The Eric Metaxas Show - Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

Ann and Phelim join to discuss a their new play based on the October 7th attacks  

Folks, welcome to the Eric Mataxis show, sponsored by Legacy Precious Metals. There's never been a better time to invest in precious metals. Visit legacy p.m. Investments.com. That's LegacyPMinvestments.com. Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. It's a nutritious smoothie of creamy, fresh yogurt, vanilla, protein powder, and a mushy banana. For your mind? Drink it all down. It's nummy. I wab, vanilla. I wapeno. Here comes Eric Metaxis.

Hey, the folks. Welcome to the program. Chris Himes, they tell me today is the 10th of May. Yes. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Oh, sorry. I never passed Spanish, so I apologize. I too.

Como istaz? So, today is Friday. Okay. I'm in Connecticut, spending a lot of time up here in Connecticut. But the pollen in Connecticut and New York is equal. Like I am fogged up. Even if I take Claritin, I'm just, it's just astonishing how I get.

It didn't used to happen to me. I don't know what's going on. Yeah, there's a famous Seinfeld quote. I have where they say the sea was angry that day, my friend. And I feel like the trees are angry all the time this season. I like to ride the bike around town. And it's like taking my. life in my own hands because it's just pollen going straight into my eyes.

Yeah. No, it's unbelievable. Okay, so I want to talk about, first of all, let me tee things up. Today, we're talking to our friends, Ann and Phelam, our Irish friends, we're talking to them. They've got to play talking about October 7th. So we're talking to them in a couple of minutes. They're so creative.

They're so extraordinary. So I want to talk to them about what's going on the situation in Israel. I also want to mention that we have a Socrates event next week in New York City. Ron White is my guest. A lot of people don't know Ron White, but everybody knows that if you come to Socrates, you won't be disappointed. These are just the greatest events. I pick people because not only are they, you know, great writers or whatever,

but they have an ability to communicate. Ron White is a biographer. I, too, am a biographer. I have written three major biographies, at least they're major to me. Ron White has written a number of biographies. It's hard to write a good biography because, you know, you can get all the facts down

but not be a good storyteller. And Ron White, he's written a biography of Abraham Lincoln. He's written a biography of Ulysses Grant. These are highly acclaimed. And the new one, And this is kind of weird. I haven't said this on the air. I was up in Maine a couple years ago, speaking Bangor, Maine.

At a great church up there, Ken Graves is the pastor. And he starts talking to me about this figure in the Civil War named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, this amazing Christian hero. And he goes on and on. and I thought, somebody should write a book about this. Somebody should write a biography. This is one of the greatest stories. Wow. Well, guess what? Ron White has written a biography about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. It is brand new. We will be discussing that at Socrates in the city next week. It is called On Great Fields. I'm amazed. I'm amazed. So that's happening next week. If you can get to New York City

or if you're near New York City and can get to New York City, or if you know somebody, New York City. You want to send them to the event. Socratesandcity.com is the website. I have to say, again, these are gorgeous events. We're actually doing this one in the library of the Union League Club, which is gorgeous. It is gorgeous. The idea that these rooms exist is just amazing.

So that's next week. What day next week? I forgot. It is next Thursday, May 16th. Really fantastic. So that's happening next week. I'm excited about the library thing. Unfortunately, I'm going to be traveling to Phoenix.

that day and we'll have to miss it, but it's going to be really cool. It's got kind of a Hogwartsy vibe. Oh, I mean, the fact that this exists in New York City, the Union League Club, I mean, if you only come to a Socrates event to see the Union League Club, trust you folks. It is gorgeous. It's amazing that it exists. It's fantastic. And if you've ever wanted to step inside the Clue board game and the library, this is basically

what you're doing there. So there will be no one murdered as far as we know, but it's worth a visit. And I was there in the library of the Union League Club, literally yesterday, because we filmed two Socrates in the studio events. As you know, if you're signed up for Socrates plus, we're doing a lot more, we're doing, we're doing a lot more, creating a lot more content. The phrase is blowing it out. We're blowing it out.

We're blowing it out. So you have to be signed up for Socrates plus to, to get the content. But actually this brings me to something that I don't think I've said it. We have, I opened up the box. It was either yesterday the day before it came to our house in New York City. The Socrates swag. We have spent a lot of time designing this, getting it designed so that it's gorgeous.

