1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: This special edition Christmas Eve Show is brought to you 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome and 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: thanks for joining us for a special Christmas Eve edition 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: of Clay and Buck. As so many of us prepare 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: to celebrate the Christmas season presence under the tree, hugs 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: and laughs with loved ones, family friends, it is worth 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: taking a moment to look back in time at some 8 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: of the great challenges, struggles and battles that were fought 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: over Christmas. And one that immediately comes to mind takes 10 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: us to World War Two, the Battle of the Bulge. Now, 11 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: before I get into what happened and how its stretched 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: over the Christmas holiday in nineteen forty four, and in 13 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: fact that was a major turning point, you can imagine 14 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: being deep in the snow, fighting in the dense forest 15 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: of Europe against Nazis SS right there on the front lines. 16 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: We'll dive into that in a moment, but let's just 17 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: talk about what led up to the Battle of the 18 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: Bulge and the turning point on Christmas. It was a 19 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: summer of nineteen forty four and the entire war was 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: at a marked change. The Allied invasion of Normandy in 21 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: June had broken through Hitler's vaunted Atlantic Wall, and by 22 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: August Paris was liberated. The German army was in retreat 23 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: across most of Western Europe, and the Allies were advancing 24 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: rapidly toward the borders of the Third Reich. By September, 25 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: the situation seemed grim for Nazi Germany, but beneath the surface, 26 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: their high command was already planning a bold counter strike 27 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: against the Allies. In early September, Allied forces had surged 28 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: across Belgium and Luxembourg. Key cities like Brussels and Antwerp 29 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: fell quickly. The rapid advance led to optimism that the 30 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: war in Europe might end by Christmas. However, logistical challenges 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: soon slowed the Allied momentum. Advancing armies had to outrun 32 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: their supply or had outrun their supply lines, leading to 33 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: shortages of fuel, ammunition, and food. This logistical strain allowed 34 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: German forces to regroup and fortify positions along the Sigfried 35 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 1: Line or West Wall, which was a series of defensive 36 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 1: fortifications along Germany's western border. Adding to the Allies trouble, 37 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: the ambitious Operation Market Garden in mid September failed to 38 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: achieve its objectives. The plan, which aimed to capture key 39 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: bridges in the Netherlands and open a direct route into Germany, 40 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: ended with heavy Allied losses and the German retention of 41 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: key defensive positions and the failure at Arnhem, famously described 42 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: as a bridge too far meant the Allies faced a 43 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: prolonged fight to breach the German defenses. For the Germans, 44 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: these developments offered a glimmer of hope that they could 45 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: turn their fortunes around. While their losses had been severe, 46 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: the delay in the Allied advance provided an opportunity to regroup, resupply, 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: and prepare for a counter offensive. In October of nineteen 48 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: forty four, the Allies launched assaults along the German border. 49 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: US First Army engaged in brutal fighting in the her 50 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: Hertgen Forest, a dense and heavily fortified area near Achen. 51 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: The battle lasting weeks, marked by heavy casualties on both sides, 52 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: little ground was gained. Germans, despite being on the defensive, 53 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: used the terrain to their advantage and inflicted significant losses 54 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: on the Americans. British and Canadian forces faced diff resistance 55 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: as well, so that was brutal fighting, and it was 56 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: characterized by harsh weather, mud and the determined German resistance. 57 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: November of forty four was the calm before the storm. 58 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: Allies renewed their offensive along the Western Front. In the 59 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: British and Canadian forces had finally cleared the Shelt Estuary, 60 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: opening Antwerp for Allied use. This is a pretty cool 61 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: Netflix movie that dealt with what was going on in 62 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: Antwerp around this time. The Second World War came out. Recently, 63 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,679 Speaker 1: US Third Army owner General Patten, pressed forward, liberating Mets 64 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: after weeks of heavy fighting. Despite these successes, the Allied 65 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: advance was slow and costly, with attritional battles that sapped 66 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: morale and resources. Meanwhile, in the Ardn region, a densely 67 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: wooded area straddling Belgium and Luxembourg, the front was quiet. 