Join us for a compelling discussion on Washington Watch as we tackle the implications of so-called ‘woke’ policies in corporate America, focusing on Target’s headline-grabbing decisions. Will Hild from Consumers Research helps us navigate the consequences of corporate policies on consumer habits, shedding light on how the public’s reaction has impacted Target’s financial trajectory. From crime reduction in the capital to political controversies in Tulsa, this episode offers an insightful overview of the delicate interplay between public policy, corporate decision-making, and social values.
SPEAKER 19 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 02 :
I feel very safe now and I’m hearing people are very safe, but I know within two weeks it’s going to be, Pam, it’s going to be at a level that’s even far superior. So I just came. I just wanted to thank you while you’re doing incredible. You’re incredible people. You make the country run. Frankly, you make the whole place run. We’re going to have the best capital ever. We’re going to have the it’s going to look better than it ever did.
SPEAKER 17 :
That was President Donald Trump last night thanking the federal officers who have cracked down on crime in our nation’s capital. Welcome to this Friday edition of Washington Watch. I’m your guest host, Casey Harper, filling in today. I’m the managing editor for broadcast at The Washington Stand, and I’m glad you’re here. Coming up, we have a great show. There’s been a lot of activity by the police in Washington, D.C. First off, the FBI raided the home of former Trump advisor and ambassador John Bolton just this morning. Now details are still coming out, but it is something to watch and we’re going to talk about it. Also in D.C., federal law enforcement presence has led to crime plummeting. Violent crime, carjackings, robberies, it’s all down. Meanwhile, ICE is also taking this chance to deport a lot of illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has only a couple of weeks left as chief of police unless Congress votes to extend it. Stick around for details on that. By the way, Target has a new CEO, you may have heard. The old one went woke and the company was going broke after years of boycotts for its LGBT policies. Another chain, Kroger, now faces a boycott of their own. Speaking of going woke, the Girl Scouts. They have great cookies, of course, we all know that, but sadly they’ve been politicized. Listen to this. I found these online. These are some Girl Scout training materials. All right, this one is from Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. You see the support for LGBT youth, and you won’t see this stuff on the news. What kind of training do Girl Scout leaders receive? First off, don’t use the wrong pronouns. Oh, and you can’t use the words she or girls in the Girl Scouts. That’s right. One training pamphlet tells leaders that instead of, quote, girls, they should say youth who identify with the girl experience. Yikes. Well, what about Girl Scout sleepovers? Camping trips? The guidelines I found say no separate sleeping arrangements are necessary. So, teenage boy identifies as a girl and wants to go camping with your Girl Scout daughter? I guess you’re just supposed to let it happen. No thanks, right? Well, one mother who was a leader in the Girl Scouts was kicked out for challenging policies just like those. We’re gonna talk to her soon. But first, as I mentioned at the top of the program, the federal law enforcement presence in our nation’s capital has led to crime plummeting across the board. And President Trump this morning said on Truth Social that there will be a complete and total federal takeover of D.C. if the mayor here, Mario Bowser, continues to peddle false and highly inaccurate crime figures. That’s his words. What will it take to continue the progress that federal law enforcement has made? Joining me now to discuss this and more is Congressman Kevin Hearn of Oklahoma. He serves as chair of the Republican Policy Committee, House Ways and Means Committee as well. He represents the 1st Congressional District of Oklahoma. Congressman Hearn, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for having me. Sure. So before we dive into the DC crime crackdown, which a lot of people are interested in, I do want to get your reaction. The FBI raid of John Bolton’s home this morning. What’s your take?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I think some of the very people that are expressing their outrage are the same ones that said that President Trump was not above the law and John Bolton isn’t either. You know, the question becomes if they do find classified documents at his home in Maryland or in Washington, D.C., how did he get them out and out of the skiff and to his home? And so these are things that are really important for us to know. And we’re going to find out. And as the vice president said, if there’s nothing there, then there’s no prosecution. Otherwise, John Bolton will have his day in court.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, that’s right. I mean, we have to innocent until proven guilty, but it’s a big story. These classified documents cases, they just keep popping up for people around here in D.C., but I think there’s even bigger news in D.C. right now. It’s the National Guard and the federal law enforcement presence on the streets. When I walk around the city, I see them. I have to be honest, it does feel safer. A lot of people I talk to like it, but you also see a lot of protests going on in D.C. right now, what should we think about this increased federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, President Trump said this in his first term as he was leaving that, you know, all the burnings of cities across the country needed to stop. It was a bad example of law enforcement, what they were being done, the undue funding of the police, as we heard then. And Washington, D.C. is the example for the rest of the nation. And the president wants a safe nation because, quite frankly, whether you’re Democrat or Republican or don’t care about any kind of politics, Without safety and security, you don’t have a country. We’ve seen President Trump do this at the southern border, and you don’t hear Democrats complaining about that now being more secure. My guess is that the ones that are complaining are probably organized and paid for by people that are not from Washington, D.C. Just last week, my new intern from Tulsa, Oklahoma, got there in less than 24 hours having been there. He got pulled over by a bunch of guys that stole his wallet, stole his cell phone. I’ve had a member of Congress that had his intern was shot and killed just about four weeks ago, just walking on a sidewalk about 10 blocks from the Capitol, an intern. And then we’ve had members, Democrat members, by the way, that have been robbed at gunpoint in the Navy Yard. And so this isn’t just some random, you know, in the hood, so to speak. This isn’t about open daylight. And the president is tired of this. You know you’ve seen the people that work for him, work for JD Vance, that have been attacked. And the president’s going to do something about it. He is one that’s going to have action and not just words.