[applause] >> good evening everyone. i have the honor of being the executive director of the ronald reagan presidential foundation and institute. thank you for joining us this evening. in honor of our men and women in uniform who defend our freedom around the world join me for the pledge of allegiance.

i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. thank you. please be seated. is everyone here knows we are gathered not too far from hollywood but there would not have been a platform for ronald reagan to establish himself first as an actor, president of the screen actors guild host of ge theater and a political commentator. without that political commentary there would have

been no actor ronald reagan or president ronald reagan. thank you to hollywood for what became the first successful chapter with the reagan revolution. our guest david mamet has had his own successful relationship with hollywood as well. he has written and produced or directed with this stage career came to life in the thick of the reagan presidency. glengarry glen ross. [applause] spent the later works of david during the reagan post presidency years my coffin and

hannibal and wag the dog. [applause] but he deviated from typical groupthink and he also haski established himself with political and social commentary —- commentator in that same ten with the compelling dialogue has often been the employee to excoriate which he has turned the virus of conformity. tonight we welcome him to thece library stage to discuss his

new book recessional. the death of free speech andco the cost of a free lunch.at so let's share a passage from an essay in the book out of many that struck me and with the current state of the american theater he writes the following "he stunningly said the free market must exist to reveal their abilities. if one has no possibility in the theater of doing anything but staging platitudes the talentless do that the inspired hope in no way to do so the reward of the talented is unfettered creation at thef moment he was writing about the theater but his words

resonate in the realm of politics and government as well. we have been talking a lot about the reagan library about the future of the republican party. when they canceled or punished every departure from the partyline or from political correctness to refine or develop their positions the talentless or the robots of political s orthodoxy but how sad our world would be if they had not had the chance to step forward just because he had some on orthodox views to define the party lines as he

did. i need to say he is onto something and has been for a while. what we strive to do at the reagan library is create a space to have these conversations and discussions and debates beyond the acceptable platitudes that can be provocative and messy but also exhilarating and rewarding. that is the nature ofe free speech and democracy and the great experiment we call america. ladies and gentlemen, to challenge us this evening as only he can, please welcome pulitzer prize-winning oscar, emmy and tony nominated writer, director, author, commed american legend, david mammoth. [applause]

spirit gets a great honor to be here among friends and a great relief i would like to talk to about topics and most definitely i want to start with the book technology today seems to have connected us like never before but also in many respects the distance between us and the point you make in the book no quality or s no theater we are not

gathering as a people together and i wonder what kind of influence that has on the nation because we are not coming together as we once did spent that's the question that got me writing every day so i am figuring out what's going on and i don't get it i don't know how this magnificent country has come to teeter on the actual edge of suicide in such a short time i don't understand. i don't get it and i spent a lot of time writing a lot of essays in the other quarter of them because my wife read them. [laughter] i tried to reason myyen way to say this doesn't make sense so

the hardest or most challenging form is tragedy because what seems to be a solution is then the problem what is the problem is the solution sought the end of the tragedy we t stay on my god it was there all along and i did not see it so the end of the tragedy the recognition of the situation in reversal then to say oh my god i killed my father in the reversal of the situation ago from the king to a blind beggar but when we do a tragedy it is so cleansing we undergo and say oh my god i thought it was the smartest person in the world. but i am stupid. i did not see this coming and it is so evident. i was going through so with

the tragedy if you know theng answer right off writing a pageant or a melodrama but the author has to go through the same things the hero goes through. right? a lot of pain and self loathing and confusion it doesn't make sense. i had to make it makes sense. i was looking at her institutions. from education and government and coming up now to have an industry of misinformation and it doesn't make sense because unfortunately many of us do.

