“America is a force for good in the world. Israel is our friend. Police officers keep us safe. The Wuhan virus came from Wuhan. There is a difference between boys and girls,” Senator Ted Cruz opened his speech at the final night of YAF’s National Conservative Student Conference.
These statements may seem like common-sense, but, as Sen. Cruz pointed out, you can be cancelled, fired, and ostracized for saying them today. Even five years ago, these weren’t seen as controversial. The senator highlighted just how quickly and radically the Left has shifted the goalposts so that even proven facts are deemed dangerous.
“We are living in a time of lunacy,” he remarked.
According to Sen. Cruz, the Left is moving too far, too fast—and the American people are noticing.
Sen. Cruz’s advice to the students in attendance: speak the truth.
He gave new meaning to the old adage “the truth will set you free,” reminding students that the truth was key to defending their freedom.
“How do you know the truth is powerful? Because it scares the living daylights out of the Left,” he added.
One thing the Left fails to acknowledge, he says, is “If you go down to Key Kest, the rafts are all going in one direction,” and if you saw the Berlin Wall during the Soviet Union’s reign, “The machine guns are all pointed in one direction.”
“Socialism—every place on earth it’s been tried—is a disaster.”
According to Sen. Cruz, “America is based on principles that work.”
He went on to stress the importance of free speech and free exercise of religion.
Next, he emphasized to students, “In times of crisis people reveal their character.” He then discussed the people he believed had revealed themselves to be power-hungry and hypocritical during the Covid-19 pandemic, including: Cori Bush, Bill De Blasio, and Lori Lightfoot.
As to how politicians could get away with the power grabs seen in the past year, Sen. Cruz said “What the Left counts on is apathy. The Left counts on ignorance and the Left counts on fear.”
He concluded by urging students to “go light fires.” To metaphorically “light the fire of liberty.” He reminded them that more people are on their side than they realize, and now is the time to fight for freedom. Students erupted into applause as Sen. Cruz jumped into the audience to greet the young onlookers.
Watch Sen. Cruz’s full remarks here.