The Daily Signal - Rep. Chip Roy: Time to 'Unapologetically' Talk About America's 'Greatness'

Episode Date: July 8, 2020

In the midst of protests, riots, and attempts to tear down our nation's monuments, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, recently took time to visit monuments across the country, stopping at Independence Hall, Fort McHenry, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and the U.S. Capitol. He joins The Daily Signal Podcast to talk about why he chose to do this during one of the most turbulent times in recent American history. Roy also discusses how he thinks America should think and respond to attacks against the country’s history and her Founding Fathers. We also cover these stories: Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t confident in our nation's ability to handle the coronavirus.  New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added three more states to their mandatory quarantine list.  The president of Brazil has come down with coronavirus.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, July 8th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Del Judas. In the midst of protests, riots, and attempts to tear down our nation's monuments, Congressman Shiproy of Texas went to various monuments to visit them and deliver messages to the American people. He joins me on the podcast today to discuss his tour of these American landmarks. Don't forget.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Now, onto our top news. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, isn't confident in the U.S.'s ability to handle coronavirus. During a Facebook live interview Monday with ABC World News Tonight, Fauci said, We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this, and I would say this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baby. baseline. USA Today reports that new cases in the USA have reached record highs, climbing to about 50,000 a day. Nearly 3 million Americans have contracted the virus and more than 130,000 have died,

according to data from John Hopkins University. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on Tuesday added three more states to their mandatory quarantine list. In June, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced during a joint press conference that individuals traveling from states reporting more than 10 cases per 100,000 people would have to quarantine upon arrival. Now, Delaware, Kansas, and Oklahoma have been added to that list, bringing the total to 19 states. Delaware is the first Northeastern state to be added to the list. Other states among the 19 range geographically from Nevada in California to Alabama and Florida. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a press release that, quote,

several outbreaks across New Jersey are directly tied to travel from COVID-19 hotspots nationwide. In order to responsibly continue down our road back to restart and recovery, we must remain vigilant in our collective effort to beat the virus. and reduce the rate of transmission. The rule does operate on an honor system, but if you are caught not abiding by the 14-day quarantine after traveling from a state on the list, you will be subject to a large fine and mandatory quarantine.

The president of Brazil has come down with coronavirus. Hire Bosunero said Monday on Brazilian TV that everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later. It was positive for me, he said, speaking of his coronavirus test. CNN reported. He added, on Sunday, I wasn't feeling very well. On Monday, it got worse when I started feeling tired in some muscle pain. I also had a 38-degree Celsius fever. Given these symptoms, the presidential doctor said there was suspicion of COVID-19.

Actor Terry Cruz got into a debate with CNN's Don Lemon on Monday night over the Black Lives Matter movement. Cruz received backlash on Twitter after he tweeted. on June 30th, if you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed, and ideology. We must ensure hashtag black lives matter doesn't morph into hashtag black lives better. Cruz joined Lemon on CNN tonight to discuss the tweet and the response it received. Let's take a listen to a portion of their conversation. Chair, you realize that even during the civil rights movement that Dr. King was seen as

extreme. That movement was seen as extreme. To people who don't want to make change, movements are seen as extreme. You can paint them easily as an extreme when they are not. This is very true. But also, when you talk about MLK, you talk about Nelson Mandela, and even Malcolm X, they all realize that you had to have a non-racial component to these kind of movements, or there will be resentment. There will be resentment. be get back. There will be one of these people will tend to, you know, I don't want to move from one oppressor to the next. And one thing is, really shocked. Who's the next oppressor? Who's the next oppressor? When I, when I describe this, when you look in the city of Chicago, there are nine

children who died by gun violence, by black on black gun violence with, from June 20th all the way to today. And you're talking about even with the Atlanta child murders, there were 20, 28 kids who died in two years. You're talking about a month, and you have nine black kids, and the Black Lives Matter movement has said nothing. On Tuesday, the day following the interview, Cruz tweeted, If I'm truly your equal, I can discuss my concerns with you.

But if I'm not, all my concerns are perceived as threats. Now stay tuned for my conversation with Congressman Shiproy of Texas on his monument tour and how he believes America should respond to attacks against the country's history and the founding fathers during these times. Are you looking for quick conservative policy solutions to current issues? Sign up for Heritage's weekly newsletter, The Agenda. In the Agenda, you will learn what issues Heritage Scholars on Capitol Hill are working on, what position conservatives are taking, and links to our in-depth research.

