Defending American Exceptionalism: Recent Episodes
Solis Veritas
In recent years, the greatness of America - its exceptionalism - has been under attack. This podcast seeks to review our country's history and founding and to use that knowledge to understand what makes the country so special and to discuss current policies that are taking us down a path wrought with risk of destroying it. Civil discourse is all but lost today; by including important historical information to set the stage for where we are, the Defending American Exceptionalism podcast hopes to return some common sense and thoughtful discussion to the marketplace of ideas . Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/solis-veritas/support
This episode relies primarily on the words of our country's founders to explain why it is so very important to support, defend, and fight for this very exceptional nation and the foundation on which it rests.
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This episode discusses the two party system and the current status of the nominees of each party for the office of President. Never before have there been so many issue related to the law or the candidates' competence and the choice voters have this year is one that offers two starkly different options, but where does that leave America in the long term?
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Where once students young minds could explore all kinds of ideas and debate them with their peers, today's educational environment if one of stilted speech, censorship of ideas, and a failing experiment in indoctrination that will serve only to be the downfall of future generations if we cannot turn the tide very soon.
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This episode considers the instability in the Middle East as just one example of the risks posed to the United States from abroad and why effective border control and immigration policy is critical if we hope to preserve our own freedom and security, at home and elsewhere.
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This episode explores the foreign policy failings of the Biden Administration, especially given recent events in the Middle East. From the attacks on Israel to the unabashed threats being made by the likes of North Korea, the current Administration is on a path of weakness and not strength, risking the national security of the country.
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Why do things seem so hostile, so uncivilized, and so extreme in the world of politics? This episode explores some recent events that appear to be examples of extremism in American politics and then discusses how the term extremism may be being misused in some cases, not others. It also explores how we have exchanged any core ideology in ourselves and our officials - by characterizing any commitment to such principles as extreme - for appearances and power.
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This episode discusses the history of the lack of term limits contained in the original Constitution, how we came to limit Presidents to two terms, and modern pushes for additional term limits on members of Congress and even the Supreme Court.
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This episode provides a brief discussion of some of the recent news stories I have found most interesting, from the absurd to the troubling to the encouraging, these stories shed light on the state of society and remind us how important it is to stay informed.
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This episode is a first real look at the various candidates running for President in 2024, what is at stake in this election, and what considerations voters may want to make when deciding whether to back a particular candidate. The episode also hopes to remind listeners that the President is not in a position to solve all of the nation's problems, nor should he be.
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After every large scale natural disaster, calls are made to reform and fix the agencies and plans of our emergency response. Often the focus is on the federal response, when the primary response for such events rests with those closest to the disaster - state and local officials and organizations. This episode explores how emergency response efforts require coordination among various agencies and departments across jurisdictional lines. Where natural disasters cannot be fully and accurately predicted, it is also time to start considering what risks we take - as individuals and as communities - when we knowingly put ourselves in areas known to be at risk for such disasters.
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This episode explores the due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment and the issues created when the courts or legislature attempt to read into the Constitution some implied body of fundamental rights they call substantive due process.
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This episode discusses the history of the U.S. Department of Labor and the laws enacted, primarily beginning in the New Deal and continuing to today, that interfere with the rights of individual employees to bargain for their own labor, under the terms most important to them. Without the ability freely and voluntarily to demand what you think your own labor is worth or to pay what labor is worth to an employer, employment becomes just another area where government interference fails to achieve any purported goals for it, while causing harm to economic freedom.
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Expanding on the prior episode's discussion of property rights and the critical part they play in protecting our liberty, this episode discusses some of the confusion the courts have created in deciding cases where citizens challenge government action related to property. The episode also points out the infringement of our rights to our own labor and the property we acquire through it that occurs with government wealth redistribution programs and other regulatory actions.
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This episode focuses on America's founders' view of the essential place property rights have in any free society. Without the right to both acquire and possess property, we cannot be independent of our government and we cannot truly achieve liberty.
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This episode discusses the history of affirmative action, key Supreme Court decisions addressing racial preferences, and what the most recent case involving racially-based admissions decisions at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina means for our chance to achieve a truly color blind society. Where the actual realities of racial preferences prove they harm everyone involved, why are so many so determined that these programs continue?
