Best of the Program | Guests: Frances Staudt & Paul List | 10/10/25

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program – Best of the Program | Guests: Frances Staudt & Paul List | 10/10/25

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Overview

This episode of "The Glenn Beck Program" offers a mix of cultural commentary, generational optimism, and in-depth exploration of virtue, tradition, and modern challenges. Glenn Beck reflects on hope he sees in America's youth from his recent trip to a TPUSA event, discusses the meaning and legacy of personal responsibility, and interviews two guests: Paul List, who decodes the deeper meanings within Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in the context of today's societal battles, and Frances Staudt, a courageous 16-year-old athlete from Washington who made national headlines for standing up for women's sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Glenn Beck’s Reflections on American Youth and Responsibility

• Beck recaps attending a Turning Point USA event in North Dakota, expressing renewed hope in college-age Americans' hunger for truth and willingness to act ("There is great hope for America in the youth..." [11:10]).
• He addresses a rumor about his retirement, clarifies he is not retiring, and emphasizes the importance of perseverance, hard work, and mentorship (see [07:27], [09:46], [10:19]).

Notable Quotes:

• "People who are successful will see [your hard work], and you'll rocket to the top." – Glenn Beck [09:52]
• "It's normal for us to say these things... because when I was a kid, that happens every generation... And those [1930s] twenty-somethings were the ones who became the greatest American generation." – Glenn Beck [11:21]

2. Lessons from the Past & Hope in the Next Generation

• Beck draws parallels between criticism of today’s young people and similar complaints about the WWII "Greatest Generation" when they were young (see [11:21]).
• He urges elders to teach principles, not answers, equipping the youth to tackle future challenges: "They may not know how to fix it yet, but that's our job. Our job is to teach them principles, not the answers. Principles. They will find the answers." [12:50]
• He describes generational responsibility, referencing advice from David Barton about mentoring rather than personally fixing the nation's problems (see [12:35]).

3. Paul List on Tolkien, Modernity & the Battle of Virtue

Decoding Tolkien’s Mythos ([18:40]–[31:22])

• List claims Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings presents a catechism of the struggle between faith, reason, virtue, and modern technological dehumanization.

• He explains key characters and their allegorical significance:

  • Tom Bombadil: Free will; Goldberry: Rational intellect [18:40].
  • Elves: Represent faith; Men: Reason (with Aragorn as high reason, Rohirrim as practical) [20:03].
  • Gandalf: Philosophical wisdom (becoming Thomistic/Gandalf the White after a descent into “the halls of academia”/Darwinism) [22:22].
  • Saruman: Corrupted academia and practical wisdom; Isengard as the ivory tower, Barad-dûr as a metaphorical microchip in the “reptile brain” (phrenology) [24:14].
  • The One Ring and digital technology/AI: Central dangers of dehumanization and transhumanism [26:31].

• The core narrative is about reuniting faith and reason to restore Christendom and resist the mechanization and moral decline of the modern world [21:44].

Notable Quotes:

• "The Tower of Baradur is the microchip... Mordor is in the cerebellum, the reptile brain, representing all crime and hate and fear, and that's where the microchip is." – Paul List [24:14]
• "At the basis of every digital technology... none of this functions without the one ring – ones and zeros." – Paul List [26:31]

Solution for Today’s World ([28:11])

• List asserts that the path out of modern decline is the cultivation of virtue (especially the cardinal virtues), the rejection of brain-numbing mass media, and a return to contemplation, reading, responsibility, and traditional religious practice.
• "We have to cultivate virtue and we have to do away with pornography, which is represented in Tolkien’s mythology by Shelob the spider." – Paul List [28:33]
• Warns against "the realm of the machine" and urges listeners to reject virtual reality and AI’s grasp on the human mind [30:55].

4. Frances Staudt’s Courageous Stand for Women’s Sports

Frances’ Story ([33:25]–[44:36])

• 16-year-old Frances Staudt from Tumwater, Washington, speaks about refusing to play in a basketball game against a transgender female player, citing safety and fairness.
• She describes feeling unsupported by her school, staff, and teammates, and facing accusations of discrimination and bullying for standing up for her beliefs and safety [36:01], [38:15].

Notable Quotes:

• "There is in no way am I feeling like I'm supported. I have had... the 18-year old man was in my own locker room. That is quite the opposite of safe and supported..." – Frances Staudt [37:13]

• "I've been called a lot of names... and it's sad. It really is." – Frances Staudt [43:25]

• "Although we are young, [it's] important to speak up for what we believe in... We are going to be the future of America, and we need to start acting like it and speaking up for what we believe in and what is right and know good and evil." – Frances Staudt [40:24]

• Frances explains that after complaints, her family, with legal help, has filed a civil rights complaint to the Department of Education, while she herself has been investigated for “misgendering” [38:05].