We have, I mean, I opened up the box yesterday. We're going to be releasing the film. of this so you can actually see it. We have these sweatshirts. It just says Socrates. It is so beautifully done. We have these mugs. It's so beautifully designed.

I promise you. I mean, we, you know, I like to think of part of the brand is excellence. So we don't just want, you know, some stuff that says Socrates. We want it to be beautiful. So it took a long time. We have a designer in Charleston, South Carolina. Lee, I got to say the work. Yeah, it's not some.

sort of cheap like this to print you know it's not stuff you'd make for your you know your grandmother's special whatever birthday thing it's um these these are thoughtfully designed it's very old school looking it's old school looking the typography it's it's absolutely beautiful and let me say if you are a member of socrates plus this is the push folks if you sign up for socrates plus which is five dollars a month Okay. You get the live streaming. You get to see all the stuff we're doing, all the Socrates in the studio. You get all this stuff.

And here it is, you get huge discounts on the Socrates merchandise, the swag, the merch. It's worth it just for that. When you see these sweatshirts, the mugs, they're, oh, two different kinds of tote bag. It's just beautiful. It is so beautiful. I promise you it's worth being signed up to Socrates Plus just to get the discount, to get some of this stuff. This makes great gifts. I'm going to push it because it's gorgeous. I also should say yesterday, I interviewed Holly Ordway. I wanted to interview her for a long time.

She's a J.R.R. Tolkien expert. She's been studying Tolkien for 30 years. She wrote a book on the faith of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a fantastic book. We had a glorious conversation yesterday. They absolutely, you know, I felt like I was in Oxford. It was amazing. So we're going to be releasing that on Socrates Plus. You've got to sign up at Socratesin'City.com for Socrates Plus. Just fantastic. Okay.

Before we go to Anne and Phelam, I should like to tell you, CSI, all right, you know this, Christian Solidarity International. they have figured out how to free slaves in Sudan. We've talked about it on the program. In hour two, we'll probably talk about it some more. They have figured it out. And if you give $250 to CSI, you free a slave, literally enslaved, folks. This is not a metaphor. This is the real thing.

It's horrible. But we get to step up. For $250, a slave is freed. and set up in a life of freedom. We've talked about the details of how they're set up in a life of freedom. It's a big deal that CSI has done this, that they've managed this. Now they need us to participate. So Suzanne and I participate every time I want you to participate.

There are people listening right now who can give $250. There are people who can give a little bit every month, which adds up to $250. There are people who can give many multiples of $250. I always say if anybody can give $15,000, do the math there, do the math. That's more than we've raised to date. Okay, we've been doing this for two weeks. We have not yet raised $15,000. If somebody can give today, somebody can give $15,000, I will have dinner with you,

we'll get together. I want to celebrate with the people who put their money where their mouth is in terms of their faith. 69 of you have participated. God bless you. Those of you listen to this program, 69 of you thus far as of this morning have participated. We have freed 59 human beings. Think about it. You got to go to metaxis talk.com. You'll see the banner. Please, folks, today, make it today. Please, whatever little amount, big amount, metaxis talk.com. Please do it today. We'll be right back. Remember as a kid, your parents and grandparents making you try all the vegetables on your plate or when they coax you to eat fruit instead of sweets? That's because they knew what was good for you, and it's true today than ever before. You need to eat your fruits and veggies.

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sent you legacy PM Investments.com. Folks, welcome back as promised. Our journalistic duo, our friends, Anne and Phelam, welcome back. Always encouraging to see you and to hear what you're doing. Thank you. It's great to be here. Thanks, Eric. What, I mean, what you two are doing right now is, I was amazed.

