October 4, 2024 • 44 mins
Matt Lohmeier, Executive Vice President of STARRS, author of the book "Irresistible Revolution" and a public speaker, gave the keynote talk at STARRS Rally for Our Republic in September 2024 in Arizona. His presentation starts with a video introduction of his story, an early preview of his upcoming documentary.
Former US Air Force/US Space Force Lieutenant Colonel Matt Lohmeier (also a 2006 USAFA grad) shares his personal journey from commanding the 11th Space Warning Squadron to grappling with a profound leftwing ideological shift within the military amplified by the events in 2020. His evolving sense of patriotism and deep appreciation for American history sets the stage for a candid discussion on the impact of leftist ideologies on morale and readiness at Buckley Air Force Base and the resulting challenges of military recruitment.
Matt talked about the thought-provoking literature he introduced to troops at Buckley, sparking conversations that challenge and broaden perspectives. Starting with Viktor Frankl's "Man’s Search for Meaning" and moving through historical and political topics, he talks about intriguing links to Frederick Douglass's philosophies amidst today's political movements. This literary journey wasn't just about books; it was about fostering meaningful dialogue in a space often dominated by rigid narratives.
Matt's talk takes a reflective turn as he explores the dilemma faced by conservative Christians balancing faith and societal change. Drawing on lessons from Cleon Skousen's book, "The Naked Communist," he discusses the enduring power of the "Christian Code" as a response to contemporary ideologies. With a call to love, pray, vote, and consider military service, he inspires listeners to engage actively in civic life, championing the values and principles they hold dear, while offering a heartfelt appeal to young men to serve their country in a time of need.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Lohmeier (00:09):
It was cold, denver, colorado, mid-november.
My wife and kids and I drovedown to Colorado Springs for the
afternoon and when we came backto our home in the evening we
noticed that a side window onour house had been completely
crushed into the house.
Things like that don't happenon military bases.
(00:29):
Mr President, good afternoonand happy Thanksgiving.
This is Lieutenant Colonel MattLohmeiyer, commander of the
11th Space Warning Squadron.
The man I'm interviewing todayhas 1,200 hours of flying the
T-38 as an instructor pilot,followed by the F-15C.
This is not just anybody we'retalking about that served the
(00:50):
military.
Lieutenant Colonel, thank youso much for joining me.
A true hero, colonel MatthewLohmeyer.
My wife teased me after we gotmarried.
She says you're not verypatriotic, because I was still
coming into my patriotism and anappreciation for the greatness
of the American ideal, learningabout American history, learning
about the rest of the world.
It was learning about ourfounding.
(01:10):
It was learning about the ideasand ideals that shaped the
country initially and how,despite all of our failures,
we've tried to live up to thoseideals that I really began to
take some pride in what thiscountry was and is, really began
to take some pride in what thiscountry was and is Recruits
Recruiting goals, recruitersEvery branch of the military is
(01:31):
struggling to meet itsrecruiting goals.
The report from Senator MarcoRubio and Congressman Chip Roy
accuses the Pentagon ofweakening our armed forces by
pushing leftist ideology on raceand gender.
And the United States MilitaryAcademy is a university and it
is important that we train andwe understand and I want to
understand white rage and I'mwhite.
(01:53):
What is critical race theory?
I suspect it's not as major anissue as we've made it out to be
in the media.
I went into command at BuckleyAir Force Base in charge of the
nation's space-based missilewarning and I encounter an
active, rabid, radical left-wingbase commander.
(02:13):
Our Army and my squad come froma diverse background.
Inclusion and equality arewhat's important to us.
That's how we'll win ournation's wars.
All of the stuff that isalready tearing American people
and citizens apart andpolarizing the nation.
He was injecting that into thebase culture.
(02:35):
That's when I decided I'd pen aformal written complaint about
what I was seeing at my base.
The months that followed as I'dpen a formal written complaint
about what I was seeing at mybase, the months that followed
as I was writing this formalwritten complaint, from my house
being broken into to beingspied on at the base, had people
(02:56):
taking it into their own handsto tell him hey, we've
identified someone who's notcomplying.
I got a phone call from myboss's office.
He says I'm going to have torelieve you of your command for
being politically partisan whileacting in an official capacity
and for publicly criticizingyour chain of command Hadn't
done either of those things.
When you take the oath, yousign up to defend your country
(03:24):
against its enemies, bothforeign and domestic, and when
we've got people who areparroting Marxist narratives of
American history, that areanti-American, that tends to
have as a consequence thedetriment of military morale,
that tend to have as a aconsequence division in the
(03:44):
military workplace and that tendto erode our readiness and
lethality, I deem that adomestic threat and so I chose
to speak up about it.
I'm Lieutenant Colonel MattLohme and this is my story.
(04:31):
I felt bad for Tim because weturned the lights off on him
while he was still standing hereand I hoped he would make it
off of the stage safely.
Unlike Tim, I charge for mybooks.
They're $20 out there, and infact I found it ironic that I
brought Tim's book with me formy remarks today and not my own,
(04:52):
and after I saw that he wasgoing to be speaking about that
book and Frederick Douglass forsome time, I ran out quickly to
the table out there and grabbeda copy of my own book as well,
so that I can read you somethingfrom that.
I think it's only fitting.
I'm sensitive to the fact thatwe've all been sitting here for
a long time and I've gotten upin the back several times, and
(05:13):
so, for my dad's sake, who's athome watching this on a live
stream, I'll invite you for oneminute to get up and stretch and
get your blood flowing, andI'll let him go get a snack
before he listens to our remarks.
Uh, next, I've got family here,glad to see family that I don't
normally get to see.
(05:34):
You have got uh colleagues here.
I've got uh.
I thought my attorney was herefrom all the way across the
country.
Did he dart?
This year?
Other areas was here from allthe way across the country, did
he dart?
Is he out of here, mike?
Oh, there he is.
It'll appear that I have somerandom thoughts for you.
They're not really that random,but I have difficulty
(05:55):
assembling what it is that Ithink I'd like to say to any
audience, and I don't say thesame thing really to any
audience that I speak to and Igive a lot of thought to the
audience that I'll be spendingsome time with and I don't
always know or have a goodreason for why it is.
I'll share certain things, so Ihope that some of what I share
(06:15):
will be impactful for some ofyou at any particular time.
In my remarks I'm going to readto you a quote from JRR Tolkien
.
I like that quote fromChesterton and it's come up
several times while I've beenfilming over the past year
(06:38):
because one of the producers ofthe film loves and has read
Chesterton's works for a verylong time.
I don't like reading fiction butI do like to read and I found
it healing to go and readTolkien's works.
Recently.
I've spent the past maybe eightor nine months reading the Lord
of the Rings, and the books arejust far, far better than what
(07:03):
film producers are able to dowith a story.
I listened to the Hobbit and Iloved it so much I went and
bought the book so that I couldkeep it in my library, and then
I went to the Lord of the Ringsand I've read nearly all three
of the volumes of the Lord ofthe Rings, and I've been doing
it slowly, methodically,enjoying every bit, and I
(07:29):
recently got to a point in thebook, just a couple of chapters
from the end when I saw this,and like so many other places in
the work, I find that whatTolkien was tapping into is so
relevant for me and you as weconsider how to wage a war
against evil.
Other evils there are, that maycome, for Sauron is himself but
(07:50):
a servant or emissary.
Plug in whoever you want there,by the way.
For Sauron, joe Biden is a goodone.
Whatever happened to that guy,kamala Harris?
I mean, they're almost productsof a system and I don't
consider them good.
I consider them evil.
That's a personal opinion, notStarz opinion, although I'm
(08:14):
wearing a Starz t-shirt too, bythe way.
Everything I say today is myown views, except for when I'm
speaking about the organization.
Then you can say that I'mspeaking on behalf of the
organization.
That's me trying to keep myorganization out of trouble.
For Sauron is himself but aservant or emissary.
Yet it is not our part tomaster all the tides of the
(08:38):
world, but to do what is in usfor the succor of those years
wherein we are set, uprootingevil in the fields that we know,
so that those who live aftermay have clean earth to till.
What weather they shall have isnot ours to rule.
I really like that.
(08:58):
I'm struck by the difficulty weface.
There are so many good peoplethe Kim Millers of the world
trying to do good in the world,and yet they are one, and soon
there are tens of thousandsbecause they use their voice and
their charisma, the gifts thatGod has given them, to try and
be a light to the world, andpeople flock to that because
(09:20):
they want leaders who can bringlight, who can speak the truth
and who can lead them in theirbehavior and what it is that
they ought to be doing next onthe world stage, however
localized their efforts might be.
