WEBVTT - Erika Kirk's Inspiring Message to Hillsdale Graduates 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:09.440 Every week. Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn joins Hugh Hewitt 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:14.120 to discuss great books, great men, and great ideas. This 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:19.320 is Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. 0:00:19.320 --> 0:00:25.680 More episodes@podcast.hillsdale.edu or wherever you find your audio. 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:31.440 Morning glory and evening Grace America. Thanks to Mark Davis 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:33.480 for sitting in for me a little bit. I am 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.599 so pleased to welcome back, Doctor Larry Arnn, president of 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:41.640 Hillsdale College. It's commencement season everywhere. Some commencements are done. 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:45.120 Hillsdale is done. Some are this weekend, some are next weekend. 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:48.040 Some go into the middle of June. But I wanted 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:50.159 to spend some time on that. It's not really a 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:54.080 Hillsdale dialogue, but it's really all Hillsdale dialogue. First of all, doctor, 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:58.520 what is the whole purpose of a commencement? Is it 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.510 a unique American tradition, or does it go back to 0:01:01.550 --> 0:01:03.310 the founding of Oxford and Cambridge? 0:01:05.790 --> 0:01:10.390 Um, well, first of all, to understand that, uh, you know, 0:01:10.430 --> 0:01:13.870 I of course, what have I done? I've done 27 0:01:13.870 --> 0:01:18.910 commencements now. Isn't that great? Wow. And, uh, um, it 0:01:18.910 --> 0:01:22.910 starts with the oddness of the name commencement. You know, 0:01:22.950 --> 0:01:26.470 it is about starting out your life, right? But the 0:01:26.510 --> 0:01:30.430 mood and the tone is all farewell. You know, you 0:01:30.430 --> 0:01:33.670 could call it valediction, you know. Farewell, goodbye. This is 0:01:33.670 --> 0:01:37.310 the end. And that's, you know, the talk is heavily 0:01:37.310 --> 0:01:40.910 involved in that. It's called commencement. Now you have to 0:01:40.910 --> 0:01:44.910 ask yourself the question, what in what unites the past 0:01:45.069 --> 0:01:47.950 and the future? And the answer is not the present. 0:01:47.950 --> 0:01:52.310 That's very fleeting. The answer is eternity. And so the 0:01:52.310 --> 0:01:56.270 right theme of commencement is eternity. And there are lots 0:01:56.270 --> 0:02:01.270 of prayers and there's lots of talk about the eternal 0:02:01.270 --> 0:02:05.510 things in light of which one must commence one's life. 0:02:06.230 --> 0:02:08.910 And in a good college, you're there to learn what 0:02:08.910 --> 0:02:12.510 those things are and build the character to pursue them. 0:02:13.150 --> 0:02:15.869 So that's what commencement is about. And the best commencement 0:02:15.870 --> 0:02:17.630 speeches are like that. 0:02:17.950 --> 0:02:22.070 And you had a great commencement speaker this year in 0:02:22.070 --> 0:02:24.030 Erica Kirk. I'm going to play a lot of her 0:02:24.030 --> 0:02:28.470 commencement speech. But before I do, in the 26 prior commencements, 0:02:28.470 --> 0:02:31.430 you've had Justice Thomas. You've had a lot of great 0:02:31.430 --> 0:02:34.430 people come and speak to the college. If I were 0:02:34.430 --> 0:02:38.429 to press you and we accept Justice Thomas and any 0:02:38.430 --> 0:02:43.070 other justices, and Erica Kirk, who lingers with you after 0:02:43.070 --> 0:02:47.990 27 years as giving a speech that made a mark. 0:02:49.710 --> 0:02:53.389 Michael Ward was very good. He's a C.S. Lewis scholar. 0:02:53.830 --> 0:02:56.590 He's got a wonderful he's a very good ceremony. He's 0:02:56.590 --> 0:02:58.340 very good in many ways, but he's a very good 0:02:58.380 --> 0:03:02.900 ceremonial speaker. And he's funny. Mostly he's funny by making 0:03:02.900 --> 0:03:09.460 fun of us. He parsed out the name Hillsdale one time. 0:03:09.460 --> 0:03:13.060 What does it mean, Hillsdale. Hills and Dales, do they 0:03:13.060 --> 0:03:17.620 go together? Uh, and he worked on that for a while, 0:03:17.660 --> 0:03:21.619 but he's he's very good. Uh, Hadley gave a great 0:03:21.660 --> 0:03:26.780 talk one year. Uh, serious. What you need to do 0:03:26.780 --> 0:03:32.020 it well is gravitas. You need serious, you need to 0:03:32.020 --> 0:03:34.780 be a serious person. And so the ones who are 0:03:34.780 --> 0:03:37.100 the most serious do the best. 0:03:37.340 --> 0:03:41.100 Uh, well, I want to dissent. I had Alexander Solzhenitsyn 0:03:41.100 --> 0:03:44.660 for two hours in the rain in 1978. He spoke 0:03:44.660 --> 0:03:48.900 in Russian, and it was translated into English. Very serious speech. 0:03:48.940 --> 0:03:52.500 Not that great of a commencement, though, uh, but a 0:03:52.500 --> 0:03:56.290 very serious speech. Let's turn to this year. Uh, Erica 0:03:56.290 --> 0:04:01.130 Kirk brilliant inspiration on your part to invite her. Why 0:04:01.130 --> 0:04:03.450 did you invite her to address it in this year 0:04:03.450 --> 0:04:04.290 of her tragedy? 0:04:05.850 --> 0:04:09.890 Well, I loved Charlie and I loved him because he 0:04:09.890 --> 0:04:15.050 was a student. Uh, uh, he was a, you know, 0:04:15.090 --> 0:04:17.250 I mean, he was an important man, right? And he 0:04:17.250 --> 0:04:21.250 was a whirlwind. And I began by resenting him, you know, 0:04:21.290 --> 0:04:23.450 because I don't like people coming up to me and 0:04:23.450 --> 0:04:26.089 telling me this is the most brilliant young man in America. 