Are You Willing to Pay More at the Pump to Help Ukraine?

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Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Starz. That's right. I love this American ride. And hello, America. Welcome to the Todd Stars Radio Show.

It is so great to have you with us today. As you can tell, we are not in our flagship station, Memphis, Tennessee, in the bunker. We are at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. It's happening at the Gaylord Resort here in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Hope you're having a great day.

And, folks, I'm just telling you, you better put some Red Bull on the fruit loops because we have an action-packed show today. A lot of great guests. We're keeping track of a lot of the big breaking stories nationally. Of course, we're paying attention to what's happening in Ukraine, and we'll bring you up to speed on what's happening there in just a few moments. But right out of the gate, we are honored to have the president with us, not Joe Biden.

No, we have Troy Miller, the better president, president of the National Religious Broadcasters. Troy, great to have you with us. Todd, thank you. It's great to be with you, and it's just great to see all the excitements going on here in Nashville. I mean, it's a huge crowd, and I haven't.

I was telling someone a few moments ago, I have not seen a crowd this large in a very long time at the NRB. Yeah, this is our largest crowd in over eight years. We have over 3,500 people here from all across the country and all around the world. NRB represents an international association of Christian communicators. And I think people would be surprised to know how many Christian radio stations there are across America and how many Christian TV programs there are around the nation as well.

Yeah, you know, Christian radio and television reach over 90% of the total households across the U.S. Christian television reaches in cable outlets, in traditional outlets, and broadcasting. There are over, I think, nearly 6,000 antennas and translators out there. That's amazing. And so the impact, and especially when we're dealing With a culture in chaos.

I think Christian radio and the great ministries you guys have here are so vitally important to that. I like the way you put that, a culture of chaos. That's exactly right. And also a culture that is suppressing the truth at an ever-increasing rate.

So Christian broadcasters who can reach into your cars, reach into your homes, reach across digital to get the truth out there, not only the truth of the gospel, but also the truth about what's going on in the culture. And you guys have passed a series of resolutions that really strike a chord with me. And I want to go through some of those because this is important for our national audience to understand the work you guys are doing in the nation's capital. One of the things that you guys passed a formal resolution on opposing critical race theory and anti-Christian ideology. That's right.

Today, as you know, we live in a culture, again, where the truth is sort of relative to some folks. And so we come up with these theories, these philosophical sort of solutions. To deeper spiritual problems, and critical theory is one of those. Instead of looking at the truths out there, we just say, oh, well, we'll take a subject or a topic and we'll put our opinion on it. We'll call it we're being critical thinkers or critical theory, and then we put it out there as though it's fact.

And it's not fact, it's really an ideology, it's really a worldview. It's not really representing the views of everybody out there. And NRB and our members really have to stand against that with the truth. That's what the scriptures call us to do. And you know, and at its root, I mean, this is a pretty evil ideology because they're saying that God made a mistake.

Exactly. That's right. At the root of it is the fact that God made a mistake or that there isn't a creator at all, and we have to solve this problem on our own, and here's how we do it. One of the other things that you guys have been such strong proponents of is tackling this deplatforming. They call it the cancel culture mob.

Right, we call it the cancel culture mob or the deplatforming. We've seen it play out in the 2020 elections. We saw it where communicators where people were trying to get out messages and the truth. We've seen it play out in this pandemic. We've seen it play out in churches and organizations in the pro-life movement as well.

If you say the wrong thing about gender, if you say the wrong thing about life, if you don't agree with these kinds of ideologies and philosophies, we're just going to silence you. You know, what I find fascinating about, again, about the NRB is that you guys support talking about these ideas and these concepts and having this debate. There are even some conservative networks, and we're not going to name names, but even they want to shut down the debate. These are issues that have already been decided, and so we don't want to talk about them anymore. Yeah, let's talk about that in a second because you're right.

You know, some people have decided they fear men more than they fear God, and they fear the backlash that might happen to them. But you don't realize the Christian community is a large community. Even though there are organizations that, well, the number of people going to churches are shrinking and that. If you look at people that hold some sort of Christian viewpoint, Christian world viewpoint, it's still about half of the people in the United States. And yet those people's voices are being silenced over and over again.

Isn't that strange? You know, we live in this country where, well, just this morning we were talking about the Southern Poverty Law Center. They've come out with their hate list. Many of the groups that you and I are very familiar with, Alliance Defending Freedom, G. James Kennedy, Family Research Council, they're on these lists as extremist groups.

And just think about that, Troy. Over the last year, we've learned that if you love America, you're an extremist. If you're a parent concerned about what your kid's learning in the public school, you're an extremist. And now, if you're a Christian ministry that supports the teachings of the Bible, you too are an extremist. That's exactly right.

Look, I'm a Navy veteran. I'm a homeschool dad. And I'm an elder in my church.

So to them, I should be on some sort of terrorist watch list. I just got triggered. No, I'm just kidding. I don't get triggered. I don't get triggered.

But you're right. You know, NRB itself just did an amicus brief to the court to ask them to take a case, which is Dr. D. James Kennedy's ministries suit against the Southern Law and Poverty Society that put them on a hate group. And if you go to their website and look at what they say a hate group is, a hate group isn't the same definition that the Justice Department of the Supreme Court said.

In their definition, you actually have to commit a crime or a criminal crime.

Southern Law and Poverty says all you have to do is disagree with us, and you're a hate group. And so, that kind of activism, those kind of bullying sort of tactics to put people, to silence people, the same thing that the ACLU does with prayer and school. I've noticed that Ukraine has been on the minds of a lot of people here. You have a lot of Christian ministries in Ukraine, also Christian ministries in Russia, too. And we seem to forget about those folks as well.

What are people saying here in the hallways at NRB? Right, we have a number, like I said, we're an international association of Christian. Communicators. We have a number of ministries that work around the world. We have a number of ministries, Far East Broadcasting, Transworld Radio, Alliance, Media Alliance, Billy Graham Association, that all have networks and organizations in Ukraine, and they're working hard to keep people with hope.

You know, wartime, I said as a veteran, war is tough, is hard, is hard, especially on the civilian population. And these folks are holding Bible studies, they're doing humanitarian efforts on the ground. I heard a story last week of a woman and her 21-year-old son that were trapped in Ukraine, and they're taking food to soldiers on the front line every day, and they're praying for them. And so there's an active, vibrant church going on there. And of course, our friends at Samaritan's Purse already on the ground and working with the Israelis, I understand, to set up hospitals.

Right, Christian organizations have always been the first when it comes to humanitarian aid, and they're not afraid to go into these hostile zones because we don't fear death. You know what I see? Of angry or hateful people here. I see happy warriors. I see a lot of happy people, a lot of happy, joyful people.

It's because we have the hope of the gospel in our hearts and we have that sort of hope. We don't fear, we don't have to be drugged down or dragged down by fear. We have hope that helps us move forward. Troy Miller is president of National Religious Broadcasters, and thousands of broadcasters from all over the world are gathered here in Nashville, Tennessee, and we are very honored to be broadcasting all this week from NRB and Music City. Troy, back to some of these resolutions.

We have been very concerned about the Equality Act. That would have become the law of the land had Hillary Clinton been elected back in the day. This is a big, big deal, especially for people of faith. It is a big deal for people of faith because it's really not what it sounds like. It's really not about equality.

It's really about making a group more special than the other groups in here and using that then as a hammer. To push your worldview, push that ideology that's going on in there, and silence people to do what their constitutional right is, which is the freedom of their religion, freedom of their belief, and their conscience. I mean, just think about it. You know, ADF doing a case, a coach, Joe Kennedy, the football coach. Right.

It's against the law for a coach to take a knee to pray, but that same coach can take a knee to protest America. Yeah, the irony and the hypocrisy in it all is just incredible. I'm just curious, how do you do this? I'm already struggling. I was ready to take a nap right before the start of the show, and you're all over the place.

Lots of coffee. And again, you know, the really neat thing about NRB and this convention is you get to hear people come in. It's our power to convene. Folks come in, the energy of one another, to know you're not out there alone fighting the battle, to know that other people are in it, and that iron sharpens iron is what NRB is all about. And I think this is important to say: this is not a political organization, a political group.

You have people of all. Different persuasions walking around. This is about the gospel message and getting that gospel message out there. And here in this country, it's also about standing up for religious liberty and freedom. And that's important.

That's one of the things I love about you guys. Yeah, it's religious liberty, it's freedom of conscience. We are not, we're a nonpartisan organization. We work with everybody. We like to have logical, helpful debates on topics.

We know that we have a number of different persuasions on theologies here, but this is a big tent organization working to keep that kind of freedom alive in this country. You know, just as an aside, we've actually had a couple of political conversions on our radio program.

So we get them on here, the liberals come on, and they get converted. And we play gospel music and celebrate. We don't baptize, but that might be sacrilege, Troy. You don't have to comment on that. Troy, thank you for letting us come out here.

And it's just been fun being a part of this and just a lot of excitement here. And we just really respect. To the great work you guys are doing. Todd, thank you for having me on. Thank you for the great work you're doing to keep these kinds of stories and keep this kind of truth in front of the American people.

All right, Troy Miller, everybody, president of the National Religious Broadcasters. And if you're in the Nashville area, drop by the hotel. It's a big place and drop by and say hello. You can watch the program here having a lot of fun all this week. Folks, we've got to take a quick break.

When we come back, gas prices going up across the country. We're going to check in with listeners to see how things are going. 844-747-8868. That is our toll-free telephone number. That's 844-747-8868.

The website, ToddSterns.com, lots of great resources free of charge for you. Our newsletter podcast is available for you to download. Again, from Nashville, Tennessee, this is the Todd Starnes Show. It's Radio Free America. Todd Starnes.

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Visit expressvpn dot com slash starnes to get three months free on a one-year package. That's expressvpn dot com slash starnes. Expressvpn dot com slash starnes to learn more. All right, welcome back to the Tom Stearns Radio Show. We are broadcasting for the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville.

And we have, when I say we have met hundreds of our listeners, folks, we have met hundreds of our listeners. A couple of great radio stations. We met the owner of WSIC in Statesville, North Carolina. Just a great, great group of folks there. And we love our listeners all over America.

So, if you are a big fan of Star Trek, the old school Star Trek, you remember George Takai, who we're now just calling George Tacky, because this guy is tacky as all get out. He's a moron. George Takai on Twitter telling all of you Americans that you can endure higher prices for food and gas.

