[applause] thank you. [applause] >> thank you! [applause] thank you! thank you, diane, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen of austin. madam chairwoman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it's wonderful to be here in the city of austin in the great state of texas. [applause] it's great to be here among so many patriots and friends, and i got to give a special shoutout to some special friends. steve hull, there he is. that's him. he's the executive director of the texas state rifle association, the state branch of the nra, helps me, councils me, looks after me, please give him an extraordinary welcome.

[applause] and kay thurman, a lady with a heart so grand, surprised it fits in her body. she's dynamic, philanthropic, and inspirational. i'm happy she's here with me today and reacquaint three years after first meeting. boy, does she have a story that's one incredible lady right there. god bless you, kay. [applause] my new friends, the grand family, also here today. their hospitality has been thoughtless and their generosity abundant, and how about diane thornton, suspect she something? tireless, true, red, white, and blue. [applause] i want to thank c-span tv for being here today and

broadcasting this event nationally. i want to thank the historic austin country club and this, our gracious hosts here today. they say there are two types of people in this world. those that are texans, and those who wish they with texans. i fit in the latter category. i'll trade my accent for your texas draw any time of the week. y'all just let me know now, i reckon there's a deal to be done. [laughter] i love texas. it's a repository of success

sheltered in the strong arms of christianity, schools in common sense, and sequestered in time. it's where the cancer of socialism veinly struggles, where it's dangerous tumor cannot ma tas size, and where forces and nauseous weeds cannot take root. where men are men and women a women, where confidence and swagger never leave. it's a place truly up like any other. the appetite of american, exceptionalism, it is truly the finest quality anywhere op earth. it receivers as the beacon of

the west, rampart of america, the retirement plan for any right thinking, free man. i join with you today, ladies and gentlemen, on my 9th visit to these united states of america, the most daring of human experiments. even today it is a nation of incomparable strengths, unparalleled wealth, unrivaled innovation, and immeasurable goodness. all of which coalesce, all of which form to produce the most supreme culture imaginable. it is the culture that captured the heart and the mind of this australian. it is the idea that shaped these politics and his personality.

it is the idea which makes him feel aflush of patriotic resentment every time he hears criticism of a nation of which he doesn't even belong. it is the equation that taught him that everything and anything is possible. it is the nation that embraced him when his own shut upped -- shunned him. this is the land of the possible, the land in which men and women are born equal, and given opportunity through liberty. where liberty is guaranteed, but outcomes are not. it is the same land that unites a california child, tennessee teenager, maryland father, and a wyoming worker, they bond under one flag to dream of a better life, where they are free to

pursue their own happiness, free to risk without the consequences associated to failure. free to speak their minds without the retribution of fellow citizens agenting as a lynch mob, uncomfortable with those prepared to say what they think, particularly if they don't agree with it, free to reap the rewards of boldness and maybe success, without suffering the debilitating envy and unending sniping of those incapable or inwilling to secure similar compensation. it is the nation of kay thurman, the nation of philanthropy, a community of unequal generosity, a nation of libertarian spirit and bounce-back mentality, a population that wears its emotion on its sleeve, and speaks openly of god. a country more dedicated than

any other to human achievement and discovery, the land of the free, the home of the brave. it is the nation and idea that men stand up for, fight for, and ultimately lay down their life for. it is the passion of this country that sees its young men and women spill blood so that others they have never even met before can experience the glory of freedom. the mere mention of america freezes the sweat and chills the bones of men with totalitarian ambitions coursing through their veins. it has been, so it must continue

to be. you might be wondering why a non-american speaks with such reverence for america. why a foreigner dedicated much of his short life to the study and support of this country. these are fair questions. the answer to them is simple. with america, goes the world. when this nation, this idea is strong, the world is strong. when this nation suffers, the world suffers with it. keeping america strong is the greatest moral imparody of our time, for americans and notary public-americans alike, for

blacks, whites, hispanics, asians, europeans, the gay, the under privileged, men, women, children of all ages anywhere and everywhere, for this land they call america transcends borders. it is an idea. an idea of elegance that electrifies men and women who desire opportunity and require freedom. it is an idea egregious only to those men that aspire to tyranny or captive to mediocrity and substitute god for government. without america as we know it, the world would be unfree at the mercy of socialism and radical

islam. only america stands in the way. mine is a story possible only here in this country, only in america. in three short years, the achievements you recognize for me today already eclipse those accrued in the first 25 years of my life. born to hard working parents in australia, both with european roots, they gave me every opportunity imaginable. i was a dream child, just don't ask them. [laughter] today, with the marvels of technology, design by innovative americans, they get to watch this in australia. they taught me to dream. they taught me to never give up.