0:04:26.130 --> 0:04:27.770 Because I think if there is such a young man, 0:04:27.770 --> 0:04:30.970 I probably know him. And, uh, and if I do 0:04:31.050 --> 0:04:33.210 know him, I won't go around calling him the most 0:04:33.210 --> 0:04:35.330 brilliant young man in America, because I don't think it's 0:04:35.330 --> 0:04:39.529 good for 19 year olds. So I sort of whacked 0:04:39.529 --> 0:04:42.930 him first time I met him. And, uh, I got 0:04:42.930 --> 0:04:45.610 him to say what turning point was, and he said, 0:04:45.610 --> 0:04:47.970 you're going to change the culture on college campuses. And 0:04:47.970 --> 0:04:50.810 I said, define for me the terms culture and college. 0:04:51.410 --> 0:04:54.330 And he struggled. And I said, so you're going to 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:57.760 fix it and you don't know what it is. And 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.799 you know, I thought I'm done with that boy now. Well, 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:03.640 I was not done with him for the next 12 years. 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:08.040 He just haunted me. And he, uh, Erica sent me 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:12.440 just the other day, another page from his what she 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:17.440 calls his journals. What they are is class notes. Uh, 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:19.720 he said, we studied a lot of things together, Charlie 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:22.920 and I, and he. And that's what we always talked about. 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:25.480 You know, we didn't talk very much about Donald Trump 0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:28.160 and high politics, which he was very involved in much 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:32.039 more than I. He wanted to talk about America. What 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:35.160 is it? What does it mean? What is the final cause? 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.400 What is a formal cause? Uh, what is character? How 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.160 do you get one? He just loved those topics and 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:44.480 he was just all over him every time I talked 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:48.800 to him. And, uh, so I came to love him. 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:52.880 And then he was killed, and two nights later, his 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:54.960 wife called me and we talked for an hour and 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:59.360 a half, and it was very. And I knew her 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.919 a bit. I knew him well and it was just 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:10.200 very sad and touching. And, uh, she said, uh, you 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.120 were Charlie's teacher. And I said, well, he said that. 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:18.760 She said, Will you teach me? And I said, of course. 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:22.800 What would you like to know? And the first thing 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:26.680 she said was, well, she said everything. And then she said, 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:31.440 I have to try to run Turning Point. Can I 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.360 do that? And I said, well, it starts with two 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:38.120 little kids, doesn't it? I said, how far away do 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:41.000 you live from the office? She said, 20 minutes. And 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:45.800 I said, move closer or move the office. You're going 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:49.200 to have to involve them. It's going to break your heart. 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.599 I have two daughters who are professional women. One of 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:56.510 them two children went about to have one, and they 0:06:56.550 --> 0:06:58.990 have to deal with the fact that they go to work, 0:06:59.630 --> 0:07:03.109 and it'll break your heart when your children resent that. 0:07:03.670 --> 0:07:06.150 So you have to prove to them every day, first 0:07:06.150 --> 0:07:09.710 thing every day, that you love them the most and 0:07:09.710 --> 0:07:11.910 they are your first concern. And one way to do 0:07:11.910 --> 0:07:14.590 that is involve them, take them, you know, take them. 0:07:15.390 --> 0:07:19.070 So we talked about that and we talked about what 0:07:19.070 --> 0:07:21.150 does she need to know and how to run a railroad. 0:07:21.670 --> 0:07:24.110 And she asked me two nights later, would I speak 0:07:24.110 --> 0:07:26.630 at the memorial service, which I did, which was an 0:07:26.630 --> 0:07:33.430 extravaganza and, you know, a wonderful thing. And so I 0:07:33.430 --> 0:07:38.950 offered Charlie and Erica an honorary degree. So now she's coming. Anyway, 0:07:38.950 --> 0:07:41.390 we had an invitation out already to somebody to be 0:07:41.390 --> 0:07:44.350 the commencement speaker and on very good ground, that person 0:07:45.150 --> 0:07:47.750 that can't do it. But I'll meet with your kids 0:07:47.750 --> 0:07:52.620 whenever you want, whoever that person was. And, uh, uh. 0:07:53.060 --> 0:07:55.260 So now she's coming. And so we thought I'd talk 0:07:55.260 --> 0:07:58.380 to the senior class officers, and we thought that would 0:07:58.380 --> 0:08:01.700 be good. And she did do very well. I thought. 