The Agenda also provides information on important events happening here at Heritage that you can watch online as well as media interviews from our experts. Sign up for the agenda on heritage.org today. I'm joining today on the Daily Signal podcast by Congressman Ship Roy of Texas. Congressman Roy, it's great to have you on the Daily Signal podcast. Pleasure is mine. I'm glad to join you all. Well, it's great to have you with us. So last week, as the country has been reeling from protests and riots

and attempts to tear down our nation's monuments, you visited a number of them, including Independence Hall in Philly, Fort McHenry in Baltimore, and then we were back in D.C. to visit the Jefferson Memorial and some of the other monuments in our nation's capital. Why did you go to these places, congressmen, amidst such unrest? Well, you know, a lot of folks have been focusing on, rightly, on the statues that are getting toppled, getting tossed into rivers or getting pulled down. Obviously, Andrew Jackson, outside of the White House, became a focal point. a couple of weeks ago. And we've been rightly focused on that as a nation. What I thought is more

important is the ideas that are represented, not the perfection of any of the individuals that are, you know, memorialized or put forward as a monument, but rather the ideas of this great nation and what they represent. And I think it was really important for us to focus on that. And so on Thursday of last week, I drove up to Philadelphia from Washington. and went with a few of my staffers who had never been to Independence Hall before. And we were, frankly, we were able to poke our head in and go inside, which was fantastic to be there on July 2nd on the exact anniversary to the day, 244 years, since they voted to separate from the Crown and to declare our independence.

And I wanted to present to folks the importance of these historical moments for the rights of man, for the ideals they represent the equality, liberty, the life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the things that set the stage for the greatness of this country. You know, some people think the ultimate emancipation and then freedom for those who had been enslaved and then fighting through the Jim Crow period think that those things happen in spite of the Declaration. And they're wrong. Those things happen as a direct result. of the declaration, a direct result of the Constitution that we crafted in the spirit of that

declaration, and all that went into that. And I think that we have got to stand up as a people and remind this generation and the next generation of the greatness of this country unapologetically, unflinchingly. And that was the purpose behind doing that. And so we had a nice tour. We went to Independence Hall. We went to Fort McHenry and Baltimore on the way back, or the Star-Spangled Banner was written and where it flew. And then came back to D.C. and visited a number of our memorials and monuments, Roosevelt, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and talked about those things. Well, you mentioned a lot of the monuments you visited.

Do you have a favorite memorial or monuments or one that's really made an impression on you, especially in this time that weren't currently? Well, I mean, last week, I mean, going to Independence Hall, to be there, to be physically in the room, to be where. those gentlemen met to frankly sign their death warrant, to commit treason against the crown, and knowing that they did that. And King George told them that, right? I mean, King George wrote back and said, you know, good luck. You guys are committing treason. And they did that knowing the consequences. Keep in mind, we were in the middle of smallpox. We had a, you know,

You had to travel by a horse and carriage. And, you know, you want to talk about difficulty. You want to talk about risk. Let's talk about what the founders did in order to break off from the crown and give us that. And so that means a lot to me. And then I would also say the Jefferson Memorial. I'm a graduate of the University of Virginia. I think that as John Adams liked to note about Thomas Jefferson's pen,

he had a pen that puts most of us in awe in terms of how he's able to assemble words. And obviously, we see that in the declaration that was. clearly significantly written by him. And I pointed out in my video at the Jefferson Memorial that Thomas Jefferson, despite being President of the United States, Secretary of State, Vice President of the United States, the governor of Virginia, all of these glorious titles, wanted to be remembered on his tombstone for simply one general idea, three things, right? And that was being the author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.

And this is because he wanted to pursue reason. He wanted to, ensure that we were standing up for the rights of man. And these were ideas that far, you know, exceed any of the titles that he had in any of the positions that he had. And that to me is what this is all about, right? I mean, Jefferson of all people would want us to have a spirited debate right now, have serious conversations about things like qualified immunity and how people are treated and due process and these things. We absolutely should have those conversations. But we should do those within the context of the rule of law, and we should do those things in full admiration of the system that we've created to work for mankind in this country and

around the world. Well, before we get more into the visits that you made on this monument tour, can you talk a little bit about what your reaction and reflections have been to all the mob violence we've seen since the death of George Floyd? Well, you know, all of us were outraged by what we saw occur in Minneapolis. I'm outraged by any law enforcement officer that would carry themselves in that way. But I am also outraged by mobs that are killing people, mobs that are destroying property, livelihoods, businesses. And let's be very clear, a lot of black people are being killed and a lot of black businesses are getting destroyed in the name of quote unquote Black Lives Matter. and it's not a phrase, all Americans agree with the phrase,

it's about lives mattering, black, white, Hispanic, anybody. But this is about an organization that at its core is challenging and wanting to overturn the very institutions and the core and the foundation that made this country great. And we're seeing this unfold. We saw the depth of an eight-year-old black girl in Atlanta just this past weekend. We saw a 19-year-old black man get killed in the supposed autonomous zone,

whatever you call these things, where it's lawless, and watched his father distraught over the loss of his son. I can go through example after example. We saw a man killed in broad daylight in New York City washing his car. He's a father, and he's gone. We saw a three-year-old black baby killed in Chicago two weeks ago when we had 104 shootings and four. 13 murders. This is the kind of thing that happens when you throw law and order over the wall.