• Glenn praises Frances' moral clarity and leadership: "You give me an awful lot of hope, Frances." [39:23]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:22–02:12: Glenn Beck opens with optimism from his TPUSA event experience; mentions stories to be covered including Frances Staudt and Paul List.
• 05:04–11:21: Reflection on the false retirement rumor, lessons about work and generational responsibility.
• 18:40–31:22: Paul List’s deep dive into Tolkien’s mythos, the threat of AI, and the need for virtue.
• 33:25–44:36: Interview with Frances Staudt; her account of the basketball game, lack of institutional support, and personal reflections on activism.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Generational Hope

• "They may not know how to fix it yet, but that's our job. Our job is to teach them principles, not the answers." – Glenn Beck [12:50]

On Tolkien and Modernity

• "The whole mythology is about the reunification of faith and reason... in response to philosophies turning the Western world suicidal." – Paul List [21:44]
• "We become food for the machine. And the machine is devouring millions, I'd say billions of souls at this point." – Paul List [30:55]

On Personal Conviction

• "I will never not stand up for myself or my ability to speak out and protect my safety as a female athlete." – Frances Staudt [33:25]

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Structure

• Opening enthusiasm and context from Beck about current American culture and youth [00:22–11:21].
• Deep literary and philosophical analysis with Paul List on Tolkien’s prescience and solutions to modern issues [18:40–31:22].
• Real-world example of courage and principle with Frances Staudt’s stand for women’s sports and safety [33:25–44:36].

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Tone & Language

The episode is candid, conversational, and at times emotional. Beck’s tone is hopeful yet urgent, moving from humor to gravity; List expounds in intellectual but accessible language; Frances is measured, passionate, and determined.

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Summary Takeaway:
This episode underscores Glenn Beck’s faith in the next generation’s potential to restore America’s founding values. Through analysis of myth and modernity (via Tolkien) and the concrete courage of Frances Staudt, the message is clear: responsibility, virtue, and the willingness to stand up for truth remain at the heart of American renewal.

Transcript

[Glenn Beck]

Limu Emu and Doug Limu and I.

[Paul List]

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[Glenn Beck]

But now we want you to feel it. Cue the Emu music. Limu.

[Stu]

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[Glenn Beck]

Increase your wealth.

[Stu]

Customize and save.

[Francis Stout]

We save.

[Glenn Beck]

That may have been too much feeling.

[Stu]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Affiliates excludes Massachusetts. Big show today. We have some really amazing things on the show, some real pieces of hope, including my trip up to North Dakota last night to TPUSA event. I was filled with hope after seeing the 2,500 seat auditorium filled to the rafters and seeing the these people that are showing up that are in college and who are really hungry to learn and ready to stand for what is right. It's really amazing. Apparently though, I announced my retirement last night. Didn't mean to because I'm not retiring anytime soon. But we also have a story that comes out of out of Rutgers University and a really important story that is coming from a school district, Tumwater, Washington. A 16 year old girl I'm going to introduce you to. Her name is Frances Stout. She is amazing. And just a couple of pieces of an interview I did today on the full broadcast with Paul List. He says the Lord of the Rings, he's cracked the code of Tolkien and he says Tolkien was warning us about today AI, the rise of transhumanism, everything else. And gives us the solution on how to defeat the spirit world that we are fighting against right now. Paul List and he talks to us a little bit about his book Mount Doom all on today's podcast. Let me talk to you a little bit about Burn a launcher. I'm headed up to Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana next week. Whoa.

[Glenn Beck]

Whoa.

[Stu]

Which is one of my favorite stations and Fort Wayne is one of my favorite cities. They're, they're having their 100th anniversary and I can't wait to be up there. I wish you were coming with me, Stu, because I know you love Fort Wayne as well. Yeah. But I'm going up there and this is the home of Burna. So I hope I have time. I'm going to be able to try to swing over to see the people over at Burna because they assemble everything here in America and I think they were, I think 20% of the stuff was made here in America. You know, five, six years ago when Trump put in the mandate and said hey, want everything here in America, they did everything they can to switch. And I think they're 90% of their parts now are made in America and all hand put together here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. And they're a great, great American company. And honestly, I don't know why every teacher does not have one of their desk. They're perfectly legal. It's not a lethal weapon. But if somebody was shooting in the hallway, you could open up your doors and shoot a tear gas pellet at that gunman and you could save lives. I honestly don't know why more people don't have this. I honestly don't know if you have kids in college, why you haven't given them a burner launcher and showed them how to use it 18 and over. There's no, no permits. It's legal in all 50 states and it saves lives. Burna by R N A dot learn more about it burna.com Glenn try before you buy at a sportsman's warehouse, but you find the location near [e-mail] Glenn hello America. You know we've been fighting every single day. We push back against the lies, the censorship, the nonsense of the mainstream media that they're trying to feed you. We work tirelessly to bring you the unfiltered truth because you deserve it. But to keep this fight going, we need you right now. Would you take a moment and rate and review the Glenn Beck podcast? Give us five stars and lead a comment. Because every single review helps us break through Big Tech's algorithm to reach more Americans who need to hear the truth. This isn't a podcast. This is a movement. And you're part of it, a big part of it. So if you believe in what we're doing, you want more people to wake up, help us push this podcast to the top rate review share. Together we'll make a difference. And thanks for standing with us. Now let's get to work.

