Tim Wildman is president of the American Family Association
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>> : Welcome to Today's Issues. offering a Christian response to the issues of the day, huh? Here's your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: This thing on this thing work. This thing. T h a n g for you, yankees.
American Family Radio Network welcomes Tim Wildman back from family vacation
All right. Welcome to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Appreciate you listening to afr. Today is Monday, June the first, if you can believe it. Seems like yesterday was NewSong year's. Today is June 1, 2026. I am Tim Wildmon back from family vacation and Ed Vitagliano's in studio. Good morning, Brother Ed.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Good morning, Tim. Welcome back.
>> Tim Wildmon: Thank you and good morning.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes, good morning to you, Tim.
Tim Wildman worked for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation before moving to Mississippi
June 1st, I'm starting year 30 here.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, yeah, right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Little hand clap back.
>> Ed Vitagliano: There you go. Year 30 years.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: Just cannot believe it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow. yours is a movie, the Canadian that. Could you tell the story? you were working in, Vancouver,
>> Fred Jackson: right, For the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's npr.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, Canada's npr. You talk about, you talk about a face where. You talk about a place where Fred Jackson doesn't fit in with his conservative views. anyway, so come down to just happenstance, visiting Tupelo, from. You and your wife were.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, I, I was getting frustrated. I knew CBC. I couldn't stay there. I was in my early 40s, right. And I couldn't stay there because it was turning far, far left. And I was a news director, and I didn't want to be part of that, right? So called my pastor in Springfield, Missouri, who married us when we were in Bible school. Susie and I were in Bible school. He said, yeah, there's a station just started here in Springfield, Missouri. American family, something. And I said, do you have a phone number? And we had a manager at that station, Springfield, that time called him. He said, yeah, they're starting a new service down there in Tupelo, our home. M base call down here, got a hold of Bill Fancher, who was here at that time. I just want to come down, have a look around. Yeah, so this was like September 1986. And, so, no, 96, pardon me. And so booked a flight down. They Started a seat sale that day from Vancouver to, Memphis, I think it was. Anyway, came down, had a look around, met your dad. He kind of passed me in the hallway.
>> Tim Wildmon: But you didn't have an appointment with my dad.
>> Fred Jackson: No, no, no appointment.
>> Tim Wildmon: My dad is Don Wildmon, who was the leader of the ministry. Go ahead.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, we passed each other the hallway. Bill introduced me.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Hi, how are you? And he was on to something else.
>> Tim Wildmon: You got that much out of my dad? Wow, what a friendly engagement that was.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, he was on his way to do something.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, he was always busy. And I was about to. To head home after a nice tour around, and, I was going to go with Sonic, get a burger and go home. And, your dad passed me in the hallway again. Come see me before you leave.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's so brother Don.
>> Fred Jackson: And I sat down his office. You want to come work here? We need a news direction.
>> Tim Wildmon: What a vetting process he had there.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. I said, yes, sir, but I got to get a green card. Got to do this legally. All right, go get your green card. Let me know when you got it. Six, months later, I said, I got a green card. All right, come on down. That was it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: and your wife is from Mississippi?
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So you did have a connection to the state.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes, I did. And I. Prior to all of that, years prior to all of that, we used to come when we visit her parents in Kosciusko.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: We'd come up here because my wife likes to sew and the Hancock fabric.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, yeah. Big, big place they had here.
>> Fred Jackson: So we used to come up and go to a famous restaurant here, Danvers.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Which still looks the same today. Yep. And, so, yeah, so all of that happened. So In May of 1997, we were all packed up and, had our. All papers in order, my green card and everything, and we came across the border and drove down. And on June 1, 1997.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: It all got started.
>> Tim Wildmon: So you drove from Vancouver to Tupelo?
>> Fred Jackson: Yep, we drove down to LA and then across on, 10, and eventually on to 20.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hold on a second. Aren't you going way out of your way to go from Vancouver to la? Couldn't you cut right through the Rockies over to Denver and down?
>> Fred Jackson: Sometimes that works. But that's a long haul, Tim. That's a long haul.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, you mean to cross the Rockies, you mean?
You said you've been here 30 years, right?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, across that. We had done that living in Vancouver, believe it or not. We used to drive to Florida, for a vacation.
>> Tim Wildmon: You lived in Vancouver when we lived in Vancouver.
>> Fred Jackson: there were two or three times that we. We drove to Florida,
>> Tim Wildmon: hopefully for more than three days. Hey, we saw the beach coming back home.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Now, by the way, you said you've been here 30 years, right?