I told Tim that I'd be sharing astory about him up front and
that I hoped he didn't mind.
It's a story about him thathe's never heard before.
(09:42):
It's a story about him thathe's never heard before, and I
need to go back to 2020, to thefall, and I had just come out of
a Defense Department strategyschool and come into command in
what was about to become the USSpace Force and the climate I
had found myself in at BuckleyAir Force Base in the fall of
(10:06):
2020, it was actually summer of2020 when I arrived was
hyper-politicized.
Many people in this room whohave served in the military know
that you don't want to live andwork and operate in an overtly
politicized military workplace.
It's really terribly unhealthyto unity and to morale, a good
(10:28):
order and discipline.
It ought not matter who thecommander-in-chief is although,
quite frankly, it does.
Now more than ever.
It ought not matter who thecommander-in-chief is or who the
political appointees are, solong as they have, first and
foremost, in their sights themilitary mission in that role.
But when you inject politics,it's terribly divisive.
(10:51):
The same problem that we'rehaving throughout the country is
the same problem.
I saw rapidly overcoming themilitary culture in the year
2020 after George Floyd died,and so I show up at a base as a
commander in a unit and saw thatthere was this hyper
politicization of the workplaceand that my troops were
(11:13):
beginning to be disincentivizedfrom service.
On the one hand, they believedthe lies they were being told
about their country and said,well, why would I wanna die for
a systemically racist country?
Or, on the other hand, theyhated the political views that
they were hearing and theythought why would I want to
(11:34):
serve in a military that's sounlike anything I've ever
aspired to participate in?
I don't want to show up everyday and be told I'm a racist if
I'm white or, on the contrary, Idon't want to show up at work
every day doing my best as ayoung black man and then to be
promoted or selected for someaward later, just to have my
peers look at me and wonder ifI'm a diversity selection or
(11:56):
promotion.
Think of how demoralizing anddebasing that is for our troops.
Well, I saw that happeningfirsthand and in the fall of
2020, I gave feedback to amember of the Joint Chiefs,
general Jay Raymond, for whom Ihad been the aide-de-camp in a
couple years previous to mycoming into command, and I said,
(12:18):
hey, we've got a really bigproblem at this base and I'm
starting to hear from othercommanders.
It's a problem that existselsewhere in the Defense
Department.
And he says, yeah, yeah, thiscan't be, this is terrible.
And a month later, presidentTrump issued an executive order
banning critical race theory,banning diversity and inclusion
trainings in the federalagencies and in the uniformed
(12:39):
services, and everyone breatheda big sigh of relief because we
had recaptured in militaryculture something that we had so
rapidly lost in the monthsbefore that executive order.
Now that's all to change in themonths ahead, after the
election.
I'll get there in a second.
So I brought Tim Sandefur'sbook up here because I had just
(13:01):
finished reading this book anddidn't know who Tim was.
I had never read anything aboutFrederick Douglass, although
I'm a big reader, and I readthis book probably.
I'm guessing it was Septemberof 2020.
And after the executive orderfrom President Trump came out,
my base commander was determinedto continue to preach diversity
(13:21):
and inclusion to his troops,and he did it in the form of
book clubs on the base, and Ithought well, duke, can play
this game.
I'll have my own book club andI'm going to read with my troops
Timothy Sandefur's FrederickDouglass A Self-Made man.
So your book showed up and madea debut at Buckley Space Force
Base, and the first book that weread, actually in October, was
(13:45):
Viktor Frankl's Man's Search forMeaning, which is a remarkable
work.
If I remember correctly, theentirety of his manuscript on
what's that theory he had.
That's part one of the book.
Is it psychoanalysis orsomething else?
It was kind of his life's workthat was destroyed when he went
(14:05):
to the death camps and he had tore-accomplish the work later.
But we read that first and wediscussed it as a unit.
It was non-compulsory.
I had a handful of my troopsshow up.
They knew it mattered to me, sothey showed up and participated
in these conversations and inmonth two we read this book
(14:28):
together.
We brought our brown sacklunches and we sat and chatted
and I had just come out of thisDefense Department strategy
school and I thought well,people like to read books and
argue about ideas and I'm goingto have my troops do that.
Well, I was wrong, I wasmistaken.
Most of them just wanted to gohome at the end of the workday
and play World of Warcraft orwhatever their video game was,
(14:49):
and I can appreciate that too.
It's kind of a release.
But some of these peoplegenuinely appreciated what was
in here and I want to tell youwhy I selected this book, and
Tim already hit on it just alittle bit.
Every time I read a book, atleast for the past 15 years, I
make my own index in the frontof and I write all over my books
(15:10):
.
I learned that from MortimerAdler in his book, how to Read a
Book, and I make these indexesbecause I want to go back and
reference books in my librarylater and find out what stood
out to me and what shaped me,because usually we forget those
things.
And I had a question written inmy index that I thought Tim
(15:30):
answered so well in his book,and this is what I have written
in my index what would Douglashave thought about the Black
Lives Matter movement?
And I write as just a personalobservation questions like these
are sticky, but the Black LivesMatter what we Believe section
(15:52):
of their website makes it clearthat it is a Marxist
organization.
Douglas would have consideredits views abhorrent.
And then I referenced pages 85and 86.
And so one of my aims in havingthis conversation with my
troops was to facilitatedialogue softly, in a
non-political way, and to askthem questions.
(16:15):
Black Lives Matter was aneffort and a movement that my
base commander said no one athis base would stand in the way
of.
So if it's not politicallypartisan to say that, well then
is it politically partisan forme to ask in this book club,
what would Frederick Douglass'views been on this movement?
Let me read to you what Ithought was a good answer to
(16:36):
that question what year did youwrite this, tim?
Yeah, so he writes it severalyears before George Floyd dies
and before the Black LivesMatter movement at that time
(16:56):
that he writes this in 2016, 17,it was a thing, but you
probably hadn't heard of it andif you had, it was fleeting.
It became far more a thing in2020, after George Floyd died,
because they resurrectedthemselves and had a lot of
resources coming in to help themresurrect this movement that
(17:17):
was to reshape and wreck Westerncivilization, because it's
Marxist.
It had very particular aims.
In fact, it accomplished whatBarack Obama stated were some of
his aims, which was thefundamental transformation of
American society and you don'tfundamentally transform anything
that you love but he wanted tofundamentally transform this
(17:37):
country.
This is what Tim said on page85 and 86.
Stick with me for just a momenthere.
Douglas also occupies a middleground between the two magnetic
poles of 20th century blackpolitics Booker T Washington and
WEB Du Bois.
(17:58):
On the one hand, bookerWashington, like Frederick
Douglass, was born a slave.
He knew Douglass personally andeven wrote one of the earliest
biographies of Douglass.
Like Douglass, bookerWashington focused his energies
on self-improvement andself-reliance, and on the
(18:19):
responsibilities of citizens andhard work.
Yet Douglass would probablyhave scorned Booker Washington's
accommodationist view thatcounseled blacks to be patient
regarding segregation and not topursue political remedies.
I really love this, by the way,because it plays so nicely into
this subtitle.
A self-made man, he wasn'teasily categorized as right or
(18:45):
left and certainly, in themodern sense, as Republican or
Democrat.
He had views that he believedwere principle-based and he was
a hard worker and a student ofphilosophy and of principles and
of the Constitution and thefounding of the country.
And his views changed radically, in fact, as Tim so well points
out in this book, as he appliedhimself to understanding.
(19:06):
I'm going to go on reading,reading.
On the other hand, whileFrederick Douglass would have
had no truck with Du Bois'sracial separatism, his
renunciation of Americancitizenship or his admiration of
Joseph Stalin, it was thewealthy and refined Du Bois who
became, before the ascent ofMartin Luther King Jr, the 20th
century's foremost spokesman forpolitical activism in the
(19:29):
Frederick Douglass mode,compared with more recent black
leaders, frederick Douglassstands apart.
Like Malcolm X, he repudiatedthe nonviolence that Martin
Luther King Jr embraced, butlike King, he would have
rejected the black nationalismassociated with Malcolm X.
Such seeming paradoxes are morean artifact of today's
(19:55):
narrow-minded politicalclassifications than of any
inconsistencies on Douglass'spart.
His stern epigrams aboutself-reliance, as well as his
belief that black Americansshould devote themselves to
well-directed, honest toil andhis scorn for the notion of
black pride as a positive evil,seem conservative nowadays,
(20:17):
perhaps even insensitive, and soforth.