my father instilled in me to never fear any man or have any master other than god. my mother instilledded in me the need to care and protect those weaker than i. they taught me the virtue of confidence, even at the expense of the perception of arrogance. they taught me to make the most of every second of life, and i'm proud to say that i've done that as much as humanly possible. i live in australia, and i travel to america frequently. if i could move here tomorrow, i would. it may sound strange, but i have often felt as if i were an american trapped in an australian body. [laughter] such is my empathy and

appreciation of american culture. it's that culture of optimism, support, and boldness. don't get me wrong, i love my country very dearly, and i'm prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice for it. i owe almost all that i am to australia. it is a magnificent country, and perhaps the greatest for those that wish to lead contented lives and color between the lines with little appetite for risk or attempting the improbable. while great people, australians can be harsh on. they are young, successful, and outspoken. when i donated copies of the first book that was published to

the library of my university, which happened to be the largest library in the southern hemisphere, and i was declined, it hurt me very deeply. when i was not asked back once in eight and a half years to my old high school after having been elected to the local governing authority, it wounded me. when i submitted opinion piece after opinion piece for media publication and couldn't get a single break, it was tough. for years, these matters festered and disappointed. that's just the way my country is. that australia, i have learned to accept it. do you want to know something? today, today, my books sit on the self-on--

shelf of the u.s. library of congress, the largest library in the world. today -- [applause] today, high schools right across the nation, from east to west, from north to south, fill my e-mail inbox with speaking requests. today, my message of inspiration is broadcast into the living rooms of over 100 million households right across the continental united states. that's what happens when you put your mind to something. that's what happens when your audience is open and disinterested in reputation or conformity and committed to intrijism and the act of being bold. today, the idolized american can

count friends on just one hand. uncompromising and simplistic convictions like the jewellistic belief in good and evil, in righteousness and wickedness, make him a marked man. clarity is the enemy of the highly sensitized and the meek. silence, even in disagreement, is their friend. to them, your and my hour contributions are not only up welcome, but they are temperament and furry. from illinois to missouri and length and breath of this nation, there is rightfully no virtue seen in conformity. from an early age, the american child is instructed to

characterize submissions unaccompanied by struggles as shameful. the only uniform america wears is individuality. for americans to understand the simple math where group think delivers mediocrity and drudgery, individualism drives innovation and creativity. ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves today in o culture war. it is waged by men and women who wish to change the way we think, the way we speak, the way we interact, and the way we live our lives. they do it throughout our schools, through our universities, and through our media. it's a war that puts women against men, ethnic minorities against their new homeland, the

struggling against the successful. it is the same war that makes the white middle class educated american guy working 70 hours a week week in, week out, year in, year out, who has accomplished something in his life feel as if he is resented. it is a war that says christian values have no place in this world. it is a war that says no culture is better than any other, no one set of values, no one model worth aspiring to. it is a war that encourages, fosters, harbors, and empowers radical islam, a war whose casualty will ultimately be the western world. mark my words. our war is with these people as much as it is with those whose

extremism offered events of september 11th. america is the one hope for the world, the only shield, the only hedge of protection, the one bloodline we have to make sure together no enemy can cross. it has the model, it has the values, it has the culture, it has the freedom, and it has the constitution. see, america is a conservative idea in a sea of socialism. american values are conservative values. america favors the individual to the collective. patriotism to multiculturism, israel to palestine, christianity to government, capitalism to market