>> Fred Jackson: 29 years. Starting year 30.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Starting. Starting year 30.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, okay, well, you know me, I get stuck on these. I know my way around with highways.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, yeah, you do.
>> Tim Wildmon: And I'm just thinking Vancouver to LA to Tupelo. That just seems out of the way. But. But, hey, you made it.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, we made it here.
>> Tim Wildmon: Didn't get carjacked in LA is my problem. You would have got truck jacked.
>> Fred Jackson: We did not stay in la.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Fred Jackson: We circled around, got on that tent and headed east right away.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. Anyway, so 30 years starting, starting tomorrow. Starting today.
>> Fred Jackson: Starting today. June 1st.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow. yes. All right.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: You still legal? Got your green card and everything?
>> Fred Jackson: Absolutely, absolutely.
>> Tim Wildmon: How does that work? You have to keep that up to date. Do you have.
>> Fred Jackson: Every 10 years? You re.
>> Tim Wildmon: Every 10 years?
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Like a passport.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yep.
>> Fred Jackson: That's. That's it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Now, what does that. This is a green card. Allows you everything. But what?
>> Fred Jackson: Voting.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, you cannot. No, yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Cannot vote. But I can encourage people to vote.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Have you been. You've been. Can you apply for citizenship?
>> Fred Jackson: Apply for citizenship. But, you know, sometime when I retire, maybe moving back to Canada.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so you can't. But could you. Could you have. Do they allow dual citizenship or. No?
>> Fred Jackson: They. They do. they do, but you got to watch out for the taxation laws.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, okay. Uncle Sam will get you.
>> Fred Jackson: things happen.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right. I don't want to get too much in your private life. I just want to make sure you were legal.
>> Fred Jackson: Oh, absolutely.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Really? You're not trying to get into his private life?
>> Tim Wildmon: I guess I was, but it was unintentional, and I quickly realized this is none of my business.
>> Fred Jackson: that's just fine.
Tim Ferriss: We just returned from a family vacation to Florida
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, we're back from the beach.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: We had our family vacation.
>> Ed Vitagliano: 18 of you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Now, this is. This is funny if you're not the per. So, yeah, there's. There's eight adults in our fam. And there's, actually 11 grandchildren, but one of them couldn't go. She's a teenager and had to work. college in College. So there's 10, from. From 12 down to two or, one. One and a half. So when we rent our condos and go to the beach, the. It's a little army. It's a little army of a lot of Rugrats that are coming to invade. So I, joke say, you should see the looks on the faces of the people we're camping out by on
>> Ed Vitagliano: the beach who are just down there for a little peace of beer.
>> Tim Wildmon: They just came down for a little R and R. And they're chilled out with their little fruit drink and they're, they're kicked back in their chair with their umbrella. They're looking at the beautiful golf of America. And all of a sudden here comes. There's a noise coming from behind us. 1, 2, 3, 18. 18 of us, invade, the destined beach there. And we always have a great time. We go Memorial Day. It's kind of family tradition now for us. But I'll tell you one funny story I told our staff at Devotion this morning. Folks, if you're worried about us getting into the end of the world, stories coming up and we're not getting to them soon enough. We're gonna get to it. The world's gonna blow up. Just. We're gonna talk about it in just a minute. but, so, I'm walking down the beach with two of my ten grandchildren who are there. Yeah, eight year one, eight year old, Landry. And then, there's the six, six year old Andrew. It's just the two of them with me. Yeah, we decided we'd stroll down the beach a little bit. So you're, you know, you're talking kids talk, small talk, smog talk, you know, you don't get into investments and data, data centers.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The Iran war.
>> Tim Wildmon: Iran war, things like that. They don't, they're not interested in that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So I said to Landry, the eight year old Wesley daughter, I said, you know what, think about this. What if we were, what if we were on a deserted beach and there's just us and we had to survive? I'm just, you know, I'm just making conversation. I said we'd have to fish, we'd have to catch crabs, you know, just to eat. so, and she said, she looked at me and she said, yeah, or she said, ah, like an alternative. Or we could go to the grocery store.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So you could, you could fish and crab if you want.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, Poppy, you can fish and crab if you want. As for me, I'm going to Kroger. it was just so funny the way she said it because, you know, she wasn't laughing about it. She was like. I was. I've thought this through and I don't think your idea is very appealing to
>> Ed Vitagliano: Me, I was going to say these kids, they have no idea what the world was like without grocery stores. But then I realized, Tim, you and I don't know what it was like either.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, that's right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: If I had to fish and crab for a die, I'm with Landry.