So he's all out there saying that we have a responsibility. Responsibility to make a patriotic donation to stand with the Ukrainians. And this is a question that we're going to throw out to the audience today. Do you buy into that idea that we have an obligation to pay more at the gas pump? to support Ukraine.

So, George Tacky says: Americans, we can endure higher prices for food and gas if it means putting the screws to Putin. Consider it a patriotic donation in the fight for freedom over tyranny.

Now that's all well and good for somebody who's worth $14 million because George Tacky is worth $14 million. But for the average American, $7 a gallon at the gas pump is going to really hurt people. As somebody pointed out on Twitter, donations are typically voluntary. There's nothing voluntary about having to pay $6, $7 a gallon at the gas pump. And by the way, we are curious what are gas prices?

We're sort of stuck here at the Opryland Hotel. What are gas prices looking like, and have you seen them spike? We got some great intel yesterday from our listeners, and we'd love to hear from you today. 844-747-8868. Do you believe that you have a patriotic duty?

To pay more at the gas pump because ultimately you don't have to do that. There's a way to support Ukraine and not have to pay $7 a gallon for gasoline. And it's called energy independence. But as we all know, Joe Biden. And the extremist, the Green New Deal extremist, AOC and the squad.

They don't want you to drive around in a gas-powered automobile. They don't want you to grill burgers. They don't want you to fly in an airplane. They want to take us back to the Dark Ages to protect the planet. And that's what ultimately this is all about.

But again, it's real easy for a guy like George Tankey to go out there worth $14 million and saying, hey, what do I care? What's a few extra dollars? And we're hearing this narrative from even people like Transportation Secretary Pete Boot at Edge. Millionaires. And they're telling all the rest of us that we basically have to suck it up and we have to deal with it.

By the way, I'm also curious to know, and we're going to be taking your calls throughout the program today. Also curious to know if any of you folks have had to change your daily lifestyle To accommodate and to account for the higher prices, not only at the gas pump but at the supermarket. And I can tell you this: just here in Nashville, we have seen the prices. Skyrocket. Unbelievable what people are out there having to pay for gas.

But you just think about this. It could have all been prevented. All of this could have been prevented. You think about this for a minute. What is it that Joe Biden did day one in the White House?

First of all, we rejoined the Paris climate agreement, which was a horrible deal for America. He canceled the Keystone Pipeline. and he put a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

So, when you say that this is all about Ukraine, this has nothing to do with Ukraine. This has everything to do with the Biden administration using the Ukraine-Russia war to advance this radical anti-gas, anti-oil agenda. That's what this is really all about. They don't care. They do not care about Ukraine, ladies and gentlemen.

They just don't care. All right, coming up after the break, our good friends over at Project Veritas have discovered. The rest of the story when it comes to the January 6th Capitol riots. Turns out that there were tons of FBI agents involved. By the way, this is the language used by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter who was caught in a secret video.

Shot by our good friends over at Project Veritas.

So now we know. That there were Tons. Again, their word. We don't know if that's 10, 20, 30, hundreds, we don't know, but there were a lot of FBI agents, informants, who were involved in whatever happened on January the sixth. And this is why, whenever a lawmaker upon Capitol Hill asked, well, okay, how many FBI agents were there, they will not tell you.

And why will they not tell you? Because they know there were a boatload. They will tell you that ultimately. This was a plot. to make President Trump look bad.

That's ultimately what this Is all about. All right, we've got to take a break here. We will come back with that story, your calls, 844-747-8868. That is a toll-free telephone number. Our website is toddstarnes.com.

While you are there, go to the live show blog, check out our free app. You'll be able to listen to this program along with Sebastian Gorka, Lars Larson, Larry Elder, wherever you are in America. This is the Todd Starnes Radio Show. We're broadcasting live from Nashville, Tennessee. Friends, last year your dollar lost a ton of value.

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So there is a big controversy in Florida over some legislation. Which has been incredibly misrepresented by the mainstream media. And we are going to set the record straight and arm you, equip you with the facts about what they're saying is the don't say gay bill.

So they want you to believe that this legislation is about Silencing Gay students and shoving them into the closets. But here's the reality: the don't say gay bill says nothing about not saying gay. That has nothing to do with this at all. As a matter of fact, this bill has everything to do with protecting young children from radicalized LGBTQIA plus teachers. And we have seen over the course of the past, gosh, the past decade or so of a rise in the number of teachers who have been turned into these sex and gender revolutionaries.

Now, back when I was in school at Hope P. Sullivan Elementary in South Haven, Mississippi. We learned how to read, we learned how to write, we learned how to do long-form division. We learned lots of stuff. But one of the things we were not confused about were our personal pronouns.

Everybody in my school knew their pronouns. Little boys were little boys, little girls were little girls. That's the way it was. But over the past decade or so, and maybe a little bit longer, you have seen the rise of these educators who clearly were traumatized, clearly had a horrible upbringing, had a horrible public school experience, and now they're using their classroom for payback. They're using their classrooms for these radical agendas.

That's what's happening in our public school classrooms. As a matter of fact, a couple of days ago in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, there were actually posters put up all around the school, and they told boys and girls: if your mom or your dad does not approve of your lifestyle, then you come to us, we will be your mommy.

Okay. Hashtag something on something about wanting hugs.

Now, what they should have done is brought the teacher in. Question the teacher, investigate the teacher, find out why the teacher wants to hug children just randomly in the hallway, and then give that teacher the heave-ho. But this is normal behavior for these sex and gender revolutionaries.

So Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is supporting a significant effort to put a stop to all of this nonsense. I mean, how many times have we heard of English classes letting the child letting gay rights groups come in and indoctrinate the children? Children as young as kindergarten, by the way. Kindergarten.

So, Florida's lawmakers, the Republican lawmakers, came up with a plan. It's called House Bill 1557. And it is a piece of legislation that gives parents. rights inside the public school classroom. That's what this is really all about.

Has nothing to do with shoving gay kids in the closet. It has nothing to do with sending the gay kids off to some sort of a conversion therapy camp. It has nothing to do with that at all. This is all about giving mom and dad the right to say, I don't want my kid learning this in the public school classroom. It has everything to do with moms and dads saying, you know what, I don't want my four-year-old.

Talking about the LGBTQIA agenda in preschool.

So now we're not only raising a generation that can't do long-form division that Can't Form a legible sentence.

Now we've got a generation of kids that don't even know what their personal pronouns are. 844-747-8868. Is our toll-free telephone number? Do you support this kind of legislation? Legislation that would give you, mom, and dad, the right to say no.

Public school teachers, the National School Board Association, they say, Mom and Dad, you don't have a right. You don't have a right to say anything. You don't have a right to do anything when it comes to your child's public education. Once that child steps foot on government property, that child becomes property of the state. That is the literal belief system.

Of MON, that is the literal belief system of the National School Board Association and the teachers' unions.

Now, fortunately, Governor Ron DeSantis is firing back on all of this. And he says They said, he said, don't say gay is nowhere in the bill. Where is it in the bill? It is a false narrative. But again, they're lying to you and they know they're lying and they don't care.

Because they want these public school teachers to be predators. And that's what they are. They are predators. And quite frankly, I suspect some of them are probably involved in pedophilia. But nowhere in the legislation is the word gay even mentioned.

The word parent is mentioned 32 times, by the way. 32 times. The word parental is mentioned seven times. The word gay is not mentioned anywhere in the legislation.

So now you have to ask yourself this question. Why is it? Why is it? That these LGBTQIA school teachers. Don't want mom and dad to know what's happening in that classroom.

Why is that? Why is it that they don't want parents to be notified? Why is it they don't want parents to be aware? Why is it they want to shut parents out of the public school classroom? What's going on in that classroom?

And what are the LGBTQIA teachers doing in that classroom that's causing?

So much concern.

So, again, when you actually read the bill, and this is why you have to read, folks, and look, we've got a very intelligent audience, the smartest audience in all of talk radio.

So, you guys know all this. But the average person, they're working hard, coming off the shift, sitting down, they're eating their supper, watching the nightly news, and the next thing you know, they're telling you that they're shoving gay kids back into the closet and they're going to send anybody who's gay out to a conversion therapy camp. It's not true. But they're counting on you not having time to do the research. or the homework.

You got to pay attention here, folks. And my goodness, if you have a child in public school, I would get them the heck out of there as quickly. as possible. All right, let's go to the phones here, 844-747-8868. Webb is listening to us in the great state of Maine, WLOB, our FINE affiliate there.

Hi, Webb, what's going on? Hi, how are you? A couple of things, real quick. Last week, I ordered one hundred gallons of fuel. They told me the price was three seventy nine.

a gallon. When they delivered it this week, It came to $537 for a hundred gallons. What? That's right. This is insane.

Gas is now in the four hundred forty, four point fifty range. And all this has to do with the idiots Never mind, I won't say that, but with the people in the in the administration that want to put us in clown cards. And what they don't understand. couple of things they don't understand. Is that first of all our grid can take it?

Section of all our grid isn't reinforced. If somebody happens to drop a little explosion off the coast, dingo, there goes the grid and nothing moves if we're all in electric cars. The other thing that they don't understand or don't care about is the price you will pay a month to run your car from the electric company. Can you imagine? Web, that's no one wants to talk about that.

But again, smartest audience in talk radio, you're absolutely right. Plugging that sucker in, you're going to be you're going to have to take out a mortgage on your home just to pay your electric bill.

So What they're just going to keep pushing the price up till we get rid of these fools. If we ever can. And that's my fear. My fear, Todd, is that right before the election this idiot's going to declare martial law and then the election will be declared. Uh not happening.

You think so?

So you think that he would go that far to stop the midterm elections? He knows he's going to be thrown out, or most of the Democrats are going to be thrown out. These people don't care about the law. Which one of them who broke the law was arrested? It's that's a valid point.

They don't care about the Lord. They'll do whatever they have. They got the power. They got to stent the blood in their mouth. And they're ready to chew us to death.

All right, Webb, God bless you.

Sorry you had to pay that much. Wow. But you know what? That's going to be cheap based on what we're going to be paying in a couple of weeks. I can tell you that.

Webb, thanks for the call. 844-747-8868, our toll-free telephone number. Let's go to Giovanni in Nashville. Giovanni, welcome to the program. About to back up and bring it is Todd Starnes.

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I was trying to find a place to plug my phone in, and I guess I. I guess that cord was the no-no cord. All right, so we've established contact with Giovanni in Nashville. Giovanni, sorry about that, but what's on your mind?

