Andrew Colvett (2:38)

hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show. I am joined by the one, the only, Michael Knowles, the Daily Wire. He's got a great podcast. We encourage you guys to go check it out. He's got a new book coming out that we're going to talk about a little bit later. But I will just let you know the title here. It comes out June 22. It's called Speechless Controlling Words, Controlling Minds. It feels very relevant. But I'm going to put you I'm not going to let us dive into it just yet because we had stuff to talk about. There's Israel and Hamas. All of this that's going on in the Middle east, obviously, that is the, you know, the COVID story of most of the news that you're seeing. If you are looking at the nightly news, the daily news, make sense of it for us. Michael, there's a lot of confusion. How did this start? Where are we going? Who's to blame? What's the squad up to?

Michael Knowles (3:30)

You're asking me to sum up the crisis in the Middle east, the conflict in the Middle East.

Andrew Colvett (3:36)

You got two minutes. I'm just kidding.

Michael Knowles (3:38)

So, yes. So I'll try to sum this up all in about 30 seconds. So, you know, a long time ago, there were these two peoples that didn't like each other very much. And then you had several millennia of history occur. And so now what's going on is you've seen another outburst of violence. I think that the story here on what's going on in Israel is not so much the story that you're reading in the newspapers. The story you're reading in the newspapers is this issue of the Palestinian Arabs and the Israelis and an outburst of violence and a possible building of settlements and evicting people in East Jerusalem. And okay, fine. The broader question is what is going on in the Middle east writ large? What we were told under the Obama administration, we were told by John Kerry when he was secretary of State, is that you absolutely could not solve problems in the Middle east without first addressing the Palestinian issue. And he said it's just not going to happen. There's no way to do it. And then Trump comes in and what does he do? I'm not gonna deal with the Palestinian issue. That's a total stalemate. There's no win there. So I'm gonna focus on other Arab states in the region and guess what happens? Trump signs a record number of peace deals with Israel. Things that would have been thought absolutely impossible even just a couple of years before. So yes, what's going on here? If I were a Palestinian Arab being evicted from East Jerusalem, I guess I would be pretty angry too. But then again, I probably wouldn't elect Hamas. And so obviously, you know, elections have conseque, as we like to say. And when you have people in Palestine, the images are seared into my mind. People in the Palestinian territories, it's not a state, it's not a country. But these Palestinian arabs celebrating on 911 and chanting death to America. Well then don't be surprised when the United States is not going to back your pleas to create a brand new nation state. It's just not going to happen. Meanwhile, Israel has been, generally speaking, a very good ally of ours. And so I just don't see any reason to create another state that will be run by very nefarious organizations that are hostile to the United States. When we talk about an America first foreign policy, by the way, you know, a lot of people think this means totally retreating from the world stage. I think what it really means is pursuing a diplomacy that is in the American interest. And I just don't see how it is in the American interest to back the creation of some new things. Palestinian nation state. Trump showed you you don't have to do it to solve other problems in the region.

Andrew Colvett (6:11)

Well, and I love where your head's at on this because it's actually, it's a really, I think, confusing topic for a lot of people. Cuz they're saying where does it start, you know, who, who sparked this most recent conflict? And I think the point you're making is that it doesn't really matter what, you gotta go one step further. And what we saw after the election of Joe Biden, much to all of our chagrin here, was a changing in the calculus on the part of the Palestinians. They understood that their leverage points had shifted. They understood that power in Washington had different affiliations, different strategies within the region. And they understood that just as John Kerry had always said, if you don't deal with this Palestinian, this two state issue, right, that everybody's been pursuing that we're not going to have peace. The Palestinians are seizing upon that. There's been, you know, a lot of the stories I was reading is that a lot of people keep asking where did this renewed fervor in East Jerusalem come from cuz these protests have been going on for decades and nobody paid attention. They were looked at as little neighborhood protests and they were dotted all around Israel, you know, and they just didn't gain traction. All of a sudden, this protest in East Jerusalem, it gained sort of pan Palestinian traction from Gaza to the west bank and it became a rallying cry, which is what sparked this most recent bout of violence. Now it seems as though the Democrats have completely picked their side. You've got Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, all the usual suspects accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing because of these evictions in East Jerusalem, which is a case that's been going on for decades, actually. But you have Andrew Yang conspicuously out on the fringe of his party running for mayor of New York City. What's your take on Andrew Yang? What's your take on the Democrats abandoning Israel? What's going on?

