Kevin Freeman: Pirate Money Radio celebrates America's 250th birthday today
Kevin Freeman: Ahoy, mates, and welcome aboard a very special voyage of Pirate Money Radio. On this historic day, America's 250th birthday, I'm your captain, Kevan Freeman, the author of Pirate Money, coming to you from the heart of Texas with excitement in the air as we celebrate two and a half centuries of this great nation. Now, I'm going to admit something up front. You might be headed to this great Fourth of July celebration today and you might see Dr. Carson, our special guest, somewhere speaking, you'll say, wait a minute, he's on the radio. Yes, we're prerecording this. That's why he's wearing a suit instead of those beautiful red, white and blue, shorts and shirt that he probably to wear with his backyard barbecue. But I'm also joined today with my favorite co host, love of my life, Marnie Freeman. Welcome, Marnie.
Marnie Freeman: Thank you. Thanks for having m me. I'm thrilled to be here on this incredible day. I mean, 250, 250 years. I mean, we are looking forward, looking back to look forward and just pass on legacy.
Kevin Freeman: Absolutely, Marnie. And we just had Father's Day and we're talking about Founding Fathers now, wherever you're tuning in, by the way, Real Life Network, your favorite podcast, we're going to have some fun, we're going to be inspired. We've got some thought provoking discussion today as we celebrate our nation's biggest milestone.
Marnie says patriotism is ingrained in her family through military service
Marnie, quick, take fatherhood. Fourth of July.
Marnie Freeman: Okay, well, patriotism for me and the Founding Fathers. My dad was a patriot. He served in the military, served in Vietnam, and it was ingrained in our home. And I have a love for this country and I, I just tear up thinking about it and our freedoms and how we had to fight for them. The fathers, our founding Fathers fought for them. We have to be vigilant to keep it.
Only 13% of American eighth graders are proficient in American history
Kevin Freeman: Well, speaking of the Founding Fathers and extraordinary people and extraordinary fathers and Americans who embody faith, family and service, we have a very special guest sailing with us today. He's the world renowned neurosurgeon, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He's an author, a speaker, and a true American hero. And I am so honored to call him a friend, Dr. Ben Carson. Welcome, Dr. Carson.
Ben Carson: Well, thank you, Kevan and Marnie. Good to see both of you here and thank you all for being such great patriots.
Kevin Freeman: Oh, we're just honored to have you. I mean, you've served. You've got the Washington background there. I can see the Capitol building of the Washington Monument and all that. You've served there, but you've served all over this country. And on this historic day, America's 250th birthday. What gives you hope for our nation? And how can tools like storytelling and film renew the American dream for the next generation?
Ben Carson: Well, I'm hopeful when I see young people, particularly young men, returning to church and returning to the values that made this into a great country. I think a lot of the young people are starting to say, I'm looking down the pike here at where we're heading, and it doesn't look very good. It looks very scary. And, if they have wisdom, they will find the right way. There is no question that what is going on in our country right now is the same thing that has gone on in many other countries, that experienced a socialist, communist takeover. You try to depatriotize the people. You don't want them to be patriots.
Marnie Freeman: You.
Ben Carson: You want them not to feel close to their country, not to feel proud of their country. And that's why they spend so much time talking about, well, America has slavery, and it did horrible things to the Indians, and they treated foreigners inappropriately. did all those things happen? Yes, but a lot more good things happened. You know, you got to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's no perfect people. that's why we need a savior. But what was interesting about our country with slavery, we had so many people who were opposed to it that we fought a bloody civil war to get rid of it. And, we had a lot of people, of all different, nationalities, races, who were involved in the Underground Railroad and finding ways to get slaves out of the United States and up to Canada and up to places where they could be free. And many of them risked their lives to do that. So we don't teach our children about stuff like that. And that's a real problem. Recent surveys have shown that eighth graders, only 13%, are proficient in American history. If you don't know your history, you are very vulnerable. You can be easily lit. And we're seeing that happen.
Marnie Freeman: I say that all the time. If we don't know scripture and history, you're done for.
Kevin Freeman: No, that's true. And they're being taught Howard Zinn's history, which is fake history, but that's what we love about American Journey Experience. Ah. And the brilliant young people we have in studio today because they're learning the Real history. They're going back to original founding documents. They're not just circulating these liberal thoughts or ideas and where they cite each other as a source and say, well, Bill Smith says this. Well, Dr. Jones says this. And they go back to the original documents. And Dr. Carson, you've been doing that with your little patriots course, younger than we have in students today, but you've been bringing that knowledge back to young people about the amazing nation in which we live.
Ben Carson: no question about it. And it is the most incredible nation. You think about the fact that we're the only nation whose founding document says that our rights come from our Creator and not from government. That's an integral part of who we are and our belief system and the values that we develop. And those values led us from obscurity to the pinnacle of the world in record time. Think about that. I mean, just 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville came here to study our country. And he concluded that America, which has already caught up with all those European nations that have been around for hundreds of years, he said, America is great because America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. And this was after he had studied our educational system and our system of government, the business environment, the church, all these things. He came to that conclusion. That was the end of his two part series called Democracy in America.
Kevin Freeman: He visited the churches and he saw the word of God being put into the lives of people and practiced, believed by faith, accepted and then enacted. And I think that's the difference is, we saw that movie. I don't know if you've seen it, the Great Awakening movie, but the history of America, when Ben Franklin meets George Whitefield and the impact it has on our country.
Ben Carson: Absolutely. And you know, a lot of people try to get people to believe that our founding fathers were deists. that is, they believed that there may be a God, but that he doesn't play any part in the affairs of man. the book that we just, created called Built on Faith, looks at several of our founding fathers and shows what their relationship was with God. And it becomes very clear that they were men of faith. George Washington, praying all the time, carried a Bible around with him and read it on a very regular basis, particularly the Psalms, gave him a lot of courage. And, Jon Adams, which many people say was a definite deist. Why would he say what he said? He said our Constitution was designed for a moral and religious people and is holy and inadequate for the government of any others. He wouldn't say that if he didn't think that God played an active role. Thomas Jefferson, which people say was really way away from God. Why would he say that our rights come from our creator and cannot be taken away by human government if he didn't believe that God was active? And it goes on and on. And, a pictorial, masterpiece, I think that really will inspire the kids. And we also have a couple of our partners. Ronnie Gaines, has a new children's book called 1, 2, 3, We Are Free. And, Kirk Cameron, built on bravery. And the three of those can be bought in a package.
Marnie Freeman: Those are great partners.
Kevin Freeman: Oh, fantastic. And you, Dr. Carson, you're actually active with the President of the United States on a faith initiative now on bringing faith back into our government, which is an amazing thing. All right, we're going to take a break in a minute. but I'm just so impressed with your American Cornerstone Institute. I want to set that up and tease it. you've established this when you, quote, retired. I see you working harder than ever at your retirement, but you're bringing faith to the American people. It's one of the cornerstone, elements.
Marnie Freeman: Cornerstone. Get that.
Ben Carson: Yes.
Kevin Freeman: And you're bringing faith back to our country. You're serving the president. You're serving the people. I'm just so honored to call you friend and to know you and your beautiful wife, Kim. All right, Dr. Carson, we need to take a break. When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about what American Cornerstone Institute is doing today. We'll be right back.
Pirate Money Radio promotes honest money and promotes liberty and justice
Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah. And we're setting the anchor with why we fly the Pirate Money flag. Spanish doubloons, piece of eight. And the founder's vision of honest money is the foundation of true liberty and justice. Now, there are only three things you can do with your money. You can give it, you can spend it, or you can invest it. Here at Pirate Money Radio, we work to explain solutions that support all three areas in a way to promote liberty, security, and values. Patriot Mobile, it's a mobile phone company, supports the Pirate Money radio program. Patriot Mobile uses US carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and T Mobile, and operates on both Apple and Android phones. More information about Pirate Money Radio and the economic war room. And Patriot Mobile is [email protected] AFR that's PirateMoneyRadio.com AFR, we have Dr. Carson with us, and we've been talking about money, with the students. We have joined live studio audience today from American Journey Experience. And I got to give them a talk a little bit, money and economics.
Dr. Carson says Americans should focus on financial literacy for young people
Dr. Carson, you studied the founders. the Bible talks about fair weights and measures and economic justice. And you kind of alluded to this in the first segment. There are moments in American history where we have been less than just to all the people here. How important is it for us to keep in mind that there are many Americans from various backgrounds, various financial situations, but they're all part of the American experience?
