From Outrage to Agency: Using Your Freedom to Change the World – Ep36 Rick Green

I, I came across a story as I was doing some, some, some research, Rick, and, and I'm gonna let you tell the story, but it's, it's a story that you were, you know, sitting in, uh, in the office in the, in the Texas Capitol, and you read a survey about how few Texans could name the five freedoms that, uh, are protected by the First Amendment.

Uh, in fact, you s- you said many of your fellow legislat- legislatur- men and women, uh, couldn't either.

In fact, I think you said even you had trouble listing, uh, you know, five at the time.

Exactly right.

[laughs]

Uh, so, so tell, so tell that story.

Yeah.

I, I, I read this thing and it's like I- if I remember right, it was 50...

I think it was, um, 95% of Texans could not name two freedoms, and I, I think it was roughly half that could, could name one.

And when I read the poll, again, you know, 27 years old, little bit cocky at the time, and I'm like, "That's terrible.

People should know their civics."

[laughs]

And then I couldn't name even more of the...

I think I got two.

I think I got freedom of religion and freedom of speech, which are the ones most people can name.

Right.

And, and, and then I was like, wait a minute, I live this.

I mean, I'm, I'm [laughs] I'm sitting in the Capitol as a legislator.

You know, I live, breathe, and eat this.

I'm passionate about it, and, and I just didn't, I didn't know my own stuff.

And, and it made me realize the depth is not there.

I've been doing the pithy statements.

I've been doing, you know, the high level.

You know, speech might sound good, but I didn't have the depth to back it up, and it really made me hungry, first of all, to learn, you know, m- myself to learn those things.

And I was already starting to study David Barton some and, and, and WallBuilders, and David-

I, I came across a story as I was doing some, some, some research, Rick, and, and I'm gonna let you tell the story, but it's, it's a story that you were, you know, sitting in, uh, in the office in the, in the Texas Capitol, and you read a survey about how few Texans could name the five freedoms that, uh, are protected by the First Amendment.

Uh, in fact, you s- you said many of your fellow legislat- legislatur- men and women, uh, couldn't either.

In fact, I think you said even you had trouble listing, uh, you know, five at the time.

Exactly right.

[laughs]

Uh, so, so tell, so tell that story.

Yeah.

I, I, I read this thing and it's like I- if I remember right, it was 50...

I think it was, um, 95% of Texans could not name two freedoms, and I, I think it was roughly half that could, could name one.

And when I read the poll, again, you know, 27 years old, little bit cocky at the time, and I'm like, "That's terrible.

People should know their civics."

[laughs]

And then I couldn't name even more of the...

I think I got two.

I think I got freedom of religion and freedom of speech, which are the ones most people can name.

Right.

And, and, and then I was like, wait a minute, I live this.

I mean, I'm, I'm [laughs] I'm sitting in the Capitol as a legislator.

You know, I live, breathe, and eat this.

I'm passionate about it, and, and I just didn't, I didn't know my own stuff.

And, and it made me realize the depth is not there.

I've been doing the pithy statements.

I've been doing, you know, the high level.

You know, speech might sound good, but I didn't have the depth to back it up, and it really made me hungry, first of all, to learn, you know, m- myself to learn those things.

And I was already starting to study David Barton some and, and, and WallBuilders, and David-