0:08:01.740 --> 0:08:05.140 In fact, let me begin by playing the beginning of 0:08:05.140 --> 0:08:08.340 Erika Kirk's commencement address. Cut number one. 0:08:09.780 --> 0:08:12.340 When we arrive, we go straight to the gym because 0:08:12.380 --> 0:08:17.500 that's what we did. And I'm on one side of 0:08:17.500 --> 0:08:19.540 the gym, Charlie's on the other. And then all of 0:08:19.540 --> 0:08:22.460 a sudden I was thinking, he pulled out the bat 0:08:22.460 --> 0:08:24.860 phone and I was like, okay, maybe he's going to 0:08:24.860 --> 0:08:26.980 put on some music. He loved classic rock. I was like, 0:08:26.980 --> 0:08:29.860 maybe he's going to put on some music. So I'm 0:08:29.860 --> 0:08:32.340 on the treadmill. He's over in the weights, and all 0:08:32.380 --> 0:08:36.380 of a sudden I hear Doctor Arne's voice coming from 0:08:36.380 --> 0:08:38.300 the side of the room. And so I walk over 0:08:38.300 --> 0:08:41.780 to him and I was like, baby, what are you 0:08:41.780 --> 0:08:44.500 listening to? He goes, I know. He was like, I'm 0:08:44.500 --> 0:08:47.060 almost done. He's like, I have to finish this. A 0:08:47.059 --> 0:08:50.050 few more lectures from Doctor Arne. I have a few 0:08:50.050 --> 0:08:52.490 more certificates I have to get for my online courses 0:08:52.490 --> 0:08:54.929 at Hillsdale. We're almost there. I can't skip them. I 0:08:54.929 --> 0:08:56.290 was like, you do what you got to do. I'm 0:08:56.290 --> 0:08:57.969 here for it. But I enjoyed it because I was 0:08:57.970 --> 0:09:00.050 learning about Churchill, too. When he was working out, I 0:09:00.050 --> 0:09:02.250 was working out. It was a great little bonding moment. 0:09:02.890 --> 0:09:06.050 That's our honeymoon doctor answer. She began the commencement speech 0:09:06.050 --> 0:09:08.810 by saying, you went with them on their honeymoon. I'm 0:09:08.809 --> 0:09:12.449 not sure that's a good thing, but it's flattering. Did 0:09:12.450 --> 0:09:14.810 the did your wife get a laugh out of that? 0:09:16.210 --> 0:09:20.809 Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, Charlie went around his 0:09:20.890 --> 0:09:25.290 key advice to people to young men especially. He was very, 0:09:25.330 --> 0:09:28.850 very effective with them. And women too, was, uh. What? 0:09:29.650 --> 0:09:34.209 Learn a lot. Don't go to a bad college. Learn 0:09:34.210 --> 0:09:40.250 a lot, uh, build your character, love your country, get 0:09:40.250 --> 0:09:44.610 married and have some kids. And that's, you know, when 0:09:44.610 --> 0:09:47.490 I met Charlie, he was single. And I told him, 0:09:47.690 --> 0:09:49.600 I said, you know, because the first time I met him, 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.720 it was a college event in Wyoming, and I didn't 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:56.000 get to talk to anybody else. He just wouldn't leave 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:58.640 me alone. I was late for my next meeting. I said, 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:02.480 two hours. We sat and talked and I said to him, 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:05.440 I said, are you married? He said, no. I said, 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:07.800 you gotta get married. He said, why? And I said. 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.360 He said, I know, but why do you say that? 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:14.000 And I said, because it does make life more serious, 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:17.760 doesn't it? Then you've done the whole thing in life, right? 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:21.400 You got to get some kids because it's a pain 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.520 and you'll learn all about life if you do that well. 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:27.320 He went around telling the world that. And then, you know, 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:31.319 when he got engaged to Erica, he called me about 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.040 that and he said, and, you know, he brought her 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:37.160 to Hillsdale. He came to Hillsdale many times, sit in class, 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:41.320 he come sit in class and, uh, uh, yeah, so 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:42.679 she's a wonderful woman. 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:46.240 And more of that commencement speech coming up because there's 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:48.199 a lot in it. it. Don't go anywhere, America. You're 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.679 listening to Hillsdale dialogue everything. hillsdale@hillsdale.edu. 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:59.440 He really understood that this institution wasn't normal. It was 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:03.000 something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.240 and really become a serious person, not just a political 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.920 talking head, but but someone who truly sought out the 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:15.360 beautiful things in life, the good, the true. And he 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:18.560 really took that seriously because he loved learning. And that's 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.160 what set him apart. Just as all of you, you 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:26.480 guys love learning. And I would tell him and he 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:28.080 would like to hear it, but I love telling him 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:29.920 because it was honest. I would say I love learning 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.760 from you. And so whenever we would have date nights, 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.000 I would just be like, tell me something that I 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.920 don't know about the Founding Fathers or tell me something 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.120 about Benjamin Franklin because he loved learning about Benjamin Franklin 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:43.679 or telling me something about Churchill. He just loved being 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:47.670 able to share what he had learned in those moments. 