Well, what's on my mind is Um first of all hello and Uh I I just wanted to Um this is my actually my first time I've been um Listening to you since I've For a long time. And uh I wanted to actually point out that I have been doing study on this particular subject for the last. Six years. And uh I it I want to say that it kind of began with almost this Herbert Marcusa movement being the founder of the uh the leftist movement. And he believed that the destruction of America from within Would happen, and destruction of Christianity would be by creating this.

Sabbatean movement or the satanic movement. Um, and through the through a scale of sin per se.

So the s scale of sin started with homosexuality and you will If you look back in the 60s and 70s, you will see that there were movements, leftist movements, to propagate it and then and how they moved that along. Then it went from that to transgenderism and then it goes all the way up the scale. It goes from transgenderism to pedophilia to incest to bestiality to necrophilia to human sacrifice to cannibalism. And the whole purpose is that to destroy destroy it.

Now, Giovanni, let me jump in here for just a second because you're throwing a lot of stuff at us here, and it's fascinating. To your point, a lot of people are going to listen and they're saying, oh, that's just insane. But it's not. It's not because there are actually conversations that are being had right now on university campuses. There are white papers being crafted and that have been crafted that are actually supporting the normalization of pedophilia and adding that to the LGBTQIA plus alphabet people group.

So that's not out of the realm of happening. It is in the process of happening right now, to your point. And uh Just so you can check it and your producer can check it. I want to say this about five years ago. And know that.

You know that thing called TED Talk? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the TED talks. There was a lady there was a lady from the Netherlands that was that came on about I want to say about four or five years ago, and she had already started to talk about the normalization of All pedophilia. Um but again, um One of the things that I had also uh talked about, and the reason that they don't mention uh sabatinism is there is this odd connection that people want to try to create uh and say, Oh, you're anti-Semitic.

But if people pull that away and say an understand has nothing to do with that, but rather an ideology, a sick ideology, And that's the reason I know this is, I ran into a paper one time where two founding fathers. Oh. Hated each other. They hated each other, and they were both.

Socialists. One of them was Eric Slam. Who considered himself a prophetic? It's called static. Must buy in it.

And I uh no, I don't want to jump in and Giovanni, I look, it's there's a lot to unravel here, and we are running we're running short on time. No, no, no, you're fine. You're fine, and uh we would love for you to give us a call back. Uh so thank you for the call. Um but again, folks.

One thing I do want to stress is that on this program, we believe that in the Constitution. And the Constitution gives you the right to live your life.

However, the way you want to live your life, I can encourage you not to do X, Y, or Z, but that is not my right to force you to do X, Y, or Z. That is between you and God. But where we have a problem on this program is when you try to force your rights on other people, when you try to indoctrinate little kids. And that's exactly what's happening here in the United States of America. And that is a dangerous thing.

And Giovanni is right. This is a slippery slope where now they are actually advocating for pedophilia. As a normal thing, and that is outrageous, and that is a lie from the pit of hell. 844-747-8868 is our toll-free telephone number. That's 844-747-8868.

And we had a blast of that shindig. I got to see our good friend Lauren Green from Fox News Channel, and Lindsey Keith was there. And Grace Baker was like the star of the show. Everybody was wondering, where's Grace? Where's Grace?

And so fortunately, Grace is all over the place getting us guests and doing a great job out here. The whole team is. And we would love to see you, if you are here in Nashville, drop by and say hello at our booth at the Salem Broadcast Facility. All right, folks, I promise you, we are going to have a wild rest of the show. We've got our good buddy Rick Green from Patriot Academy coming up.

Also, Jason Yates from My Faith Votes. And we're going to talk about the midterm elections coming up. Mark Meckler, who is president of the Convention of States, we have a lot of supporters out there for that incredibly important cause. And we're going to be speaking to Mark coming up just after the top of the hour news break. And finally, Finally, Elias Defending Freedom is going to be here.

Remember the folks in Louding County and the school board. We're going to be talking to some of those moms and dads live on the program later today, and you're going to want to hear that conversation. Those folks have literally revolutionized this country. All right, folks, that music means we've got to scoot out of here. 844-747-8868 lines now open.

That's 844-747-8868. This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show live from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite cunt totem Bible-clinging deplorable American. That's us, that's right. I love this American ride.

Todd Starnes. And hello, people of the planet Earth. Welcome to the Todd Starns Radio Program. We are so glad to have you with us, and we've got to start with breaking news. Breaking news, ladies and gentlemen.

Breaking news. across America. Hey, listen up. Yesterday we told you that McDonald's was pulling the plug on all their stores. People are freaking out.

They're piling into the McDonald's in Russia, trying to get their last Big Mac fix. And now we're getting word that KFC and Pizza Hut are now suspending their operations in Russia as well. No, that's the breaking news. Grace, no, that is the breaking news coverage. No, it's a big deal for me.

So, anyway, KFC is finger-licking net. In Russia right now.

So, folks, my apologies, my condolences, but there you go. I think this could be the black ops operation that launches us all into war, which we are not at right now. There is a report, in all seriousness, of an explosion at the Italian embassy in Belarus, or the Belarus embassy in Italy.

So, hang tight, folks. We're going to get you the latest intel on that. But it is not looking good as the Biden administration drags us kicking and screaming into a war, a shooting war with the Russians. 844-747-8868, that is our toll-free telephone number. That's 844-747-8868.

We're broadcasting all this week from Nashville, Tennessee, the National Religious Broadcasters. And we're so excited and really honored to have Mark Meckler with us. Mark is the president of the Convention of States. And Mark, welcome to NRB. Hey, great to be here.

Can I come in on that news, by the way? You may indeed.

So, look, I think this is very dangerous for the United States, the idea that we're getting rid of KFC and McDonald's, Netflix, also, by the way. Because now, what this means is that the Russians will be more healthy, thinner, more fit, and not sitting around binging on Netflix. I think we're just increasing the strength of the Russian Empire.

So, not only does the Russian Army know their personal pronouns, you're telling me they're going to be healthier than the rest of us. They're going to be healthier than the rest of us. Not going to be watching all this horrible culture that Netflix puts out. I don't think that's good for America. I think we should export that stuff to all of our enemy nations.

I love it.

So hold off on the arugula. Just no more arugula for you people, you ruskies. You better eat this cheese. You know, Mark, on that note, you have American Express, and this is a concerning thing. You've got a lot of conservatives saluting American Express and MasterCard and Visa for canceling their financial operations out there.

The reality is, if they can do that to the Russians, they can turn that and do it to the conservatives and the Christians here in America. Yeah, I agree with that. It makes me really nervous. There's always in these situations a lot of nuance, and we have to be careful about jumping to conclusions and what we applaud and what we cheer. And we've seen some of this deplatforming already in America, so the idea that these financial institutions can do it is scary.

And also, I think you got to look at what they're doing. They're talking about seizing the yachts of Russian oligarchs and the like and the assets. And while the idea might be initially appealing, Where's the rule of law? It's a great question. I mean, go back to the nineteen fifties in Cuba, as JFK affectionately called that nation.

That's exactly what happened there. That was a war on the wealthy, the rich, and now look at what's happening in Cuba. Mark, I want to jump real quick over to the Convention of States. This is a big deal. We've got a lot of listeners that are very excited and supportive of the work you guys are doing.

Give us a blow-by-blow of what the Convention of States is all about. Yeah, the short summary is that in the Constitution, in Article 5, the second clause, contains a method for states to get together in convention, propose amendments to the Constitution with the intention of restraining federal overreach or federal tyranny.

So there's a lot of federal tyranny today. Obviously, that's a problem. It takes 34 states to call a convention. In our case, we're promoting a convention that would discuss term limits, imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, like a balanced budget amendment, and taking power specifically away from the federal government.

So, for example, saying you can't be involved in education, you can't be involved in health care, you can't pack the Supreme Court, like things that are really relevant right now. Again, it takes 34 states, two-thirds of states, to call a convention. Just in the last few weeks, we've passed Wisconsin, Nebraska, last week, West Virginia. We're in the South Carolina Senate being debated right now as we speak. The House has already passed, so we're on our way to passing South Carolina.

That'll be the 19th state. Are you surprised by the response you guys have gotten? I mean, you don't have massive media marketing. I mean, this is really a grassroots effort. It really is.

It's funny because, off air, you asked me, well, who does your marketing? And it's kind of a sore spot because the answer is nobody, really, actually.

So, yeah, it's pure grassroots, it's word of mouth. You know, we've got folks sitting out here, our state director here in Tennessee waving his hand, because that's really who does the marketing. It's just the folks on the ground. Am I surprised? No, because I've been doing grassroots activism back since the Tea Party days, and I know that's where the real power in America is.

What I'm surprised, these numbers that you share with us, this is a bipartisan effort here. 57% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, 82% of Republicans support this. Yeah, look, the numbers are extraordinary. We measure that state by state, and we look at the numbers to see. And the truth is, if you ask people who should decide, you or the federal government, almost it doesn't matter what party you're in.

Everybody wants to decide for themselves. And it seems to me, again, I'm all about a smaller government. I felt like one of the more disappointing things about the Trump administration, we did not abolish the Department of Education. I think that should have been one of the first things we have done here. Are you hopeful that this is going to reduce the size of the footprint, the carbon footprint of big government?

I am hopeful, and for me, that's one of the main targets. This fourth estate, the administrative state, it's not constitutional, in my opinion. It does need to be abolished in large measure. And I think we can target specific agencies. The federal government shouldn't be involved in education, health care, energy policy.

All of these things were intended to be off-limits for the federal government. Mark Meckler is the president of the Convention of States. If you have a question, give us a call 844-747-8868. That's 844-747-8868. And you'll be able to talk with me and Mark.

Mark, you mentioned a censorship as well. We had a chance. The Republicans had a chance to do something about these big tech platforms and the censorship, but they took a pass. This is a big concern for you guys as well. Yeah, I really worry about that.

Look, big tech is out of control today, and there's a debate in the conservative movement about what to do about it, right? Because as conservatives, we say, well, those are businesses, they're not. Subject to First Amendment, and so we should just leave them alone. But there's a crossover going on now where big tech is cooperating with, and sometimes at the behest of, big government. And that's where I think we get into an area where we really need to take a deep look.

And in all honesty, they're given special protections because they are supposed to be free speech platforms. And if they're not going to do that, I say take away whatever government protections we've given. Yeah, I agree with that. There's a debate going on between what we call a publisher and a platform. A platform is where you can post pretty much anything you want as long as it's legal and there's no censorship going on.