I guess I'm usually amazed when I find out what you're up to. It's happening in New York City. It's happening right now. Tell my audience, it's a play called October 7th. I don't need to explain what it's about. But please explain to my audience the details of what you have accomplished, what you're doing with this play. Well, after October 7, we noticed people weren't talking about October 7th anymore. They were talking about Gaza. They were talking about Palestine. They were talking about turning off the electricity. They were talking about the war in Gaza, but nobody was talking about what happened on October 7th that led to everything else. So we went to Israel after October 7th, we went there, and we interviewed maybe 20, 25 people

who had lived through that day, had various stories to tell, had suffered or had lost people, or had fought back, had miracle escapes, combat had been involved in combating Hamas. And we've taken their stories and we interviewed them at length and we're taking about 13 of those stories and made them into a play which is going on stage in New Yorker. It's on stage at the moment where in previous

official opening night is Monday May the 13th and then it's going to run until the middle of June but it's a play it's kind of like if you ever saw the movie crash it's all these disparate stories that start off and then some of them are connected as they go through and they weave

this compelling story And every word that's on stage, every word that is on stage is verbatim. It's from the interviews. We haven't done like leftists do. We haven't added composite characters, which means fake characters. We haven't added any editorializing. We haven't added any drama. It's all just the eyewitness accounts of the people who were there.

It's extraordinary to me that you do what you do. I mean, the idea that you went to Israel and that you interviewed these people, how did you find them? I mean, it's just amazing to me. So we have a lot of Jewish friends in this country and we talk to a lot of people and ask them,

do you know people? Do you know people in Israel? And people connected us to other people. And we also had a fixer, a local fixer who helped us. But actually, a lot of the interviews we did were based on a very good friend of mine who lives in Connecticut

who has family in Israel and she connected me to her cousin who then, you know, connected us. And people, you know, I just heard someone talking about Israel. There's a million stories. You know, it isn't hard to find the stories. This event, October 7th affected every last person in the country.

And it's journalism, too. You know, we're journalists. That's what we've done all along. All our work is journalistic based. And I suppose, you know, as journalists, you know, you go and search for stories and you just talk to everyone and you reach out to everyone you ever met and, you know, to resources, find these stories. I mean, I think that's, you know, there's one of the faults of the,

conservative movement is they don't do enough original journalism. They're great at commenting on what people are saying, what liberals are saying, what the world is doing, but they're not going out and talking to the original source. So that's our background, journalism. And this is a, you know, this is a first draft of history, as they call it, on stage in New York. 13 really professional. I forgot that journalism existed, if not for the two of you and a handful of other friends. I mean, imagine if the New York Times, instead of worshipping at the throne of Satan and publishing garbage every day, like the 1619 project, I mean, utter nonsense, madness, garbage. Imagine if the New York Times used their fading, almost disappeared, bully pulpit, and they published this kind of information. Imagine if the New York Times used their outrageous resources to do what the two of you have done.

But folks, the New York Times doesn't do that anymore. They don't care. So I am thrilled and filmed you have done this. This is true journalism to wake people up to say this is exactly what's happening. These are the words of people who have been through this. The play just for people to get the website, October 7. So it's the number 7. October 7 theplay.com.

October 7, the number 7. October 7. Theplay.com. It is in New York City. It is from now through June 16th. It's right there on Broadway. Where is the, it's, I have the address in front of me. It's on West 47th Street, 339, West 47th Street.

Actors Temple Theater. It is, it is. really you've done this just so beautifully. You call it a verbatim play. And Phelam, you pull this together. It's, I mean, it's more than

journalism. You've done journalism, but then you've done art. You've turned it into a play very, very quickly. So congratulations on this. So tell us, for my audience, because we haven't talked very much about it recently, what

are some of these stories? What have some, What have people endured that we're already forgetting about while the pro-hamas lunatics on these campuses are talking about, you know, the suffering in Gaza? Let's go back to October 7th. There's some of the people in this place saying in their own words. Yes. I mean, let me tell you two stories. You know, there is one story of Mihal Biela, a grandmother living in Offaqim.

who, you know, had spent the night before, for your Jewish listeners, they'll know that it was Simcat Torah, which is a very special festival and a special holiday, Jewish holiday, celebrating the end of reading the Torah for the year and starting again. And she had had two of her sons, she had four sons, two of her sons, Ariel and Guy came with their wives and their children, had a really lovely evening together. And then in the morning started to hear the barrage of the, you know, of bombs, and gunfire going off in the town, in the village. And her son Ariel said, you know,

came up with a great idea, by the way, which was a great idea, to get up, go upstairs and get out onto the roof of the neighbour's house and get under the solar panels. And I make the little joke, the dark humour here, you know, first good use of a solar panel ever. And they did. They all get out except for Mihal Bile and Ariel.