>> Tim Wildmon: Let's go to Kroger. Let's go to kroger. All right. Anyway, you're listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio Network. Hard to believe it's June 1st, as time passes fast.
Frederick Douglass: Take us through the headlines this morning
All right, so, Fred, what is leading the news this morning?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, let's start where it all began early this morning. All right, we'll go through the headlines chronological.
>> Tim Wildmon: Take us through the headlines.
>> Fred Jackson: Here's the first headline early this morning. Trump insists Iran wants to make a deal. All right, got it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, that's a new take on things. That's a twist in this story.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. he went on, ah, President Trump went on his truth social at around one o' clock this morning.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Amazing.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay. Iran really wants to make a deal and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us.
>> Tim Wildmon: That was at 1:00am this morning.
>> Fred Jackson: He was posting one o' clock this morning.
>> Tim Wildmon: Man never sleeps.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, he's a little frustrated. There are some people, Democrats, who he called in this truth, Social Democrats.
>> Tim Wildmon: He called somebody a name.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, he did, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Democrats. Huh?
>> Fred Jackson: Democrats and quote, seemingly unpatriotic Republicans accusing political opponents of making it harder for him to navigate one of the most dangerous foreign policy crises of his presidency.
>> Tim Wildmon: He wrote that, that last part was. Because that's not. Sound like him. no, no, no, that's too, radically correct.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, let me quote him again. Don't the Democrats and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans understand that it is much tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate when political hacks keep negatively chirping at levels never seen before over and over again, that I should move faster or move slower or go to war or not go to war or whatever Trump wrote.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, all right, got it.
>> Fred Jackson: All right, so that was the headline.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know what, we can critique how President Trump's handled this situation, but that's a fair thing for him to say in his position. It's kind of like, you know, it's easy to, you know, be a Monday morning quarterback, so to speak, but what he's saying there in his own way is this, is a heavy decision, a heavy responsibility. And, so it doesn't help that we got negative chirping going on. Okay. From his perspective. I understand that.
>> Fred Jackson: Go ahead.
Has Hezbollah rockets hit Northern Israel? It's all connected, folks
All right, so later, A few hours later, A few hours later, this was the headline, Israel Order Strikes on Beirut, Southern suburbs. Has Hezbollah Rockets hit Northern Israel? It's all connected, folks.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. People might be wondering, how is President Trump and our Iran war situation related to Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah on the northern border?
>> Fred Jackson: Because negotiators for Iran are insisting they're all tied together. Hezbollah is a proxy of the Iranian government.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes.
>> Fred Jackson: All right. They have been, shooting rockets and missiles at.
>> Tim Wildmon: Into Israel's sovereign territory.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. Israel has responded with its own missiles and gone beyond that now. And we now have troops into southern Lebanon. Okay. Where Hezbollah is based. The headline is Israel Order strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. So initially it was below the Latani river in Lebanon. Now we're moving into the suburbs of Beirut.
>> Tim Wildmon: If I can use an analogy, and I know some people think Tim dumbs things down too much for people, but I just want people to understand, because people don't. A lot of people don't have a geographical context for the Middle east very much. Israel is a. Israel is a country about the size of NewSong Jersey. Okay. Physically. So from top to bottom, and on the northern side, imagine, if rockets were being fired. You lived in NewSong Jersey, or let's just say Ohio and Kentucky, and you're in Cincinnati, for example, and rockets are being fired into Kentucky from Cincinnati, which is right across the river. Well, and then. And then, so the Kentuckians decide, hey, we can't tolerate this. It's killing our citizens. We're going to send our army and we're going to invade Cincinnati and push these forces back that are attacking our people and firing rockets into our country.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, when Israel does that, when Kentucky does that into Ohio to defend their citizens, the world condemns Kentucky, for occupying land that isn't theirs or invading a sovereign country. You see how this works?
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: I just want people to understand how this works. So what. What you, what you have is Iran is paying for the people. Hama Hezbollah, in this case, a terrorist organization to attack Israel.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: And Israel's. Israel's had it. They're tired of it. They see what they've done in Gaza to fight Hamas after the, horrific butchering of 1200 of their citizens. Now they're having to defend themselves on the northern front of their small country. And Iran is somehow trying to connect, to tell Israel, in other words, for the US to proceed with our negotiations with Iran. Iran is saying US you need to tell Israel to get back in, to, quit attacking Hezbollah. Is that right? Yes.