A publisher is somebody that has editorial discretion like you might do over your own web page, what goes on, what doesn't. Publishers are not, or they are subject to liability in a way that platforms are not.

So all these big platforms like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, they have the protections of being a platform. They're really serving as publishers nowadays. What do you think the biggest issue facing the nation is right now? To me, it's the Consolidation of power in Washington, D.C., and the extension of that into radical leftism, which ultimately at its root is just Marxism.

So the country has been on a long march towards Marxism. You can go all the way back to the early 1900s in the Wilson administration, it has gone on unabated. That's the big problem today, is really totalitarianism on the march in the United States. And when you look at what's happening in our public schools, I mean, this is the engine driving the radical change, which is why we've got to give control back to the local communities in the states. Yeah, and that's one of the things that's always made the United States unique: we believe in local control.

You know, the founders designed a system that was intended to give most control locally. They did that not because they believed people at a local level were necessarily better, they were just more accountable. They were right there, face-to-face with the people. That's the way the founders believed we should be governed. Conventionofstates.com.

Folks, we have the direct link on our live show blog. Make it super simple.

So, if you're driving, just go and check out our website a little bit later. Mark, how can people get involved on the local level here? Yeah, they can go to conventionofstates.com. They can fill out the petition. If they fill out the petition, that'll go to their local legislators.

More importantly, they can click the Take Action tab and volunteer. And Todd, it goes way beyond just Convention of States. Our folks are involved in local school board elections, city council elections. They're involved in state policy matters like pro-life matters, pro-gun, election reform.

So, if folks want to know how to be active in the process, not just listen and then yell at the radio because they agree with you, but to actually be active, go to conventionofstates.com. Oh, we've got people that yell at the radio that don't agree with me, by the way. Just to throw that in there. Mark, so great to meet you, and thanks for coming on the program, and thanks for standing up for America. Glad to be with you anytime.

All right, Mark Meckler, everybody, president of the Convention of States, their website, conventionofstates.com. That's conventionofstates.com. Great information there for you if you want to get involved in this effort.

So far, more than 5 billion citizens signing up to become a part of this effort to restore. Self-governance in America and working to limit the power of the federal government. That is a good thing. That is a great thing for this country. All right, we've got to take a break here, folks, and pay some bills when we come back.

More of your calls. 844-747-8868. This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show, broadcasting for the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville. Triggering microaggressions from coast to coast. It's Todd Starnes.

Folks, I don't mean to get terribly excited here, but we've got some exciting news. Alan West is going to hop on the program here in just a few moments with Rick Green.

So get ready. It's going to be a lot of fun. And so we're going to be talking about God and guns. That's coming up in just a few moments. And again, this is sort of how we operate here at National Religious Broadcasters.

You never know who's going to drop by. You never know what's going to happen. And we're just, it's fun to kind of get out of the studio once in a while. And we're having a lot of fun meeting so many of our great listeners. Just ran into some folks from Bozeman, Montana.

And we want to say hello to them. You can actually stop by and watch the show. We are here at the Gaylord Hotel, which is really the old Opryland Hotel. And also, we are outside of the Delta Ballroom.

So we'd love to see you. Drop by say hello to Grace and Kyle and the whole team here in Nashville. 844-747-8868 is our toll-free telephone number. That's 844-747-8868. We're waiting for the White House press briefing.

And now they're blaming the rising gas prices on Russia and also on oil companies that are just raising prices for profits. That's what the Biden administration is saying now. Stephen Colbert. Um The late show last night says that he has no problem. Paying $15 for gas because he drives one of those Metrosexual cars, the Tesla, the one you got to like plug into the wall.

Are we allowed to say metrosexual at NRB? Grace is shaking her head. All right, my apologies. We have to use the 30-second delay.

So Colbert getting roasted on social media, he was giving a monologue, and I've got to share this with you. He says today the average price in America for gas at an all-time high, over $4 a gallon. He says that stings, but a clear conscience is worth a buck or two. By the way, Colbert makes. Fifteen Million dollars.

A year. Just like uh the guy over at uh Star Trek. And that was his claim to faith. Can you imagine your entire career, and you're living off something you did back in the 1960s? That was it, that was his hit.

But this is who he is. George Takai making $14 million a year. And they've got no problem going out there and saying you've got to deal with it. You have a patriotic duty to pay $10, $15 a gallon for gasoline. And I'm curious to know how many of you have decided you're just parking the car.

How many folks are just going to get out the old bicycle? You're going to walk to the grocery store. When you get there, you're going to be paying twenty dollars for a pound of bacon. But this is where we are in America. This is Joe Biden's dumpster fire of a country.

Elections have consequences, ladies and gentlemen. We talk about this all the time on the program, but this is the reality of our situation. Remember what President Biden said months ago when he talked about this dark winter coming into this is the dark winter. And it's going to be this way for a very long time. I will say this: write this down: in the year of our Lord.

Whatever today's March 9th in the year of our Lord 2022. Todd Starne saith, That if gas prices are over $7 a gallon, the Republicans are going to sweep the midterm election. The only way the Republicans can lose is if the Democrats steal another election. That's the only way. Because even Democrats are frustrated.

A survey came out just the other day. That says President a majority of the country, including Democrats, don't believe that President Biden is mentally fit for the job. They don't even like the guy. He's not even all crazy, Uncle Joe. They just think he's just weird.

And they think there's something not right with this guy. Over fifty-four percent of the country. Believes our commander-in-chief has cottage cheese in his brain, ladies and gentlemen. That's what we're dealing with. This is a horrible thing.

And the Russians know this. Putin knows this. And they're taking full advantage of it. 844-747-8868. That is our telephone number.

That's 844-747-8868. But we are facing a very difficult time in American history and world history right now. And you have this administration, and you have the mainstream media, and it's not just the mainstream media, it's. Fox News channel as well. The reporting side, the news side of Fox News Channel is trying to get us in a shooting war with the Russians as much as CNN and MSDNC are.

They want us. In a war. With the Russians, and nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to just step back for a moment and just say, okay. What's the real story here?

I mean, maybe at the end of the day, we are involved in a war. Maybe that's where all of this is heading. But my concern is that we are being played here. And I only throw this out. No, I'm not making any accusations.

I'm just pointing out that a lot of the stories that were meant to inspire us and to move us emotionally and to force us to embrace the Ukrainian people have turned out to be false.

Now, what does that mean? Does that mean we're anti-Ukraine? No, of course not. But it's hard to figure out what is fact and fiction. In this war right now.

And I think that's a big problem. Because when you're in this fog of war, and it's really not even a fog of war, these are intentionally leaked stories that turned out not to be true.

So the question is, why are they doing that? Why is it not good enough for us to realize a sovereign nation's borders have just been invaded, and we need to stand up and defend these people? And where are all of the people, even among Republicans, who are not wanting to address this Budapest memorandum that President Clinton signed that actually says Ukraine gives up their nuclear weapons, Russia promises not to attack, and if they do attack, then by golly, the United States is going to be there to defend Ukraine. Anyone want to have that conversation? I mean, if that is in fact a memorandum, an agreement, don't we have an obligation to live up to that agreement?

So, lots of questions all over the place. Nobody wants to talk about the questions. And if you raise a question, you're pro-putin. Apparently, I'm now a communist. I had no idea.

I'm also white, southern, a Baptist, and have high cholesterol.

So I got that going for me, too. All right, folks, we got to take a break here: 844-747-8868. And welcome back to the Tom Search Radio Program. We are honored to have you with us here, broadcasting live from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. You never know who you're going to run into, and it's exciting to have with us.

And I just want to warn you folks: we don't know what's about to happen on the radio. Rick Green and Alan West hanging out with us today. Rick, of course, America's Constitution coach. Guys, good to see you. You will, Todd.

Good to be with you, Todd.

So, the goal is not to get thrown out of NRB, but that would be a cool story. You would be. We can arrange that. We can push the line.

Okay, I love it. I'm not a metrosexual. I never would have taken your for one. Yeah, get that out there.

Well, guys, we're huge fans of what y'all are doing. And I guess the big news here is that Alan is officially a part of the Constitution Coach now. I could not be more thrilled. You know, Todd. Allen is one of the greatest spokesmans on the Constitution and freedom and liberty and what it takes to restore those things.

And that's what we do.

So to team up with him and be able to go around the country and encourage people to live out their citizenship and actually, believe it or not, read the Constitution, actually study what these liberties are that we take for granted so often. Great, great thing for Patriot Academy. And Alan, you know this. I mean, Patriot Academy, you know, it serves a very important purpose, especially where we are in the country right now. Yeah, absolutely right.

And I've had the pleasure and honor of speaking and supporting some previous events for Patriot Academy and doing some homeschool historical videos. But, you know, I looked at Rick and said, why do you have all these Air Force people on there? You need to lower your standards and let some Army guys be a part of Patriot Academy. And so he decided to do so. But, you know, when I look at where we are in our country, if we do not start educating, especially the body of Christ, on our constitutional conservative principles and values, we run the risk of losing this great nation.

So we've got to get back to a civics-minded education. And guys, we'll just have sort of a free-for-all here, so feel free to jump in. But I want to talk about what's happening in Ukraine. This is a good lesson for us here in America. Rick, we were talking a few moments ago about the Ukrainians lining up so they could get a weapon to fight for their country.

They don't have the Second Amendment there. That is a lesson for us here in this country of what could happen. Yeah, and a lesson to the world that you don't wait until the crisis to start arming your people and teaching them how to use firearms. If they had had the Second Amendment before, how different could things be? But certainly a good reminder for us as Americans and almost hilarious to see the left falling all over themselves to cheer on the fact that weapons are being handed to them.

They don't want it done here, but they're okay with it being done there. Anyway, it is a good lesson for us to remember how essential the Second Amendment is. Without that freedom, none of the other freedoms can be protected.

So it's essential. Alan, from the military perspective, there's a lot of people here in this country that say we should get involved in this war. What is your observation?

Well, I think that if you're going to honor the better angels of our nation, Which is what Abraham Lincoln talked about. You cannot sit back and allow the indiscriminate killing and targeting of innocent women and children. And previously, you talked about the agreement, the Bulgarian agreement, which said if Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, that Russia would not be able to attack. And so they violated that agreement.