Ben Carson: Well, you know, one of the things about America is that we have believed, traditionally in merit and in hard work. There are a lot of places where you can come from nowhere and, ascend to the, to the highest ranks of society, in all kinds of ways, including financially. And I'm very happy to see that a lot of people are starting to concentrate on financial literacy for young people, because if they learn that, as they're exiting high school and they begin to put aside a defined amount of money, a percentage of what they make, by the time they're 60 years old, they're going to be okay. And we don't really teach that, unfortunately. Now there's been more attention to it with the president's, program for newborns giving, them $1,000 and watching that grow. It's similar to something we have with the Carson Scholars Fund, where we give children starting in the fourth grade $1,000 if they achieve at a certain academic level. And they also demonstrate that they care about other people because we're trying to raise the next generation of leaders. We have a lot of people who are very smart, but they don't care about other people. That's not the kind of leadership we need. We need compassionate people who are interested and a good life for everybody. And I think we're moving. Many, segments of our, population are moving in that direction, but we have to keep applying the gas. Keep your foot on the pedal. Because those who want to fundamentally change this nation, they are very persistent. they never take a break. They just try to take advantage of every situation to drive their agenda. And that's very problematic for us.
Marnie Freeman: They just don't stop. No, it's never ending.
Kevin Freeman: They don't. And they're trying to argue for acting equity as opposed to equal opportunity. And equity means we're all going to end up in a bad position. Equal opportunity means that some may Prosper more than others. You might end up with a trillionaire like Elon Musk. But if we follow Jon Wesley's rules, make all you can, save and invest all you can and give all you can, and we treat money as stewards, then we're going to have a better society. Everybody wins. We'll have, an improved economic position for everybody.
Marnie Freeman: I mean, Psalms talks about that. 7:24. He'll bring justice to the poor, the people. He will save the children of the needy, and he will break in pieces the oppressor.
Kevin Freeman: Psalm 72. 4. That's right. Dr. Gardiner, we got about a half minute before the break. Any thoughts?
Ben Carson: Well, we have some of the most generous people that have ever existed in the world and people trying to make billionaires into bad people. If we didn't have billionaires, we wouldn't have stadiums, we wouldn't have museums, we wouldn't have a lot of universities. We wouldn't have a lot of things that we've come to depend on and take for granted. we shouldn't be trying to denigrate anybody or create class warfare. We should be trying to create a society where anybody can become, what they want to be.
Kevin Freeman: You know, equal opportunity. Giving everybody the American dream. That's what we're talking about. Other nations don't have a dream. America. We have a dream. We. Let's not forget it or turn it into a nightmare. We'll be right back.
Mike Carter: Pirate Money Radio. Helping you give, spend and invest in ways that align with liberty, security and values.
From humble beginnings to world renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson's life story is inspiring
Welcome back with your host, Kevan Friedman,
Kevin Freeman: and I'm joined by my beautiful wife, Marni, and the great Dr. Ben Carson. And Dr. Carson, your life story is an American dream in action. From humble beginnings to world renowned neurosurgeon, can you share some of the key moments from your journey, including maybe the story behind Gifted Hands, which, we just watched recently?
Marnie Freeman: Well, we watched it last night with the students and, they thought he was incredible. What we took away from that is how much your journey was a faith journey, all the prayer that was incorporated into your walking this out and how where you landed. Now, the whole journey was amazing. And we were astounded. And it caused a lot of conversation about the Lord and faith. It was fabulous.
Ben Carson: Well, you know, my mother, you know, came from a very poor background in rural Tennessee, discovered that her husband was a bigamist. She got married when she was 13 years old, trying to escape all that stuff, and had a very difficult time trying to raise her two sons by herself with very Little education. But she had faith in God. She believed in God and that he would be the solution to every problem. And she made us read books. I didn't want to read books. I wanted to be watching television and playing like everybody else. But I started reading about people, people of great accomplishment. And I began to see that there was a pattern there. And that people who are successful work hard to get there. And that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you. And, you know, I really grasped that because I hated poverty. Some people hate rats and roaches. I hated poverty. But as I read those books, I said, you don't have to live in poverty. You have the ability to change your life to whatever you want. And I became a voracious reader at that point. Read everything I could get my hands on. And I went from the bottom of the class to the top of the class. And, you know, from that point forward, you know, I just kept setting goals and doing what was necessary in order to reach them. But I also developed, along with my mother, a tremendous faith, recognizing that God is in charge of everything. And God doesn't force himself upon you. But if you learn to accept what he has for you, boy, you can really take off like a rocket at that point. And he gives everybody something. If you're in a room full of people, I guarantee you every person in that room is better than everybody else in that at something. You need to find that something. What are the things that you are really gifted in? Don't necessarily pattern yourself after someone else. listen to that still small voice of God and recognize the talent that he has given you and develop will help not only you, but those around you.
Something about retention from reading is great than just hearing the audiobooks
Kevin Freeman: You know, you raised a point with me when you were talking about the importance of reading. I just read this morning that, apparently audiobooks and reading don't operate in the brain the same way. Now, I've got a neurosurgeon here who understands the brain. Something about retention from reading is great than just hearing the audiobooks. A lot of people love to listen to it, but there's some power in the reading of it. Why is that?
Ben Carson: Well, reading requires you to take those letters and to make them into words, take those words, make them into sentences, those sentences into concepts. it's like exercising a muscle. And the more you exercise that muscle, the stronger it gets you talk about muscle memory. Reading is much more likely to do that than watching television or watching a screen. And it doesn't mean that you can't learn from television or screens, but not nearly to the extent that you will reading. It's just like with muscles. you can take a little rubber band and stretch it and that will get you a little strength. But it wouldn't be like taking weights and using them in a prescribed manner.
Marnie Freeman: same with writing, by the way.
Kevin Freeman: Writing has an impact too. Reading instead of typing. Yes, it does.
Ben Carson: And it's helpful for older people too, not just young people.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, that's good to know.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, that is good to know. So we'll be reading and writing and some arithmetic too, I suppose. So we'll get the three R's in all.
Ben Carson: right.
Kevin Freeman: We're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson. We're talking about America on our 250th birthday. We've got a new movie we want to talk about that incorporates a lot of these things and we'll cover that and more when we come back.
Dr. Ben Carson's Little Patriots program focuses on American history
Mike Carter: Welcome to Pirate Money Radio with your host Kevan Freeman, helping you unpack the economic headlines and providing real money solutions.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, we're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson and I want to ask you. Dr. Carson, I saw Pat Boone, Kirk Cameron, Jared Ellis, Alveda King, Jon Schneider, Rob Schneider, Gary Sinise, Kevan Sorbo. And you are in a new movie that debuted at the, Trump Lincoln center in Washington D.C. can you tell us about, the Star Spangled Adventures? The movie?
Ben Carson: Yes. One of the aspects of the Little Patriots program is Star Spangled Adventure. It's an animated series. we have new, vignettes that come out every month that are only like five to 10 minutes long, but they concentrate on one aspect of our history. For instance, there's one on Fort McHenry. What actually happened there? and we decided with 250 year celebration coming up, let's do a whole feature length movie, that covers the whole 250 years. How did we start? How did we grow? What are some of the things that happen? And how did we reach this point 250 years later? It's done in a very family friendly way. I strongly, suggest that, parents and grandparents, view it with their children and grandchildren because a lot of us older folks don't know a lot of things too. And by knowing them and discussing them with our young people, we create a sense of patriotism because, there's a concerted effort, to make young people think that America is bad. And this, is to show that America has had some dark areas. There's no question about that. But we can learn from those. That's what wise people do. They learn from mistakes, and they move forward. And, when they see all the good things that this country has been involved in, it makes them more resistant to those people who try to convince you that America is at the root of all evil, quite frankly. If America was so bad, why do so many people try so hard to get in here? it would seem like they might be a little smarter than that.
Marnie Freeman: Exactly. So the film recently had, like he said, the premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center. So the response was overwhelming. It was. I mean, we're. We're hearing great things about it all over media. And, the. That's only one thing that you have going on. American Cornerstone Institute has a lot of things going on for little patriots, and we appreciate that. Absolutely. You. You get on your website, there's so much there to look at, to do, to listen to. You have a lot of tools for all of. So thank you. Thank you for that. And your wife, Candy, who I know. She's amazing. I love her. She is a concert level. Yeah, I know, right? She's a concert level, violinist. Did she get a triple degree? Because that was in the movie. Did she get a triple degree?