>> Fred Jackson: And to clarify and make sure everybody understands Israel is not at war with Lebanon.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. The country.
>> Fred Jackson: Hezbollah are terrorists that are all over Lebanon.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes.
>> Fred Jackson: They hide their missiles in schools and hospitals and apartment buildings. So when you see the media reports that Israel attacked an apartment building in Lebanon, but they don't tell you the context because that's where Hezbollah keeps their missiles and fires their missiles from.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: All right, so.
>> Tim Wildmon: So as of today, as of this hour, Iran is saying, they're stopping negotiations with, Israel backs out of,
>> Fred Jackson: out of Beirut, and they want them completely out of Lebanon. And on top of that, now Lebanon negotiators are meeting with Israeli negotiators in Washington D.C. this week.
>> Tim Wildmon: who's meeting with who now?
>> Fred Jackson: Lebanese government people are meeting with Israeli government people in Washington D.C. to see if they can bring about some kind of settlement. So.
>> Tim Wildmon: But the Lebanese government doesn't seem to be able to do anything about Hezbollah, which is.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Inside their own country attacking Israel.
>> Fred Jackson: That is correct. So they, to go back to the initial headline, President Trump getting concerned about even some Republicans and some of his supporters are getting tired of the headline that says, you know, there's going to be, there's a deal coming, don't worry about it, gas prices will come down, etc. Etc.
Fred Cannon: It's a seeming catch 22 right now for President Trump
>> Tim Wildmon: Where do we get the expression catch 22ed?
>> Ed Vitagliano: that is from a, from a novel, catch 22. Joseph Heller, maybe. I can't remember who wrote it. I read it in high school.
>> Tim Wildmon: What is the common expression mean in today's vernacular?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, it means, you're between a rock and a hard place. You.
>> Tim Wildmon: There's another metaphor.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So you've got to grab a metaphor
>> Ed Vitagliano: to two, possible options. And either way, you go, you, you, you, you lose. I think, I think that's a fair off the top. I had.
>> Tim Wildmon: I. It's, it's, it's seeming, It's a seeming catch 22 right now for President Trump. Now. I don't, I don't know. That's what it looks like, Fred. Yeah, looks like a maybe, I don't see how he's going to pull a win out of this if the win is defined as Iran, stopping their nuclear weapon development and being monitored constantly by Americans or some kind of peacekeeping, force to assure that they're going to, not develop nuclear weapons. Is that.
>> Fred Jackson: No, that's true. But I think the pressure from home, even amongst maga, supporters, is Increasing. And to demonstrate that news, Nation's Batya Anger Sargon, who is a self described MAGA lefty who has previously hailed Donald Trump as the most effective president of my lifetime, she on the weekend went public to address the President saying, people who support you, President Trump, are really hurting economically. Cut number 12.
>> Ray: Mr. President, your supporters are hurting. People who voted for you three times, who would walk over Legos covered in hot coals to vote for you, are broke. Some are skipping meals, others are buying canned chicken in bulk because that's all they can afford. The cost of food and gas is just so high. People are finding it impossible to pay for their kids after school sports once they fill up the car with gas. People who support you and support the war in Iran, who were willing to pay a little more to make sure our grandkids don't have to live with the threat of a nuclear armed terror state, who are willing to pay a little more for the possibility of reshoring our great manufacturing base with tariffs, well, they've paid all they can. Your supporters need help, Mr. President, and they need it from you. We brought in $200 billion in tariff revenue. Couldn't some of that be shared with Americans struggling to put food on the table?
>> Fred Jackson: So that kind of pressure is building amongst those who, our supporters have voted for President Trump, as she said many times, because economically they are feeling the effects of this ongoing war with Iran.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You know, I understand the President's frustration with criticism here at home while he's trying to negotiate with whoever is doing the negotiating on the Iranian side of this, impasse. But he, he's got to expect that's the way our country works constitutionally. The president, now we do have a 1973 War Powers act resolution, that does grant some leeway for a president to use the military for certain amount of time. But constitutionally, war was not supposed to be declared except by the permission of Congress, in which case you would have arguments that would be public, and that's the way the Constitution works. So the President has to, I understand the frustration, but the President has to understand in a constitutional republic, this is the way it works. You're going to have people publicly saying, you know, this is a mistake, you shouldn't be doing it, what have you. I would also say that I think I am very pessimistic that the President is going to be able to get out of this without, it looking like a loss. From the Iranian perspective, the Israeli perspective is Hezbollah is working for Iran. Okay? They're a proxy. Yeah. To attack Israel. From the Iranian perspective, they see Israel as being a proxy for the United States. And you're not going to move them off that now. They're now. Totally now. I disagree with Orion. Hezbollah exists to attack Israel. Israel does not exist to attack Hezbollah. This all happened because Iran has been funding these terrorist groups. So the Iranians are absolutely wrong in, in making memorial equivalency here. But I'm saying the Iranians are sold, on an Iranian revolution, an Islamic revolution that's not going away. And they are not making a deal. I am very pessimistic that any kind of deal is made unless the United States completely shuts down their economy and resumes, you know, punishing them militarily. I think Iran is just stringing the US along the Trump administration.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, when we get back from the break, I want to talk about how this war is related to the Bible because you. I think it's a good tease, don't you?