So, where's the rest of the world to step up and say we're not going to allow a dictator or an autocrat to do that? And this is the shades of history. I mean, you go back to the 1930s with Adolf Hitler and what he did, taking the Sudetenland, taking Czechoslovakia, and then the Blitzkrieg war that we saw happen in Poland. We cannot afford to just sit back and allow evil to flourish. And I mean, if we are to believe what the reporting is coming out, Moldova may be next, the Balkan states may be up for grabs.

I mean, Putin, they say he's crazy. I don't think he's crazy. He wants to reestablish the Soviet Union. He sees a wind of opportunity because of the weakness that we have exhibited. And this goes back to when there was Obama-Biden administration, and he Overran eastern Ukraine, he overran the Crimea, and now you got Joe Biden there with Kamala Harris, which, you know, if you send the Kamala Harris over there to Poland, you're basically saying, just go ahead and slap us, okay?

That's it. That's it. And Rick, you talk about wanting to protect the Ukrainian border and their sovereignty. What about our border? What about our sovereignty?

Yeah, again, the left, it's so hilarious right now to see them cheering on what's happening in Ukraine in terms of we need to be defending these people, we need to be making sure they're armed, we need to be defending their border. Those same people, where have they been for the last year as this president has decimated our border in the United States? And of course, you know, Alan, you've been down there a whole lot more than I've been. You've seen it firsthand. It's absolute chaos.

It's a crime against humanity. What's happening to women and children, frankly, everybody. And they don't care about that at all.

So I agree with Alan. I think we have to be involved on the Ukrainian situation. I am worried about us completely shifting focus, covering up the sins of this administration and the damage they've done to the country, and the gift that this has given to Biden, especially with the no-Russian oil thing, when he's the one that. Biden is the one that put us in this situation for our energy crisis, energy independent just 12 months ago. And this president has destroyed that, and now he's looking to blame Russia for all of it.

Yeah, and we're facing an invasion here. I mean, when you talk about 2.5 to 3 million people coming across our border illegally, and the fact that Rick and I live in Texas, we're the number one state in the country for human and sex trafficking, and Dallas and Houston are the top two cities for sex trafficking. Look at the drug trafficking issue. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their lives because of fentanyl. Here in our Liberty University studios at the NRB, honored to have Rick Green and Alan West with us.

If you have a question, give us a call, 844-747-8868. That's 844-747-8868. You know, Rick, looking at those images of the Ukrainians lining up to get their weapons, the first thought in my mind was, do they even know how to use these weapons, which is a big part of what you guys do with these great weekends out in Nevada? Yeah, as pro-gun as we are, as pro-self-defense and pro-Second Amendment as we are, we're also very big on training. It's not a good guy with a gun that stops a bad guy with a gun.

It is a trained good guy with a gun that stops a bad guy with a gun. And so we encourage everyone to get their handgun license, encourage everyone to get a gun, but get trained before you carry that gun. Don't just start waving it around and thinking you're going to protect your family. You're probably going to get somebody hurt instead. And the good news is we do these trainings all over the place.

It's a great opportunity to learn both how to defend yourself and your family, but also learn the intellectual ammunition of the Constitution itself. In other words, do not pull a bite and blast the shotgun through the screen door. No, you don't. You don't want to do that. You don't want to do that.

And I think the great thing about what Patriot Academy and Rick has done, and I got the chance to be out in Nevada at Frontside to see it, is that during the day you're learning about that Second Amendment, and then at night, you're getting the understanding about why we have that Second Amendment to protect those First Amendment rights, because those First Amendment rights are passive rights. You've got to have that active right of the Second Amendment to bolster it. And you know, I was really surprised when I was out there the number of women.

So it was not just a bunch of guys out there, it was mostly women. Yeah, 55% women that come to our course. In fact, a lot of the husbands are drug out there by the wives because guys, we tend to think, I don't need that, I know what I'm doing, I'll handle this. I've watched enough John Wayne movies. And the wives are saying, no, no, no, I want you to learn and really do this well.

So it's great. And a lot of them, as you saw, had never touched a gun before or never actually had any experience at all. And to see them after three or four days and the confidence and the competence and how comfortable they are is just. It's a pleasure for us. I mean, we enjoy doing it.

I know that producer Grace has expressed an interest. The whole team is. Well, I was disappointed. I mean, the rest of her family came, but Grace didn't make it. That's right.

I don't even think that's right. I mean, Todd, did you make her work that week and she couldn't come? She's nodding yes. Shame on you, man. I'm ashamed.

I'm ashamed, guys. I busted a lot of time. Second Amendment shaming. But your show was probably really good that week. I bet it was off the charts.

All right, next time, Todd, we're bringing Grace. Yeah, we're bringing Grace out there. Wow, this took an ugly turn.

So, again, Rick Green, America's Constitution coach, Alan West, Patriot Academy. Where can people go if they want to get information, if they want to sign it? Because the whole family can come out and be a part of this. Absolutely. PatriotAcademy.com.

And that's also for not only our Constitutional Defense course with the handgun training and Constitution, but also biblical citizenship courses. We've got people all over the country that are hosting. These classes in their homes, in their living rooms, at churches. Anybody can do it. We give it away for free.

And if you want to book Alan West or Rick Green to come speak at your church or your Constitution Club or whatever it might be, you can do that at PatriotAcademy.com as well. I love this. All right, guys, thank you for stopping by. Great pleasure to see you. And I guess we'll see you in Nevada very soon.

Sounds good. Looking forward to it. I'm loving it. All right, guys. Again, we've got links to all of this on our website, ToddStarnes.com, and you can check that out.

Folks, we're going to take a real quick break here: 844-747-8868. That's our toll-free tele. Going right to the phones here: 844-747-8868. This is the Todd Starnes Show. You're listening to Todd Starnes.

That's it. All right, folks, welcome back to the Todd Stearns Radio Show. There are giant costumed characters staring at me right now and waving. We will be posting to the Instagram. Those aren't costumes.

Those are real characters.

Okay, so I'm not having a stroke. I just need to make sure we get confirmation here. Living, breathing characters. We are so excited to have a very special guest. And if you know anything about Nickelodeon history, you know anything about the fairly odd parents, we have the creator of the fairly odd parents and a brand new.

New animated children's series that's about to launch called The Garden. We're honored to have Butch and Julianne Hartman with us.

So, welcome to the program.

Well, thanks very much, Todd, and my beautiful wife, Julianne, right here. I'm Butch, of course. I'm the male counterpart over here with you.

So, this is exciting.

So, it's sort of the name of the series is called The Garden. Is that right?

Sort of like next-gen Veggie Tales.

Well, pretty much. A Veggie Tales is definitely a model we're trying to live up to. There's not a lot of Christian kids' entertainment out there, and The Garden is going to be the next big Christian cartoon, we really believe. You see, for me, my one issue with Veggie Tales, and I just want to get this off my chest. Yes, yes, we're here to listen.

So, you've got Bob and Larry. Right. All right, so the problem is the tomato is technically not a vegetable, it is a fruit. Exactly. So, I don't know if the fruit is.

Who do we talk to about this? Maybe is the tomato.

Well, is Phil around? I don't know. Unless the tomato self-identifies as a vegetable. Absolutely. I don't know, but that's bothered me.

Instead of Bob and Larry, we have Larry. Lenny and Lucy. Lenny's the lion, and Lucy is the lamb, and they both live in a magic garden. They live in the Garden of Eden where anything can grow. And they talk to the boss every day, who's the Lord, and he shows up as a rainbow and gives them an assignment.

They don't do so well with it. They learn through a Bible verse and a song how to do it better. This is so clever, and you know, the big challenge we hear from moms and dads, we just don't have a lot of good programming for little kids, and here you guys have the solution to that.

Well, absolutely. We believe so, and now we're doing 40 episodes of the garden, and we've just got a ton of stories we're doing. We've got a great team behind it, and we are going full force. We brought Lenny and Lucy here to NRB to meet everybody. What's been the response when the characters are walking around?

You know what? Yesterday, before this even started, people were coming up to us and wanting pictures, and we're talking young kids, older kids, much older kids. The biggest challenge in our lives has been getting Lenny and Lucy to NRB. Yeah, I can imagine so. I hope they flew first class by the way.

And there's a musical component to this as well, is that right? Absolutely right. We believe that kids learn best through singing and through song. I grew up on Schoolhouse Rock and Junction Junction. I'm just a little bit of a job.

And so we do these great songs that have Bible verses as well as what the verse means. And we want all the kids to learn the Bible through these songs. We believe the Bible should be entertaining as well as obviously life-changing. I just think this is a wonderful project. Folks, it's called The Garden.

It's a new animated children's series that's set to launch. When will folks be able to have access and watch the show? Pretty soon. Probably at the end of the summer. We should probably be ready to launch around August or September.

We'll have enough episodes by then, but we are just, we got a great garden app that we're developing right now because people can have access to the app when it goes live, and then also the number of streamers we'll be on is undetermined as of yet, but a lot of people have shown interest, so we're real excited. I am always so impressed to meet people who write and create projects for. Children, because that is a very difficult thing. You think, oh, piece of cake is for kids. That is, it is a very difficult thing to do.

It's a little challenging, only because you want to make sure that you don't bore anybody. At least I do my best not to bore anybody. Bore talk down to the kids. I'm probably boring him right now. I don't want to.

No, this is fascinating. No, but what I mean is, it doesn't matter what the characters look like, what the show looks like. If the show is boring and no one's watching, you're not going to get anybody.

So the main thing starts with story and great characters.

So, what can Lenny and Lucy get into today, and how could God help them through it? That's our main thrust with every story. And Julianne, you mentioned something very important. You don't want to talk down to the kids. Right.

And you know, that was something that through Butcher's success with Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Fantamy had a few other shows on Nickelodeon as well. That was the main thing. What was really cool about it was you've got, you're speaking to the children, but then you've got jokes for the parents that are watching as well. The children may not know, but the parents will. And then when the children got older, we have so many people come up to Butcher.

But you finally got that joke. Yeah, it's like, I didn't get it when I was five, but I got it when I was 25. No, I get it.

So I was, so clearly I was aged out by the time Nickelodeon came around.

So I was not familiar with the Fairly Odd Parents, but the entire stamp of this program went bonkers. And they're shaking their heads right now. They're going bonkers. They're huge, huge fans. Oh, it ran.

Well, I'm just so grateful. You know, it ran from 2001 to 2018. Wow. 17 years. And we have a brand new Fairly Odd Parents coming out.

It's a live action. It comes out March 31st on Paramount Plus.

