top of page

Video Library

Everyone Should Stand for the National Anthem | 5 Minute Video
05:18

Everyone Should Stand for the National Anthem | 5 Minute Video

Why should every American stand for the National Anthem? Because the Anthem and the flag represent America, and America is a free nation. That alone is worth standing for. Joy Villa, singer, songwriter, and recording artist, explains. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2eB2p0h Joining PragerU is free! Sign up now to get all our videos as soon as they're released. http://prageru.com/signup Download Pragerpedia on your iPhone or Android! Thousands of sources and facts at your fingertips. iPhone: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsnbG Android: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsS5e Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/29SgPaX JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2c8vsff Script: The national anthem stands for freedom—even the freedom to do foolish things...like protesting the national anthem. But, like my mama always said, just because you are free to do the wrong thing, it doesn’t mean that you should. Starting in 2016, some professional football players have refused to stand when the national anthem is played before a game. Some of them kneel, some of them sit on the bench, some of them raise their fist, and some don’t even come out of the locker room. This was all started by San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick. His idea was to protest the alleged mistreatment of black people by police—and by America in general. As he put it, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick no longer plays in the league because, apparently, NFL owners are racist against backup quarterbacks who don’t throw well. But his protest lives on and has spread to college and high school athletes. Even elementary school kids have gotten into the act. I like football, and I sing the anthem publicly at events. This doesn’t make me an expert, but I’ve got a problem with some things here. First, the protest is based on something that just isn’t true. And second, even if it were true, the protest is misdirected and self-defeating. Let's start with problem one. Despite what we're told by Black Lives Matter and their media allies, the police are not engaged in a coordinated campaign to destroy the black race. As Harvard Professor Roland Fryer—who happens to be black—and others have shown, there is no evidence of racial bias in police shootings. In any case, the thing that makes headlines—police shootings of unarmed black men—is very rare. How rare? Statistics show that an unarmed black man is more likely to be killed by lightning than by a policeman. So, if police are trying to persecute black folks, they're doing a really bad job. Am I saying racism doesn’t exist? Of course not. Am I saying racist cops don’t exist? Of course not. But I would say this: Blacks have a lot more to fear from black criminals than from the police. The police keep us safe. And they risk their lives every day doing it. That sounds like it’s a lot more deserving of a “thank you” than a “screw you.” Now, problem two: The protest is misdirected and self-defeating. The American flag and the national anthem are symbols that represent our country. Even if some police officers are racist jerks, it doesn't make sense to protest those particular jerks by demonstrating against the country as a whole. Martin Luther King, Jr. protested discrimination against blacks on city busses by boycotting city busses. He never denigrated the flag or the anthem. In fact, he did the opposite. He argued that the people who oppress blacks are the ones denigrating the flag and what it stands for. For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/everyone-should-stand-national-anthem
Robert F. Kennedy Jr: CIA, Power, Corruption, War, Freedom, and Meaning | Lex Fridman Podcast #388
02:28:38

Robert F. Kennedy Jr: CIA, Power, Corruption, War, Freedom, and Meaning | Lex Fridman Podcast #388

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an activist, lawyer, author, and candidate for the President of the Unites States. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off - AG1: https://drinkag1.com/partner/lex/en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_campaign=lexfridman_d35ct__a1055__o22&utm_term=cac__a1055__o22&utm_content=10-Self-improvement__a1055__o22 to get 1 month supply of fish oil TRANSCRIPT: https://lexfridman.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-transcript EPISODE LINKS: Robert's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr Robert's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertfkennedyjr Robert's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfkjr Robert's Campaign Website: https://www.kennedy24.com PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 3:18 - US history 7:34 - Freedom 9:28 - Camus 12:51 - Hitler and WW2 22:03 - War in Ukraine 45:24 - JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis 1:10:31 - JFK assassination conspiracy 1:20:06 - CIA influence 1:29:04 - 2024 elections 1:40:49 - Jordan Peterson 1:42:30 - Anthony Fauci 1:45:57 - Big Pharma 2:05:37 - Peter Hotez 2:11:17 - Exercise and diet 2:13:42 - God SOCIAL: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman - Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican? | 5 Minute Video
05:20

Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican? | 5 Minute Video

The south used to vote Democrat. Now it votes Republican. Why the switch? Was it, as some people say, because the GOP decided to appeal to racist whites? Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, explains. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2ylo1Yt Correction: President Eisenhower ordered 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957; that is, after the 1956 Presidential election, not as stated in the video, before the election. Joining PragerU is free! Sign up now to get all our videos as soon as they're released. http://prageru.com/signup Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ Script: Once upon a time, every student of history – and that meant pretty much everyone with a high school education – knew this: The Democratic Party was the party of slavery and Jim Crow, and the Republican Party was the party of emancipation and racial integration. Democrats were the Confederacy and Republicans were the Union. Jim Crow Democrats were dominant in the South and socially tolerant Republicans were dominant in the North. But then, in the 1960s and 70s, everything supposedly flipped: suddenly the Republicans became the racists and the Democrats became the champions of civil rights. Fabricated by left-leaning academic elites and journalists, the story went like this: Republicans couldn't win a national election by appealing to the better nature of the country; they could only win by appealing to the worst. Attributed to Richard Nixon, the media's all-purpose bad guy, this came to be known as "The Southern Strategy." It was very simple. Win elections by winning the South. And to win the South, appeal to racists. So, the Republicans, the party of Lincoln, were to now be labeled the party of rednecks. But this story of the two parties switching identities is a myth. In fact, it's three myths wrapped into one false narrative. Let's take a brief look at each myth in turn. Myth Number One: In order to be competitive in the South, Republicans started to pander to white racists in the 1960s. Fact: Republicans actually became competitive in the South as early as 1928, when Republican Herbert Hoover won over 47 percent of the South's popular vote against Democrat Al Smith. In 1952, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower won the southern states of Tennessee, Florida and Virginia. And in 1956, he picked up Louisiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, too. And that was after he supported the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated public schools; and after he sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock Central High School to enforce integration. * Correction: President Eisenhower ordered 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957; that is, after the 1956 Presidential election, not as stated in the video, before the election. Myth Number Two: Southern Democrats, angry with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, switched parties. Fact: Of the 21 Democratic senators who opposed the Civil Rights Act, just one became a Republican. The other 20 continued to be elected as Democrats, or were replaced by other Democrats. On average, those 20 seats didn't go Republican for another two-and-a-half decades. Myth Number Three: Since the implementation of the Southern Strategy, the Republicans have dominated the South. Fact: Richard Nixon, the man who is often credited with creating the Southern Strategy, lost the Deep South in 1968. In contrast, Democrat Jimmy Carter nearly swept the region in 1976 - 12 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And in 1992, over 28 years later, Democrat Bill Clinton won Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. The truth is, Republicans didn't hold a majority of southern congressional seats until 1994, 30 years after the Civil Rights Act. For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/why-did-democratic-south-become-republican
US Politics 101 - History of the Left | 5 Minute Video
05:50