Ben Carson: Well, she had a degree in psychology, and in music, she has a master's degree in business.
Marnie Freeman: Well, you guys are a power couple, and you go out and, I mean, the world just explodes. You guys are doing great things. So how has her talent and partnership enriched your life and just your shared mission values?
Kevin Freeman: How does it work?
Marnie Freeman: How does it work? Yeah.
Ben Carson: as you all know very well, you two, God knows what he's doing, and he didn't design us to be alone. You know, Adam was by himself, and he said, you know, it's not good. That man should be alone. I will give him a help me. And, that doesn't mean somebody to walk on or doesn't mean somebody to beat you into submission. It means you work together, so that you can accomplish goals together. And for us, it's been 51 years. She's been by my side the whole time, and, was instrumental in our scholarship program. She did all the work until we got to the point where we had full staff and lawyers and all those kinds of things. But she did all that by herself before and travels, with me all over the world.
Marnie Freeman: And you all have fun. You all have fun.
Ben Carson: When people meet me somewhere, they say, where's Candy? Because she's so vivacious
Marnie Freeman: and she's a smart cookie, and she loves the, Gaither Home Band. We do a lot back and forth on that.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, I love to listen to your banter, too, because I remember the first time I interviewed you, you were on set and you asked, how did I do? And she said, wouldn't hurt you to speak up a little. And you looked at me and said, is your wife your best critic, too? And, yes, she is.
Marnie Freeman: Well, I'm going to talk about her humility because she came and did a fundraiser. You, Dr. Carson, did that for us, and she played for us at this fundraiser that we were helping to host. And there was no green room at the venue, and they pretty much told her she was going to have to practice in the bathroom. And she so humbly just went to the bathroom. In the bathroom. She's practicing her violin in the bathroom.
Kevin Freeman: Hey, I can't imagine what the people going into the bathroom thought. This place is so fancy. They have a concert going on in the ladies room.
Ben Carson: Exactly.
Marnie Freeman: She didn't care.
Kevin Freeman: She should have had a little bucket there for tips.
Ben Carson: Well, she also was a very good mother raising our children, because, you know, I was extraordinarily busy, working 14, 15, 16 hours every day. but she filled in the gap. And eventually I got to the point where I said, look, it's 11pm and I'm still here at the hospital, not done with all the stuff that I need to do. And I said, At 7pm I was also not done with all this stuff, so why don't I go home at 7 and not be done, rather than go home at 11 and not be done?
Marnie Freeman: Oh, that's smart.
Ben Carson: Makes a big difference.
Kevin Freeman: Okay, Marnie, you had the question. This is the time to ask. She had a question after watching Gifted Hands again last night. Ask about the 21 hours. Go ahead.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, okay. So we had this small discussion, too, about how do doctors, when they're in surgery for hours on end in the restroom, what do they do about that when you're in 20 hour surgeries? What? I mean, inquiring minds want to know.
Ben Carson: Well, first of all, if you know you're going to be in an extremely long surgery, you don't drink a lot, you sort of wait until the surgery is over and then you really hydrate at that point. That way you don't have to keep going out, but if you do have to go out, there's no big deal.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, so you actually get to leave
Ben Carson: surgery if you need to.
Kevin Freeman: Okay, this is, by the way, a dad's advice. All you dads out there on the 4th of July, you're driving, you're saying, look, it's a six hour car ride. Don't drink a lot before we get in the car.
Ben Carson: Absolutely. Now keep in mind you do need to be hydrated though. So keep it, keep it in mind what you want to drink during that day, and make up for it later on.
Kevin Freeman: try and time the bathroom with the gas need of the car. We know how long we've got a gas tank. You drink just enough so you can make it to the gas station. That's a dad's advice on the fourth of July.
Marnie Freeman: Right. And I told them about you not drinking caffeine, obviously. And here I had, I had a caffeinated drink right before we got on. And I'm shaking like a leaf and I'm like, I need to follow Dr. Carson's exact example.
Ben Carson: Well, if you're doing microsurgery, and you have a little tremor that you barely notice under the microscope, it looks like an earthquake.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, wow.
Ben Carson: You're very careful about the things that you take.
Marnie Freeman: I will not be participating in microsurgery anytime soon.
Kevin Freeman: I did have surgery on my leg. I've been in surgery once and I insisted that I stay awake during the surgery. So they gave me a local to do the surgery.
Marnie Freeman: They allowed him to stay awake on a full blown leg surgery.
Kevin Freeman: And Dr. Early, I heard, all of a sudden I was lying there and he says, if you start to move, you're under like that, we will put you under immediately. And then all of a sudden I heard oops. I was like, oops? What is oops? He said, I dropped an instrument I wasn't using. I knocked it on the floor. It's no big deal. You move and you're under, but you don't want to hear oops when the surgeon is over you.
Marnie Freeman: Well, when I was having, C sections, the doctors are talking about golf and everything else. They're literally having these all conversations. I'm like, look, surgery here, getting a baby out. Pay attention. Focus, focus.
Ben Carson: Well, that reminds me of a time I, was doing a brainstem, tumor, with one of the residents, and he dropped one of the instruments and it went into the cranium, bounced off the peaches ridge and bounced back out. Oh my gosh, I just about had a heart attack. He said, don't worry, boss, I got it under control. He went on to become a very well known pediatric neurosurgery chief at a famous hospital.
Kevin Freeman: Maybe we should put on him the stickum that they put on athletes, that catch the ball. Speaking of athletes catching the ball, some athlete took your place as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, which is phenomenal. Secretary Scott Turner.
Ben Carson: Scott Turner, Yep. He's doing a fantastic job. He did a great job when I was the secretary, and that's why we pushed so hard for him to be in that position.
Kevin Freeman: All right, we're going to take another break. We'll be back with more with the great Dr. Ben Carson on the 4th of July. We'll be right back.
Pirate Money Radio supports Glint providing access to gold for modern spending
Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: And support for this program comes from Glint. It's a financial technology service offering a debit card and a mobile app that enables users to access their gold holdings for everyday purchases. With Glint, users maintain ownership of allocated physical gold, which is stored in a managed vault. And at the time of a transaction, gold is sold real time to cover the purchase amount in local currency. Glint offers an alternative way to store and use the value. Combining gold and silver with modern payment infrastructure, Glint clients can monitor their gold balance, view transaction history, and manage their accounts through the Glint app, available on major mobile platforms. More details about how vaulted physical gold can be used as money or [email protected] Goal247 Again, that's glentpay.com Gold24,7 Glint providing access to gold for modern spending. And you know, the gold that we're talking about, the most important valuable gold. Gold is something God created. It's a form of money, but it is not a form of salvation. You can't get saved by having money. You've got to have truth, knowledge. You've got to know the savior to get saved. And we're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson, and we're talking about families and celebrating America's 250th birthday in meaningful ways.
Starting on July 4, you can watch Star Spangled Adventures free of charge
And I'm wondering, is there a way for us to see the Star Spangled Adventures, the movie? How is that coming out? Passing on legacy and faith and patriotism?
Ben Carson: Well, I'm glad you asked that question. It's actually a very easy way to do it. Starting on July 4, you can go to Star Spangled Adventures.com and watch a movie free of charge. you can also sign up there to have watch parties. come bring it to your community, center and show it to everybody. We want to get as many people as possible, particularly young people, to watch the movie so that they really understand the history of our country. How did we get where we are? And it shows the Good, the bad and the ugly. But it puts it in perspective in the right way. When you do that, it's very difficult not to be proud of our country and to become a patriot.
Kevin Freeman: Well, we had the privilege of seeing the trailer for it back in, I guess it was September at Mount Vernon. the president flew in and you could hear his helicopter fly in, and we were celebrating your birthday.
Marnie Freeman: Yeah, it was amazing.
Ben Carson: And the.
Marnie Freeman: It was like a national treasure movie. We got to live it out.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, no, it was beautiful. And the president, came in for it and we got to see the trailer. So I'm so excited to see the movie. Starting July 4th, which this is airing on July 4th, get your family together and watch. Go to starspangledadventures.com if you want to learn more. That's a place that you can watch it.
Marnie Freeman: Right. And there's other.
Ben Carson: And it's free of charge.
Marnie Freeman: Yeah, there's other tools there, little patriots, little things that can instill these type of values in our kids. So engaging them also in an age appropriate way. And so that's part of your goal at American Cornerstone Institute.
