Rick Green

Welcome to the Intersection of Faith and Culture. This is the Wall Builders Show. We take on hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective. I'm Rick Green, America’s Constitution Coach and a former Texas legislator, here with David and Tim Barton. Tim's a national speaker and pastor and president of Wall Builders, David’s, America’s premier historian and our founder at WallBuilders, and you, the listener. You're the most important one in this whole bunch because we can talk and talk and talk all day long. What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do with the information that we're sharing with you Now? We bring you victories. We talk about people that are out there in the culture making a difference. We talk about the principles. We even have all of our training programs, our constitution coach program, all of that but at the end of the day, you're the listener.

You have to take this information and do something with it in your community. That's the only way that we force multiply this thing. I mean, look, David and Tim and I can do a lot in our communities, but that's not enough. We need to be doing this all over the nation, and in fact we are. Did you know? We have 28,000, more than that now. 28,000 Constitution coaches. Those are folks all over the nation that are just inviting people into their living room or their church or wherever and studying the Constitution together.

If you haven't looked at that, check it out at wallbuilders.com. Look at the Biblical Citizenship in Modern America course eight weeks and it's eight weeks, one night a week where you just invite folks over, you watch the videos. When the video's over, then the magic really happens. You start talking about what you learned and you start talking about what you can do in your community to correct the situation. So check that out today wallbuilders.com. Get you a copy of Biblical Citizenship in Modern America and then get signed up as a Constitution coach for free and you will be the catalyst for a restoration of biblical values and constitutional principles right there in your community.

All right, guys, our friend Brian Birdwill will be with us when we come back from the break here in a little bit. Hadn't had Brian on for a while. We used to have him on all the time Busy guy serving in the Texas Senate, but we'll get some perspective from him on this crazy story where the military was labeling pro-life activists and actually one of the biggest pro-life, maybe the biggest pro-life organization in the country as terrorist. terrorist. Now this in the wake guys of multiple pro-life activists being sentenced to multiple years in prison for simply standing up for life, standing outside an abortion clinic. It's really surreal what's been happening, but this military one, I think Brian's going to have something to say about that.

David Barton

Yeah, it's a really significant thing that happened. And Brian, of course, a longtime military. That was his career until he was run over by the plane on 9-11 at the Pentagon. He is the closest survivor to make it through. I think it's now over 52 surgeries he's had to make it as far as he has, but he's a great perspective on this because he was serving in the Pentagon at the top levels in the Army.

And so this goes back to something that I've personally experienced. I mean, at Fort Liberty which used to be Fort Bragg but now Fort Liberty they were doing training that's special forces base and so they're pointing out here's terrorists, pro-lifers. This goes back to me through the Obama administration when they started doing this, because at that time, because of my views, like that, I was put on the domestic terrorism watch list in the Obama administration. They wouldn't let me speak on military bases anymore, and I've been doing that for years and years and then I got to go back to bases a little bit under Trump, but then when Biden came in, I was back on the list again and so I'm not allowed to speak at military bases now because of my pro-life views and that means I know nothing about military history. It's crazy.

Tim Barton

Well, and you know, it's one thing if we look at what's happening in culture and we see that maybe not as much culture, maybe in academia and those on the left the running joke after Matt Walsh did his documentary what is a Woman? That the left can't even define what a woman is. It's one thing to see things like that in culture and think, ok, man, culture is silly, culture is dumb. The fact that they can't define what a woman is, well, it's one thing to not be able to define a woman. It's something entirely different when your military cannot properly define and identify what a terrorist is, define and identify what a terrorist is, and when you're saying someone that has a founding father's view that there is a God who is the Author, the Giver, the Creator of life and therefore the first of the inalienable rights is the right to life.

If you believe in what the founding fathers identified in the Declaration of Independence, second paragraph we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created, equal and endowed by their creditors and their rights, and among these are life, if you believe the Declaration of Independence, then you are somehow a terrorist. This is the craziness of the left and really this is the wokeness of the left that it only wants to destroy what's around it. And, guys, now that it's getting into the military and we've seen this coming for a couple of years but certainly this is a problem and there's not many people that we know that are more courageous, more backboned. So many of our good friends, military veterans but one of our favorites is Lieutenant Colonel Brian Birdwell and Rick. Like you said, I'm sure he's got a lot to say about this Senator.

Rick Green

Colonel Birdwell will be with us when we return. Stay with us. You're listening to the WallBuilder Show.

Break

Rick Green

We're back here on WallBuilders. Thanks for staying with us. It's been way too long. So good to have our good friend, lieutenant Colonel and Senator Brian Birdwell from the great state of Texas. Colonel, God bless you, man. Good to have you back. 

