Prove Me Wrong: Michael Knowles At America Fest

Thank you guys so much for being here.

It's a great honor to be here.

>> What time of the morning? Okay, it's not that early. I don't know, maybe it's

that early. I don't know, maybe it's just it feels early cuz I was out at the cigar party last night. It's great to be with all of you. Thank you for making it out. I am so so pleased. I want to give

out. I am so so pleased. I want to give a big sha thank you a big shout out to TPUSA the unbelievable team here who has just done heroic work in keeping

everything going and growing and advancing uh just as I think we all know our friend Charlie would have wanted just incredible work from TPUSA and incredible work from all of you. Thank

you.

>> I've never done one of these. You know,

Charlie was the king of this and now a bunch of Charlie's friends are going to be sitting in all day. So, go easy on me, please. I don't He was But we But,

me, please. I don't He was But we But, you know, one thing that we all really, really have loved over the years and I think has really helped our political movement is that we're willing to have

these conversations. People come up, no

these conversations. People come up, no notes, no anything, no rules, ask anything you want. Uh, and we'll we'll try to get at the truth and we'll try to move on forward together. So, who's the

first question? Love your hat.

first question? Love your hat.

I love your hat, but I hate your microphone because I can't hear you.

>> Um, so my question is, what is your opinions on private Christian schools versus um public education?

>> I'm sorry, I still hate your microphone and I can't quite hear you. Okay,

>> public education.

>> So, private schools versus um Christian uh run organizations in college education. uh Christian versus public

education. uh Christian versus public education. And so uh

education. And so uh the first thing we have to all recognize is that education is not merely a private endeavor. So I love that

private endeavor. So I love that homeschooling is normalized now. I've

been homeschooling my children. I think

the reason that homeschooling really took off, it's great. We got a lot of homeschoolers.

Of course we do. We of course we do.

here. The uh all of the public school kids are at the like BLM rally down the street, but every all the homeschoolers are here at TPSA. So, I I do it. I

really love it. I think it's great. Part

of the reason homeschooling really took off uh in recent years was because uh during COVID, the students went home.

The parents actually got to see what their students were being taught and they yanked them out as quickly as they possibly could. So, that was a great

possibly could. So, that was a great temporary solution. uh Christian

temporary solution. uh Christian education is a great alternative to the secular public schools, but it's not the final stop because education is a public

thing. It's a political thing. It

thing. It's a political thing. It

creates and shapes whole citizens. It it

shapes whole souls, you know, and so uh I think that conservatives would make a mistake if we merely retreated to the Christian schools, private parochial

schools, and homeschooling. I that's all good. I'm all for it. But we need to go

good. I'm all for it. But we need to go a step further and we need to reassert ourselves in the public schools as well.

You know, there didn't used to be a difference between Christian schooling and public schooling. It was all the same thing because until the middle of the 20th century, you were able to, I don't know, read the Bible in schools.

You know, the most important book ever written without which you can't know anything about anything at all. Uh, you

know, you were able to pray in schools.

uh our friend Yoram Hazone, great philosopher, suggests that uh taking the Bible out of schools, prayer out of schools was the most catastrophic event of the 20th century in terms of our

country. So look, I encourage everyone,

country. So look, I encourage everyone, yes, do the homeschooling, do the Christian private schools if you can afford it, if you can find a good one.

But let's go further. Let's make more demands of our country. Let's make more demands of the public school system.

Let's fight the bad guys. Let's fight

the the public teacher unions. Let's go

in there. Let's overturn ridiculous Supreme Court decisions and let's restore seriousness to education. It's

about raising up whole people. It's not

just reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Great question.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> Gotcha.

>> Thank you, sir, for taking my question.

I want to preface that I'm a devout Christian as well as not a racist, which feels like something I shouldn't even have to say in America. But my question or maybe topic for debate uh for you

today is I do not believe that Islam and those practicing this religion are compatible with institutions of the west uh considering their long track record

and the fact that their core book the Quran most literally says to for example kill the unbelievers. Uh and then once again just the combative nature.

I don't think you're going to get much debate out of me on that particular question.

Although there are some who do want to debate that on the right and I I think there are some people who think that we can form some kind of enduring alliance with Islam. There can be some synthesis

with Islam. There can be some synthesis say between Islam and uh the liberalism that came out of Christianity and maybe Christian civilization itself. And to

them I would just say seems like wishful thinking because to your point uh Christendom which we now call the west has been in conflict with Islam for

roughly uh 1,400 years. So uh this began very shortly after the invention of Islam. Uh you know the the first real

Islam. Uh you know the the first real clash between the Christian West, between Europe and Islam took place in 732. And it didn't take place in Arabia.

732. And it didn't take place in Arabia.

It didn't even really take place in the Levant. It took place 150 mi outside of

Levant. It took place 150 mi outside of Paris. So Islam has endeavored to

Paris. So Islam has endeavored to conquer the West many times over the course of history. The battle of Leanto 1571 is a good example. The battle of Vienna after that now we just sort of

welcome them all in and allow them to defraud our welfare systems and uh create their uh you know religious rituals and buildings all over all over the world. Uh so uh no, it's not going

the world. Uh so uh no, it's not going to work. What do we do about that? Well,

to work. What do we do about that? Well,

we have to recognize a very important word for conservatives and the word is no. We have to we we've had a lot of

no. We have to we we've had a lot of trouble with the word no in recent years, haven't we?

Even the conservatives have had trouble.