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, everyone who’s in D.C. I mean, you’re in D.C. a lot, of course. I am as well. We all have stories like this either happen to us or we know someone. A pregnant woman in my church was robbed at gunpoint just outside her home in broad daylight, had a friend who was stabbed walking down the street, who walks in Congress. So I can just verify these stories you are saying are not one offs. Part of the problem, though, is the prosecutors. I think the Trump administration has reportedly ordered federal prosecutors in D.C. to be more aggressive in pursuing a lot of these cases. What message does that send? And does that send a message nationwide, not just in D.C.?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, certainly the D.A. here in Tulsa is a good friend of mine and sort of the law enforcement personnel. And they work hand in glove with one another. If they don’t work with each other, then you start losing confidence in the police force because they’re saying, why should I arrest anybody because they’ll never be prosecuted? And if the prosecution time and time again sees stuff that’s not thoroughly looked at, the detectives doing their work, then there’s no credibility among the two different entities, meaning the DA and police officers. But the president wants to restore that. And I think that’s why he’s saying what he’s saying. He wants to set an example for our big cities and our small cities alike across the country that we need to curtail crime. Americans are deserving of that. Again, without a safe nation, you have no nation.
SPEAKER 17 :
I mean, I think I talk to police and I think it’s pretty discouraging for them when they risk their lives to catch somebody only to have a prosecutor, you know, not prosecute or let it go. We see that happening around the country. I want to switch gears. There’s an effort this summer in your state, in Tulsa, to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s nondiscrimination policy. Nondiscrimination, that’s an interesting term these days. Who knows what that means sometimes? But a vote on the motion was tabled until next month. What can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, President Trump, since he’s been in office some 220 days, is certainly gone after the military, cleaning up the military when it comes to ideologies that are not traditional, what he’s done with the agencies across the entire government, what he’s done with cities and universities across the country, where they put impractical positions in place, and what Congress has done also in writing bills to end the woke, as you just stated coming into the interview here about Target, about Kroger. American people are sick of that. They spoke last November that they wanted to change in direction. And here in Tulsa on September 10th, we have a council that’s going to vote. It will happen. And there currently are five Republicans and four Democrats. I’ve talked to many of the Republicans. But there’s potentially, if they can flip one, this will become part of the statute in Tulsa. Here in the buckle of the Bible Belt of America, the reddest state in the nation, the home of Oral Roberts and Oral Roberts University, And many other pastors have come through here. And this is going to be problematic for us as conservatives, us who believe in the religious freedoms of this country, forcing businesses, forcing health care facilities to come out and say, what are we going to do about this? And so we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing the right thing. We’ve got to make sure that we’re pointing this out. And I’m sure the president is paying close attention to what’s going on here.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, you mentioned the president and the threats to religious liberty. I mean, to get a little more specific, what kind of, you know, practically threats do people in Tulsa who, you know, have a religious objection, what can they face? And is there anything that the president can do on a city level?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, certainly, Tulsa has about $300 million a year in federal funding that comes through here, whether it’s through housing or through infrastructure. So that’s problematic for potentially going forward, FEMA reimbursement. These are things that we’ve seen in the past with doing cakes for lesbians in Colorado. We’ve seen these things happen across the country. What I’ve seen also is the Supreme Court, which is of a different makeup now, make sure that we uphold the true, solid beliefs of the people in the Tulsa areas where small businesses may get a pronoun wrong and be sued. There are going to be a special group of folks that go around and investigate these questions that happen by the communities, as I just described, transgenderism, LGBTQ. And they created a political Trojan horse, if you will, by adding vets to be non-discriminated against, which, quite frankly, I spend a lot of time with veterans in my community. And none of them have called me and said that they want this change to the city ordinances. So this is something that’s an end run. This is something that every American that cares about this issue to come out into their city forms of government. Everything’s been pushed back to the local, and they’re trying to do an end run on the federal government. So we’ve got to be conscious of this. We’ve got to make sure that Tulsa doesn’t become an example for the rest of the country. And I believe that our citizens will get out and make their voices known.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, so many of these issues you see, especially in red states, as you mentioned, there are these blue city pockets who are so at odds with the values, not only of the rural areas, but honestly, the people who do live in the state. Sometimes it feels like they’re trying to compensate for being in a red state and being even more radical than some, you know, cities and blue states. You said there’s a vote coming up. So there seems sounds like there’s still a chance to prevent this from happening in Oklahoma, right?