We talk about that thin blue line. When we talk about that barrier between us and lawlessness, we're seeing that unfold. And while we should stand up vigorously in public debate and do what we can for equality, justice, due process, like I said, let's have a debate about all of these things. Let's have a debate about the power of unions. Let's have a debate about qualified immunity and how it should work or shouldn't work. I believe we should have qualified immunity for law enforcement, but I don't believe that that qualified immunity should shut the door to an American citizen seeking redress for grievances, for believing their right was violated. Great, let's have that debate. But we're not having that debate. We're having mob rule. We're

having people get killed. Lives are you destroyed. Businesses getting burned. And that is not the way things should work. My grandfather was a chief of police of a small Texas town. I was a former federal prosecutor, I believe in enforcing law. We absolutely should. And that that is the rule of law is the thing that sets our country apart, that we are ruled by laws, not men. And we have to adhere to the rule of law if we want to sustain that. When you visited Independence Hall, you tweeted that we need to celebrate this great country and unapologetically stand up for this great country. What is your message to those who want to just tear these landmarks down? That when Jefferson concluded the declaration and wrote that with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence that we

mutually pledge to each other our lives our fortunes and our sacred honor that he wasn't just talking about those 56 men sitting there in Independence Hall he was talking about all of us we do that every day as Americans we pledge to each other right we mutually pledge to each other our lives our fortunes our sacred honor that is what the declaration was is and will be. And it is who we are as Americans. It is our birthright. And we stand up for that, or as Reagan said, right, that freedom is just one generation away from extinction. We have an obligation to stand up and fight for the principles, the ideals that founded our country and that we've continued to develop and strive to achieve, but yet we never will achieve them. Because

you guys, myself, all of us, we're all flawed. We all know that. I'm a Christian. I'm taught that we are flawed. And we fall short of the glory of God. And that means we're going to sin and we're going to make mistakes and we're going to do bad things. But the key is staying focused on the ideals of what man can achieve when we're free, what we can achieve when we have equal justice. When we look at the fact that all men are created equal. When we remember that and we act under that, then we continue to have the greatest country. on earth. But right now, what we're seeing in cancel culture, what we're seeing in mob rule, what we're seeing in attacking our very foundations institutions, is we're seeing the opposite of

those things. We're tearing down that fabric that has made our country great. So to me, we look at our founding as setting out the ideal that we're continuing to strive to achieve and we work to perfect this union. And that's the message for the next generation. right? We're not a nation of quitters. We're not a nation that tears things up. We're a nation that moves forward and achieves greatness by building on what the generation before us achieved. Well, as you were on this tour making these stops at our various monuments, what kinds of things did you see, Congressman, were people around them visiting as well? Did you see any protests? What were you, you know, happening upon as you made these stops?

Well, frankly, it was relatively quiet in significant part because of the situation with the virus. Normally, Independence Hall would be a buzz with activity on July 2nd. They would have activities and festivities, and they would have a long line of tourists going into the Independence Hall, but it was closed down. So there was no festivities. And, of course, people are largely being told to avoid public. places and so forth. So there was nobody there. There was a handful of people that were visitors in town that would wander by. The same thing is true at Fort McHenry. The visitor center was closed, but you could walk up there, and there were a handful of folks there that were walking around. Same thing at all the various memorials in D.C., again, everybody is pretty quiet right now. Lincoln Memorial was a buzz with normal people walking around the mall, and Jefferson Memorial is under construction, so it's pretty quiet.

Actually, it's kind of loud, funny, because it was under construction. But, you know, right now people are kind of, you know, pulled back from those things. But, you know, what I saw, it was actually kind of a unique time to be able to go around to those things with my staff because it was so quiet. It allowed for a greater level of reflection rather than sort of the normal, you know, buzz of tourist activity, right? It was less tourism. And it was more of us, you know, we were able to, the park service was very generous. And they, because of a member of Congress, they allowed us to go into the building. So we got to be in there, just three or four of us, and be in the hall on July 2nd.

It's something I will never forget the opportunity to do that, and then go over to the buildings where the first five Congresses met between 1790 and 1800. So it was a great honor to be able to do it. Well, when you visited the Jefferson Memorial, you talked about on Twitter how it's time we stop hiding behind elections and polls and do the right thing because it is the right thing. And you also mentioned how Jefferson wasn't afraid to tell a king in writing to pound sand. So how would you encourage your colleagues in Congress to find their voices, especially during this time? Well, you know, what I meant by that is while we're sitting around and people are trying to tear down these monuments and these historic artifacts and again, I'm not getting as caught up in that.