We used to say, "Look, we want endless migration as long as it's legal. Flood

the country with totally unassembleable cultures, but make sure they fill out the right paperwork before they come in." And that that's ridiculous. It's

in." And that that's ridiculous. It's

not just the procedural norms that matter. It's the substantive goods that

matter. It's the substantive goods that matter. We we have believed that our our

matter. We we have believed that our our country is totally open. It's just some people would say it's just an idea. But

what's crazy is some people would say it's not even it's any idea. It's just

anything at all. We can close our eyes and be whatever we want to be. But of

course, a country that's everything is a country that's nothing. So we have to circumscribe uh what what we mean. And

uh we need we need to recognize when we talk about the migration issue for instance, we need to recognize that the question is not merely legal versus illegal. The question is not merely even

illegal. The question is not merely even numbers. You know, we'll take half a

numbers. You know, we'll take half a million versus uh 2 million or something. No, the question is where is

something. No, the question is where is the migration coming from? What cultures

have the habits, the institutions, the beliefs that that uh work for us? I go

back to John Adams. John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1813. Little little

bit of bad blood between two of our founding fathers, but uh they they both agreed in principle on what won the revolution. John Adams says the general

revolution. John Adams says the general principles of Christianity in which all the sects agreed and the general principles of English and American liberty are the principles upon which

independence was one. It is simply an historical fact that we are a Christian nation with a history of tolerating all sorts of deviations but nevertheless with a norm. Uh that the differences

between the Christian and Muslim conceptions of God are manifest. In

Christianity, God uh sends his son as a mediator between man and God. In Islam,

God is wholly transcendent. There is no way to reach him. In Christianity,

Christ is the divine logic of the universe, the logos. In uh Islam, uh God is pure will. And so, as uh Pope Benedict the 16th quotes Iban Hassam, uh

if if uh we get we get some shout outs for Pope Benedict the 16th out there, I don't think for Iban Hass. uh

according to Islam, if Allah wanted his followers to worship idols, he could make them do so. These are radically different conceptions. They've led to

different conceptions. They've led to radically different civilizations and and we can't just paper over those differences. We can be we can be nice

differences. We can be we can be nice and kind and but we can't be everything to everyone. We have to be a specific

to everyone. We have to be a specific civilization. And for us, if our

civilization. And for us, if our civilization is not animated by the spirit which which has animated us from the beginning, namely the Holy Spirit, our civilization will be nothing at all.

>> Thank you, sir, for your time.

>> Can I sign that hat? Yes, sure. Throw it

up.

>> Here we go.

>> That was a good throw. Now, now, can you throw up a pen?

That's a black hat with a black pen. How

am I supposed to sign that?

>> All right.

Where'd he go?

>> Thank you.

>> Look at that. I was terrible at baseball as a kid, but I'm glad that throw that throw worked.

Who's is that? All right. One more. One

more. That's it. Now, I got to get back to answering these questions because Charlie was way pierier than me. I'm a

little more verbose. Okay, we got to get through these questions.

There we go.

>> All right. Next question.

>> Uh, hello. Um, my name is Chelsea and I'm from New Jersey and I wanted to ask you, should America implement free healthcare just like Canada and the UK?

>> Should America have a universal socialized healthcare like Canada?

>> I agree. I agree. No, we we should not.

Though I see why some people want us to because the American health care system is really messed up. Worth pointing out that the American health care system was created almost entirely by Franklin Roosevelt, Lynden Johnson, and Barack

Obama. So, you know, it does doesn't

Obama. So, you know, it does doesn't have a great track record on who built it. I'm not surprised it hasn't worked

it. I'm not surprised it hasn't worked out. And yet, it's still preferable to

out. And yet, it's still preferable to what you see in Canada because the the uh conclusion of the Canadian health care system is death. And I mean that literally. A huge number of Canadians

literally. A huge number of Canadians now every single year are killed. I

think it's over 5% are killed through government encouraged physicianass assisted suicide which is contrary to the hypocratic oath and leads literally to the suicide of the whole country.

Furthermore though you see a major rationing of care. So uh women who are under the age of 50 have a reasonable chance of getting a breast cancer

procedures in Canada. women who are over the age of 70 basically do not uh something like 80% of women who are waiting for breast cancer surgeries over that age just did not get the procedures

because the government said they were old enough and they would they would rather ration the care and let the older women die. That's a ghastly kind of

women die. That's a ghastly kind of system. Uh furthermore, you have uh

system. Uh furthermore, you have uh Canadians waiting months and months, years and years uh for procedures and many of whom will die because of that.

You hear stories coming out of Canada, coming out of the United Kingdom of people who have cancer in particular who simply will not be given chemotherapy by the the horrific regimes that that have

a monopoly on healthcare up there. And

so what are they offered instead?

They're offered the privilege of killing themselves. Uh this is completely

themselves. Uh this is completely contrary to any uh sense of moral goodness. It's totally inhuman. It is as

goodness. It's totally inhuman. It is as tyrannical as any government policy could be. I I've long observed that

could be. I I've long observed that Canada is America's evil top hat. George

Washington did not conquer it for a reason. And I I think we should leave

reason. And I I think we should leave them be and not adopt their terrible practices.

>> Thank you very much.

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>> Good afternoon to Mr. Nolles. Big fan of your show. I'm a very devout Catholic

your show. I'm a very devout Catholic myself. Um,

myself. Um, praise God. Um,

praise God. Um, my understanding is, uh, the only thing I disagree with you on is, uh, the one beef that you have with Mr. Walsh is, uh, I believe in aliens. Um, is I couldn't hear is what?

>> I believe in extraterrestrial life that it is possible.

>> No, please hear me out.

>> I know I said ask me anything. I should

have said ask me anything but this ridiculous new age gnostic nonsense about the little green man. I'm sorry.

Go on. Go on.