SPEAKER 15 :
Oh, absolutely. The agenda we put out about 24 hours in advance. So they still have plenty of time to change this, remove the veterans from that, have that a standalone vote. I’m sure that will pass very quickly. We have, again, a large number of veterans, military veterans in our area, and then have a vote on the other two separately. So they can do all kinds of things. They don’t have to vote on that at all. They can respect their individual needs. religious freedoms of our business owners, of our healthcare facilities here. There’s a concern, obviously, with our religious institutions. We have a lot of churches. Are you not going to be able to express your concerns of things that you consider in your church as being unbiblical? And so these are all things that really matter. Listen, I’m for everybody being who they are. Just don’t force what you are on everybody else. And so Again, we’re going to see where this goes. I think it’s one that, again, if we can keep all of our Republicans on the council together, this will not pass. But the pressure will be immense. There will be a great turnout. I got a call, as well as the federal delegation got a call from all of our local leaders, from people who are concerned about this. And so we want to make it known. We want to do what we should do, and that’s make sure our communities are safer and well-respected. And I typically don’t get involved in the local issues. I keep those separated from the federal, but this is one that could be quickly a federal issue.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, thank you, Congressman Kevin Hearn of Oklahoma. I’m glad you’re getting involved in this. It sounds very important, and I’m glad you joined us on Washington Watch today.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, so to our listeners, as we close out this block, I just want to say that these local issues are so important. And while it feels like maybe in D.C. you don’t have the power to call up President Trump or make a difference, if you pay attention to what’s going on at the local level, there’s a lot of opportunities to live out your biblical worldview there. But coming up, we are going to discuss the resignation announcement of Target CEO Brian Cornell. As other corporate woke news is coming out, you may have noticed it. Kroger is facing a boycott. We have a lot to talk about. You don’t want to miss it. Don’t go away.
SPEAKER 10 :
Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple. The abortion drug. Today, over 60% of U.S. abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life-threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic. Without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail-order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
SPEAKER 16 :
Few people have had the positive Christ-honoring impact upon the family as Dr. James Dobson. His legacy will be lasting. In every sphere in which he engaged, he served the cause of Christ and proclaimed God’s faithfulness to his people. He brought to public policy a new focus on the timelessness of family. All of us at Family Research Council extend our sympathy and prayers to the entire Dobson family. Dr. Dobson fought the good fight of faith, finished the course, and kept the faith. He leaves a legacy for his own family and millions of families worldwide. Well done.
SPEAKER 01 :
We cannot give up. And we’ve got the Lord on our side. We can’t forget that. We’re not alone in this thing. The Lord has called us to a battle. He’s called us to fight with everything that we have.
SPEAKER 17 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host for today. Earlier this week, Target CEO Brian Cornell announced some perhaps unsurprising news. He’ll be stepping down early next year after more than a decade leading the giant retailer. Cornell’s time leading Target has been a world of woke trouble for the chain, starting back in 2016 when they made the fateful policy change that allowed customers to use the changing room of whichever gender they decided to be that day. The policy change caused major backlash, with over 1.5 million Americans pledging to boycott Target. In more recent years, the retailer leaned hard into promoting Pride Month. They backed off some this year, but it was too little too late. What could Cornell’s departure mean for the retailer going forward? Joining me now to take a look at this and other corporate woke news is Will Hild, the Executive Director of Consumers Research. Will, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to be with you. So I have to ask you, were you surprised by the Target CEO’s decision to leave?
SPEAKER 03 :
No, I’m not surprised at all if you look at the stock price and the steady declines that they’ve had, even far and above the post-pandemic declines that we’ve seen from a lot of companies. And then given the controversies that the company has stepped in over and over and over again, despite really no reason to, other than just masochism and a devotion to the woke religion, it’s not surprising. They had to make a change. Now, the question will be, does the next CEO make these same mistakes, or are they able to right the ship and get Target back to just providing goods and services at good prices?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, it’s funny. There’s the oft-repeated phrase if you spend a lot of time on Twitter, which I don’t recommend really, but it’s go woke, go broke, right? Right. And first, what are some of those, you mentioned some of those instances. Besides the one I mentioned, how did Target, you know, go woke and has their bottom line suffered, it seems like it has, since they waded into that woke pool?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I think the sense that they were woke built up over time, unlike some of the big blowups we’ve seen, like with Budweiser, for example. This was more of like a Cracker Barrel situation where there was just a steady stream of them stepping into woke issues, as you mentioned, having both genders be allowed in the bathroom. But then you had the big… you know, instigating event, I think, that really began the decline was when they added child’s tuck underwear, which I guess I gather to believe is, excuse me, bathing suits, bathing suits for children to tuck their genitalia to look like the opposite gender, which, even describing it, You feel dirty that even such a thing exists is an indictment of our society. But the fact that they were putting those for sale at the front of the stores across the country, even in deep red Bible Belt states like Texas and Arkansas, I think got people to realize that the culture of this company was really antagonistic and offensive to most Americans and certainly to Christian believers.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, there seems to be, there’s a couple things going on here. It seems that whoever is the consultants in Manhattan who are advising these policies or wherever, you know, different various headquarters and large regional hubs with the, you know, people fresh out of a liberal college making policies, there’s a disconnect between the actual consumer, the mother of five who’s going to the store to shop there, But now we’ve seen that conservatives, and not just conservatives, by the way, a lot of apolitical people are frustrated by these kinds of things, and they’re boycotting. And I’ve wondered at times if boycotts work, but it seems like in the case of Target, they made an impact. What is that power of the consumer to influence corporate decision, marketing, messaging, especially when it comes to this issue, Pride Month in June, etc.? ?
