Not Lost in Translation

A new translation of Thucydides is an occasion to be celebrated. An Athenian, Thucydides is the historian of the war that dealt a devastating blow to the city-states of ancient Greece in the fifth century B.C. The Peloponnesian War was a 27-year-long conflict between the two major power blocs of the historian's world, one led by his own country, Athens, and the other led by its rival, Sparta. Only one side could win but, in the end, both sides paid a price in blood, treasure, and spirit. A disaster but one that in Thucydides' hands offers one of civilization's most powerful learning experiences.

The post Not Lost in Translation appeared first on .

A Primer for the Promised Land

To have the pleasure of knowing, and learning from, Peter Berkowitz, is to encounter a polymathic mind whose insightful intellect ranges across politics and the academy, law, philosophy, and history. My own experience working with Berkowitz as a member of the State Department’s Commission on Inalienable Human Rights was a true privilege for which I will be forever grateful. The range of Berkowitz’s knowledge can be found in a newly published collection of columns that are ostensibly all about one subject—the state of the State of Israel—but range across 10 years of that country’s controversies and crises, especially on the debate on the future of the Judiciary and the world after October 7.

The post A Primer for the Promised Land appeared first on .

Is Western civilization worth saving?



Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

RELATED: What happens when America kills its Christian soul

Photo by MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.

Here’s What Charlie Kirk Has In Common With Socrates

History rarely affords such exact parallels. The spirit, the calling, and the mission of Socrates was almost exactly that of Charlie Kirk.

‘Reality Check’: Georgia Restaurateur Cites Laken Riley As Reason To Run For Office

'Everybody is quite concerned'

Houses Passes ‘Laken Riley Act’ To Crack Down On Illegal Immigrant Criminals

'Laken Riley is not here with us anymore'

'You're fired!' Angry residents confront Democrat mayor for defending immigration policies after Laken Riley murder



Angry residents voiced their frustration on Wednesday with Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz (D) for downplaying a connection between immigration chaos and the heinous murder of Laken Riley.

At a press conference, Girtz defended Athens from critics who have described it as a so-called "sanctuary city." Girtz claimed that's not true despite the city passing a resolution in 2019 welcoming all people, including immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, to Athens — essentially making the city a de facto sanctuary city.

Girtz's defensive posture drew angry outbursts from residents at the press conference.

"Liar!" multiple residents yelled.

Other residents suggested that Girtz's denials were insulting their intelligence, while others demanded his resignation. Residents also claimed that Girtz shared responsibility for Riley's death and even shouted at him, "You're fired!"'

At one point, Girtz warned people "against conflating immigration and crime." That assertion led to more outbursts from angry residents.

— (@)

A media member later asked Girtz about the 2019 resolution, and the mayor justified it by invoking Donald Trump.

"I want to say that we center our work here in Athens-Clarke County on people’s humanity, and part of everybody’s humanity is the expectation of human dignity. While 2019 was not that long ago, you might remember the dynamic we were living in in the late teens in this country, where you had the president of the United States speak in the most vile terms about people who were foreign-born, and you had that notion metastasizing —" Girtz said when angry residents shouted over him.

"Oh, please stop it! This is an invasion!" one man screamed. "You are lawless, mayor!"

At every turn in the presser, Girtz defended the resolution and argued it was necessary because the political environment at the time was fomenting a culture of white supremacy and xenophobia.

To the point that Athens is a de facto sanctuary city, one reporter asked Girtz how he can justify the fact that numerous undocumented immigrants lived in the same apartment as Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan immigrant charged with Riley's murder.

"We are deeply sorry for this tragedy. Responsibility for this crime rests solely on the perpetrator," Girtz responded.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Corporate Media Cover For Biden’s Border Invasion By Pretending Laken Riley Murder Suspect Wasn’t An Illegal Crosser

There is a pattern of preventable crimes by foreigners who crossed the open border under the Biden administration’s watch.

Georgia woman apologizes amid backlash over viral video showing her smash street performer's piano, feign remorse, then allegedly swipe cash



A street performer was tickling the ivories Saturday to the delight of passersby in Athens, Georgia, when one woman apparently decided that his cover of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" was in desperate need of percussion. She sauntered over, knocked the musician's instrument to the ground, then allegedly absconded with money from his tip jar.

The video of the incident, which took place early Saturday morning, has since gone viral, prompting outrage and a response from the alleged perpetrator. While ostensibly contrite, the woman in the video, identified by the Daily Mail as Shauntae Heard, stressed in her apology that she has "seen worse downtown."

WAGA-TV reported that Andrew Hsu, a student at the University of Georgia, was playing Saturday near the corner of College Avenue and East Clayton Street.

Hsu is admittedly no stranger to unwelcome contact from drunks while performing but "never to the point where [his piano] will fall down and with the force that she used."

According to Hsu, Heard had hit his keyboard earlier in the evening, but returned around 2:30 a.m. for a repeat performance.

The video shows the perpetrator approach, press a flat hand atop the keyboard, and press down. The piano stand collapses to the ground along with the keyboard. Hsu throws up his hands in dismay, asking Heard, who appears genuinely shocked, "What's wrong with you?"

"To come out here and do this, and someone to mess it up is just not, like, a cool thing to do," Hsu told WAGA.

The pianist, who later filed a police report, claimed that extra to breaking his stand, Heard also grabbed money from his tip bucket — an accusation Heard denied in her apology on social media.

Hsu suggested that the alleged theft angered him more than the destruction.

"That's what gets me mad," said Hsu. "I'm like, 'Yo, what are you doing?' One of her friends comes back. I'm like, 'Did you just steal money from me?' And her friend says, 'Yeah, she did.'"

— (@)

In her apology on Facebook and Instagram, Heard reportedly said, "Public service announcement. I'm sorry for everyone that has seen the viral video. I have took accountability for my actions. I know it was wrong and ignorant of me but please keep my family out of it," adding that she had already spoken directly to Hsu.

"Everything is good no I didn't steal any money, and I didn't break the piano[.] I'm a human just like you all. Everyone has made mistakes nobody isn't perfect again I'm sorry, For my actions," wrote Heard. "I've seen worse downtown this is nothing compared to what I did and I know it's not wright."

The Daily Mail indicated that Heard also shared a screenshot of her texts with Hsu, where he said, "Hey, I accept your apology. ... I told people not to harass you but I can't control what happens."

"You have to know that actions have consequences," Hsu reportedly added in his correspondence with Heard. "While I feel bad that people are harassing you, you've got to own up."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

FACT CHECK: Does This Picture Show A Pigeon Sitting With A Man In A Jerusalem Hospital?

There is no evidence the story included in the post is real