intervention, and government employees worthy of being armed and america was founded on exactly the opposite premise. it is these same conservative values, these same conservative founding principles that will see you and the world through this storm. i know you are hurting, and i know you are falling behind your own potential. the well-oiled has become sluggish, organized in thought turned to inthought, and optimism shifted to survival, debt is historic. the rise of china is concerning. the attacks on your embassy disconcerning. exceptional feels like you're

evening out. you got the piano of owl pianos on your back, and right now, even hope seems fruitless. i can tell you one thing, my country, in my country, and in others, everyone has written you off. they say we already live in a post-american world, that america's time expired, that it's done, it has no more life to breathe, that it's gone, finished. it's what the international media tells us, what our politicians tells urges what the cab driver tells you. it's time they say to prepare and realign for a world where america doesn't count. it's time to get with the chinese they say. it's time to change the way that we see the world and every time

i hear these things, i think just you wait. [applause] just you wait until the americans respond to that timeless creed and says come and take it, just you wait until the american clicks into gear, just you wait until they recapture their mojo, wait until they elect a new president, one that doesn't aspire to a european model we see before our very eyes. [applause] just you wait until they step out of their pickup trucks -- [laughter] and with their shoulders back, their heads held high, and they

declare i'm coming back, and i'm coming back better and bigger than before. just you wait. [applause] i'll tell you this. there are so many wonderful americans doing so many great things. you are only ever five minutes away from a renaissance. dispair, my friends, is not only unattractive, but it's un-american. in this country, more than any other, you get to choose the song of your nation, and the song of your life. get your song back. put it in your heart as it is in

mine and get your mojo working again. you cannot prepare for defeat and expect to live in victory. shake it off and step up. through adversity comes great opportunity. the information age that saw this nation lead the world in a way so remarkable was led by giants such as general electric, hewlitt-packard, ibm, and microsoft, all of which originated in tough times. they didn't just hunker down. they just didn't hang on. they just didn't survive. they went out there and conquered that storm, and that's what you have to do. anything is possible if you believe and if you have faith.

they can want -- cannot uproot you. they cannot break you. they cannot topple you. believe you are called. believe you are chosen. believe you are equipped. believe you can because you can. you have done it before, and you will do it again. listen to this creed. do not choose to be a common man. it is your right to be uncommon. if you can seek opportunity and not security, be there to take the calculated risk to dream and build, to fail and to succeed, refuse to barter incentive, prefer the challenges of life to guaranteed security, the thrill of fulfillment to the state of

calm utopia. do not trade freedom for benevada lance nor your dignity for a handout. don't cower before any master save your god. it is your heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid. think and act for yourself, enjoy the benefits of your creation and face the world boldly and declare i am a free american. thank you, ladies and gentlemen, god bless you, and god bless the united states of america! [applause] thank you very much. thank you very much. [applause] thanks.

[applause] well, ladies and gentlemen, i'm more than happy to take any questions that you may have. if you see kim or diane and let them know you'd like to ask a question, i'd be more than happy to answer that question as best as i can. if you could just do me the curtesy of saying your name and where you live, i'd appreciate that very much. >> no questions? >> i said it all, didn't i? [laughter] [applause] >> here's one. >> yes, i believe this lady has a question. >> i'm -- oh, thank you. i have been to 144 countries,

and i was just with the australians -- >> lucky you. [laughter] >> last month in borneo, and they tell me they live and breathe america. that's what they told me. >> we do live and breathe america. >> i had nod why. i was dumbfounded. they also said they loved obama. [laughter] >> well, i don't. i don't. >> with those comments, it makes me wonder how you, at 28, love us so much. >> great question. >> i love australia, by the way, i've been there three times, but i love this country more. [laughter] >> thank you very much for the question, and, look, it is a very good question. unfortunately, there are a lot of people in australia and right around the world that consider president obama to be a good

president, consider him to be healthy for the state of the american nation. i profoundly disagree. i believe that america is an exceptional nation, and it deserves an exceptional president. my greatest issue with president obama was his interview with a reporter where he was directly asked whether or not he believed in american exceptionalism, and his response was rather telling. he said, "yes, i believe in american exceptionalism much like i british believe in british exceptionalism. ladies and gentlemen, there's only one exceptional, and it would appear with that statement and with his actions and the