So people can check that out. What's that like meeting fans, you know, kids that have grown up, they've watched your work, and clearly it's had an impact on their lives. Oh, it's a blessing. You know why? Because I believe that entertainment is influential, obviously.

So we want to influence people as best we can. You know, we try to do it with Fairly Odd Parents as much as we could in my other shows. And now the garden is our next phase. We really want to get kids while they're young and teach them the Word of God. You see, and that is very important.

And I know that you guys live in California. Yes, sir. And a lot of people, it's easy to paint with a broad brush, but the fact is there are a lot of Christians in the entertainment industry. Believe it or not, they are. And what is that experience like, you know, meeting those people and really mentoring young Christians that are trying to get into the film industry?

Well, I love it because for many years they were almost in the closet, right? No one didn't want to come out and say anything because they didn't want to lose their job. But I believe we're in a time right now where people are able to. Live what they know. I mean, live the life of a Christ-centered person with values and morals, and there's nothing wrong with that.

And we want to give them shows they can feel good about working on. A lot of Christian people we know work on shows that might not necessarily reflect their own values, but they're like, whatever you come up with, if it's God-centered, let me know. They'd love to work on that. And good storytelling, too.

So that's a big part of it. And that, for me, has been the exciting part, growing up in the faith-based film era, to see the progression and to see the incredible work that's been done. Amen. Because look, Christians need to have an influence in the entertainment industry just like the rest of the world does. And I think we have the resources to do it, we have the talent to do it, and why not do it?

Yeah, there are so many talented Christians out there that you would not even, you would not believe the amount of people out there that we know that are so talented or just waiting for that opportunity to be able to have a platform to be able to speak about Jesus. But very few of them get the opportunity.

So with the garden, we're doing it through entertainment, through great songs, through comedy. The main thing is, too, the garden's funny. At least I think it's funny. I love it.

Well, hopefully, you'll think it's funny. Look, look, I'm all over this. I'm loving Lenny here. I love the eyebrows. Look at that, right?

Those are severe.

Now, Lenny is not a dandelion. He eats too much candy. He's a candy lion. Dandelion. Oh, yeah, exactly.

Lucy's the smart one. I love it.

You've got to get a picture with them, Lucy. Oh, we're doing this. I wish we could end the show early so I could go and get the photo, but we can't do that. They'll yell at me. Again, where can people go?

We've got about 30 seconds. Where can people go if they want to get more information about the project? Then go to gardencartoon.com, gardencartoon.com. They can find out everything there. You can contact us.

Let us know where we can send the garden. If you guys want to see it, we can send it to you and you can check it out. Love it. All right.

Well, guys, congratulations. Thank you so much. This is so exciting. All right, hang tight. Folks, again, we've got links to the garden project in our live show blog.

We make it super simple for you, and you'll be able to check that out. And the best part: we understand a vacation Bible school curriculum is also in the works. And I know those of you who are involved in a church, you're going to want to hear all that. I'm also illustrating a children's Bible for Harper Collins with the garden cartoon characters in the Bible. He's an overachiever, John.

I know. I've lived with him for 30 years. Nothing else to do. I know. All right, guys.

All right, we've got to wrap it up, guys. Hour three from the NRB coming up next.

Some great guests. Stick around. It's going to be a lot of fun. ToddSterns.com. Don't forget, sign up for the podcast and newsletter free of charge.

That newsletter coming out in just about an hour and 10 minutes from now, so you've got plenty of time. All right, folks, this is the Todd Stearns Radio Show. We are live from Nashville, Tennessee. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's conservative blowtorch. That's it!

That's right. I love this American ride. Let's start. Oh. All right.

Hello, America. Welcome back to the Todd Starns Radio Show, hour three, here at the Nashville Religious Broadcasters Convention, Nashville, Tennessee. And it is sort of like a, I don't know, it's like a Thanksgiving Day parade where you have like dignitaries and politicians and costumed creatures. Oh, I well, they're not creatures. I think I call them a creature, but they told me they're characters.

So, anyway, we've got the fairly odd parents creators in the last segment, and we're going to be posting those photos of their new project called The Garden in just a few minutes. I want to go right now, though, to our next guest, a very important organization. We are so excited to be a part of My Faith Votes. We have the chief executive officer with us, Jason Yates. Jason, welcome to the show.

Hey, thanks, Todd. I'm. Questioning that what you let in with around the parade, and I'm wondering which character I am in the parade.

Well, I'm in the clown car, but I feel like if gas prices keep going up, we're going to be riding around in a Fred Flintstone car.

So, Yabba-Tabba, do. Jason, we've been talking over the past couple of hours about the midterm elections and how important it is for people of faith to get out there and engage in the political process. How is that effort going? Because that's what you guys are all about.

Well, let's talk about what's at stake. First of all, As we know, Every single member of the House of Representatives is up for election. 34 senators, 36 governors. Get this, Todd. 86% of all the state legislative seats are up for election in 81,000 school board seats.

are up for election. There's a lot at stake.

So we have to be involved. But unfortunately, one in three Christians do not vote. And again, when we talk about the problems facing America and where we are right now with this administration and the dumpster fire of a country that they have given us, this is on us. If you're telling me that most Christians are not going out and voting their faith, their beliefs on Election Day, or not even going to vote on Election Day, that's on us. Absolutely on us.

There's an apathy that's in America, in the church. I think we've become comfortable. I think we're comfortable in our Christianity. And We want to just look at what is happening, but not ignore it, not get involved. You know, Proverbs eighteen, nine says, the lazy person is just as bad as the person who destroys things.

We can't be lazy. When you're out there talking to people and trying to get them involved in MyFaith votes, what is it that you're telling them? What is the thing that you tell them that convinces them, hey, we've got to get involved here?

Well, first of all, it is about our faith. It's our identity in Christ. And so we are salt and light. Christ didn't say. You should be salt and light.

He told us we are. And out of our identity comes action. It's putting our faith into action.

So we have to help people connect that and understand that they're not to sit idly by and observe the world. We are to influence the world. We're not here to just hold on until Christ comes again. We're here to influence, which Brings good into our communities, into our cities, when we do. I tell people, Galatians 6:10, it says, as we have opportunity, do good to everyone, but especially those of the faith.

So Voting is an opportunity to do good. It brings the good of our faith into our community. Jason Yates is the chief executive officer of MyFaith Votes. You talk about a lot at stake in the midterms. We could see if people of faith get out and vote Election Day, we could see really history made.

And what they're saying is already going to be a catastrophic loss for the Democrats, but you could see history made this fall. We really could, and you talk about all that's at stake. One of the things, I'm going to go back to your question around what is one of the compelling reasons we need to vote. And when you look at what the Supreme Court has already heard, oral arguments on the Dobbs case, which could in fact overturn Roe v. Wade, and as you know, Todd.

That doesn't make abortion Go away, or the rules against abortion, or what have you. It goes to the state. And so What we have in front of us is an opportunity to elect leaders in every state who will indeed protect life. That is a compelling reason. Life is a primary issue that we should consider when we go to the ballot.

And it's not just life. I mean, you're looking at big tech and the censorship. You're looking at what's happening in Florida right now. Just a few moments ago, ladies and gentlemen, Gin Saki weighed in on this legislation. They call it the don't say gay legislation, but there's nothing about the word gay does not even appear in the legislation.

And the White House is condemning it, calling it a form of discrimination, a form of bullying, and it is horrific. The idea that parents having a say in their children's education is now considered horrific and worthy of an FBI investigation in some cases. Our freedoms are at stake. This is a classic example. At every turn, there are attempts to silence people of faith with convictions, right?

But. We know that it is our convictions that are protected by the First Amendment.

So let's just talk very practical terms here.

So someone, they haven't heard about My Faith Votes. What are you guys all about and what are they going to find when they go to your website?

Well, we are all about motivating and equipping Christians to vote. Not just vote, but vote from a biblical worldview. We want to help and equip people to pray for our nation, to think biblically about issues, and to vote consistently in every election. That's what we're about. We're providing tools and resources to help people do that.

But here's one of the things that we started this year that has just taken off and it's amazing. We have so many people, Todd, that are raising their hands saying, what can I do? I think people are waking up. They're seeing all the nonsense that's happening. And they're saying, we've got to do something.

What can I do? People feel powerless. They don't know what to do. And MyFaith Votes is helping them. We've created a grassroots Organization that we call action partners.

And we're just equipping people with tangible ways that they can take action, do things to make a difference. I think it's a terrific thing. And folks, we have a direct link to MyFaith Votes website on our live show blog, and you'll be able to access all of their great information. Jason, we want to thank you. I know you're a busy man.

Thanks for coming out and spending a few minutes with us here at the NRB. Thanks so much, Todd. I appreciate all you do and the sponsorship we have with your podcast. We're honored. All right, Jason Yates, everybody, MyFaith Votes, the chief executive officer, and we certainly appreciate him coming on the program today.

All right, hang tight if you're on hold. We're going to get to your calls, I promise you, but we do need to take a break and pay some bills. Also, the team here in Nashville, we are looking for good restaurant recommendations in the Nashville area.

So if you've got a good restaurant recommendation, give us a holler: 844-747-8868. Again, that is a toll-free telephone. Phone number 844-747-8868. This is the Todd Starnes Show. It's the Todd Starnes Radio Show.

All right, welcome back, everybody. I don't know. I don't know what's going on around here anymore. We are live at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. By the way, tonight is we're going to have a lot of fun.

Our good friends from Newsmax are here. Chris Ruddy is going to be speaking tonight, honoring Senator Rick Santorum. Saw Rick a few minutes ago and had a good conversation. We'll be having dinner with him and Lindsey Keith tonight and the Newsmax crew here at the Gaylord Resort, which we affectionately call Opryland because that's what it used to be called. We're also going to the phones now, 844-747-8868.

We've been very interested to know gas prices in your neighborhoods. Paul, Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University. Paul, what's going on? Yes, the flames of liberty. Good to talk to you, Todd.

I wanted to tell you about a conversation I had with a friend of mine. Where he was reiterating this common theme we keep hearing about the Democrats are going to be crushed in November. And I say, well, if you think back to twenty twenty, Um The Democrats should have been crushed then and they didn't. The Chinese Wuhan epidemic. uh made it unsafe to boat.

As a result, we were able to pass all of these ridiculous rules allowing mail-in voting, which is nothing more than mail-in fraud. And now in 2022 We have the Russian energy epidemic. which means the Democrats can say It's too expensive. to drive to the polls. This is going to disenfranchise minority and hurt the poor the most.