>> Ed Vitagliano: yo.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I think people come back, see what I have to say about that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay. Okay. Yeah. And you're, and you're, you're ready. You've been up.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm ready.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You've been on vacation.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ready to bring it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ready to bring it. So, in all seriousness, I'm gonna, I want to talk about that when we get back from the break because, Well, I'll just talk about it when we get back. Yeah.
American Forces Family Radio Network celebrates America's 250th birthday this year
So we're gonna take a short time out right here with more of today's issues on the American Forces Family Radio Network. Tim, Ed, and Fred, we're back. Stay with us.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, preborn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time, she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28. To donate, dial 250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com afr America's 250th birthday.
>> : It's a great excuse to have some extra cake and ice cream, but we can help your celebration go well beyond that. Show your patriotism with America. 250 apparel that will become a memento of this special year. We also have special episodes on AFA Stream to help underscore that America is a Christian nation and help you find God in the Constitution. Find all of this and more in one place. Afa.net topics250
>> : this is today's issues. Email your comments to commentsfr.net Past broadcasts of today's Issues are available for listening and viewing in the [email protected] now back to more of Today's Issues.
Ed Bennett says President Trump seems overly optimistic about Iran deal
>> Tim Wildmon: Welcome back, everybody, to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network on this Monday, June 1st. We've been talking about the situation with Iran and the, stalemate that we seem to be in. Well, not seem to be. That we are in and have been in for what, over a month now with, with Iran and President Trump. You know, it was like a broken record. He keeps saying the same thing every day. We're near a deal. They really want a deal, but we don't have a deal. So, I'm not. I'm not calling the man a liar. I'm just saying that he is, he. Maybe he thinks we're near a deal, but he. How am I saying this? He seems to be too optimistic, overly optimistic when the facts don't seem to support what he's saying. Does that make that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, I think he's being honest. I just think that it's not just. It's not just President Trump. There are a lot of people that run our country that don't seem to understand the nature of Islamic revolution.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think they think you can make a deal with people who are acting in their own best interest. And these people aren't acting in their own best interest. They have an apocalyptic, religious view of the world and how things should go. And you don't expect that to be the kind of person you're dealing with. And I just think that. I just think that a lot of people get played and they.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm not sure if President Trump understands that part of it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's.
>> Tim Wildmon: Let me, say what I was going to say before the break, which all our listeners are hanging on every word, don't you think, Ed?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Absolutely.
>> Tim Wildmon: because I am theologian in my own mind. And you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And you would have. You would have gone on to get a doctor.
>> Tim Wildmon: I would have.
>> Ed Vitagliano: All your other careers got in the way.
>> Tim Wildmon: It was back. Back injury kept me from getting a theological degree.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: And writing, you know, being right up there with Eryn Lutzer and.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: People of that stature. But anyway, that's yesterday.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right. No, no.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No sense crying over spilt M Milk.
>> Tim Wildmon: I moved on.
Fighting over land is probably the number one cause of war in history
so here's in all seriousness. This is why I say this war is related to the Bible motivations for war historically, and I'm talking about back to the beginning of time, have basically been over land. Fighting over land is probably the number one cause of war in history. Number two would be hatred for another group of people. Just sheer right out hatred for maybe things that. That people have done to your people. So you have nomadic or tribal warfares over history. I'm always a little, Amused is not the right word. But, you know, the critics of America always say we live on stolen land, you know, because our European ancestors invaded. As if the Native American tribes didn't war against each other all day, every day. Over what land?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So there's a lot of Indians living on stolen land, right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, it's.