0:11:47.950 --> 0:11:51.590 Hillsdale is not normal. That's Erika Kirk giving the commencement 0:11:51.590 --> 0:11:54.270 speech this year at Hillsdale College. Our guest is Doctor 0:11:54.270 --> 0:11:58.510 Larry Arnn. Hillsdale dialogue underway. All things Hillsdale. Hillsdale is 0:11:58.510 --> 0:12:01.510 not normal. That's a problem for America because it ought 0:12:01.510 --> 0:12:04.550 to be normal for colleges to care about learning. But 0:12:04.550 --> 0:12:08.670 it's increasingly not. When she said that, did you smile? 0:12:08.950 --> 0:12:13.510 Oh yeah. Well he that's you know, Charlie published a book, 0:12:13.950 --> 0:12:19.310 his penultimate book, one just published posthumously. And he said 0:12:19.309 --> 0:12:22.230 he gave the advice, kids shouldn't go to college. But 0:12:22.230 --> 0:12:24.630 he called me before it came out, a month before 0:12:24.630 --> 0:12:27.270 it came out and said, I'm publishing this book, but 0:12:27.270 --> 0:12:30.230 I'm exempting Hillsdale. I don't want you to be mad 0:12:30.230 --> 0:12:32.150 at me. And I said, yeah, I don't care if 0:12:32.150 --> 0:12:34.350 kids go to college unless they don't go to Hillsdale. 0:12:34.350 --> 0:12:40.350 They don't care. Uh, but he, you know, he, uh, he's, uh, 0:12:40.630 --> 0:12:42.670 you know, there's a movement, by the way, underway, not 0:12:42.670 --> 0:12:45.100 only there are fewer kids going to college, but there 0:12:45.100 --> 0:12:49.260 are more commonly. Now they say they don't intend to go. And, uh, 0:12:49.580 --> 0:12:54.220 I think, you know, the value of it is the 0:12:54.220 --> 0:12:57.100 reason it's done between the ages of 18 and 21 0:12:57.540 --> 0:13:00.140 is because you haven't started your career yet. And it's 0:13:00.140 --> 0:13:03.100 your and you've reached a maturity level where you can 0:13:03.100 --> 0:13:07.780 get seriously ready for life in general, right? And then 0:13:08.260 --> 0:13:10.980 the career will take whatever course it takes. I mean, 0:13:11.020 --> 0:13:13.459 I happen to know because I've known you for 400 years, 0:13:13.660 --> 0:13:17.179 you didn't set out to be a media person. That 0:13:17.179 --> 0:13:19.820 wasn't your deal, right? No. And I didn't set out 0:13:19.820 --> 0:13:22.580 to be a college president. You know, that wasn't my deal. 0:13:22.820 --> 0:13:27.980 I was actually against it. And, uh. So, you know, 0:13:28.220 --> 0:13:30.220 what you can do when you're young is get ready 0:13:30.220 --> 0:13:32.660 for life, and then life will tell you what you're 0:13:32.660 --> 0:13:33.220 going to do. 0:13:33.660 --> 0:13:36.620 Yeah. I think it's funny, uh, that the audience, you know, 0:13:36.660 --> 0:13:38.860 we've known each other since we were 33 years old 0:13:39.179 --> 0:13:41.540 and neither of us were remotely close to living where 0:13:41.540 --> 0:13:43.780 we are now living or doing what we are now doing. 0:13:43.780 --> 0:13:47.660 And there have been many changes in between. And that is, 0:13:47.660 --> 0:13:51.260 I think, an interesting life. Let me play for you, Erica, 0:13:51.300 --> 0:13:54.500 talking about her call on your graduates this year. Cut 0:13:54.540 --> 0:13:56.740 number three to witness. 0:13:56.740 --> 0:14:01.060 He sought to order what was disordered and came to 0:14:01.059 --> 0:14:04.219 the table with solutions instead of more problems. He was 0:14:04.220 --> 0:14:09.580 very solution oriented. That's prime characteristic of an entrepreneur. But 0:14:09.580 --> 0:14:11.540 he had solutions, whether that be for the government or 0:14:11.540 --> 0:14:15.700 for the culture. And that's what all of you are 0:14:15.700 --> 0:14:18.700 called to do. Also, all of you students here that 0:14:18.700 --> 0:14:22.580 are graduating, you have learned about the permanent things, and 0:14:22.580 --> 0:14:25.140 you share in that responsibility to be a part of 0:14:25.140 --> 0:14:27.460 the solution for this nation and this world. 0:14:28.380 --> 0:14:30.580 Part of the solution. And then let's follow with cut 0:14:30.620 --> 0:14:31.260 number four. 0:14:32.620 --> 0:14:34.620 Because we are all here on this earth for such 0:14:34.660 --> 0:14:38.500 a short amount of time, such a short amount of time. 0:14:39.580 --> 0:14:48.330 And it's so Humbling. The contrast between human limitation and 0:14:48.330 --> 0:14:53.530 God's infinity. That's why our choices, even the smallest ones, matter. 0:14:54.130 --> 0:14:57.610 They matter so much. And through your time as a 0:14:57.610 --> 0:15:02.290 student at Hillsdale, you've spent years preparing. You spent years 0:15:02.290 --> 0:15:05.770 learning and being shaped in ways both seen and unseen. 0:15:06.570 --> 0:15:09.570 And now you find yourself standing at the threshold of 0:15:09.570 --> 0:15:13.050 a life that will no longer be structured for you, 0:15:13.050 --> 0:15:18.610 but entrusted to you. And that's important. That's special. Because once, 0:15:19.890 --> 0:15:24.610 once felt guided will now require direction. And what once 0:15:24.610 --> 0:15:27.930 felt theoretical will now become deeply personal. 0:15:28.770 --> 0:15:32.410 That is pretty deep for Erica Kirk. You're part of 0:15:32.410 --> 0:15:35.570 the solution. And there's a large limitation upon what you're 0:15:35.570 --> 0:15:38.010 on the earth for. Uh, did it go over well 0:15:38.010 --> 0:15:38.970 with the students? 0:15:39.610 --> 0:15:43.160 Yeah. Yeah, It was very it was a in the middle, 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:46.880 toward the end of it, I, uh, I looked up 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:51.280 all of a sudden and after she'd spoken and was going, uh, 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.360 maybe we're getting better at it. The problem with commencement 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:57.360 is it's too long. And this set of record, if 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.400 you adjust for the number of graduates. We got more 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:02.240 graduates now. So it didn't quite meet the record. But 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:04.160 if you adjust for that, it did by a lot. 