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The truth is out there, but how do we find it. And, how will we know when we do find it. Media has evolved over centuries and no longer are town criers or regularly published newspapers primary sources of information and news. As more ways to get and share information emerge, it becomes harder to know what sources to trust and how to ensure the information you are receiving is accurate.
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It seems today our federal government spends a lot more time talking about issues that shouldn't concern it and not much time informing us how it is responding to, or addressing, threats and concerns that fall within its constitutional purview. This episode scratches the surface of discussing how ours is now a government with the wrong priorities, a situation that puts at risk our national security and stability.
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History and modern economic data indicate that smaller governments allow for more economic growth. Small, limited government is also the type of government created by our founders, as evidenced by our founding documents. Today, however, government is so large that a return to small government may no longer be feasible - at least not in the short term or even a generation - but some restriction and reduction in size and cost of government is necessary if it is going to be able to focus on its proper duties and if we are not to drown in debt. This episode discusses the affect government growth has on the economy and on viability of our nation.
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Tackling the issue of identity politics and the harm being caused by the Left's insistence that we all be defined and grouped by certain "identities," this episode from early 2021 is just as relevant today, though the number of group identities keeps growing.
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Recorded about 2 years ago from the date of this re-release, discussion of the proper role of our military is never ill-timed. Our service men and women deserve that we recognize its importance and its mission.
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Despite many of the outcries from some segments of society about recent Supreme Court decisions, we all should be thankful for the Court's willingness to step back into its proper role, leaving policy decisions to the political branches and the people. That is what this episode celebrates.
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As this episode from February 2021 explains, judicial activism is dangerous. Judicial activism is dangerous whether it is engaged in by conservative or liberal judges and justices. It is the usurpation of power from the political branches and the people.
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Knowledge of the history of western civilization is a critical part of understanding our world - how it was, how it is, and what we should be seeking to protect and secure in terms of the lessons from our history if we hope to continue the great story of America.
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In January of last year, 2022, this episode tackled the issue of Freedom of Religion, pointing out that we have turned into more of an anti-religious culture than one that truly honors the freedom freely to exercise one's religious beliefs.
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This episode - originally published in April 2021 - focuses on the shift leftward by our educational institutions and the pattern of indoctrination that emerged through the 20th and into the 21st century.
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During the break from new episodes, each week will feature a re-release of a prior episode. This one - only the second episode of this podcast (originally published in early 2021) - discusses Free Speech. Though it is clear our production quality has improved, the substance of this episode is still of utmost importance today.
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The principles that form the underpinning for the creation of the United States are as enduring as they are unique in the world. This episode digs a little more deeply into the founders views on human nature and knowledge of past governments that resulted in the intricately woven system we have today. No matter any personal faults of those who created this nation, efforts to cast aside these founding principles - and the values and morals that instruct them - would be a sure step toward collapse.
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This episode discusses the key cause of any societal decline and collapse and uses that framework to address just a sampling of issues facing America today to stress the need to return to a shared set of principles consistent with our own social contract, the U.S. Constitution.
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This episode takes a quick look at the governmental system of Russia and China to evaluate how the inner workings of these countries sit in direct opposition to true freedom and democracy and how their joint focus on lessening the power of the United States poses not only a national security threat but a threat to freedom everywhere.
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This episode focuses on the current investigation by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office and the grand jury in New York into the money paid to Stormy Daniels by someone tied to Donald Trump. Regardless of one's view of the former President, the way in which criminal prosecutions are being used more to target one's political allies or to score points with a prosecutor's political colleagues is a troubling trend.
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This episode discusses the recent collapses of Silicon Valley and Signature Banks, why these banks failed, what it means for the rest of the banking industry, and what is really going on in today's economy. Where our federal government continues to spend money it doesn't have in the face of any perceived impending crisis, is the real crisis really what will happen when our national debt load finally reaches the point of posing a true national emergency.
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This episode builds on the prior one about the United States' federalist system to highlight some policy areas being discussed at the state and local levels and legislation being adopted. A brief survey of some of the more noteworthy legal enactments in our states will hopefully spark the interest in listeners to pay more attention to what is going on right in their own communities and to play a role in influencing those very important policy decisions.