There's more I wanted to read,but I've got a lot more to say
in the last few minutes, so I'mgoing to stop there.
I love this book, so thank you,tim, for teaching my troops.
I want to say that after I readthat book, the political
(20:38):
activism at my base wasrelatively unaffected by my
efforts for one, but I gavefeedback to my entire chain of
command that what I sawhappening in the military was a
divisive force and not a unitedforce a uniting force.
The presidential electionhappened and a few weeks later,
(20:59):
while all of the confusion anddebate about the outcome of that
election was ongoing, I filed aformal written inspector
general's complaint with theSpace Force inspector general's
office, detailing in this reportwhat exactly was happening at
my base that was bothanti-American and rooted in
Marxism and divisive.
I got a call.
(21:20):
By the way, I don't normallyshare this, because sometimes I
just forget all of the detailsthat happened.
There's a white colonel who wasin charge of the Space Force
Inspector General's office.
He called me and he says hey,when you've got a moment, I need
to talk with you and counselwith you about how to handle
these things in the future.
You're the IG, aren't you?
(21:41):
I file a written report andhand it to you and you're
supposed to hand it over forinvestigation.
That's how this works.
I've listed 24 witnesses.
I thought I had a sense forwhat he meant when he told me
that, but later it became farclearer that what he meant was
the man against whom you filed acomplaint is a black colonel
(22:03):
and he's one of three colonelsup for promotion to one-star
general.
And you don't write a complaintagainst a black man who's up
for promotion to one-stargeneral when we've only got one
black man up for promotion togeneral.
That's not how you go aboutthis.
Tell us privately and we'llmake it go away, hopefully, kind
of, and that sickens me tothink about that.
(22:24):
That's the place we've come to.
He was an activist.
He did terrible things as abase commander.
He should have been fired andcourt-martialed.
He was teaching people abouttheir commander-in-chief that he
was a racist, meaning Trump.
He held up pictures of theTrump cabinet and asked only his
white employees what's wrongwith this picture?
The problem is that they're allwhite.
(22:45):
That's punishable bycourt-martial.
It's racist, it's illegal.
It's against the Uniform Codeof Military justice.
So I've got some snippets aboutall this in the movie that's
coming out here in the weeksahead.
We've reenacted some things infact, and I'm pretty certain
it's going to cause some waves.
Unfortunately and necessarilyit's going to cause some waves.
(23:07):
I just spent I don't know 70,80 hours last week in Nashville
doing some recreations to insertinto the film with the
independent film producers.
It's a really talented team.
In fact, the trailer that youjust saw was put together by the
director.
You've seen what is a Womansome of you.
The guy that edited that is theguy that put that piece
(23:28):
together before we shot any ofthe footage over a year ago and
we've been around the countryshooting footage ever since.
They just won't let me sharethe footage with you yet, so
that will be out very soon.
I filed that complaint inNovember and the Space Force
leadership sat on that throughNovember, december and January.
(23:50):
January 6th happened.
You remember what happened then.
How could you forget?
And I got a written response onJanuary.
6th happened.
You remember what happened then.
How could you forget?
And I got a written response onJanuary 7th dismissing my IG
complaint.
No explanation, noinvestigation.
And so I determined to writethis book, which got me fired
(24:10):
several months laterIrresistible Revolution, and I'm
going to read from it in just amoment.
It is not a political screed.
It's an expose on how ahyper-partisan environment was
wrecking house in the militaryand what I had done in there was
trace Marxist lineage of ideas,marxist ideology to the current
(24:34):
social justice activism that wewere seeing, to the Black Lives
Matter movement in particular.
And it's an invitation for anation to return to God and
repent unless we destroyourselves.
And that was the overarchingmotivation After I was fired
(25:04):
from my command in May of 2021under the Biden regime for
writing this nonpartisan work.
It's an academic work.
I then, in counsel with myattorney, began to show up on
various personalities showsaround the country, began to
travel and speak.
I separated without my pensionin the fall of 2021.
And for three years nowoccasionally I go speak places.
Before that ever got underway,I had a group of military
(25:33):
veterans show up at my doorstepon base at Buckley Air Force
Base.
Unbeknownst to me, they hadsecretly coordinated with my
wife to come and do a roof stomp.
A roof stomp is a fighter pilottradition, but they're too old
to climb on my roof so theydidn't climb on my roof.
They just knocked on my doorand brought Jeremiah weed, a
terrible drink that fighterpilots drink in the bars on
Friday terrible drink thatfighter pilots drink in the bars
on Friday, and we had shots ofJeremiah Weed.
(25:55):
They gave me coins from theirtime in command.
They told me war stories andthanked me for my bravery and
courage.
That group of military veteransare the men who started this
organization, stars, and I wantto thank them for their
patriotism, even though I didnot participate in the formation
(26:16):
of STARS, for their patriotism.
Even though I did notparticipate in the formation of
STARS, I loved the men and womenwho participated in the
founding of the organization andI've been a part of it ever
since day one, in a sense, andthey've been a part of my life
since day one, since before dayone.
These are people who arecomfortably retired and who woke
(26:37):
up out of their retirement totake action for a country that
they'd served for so long,considering the oaths that they
had taken to support and defendthe Constitution as not having
an expiration date.
They love God and they lovetheir country, and so they still
serve you, which is what'scompelled me to come and join
them as a young buck at age 42.
(26:58):
Funny that I feel so youngaround the stars guys at age 42.
They say we need young peoplelike you, and I'm thinking I'm
not that young, but I still canspeak to a young audience, and
there are some young people here, by the way.
So STARS supported me.
(27:19):
The STARS General Counsel, itjust so happens, was my attorney
who helped me, beginning thenall the way to the present day,
and they've done so voluntarily,with their own time and
resources, which is so admirableto me.
So voluntarily with their owntime and resources, which is so
admirable to me as I spokearound the country.
(27:43):
There's something that I'venoticed about the conservative,
relatively activist populationin this country.
They're largely Christian, notalways, but they tend to be
religious and they tendpredominantly to be Christian.
And occasionally I've heard aconcern come up among the
conservative Christian, and it'sone that I've given a great
(28:04):
deal of thought to, and it'sthis that there's this apparent
contradiction, apparentcontradiction, between their
obligation, on the one hand, topray for and love their enemies
and to be a peacemaker Blessedare the peacemakers and, on the
(28:27):
other hand, to fight theirenemies.
It is a contradiction, really,that the founders faced in ways
that are unfathomable to themodern man because they were
christian and they fought andkilled to preserve liberty, and
(28:49):
yet it's uncomfortable to us tobecome activists enough to ruin
someone's afternoon Becauseyou're decent conservative
people who like staying out ofpeople's business.
What conservative doesn't wantto just get about their lives
and live their religion and paytheir tithes to the church
rather than their favoritepoliticians and simply keep
(29:09):
things the way they were?
That's a big part of the spiritof conservatism.
It's the love of what has comebefore, the desire to preserve
and to transmit to the futuregeneration that which has been
so stabilizing and so permanent.
And when you see that underattack and you think you want to
raise your hand and speak upand say I don't like what I'm
(29:30):
seeing, then you're labeled aracist.
Then you're labeled a racist.
Then you're labeled somethingevil.
Don't be fearful and concernyourself with the false labels
of your enemies.
That's a good starting point Ifyou're going to receive in you
(29:51):
the courage to take action inyour sphere of influence, you
have to step out of your shellof comfort and you have to learn
a bit more about the issuesthat are always thrown in your
face.
Otherwise, you'll never have thecourage to speak up and to be
bold.
It's just not possible unlessyou're okay looking like a fool
(30:12):
to speak up courageously aboutsomething that you know nothing
about.
That's why these conferencesare so important, but that's why
the effort of doing a littlebit of homework is so important.
There weren't many courageousmen or women in history who
didn't understand what it wasthat they were fighting for.
Whether you can fault them fortheir beliefs or not, whether
(30:33):
they were right or wrong in youreyes, they understood them and
they they were fighting for.
Whether you can fault them fortheir beliefs or not, whether
they were right or wrong in youreyes, they understood them and
they paid a great price tounderstand what they believed in
.
They became believers and theywere courageous.
I want to read somethingdifferent to you now about this
is my way, today at least, oftrying to approach a way in
which you can resolve thisapparent contradiction of your
(30:57):
obligations, and I'm going touse the Naked Communist.
There's a piece at the very endof this book by Cleon Skousen
in which he addresses that topic, and I liked what he said, even
though I wouldn't use all ofthe exact words that he used in
how it is that a believer oughtto go about conducting
(31:19):
themselves in the world, and solet me read that first, and then
close by reading you somethingfrom my own book At the end of
Skousen's work.