68 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: The Allies had assumed the region was unsuitable for a 69 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: major German offensive due to its rugged terrain and harsh 70 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: winter conditions. American troops station there were often inexperienced or 71 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: under strength, and the line was thinly held. Unbeknownst to 72 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: the Allies, Hitler had chosen the Arden as the focal 73 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: point for his bold counteroffensive, code named Operation Watch on 74 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: the Rhine conceive back in September and refined over the 75 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: following months. The plan called for a massive surprise attack 76 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: to break through the Allied lines, drive west to Antwerp, 77 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,359 Speaker 1: and split the British and American armies. Hitler believed this 78 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: would force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace, allowing 79 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: Germany to focus its remaining resources on the Eastern Front, 80 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 1: where the Soviet advance threatened the Reich. To prepare for 81 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: the offensive, the Germans secretly masked over two hundred thousand troops, 82 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: including elite SS Panzer divisions along the Arden Front. Supplies, 83 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 1: including fuel for tanks, were hoarded, despite shortages elsewhere in 84 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: the Reich. Deception and strict operational security kept the plan 85 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: hidden from Allied intelligence. By the Allies. By rather December, 86 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: the Allies were confident but weary. The progress made since 87 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: Normandy had been hard won, and the onset of winter 88 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: brought additional challenges. Perception among many Allied commanders was that 89 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 1: German forces were nearing collapse. Reports reports of German troop 90 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: movements in the Ardennes were dismissed as defensive maneuvers or 91 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: just a desperate reorganization on the German side, Morale among 92 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: troops varied. While many soldiers were demoralized by the steady 93 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: retreat and heavy casualties of nineteen forty four, others clung 94 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: to the hope that Hitler's new offensive could reverse their fortunes. 95 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: Propaganda emphasized the importance of the coming battle, painting it 96 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: as a decisive moment in the war. And then December 97 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, on the eve of the Battle of 98 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: the Bulge, as the first snow fell on the Ardennes, 99 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,839 Speaker 1: both sides prepared for winter. The American station there it 100 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 1: seemed like a quiet sector. Troops settled into foxholes and 101 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: improvised shelters, unaware that a massive German force was preparing 102 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 1: to launch a surprise attack for the Germans. The Germans, 103 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: the stage was set. The tanks, artillery, and infantry were 104 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: ready to strike on December sixteenth. The success of the 105 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: plan hinged on speed, surprise and the capture of Allied 106 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: fuel depots to keep their offensive rolling. The Germans gambled 107 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: everything on this attack, knowing that failure would leave their 108 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: forces exhausted and vulnerable to a counter offensive. Battle of 109 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: the Bulge began on December sixteenth with a massive artillery 110 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: barrage in the Arden Forest. Now, this area, dense with 111 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: woods and rugged terrain, had seemed like an unlikely location 112 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,559 Speaker 1: for such a large scale offensive, which is exactly why 113 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: Hitler and the Germans chose it. They were trying to 114 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: punch through the thinly held Allied front lines in Circle 115 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: four Armies and capture Antwerp, a critical Allied supply port. 116 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: Stakes were monumental because success would mean the Germans could 117 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: turn the war around in Europe, or at least prolong it. 118 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: Failure was likely the end the Third Reich. The offensive 119 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: began with that artillery barrage under cover of darkness and 120 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: snowstorms on December sixteenth, catching the Allies completely off guard. 121 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: The Germans also had used a combination of infiltration tactics deception, 122 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: including using English speaking soldiers in captured uniforms, an absolute 123 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: brute force with nearly two hundred thousand troops and one 124 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: thousand tanks. The result was immediate chaos along the eighty 125 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: mile front. The Germans created a deep bulge in the 126 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: Allied lines, giving the battle its name. The German advance 127 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: was rapid and devastating. Towns like Malmody and Clervaux were 128 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: overrun and countless Allied soldiers were captured or killed. One 129 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: of the world's darkest moments occurred during this time, the 130 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: Malmedy Masacre, which I'll talk more about, but the German 131 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 1: counter stroke in the early days was working by Christmas Eve, 132 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: though the battle had reached this critical phase. One of 133 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: the most dramatic episodes was the Siege of Bastone, a 134 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,839 Speaker 1: small but strategically vital cross roads town. The hundred and 135 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: first Airborne the one hundred first Airborne Division, along with 136 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: elements of other units, had been rushed to Bastone to 137 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: hold the line against overwhelming German forces. Encircled and vastly outnumbered, 138 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: the Americans endured freezing temperatures, dwindling ammunition, and constant German bombardment. 139 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: The situation was so desperate that medical personnel resorted to 140 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: reusing bandages and food rations were scarce. You saw this 141 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: depicted very well in the incredible series Band of Brothers. 