[Paul List]

You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck Program.

[Stu]

Welcome back to the Glenn Beck Program. We are so glad that you are here. Thank you so much for listening to the broadcast today. I just got back late, late, late last night from North Dakota. I wish you would have been there, Stu, with tposa. It was amazing. They're awesome. They are.

[Co-host or Guest]

I wish I was there too. I saw that you're retiring and so are you going to become a baker or are you going to be.

[Stu]

Yeah, somehow or another I announced that I was retiring.

[Co-host or Guest]

I don't, didn't know that.

[Stu]

But I didn't know that actually either. You know, seeing that I You know, just signed an extension to my contracts. But, yeah, that's. That came out all wrong.

[Co-host or Guest]

So you're.

[Stu]

I was talking about Charlie, and I was talking about how I was trying to teach. You've got to work for the things, finish what you start, get up every day and work and do the things you have to do to get. And I related it to when he was 16 years old. He said he wanted my job. He wanted to be like me, which. Translation, he wanted to be like Rush Limbaugh. He wanted the network show and everything else. And. And what I was trying to say was, I was going to say to Charlie, either last night when we saw each other or when I saw him at AM Fest, Charlie, I told you, well, kid, maybe someday when he was 16 or 17 years old, gotta do the work. You gotta do the work. And I watched him, and he did the work. And I wanted to take that to the next step and say, good job. Good job. You deserve. Any way I can help you. I will mentor you when I retire in 10 years. I'm never gonna retire, but if I retire in 10 years. Here are the keys. Take it. You deserve it. You deserve it.

[Co-host or Guest]

I mean, he's such a powerful person in the movement, and that is a. Something that you've talked about. I know, to me, even off the air.

[Stu]

But I think, as well, and I think that I don't think he actually would have. I would have also said to him, you're stupid, because you are everywhere, doing everything. Why? You know, Rush used to talk about this. I make my impact here. Charlie was making his impact everywhere. Yeah. In politics, in Washington. You know what I mean? But that's what I was trying to say. So. Didn't reintroduce my retirement at all.

[Co-host or Guest]

So excited. I was like, oh, my gosh, he's going away. And then you're like, yeah, no, yeah, sorry, sorry.

[Stu]

Not gonna do that. Unfortunately. Here, let me give you a couple of things that I shared at TPUSA yesterday. I tried to, you know, as I was flying up, I thought, I want to share, like, some lessons that I've learned that are important. Cut One, you promise me, if I.

[Glenn Beck]

Live my life the way you tell.

[Stu]

Me to live my life, if I'm.

[Glenn Beck]

Always doing what you ask me to do, you will take this from me.

[Stu]

This is about redemption. I don't know why they cut the ones with me crying.

[Glenn Beck]

And my life changed overnight.

[Co-host or Guest]

See, I. I feel like if I was out on a ship, I wouldn't want my captain to be crying like this.

[Glenn Beck]

The truth is about you that you have running in your head, but it's.

[Stu]

Probably not very good.

[Glenn Beck]

We all have these things.

[Stu]

Oh, if people only knew.

[Paul List]

If.

[Glenn Beck]

If people only knew what I thought or what I did, or I'm not good enough. I'm a fraud. Whatever it is, that's a lie. Maybe somebody in your life has been telling you that crap. Turn that off. Turn that off. You are a divine daughter and son of God with all of the rights and privileges that go with that. You are equipped with everything you need. Don't let anyone tell you, somebody stands in your way. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it. The system is rigged against you. I am a son of God. I have everything I need.

[Co-host or Guest]

So you're retiring to be a yacht captain. That's what.

[Stu]

That's. No, I'm going to take over for God.

[Co-host or Guest]

Oh, okay.

[Stu]

Yeah, he talked to me. He's going to turn the keys over. He's retiring. He's going to turn the keys over to me. Here I am talking about the recipe for success. Hopefully I'm not crying in this clip.

[Co-host or Guest]

Please help.

[Glenn Beck]

I meet a million people all the.

[Stu]

Time who say, I want to have your job. Usually what they're saying is, I want the fame or I want the fortune. And I'm like, you can have that. It's battery acid to the soul. Really? You want my job? Yeah.

[Paul List]

Well, I'll.

[Stu]

I'll help you any way I can. If you want to intern or you, you know, you want mentorship, I'm. I'm willing to do that. No, nobody finishes.

[Glenn Beck]

Nobody's willing to actually put in the work.

[Stu]

You're not paid what you're paid because.

[Glenn Beck]

You kind of phone it in. You only succeed when you are doing everything all the time, and you are focused and you're disciplined, and you. And you finish what you start. When that happens, the whole world changes. I'm telling you, work hard. People who are successful will see it, and you'll rock it to the top.

