Vaccine Rush

Dennis Prager discusses a Politico report about Trump administration pressure on the FDA for COVID vaccine emergency authorizations before the 2020 election, then examines excess mortality data and claims the medical establishment suppressed treatments like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. The second hour explores whether authentic happiness requires expressing suppressed thoughts and desires.
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Dennis Prager here. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire 3 hours of my radio show commercial-free every single day, become a member of PragerTopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives as well as the daily show prep. Subscribe at pragertopia.com. Hello, my friends. Welcome to the Friday edition of The Dennis Prager Show. It differs from the Thursday edition and Wednesday and Tuesday, etc., because we have the happiness hour, and then the third hour is whatever is on your mind. Well, there's a lot on my mind. Something, shall we say, fascinating— that's a good word because it's completely diplomatic— is taking place. Politico, which is not a conservative source by any means, reports the following: Trump White House exerted pressure on FDA for COVID-19 emergency use authorizations, House report finds. The report by House Democrats examining the pandemic says— this is the subheading— Trump officials sought vaccine approvals to sway voters before the 2020 election. Now I want you to think as dispassionately as possible. Why would the Democrats release a report saying that the Trump administration pressured the FDA to approve the vaccine, or a vaccine? You know the answer? And it is? They're saying that— I'm repeating what my producer is saying. They're saying they pressured the FDA before the election to benefit the Republicans. But they really needed to wait, which is what happened. But they really needed to wait till after the election. They shouldn't have pressured them. They shouldn't have pressured them before the election. But they should have pressured them after the election. They should have just waited. So in other words, it would have been better had the FDA taken more time to produce the vaccine, to approve the vaccine, which they came out with approval after the election. Yeah, they came out with the approval after the election. I know that. So Trump tried to— No, no, I understand. Okay, right. So let me tell you, I have a slightly different read than my producer. That's—
I'm saying I agree with you.
Oh, you do agree with me? Oh, I know their take. Okay, so my friends, if the vaccine had been good, had saved millions of lives, or for that matter 500,000 lives, 200,000 lives, 50,000 lives, and not harmed anywhere near that number of people, why would the Democrats criticize Donald Trump for having pushed the FDA to approve a massive life-saving medical— what would be, what would be the word— medical procedure, namely getting the vaccine? I want you to please think this through with me. It is possible, since this is late-breaking news, it is possible that my instinctive reaction, that there is an increasing belief that the vaccine was not particularly a good thing, is now dawning on vast numbers of human beings, including Democrats who supported firing policemen and getting rid of soldiers and Marines and Navy sailors who were not vaccinated. The Canadian government, which holds Fidel Castro as a model of dictatorship, the despicable Trudeau and his cronies forcing Canadians to to get vaccinated before they could even enter an airplane. We didn't even go as far as Canada. Now, what if it all turns out that the vaccine was not a particularly good thing and that in incredible numbers of cases was a bad thing? What if that turns out to be the case? Then you were lied to by the left and the media, just like they did about the Trump-Russia collusion. Because all they do is lie, because the left does not hold truth to be a value. Controlling people is a value. Panic, hysteria. What if the teachers ruined untold numbers of children by not going to classrooms because they are the most scared group of human beings I am aware of? Teachers. There is nobody as scared and selfish as the teaching profession. Now let me make clear, there are some wonderful individual teachers. That means nothing about the generalization I made. Teachers didn't go into classrooms because they were scared. Screw the children, I'm scared. They didn't say that in Sweden. Swedish teachers are finer human beings than American teachers. That's a fact. By the way, everybody failed. The clergy failed, and I'm religious. And I said this the whole time, didn't I? Reports are coming out of countries that have more honest reporting on deaths than America does. What, you put it up? Let's get— see there. Excessive deaths continue to rise mysteriously in Europe, Alex Berenson reports, that we've had on the show. Euromomo pooled estimates show an elevated level of excess mortality. Now, how— why would that be? Why would that be? You want— this is excess over COVID death. What are they dying from? Not COVID. Why are there ex— there should be far fewer deaths because so many people died in advance, as it were, before their time. This week's overall pooled Euromomo estimates of all-cause mortality for the participating European countries show elevated excess mortality, especially among the elderly 65 or older. Overall deaths are now higher at this point in 2022 than they were at the same point in either 2020 or 2021. More people are dying now in Europe, in European countries, than did during COVID Does that make sense? How do you explain that, ladies and gentlemen? If I'm allowed to say, ladies and gentlemen— well, I don't work for Disney, I'm allowed to say ladies and gentlemen. I should say it all the time. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, men and women. Dreamers of all ages. I will not say dreamers of all ages. Nightmares of all ages. It's a dream, all right. It's a nightmare. The thugs of the left. How many people are they and the medical profession responsible for killing? We had— what was that wonderful epidemiologist at Yale? Risch. Harvey Risch. Harvey Risch said on this program, I think a year ago, that he thinks the medical profession has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans by banning therapeutics. You were lied to about hydroxychloroquine and zinc. You were lied to about ivermectin. The New York Times led the lies. The New York Times is our version of Pravda. It should be an embarrassment to work for the New York Times if you treasure the country or you treasure truth. It's all going to come out. I work in one of the few arenas of life where you can actually say truths and continue to work in your profession. Talk radio. Why are there excess deaths over, over the COVID years in Europe? What's killing them? My, uh, the guy I call my drug dealer and my, my, uh, audio equipment man, Filipino gentleman Young guy, well, not young, middle-aged guy, very good shape. He has no body fat. He's an athlete. He's a championship racer, a ski jet racer. I