>> Tim Wildmon: If you wanted to find it that way, yeah. Okay. But it just seems like only the white Europeans can live on stolen land.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why is that? our ancestors. So. But back to my point, here's. Here's the. Here's the biblical connection to this war, I think. so I'm describing reasons for warfare in history. Iran is. Has no. They're Persian people. They have no. so they're not border states with Israel. They're like 1200 or 1500 miles apart, separated by Jordan and Iraq. Okay. So they're not fighting over land per se, for traditional reasons. here's my bottom line on this. Fred, you can comment on this. Ed, too, since you're the only two other people here. Iran is fighting this war because they hate the Jews. Okay? That's why Iran is developing nuclear weapons, is to annihilate the Jews. Now they want to take out the Great Satan, too. They would like to, we are. They. They would view us. They. Iran would view us as Christian, a Christian nation. They don't really distinguish between. Okay, like, we would know we're more secular than Christian today, but they just view us as a Christian nation. So we're the Great Satan because we have all the money and the power and the military might. Israel's a little Satan. so what I'm saying, the biblical connection here, and I'm not saying this is described. This particular war is described in the Bible in any particular place that I know of, but just the whole idea of it being spiritual because the Iranians, which are Islamic, Shia Islamic, they hate the Jews being in the neighborhood, so to speak, of Islam. so you have a Jewish state right in the middle of the Islamic world. And Iran can't stand that just because they can't stand it. And so they want to kill all the Jews. So there's that, that's what, that's why, that's why they're saying, let's, let's make the, Hezbollah and Israeli battle part of our negotiations with America because we want Hezbollah and Hamas to be able to kill all the Jews so that we can take back the land of Israel eventually. That's, that's, that's their motivation. Otherwise it doesn't make any sense for Iran to continue doing that. They're only hurting their own country and their own people and their economy with this continuation of wanting to develop a nuclear weapon. Well, why would they insist, seemingly just insist on having the right to develop a nuclear weapon is because they eventually want to use it to wipe out the Jews. That's what they would. That's what they think for the reasons you mentioned. Apocalyptic view of the end of the world. end of the world would be apocalyptic. where the enemies of the Jews and the Christians, Islam wipes, wins the war. Does that make sense?
>> Ed Vitagliano: and then I want Fred to answer because he's also in the room.
Fred Kaplan: President Trump is dealing with people in Iran who hate Israel
and then after Fred, I want to say something controversial, but my understanding of this apocalyptic view on the part of the Shia, Muslims, which Iran is for the most part Shia, that they believe that kind of war and apocalyptic conflict with the enemies of Islam will bring the 12th Imam, who will then rule the world and conquer the world for Islam. So they want to bring, they want Iran and the Islamic revolutionaries that are leading the country want to bring apocalyptic war in the Middle east because that's when the 12th Imam shows up very demonically inspired.
>> Tim Wildmon: So how do you negotiate with that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: You don't. You can't.
>> Tim Wildmon: And I think that's the situation President Trump finds him in. Yes, sir, finds himself in.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, you go ahead. The biblical thing. And then I want to, I want to say something controversial.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, yeah, let's, let's go back to the Old Testament. the Jews are God's chosen people. You want to go to Genesis 12, the Abrahamic covenant. I'll create a great people from you, God says to Abraham. And so because God has chosen the Jewish people, has chosen people, Satan hates them. perhaps this is being over simplistic, but, the people that Satan hates, Satan uses groups of people and in this case the Islamic regime, they hate the Jewish people. And that's why, you know, rationally we cannot explain this. Because the Jewish people aren't out to wipe out Muslims.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, they're not invading Iran.
>> Fred Jackson: No. I mean There are Muslims who sit in the Knesset. There are Islamic people, people who follow that religion, who have shops and businesses in Israel, and they're welcome to do so. But there are elements within Islam. They hate the Jewish people. They are driven by Satan. It's a hatred driven by Satan. That's the only way you can explain it. And the bottom line is President Trump is dealing with a group of people in Iran. That Islamic regime, the Shia, as you pointed out, they hate Israel. And they are bound and determined for the reasons that Ed was given there just a moment ago, to bring in the 12th Imam. All right, so that's where they are. Hezbollah, Arshia. They are an arm of that Iranian Islamic regime, like Hamas. If you've read the accounts of what happened in October of 2023, how those Hamas terrorists treated men, women, and children, we can't even talk about it on the air. Unbelievable. They treated them worse than animals. These captives, these people, over 1200 that they killed and took captive. We in the west cannot understand that kind of hatred. But what we have to be aware of is because the United States supports Israel, that Islamic regime, I'll call them Satan's crowd, they hate the United States, and in particular, Christians.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. Because evangelical Christians in America are the number one supporter of the nation of Israel.
