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March 14, 2023 - Dennis Prager Show
01:06:04
Thank You, America
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Dennis Prager here.
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July 4th, I'm Dennis Prager.
*music* Today is Independence Day.
The greatest experiment in making a decent society began on this day in the year 1776. And that experiment was called the United States.
Composed of flawed people, the society has always had flaws.
What is remarkable, therefore, are not the flaws of America.
What is remarkable and has been is the greatness of America.
Flaws are normal.
America is not normal.
One must compare this country in assessing it since 1776, not to a vision of a perfect or nearly perfect society, but to the other societies that human beings have formed since history.
Began to be recorded and until the present.
Then you have a remarkable story, particularly concerning, but hardly restricted to, the elevation of the individual thanks to the individual having liberty.
It is almost impossible to overstate.
The significance of the American experiment with individual liberty, that is not normal either.
Both in antiquity and in the modern period, to this day, individual liberty has not been the preeminent value of almost any society on earth outside of the United States.
Social cohesion, security, conformity, these have been the norms.
Tribal, union, these have been the norms.
The elevation of the individual is an absolute exception and remains the focus of the battle to this day in the United States.
Because at least as many humans want to be taken care of as want to have liberty, and they are not the same.
Being taken care of comes with a small string attached, and that is your liberty.
Vis-a-vis those to whom you owe money in personal life, you don't have freedom.
You are in their debt.
It is a form of slavery, though of course it's not the same thing as slavery.
That's what this country was founded to create.
A society of free individuals who would only be decent given their freedom, given the lack of state coercion in their lives, they could only be decent if they were decent.
This Constitution and this country were made for people who would be personally decent.
It cannot work without that.
I'm Dennis Prager, and I welcome you to the July 4th show, which I am broadcasting live.
That's a funny way of putting it.
Nobody broadcasts dead.
But the point is that I am in studio and talking to you, and in fact will happily take your calls.
July 4th gives us an opportunity to take stock of America, as well as the obvious, and the obvious should be done, portray our commitment and even love for it.
I have often asked on July 4th of the past if you're not showing a flag today outside of laziness, which I suspect is true for very many people, and I fully appreciate that and don't judge it because everybody has a lazy streak.
But if you are committed to not showing the flag, then I would like to hear from you.
And I suspect that there are more than a few Americans who are committed to not showing it, that it is not simply a function of, oh, I forgot, or, ah, leave me alone, I got too much on my mind, etc., etc.
The phone number is 1-8 Prager, P-R-A-G-E-R 776. Which is 877-243-776.
877. 877-243-776.
877-243-776.
It is not well known that that particular jingle was written by Andrew Jackson.
That is how far back that particular jingle goes, and I am honored to play it with the same numbers that Jackson himself used if he wished to phone the White House.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds, excuse me, bands, which have connected them with another.
And to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station, to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
God makes it into the first sentence.
Of the Declaration of Independence.
You realize that should this have been written today, it would be deemed unconstitutional.
Of course, the Constitution had not yet been ratified.
That was 1787. So that would have been another 11 years.
But think about that.
It is taken for granted that the United States of America is based...
Its value system is predicated upon the belief or the assertion, even if you don't believe, it doesn't matter if you believe or not.
This is the statement that the United States wishes to make.
There is a God, and I love this term, nature's God.
Today, just as in antiquity, A deification of nature, so that you don't have any longer, nature is God, but nature is God.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator, capital C, with certain unalienable rights.
That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That sentence alone is awesome.
It almost tells you everything you need to know about the uniqueness of the United States of America.
We hold these truths to be self-evident.
In other words, there is no argument.
All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
What are they?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Not equality.
We are born equal, created equal, but we don't have an unalienable right to all be equal in station.
That is earned through liberty and pursuit of happiness.
On this Independence Day, I am Dennis Prager.
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Oh, beautiful.
Far heroes proved.
In liberating strife.
Who more than self.
Yeah, country loved.
And of mercy more than life.
Bring meaning to your 4th of July this year.
And find out how at prageruniversity.com.
America.
Mmm, America.
God shed His grace on thee.
You're listening to the Dennis Prager Show, July 4th.
I broadcast because the purpose of every holiday, unless the holiday is called vacation day, is to honor or commemorate something.