believe that that's what he does when he's not providing me with audio equipment and others. Jet ski, is that it? What did I say? I said ski jet. That's like when they say peanut M&M's instead of M&M peanut. Which are you supposed to say, M&M peanut or peanut M&M? Yeah, the latter. Yeah, uh, so he's in great shape. Got the, got the vaccine and, uh, got, uh, what did he get? The, um, shingles. Yeah. It put him out of commission for months. Maybe, maybe it's not because— I, I don't know for a fact it's because of the vaccine. If I had to bet, would I bet? Yes, I would. If you were listening to this show, or only, only this show, or only reading the New York Times for the last quarter century You would have learned far more truth listening to this show. Rising interest rates, stock volatility, out-of-control inflation. People are concerned about what the future holds financially. This is Dennis Prager for AmFed Coin and Bullion. There's no better time than the present to move a portion of your IRA into precious metals. Gold and silver IRAs are more popular than ever, and dealers are advertising heavily for your business. You should know there's a right and a wrong way to set up your precious metals IRA. Mistakes could cost you hundreds thousands of dollars in IRS fines, Nick Grovich, man I completely trust, owner of AmFed Coin and Bullion, has agreed to send you a concise report about how to set up your IRA and how to get the best bang for your buck. Nick and his team will be happy to help you set up your precious metals IRA or review your current account. Call AmFed Coin and Bullion, 800-221-7694, for your free IRA report and all your precious metals needs. AmericanFederal.com, that's American in federal.com. Hey everybody, that is a novel idea, teaching kids about beauty and truth. That's what we do at PragerU. There's a big hit piece on PragerU in Vice yesterday. Am I abnormal in finding attacks on what I do Fascinating. There wasn't anything in me that thought, uh-oh, do you know that? You too? It's a very long piece. I smoked about a third of a cigar. Yes, that's right. And all about one subject, climate change. So you see, they lied to you about therapeutics, they lied to you about Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. They lied to you about 1619. They lied to you about the safety of the vaccine and the efficacy of the vaccine. But they're telling you the truth about the existential threat to humanity of climate change, right? They lie, they lie, they lie, they lie, they lie, and then they tell the truth about something that gives them even more power than any of the others, all of them combined. We have never— they even quoted me because I— they interviewed me by email. I do all my interviews by email. That way I choose my words and have a perfect record of what I said. And I said, we have never denied that the Earth is getting warmer. Never. Then not in one video. What did they claim? We have 25 videos on climate change. Is that true? Uh, Bob, it's fine with me. I mean, it's a huge topic. Okay, we have a lot on energy, nuclear power, fossil fuels. We have scientists, we have economists, and we have wise people who may be none of those. That's so interesting though, that with all the attacks on PragerU in Vice in this piece, there isn't one example of one line, and they scoured us. They scoured our production. They didn't have one line that they could show. Look, look, look, they're deniers. If you merely say that the world is not coming to an end, or even advocate nuclear power, you are beyond the pale for the left. Well, they tried. The New York Times tried. The Los Angeles Times tried. Uh, let's see, BuzzFeed tried. Um, Mother Jones tried. And now Vice is trying. Who's left? Washington Post? Well, they did it. They did a piece on me and COVID. That was their big piece, the only time they ever paid attention to me. For the New York— for the Washington Post, PragerU is not even worth an article, which is fine. I have no desire to be covered by the Washington Post, but I find that interesting. Yep, so just remember that you've been lied to on every major issue by the left, but you're being told the truth about climate change. I don't know which I'm more upset by— Newsom's dictatorial order that there will not be any gas-powered cars sold within 13 years in California, or the, the, the Biden completely illegal canceling of tuition debts. The bad news from the left is so consistent. The authoritarianism, the corruption is so deep. You know, one of the reasons that the left is for canceling student debt— I wonder how many of you know what I'm about to say. I wonder if my producer, who knows me as well as any living human being, knows what I'm going to say. I'll give you a hint, Mr. Producer. You actually mentioned the reason in passing this morning to me. Why would the left want to cancel student debt? The most obvious reason is to get votes from young people and their families. That's the most obvious. They sell votes, and people are more than happy to pay the price. You get my vote, I get money. It is as pure as handing out bills, dollar bills— well, dollar bills are worth nothing— checks in the middle of the street. But there's another reason. The biggest single base of left-wing and Democratic supporters are the college-educated. Ah, you didn't know I'd say it? I'm very proud. Ah, it makes me, gives me joy that I surprised my other spouse, my producer. That's their constituency. The more people that go to college and certainly graduate school, the more Democratic voters there are. If it is as simple as that. The purpose of college is to make Democrats. Make leftists, really, but leftists vote Democrat. That is the only purpose of most colleges, of nearly all of them. It's— the corruption is as deep as in any third world country or any communist country. Or any right-wing dictatorship that used to exist in Latin America. That is how deep the corruption in the United States of America is, from the FBI to the presidency. Go to college, become a Democrat. The brainwash is so powerful that even the decimation of their children— oh, I didn't read to you yesterday the Washington Post advice columnist on the woman who wrote in about her. I only mentioned it. Yeah. Oh, well, this is critical. This is truly critical, my friends. Washington Post, August 18th. Advice by Megan Leahy. My teen says they're binary. They— this is the new thing, they— how do we know it isn't a phase? There is something, however, in this piece. Well, let me, let me read to you the question sent into the Washington Post. 5 months ago, my 16-year-old daughter approached my husband and me. Well said. Usually they say, and I and informed us that she is non-binary. Now, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, up to 5 years ago, did any child in the United States say to a parent, I'm non-binary? Is it not obvious this is learned and not innate? Isn't that obvious? Back in a moment. The Dennis Prager Show. Towels just don't seem to dry you anymore. They feel soft and lotiony in the store, but you get them home and they don't absorb. Well, Mike Lindell at MyPillow found that out around 2006, and towels changed forever. He found the best towel company right here in the USA. They have proprietary technology to create towels that feel soft but actually work. And that happens to be true. I use them. They are all made with USA cotton, and they come with the MyPillow 60-day money-back guarantee. 