Michael Knowles (8:01)

Andrew Yang has made his whole shtick that he's the third way, you know, he's going to try to appeal in some way to Republican voters and break with the Democratic Party line. It never worked on me. I was never particularly supportive of Andrew Yang. I think he's politically naive at best and at worst really optimistic in the worst way. And he supports things very famous, obviously, like the universal basic income, which is absolute poison. It would be death to the country. So, you know, I'm glad that he, I guess he's on the right side of this issue, but he does not interest me as a sort of candidate that I would support. Whereas there are other Democrats who have, who have made overtures to Republicans. People like Tulsi Gabbard, for instance, who I might say, actually she's worth another look, or Kyrsten Sinema or Joe Manchin have held the line in the Senate. So I think, you know, they're worth looking at. Andrew Yang, not so much. You're seeing just the two sides in this country taking two sides in foreign policy. So the Republicans were interested in using our relationship with Saudi Arabia to end our relationship with Israel, to try to create peace in the Middle east and to oppose Iran. The Democrats, what do the Democrats want to do? They want to snuggle up to Iran. I think that John Kerry and his wonderful friend Javad, the foreign minister in Iran, basically go on moonlit strolls when they're together in the middle of Tehran. So, you know, that was obvious, their foreign policy. And then what happens? Trump comes in and kills their top general, Qasem Soleimani. Now we're back at it again, trying to resurrect some version of the Iran deal and this creates reverberations throughout the Middle east and then it becomes focused in this Israel, Palestine conflict. But the one thing I do know, and I think this is true of the vast majority of Americans, is we don't really care that much. I mean, I care as much as I care about justice and I want people to have good lives overseas, but I don't know the intricacies of Iranian politics and Saudi politics or Israeli politics for that matter. These are sovereign countries and there is no way that an American liberal empire is going to run the world perfectly without compromising our American way of life at home. So I think what most Americans want is a foreign policy that is sensible, that protects the world order, but most importantly protects our way of life. And it's why you're also seeing a big resistance right now against people like Liz Cheney or the neoconservatives in the Republican Party who are still trying to defend this Bush era liberal imperialism that Americans at this point say, no, we've been in places like Afghanistan 20 years. It's enough, let's come home and let's start rebuilding cities in, I don't know, Detroit, start rebuilding a manufacturing base and infrastructure. Here in the United States,

Sponsor/Ad Voice (10:49)

a gas station sells regular unleaded for $4 a gallon. The gas stations next door sell the exact same unleaded gas for $2 a gallon. So which are you going to buy the $2 gas? Right. It's a no brainer. So why are you still paying overinflated rates for wireless with Verizon, T Mobile or AT and T when you could be getting the exact same coverage as one of those big carriers with Pure Talk? Except get this, it costs you less than half the average family is saving over $800 a year right now. Get unlimited talk, text and 6 gigs of data for just over $30 a month. And if you go over on data, they don't charge you for it. Switching is so easy. You can keep your phone, keep your number, or choose from the latest iPhones or Androids. Make the smart choice and switch to PeerTalk. Just dial 250, that's £250, say the keyword Charlie Kirk. To save 50% off your first month. That's £250, say Charlie Kirk. PeerTalk is simply smarter wireless.

Andrew Colvett (11:41)

Well, I love that take Michael. I love that we don't. And I think you're absolutely right. I mean, there has been some news agencies leading with The Israel story, but not everybody. I mean, it's really hit and miss and it was actually very difficult to get to the bottom of what's happening here. I did a lot of research last night because this was the first time we've even talked about it on this show. And I haven't heard anybody, you know, in our emails or whatever be upset about that. But speaking of people who have had historical conflicts with the Jewish people, we now turn our sights to Germany and the German Catholics. Michael, you are a Catholic. We've had, especially between you and Charlie, we've had some great little back and forths about the Catholic Protestant divide debate that's been raging for centuries. German Catholic priests bless same sex unions. Congratulations. This is, I think this is your, this is your faith tradition. Actually I was, by the way, I was baptized Catholic, I was born Catholic. So I share a piece of this and I'm rolling my eyes as well. What's going on in Germany.