[Stu]

That is the section where I was talking about Charlie. He did the work. He did the work. He deserved to get the breaks because he created them. Next one I talked about, is there bad. Listen to this.

[Glenn Beck]

There is no such thing as bad things. It's what you do with it. It's what you're going to do. With Charlie Kirk's death, you had a choice. Choose death. Choose anger. Choose vengeance. Or choose life. Choose charity. Choose peace. Choose forgiveness. And look how you've already changed the world. There is no such thing as bad if you make the choice to see the good that can come from.

[Stu]

Was a great night I could have spent. I mean I could have sat down with those people all day long. I just. They are. There is great hope for America in the youth and the bravery and the.

[Co-host or Guest]

Focus of that organization to continue with these events after everything that's happened.

[Stu]

Let me tell you something real true bravery. Yeah, true bravery it is. It's just great. And I, you know, I talked to him last night and I want you to hear this and I want you to share this with people who are their age. Do you know what people were saying about the greatest American generation back in the day? This is in the 30s, you know, everybody's, you know, doesn't have a job. It's the Great Depression. Things are not going well. We just came out of the roaring 20s. So now these kids who were born in the 20s, you know, they had refrigerate. This is what, this is what their parents and their grandparents and everybody else said about that generation. They did, they didn't have to go out and cut ice. We used to have to cut ice. We had to milk the cow every day. We wanted milk. We didn't have a refrigerator, okay. We had to plow the fields by hand with horses. Now they get on their tractors. These kids are soft. They haven't had to work a day in their life. You put, you turn the keys over to them. God will help us. Because they don't have any work ethic. They don't know how hard it is to actually all of the same things you're Hearing about the 20 somethings now is what was said about the 20 somethings in the 30s. And those 20 somethings were the ones who became the greatest American generation. So it's normal for us to say these things because when I was a kid, that happens every generation. Cut this generation some slack. Look at what's happening with the kids at TP usa. Sorry, I don't mean to say kids, the college students, the 20 somethings. Look at what's happening. Then look at those who are still in their teens. They're different. What, what we have to do is let them know, gang, this is your country. This is your country. You're going to be the generation that fixes it. It's not my generation. We're the forgotten generation. We're just trying to hold things at bay. The generation before us screwed everything up. They're hippies and everybody's got to have everything and all of this crap. And then because we Lost view of actual morals, actual moral sentiments. And we just got trapped into fame, fortune, everything's about money, all of that. We started worshiping other gods. We lost it. They instinctively know this isn't right. They instinctively know this isn't going to last. They instinctively know. I didn't know that when I was in my 20s. I didn't see the problems. They see the problems. They may not know how to fix it yet, but that's our job. Our job is to teach them principles, not the answers. Principles. They will find the answers, and they're going to be the ones that either push us into slavery or push us into freedom. I see great hope on the horizon. Every time I'm with these kids, every time I'm with them, I realize, oh, my gosh. I remember David Barton and I talked in while we were at Fox, and he said to me, I got news for you, Glenn, we're not going to change it. And I'm like, what then? What, what, what? He's like, we're not. Look at history. And he taught me some history about how it happened in the Revolutionary War. He's like, we're the ones who teach. We teach the youth, and the youth are going to be the ones that are fixing it. And that's true. My. The Charl Charlie's generation, they learned from me and David and others like us on Fox. They took it and then went to Hillsdale and actually got a real education that they didn't pay for. They didn't care about the diplomas. He didn't care about that. He just wanted to do the work. He really, truly was hungry for the truth, and he looked for it beyond today's truth. He went to ancient truth and then worked his way forward. When I thought, you know, we're not. Wait, we're not going to be able to fix this. No. I'm like, oh, geez, it's not our job. Our job is to teach. Their job is going to be the ones that set the country right and design it the way. I mean, this is very Jeffersonian. Set it the way they choose it is now their future. I prefer they don't, you know, decide to liquidate all of us over 65 at some point, you know, well, can't afford health care, Grandpa, you're out. But they will. They will find the right path. Have faith in the future because you have faith in God. And God sent these people that. That age. They were born for a reason. And I believe they were born to save the world from authoritarianism. So have Great hope and thank you, tpusa. Thank you, Charlie, for everything that you built. American Financing. Any of these things sound familiar? You've got the monthly stack of bills, the credit card, the interest that never seems to move anything. The feeling that your paycheck has already spoken for before it even arrives. You ever wonder, is there a smarter way to deal with all of this debt and life? There is. And American Financing starts with a simple conversation and a clear set of numbers. Your goals, your balances, your timeline. Then they build that custom plan that way for you to breathe again. Now, maybe that's refinancing to a payment that fits. Maybe that's consolidating double digit credit card debt into one predictable monthly number. Maybe it's shortening the term so you get in your home sooner without feeling squeezed. The process is straightforward. They don't get paid by the banks to make loans. They're in it for you. Call American financing now at 800-906-2440. The average person is saving from this audience alone is saving over $800 every single month. So please, it's worth your time to call 800-906-2440. It's American financing.net now back to the podcast. You're listening to the Best of the Glenn Beck Program. Paul List is with us. He is the co author of a book called Mount Doom. I am a big fan of Tolkien's books. My, I mean, we watch them, the Director's Cut every year. We'll sit down and we'll watch it for a, you know, marathon day or two. We just love it. And I love looking, I know when it was written, and it was written at a time of World War II and, and you know, the, the buildup and all of the evil that the world was seeing, much like it is today. And I look at that and I, and I look for the hidden meanings in it. And it's, it's brilliantly written. Most people, I think if you watch the movies, you may miss all of this stuff. So Paul is here and I want to bring you back to the characters that we see and we know and what they mean, what, what the mythology is actually trying to tell us.