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.960 And one of the reasons was she was pithy and 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:11.960 high and, and I looked up and said, hey, this 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.080 is a great commencement. And everybody cheered and she got 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:21.000 a standing ovation, uh, faculty to everybody. And, uh, she 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:25.760 was a controversial choice, right? Partly because Charlie was controversial 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:29.160 and she's controversial and some amazingly terrible things are said 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:34.560 about her, uh, by certain people. Uh, and, and, uh, 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.640 she didn't, you know, is she serious enough? Well, I 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:39.470 thought she was, I though I was the one who 0:16:39.470 --> 0:16:42.230 knew her, and sure enough, she stood up there and 0:16:42.230 --> 0:16:44.590 delivered like a champ and well, she's. 0:16:44.630 --> 0:16:48.350 It was to take the incoming arrows from the fringes 0:16:48.350 --> 0:16:50.830 of our society, and the nutters who have decided to 0:16:50.830 --> 0:16:53.750 make her an object of abuse tells me a lot 0:16:53.750 --> 0:16:57.830 about her character. I should also mention for the audience, uh, 0:16:57.830 --> 0:17:00.270 if they're watching on the Salem News channel, there's a 0:17:00.270 --> 0:17:03.310 fella in the shot in the bottom right of the shot, 0:17:03.470 --> 0:17:06.870 and they think they know him. And it's Pat Sajak, right? 0:17:06.869 --> 0:17:09.109 AM I right about that? Yeah, yeah. 0:17:09.150 --> 0:17:11.669 Yeah, yeah. He's the chairman of the board. 0:17:12.190 --> 0:17:16.470 And so he's everybody's watching this. I think I know 0:17:16.470 --> 0:17:18.949 that guy. Yes. You do know that. How did he 0:17:18.990 --> 0:17:21.390 come to be with, uh, Hillsdale? 0:17:21.590 --> 0:17:26.150 Well, I met him back in Claremont. Uh, he wrote 0:17:26.150 --> 0:17:28.910 me a letter, and he's got a weird name, like, 0:17:28.950 --> 0:17:31.830 as I do. So I thought it might be he 0:17:32.150 --> 0:17:35.189 and I had watched him. You know, you have to 0:17:35.190 --> 0:17:37.669 be old to know this, but he was an extremely 0:17:37.790 --> 0:17:42.629 popular weatherman on the nightly local news in LA. He 0:17:42.630 --> 0:17:45.430 was a feature. Everybody tuned in to watch him do 0:17:45.430 --> 0:17:47.630 the weather because he was funny. And then he gets 0:17:47.670 --> 0:17:49.510 the talk show for a while, and he's done a 0:17:49.550 --> 0:17:51.670 lot of things, and then he gets Wheel of Fortune. 0:17:51.670 --> 0:17:54.629 And so I wrote him back and said, maybe we 0:17:54.630 --> 0:17:58.230 should meet. And that began a process of every few 0:17:58.230 --> 0:18:01.590 months or weeks we would meet at Ilford, Iowa, in Pasadena, 0:18:01.590 --> 0:18:03.310 which is halfway between him and me. 0:18:03.630 --> 0:18:06.990 I just got to say, Hillsdale is a is a 0:18:07.070 --> 0:18:11.510 crossroads for many unimaginable but yet very real meetings. We'll 0:18:11.510 --> 0:18:15.030 be right back. Don't go anywhere. Hillsdale dialogue continues. Come 0:18:15.030 --> 0:18:18.310 right back for more doctor Larry Arnn here on the show. 0:18:23.910 --> 0:18:27.070 Welcome back America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. The Hillsdale dialogue is underway. 0:18:27.070 --> 0:18:29.990 Here is cut number five from Erika Kirk's commencement speech 0:18:29.990 --> 0:18:31.950 at Hillsdale College this year. 0:18:34.510 --> 0:18:38.540 And as you continue forward in life. I want you 0:18:38.540 --> 0:18:42.260 to kind of embrace a similar blueprint of my husband, 0:18:42.260 --> 0:18:44.900 where he loved to point out that God made us 0:18:44.900 --> 0:18:50.260 purposeful beings and continue forward in life with clarity and intention. 0:18:51.300 --> 0:18:53.660 And you will come to understand that life is not 0:18:53.660 --> 0:18:59.379 defined by the abundance of options. But by the weight 0:18:59.380 --> 0:19:04.060 of the choices that you make within them. And those choices, 0:19:04.060 --> 0:19:07.180 more often than not, are not dramatic or obvious, but 0:19:07.180 --> 0:19:11.940 quiet and compounding, forming the blueprint of your life long 0:19:12.460 --> 0:19:17.660 before anyone else can see what you are building. Each 0:19:17.660 --> 0:19:20.980 of us must order his own house, live rightly, and 0:19:20.980 --> 0:19:24.380 aim for high and beautiful things. And if we do, 0:19:24.619 --> 0:19:27.500 we may save our souls and perhaps by the mercy 0:19:27.500 --> 0:19:30.460 of God, contribute to the preservation of our country. 0:19:31.340 --> 0:19:33.700 Preservation of our country. That's not going to be heard 0:19:33.700 --> 0:19:36.770 in a lot of commencements. And one more doctor before 0:19:36.770 --> 0:19:40.490 I get your commentary. Cut. Number six from Erica's commencement. 0:19:42.090 --> 0:19:43.850 But what does that mean for you? For the students 0:19:43.850 --> 0:19:47.490 that are sitting here, for the graduates, it means that 0:19:47.490 --> 0:19:52.290 responsibility has now settled upon you. And that's very important. 0:19:52.330 --> 0:19:54.370 Not as a burden meant to overwhelm you, but as 0:19:54.369 --> 0:19:59.450 a calling meant to ground you. And starting tomorrow, you 0:19:59.450 --> 0:20:02.330 are now in a position where truth must be pursued 0:20:02.330 --> 0:20:06.810 and defended. And that responsibility comes from your identity as Christians, 0:20:07.010 --> 0:20:12.090 as Americans, and as graduates of Hillsdale College. Because to 0:20:12.130 --> 0:20:16.050 the world they believe truth is something to be reshaped. 0:20:17.010 --> 0:20:19.930 But to all of us in this room, it is 0:20:19.930 --> 0:20:23.770 something to be honored. If you are going to live 0:20:23.810 --> 0:20:29.410 as a purposeful being, then aim high at worthy things, 0:20:30.369 --> 0:20:33.609 because purpose is not something that just drifts into your life. 