Ben Carson: Also, all the vignettes have online lessons associated with them, so you can, dive deep into them and you can make this into a real learning process.
Marnie Freeman: That's incredible.
Kevin Freeman: That.
Marnie Freeman: No, it's a great tool for another tool.
Kevin Freeman: Our kids are grown. Our studio audience has grown. But if you have kids, this would be a place to home if you're homeschooling or just adding to their regular everyday curriculum.
Marnie Freeman: Okay, we're going to have grandkids.
Kevin Freeman: Yes, we are.
Marnie Freeman: Like, soon, I'm hoping.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, one just got married, another one getting married. So, yeah, grandkids are hopefully on the way. Lord willing. Dr. Carson, we've got a couple more segments, but I wonder, do you have any encouragement? We've got about minute left for listeners who want to support your work and be a part of renewing the American dream. Where can people follow ACI's important work?
Ben Carson: American cornerstone.org and we have all kinds of things there. it's, it's very entertaining, but it's very educational. And all of our programs are free of charge. Not because they're, they're worth nothing, but because we have incredibly generous supporters from all over the country who recognize that we have to get in this battle for the soul of our country. And, if we don't do it, who else is going to do it? Don't wait for somebody else. Be part of it yourself.
Marnie Freeman: But you also have tools for us Older people too. So all the way from little patriots to older, the tools are there.
Ben Carson: Americans executive branch for America where we have young people who are really accelerating in their pathway and we have them talk to people like last week we had Judge Justice Clarence Thomas and we have all kinds of things go there.
Kevin Freeman: AmericanCornerStone.org alright, we'll cover this and more when we come back right after this break.
Mike Carter: Pirate Money Radio, helping you give, spend and invest in ways that align with liberty, security and values.
Kevin Freeman: How do we build unity on authentic faith and liberty
Welcome back with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, I'm looking back, Marnie. we're at the 250th birthday of America and we have a daughter that's lived about a quarter century and getting married. you know, how are we going to build unity across the generations on all of the important things that their founders put in, what's true in the Bible and so forth, authentic faith and liberty. How do we bring that?
Marnie Freeman: I mean we did we drug them all over the United States for museums and history books and some of Dr. Carson's things. And I mean we've got a lot so moms and dads listening for them that are wanting to know, what all steps can they take to instill these values?
Ben Carson: Well, I think we need to talk about them. You know, the leftists, those who want to fundamentally change our country, they don't like to have discussions, they don't like to put the facts on the table and see what we all believe and what we can do to bring ourselves together. You can take the most radical left wing person, the most radical right wing person, they agree at 80% of stuff. Why do we take the 20% they disagree on and try to make that into the key issue. And we have a place, a situation in our country now where people think if someone disagrees with you, they're your enemy. What a bunch of garbage. and you can learn more from people who disagree with you than people who agree with you all the time. But we need to be able to sit down and talk. You know, it's like people who are getting divorced. You know, when they were going together before they got married, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other, they couldn't be away from each other. Now their spouse is the double incarnate and they don't talk to each other and it just gets worse and worse.
Marnie Freeman: I love you honey.
Kevin Freeman: I love you too, sweetheart. And that's a great point because people do learn more from people. If you just get an echo chamber and you're on the Wrong course. You're going to stay on that wrong course till you get beaten badly, you go off the edge or whatever. We need to have different voices, but we need to do it civilly, respectfully. And that's one of the things I admire so much about you. I watched, the debates when you were running for president, and I saw you carry that same spirit. It wasn't ever hyper political to you. It was always about communication and finding points of unity and ways to work together. And it just amazes me how vitriolic our politics can get if we don't remember those are people, too.
Marnie Freeman: When we were walking around capitals across the nation trying to talk about transactional gold and silver, I did find out at the end of the day, we all wanted very similar things. So he's right in that we all want very similar things to not. And just. If you could talk about it, I mean, we're fast friends at the end of the day.
Kevin Freeman: Well, Dr. Carson, you're respected on both sides of the aisle, and you've got a lot of friends that are liberal and a lot of friends that are conservative. I've met some on both sides, and they're just great people. They're people, though, that believe in God, and I think that is kind of the key issue. Communism forces you to say government is God, and that's gonna lead you to a bad place. But if you have faith in God, we can work together.
Ben Carson: Yeah, the Marxists, hate God, because, he becomes your beacon. And they want to be the beacon. They want to be the thing that you follow all the time. They want to have all the power and, you know, socialism, Marxism, communism, they all say, we will take care of you from the womb to the tomb. We'll take care of all your needs. Just give us all the power. And, the problem is it never works. It's never worked anywhere. It's certainly not going to work here. But that's why they're working so hard on all this class warfare stuff. they want to make us fight each other and give them the power because they say we have a better way we can make it work. Don't believe a word of it. It's all false. And America became great because of the values that we have, because we understood that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Kevin Freeman: and liberty is the key there. I can tell you if you want three square meals a day and be taken care of, an opportunity to go out in the exercise yard every Day, we call it prison. And that's where you'll end up if you adopt that. All right, thank you, Marnie. Thank you, Dr. Carson. Visit PirateMoneyRadio.com for more information. Those on Real Life Network. See you next time. Stay faithful, afr. Hang with us.
Kevin Freeman: Dr. Carson, what gives you greatest hope for America right now
Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: I'm, ah, so thankful that we have this extra bonus segment on American Family Radio. And on, our podcast, I get to ask the one question. Dr. Carson, you're looking ahead. We're at our 250 years behind us. What, what gives you the greatest hope for America right now? What is your thought?
Ben Carson: The young people, the Gen Z ers, so many of the males particularly are coming back to church, are coming back to the values that established our country. They're looking down the pike, they're seeing where it's leading, they're saying makes no sense. Some of the things that are being pushed absolute, it's hard to say that sane people would believe these things. And yet, those are being pushed very hard by some segments of our society. Things that you would have never believed 20 years ago are becoming mainstream. And they're seeing that and they don't want to go there and I applaud them for it. And I think the young women will eventually be coming along as well.
Marnie Freeman: Well, we've got a lot of young women in our audience right now that are coming along very nicely. I mean, they're just doing great things.
Kevin Freeman: Very encouraging to have spent the time, with American, journey Experience as part of Mercury One and the input from David Barton and Glenn Beck and Elijah o' Neill and all the great people that are behind this incredible opportunity. And Dr. Carson, I'm so grateful that you would take time with us today here on the 250th birthday. I know it's pre recorded, but, but these are precious moments, moments I will never forget and hopefully that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren. Mrs. Freeman and I, right there with you. Do you have any final thought for the week, Marnie?
Marnie Freeman: Well, yes. Go to American Cornerstone.com to learn more. To learn more. But yes, I mean my final thoughts are, and they always are, get into scripture, learn history, and you will not be duped, you will not be deceived, and you can move forward and keep our freedom and our liberty in this country and grow families, have babies, grandchildren,
Kevin Freeman: all the things hang out with people of faith. The Bible says bad company corrupteth good morals, but good company createth good morals. And so Dr. Carson, it's been so fun hanging out with you today here on, Pirate M Money Radio. Thank you so much for what you're doing.
Ben Carson: Well, thank you both for being such incredible people, incredible patriots and brave people. We love it.
Kevin Freeman: We need 250 more years of patriotism in America
Kevin Freeman: All right, well, if you have questions, if you have prayer needs, if you have comments, you can email [email protected] and we have a challenge here. It's to pray for America. We've had 250 great years. We need 250 more. Pray for a spirit of patriotism rooted in biblical truth. Pray for unity in the church and for our, veterans and our fathers. We just had Father's Day to be strengthened. Now, if you're listening on the radio, you can get this on podcast, Apple, Spotify and so forth. Share it with your friends. Check out PirateMoneyRadio.com and you'll learn all the different places you can listen to this. You can go back and listen to the past podcasts. It really is an opportunity. And I also want to encourage you, if you want to learn more, to go to americancornerstone.org and learn the great work there. And Star Spangled Adventures.com that's a place you can watch this, amazing new movie. This is Kevan Freeman. I'm joined this week by Dr. Ben Carson and my wife, Marnie Freeman with Pirate Money radio on our 250th birthday argument.