Therefore, we need to expand Mail-in voting. Paul, this is a diabolical, devious, and brilliant theory that you've come up with.

So you're suggesting that because of the rising gas prices, that's going to give the Democrats a reason to push for mail-in voting in the midterm elections? Exactly, and that wasn't the plan all along, but this goes along with. The mayor of Chicago, the former mayor of Chicago, has let no prices go to waste philosophy. And I'm hesitant to say it because you just give them ideas and then they do it. But I'm quite certain they're already.

working on this. And what greater excuse could you have than to say we cannot disenfranchise all of the poor and and minorities across America, so we need to expand. Mail-in voting. We're doomed.

Well, it's not out of the realm of possibility. I mean, that could certainly be the impetus for them to do something like that. And I think you would have a lot of people in the media going along with this, as well as a lot of the base of the Democrat Party.

So let's see how all this works out. Go ahead, finish your thought. I was just going to say, if nothing else, for whatever Republican Party operatives are listening. Be on the lookout, and maybe they can do something to run interference for us because I'm scared to death. What should happen is completely obvious.

Not another Democrat should be elected in America this November. But what's going to happen is going to probably be very, very different. And Our weak spineless Republican Party, they're professional second place party. They do better as losers than they do as winners. And they'll sit back and take it, I'm afraid.

Well, and the Republicans need to make sure that they don't take their foot off the gas here. You know, we are, the country is in a very difficult place right now. And sometimes, if you think you're going to win by landslide numbers, you're not going to get out there and give it your all. And we've got to make sure that the Republicans don't fall into that trap. I don't think they're going to, but we've got to stay focused on the big prize, which is recapturing, reclaiming the House and the Senate.

Absolutely. Well, real quick, we love your show. God bless you and your staff for all that you do. And let's go, Brandon.

Well said. All right, Paul, thanks for the call. Where is Grace Baker? Let's get Grace up here. We've got to have a conversation.

Grace, these critters that were wandering around that I took a photograph, who are these people? Lenny and Lucy. Lucy the Lamb and Lenny the Lion.

So this guy, were these the fairly odd parents? No. You're not afraid of the people. These are the garden people.

Okay, from the creators of Fairly Odd Parents, they made this show, which is a totally different thing.

So, this was sort of like your generation's what? Captain Kangaroo. Sure. Romper room. You know, SpongeBob SquarePants, all that kind of stuff.

I see.

Okay. It was very popular when I was younger. And it was family friendly. Yeah, it was family friendly, from what I recall. All right, well, I just don't know anything about this.

It was on Nickelodeon. The Fairly Odd Parents. Yeah, and it was like little. I'm trying to even remember. It was like little fairy people, and it was.

I remember there was a monkey. Like little woodland fairies, yeah. Yeah, kind of. And they would like grant wishes and stuff. Yep.

But it was innocent. Very fairly.

Okay, well, that's.

Well, I'm glad to hear that. Back when, you know, kids TV was kids' TV. I see.

We have been incredibly busy around here. Just a wee bit. I mean, everybody's wanting to come onto the program. We have literally people lined up. Including, you know, lions and lambs.

Little creatures. And I thought I did a good job. I get a little nervous around the furry people. I know. I specifically told the lion and the lamb: hey.

Go scare Todd. And I think they did.

Okay, there's, and again, we're trying to describe the scene here.

So we have chairs set up for an audience, and then beyond that, we're in this massive hall which is roped off in front of the ballroom.

So there's a lot of traffic going back and forth. A lot going on. And some guy was pretending to be a ballet person and was like doing leaps, like the Lords of Leaping. No. Trying to get us to laugh on air.

Was this while the furry creatures were there as well? No, this was before the furry creature created. Oh, I was going to say that's a lot going on. I'm just glad I did not have to interview the furry creatures. Yeah, they probably wouldn't have much to say.

But the Lions is the eyebrows were a little off-putting because they didn't match the. It was like black eyebrows with the orange mane. He honestly looked like a combination of Sonic the Hedgehog and Winnie the Pooh to me. Because it was the colors of Wooden Koo Pooh. And then, you know, the mane kind of reminded me of the hedgehog.

Don't go anywhere. Let's go to the phones. David from Georgia on the line. Hi, David. What's going on?

Hey, Todd, how are you? I'm well. Thank you for asking. Good. I just w I'll keep it short.

If we it doesn't make any sense at all if if we had contracted with Canada, We would not be in this mess of gas right now if we could get into. tended and free from Ford Old. And the only good thing I can say about this The Democrats have to pay the same price at the gas pumps as the Republicans. And that is going to hopefully lead to a massive landslide. in November.

David, if it is a fair election, I think we're going to see a massive win for Republicans. Yeah, I hope so. Yeah, me draw. How are gas prices out there, David? I am not against Democrats or Republicans.

I'm not, either way, I do lead to the right. But The principles of the Democrats and Republicans, I do disagree. with the Democrats. You know They're raising taxes on corporations giving that money Two people As handouts, whereas the Republicans want to keep corporate tax low. Attract people and give people jobs instead of money.

And I, you know, those. basic philosophies, I guess, capitalism versus socialism, but I just don't agree with some of the Democratic Principles.

Well, I'm with you on that. And again, landslide. If gas prices are anywhere north of $4 a gallon in November, it's going to be a landslide. For the Republicans.

Well, look, it depends on how many dead people vote. Because, for whatever reason, I don't know what happens in the afterlife, but all the dead people seem to always vote Democrat. Grace, that's very bizarre. Dead cats, do you remember? There was a dead cat that voted.

Oh, the dead cat. Yeah, the dead, yeah, dead felines, deceased felines.

So I wonder. Democats. Democats. Okay, that's go stand in the courts, Grace. You need an app.

By the way, we are also looking and taking your recommendations for great restaurants to go check out here in the Nashville area. We did the Lovelace Cafe. Have you recovered from that? Yes, I think so. It wasn't healthy food.

No, it wasn't. But you ate a healthy heaping of food. Oh, I did, because it was delicious. I'm just saying. 844-747-8868.

That's our toll-free telephone number. That's 844-747-8868. Oh, we've got Elias defending freedom coming up. Dr. Jeff Myers, this is the Todd Starnes Radio Show.

All right, Grace told me I should not share this on the air, but I almost suffered a joy, well, a Joy Behar. I'm literally on the edge of this platform, and I got up, and the next thing I know, uh, I almost faced planet. But whoopie was not here to save me. Goldberg, whoopie, every time you say we're in an NRB, Jeff Myers, you can't say these kinds of words. You know, we're a secular talk show.

It's all very confusing. You survived it. Yeah, I survived. That's the problem. That's the end of the story.

That's the moral of the story. I have to self-edit. I have to learn how to self-edit. That's the problem here. Hey, we are so excited to have a good friend of this program, Dr.

Jeff Myers. I've been a fan of yours for years, president of Summit Ministries. You're out in Colorado and really doing an incredible work with young people and especially Christian young people in this country. Good to have you with us. Yeah, thanks, Todd.

I'm really, I love what you do, and I love your books and your shows. And I'm really thankful to have a chance to kind of put the focus on this rising generation because they often get ignored in the national conversation about what we should be doing as a country. You know, I often wonder, you know, looking back at the founding of our country, most of the founding fathers were very young, under the age of, at least under the age of 30, most of them under the age of 25. And I'm not sure they even knew what a worldview was at that time, but they really did have a biblical Christian. Worldview going into the Revolutionary War and the founding of this country.

Well, of the 56 people who signed the Declaration of Independence, 52 were known to be Christians by denomination and by their church attendance.

So we know that. But even more importantly, I think, and Oz Guinness has pointed this out in one of his books, this was called the biblical century at that time. In other words, they were looking not to Greece and Rome, like everybody thinks, they were looking back to Jerusalem and asking, what was the Hebrew Republic like? What kind of system, not one that says we're a theocracy, but one that says, no, everybody has value. Everybody works together to rule the country.

And that's where the founders were. And here you are, you're in the 21st century, and you have many churches and pastors that are saying, we are not a Christian nation. We are a secular nation, and there needs to be a separation. Christians should really not be involved in. Politics.

I mean, how do you combat that? And what are you hearing from your position?

Well, there are two things. If somebody is a non-believer, I approach it one way. If somebody's a believer, I approach it another way. Not that there's any distinction between them. But with non-believers, I want them to understand there's no such thing as a law that does not have moral content.

Outside of the building we're in right now, there's a stop sign. Why is there a stop sign? To regulate the flow of traffic. Why do we care about that? Because people might crash.

Why do we care if people crash? Because they might get injured. And people bear the image of God. There's no such thing as a law that does not impose morality of some kind. The question is whose morality and on what basis.

Now, to Christians who say they're not sure they should get involved, I think in America that's an easy one. Romans 13 says, you obey your authorities.

Well, who are the authorities? Abraham Lincoln said it's government of the people, by the people, and for the people. If you want to obey your authorities, you have to be an involved citizen. The bureaucrats in DC are not our authorities. Dr.

Jeff Myers here with us has an incredibly popular podcast. He is the host of the Dr. Jeff Show, president of Summit Ministries. You are on a panel here at NRB talking about biblical worldview under attack. What do you mean by that?

Well, when I refer to a biblical worldview, I mean basically an understanding that truth actually exists and it can be discovered. We can discover it through reason and we can discover it through revelation. And revelation, I take the Bible to be a way that we can understand God and therefore understand the nature of reality.

So that whole idea is under attack because the vast majority of people in the United States today say they believe truth is up to the individual. That we socially construct our truths rather than discover them. In other words, we speak our truth rather than seek the truth.

So that's a very dangerous trend because if truth is up to the individual, what do you do when you have no sense of direction in your life? And you struggle, and that's a whole generation struggling. And so, a part of Summit, and what age group are we talking about? We mainly work with students, Todd, that are between the ages of 16 and 22. That's because they're headed off to the university, or maybe they've already been, and they came back and thought, wow, I really got hammered on my faith a whole lot more than I thought, and I need some answers.

And one of the things that you guys do is cancel proof. What do you mean by that?

I think I know where you're going, and I love the term, but what does cancel proof mean?

Well, we want our students to be the ones prepared to ask questions and push into dialogue situations rather than back away from them.

So, if you ask people today, are you willing to actually end relationships over disagreements? And most people will say no, but young adults are more likely to say yes.