6-piece set, 2 bath, 2 hand towels, 2 washcloths. Regularly $109.99, now $39.99. Just go to mypillow.com and click on the new radio listener specials and get deep discounts on all MyPillow products, including the towels, by entering the promo code PRAGER, or call 800-761-6302 for these great radio specials. mypillow.com, promo code PRAGER. Please help us help this country. PragerU is unique. It changes minds, especially of young people. Everything is free because people like you make it possible. August is fundraising month, and please know that whatever you give until August 31st will be tripled. It's called triple match. You give $100, you've given $300. You give $10, you've given $30. Just for the record, if you give $1 million, you've given $3 million. Sean, did you hear that? Please consider. Folks, we need your help. We're doing good work. PragerU.com, 833-PRAGER-U. Advice question to the Washington Post from a mother. 5 months ago, my 16-year-old daughter approached my husband and me and informed us that she is non-binary. As I mentioned at the very end of the last segment, did anybody on Earth describe anybody on Earth as non-binary 5 years ago, let alone 20, 30, 40, 100, 200, or 2,000? Isn't this obvious? It's a left-wing made-up piece of crap to ruin society. It's diabolic, this non-binary movement. That Disney will not say boys and girls because there are kids there who are neither a boy nor a girl? Do you believe that? Yes, you do. If you went to graduate school, you probably believe it. My, my daughter came out as non-binary. If somebody from 20 years ago came into the future, they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't have a clue. What does that mean? Your daughter is non-binary. Is that a new disease? Yes, it is a new disease, by the way. We're not sure what to do. We think it may be just a phase. She and all— now listen to this. This was actually as important as the rest is. This might be the most important line. She and all of her close friends, 7 total, are all identifying themselves using the monikers bisexual, non-binary, trans, polyamorous, and a whole host of other words that have been sent— that have sent all the parents to the dictionary. All her friends. How old is she? 16. Now, you know, I want you to get your kid the hell out of school and homeschool your child, or send them to a Jewish or Christian school. A good one. Most Jewish and Christian schools are irrelevant to Judaism or Christianity. She and all of her close friends, 7, again, they all identify themselves as bisexual, non-binary, trans, polyamorous, and a whole host of other words. You know what polyamorous means? That they can love anyone, but it also means not monogamous. At 16, no dreams of weddings for these, uh, for these girls. They have spent a lot of energy discussing how their favorite celebrities and influencers identify in an interview, in an interview or on social media. I don't want to harm her by rejecting what she is identifying as, but I also want to find an authentic expression of herself, and I feel as if this may not be it. Authentic expression of herself. She's a girl, Mom. That's the authentic expression. She's a girl, and the mother knows it, but she wants to be understanding of her daughter, who's not a daughter now, maybe a son, maybe both, maybe neither. Two months ago, she began insisting that we refer to her by a new name, which I try my best to remember and call her. The name she was given at birth was a beautiful name, one she used to be proud of. Now she complains that I am deadnaming her if I call her by her birth name. This is— do you understand? Of course you understand. All of this is learned. Sick, sick, sick, sick stuff, undoubtedly taught by some female teacher when she was in elementary school, let alone high school. Not that there aren't men who don't go along with this, but it's women-driven. Deadnaming. Wow. Uncle Tom's Tomb is the eye-opening documentary everyone in America should see. Dennis Prager here, and Uncle Tom's Tomb offers a compelling and brave analysis of the true history of Black America, the cultural shift from prosperity, integrity, and faith to its current perceived state of anger, discontent, and victimhood, Uncle Tom 2 offers historical footage, photos, correspondence, and data to reveal: the genuine strides of Black America in the 20th century; the deliberate Marxist strategy to create racial tension and replace God with government; the NAACP's sinister agenda; the fall of Black Harlem; the truth behind Black Lives Matter; and the demoralization of America for political power. Don't miss Uncle Tom 2 from executive producer Larry Elder and director Justin Malone with Brandon Tatum, Vodie Bauckham, and Chad O'Jackson. Watch the movie on demand or buy the DVD now at SalemNow.com. That's SalemNow.com. There we go, it's the happy, happy, happy, happy hour. Yes, it is. Hey everybody, the happy make the world better and the unhappy make it worse. Happiness is a moral virtue to be pursued, like kindness, honesty. All right, now join me. You have one more chance this week. It's the happy, happy, happy, happy hour. Ah yes, every Friday the second hour of my radio show has been devoted to the subject of happiness since the 20th century. When you think about that, that is only one century ahead of the 19th century. That is how old this show is. I'm Dennis Prager. By the way, I wrote a book on happiness. And this is not a sales pitch, even though it may sound like it, but it is a puzzle to me that you would love this hour and not read my book on happiness. I don't get it. It's called Happiness Is a Serious Problem. My friends, happiness is a virtue. Oh good, look at that. Very impressive, you guys. A video zoomed in on the book. I didn't even know what's over there. So Sean, how happy are you today on a scale of 1 to 10? You're kidding me, you're 8 and a half? Why, the cat didn't pee on you yesterday? All right, what is all this happiness about? 