Kevin Freeman: Pirate Money Radio celebrates America's 250th birthday today
Kevin Freeman: Ahoy, mates, and welcome aboard a very special voyage of Pirate Money Radio. On this historic day, America's 250th birthday, I'm your captain, Kevan Freeman, the author of Pirate Money, coming to you from the heart of Texas with excitement in the air as we celebrate two and a half centuries of this great nation. Now, I'm going to admit something up front. You might be headed to this great Fourth of July celebration today and you might see Dr. Carson, our special guest, somewhere speaking, you'll say, wait a minute, he's on the radio. Yes, we're prerecording this. That's why he's wearing a suit instead of those beautiful red, white and blue, shorts and shirt that he probably to wear with his backyard barbecue. But I'm also joined today with my favorite co host, love of my life, Marnie Freeman. Welcome, Marnie.
Marnie Freeman: Thank you. Thanks for having m me. I'm thrilled to be here on this incredible day. I mean, 250, 250 years. I mean, we are looking forward, looking back to look forward and just pass on legacy.
Kevin Freeman: Absolutely, Marnie. And we just had Father's Day and we're talking about Founding Fathers now, wherever you're tuning in, by the way, Real Life Network, your favorite podcast, we're going to have some fun, we're going to be inspired. We've got some thought provoking discussion today as we celebrate our nation's biggest milestone.
Marnie says patriotism is ingrained in her family through military service
Marnie, quick, take fatherhood. Fourth of July.
Marnie Freeman: Okay, well, patriotism for me and the Founding Fathers. My dad was a patriot. He served in the military, served in Vietnam, and it was ingrained in our home. And I have a love for this country and I, I just tear up thinking about it and our freedoms and how we had to fight for them. The fathers, our founding Fathers fought for them. We have to be vigilant to keep it.
Only 13% of American eighth graders are proficient in American history
Kevin Freeman: Well, speaking of the Founding Fathers and extraordinary people and extraordinary fathers and Americans who embody faith, family and service, we have a very special guest sailing with us today. He's the world renowned neurosurgeon, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He's an author, a speaker, and a true American hero. And I am so honored to call him a friend, Dr. Ben Carson. Welcome, Dr. Carson.
Ben Carson: Well, thank you, Kevan and Marnie. Good to see both of you here and thank you all for being such great patriots.
Kevin Freeman: Oh, we're just honored to have you. I mean, you've served. You've got the Washington background there. I can see the Capitol building of the Washington Monument and all that. You've served there, but you've served all over this country. And on this historic day, America's 250th birthday. What gives you hope for our nation? And how can tools like storytelling and film renew the American dream for the next generation?
Ben Carson: Well, I'm hopeful when I see young people, particularly young men, returning to church and returning to the values that made this into a great country. I think a lot of the young people are starting to say, I'm looking down the pike here at where we're heading, and it doesn't look very good. It looks very scary. And, if they have wisdom, they will find the right way. There is no question that what is going on in our country right now is the same thing that has gone on in many other countries, that experienced a socialist, communist takeover. You try to depatriotize the people. You don't want them to be patriots.
Marnie Freeman: You.
Ben Carson: You want them not to feel close to their country, not to feel proud of their country. And that's why they spend so much time talking about, well, America has slavery, and it did horrible things to the Indians, and they treated foreigners inappropriately. did all those things happen? Yes, but a lot more good things happened. You know, you got to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's no perfect people. that's why we need a savior. But what was interesting about our country with slavery, we had so many people who were opposed to it that we fought a bloody civil war to get rid of it. And, we had a lot of people, of all different, nationalities, races, who were involved in the Underground Railroad and finding ways to get slaves out of the United States and up to Canada and up to places where they could be free. And many of them risked their lives to do that. So we don't teach our children about stuff like that. And that's a real problem. Recent surveys have shown that eighth graders, only 13%, are proficient in American history. If you don't know your history, you are very vulnerable. You can be easily lit. And we're seeing that happen.
Marnie Freeman: I say that all the time. If we don't know scripture and history, you're done for.
Kevin Freeman: No, that's true. And they're being taught Howard Zinn's history, which is fake history, but that's what we love about American Journey Experience. Ah. And the brilliant young people we have in studio today because they're learning the Real history. They're going back to original founding documents. They're not just circulating these liberal thoughts or ideas and where they cite each other as a source and say, well, Bill Smith says this. Well, Dr. Jones says this. And they go back to the original documents. And Dr. Carson, you've been doing that with your little patriots course, younger than we have in students today, but you've been bringing that knowledge back to young people about the amazing nation in which we live.
Ben Carson: no question about it. And it is the most incredible nation. You think about the fact that we're the only nation whose founding document says that our rights come from our Creator and not from government. That's an integral part of who we are and our belief system and the values that we develop. And those values led us from obscurity to the pinnacle of the world in record time. Think about that. I mean, just 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville came here to study our country. And he concluded that America, which has already caught up with all those European nations that have been around for hundreds of years, he said, America is great because America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. And this was after he had studied our educational system and our system of government, the business environment, the church, all these things. He came to that conclusion. That was the end of his two part series called Democracy in America.
Kevin Freeman: He visited the churches and he saw the word of God being put into the lives of people and practiced, believed by faith, accepted and then enacted. And I think that's the difference is, we saw that movie. I don't know if you've seen it, the Great Awakening movie, but the history of America, when Ben Franklin meets George Whitefield and the impact it has on our country.
Ben Carson: Absolutely. And you know, a lot of people try to get people to believe that our founding fathers were deists. that is, they believed that there may be a God, but that he doesn't play any part in the affairs of man. the book that we just, created called Built on Faith, looks at several of our founding fathers and shows what their relationship was with God. And it becomes very clear that they were men of faith. George Washington, praying all the time, carried a Bible around with him and read it on a very regular basis, particularly the Psalms, gave him a lot of courage. And, Jon Adams, which many people say was a definite deist. Why would he say what he said? He said our Constitution was designed for a moral and religious people and is holy and inadequate for the government of any others. He wouldn't say that if he didn't think that God played an active role. Thomas Jefferson, which people say was really way away from God. Why would he say that our rights come from our creator and cannot be taken away by human government if he didn't believe that God was active? And it goes on and on. And, a pictorial, masterpiece, I think that really will inspire the kids. And we also have a couple of our partners. Ronnie Gaines, has a new children's book called 1, 2, 3, We Are Free. And, Kirk Cameron, built on bravery. And the three of those can be bought in a package.
Marnie Freeman: Those are great partners.
Kevin Freeman: Oh, fantastic. And you, Dr. Carson, you're actually active with the President of the United States on a faith initiative now on bringing faith back into our government, which is an amazing thing. All right, we're going to take a break in a minute. but I'm just so impressed with your American Cornerstone Institute. I want to set that up and tease it. you've established this when you, quote, retired. I see you working harder than ever at your retirement, but you're bringing faith to the American people. It's one of the cornerstone, elements.
Marnie Freeman: Cornerstone. Get that.
Ben Carson: Yes.
Kevin Freeman: And you're bringing faith back to our country. You're serving the president. You're serving the people. I'm just so honored to call you friend and to know you and your beautiful wife, Kim. All right, Dr. Carson, we need to take a break. When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about what American Cornerstone Institute is doing today. We'll be right back.
Pirate Money Radio promotes honest money and promotes liberty and justice
Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah. And we're setting the anchor with why we fly the Pirate Money flag. Spanish doubloons, piece of eight. And the founder's vision of honest money is the foundation of true liberty and justice. Now, there are only three things you can do with your money. You can give it, you can spend it, or you can invest it. Here at Pirate Money Radio, we work to explain solutions that support all three areas in a way to promote liberty, security, and values. Patriot Mobile, it's a mobile phone company, supports the Pirate Money radio program. Patriot Mobile uses US carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and T Mobile, and operates on both Apple and Android phones. More information about Pirate Money Radio and the economic war room. And Patriot Mobile is [email protected] AFR that's PirateMoneyRadio.com AFR, we have Dr. Carson with us, and we've been talking about money, with the students. We have joined live studio audience today from American Journey Experience. And I got to give them a talk a little bit, money and economics.
Dr. Carson says Americans should focus on financial literacy for young people
Dr. Carson, you studied the founders. the Bible talks about fair weights and measures and economic justice. And you kind of alluded to this in the first segment. There are moments in American history where we have been less than just to all the people here. How important is it for us to keep in mind that there are many Americans from various backgrounds, various financial situations, but they're all part of the American experience?