With the exception of the truly disgraceful creation of President's Day and the wiping out of Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays.
There is something so unhealthy about that that I will talk about it another time.
I have talked about it in the past.
I will take some calls here.
We'll begin with Melbourne, Australia.
And Paul.
Paul, you must be an insomniac.
Well, I am once a year.
I did the same thing last year.
Really?
That's right.
Only on the 4th of July.
Well, that's really sweet.
Are you an Aussie?
I am, indeed.
And go ahead.
The reason you're calling?
To wish all Americans a happy 4th of July and to say thank you.
Thank you very much for all the things that you do for us and the world.
How long will you be brave and free?
Well, it touches every one of us to hear somebody at, let's see, 7, is it 2 in the morning?
2 in the morning.
Yep, at 2 in the morning, calling an American radio show to wish Americans a happy 4th.
So it means a lot to me and to all my listeners, and I thank you very much, Paul.
God bless.
God bless, indeed.
In my book, Still the Best Hope, I explain why Americans think that so much of the world hates America, and it's not true.
Vast numbers of people love it.
But there is a part of the world that dominates the media of the world, The academia of the world and believe that that reflects the world, and to a certain extent it does.
And let's go to Jonathan in Provo, Utah.
Hello, Jonathan.
Dennis Prager.
Hello.
Welcome, welcome.
Thank you.
We hear you live, and this has been many years, a dream of mine to hear you live.
I've always had to go to the Internet.
And get your show, but that was fine because I could download it.
But to hear you live is a treat.
To have you here on the 4th is a treat.
You know, we're producing the giant Stadium of Fire tonight, and we'll have 50,000 fans there.
And I actually met one of the producers or one of the directors of the new radio station that you'll be going on permanently here.
So I was tipped off.
But I'm excited to have you.
Well, thank you.
It's a delight indeed.
I know Provo.
It's gorgeous.
And what I need to do is come and give a speech there.
Well, I've been thinking about how to get you here for years.
When I get wound up in church meetings, I can start spouting your ideas and people go, what?
Never thought of it that way.
That's right.
It's exciting.
That is what keeps me going.
Jonathan, I really look forward to seeing you in Provo.
Thank you.
The show is being picked up by more and more stations, and that's a very important thing.
It's not a monetary compensation.
It is why I broadcast.
To tell people things that when they hear, they will think, oh, never thought of it that way.
And that is persuasive.
And among them, about America itself, which is why it's important for me to broadcast on July 4th.
So, let's see.
We went from Australia to Utah.
And now we'll go to California and San Diego.
And Mike.
Hello, Mike.
Dennis Prager.
Hello?
Hello.
Are you there?
The question is, are you there?
I am definitely here.
Good, I want to be that.
Thank you.
Me too.
I wasn't when the alarm clock went off.
I have to say, my first reaction was not happiness.
Not usually at 4 o'clock in the morning.
You know how it goes.
But it is now, yes.
Oh, that's sweet of you.
Because I'm always at work, but I want to tell you something.
Gratitude is the best gift that you have given to me.
If I gave it to you, it is the best gift I ever gave you.
It is.
Yes, I agree.
It's literally true.
It makes me happy.
It makes me fulfilled.
Gratitude is the way to go.
Well, bless you, my friend.
Thank you for that.
Let me put it to you folks in the most dramatic and yet 100% honest way.
If you were to have a choice in terms of your permanent happiness between gratitude and a lottery win, you would be foolish to take the lottery win.
Just talking about what will keep you happier.
Now, if you're already grateful and have a lottery win, it ain't so bad.
I wouldn't complain.
I'd even be more grateful.
But there's no comparison.
I can't overstate how important gratitude is.
That is true.
We return now to the Declaration.
This great line, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.
That they are endowed by their Creator.
Because, folks, if the Creator doesn't endow us, who does?
Not endowed by nature.
Not endowed by government.
Endowed by their Creator.
The removal of God from the basis of American values is not only un-American in the literal sense of the word, it will mean the end of the society as we know it.
The radical secularization of society, as has taken place in Europe, is going to end the society.
My friends, every civilization has died.
Has gotten great and died.
There is nothing that guarantees an infinite number of July 4ths.
Or even a large number.
We have to fight for it every generation.
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slash Prager. Bambi.com slash Prager. This is July 4th.