>> Yeah. So, it was it was Cardesev who basically said that it'd be kind of ignorant to say that we are the only sentient terrestrial life out there. I

do believe that God created man for one sole purpose to inhabit the earth and to follow our savior Jesus Christ. Praise

God. But I do think that it is possible within, you know, the 14 billion years that this universe has existed that there are other forms of life out there.

We just will never know. So, what is your rhetoric on that?

>> Do you think it's likely that aliens exist?

>> I think it's likely. I think it's more like Schrodinger's box where it's like until you open the box, I mean, it's you can neither prove nor disprove it and we'll never know the answer.

That's somewhat more reasonable than Walsh's view that he's been like beam beamed up to the little green men and who knows what procedures he's undergone. But uh no, I just don't buy

undergone. But uh no, I just don't buy it because the the argument from the vast age of the universe or the the immense size of the universe does very little to me uh in terms of ascertaining

the probability that little green men exist because in order to ascertain the probability of anything, you need to know something about how the the

phenomenon came to be. And so when we're talking about how uh life could spring up in a physical sense, how you could go from inorganic matter to organic matter,

we have absolutely no idea how that happened. Scientists have posited all

happened. Scientists have posited all sorts of crazy theories over the decades and uh none of them have been proven true. There's really no evidence for any

true. There's really no evidence for any of them. I mean, I I believe that God

of them. I mean, I I believe that God made man out of clay and breathed into his nose and now man had life. uh and I I think that what whatever pre physical

precision that description lacks that is without question the clearest most accurate view of how life came to be. So

until someone can make a serious argument for abiogenesis for instance I see no reason to conclude that just because the the universe is really big uh that it has some other life in it.

Just like uh I have no reason to believe that just because my basement is really big there's a bar of gold sitting somewhere in it. I could be, you know, there's just no way. How did the bar of gold even get there in the first place?

Um the the theological problems that would come from this also come from the the specialness of man as man be because God is a man. The the mystery of the

trinity which is the central mystery of the Christian faith tells us that we have God the father and God the son. God

the Son, eternally begotten of God the Father, true God from true God, true light from true light, who becomes man, who takes, who is incarnate of the Holy Spirit, uh conceived by the Holy Spirit,

incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and becomes man, and ascends bodily into heaven, that his humanity is an essential part of Christ, of go, of the

Godhead. Uh, and there's no room for ET

Godhead. Uh, and there's no room for ET in there. Uh so I don't know what it

in there. Uh so I don't know what it would mean for us to discover some some extraterrestrial life. Uh to me it's uh

extraterrestrial life. Uh to me it's uh a kind of an amusing thought experiment at at best and and an a demonic uh perversion at worst. Not to not to go

like two Alex Jones here. It's a demonic perversion, but it kind I kind of think it is. Um because I think it's a way for

it is. Um because I think it's a way for uh the devil to whis whisper into our ears that man is not that special, which is of course the the cause of the the

angels rebelling in heaven. Uh them

basically refusing to bow down to a man.

Uh and and so I I wouldn't follow it that far. The other reason I'm convinced

that far. The other reason I'm convinced aliens don't exist is because Walsh says they do exist. And so that alone should be reason to conclude it. Uh but uh in any case, regardless of your very

mistaken view on this, live long and prosper, Obi-Wan or whatever they say.

>> Thank you.

>> Hello. Uh my name is Lauraai. Uh you are awesome. Uh on your show, you had said

awesome. Uh on your show, you had said that you don't believe that Christmas decorations should be for all year and they should only be for around the days of Christmas. And I would like to say

of Christmas. And I would like to say that I think that we should be allowed to have all the decorations out all year. Uh so that you can see and you can

year. Uh so that you can see and you can celebrate and you can remember every day. And I will say I don't mean like

day. And I will say I don't mean like the Christmas tree or any of that stuff, but like uh Jesus baby uh that kind of a thing out all year so you can see it and you can remember it every day.

>> Okay. All right. You you saved your point right there at the end because I freaking hate when the people put up the Christmas decorations. It used to be

Christmas decorations. It used to be right after Thanksgiving, which I found preposterous. Then it became just before

preposterous. Then it became just before Thanksgiving. So that's Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. So that's Thanksgiving eraser. This is the American holiday.

eraser. This is the American holiday.

This is erasing the legacy of the men who came on the Mayflower, which is a great cigar company, by the way. And

then Oh, thank you. Thanks. Uh but but now, I kid you not, I saw people putting up Christmas decorations the day you can see how angry I'm getting. The

microphones aren't even working. I saw

people put up uh Christmas decorations the day after Halloween. I said, "This is this is the problem with modern religion. We used to have first the fast

religion. We used to have first the fast and then the feast. Now we have first the feast and then the hangover. It's

got to be special. Lent is a a a penitential period. Now the modern

penitential period. Now the modern Christians they say during Lent you need to meditate on hope and joy and no no

you are traditionally during Lent Christians focus on the four last things death judgment heaven and hell f la

okay I want penitence I want one song playing during advent rocking around the Christmas tree I want that song to be Oh, come Emmanuel. Maybe

if you're feeling spicy, come thou long expected Jesus. But that's it. And then

expected Jesus. But that's it. And then

I sound like Scrooge. Then you can put up your Christmas tree on the evening of Christmas Eve and you keep it up through February 8. Who is that? I'm starting to

February 8. Who is that? I'm starting to lose the audience on the Christmas.

Okay. All right. I WENT TOO FAR. I WENT

TOO FAR. You keep it up through all of Christmas, 12 days or bring it all the way up to February 8th. So I said then you get to enjoy. That's what I'm doing on my set. Now, you make one other important point, though, which is, well,

look, maybe you don't put Santa Claus up all year, but you you do have an image of maybe the baby Jesus. I think that's good. I have an image of I have many

good. I have an image of I have many images of Jesus in my house. One of

which is the Theotokos's tenderness.