He talks about what he callsthe Christian code.
He talks about what he callsthe Christian Code, and I love
how he tees this up.
Last of all, may I say just afew words about the Christian
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Code.
Here are a few principles which,if understood and practiced,
prevent a person from being agood communist, and that's the
first point I really want toemphasize.
Your participation in not beinga good communist is one of the
best weapons we've got againstcommunism.
In fact, some of the currentdilemma we find ourselves in in
(32:08):
modern society is because we'vebeen asleep at the wheel and not
living these principles and notpaying enough attention.
Skousen goes on.
As I go down this list that I'mabout to read, see if you can
determine why.
The former Soviet commissionerof education would say we hate
(32:31):
Christians and Christianity.
And I might add why the UnitedStates Department of Education
seems say we hate Christians andChristianity.
And I might add why the UnitedStates Department of Education
seems to feel the same way thatthe former Soviet Commissioner
of Education felt Parentterrorists.
I mean, the absurdity to whichour country has plunged in a
short, rapid few years is reallyremarkable.
(32:55):
I watched Seinfeld with my wifelast year.
We went from season one all theway to the end and I was like
dang, I know those are Democratsand the things they were joking
about in their little TV showwas the good old days and no one
was offended but a few angrypeople.
And we don't touch any of thosesubjects anymore.
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It's really remarkable howwe've changed.
Here's the list.
Here are a number of conceptstypical of the teachings of
Jesus.
Do unto others as you wouldhave them.
Do unto you.
Do unto others as you wouldhave them.
Do unto you.
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When it gets right down to it,we're not always very good at
these kinds of very simplethings.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Apparent contradiction.
What is the aim of the Marxistrevolution?
You think about that.
How is being a peacemaker atodds with those aims.
(33:57):
It is better to give than toreceive.
These are all out of Matthew,by the way.
Do not hate your enemies but dogood unto them.
Be as humble and teachable as alittle child.
Be wise, aggressive and alertto promote good and preserve
(34:18):
peace.
Perfect yourself by overcomingpersonal weaknesses.
Follow God's commandments toincrease the value of your life
and to blot out the scars andmistakes of the past.
Your greatest happiness comesthrough the greatest service.
And last, do good secretly andGod, who seeth in secret, will
(34:41):
reward you openly.
It's so simple and yet so oftenjust doesn't seem to scratch
the itch that all of us show upto these conferences hoping to
have scratched, which is a bigpart of the problem.
But we're in a church and so Ican get preachy.
(35:04):
Let me read you something frommy book and it's one of the
reasons why those words fromSkousen resonate with me so much
.
And I put it slightlydifferently.
I wanted to provide advice tomy troops that was nonpartisan,
(35:31):
that was timeless and that Iwould look back in 10 years
whether we had survived as acountry or utterly destroyed
ourselves in a civil war.
I wanted to look back at what Ihad written and say I still
believe that.
And so I'm going to read to youthe advice that I have for you,
that I wrote to my troops,predominantly at the end of my
book, because I still believe ittoday, three years later, and I
think it is timeless advice forall of us.
And it's how you can be not agood communist, but instead a
(35:54):
real disciple who strives to beleaven in society, who strives
to be the salt that preservessociety.
And, come hell or high water,you can go to your grave
satisfied you did your best,living your faith and being a
good American.
I just got to find it.
Oh, and it's in a section ofthe last chapter called Averting
(36:21):
the Wrath to Come.
What is to be done about all ofthis?
I think this is an appropriatequestion to ask as we near the
end of this conference.
What is to be done about all ofthis?
What is our obligation in theface of an ideology that
suppresses thought, demandsconformity, propounds
distortions and threatens toburn down society until it
(36:43):
becomes a smoldering heap?
Is it possible to avert thelooming peril?
Is it possible to escape or toflee the wrath to come?
The optimal way for the UnitedStates to curtail its
destructive march is bycommitting to national
repentance, but what is optimalis unlikely.
(37:03):
True repentant politicalparties are, in Alexander
Solzhenitsyn's words, about asfrequently encountered in
history as tiger doves.
Politicians, of course, canstill repent.
Many of them do not lose theirhuman qualities, but parties are
(37:24):
obviously utterly inhumanformations, and the very object
of their existence precludestheir repentance, as the kind of
collective repentance requiredto avert crisis seems as an
untenable solution to ourproblems.
The burden of repentance andproper being rests squarely upon
the shoulders of individuals,families and small groups or
(37:48):
communities.
Therefore, educate yourself andchoose to be the kind of
citizen that allows civilsociety to flourish.
I have written this book withthe hope that it will become an
important part of your education.
If the nation remains dividedand becomes increasingly
polarized, however, thenaverting the wrath to come may
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not be possible, and Marxism'sgoal of conquest will indeed be
realized in the very countryFriedrich Engels referred to as
the last bourgeois paradise onthe earth, the United States.
Friedrich Engels predicted whatthe collapse of America would
mean for the entire free worldit would be the quote snapping
(38:32):
of their mainstay, and I believethat and they knew it Averting
the wrath to come is up to everyone of us.
While relative peace remains,be as salt to preserve society
by helping teach others.
Our repentance consists ofabandoning the web of deception
and the fog of lies in which weall labor.
(38:54):
Such a challenge is notimpossible, but it requires
seeking for and turning to truth.
It requires us to abandon ourarrogance and to become humble.
If you are a Christian, itmeans turning away from sin and
turning to Christ.
If you are a Jew, it meansturning and facing the God of
Abraham, isaac and Jacob.
Whatever your faith, religionor spiritual ambition, it means
(39:18):
turning from evil and pursuinggood.
Whatever your faith, religionor spiritual ambition, it means
turning from evil and pursuinggood For the religious and
non-religious alike.
Repentance also consists inAmericans believing in America,
in its fundamental goodness.
It means believing in andadopting America's founding
principles as our best hope, asa country Of healing and
(39:39):
unifying.
Regardless of our religion,creed, politics and race, you
and I both have an importantrole to play as events unfold
and as we labor within our ownunique spheres of influence.
Whether you're a parent,student, teacher, uniformed
service member I'll add veteran,elected official, business
(39:59):
owner, stay-at-home parent, evenlawyers, or radio talk show
host, act well thy part.
While I cannot pretend tounderstand the ways in which
each person is postured forproper action, I hope that what
follows proves beneficial.
(40:19):
I'm not going to read all ofthe sections, but I'm going to
mention the highlights.
Avoid anger and violence.
That might not be possibleforever.
You should defend yourself andyour families, but avoid anger
and violence.
Be courageous.
I will read this one.
You live in a season of humanhistory that demands great
(40:41):
courage.
Be grateful for the opportunitythat is before you and do not
shrink from your obligations.
Do not be cowardly.
Do not be a cowardly.
How did I write that?
Oh yeah, there it is.
Do not be a cowardly summersoldier or a sunshine patriot.
(41:03):
As you courageously stand forwhat is right, accept the
consequences.
As others observe your courage,they will learn courage and
they will seek to emulate it.
The rest of the points includethese Get educated.
I've already mentioned that.
Speak up, live not by lies.
Get educated.
I've already mentioned that.
Speak up, live not by lies.
Pay attention, and many people,increasingly so, are beginning
(41:28):
to pay attention.
That's enough of that.
Let me close by saying a fewthings and offering an
invitation.
Where do these go?
You're here because you believethat you have an obligation to
(41:53):
learn and to act well your part,or because someone really
encouraged you to come.
My invitation to you is to doyour very best with however long
you have left on this earth,whether it be 40 years or five,
to be an honest soul that turnsto God, acts in courage and does
(42:18):
your part.
Your sphere of influence mightbe different than mine, and it
doesn't matter if it's in thewalls of your own home or before
members of Congress, getting totestify before Congress.
All of us have a role to play,and the health of the body is
determined by how each of theseactors, who are properly
(42:40):
capacitated with light and truth, play their part.
Of course there's disease.
Of course there are scorpions.
Of course there are evilwretched Marxists, and some of
them too, I'll admit, are justthe victims of bad ideas.
It is difficult to love and prayfor your enemies, but in the
(43:04):
world in which you and I live,you should be grateful that
nearly every week, you're goingto be presented with an
opportunity to live yourreligion and to pray for those
that despitefully use you.
Try and be more like the Masterin doing that, and I think we
might buy ourselves a little bitmore of a season of peace.