8.5. Holy crow! Well, I'm very happy to hear that, my friends. I give good advice on happiness, and it is worthy of pursuit. If every American were happy— I don't mean ecstatic, delirious, high— just happy. We would have almost none of the internal problems that we have today. Happy people don't burn police cars, right? I mean, just to give you a little example, happy people are grateful people. You can't be happy if you're not grateful. If you're not grateful to be an American, you can't be happy. So if you're happy, it means you're grateful. If you're grateful, you don't tear down your society. It's a very big deal, happiness. Today's subject is something I have covered on a number of occasions, each time in a different way. And it is so pertinent, and it does indeed border on the political. Most of my happiness hours, the great majority, were apolitical, and my book is apolitical. Means non-political. A means not, like atheist is a non-theist. Apolitical means non-political. So this has political overtones, but there's nothing I can do about it because that's a reality of— with regard, not with regards, by the way. Regards is send my regards to my mom if you see her. With regard to happiness, in this instance, there is a political overtone, obviously. And the subject is this: if you can't express who you are, you can't be happy. Now, I don't mean that this is a green light to be obnoxious. You don't have a— you don't have a green light to just burst out in anger at any time you want. It has nothing to do with that, nothing. I'm talking about what you think, your ideas. I'll give you a non-political example that I always felt since I was in high school, where I began thinking about all of these things. I really I really did think about the big stuff starting at about the age of 15. When I thought, certainly by college, when I thought about ultimately getting married, and there was no doubt in my mind I would get married, it was as certain as anything that could happen. I mean, you know, if If God forbid I had died early or been rendered immobile by a horrible disease or something, but there was no doubt in my mind that I would get married. I wish that were true for the vast majority of young people today. They have no idea what they'll do. Even with regard to marriage. Anyway, when I thought about it, by, by college, I thought, you know what, I have to be able to express who I am as a man to the woman I marry. I can't hide my nature. And as I got older and I don't mean old, I just mean older, it became clear to me that probably most men hide their nature from their wives. They are afraid to frighten their wife, because if men actually explain their nature, their sexual nature in particular, to their wife, they fear that she will think he's crazy. They may even— that she may even become scared of him. Male sexual nature is as different from female sexual nature as the nature of a giraffe is from that of a human. And giraffes are particularly inscrutable. There's a very long way to the brain because of that neck, but I won't dwell on that at this time. Giraffe nature. How many talk show hosts get into that? Did you hear Sean's answer? One. That was a good delivery. You delivered that well. All right, this is absurd. One second, folks. It's embarrassing when the host's own phone makes noise, I have to say. So anyway, that's an example of men, of men hiding their nature from their wife. And now again, this is really important because I have a very clear vision of anything I say. This is the Happiness Hour. It's not the male-female hour. I just want to make it clear that when a man hides his nature from, from his wife He is— it's an example of self-suppression. The subject is not male nature. Don't call in on it. It is not the subject. The subject is hiding who you are. Well, you can call in on it if the— if you— if you hide it. Yes, I had dinner last night. My wife and I had dinner last night with 4 terrific people, all of them passionate religious committed Christians and all terrific people. One was a pastor, one was a graphic artist, a painter, terrific guy, terrific work, and a terrific guy. One is my friend from the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, one of the great bass players of our time, and the fourth one is changing fields right now, and another committed Christian. They all know each other through church affiliation, and they were all terrific, all from different places, none of them from Los Angeles. They were in town and we had dinner. And the— so of course we talked theology a good part of the time. I, a religious Jew, they, religious Christians. And the At some point, and I don't remember the context, but the pastor looked at me and said something like, well, you know, how often do you covet other women? And I said, covet? Never. I never covet. Covet means that I want some man's wife. But how often do I lust? I said, every day. In front of my wife and 4 Christians. Part of the reason I'm happy is I can express who I really am. Do I act on it? Of course not. Of course I'm as faithful as the day is long. Back in a moment. Yeah, special reduction with my name as the promo code. He makes great products, I have to I have to say that. It's the truth. Starting with my pillow, which I sleep on every night. Every night that I'm home. I don't travel with a pillow, I admit it. Hi everybody, Dennis Prager Happiness Hour. Susie does travel with a pillow, your wife? She takes it with her. I think it's great. Does she take it on the plane or she packs it? Wow, that's cool. She packs it. And it's the MyPillow. No kidding. Oh, I'm very glad I mentioned this. That's— this is a terrific product. What's the promo code? Prager, correct? Sean? Hello, my friends. This is a tough subject. This subject, I can see disturbing almost anyone, not everyone, but almost anyone, including people who normally agree with me religiously, politically. And it certainly disturbs people who differ with me because basically anything I say disturbs them. The subject of this Happiness Hour is that you can't truly be happy if you suppress who you are. And I mean suppress speaking about your thoughts. I gave as the opening example men hiding their sexual nature from their wives. It is so liberating to have a wife that you can speak about your nature to. I know that because I have one, and I always knew that's something I wanted. I, I don't like suppressing what I think. Of course, now, of course, you, you state it in a way that is, is respectful or whatever, but you say, do you state what, what do you think? Then politically is the other obvious example. In America today, if you have a non-left-wing view You are— you suppress it, sometimes from your own children, sometimes from your own spouse, sometimes from your friends. You suppress it in social media. You hide who you are politically, just as men hide who they are sexually. And the price paid is very real. To have friends in your life to whom you have to— from whom you have to hide what you think about, for example, the premature sexualization of children in our schools. You have nothing to say about that. You can't express it. You'll lose your friend. Okay, in most cases it's worth losing your friend. But once you express yourself, you get new friends, people with whom you share your values. That's a huge thing. That is huge. Why would you want to have people who have contempt for your values as friends and then hide who you are from them so as to keep them as a friend? Isn't that a sort of Blackmail. Say who you are, I leave you. Now, tragically, there are parents who have to do that in order to see their grandchildren. Don't, don't say what you think politically, Dad, or I won't let you see your grandchildren. There, there are probably hundreds of thousands of examples of that in the United States. That's astonishing. All right, this is a very big subject, as most of the Happiness Hour subjects are. Okie dokie, let's see here. Craig in Denver, hello.