actions of the administration, they fully subscribe to the doctrine of relativism that there's no one thing superior to any other, that we shouldn't call or consider one way better than another, and not only do i think that he's weak, but i think that he's wrong, and i think that he's not the sign of a nation that has done so much for the world and is the model to which every nation should and must aspire. [applause] >> hi. i have a 20-year-old son interested in politic, and i work in the student housing industry for the past 28 years. each year i see our young people

become more disinterested and disenfranchised with politics. i admire you so much for being -- you're 28, and obviously, you're passionate about the country and politics. what would you say to our younger generation, our college-aged children that do seem disinterested in america and lost the entire for politics whether it's democrat or republican. of course, we hope republican. ..

>> understand the awesome responsibility that is going to be bequeathed to them. they are going to be the owners of a nation that has so much to offer the world, that can move the world in any direction, that can have the most amazing impact on people's lives. and once they understand the magnitude of that responsibility, that's when really we start to have that generation of americans knowing what needs to be done. the next generation of americans need to be told the truth, and that is that america has everything to be proud of and nothing to be ashamed of. that it is the most innovative, individualistic, optimistic, patriotic, religious and libertarian nation in the

history of the world. and if it is to remain the superpower of the world, then it needs to retain each of those aspects that truly make it exceptional. they need to hear something other than what they hear in their classrooms. they need to hear something other than what they hear when they go to their tutorials as university. they need to hear the truth. and the truth has been the casualty of the awful acts of people that have as their objective, as their number one chief goal to weaken america. because if they weaken america, then that's it. they've got what they need, and that's why it is just so imperative that the young

people, the people that are going to be bequeathed this nation know what is at stake and know what needs to be done and know that they had and that their country had the most incredible founding imaginable. and all they need to do to keep their country great, to keep their country number one is exercise fidelity to that founding, exercise fidelity to the visions of those founders, exercise fidelity to those documents like the constitution, like the declaration of independence. because that is where america's true genius exists. [applause] >> hi. i'm kara robinson from dripping springs. i have a personal question to you. do you find it a bit odd that

america, the republic of the united states, has elected a president who was so immersed in communism from his grandparents, his mother, his father, his mentor, his surrounding aides and helpmates? i -- that's a big question to me, how people can support someone with such a strong communist connection. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for that question. i think that it's a question that all of us want to know the answer to and that's people right around the world that have america's best interests at heart. i must confess in 2008 when president obama was elected, i had never been to america. and it's true that i tend to hang out with conservative

people. when i come here. but my feeling is having been to almost half of the states in this country, and i do know that there are 50 -- [laughter] [cheers and applause] my feeling is that the center of political gravity in america is much further to the right than it is anywhere else in the world. which makes president obama's election even more bizarre. the only possible information that i can offer you is having read his books wanting to get to know who the president of the greatest country in the world was, having read his books he makes himself sound like a republican. he makes himself sound like a true american. he very cleverly, through his

use of language, through his stories portrays this idea that he really is just a regular guy can and that he's a bill clinton -- [laughter] and he's not a bill clinton. not a bill clinton. he's a long way from a bill clinton. so i think america is also a very divided place. i also tend to spend a lot of time in red states because they tend to be my favorite places to be. [laughter] but i know that there are strongholds particularly in major cities and places like that where president obama has an enormous amount of support. so i think that i'd like to be able to say that we can notch that down as a grand era that came on the back of a tumultuous

time where america was in turmoil, where people were looking for someone that represented hope x. -- hope. and through his abilities and through his message he was able to sell himself as something he clearly was not. that's the best i can offer you, i'm sorry. [applause] yes, sir. >> i have one question from someone who didn't want to -- >> sure. >> -- ask. and then when we get through, i wanted to remind everyone that books are for sale over here he's written because we're going to have to write this up. i forgot to announce that this is c-span2 book -- is that right, book? the be you want -- if you want to google it, you'll have a schedule so you'll know when