Ben Carson: Well, you know, one of the things about America is that we have believed, traditionally in merit and in hard work. There are a lot of places where you can come from nowhere and, ascend to the, to the highest ranks of society, in all kinds of ways, including financially. And I'm very happy to see that a lot of people are starting to concentrate on financial literacy for young people, because if they learn that, as they're exiting high school and they begin to put aside a defined amount of money, a percentage of what they make, by the time they're 60 years old, they're going to be okay. And we don't really teach that, unfortunately. Now there's been more attention to it with the president's, program for newborns giving, them $1,000 and watching that grow. It's similar to something we have with the Carson Scholars Fund, where we give children starting in the fourth grade $1,000 if they achieve at a certain academic level. And they also demonstrate that they care about other people because we're trying to raise the next generation of leaders. We have a lot of people who are very smart, but they don't care about other people. That's not the kind of leadership we need. We need compassionate people who are interested and a good life for everybody. And I think we're moving. Many, segments of our, population are moving in that direction, but we have to keep applying the gas. Keep your foot on the pedal. Because those who want to fundamentally change this nation, they are very persistent. they never take a break. They just try to take advantage of every situation to drive their agenda. And that's very problematic for us.
Marnie Freeman: They just don't stop. No, it's never ending.
Kevin Freeman: They don't. And they're trying to argue for acting equity as opposed to equal opportunity. And equity means we're all going to end up in a bad position. Equal opportunity means that some may Prosper more than others. You might end up with a trillionaire like Elon Musk. But if we follow Jon Wesley's rules, make all you can, save and invest all you can and give all you can, and we treat money as stewards, then we're going to have a better society. Everybody wins. We'll have, an improved economic position for everybody.
Marnie Freeman: I mean, Psalms talks about that. 7:24. He'll bring justice to the poor, the people. He will save the children of the needy, and he will break in pieces the oppressor.
Kevin Freeman: Psalm 72. 4. That's right. Dr. Gardiner, we got about a half minute before the break. Any thoughts?
Ben Carson: Well, we have some of the most generous people that have ever existed in the world and people trying to make billionaires into bad people. If we didn't have billionaires, we wouldn't have stadiums, we wouldn't have museums, we wouldn't have a lot of universities. We wouldn't have a lot of things that we've come to depend on and take for granted. we shouldn't be trying to denigrate anybody or create class warfare. We should be trying to create a society where anybody can become, what they want to be.
Kevin Freeman: You know, equal opportunity. Giving everybody the American dream. That's what we're talking about. Other nations don't have a dream. America. We have a dream. We. Let's not forget it or turn it into a nightmare. We'll be right back.
Mike Carter: Pirate Money Radio. Helping you give, spend and invest in ways that align with liberty, security and values.
From humble beginnings to world renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson's life story is inspiring
Welcome back with your host, Kevan Friedman,
Kevin Freeman: and I'm joined by my beautiful wife, Marni, and the great Dr. Ben Carson. And Dr. Carson, your life story is an American dream in action. From humble beginnings to world renowned neurosurgeon, can you share some of the key moments from your journey, including maybe the story behind Gifted Hands, which, we just watched recently?
Marnie Freeman: Well, we watched it last night with the students and, they thought he was incredible. What we took away from that is how much your journey was a faith journey, all the prayer that was incorporated into your walking this out and how where you landed. Now, the whole journey was amazing. And we were astounded. And it caused a lot of conversation about the Lord and faith. It was fabulous.
Ben Carson: Well, you know, my mother, you know, came from a very poor background in rural Tennessee, discovered that her husband was a bigamist. She got married when she was 13 years old, trying to escape all that stuff, and had a very difficult time trying to raise her two sons by herself with very Little education. But she had faith in God. She believed in God and that he would be the solution to every problem. And she made us read books. I didn't want to read books. I wanted to be watching television and playing like everybody else. But I started reading about people, people of great accomplishment. And I began to see that there was a pattern there. And that people who are successful work hard to get there. And that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you. And, you know, I really grasped that because I hated poverty. Some people hate rats and roaches. I hated poverty. But as I read those books, I said, you don't have to live in poverty. You have the ability to change your life to whatever you want. And I became a voracious reader at that point. Read everything I could get my hands on. And I went from the bottom of the class to the top of the class. And, you know, from that point forward, you know, I just kept setting goals and doing what was necessary in order to reach them. But I also developed, along with my mother, a tremendous faith, recognizing that God is in charge of everything. And God doesn't force himself upon you. But if you learn to accept what he has for you, boy, you can really take off like a rocket at that point. And he gives everybody something. If you're in a room full of people, I guarantee you every person in that room is better than everybody else in that at something. You need to find that something. What are the things that you are really gifted in? Don't necessarily pattern yourself after someone else. listen to that still small voice of God and recognize the talent that he has given you and develop will help not only you, but those around you.
Something about retention from reading is great than just hearing the audiobooks
Kevin Freeman: You know, you raised a point with me when you were talking about the importance of reading. I just read this morning that, apparently audiobooks and reading don't operate in the brain the same way. Now, I've got a neurosurgeon here who understands the brain. Something about retention from reading is great than just hearing the audiobooks. A lot of people love to listen to it, but there's some power in the reading of it. Why is that?
Ben Carson: Well, reading requires you to take those letters and to make them into words, take those words, make them into sentences, those sentences into concepts. it's like exercising a muscle. And the more you exercise that muscle, the stronger it gets you talk about muscle memory. Reading is much more likely to do that than watching television or watching a screen. And it doesn't mean that you can't learn from television or screens, but not nearly to the extent that you will reading. It's just like with muscles. you can take a little rubber band and stretch it and that will get you a little strength. But it wouldn't be like taking weights and using them in a prescribed manner.
Marnie Freeman: same with writing, by the way.
Kevin Freeman: Writing has an impact too. Reading instead of typing. Yes, it does.
Ben Carson: And it's helpful for older people too, not just young people.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, that's good to know.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, that is good to know. So we'll be reading and writing and some arithmetic too, I suppose. So we'll get the three R's in all.
Ben Carson: right.
Kevin Freeman: We're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson. We're talking about America on our 250th birthday. We've got a new movie we want to talk about that incorporates a lot of these things and we'll cover that and more when we come back.
Dr. Ben Carson's Little Patriots program focuses on American history
Mike Carter: Welcome to Pirate Money Radio with your host Kevan Freeman, helping you unpack the economic headlines and providing real money solutions.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, we're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson and I want to ask you. Dr. Carson, I saw Pat Boone, Kirk Cameron, Jared Ellis, Alveda King, Jon Schneider, Rob Schneider, Gary Sinise, Kevan Sorbo. And you are in a new movie that debuted at the, Trump Lincoln center in Washington D.C. can you tell us about, the Star Spangled Adventures? The movie?
Ben Carson: Yes. One of the aspects of the Little Patriots program is Star Spangled Adventure. It's an animated series. we have new, vignettes that come out every month that are only like five to 10 minutes long, but they concentrate on one aspect of our history. For instance, there's one on Fort McHenry. What actually happened there? and we decided with 250 year celebration coming up, let's do a whole feature length movie, that covers the whole 250 years. How did we start? How did we grow? What are some of the things that happen? And how did we reach this point 250 years later? It's done in a very family friendly way. I strongly, suggest that, parents and grandparents, view it with their children and grandchildren because a lot of us older folks don't know a lot of things too. And by knowing them and discussing them with our young people, we create a sense of patriotism because, there's a concerted effort, to make young people think that America is bad. And this, is to show that America has had some dark areas. There's no question about that. But we can learn from those. That's what wise people do. They learn from mistakes, and they move forward. And, when they see all the good things that this country has been involved in, it makes them more resistant to those people who try to convince you that America is at the root of all evil, quite frankly. If America was so bad, why do so many people try so hard to get in here? it would seem like they might be a little smarter than that.
Marnie Freeman: Exactly. So the film recently had, like he said, the premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center. So the response was overwhelming. It was. I mean, we're. We're hearing great things about it all over media. And, the. That's only one thing that you have going on. American Cornerstone Institute has a lot of things going on for little patriots, and we appreciate that. Absolutely. You. You get on your website, there's so much there to look at, to do, to listen to. You have a lot of tools for all of. So thank you. Thank you for that. And your wife, Candy, who I know. She's amazing. I love her. She is a concert level. Yeah, I know, right? She's a concert level, violinist. Did she get a triple degree? Because that was in the movie. Did she get a triple degree?
Ben Carson: Well, she had a degree in psychology, and in music, she has a master's degree in business.
Marnie Freeman: Well, you guys are a power couple, and you go out and, I mean, the world just explodes. You guys are doing great things. So how has her talent and partnership enriched your life and just your shared mission values?