It's an Eastern icon of Mary holding the baby Jesus. And I I think that's very

baby Jesus. And I I think that's very important to put up. You need to have these symbols all over because, you know, we're in an age of iconoclasts on the left. They want to tear down our

the left. They want to tear down our statues. They want to tear down our

statues. They want to tear down our pictures. They want to tear down our

pictures. They want to tear down our whole culture. But we're physical

whole culture. But we're physical creatures. That's the message of

creatures. That's the message of Christmas and the incarnation. And we

got to see things with our senses in real life. We got to see images. Those

real life. We got to see images. Those

images color our world. They elevate our our mind up to God. So, I totally agree.

Keep pictures of the baby Jesus up all year long. But if you put Rudolph up,

year long. But if you put Rudolph up, one day before Christmas Eve, I will come to your house like the Grinch and steal it up your chimney.

>> Perfect. Sounds good. Thank you.

You're the best Obama impersonator on the internet. I just like to say that.

the internet. I just like to say that.

Um I also think the GOP should be the party to legalize marijuana federally.

What's your position?

I know, I know, I know, I know.

Listen here. I'm a cigar man, so I like combustible leaves. Uh, I I'm not

combustible leaves. Uh, I I'm not opposed to smoking generally, but you're not asking me about tobacco, the crop that built our country.

>> No, >> you're asking me about the old sin spinach, the jazz cigarettes, you know what I mean? The Peruvian parsley, the Haitian oregano. I'm talking about Mary

Haitian oregano. I'm talking about Mary Jane Reefer. I'm talking about pot.

Jane Reefer. I'm talking about pot.

>> Yes, >> which conservatives have long opposed.

Why have we opposed it?

Because just as we make distinctions between one nation and another nation, one culture and another culture, one religion, another religion, so too we make distinction. Just because you roll

make distinction. Just because you roll something up, put it in your mouth, and light it on fire, doesn't mean it's the same. So, let me ask you before I give

same. So, let me ask you before I give you my final anti-pot reefer madness diet tribe. Why? What is the good that

diet tribe. Why? What is the good that is achieved by legalizing pot?

>> Well, first, the economic benefits. in

Missouri when we legalized it immediately. We had dispensaries opening

immediately. We had dispensaries opening when everywhere else was closed. Kind of

weird about the CO stuff, but that's one. Um, and then two, I think that the

one. Um, and then two, I think that the liberty of it, it's worse for It's not as bad for society as alcohol is. So, I

think that we should have it. It's a

It's a liberty versus society thing. And

I think the down effect on society is is oversold. It's not as bad as we think it

oversold. It's not as bad as we think it is.

>> Say that last part again. I couldn't

hear you over the booze from the crowd.

Uh, I think that the effects on society are not as bad as we think they are. Um,

I think that for the most part, like nobody ever gets aggressive off of marijuana. You know, they usually they

marijuana. You know, they usually they tend to keep to themselves, maybe play too much video games or something, but they're they're not going to go home and, you know, kick the dog because they

had too much to smoke. Okay. So, to take those in order, uh, the the first one says that uh if you legalize pot, you'll get a new industry, namely selling pot.

That's true. Though uh that argument alone could be used to justify legalizing any manner of vice or or uh delotterious activity. It could be used

delotterious activity. It could be used to defend the pornography industry, could be used to defend widespread gambling, could be used to defend prostitution or or anything else. So we

wouldn't say that just because something might make some money, it is therefore a good idea and and even a conservative idea for us to legalize it. Then on the the point about alcohol, I would have to

push back a little bit. Alcohol can be abused just like any I mean cupcakes can be abused. Anything can be abused. But

be abused. Anything can be abused. But

uh alcohol when it's used in moderation has some good effects. It's a social lubricant. So it makes us more sociable.

lubricant. So it makes us more sociable.

It's a little bit relaxing. Uh it

encourages conversation sometimes rowdy conversation as we discovered last night at the Mayflower party here in uh uh TP USA. But it it inclines us more toward

USA. But it it inclines us more toward our human nature because man is a social creature. the political animal who's

creature. the political animal who's naturally inclined to live in ordered society. Uh, marijuana doesn't really do

society. Uh, marijuana doesn't really do that. I'll make a little confession here

that. I'll make a little confession here before all of you. I usually I'm a Catholic, so I'm usually make my confessions in a box to a priest, but I'll make it to this gigantic crowd.

>> I might have tried the old left-hand cigarettes once or twice. Okay, I might have tried it. It's not too bad. Unlike

Bubba, I may have inhaled. I actually

have trouble inhaling because I'm a cigar man. But anyway, uh the thing I've

cigar man. But anyway, uh the thing I've noticed about pot anecdotally and personally is that it it does not conduce to socializing. It makes you more introspective. It uh people say it

more introspective. It uh people say it makes you funnier. It doesn't. It makes

you much less funny, but it makes everything seem funnier. So, it makes you kind of dumber. It makes you kind of slower, makes you hungrier and like fat.

And so, you know, I I don't see those as being uh particularly good. And then

your point on the the social effects of it more broadly.