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:38.960 It is formed through what you attend to, what you 0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:41.520 think about, what you return to when your thoughts start 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.800 to wander over and over again. And over time, your 0:20:44.800 --> 0:20:50.080 thoughts become your priorities, and your priorities become your direction, 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:53.920 and your direction becomes unmistakably your life. 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:58.480 So, Doctor Arne, I don't think anyone arrives at Hillsdale 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:00.960 thinking they're going to get given a purpose. And I 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:03.280 don't think you have a purpose to give everyone, but 0:21:03.280 --> 0:21:06.200 they leave with a purpose. And the network effects of 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:09.400 Hillsdale over the years, I've known you are extraordinary and 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:13.440 they're multiplying exponentially. What do you put in that other 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:14.840 colleges are leaving out? 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:21.000 Well, it actually does start before they come. Uh, yesterday 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:24.600 I reviewed an annual letter that I sent to all 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:31.480 the matriculating students deposited with us. And it's been the 0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:35.520 same for 25 years now, and I send them two books. 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:39.640 I send them a copy of Founding Father by Rick Brookhiser, 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:43.760 which is a great short examination of Washington's character. And 0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:48.200 I send them Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and I reminded them 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:50.600 something they've known from the first materials they see from 0:21:50.600 --> 0:21:54.480 Hillsdale College. There's an honor code to sign, and you 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:56.640 got to sign it. Don't come if you're not going 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:00.000 to sign it. Right. Because you're here to become a 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:04.800 serious human being. And that means the moral and intellectual virtues. 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:09.480 So the point is, Hillsdale is a society of volunteers, 0:22:09.760 --> 0:22:13.879 and we have our arguments all the time. And, uh, 0:22:14.440 --> 0:22:17.399 on the other hand, we have our purpose and the 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:20.040 arguments revolve around what the best way to serve that 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:23.600 purpose is. And you know, that, you know, I've learned 0:22:23.640 --> 0:22:26.040 trying to educate young people for a long time now, 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:29.360 but you can't really do anything to them that they 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:34.869 have not chosen. Uh, especially when they're 18 and they 0:22:34.869 --> 0:22:38.350 don't quite know what all the consequences are, right? They 0:22:38.350 --> 0:22:40.830 don't know that they will bear the burden of their 0:22:40.830 --> 0:22:43.470 choices fully. You know, they have a sense of it. 0:22:43.910 --> 0:22:47.990 But and so if you do things to them that 0:22:47.990 --> 0:22:53.670 don't seem to help their growth, then they don't like it. And, uh, 0:22:53.869 --> 0:22:58.150 and so make them choose as a first step, right? 0:22:58.350 --> 0:23:01.310 If you want this, this is what this is. If 0:23:01.310 --> 0:23:04.230 you don't want this, you should go somewhere else. And 0:23:04.270 --> 0:23:05.629 that's really crucial. 0:23:06.230 --> 0:23:08.149 You know, we only have a minute to the break. 0:23:08.190 --> 0:23:10.310 What room is that commencement held in, by the way? 0:23:10.310 --> 0:23:12.830 People are watching on the Salem News Channel. It's a vast, 0:23:12.830 --> 0:23:15.670 vast room with a lot of graduates. I don't recall 0:23:15.670 --> 0:23:18.390 seeing that room on my trips up there. What is that. 0:23:19.710 --> 0:23:23.470 Called? The Beerman Center. Uh, it's the indoor track and 0:23:23.470 --> 0:23:28.710 tennis facility designed for, uh, with two novel features. One 0:23:28.710 --> 0:23:32.820 of them is Everything on the walls looks like athletics 0:23:33.300 --> 0:23:38.060 until you turn it over and it looks like commencement. Aha! And, uh. 0:23:38.820 --> 0:23:39.340 Okay. 0:23:40.780 --> 0:23:44.580 And then the second thing is it's got a massive 0:23:44.580 --> 0:23:47.980 air conditioning system, so it can remain comfortable when there 0:23:48.020 --> 0:23:49.340 are 5000 people in it. 0:23:49.660 --> 0:23:52.580 Well, it's it's well done. Whoever designed it, I'll be 0:23:52.580 --> 0:23:55.220 right back with Doctor Arnn. Don't go anywhere. The Hillsdale 0:23:55.220 --> 0:24:02.820 Dialogues can be found@hughforhillsdale.com. All things Hillsdale, including Ericas speech@hillsdale.edu. 0:24:05.740 --> 0:24:11.500 If you're seeking the ugly, the conspiracy, the pain, you'll 0:24:11.500 --> 0:24:14.379 find it. And if you're seeking the good and the 0:24:14.380 --> 0:24:16.540 true and the beautiful, you will find that as well. 0:24:18.540 --> 0:24:22.380 For example, if what occupies your mind is comfort, you will, 0:24:22.380 --> 0:24:26.100 with remarkable consistency, build a life that avoids difficulty and 0:24:26.100 --> 0:24:29.490 seeks ease. If it is pleasure, you will find ways 0:24:29.490 --> 0:24:32.050 to arrange your life around it. And while you may 0:24:32.050 --> 0:24:35.649 succeed in achieving both comfort and pleasure, you may also 0:24:35.650 --> 0:24:40.210 find perhaps your own surprise that they are incapable of 0:24:40.210 --> 0:24:45.010 sustaining the weight of a meaningful life. Because you are 0:24:45.010 --> 0:24:47.770 not made for a life that asks nothing of you. 0:24:48.570 --> 0:24:51.170 You are made for something higher. Something that calls you 0:24:51.210 --> 0:24:55.689 upward rather than settles you downward at the center of 0:24:55.730 --> 0:25:01.730 that life. It must be Jesus Christ always to love 0:25:01.730 --> 0:25:05.090 him and to serve him, because he is the axis 0:25:05.090 --> 0:25:07.810 upon which all other priorities turn. 0:25:08.810 --> 0:25:11.770 Uh, doctor, I, I agree with that and I know 0:25:11.770 --> 0:25:15.530 you agree with that, but Hillsdale does not exclude non-Christians. 