So, we say press into relationships rather than away from them. When you look at where we are right now, there's a lot of hopelessness in the culture, a lot of hopelessness in the church. I mean, from your vantage point, what are you hearing from students and what are you seeing after they go through the programs at Summit?

Well, only 4% of young people in the United States of America who attend church regularly have a biblical worldview.

So 96% are there, but they don't really believe what they are hearing. That is a fascinating number. I'm shocked. It is shocking.

So after two weeks at Summit Ministries, 86% have a biblical worldview, and that persists through time. We did an independent study of our graduates a couple of years ago and found that it really persists, that people realize when I can learn the truth, the truth will set me free. I can make sense of what's going on in my class. I don't have to be afraid of my professors or my classmates anymore. I can engage rather than escape in the culture in which I live.

So what does that tell you?

Well, it tells me that if we can train enough young adults, there's some hope for the future. If we can help them grasp reality and discover it. things can really change. You know, it seems to me, though, that there's got to be another component of this. Again, you're talking about a 16-year-old.

Is there anything that parents can do or churches can do to help prepare those kids and instill in them that biblical worldview before the age of 16? Yeah, well, we focus on that a lot. We do a lot of work with Christian schools, homeschool groups, and churches around the country. We have programs, curriculum courses that are available for children as young as kindergarten to help them grasp the truth, grow in character, grow in an understanding of the knowledge of God.

So, yes, there are things that we can do, and all that information is available at summit.org. It's easy to find. And we've got a direct link to that website on our live show blog.

So, folks, if you can't remember that, just go to the live show blog after the program and you'll be able to find that information. Tell us about the podcast because you're interviewing some really fascinating people, including my dear friend Lauren Green from Fox News Channel. Just today, I had a chance to interview Lauren Greene from Fox News, and I interviewed you.

So, turn about is fair. Play. You asked some great questions. You know, it was, I felt, I didn't know, you know, when you do these interviews, you don't know if you're going to be the hot seat or not.

So it was a lukewarm seat, but it was a good lukewarm.

Well, we try to, you know, the goal of the show is to show that worldview changes everything.

So I want to have thought leaders on and talk, just let them talk.

So usually the show is 20, 30, 40, 45 minutes long as we really dig into some of the big issues of our day. And it's easy to find. It's called the Dr. Jeff Show Podcast. You just Google Dr.

Jeff Show podcast, all the past episodes will come up. Isn't it amazing? You know, when you talk about technology and the way people are getting their news, getting their information, now we're to the podcast era. I think the podcast era, in a way, harkens back to when people used to listen to national public radio more. They like the long-form idea.

You can really dig into key issues. I think we're going back to that a little bit. I mean, some of the most popular podcasts in the world right now is sometimes three or four hours long. And people listen. That's amazing.

And we'll see how that plays out. We love our podcast, and we also love the radio program, being able to talk back and forth to the audience.

So it's one of the great genres. I don't think radio is ever going to go away. No, no, radio is everywhere, still huge. And the interview format and being able to take calls and engage with callers, there really aren't very many things that could replace that. All right.

Dr. Jeff Myers, great to see you. Thanks for having me on your podcast.

Well, thanks for having me on your show, Todd. Absolutely. Folks, you'll be able to get Dr. Meyer's podcast links to Summit Ministries. If you have a 16-year-old or older, you're going to want to get them involved.

Check that information out, grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, or students, if you're listening in your class, which you probably shouldn't do right now. Go and check out the live show blog, summit.org. That's S-U-M-M-I-T.org. Got to take a break. We are live from the NRB.

National Religious Broadcasters Convention, Nashville, Tennessee. This is the Todd Stern Show. Uh From the front lines of the Culture War, it's Todd Starns. And coming up tomorrow on the Todd Stearns Radio Show live from Nashville, we have our good friend Pastor Robert Jeffers, who's the official chaplain of the Todd Stearns Radio Program. And also, Tony Perkins is going to drop by from Family Research Council.

And you never know who else. I think Senator Marshall Blackburn is going to be with us as well. We are just doing things a little differently this week as we visit with all of our friends at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. I want to welcome some great guests to the program we've been following, the Loudoun County School Board case. Lions Defending Freedom has been all over this story, and we're so excited to have Monica Gill and Ryan Bangert with us.

Guys, welcome to the show. Thank you so much. And how is it, again, being around so many people of faith, this has to be, when you're out there fighting the fight in the trenches, it's got to be good to come here. This is kind of like a great big USO show. It is beautiful to be here to see all of these brothers and sisters in Christ and really to be infused with such encouragement in the midst of what can be a really daunting battle.

So, Monica, you're pursuing the school board over a policy there in Loudoun County that forces teachers to use pronouns that might be inconsistent. That has got to be a tough spot for a lot of the teachers in the school system. Give us a little bit of a backstory. Yeah, so I started to become really concerned about our school district a couple of years ago. Up until then, I just have loved teaching so much.

I teach U.S. history and AP government, and it's been wonderful, and I love my kids. But a couple of years ago, I started to notice a real turn in the culture of our school board, and they started pushing ideology rather than education. They were pushing it through their equity, diversity, and inclusion initiative, which we all know now is code for critical race theory and very radical gender ideology. And the rubber really kind of hit the road for me and impacted me personally when they passed this policy, essentially, as you said, saying that I must refer to any student using and affirm any gender that they choose.

And this is just untenable. I mean, it is lying to students. It is not true. It's not conversant with reality or with biology. And so I knew Tanner Cross, and I'm sure that everybody knows his name.

He was the first one to really speak out against this at our school board meeting. Let me stop you there. When you saw Tanner speaking out, what was going through your mind at that point? I just thought, wow, you know, he is so brave. And we were friends before this, and he had contacted me and said, I'm going to speak out against this policy.

The school board meeting, and sure enough, he did. And he just spoke so eloquently to say, Hey, look, I love my kids. I'm not going to lie to students. And then they put him on leave, which, you know, that's a scary thing for teachers who agree with him. And so we've had a lot of quiet support, but they saw what they did to Tanner, and they're afraid to speak up.

So Ryan, now you guys are involved, Alliance Defending Freedom. This has to be so encouraging to you to see teachers that are willing to take a stand in the public schools. Absolutely. The situation will not turn itself around unless people of courage, people like Monica, people like Tanner, people like Kim Wright, take a stand and tell the school districts: no, we do have a First Amendment right, we do have a constitutional right to speak freely and not to be forced and compelled to violate our conscience. And without that courageous stand, nothing's going to change.

I'm curious: after Tanner took a stand, after Monica took a stand, are you hearing from other teachers that are sharing their concerns, not necessarily just in Loudoun County, but around America? We have, and this trend that you've seen in Loudoun County, Loudoun County is the epicenter of this, but it's certainly not the only place where it's happening. And this effort by the Educational establishment to impose critical ideology, gender ideology, race ideology. It's happening all over the country. You know, Monica, to that point, what about moms and dads?

Have you been hearing from parents who are saying, hey, thank you for standing up for common sense? Absolutely. So I think it has been wonderfully encouraging to have fellow teachers say thank you for standing up. We don't feel like we can, but even more so coming from parents who have said thank you so much, you're doing the right thing. But I think for me, the real encouragement comes from the students who come to me and say thank you for taking a stand for us.

Absolutely. And I think that what's so important about that is that they realize that to go This isn't just about Mrs. Gill's free speech rights or her religious conviction. This is about their generation, and they are seeing their generation be torn apart by these horrible ideologies. They see their peers suffering like no other generation from mental health issues, including gender dysphoria.

And so they know this is bigger than just a free speech issue or a religious conviction issue. It's about them. And you know, Ryan, and I don't want to get too far off the rails here, but to that point, when you look at what's happening in the world of collegiate sports with the situation at the University of Pennsylvania, the other story that's really not getting a lot of coverage is that most of these girls on that team are terrified to speak out. It's almost as if they've been bullied into silence here, and they just have to accept things for what they are. That's right, there is a real disconnect between the establishment, between the elites who are pushing these ideas and these ideologies, and frontline teachers, frontline athletes, people who are bearing the consequences of these ideas and who see the real harm that's inflicted.

Look at the National School Board Association letter that was sent to the White House that resulted in Attorney General Merrick Garland. Literally targeting parents who are simply speaking up for their rights and for the well-being of their kids. That's just an incredible example of this disconnect between those who are pushing this ideology and the vast majority who are suffering as consequences. Ryan Bangert with Alliance Defending Freedom, Monica Gill. Monica.

You had to make a personal decision here. I mean, this was your consider the cost moment. Take us through that. We've just got about a minute or so, but take us through that decision-making process.

Well, you know, it was really after Tanner took his stand and watching him take all of the slings and arrows that I just said he can't stand alone. And often this just looks like really daunting and discouraging, but I've had a lot of encouragement from the Lord. And in one such case, I was, it was the beginning of the school year, I was feeling very discouraged. I was talking to the Lord, just saying, I don't want to do this anymore. I just can't.

It's too heartbreaking. And as I was cleaning out my new classroom, I found this book kind of stuffed in the shelf, and I picked it up and dusted it off. And the cover said Holy Bible. And I thought, my goodness, what are you doing here? And I opened it up, and it said, Presented to Loudoun County High School from the graduating class of 1955.

Wow. And I thought, wow, you know. I immediately got cynical and thought, well, you'd never see this today. But God just got a hold of my heart and He just said, Monica, I didn't give you this gift for you to judge this place. I gave you this gift so you would know I have not abandoned this place.

And you're here for such a time as this. Be my salt, be my light, go and stand for truth. Stay here for me. And so that's what I just continue to do. And that is really the point of this gathering here in Nashville: for us to mobilize, to stand together, to encourage each other, and to know that we're not in this fight alone.

And we've got everybody's backs here. We've got 10 seconds. Ryan, where can people go? They want to get more information about Lions Defending Freedom and support the great causes y'all are fighting for. Our website, ADF Legal, A-D-F-L-E-G-A-L dot org.

All right, and we've got a direct link on our website, the live show blog. Monica Gill, thank you for that beautiful testimony. And Ryan, thank you for fighting the good fight in the legal system. All right, guys, we are going to wrap things up here today. To do this all over again tomorrow, three hours of conversation.

Tony Perkins, Pastor Robert Jeffers, and many other guests coming your way. Folks, ToddStarns.com. You can download the podcast and listen to all of our great interviews. It's been a lot of fun. We'll be back tomorrow.

This is the Todd Starnes Radio Show live from Nashville.