Running For Governor On Faith

A bill that could make it harder to sue the government over constitutionality. A budget that grows fast while everyday people feel ignored. A state capital that starts acting like it runs the counties instead of serving them. That’s the backdrop for our conversation with Tennessee State Representative Monty Fritts, who joins us to share why he’s running for Tennessee governor and why he keeps coming back to one theme: liberty and less government.

We talk candidly about what pushed him into public office, from COVID-era overreach to corporate welfare and centralized power in Nashville. Monty explains why he believes HB 1971 is a serious threat to citizens who need declaratory or injunctive relief against unconstitutional laws, and why restoring trust matters as much as winning debates. He also lays out what he would measure as real progress: Tennesseans feeling heard, a tighter state budget, and a clear shift back toward local control.

The conversation goes beyond state lines too, including concerns about war powers and deployments through Defend The Guard, plus his view of illegal immigration and how Tennessee should work with ICE. We also address cultural issues shaping the legislature, including a school chaplains proposal and the fight over equal protection for unborn children in HB 570. If you care about the Tennessee governor race, constitutional conservative leadership, limited government, and the policies changing life across the state, you’ll want to hear this one.

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To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.jonathanandsteve.com. 

Transcript

Show Premise And Local Pride

SPEAKER_00 0:01

This is Benchmark Open. Brought to you by Jonathan and Steve from Benchmark Homeland. Northeast Tennessee. Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Detroit City, one of the most beautiful places in the country to live. Tons of great things to do and awesome local businesses. And on this show, you'll find out why people are dying to move to Northeast Tennessee. And on the way, we'll have discussions about mortgages, and we'll interview people in the real estate industry. It's what we do. This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Benchmark Home Loans. And now your host, Christine Reed.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Well, welcome back, everybody, to another episode of Benchmark Happenings. And um, today the star of our show was so special I had to bring in a second host, my husband, Steve Reed. So Steve, thanks for being on today with us.

SPEAKER_04 0:59

Thanks for having me. Not a second star, but a second host, right? A second host.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

And our star is our legislator, uh representative, uh, Mr. Monty Fritz. So, Monty Fritz, thank you for being with us today.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Thank you so much. It is this is a beautiful part of Tennessee. You know, we lived here for a while, Denise and I did on and off. I was uh director of operations at nuclear fuels. I love this part of the state, but I am no star. I'm I am a somewhat voice knot here today, so I apologize. I'm a little raspy today, but it's an honor to be with y'all.

Called By God To Run

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Yeah, well, we appreciate you coming in. We know that you're so busy, and um thank you so much for stepping up to run for governor for our great state of Tennessee. And I know it's uh it's an uphill climb and it's not easy, but we know that you're fit for the task, that God has called you to such a time as this for this position.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Yes, yes, and and he has. I I I tell people that I I have been called of God to run. And some people that makes their eyes kind of roll over, right? Um, but I think that if you would put your family and your body through what I'm putting my family and my body through with this, and you didn't feel called of God to do it, you might not be the sharpest knife in a drawer. And uh it it's it was something that over months and months I kept getting uh word, a word from God from people. And so I'm a Southern Baptist. I'm actually a Southern Baby Caustal, I'm that fringe element of the Southern Baptist.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Oh, we love it.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Yeah, uh, but uh I've never heard that term, but I like it. I like it. Yeah, I'm not a cessationist, and um it's uh it's a humbling thing. It's probably the heaviest thing I've ever had laid on my shoulders, to be honest with you. Have you ever thought about quitting? No, right. Wow, I'm afraid to. Yeah. Um fear the Lord, the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord and and and um I fear him. And I fear him just because he's been so good to me and my family. I mean, I've been blessed to do things that I never would have thought a country boy from Rockwood would get to do. And um, so I'm thankful. I want to stand in front of him someday, Steve. I I I I am certain of my own merits. I am not gonna hear, well done, thou good and faithful servant. But I I do hope to hear you finish strong son.

SPEAKER_04 3:25

Wow. And wow, so that's what I'm after. Even though you've not thought about quitting of the certain aspects of this kind of campaign, this is a long state. I mean, this is a long state. Have you uh thought, wow, this is harder than I expected, or not really any surprises?