Dennis, I think what you're talking about is graciousness. A man suppressing his feelings, whether it's political or sexual. You don't blurt it out like a bull in a china shop. You suppress it. That's called graciousness in my thought.
Hmm.
I don't call it graciousness. We have a different view. Why is it great? Why is it gracious for my wife not to know what I am as a man? Why is that gracious?
If she's your wife, she already knows what you are as a man.
No, that's not true. I don't— I think most men hide the fact, uh, of, uh, how much they're visually stimulated on a typical day from their wife.
Um, but not acting on it is— don't you think that is graciousness? Isn't that grace? They're not being graceful.
Not acting on your lust is, is, uh, not a matter of graciousness. It's a matter of being decent. It's a matter of being moral. You don't commit adultery. What does that have to do with what I just said? I'm talking about what you think, not what you act.
Well, let me, let me, let me throw a story that I've used that you gave me years ago about you being a Jew, don't eat pork, but as you walk by the breakfast, breakfast restaurant, you can smell the bacon, but you suppress that urge and I say, well, that's a wonderful— knowing that you have prime rib waiting for you at home.
Right, okay. I don't know why you're bringing that up because it has nothing to do with what I said. Since you use that analogy, I'll continue with your analogy. I go by a restaurant and I smell bacon. Do I deny that I think it's delicious? Do I deny how good it smells? That's what— that's not the same as denying myself eating it. I said I don't act upon my lust, but I don't deny to my wife that it exists. I'm not a woman. Women don't have the same degree and quantity of visual stimulation as men do. That's a fact, unless you went to graduate school, in which case you learned the opposite, that men and women are identical. Because it's a lying factory, graduate schools. It's a big subject. It's bigger than I thought when I chose it. Yep, the bacon's a perfect example. Smells great, can't eat it. She looks great, can't have her. That's perfect. All right, I thank you for calling. Take care, my friend. And let's see here. Carol in Orlando, Florida. Hi there.
Hi. So first of all, my husband's 10 and a half years younger than me, and he is more of a man than any man I've ever dated in my life, which hasn't been many. But I have a great discernment for people, and I, I can't say I'm appalled by so many marriages around us that are just not good. And it— and I know it's because They're inauthentic. The women aren't who they are and the men aren't who they are. And I let my husband be who he is, and I know who he is as an individual and as a man, and I let him be a man.
You're good. He lucked out and you lucked out.
We did.
Well, he's not going to eat himself up. That's what happens. People eat themselves up. I'll give you a great example. This is a really long time ago. I used to use this example in speeches. And I just, I guess I forgot it over the years. I used to play racquetball a lot. That was my sport. So I'm going to tell you about the guy I played with.
I'm a girl watcher, watching girls go by. My, my, my. I'm a girl watcher, I'm a girl watcher.
Here comes one now. 1968, they could have this song, I'm a Girl Watcher. Good choice, Sean. I don't care what they say about I always defend you. And you have no idea what they say. By the way, you can watch this at Salem News Channel. And if you're watching, hi there. I'm looking right at you now. So the Happiness Hour, second hour every Friday, and this is about how much people suppress what they think. And you have to suppress what you do. Let me make that clear. I'm talking about suppressing what you think. And to the extent that people do with friends, with spouses, they are eating themselves up. I believe actually, literally Because there's— you're not at peace when, when you have to lie. And I don't mean lie as in overtly telling an untruth, but suppressing the truth is a form of lying. And I'm not saying this to attack anybody or to say you're immoral. It's not immoral to suppress who you are. It's injurious to your health. Mental and physical. So I was going to tell you the story about the guy I played racquetball with in my, my 20s and 30s, late 20s and 30s. So I was— he married relatively early, like in his late 20s, and I remember Being at dinner, I was still single, and I was at a dinner with his new wife and him. So me being pretty open about everything, I thought nothing about saying the following, and I'm paraphrasing, I don't have a recording of it. Oh yeah, we, uh, We play at this club and during the breaks between games, we sit on the bench outside the racquetball enclosed court there. And one of the diversions is the good-looking women who walk by during our break. Makes the break all the more pleasurable, something to that effect. He kicked me under the table.
I—
it was the most memorable kick of my life. And thank God I, I was aware of why he kicked me. She said Well, Mark— Mark isn't looking, is he? Whatever, whatever his name. I'm making up the name. Mark, Elliot, Bill. He, he's not looking, is he? And of course, no, no, no, I was just speaking about me. Oh no, no. I, I felt so bad for him. He should have said, honey, are you kidding? What do you think, I checked my testes at the door when I married you? That's what he should have said. And they have a great marriage, to what I've heard. I haven't seen them in decades, and I wish them— they're both wonderful people. Okay, let's see here. The other one is the, the political, of course, and how many people suppress their non-left-wing thoughts. All right, Birmingham, Alabama. Don, hello. Hi. Hi, Dennis.
I, I think the man does it more often because he fears being outed and that he no longer can continue in his covert operation, just a different stint. But the reason I called was I think I can bridge the gap a little bit between that man who was talking about graciousness. There's a difference between— because I'm an open book also, um, but there's a difference between doing it privately and doing it publicly. I know that because I'm so transparent and honest Sometimes I really embarrass my wife, so I will withhold things sometimes in a public setting because it may possibly offend my wife.
Well, so use my example from last night, uh, and, and I'll get your answer when we return.
Let Dennis be Dennis.