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

Oh, it's a treat to join you, rick. Thank you Well, we've done a lot of shows, colonel. God bless you, man. Good to have you back. Oh, it's a treat to join you, rick. Thank you. 

Rick Green

Well, we've done a lot of shows together over the years, a lot of events together over the years. I don't know of any time. In all the things we've done together you with WallBuilders, with Patriot Academy, all the different things that there's been so much happening and that what we're doing both what you're doing in the Texas Senate, what we're doing out there with grassroots around the country it has been so consequential, man, we're in a really interesting time to be alive, isn't it?

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

You're absolutely right. I mean, given at the time we're doing this interview, you've had two major presidential events. You know, president Trump's assassination attempt on his life, the withdrawal of President Biden from the race. I mean this few weeks has been almost as consequential as April of 1865. You know, you had Appomattox, and then Abraham Lincoln is shot three weeks later. I mean, we're not quite there, but I've never seen it so turbulent and, as you use the word, consequential.

Rick Green

Yeah, and then all of that, at the same time that we're having these tectonic shifts from Supreme Court decisions on things that you and I have talked about for decades the out-of-control federal government, the fourth branch, the lack of due process in these agencies, all of these and then we had these big decisions over the last couple of months that are chipping away at that and not just chipping away at it. I mean, it's big moves.

Yeah, the Chevron decision, yeah yeah yeah, I almost don't know what to ask you about. There's too many big things going on. And actually, you know, we sent you. David Barton saw this article and said man, we've got to find out what Birdwell thinks about this and it seems small compared to all these other big issues. But it's another one of the symptoms.

And of course I'm talking about this Fort Liberty and this presentation, where the military made it sound like pro-life groups, like National Right to Life and others, were terrorists and they took a lot of heat for it and apparently they've reversed their position. But you know, I bring that up with you because you know, man, you worked at the Pentagon, you had a whole career in the military. You know better than anybody else, I know of having been on both sides military and the political side, on the. You know on the civilian side how important elections are to policies that even our, that our military on a daily basis is implementing. And it just seems like I hate being cliché but, Brian, it does seem like this is the most important election of our lifetime.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

I absolutely believe that and you know it isn't just this issue. And if I may be so bold, I still call it Fort Bragg as opposed to Fort Liberty. But you know it's hard to erase old habits and and such but um, but you're right, the this is an indicator of how deep the rod is, in my view um in 2013, 2014, uh, just a few years after I'd gotten elected in the state Senate.

When I got elected, I put a US flag, the Texas flag, and then also put the United States Army flag in my office and Obama administration. Same thing happened. I don't remember which installation it was and similar. You know, terrorists, you know the deplorables that we think are threats to America are people that are that vote on the conservative side of the aisle and out of that embarrassment, you know, I took my army flag out of my office. It's at home, but I don't display it at the state capitol anymore.

Wow, because, look, you know, you've been in dc, you've seen. You know, various congressional offices will always, you know, outside in the hallways of the Rayburn building. Or, you know, pick your building, they'll have the us flag, their state flag, and some will have a flag. Some will have a service flag, some will have flags that that we wouldn't care to have. Um, and this is indicative, like I I said, of how deep the rot is.

The President of the United States is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Nothing happens in the Armed Forces without somebody in the political chain. Political chain meaning presidential appointees, whether it's the SEC, dep himself the deputy secretary, the undersecretary for personnel and policy, the secretary of the army, the undersecretary of the army that deals with personnel policy, or the assistant secretary of the army that deals with personnel policy, personnel policy or the assistant secretary of the army that deals with personnel policy? When I read the article and let's start with this premise that I have no reason not to believe the article from pro-life news, but we are reading a news media article and I have no reason to doubt them. But given previous performance, I have every reason to doubt the united states army our institutions are failing us, whether it's the secret service, you know, pick, pick, your institution that is failing us.

The intelligence community, you know federal law enforcement and I don't want to say you know, you know a carpet bomb of every individual FBI agent, every individual CIA person, but as institutions they are failing us yeah this is yet another indication of another institution failing us, because when I read the article again presuming the article to be true it says after conducting a commander's inquiry, we determined that the slides presented on social media were not vetted by the appropriate approval authorities and do not reflect the views of the 18th Airborne Corps, because that's the senior tactical commander. The 18th Airborne Corps is commanded by a three-star and they are the senior tactical tenant, making him the installation commander. The views of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, the US Army, are to the views of 18th airborne corps and fort liberty, the us army or the department of defense. Uh, the post on social media from the installation said well it. That doesn't tell you who they've held accountable yeah that doesn't tell you.