>> Fred Jackson: That is correct.
>> Tim Wildmon: And so, yes, absolutely.
Alexander: Many in the news media hate Israel for attacking Hamas
an aside to this, but related, what happened in October of 2023, people so easily forget. And it's under reported in the news because many in the news media hate Israel, too. And that is, Israel was. Private citizens were attacked and butchered in ways, as you said, Fred, we can't even describe. Remember that day, all the stories that came out, 11 to 1200 people massacred. Massacred. A music festival going on. And so when Hamas attacked and butchered all those people, killed them and murdered them, then immediately, the political left in this country and around the world condemned Israel for attacking Hamas. Okay? Because they had to go into Gaza, which is where a high concentration of Hamas is, almost all of them. And Hamas was, as you said, using schools, hospitals. they're not an army out there in uniform saying, let's go. You know, they're terrorists. They conduct guerrilla warfare. And so Israel has to pick and choose. Where do we fire, who do we stop? Where are these people? what about this one? Well, when Israel does that, sometimes you have, you have people die who are not combatants. And so that's what happened. But almost immediately, the world began to say, israel, back off. You can't do this. because you're killing innocent people. And I just thought to myself, since when do you get to massacre 11 or 1200 people and then you get to dictate the terms to the army that is responding to that? But that's almost what the world wanted. I say the world in general. That's the condemnation that Israel got. Hey, you're killing too many people in Gaza. Listen, war is hell and it's tragic and it's sad to see any Arab die or any m. Muslim die or any Jew die or Christian or anybody in a war. That's just horrible. But, but I'm saying when you get it, when you do launch a war and attack people like Hamas did, you're going to get. Israel is going to respond with overwhelming force and there are some non combatant Arabs and even children that are going to die, sadly. But that's just the nature of, of war. And when you're in Israel and you're a small country and you're in the middle of, hostile environment and you're always trying to defend yourselves against the enemies, you have to be on guard all the time. it's a bad situation to have to live in the environment in. What are you going to say? Controversy over.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Here's my controversial statement. Now, first of all, let me just, before I get to the controversial statement, say I think the President's idea in going to war against Iran was, it was a good idea. If, in other words, if we can, get rid of the nuclear weapons program, if we can, stop them from, being the sponsor of state terrorism, proxy terrorism, because we can get regime change and we can take out much of their military, that would have been, that would have been phenomenal. Okay, so here's the controversial part. And I don't expect the president or members of Congress to act on what I'm about to say. They've got to do what they think is the best policy. But if God has a plan in the Middle east that involves Iran being a villain, then, and if he, if God wants to be the one who gets the glory for ending the Iranian regime, then nothing the United States does will change that. Okay, I am saying that it may be that if we are at the end, that Iran has to exist and this wicked regime has to be in place so that they can drive the antagonism and hostility against Israel. And if that's the case, President Trump will not be given the honor to end the regime in Iran. Now you can't.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why is that controversial?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, it's controversial because it may make it seem like the President doesn't do anything. Because what God might want. You see what I'm saying? We don't know what God wants. It may very well be that God chooses President Trump to be the one who ends the Iranian regime. God seemingly chose Alexander the Great to be the one that ended Persia.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay, we don't, we, but we don't. Human beings don't know what God wants. So what I'm saying is even though the President wants, had the best intentions, it may very well be. It's like when the Nazis invaded Russia. Okay. It's almost. Or when Napoleon invaded Russia, it's almost as if God said, no, you can't have it. I'm go, I am going to stop you. So I, it's, I think it's probably controversial because it makes it sound like you conduct foreign policy on the basis of what God might want. We don't know what God wants. But I'm saying I don't necessarily, if this fails, I don't necessarily biblically lay that at the feet of President Trump. He was doing what he thought was the right thing to do. It just might not be that God was going to allow him to do it. Does that make sense?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, no, that makes sense.
