Afterwards, YAFers enjoyed a luncheon with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Blackburn focused in on free speech on campus and asserted that, “each one of [us] has a responsibility to protect the free and open exchange of ideas.” I asked my first question of the week to Blackburn about how she feels to be the politician who got Taylor Swift to break her ‘deafening silence’ on politics. She laughed and played on the tune of one of Swift’s songs asserting that she would ‘never ever ever’ care about what an entertainer thought about what she believed in. 
Next up was the youngest sitting senator, Josh Hawley (R-MO). Hawley mostly spoke about how the desires of the middle of the country are often ignored and that does not fly with him. He also discussed how BigTech needs to be stopped, which conjured up some disagreements with the audience. This is definitely a hot topic right now, so these conversations were particularly interesting. 
Princeton professor Dr. Robert George advocated for the revival of virtue in our culture. He argued that much of our culture today actually encourages us to be our worst selves, and I strongly agreed with this. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Allen West took the stage after George and had the audience roaring with laughter. He emphasized the importance of choosing a victor mentality over one of victimhood. Dr. Walter Williams finished off the night at dinner with a humorous yet insightful lecture. Williams clapped back against government overreach and we were loving every minute of it. I wish I could pick that man’s brain for hours; he is a true scholar. 
Thank you, God, for another beautiful day. We are looking forward to Day Four!