142 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: By the way, American soldiers huddled in foxholes or ruined buildings, 143 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: sharing whatever meager supplies they had in an extraordinary act 144 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: of defiance and humor. When the German commander demanded the 145 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: surrender of Bastone on December twenty second. Brigadier General Anthony 146 00:09:54,920 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: mccallif famously replied with a single word nuts. This defiance 147 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: boosted morale among the Americans, even as German artillery continued 148 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: to pound the town. Meanwhile, throughout the Ardenne, Christmas was 149 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: marked by intense hardship. Soldiers face frostbite and hypothermy as 150 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: temperatures dropped to record lows. Trees were splintered by artillery fire, 151 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: and the snowy landscape was stained with blood. Yet even 152 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 1: in these dire circumstances, acts of humanity persisted. Soldiers shared 153 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: cigarettes and carols, comforted each other as best they could. 154 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: On Christmas Day, the tide began to turn. The weather cleared, 155 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: allowing the Allies to use their superior air power to 156 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: attack German supply lines and armored columns. American bombers and 157 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: fighters decimated German tanks and disrupted their reinforcements, while paratroopers 158 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: and infantry launched counter attacks. In Bastone, General George Patten's 159 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,079 Speaker 1: Third Army began its dramatic relief effort. Patten's forces pushed 160 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: through the snow and enemy resistance to break the German 161 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: encirclement on December twenty sixth, bringing much needed relief and 162 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: supplies and reinforcement to the beleaguer defenders. For the Germans, 163 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: Christmas marked the beginning of their unraveling. Their initial momentum 164 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 1: faltered as they encountered stiffer Allied resistance, supply shortages, and 165 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,319 Speaker 1: a lack of fuel for their tanks. Hitler's gamble combination 166 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: of desperation and hubris, failed to achieve its goal. After Christmas, 167 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: going into the new year, the Germans were in full retreat, 168 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: having suffered enormous losses in men of materiel. The Allies 169 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: regained the initiative and the end of the war in 170 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: Europe was now within sight. For those who fought in 171 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:37,959 Speaker 1: the Battle of the Bulge, Christmas nineteen forty four was 172 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: a time of profound struggle and sacrifice in the midst 173 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: of one of the coldest winters on record. With death 174 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: and destruction all around, soldiers on both sides faced a 175 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: holiday unlike any other. The bravery and resilience of the 176 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: Allied troops, especially those encircled at Bastone, became legendary, a 177 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: testament to their determination to see the war through to 178 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: its conclusion. Let us never forget those men in those 179 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: woods on Christmas fighting to defend civilization itself and winning 180 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: a Christmas miracle of sorts. Since we're doing the history 181 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: of events that occurred on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day, 182 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: I thought we could do an inspiring one as well. 183 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: Not like the situation of the Battle of the Bulge, 184 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: with the freezing cold temperatures and the extreme brutality of 185 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: that conflict, of that fighting during the Second World War. 186 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: I wanted to take us to the First World War 187 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: and something that became known as the Christmas Truce of 188 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen. But let's first dive into what's going on 189 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: in the First World War at this time. By December 190 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: of nineteen fourteen. World War One was the brutal trench 191 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: conflict that we have all come to know. Began in 192 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:05,079 Speaker 1: July of nineteen fourteen, when arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of 193 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: Austria was assassinated and all hope for a Swiss swift 194 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: revolution had evaporated. The war involved major European powers, divided 195 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: into the Allies primarily France, Britain and Russia, and the 196 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: Central powers, Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. So 197 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,560 Speaker 1: December nineteen fourteen marked the end of the war's initial 198 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 1: mobility on the Western Front. They had to just dig 199 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: in the race to the Sea, which was a series 200 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: of maneuvers as each side attempted to outflank the other 201 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: that had culminated in the establishment of the continuous trench 202 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: line stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss border. 203 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: Soldiers were enduring absolutely miserable conditions in these trenches, facing 204 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: the cold, the mud, rats, disease, artillery shells, sniper fire. 205 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: These attacks often resulted in heavy casualties with minimal territorial gains. 