And, speaking personally, onceagain, I don't want to get my
(43:28):
organization in trouble.
We're a 501c3 nonprofit but youought to go out and vote Trump.
That's not Star's view, that'smy view it is.
So I'm happy to stick aroundafter and answer any questions,
not here, but out there.
(43:48):
Come buy my book.
I don't want to take them withme on an airplane.
There's only 20 of them outthere, so hurry up, and I'm
grateful for all of you.
Every time I'm in a room withpeople like you, especially
young men, I love you BecauseI'm so discouraged by how many
young men don't want to servetheir country anymore in the
military.
(44:08):
It's always been a noblecountry and we need the best men
serving this country if we'reto preserve it, and there are
ways in which you can do thatthat aren't in uniform.
So thanks for coming, thanksfor being here with me, and God
bless each of you.
Thank you.
It was cold, denver, colorado, mid-november.
My wife and kids and I drovedown to Colorado Springs for the
afternoon and when we came backto our home in the evening we
noticed that a side window onour house had been completely
crushed into the house.
Things like that don't happenon military bases.
(00:29):
Mr President, good afternoonand happy Thanksgiving.
This is Lieutenant Colonel MattLohmeiyer, commander of the
11th Space Warning Squadron.
The man I'm interviewing todayhas 1,200 hours of flying the
T-38 as an instructor pilot,followed by the F-15C.
This is not just anybody we'retalking about that served the
(00:50):
military.
Lieutenant Colonel, thank youso much for joining me.
A true hero, colonel MatthewLohmeyer.
My wife teased me after we gotmarried.
She says you're not verypatriotic, because I was still
coming into my patriotism and anappreciation for the greatness
of the American ideal, learningabout American history, learning
about the rest of the world.
It was learning about ourfounding.
(01:10):
It was learning about the ideasand ideals that shaped the
country initially and how,despite all of our failures,
we've tried to live up to thoseideals that I really began to
take some pride in what thiscountry was and is, really began
to take some pride in what thiscountry was and is Recruits
Recruiting goals, recruitersEvery branch of the military is
(01:31):
struggling to meet itsrecruiting goals.
The report from Senator MarcoRubio and Congressman Chip Roy
accuses the Pentagon ofweakening our armed forces by
pushing leftist ideology on raceand gender.
And the United States MilitaryAcademy is a university and it
is important that we train andwe understand and I want to
understand white rage and I'mwhite.
(01:53):
What is critical race theory?
I suspect it's not as major anissue as we've made it out to be
in the media.
I went into command at BuckleyAir Force Base in charge of the
nation's space-based missilewarning and I encounter an
active, rabid, radical left-wingbase commander.
(02:13):
Our Army and my squad come froma diverse background.
Inclusion and equality arewhat's important to us.
That's how we'll win ournation's wars.
All of the stuff that isalready tearing American people
and citizens apart andpolarizing the nation.
He was injecting that into thebase culture.
(02:35):
That's when I decided I'd pen aformal written complaint about
what I was seeing at my base.
The months that followed as I'dpen a formal written complaint
about what I was seeing at mybase, the months that followed
as I was writing this formalwritten complaint, from my house
being broken into to beingspied on at the base, had people
(02:56):
taking it into their own handsto tell him hey, we've
identified someone who's notcomplying.
I got a phone call from myboss's office.
He says I'm going to have torelieve you of your command for
being politically partisan whileacting in an official capacity
and for publicly criticizingyour chain of command Hadn't
done either of those things.
When you take the oath, yousign up to defend your country
(03:24):
against its enemies, bothforeign and domestic, and when
we've got people who areparroting Marxist narratives of
American history, that areanti-American, that tends to
have as a consequence thedetriment of military morale,
that tend to have as a aconsequence division in the
(03:44):
military workplace and that tendto erode our readiness and
lethality, I deem that adomestic threat and so I chose
to speak up about it.
I'm Lieutenant Colonel MattLohme and this is my story.
(04:31):
I felt bad for Tim because weturned the lights off on him
while he was still standing hereand I hoped he would make it
off of the stage safely.
Unlike Tim, I charge for mybooks.
They're $20 out there, and infact I found it ironic that I
brought Tim's book with me formy remarks today and not my own,
(04:52):
and after I saw that he wasgoing to be speaking about that
book and Frederick Douglass forsome time, I ran out quickly to
the table out there and grabbeda copy of my own book as well,
so that I can read you somethingfrom that.
I think it's only fitting.
I'm sensitive to the fact thatwe've all been sitting here for
a long time and I've gotten upin the back several times, and
(05:13):
so, for my dad's sake, who's athome watching this on a live
stream, I'll invite you for oneminute to get up and stretch and
get your blood flowing, andI'll let him go get a snack
before he listens to our remarks.
Uh, next, I've got family here,glad to see family that I don't
normally get to see.
(05:34):
You have got uh colleagues here.
I've got uh.
I thought my attorney was herefrom all the way across the
country.
Did he dart?
This year?
Other areas was here from allthe way across the country, did
he dart?
Is he out of here, mike?
Oh, there he is.
It'll appear that I have somerandom thoughts for you.
They're not really that random,but I have difficulty
(05:55):
assembling what it is that Ithink I'd like to say to any
audience, and I don't say thesame thing really to any
audience that I speak to and Igive a lot of thought to the
audience that I'll be spendingsome time with and I don't
always know or have a goodreason for why it is.
I'll share certain things, so Ihope that some of what I share
(06:15):
will be impactful for some ofyou at any particular time.
In my remarks I'm going to readto you a quote from JRR Tolkien
.
I like that quote fromChesterton and it's come up
several times while I've beenfilming over the past year
(06:38):
because one of the producers ofthe film loves and has read
Chesterton's works for a verylong time.
I don't like reading fiction butI do like to read and I found
it healing to go and readTolkien's works.
Recently.
I've spent the past maybe eightor nine months reading the Lord
of the Rings, and the books arejust far, far better than what
(07:03):
film producers are able to dowith a story.
I listened to the Hobbit and Iloved it so much I went and
bought the book so that I couldkeep it in my library, and then
I went to the Lord of the Ringsand I've read nearly all three
of the volumes of the Lord ofthe Rings, and I've been doing
it slowly, methodically,enjoying every bit, and I
(07:29):
recently got to a point in thebook, just a couple of chapters
from the end when I saw this,and like so many other places in
the work, I find that whatTolkien was tapping into is so
relevant for me and you as weconsider how to wage a war
against evil.
Other evils there are, that maycome, for Sauron is himself but
(07:50):
a servant or emissary.
Plug in whoever you want there,by the way.
For Sauron, joe Biden is a goodone.
Whatever happened to that guy,kamala Harris?
I mean, they're almost productsof a system and I don't
consider them good.
I consider them evil.
That's a personal opinion, notStarz opinion, although I'm
(08:14):
wearing a Starz t-shirt too, bythe way.
Everything I say today is myown views, except for when I'm
speaking about the organization.
Then you can say that I'mspeaking on behalf of the
organization.
That's me trying to keep myorganization out of trouble.
For Sauron is himself but aservant or emissary.
Yet it is not our part tomaster all the tides of the
(08:38):
world, but to do what is in usfor the succor of those years
wherein we are set, uprootingevil in the fields that we know,
so that those who live aftermay have clean earth to till.
What weather they shall have isnot ours to rule.
I really like that.
(08:58):
I'm struck by the difficulty weface.
There are so many good peoplethe Kim Millers of the world
trying to do good in the world,and yet they are one, and soon
there are tens of thousandsbecause they use their voice and
their charisma, the gifts thatGod has given them, to try and
be a light to the world, andpeople flock to that because
(09:20):
they want leaders who can bringlight, who can speak the truth
and who can lead them in theirbehavior and what it is that
they ought to be doing next onthe world stage, however
localized their efforts might be.
I told Tim that I'd be sharing astory about him up front and
that I hoped he didn't mind.
It's a story about him thathe's never heard before.
(09:42):
It's a story about him thathe's never heard before, and I
need to go back to 2020, to thefall, and I had just come out of
a Defense Department strategyschool and come into command in
what was about to become the USSpace Force and the climate I
had found myself in at BuckleyAir Force Base in the fall of
(10:06):
2020, it was actually summer of2020 when I arrived was
hyper-politicized.
Many people in this room whohave served in the military know
that you don't want to live andwork and operate in an overtly
politicized military workplace.
It's really terribly unhealthyto unity and to morale, a good
(10:28):
order and discipline.
It ought not matter who thecommander-in-chief is although,
quite frankly, it does.
Now more than ever.