US Politics 101 - History of the Left | 5 Minute Video

Did you know that the Democratic Party defended slavery, started the Civil War, founded the KKK, and fought against every major civil rights act in U.S. history? Watch as Carol Swain, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, shares the inconvenient history of the Democratic Party. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2ylo1Yt Follow Carol Swain on Twitter! https://twitter.com/carolmswain Follow Carol Swain on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/profcarolmswain/ Joining PragerU is free! Sign up now to get all our videos as soon as they're released. http://prageru.com/signup Download Pragerpedia on your iPhone or Android! Thousands of sources and facts at your fingertips. iPhone: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsnbG Android: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsS5e Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/29SgPaX JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2c8vsff Script: When you think about racial equality and civil rights, which political party comes to mind? The Republicans? Or, the Democrats? Most people would probably say the Democrats. But this answer is incorrect. Since its founding in 1829, the Democratic Party has fought against every major civil rights initiative, and has a long history of discrimination. The Democratic Party defended slavery, started the Civil War, opposed Reconstruction, founded the Ku Klux Klan, imposed segregation, perpetrated lynchings, and fought against the civil rights acts of the 1950s and 1960s. In contrast, the Republican Party was founded in 1854 as an anti-slavery party. Its mission was to stop the spread of slavery into the new western territories with the aim of abolishing it entirely. This effort, however, was dealt a major blow by the Supreme Court. In the 1857 case Dred Scott v. Sandford, the court ruled that slaves aren’t citizens; they’re property. The seven justices who voted in favor of slavery? All Democrats. The two justices who dissented? Both Republicans. The slavery question was, of course, ultimately resolved by a bloody civil war. The commander-in-chief during that war was the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln – the man who freed the slaves. Six days after the Confederate army surrendered, John Wilkes Booth, a Democrat, assassinated President Lincoln. Lincoln’s vice president, a Democrat named Andrew Johnson, assumed the presidency. But Johnson adamantly opposed Lincoln’s plan to integrate the newly freed slaves into the South’s economic and social order. Johnson and the Democratic Party were unified in their opposition to the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment, which gave blacks citizenship; and the 15th Amendment, which gave blacks the vote. All three passed only because of universal Republican support. During the era of Reconstruction, federal troops stationed in the south helped secure rights for the newly freed slaves. Hundreds of black men were elected to southern state legislatures as Republicans, and 22 black Republicans served in the US Congress by 1900. The Democrats did not elect a black man to Congress until 1935. But after Reconstruction ended, when the federal troops went home, Democrats roared back into power in the South. They quickly reestablished white supremacy across the region with measures like black codes – laws that restricted the ability of blacks to own property and run businesses. And they imposed poll taxes and literacy tests, used to subvert the black citizen’s right to vote. And how was all of this enforced? By terror -- much of it instigated by the Ku Klux Klan, founded by a Democrat, Nathan Bedford Forrest. As historian Eric Foner - himself a Democrat - notes: “In effect, the Klan was a military force serving the interests of the Democratic Party.” For the complete script, visit: https://l.prageru.com/43RYHHR
Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings | 5 Minute Video
04:17

Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings | 5 Minute Video

Why does it seem as if America's college campuses have totally lost it? Well, because they have. In short, feelings now rule facts, and victims are heroes. But here's a fact: If you're a college student in the United States, you're almost certainly NOT a victim. Ben Shapiro explains why. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2ylo1Yt Want to see more videos by young conservatives like Ben Shapiro? Click here! https://www.freetothink.org Have you taken the pledge for school choice? Click here! https://www.schoolchoicenow.com Joining PragerU is free! Sign up now to get all our videos as soon as they're released. http://prageru.com/signup Download Pragerpedia on your iPhone or Android! Thousands of sources and facts at your fingertips. iPhone: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsnbG Android: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsS5e Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/29SgPaX JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2c8vsff Script: Vanderbilt University, November 2015: 200 students rise up to protest the white privilege and micro aggressions of the “racist,” “bigoted” Vanderbilt administration. The protestors don’t offer any specific examples of discrimination, but that doesn’t matter – what matters is that they feel victimized. The next day, a bag of dog poop shows up at the front door of the university’s Black Cultural Center. All hell breaks loose. Full of righteous indignation, student activist groups rush to Facebook to denounce the racist act. The police investigate; they quickly find the person responsible, but nobody is arrested. You know why? Because it turns out that the bag of excrement wasn’t a racist attack. It was left by a blind girl with a service dog. She couldn’t find a trash can, so, wanting to do the responsible thing, she left the bag outside the door of a nearby building, knowing a janitor would pick it up and throw it away. The student group did apologize – but then they added another charge against the administration: “The needs of students with disabilities on this campus are also marginalized.” Seriously – this is not a joke. On the college campus today, feelings rule facts and victims are heroes. According to the left, all inequality in America is due to victimization. They start by claiming that all non-white people in America are victims of “white privilege.” Then come women. They’re all victims of the patriarchy. Then come gays, and lesbians and the transgendered – they’re all victims of our “heteronormative” and “homophobic” society. But what if you haven’t actually been victimized by anybody? It doesn’t matter. To the left, so long as you feel victimized, you’re a victim. Even if you have never actually experienced discrimination, you’ve surely been targeted by “micro aggressions.” You know – nasty little words and phrases that weren’t meant to be insults, but just are. If somebody asks you, “where are you from?” that’s considered a xenophobic micro aggression. They’re implying that you are a foreigner! If a man holds open a door for a woman – which, but the way, you’re supposed to do – that’s a sexist micro aggression because he’s treating her like she’s a helpless female. Of course, he’s also treating her like she’s a woman – but how would he know? And heaven forbid anybody address you by your biologically accurate pronoun. What if she identifies as a man?!? In short, everyone is a victim – except, of course, straight, white males… Also, anybody who dares to disagree with the left. If you’re guilty of either of those crimes, you must be confronted, even if doing so requires actual aggression – like, say, a riot. Here’s a trick the left plays to justify their violence: First, they say it’s okay to punch Nazis. Then, they say that every conservative – in fact, everybody they disagree with – is a Nazi. But here’s the biggest problem with the left’s argument: They’re based on feelings, not facts. For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/facts-dont-care-about-your-feelings
The Fight Against Worldwide Child Slavery & the Sex Trade | Jim Caviezel and Tim Ballard | EP 372
01:36:27