206 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: For instance, earlier in the month December of nineteen fourteen, 207 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: French forces launched an offensive in Champagne like where the 208 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: fancy sparkling white wine comes from, but it achieved little 209 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: other than adding to the so called Butcher's bill the 210 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: horrific losses and casualties on both sides. But it was 211 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: a very brutal time. And then there was a light 212 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: in the darkness. It was again December nineteen fourteen. Both 213 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 1: sides had in the First World War dug in for 214 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: horrific French warfare, and there was a grim stalemate, and 215 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: there was what became known as No Man's Land, this desolate, 216 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: muddy expanse littered with barbed wire and the remnants of war. Now, 217 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: these soldiers had been told the war would be over 218 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: by Christmas, but as Christmas, December twenty fifth, approached, there 219 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: was no possibility of that happening. But with all of 220 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: that suffering and error around them, on Christmas Eve, German 221 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: troops on sectors of the front began decorating their trenches 222 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: with candles and makeshift Christmas trees. They sang carols like 223 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: steel a knocked silent night that drifted across the cold 224 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: night air to the Allied trenches. British soldiers responded with 225 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: their own carols, and soon a chorus of voices from 226 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 1: opposing sides filled the night. It was music that transcended 227 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: the boundaries of language, nationality, and even war itself. On 228 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: Christmas morning, something even more miraculous happened. Soldiers began calling 229 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: out to one another across the lines, cautiously emerging from 230 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: their trenches against the orders of their superiors. Men who 231 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: had been enemies just the day before met in No 232 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: Man's land. They exchanged handshakes, smiles, and even little tokens chocolate, cigarettes, buttons, 233 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: photographs of loved ones. In some areas they even organized 234 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: games of soccer or if you're European football, people who 235 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: had been trying to kill each other just the day 236 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: before were playing in a friendly soccer match in the 237 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: middle of one of the most horrific battlefield landscapes in 238 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: all history. The Christmas Truce wasn't an organized event. Some 239 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: places on the front varied with others, but where it 240 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: did occur, there was a tiny respite, one that allowed 241 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: for a glimmer of the shared humanity of the men, 242 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: mostly conscripts on both sides. For a few hours, perhaps 243 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,479 Speaker 1: a day or two, the horrors of war were set aside, 244 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: replaced by gestures of goodwill and moments of joy. Truce 245 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: was not without its complexities, but military leadership did not 246 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: like it at all. They opposed the fraternization, said it 247 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: would undermine discipline. And yes, they dove right back into 248 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: the conflict and went right back to shooting each other 249 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: after Christmas had passed. But the Christmas Truce of December 250 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen remains a rare moment of peace and humanity 251 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: amidst one of the worst wars in the history of 252 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: the world, and reminds us that even in the darkest times, 253 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 1: there is an enduring human capacity for empathy and connection. So, 254 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: as we gather this holiday season, you have any loved ones, friends, 255 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,640 Speaker 1: colleagues that you've had things a bit frosty with, perhaps 256 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: it's time to establish your own Christmas truth and one 257 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: that might take you into the new year and beyond. 258 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 2: I've had conversations in recent days weeks with liberals and 259 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 2: every time I mention this to you, So where are 260 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: you hanging around them? Well, you can't avoid them, and 261 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 2: I'm not afraid of them, and some I like engaging 262 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 2: them sometimes because these people, many of them are just 263 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 2: following a script that you know, they don't think they've 264 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 2: got their template, their narrative, and life is very compartmentalized. 265 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 2: And if something doesn't fit the little cocoon that they've 266 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 2: woven for themselves to live in, if you can penetrate 267 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 2: the cocoon, you can blow them up. You can cause 268 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 2: them all kinds of problem. The mind starts working, and 269 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 2: I was I was talking to a couple of people 270 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,680 Speaker 2: this week and they said couldn't get off of a rock. 271 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:15,879 Speaker 2: A rock makes it's a horrible country or a war. 272 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 2: We've lost our reputation in the world. We're losing in 273 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:19,960 Speaker 2: Iraq and there's no reason to go there, said Nomen 274 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 2: and head a threat to us, blah blah blahlah. And 275 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: I'm listening to it and all of the attempts that 276 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 2: I made and try to explain strategically why after nine 277 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 2: to eleven we had a preemptive policy, we had weapons 278 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 2: of mass destruction. Every intel agency in the world said, 279 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 2: of Saddam's got these things, he had been fudging. The 280 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 2: UNS tried all that didn't It didn't didn't permeate. So 281 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 2: I asked him a question. I said, if you will 282 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,439 Speaker 2: ever stopped and