Kevin Freeman: How does it work?
Marnie Freeman: How does it work? Yeah.
Ben Carson: as you all know very well, you two, God knows what he's doing, and he didn't design us to be alone. You know, Adam was by himself, and he said, you know, it's not good. That man should be alone. I will give him a help me. And, that doesn't mean somebody to walk on or doesn't mean somebody to beat you into submission. It means you work together, so that you can accomplish goals together. And for us, it's been 51 years. She's been by my side the whole time, and, was instrumental in our scholarship program. She did all the work until we got to the point where we had full staff and lawyers and all those kinds of things. But she did all that by herself before and travels, with me all over the world.
Marnie Freeman: And you all have fun. You all have fun.
Ben Carson: When people meet me somewhere, they say, where's Candy? Because she's so vivacious
Marnie Freeman: and she's a smart cookie, and she loves the, Gaither Home Band. We do a lot back and forth on that.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, I love to listen to your banter, too, because I remember the first time I interviewed you, you were on set and you asked, how did I do? And she said, wouldn't hurt you to speak up a little. And you looked at me and said, is your wife your best critic, too? And, yes, she is.
Marnie Freeman: Well, I'm going to talk about her humility because she came and did a fundraiser. You, Dr. Carson, did that for us, and she played for us at this fundraiser that we were helping to host. And there was no green room at the venue, and they pretty much told her she was going to have to practice in the bathroom. And she so humbly just went to the bathroom. In the bathroom. She's practicing her violin in the bathroom.
Kevin Freeman: Hey, I can't imagine what the people going into the bathroom thought. This place is so fancy. They have a concert going on in the ladies room.
Ben Carson: Exactly.
Marnie Freeman: She didn't care.
Kevin Freeman: She should have had a little bucket there for tips.
Ben Carson: Well, she also was a very good mother raising our children, because, you know, I was extraordinarily busy, working 14, 15, 16 hours every day. but she filled in the gap. And eventually I got to the point where I said, look, it's 11pm and I'm still here at the hospital, not done with all the stuff that I need to do. And I said, At 7pm I was also not done with all this stuff, so why don't I go home at 7 and not be done, rather than go home at 11 and not be done?
Marnie Freeman: Oh, that's smart.
Ben Carson: Makes a big difference.
Kevin Freeman: Okay, Marnie, you had the question. This is the time to ask. She had a question after watching Gifted Hands again last night. Ask about the 21 hours. Go ahead.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, okay. So we had this small discussion, too, about how do doctors, when they're in surgery for hours on end in the restroom, what do they do about that when you're in 20 hour surgeries? What? I mean, inquiring minds want to know.
Ben Carson: Well, first of all, if you know you're going to be in an extremely long surgery, you don't drink a lot, you sort of wait until the surgery is over and then you really hydrate at that point. That way you don't have to keep going out, but if you do have to go out, there's no big deal.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, so you actually get to leave
Ben Carson: surgery if you need to.
Kevin Freeman: Okay, this is, by the way, a dad's advice. All you dads out there on the 4th of July, you're driving, you're saying, look, it's a six hour car ride. Don't drink a lot before we get in the car.
Ben Carson: Absolutely. Now keep in mind you do need to be hydrated though. So keep it, keep it in mind what you want to drink during that day, and make up for it later on.
Kevin Freeman: try and time the bathroom with the gas need of the car. We know how long we've got a gas tank. You drink just enough so you can make it to the gas station. That's a dad's advice on the fourth of July.
Marnie Freeman: Right. And I told them about you not drinking caffeine, obviously. And here I had, I had a caffeinated drink right before we got on. And I'm shaking like a leaf and I'm like, I need to follow Dr. Carson's exact example.
Ben Carson: Well, if you're doing microsurgery, and you have a little tremor that you barely notice under the microscope, it looks like an earthquake.
Marnie Freeman: Oh, wow.
Ben Carson: You're very careful about the things that you take.
Marnie Freeman: I will not be participating in microsurgery anytime soon.
Kevin Freeman: I did have surgery on my leg. I've been in surgery once and I insisted that I stay awake during the surgery. So they gave me a local to do the surgery.
Marnie Freeman: They allowed him to stay awake on a full blown leg surgery.
Kevin Freeman: And Dr. Early, I heard, all of a sudden I was lying there and he says, if you start to move, you're under like that, we will put you under immediately. And then all of a sudden I heard oops. I was like, oops? What is oops? He said, I dropped an instrument I wasn't using. I knocked it on the floor. It's no big deal. You move and you're under, but you don't want to hear oops when the surgeon is over you.
Marnie Freeman: Well, when I was having, C sections, the doctors are talking about golf and everything else. They're literally having these all conversations. I'm like, look, surgery here, getting a baby out. Pay attention. Focus, focus.
Ben Carson: Well, that reminds me of a time I, was doing a brainstem, tumor, with one of the residents, and he dropped one of the instruments and it went into the cranium, bounced off the peaches ridge and bounced back out. Oh my gosh, I just about had a heart attack. He said, don't worry, boss, I got it under control. He went on to become a very well known pediatric neurosurgery chief at a famous hospital.
Kevin Freeman: Maybe we should put on him the stickum that they put on athletes, that catch the ball. Speaking of athletes catching the ball, some athlete took your place as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, which is phenomenal. Secretary Scott Turner.
Ben Carson: Scott Turner, Yep. He's doing a fantastic job. He did a great job when I was the secretary, and that's why we pushed so hard for him to be in that position.
Kevin Freeman: All right, we're going to take another break. We'll be back with more with the great Dr. Ben Carson on the 4th of July. We'll be right back.
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Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: And support for this program comes from Glint. It's a financial technology service offering a debit card and a mobile app that enables users to access their gold holdings for everyday purchases. With Glint, users maintain ownership of allocated physical gold, which is stored in a managed vault. And at the time of a transaction, gold is sold real time to cover the purchase amount in local currency. Glint offers an alternative way to store and use the value. Combining gold and silver with modern payment infrastructure, Glint clients can monitor their gold balance, view transaction history, and manage their accounts through the Glint app, available on major mobile platforms. More details about how vaulted physical gold can be used as money or [email protected] Goal247 Again, that's glentpay.com Gold24,7 Glint providing access to gold for modern spending. And you know, the gold that we're talking about, the most important valuable gold. Gold is something God created. It's a form of money, but it is not a form of salvation. You can't get saved by having money. You've got to have truth, knowledge. You've got to know the savior to get saved. And we're talking with the great Dr. Ben Carson, and we're talking about families and celebrating America's 250th birthday in meaningful ways.
Starting on July 4, you can watch Star Spangled Adventures free of charge
And I'm wondering, is there a way for us to see the Star Spangled Adventures, the movie? How is that coming out? Passing on legacy and faith and patriotism?
Ben Carson: Well, I'm glad you asked that question. It's actually a very easy way to do it. Starting on July 4, you can go to Star Spangled Adventures.com and watch a movie free of charge. you can also sign up there to have watch parties. come bring it to your community, center and show it to everybody. We want to get as many people as possible, particularly young people, to watch the movie so that they really understand the history of our country. How did we get where we are? And it shows the Good, the bad and the ugly. But it puts it in perspective in the right way. When you do that, it's very difficult not to be proud of our country and to become a patriot.
Kevin Freeman: Well, we had the privilege of seeing the trailer for it back in, I guess it was September at Mount Vernon. the president flew in and you could hear his helicopter fly in, and we were celebrating your birthday.
Marnie Freeman: Yeah, it was amazing.
Ben Carson: And the.
Marnie Freeman: It was like a national treasure movie. We got to live it out.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, no, it was beautiful. And the president, came in for it and we got to see the trailer. So I'm so excited to see the movie. Starting July 4th, which this is airing on July 4th, get your family together and watch. Go to starspangledadventures.com if you want to learn more. That's a place that you can watch it.
Marnie Freeman: Right. And there's other.
Ben Carson: And it's free of charge.
Marnie Freeman: Yeah, there's other tools there, little patriots, little things that can instill these type of values in our kids. So engaging them also in an age appropriate way. And so that's part of your goal at American Cornerstone Institute.
Ben Carson: Also, all the vignettes have online lessons associated with them, so you can, dive deep into them and you can make this into a real learning process.
Marnie Freeman: That's incredible.
Kevin Freeman: That.
Marnie Freeman: No, it's a great tool for another tool.