>> Uh we've been told for years that pot is not addictive. That's obviously

not addictive. That's obviously ridiculous. Uh because because we all

ridiculous. Uh because because we all know ptheads who like wake and bake and are vaping all day and who if they go one day without their drugs, they start freaking out. Even the fact that that

freaking out. Even the fact that that many people who are into marijuana refer to it as self-medicating uh tells you that obviously this is a habit forming addictive substance. Uh furthermore

addictive substance. Uh furthermore though, uh yes, you usually don't see fights between ptheads at a bar uh or at a dispensary, but you do sometimes see psychotic rates. And this is being

psychotic rates. And this is being reported more and more as marijuana's become more normalized and legalized. Uh

you're you're seeing psychiatrists having to deal with people who have overdosed not just on a few puffs of a joint, but especially on edibles where the doses can be insanely high, where they're very difficult to regulate. To

say nothing of car accidents and and uh things like that. So I think the social effects are pretty bad. And then I'll bring it back to both a traditional argument, an argument from tradition and

an argument from religion. From from the religious perspective, Christ's first miracle is turning water into wine for people who have been drinking for like 4

days. Okay? So that tells you it's not

days. Okay? So that tells you it's not uh necessarily a recommendation to drink all day long, but it tells you that wine has an important place even in our faith

that the you know Christ says at the last supper, I will not uh uh I will not yet again taste of the fruit of the vine, you know, until all is accomplished. So there's this role and

accomplished. So there's this role and uh if you believe in sacramental religion, you believe that actually alcohol is necessary to the proper worship of God. Uh now if you look from

the traditional perspective, we've had wine forever. We've had wine and beer

wine forever. We've had wine and beer and mead forever. Uh marijuana is only recently introduced to our culture. So

it's kind of a foreign thing. I once

spoke to a a drugar for a Republican president and he said, you know, at the bottom of all these kind of libertarian let's marijuana arguments, my question is why would even if you think alcohol

is bad, why would we add another bad thing? What's the benefit to that? So to

thing? What's the benefit to that? So to

me, the strongest argument for legalizing pot is this libertarian idea that we should all be able to abuse our bodies however we want. But I don't think that's true. I don't think you really own your body. I don't think

you're chiefly an individual. I think

you are a member of a family and a society and a nation. And so I think that argument is bunk. And you got to get off the dope, kids. Not even once.

And what you got to do is something much better for you, much more delicious, much more conducive to civilization. You

need to smoke a Mayflower cigar.

>> Thank you.

>> Uh, hi Michael. Uh, I'm a Roman Catholic and I want to make sure that my future husband shares my goals of a strong faithfilled family that is in communion with God. Um, I know there are

with God. Um, I know there are challenges in mixed faith relationships.

Should I be focusing my prospects on Catholic boys or should I like like Yeah, how should I how should I approach that?

>> So, the question is you're you're a serious Catholic. You want to marry a

serious Catholic. You want to marry a mackerel snapping papist husband and you want to know do you go swimming in the tyber to find your man or do you go on

missionary dating? Do you go see Yeah. I

missionary dating? Do you go see Yeah. I

look there uh my advice? Oh obviously I yes I think it would be uh wonderful for you to have a good nice Catholic marriage. You can have a small Catholic

marriage. You can have a small Catholic family of 12 or 14 kids. Uh and that all sounds wonderful. Uh, however, when when

sounds wonderful. Uh, however, when when I think about dating, >> I I think I have the least popular take of all. It's a take I don't hear on the

of all. It's a take I don't hear on the right anymore. I certainly don't hear it

right anymore. I certainly don't hear it on the left. I think dating is fun. I

think I think like speaking to members of the opposite sex and flirting with them and getting them to like you and going on going to dinner is like fun and

should be enjoyable. And you can be guided by attraction. like girls are hot, you know? I know you're it's like crazy uh suggestion these days, but you

should uh you you you should follow that a little bit, you know. Don't make it a chore. Don't make it a job interview.

chore. Don't make it a job interview.

The way that some especially the way some zoomers talk about dating. It's

like they're applying to college or something. You don't No, it doesn't have

something. You don't No, it doesn't have to be that way, man. Girls are fun. And

if you're a girl, you know, it's like I think maybe it's I don't it's probably less fun to hang out with a guy, but I don't know. Girls seem to like it. And

don't know. Girls seem to like it. And

so that's what I would do first.

>> Okay. I would allow yourself to be legitimately attracted in ways that are not always conscious that get to the intangible ineffable aspects of love.

You know, Cole Porter did not say sing, "Let's do it. Let's find the ideal partner to have a perfectly flourishing life with." No, let's do it. Let's fall

life with." No, let's do it. Let's fall

in love. So, you know, allow that to happen. Now, you're going to have to

happen. Now, you're going to have to weed out some losers or some guys who don't necessarily want to go along with uh you know, a conducive life, but you

find that along the way. Uh let let uh I hate to sound like a liberal, but you know, kind of follow your heart a little bit first and then when he's just mad about you and he says, "You I love you.

You're the only thing I ever think about." You say, "That's great. You need

about." You say, "That's great. You need

to sign on the bishop's line right here.

We're raising the kids Catholic and we're having a lot of them."

>> Thank you. Thank you so much.

>> Yeah, throw the hat up.

>> Look at that. I need a Oh, no. I have a pen. I stole that pen from whoever it

pen. I stole that pen from whoever it was.

>> Now, I'm a lefty, so don't judge me if this is a bad throw. Yeah, that was a perfect throw. That was

perfect throw. That was All right, I'll get to the hats after the next question. Hey, Michael. So, I'm

pro-H1B visas and pro meritocracy and it seems like a lot of the right is very against it. You could tell me why that

against it. You could tell me why that is.