[Paul List]

Well, I'll start with the most important characters of the bunch and the enigmatic character. And what they left out of the movie were the characters Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. And that's been the big mystery. Well, who the heck is Tom Bombadil? And nobody's ever figured it out. Well, you can't figure it out, unless you have a scholastic point of view. And Tom and Goldberry are the transmigrated fallen spirits of the Trees of Light, okay? They are the gold, the spirit of the Silver Tree, which is Talperion, that's Tom. And the Golden Tree, then that's Goldberry. And Goldberry actually gets her name from the last golden fruit with which, when they died, they were killed by Shelob's mother, Angolian. They produced one last silver flower and one last silver fruit which became the moon and the Sun. But their spirits, you have to figure this out. Their spirits were transmigrated and Aule, the Faculty of growth in the soul, one of the Valar made new bodies for them, just as he had made the Dwarves. And with the Lubitar, they had free will. So they were given these spirits and they became Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. And what they are is the rational will or the free will, which is Tom Bombadil. That's why he can do anything he wants. He's the will and the rational intellect, which is Goldberry. And it's all scholasticism.

[Stu]

So who is.

[Paul List]

So who.

[Stu]

Who are the Elves?

[Paul List]

The elves are faith in all their various. Because we have faith both in the material and the immaterial. So the Three High Kings, okay, are how we love and serve the Lord. This is basic Trinity catechism. Tolkien's giving catechism lessons. They are love, serve and know. So we have the kings of knowledge, Service and love, and the. And the Elves, the Naldor of the knowledge, and Feanor who made the Silmarils. He's the knowledge to make, or the knowledge to make. And he made the Silmarils and his sons, the seven sons, are the quadrivium and the quadrivium of classical education, how we actually learn, and the virtues of the mind. So the. The whole myth. And men will go to men. Men are reason and all of the categories of reason, from high reason, which is Aragorn, to practical reason, which are the Rohirrim, and all the way down to the Wild Men, which is vital or vital. Vitality. It's just instinct. Okay, so we've got, for instance. And the whole mythology is about the reunification of faith and reason. It's a response, it's Tolkien's late response to Pope Leo XIII's great encyclical attorney Patris, which he was calling the west back, trying to get them to turn their back on the cacophony of these philosophies that were turning the Western world Christian. And suicidal. And we see that it's true. And trying to get us to come back to Thomas Aquinas and the Scholastics.

[Stu]

Which is so faith and reason together.

[Paul List]

Exactly. And that is the reunification of. Of Aragorn, the last of the High Reason. He. That's why he's the king. He's the king because he's the king of the rational soul. And. And Elrond's daughter Arwen is the last daughter of the Elves of Faith. And it's the rewetted reunion of the heirs of Beren and Luthien which are in the Silmarillion. And Luthien, of course, is the heart of the whole story. And Baron. And that is when faith and reason came and joined to their highest degree. And so we're back.

[Stu]

Who. Who is Gandalf? Or what does he represent?

[Paul List]

Philosophical wisdom in two parts. So the wizards are, according to Aristotle's neck of ethics. They are the means by which we acquire knowledge. This is right out of Necromachean ethics. So we've got Gandalf is philosophical wisdom. Saruman, who's taken over academia is practical wisdom no longer concerned with the higher realm of philosophy, metaphysics, first principles. Okay, And. And then we have Radagast, who's rational intuition. The two blue wizards that don't come into the. They keep going east. They go outside of the psychology, their art and science and they're the exterior beings by which we acquire knowledge. But Tolkien takes them into account, so he covers all five of them. So Gandalf is Gandalf the gray. Gray in the mind and gray. He's kind of indecisive. He's pagan, pre Christian, pre Revelation philosophy. Aristotle, for instance. When he falls in the minds of Moria, which are the halls of academia, it's under Saruman's control. He falls with the spirit of pride of academia. That is the Balrog bell rug is spirits of pride. He falls down into the body and he's subjected to Darwinism. Durin is Darwin subjected to the. To Durin trying to prove that, hey, you're just a. You're just an animal. And then he defeats the Balrog, comes back on the wings of the angels, not like in the movie, comes back on the wings of the eagles. And the eagles serve man way, which is the power of sight. And they are the good things that we read. And he's saved by the good reading. He comes back a full Thomistic theologian, Gandalf the White. And he's no longer indecisive. He knows exactly what he has to do. So he takes control of the great spirit of decisiveness which is shadow facts.