Tim Ed: I think President Trump thought conventionally on this war
By the way, you're listening to the radio program Today's Issues here on the American Family Radio Network. We're here remind you through Thursday with the hard news and then on Friday we have fun with trivia. But I'm Tim Ed with Fred here on the program today. let me just say to talking about where you're, you're mentioning there, I think President Trump thought conventionally on this war and it's, and the conventional wisdom on war is, that the people with the biggest army win. All right, so our military did incredible those first few weeks, as did the Israelis and to wipe out the, wipe out as much as we could the offensive capabilities of the Iranian, military. And they did a great job with that. but I think President Trump, this, I'm just guessing here, I don't know, thought they would, they would chronicle. Okay, they would chronicle because, hey, look what's happening to our country. There's, it's just, just we're defenseless now. But I think he did not factor in the spiritual dynamic here. some people would call it, well, extremely hard headed. That's true. Talking about the Iranians, they're willing to put their whole country at risk in the name of having the right to develop nuclear weapons. Which they say they don't want to use. Well, I don't know if they. I think they've said that they just want it for peaceful purposes. But, So I think he got to a point where, okay, they're going to give up any day now. And guess what? They didn't. They've still got the country. Because the people in the country of Iran don't have weapons to. To have a revolution. So they are murdered. M. If just like any other totalitarian, regime in the world in world history, the king, or the tyrant or the pharaoh or the dictator puts, down any, revolt by killing you or killing anybody associated with. And we've seen all that horrendous stories about all the thousands of people in Iran who have been killed by the regime. So you would have thought, well, if the people of Iran really want to have a free country and be rid themselves of these atollahs, ruling over them, why don't they rise up? Well, they can't. They don't have anything to rise up with. they're in shell shock. They're intimidated. They are in psychologically under the control and physically under the control of the Iranian regime. Anyway, I don't know where this goes. I'm wondering, do you think there's an out here for President Trump just to say, look, we tried, our best to get rid of the, threat of Rhyen Bill and a nuclear weapon, but we, we're not going to be able to guarantee that. All we can say is that, we will watch them as closely as we can, and if we need to go back militarily, we will. And Israel's got to do what Israel's got to do. We're not dictating to them about their war with, Hamas or Hezbollah. So is that even a chance, or is the saving face, so to speak, matter to President Trump because he. I say save and face. Maybe that's. That's the right way to phrase it. I don't mean that in a, you know, as if his actions would be, you know, motivated sheerly own looks. But you understand what I'm saying?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, I think, I think he can say that. here would be the problem, I think. I think so. There's a big if at the end of this, the president could say exactly what you're suggesting. Okay, look, we're pulling out. We did our best. Nobody else would help us except for Israel. We don't want them to get a nuclear weapon. Administration after administration in our country said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I took steps to try to stop it, but I'm not putting boots on the ground. So we degraded their military, and now if they get a nuclear weapon, it's on the rest of the countries who refused to help. Okay, here's the big if. That I think might get the president off the hook somewhat politically. Except what if Iran says, okay, you know what? Because you devastated so much of our military, we're gonna have to get that money back. We are going to start charging a toll for going through the Straits of Hormuz.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why do we care? Why do we care about that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, that. That would turn out to be a negative result for our economy and the world economy because it would up the price of oil, and that would be politically damaging, I think, for the President. That's my sense of.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Fred, Amy, I think, you know, President had the meeting in the Situation Room last Friday. I was surprised that we've had nothing coming out of that meeting because we were told that there would be an announcement on this. This is the deal that I'm willing to go along with. That hasn't happened yet. I. I think the reality of an election this year is going to force the president to compromise, perhaps on what he thought he could get. I think what he hopes for now is Hormuz is open again, just as it was before this all started, and he will accept some kind of commitment from the Iranian regime that we won't produce.
>> Tim Wildmon: He'll be mocked. Yes, he'll be mocked for that by the. Especially the news media, probably on the right and the left, because they'll say, you're trying to tell us. You're trying to sell us a pig and a poke here. Mr. President, you said the reason we went was to stop them from getting nuclear weapons, and now you're saying we're not, we're not going to do that, and it doesn't matter, and we're not buying it. and this also goes contrary to his personality. This is not going to play well into his personality traits because he is a. He likes to win. That's what he frames things. Winning losers. And he likes to brag that he
>> Ed Vitagliano: can get a deal done.
>> Tim Wildmon: That he can get a deal done. And as we saw with Iran, with, Ukraine and Russia, he can't always get a deal done. Right. Even though he thinks he can. I'm not saying thinking you can is a bad trait.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm just saying it doesn't always work
>> Ed Vitagliano: as easily as, some people don't want a deal.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. And he's finding that people want.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Some people want the end of the
>> Tim Wildmon: world, and he's finding that out right now. And I think he's in a catch, 22 almost.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
Steve Paisley Jordow will join us in a few moments
>> Tim Wildmon: As we mentioned earlier on the program. All right, we will take a short time out. Steve Paisley Jordow will join us, in just a few moments. Stay with us. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