and we say who are these people? are they any good? they are all in it for the money but nevertheless we are in their game so how was that these people that are completely predictable as mark twain said i feel i'm a congressman how i repeat myself these people that walked the most prosperous country in the world? maybe were looking at something else altogether. may be they are taking lessons are opportunistic that comes to the four when it becomes

weak so it's not the temple but the other way around. so now perhaps it begins to make sense what is happening is the decay of an organism gives rise to opportunistic infections if you are run down you get the flu if you do not eat right blah blah blah your eyesight will go bad. et cetera. what is the overriding fact that weakens the west? the answer i came up with was prosperity there is so much prosperity we now have three generations of liberal

nonsense plus we have the idea that the law should not be law that an expression of feelings that strike as an error to give away anything that we have to anyone that says they like it. so i'm not looking at biden or pelosi or antifa or the squad but opportunistic infections because we see's to base our actions nationally which means looking at 2000 views of the judeo-christian heritage. is even before jesus and st. paul but then those were

not once given to us by any human beings of this is an extraordinary idea coming right out of the old testament it is extraordinary a bunch of guys got together and said what about a new country based on the judeo-christian ethic? so if we say yes obviously but if i am on a diet i have to lose 15 pounds i have to stay on the diet anymore. and so what the religion did to a certain extent because we

have a community that said yes i get it. but that is not a good idea it is written right here that ten little commandments. you probably don't want toy break them and if you do there will be consequences not only with the law but of the community. so the left became so prosperous reinvented the new idea let's call them ahmad with this little device but inat addition to doing anything and we will build the power to be like god because if we all speak the same language we can all want the same things we

will build the tower. what happens to that civilization? it dies with the obvious king of kings in the roman or british empire but at some point with prosperity wed have to revert to the first principles so now i get it let joe do it or let the cities die. let china take us over i get it. just the start of israel. i get it. with 22t and invade the ukraine. how does that affect me as it will destroy the lives of your children because you just gave them over to the state. so my answer is that society, just like a

billionaire, when was the last time a billionaire changed the oil? what about his grandchildren or mode the graphs or had to go get a job or me those things like you been beings when you know your feelings are not important but it was your behavior and it had consequences. if you take that away then you have mob rule. what is screaming is the rights to control. >> well put. and talking about being the social media being reduced to the slope so what is happening to the courts in the end vision your really great work

with you now? >> no but i am 75 years old. [laughter] looking at the studio system and the heyday of the seventies and broadway theater. distribution of changed. 's entertainment in this country go to vaudeville to radio to television and movies and talkies. every kind of changed everything changed. when you look at the history of people in radio who were they? and those who rent television they could not make it in radio every time they do everything goes out the window everything goes out the window yet again but if anybody is

looking at the media when as a last time you heard anything funny? never? not in a couple of years because as always the society is controlled by the people who own the high ground and that is through the himalayas or in this case the means of distribution. so god bless elon musk who says there is a new sheriff in town. now we will see. >> we will jump to the value of citizenship. maybe with a as many as 2 million people come across the american southwest. and if this continues over the next six or seven years we have another 8 million.

but i thank you are a citizen of the united states. what value does our citizenship have if anyone just by walking in a room become an american whether they hide out or not? what is the value in that period. that is what they are doing what they like a better life other coming to a country that is so terrible and racist even though they are but if you don't have the border you have t a country so people in power are perfectly willing to say go ahead. >> if you don't of the country don't have the citizenship. >> they have rights and

responsibilities and they wrote an essay in the book about this guy i think his name was william lloyd during worldf war ii putting a bunch of english speakers on out of germany this is coming from berlin so surrender. one of the guys was william wade and they tried him as a war criminal. he said wait a minute you cannot try me as a war criminal because my parents or british but i was born in the munited states. went back to england but when i went to nazi germany the united states was not at war with nazi germany's you cannot try me as a war criminal. they said you are right except for one thing and they hung him asas a traitor last person

executed for treason and great britain. and i contrast that with t nathan hale who said i only regret i have but one life to give to my country but williams last words are not recorded. so before they hung him a said it's a great argument that you have buried yourself for the protection of the crown your whole life and you have responsibilities. if we don't have responsibilities it's very difficult for us to understand what our rights are if i can do whatever the heck i want but you cannot.