>> Uh, yes. Uh, that's true because that's been a big shift and and I'm not entirely opposed to some version of an H-1B visa program. Obviously, the H-1Bs have been horribly abused and it's in

many ways just a way for corporations to get cheap labor and undercut American workers, but some version of bringing in talent that's difficult to find in America in very small numbers. I'm not

totally opposed. I'm a conservative. I

uh in practical policy, I I generally don't deal in firm absolutes. But it

needs to be radically reformed. It your

your latter point I think is is more pertinent, which is this belief in meritocracy because I don't think that meritocracy is a particularly conservative or

traditional idea. I believe in rewarding

traditional idea. I believe in rewarding good effort. I believe in justice,

good effort. I believe in justice, giving to people what they deserve. I

believe in encouraging people to work hard. I I believe in the American

hard. I I believe in the American tradition of being able to make something of yourself regardless of your circumstances. But I think that

circumstances. But I think that meritocracy takes all of those good virtues totally out of whack and it makes an idol out of them. That's often

what happens with heresies and uh and ideologies is they take a kernel of a good thing and they take it so far that it it becomes a bad thing. uh because in

a purely meritocratic country, other virtuous uh relationships are diminished. If if a guy for instance has

diminished. If if a guy for instance has a family business, he's been in business for a hundred years. His great great grandpa founded it, went to his great grandpa, his grandpa, his dad, and now

it goes to him. And he says, you know, I want to hire my kids for this business and keep the business in the family, but they didn't score well enough on the SAT. So, you're all out, kids. Bring me

SAT. So, you're all out, kids. Bring me

the Indians. We're going to have a new business. Now, you know, that that rings

business. Now, you know, that that rings uh unjust for all of us. That seems kind of silly. The the reason that

of silly. The the reason that universities have had legacy admissions in the past is not just to award some putoaucracy. It's because in many cases,

putoaucracy. It's because in many cases, one of the things that people go to universities for is to pal around with to form relationships with people who are from different stratas of society

than they are. That it's a way of maintaining traditions even within institutions. Uh, and I think that's a

institutions. Uh, and I think that's a good thing. I think continuity within

good thing. I think continuity within institutions is wonderful and should be encouraged even if it crosses against meritocracy. And taken to the extreme,

meritocracy. And taken to the extreme, and this is where it goes back to the H-1Bs, it's one thing for Americans to have to compete with uh people from their high

school, say, or from their hometown or county or state. But in a an increasingly globalized economy and an increasingly borderless country until President Trump was reelected, all of a

sudden you're telling American workers that they have to compete against the entire world. And that's not even a

entire world. And that's not even a level of playing field, by the way, because the American workers have regulations imposed upon them that the uh and and costs imposed upon them that

the workers around the world do not. And

so I don't it's I suppose in a sense anti-marriitocratic for American policy to favor American citizens and exclude other people. But that's what a country

other people. But that's what a country is supposed to do. A country is supposed to conduce to the common good of the people in that country. Uh so I would say two cheers for meritocracy. Not

three cheers. I would say two cheers for meritocracy. We want our people to be

meritocracy. We want our people to be tough, smart, work hard, ambitious, not get lazy, not be on the dole. And we

want all of those things. But we also have to recognize these are our people and we have a special obligation to our people that we don't have to people on the other side of the world.

>> Awesome. Thank you.

>> Hi, Michael. My name is Nella. Um I'm a student at a college in Indiana. I've

been listening to you and Bener for like 5 years now. Um but I'm a Protestant.

I'm like not Calvinist, but I'm Armenian, so I do agree with a lot of like the Catholic traditions. But the

one thing that like like the one thing I disagree with Catholicism is like that you have to you have to beholden to the pope because I just don't think you should do that because the pope is a man that's

fallible. Like we are all fallible and

fallible. Like we are all fallible and that's like the only thing I have.

>> Yeah. The the pope was a big stumbling block for a lot of people who are they're Catholic curious but but that's one issue that they have trouble. In

fact, our friend Charlie uh you know quite quite openly had issues especially with the last pope who sometimes made things difficult for uh you know for people given some political statements

of his. Uh however the the pope uh the

of his. Uh however the the pope uh the the the office of the papacy obviously has developed over time as as all things do. Uh but I think you see the the

do. Uh but I think you see the the papacy going all the way back to the apostolic age. I think really even in

apostolic age. I think really even in scripture uh that's certainly been the uh defense of it and the primacy of the bishop of Rome goes all the way back to those early ages too. So you know the

scriptural defense is that Christ says to Peter uh Peter Simon you are now Peter and on this rock I'll build my church. I give you the keys to the

church. I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. What you

loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

uh this traditionally was understood to be uh the uh special appointment of of Peter to have this leading role in the visible physical church on earth. Uh

Peter and Paul then go to Rome and you see this in the writing of the early Christians, the church fathers going back to the apostolic age and shortly thereafter uh that when there were divisions between the churches uh they

would defer to Rome. Rome was understood to have had a special authority because Peter and Paul went there. Uh

furthermore uh there's a famous quote from St. Augustine which is that uh Rome

from St. Augustine which is that uh Rome has spoken the matter is settled. Uh

that when there were disputes the disputes had to be settled ultimately by someone. And so I think there's a

someone. And so I think there's a misconception of what the pope is and does. The pope is not some like North

does. The pope is not some like North Korean tyrant who just imposes his will on every matter of life. I I think the pope arises out of not only out of

scripture and the acts of Christ but out of a logical necessity that for an institution to have authority and to carry on uh someone has to be the

ultimate decider when when uh issues cannot be resolved at lower levels. So

when you have an issue with your brother, uh you try to resolve it amongst yourselves. Then maybe you bring

amongst yourselves. Then maybe you bring in some of the other believers. Maybe

you go to your priests, your presitters, your elders, your bishops. Uh you bring these people in. When there are battles between the bishops, theological questions that have to be resolved, there can be councils. There have been many many councils throughout history.

We see a council in scripture. Uh and

ultimately when you need that clarity, when you need to uh believe or rather when the the church needs to speak as a divine institution that really has the authority of God, you need someone to

settle that. That has been traditionally

settle that. That has been traditionally the office of the bishop of Rome. Uh I

agree there have been lots of bad popes over the years, some recent, some older.