Tell me how you're going to fix this. You're just disavowing it. But the the rot is so deep, that's right. Tell me how you're going to fix it. They don't tell you that. They just expect us to walk away from it yeah you know and I mean I don't.

I don't know if you've seen the stories of the last couple of months there have been navy commanders of vessels that have been relieved of command. Look, maybe rightfully so, and maybe wrongfully so, I don't know. I'm not a Navy guy. I don't know the specifics, but at least the Navy at least gives appearance of trying to hold people accountable, and usually the terminology is that they've lost confidence in his ability to command. That's the nice generic way of saying we're not going to tell you why we fired the guy.

Rick Green

I have to think you know, and, Brian, I probably do this way too much, but I repeat Dennis Prager's line all the time about the left destroys everything they touch, yeah, and of all things to destroy.

But our military and, like you said, the rot and of course we see it in the administration, we see it in the Secret Service, we see it in the three letter agencies and the three-letter agencies. We see it and all these, like you said, these institutions, once great institutions, that that they're just destroying with this leftist mindset and it's everything from the DEI stuff to you name it, uh, that creates that rot. And then we start seeing this hatred of their own fellow American’s, these pro-lifers, and labeling them terrorists. I mean it, it is a mindset and it's a cancer and and and it's why know, knowing truth about who we are as a people and teaching these things is so important. But you know to be called to take the term terrorist and extremist and all these things and label people that are trying to protect babies. I mean, like you said you had you knew who the terrorists were.

I mean you were affected personally by the terrorists, and so when we go after the people that are trying to harm our country, we want to take that might of our nation and use it properly and righteously and justly, as we did in responding to what happened to you at the Pentagon on 9-11. It's got to really, really bother you when we turn around and use that might against our own people that are simply trying to to save babies or or give free speech or whatever it might be. That was a long setup.

I know you're going to go off on that, brother

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

 oh, yeah, yeah, I mean it, it, it in some ways. It's that apparently my government now believes that a guy that's been in two wars um, without sounding braggadocious, highly decorated, purple heart, bronze star, legion of merit. You know I've served in Korea, Europe, you know, middle East, central America, throughout the United States Um, I wrote a check with my name on it, that's, you know, at the cost of my life, to uncle Sam, and now I'm considered as a pro-life voter, as a pro-life legislator. We can go down the things that we've done in the state legislature over the last several legislative periods or sessions that we've done to make our laws stronger. You know sonagram bill that Governor Patrick did as Senator Patrick.

I mean, we can go through all that and now I'm apparently, you know, worse than a terrorist. I mean, if you go through all that, and now I'm apparently, you know, worse than a terrorist, I mean, is the next step to start rounding us up and sending us to Guantanamo Right? I mean, it's not an unreasonable question to ask. You know when they're calling President Trump? You know everything from Hitler to, you know, fascists.

Rick Green

And they, even they what was it like? A third or 40 percent or whatever of Democrats were okay with rounding up people that weren't vaxxed and putting them in essentially camps.

So, yes, they would be willing to round you up. Yeah, and look, I do want to be very careful here, but I've been to Dachau and I've been to Buchenwald and I've seen the ovens and I am scared for my country. I'm not scared of my government, but I'm scared for my country that if we have enough people that think this to be legitimate, we've lost the country already. That's why November 5th is absolutely paramount amount the people of this country, the states of this country will, to decide who sits in the white house and what policies will emanate from the white house through our military. And I believe it is absolutely imperative for president trump to do a whole house cleaning you.

Rick Green

You read my mind, that was. That was my next question. I I was going to ask you how can't, can he, in four years, do that and restore the pride and the respect and, once again, good systems within our military?

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

I think it's possible, but it'll be a huge challenge.

Rick Green

And that's a top-down thing. You've got to start with the brass of the Pentagon, I'm guessing.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

Oh, I would think so. Yeah, I mean, look, when President Reagan takes office after Jimmy Carter, the nation had made the decision, just like the captain of the Titanic actually wasn't at the helm, the first officer is at the helm of the Titanic titanic. He gives the order. If the American people elect president trump again on November 5th and he assumes office January 20th, the American people have done their part to issue the order. But how quickly does the ship move? That's, that's good. It will take. It'll take all four years, in my view.