SPEAKER 03 :
That is such a great question because I do think there has been a total phase shift in the efficacy of boycotts. We saw when people would try to boycott companies like Disney in the 90s, it really didn’t go anywhere. The culture of the executives is really what determined the decisions that they made, and it really didn’t have much of an effect on the company when centralized leaders in Christian denominations, whether Catholic or Protestant, would call for a boycott. I think the shift here is two items. One is social media has changed dramatically the speed with which people can communicate with each other about what the company’s doing and then communicate with each other about doing something about it. What we saw out of Bud Light, for example, was a lot of people making fun of Bud Light, people joking about going to pick up a Bud Light and then deciding maybe they don’t want other people to think they’re gay or something like that. So that kind of ridicule on social media keeps these boycotts fun for consumers to engage in and makes them effective in spreading the message across a broad swath of the public. The other difference, I think, is just in general terms, the reservoir of frustration with corporations amongst consumers is way, way higher than it once was. And I think that’s also a play here. When people were frustrated with Disney, for example, on woke issues, proto-woke issues in the 90s, it was sort of seen as a niche cultural issue. Now, because so many companies have poked their consumers in the eye for so long, it takes very little before people really want to see vengeance. They want to basically make their will known against the corporation that’s doing it. So I think those two changes have had a radical change. I think it’s an indication that consumers should really feel empowered in this current environment and not shy for letting whatever their viewpoints are. Even if they feel like they’re not in the majority of the general public, they shouldn’t be shy about communicating their values to corporations and demanding that at least they’re respected, even if they aren’t agreed with.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I totally agree. I think that’s great. And it’s encouraging to our audience that, you know, you may have felt ignored for a while, but they can’t ignore you any longer. Will, you follow this issue closely. Let’s say you’re hired by Target as a consultant. They’re being boycotted by the right and the left, actually, have been boycotted by both sides. What do you tell these companies, how they went over Americans, went over that trust, if you’re the latest consultant for Bud Light or Target or whoever it may be?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, there’s really two strategies. One is you can just go to the lowest common denominator with all of your products. So you try to find the thing that is either unattackable, like I think Target has been trying to push a lot of July 4th type stuff, a lot of Americana. That’s harder for the left even to attack, even though the left is kind of not the ones that usually have big American flags in front of their houses. They find it hard to attack, right? That’s one strategy. It doesn’t seem like it’s working for Target, at least so far. Another strategy is, frankly, just start serving a completely underserved community, which is committed Christians. I think if Target, you know, they shouldn’t change the T to a cross, but I think if they were to put in like nativity scenes during Christmas, even just outline silhouettes, everyone knows what the holiday is. It’s not as, you know, we’re not celebrating the winter solstice. We’re celebrating the birth of Jesus. And I think if they were to have displays which had nativity scenes around their Christmas stuff, that would attract a lot of consumers who right now don’t trust Target. Even when they don’t see active wokeness, because of the history of the company, they don’t take it seriously that the company has cleaned up their act. And so I think they may need to do overt overtures. towards Christian conservatives or just general conservatives to let them say, listen, we get it. We messed up. That was wrong of us. We shouldn’t have excluded you culturally. We are actively including you. It’s funny. They love these DEI departments. The I stands for inclusivity. Inclusivity.
SPEAKER 17 :
What about including Christians? Well, what about including Christians? Right. It’s a great point. We got to leave it there. Coming up, Girl Scouts going woke. Stick around. Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today. You can join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We’ve created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective. Read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members. And of course, Stand Firm wherever you go.
SPEAKER 18 :
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Here at Family Research Council, we face many threats to the family, threats that have been with us for some time. Abortion, the gender ideology threat, the attacks on marriage, the attacks on parental authority, and the attacks on religious freedom. We have to promote, support, strengthen, and incentivize family growth so families take their place in society in a place of honor.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m defending the family by working in the Center for Biblical Worldview to provide cutting edge research and resources for pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian parents.