And so, you know, this is very scandalous. But I often go back to a

scandalous. But I often go back to a line from Helair Bellacch who is a great uh Catholic writer very pugilistic and Helair Bellac said look I have to take it as a matter of faith that the church

is divinely instituted but for those who divine the doubt the divine institution one proof of it is that no other institution conducted with such navish imbecility would have lasted a fortnight

and I I think that is kind of a proof of it uh uh and our lord just as uh you know St. Paul tells us the civil

know St. Paul tells us the civil authority is there for our good. Our

Lord sends us spiritual authority and sometimes we get good popes and sometimes we get bad popes and uh some maybe the bad popes are there to chastise us. Maybe the good popes are

chastise us. Maybe the good popes are there to uh you know uh comfort us in a way and and maybe the bad popes are even there to remind us that the pope is fallible except when he's infallible.

>> Uh thank you so much. Uh it would mean the world to me if I could just get a quick like selfie real quick.

>> A selfie. Absolutely.

>> Thank you so much. Nihil Obto, I say with authority, you can have that selfie. And I'm not even the Pope. All

selfie. And I'm not even the Pope. All

right, we have a very brief hat signing.

Pause. Please ask your question while I gather the hats.

>> Um, okay.

DON'T THROW ALL THE HATS. NO, I'M GOING TO BE BURIED in hats now. That was

entirely my fault. I shouldn't have said that.

>> Uh, yes, your question.

>> Um, hi, my name is Levi Blair. I am a junior high school student at Mountain View High School. Uh, and I just actually, uh, started my own, uh,

chapter at Mountain View High School.

Um, and I agree with you on just about everything I can think of except for uh, I have nothing against Catholicism or

anything, but I personally believe that uh, Catholicism and Christianity are two different things >> uh, and beliefs.

Um I want to know what your stance is on that and why.

>> Well, I would disagree with that. I

would say um though uh c certainly uh Catholicism and Protestantism, you know, have different views of religion and Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy to some degree have different views though

it's it's much uh the chasm is much smaller. So I if the premise is that

smaller. So I if the premise is that there's Catholicism uh which you know Catholics are fine but they're wrong and you know there's uh true Christianity which is some some

version of Protestantism. I guess the first question you would have to answer is how it is the case that Protestantism only came about beginning in 1517.

Uh because what that would suggest is that Christ was on earth. He picked

apostles. He said, "Go make disciples of all nations." Uh he says, "You know,

all nations." Uh he says, "You know, you're the rock on which I'll build my church, but it's all going to disappear for the next 1500 years." And then in roughly 1500 years, then the true church

will finally emerge. Uh how could that possibly be the case? That would mean that the great saints, the church fathers, the great Christians of history were all like fake basically.

>> Okay. Yeah. I hear the I hear the um argument that um Catholicism like typically came before u like like you

know Christianity and stuff and or like as it is defined uh uh with protest uh Protestant you know practices. Uh but

the reason why I I don't believe that uh I reject that argument is because if by that logic wouldn't Judaism also count as Christianity and wouldn't we call

Judaism Christianity?

>> You're saying Judaism came from Christianity?

>> No, I'm saying that Christianity was uh came after Judaism and many attribute Judaism.

>> You know, that's also kind of a touchy subject because that's not really how I see things. You know, the the church

see things. You know, the the church understands herself to be the the new Israel or the spiritual Israel that the partic the the Old Testament Israelites

are a particular nation chosen to be the type of all nations. So they tell there are particular people called out but they tell us something about all nations and that the old testament prefigures

the new testament that you can find the new testament uh you know uh foreseen in the old and revealed and the old testament is revealed in the new. Uh so

uh it would seem to me that uh you know just as St. Paul tells us previously you had circumcision now you have baptism you know St. Peter says baptism now

saves you. uh the uh what we see are you

saves you. uh the uh what we see are you know hints of the true religion and it comes out and the incarnation is the fulfillment that God makes of uh in his promises to Israel and so it's not that

there's a break you know we used to have Judaism and now we have Christianity it's that there is a fulfillment of God's promises going all the way back to Abraham in fact going all the way back to Adam so I I don't really see that as

the issue uh the other distinction of course between Judaism and uh Catholicism Protestantism Eastern Orthodoxy and a few other things in the middle is that uh we believe in Christ.

So, you know, I don't I don't think it's a totally apt comparison. Um, and it just seems to me strange that our Lord would tell us in scripture, I will be with you always, even until the end of

the age. Uh, and then he would say,

the age. Uh, and then he would say, except for the next 1500 years when I'm going to totally abandon you, but don't worry, I'm coming back at some point. So

I I think the historical arguments uh are are kind of difficult for that to say nothing of the theological arguments and I would point to someone who was just made a doctor of the church St.

John Henry Newman who was Protestant and he was extremely anti-atholic and he he wrote uh anti-atholic invectives and and then especially through his acquaintance with the history of the church and

church fathers he he became Catholic and he became a cardinal and then he became a saint and so listen if Jack Newman can do it that might be the path ahead of you too. I'm not making any prophecies

you too. I'm not making any prophecies or predictions but that might happen to you as well.

>> Okay, thank you. Also, can you can you sign my Reagan 80 uh uh campaign?

>> Look at this stack of signing things I have.

>> I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

>> If I fall off this stage signing a poster, that will be very That's the only clip that's going to go viral from Amfest.

There he is. Here's the gipper. There he

is.

>> All right.

>> Thanks, pal. Great catch. Okay, next

question.

>> Um, hi, I'm Phoebe Lenny. Uh, I was wondering, do you think you would beat uh Matt Walsh in a fight?

>> I heard. Do Do I think I could beat Matt Walsh in what?