This is the Independence Day, the birthday of the greatest experiment as a society in history.
And it has thus far succeeded.
There is no guarantee it will continue to do so unless we make days like July 4th.
Days that reaffirm and educate what we stand for.
That's why I'm broadcasting today.
To make the day as meaningful as possible.
Just as much for me, incidentally, as for you.
Because if I didn't broadcast, I'd be sleeping.
To be perfectly honest.
I might add that every holiday that I broadcast is a complete vindication of my behavioral attitude toward happiness.
That you do what makes you happy.
Rather than do what you're in the mood to do.
Behavior makes you happy, not mood.
My mood was to sleep and take the day off.
No one at my syndicator Salem Radio asked me to broadcast.
They didn't.
And I might add, it is just as true for Sean McConnell and Alan Estrin and Christian Welburn and the folks in Dallas.
All of you have made the same exact, if you want to use the word, sacrifice, as I have.
And I am completely aware of that.
Because if I talked here and you folks weren't working, I would be talking to myself.
Which, incidentally, I am prepared to do.
I am.
You know what I tell people, young people who say they want to be a talk show host, I say, well, there's a way to find out if you can do it.
Sit alone in a room for three hours and be interesting.
You can do that.
You have the makings of a talk show host.
You also have the makings of a lunatic.
So there is a fine line.
I acknowledge that.
God, look at that.
The guy's interesting for three hours alone.
That's something.
That is correct.
So I'm very grateful to all of you for joining me on this July 4th.
And if you missed the first hour, it was both educational.
Now, you can't say both for three things.
It was educational, moving, and fun.
That's good.
EMF. Or LSMFT, if you will.
Lucky Strike means fine tobacco.
Well, I'm going to be fined.
Is that considered a tobacco ad?
Shall we just have a cigarette on it?
That's right.
Yes, we should.
You know what it is like to speak and have background comments all the time?
How many people get that?
If a normal mortal could have that, it would make life much more entertaining.
Everybody should have an M-double-C-O-double-N-E-double-L-McConnell. M-double-C-O-double-N-E-double-L-McConnell. M-double-C-O-double-N-E-double-L-McConnell.
Everybody should have that in their life.
See?
A jingle with your name.
How would Rabinowitz work?
R-A-B-I-N-O-W-I-T-Z Rabinowitz.
It works, you see?
Khrushchev.
K-H-R-U-S-H-C-E-H-E-V. Khrushchev.
It works for everybody.
But it works better for you.
All right, before the Salem regrets that I'm broadcasting today, let me take some call.
And let's see here.
I think we can get rid of line one, because we've taken that.
All right, we're getting a pattern here.
One minute, let's see here.
We have a pattern.
Saul in Los Angeles.
Hi, Dennis Prager.
Hi, Dennis.
Good morning.
Is your name Sol?
Yes, S-O-L means the sun.
Yes, it does.
It's Spanish.
So, Sol.
Yes.
Hi, Sol.
How are you?
Happy?
I want to say thank you in our native language, Tagalog.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.
Salamat?
Maraming, maraming salamat, America.
It means thank you very, very much.
Wow, that's beautiful.
I'm telling you, it would be so beautiful to organize this.
Maybe we should do that.
I'm not kidding.
Let's organize immigrants from 100 countries to say thank you, America, and put it on a video.
Yes.
I got the chills, which is a good thing if I get a chill factor.
How long have you been here?
22 years.
Wow.
Well, we are thrilled you're one of us.
Yes.
Upon waking up this morning, I said a prayer of thank you to God for America.
Oh, you're going to make me cry, and that's not good for radio.
I mean it.
Yeah, I'm almost crying right now.
Me too.
Wow.
Well, God bless you.
That takes your breath away.
See, that's what we need to publicize.
It's good for everybody.
It's good for Americans.
And it's good for immigration.
There are many lies that pervade our society.
None is greater, some are tied, than the notion that conservatives are anti-immigrant.
It's a huge lie.
It's not a little lie.
It's not a medium-sized lie.
It's a big lie.
We love immigrants.
But whenever there is opposition to illegal immigration, from the New York Times to the LA Times, it is listed as anti-immigrant or anti-immigration.
Never anti-illegal immigration.
It's an insidious little but powerful lie.