asked yourself, can you, guys, you're so 283 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 2: mad at this country, You think the world hates this country, 284 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 2: and you think this country is so corrupt. Have you 285 00:18:55,160 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 2: ever stopped and asked yourself this question? Why in less 286 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:06,879 Speaker 2: than two hundred and fifty years has the American population 287 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:12,400 Speaker 2: built the most prosperous, the most powerful, the most advanced 288 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 2: civilization ever. The Europeans have been around thousands of years 289 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 2: longer than we have. The Asians much longer than that. 290 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 2: Yet we run rings around every one of them and 291 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:30,199 Speaker 2: everybody else too. That's not even close. It's not a 292 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 2: contest in any way that you want to measure. So 293 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 2: how can it be? I asked them that less than 294 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 2: three hundred million Americans can rule the world as it 295 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 2: had never has been ruled before in less than two 296 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 2: hundred and fifty years of existence. Have you ever really 297 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 2: stopped to ask yourself this question? And I got answers. 298 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,879 Speaker 2: I got back, well, I have no question that this 299 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 2: is the greatest country in the plant, but invading other 300 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:06,640 Speaker 2: countries is not the way to lead the world. I said, 301 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 2: get a rock out of your mind. I'm talking about 302 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 2: something much larger here that I want you to think about. 303 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 2: I'm asking you why this has happened, how it has happened, 304 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 2: to want your opinion on how it's at Forget a rock. 305 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 2: It's not about that. This is crucial answer. The answer 306 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 2: to this question is crucial to understanding the United States, 307 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,239 Speaker 2: to understanding the rest of the world and how to 308 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,639 Speaker 2: make it all better. Can you get a rock out 309 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 2: of your mind? These people are so obsessed with the 310 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 2: rock that they are embarrassed to be Americans. They think 311 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 2: that the world hates us, which is not true. They 312 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,160 Speaker 2: buy totally in to the media and Democrat Party drive 313 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 2: by template. I kept on, Look, I'm not arguing with 314 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 2: you put a rock on this. I'm asking for your opinion. 315 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 2: I want you to think about something. I'm not trying 316 00:20:56,119 --> 00:21:01,199 Speaker 2: to be confrontation. If they think everything's confrontational, Iraq is 317 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 2: totally irrelevant to the question. Much larger conceptual approach here, 318 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 2: So I stated it again, said the rest of the world, 319 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 2: all of it has been around for krime. In terms 320 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,439 Speaker 2: of nation states, thousands of years, much longer than we have. 321 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 2: United States is less than three hundred years. It took 322 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 2: me five times. United States are less than three hundred 323 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 2: years old. No population of people in any country has 324 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 2: ever approached our economic prosperity and wealth, our power. No 325 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 2: nation in the history of civilization has so dominated the 326 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 2: world for good as the United States of America. We 327 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 2: have liberated over one hundred million people from bondage and slavery. 328 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 2: We feed the world, we clothe the world. We provide 329 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 2: disaster relief in all circumstances to friend and foe alike. 330 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 2: We're the only nation on earth that can have you 331 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 2: ever stopped to ask yourself how in human history this 332 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 2: came about? What makes this possible? And how I'm just 333 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 2: giving you facts? How can you hate your country? How 334 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 2: can you sit there and be embarrassed of your country 335 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 2: over something like a rock when you don't even understand 336 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 2: what that is really all about, but throw it out 337 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 2: of the equation. How can your love for your country 338 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 2: be so fragile? How in your personal life can you 339 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 2: run around and not care what people think? And yet 340 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 2: when it comes to the United States of America you 341 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 2: get all upset if you think a bunch of reprobates 342 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,640 Speaker 2: hate our country. Some people should hate us. We pose 343 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 2: a threat to them because of our goodness and because 344 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 2: of our ideals. There's some people should hate us. A 345 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 2: lot of people are just jealous of us because we 346 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 2: are what we are and they've had all these years 347 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 2: and decades and centuries and millennia and they haven't able 348 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 2: to pull it off. Why do you let yourself end 349 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 2: up hating your own country so much because of something 350 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 2: like a rock, which leads you to think that people 351 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 2: around the world hate us when none of this is 352 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 2: actually true. The principles may be bigger than the men 353 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 2: who wrote them down. But they did write them, and 354 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 2: they were not racists, and they were not bigots, whatever 355 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 2: else the PC crowd teaches today. And I then further 356 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:11,919 Speaker 2: pointed out and as the one this when I started 357 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 2: taking giants drive, I said, our founding principles, which you 358 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 2: just proclaimed great, were not liberal as defined by today's liberalism. 