>> A fight. Fight.

>> A fight.

>> In a fight. In a fight.

>> Are you a Walsh plant? Are you a Walsh child? Hold on. What is your

child? Hold on. What is your >> Yeah.

>> Hold on. How old are you?

>> What?

>> How old are you?

>> Uh, 10.

>> Unbelievable. I love 10 years old.

That's so That's so great. Ah, the

future. The future is great because you ask a a very important question. you

know, at at DW, I don't know, we're all kind of like moderately sized fellas with one exception. Matt Walsh, that giant tree. He's like 6'11. He's a

giant tree. He's like 6'11. He's a

lumberjack of a man. In between shows, he just chops down oak trees. So, what

you what you would suspect is that I, of a moderate Sicilian stature, would be defeated in a physical battle by Matt Walsh. But you would be wrong. And let

Walsh. But you would be wrong. And let

me tell you why you would be wrong.

Because I live, as I alluded to earlier, on a steady diet of caffeine, nicotine, vim, and vigor. We're We are a clever, crafty people. We children of the

crafty people. We children of the mezzojouro. The princess bride tells us

mezzojouro. The princess bride tells us never to go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. And I am reminded

I am reminded that the tall trees fall the hardest. I would in fact defeat Matt

the hardest. I would in fact defeat Matt Walsh in a battle of brute strength.

>> Very good question.

>> What What did you say at the last part?

Sorry, I missed it.

>> Good question.

>> What did I say? Yes, I would beat him.

That's what I'm saying. I would totally beat him.

>> Okay. Um

I forgot what I was going to say. But

yeah, can I have my pen back after you're done?

>> So, >> can I have the marker back after you're done?

>> I can someone yell that at me?

>> The pen?

marker.

>> That's your pen that I've stolen.

>> That's why you had that feisty question.

I think Matt Walsh I think Matt Walsh would come beat you in a fight, Michael, you pen thief. Yes, I can give you this back. Hold on.

back. Hold on.

>> This will be the last question.

>> Last question. At least you have a beautiful sweater for your last question.

>> Thank you. Hi, Michael. I'm Emma and my question is is that people love to say that America has no culture. How do we combat the diversity as our strength message and put the focus back on making

American values and American traditions back in the mainstream and worthy of our protection again?

>> That America has no culture.

>> Yeah. Well, I guess that would explain why the entire world is trying to come here actually because it if you claim that America's a vacuum, perhaps that's why we're sucking up everybody from all around the world. That's one

explanation. I think the other one is we obviously have a culture and the culture is the envy of the world and everyone wants at the very least to experience the fruits of that culture and benefit

from them even if they don't want to participate in that culture or sacrifice for that culture. So it's totally ridiculous.

One way to combat the idea that America has no culture, no identity, it's just an idea or any idea or nothing at all.

Come on in Ilhan Omar. The one way to combat that is to travel anywhere else in the world. Uh especially because a lot of us have some immigrant background, maybe a quarter this or half

that. And when you go Well, I'll speak

that. And when you go Well, I'll speak from my own experience because, you know, a quarter of my family is from England. Some of them came over on the

England. Some of them came over on the Mayflower, which is a great cigar brand by the way. And then a quarter of them are, did I mention that? And then a quarter of them are Irish. I don't

really look it. And then the other a quarter Italian and a quarter Sicilian.

So I remember I was a teenager. The

first time I went to Italy, I said, "Ah, I'm going to be coming home. You know,

this will be like visiting my people."

And then I go there and I think, "Wait, there's a bunch of foreigners. What are

you talking about?" My people I don't know. And I speak Italian, by the way. I

know. And I speak Italian, by the way. I

said, "This is crazy." I I went to a sandwich shop. It was the most famous

sandwich shop. It was the most famous sandwich shop in Sienna. I go there to get a sandwich at lunchtime. It's

closed. I wait there 45 minutes. The guy

rolls up this Italian and he finally opens it. I say, "Can I buy a sandwich

opens it. I say, "Can I buy a sandwich here?" He says, "And no, there's no

here?" He says, "And no, there's no bread." I said, 'What do you mean

bread." I said, 'What do you mean there's no bread? He said, 'I don't have bread. I got to go get a bread. I said,

bread. I got to go get a bread. I said,

'Well, should I wait? Should I go?' He

goes, I don't care what you do. You

wait, you go. I said, why don't you have capitalism in this country? Why do I have to explain to you? And I realized in that moment, if not earlier, I'm an American.

>> You're all you're all Americans. You are

>> USA.

Anton Antinine Scalia, the late great Supreme Court justice, told this story when he was in in school. He studied for a year in Switzerland and he went to Switzerland. He goes to Italy. He

Switzerland. He goes to Italy. He

doesn't, you know, he doesn't feel that he goes to England. This big gigantic Sicilian man. He goes to England and he

Sicilian man. He goes to England and he feels more at home in England than anywhere else he had been in the world other than America. Why? Because it's

the closest to the American culture.

because our culture has come from the English culture. And so what we have to

English culture. And so what we have to conclude from that is despite the waves of mass migration, despite all the nonsense about diversity is our strength and America is a nation of immigrants or

whatever. No, America is a real country

whatever. No, America is a real country with a real people with real traditions and habits many of which we can't even articulate. And uh that's a special

articulate. And uh that's a special thing. That's what has attracted people.

thing. That's what has attracted people.

And if you want to continue to flourish, if you even want to continue attracting people, that's what you have to hold on to. That's a real particular thing. It

to. That's a real particular thing. It

can't be universalized with some dumb slogan. And if people didn't like it or

slogan. And if people didn't like it or if it didn't really exist, the whole world wouldn't be clamoring to get here.

Thank you very much. Wonderful to be with all of you.