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This episode addresses the importance of our federalist system. In a time where we seem willingly to have ceded power to the federal government to solve all problems, it may be time to consider the genius of our founders in reserving most power to the states and the people in order to limit the authority and size of the national government.
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This episode briefly discusses the text and history of the Fourth Amendment in order to put in perspective current issues, related to new technologies and other changes in society, to consider how best to protect from government overreach into our lives.
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This episode focuses on some recent headlines to discuss how truly bizarre the current state of our society is. From Chinese spy balloons to harmful school curricula, the absurdity of today's news should be a wake up call for any of us who seek to protect, not only our freedoms, but our place in the world as a society positioned to lead when it comes to our systems and culture.
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This episode discusses recently enacted or proposed gun control measures and the continued failure by gun control advocates to address the real root cause of gun crime, choosing instead the overly simplistic and often unconstitutional option of disarming law abiding citizens in violation of the Second Amendment. The episode also gives hope to protections of our freedom through gun ownership by acknowledging those states that have taken steps to ensure guns are only kept out of the hands of criminals.
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An introduction to what categories of information can be classified and by whom, this episode seeks to serve as a catalyst to further discussion of whether our system of classification needs revision, whether there is a real problem of over-classification of information, and how concerned we should be when classified documents continue to be located in less than secure areas controlled by our former and current officials.
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This episode discusses the history of political parties in the United States, the founders' - particularly James Madisons' - distaste for them, and the inevitability that people will always organize themselves into factions.
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As with the prior episode, but with the other major party, this episode traces the roots of the Democratic Party and follows its evolution toward policies and priorities that may be more socialist than they are truly democratic.
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This episode takes the recent headlines decrying discord among Republicans and presents a different perspective given the history of the party, what it once stood for, and where it may have gone astray.
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This episode continues discussion of individuals who contributed to the greatness of the United States. From explorers to lawmen of the wild west and from abolitionists to inventors, Americans have risen to do the unimaginable in all kinds of ways. This holiday season, I wanted to be sure to discuss just a handful of these people to focus more on the positive than the negative, and to remind us all that though America is not perfect, it is the most perfect union created and one that needs us to come together not divide ourselves if we wish for her to endure.
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This episode explores just a handful of stories of American heroism around the time of the American Revolution. From small acts that had large impacts to men whose greatness far out shadowed any personal flaws to change the course of history, the episode strives to highlight how important it is to give credit to the founding generation, in contrast to so many today who seek to vilify or erase their contributions.
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Acceptance of Socialism is growing. More and more younger Americans view this Marxist economic philosophy in a positive light, without seeming regard for the historical failings and proven errors upon which it is based. This episode discusses what socialism is, the danger of moving more toward this kind of collective economic system, and the seeming ignorance or intentional disregard for the proof - time and time again - that it simply does not work in the real world and leads only to less freedom and government control.
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This episode further explores how our educational system is being used to indoctrinate younger generations in a way that threatens our very future as a powerful nation. From critical race theory to transgenderism to simply focusing more on activism for a favored cause than basic skills, some in control of today's children are more than willing to wield their power to influence them in ways that, with the breakdown of traditional families, could dictate the beliefs of generations to come.
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The results of the 2022 midterm elections highlight that younger generations - both in their large numbers and participation in elections - are key to consistent success. The problem now confronted is that our educational system is dominated by those on one side of the political spectrum, who are determined to ensure that these young voters believe there is only one right idea, only one right opinion, and only one right candidate - the one the Left has preselected for them. We must address this indoctrination, along with the usurpation of power by those in power of our federal government, by increasing local and state participation, which is necessary to get the focus of our schools back on teaching students how to think, not what to think.
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This episode provides a down and dirty review of what we know, at this point, happened in the midterm elections of 2022 and what it may mean for the future direction of our local, state, and national governments. The episode also includes some discussion of how certain groups voted and why despite clear shifts to the Republican Party, that party still failed to gain the seats that were predicted at the national level.