359 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 2: Today's liberals are not tolerant, they are not interested in freedom, 360 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,880 Speaker 2: They do not believe in God. They want God out 361 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 2: of as much of our culture as possible. Well, God 362 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 2: wasn't part of the founding of this country. And I said, 363 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 2: got to start together a kneeesacker, knee jerk reaction, I said, 364 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:46,679 Speaker 2: have you read the Declaration of Independence, One Nation under 365 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:54,120 Speaker 2: God that Chris creator Iani have the pledge of allegiance. Clearly, 366 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 2: the founders of this country believed in God and believe 367 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,400 Speaker 2: that we were all created, and that we were all 368 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 2: created certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, the pursuit 369 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 2: to happiness, life liberty, pursuit to have these words mean things. 370 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 2: You say that the principles are bigger than people who 371 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 2: wrote them down, But it took people to write them down. 372 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 2: Where'd they get the inspiration where'd they get the intelligence? 373 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 2: They were great people that put this country together, a 374 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,680 Speaker 2: country that stood the test of time like no other 375 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 2: country in the history of civilization. Today's liberals are none 376 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 2: of the founding fathers. Today's liberals are not capitalists as 377 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 2: constituted today. They are socialists. So why I agree with 378 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 2: you about some of this stuff, Well you should agree 379 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 2: with me about all of it, because I'm right. And 380 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:49,160 Speaker 2: the future of our country depends on maintaining the institutions 381 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,919 Speaker 2: and traditions that built this country. And in order to 382 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 2: preserve these traditions and institutions, we've got to understand their origin. 383 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:02,880 Speaker 2: We must admit and be honest about what they are. 384 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 2: Today's liberals do, and they are trying to tear them down. 385 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 2: Today's liberals want to tear down these traditions and institutions 386 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 2: and remake the country in their own image. Iraq is 387 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 2: not a factor in the demise of our country. If 388 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 2: there is to be a demise of our country is 389 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 2: because we will lose control of maintaining the traditions and 390 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 2: institutions that made this a great country, a great culture, 391 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 2: a great society, a great population. Iraq has nothing to 392 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 2: do with this it's all happening from within Iraq's ancillary 393 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:37,359 Speaker 2: in the sense that it's being used to try to 394 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 2: convince as many Americans that the country is not worth 395 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:45,719 Speaker 2: preserving as we've known it. So the liberals that I 396 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,399 Speaker 2: was talking to started talking about Republicans and demostrat For 397 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 2: when you forget Republicans and Democrats for a second, who's 398 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 2: said it thing about Republicans and Democrats. You people have 399 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:59,160 Speaker 2: got to stop acting knee jerk. You got to start 400 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 2: listening to what I'm saying and reacting to that. I'm 401 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 2: talking about conservatives liberals. I'm talking about traditionalists versus secularists. 402 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 2: I'm talking about people who hate the way America is 403 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 2: today versus people who love it and want to preserve it. 404 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 2: It's you. You got to get out of your head 405 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 2: the idea that I am attacking you. You know, I 406 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,640 Speaker 2: told them, we all have the same wish, we all 407 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 2: have the same desire, all us liberals, all us conservatives. 408 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 2: We want to preserve the country. I mean, we want 409 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:38,199 Speaker 2: America to remain America, and we want to leave it 410 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 2: for our descendants as we inherited it from our forebears. 411 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 2: Our arguments are about how to do it and in 412 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 2: the in the in the argument phase, here we actually 413 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 2: learn that perhaps we don't want the same thing in 414 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 2: terms of preserving the traditions and institutions, because today's liberals 415 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 2: and socialists do want to tear them down and they 416 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 2: have been imbued with guilt over prosperity. It's not fair. 417 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 2: We have so much. It's not fair because how we 418 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 2: haven't done it through any greatness of our own, mister Limball, 419 00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 2: We've stolen it. We've stolen all the oil from these 420 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 2: countries around the world. We've stolen their diamonds. We've stolen this, 421 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 2: and then we waste all of them. We are and 422 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,640 Speaker 2: this is what they've been taught. I said, no, you've 423 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,719 Speaker 2: got it totally backwards. The problem with the world is 424 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 2: not America. The problem with the world is the lack 425 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,400 Speaker 2: of equal distribution of capitalism. And it's just that simple. 