This is it, everybody. It's the third hour on Friday, and it is the hour in which you set the agenda. Whatever is on your mind about you, about me, about life, about death, and needless to say about classical music, audio equipment, photography equipment, cigars, and/or— oh God, what's the fifth? Pens. Yes. Fountain pens. Enjoy the music. It's really interesting that a repeated note with a melody going on behind that note can be that interesting and even moving musically. Okay everybody, whatever's on your mind And I love this hour. When I began radio 40 years ago, it's a little eerie for me to even say that. When I began, that was what I had, just people called in on anything. And then gradually I would evolve to what most talk radio is. The talk show host sets the agenda with a certain topic or topics. But this is how I began, and I loved it, and I love it now. All right, I asked this caller from last hour not to hang up, and he didn't, and it's a challenge, so I go to it immediately. Mark in Tampa, Florida, thank you for calling.
Wow, thank you for taking my call, and I'm a big fan.
Thank you.
All right, so I want to challenge the way you're using the word lust, and I'm going to ask you a question. Are you saying that it is okay or not a sin to look at a woman and fantasize or imagine in your mind having sex with her or undressing her? You undress her in your mind. That is lust. Are you saying that that is okay?
I— when I think of lust in the, in the generic sense, in the sexual arena, because there are people who lust for money or food or drink, but we're talking the sexual arena. So I'm thinking at its basic that it is a man seeing a woman and, and having a sexual thought. How far it goes might be an issue for you or, or not, but I can't imagine— maybe it is, maybe it is doable— but I can't imagine being on a beach with women in bikinis and not having a sexual thought as a result. Can you, can you imagine, can you imagine that?
It depends on the sexual thought. There's a difference between noticing a beautiful woman in a bikini, noticing her body, it's beautiful, it's wonderful, as opposed to imagine taking off her clothes, right?
You're— well, you're okay, right? But that is such a gigantic gap between the two. I, I don't accept your first possibility. To, to— if you're a heterosexual man and you see a beautiful woman on the beach in a bikini and your only reaction is, my God, how aesthetically, uh, beautiful that woman is, it is inconceivable to me that a heterosexual man would have that reaction. There would be a there would be a sexual or erotic component to his reaction. If so, if you—
if he— if—
is that sinful?
Let me, uh, no, you'll have a sexual response. That's normal. Yeah, you have.
Okay, so, okay, so then maybe it's the use of the term. So, so, so, okay, so you're okay with a sexual response but not with thinking about what I'd like to do with her? I'm not being cute. Okay, that's fine. Okay, so, so, okay, that's fine. Uh, the— it's a very interesting question, but it goes beyond the, the— what I want to— how deeply I want to get into it at this time. It's worthy of its own hour. So is a sexual response without any, any component of What I would like to do as a result of that response. I guess that's for my caller. The lust part is what I would like to do as a result of that response. And I'm saying that the very mere fact of a sexual response, some people would consider sinful because even the description that this fine gentleman I appreciate him very much. And these are very important topics to discuss because they're— it's about real life, and I only want to talk about real life. But very often in discussion with the group that I am most allied with, that is religious Christians, and I am a religious Jew for the record, They very often, they will say, oh, of course you could admire what a fine figure she has. But that's like saying, you know, I could admire what a beautiful car you have. But the response to a beautiful car and beautiful women are not the same. The responses are not the same. My, my, my own view is that God made men this way, and if we don't act upon it, uh, I think God in his infinite mercy and wisdom thinks, you know what, Dennis, you're doing a good job staying faithful, I'm okay. That's my view. It— not every religious person shares that view. All right, thank you again, Mark. That was good. It was a good opening for the Whatever Is On Your Mind hour. Okay, uh, Queen Creek, Arizona. You familiar with that? Got two Arizonans in the studio. Hi there. Uh, Tony, right?
Yes.
Hi, Tony.
I have a question for you. Yeah, how are you? Um, one time you mentioned, uh, I believe it was 5 different types of people. It may have been 3, that, um, the kind of people that, um, and how they deal with what's going on in today's world. And the first one was obedient, the second one was stick your head in the sand type, and I don't remember the others. Do you recall by any chance?
I don't remember that particular one. What I do have 3 types of people is those who fight, those who do nothing, and those who help the fighters. You're not referring to that, correct?
Um, no, I think it's very close. Um, I, I didn't have the pencil and paper with me that day. Well, I should remember.
Well, that's the 3, that's the 3 that I, I recall very frequently saying. Perfect, by the way, perfect segue. I didn't set Tony up for this. I do believe that good people are divided among 3 groups: those who fight, those who help the fighters, and those who do nothing. Those who help the fighters are as important as the fighters. PragerU is a fighter, and if you help PragerU, you're doing just as much good as PragerU you. But please don't do nothing. This is fundraising month for Prager University. We have a billion views a year. 65% of those views are from people under the age of 35. That's a big accomplishment. Everything is free only because people help us. So go to prageru.com. Everything you give till August 31st is tripled. That's right, that's a big deal. Give $100, it's $300. Obviously just wanted to make it clear what tripled meant. PragerU.com, 833-PRAGER-U. But please don't do nothing. Thank you. Let's see here. Joshua in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Hello.
Hey, this, this is Joshua. Um, I'm a new listener, but I'm loving what I'm hearing every day. Listen to you on the work and I love your show. I love your clear-headed, calm, rational debates. I love how you listen to both sides. Um, I want to add to what you guys were saying about lust. So I'm 24 years old, healthy man, a business owner, and I totally agree with you. I think God made us perfectly imperfect. And we all have, we all have our dark side. You know, we have our, what some would call flaws, but I think it's just the way God designed us. God created us in his image. And, you know, you look at nature, things are constantly having sex and sexual attraction is perfectly natural. When you think about what sex is about, we wouldn't be here without sex. So sex sex is all about creation, and I think that people who are most sexual are also the most creative. Um, and when you lose that sexual desire, that sexual energy, then you also lose your creativity.