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Through my work at the Washington Stand, I passionately defend what God has defined for marriage and family. I don’t see the Washington Stand as just a place to talk about cultural events. It’s a place to share biblical truth. It’s a perfect outlet to advance and defend what God has defined as good, true, and beautiful.
SPEAKER 06 :
Because of you, we’re able to frame things in such a way that help Christians stand for truth on the things that matter most, like life, faith, family, and freedom. Thank you for standing with us.
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SPEAKER 17 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host for today. Last week, a New Jersey mother of three was removed from the leadership role in her Girl Scout troop after speaking out against the growing LGBT activism at the organization. Alexandra Bauer, who’s also the chair of the Bergen County chapter of Moms for Liberty, she’d been a troop leader for seven years when she received a call from the Girl Scouts. What’d they say? That she can no longer lead her troop of 30-plus girls. What did she say to warrant that kind of move? Joining me now to explain is Alexandra Bauer herself. Welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you so much for having me today.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. I’m very interested in your story because to me, Girl Scouts is about raising up strong women who stand up for what’s right. But when you did that, it sounds like you were kicked out. What happened?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, so I’ve been very lucky to have a very large group of girls over the last seven years. We’ve actually kept all but one. We love to go rock climbing and camping and fishing and you name it, we do it. We just love to raise strong young ladies. And unfortunately, the troop in northern New Jersey, well, I should say the unit over in northern New Jersey, and some of the troops had other things in mind and were pushing a lot of woke indoctrination on our young ladies. And, you know, we just weren’t going to stand for it. The town service unit leader decided to hold all of the meetings at this one particular church that was hosting a 13-year-old who was putting a group together to talk to with free ice cream and pizza and let’s talk about how you feel, you know, as a young person and your gender. And it was hosted by a 13-year-old boy identifying as a girl. And there were pride flags and progressive pride flags. And we had asked them to please remove the flags, that these things were inappropriate. And it was too important for them to keep all of that than to make our girls feel safe. So I put a social media post out, two of them actually. The first one was calling out the church and Girl Scouts. Why aren’t we, you know, being safe adults? When you see something, you say something. How come we’re not doing something as a community to make sure that our girls feel safe? And, you know, instead of I mean, for the most part, it went viral and everybody was like, yeah, why is this happening? Anyone with common sense was saying, you know, remove the flags, have the event someplace else. But, you know, we. We got some hate, of course, because the second they find out you’re with Moms for Liberty, that’s just what they do. They just sling, you know, hateful comments your way, and they don’t focus on what the actual problem was, but rather they want to put the attention on you. So, unfortunately, that was, I believe, back in February 2020. somewhere around that time. And we just didn’t bring our Girl Scouts there. You know, we said, well, we’re just not going to meet there. We’re going to do our own thing. We’re going to keep the girls safe. But then unfortunately, in June, our service manager again put another post up sharing that it was Pride Month and that all the Park Ridge troops would be, you know, taking, you know, these different classes or these badges. And the parents were were obviously very concerned. I was getting phone calls, hey, we’re not going to be doing this, right? And one parent, her husband said, we’re pulling our daughter out of this organization. This is not why we signed her up. So I shared the post and I said, just to be clear, my troop will not be doing this at all. We will have nothing to do with this. It is not our place to talk about anything sexual with children at all whatsoever. And so they actually refused to tell me which post went against Girl Scout conduct. But I have to make the assumption it was one of those two. So, yeah, we’re kicked out.
SPEAKER 17 :
So you stood up. It sounds like you got a lot of support from the other parents. So I’ve noticed that trend of someone gets in trouble by the authorities who are pushing the indoctrination. But then for every one person upset with you, there’s 10 parents who come up to you and whisper, I’m so glad you said something. I really was feeling the same way. Was that your experience?
SPEAKER 09 :
Totally. There’s maybe 50 people that are angry because we won’t sexualize and groom children. And there has to be thousands, not even exaggerating, of support messages. How can we help? I pulled my kid out. What else can I do? This is not… what Girl Scouts stands for. Girl Scouts is community, God, and country. And that is what it’s supposed to stand for. So right now, everyone’s just trying to figure out what we can do next. Let’s start our own group and let’s keep the girls safe and help them become these strong young ladies without these outside influences that they obviously are showing means so much more to them than the safety of our girls.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, we’ve got about a minute left here. But one thing that’s interesting I noticed in researching Girl Scouts is they started putting an asterisk by the word God in a lot of the language and stuff has the word God in it. God and country, the mottos, different things like that. But there’s an asterisk because if you don’t believe in God or you have a different spirituality, they want to create, you know, kind of optionality for you. But the funny thing is that there’s optionality for belief in God in an organization founded on God. But now if you want… to not participate in the LGBT side, there’s no way to take the option out of that, about 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 09 :
Correct. Yes. Well, it’s the rule. You know, the rules only work for them and not for anything else that they don’t believe in. Right. So if they want to have freedom of speech and say they believe in this and this is so important for them and we say, hey, we don’t feel that way. That’s not allowed because it goes against what they say. And really what it comes down to is between right and wrong. As an adult, it is your job to keep every child, not just yours, but any child that you’re around safe. That’s why as a Girl Scout leader, you actually have to do background checks and take courses to be certified to be a leader. So I would say to Girl Scouts, let’s go back to what you were founded on. That would be a great idea. And to parents, Pull your kids out. Go with your gut and make sure they’re in a safe place with baby dolls.