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Hardly a day goes by where there is not some new claim that something or someone is threatening our democracy. Most of these claims come from those on the Left, who seem more and more wiling to claim that anyone who believes differently than they do or who dares to question elections or extreme policy agenda items is a threat to our entire nation. While ignoring that we are not a true democracy, this statement is intended only to strike fear in voters in hopes that the Democrats - and particularly the more extreme among them - can continue to grab power away from the people to advance policies that make us less free. And, that truth is the real threat to democracy.
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Every two years - in between presidential elections - we have what are commonly called midterm elections, meaning in the middle of a particular president's term. These midterms are a chance for voters to tell elected officials whether they agree or disagree with the current choices being made by their own officials or by the government as a whole. This episode explores some key races and points out some of the themes each party has been attempting to focus voters upon when making their decisions.
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Polling - or surveying individuals to try to predict outcomes - is not new. When George Gallup attempted to create a scientific method for polling, a new generation of polls appeared and were used to attempt to predict election outcomes. But today, do polls actually provide accurate predictions? Did they ever? And, are they more apt to be used - intentionally or unintentionally - to influence voters rather than merely to gauge a voter's existing opinions? This episode attempts to provide a review of the history of polling and what polling does today.
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This short episode is an introduction to what is likely to be a controversial issue before too long - whether the United States should launch its own central bank backed digital currency, or CBDC. An Executive Order signed by the President in March directed a number of members of the Administration to look into U.S. digital currency. With the growth of the cryptocurrency market, governments are starting to want a piece of that pie, but with government involvement in digital currency come a lot of risks related to the privacy of individuals.
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Despite the claim of Vice President Kamala Harris that our border is secure, millions have illegally entered our nation during the Biden Administration and, yet, the Administration continues to ignore this crisis and to deny its existence. The refusal of the federal government to take actions actually to secure the border is forcing governors in the most affected states to take actions to shine a light on the real situation in the hopes that those in Washington, D.C. will finally understand that something must be done if the nation is to be secure.
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Without a question, gas-powered vehicles have a down side - pollution, accidents, congestion - but they also offer a kind of mobility - automcobility - that allows us independence, self-determination, and the ability to live and work in places of our choosing. Automobiles also connect us to one another, allowing us to travel far distances on our own schedules and with our own itineraries. A part of the American story, today's push to outlaw new sales of such vehicles based upon claims that we can all simply replace them with today's electric vehicles, overlooks all the downsides that exist today for electric vehicles and is likely motivated by an intent to control, as much as any intent to protect the environment.
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Education has societal value. But an individual's choice of course of study and what to pay for that study is that individual's own decision. Even more so a personal individual decision, is the decision to borrow money to pay for an education. As with any loan and investment with those borrowed funds, the person agreeing to pay back those funds should evaluate the return on investment and decide if the loan is worth it and if that borrower will be able to live up to the agreement being made to repay it. It is not the responsibility of those who chose not to borrow such funds to pay them back. A government program that simply wipes away a portion or all of such debt of some individuals is merely a means of buying votes, less ugly perhaps that 19th century bribery and intentional intoxication to get votes, but vote buying nonetheless.
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This episode poses the theory that the focus on Donald Trump - both by his supporters and his opponents - is not as much about who he is but what he stands for. Donald Trump was not a career politician. He was not a creature of decades inside the Beltway and he did not accept in opposition to his plans that things simply were not done that way or that they were always done some other way. To be sure, he has many personal quirks - or worse - but he was something refreshing in politics - with Donald Trump, what you saw - and heard - was what you got. Now, as we move forward - either with or without Trump involved in the political arena - it cannot be ignored that the American people want something different. They do not want to ruled by a lifelong set of political elites in Washington. They want someone who will shake things up in order to get things done. Donald Trump gave some hope that could be done and whether you love him or hate him specifically that fact scares a lot of people. And, whether the Republican Party's future should involve him or not, he has sparked a debate worthy of having - how do we turn things around in Washington to stop them from being done as they have been for decades.
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It is never a bad time to be reminded that part of the genius of the system created by our founders is that it is based on a system that intended to leave more power to the states and local governments - those closest to the people - and less for the federal government. As more and more policy actions are being taken at the federal level, perhaps it is time we, as a society, ask whether we might not be more satisfied with government if more decisions were made closer to home.