So she gets her leg stuck in the window. And while she stuck getting out the window, she sees a Hamas terrorist who trains his gun on her. And she says in those words, and we sat there listening to her say this, she said, I wasn't frightened. The savage did not deserve my fear. You know, this is what she said.

Eventually she gets out. She gets under the solar panel, but Ariel never follows because the terrorists had breached the house and they went in and he was killed. then we have down in the south, very close to Gaza, we have a beautiful man, Zaki, who works for Coca-Cola and has a van, is very proud of the work he does.

He's very, very, very religious. And so for that day, obviously, Shabbat, everything was off, the telephone was off, you know, and TV and radio and all of that. But he heard what sounded like thunder, and it went on for a really long time. And after a while, he realized it wasn't thunder, and that in fact that they were under attack,

he turned on the radio or the television, realized what was happening and immediately thought, who was going to save the young people at the Nova Party? He had actually installed the soda machines at the Nova Party. And he knew the answer immediately before he finished his sentence. He was going to save the young people. And he got his van that he uses for work for Coca-Cola and his buddy, his next-door neighbor. And the two of them made these forays back and forth into the Nova, into the middle of the mayhem, into the middle of the massacre,

and saved a hundred young people. And he is a rock star. And you know what I love, I just have to say this. I don't want to over-dominate the conversation. He said a beautiful thing. He gets really angry when people say, you're an amazing man. Thank God you're a great guy.

You're a wonderful guy. And he said, no. And he gets angry about it. He said, it's the highest calling among the Jewish faith. And if you knew anything about Judaism, you'd know that. to save a soul. There is nothing holier.

He said, you break Yom Kippur, you break the holiest of the holiest days to save a soul. And he said, I can't believe people don't know that. You know, and he's just the most wonderful, wonderful person. Coca-Cola should be really, really proud of him. It's unbelievable. Again, you know, the reason you've done this is because, as you said, people stop talking about this.

And they're talking about the pro-Hamas children on these campuses, you know, sucking the thumb of their invented grievances. This is what the news focuses on. To focus on what happened on October 7th, and I want to be clear, I've said this many times, when you look at the dignity of Martin Luther King Jr., these marches, okay, nonviolent protests that pierced the heart of a man. Americans that made people understand, wow, we're in the wrong. Look at this dignity. Look at how these people

are comporting themselves. That's the exact opposite of what you see with Hamas. They say they have these grievances, but what they do is sadistic and evil. And it ought to make everyone know, we are not interested in hearing about your grievances. The way you've expressed yourself is worse than anything you're complaining about. You're done. We don't want to hear what you have to say. we're going to take care of you. We're not going to let you do this again. Folks, it's October 7.7.com. That's the number 7. October 7.com in New York City. We'll be right back with Anne and Phelam. For 10 years, Patriot Mobile has been America's only Christian conservative wireless provider.

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slash Metaxis, PatriotMobil.com slash metaxis, or call 972 Patriot. 972 Patriot. Get free activation when you use the offer code Metaxis. Join me, make the switch today. That's Patriotmobile.com slash metaxis. Hey, this is Eric Metaxis. For years, I've told you about Nutrametics, a professional supplement brand trusted by doctors since 1993. Nutrametics offers a variety of health

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Again, Neutrametics, N-U-T-R-A-M-E-D-I-X. Nutrametics.com, use the code Eric for 15% off. Phelam McAlear and Ann McAlini are my guests. They are journalists who've put together a play called October 7. It is a beautiful thing the two of you have done. you do and then the art that you create out of it. The website is October 7, number 7, October 7, the play.com. And it is in New York right now.

I won't be there on Monday for the opening. I'm in Connecticut, but I will see it this month. So what else can we say? And what other stories are there, Phelam, in this play? I'll tell you, I mean the story of one of the story, one of the stories of the play that it's the only play in New York at the moment that needs permanent police protection. There were five police officers and a police vehicle outside the theater last night. So can you imagine that a play telling the truth about Israel in New York in 2024 needs police

protection. And we have our own private security too, in the theater and outside the theater. to get into the theatre, you have to go through airport-style security. I don't know when the last time there was a play in New York that needed police protection. And the actors of New York and the directors of New York and producers of New York, they're so, I'm bored with them giving themselves awards for bravery. They've never needed police protection. They've never done anything truly that would put them in any kind of risk or danger. And we have these actors.