Well, my dad would have agreed with you. He said, bury me if I stop looking. Wow, we haven't had this in a long time, Sean. Wow, we have the archive keeper of my life in the studio here, in from Tucson, Arizona. If I said something in April of 2004, he knows it. Yeah, he knows the day of the week. It's an amazing— it's a little— it's wonderful. Barney Brenner is in town from Tucson. And Sharon, that is correct. Without Sharon, there's no Barney. So hi everybody, good to be with you. Whatever is on your mind, I love this hour. So many interesting topics that come up here. I'll give you an example. Greg in Santa Clarita, California, hello.
Hi Dennis, uh, hey listen, I've got, uh, I've got a question that I think I have an answer to, but I don't know. Okay, okay. Um, do dogs go to heaven?
And hold on, hold on, hold on. Before you answer, I am going to take a vote here. Sean, do dogs go to heaven? Yes or no? The good ones. Unbelievable. So all three of you in this, in the engineering area, say yes. You want what they say? You two, did Brenner say yes? Alan, you don't have an opinion? I used to think it was only available to human beings because only, only we are created in God's image and only we have moral freedom. An animal does not have moral freedom. They don't choose whether to be good or bad, so there's really almost no such thing as a bad dog or a good dog, if bad or good involve choice. My wife has argued that the higher forms of animal life— I don't think she thinks an insect goes to heaven, but at a higher form because they're in— they have a— these are nephesh animals, to use the Genesis Hebrew term. So I, I'm now more open to that belief. What is your take?
Well, um, first of all, I've seen it on, um, on a billboard, on, uh, on a marquee, uh, at the front of the, uh, the church on Balboa. That dogs go to heaven. And, uh, but I, I have a theory that says, you know, if, uh, if, uh, okay, then why don't primates, uh, why don't, uh, if I can train a cow, why don't I, why don't I, uh, send the cow to heaven? Um, and, uh, and that's, that's my theory. I think it, I think The cow and the primate live in your heart, and that's it, right?
But they don't specifically go to heaven. They go to heaven— your memory of them goes to heaven, right? Okay, fair enough. I don't have— there's no way to know. So this is a matter of how, uh, how a person can address it in their own, in their own life. Okay, I, I offered my thinking in both directions. Let's go to, uh, Santa Clarita, California. Was I just in Santa Clarita with the last call? Carrie, hello.
Hi Dennis, um, a little while ago in the last hour you had mentioned, you know, people being afraid to express their political, that type of, you know, beliefs. And it really struck me because I've been going through that for quite a while now, oddly enough, the last 6 years. Um, but I recently went back on social media. My son's back in school, so I wanted to keep up on school stuff. And then I started worrying. I had— I was panicking, thinking, oh my gosh, what if another parent that I'm now friends with sees these sites that I'm on and thinks I'm this bad person, yada yada. And there was just a spiral, a rabbit hole I was going down. And then I just had to stop myself and say, you know what, I know who I am. I know I bring good into this world. I know I have a kind heart. And I just kind of had to go with the flow with it. And it's very hard though. And you were also talking to that woman, um, a little while ago about the 3 different kinds of people. And I feel like I was once the person that did nothing. And although I'm not a fighter, I feel like I'm helping the fighters. So I've kind of made my way up a little bit.
So, so you have come out of the closet or not?
I have to a certain degree. Yeah.
Give me an example. What have you done?
Uh, talking to my friends about who I vote for, uh, talking about—
wait, so wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me do one at a time. How did your, how did your friends react? Were they surprised?
Uh, it would be some of them were, they just don't understand.
No, no, no, no, no. That's not my question. That I'm sure of. But were they surprised?
Um, I think so. Yes, I would say yes. Some were surprised. Some who have known me.
So wait, so this is very telling.
Yeah.
These are among the closest people in your life and they were surprised at whom you voted for.
Yes, that—
okay, so I'm just pointing out how some of them being family members too.
Yes.
Wow. I just—
this is—
yeah, so this is such an important call because you're vindicating the thesis of my last hour of how much people suppress. I mean, look, I'm a public figure, so it's not analogous, but if I were not a public figure, there is no doubt in my mind every single relative till the 8th cousin would have known whom I voted for. And I'm not bragging about that. I'm just saying it would be impossible for me to have suppressed it. It's not in my nature to shut up.
Yeah, well, it's in my nature to very much suppress simply because I've spent my life worrying about what people think of me. And at 42, I'm getting better with that, but it's still very hard in this world that we live in right now. And I have a 6-year-old child. Um, it's very— it's just such a world, a weird world. And— but I'm trying to be stronger for him.
And are you married?
I am, yes, to a police officer.
So is he on board with you?
100%.
We— all right, so you know what, you— for that alone, you should thank God every day.
I'm very grateful that we have each other, for sure. Yes, 100%.
And is your 6-year-old being exposed to sexualized curricula?
No, he's not. He's, he's very much an innocent child, still learning about innocent things in school, thank goodness.
So good.
Well, this was a really wonderful call, and I thank you for it. But it— I, I do need to once again underscore the point that relatives were surprised to learn whom she voted for. This is not, God knows, a criticism. She's clearly a wonderful person and is becoming a fighter. It just shows you how prevalent it is, and it's only in our direction. Leftists and liberals in your family don't have to hide who they vote for, and God knows they don't, because we don't take it out on them. We're nicer. Now, whatever you give till August 31st— this is fundraising month for PragerU— is tripled the last week of August. The donors have agreed to triple whatever you give. In light of that, I have my once-a-day guest, different ones each day of August, with regard to PragerU. This is Jennifer White in Ventura, California. Jennifer, first of all, thank you for coming on. I know you use PragerU materials for kids. Before I get to that, introduce yourself more formally. Are you a teacher? It's not quite clear to me.