It ought not matter who thecommander-in-chief is or who the
political appointees are, solong as they have, first and
foremost, in their sights themilitary mission in that role.
But when you inject politics,it's terribly divisive.
(10:51):
The same problem that we'rehaving throughout the country is
the same problem.
I saw rapidly overcoming themilitary culture in the year
2020 after George Floyd died,and so I show up at a base as a
commander in a unit and saw thatthere was this hyper
politicization of the workplaceand that my troops were
(11:13):
beginning to be disincentivizedfrom service.
On the one hand, they believedthe lies they were being told
about their country and said,well, why would I wanna die for
a systemically racist country?
Or, on the other hand, theyhated the political views that
they were hearing and theythought why would I want to
(11:34):
serve in a military that's sounlike anything I've ever
aspired to participate in?
I don't want to show up everyday and be told I'm a racist if
I'm white or, on the contrary, Idon't want to show up at work
every day doing my best as ayoung black man and then to be
promoted or selected for someaward later, just to have my
peers look at me and wonder ifI'm a diversity selection or
(11:56):
promotion.
Think of how demoralizing anddebasing that is for our troops.
Well, I saw that happeningfirsthand and in the fall of
2020, I gave feedback to amember of the Joint Chiefs,
general Jay Raymond, for whom Ihad been the aide-de-camp in a
couple years previous to mycoming into command, and I said,
(12:18):
hey, we've got a really bigproblem at this base and I'm
starting to hear from othercommanders.
It's a problem that existselsewhere in the Defense
Department.
And he says, yeah, yeah, thiscan't be, this is terrible.
And a month later, presidentTrump issued an executive order
banning critical race theory,banning diversity and inclusion
trainings in the federalagencies and in the uniformed
(12:39):
services, and everyone breatheda big sigh of relief because we
had recaptured in militaryculture something that we had so
rapidly lost in the monthsbefore that executive order.
Now that's all to change in themonths ahead, after the
election.
I'll get there in a second.
So I brought Tim Sandefur'sbook up here because I had just
(13:01):
finished reading this book anddidn't know who Tim was.
I had never read anything aboutFrederick Douglass, although
I'm a big reader, and I readthis book probably.
I'm guessing it was Septemberof 2020.
And after the executive orderfrom President Trump came out,
my base commander was determinedto continue to preach diversity
(13:21):
and inclusion to his troops,and he did it in the form of
book clubs on the base, and Ithought well, duke, can play
this game.
I'll have my own book club andI'm going to read with my troops
Timothy Sandefur's FrederickDouglass A Self-Made man.
So your book showed up and madea debut at Buckley Space Force
Base, and the first book that weread, actually in October, was
(13:45):
Viktor Frankl's Man's Search forMeaning, which is a remarkable
work.
If I remember correctly, theentirety of his manuscript on
what's that theory he had.
That's part one of the book.
Is it psychoanalysis orsomething else?
It was kind of his life's workthat was destroyed when he went
(14:05):
to the death camps and he had tore-accomplish the work later.
But we read that first and wediscussed it as a unit.
It was non-compulsory.
I had a handful of my troopsshow up.
They knew it mattered to me, sothey showed up and participated
in these conversations and inmonth two we read this book
(14:28):
together.
We brought our brown sacklunches and we sat and chatted
and I had just come out of thisDefense Department strategy
school and I thought well,people like to read books and
argue about ideas and I'm goingto have my troops do that.
Well, I was wrong, I wasmistaken.
Most of them just wanted to gohome at the end of the workday
and play World of Warcraft orwhatever their video game was,
(14:49):
and I can appreciate that too.
It's kind of a release.
But some of these peoplegenuinely appreciated what was
in here and I want to tell youwhy I selected this book, and
Tim already hit on it just alittle bit.
Every time I read a book, atleast for the past 15 years, I
make my own index in the frontof and I write all over my books
(15:10):
.
I learned that from MortimerAdler in his book, how to Read a
Book, and I make these indexesbecause I want to go back and
reference books in my librarylater and find out what stood
out to me and what shaped me,because usually we forget those
things.
And I had a question written inmy index that I thought Tim
(15:30):
answered so well in his book,and this is what I have written
in my index what would Douglashave thought about the Black
Lives Matter movement?
And I write as just a personalobservation questions like these
are sticky, but the Black LivesMatter what we Believe section
(15:52):
of their website makes it clearthat it is a Marxist
organization.
Douglas would have consideredits views abhorrent.
And then I referenced pages 85and 86.
And so one of my aims in havingthis conversation with my
troops was to facilitatedialogue softly, in a
non-political way, and to askthem questions.
(16:15):
Black Lives Matter was aneffort and a movement that my
base commander said no one athis base would stand in the way
of.
So if it's not politicallypartisan to say that, well then
is it politically partisan forme to ask in this book club,
what would Frederick Douglass'views been on this movement?
Let me read to you what Ithought was a good answer to
(16:36):
that question what year did youwrite this, tim?
Yeah, so he writes it severalyears before George Floyd dies
and before the Black LivesMatter movement at that time
(16:56):
that he writes this in 2016, 17,it was a thing, but you
probably hadn't heard of it andif you had, it was fleeting.
It became far more a thing in2020, after George Floyd died,
because they resurrectedthemselves and had a lot of
resources coming in to help themresurrect this movement that
(17:17):
was to reshape and wreck Westerncivilization, because it's
Marxist.
It had very particular aims.
In fact, it accomplished whatBarack Obama stated were some of
his aims, which was thefundamental transformation of
American society and you don'tfundamentally transform anything
that you love but he wanted tofundamentally transform this
(17:37):
country.
This is what Tim said on page85 and 86.
Stick with me for just a momenthere.
Douglas also occupies a middleground between the two magnetic
poles of 20th century blackpolitics Booker T Washington and
WEB Du Bois.
(17:58):
On the one hand, bookerWashington, like Frederick
Douglass, was born a slave.
He knew Douglass personally andeven wrote one of the earliest
biographies of Douglass.
Like Douglass, bookerWashington focused his energies
on self-improvement andself-reliance, and on the
(18:19):
responsibilities of citizens andhard work.
Yet Douglass would probablyhave scorned Booker Washington's
accommodationist view thatcounseled blacks to be patient
regarding segregation and not topursue political remedies.
I really love this, by the way,because it plays so nicely into
this subtitle.
A self-made man, he wasn'teasily categorized as right or
(18:45):
left and certainly, in themodern sense, as Republican or
Democrat.
He had views that he believedwere principle-based and he was
a hard worker and a student ofphilosophy and of principles and
of the Constitution and thefounding of the country.
And his views changed radically, in fact, as Tim so well points
out in this book, as he appliedhimself to understanding.
(19:06):
I'm going to go on reading,reading.
On the other hand, whileFrederick Douglass would have
had no truck with Du Bois'sracial separatism, his
renunciation of Americancitizenship or his admiration of
Joseph Stalin, it was thewealthy and refined Du Bois who
became, before the ascent ofMartin Luther King Jr, the 20th
century's foremost spokesman forpolitical activism in the
(19:29):
Frederick Douglass mode,compared with more recent black
leaders, frederick Douglassstands apart.
Like Malcolm X, he repudiatedthe nonviolence that Martin
Luther King Jr embraced, butlike King, he would have
rejected the black nationalismassociated with Malcolm X.
Such seeming paradoxes are morean artifact of today's
(19:55):
narrow-minded politicalclassifications than of any
inconsistencies on Douglass'spart.
His stern epigrams aboutself-reliance, as well as his
belief that black Americansshould devote themselves to
well-directed, honest toil andhis scorn for the notion of
black pride as a positive evil,seem conservative nowadays,
(20:17):
perhaps even insensitive, and soforth.
There's more I wanted to read,but I've got a lot more to say
in the last few minutes, so I'mgoing to stop there.
I love this book, so thank you,tim, for teaching my troops.
I want to say that after I readthat book, the political
(20:38):
activism at my base wasrelatively unaffected by my
efforts for one, but I gavefeedback to my entire chain of
command that what I sawhappening in the military was a
divisive force and not a unitedforce a uniting force.
The presidential electionhappened and a few weeks later,
(20:59):
while all of the confusion anddebate about the outcome of that
election was ongoing, I filed aformal written inspector
general's complaint with theSpace Force inspector general's
office, detailing in this reportwhat exactly was happening at
my base that was bothanti-American and rooted in
Marxism and divisive.
I got a call.
(21:20):
By the way, I don't normallyshare this, because sometimes I
just forget all of the detailsthat happened.