Amazing. Amazing actors, amazing Broadway actors. and amazing Broadway directors, and they're there every night. And, you know, can you imagine them reenacting these tragedies and sometimes hope and resilience, but these events, this day's events, plus the added knowledge that they're under armed police protection. I mean, it's extraordinary. It's absolutely extraordinary.

I hope that whoever's listening to this program will alert their friends in the New York area to see this play. And to me, it's a beautiful thing when Christians lead the way. My hero, Dietrich Bonhofer, because of his Christian faith, stood up for the Jews, identified with the Jews, gave his life, ultimately, in the cause of speaking up against the Nazis and for the Jews. That's our duty as Christians, if we're actual Christians and not merely virtue signaling Gentiles, which many people who go to church are these days.

And I was up at Columbia University a couple of weeks ago because my friend Sean Foyt said, we need to show solidarity with the Jewish students who are being, who are frightened because of the pro-Hamas lunatics on these campuses. We need to show solidarity. So we went up there. I had a few Bonhofer posters that we held up, the face of Christians standing up for Jews and thousands of Jews in New York. showed up as a result of our leading this. And I thought to myself, what a beautiful thing to show this kind of solidarity. But how many are there in New York who can go see this? How many people in New York, Christians and Jews, who can go see this? Now you can buy tickets,

folks. I want to say this again, the website, October 7, it's the number 7, October 7, theplay.com. October 7, the play.com. We really need to show where we're talking. And I'm really glad you mentioned Columbia because actually, and there's two things your audience can do and we'd be so grateful. Obviously, they can buy tickets. If you think you can't come, but you understand how important this is, you can also donate at the same site. You can donate. We are a 501c3 and we are desperately in need of funds. But you will really like where we're going after our run in New York.

I think you'll appreciate this. We are going to Harvard after this. We are going to Harvard. We're going to Penn. We're going to Princeton. We're going to Ittica. Columbia. We're going to Columbia.

We're doing the tour. We're doing a one night only play. Play. With the story, we're going to travel because we need to bring this play to those places that are, these places that were meant to be places of education that are so dedicated to ignorance that we are going to do the job that the institutions failed to do and educate these young people about what actually happened and what they're actually chanting for.

I love this. It's so funny because when I was with Sean Foight up at Columbia, we said the same thing. We need to go to other campuses. The idea that you are, well, actually, two days ago they were at USC in Los Angeles. But this is some movement. This is something that is happening. And folks, this is, it shows where each of us stands, you know, to be silent in the face of evil, nothing when this satanic evil has manifested itself.

I mean, do you need to be reminded, folks, that were beheaded and murdered, that women were raped and murdered? If you have legitimate grievances, that's not how you behave. That is how savages and monsters behave. That's what they are, those who did this. Savages and monsters. they are not worthy of being taken seriously, whatever grievances they claim to have.

We're not interested. If you've expressed yourself in this way, you're the problem. You don't have a problem. You are the problem. And your vicious hatred and sadistic cruelty, that is the problem. So we've just got a few moments left.

What else can we tell people and Phelam? I think, I think that my, you know, because some of your listeners might think, oh, God, I mean, I love this idea, but I don't think I could see it myself. You're wrong. And I'm saying that very in the gentlest possible way. And it's interesting because we've interviewed people when they've come out of the performances and said,

look, do you mind talking to us? Tell us what you think. And people said, look, I'll be honest with you. Like one person said that. I was a little bit scared about coming. But people need to know not to be scared. This is not the, you know, this is not the video that people talk about in the last video. This is and actually ultimately, there's humor in it, by the way, Eric, which, you know, as anybody who knows Jewish people, you know,

there's always going to be humor and there is humor and good humor, by the way. but also ultimately the feeling is very, very uplifting. It's very, very life-enhancing. Okay, folks, please go to October 7thepa.com. Anne and Phelam, thank you. Thanks, Eric. Thank you, Eric. You might have heard Mike Lindell and my pillow

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800-9783057. promo-com promo code Eric or go to MyPillow.com and use promo code Eric. Big John. Every morning at the mine you could see him arrive. He stood 6 foot 6 and weighed 245, kind of broad at his shoulder and narrowed the hip. And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John. Big John. Big bad John.