SPEAKER 17 :
Keep your kids safe. It’s a great message, Alexandra. Coming up, we’re going to talk about actually an option for a way to keep your girls safe and an alternative.
SPEAKER 11 :
Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 13 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 05 :
There’s so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, right? Because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 13 :
This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
SPEAKER 05 :
And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
SPEAKER 13 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 08 :
How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture. and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 17 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host today. Just a quick reminder, our Pray, Vote, Stand Summit is taking place October 17th to the 18th in Chino Hills, California. To learn more and register, visit PrayVoteStand.org. It’s PrayVoteStand.org. Now, in the last segment, I spoke with a New Jersey mother of three. She was removed from her leadership role in her Girl Scout troop after speaking out against the LGBT activism in the organization. Now, when you hear stories like that, it makes you wonder, what should you do for your daughter? Well, there are alternatives out there, and I want to highlight one for you now. Joining me now is Patti Garibay, Founder and Executive Director Emeritus at American Heritage Girls. Patti, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Casey. It’s good to be with you today.
SPEAKER 17 :
I’m glad you’re here because I think some people may have known, but I had no idea how bad this Girl Scout problem was. I have this document in front of me, and it reads like a Berkeley intersectionality paper, some of the things that are training for these Girl Scout leaders. You started in the Girl Scouts. Can you tell us about how you came out of that, and has it always been this bad?
SPEAKER 14 :
You know, I was a Girl Scout leader for nine years back in the 90s. And in 1993 was my final straw that said no more because the Girl Scouts had changed the Girl Scout promise that you had, as you had mentioned earlier in your segment, that said that no longer did you have to make an oath to God. Well, when we kick God out of the character development program, what will the moral foundation be? It will be whatever the culture is saying. And so that’s what we’re seeing today. So this has been going on for a long time. American Heritage Girls, we started it in 1995, celebrating 30 years of ministry that is very much like the Girl Scouts without the woke D.E.I. agenda. And that honors God like the founders of Girl Scouts really intended.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, when you take God out, it creates a vacuum. And I love the way you put it, that the vacuum is filled by culture. And nowadays, culture is not a very reliable arbiter of truth or even common sense. Am I making too much of this? Can you give us some specifics on how bad is the Girl Scouts gotten these days? And how is American Heritage Girls different and better?
SPEAKER 14 :
I can’t even create a large enough label of warning to parents about the Girl Scouts. I cannot yell it from the rooftops loud enough. It is a dangerous place, particularly if you are someone who wants to raise up their child in the way they should go with biblical worldview. This is not for biblical worldview people. As a matter of fact, you’re uninvited according to their camp culture codes, which is a code of conduct that is used by all the counselors. They don’t just want you to respect LGBTQ. They want you to become an ally with LGBTQ, which is therefore getting rid of Christian values and dishonoring God’s plan. So this is such a dangerous organization. From buying cookies to allowing your daughter to be in a troop to even going camping, it gives me chills. Now, you knew this had to be pretty bad if a mom of four thought that she should start something new to compete with the Girl Scouts. And that’s what happened.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, you’re a little busy, mom of four. You took on this whole thing, but it’s been a huge success. It’s been going for decades now. You know, here’s another thing. I mentioned the asterisk on God, right? So that they could, you see God is kept in the materials, but then you read into it and, you know, they expand the definition. But it’s not just God that has an asterisk. It’s girl. And one of the things that I found in the Girl Scouts training materials, and they vary by region, I think, so I was looking at different versions, but is that when you’re addressing a room of Girl Scouts, you cannot say, hey, girls, that would be off limits. Is that familiar? I mean, how can you lead Girl Scouts if you don’t know what a girl is, Patty?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, it’s just as confusing as any pronoun for the wrong sex person. It’s very difficult to maneuver. And I don’t know how any parent that has discernment around this can even be part of the Girl Scouts. Trust me, it is not your mother’s Girl Scouts. This is not the tradition I grew up with. This was not what my mother led me in. This is totally different. So beware, beware, and know that you have alternatives. American Heritage Girls is just that. We offer all the high adventure and the exciting activities, plus leadership, plus service to others, all within a biblical world lens. And that is actually we’re chartered with churches. This is not Sunday school. This is experiential learning where belonging is part of it and making friends. But growing up side by side, raising each other’s arms in this difficult culture to raise up the way we should go and to raise up our girls in the way they should go.