[Stu]

When they pick up the Eye of Sauron. Right. The stone. The Seer Stone. Go ahead.

[Paul List]

That was a palantir. That was a palantir. That was one of the seeing stones. But that wasn't the Eye. The Eye of Sauron he had corrupted because his Nazgul had gained that. They had taken that earlier in the Third Age. And that was the other one. One of them was in the. Was in the Tower of Baradur which, by the way, is the microchip. The Tower of Baradur is the microchip.

[Stu]

And that's the tower where Gandalf at one point is trapped on. Right at the top.

[Paul List]

Well, no, no, no, That's. That's the. That's actually the blackened ivory tower. That's Isengard. That's where Saruman is. Okay, okay. Saruman, yeah. So the two towers are the tower of corrupted academia and the Tower of Baradur which is the chip in the. In the brain. And the. And Mordor is. It's. Glenn, this is so fascinating. It's all laid out according to the old Victorian pseudoscience called phrenology.

[Stu]

That's the study of the head.

[Paul List]

Right, right, right. Where all these areas were representative of this and that. Well, Mordor is in the. In the cerebellum, the back here. The reptile brain, as it's called. And that's the area of all crime and hate and fear and all that. And that's where Mordor is. And that's where the microchip is. So at this point in Arda's development which is the history of all of Christendom it's been. It's become. It's been microchipped and it's become transhuman. And what happens is the will and the intellect. Tom and Goldberry decide they're gonna break out and they're gonna change their evil ways and they're gonna do away with Gollum, this insatiable lust for pornography and all these things that they can get through the One Ring, through the. Through the computer, through digital technology. And they decide to call out of the Shire the cardinal virtues and send them on a quest with philosophical wisdom and high reason. Okay. And fallen. Fallen, high reason, which is. Which is Boromir, but still salvageable. And they send them on a quest to destroy the Ring. And that's the essence of the quest, to destroy the Ring. And they have to destroy the language of the machine because at the basis of every digital technology, whether it's the surveillance state, digital money, virtual reality, self driving cars, all these things at the heart of that. None of this functions without the one ring. Ones and zeros.

[Stu]

This is, I mean, if, if your theory is correct, this puts him way. I mean, decades ahead. Decades.

[Paul List]

Absolutely, absolutely. But like I said, his training with Alan Turing, he, under Tolkien was a huge skeptic of machinery because he always knew that was about dominance. Like he wrote in a letter to his son Christopher in World War II. He said, the only winner in any war is the machine. And we create. You know, war advances the machine. Not to our benefit all the time. I mean every, every day, every war advances the. I'm sorry. Advances the machine. So Tolkien was a, was a great scholar. He was very much in touch. He was a very, he was a traditional Catholic, as I am a traditional Catholic. Not this modernism crap that we're seeing coming out of the Vatican now, now that the modernists have taken over. Okay. He was a traditional Catholic. And he, and he, he, he saw this coming. Very much so. With, with, and this is fascinating. With the reunion of faith and reason, now comes the rebirth of the white tree. And the white tree of Gondor is neglected. It cannot be tended. And Glenn, it is the traditional Latin mass. That's what it is. So when faith and reason comes back together, Christendom is healed. We return to the traditional Latin mass, the mass that the FBI is all over and colonists, you know, terrorists and, and whatnot. And it's the original Christian faith. It's extension of. It's the perpetuation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross where he gives us his real body and blood. Not a symbol, the real thing. And this is what Tolkien is telling us.

[Stu]

So he is. What is the way out that he is. I mean in today's language, what, what is Tolkien saying is a. Because he's predicting transhumanism, the, the merging of man and machine. AI we are, we are on the doorstep of that. What in real terms is his way out?

[Paul List]

Well, we have to cultivate virtue and we have to do away with pornography. And pornography is represented in Tolkien's mythology. That is she love the spider. The spider that she loves Lair is pornography. Gollum leads them there because that's his favorite place to dwell with. The ring is in pornography. He can slake his lust like crazy there. Just like that's why pornography is so huge in the digital realm. It's so easy and it. He's telling us and. But this is fascinating we have to, we have to cultivate our ver. The cardinal virtues, temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice. And we have. Christendom has to be reunited and we have to do away. We cannot subject ourselves to modern music, which is brain deadening, mind numbing, to modern entertainment, which is just as brain dead and mind numbing. We have to read, we have to be competent, we have to learn and try to understand human beings are, are the combination of the joining of the animal realm and the angelic realm. And we've been forced largely by Bacon and Descartes and then Darwin, forced into the strictly ammo realm which is just a disaster for the human intellect. And we really have to re establish our ability to ascend, transcend the material realm. And when we can do that, we can do that through preference and through, through reading and through the content, the contemplation of the higher purposes of our being. We transcend this realm and we get out of the realm of the machine because the machine owns this realm. And if we are stuck in this realm, we become food for the machine. And the machine is devouring millions, I'd say billions of souls at this point. And we have to pull away. We have to come, we have to, to turn around. We have to destroy the machine and return to our humanity. And do not enter the virtual realm and do not get your children virtual glasses or goggles. That's a come direct competitor to God's natural creation. And where we put our attention is where we put our souls and our hearts, Paul. So we have to go ahead, finish up God's natural created world. We really do and cultivate our humanity and become competent. We have to take responsibility for our health and responsibility for our own education.