Hey, folks, welcome back. We get now to speak to our friend John Zemirak. I pronounced that correctly, John Zemirak. Welcome back. Hi, Eric. You know what? No one has ever pronounced it the same way. It is unique.

Every time it's an irrepeable experience, the ways in which the mysterious vowels and consonants of my name, name. They recombine differently each time. It's like Darwinian evolution, which randomly produces absolutely nothing. You know, what's interesting is, and I know this for a fact, just because we're my friends for some time, there is no correct pronunciation. People need to know that. No matter how you say it, you're wrong. You're wrong. Do you understand? It doesn't matter how you say. I am acceptable. And I cannot be pinned down. Even my name cannot be pinned down by arbitrary rules of pronunciation that are used correctly.

Right. I am misusing air quotes. That's why people just say the Z word. You know what I'm saying? You don't say the actual word. Just say the Z word. People get it. Now, John, before we talk about your article on the General Flynn movie, a lot of great

stuff to talk about. That's at the top of the list. But actually, also at the top of the list, I want to remind my audience of a few things. First of all, you, John Zmirak, I can't believe it. You have a book out. Everybody needs to buy the book and buy a gun. John, people can buy the book first to get the gun later. But tell us the title of the book is.

The book is legal in all 50 states. Not all 50 states allow you your Second Amendment rights tragically. Let me show you the book. No second amendment. no first. I want to be clear, if you carry this book into, you know, like a Starbucks in New York City or Portland or Seattle, people will freak out as though you were brandishing a handgun. But it is perfectly legal, even in those bluest of blue state cities to carry this book, to open carry John's book. Right, but not concealed.

Amendment no first. You need a concealed carry permit to have my books like in a knapsack in each of the 50 states. And I understand that. I support that. I'm one of those responsible firearms producers that cooperates with public authority. No, seriously, my book, no Second Amendment, no first, long delayed, because of various production editorial questions. This book is the fruit of several years of reflection in the wake of the COVID panic. And as we discussed in Socrates in the studio in Fort Worth, some eight, eight, nine months ago, you asked me what it was that really told me this book was important. And I said it was when I was locked in my house during the COVID panic. Even though it was Texas, we were still locked down. Our churches were closed. The schools were closed. The media were being censored by the World Health Organization, whose orders were imposed by YouTube. Twitter was censored. We were being forced by the government to get an untested experimental vaccine that had been developed using baby parts stolen from unborn babies and abortion.

And everybody is saying, this is fine. Everything is fine. This is the new normal. We had Republicans saying that. We had the Pope saying that. We had prominent evangelical pastors and we now know we're bribed by the NIH. They were actually directed money.

Wait a minute. Which evangelical? But do you know of evangelical pastors that were bribed by the NRAH? I know that some were. I don't know their names. Megan Basham reported on it. And we just look up Megan Bastion's reporting on it. It's like money from the NIH that went to evangelical leaders so that they would repeat the line about taking the vaccine is your Christian duty.

So since I don't, and I don't have it in front of me, I'm not going to name any names. I don't, you can look it up. I think you're having Megan on or are you having it Megan on soon about her wonderful new book? Because she will happily talk about that. We've had her on. The book is actually not out yet. I thought it was out, but it's not out yet. but Megan Basham is just doing heroic journalism.

She recently pointed out that there's a Presbyterian convention of some kind to help pastors navigate these tough times. And they brought in, are you ready? They've invited David French to be on the panel. Yeah. The top title, his panel is something like, how you can be more supportive of your pastor. Literally. It's like how you can be more supportive of your pastor, how the sheep can protect their pastures from those nasty wool hunters.

Well, look, people, we haven't mentioned it recently. David French has come out publicly for same-sex marriage. This is the evangelical, quote-unquote, David French, for same-sex marriage. Oh, it's the law of the land now. So, you know, I guess abortion must be okay, too. Oh, by the way, he has endorsed. It's not that he didn't endorse Donald Trump. Oh, no. He actually did endorse Joe Biden for president recently. That's a...

If you want to know where we are, votes, if you want to know where we are, that is where we are. David French, this guy who, you know, used to be a conservative evangelical, he has now endorsed, you know, baby killer Joe. We don't need to talk more about this, but it's pretty thick.