So, yes, indeed, Sol, salamat to you.
And let's go to Jason in...
I assume you're Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, correct?
Yes, I am.
Good, because it says Philadelphia CA, and it's really Philadelphia PA. Philadelphia PA, yes.
Yes, okay, hi.
Okay, well basically, I was born and bred, raised in America, and now that I'm all grown up, you know, my personal research and personal experience, I've come to the conclusion that I don't agree with.
The ideals that America was founded on.
For instance, equality and democracy, a republican form of government.
I'm a very nationalist.
I'm not coming from the international socialist point of view.
But I believe that I owe my loyalties mostly to Western civilization, not to America.
And for quite a while now, a bunch of decades, America has really been the biggest threat toward Western civilization, our values and those ideals.
Well, the only reason I'm interrupting, I really wanted to listen more, is I don't understand those last two comments.
First of all, I respect someone who says, I don't agree with American ideals.
The people I don't respect are the people...
Who change America's ideals and then assert that they are America's ideals.
So if you don't agree with them, I respect that.
What I don't understand is America is...
Your allegiance is to Western civilization, not to America.
When has Western civilization died for the liberty of other people as opposed to a specific country called the United States of America?
Well, I'm claiming that dying for liberty of other people, I'm not sure if that really happened.
I know your feelings on it.
No, I don't have feelings on it.
I don't.
I have knowledge of it.
What happened?
Why was there a Korean War?
To prevent international communism from conquering South Korea.
Exactly.
Wait, wait, wait.
So why isn't that dying for liberty?
Because it was actually there to...
To expand the American capitalist markets.
Wait, oh, okay, so that's what you believe?
Yes.
You believe that 37,000 Americans died to expand capitalist markets in one of the poorest countries on Earth, Korea?
Yes, and we did it in Cuba in 1898. All right, okay, so is there any time we died and it wasn't to expand capitalist markets?
What if we had died in Cambodia to stop Pol Pot?
Or what if we had bombed the Nazi concentration camps of Jews?
Would that have been to expand capitalist markets in Poland?
And I don't blame the Poles for the camps.
I blame the Nazis, but that's where the camps were.
The death camps, anyway.
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Everywhere around the world, they come into America.
Every time that flag's unfurled, they come into America.
Bring meaning to your 4th of July this year and find out how at PragerUniversity.com.
It's not too late.
It's still Independence Day.
Go to PragerUniversity.com and watch.
It's five minutes, seven minutes.
Watch what we have created to bring kids and certainly adults into This ceremonial meal to make the day meaningful.
You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show, coming to you on July 4th.
Fort Meade, Maryland.
And Patrick, thank you for waiting, Patrick.
Happy 4th to you.
Happy 4th, Dennis.
I wanted to tell you and your audience about what we did in our neighborhood today to celebrate the 4th of July.
I'm listening.
Go ahead.
My wife and kids organized a bike parade, patriotic bike parade, and a scavenger hunt for about 30 neighborhood kids who came to our house.
They rode around the block with decorated bikes, and then we had a scavenger hunt, and so you would have a question, and then the clue would tell you where to go in the neighborhood.
You would find an envelope and find the answer to the question, and the questions were all based upon.
Your 4th of July declaration celebration.
When the kids were done and the last location was our front porch, we had the unsigned constitution and each kid signed the constitution to conclude the scavenger hunt.
It's too bad you didn't video it.
We would put it up.
We have some video and we have some photos that we would love to email to you.
Yes, please do.
You made my day, sir.
Where is Fort Meade?
Fort Meade is about 15 minutes south of Baltimore on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
It's a military base.
Oh, well, you've doubled my joy.
Thank you, thank you.
I can't tell you.
You know, you work hard to do these things, and then it comes to life a continent away, and it's just so gratifying.
Let me play for you what we filmed.
At PragerUniversity.com.
We videoed, was it last year or two years ago?
We, last year, we videoed doing this.
So you will have the model.
So here, let's show.
I'm leading the ceremony.
Here we go.
Well hi everybody and welcome to our July 4th declaration.
Today, we take a few minutes to remember what the 4th of July is about and to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be Americans.
Before America was a nation, it was a dream, a dream shared by many people from many nations over many generations.
It began with the pilgrims in 1620 who fled Europe so that they could be free to practice their religion.