[Stu]

Paul, I think you are, I think you're fascinating and the book is called Mount Doom. I highly recommend I. You know, Tolkien was way ahead of his time and I've always known there's deep, deep meaning, but I haven't been able to figure it out. And I think you have cracked the code. You can find this in the book Mount Doom by Paul List. Thank you so much, Paul. I appreciate it.

[Paul List]

Thank you for having me, Glenn. It was a great privilege and an honor.

[Stu]

Great. Thank you. Readmount doom.com readmountdoom.com you're streaming the Best of Glenn Beck. To hear more of this interview and others, download the full show podcasts. Wherever you get podcasts, I want to read something from Francis Stout. She posted she's 16 years old. She lives in Washington state. This evening as a young Female athlete in the United States of America. I was actively silenced for standing up for my own safety and belief. During the Tumwater High School girls basketball game on February 6, 2025, a biological male from Shelton High School opposing team was brutalizing my teammates using his biological, his biological advantage, clearly and intentionally overpowering his competition. I made the decision to sit out one of my very last basketball games of the season because I refused now and forever to compete against any biological male in any sport that I play. I was incredibly distraught at the fact that nobody would step in on our behalf, including the staff, coaches, referees and parents from both sides. This is due to the sheer fact that in our society we have been pushed to be silent and bow down to the demands to accept what we know to be untrue. When I became visibly upset and angry, I was met with allegations of discrimination as well as threats made by other players and a grown man who is tasked with serving my school district. The principal and athletic director who stood in front of parents and the students claiming to care about our students bodies, their beliefs and feelings, but they certainly did not care about mine. Tonight, this is far from over. It has fueled a passion in me to speak out and go against the wrongdoing that is still happening to female athletes in this great country. Isn't it ironic that just yesterday National Girls and Women's Sports Day was the day that President Trump signed the no whip, no men in women's sports executive order. And here I am the very next day having to deal with such an injustice that has, that has caused so much emotional distress in my life. I will never not stand up for myself or my ability to speak out and protect my safety as a female athlete. 16 years old. From Tumwater, Washington, it's Francis Stout. Hello, Francis. Hello.

[Francis Stout]

Thank you so much for having me on the show. It is not lost on me the significance of speaking with you today.

[Stu]

Oh my gosh. Thank you. So Francis, you were, you were not notified? Nobody was notified. You just go to this game and you see somebody who you describe as obviously a male.

[Francis Stout]

Yes.

[Stu]

Why do you say that? What I mean and tell me the intimidation tactics or the brutalization tactics if you will, that you felt he was doing well?

[Francis Stout]

I feel it is obvious from any stand where he would have stood out on the court. He was warming up and stretching, looking around, dancing with the girls on his team. It was obvious there's clear biological differences between girls and boys and you could just see by everything and lots of, there's a lot of just roughness on the court and pushing girls down and nothing that a normal girl on my team or the other team would have really been able to do. Very harsh and just. It was a clear difference.

[Stu]

So you go and say, I'm going to sit this game out or I can't, I can't play because I don't feel safe on the court, correct?

[Francis Stout]

Yes, that's correct.

[Stu]

And what was the response at the time?

[Francis Stout]

At the time, people kind of looked and were, oh, whatever. Just asks me, oh, are you sure you don't want to play? It's not that big of a deal. I got told by a lot of people it isn't that big of a deal. It doesn't matter. There's not, nothing's going to happen. And you're just looking for attention. Every sort of thing that you could hear from people. But it was only until I got upset after seeing him hurt girls on my team and also take away from my ability to play because I feared for my own safety that people really started having issues.

[Stu]

And what, when you got upset, what happened?

[Francis Stout]

So I went and tried to talk to the principal of Tumwater, Zach Suderman, and I told him, this is wrong. Why are you not protecting me and my right to play in my own sport? And why are you not putting a stop to this? It's clearly wrong. It is a violation of my own privacy and safety that you've told every single person at that school that you care about but you. He did absolutely nothing to help me. He told me that it was discrimination against the boy and the man. Actually 18 years old.

[Stu]

He said. The man?

[Francis Stout]

Yes, he said, he said, I'm not going to misgender, quote, unquote, this individual.

[Stu]

Okay. He has also said, and maybe it's not the principal, maybe it's the superintendent. As a district, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel safe, supported and valued. Do you feel safe, supported or valued?

