravity, two and a half times as much gravity, to be exact. This would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for humans to live or explore the surface without serious technological support. But who knows, give Elon Musk and SpaceX a few years, and we might be ready to seek out new life (and maybe even new civilizations).

But Glenn wants to know what you think. Could K2-18b harbor life on its distant surface? Could alien astronomers be peering back at us from across the cosmos? Would you be willing to boldly go where no man has gone before? Let us know in the poll below:

Could there be life on K2-18b?

Could there be an alien civilization thriving on K2-18b?

Will humans develop the technology to one day explore distant worlds?

Would you sign up for a trip to an alien world?

Is K2-18b just another cold rock in space?

Big Pharma’s role in rising neurological disorders: Will RFK Jr. uncover the truth?

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Our children are sick, and Big Pharma claims to be the cure, but is RFK Jr. closer to proving they are the disease?

For years, neurological disorders in our children have been on the rise. One in nine children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with ADHD, and between 2016 and 2022, more than one million kids were told they suffer from the disorder. Similarly, autism diagnoses have increased by 175 percent over the past decade. RFK Jr. pledged to investigate the rising rates of neurological disorders as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and this week, he announced a major initiative.

Earlier this week, RFK Jr. announced that the HHS has embarked on a massive testing and research effort to uncover the root causes of autism and the sharp spike in recent diagnoses. The HHS Secretary vowed that the results will be available by September of this year, leaving many skeptical about the study's rigor. Conversely, some speculate that the HHS may have unpublished studies revealing critical insights into these disorders, just waiting to see the light of day.

Glenn brought up a recent article by the Daily Wire referencing a New York Times piece in which experts questioned the legitimacy of ADHD diagnoses. Glenn agreed and suggested that people are just wired differently; they learn, work, and study differently, and the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all school system simply fails to accommodate everyone.

New York Times' ADHD Admission

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Earlier this week, the New York Times published an article that made a shocking admission: there are no concrete biological markers for ADHD. The clinical definition of ADHD is no longer supported by the evidence, and there are no physical, genetic, or chemical identifiers for the disorder, nor is there any real way to test for it. The paper also admitted that people diagnosed with ADHD would suddenly find that they no longer had any symptoms after a change of environment, profession, or field of study. This suggests that "ADHD" might simply be a matter of interests and skills, not a chronic brain sickness.

The most horrifying implication of this admission is that millions of people, including children, have been prescribed heavy mind-altering drugs for years for a disorder that lacks real evidence of its very existence. These drugs are serious business and include products such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Desoxyn. All of these drugs are considered "Schedule II," which is a drug classification that puts them on the same level as cocaine, PCP, and fentanyl. Notably, Desoxyn is chemically identical to methamphetamine, differing only in its production in regulated laboratories rather than illegal settings.

Worse yet, studies show that these medications, like Desoxyn, often provide no long-term benefits. Testing demonstrated that in the short term, there were some positive effects, but after 36 months, there was no discernible difference in symptoms between people who were medicated and those who were not. For decades, we have been giving our children hardcore drugs with no evidence of them working or even that the disorder exists.

RFK Jr's Autism Study

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Autism rates are on the rise, and RFK Jr. is going to get to the bottom of it. In the year 2000, approximately one in 150 children was diagnosed with autism, but only 20 years later, the rate had increased to one in 36. While some claim that this is simply due to more accurate testing, RFK Jr. doesn't buy it and is determined to discover what is the underlying cause. He is an outspoken critic of vaccines, asserting that the true scope of their side effects has been buried by greed and corruption to sell more vaccines.

RFK Jr. doesn't plan on stopping at vaccines. Similar to ADHD, RFK Jr. suspects other environmental factors could increase of autism or exacerbate symptoms. Factors like diet, water quality, air pollution, and parenting approaches are all under investigation. It's time to bring clarity to the neurological disorders that plague our nation, cut through the corruption, and reveal the healing truth.

Neurological Intervention

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Big Pharma has been all too happy to sit back and watch as the rate of neurological disorders climbs, adding to the ever-growing list of permanent patients who are led to believe that their only choice is to shell out endless money for treatments, prescriptions, and doctor visits. Rather than encouraging lifestyle changes to improve our well-being, they push ongoing medication and costly treatments.

All RFK Jr. is doing is asking questions, and yet the backlash from the "experts" is so immense that one can't help but wonder what they could be hiding. Both Glenn and RFK Jr. have their suspicions of Big Pharma, and the upcoming HHS study might be one of the most important steps to making America healthy again.

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