0:25:15.530 --> 0:25:18.210 I just want to make sure people know that people 0:25:18.490 --> 0:25:21.770 of all faiths or none at all, are welcome at Hillsdale. 0:25:22.010 --> 0:25:26.409 And we began this hour, hour, last hour talking about, uh, 0:25:26.450 --> 0:25:30.449 maybe last week about Abraham and God speaking to the 0:25:30.450 --> 0:25:35.490 Israelites where the West begins. What we understand is the West. Um, 0:25:35.530 --> 0:25:37.370 did you get any pushback for that? Or is that 0:25:37.369 --> 0:25:38.690 the common understanding? 0:25:40.290 --> 0:25:45.850 No, we we, uh, we got over that. Um, Hillsdale 0:25:45.850 --> 0:25:49.970 is very Christian. It might be the most Christian college, 0:25:50.730 --> 0:25:53.970 but we've never in 182 years required a faith statement 0:25:53.970 --> 0:25:56.970 to attend the college. And we're starting now. We get 0:25:56.970 --> 0:25:59.770 some we're getting Jews and we'll probably get more. And 0:25:59.770 --> 0:26:05.090 we're starting a minor in Judaism and Western civilization. We 0:26:05.130 --> 0:26:12.650 started next year. Um, so yeah, it's A and C college. 0:26:12.810 --> 0:26:15.930 A college is not the same thing as a church. It's, 0:26:16.130 --> 0:26:20.330 it's related to a church and its purpose is to learn. Right. 0:26:20.369 --> 0:26:23.530 And so among our first sentence of our college history 0:26:23.530 --> 0:26:27.960 and the articles of association are Grateful to God for 0:26:27.960 --> 0:26:32.080 the prevalence in the land of the inestimable blessings of 0:26:32.080 --> 0:26:39.520 civil and religious freedom. That's America and intelligent piety and. 0:26:39.560 --> 0:26:44.320 And so we're here to learn about those two things 0:26:44.320 --> 0:26:48.760 so as to preserve them. It actually says the diffusion 0:26:49.000 --> 0:26:54.560 of sound learning is necessary to the preservation of these blessings. 0:26:54.880 --> 0:26:58.960 And we hereby endow and found a college at Hillsdale, Michigan. 0:26:59.200 --> 0:27:02.359 That's the purpose of Hillsdale College right there. And so. 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:08.880 Intelligent piety. That is an interesting phrase because you can 0:27:08.880 --> 0:27:12.520 just say piety and convey a lot. But when you 0:27:12.520 --> 0:27:18.080 add the adjective intelligent piety, you're saying a lot more. 0:27:19.440 --> 0:27:22.760 That's what turns it into a college. You see it, 0:27:22.800 --> 0:27:26.990 you know, you. If I understand the New Testament properly, 0:27:27.390 --> 0:27:31.510 you can go to heaven just believing and being generally ignorant. 0:27:32.070 --> 0:27:38.350 But Christianity itself, like nature itself, is an invitation to learn. Right? 0:27:38.390 --> 0:27:43.710 What is the Jesus is the word, right? Something God says. 0:27:44.190 --> 0:27:47.830 So you're called to understand that to believe it is enough, 0:27:47.830 --> 0:27:51.870 but to understand it is. And so that's, you know, 0:27:51.910 --> 0:27:57.429 the first educational institutions, uh, in, you know, the, the 0:27:57.470 --> 0:28:03.830 oldest ones existing now were founded first and foremost to 0:28:03.830 --> 0:28:05.350 study theology. Right. 0:28:05.390 --> 0:28:08.109 Certainly in America, and I don't know. 0:28:08.950 --> 0:28:11.070 Well, Oxford and Cambridge too. Right. Okay. 0:28:11.430 --> 0:28:11.750 Okay. 0:28:11.790 --> 0:28:17.510 Monks. And, uh, and so they. So the point is, uh, we, 0:28:17.550 --> 0:28:23.740 we have, you know, civil and religious freedom and intelligent Piety. 0:28:24.380 --> 0:28:28.020 That's the reason why we have always been devoted to Christ, 0:28:28.500 --> 0:28:30.900 but also open. 0:28:31.460 --> 0:28:35.340 Let me also play Erica cut number eight, because there's 0:28:35.340 --> 0:28:38.700 also an unusual feature for a college 180 plus years old, 0:28:38.700 --> 0:28:39.500 cut number eight. 0:28:40.780 --> 0:28:44.100 But I just want to encourage all of you to 0:28:44.140 --> 0:28:47.780 the men you are called to provide, you are called 0:28:47.780 --> 0:28:52.340 to lead, to anchor your families in strength and consistency 0:28:53.740 --> 0:28:56.740 to the women you are called to nurture, to build, 0:28:57.060 --> 0:29:03.220 to shape lives with wisdom and endurance. These are not 0:29:03.220 --> 0:29:07.219 secondary callings. They are among the most significant ways of 0:29:07.220 --> 0:29:08.860 life can be rightly ordered. 0:29:09.540 --> 0:29:13.460 Along with Oberlin, which was abolitionist in its origins and 0:29:13.460 --> 0:29:17.100 opened to men and women. So was Hillsdale abolitionist in 0:29:17.100 --> 0:29:19.860 its origins. And I don't know how early it opened 0:29:19.860 --> 0:29:21.660 to women. Was it open to women from the beginning, 0:29:21.660 --> 0:29:22.340 Doctor Hahn? 0:29:23.740 --> 0:29:31.500 Hillsdale College. The 1844 articles read all who wish without 0:29:31.540 --> 0:29:36.260 regard to race, sex or national origin. Girls from the 0:29:36.260 --> 0:29:37.580 first girls. 0:29:37.820 --> 0:29:40.460 Okay, one more cut from Erica. Cut number nine. 0:29:41.900 --> 0:29:44.940 And so in closing, as you journey along, pursue truth 0:29:44.940 --> 0:29:48.540 and defend liberty. Like I said before, love your country. 