Prayer Resolution And Statewide Travel

SPEAKER_03 3:41

No, well, yeah, I've had a bunch of surprises. Uh people are full of surprises, but um, you know, we did we did a full of a lot of things. Yes, yes, surprises one of them. The um we did our prayer resolution in 2024. That really, at that time, you know, we were wrestling with different things. Lee was pushing for red flag laws and and 9,000 kids without mamas and daddies, and and so we wrote our prayer resolution calling Tennessee into a month of fasting and prayer and seeking God's hand of healing on our state. And I didn't realize that what a unique thing we were doing, right? Um, but I did all 95 counties in the 32 days of July. That means I started in June, right? So 32 days in July. But um, so I understood the logistics of it. It's a little more challenging with this because you have to go when there's an opportunity. So, like last night I was in a VFW in Memphis uh doing a veterans thing. Uh, I met with some folks, friends of mine in Memphis yesterday, and we talked about what's good for the state. I started today yesterday in crossful breakfast at a Shoney's and talking to a bunch of patriots. And um so we do lots of that crisscrossing. Um I have honest to goodness gone from Memphis to Mountain City many times and from Lake County to Hamilton County many times and all points in between.

SPEAKER_04 5:03

I was gonna volunteer to maybe be your driver, but I don't think I've got the stamina for that.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

Yeah, it's uh it's fun. It gives me lots of time to think. And um I'm in an old truck today, so it works less with electronics. But when I'm in one of my high-fangled new cars, you know, you can just push a button or speak to it and call if you need to. So I return lots of phone calls and do lots of praying, to be honest with you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

Well, we thank you for answering the calling to do this. I can't think of another candidate in Tennessee that we've ever been more excited about. So uh thank you for what you're doing. We know it's not easy, and uh we're excited for what's ahead.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Absolutely. I'll tell you, Steve, I think it's not, it's really not about me. It's about liberty and less government. But I think God is calling men of courage to stand up. I think we're at a great intersection of time, and and I think God's whispering in the ears of many men and women and saying, Where are you? Stand up, look what I've blessed you with. Why aren't you moving? Why aren't you repairing the wall that has been torn down? Why aren't you uh uh standing on the authority of the constitution I've given you and the word of God that I've put in your heart.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Absolutely. And it truly is given of God, our constitution and the founding of our country and what we stand for. And really and truly, uh we know that you have a biblical worldview and that you're also a constitutionalist. And that's important because most politicians don't understand that.

HB 1971 And Losing Legal Rights

SPEAKER_03 6:34

Oh, I try to I try to do that. I've had pretty good scores from the John Birch Society. I hate communism, and I've been a John Birch member for a while. I think all Christians have to hate communism because it's it's at its core atheism. It is. And um and Marxism is atheism at its core. It's a rejection of Almighty God. The same one that's mentioned in our Constitution, Tesse Constitution, Article 1, Section 3. All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God within dictates of their conscience. We forget that sometimes. And we forget our oaths. There, there's a horrible bill. I won't spend much time on this, but it's your your listeners need to hear this. There's a there's a bill coming through, it's 1971, House Bill 1971, which would strip your right to be able to sue the government for declaratory or injunctive relief, including when you read the language, you would not be able to sue me, the government, our representative or whomever, to determine whether what the bill I was carrying or had passed or signed into law was constitutional. Let that sink in. Wow. This this bill would strip you of that.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

That's communism.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

It is communism. Who's sponsoring that bill? Andrew Farmer in in the House and um uh little John Stevens out in the Senate out in West Tennessee. And I don't know who's forcing them to do that. No man comes to that of his own volition. Somebody's forcing them to do that. All the leadership was signed on to it in the House and the Senate. Wow. Um, which is unique when that happens. And um somebody told me, Samani, you've got to quit speaking so hard about that, you're gonna make enemies. Let me just tell you. People that wrote that bill are already my enemies. They hate liberty, they hate America. They need to uh man up and get their names off that. Absolutely.

Iran Conflict And Defend The Guard

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Yes, yes. Um so you know, today is really important um because the US and Israel have attacked Iran of all the things that's been happening there, that evil regime. Um, it's called Operation Epic Fury. And um, do you support the Trump administration in this escalation?