SPEAKER 17 :
Right, and how can we learn more? I mean, are you in all 50 states or most states? People are listening and say, okay, enough about Girl Scouts. What about the American Heritage Girls? How can we get connected?
SPEAKER 14 :
Right. American Heritage Girls have troops all over the country, all 50 states, 16 international countries. Visit our website at AmericanHeritageGirls.org. That’s AHGOnline.org or AmericanHeritageGirls.org. Or tune in to our podcast three times a week, Raising Godly Girls with American Heritage Girls.
SPEAKER 17 :
Raising Godly Girls. Who doesn’t want that? That’s a great name. Patty, thank you for joining us. Founder and Executive Director Emeritus at American Heritage Girls. Some really important work. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Casey.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. As we conclude this program and this week, we here at Washington Watch like to look back on some of the headlines and consider them from a biblical worldview. Joining me to do that is David Claussen. He’s the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at Family Research Council. He’s also the author. He wrote a book. It’s called Life After Roe, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. David, thanks for jumping on.
SPEAKER 12 :
Casey, always a joy to be on the program and especially for your first day host in the program. Great to be with you, brother.
SPEAKER 17 :
Hey, thank you. I appreciate it. It is my first time, and I’m enjoying it. It’s a really important job, and some great guests today as well. You’re among them, of course. I want to dive into a really important issue. It’s chemical abortion at Costco. But before we get there, Dr. Dobson passed away this week. Of course, he was a co-founder of Family Research Council from the beginning. known also as a founder of Focus on the Family, really a legend in the faith and in American politics. How big is his impact? Can you just unpack that for us?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, Casey, when I found out that Dr. Dobson had passed at the age of 89, you know, one of the scriptures that came to mind is what it says in Psalm 116, you know, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. And just imagine the—if I can use a theological imagination—the roar of heaven when Dr. Dobson entered the gates. The legacy is incredible. You mentioned co-founder of the Family Research Council, of course, longtime president of Focus on the Family. He also had a hand in founding other groups, including Alliance Defending Freedom. the Family Policy Alliance, the James Dobson Institute, which he gave his last couple of years to. I think it was eight years ago, Casey, I had the privilege of going to Billy Graham’s funeral and got to meet a lot of just legends of the faith, Dr. Charles Stanley and others who have since gone on. You know, just a reminder that it’s appointed once for man to die, and after that, the judgment, Ecclesiastes 3, there’s a time to be born, there’s a time to die. And it’s just a reminder, some of these legends, like John MacArthur, just earlier this year, passed from the scene. You know, a lot of the times, some of these characters that we cover in the media that kind of didn’t finish well. And there’s lessons to learn from there. But with Dr. Dobson and someone like John MacArthur or R.C. Sproul, it’s a life well lived. It’s a life of legacy. And for Dr. Dobson, it’s for standing up for the family. He got started just by looking around in the 1960s, seeing the problems that drugs and changing sexual mores were having on the culture. and wanting to take a stand for the family and for the value and sanctity of life. And so I think that’s gonna be his legacy, strong families and ethic of life. And I know those of us here at FRC, we are going to continue to carry the torch forward for that legacy as he fades from the scene now, we’re gonna try to continue that forward.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, I see a lot of the honor pouring in and it’s well-deserved. It’s funny though, because You know, in death, he receives this honor. But when you’re fighting those decades in the battle, you actually catch a lot more slings and arrows. I mean, you always have faithful believers who are supporting you and, of course, giving as they did. But you take a lot of fire and a lot of criticism because when you’re in this fight, you take persecution. Right. And so I think it’s just to me, he’s a model for standing strong and staying strong amid persecution. If you finish well, then there is this honor at the end. Speaking of the fight. Costco, chemical abortion. This is a huge fight that is being largely ignored, I think, and I’m glad we’re talking about it. Despite so many states passing pro-life laws post Roe v. Wade, as you’ve written about, you can still get abortions in these states. via a drug. Now, we have some good news. Sounds like Costco is not going to sell the drug. Can you explain how is it you can get an abortion in a state where abortion is illegal, or at least very limited? And what does Costco have to do with it?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, well, Casey, that’s the challenge. So we probably many of us know where we were on June 24, 2022, when the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned in the Dobbs decision. And praise be to God, we’d be some of the most ungrateful people if we didn’t praise God and thank him for that decision that is having rippling effects. But we are now facing the most significant challenge we’ve faced in the pro-life movement since Roe v. Wade, which is chemical abortion pills, that two-pill regimen that was initially approved in the waning days of the Clinton administration back in September of 2000. Initially, when those pills were approved, there were some safeguards. And I put safeguards in air quotes. Those pills are never safe for the baby. But there were some safeguards in place for women. But then over time, first with the Obama administration and then the Biden administration, they took back a lot of those safeguards. Some of those safeguards required a woman to go in person to a doctor. at least three times. Those requirements are gone. And now you can get these pills dispensed at a pharmacy. And so whether that’s CVS, Walgreens, or Costco. Well, Costco, just a matter of days ago, announced that at their 500 pharmacies, they were not going to carry the chemical abortion pill anymore. Now, they cited low demand, but we know, Casey, there’s been a massive outcry and push from Christian conservatives all over this country. So again, I look at this as a win for life, but we still have a lot more to go. What about CVS and Walgreens?