Kevin Freeman: Our kids are grown. Our studio audience has grown. But if you have kids, this would be a place to home if you're homeschooling or just adding to their regular everyday curriculum.
Marnie Freeman: Okay, we're going to have grandkids.
Kevin Freeman: Yes, we are.
Marnie Freeman: Like, soon, I'm hoping.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, one just got married, another one getting married. So, yeah, grandkids are hopefully on the way. Lord willing. Dr. Carson, we've got a couple more segments, but I wonder, do you have any encouragement? We've got about minute left for listeners who want to support your work and be a part of renewing the American dream. Where can people follow ACI's important work?
Ben Carson: American cornerstone.org and we have all kinds of things there. it's, it's very entertaining, but it's very educational. And all of our programs are free of charge. Not because they're, they're worth nothing, but because we have incredibly generous supporters from all over the country who recognize that we have to get in this battle for the soul of our country. And, if we don't do it, who else is going to do it? Don't wait for somebody else. Be part of it yourself.
Marnie Freeman: But you also have tools for us Older people too. So all the way from little patriots to older, the tools are there.
Ben Carson: Americans executive branch for America where we have young people who are really accelerating in their pathway and we have them talk to people like last week we had Judge Justice Clarence Thomas and we have all kinds of things go there.
Kevin Freeman: AmericanCornerStone.org alright, we'll cover this and more when we come back right after this break.
Mike Carter: Pirate Money Radio, helping you give, spend and invest in ways that align with liberty, security and values.
Kevin Freeman: How do we build unity on authentic faith and liberty
Welcome back with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: Yeah, I'm looking back, Marnie. we're at the 250th birthday of America and we have a daughter that's lived about a quarter century and getting married. you know, how are we going to build unity across the generations on all of the important things that their founders put in, what's true in the Bible and so forth, authentic faith and liberty. How do we bring that?
Marnie Freeman: I mean we did we drug them all over the United States for museums and history books and some of Dr. Carson's things. And I mean we've got a lot so moms and dads listening for them that are wanting to know, what all steps can they take to instill these values?
Ben Carson: Well, I think we need to talk about them. You know, the leftists, those who want to fundamentally change our country, they don't like to have discussions, they don't like to put the facts on the table and see what we all believe and what we can do to bring ourselves together. You can take the most radical left wing person, the most radical right wing person, they agree at 80% of stuff. Why do we take the 20% they disagree on and try to make that into the key issue. And we have a place, a situation in our country now where people think if someone disagrees with you, they're your enemy. What a bunch of garbage. and you can learn more from people who disagree with you than people who agree with you all the time. But we need to be able to sit down and talk. You know, it's like people who are getting divorced. You know, when they were going together before they got married, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other, they couldn't be away from each other. Now their spouse is the double incarnate and they don't talk to each other and it just gets worse and worse.
Marnie Freeman: I love you honey.
Kevin Freeman: I love you too, sweetheart. And that's a great point because people do learn more from people. If you just get an echo chamber and you're on the Wrong course. You're going to stay on that wrong course till you get beaten badly, you go off the edge or whatever. We need to have different voices, but we need to do it civilly, respectfully. And that's one of the things I admire so much about you. I watched, the debates when you were running for president, and I saw you carry that same spirit. It wasn't ever hyper political to you. It was always about communication and finding points of unity and ways to work together. And it just amazes me how vitriolic our politics can get if we don't remember those are people, too.
Marnie Freeman: When we were walking around capitals across the nation trying to talk about transactional gold and silver, I did find out at the end of the day, we all wanted very similar things. So he's right in that we all want very similar things to not. And just. If you could talk about it, I mean, we're fast friends at the end of the day.
Kevin Freeman: Well, Dr. Carson, you're respected on both sides of the aisle, and you've got a lot of friends that are liberal and a lot of friends that are conservative. I've met some on both sides, and they're just great people. They're people, though, that believe in God, and I think that is kind of the key issue. Communism forces you to say government is God, and that's gonna lead you to a bad place. But if you have faith in God, we can work together.
Ben Carson: Yeah, the Marxists, hate God, because, he becomes your beacon. And they want to be the beacon. They want to be the thing that you follow all the time. They want to have all the power and, you know, socialism, Marxism, communism, they all say, we will take care of you from the womb to the tomb. We'll take care of all your needs. Just give us all the power. And, the problem is it never works. It's never worked anywhere. It's certainly not going to work here. But that's why they're working so hard on all this class warfare stuff. they want to make us fight each other and give them the power because they say we have a better way we can make it work. Don't believe a word of it. It's all false. And America became great because of the values that we have, because we understood that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Kevin Freeman: and liberty is the key there. I can tell you if you want three square meals a day and be taken care of, an opportunity to go out in the exercise yard every Day, we call it prison. And that's where you'll end up if you adopt that. All right, thank you, Marnie. Thank you, Dr. Carson. Visit PirateMoneyRadio.com for more information. Those on Real Life Network. See you next time. Stay faithful, afr. Hang with us.
Kevin Freeman: Dr. Carson, what gives you greatest hope for America right now
Mike Carter: Welcome back to Pirate Money Radio with your host, Kevan Freeman.
Kevin Freeman: I'm, ah, so thankful that we have this extra bonus segment on American Family Radio. And on, our podcast, I get to ask the one question. Dr. Carson, you're looking ahead. We're at our 250 years behind us. What, what gives you the greatest hope for America right now? What is your thought?
Ben Carson: The young people, the Gen Z ers, so many of the males particularly are coming back to church, are coming back to the values that established our country. They're looking down the pike, they're seeing where it's leading, they're saying makes no sense. Some of the things that are being pushed absolute, it's hard to say that sane people would believe these things. And yet, those are being pushed very hard by some segments of our society. Things that you would have never believed 20 years ago are becoming mainstream. And they're seeing that and they don't want to go there and I applaud them for it. And I think the young women will eventually be coming along as well.
Marnie Freeman: Well, we've got a lot of young women in our audience right now that are coming along very nicely. I mean, they're just doing great things.
Kevin Freeman: Very encouraging to have spent the time, with American, journey Experience as part of Mercury One and the input from David Barton and Glenn Beck and Elijah o' Neill and all the great people that are behind this incredible opportunity. And Dr. Carson, I'm so grateful that you would take time with us today here on the 250th birthday. I know it's pre recorded, but, but these are precious moments, moments I will never forget and hopefully that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren. Mrs. Freeman and I, right there with you. Do you have any final thought for the week, Marnie?
Marnie Freeman: Well, yes. Go to American Cornerstone.com to learn more. To learn more. But yes, I mean my final thoughts are, and they always are, get into scripture, learn history, and you will not be duped, you will not be deceived, and you can move forward and keep our freedom and our liberty in this country and grow families, have babies, grandchildren,
Kevin Freeman: all the things hang out with people of faith. The Bible says bad company corrupteth good morals, but good company createth good morals. And so Dr. Carson, it's been so fun hanging out with you today here on, Pirate M Money Radio. Thank you so much for what you're doing.
Ben Carson: Well, thank you both for being such incredible people, incredible patriots and brave people. We love it.
Kevin Freeman: We need 250 more years of patriotism in America
Kevin Freeman: All right, well, if you have questions, if you have prayer needs, if you have comments, you can email [email protected] and we have a challenge here. It's to pray for America. We've had 250 great years. We need 250 more. Pray for a spirit of patriotism rooted in biblical truth. Pray for unity in the church and for our, veterans and our fathers. We just had Father's Day to be strengthened. Now, if you're listening on the radio, you can get this on podcast, Apple, Spotify and so forth. Share it with your friends. Check out PirateMoneyRadio.com and you'll learn all the different places you can listen to this. You can go back and listen to the past podcasts. It really is an opportunity. And I also want to encourage you, if you want to learn more, to go to americancornerstone.org and learn the great work there. And Star Spangled Adventures.com that's a place you can watch this, amazing new movie. This is Kevan Freeman. I'm joined this week by Dr. Ben Carson and my wife, Marnie Freeman with Pirate Money radio on our 250th birthday argument.
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with Kevin Freeman, Marnie Freeman, and Dr. Ben Carson as they reflect on faith, fatherhood, and the founding ideals that shaped the nation.
The conversation explores the role of history, biblical values, and financial literacy in preparing the next generation for leadership and liberty.
Dr. Carson also discusses American Cornerstone Institute, Little Patriots, and the new Star Spangled Adventures film designed to help families learn America’s story together.
A timely discussion on patriotism, legacy, and the importance of preserving freedom with truth and unity.
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