[Francis Stout]

That is a very easy answer. Absolutely not. There is in no way am I feeling like I'm supported. I have had. When I was 15 years old, the 18 year old man was in my own locker room. That is quite the opposite of safe and supported that I should be able to feel. There's a man or boy in the girls locker room right now at Tumwater High School that they're still doing nothing about. Telling girls that they can go somewhere else to change if they feel uncomfortable. They only care about a certain protected class. And it clearly is not the girls who just want their own privacy and Safety.

[Stu]

So now a lawsuit has been lodged against you. The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism filed a civil rights complaint to the Department of Education.

[Francis Stout]

Yes. On our behalf.

[Stu]

On your behalf.

[Francis Stout]

Yes.

[Stu]

Okay. Thank God. I read that and I'm like, what are they? How is that possible? On your behalf, however.

[Francis Stout]

Yeah. I was investigated, however, by the WIAA and Tumwater School District for harassment and bullying, for, quote, unquote, misgendering. The man saying that he was a man was apparently bullying and harassment, and that is what happened. But myself and my family was the one who filed the complaint.

[Stu]

Well, I'm glad because I was having a hard time understanding how our DOJ was not standing up for your civil rights on this, especially since the President has made it very clear.

[Francis Stout]

Yes.

[Stu]

Can you give me any update on where this stands and where this is headed?

[Francis Stout]

So we are still waiting to hear back. We filed it a little bit ago and still waiting for news. We have hope that it'll be in our favor, and I am very much looking forward to seeing where it can take us. And, yeah, I am hoping that it'll be all good.

[Stu]

Francis, I have to tell you, you give me an awful lot of hope. I think we treat our children as little kids. You know, you hit 16 years old back in the old days. Back in the old days. I mean, older than me. You know, our founders were in their 20s and 30s. You know, Thomas Jefferson, I think, was 30. They were expected to do more. And we just say, oh, your childhood, your childhood. Yeah. There is something about keeping childhood sacred and keeping childhood as safe as possible. But you are a great example of what 16 year olds should be like. You should know what your rights are, what your responsibilities are, why you believe certain things that you do. If you're passionate about them, obviously you're passionate about this and make the case. You give me an awful lot of hope, Frances.

[Francis Stout]

I very much appreciate that. Well, I cannot tell you how much I. As I mentioned in my speech last Saturday, this is the turning point of America. And I was an incredible fan of Charlie Kirk. I think he was an amazing man, and I think he's given me a voice to speak out and given me courage. And I think that it's important, although we are young, to speak up for what we believe in. It's important. I've had those values instilled by my family as well and my parents. And I think it's very important he did not die in vain. I think that we need to make our country proud and we are going to be the future of America, and we need to start acting like it and. And speaking up for what we believe in and what is right and no good and evil.

[Stu]

Do you have any friends in Washington State? Because I grew up in Washington state. I know what it's like. Your family. You just must. Is it just you guys? Are you just alone in Washington State? Because you're amazing. But it must not be very popular to be you and your family in Washington state.

[Francis Stout]

Well, no. You see all around there's people who disagree, but we have a close group. It really shows you who your close friends are and who is there for you. But it is definitely not the majority in Washington state of what me and my family believe in. But this isn't over, and I think that we can make a change. And I think people need to have their eyes opened and realize that there's clearly something wrong. And I think people can be very oblivious to the fact of that. But there's. It is pretty small majority, especially in Washington state, as you can probably know it.

[Stu]

I know it quite well. Do you have any friends that disagree with you that are still standing with you as a friend?

[Francis Stout]

I don't really have many friends who have told me they disagree. I've been called a lot of names. I've lost a lot of friends over it, but I don't have many friends who disagree. I think it's really sad because they've been told by so many people that they are right and people who disagree with them are automatically horrible people. And especially Chris Reichdahl telling people that, oh, this isn't happening. So kids are believing him and parents are believing him. And so they think that I'm just wrong and looking for attention. And I've been called that. Just the other day I got called a transphobe in the hallways by this kid that I used to be friends with and say hi to every day. And I walked by and got yelled at. And it's sad. It really is.

[Stu]

Yeah. You sound smart enough to know there are easier ways to get attention, right?

[Francis Stout]

Exactly. Yes.

[Stu]

Thank you so much for everything you're doing. Please keep me informed. Keep us up to date. We want to follow the story, and if there's any way we can help, just know you're not alone. And you know it'll be people like you that will be remembered someday. It's the people who did the things they didn't necessarily want to do that didn't make them possible, in fact made them a target. But they had. They had the faith in something bigger than themselves. They knew they had a responsibility and they stood. Those are the kinds of people that actually make it into the history books, not the one that walked through the crowd as you were walking through, who said you're a transphobe. That person is never going to be remembered in history. You will be. So thank you. Keep it up.

[Francis Stout]

Truly appreciate that and it means more than you know. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate this opportunity in speaking with you and I will not forget what you said. That means a lot.

[Stu]

Thanks a lot, Francis. God bless you. See, there is good news. There is good news. There are things that are happening in a country in the country that is really good.

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