>> with that right comes and then responsibility quick. >> sure. here is what in' think d will tn the tide to do something really interesting in october that the people will say gas prices yes but you cannot have my kids are my grandchildren and sorry it just will not happen. [applause] i have several friends here even like being jewish pulled their kids out of school god bless them put them in a catholic school so they could get an educationec from people who cared about the education. [applause] i went to colleges in the sixties i saw the free speech movement and they haveer completely come home to roost because now they are in the fourth generation the purpose

of colleges to have sex and get high and then go to mom and dad or get a student loan for money but they haven't had to apply for a job so how do you learn the responsibilities of citizenship if you don't have to face the actual harsh injustices and delights of the free market? you don't.qu >> you talk in your book about the style of equity. define equity. >> i don't know what it means. does anybody? we don't say that here. we talk about liberty rather than equality because finally under the law in what sense are we equal?

that's what makes a society that people do things better. there are different propensities, different desires. one person once a venture. that is what makes a society. everybody has to do the same thing all the time you have aro swing state with universities have become. >> in a broader sense to define equity, it seems as though the left can redefine for us to have a common meaning that intersection now that the, toxic

masculinity, triggered, social justice and housed micro aggressions, who is in charge? >> we are each of us are in control of our own speech and when we give that up we are in a lot of trouble. also when people say this may not be politically correct, but but it already grants the opposing sides premise. but trump spoke english. [laughter] so people looked at him and said my god there is an actual guy i can understand what he says but the other sense they say no but that's boring are

you crazy? [laughter] so because we have free speech right now it sounds like a play to me. that i had the opportunity it is marvelous. [applause] >> by though west definition your skin happens but if you

are black conservative you are a racist it has nothing to do with the color of your skin so the correct response oh yeah? [laughter]hi but that's what you will always win depending what you could get into sophia dictate the terms that i demand and

then put on the armor of god in standstill. no. i am sorry no. we will feel. so the connection look at whatat the left is doing in america from the marxist sense of any nation collapses or puts us at war with one another but it

could be part of that slaveholder of the south and could be in one guy who owned a bunch of slaves. first jeff to control the slaves come against the old the light-skinned against the dark skinned against the wind in the house slaves against the field slaves and keep them constantly fighting each other. the other thing they did in the plantation era is they but they had the first monitor squad that would goes between every night to make sure this group could not talk to that group but then that shows that

they failed in the midst of this horrible oppression. but to a certain extent they do have it. >> define for me social justice. >> i did. anybody? [laughter] nobody knows. justice means making a rule to justify a line of type i make a rule if you do this, this happens if you do that, that happens it is a rule and you know how far to go. you can stop short or transgress and take your chance but social justice means nothing when has there ever been a just society?ee

societies not in charge of being just but the legal system is so the idea of social justice is based on feelings. i feel with my lived experiences i have my own truth. until some guy hold you at gunpoint. right? so we are living in a time where the rule of law is crumbling around us george cast don't will not press charges against the guy you assaulted dave chapelle will e smith had an assault on stage and everybody knew that nothing would happen to him h but something even worse happened is that the audience stood up and gave him a standing ovation when he got his award that is the rule of the mob.

they are not kidding so we got to reinstitute for rule of law. so with justice somebody's feelings are always getting hurt that's a good definition of justice. somebody will not get what they want. i but they have to believe is that the law is obeyed, you didn't get what you want but you got a fair hearing. because any time anyone's feelings are getting hurt that person has a claim but you cannot allow week people to take charge. because as theyd are week they will form into a mob and then it goes into fascism to say i am nothing. i get that but together we

have strength. so what do they do with that? they do evil. >> it's nice to be with people who listen to me because most the time i am with my family. [laughter] [applause] are always better off curiously to have a dispute with the strong person who can say but then there is some more in that position. or if and then to say we don't have self-respect but that is not true the left has to wear everything all the time