It continued through the 17th century.
As more and more people came to the place that came to be known as the New World.
In this new world, where you came from didn't matter.
What mattered was where you were headed.
As more and more people settled, they started to see themselves as new people, Americans.
They felt blessed.
The land was spacious, the opportunities limitless.
By 1776...
A century and a half after the first pilgrims landed, this new, liberty-loving people was ready to create a new nation.
And on July 4th of that year, they did just that.
They pronounced themselves to be free of the rule of the English king, and we know this statement as the Declaration of Independence.
So, young folks, I'd like you to ask some questions and answer them, and we'll begin with you.
Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?
Because the Fourth of July is the birthday of the American people, the day we chose to become the United States of America, a free nation.
Why was America different from all other countries?
Because in 1776, all countries were based on nationality, religion, ethnicity, or geography.
But America was created on the basis of a set of ideas.
This is still true today.
What are those ideas?
Three ideas summarize what America is all about.
They are engraved on every American coin.
They are liberty, in God we trust, and E Pluribus Humum.
All right, everybody, pick up this American coin.
All right, we'll continue with that in the course of the show.
Getting the kids involved is so important.
Naturally, we give them the questions and the answers, but you are certainly free, indeed invited, to...
Elaborate on the questions and elaborate on the answers.
But contrary to the silliness that pervades the American educational system, we believe in memorization at a young age.
I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address, and it was a good thing that I did.
Now they don't memorize anything, so what do they carry into adulthood?
To memorize doesn't mean you don't think.
Memorization helps you think, because you memorize the greatest ideas ever articulated.
And so, yes, we should have memorized, every one of us should have memorized, the American value system is engraved on every coin, and that is what I call the American Trinity, and that is liberty in God we trust and e pluribus unum.
You can download that exact video of what you just heard from PragerUniversity.com.
You can do that right now and it would be good.
And the text as well.
The text is there too so that you can use it.
You can download it.
We've done everything for you except visit.
We'd love to.
Grandville, Michigan.
Thomas.
Hi, Dennis.
How are you?
Very well.
Thank you.
Yeah, happy Independence Day from the proud naturalized citizen.
I love hearing from naturalized citizens.
I really do.
I'm sorry.
No, no, no.
You go ahead.
They asked me to say happy 4th of July, but I think that would be kind of goofy to say that in Czech unless you want me to do that.
No, what would you like to say in Czech?
Well, I can say thank you, United States of America.
I really think that the United States of America is more appropriate than America, actually.
That's fine with me.
So say, yeah.
I love it.
I do love it.
And now, please, for the rest of the year, would you say slowly, you have the right to remain silent.
That's pretty damn fast.
Mate, Bravo, Merchant.
Oh, Bravo is right.
That's right.
Yes.
Okay.
God bless you, sir.
I mean it.
God bless you.
God bless you.
Oh, thank you.
Have a wonderful, meaningful day.
I'm telling you, this is an idea.
It started today.
We are going to organize a video of naturalized Americans and saying in every language, thank you to this country.
See, it's very important to fight bad things, but it's even more important to affirm good things.
That's why my book is still The Best Hope, not Why the Other Ideas Are Wrong, although that's two-thirds of the book.
But you have to affirm what is beautiful.
You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
Dennis Prager here, broadcasting live.
Make this day as meaningful as possible for both of us.
And this is really, you know, this is wrong.
Every call here is from New York or California.
What happened to the rest of the country?
What is the New Yorker cartoon alive?
Welcome, my friends.
Dennis Prager broadcasting because it's such an important day.
And if I can make it a little more so for everybody, including myself, then I'm not going to sleep in.
Thanks for being with me.
I have been reading part of the Declaration of Independence.
I have been sharing with you the ceremony that we created at PragerUniversity.com.
You can download it.
It's free.
Just sign up so we can tell you about other things we do.
Trying with all my heart and soul to rekindle the awareness of what we stand for.
I am not alone.
Believe me, I know that.
All right, let's go to New York and to Alex.
Hello, Dennis.
Hi.
Dennis, I decided to say in Russian for you and your listeners...
God bless America.
And it came to me that if I do it, it will be quite in the spirit of the American tradition from many one, right?
Wait a minute.
I thought you did it.
I thought you did it in Russian.
God bless America.
Right.