I want to emphasize why. There's a principle involved, driving David French and driving people like Nikki Haley. It is the red swing line stapler. If you remember the movie Office Space, there's this character, Milton, and he has one principle. He cares about his red swing line stapler, and if you take that away, I'm going to burn this building down. And they take it away, and he does burn the building down. that red swing line stapler is the institutional power and money of the Republican Party. That's all.

They're not asking for too much. All that the never Trumpers and the anti-Trumpers and the neocons, all that they want is total control of our political party and the ability to censor our messages and shape our politics and run our country. That's not too much to ask. If we won't give them that, they will support the Democrats opening the borders so that people could squat in your home. and voted in your elections and tear the country down and behead statues of Washington and so on. Hang on. Going to a bird. We'll be back. Plenty more with John Smirak.

I said I could follow through. I know that your love is true and deep as the sea. Hey, folks, we're talking to John Smirak. John, I have to remind my audience. We are so much stuff going on. We are doing a Socrates in the city retreat in Oxford. England. This is going to be July 9th through 12th, a raft of great guests. I'm interviewing Tom Holland. I wrote the book Dominion.

Tom Holland. I'm interviewing Michael Ward. So many others. It's... Planet Narnia. These, you have the most stellar array of guests. I would love to be there, but I'm having other, I have other obligations, unfortunately, around the same time. But this is like the dream lineup. I mean, if you could have a seance and

bring Tolkien, that would be great, but I know that's wrong. We can't do that. Well, just yesterday, this is to tell people to sign up for Socrates Plus. If you sign up for Socrates Plus, one of the things you will get, I just interviewed literally yesterday in New York City at the Union League Club, Holly Ordway, who has written a glorious spiritual biography of J.R.R. Tolkien It is truly wonderful. And I interviewed her yesterday. We will be playing that. That's going to be at Socrates Plus.

People know that Socrates in the studio is only for people who are members of Socrates Plus. So you have to go to Socrates in the city.com. Sign up for Socrates Plus. But when you sign up for Socrates Plus, you get all this other stuff. You're going to get gigantic discounts on the merch, the swag that we just unveiled yesterday. A lot of great stuff. But I just wanted to mention before we continue our conversation with you, John, that we are doing this thing in Oxford.

It's halfway sold out already. So if you're interested, jump on it. I'm not kidding. Go to Socrates in the city.com. You'll see it. But it's going to be at the Randolph Hotel. It's really beautiful. And I want anybody who wants to come to be able to come.

But you won't be able to come once it's sold out. So I'm warning you. Okay. John's Merak. the way we're talking about my book, which all unapologetically plug, no Second Amendment, no first. This book, it's about fundamentally, it's not about guns, or even the Constitution, as much as it is about the collapse of the church, the collapse of the Christian mind, the softening of the Christian brain. You know the way when you grow up a baby, his head plates gradually come together to form a solid skull? What we've seen in the last 30 years is the opposite.

And the mind of the church, the little head plates are separating. And what you have now is a soft, squishy spot. And if you push on the top of the church's head, it loses IQ points. The church is 80% Fontanella. Yeah. Fondella. See, I would assume that we'd be good. salient cheese.

You're a dad. Fontanella church. So, John, leave it to you to come up with a strange, bizarre yet apt picture of what is happening. That's just... You know, like when you're playing around with a kid and you push on the soft spot and he gets a weird look on his face? You never did that? Neither did. I don't think anyone ever did that.

Oh, I'm just being terrible. That's very sick. But the point is what... That is what Caesar is doing to the church right now. It is pushing on the soft, squishy spot. David French is that soft squishy pot. Russell Moore, Pope Francis is the soft squishy pot spot on top of the head where the brain is open and can be just scooped out with a spoon if you want. That's really disgusting.

I apologize for my guest, John Smirik, and yet, I don't. Okay, John, so we just got a few seconds left before we go to a break. I want to talk to you about the Flynn movie. What is the title? Before we go to our break, what is the title? Then we'll come back. It's just called Flynn, F-L-Y-N-N. And let's talk about why it's one of the most powerful films I've seen in years. Terrific, my goodness. Okay, folks, don't forget, we need you to go to Metaxus Talk.com to participate in Freeing Slaves in Sedan. As of today, only 69 people who listen to this program have participated. God bless those of you who have the rest of you. We need your help.

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