Michael Knowles (12:42)

So we will get you back eventually. Don't worry, Andrew, we will do it. And it's funny because you're talking about the Protestant Catholic split, that's a relatively young split. If we're talking about the problems in The Middle East, 500 years, that's nothing, baby. That's the blink of an eye. What's going on here is I'll actually throw it back at you and my Protestant friends. Germany, yet again, you know, it starts with Martin Luther and then it goes on to these German bishops today. They're always causing trouble. And the German bishops have been, have engaged in, I suppose, outright heresy, haven't they? What you see as a resistance. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, who has broadly been interpreted to be rather liberal, rather left wing in his pontificate just a bit, made a clear statement. The Vatican has been very clear on this. There is no such thing as same sex marriage. Marriage involves sexual difference and you can't do it. And there's just no way to redefine it. And sorry folks, I believe the line from the Vatican is that God cannot bless sin. And these German bishops are very upset about this because they want a more liberal read. Heretical Christianity. And it's the German bishops and the American bishops have dealt with this. The one thing I will say, though, getting back to our little squabbles about Protestantism and Catholicism, is that the Church has dealt with a whole lot of heresies over the years. We've had the Arian heresy, very famously when Saint Nicholas Santa Claus punched Arius in the face at the Council of Nicaea we have had the Pelagian heresy, we have had the Albigensian heresy. We have had heresy upon heresy upon heresy. And this is why it's very important for the Vatican to be clear in what she says. I was so pleased that in a very confusing pontificate, Pope Francis has been at least clear in this regard on the question of marriage. And if the German bishops don't want to get in line, then there must be consequences.

Andrew Colvett (14:36)

Yeah, I think that's really interesting. It almost seems like with the Catholic Church, we're seeing the equivalent of what we've seen in the United States with, like, sanctuary cities defying federal law or states saying, you know, legalizing marijuana even though it's still federally illegal. It's, you know, these outposts that have their own rules. It creates tensions within these big bureaucracies, which is another reason why I love being Protestant, because, you know, my local church just follows the Bible and it's great. There's a story in New York Times of Elizabeth Brunig. She had a baby at 25 years old, living in D.C. this has caused heads to explode. She published an op ed in the New York Times saying, hey, it's actually good to have babies a little bit younger than, you know, 40. Your take.

Michael Knowles (16:17)

I was so pleased to see this. I can't believe it slipped through the cracks at the New York Times, but it's obviously true. I just became a father about three, four months ago.

Andrew Colvett (16:26)

Congratulations.

Michael Knowles (16:26)

And, you know, I'm not over the hill, but by earlier ages, I'm an old parent. You know, at the age of 31, people used to have kids a lot younger. Right now, people are getting married at very low rates, the lowest marriage rate ever recorded in American history. They're having kids at below replacement levels. It's been below replacement since 1971, and it's now dropped to all time lows. It's a dying country now.

Andrew Colvett (16:51)

She touts a bit of sort of Nordic ideas about socialism and welfare. We can sort of skip past that. But one of the parts I found really fascinating. I'm sorry I had to cut you off, Michael, but she says being young or young enough still not to know yourself entirely, and then feeling the foundation of your nascent selfhood shift beneath you, perhaps that's exactly the sort of momentous change that makes the whole enterprise so daunting. Yet there I've given up the game. With the exception of perhaps a few immutable characteristics, you are not something you discover one day through trial and error and interior spelunking. You are something that is constantly in the process of becoming. Now, the point that she's making is a lot of people put off having a child because it's daunting. They don't feel like they know themselves yet. It's expensive, whatever. She has a child, she looks into the child's eyes and she says, there I am. It's a really beautiful piece. It's amazing to me that heads are exploding about it. Now. You're a recent father. Has that been your experience? You found yourself in fatherhood? Or are you just completely exhausted and terrified?

