We believe that whether you live here or right here or way out in the middle of anywhere you should have access to past reliable internet. Thats why we are leading the way to keep you connected. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Heritage Foundation and good morning. Its great to see so many friends in the audience today. For those of us that are joining in person watching online or viewing this on cspan, we are grateful that youre interested and with us today. I am rob louis Vice President of communications at heritage and also executive editorr of the daily signal our news outlet and its my pleasure to host the cal thomas for todays event as one of americas most read colonists with a distinguished career in media. Theres not a lot i can tell you tha you probably dont already know. But i will start with his new book that is called a watchman in the night, but ive seen over 50 years reporting on america. The book takes you on a journey through his time as a syndicated columnist from his startta in 14 with the Los Angeles Times syndicate to the present day. We have a limited number of Copies Available for sale after todays event that he will gladly sign for you. This book is his 12th and a remarkable achievement even for the writer and i can say that as a writer myself that hasnt written a single book. His other titles include Expiration Date the fall of empires and superpowers and the future of the united states, what works, Commonsense Solutions for a stronger america; the things that matter most and Common Ground how to stop thea. Common ground that is hurting o america. Before later in the stage over to make remarks and answer questions, a few more words about his career and the lessons that he is taught us through his humor and common sense. He started in journalism at the age of 16 and would eventually have hundreds of news outlets including our own daily signal. When the column started he was in fewer than ten papers nationwide and although he wasnt the only conservative voice appearing on the editorial pages, he distinguished himself in each week by focusing on objective truths and serving as the watchman for americas founding principles. He was also a commentator on Fox News Channel for 19 years hosting his own show and serving on a panel with others. Hes worked for key prc in houston, nbc in washington and host a program on cnbc. In 2011 he received the William F Buckley junior no word for media excellence from the Research Center and in 2022, the William Armstrong award for Visionary Leadership and service to the american ideal by the centennial institute. Although the social, politicalig and religious views mostly aligned with of those at the Heritage Foundation, he long ago developed a reputation for forging relationships with people who didnt always agree with him. Powell and bob wrote the Common Ground column for ten years at usa today. As such an idea might seem like a lost cause in todays divided country that we can all learn a lesson or two. But there was hosting private dinners for the press and members of congress were bringing people together for the National PrayerBreakfast Media dinner he earned the respect of people from all walks of life in different political beliefs. G he was guided from a young age a by his faith in jesus christ and housing and enduring faith innd god. A proud father, grandfather and friend to many of us here at the foundation. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome cal thomas. [applause] thank you very much. It sounded like you are reading my obituary. [laughter] you may wonder why more people havent shown up. We had to turn away the crowd because it was so vast and there are fire regulations. [laughter] i want to thank everybody for showing up especially my granddaughter, krystal who flew in from san antonio she will be the first female president of the united states. I confess to a little nervousness being here today because the last individual to speak your got fired. [laughter] but im going to go on anyway. Thirtynine years, two columns per week, 4,056 columns and counting i reread every one of oothem trail compiling the book. Its not a collection but the roadmap or diary of what i witnessed over the decades of reporting on this wonderful city of which i happen to be born. I couldnt help my mother was here at the time. I used to say im happy to be here tonight from washington with of the only politics withul convictions or in prison. Im particularly thankful that people with such a wide range of political beliefs offered blurbs for this book and im especially pleased tom johnson that opened the door for me when he was publisher of the Los Angeles Times wrote the forward to it. You cant have a spectrum of political decisions than henry louiss gates junior from harvard and the host of the pbs series to pat sajak of the wheel of fortune. I tune in to see what he is wearing each night. I thank them and the others for honoring me in this way and my editors that are watching my lifestream from the Los Angeles Times and now tracy clarke of the tribune in chicago. They would have been here today but the crime is so bad in their cities they felt it was unsafe for them to leave. Only a joke. When you go to the store to buy groceries assuming you can afford them in this time of high inflation, you dont argue with the checkout clerk about pounds andre gallons and other measurements. You dont stand in line with two jugs of milk into say my standard as this is only one jug or you have 2 pounds of meat and say my standard is only one. The next voice you would hear would be security and yet that is precisely what the loudest voices in the culture are saying. They want to create their own standards that are not the standards at all. Theyey have their economic standards, spending and taxing and ignoring with what Massive National debt has done to other nations. There are Foreign Policy standards which this administration and the entire