because like any codependent organization so that they can never allow so what we're seeing tomorrow in america with the smash and grab and the rest you did say in the book "and that the marks the beginning of the new mature phase as the nih could happen it would be the fort sumter of the revolution. whoever heard people would give up for police station because of the rioters? those in the cities. i was talking about my cousin

eddie who was a cop but the most important thing about the riots? so there is a wonderful mounted graph - - squad for the control of crowds. but city after city has givenld up but then the cities are open cities but then they feel abandoned but then we will have laws against homelessness and people can defecate on the sidewalk were still whatever they want. take all of the illegal

immigrants who want to come across the border but there is no government. that is what we are looking at. the question is what happens next it goes state-by-state depending on the political makeup. >> let's carry that over to education. from your book you talk about an inscription that appeared over the auditorium at francis parker school. and saying a school should be a moderate being a complete community and embryonic democracy. it is the job of the educators

so that is what is happening to me today. >> it goes back a long time. really echoes back to the whole idea of the enlightenment. so part of that is the idea the enlightened society must raise to mobilize the ratings of that but it does feel very good so i was is that the that is the rule of the ruler and the reading writing and arithmetic and we seeing songs every morning and bob loblaw we learned by doing and the rule of educators but i guess

it is supposed to teach teachers. i don't know. the question was what is the purpose of the school quick. >> reading and writing and with the check. but he said through august 10 and 1 was talking about racism and he said give me an example we have a black president she said you should be ashamed of yourself asking that question because you are white and you should be doubly ashamed because you are jewish. these are your tax dollars at work and only those of us whoac have had kids in public schools and the private schools they are worse than each others at that have to put up with this. and then a parents go to a guess

what they are demanding? how did this happen? because things got too good, the union got to powerful, it's a big cash cow of the democratic party and then say it's not right to educate my kids. what do you mean? [applause] >> there is a new story that came out last week but then you cannot expect is 1 million cases of covid so now this

fall because of the great endangerment of the house if anything close like that. >> but 18 months prior they were throwing people into ovens. that is a difference ofli the jews of my age. how in the world to the civil rights society happened? we see that happening here and we are right on the edge for that country to devolve into leftism. there will be be education cost as well. so those attorneys you have to go through blob loblaw. people are getting arrested

for having large g.i. >> that the attorneys and the teachers teaching about the revolution will be put up from those who take over the country. and the question is what will happen in november to what extent the left will put everything on the line butng then watch when the hundreds of temple people get into the capital and the chaos in the mayhem. what looked out of hack is almost like they wanted to

happen and purposely did not prepare themselves to defend. i know i sound like a conspiracy theorist but if that's the case with united states capital will be descended on any given day then do fort knox and take the goal that should not be protected either. >> but the genius starting in the clinton era is that they look at the cookie jar and said wait why take some of that? not take all of it? so that is what we see with biden within a do if you try dollars are you crazy?

i'm building fort knox. [laughter] >> they don't need fort knox. what was your question? [laughter] >> the answer is you have to read history. when germany invaded poland they got together a bunch of criminals and put them on the border and gunned them down and thatah is the way "the new york times" covered it. so the whole idea is what won't they do? you bring those rights to fire on thep jews and look at the purity they have to be stopped because they will not be stopping themselves it's like fire has to wind fuel. i cannot stand still because it is based on shifting sand

and the pile has to be increased the conservative may say i have my wife and my home i am fine. but in politics especially on the left there is always somebody toe take it away from you you must have more powers that's what we're looking so what happens if the next election appears to be stolen? i don't know. >> talk about power. the power over someone's ability to speak is as prideful as they get so talk about this office of disinformation. [laughter] >> i like words. you know it's not called the

office of information. that is genius as confucius said man cannot hide himself and with the office of misinformation charging misinformation. so what about the first amendment of the constitution limiting freedom of speech? one guy told george superhero and a wonderful book from 20 years ago but what happens to america? and said fascinating. c

so the states will become part of mexico and it is interesting because of the hispanics they love their country they worship in church and the other people are from california that i can see several happen is eventually you can simultaneously be in the united states in a congress of the state of mexico turning into a spanish landgrab and god bless them. >> so talk about the sophisticated way what about last week's purposeful lead on the supreme court decisions who was doing what?