SPEAKER_03 8:43

I um I hate that we're back at war. I will be honest with you. We've we've kept our young men and women uh in battle for 25 years. Um we have uh uh shed blood and treasure all over the world playing the world's police force. Um we are not behaving constitutionally as a nation. Uh you know, I've been a big supporter of this uh Defend the Guard. We've we've got 700 Tennesseans in the Middle East right now. Probably more than that now, but uh we had them in somewhere between Kuwait and Syria. We've got to stop doing that uh unless we we constitutionally approach it. Now, if there's a threat there, right, we have to deal with it. And we want our government to deal with it. So I I hope that uh those Americans that we've sent into action are 100% effective in taking the targets they've been assigned out. And I hope that they come back to their wives and husbands and mamas and daddies safe in one piece and unharmed. Um the um we we've been at war too much. Uh I hate that we're at it again. But now I will say this the uh the IED that hit me on uh August 19 of 2005 or hit our Humvee, I've got a piece of shrapnel in my office that come into my Humvee, a couple pieces of shrapnel come in, big pieces of shrapnel come in, was probably Iranian. We've had weak presidents for some time, weak and corrupt presidents for some time that have allowed those people to kill Americans.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

And one thing, whether you like the fact that we're back in a conflict again, Trump is not afraid to act. And I think that's what appeals to him the most for me and most of us is uh is he's standing up. I I um I I get concerned sometimes that we get too much influence from other countries and we get involved in these again, we can't be the world's police force. But uh I do pray that our soldiers and marines and airmen and sailors are 100% efficient and effective in what they've been asked to do.

Why He Runs For Governor

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Absolutely. Absolutely. So so for the few minutes that we have here, tell us the why, your why behind running for governor.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

Um I'll start with why I ran for state rep, and and it helps with the contrast. I uh I was really frustrated in what was happening in Nashville a few years ago. Never wanted to be in politics. Didn't want to be a state rep now, don't want to be a governor, as silly as that may sound. People like you make the best governors.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

Representatives when you don't want it.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Looking for a career in politics.

SPEAKER_04 11:29

It makes you having to lean on the Lord to do it, right? Well, it does.

SPEAKER_03 11:32

It does. It's a steep hill we're climbing, but we've done that before. And you know, I've there's to win this election is a miracle, right? It will be a miracle when we win. On on the 7th of August, when all of Nashville is mourning because I've won this primary. Um some of them will be hung over. Um, but uh it it's an act of God. I have to work hard at it, uh, but it will be an act of God that we win this uh thing. And I think we're going to. But anyways, I was frustrated at COVID overreach and good doctors being criticized because they wouldn't push the jab, and people being asked to wear a mask, and folks uh getting kicked out of their jobs and building the Titans a stadium, spending corporate wealth, our tax dollars is corporate welfare, which is unconstitutional. And so I'm really frustrated about frustrated about those things. And I thought I could go and work four years as a state rep and accomplish some things. So we've done that. We set an energy policy, we restructured the state energy policy policy council, we protected pastors from being forced to marry two men. Two men can't get married, by the way. That's an abomination. But we did that. Uh we took on the geoengineering thing, we took on illegal aliens before it became fashionable. Last few weeks, you know, we've decided we're all going to stand up hard now that Trump's in office because again, he'll make a decision. But some of those weak males we had in Nashville, they were they weren't doing anything other than using our tax dollars to fund education, housing, and medical care for illegals. We must stop that. We must get every one of those people who illegally come here and deport them. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

As governor, how would you work with ICE?

SPEAKER_03 13:07

Well, I work with them. I've heard some rumors. I asked the Department of Safety. As a matter of fact, I I got a really good rumor that that Nashville had sent word to our THP at the scales in Knoxville not to be working with ICE. Just that last little bit. Yes, ma'am, I ask. And and so I'm sure safety's all lifting the rocks about that. But um, these are human beings. These illegals are human beings created in God's image, but they're here illegally. We should deport every single one of them. We there needs to be a permanent task force because we've allowed 21 million illegals into this nation uh that does nothing other than ensure that the illegals are moved out of Tennessee. And uh I'll commit to that. I I think we have to work with I said it's the federal government's responsibility to do deportation. We don't want to pay for that. Our federal dollars should pay for that. Right. And uh and so we got to work closely with them to uh uh to make that happen. And that segues back really to Christine to your question. Uh why I I really stiff armed the Lord on this for a long time, you know, the whole Heisman thing. I don't want to do this. Surely, God, there's somebody better. And and I I I felt his presence in this. I heard I had people pray over me and bring words to me, and I know that wigs lots of people out to hear that. It did me. And I I just had a couple confirmatory messages really, and I decided I'm gonna submit, Lord, and I'm I'm going to run just as hard as I can. We're going to uh empty my quiver into every county in the state of Tennessee. Because you you remember the is it 2 Kings 13, where uh the king is asked to shoot an arrow out the window and he'll get victory, and he only shoots three times. The prophet says, if you'd emptied your quiver, you'd have had a complete victory. We're gonna empty our quiver.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