left is and ignoring but that put the nation at risk from china, russia, iran and others that see us as weak and indecisive. Only a few years ago they feared us and now the chinese president believes that america is in decline. Is there sufficient evidence to counter his diagnosis . I just returned from israel my 27th visit. I may be an honorary jewish person which was nice and i am t my longtime friend benjamin netanyahu. He told me that israel has managed to delay iran getting a nuclear bomb but only a delay. Meanwhile the Obama Administration continues to push a solution to the palestinian problem. I presume now at least they have tabled the idea of the treaty with iran is a regime that claims theirin god once israel eliminatedid and us would abidey anything they were designed with infidels. Must i mention moral standards that are not only being violated, but rejected in favor okof what is now called woke, dg queen a story time, 56 labels of gender identification on facebook, samesex marriage, puberty blockers and the rest of the progressive agenda. Oncece people that favored such things were ashamed to say it in public and now they shouted from the house tops. Once people were told to seek counseling and now they not only seek permission but approval and demand you give it to them or they will get your business or home. See other conservative justices, see those that are standing up for womens sports against transgenderth males and the hail of criticism that is rained down upon them. The city council of somerville massachusettsro enacted an ordinance protecting individuals in polyamorous relationships from discrimination. In 2020 the city became the first in the nation but im betting that the last, to recognize polyamorous relationships as legitimate domestic partnerships. Romantic relationships of three or more in the city well now have many of the same rights as traditionally married couples. Whats next, and there will be on next because without a standard, there will be no stopping anything. To what with anyone who says no this is too far appeal. It reminds me of what mitt romney said after the mob so the Supreme Court ruled on the legitimacy of samesex marriage. Next they will be allowing you to marry your dog. He was mocked. Not so funny now. Government schools teach a reconstructionist history that seeks to indoctrinate children with a leftist point of view whose goal is to create a generation of secular progressives dedicated to ending the success of others greedy for what they have and entitled to their money. During the last open season on medicare and ran on ads on tv stations in florida and elsewhere that contained four words. Three, deserve, benefit and entitlement. When i was growing up in suburban washington, the standard was inspiration followed by motivation followed by perspiration can improve any life. Calvin coolidge our 30th president said it best when it comes to economic success you dont build up the week by tearing down the strong. One of myhe favorite quotes of s refers to a standard that has been lost in our time. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more uncommon. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a problem. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are on medicine. Today if you are persistent and successful you are to be taxed andve regulated to subsidize others whove been less so, consider the biden administrations recent proposal to increase Mortgage Rates for people with good credit to subsidize those with bad credit, and get their art has many poor today as there were when the Great Society began. According to heritage figures, our government has spent 11 trillion fighting poverty and it hasnt worked. Theres roughly the same number of poor people today as there were 60 years ago. Poverty is more than a lack of money. Its a lack of other things that need to the lack of money. Do reasonable people think that its long time past or another approach when we are kneedeep and the fool says to push on with apologies. Recall the welfare reform law in the 90s the left screamed people would starve in the streets if they didnt get their welfare checks. They didnt when they realized the gravy train would no longer be in their mailboxes they went out and go to jobs, interviewed later many said they were living a fulfilled life. Welfare was an addictive drug and when they we end themselves from it, they discovered what freedom looks and feels like. Then theres the open border, which is contributing faster to the expiration of america than anyone could dream of. I recall the words of Moammar Gadhafi that he said that islam will dominate europe without a shot being firedig through immigration. The same is happening here. If the government schools dont finish the job of indoctrinating young peoples hearts and minds with secular progressivism by the time they graduate from high school, you can count on the universities finishing the job. It makes me ask why are we sending our children and grandchildrenin to these Indoctrination Centers . We dont send the troops to russia, china or iran. Why do we then send our children to places that teach the opposite of what many of us believe . Thank Goodness School choice is now more than 237 states. It needs to be national. Its always amused me that those that are prochoice when it comes to abortion are antichoice when it comes to the schooling of childrenh that are fortunate enough to have been born. Anyone who reads my columns know how much i like definitions. They help focus the mind. Heres how dictionary. Com defines standard, a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment. An average or normal requirement. Today who can define a principle without being labeled a racist and who dares to assert a rule or something normal for being called in a number of things. What groucho marx says, i have principles and if you dont like them i have others. [laughter] f it reminds me of a verse from the