John,
Insidious leftist ideology has taken hold of our educational system.
It's never been more important that we expose it, because the Left has lit an ideological fire, and that fire is now consuming the minds of young Americans, burning itself through the most aspects of American culture and politics.
That's why it's of utmost importance that I hear back from you today.
I'm no stranger to the authoritarian attitudes on campus; I famously felt the brunt of it when conservative students invited me to speak on the University of California, Berkeley campus.
Radical leftist groups like Antifa vowed to riot and cause harm to others.
The fear of violence from leftist agitators was so great that:
- It cost $600,000 in security expenses and required hundreds of policemen to ensure that agitators didn't disrupt or try to cause violence at my speech.
- The University shut down six buildings on campus during my speech and erected concrete barricades (YES, a wall) to secure the Berkeley campus.
- For the first time in 20 years, the City of Berkeley voted to allow the use of pepper spray against violent protesters.
- In the end, police arrested nine leftists for trying to sneak banned weapons into our event-with the likely intent to do harm.
It's no longer just about the Left trying to suppress your conservative views on campus.
It's about using the threat of violence to silence the conservative values you and I share.
Meanwhile, schools roll out the red carpet for leftists like Angela Davis, Bill Ayers, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Bernie Sanders.
At Berkeley, taxpayer-funded school administrators tried to derail my event from even taking place. They told me that they didn't have a lecture hall available, which was a lie.
School administrators even cut the venue in half by not allowing students to sit in the balcony-a dirty tactic to minimize attendance.
The good news is the radical Left's attempts to silence me completely backfired.
More than 600 students showed up, and we were able to host an engaging and civil event. Then, OVER 10 MILLION PEOPLE watched my speech online (that's more viewers than any of the major evening newscasts).
This victory for the Conservative Movement would have never happened if it weren't for the Young America's Foundation (YAF).
When Berkeley tried to illegally block me from coming to campus, YAF sued the university - and won.
But the radicals who rioted and tried to incite violence at Berkeley are relentless. Their stranglehold on America's universities has not yet been broken.
Young America's Foundation has been an incredible partner in making sure I am able to share our conservative values with students on campuses across the country. In fact, I speak on campuses exclusively through YAF because I know YAF has the experience and leadership necessary to run the nation's leading campus lecture program.
Today YAF needs your help.
Let me tell you a little bit more about what YAF does to advance conservative ideas.
Speaking to an audience of Young America's Foundation students, Vice President Mike Pence noted, "Since its founding in 1960, YAF has been a xxxxxx of American greatness."
YAF valiantly defends the values we share by educating impressionable young people who have been ideologically poisoned by leftist propaganda for decades, by the very teachers and professors they're told to trust.
YAF's team is the best at what they do. They are #1: the LARGEST and MOST effective conservative youth outreach organization in America.
Here's why:
- YAF introduces young audiences to the biggest names in the Conservative Movement through their leading campus lecture program. YAF speakers are the most inspiring conservative voices in America, including Arthur Laffer, Katie Pavlich, YAF's Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar and Vice President Mike Pence, Dinesh D'Souza, Lila Rose, Steve Forbes, Lt. Col. Allen West, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Michael Knowles, Dana Loesch, James O'Keefe, NFL star and Congressman Burgess Owens, Star Parker, Fox News's Jesse Watters, and many others.
- YAF teaches millions of students across the nation YOUR conservative values through breakthrough conferences, training seminars, and campus activism initiatives and activities. (In fact, YAF is the only Conservative Movement organization that has a full suite of conservative educational programs for high school students!)
- And YAF preserves and protects President Reagan's ranch in Santa Barbara, California and Boyhood Home in Dixon, Illinois. They saved these national treasures so young people can learn about Ronald Reagan's lasting accomplishments.
No other organization reaches conservative students with foundational American ideas on a bigger scale than Young America's Foundation.
That's why I prefer YAF to be my sole sponsor for campus events.
They fight for the right to ensure alternative voices are heard on college campuses. They stop campuses from being turned into Leftist echo chambers.
I am glad I have YAF on my side and the side of the students.
But YAF can't do this alone.
As the Left continues to stoop to desperate new lows to silence conservatives, it's become more important than ever that our values are shared with the next generation of thought leaders.
We both know that the Left doesn't want a fair discussion of ideas. But that's why YAF needs your help today. At any moment, a scheduled event could get shut down by campus radicals or administrators, and the YAF team must be ready to engage them on a moment's notice.
Friend, a donation of $35 or whatever you choose does more than you know.
The impact amplifying conservative voices will have on the future of our country can't be overstated. I cannot encourage you enough to consider giving to YAF today.
Partnering with YAF today is our opportunity to win a generation that values freedom. I can't think of a better investment.
Ronald Reagan stated, "There is no better way to establish hope for the future than to enlighten young minds."
I look forward to hearing back from you.
-Ben