this is on, okay? so here's the question. the question is, how can our nation survive with a journalistically-challenged press dedicated to protecting the election chances of a president and political party intent on destroying our country? [laughter] >> that wasn't jan graham was it? because i got the same question this morning. [laughter] but it's a question that all of us have on our lips. and it's tough. it's really tough. the media in america, the media in australia, the media right around the western world is so far to the left it ain't funny. it's lost objectivity, it's lost its luster, it's lost its truth. and that is something that is profoundly disturbing, profoundly disturbing, and there's really only one way to keel -- to deal with that, and that is to call them out on it

every single time that they do it. these journalists are going to university, they're going to college, and, you know, i doubt many of them would be aggies or from the university of texas here in austin. [laughter] but there are lots of universities where these journalists are going to, and they're being educated by socialists. they're being educated by people, these very people that we've been speaking about, that want to do harm to america, that does see the exceptionalism as america, that want america to go down a left path, that can't stand israel. and so we really need to understand where these journalists are coming from, and then we can understand why it is they do what they do. and they do what they cobecause they are being -- do because

they are being brainwashed, they're indoctrinated. and that's a very difficult thing to turn. that's a very difficult thing to reverse the tide on. we need to encourage that next generation of americans that journalism is a worthy cause, that they should really look into careers in the media. we need to have more conservatives in the media. there is no doubt about it. i love fox news, but there's only so much of fox news you can watch. [laughter] we want to have five or six fox newses, fair and balanced. that's what we want. and unfortunately, the mainstream media in your country, in my country and right around the world is nowhere near fair and balanced. so let's get a bit of balance into 'em. [applause] okay. great. thank you. >> thank you, nick.

as most of you here know, we donate a book to a local elementary school on behalf of our speaker every month, so this month we're doing those rebels john and tom we thought would be a good one. so we'll be donating this in your name to a local school. >> that's very kind. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [cheers and applause] >> you're watching booktv on c-span2, 48 hours of nonfiction authors and books every weekend. >> full body burden is a book about my childhood in colorado. i grew up in arvada about seven miles from the rocky flats nuclear weapons plant and, actually, our first house was about seven miles away, and then in 1969 we moved to a subdivision called bridledale which was closer to the plant,

about three, three and a half miles away from rocky flats. my sisters and brother and i, we had an idyllic childhood in the sense that we had horses and dogs, and we spent a lot of time outdoors riding our horses in the fields around the plant and swimming in the lake. and we never knew what went on at rocky flats. we had no idea what it really was. and we had no idea of the environmental contamination that was happening in the area. plutonium and carbon tet ro clear rise and a number of different things in the environment, we had no idea. later, like many kids in my neighborhood, i worked at the plant myself, and, um, got a sense of what it was like to be on the inside of the plant. there was one evening when i came home from working at rocky flats ask turned on the -- and turned on the television, and there was a show ott -- show on nightline, it was an expose of

what was really happening at the plant. and it was the first time that i really had an awareness, an understanding of what was happening at rocky flats and how extraordinary the contamination was. it was on that day that i decided to quit my job at rocky flats, and the day that i quit was the day that i decided i would write a book about it. it took me about ten years in research and writing to pull this story together, and i wanted to write a book that reads like a novel, but it's very heavily footnoted, and everything in the book is factual, so you can check in the back and see where the information comes from. but i wanted to write this story from the perspective of all of the different kinds of people whose lives had been affected by rocky flats. not just residents like me and my family, but workers at rocky flats, um, some of the activists, all the different people, thousands and thousands of people in colorado and beyond who were affected by rocky flats. another reason why i felt very passionate about this story is

that there is, um, we are, we are -- we continue to deal with the legacy of our nuclear weapons production in this country in so many different ways. the environmental legacy and then, also, the cultural legacy of how important this plant was and the way it affected people, people who weren't aware, um, how they were being affected. when i worked at the plant, it was very common for workers to -- we'd call ourselves cold war warriors, those who worked right on the line. but for the people who grew up near rocky flat, we also were cold war warriors. no one told us. we didn't know what was happening in the plant. the rumor was that the plant was operated by dow chemical, and the rumor was that they were making household cleaning supplies. my mother thought they were making scrubbing bubbles, and it wasn't really apparent for quite some time what was going on. and what's happened at rocky flats now is that there has been a cleanup, but a very controversial cleanup with