testament in those days israel had no king. Everyone did as he saw fit. Another translation says everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Paul the apostle put it in a similar way speaking in the times he said people will believe whatever their ears want to hear. By these definitions america and the rest of the world have e reached or are very close to reaching the end times or end of days. This apocalypse is more certain than those declared by the claimant change alarmists none of which have come through if you notice miami. Isnt underwater yet. In my column the end of the book you will be able to purchase and have me sign for whatever its worth and by the way a money back guarantee if you dont like it i guarantee not to give your money back. [laughter] i sought to assert a standard in this book that is fading from the culture and the nation. Aic standard thats always workd not only in america but other nations whenever and wherever applied. There is literally nothing new n,under the sun a book that inspired the rock the birds. I just wanted to let you know i was hip. Everything we think was fun before and has been done before. Why repeat historys mistakes . Re why. The answer is we are too often ignorant of history and so are necessarily doomed to repeat it. Look at the kind of people elected as mayors in high crime cities that appear to be fed up yet they vote for candidates that wanted to defund or eliminate the police or they reduce felony charges and misdemeanors and release offenders to commit new crimes including murder. What is wrong with us . The lead Roman Catholic bishop said so many wise things. De here are a few that were uttered more than six decades ago but still apply today. America is suffering from intolerance. It is not. It is suffering from tolerance, tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, crisis and chaos. Our country isnt so overrun with of the bigoted as it is overrun with a broadminded or the refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. Its a silent acquiescence to evil, the tragedy of the time is those who still believe in honesty lack conviction while thosee who believe in dishonesy are full of passionate conviction or moral principles do not depend on majority vote. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong, right is right, even if no one is right. Or civilization is always in danger with of those whove never learned to obey are given the right to command. Or there is no word more dangerous thanan liberalism because to oppose it is the new unforgivable sin. And finally, which sums up everything, the bishop says modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No, it is not our economics that have failed. It is man who has failed. A man who has forgotten god, hence no matter of economic or political readjustment can possibly save our civilization. We can be saved only by a renovation only by the purging of our hearts and souls into seeking first the kingdom of god and his justice with all these other things added unto us. I can think of nothing more profound than that. Wild applause. Thank you. [applause] the book officially comesrr out tomorrow. Sneak preview. We wanted to your questions and i dont know the last time he was here we certainly filled up the whole time answering questions, so i want to start with one and i have plenty of others. First of all, you as i mentioned in the introduction have long spoken about your christian faith. How have you been able to find such success in a media environment that seems so hostile to the value and beliefs that you have personally . Well, basically i spent most of my career denouncing other people and labeling them and that helps a lot. [laughter] no, i join organizations, i went around the country and met with editors whove never been visited by a columnist before, and i genuinely care about my colleagues. I admire their work and i tell them so. They dont necessarily admire mine, but thats their problem. Back when i wrote this column for usa today, called Common Ground, it shocked a lot of people including newspeople because there is money and ratings and you look at whats on tv these days you have a host, to guests and one that sas youre ruining america. The hostesses we will be back wewith more civil discussion afr these messages. Real people dont do that so i try to burst the stereotype of what a conservative into christian is like in a secular progressive sense of humor. I grew a mustache once. Somebody said i looked like saddam hussein. I thought that was nice. [laughter] and like mary poppins said sometimes a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. And its hard to resist living on someoneyo else. First they wonder what your motive is and then when they see that you dont have one, they open up. Do you think that the approach that you brought is possible today . It would have been widely accepted. Social security and medicare are the perfect example. Everybody knows what needs to be done. Its going to bee bankrupted ad youuc have to go up on the tax r reduce the benefits. Everybody knows that. Thats beyond debate but theyca wont do anything because they lose the issue and the government grows and becomes more intrusive and the debt grows. Reagan used to say the only proof of eternal life is a Government Program. Its true. I should mention we have questions if you have any. The fbi is monitoring them too. [laughter] we have a microphone. In the back row i will start over there. State your name andat if you are affiliated with an organization and who you voted for in the last election. [laughter] this is tyler owning welcome og editor of the daily signal. I wanted to ask, you mentioned the fbi listening in and ive been writing a lot about the Southern Poverty Law Center branding conservatives and christians im having trouble hearing you. Ive been writing about the Southern Poverty Law Center and responding to the vitriol of the left and id like to