No, I did it in English.
Oh, okay.
In Russian it is, What was the second word?
Yes, it's bless.
Yes, that's correct.
the book of the army of america all right now now for all of the you must tell us how for our uh... work compendium uh...
what's the mean the knees your word that company in our compilation of you have a right to remain silent what you got a lot we put it down at the bottom of the chart not to watch with the deal Well, you can say u was also.
It's either u tebia or u was.
If you want to be very polite, it's...
Well, you're always polite to the guy when you arrest him.
I love you, sir.
Right.
I wanted to say one more thing, which would be of interest to you and to your listeners.
You know, the Russian liberal radio station named Eko Moscow, it's based on Moscow, and it's the voice of liberal Russians.
They posted yesterday on their website the full text of the Declaration of Independence.
And it's very telling, you know.
They cannot tell openly to President Putin that he's a tyrant and a despot.
So they're doing it.
Oh, I love this.
You don't know how powerful this is.
You should tell this to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Because they didn't put up the South African Declaration of Constitution.
They didn't put up any of the other constitutions.
They put up our Declaration of Independence.
To be fair to her, she was speaking about constitutions.
But nevertheless, that is a great story, Alex.
Thank you.
The United States, those who love liberty, love America.
That's the way it works.
Those who love material equality, love...
Sweden.
That's it.
This is clarity.
This is not opinion.
This is clarity.
The opinion is which one you value more, liberty or material equality.
That's an opinion.
But it's a fact that if you love liberty, this is not going to be your favorite country.
Excuse me, this will be your favorite country.
Sweden won't.
If you love material equality, this will not be your favorite country.
Alright, let's go.
We'll stay in New York for a moment.
Staten Island, New York.
Frank, hello.
Hi, Dennis.
As I was driving around today, shopping for the 4th, I wanted to get a flag or some other decoration to bring to my girlfriend's house.
Last minute, I know, but she didn't have anything.
So I went to two major drugstore chains in my area, Staten Island, New York.
Dwayne Reed, and what else?
Can I say the names?
Why not?
CVS and Rite Aid.
Oh, Dwayne Reed is in Manhattan.
They're out here too now.
In fact, every other block has a bank or a drugstore.
Yes, that's exactly how Manhattan works.
Your entire world is within three blocks.
Right.
So, not one American flag in the first store.
And there was no advertisement that said, you know, Fourth of July decorations.
Or any such thing.
There was one sign that said holiday decorations.
You know what's funny?
When it's Halloween, it never says holiday.
It says Halloween.
Right.
And the decoration was a cheap plastic children's pinwheel with a very stylized stars and stripes motif.
And this is Staten Island.
Right, which you would have to really stretch to see that it represents the flag.
I can say maybe one store is sold out, but I went across the street to the other store.
Different chain.
Same situation.
No advertisements.
Nothing that said the 4th of July.
The same plastic pinwheel.
And I can't believe that both stores across the street from each other in one neighborhood are like sold out.
Yeah.
Well, thank you, sir.
I don't know what to say.
It's just unfortunate.
That's that I can say.
And I thank you for calling, of course.
Let's go to Marie in Santa Clarita, California.
Hi, Marie.
Hi, Dennis.
How are you?
Good.
Thank you.
I so appreciate you and doing your show on this day and for coming in today.
Good.
Thank you.
Well, I am an immigrant, but I wanted to...
Where are you from?
Pardon me?
Where are you from?
Argentina.
You must have come here at a very young age because you have absolutely no accent.
Right, I was three.
But I've been back to visit and I would never want to live there.
Yes.
So last summer I went with the church group to Spain because it was World Youth Day and we went to see the Pope and other religious activities.
But one of the group leaders asked me to stop waving the flag around because we had a huge American flag.
And he said to not do that and to be more discreet because people hate us.
But I refused.
Wait, this is World Youth Day?
Is this specifically the Catholic Church's World Youth Day?
Yes.
And they told you at the Catholic Church World Youth Day they hate us?
No, it was one of our group leaders.
It wasn't like any official person there.
It was just one of the people in our group.
I see.
And he asked me to stop waving the flag around because people hate us.
I see.
But I didn't.
This was July 4th, right?
Pardon me?
Was this July 4th?
No, it was last August.
Oh, you did it just in general.