There's a white colonel who wasin charge of the Space Force
Inspector General's office.
He called me and he says hey,when you've got a moment, I need
to talk with you and counselwith you about how to handle
these things in the future.
You're the IG, aren't you?
(21:41):
I file a written report andhand it to you and you're
supposed to hand it over forinvestigation.
That's how this works.
I've listed 24 witnesses.
I thought I had a sense forwhat he meant when he told me
that, but later it became farclearer that what he meant was
the man against whom you filed acomplaint is a black colonel
(22:03):
and he's one of three colonelsup for promotion to one-star
general.
And you don't write a complaintagainst a black man who's up
for promotion to one-stargeneral when we've only got one
black man up for promotion togeneral.
That's not how you go aboutthis.
Tell us privately and we'llmake it go away, hopefully, kind
of, and that sickens me tothink about that.
(22:24):
That's the place we've come to.
He was an activist.
He did terrible things as abase commander.
He should have been fired andcourt-martialed.
He was teaching people abouttheir commander-in-chief that he
was a racist, meaning Trump.
He held up pictures of theTrump cabinet and asked only his
white employees what's wrongwith this picture?
The problem is that they're allwhite.
(22:45):
That's punishable bycourt-martial.
It's racist, it's illegal.
It's against the Uniform Codeof Military justice.
So I've got some snippets aboutall this in the movie that's
coming out here in the weeksahead.
We've reenacted some things infact, and I'm pretty certain
it's going to cause some waves.
Unfortunately and necessarilyit's going to cause some waves.
(23:07):
I just spent I don't know 70,80 hours last week in Nashville
doing some recreations to insertinto the film with the
independent film producers.
It's a really talented team.
In fact, the trailer that youjust saw was put together by the
director.
You've seen what is a Womansome of you.
The guy that edited that is theguy that put that piece
(23:28):
together before we shot any ofthe footage over a year ago and
we've been around the countryshooting footage ever since.
They just won't let me sharethe footage with you yet, so
that will be out very soon.
I filed that complaint inNovember and the Space Force
leadership sat on that throughNovember, december and January.
(23:50):
January 6th happened.
You remember what happened then.
How could you forget?
And I got a written response onJanuary.
6th happened.
You remember what happened then.
How could you forget?
And I got a written response onJanuary 7th dismissing my IG
complaint.
No explanation, noinvestigation.
And so I determined to writethis book, which got me fired
(24:10):
several months laterIrresistible Revolution, and I'm
going to read from it in just amoment.
It is not a political screed.
It's an expose on how ahyper-partisan environment was
wrecking house in the militaryand what I had done in there was
trace Marxist lineage of ideas,marxist ideology to the current
(24:34):
social justice activism that wewere seeing, to the Black Lives
Matter movement in particular.
And it's an invitation for anation to return to God and
repent unless we destroyourselves.
And that was the overarchingmotivation After I was fired
(25:04):
from my command in May of 2021under the Biden regime for
writing this nonpartisan work.
It's an academic work.
I then, in counsel with myattorney, began to show up on
various personalities showsaround the country, began to
travel and speak.
I separated without my pensionin the fall of 2021.
And for three years nowoccasionally I go speak places.
Before that ever got underway,I had a group of military
(25:33):
veterans show up at my doorstepon base at Buckley Air Force
Base.
Unbeknownst to me, they hadsecretly coordinated with my
wife to come and do a roof stomp.
A roof stomp is a fighter pilottradition, but they're too old
to climb on my roof so theydidn't climb on my roof.
They just knocked on my doorand brought Jeremiah weed, a
terrible drink that fighterpilots drink in the bars on
Friday terrible drink thatfighter pilots drink in the bars
on Friday, and we had shots ofJeremiah Weed.
(25:55):
They gave me coins from theirtime in command.
They told me war stories andthanked me for my bravery and
courage.
That group of military veteransare the men who started this
organization, stars, and I wantto thank them for their
patriotism, even though I didnot participate in the formation
(26:16):
of STARS, for their patriotism.
Even though I did notparticipate in the formation of
STARS, I loved the men and womenwho participated in the
founding of the organization andI've been a part of it ever
since day one, in a sense, andthey've been a part of my life
since day one, since before dayone.
These are people who arecomfortably retired and who woke
(26:37):
up out of their retirement totake action for a country that
they'd served for so long,considering the oaths that they
had taken to support and defendthe Constitution as not having
an expiration date.
They love God and they lovetheir country, and so they still
serve you, which is what'scompelled me to come and join
them as a young buck at age 42.
(26:58):
Funny that I feel so youngaround the stars guys at age 42.
They say we need young peoplelike you, and I'm thinking I'm
not that young, but I still canspeak to a young audience, and
there are some young people here, by the way.
So STARS supported me.
(27:19):
The STARS General Counsel, itjust so happens, was my attorney
who helped me, beginning thenall the way to the present day,
and they've done so voluntarily,with their own time and
resources, which is so admirableto me.
So voluntarily with their owntime and resources, which is so
admirable to me as I spokearound the country.
(27:43):
There's something that I'venoticed about the conservative,
relatively activist populationin this country.
They're largely Christian, notalways, but they tend to be
religious and they tendpredominantly to be Christian.
And occasionally I've heard aconcern come up among the
conservative Christian, and it'sone that I've given a great
(28:04):
deal of thought to, and it'sthis that there's this apparent
contradiction, apparentcontradiction, between their
obligation, on the one hand, topray for and love their enemies
and to be a peacemaker Blessedare the peacemakers and, on the
(28:27):
other hand, to fight theirenemies.
It is a contradiction, really,that the founders faced in ways
that are unfathomable to themodern man because they were
christian and they fought andkilled to preserve liberty, and
(28:49):
yet it's uncomfortable to us tobecome activists enough to ruin
someone's afternoon Becauseyou're decent conservative
people who like staying out ofpeople's business.
What conservative doesn't wantto just get about their lives
and live their religion and paytheir tithes to the church
rather than their favoritepoliticians and simply keep
(29:09):
things the way they were?
That's a big part of the spiritof conservatism.
It's the love of what has comebefore, the desire to preserve
and to transmit to the futuregeneration that which has been
so stabilizing and so permanent.
And when you see that underattack and you think you want to
raise your hand and speak upand say I don't like what I'm
(29:30):
seeing, then you're labeled aracist.
Then you're labeled a racist.
Then you're labeled somethingevil.
Don't be fearful and concernyourself with the false labels
of your enemies.
That's a good starting point Ifyou're going to receive in you
(29:51):
the courage to take action inyour sphere of influence, you
have to step out of your shellof comfort and you have to learn
a bit more about the issuesthat are always thrown in your
face.
Otherwise, you'll never have thecourage to speak up and to be
bold.
It's just not possible unlessyou're okay looking like a fool
(30:12):
to speak up courageously aboutsomething that you know nothing
about.
That's why these conferencesare so important, but that's why
the effort of doing a littlebit of homework is so important.
There weren't many courageousmen or women in history who
didn't understand what it wasthat they were fighting for.
Whether you can fault them fortheir beliefs or not, whether
(30:33):
they were right or wrong in youreyes, they understood them and
they they were fighting for.
Whether you can fault them fortheir beliefs or not, whether
they were right or wrong in youreyes, they understood them and
they paid a great price tounderstand what they believed in
.
They became believers and theywere courageous.
I want to read somethingdifferent to you now about this
is my way, today at least, oftrying to approach a way in
which you can resolve thisapparent contradiction of your
(30:57):
obligations, and I'm going touse the Naked Communist.
There's a piece at the very endof this book by Cleon Skousen
in which he addresses that topic, and I liked what he said, even
though I wouldn't use all ofthe exact words that he used in
how it is that a believer oughtto go about conducting
(31:19):
themselves in the world, and solet me read that first, and then
close by reading you somethingfrom my own book At the end of
Skousen's work.
He talks about what he callsthe Christian code.
He talks about what he callsthe Christian Code, and I love
how he tees this up.
Last of all, may I say just afew words about the Christian
(31:44):
Code.
Here are a few principles which,if understood and practiced,
prevent a person from being agood communist, and that's the
first point I really want toemphasize.
Your participation in not beinga good communist is one of the
best weapons we've got againstcommunism.
In fact, some of the currentdilemma we find ourselves in in
(32:08):
modern society is because we'vebeen asleep at the wheel and not
living these principles and notpaying enough attention.
Skousen goes on.
As I go down this list that I'mabout to read, see if you can
determine why.
The former Soviet commissionerof education would say we hate
(32:31):
Christians and Christianity.