And um and so we're doing that. It's it makes me tired some days, but we're doing that. And we're gonna be obedient. God's giving me a vision for the state. I think you need to keep more money in your pockets. I think we need to keep more money in in Washington County and Rome County and s and Sullivan County and and uh Shelby County and not send so much to Nashville, stop the corporate welfare. I think we've got to uh recalibrate Nashville to realize they work for us, the people of Tennessee. That's right. Including the governor. Including the governor. Let me say that again. This governor, anyways, uh me. And um that they work under the authority of the Constitution. We've had our gun rights stepped on. We we talked about this House Bill 1971. We're passing legislation that would uh increase abortion in the state. We're we have Christians, people who profess Christ as Savior, that are having a hard time saying we should punish people who kill babies. That blows my mind out. It it does, and I know it's a hard thing to talk about, but doesn't God call men and women to the leadership to take on tough things?

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Right. And to protect the innocent. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Yes, ma'am. And so, you know, I'm excited about it, and uh I have uh I know it's a big job. I've done some pretty complex things in the past, and I've I think God's prepared me to do this. I had no idea what he was preparing me to do. You know that we asked the Lord to be a lamp, his word to be a lamp at our feet and a light in our path. I think I know why that is now. If he were to show us the final destination, it'd scare us so bad we'd turn around and run the other way.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

We probably yes, I'm sure we would. Because we can't know the mind of God and his providence that goes before us.

Marxism On Both Political Sides

SPEAKER_04 16:44

That's a blessing too, that we don't know the final destination, right? It's more than we can handle. For sure, yes.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

So, you know, given the climate in Nashville and and and you've kind of alluded to that a little bit, um is Tennessee still a red state for years to come, or should we be concerned?

SPEAKER_03 17:03

I think we should be really concerned. I don't think it's red and blue. I think we're they're using that as a farce. Uh, I certainly don't want the Marxist Democrats uh to get any power, right? Because uh they're warped in their ideologies. They want to kill babies. They want we've seen what they do when they get power.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

I mean, they they'll they'll tell you it's not hard to figure out. I mean, but uh but I'm also scared about the Marxist Republicans. Because if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I think when I think of Marxists, it's easy to look at her, Ilhan Omar, right? And and they are Marxists. They hate America, they hate the Constitution, they they're here to tear it down. Uh they're products of poor immigration policy, at least Ilhan is. And um, we can't allow that to happen in Tennessee, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:50

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

But we've uh they will tell you, give me more of your money and more of your liberty, and I'll give you socialized medicine and a and a big minimum wage, right? Because that's one of their talking points. And they'll take all your guns away from you and then they'll make you safe. And what that means is they just send somebody with chalk to outline your body, is what that means. But then on the other side, the Marxist Republican says, give me more of your money and I'll build you a new Titan stadium in Nashville, or I'll build you a new Smoky Stadium in Knoxville, or we'll recruit Ford in. We'll we'll have the current governor stand up and and offer money through economic and community development to New York businesses to move down. That's Marxism just as much as AOC's Marxism. And we gotta get away, we gotta get back into the Constitution. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

And people buy into that hook, line, and sinker when they hear it. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Lobbyists, PACs, And Broken Trust

SPEAKER_03 18:42

They do. We've we've conditioned that in. Um we've you know there was I think it was under Bredison that we inverted the the proportionality of who keeps the sales tax, right? Because there was a time that the counties and cities kept a little more of the sales tax than what we do now. And uh we have empowered a machine in Nashville to be centralized government. I want to push that back. I want to push it back into the counties and the cities. It's easier for y'all to go to a county commission here in Washington County and raise a locane than it is to have to drive to Nashville. And the truth of the matter is many of your politicians in Nashville, they're not thinking about what's good for y'all. They're thinking about what's good for that lobbyist that come into their office.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

And that's right. And you won't let lobbyists come to your office.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

Well, I do some. I do allow some come into the office. There's some that are banned because they're liars. Um, but um I don't I don't take their money. Uh I hadn't taken it as a state rep. The um um I if you'd asked me four years ago if I thought that uh political action committees packs were a good thing, I would have said, yeah, it's a way to pool our money to have a bigger voice. Um I think there are some that do a really good job. I'm a Tennessee Firearms Association life member. I think TFA does a great job, right? And I think there are other uh lobbying organizations that try to stand up for your rights. I do. And they get paid to do that and they and they try. But there are some that would sell out their next of kin for enough money. I see them the way they behave. And and they write checks and go to dinners and they develop that camaraderie with the politicians, and that soon, and I see this a lot, your politician has forgotten they're working for y'all. They think they work for the lobbyist or for the governor's lobbyist, which is another thing we need to correct. The governor shouldn't have people lobbying for and against bills. He gets one shot at a piece of legislation when it hits his desk.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

So as um so as governor, you're let's let's say it's the end of your first term as governor, what would be the three top things that you would like to make sure that were accomplished during your time?