>> the law does not matter. and then to defend the constitution whether they like it or not the oath that they took because who will do that the doj has been completely recognized. trump will start that he did not read the prince of the machiavellian is saying is here is how you rule so trump was the magnificent director and chief executive but curiously that was in the human interaction. i get it the mob once this and the cityon was not his brother

once a job i have to drive they want to charge this but i get it. here he is working on the street for 40 years. and everybody gets to have a taste. people do better when they get along that they know how to rule so he let himself be sidetracked because he believed in thehe system and didn't realize how deep the swamp was. >> neither did we. did me? >> i don't think so. >> you thank you might run for the presidency again? >> i don't know.

what would it be like if he doesn't? [applause] >> somebody said something interesting and said who doesn't but on the other hand who has the stomach to fight? i don't know. maybe ron desantis. >> and i watching president biden from a distance but how word you speculate what is happening with him? is it just like anybody having senior moments or do we have a real problem on our hands quick. >> he is senile., i have talked about this it is clinical senile. god bless them.

it happens so what happens with the 25th amendment because they are in a lot of trouble because then comes kamala harris. but then who was on the bench? nobody is they are. so likely they will look at the midterms entire have to take it now because i got nobody on the bench. >> we have the few minutes left. >> can i say one more thing? a lot of younger conservatives hope iss a wonderful thing it

'is a magnificent country and all the pieces are there we are prosperous and we are free there is more freedom than any country in human history. and then to say have a good time. enjoy yourself. >> and then there was a guy named theodore who was in assimilated you and at the 18 nineties he went to paris to cover the trial and dreyfus was a jewish officer who was accused of treason but they reloaded him and then they

degraded hill and the courtyard but instead of death to the predator it was death to the jews. 's of course they looked at this how do they know he was jewish? they said oh my god we have to have her own country. everyone said you're crazyme what country? the jewish homeland of course and it was in that region. but jews have been there forup 5000 years up until 2000 we will go back there that they'll say we can't there is nothing there.

it is a wilderness between theo mediterranean and the dead sea there is nothing there. so he started this thing in 1897 and jews from all over came to talk about building country and my great uncle was actually there. they started fighting with each other which is how the jews communicate. [laughter] they have to speak hebrew or yiddish and so he kept insisting there would be a country and said in 1897 it will not be in five years that it will be in 50 years and 50 years later the state of israel was born in spite of everything so that is the

message of hope to you and a message of hope to me. >> this was apropos but how do you find the transition from screenwriter to political activist?s what is similar? what is different quick. >> playwright is aer very technical endeavor it's all about engineering. so to engineer a play you lead the audience from one scene to the next that make sense and then you do that enough times so that is engineering that takes a lot of thought and planning some that have a knack for and some don't but

you don't need to write d dialogue that will to write a play because we see it in translation we know understand the dialogue that we get the meaning. it is engineering and inspiration. so writing pros is a pain in the tush so we have these examples of victor davis hanson and shelby steele and those who come out and even with the w best editor in the world over there. [applause] and my other secret weapon is my wife who says we have to live here. [laughter]oa

>> i think the road to serfdom and common sense that in particular on my god that so clear how did i not see that before? of course the first one was milton friedman that he said to his and i'm looking forward to your thesis that cannot be more than 500 words.

>> i'm sorry i don't have more time but i am not sorry about the last hour. i knew this would be a wonderful experience but it has been a long time since i go to the gun shop. [laughter] standing i in line and then says file you are in a gun shop. [laughter] [applause]