0:29:50.020 --> 0:29:52.220 I've said this many times and I'll say it again 0:29:52.860 --> 0:29:56.260 our country is not perfect, but my goodness, is she good. 0:29:57.500 --> 0:30:01.660 Pursue truth. Defend liberty. Love your country. Pretty good mission 0:30:01.660 --> 0:30:03.060 statement from Erica Kirk. 0:30:05.100 --> 0:30:11.860 Yeah. It's lovely. Um, I, I, uh, wrote her, uh, 0:30:11.860 --> 0:30:16.300 I wrote her about how and why. You know what? 0:30:16.300 --> 0:30:19.740 What is, you know, you started this thing. Uh, I 0:30:19.780 --> 0:30:24.370 wrote her. We text she I, I don't like the text, 0:30:24.370 --> 0:30:27.330 but she texts. I'll text all day with her. And 0:30:27.330 --> 0:30:31.050 I wrote her what we started this thing with, you know, 0:30:31.090 --> 0:30:34.170 she said, give me some advice. And so I wrote 0:30:34.170 --> 0:30:38.130 her what commencement is and what the tone is and 0:30:38.130 --> 0:30:41.050 what the point is. And then she just put that 0:30:41.050 --> 0:30:44.050 and you know, other things too. I mean, I think 0:30:44.050 --> 0:30:49.370 she just did extraordinarily well. And, uh, I was happy 0:30:49.410 --> 0:30:53.330 for her and for the college because if you understand 0:30:53.330 --> 0:30:59.250 her situation, you have to wish her well. Um, when I, 0:30:59.290 --> 0:31:02.810 when I first met her and I've gotten to know 0:31:02.810 --> 0:31:08.450 her well now, um, I decided I, you know, I, 0:31:08.610 --> 0:31:12.250 one of my beliefs, having been married to Penelope for 0:31:12.250 --> 0:31:17.050 so long is women have to be tough and it's 0:31:17.050 --> 0:31:19.450 probably a mistake to marry him for that. I didn't 0:31:19.450 --> 0:31:22.960 really marry Penny for that. I married her to take 0:31:22.960 --> 0:31:26.160 care of her. Which is the right thing, right? But 0:31:26.160 --> 0:31:28.520 come to find out, you can't. You're going to have 0:31:28.520 --> 0:31:31.480 the baby. You're going to both have to work, right? 0:31:31.800 --> 0:31:36.000 And so I think Erica is resilient and intelligent and 0:31:36.000 --> 0:31:37.880 high minded. Proud of her. 0:31:38.560 --> 0:31:43.000 Stand by. We have one more segment. Welcome back America. 0:31:43.000 --> 0:31:45.400 I'm Hugh Hewitt. Doctor Larry Arnn is my guest. So 0:31:45.400 --> 0:31:48.600 doctor you got to do this every year. And the 0:31:48.600 --> 0:31:51.760 parents come and they're going to want they're going to 0:31:51.760 --> 0:31:55.040 watch the video and they're going to expect you to 0:31:55.080 --> 0:31:58.400 top it. But you really can't top things or you 0:31:58.400 --> 0:32:01.240 have to do something different. Do you start thinking now 0:32:01.240 --> 0:32:02.200 about next year? 0:32:04.360 --> 0:32:07.920 Well, in early September I will meet with the senior. 0:32:07.960 --> 0:32:11.400 First of all, I'm not willingly thinking about anything about 0:32:11.400 --> 0:32:16.160 next year. Right now I'm thinking, uh, but, uh, in 0:32:16.160 --> 0:32:18.790 early September, I meet with the senior class officers, and 0:32:18.790 --> 0:32:23.150 they will they're talking to the by. However, the kids 0:32:23.150 --> 0:32:28.910 talk today about putting a list together and, uh, and 0:32:29.230 --> 0:32:32.750 they'll bring a list and I'll bring a list and, uh, 0:32:33.070 --> 0:32:37.470 involve the provost and he gets a list from the faculty. 0:32:38.230 --> 0:32:43.230 And I involve other colleagues. And we start out with 0:32:43.230 --> 0:32:46.430 a list and, uh, we're looking for somebody who will 0:32:46.430 --> 0:32:51.990 represent the college. Well, uh, the kids tend to favor 0:32:52.430 --> 0:32:59.030 famous more because it's a human. It's a natural thing, right? 0:32:59.270 --> 0:33:02.150 Who's your commencement speaker to their friends and other colleges 0:33:02.150 --> 0:33:04.510 and back home, they talk to. And if you name 0:33:04.510 --> 0:33:08.550 somebody they never heard of, that's not cool, right? So 0:33:08.590 --> 0:33:12.870 they like famous. They tend to recommend very decent people. 0:33:12.870 --> 0:33:15.310 Robert Barron is one of the best commencement speakers. 0:33:15.310 --> 0:33:16.430 Oh my goodness. Yes. 0:33:17.350 --> 0:33:19.790 And and he's become a friend of mine. We're doing 0:33:19.830 --> 0:33:23.870 a series of the great books co-editing him and I. 0:33:24.790 --> 0:33:27.230 And I just love that guy. I heard of him 0:33:27.230 --> 0:33:30.710 first from the senior class officers, and we had him. 0:33:30.990 --> 0:33:37.710 And so they hit Homer pretty often. Faculty like to have, um, uh, 0:33:37.990 --> 0:33:42.950 you know, high academics there. They that's a good pool. 0:33:42.950 --> 0:33:45.150 They can be really good and they can be a 0:33:45.150 --> 0:33:48.550 little boring sometimes too. And, you know, I don't, I, 0:33:48.670 --> 0:33:52.750 I'm not arrogant about commencement speakers. I regard it as formidable. Um, 0:33:53.310 --> 0:33:59.190 because it's hard to give a good commencement speech. The worst. 0:33:59.190 --> 0:34:00.870 I won't name who it was, but the worst I've 0:34:00.870 --> 0:34:03.270 ever heard. There's a consensus that Hillsdale College, it's a 0:34:03.270 --> 0:34:07.510 long time ago now. It was a politician and I 0:34:07.550 --> 0:34:11.390 thought he'd do very well. And God, it was awful. 0:34:11.550 --> 0:34:15.070 And I have been to five. I've been to five, 0:34:15.350 --> 0:34:18.259 two of my own and three of my kids. And 0:34:18.260 --> 0:34:19.940 I can tell you the worst by far, but I'm 0:34:19.940 --> 0:34:21.419 not going to name it to you. And it was 0:34:21.420 --> 0:34:25.140 a public official, and someone had written it so that 0:34:25.420 --> 0:34:27.700 we may have a through line there. You might want 0:34:27.700 --> 0:34:30.780 to avoid the public, although Senator Cotton can give a speech. 0:34:30.780 --> 0:34:33.460 We'll see, we'll see. Doctor Larry Arnn, thank you. Don't 0:34:33.460 --> 0:34:36.100 go anywhere America. Stay tuned to the Salem News Channel. 0:34:36.140 --> 0:34:40.620 All of the Hillsdale dialogues, all of them are collected@hughforhillsdale.com. 0:34:40.660 --> 0:34:43.700 We're coming back to Churchill next week. We are back 0:34:43.700 --> 0:34:46.580 in their finest hour. Volume two. 0:34:50.460 --> 0:34:53.700 Thanks for listening to the Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the 0:34:53.700 --> 0:35:02.379 Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes@podcast.hillsdale.edu or wherever you find 0:35:02.380 --> 0:35:08.460 your audio. For more information about Hillsdale College, head to hillsdale.edu.