SPEAKER_03 20:53

Number one, every average Tennessean would think that they have somebody in Nashville working for them. That when they call the governor's office, that uh even if they if somebody doesn't pick the phone up, they get a call back and they take feedback from the citizens of Tennessee, understanding that the I think that's the most pressing thing in America. I think the budget's a huge thing. That'll be my second, is is we've got to get our budget under control. Stop the corporate welfare leave, more money in your pockets, more money in your county coffers, stop collecting so much revenue. Uh 59% growth in six years is obscene, and and we have to stop that. But that first point again, I think the most dangerous thing that we have right now in Tennessee and in America is we continue to lose the confidence of the average American that just wants better for their family. And that we have politicians campaign that I'm gonna do this, that, and the other, and when they get to Nashville, they don't do anything anything.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

Right.

SPEAKER_03 21:44

And that's causing voter apathy.

SPEAKER_04 21:47

Yeah, and they're kind of disenfranchised. People don't feel like they have a voice. And it's like, what what's the use? I'm just gonna go to work and raise my family and why vote, right? So if if we could get the people that Cared to know that just like the SAVE Act that's on the table now, I think that would be a big step. How do you feel about that?

SPEAKER_03 22:08

I think it is a big step. And I think we had a congressman that voted uh and then within one hour changed his vote on that. Did you remember that? I think it was Congressman Rose voted that way. Wow. And I'm like, where's your constancy of purpose in life, right? And we just have lots of these politicians that and they're nice people, but nice people doesn't matter. I don't care how many generations you've been in Tennessee. I wonder how you voted. How did you spend my money? And they don't get that. So again, the first thing confidence of the Tennesseans is up that somebody in Nashville is working for them. Number two, get the budget under control. And then number three, recalibrate Nashville. And it's kind of a big thing. Um, but I on on a specific there, I would offer that we're working for the people. That you know, it goes back to that confidence thing that you don't, I'm not trying to strip you of your firearms right. I'm not trying to uh institute uh a little more socialism with school vouchers. We we've got to turn some of those things around. So I I think number three and that would be folks actually are voting more, you know. I I think that's a good leading indicator. If the confidence goes up, if I accomplish number one, and number two should have an impact on our pocketbooks, then number three, a leading indicator would be for me that that folks are happy that we've taken all the silly no gun signs down on all the state property. And they're happy that we're not going to enforce some of the unconstitutional law. And I think that will bring a few more people out to vote. I hope I'm right.

How Listeners Can Support Him

SPEAKER_02 23:48

Yes. So how can we support you? What are some things, people listening, what would be ways that they can support you, Monty?

SPEAKER_03 23:56

Uh pray three things. If since I first got into politics and and uh pray that I'll do what's right and holy in God's eyes. Number one, uh, because I am human and I do mess up things sometimes. Secondly, that I would remember my oath to the Constitution. That's tremendously important. I'm accountable not only to y'all for that, but I'm accountable before Almighty God for that oath as well. And thirdly, they'll keep a servant's heart. It's it's easy for me when some of these issues that come up, they really fire me up. And I think we're called to speak straightforward truth. Um, but that, you know, there's a time to wash feet too. So uh I I probably need to spend a little more time washing some of my adversaries' feet on things, and I probably don't do as well with that as what I I should.

SPEAKER_04 24:42

I don't think a lot of the Republicans can handle the truth a lot of times either. I mean, they're they're like a bunch of snowflakes like the Democrats occasionally. I mean, it's hard for them to hear the truth straightforward like you're speaking of.