I'm offended by that and we ought to stop it. It's lawless. This is happening on federal property, state property. And we ought to stop that. What I'm most concerned about is ripping down and tearing down our ideals in the name of a moment. movement, which is not about justice or equality, but it's about power. And it's about, frankly, by their own admission, advancing a Marxist ideology, whether you're talking about Antifa, whether you're talking about the Black Lives Matter organization. I'm not talking about

people who want to stand up and say that Black Lives Matter. I'm talking about the Black Lives Matter organization and groups that are effectively engaged in organized crime. And that's what we're talking about. I'm a former federal prosecutor. I mean, looking at this, it is hard to look at what's going on and not see it as full-fledged organized crime. And I've encouraged the Department of Justice to look at that and to go into it and go find the perpetrators of this crime and to prosecute them because that's what we should do. And it is high time for Republicans in particular, conservatives, to stand up in defense of the things we believe in and stand up in defense of the rule of law and stand up in defense of the men and women. and our police and law enforcement who are standing up trying to defend us and keep the peace

and keep us safe and stand behind them and alongside them, yes, calling them out when they're wrong and standing up with the rule of law and standing up in defense of civil liberties, but not to cower, not to shy away, not to huddle up in the corner, wringing your hands, saying that you're not going to want to take on the Black Lives Matter organization or effort that is, frankly, putting forward a a lawlessness that is endangering lives. We should call out the welfare state that is endangered and destroyed the black family. We should call out the very socialist, Marxist ideology that has driven the left in this country to seek power for government over the mind of man. And we ought to make that clear that that is detrimental to black families, detrimental to Hispanic families, that the

American dream is alive and well when you get government out of the way and you allow people to be able to excel and to prosper at their own hands and through their own work and their own personal responsibility, their own self-reliance, and that our core job and duty of government is to secure the blessings of liberty. It is why the Constitution was founded to do just that, to secure the blessings of liberty. And so that is what we should stand up for openly and without shame and unapologetically. Well, at George Washington University, you talked about how disappointing the actions of the past weeks have been due to the mobs and violence that we've talked about. So how would you encourage those in your home state of Texas as well as citizens across the

country to stand up for America? I think it's critically important that all Texans, all Americans make their voice heard about what they seek. And they seek the rule of law. And they seek a future for their kids and grandkids that is built upon the rule of law and a firm respect and reliance on our founding principles and notions. of this country's stood for and bled for. I frankly think it's critically important that we look at this as an opportunity

to rethink our educational system because it has failed us. Our educational system over the last generation or two or three has been so far removed from educating our future generations about the greatness of this country and what it stands for and what it means. We need to rethink that. And I hope during this virus that a lot of parents are, starting to rethink education and rethink about what they need to do to be able to make sure that their kids and all of our kids understand and respect this great country and will stand

up in defense of her. You know, I just think people can't sit idly by. And if you want to ensure that your communities are safe, you can't wait for Washington, D.C. or Austin, Texas, and the state government to take care of it. We're Americans. We take care of ourselves. when there was a bomber running around Austin, Texas a couple years back, a bomb went off about a mile from my kids' school. And the dad showed up in mass to our school the next morning. Why? Because we wanted to stand up and send a message that we're going to be taking care of our kids and our school and paying attention to the community around us. That is our obligation.

When my great-great-grandfather moved to Texas and it was here in the 1850s, he saddled up to be a Texas Ranger in the 1870s, why? Because the Comanchee raids. 100% because of Comanchee rates. I'm not going to apologize for that. I'm glad he did it. That was a part of settling the West. It was a part of dealing with securing your communities. And I'm not going to apologize because somebody may have mistreated some Comanchee Indians in one situation,

but we're defending their families in another situation. That's the reality of what our history is. And it is part of who we are as a country. And I'm not going to apologize for it. We learn from it. We learn how to improve. and learn how to treat each other with respect. But, you know, I hear all this stuff about South Dakota and the Indians and the Lakota tribe.

And you talk about Sue Indian. And let's talk about the warfare between Indian tribes. Let's talk about the, you know, very, you know, violent actions that were carried out between and among warring tribes. Because we're mankind and we've fallen and that's what we do. But this country has stood for something bigger and, you know. better than that in terms of our republic and the rule of law and our democracy and we ought to do it proudly and openly. Well, Congressman Roy, thank you so much for joining us here today on the Daily Signal podcast. It's been great to have you on. I appreciate it. Thank you all for what you do.

And God bless America. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to the Daily Signal podcast. We do appreciate your patience as we record remotely during these weeks. Please be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. And please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts and give us your feedback. Stay healthy and we'll be back with you all tomorrow. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. It is executive produced by Kate Trinko and Rachel Del Judas, sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney and John Pop. For more information, visitdailySignal.com.