The Fight Against Worldwide Child Slavery & the Sex Trade | Jim Caviezel and Tim Ballard | EP 372

Ep. 372 Dr. Jordan B. Peterson discusses the new film “Sound of Freedom,” with star Jim Caviezel and real life inspiration Tim Ballard. The film details Ballard’s work as a Special Agent to fight against sex trafficking and the child sex trade. They go into depth on the psychology of pedophilia, the nature of good and evil, and how a steady faith in God has guided all three. Tim Ballard is the founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), which locates and rescues endangered children victimized by sex trafficking rings. Previously, he accrued a decade of experience as a Special Agent in the Dept. of Homeland Security, working as an undercover op for the U.S. Child Sex Tourism Jump Team. Jim Caviezel is a prominent American actor and household name in no small part for his portrayal of Jesus Christ in “The Passion of the Christ,” (sequel coming in 2024). He has had a decades long career both on and off screen, and is an advocate for faith in the modern world. Dr. Peterson's extensive catalog is available now on DailyWire+: https://bit.ly/3KrWbS8 - Sponsors - Hallow: Hallow: Try Hallow for 3 months FREE: https://hallow.com/jordan - Links - For "Sound of Freedom" Website & Showtimes https://www.angel.com/tickets/sound-of-freedom?variation=july_3&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVnIIADwWMUdV6MjV99Y3Zw2oyCtO0W8OFgNZM7-M6SYBGjxqo7ABqhoCXlAQAvD_BwE&zip=49090&date=2023-07-03 For Tim Ballard: O.U.R Website https://ourrescue.org/about-us?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVqV_6rYPxwLItz-4eRgxqml0g6rQo_nxKsMRxsU_nLFlaGJlnzLQIBoC-WYQAvD_BwE Twitter @TimBallard https://twitter.com/TimBallard For Jim Caviezel: Twitter @JimmyCaviezel https://twitter.com/jimmycaviezel?lang=ar - Chapters - (0:00) Coming up (0:34) Intro (2:43) The magnitude of the modern slave trade (6:31) Addressing criticism (9:23) Organ and blood trade (12:17) Slate and dishonest journalism (15:36) Why Jim Caviezel joined “Sound of Freedom” cast (18:33) Schindler’s List, making the film now instead of 50 years too late (21:49) Particularizing the problem (22:45) The real story they based the film on (26:45) How Tim Ballard became a Special Agent (30:00) What you deal with when assigned to a child sex crimes unit (33:17) Tragedy and malevolence, the need for a moral narrative (37:33) Cain and Able, the two pathways to adaptation (40:10) Psychology of pedophilia, progressing the fantasy (44:21) The face of evil is not always obvious (49:07) How the monsters justify themselves (51:01) How Jim studied for the role, the Unabomber (54:50) You don’t go to the devil to play the devil (56:04) Milton’s Satan, characterizing evil (58:35) Truth and good through scripture (59:43) The Shroud of Turin (1:00:33) The black holes that actors enter for their work (1:02:03) More people are afraid of the Devil then they are of God (1:04:40) To become as a child, innocence in the face of evil (1:08:17) The Passion is an archetypal story, decent and rebirth (1:10:38) When you face your maker, the paths you choose to take (1:14:03) The reason people lie, and what happens when you tell the truth (1:16:40) The price for truth, sacrificing security (1:19:21) When the new path clears, opportunity and reward (1:23:45) Tony Robbins, connections that change the world (1:25:12) Why Tim Ballard won’t be silenced, spiritual warfare (1:27:22) Chloe Cole (1:29:04) The next chapter, sequels in the works (1:30:00) Fighting for theaters // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/jordanbpeterson.com/youtubesignup Donations: https://jordanbpeterson.com/donate // COURSES // Discovering Personality: https://jordanbpeterson.com/personality Self Authoring Suite: https://selfauthoring.com Understand Myself (personality test): https://understandmyself.com // BOOKS // Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: https://jordanbpeterson.com/Beyond-Order 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: https://jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-life Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: https://jordanbpeterson.com/maps-of-meaning // LINKS // Website: https://jordanbpeterson.com Events: https://jordanbpeterson.com/events Blog: https://jordanbpeterson.com/blog // SOCIAL // Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson Instagram: https://instagram.com/jordan.b.peterson Facebook: https://facebook.com/drjordanpeterson Telegram: https://t.me/DrJordanPeterson All socials: https://linktr.ee/drjordanbpeterson #JordanPeterson #JordanBPeterson #DrJordanPeterson #DrJordanBPeterson #DailyWirePlus #TheJordanBPetersonPodcast
Illegal Immigration: It's About Power | 5 Minute Video
05:14