School Chaplains And Religious Pluralism

SPEAKER_03 24:54

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Too many weak males and feckless females in politics. So there's a thing, I'll offer this, and it'll get hopefully it'll get a couple jokes or get a couple laughs, but it's it's true, but I think it's funny. So the UT Department of Ag says that your cattle herd, the characteristics of your cattle herd are greatly determined, 90% determined by your last three bulls in the pasture. So for people that have cattle, they'll understand that. Um I think that uh we have not had bulls in the pasture that have inculcated liberty and less government in Tennessee. And that's a characteristic we need to get in the herd. And so we need to send a bull to Nashville that has the liberty and less government characteristics. I think that I'm the only one of those. And we need to stop depending on the steers and the heifers to determine the characteristics of the herd. If UT's correct, I know that's gonna get me in trouble for saying that, but if UT's correct about the it's the last three bulls that determine we've had at least one really weak bull in the pasture for the last eight years. And uh sometimes I'm wondering he if he's not just a steer. But there that's and I know uh it's tongue in cheek and probably a little bit on the edge, but um it makes sense. We have to have somebody lead us toward what is constitutional and what honors God. And even after telling that little bit of a coarse joke, um we um I I'll stop, I'll I'll stop this, I won't ramble too far, but we have a piece of legislation coming through to put chaplains in our high schools and in our elementary schools. I think we ought to have chaplains in the schoolhouse and the outhouse. I think we ought to have chaplains in our penitentiaries and and everywhere. But what I don't think is that the state of Tennessee ought to write that such that we would accept any organized religion, which includes Wiccan religion, witches, that's a recognized thing, right? And do you want a witch as a chaplain in your school? No, I don't. I want I don't want anything other than a Christian. And then that same legislation goes on to say that that that chaplain needs to operate in a religiously pluralistic environment. The Old Testament word for pluralism is idolatry. And why would we ever promote that from state government?

SPEAKER_04 27:20

That's true. I would argue that we're better off without any chaplains in these places than having that broad of a definition of what a chaplain can be. I know my sister was a chaplain at the VA, and there was literally chaplains over there that I think were atheists. I mean, it was scary some of the things she would tell about some of her co-workers and some of their ideologies and that kind of thing. So yeah, that that's a very concerned. Is that a bill that's up now? It is, and it's carried by a pastor.

SPEAKER_03 27:51

Yeah. And and so when you look up, when you look up pluralism, it it says that it's a recognition that all religions leads lead to the same point. Well, that's a direct violation of thou shalt have no other gods before me.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 28:05

And and so I think there's even a better approach. And I told the sponsor, I said, let's just make it Almighty God, like the Constitution says. I'll be good with it, I'll vote for it. And that we'll recognize Almighty God and we'll use his word to try to encourage and lift up and help people, and we will honor whatever they view. There's a better way to write that. And uh they keep bringing it up. I'm sure, I'm sure I'm gonna have to speak. I asked the question on the floor coming the first time. I said, Is this bill going to allow us to have people who are hold a different worldview than us, then different than our founders, and we'll only recognize religions? I'm like, well, that's not an answer. And I said, Well, let me just ask it this way. Well, will we have Muslim chaplains in schools? And you would have thought a pen could drop on the house that that I asked that question. Um We better get real about what's happening, and we better have the courage to stand up on what God has said, what He's given us, our Constitution and this beautiful state, else we're not gonna have it for long.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:08

That's a that's I think Islam is the biggest threat to the country in general.

Abortion Bill And Equal Protection

SPEAKER_03 29:13

I mean, I think it is a big threat. I think um lukewarm Christians are much more of a threat than uh than Islam, just to be honest with you. Uh because God says he'll spew them out of his mouth. Right. And uh I think we've got a lot of that. I I think that's gonna be determined next week in a bill. Jody Barrett's gonna bring this House Bill 570, which would provide equal protection under the law. And uh the uh I gotta tell you, I don't know how as a Christian you could support or you could vote against this bill because it's just recognizing that that tiny little jelly bean-sized baby is a human and is alive, and they deserve our protection just as much. And I know it leads into all these hard questions. Everybody says, well, Monty wants to kill women. No, I don't. It's immoral to want to kill anybody. It's immoral to want to incarcerate anybody, just incarcerate them. But you have to have consequences for crimes. And would I like to lock these doctors up that are sending pills into our state to kill babies? Oh, yeah. I would. I would. I'd like to bring them to justice.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 30:21

That I think there those people are right there with the ones that are on the Epstein list. I think maybe we ought to try them all together. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:31

Well, um, you know, there's a lot for us to be concerned about right now, but we are so thankful to have um to have you um in boldness and and with your courage uh running for governor, and we know that that God is for you.

SPEAKER_04 30:50

Thank you. I appreciate it. Amen. Tickled to death to have you. I I hope on the next episode or the next podcast, and I agreed with that where you said you messed up sometimes too. I hope we can maybe have Denise on here where she can talk about a little bit of that. So all your mess ups. We feel like she could maybe give us a little more insight than than you would be willing to share.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

Uh she's in Union County uh tonight, speaking for me. It's it's