And look, here's the. Here's the thing that is most dangerous. If you, if you read Victor Davis Hansen and or, or uh, Thomas soul, other folks, particularly Hansen, because it was military history, uh, experience and uh, uh and uh, wisdom and knowledge, look it's. It's tough to maintain deterrence, meaning that your enemies pause and give thought to should we do something or should we not? With Trump in office, we had maintained our deterrence, but once you lose deterrence, the price of getting it back is always higher than the price of keeping it once you have it. whether that's with lives, lives, whether that's with treasure.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

We are entering some very dangerous times, particularly as it relates to China and Taiwan, what's going on in the middle east and and to be called a terrorist and then have the same president that's the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. You know not refer to the folks in Gaza as terrorists after what they did on October 7th, and treat them as an equal partner, so to speak, in negotiating quote you know peace in the Middle East. You know you're giving those people greater credence and reputational rigor than you are, people like you and me that happen to be pro-life and you're going to treat and call a terrorist. I mean, the world is upside down, Rick.

Rick Green

Yeah, man, it's calling good evil and evil good. It's biblical, no doubt no-transcript. But then we also got to rebuild the reputation and what you're talking about. That takes maybe a generation to rebuild that deterrence.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

Yeah, because look, everybody says that we won the first Gulf War in 100 hours. That may have been the measure of effectiveness from crossing from Saudi Arabia into Iraq before the ceasefire, but it took 10 years to win that war. Because Ronald Reagan's coming in, changing the mindset, the culture, putting the money against the training necessary, not only into the installations but training budgets, personnel, pay, raises, recruiting. It's an entire systematic review and improvements across all the systems that put a military in the field with competent leadership. That won that fight. That we didn't win that war in 100 hours, we won it in 10 years.

That's good because of what?

ronald reagan began in january of 81 that's it, man, that's.

Rick Green

That's a perfect analogy or example, a real example from history, that not too long ago, and that we're going to essentially have to repeat that.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

It seems like forever ago to me, but you know Right.

Rick Green

Yeah, yeah. Well, man, I wish we had more time. Always, always good to have you, brother. Thank you for the great work that you're doing for Texas and the country and let's definitely get you back soon. Can't wait to have you out. Thanks for coming down for the Patriot Academy National Leadership Congress. We'll see you there.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

Oh yeah looking forward to it, but let's do this again soon.

Rick Green

man, we waited way too long to do this. We miss you and glad to have you back on Wall Builders.

Sen. Col. Brian Birdwell

Oh my, and you take care of yourself.

Rick Green

Stay with us folks. We'll be right back with David and Tim Barton.

Rick Green

We're back on WallBuilders. Thanks for staying with us, Thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Brian Birdwell for joining us and looking forward to having him speaking to the students at Patriot Academy as well. Great guy, guys, and well, you can hear it in his voice and the pain actually, not just the anger the pain that the military that he served is doing this kind of thing. Well, I'll tell you what?

David Barton

when he takes down his US Army flag out of his office. Oh, my goodness man, what a change in attitude, because he gave his life for that, that branch. It's an amazing change and you know, he made a great point that the administration now treats Hamas as less of an enemy than pro-lifers. How is it that pro-lifers are a bigger enemy than Hamas, who is a genuine terrorist who executed and killed so many Jews? But one of the things he said that I've just been thinking about since he said it is that our institutions are failing us. And when he said that, I was reminded of something.

Tim and I got an email from George Barna recently where George showed us a new survey that was out and it's done by the American College of Trustees and Alumni, and this is the group that measures what's being taught in college and what students know about civics and literacy and et cetera. And it asks these college students it says okay, how often do you self-censor when discussing social and political issues with your peers? When discussing social and political issues with your peers, and 53% self-censor and 14% never self-censor. So, by margin of their roughly four to one, they are scared to come out with their views in these college settings.

But it's even the point where the question was asked if the United States was invaded by Russia, as Ukraine has been, what would you do? Would you stay and fight or would you flee the country? 57% would flee the country. They're not committed enough to their country to stay and fight for their country, and so the result of the last generation or so of education and culture is that we don't even want to stand up for our country. We don't want to stand up and fight for the things that are right, and only 43% would stay and fight. So we really he's right. Our institutions are failing us, and it's amazing that we've gotten to the point to where that we're briefing military special forces that if you're pro-life, you're terrorists. Right in there with Osama bin Laden and all the others that we've had to fight over the years. It's a crazy time in America.

Rick Green

Well, and if you let that stuff stand, the society falls. There's no doubt about it. So, you know, the good news is they're backtracking, you know, and people were outraged by this and spoke up, which hopefully means there's enough sane people in the country that understand what you just described, david, and will reverse this so that it doesn't eat away at and create rot in the culture. So, ultimately, good news here that people stood up and that they had to backtrack. Special thanks to Colonel Birdwell for joining us today and thank you for listening. You've been listening to the Wobbler Show.