Illegal Immigration: It's About Power | 5 Minute Video

Historically, Democrats supported strong borders because they knew American workers could never compete with illegal immigrants. Now, they regularly support “open borders.” So why the drastic change? Tucker Carlson, host of Tucker Carlson Tonight, explains. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2eB2p0h Get PragerU bonus content for free! https://www.prageru.com/bonus-content Download Pragerpedia on your iPhone or Android! Thousands of sources and facts at your fingertips. iPhone: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsnbG Android: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsS5e Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! SHOP! Love PragerU? Now you can wear PragerU merchandise! Visit our store today! https://shop.prageru.com/ JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/2aozfkP JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2aoz2y9 Script: I recently watched a group of protestors, most of them young, denouncing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. They were waving Mexican flags and shouting: “¡Si, se puede!”—"Yes, we can!” This is now the rallying cry of the open-borders left, but it wasn’t always. In fact, I wondered if a single person at the protest knew where it came from. The slogan first became famous fifty years ago, thanks to Cesar Chavez. He was the founder of the United Farm Workers union. When Chavez said “Si, se puede,” he meant something very different: “Yes, we can… seal the borders.” Cesar Chavez hated illegal immigration. He was Hispanic, obviously, and definitely on the left, but he fought to keep illegal Mexican immigrants out of this country. He understood that peasants from Latin America will always work for less than Americans will. That’s why employers prefer them. Chavez knew that. “As long as we have a poor country bordering California,” he once explained, “it’s going to be very difficult to win strikes.” In 1969, Chavez led a march down the center of California to protest the hiring of illegal immigrant produce pickers. Marching alongside him was Democratic Senator Walter Mondale, and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, the longtime aide to Martin Luther King. Ten years later, Chavez dispatched armed union members into the desert to assault Mexican nationals who were trying to sneak across the border. Chavez’s men beat immigrants with chains and whips made of barbed wire. Illegal aliens who dared to work as scabs had their houses fire-bombed and their cars burned. Chavez wasn’t embarrassed about any of this. He bragged about it. No matter. Chavez remains a progressive hero. President Obama declared his birthday a commemorative federal holiday. It’s an official day off in half a dozen states. There’s a college named after him, and dozens of public schools. Cesar Chavez’s life is a reminder of how much the left has changed—and how quickly. Until recently, most Democrats agreed with Chavez. They opposed unchecked immigration because they knew it hurt American workers. And they were right. One study by a Harvard economist examined the effects of the mass migration of Cuban refugees to this country in 1980—the so-called Mariel boatlift. He found that American workers in Miami with a high school education saw their wages fall by more than thirty percent after the refugees arrived. If you believe in supply and demand, this is not surprising. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown opposed letting Vietnamese refugees into California on the grounds that the state already had enough poor people. As he put it at the time, "There is something a little strange about saying, 'Let's bring in 500,000 more people' when we can't take care of the one million Californians out of work.” First term Senator Joe Biden of Delaware agreed; he introduced federal legislation to curb the arrival of the Vietnamese. For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/illegal-immigration-its-about-power
bottom of page