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With the recent passage of federal legislation packed full of various incentives to shift to cleaner energy, it seems the perfect time to re-release this episode to get back to the basics of where we are in terms of energy options and what is still lacking if we are effectively to shift society away from traditional sources of energy, such as oil, gas, and coal.
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This is a re-release of the 11th episode of the podcast. The episode explores how the movement known as feminism - once a general call for equal treatment of women - has done more to harm the female gender than to help it.
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This episode is a re-release of Episode 7, originally recorded on February 28, 2021. It explores the history and purpose of the Second Amendment and why it is a right critical to all other freedoms.
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This is a re-release of the podcast's very first episode, with a new introduction to remind all of us how special this great nation we call America truly is.
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Today's severe misunderstanding of the First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses and Thomas Jefferson's 1802 phrase a "wall of separation of church and state" has led to a modern belief that any mention or reference to religion in public discourse is improper and a sign of an impending theocracy. This view is either ignorant of or intentionally overlooks the role of religion for our founders and for society for those who formed our nation and ratified the First Amendment.
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This episode takes a quick look at some of the most outrageous claims from the Left about how conservatives are threatening democracy and freedom, when the truth lies much more in the conclusion that it is the Left deflecting from its own efforts to ever more boldly take from us our most prized freedoms and right to self governance.
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This episode looks at several of the most headline grabbing decisions of the Supreme Court's most recent term to celebrate a return of political issues to the political branches and to the people.
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Through poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride, this short special episode reminds us that the birth of our nation depended on the many small acts of so many who fought for freedom.
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With video footage capturing President Biden, after already coming to a stop, falling from his bicycle, the image seemed representative of the entire Administration. No matter what the issue and whether it is an actual policy enactment or a proposal, President Biden and his supporters have an uncanny ability to choose the wrong path nearly 100% of the time. Whether foreign policy, military regulations, or domestic affairs, little can be identified (if anything) as having improved for our country since President Joseph Biden took office. This episode touches on just some examples of these failures.
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Expanding the prior discussion of the right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, this episode explores the pattern of demanding restrictions on gun rights whenever a mass shooting stokes fear in the population. The proposed gun restrictions never attempt to address the actual root causes of gun violence or to recognize that, though mass shootings (however that phrase is defined) are horrific events, the gun violence that plagues a small percentage of communities across the country is caused by a number of liberal policies that have proven to harm, rather than to help these neighborhoods. And, though public discussion now includes reference to mental health as an issue in gun violence, no real solutions are offered to address those in our population who suffer from uncontrolled or uncontrollable mental illnesses that threaten the safety of those suffering from these ailments and those around them.
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This special episode reviews some of the most remarkable revelations uncovered about those in support of transgenderism on today's far Left as shown in the recently released documentary, What Is A Woman.
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With student loan debt topping $1.6 trillion and proposals to forgive all or a portion of these loans coming from many in our federal government gaining ground, it is time to review who should be responsible for these loans. When considering student loan debt, it is also important to consider what our students are learning and what they are not when they pay often hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain college degrees. Today's colleges offer a life more akin to a permanent jet setters, not hard working, struggling students with limited funds. Living above one's means is an individual problem, not a societal one, and the same is true with student loans.
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This episode discusses the growing trend of companies to make public statements or more in support of some of the more extreme Left policy demands. If companies fail to consider their actual business purposes when becoming involved in these political issues, they fail their shareholders and their consumers. Worse, the real goals of those bullying corporations into participating in the most sensitive social issues of the day are actually seeking to further the identity politics of a neo-Marxist movement that threatens America's basic principles and systems.
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This episode explores crime rates, how terms like "violence" and "extremist" are being defined, and whether there is a political basis for current rates of violent crime. The episode also revisits some of the societal causes of crime in order to refocus policies on the moral component of a safe society.
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Whether it is transgenderism taught in elementary school classrooms or lessons that teach some students they are inherently oppressed and others that they are inherently racist and oppressors, our current treatment of children is stealing from them any sense of true childhood and exposing them to ideas that will serve only to harm them mentally and physically. This episode discusses some of these issues and the steps some lawmakers are finally taking to restore the rights of parents when it comes to the education of their children.