Hi Dennis, thank you for having me. Um, I am, I guess, a semi-retired teacher. I did teach. Um, I have taught actually in the public school setting, the private school setting, and for an online— excuse me— an online charter school, like in a homeschool setting. But now we homeschool and my husband is currently a public school teacher.
So what is the story before, again, we get to your life and the use of our material? What is the story in Ventura Public Schools? Are they prematurely sexualizing kids there like in so many other places?
Uh, well, I'm in Ventura County. I'm actually in Simi Valley.
And— oh, you're not in Ventura? Okay, you're in the county. Okay, okay. So you're even closer to LA. Okay, go on.
Right, right. Um, you know, it's not something, for instance, my husband is personally seeing yet. He does teach a lower grade in an elementary school, so it's not as pervasive, I think, here. I have no doubt there, there are hints of things coming.
Do they teach the 1619 curriculum?
Uh, no, no.
By the way, your husband teaches elementary school. How many other men teach elementary school in that school?
Uh, zero, right?
Exactly.
Oh no, no, I'm sorry, there is one.
There is one. Okay, one and zero is the same. So the— right, uh, I just want people to understand, under optimum circumstances This would not be healthy for kids not to have men in their lives other than hopefully a father. This is, this is a crisis. In my elementary school, half of my teachers were male because I went to a religious school and all the religious teachings were done by males. But, but it's a real issue now because so many of these females are on the left and introduce that stuff into the curricula of our schools. How do you use PragerU materials?
Well, aside from using the materials with my own high school kids, we, we do homeschool and they love the Will Witt videos. Uh, the how-to videos are amazing, uh, the 5-minute videos. I teach for an online platform called Inspired Virtual, and I've been teaching high school history with them, and the 5-minute videos are very helpful. I even showed high school kids a Leo and Layla video, and it, you know, it seems kind of silly to show high school kids that, but it really did break down what we were studying kind of at a rudimentary introductory level, and opened up the topic for us. And they really enjoyed it. So I will be using the 5-minute video study guides to teach a discussion-based class. I do not know if people know. I do not know if they are available anymore. But there were some fantastic 5-minute video study guides on the PragerU Prep website, and I have those. And I am leading a discussion-based club for teens on the 5-minute videos.
So do you, do you have your teens watch weekly?
We were watching so often that I had to start writing a list so we wouldn't repeat the videos we were watching.
That's great. That is great. So I'll put you on the spot. It's fundraising month. Make a 20-second or so case for why people should donate to PragerU.
Well, aside from the excellent content, the great production value of all the content for kids, um, I think by donating— if you're not— I always remember you said this a couple years ago— if you're not a fighter, then you have to support the fighters. So I think by donating to PragerU, you are supporting the fighters. And, um, using the content is also, I think, in a way fighting.
So that's right, absolutely.
That's twofold. Um, and we just turn to that content whenever I— the first place I look is, well, let's see if PragerU has it.
Beautifully said. Thank you so much. Whatever you give now till the end of August is tripled, my friends. The sum will be tripled. PragerU.com, 833-PRAGER-U. And thank you, Jennifer White. All right, everybody, final segment. I can't believe how fast it goes. You know what goes the fastest? Prager's theory about time. The week. The week is what speeds your life by. We're entering the last week of August of 2022. Is that bizarre? I'm still not at peace with 2000, and we're in 2022. It's like a trick. John in Los Angeles. By the way, so I just wanted to say, I was looking at the thing we got. Let's see, New Jersey, Minnesota, Florida, California, Texas, Kentucky. Two in California, two in Minnesota. Okay, John in LA. Hello.
Hello, Dennis. It's an honor to be speaking with you. Thank you. Thank you for calling. To seek your wisdom. I have a little— the perfect time for me to call. I appreciate this. I know this time is short. Um, my wife and I differ politically and differ on some very important issues. Um, so I just want to tell you a couple things about it, see if there was any advice that you had. So, um, one of its, uh, well, let me skip ahead here. Um, it all came to a head basically with when COVID happened. So I said, we're rushing into things. I don't want her to get the shot. I don't want the kids to get it. She was very adamant about it happening. And because of a prior disease that I had, I said, I'm going to have to keep my distance from things because I don't know what this is going to do to us because we're married and we're doing what married people do. I had to be very careful because I didn't want to damage my immune system again. So our political issues, that, that was, were a problem before, but that made it tremendously worse to put us over the top. But the point is we're both Gen Xers. Both of our parents divorced. Her father walked out on her mother and my parents just divorced. My mother basically left my father. But neither of us want to leave. Even when things get really heated, we're not going to do it, you know. And I spoke to her about metaphor, kind of we're driving in the car together, the whole family's in the car, and she's always reaching over to grab the wheel and steer us into a pole. And I'm just trying to keep—
right. So I have a— by the way, did the kids end up getting vaccinated?
No.
Good. So, okay, that, that's the part that, that worried me the most. People mean well when they vaccinate children, but they are, they are doing no good for their child and potentially really bad. You have forced me to address this for at least an hour next week. What— how have couples who have differed, like on COVID, work this through? I think just— and I may be totally wrong because maybe one answer is just don't talk about your differences— but another possibility is that each introduce their thoughts to the other, let's say with a video or an article, and then talk it through. Whatever it is, have a good weekend. I'm Dennis Prager. Thanks for Dennis Prager here. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire 3 hours of my radio show commercial-free every single day, become a member of Prager Utopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives as well as the daily show prep. Subscribe at pragerutopia.com.
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