Michael Knowles (17:55)

Well, you can judge by the under eye bags. Yes, I look exhausted. I feel exhausted. And I've never felt better in my whole life by an act of cosmic sadism or divine providence. My book, my upcoming book, Speechless, which is my first one with words, and my baby, were both due into the world on the same day. And they both came on time. And I kid you not, I'm sitting in the delivery room. I'm never gonna live this down. And I'm finishing up the citations on my book as my poor wife is pushing out my son. And so I'm sitting there, the nurses are, you know, thinking that I'm the most callous husband in the world. And I finish the book and my baby comes out. And I realize the minute I look at the baby that my book doesn't really matter that much. I mean, I think it matters. I think it's a good book and an important book in terms of politics. But all that's mattering to me in that moment and really in the scheme of my life is gonna be that B. And what Elizabeth hits on so well in the Times is this gnostic temptation we have right now in this culture. We have this temptation to think that everything can be digital, everything can be virtual. I don't really need to do anything. Actually, this is sort of the topic of my book. The shift of political correctness, of wokeism, is that it replaces the old moral code with new speech codes. So it doesn't really matter what you do. It just matters what you say. Even the idea now that Caitlyn Jenner can become a woman. It doesn't matter what he is. It doesn't matter what he looks like. It just matters what he says. And what Elizabeth is saying is, no, you gotta do stuff.

Andrew Colvett (19:22)

Yeah, absolutely. Again, that book is called Speechless. Controlling words, Controlling minds. It comes out in June. But guys, you can go buy it now. Pre order. You can get a signed copy over at Premier Collectibles. They're friends of ours as well know, the folks over there. They're great people. Michael, tell us a little bit about your book, why you wrote it. I know your child is more important than the book and all that stuff. That's fine, okay. But I actually totally agree with you. By the way, as an aside, I think half the reason our young people are losing their darn minds is because they're not having kids early enough and they're just prolonged in their selfishness. But that's a whole other topic. Tell us about your book. Why'd you write it? Why do we need to buy it? And we do need to buy it.

Michael Knowles (20:01)

Yes, my kid is more important than the book, but I'm not yet selling the kid unless you offer me a really good price. And then I guess everybody has a price. Okay, so the book is a history of political correctness for 100 years. And it. One thing I discovered while I was writing it is that I think we on the right like to pride ourselves on thinking we understand free speech and the American speech tradition way better than the left does, you know, but we don't actually. Actually, the left understands it way better. That's why they're so successful in politics. They're way better at us and what they've done. This is so brilliant. They have laid a trap for conservatives in political correctness or wokeism or whatever you want to call it, which is either way that we respond to it, we lose. Either we can be a squish and just go along and call Caitlin a she and just accept their new ridiculous premises and their redefinitions, obviously that advances what they want. Or this is what a lot of other conservatives do. We say, hey, I'm a free speech absolutist. Hey, you do whatever you want. I think freedom means just do whatever you want at any given time. But the whole point of political correctness is to destroy the old standards, to destroy the old way of life. So whether you adopt their new standard or you just eschew standards entirely, either way, you've advanced political correctness. And I think this is why we seem to lose the more we fight back, and it's why we need a new approach.

Andrew Colvett (21:25)

Well, I commend you for your effort, Michael. You are one of the ambassadors of free speech. Thank you for joining us on the show today. It's been an honor. Thanks, everybody, for listening in. We appreciate you supporting the show in Charlie's absence. We're having a blast while you're gone. Hopefully you find these conversations fun and illuminating. If you want to support the work that we do here at the show, the team behind the scenes, we would greatly appreciate it. Go to charliekirk.com support pitch in support the team that puts on this show and does so much hard work behind the scenes. We're grateful for it. We're honored by it. We're honored by your trust in us. And frankly, it gives us a lot of encouragement and confidence to speak boldly about the issues that the mainstream news media doesn't want us to. So God bless you guys. We'll see you next time.