You didn't do it in honor of July 4th.
No, it was...
I'm curious.
Were there any other delegations with flags?
Every other country brought a flag.
Everybody had a flag.
So he asked me to stop waving the American flag because people hate us.
So you know what you should have said?
You should have said, which one would you like me to wave?
The Belgian?
I want to wave a flag like everybody else.
What do you suggest, sir?
I wonder if you would object if you'd have waved the Vatican flag.
Probably not.
I'm not sure.
You might say, well, they hate us, you know.
They hate Catholics.
Exactly, exactly.
You could say it.
You know, what decent thing isn't hated in the world?
All right, there is so...
All right, so anyway...
All right, wait one second.
Hold on there, Marie.
So what happened?
Are you there?
Yes, I'm here.
Yeah, so what happened?
So a few minutes later, a total stranger ran up to us and said, Oh, I love America.
You guys mean so much to the world.
And he fussed about, spent a few minutes telling us how much he loves America.
Where was he from?
He was from Spain.
Oh, how ironic.
You should have said, Why don't you tell this to our group leader?
He did.
That was the funny thing.
He went right up to him out of the blue.
As we got to more of the groups, people started chanting USA as they saw us passing by and waving at us and cheering us.
It was amazing.
What a great story.
Yeah, they hate us.
You know who hate us?
The periodicals of the world and certain elements of certain types of ideas.
But guess where most people would like to live if they didn't want to live in their own country?
Take a guess.
I live in America.
I live in America.
Wait a minute.
Bring meaning to your 4th of July this year and find out how at PragerUniversity.com.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show, July 4th.
Honoring the holiday by broadcasting on it.
You're honoring it by being with me.
And you'll honor it further, or already did, depending on your time zone, with something meaningful done at your meal or at whatever you are.
Even if it's just two of you.
It doesn't have to be a whole family.
It doesn't have to be with a lot of friends.
Just one other person can make it meaningful.
Not everybody today is having people over or going to somebody.
It's just the nature of life.
And it's a real delight to broadcast on the holidays.
Not a delight to get up early, but it's a delight to do it and to have done it.
I really get a lot from this, because you should know I say this a lot, and you know it's true.
You know I mean it.
I get as much from you as I hope you get from me.
That's a lot.
It's a big deal.
All righty, let's go to Phoenix, Arizona and Shao Chin.
Is that correct?
Did I pronounce it correctly?
That's correct.
Thank you.
It's very good to call you.
I appreciate the Flying Tiger helped the Chinese.
During the Japanese invasion in China.
And I'm from Taiwan.
By the way, may I just say that the Japanese invasion of China is one of the least known mass atrocities of the 20th century.
And everybody should read The Rape of Nanking.
It is one of the most important books you can read.
Is it up there in our most important books?
It may not be.
We need to put it there.
So I thank you for thanking me and reminding me to tell people about that.
Please go ahead.
Yes.
天有美国, that's in Chinese, God bless America.
Okay, let's do it slowly, please.
天有美国,美国 means America.
美国?
Yes, beautiful country.
Is that really?
Is that the word?
Because I know you make symbols to make a word.
It means beautiful country?
Yes.
By the way, doesn't China mean Middle Kingdom?
Yeah, that long time back we thought we are the center of the world.
Right, exactly.
I use that a lot in speeches and I wanted to verify that with you.
And now please, and now just for our collection.
You have a right to remain silent.
In Chinese.
Translate in Chinese?
Yes.
You have a right to remain silent.
Whoa, by the end of that, the guy is, he's given up.
He has pleaded guilty.
All right, so now say it without any hesitation.
Go right ahead.
Thank you.
All right.
God bless you.
I'm curious, have you visited China?
Yes.
I was from Taiwan.
My parents were from mainland China and moved to...
To Taiwan.
I love Taiwan.
I've always loved it.
I've been there a number of times.
I love it much more than visiting China.
And I always tell people, you want to visit Chinese culture, you go to Taiwan.
You want to visit a secular totalitarian or dictatorship, go to China.
No, it drives me crazy.
Listen, thank you so much.
It's very meaningful.
We've had people from all backgrounds.
Who are American, who have said, God bless America, whatever they want to say.
I haven't even asked.
The only thing I ask them is, you have a right to remain silent.