SPEAKER 17 :
You mentioned them. Where do they land on this? Are they still selling it?
SPEAKER 12 :
At this point, they are. And so, again, I’m not someone who’s usually in favor of kind of performative boycotts. But I do think as Christians, we should engage in principled stewardship. I think that we need to look at what’s happened in just the last couple of years. Think of Bud Light. Think of Target. When consumers, especially Christian conservatives, kind of put their dollars where their mouth is, so to speak, or where their convictions are, companies take notice. And so as of now, CVS and Walgreens do still carry chemical abortion pills. If I was giving advice to Christian consumers, I would look elsewhere. Just because, again, chemical abortion pills, Casey, 63% of abortions that now take place are through the means of this two-pill regimen. You realize there was actually a million abortions last year. For the first time in over a decade, the overall abortion number went up. Under Republican control. Republican control, Roe v. Wade’s overturned. So how can this be? Well, it’s because it’s just an unregulated industry almost. And a lot of those tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands probably of those pills come into conservative states that have… ostensibly outlawed abortion, but they come in from New York or Illinois or California. And so that’s one of the reasons, you know, FRC and other groups, we’re even putting pressure on the Trump administration right now to go back and look at those rims, look at those safeguards when it comes to chemical abortion. HHS, Bobby Kennedy need to, again, take a look at this, because they are the number one contributor now of abortion in this country.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, not only that, I mean, the latest health research that’s come out on this has looked at hundreds of thousands of women who’ve taken these pills, and an alarming percentage, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but an alarming percentage have adverse health effects, have to go to the ER. 10.93%.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s a lot. Yeah. The abortion industry says these pills are as safe as taking a Tylenol. Historically, they’ve admitted, though, one out of 25 women who take these pills has an adverse health effect. And the study that you’re alluding to, the EPPC put out in the spring, it’s not just one out of 25. Again, 10.93% of women who take these pills have, whether it’s sepsis or hemorrhaging or something worse. So these are not safe for women at all. let alone the unborn child.
SPEAKER 17 :
Wow, sepsis, hemorrhaging. I mean, I know that some of the study was disputed, as they always are on this issue, but those are serious conditions. This is very serious. As we know, non-chemical abortion has very adverse effects as well and can be very dangerous. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s calling for a total, I mean, I’m sure some people would be happy, but a total ban on the abortion pill wholesale. That’s really not what I’m hearing from many people right now, though, that would probably be viewed favorably by a lot of those advocates. What they’re saying is reinstate the 2016, 2018, 2019 health regulations that Biden undid. Let’s just go back to what the health regulations were just seven years ago. Is that right? I mean, we’re not talking about no one can ever have this again, although, of course, we’d love that. It’s just health things like having a doctor present when you take this pill that could land you in the ER. Is that right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, yeah, and that’s a start. This summer, I authored a resolution at the Southern Baptist Convention, actually, that did call to go back to those safeguards. But ultimately, we need to realize it was a very political process that approved these pills. And so it would be a hoove of the HHS to go back and even look at the initial approval process for these pills. Because again, they’re lethal for babies, but they’re also really dangerous for women. And so again, ultimately, as pro-life Christians, we want to see an end to all abortion. But a starting point would be to go back to those safeguards.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, there’s the argument against abortion, which is a really powerful one. And then there’s, if that 10% number is real, that’s very serious. And if concerns about this chemical abortion pill were waived aside for political reasons to make abortion more accessible and women have suffered for it, that’s a really big problem that goes beyond the pro-life movement, that if women’s health was really put at risk. And my other sense is that there’s not a lot of government into that question right now because maybe they don’t want to know the answer. About a minute left.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, no, I agree with you, Casey. And I think that’s why for those of us who are social conservatives, there is no greater issue than the dignity and sanctity of life. Again, as Christians, we believe in this because the Bible tells us, it reveals us. We have Psalm 139. We have Luke chapter 1. But I think people of goodwill who just value women, who value all people, can realize this is an issue fundamentally of human harm, human dignity. And it’s an issue we need to continue to shine a spotlight on because this issue really, really matters.
SPEAKER 17 :
And to be clear, as we close out, Trump, yes or no, Trump and FDA could turn this around tonight if they wanted.
SPEAKER 12 :
They could. They’re looking at it, and we need to pray they’ll make the right decision.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, David Klaassen, thank you so much for joining us. Great, as always. Thank you, Casey. God bless. God bless you as well. Thank you. And God bless you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. Of course, I’m Casey Harper. As David pointed out, it’s my first time to guest host and had a great time with you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. We will be back next week with Washington Watch. Stay strong.
SPEAKER 19 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
