Will Americans Choose Liberty or More Government Control?

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," August 10, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: You know, I am — I was thinking — I was thinking this weekend that it's about time we make some choices. I think tough times are coming. And, you remember we talked to Ben Sherwood — I don't remember the name of his book, but it was about survivors, and the people who survive are the ones who make the choices in advance. Before the plane goes down, they are the ones who go, how would I get out if that engine comes on fire? Those are the survivors.

You need to make some decisions on some choices. And I don't know if you can pick this up, but I write down notes and I wrote this picture down Saturday morning. I want to show you what it is. I was thinking this weekend: The time of sitting on the fence is over. It's over. You have to make a choice and you have to make a choice now.

Our choices are — and most of us are kind of standing over here. We're on the fence but leaning in this direction. Socialism, ACORN — oh, what difference does it make?

Partisan politics, we both play them, Republicans and Democrats. I have played it myself. We have to make the choice.

Easy money, yes, this one doesn't matter. Everybody is doing it, easy money.

No responsibility. I don't want to be held responsible for those things.

No blame. Not my kid.

And a level playing field. That leads to socialism, my friend, and slavery.

? Video: Watch Beck's interview

Here's on the other side — the other side of the fence: consequences — this doesn't sound like fun — consequences, hard work, effort, self-reliance, honesty.

Honesty, even to ask the tough questions, to ask the questions that you don't want to ask, even if the answer is something horrid and you don't want that answer. If it's the answer, live with it. Honesty with ourselves.

Fetal position — I wrote this down, because at one point in my life, I was in the fetal position. I was — this was, what, 15 years ago, 16 years ago. I was about to give up and I was in the fetal position. And I decided you know what? No! I am going to fight on. I am going to change my life.

The fetal position leads to great rewards. If I hadn't have had that moment, I wouldn't be here. And I know a lot of people in America would like that, but I wouldn't be here.

And finally, freedom.

Ask yourself this, my friend, which side of the fence are you on?

Get off the fence! And either firmly be here or firmly be here — because it's time we made some tough decisions. There's a lot of hard work in front of us.

Keith Ablow, he's a psychiatrist, a FOX News contributor and good friend of the program.

Keith, — you know, Oscar and I were just talking in the break. You know, I've got these people coming out of the woodwork after me. And that's fine. I expected it.

However, they probably wouldn't think they could get away with it if more people would just take a stand. If more people would stand up and say, you know what? I don't care what you do, I'm not giving up my principles — right? They're trying to scare people to not follow this road.

DR. KEITH ABLOW, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: That's exactly right, Glenn. And, you know, they've got the wrong man in you because you've seen dark moments, and you decided, you know what, I'm keeping my eyes open even in these dark moments. I'm going to see what's happening.

That is the antidote here. We need people who are resolute. We need people who can see what's happening and speak to it.

You know, one way to demoralize a child, if you believe yourself to be a parent — as the government apparently is parentifying itself, saying
I'm not even going to talk to you people who spilled milk, I'm not going to talk to you, you don't even deserve to know why I'm so angry. You're disenfranchised. Go to your room, OK?

And one way to further demoralize that child who you won't listen to in any way and you've already said to you are a child by saying go to our room and do not speak is to say anytime someone says that you've struck out, it could be your younger sister or your younger brother, it's you, man. I'm not even going to ask you. Whether it was you, it's you. You are to blame. It is not the other person.

BECK: I want to ask you this, because I can't come up with a reason, and you're being a psychologist, you might know. I can't come up with any decent reason on why the president has been so silent on [health care town hall protests]. How is it he can come out and say — or he can have all of his minions come out and say, hey, speaking out against this is un-American.

He can organize all of these things through organizing for health care. His Web site, and yet, he will say, these are just nobody, these are just — these are just crazy people organized by the right. How — what is he playing in his — how does this end in his — in his head?

ABLOW: Well, what I fear is — and again, look, I haven't sat with the president for a 50-minute hour, right? I'm not his therapist. But what I fear is that you must be disenfranchised, look disenfranchised and have said you have fallen out of the system, not be someone who has worked within the system, in order to gain his heart.

Right now, you'd think that the president, as therapist in chief, would say, boy, there is a lot of anger out there. I got to listen more. I'm missing something here and I want to hear.

Instead, there's something that's not quite right here, and you're detecting it, Glenn, which is that he's not able to do that if you are someone who has worked within the system, for whom it has worked quite well. It seems like he sort of cut himself, he made himself, speaking for the disenfranchised, and you must look like the disenfranchised in order to gain his patience and understanding.

BECK: Do you think is that — or do you think he is — he is intentionally being quiet? He is a good chess player, I think. This man is brilliant. He is a good chess player.

Is it possible that the president is, as silent as he is, and ramping up — it's almost like they're poking with a stick all the time, over and over, poking, poking, poking, poking. On April 15, his spokesperson came out and said, yes, he doesn't even know who these tea party people are. That's a pretty big poke.

Is there a possibility that he is staying so quiet so if, God forbid, something happens on either side — it doesn't matter who does it — that he can step in and say, "You know what, I stayed out of this because I didn't want to make this bad, but you know what? I'm cracking down, because this is enough."

Do you think there is a possibility of that?

ABLOW: Well, look, you know, we talked about the purple shirts. I'm sorry; I'm wearing a little purple myself. But yes, there is a possibility that anytime that you have what seems to be favoritism breaking as clearly as it is toward one group as opposed to another, you risk that, right?

What's the next step for the parent? It's running upstairs to that kid's room saying you did what to your little brother? I didn't do anything! I don't want to hear it.

BECK: OK.

ABLOW: That's where we're at. And it's very, very, very concerning.

BECK: Thanks, Keith. I appreciate it.

It is concerning to me, America, because there are billions and billions and billions, hundreds of billions of dollars at stake. That usually — people don't usually let go of that kind of money easily.

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