Sean, you have a lot of homework to do now, because Urdu has begun it, but we now have Slovenian, Russian, Czech, and Chinese.
All right.
Thank you.
Beautiful country.
Isn't that something?
I'm amazed that the Chinese government allows that to remain the word for America.
Except, you know what they would say?
Oh, it's natural beauty.
It has natural beauty.
I'll bet that was it.
All right, we go to Maryland now.
Potomac, Maryland.
Martin, hi.
Yes.
Yes, can you hear me?
One minute, one minute.
Come in, come in.
I'm here.
All right, one minute, one minute.
Hello?
Wait, I gotcha.
Okay.
First time speaking with you, only an occasional listener.
I want to mention, as long as you brought up the rape of Nan King, I attended a book event with Iris Chang at my favorite left-wing bookstore, Politics and Prose in D.C. I was just there last week to be the aunt at the picnic for David Marinus on his new Obama book.
He's in the tank for Obama, which he wasn't for Clinton.
In first of his class, he wrote a very even-handed book, in my opinion.
But getting back to Iris Chang, she was the daughter of two professors at the University of Illinois.
She had a journalism degree and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins, and she was brilliant as she was good-looking.
And she suffered a nervous breakdown about a year after I saw her.
And she ended up killing herself.
I know, I know.
It is a terrible, terrible tragedy.
I just wanted to thank you for the thoughts you've expressed in coming to work today.
And I'll leave you with this quote, which is part of my belief.
Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby, George Bernard Shaw, and thank you for all your work.
Well, that's very kind of you.
I do better than that.
It's my hobby and my passion.
That's true.
Yep, that is right.
It's certainly a major contributor to my happiness.
I thank you, sir.
I appreciate that.
And let's go to...
From Santa Ana, California.
Carlos.
Hello, Carlos.
Dennis Prager.
Hello, Dennis.
This is Carlos.
Hi.
I just wanted to say how much I love this country.
I'm not even a citizen yet, but I came here when I was one and a half.
My parents brought me over.
From where?
I'm a resident alien.
Where did they bring you from?
Mexico.
Mexico.
And I just love this country so much.
You've helped me, you know, love it more.
And it's just such a wonderful gift to be able to live here and be free and be in pursuit of happiness, as you say.
We can't wait for you to become a citizen.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Was that beautiful or was that beautiful?
You have a choice.
This is what Americans need to hear.
With all the absurd self-laceration that takes place.
You are listening to The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
The Dennis Prager Show on July 4th.
I walked out from...
Out of my house this morning, and there was an American flag flying, and I was very grateful to my wife for putting it up.
It's a statement.
It's not a statement of your politics.
It's a statement of your values.
The notion that, hey, I'm patriotic, but I don't believe in any patriotic acts is like saying, I love my spouse, but I don't believe in doing anything loving.
It's the same exact thing.
Nobody really gives a damn what's in your heart.
They give a damn what's in your actions.
It's true about everything.
From love of spouse to love of children to love of country to anything else.
It doesn't matter what you feel.
It matters what you do.
And that is why patriotic acts are more important than patriotic feelings.
But we do live in the age of stupidity and inaugurated in the 1960s.
And then it was declared hypocritical to ever do something that you didn't feel.
Woe unto anybody who is the child of a parent who only did what they felt like doing.
Woe unto anybody married to anybody who only does what they feel like doing.
Woe unto a country whose citizens only do what they feel like doing.
So you put the flag out because it is a statement, this House honors this country on this day.
Period.
End of issue.
It doesn't mean you're Republican.
It doesn't mean you're Democrat.
It doesn't mean you're liberal.
It doesn't mean you're conservative.
It means you are an intelligent member of the American people.
That's all it means.
All of your calls are and have been tremendously meaningful.
Laura in Cleveland, Sue and Bill in Pennsylvania, Jonathan in Colorado, Chris in New York, Richard in Woodland Hills, California.
I wish I could take your calls.
If I broadcast for 24 hours, I would have to say to some people, I wish I could take your calls.
God bless this country.
It needs His blessings.
More important, it needs to earn His blessings.
I'm Dennis Prager.
I wish you a wonderful and meaningful July 4th.
From sea to shining sea, oh Lord, oh Lord, thank you Jim.
Shining sea.
Dennis Prager here.
Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast.
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