And I might add why the UnitedStates Department of Education
seems say we hate Christians andChristianity.
And I might add why the UnitedStates Department of Education
seems to feel the same way thatthe former Soviet Commissioner
of Education felt Parentterrorists.
I mean, the absurdity to whichour country has plunged in a
short, rapid few years is reallyremarkable.
(32:55):
I watched Seinfeld with my wifelast year.
We went from season one all theway to the end and I was like
dang, I know those are Democratsand the things they were joking
about in their little TV showwas the good old days and no one
was offended but a few angrypeople.
And we don't touch any of thosesubjects anymore.
(33:16):
It's really remarkable howwe've changed.
Here's the list.
Here are a number of conceptstypical of the teachings of
Jesus.
Do unto others as you wouldhave them.
Do unto you.
Do unto others as you wouldhave them.
Do unto you.
(33:36):
When it gets right down to it,we're not always very good at
these kinds of very simplethings.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Apparent contradiction.
What is the aim of the Marxistrevolution?
You think about that.
How is being a peacemaker atodds with those aims.
(33:57):
It is better to give than toreceive.
These are all out of Matthew,by the way.
Do not hate your enemies but dogood unto them.
Be as humble and teachable as alittle child.
Be wise, aggressive and alertto promote good and preserve
(34:18):
peace.
Perfect yourself by overcomingpersonal weaknesses.
Follow God's commandments toincrease the value of your life
and to blot out the scars andmistakes of the past.
Your greatest happiness comesthrough the greatest service.
And last, do good secretly andGod, who seeth in secret, will
(34:41):
reward you openly.
It's so simple and yet so oftenjust doesn't seem to scratch
the itch that all of us show upto these conferences hoping to
have scratched, which is a bigpart of the problem.
But we're in a church and so Ican get preachy.
(35:04):
Let me read you something frommy book and it's one of the
reasons why those words fromSkousen resonate with me so much
.
And I put it slightlydifferently.
I wanted to provide advice tomy troops that was nonpartisan,
(35:31):
that was timeless and that Iwould look back in 10 years
whether we had survived as acountry or utterly destroyed
ourselves in a civil war.
I wanted to look back at what Ihad written and say I still
believe that.
And so I'm going to read to youthe advice that I have for you,
that I wrote to my troops,predominantly at the end of my
book, because I still believe ittoday, three years later, and I
think it is timeless advice forall of us.
And it's how you can be not agood communist, but instead a
(35:54):
real disciple who strives to beleaven in society, who strives
to be the salt that preservessociety.
And, come hell or high water,you can go to your grave
satisfied you did your best,living your faith and being a
good American.
I just got to find it.
Oh, and it's in a section ofthe last chapter called Averting
(36:21):
the Wrath to Come.
What is to be done about all ofthis?
I think this is an appropriatequestion to ask as we near the
end of this conference.
What is to be done about all ofthis?
What is our obligation in theface of an ideology that
suppresses thought, demandsconformity, propounds
distortions and threatens toburn down society until it
(36:43):
becomes a smoldering heap?
Is it possible to avert thelooming peril?
Is it possible to escape or toflee the wrath to come?
The optimal way for the UnitedStates to curtail its
destructive march is bycommitting to national
repentance, but what is optimalis unlikely.
(37:03):
True repentant politicalparties are, in Alexander
Solzhenitsyn's words, about asfrequently encountered in
history as tiger doves.
Politicians, of course, canstill repent.
Many of them do not lose theirhuman qualities, but parties are
(37:24):
obviously utterly inhumanformations, and the very object
of their existence precludestheir repentance, as the kind of
collective repentance requiredto avert crisis seems as an
untenable solution to ourproblems.
The burden of repentance andproper being rests squarely upon
the shoulders of individuals,families and small groups or
(37:48):
communities.
Therefore, educate yourself andchoose to be the kind of
citizen that allows civilsociety to flourish.
I have written this book withthe hope that it will become an
important part of your education.
If the nation remains dividedand becomes increasingly
polarized, however, thenaverting the wrath to come may
(38:10):
not be possible, and Marxism'sgoal of conquest will indeed be
realized in the very countryFriedrich Engels referred to as
the last bourgeois paradise onthe earth, the United States.
Friedrich Engels predicted whatthe collapse of America would
mean for the entire free worldit would be the quote snapping
(38:32):
of their mainstay, and I believethat and they knew it Averting
the wrath to come is up to everyone of us.
While relative peace remains,be as salt to preserve society
by helping teach others.
Our repentance consists ofabandoning the web of deception
and the fog of lies in which weall labor.
(38:54):
Such a challenge is notimpossible, but it requires
seeking for and turning to truth.
It requires us to abandon ourarrogance and to become humble.
If you are a Christian, itmeans turning away from sin and
turning to Christ.
If you are a Jew, it meansturning and facing the God of
Abraham, isaac and Jacob.
Whatever your faith, religionor spiritual ambition, it means
(39:18):
turning from evil and pursuinggood.
Whatever your faith, religionor spiritual ambition, it means
turning from evil and pursuinggood For the religious and
non-religious alike.
Repentance also consists inAmericans believing in America,
in its fundamental goodness.
It means believing in andadopting America's founding
principles as our best hope, asa country Of healing and
(39:39):
unifying.
Regardless of our religion,creed, politics and race, you
and I both have an importantrole to play as events unfold
and as we labor within our ownunique spheres of influence.
Whether you're a parent,student, teacher, uniformed
service member I'll add veteran,elected official, business
(39:59):
owner, stay-at-home parent, evenlawyers, or radio talk show
host, act well thy part.
While I cannot pretend tounderstand the ways in which
each person is postured forproper action, I hope that what
follows proves beneficial.
(40:19):
I'm not going to read all ofthe sections, but I'm going to
mention the highlights.
Avoid anger and violence.
That might not be possibleforever.
You should defend yourself andyour families, but avoid anger
and violence.
Be courageous.
I will read this one.
You live in a season of humanhistory that demands great
(40:41):
courage.
Be grateful for the opportunitythat is before you and do not
shrink from your obligations.
Do not be cowardly.
Do not be a cowardly.
How did I write that?
Oh yeah, there it is.
Do not be a cowardly summersoldier or a sunshine patriot.
(41:03):
As you courageously stand forwhat is right, accept the
consequences.
As others observe your courage,they will learn courage and
they will seek to emulate it.
The rest of the points includethese Get educated.
I've already mentioned that.
Speak up, live not by lies.
Get educated.
I've already mentioned that.
Speak up, live not by lies.
Pay attention, and many people,increasingly so, are beginning
(41:28):
to pay attention.
That's enough of that.
Let me close by saying a fewthings and offering an
invitation.
Where do these go?
You're here because you believethat you have an obligation to
(41:53):
learn and to act well your part,or because someone really
encouraged you to come.
My invitation to you is to doyour very best with however long
you have left on this earth,whether it be 40 years or five,
to be an honest soul that turnsto God, acts in courage and does
(42:18):
your part.
Your sphere of influence mightbe different than mine, and it
doesn't matter if it's in thewalls of your own home or before
members of Congress, getting totestify before Congress.
All of us have a role to play,and the health of the body is
determined by how each of theseactors, who are properly
(42:40):
capacitated with light and truth, play their part.
Of course there's disease.
Of course there are scorpions.
Of course there are evilwretched Marxists, and some of
them too, I'll admit, are justthe victims of bad ideas.
It is difficult to love and prayfor your enemies, but in the
(43:04):
world in which you and I live,you should be grateful that
nearly every week, you're goingto be presented with an
opportunity to live yourreligion and to pray for those
that despitefully use you.
Try and be more like the Masterin doing that, and I think we
might buy ourselves a little bitmore of a season of peace.
And, speaking personally, onceagain, I don't want to get my
(43:28):
organization in trouble.
We're a 501c3 nonprofit but youought to go out and vote Trump.
That's not Star's view, that'smy view it is.
So I'm happy to stick aroundafter and answer any questions,
not here, but out there.
(43:48):
Come buy my book.
I don't want to take them withme on an airplane.
There's only 20 of them outthere, so hurry up, and I'm
grateful for all of you.
Every time I'm in a room withpeople like you, especially
young men, I love you BecauseI'm so discouraged by how many
young men don't want to servetheir country anymore in the
military.
(44:08):
It's always been a noblecountry and we need the best men
serving this country if we'reto preserve it, and there are
ways in which you can do thatthat aren't in uniform.
So thanks for coming, thanksfor being here with me, and God
bless each of you.
Thank you.
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