426 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 2: What it is that makes this country unique from any 427 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 2: other set of population centers, countries, nations, whatever you want 428 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:59,399 Speaker 2: to call them, is two things. A are founding documents. 429 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 2: And what's in the founding documents the the documentated or 430 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 2: documented recognition that we are all created by God and 431 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 2: that we all have certain inalienable rights. That means it's 432 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,959 Speaker 2: part of our yearning spirit, it's part of our creation. 433 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 2: That is liberty, a yearning to be free. We don't 434 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 2: want to be bound up. We don't want to be 435 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 2: shut up, we don't want to be constrained. We are 436 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:29,680 Speaker 2: human beings. We're explorers. Where researchers were pioneers. We don't 437 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 2: want to be And they understood this pursuit of happiness. 438 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 2: Life is to be maximized and pursued, and it's and 439 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 2: and people are to get as much out of it 440 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,719 Speaker 2: as they are able. And they can't do it with 441 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 2: shackles around their ankles. They can't do it with governments 442 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,160 Speaker 2: that can hold them in contempt. They can't do it 443 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 2: with leaders that think they have no brains. People are 444 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,080 Speaker 2: going to be constrained by people who think they have 445 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 2: no ability to do things, so they're gonna want to 446 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 2: do everything for them. The uh right to life. We're 447 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 2: all created right to life. It's it's those those definitions 448 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 2: of our creation and our freedom are what set us 449 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 2: apart from virtually every nation on the face of the earth. 450 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 2: I don't know if you know this or not. And 451 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 2: nothing against the Brits. They don't even have a constitution. 452 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 2: They do not have one. The European Union. They're trying 453 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 2: to write one, but it's a bunch of kami libs. 454 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 2: It's a disaster. It's nothing but a PC manual and digest. 455 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 2: And that is how we've stood the test of time. 456 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 2: It is those three things that are under assault by 457 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 2: today's left. The right to life, the pursuit of happiness. 458 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 2: You're not supposed to be happy because if you're happy, well, 459 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 2: somebody is not happy. It's not fair. And if your 460 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 2: pursuit of happy offend somebody, of happiness, offend somebody or 461 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 2: rob somebody else, I they're happening. We can't have that. No, 462 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 2: because for liberals, today's liberals, they want misery equally because 463 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 2: that's the only way we can all be equal. So 464 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 2: we have to spread misery as equally as possible. And 465 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 2: then I hit a with Undeniable Truth of Life number twenty, 466 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 2: which they just cringed, but I had them. Ours is 467 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 2: a world governed by the aggressive use of force. It 468 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 2: is not governed by peace movements, feel good movements and 469 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 2: all of that. And I said, if we retreat like 470 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 2: the Democrat Party and the liberals of this country want 471 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 2: us to do today. We're only going to have to 472 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 2: face these people down the road when it's your kids 473 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 2: that'll be facing them. 474 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 3: Hey, producer, Ali and Greg here crashing the show for 475 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 3: a minute to let you know we've got a special 476 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,920 Speaker 3: gift for you, our audience in the new year. 477 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 4: That's right, We've got a lot of emails and calls 478 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 4: about the show. Some of you would like to know 479 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 4: how the sausage is made, so to speak, so we've 480 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 4: decided to create a special podcast that pulls back the 481 00:30:58,720 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 4: curtain just a little bit. 482 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 3: We're calling it after Hours on Clay and Buck, and 483 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 3: just like a true after hours party, you never know 484 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 3: when it's going to pop up in the podcast feed, 485 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 3: but when it does, it'll be fun. 486 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 4: We'll talk about the sound bites that don't make it 487 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 4: on the show, some of the things we pick up 488 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 4: off the cutting room floor, and also answer any questions 489 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 4: that you might have about what happens behind the scenes or. 490 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 3: Clay's feelings about cats. By the way, Greg and I 491 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 3: have five between the two of us, so we've got 492 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 3: opinions there. But joking aside, After Hours with Clay and 493 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 3: Buck is our gift to you a little extra random 494 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 3: content from time to time. 495 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 4: So look forward to that in the new Year, and 496 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 4: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and a wonderful New Year celebration 497 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 4: with family and friends, of which we consider you ours 498 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 3: From all of us at Clay and buck Shield High