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As the podcast returns to discussing current events, after several weeks of taking some steps through history to remind us where we have been as a civilization, it appears that today's issues are becoming more and more ridiculous and unbelievable. From a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion to Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter and the creation of a Disinformation Governance Board in an agency of the federal government of the United States, there appears to be now, more than ever, a need to return society to civil discourse of today's issues. But civil discourse and public debate requires more, not less, access to information.
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As World War II comes to a close, the world sees two Superpowers and two distinct societal, economic, and governmental philosophies battle for supremacy around the globe. The winner would be on the side of freedom but the Cold War would not be fought without cost and it appears its resolution would not end the continuing fight between freedom and totalitarianism, between capitalism and communism, and between east and west.
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This episode continues the multi-part series briefly summarizing the history of western civilization with a focus on the unique place in history held by the United States of America. Consisting of discussion of several key conflicts in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, this episode will touch on America's founding, the Civil War, and the rise in American influence through World Wars I and II.
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From Ancient Greece and Rome to the Middle Ages, the Crusades and the periods of Absolutism, Enlightenment, and Renaissance, this episode hits some high points in our history to help us appreciate how far man has come, what we should have learned from prior civilizations and why knowledge of history is imperative for future success of our nation and of society itself.
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This episode discusses the lack of historical understanding of so many of our citizens and the risk to the future posed when a society begins rewriting or ignoring its full history. From policy to culture, history informs us where we came from, where we have been, and instructs how to move forward in the future using all we have learned.
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This episode discusses the oil and gas energy generally to better understand what products are included within that industry and then explores the various factors that affect the prices of gasoline and other end products. Included in this discussion is how government policies can and have caused an increase in costs, such that the additional strain from the Russia-Ukraine conflict is literally adding more fuel to the fire on exploding gas prices. Where renewable energy sources are not yet at a point where they can provide our energy needs in the near term, we must consider how to allow cost-effective fossil fuel extraction and refinement to satisfy are current needs without unnecessarily high costs, costs that most often harming the poorest among us.
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This episodes revisits the issues surrounding Russia's now invasion into the nation of Ukraine. It identifies some of the issues facing the West, and the United States specifically, and some of the security risks posed by Vladimir Putin's actions and apparent goals in entering Ukraine. As things are constantly changing with this situation, a follow-up episode will almost certainly be necessary as the world struggles day-to-day with how to address this unacceptable aggression by Russia.
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This episode again considers the various government actions taken to combat Covid-19 to highlight how much we were willing to give up so easily with little scientific or legal basis. The policy of our government - and many others - was driven too much by fear and not enough by proper consideration of the protection of freedom whenever taking actions aimed at providing security or safety.
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In this episode, the history of presidential succession laws and the reasons behind and potential use of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution form the framework to discuss the serious issue of what happens when a sitting President appears unable to perform the duties and obligations of the office of the leader of the free world.
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This episode explores the process of redistricting after every 10 year census, the Founders plan for a growing nation, and recent legal, practical and political issues that are involved whenever a state undertakes the process of redistricting. A brief history of gerrymandering and whether it is always a bad practice is also included.
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The abortion debate is an emotional one. In this episode, I explore and discuss the importance of allowing that debate to take place outside of Supreme Court decisions and why reliance on the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of such public policy issues is a threat to self governance and to the U.S. Constitution's structure of limited federal government.
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With the history of Russian aggression throughout centuries, it appears more and more apparent that the state of U.S.-Russian relations is a topic of great concern. As Russia shows, yet again, its willingness to invade the territory of other sovereign nations, it is time to start exploring the threat that nation poses to U.S. national security.
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Expanding on and taking a somewhat different approach than a prior episode that discussed our First Amendment religious freedoms, this episode considers the possibility that many of the Left's current dogma is, indeed, a religion and one that is being wholeheartedly endorsed by the government in violation of the First Amendment.
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As the size of government has exploded, so too has the bureaucracy that seemingly steers our government regardless of who the voters elect and what policies they wish to have enacted. Where unelected officials begin to view themselves as the only authorities on key issues, voters lose any real participation in their government. This episode touches the surface of this issue to highlight it as one in need of attention.
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All too often political issues are being labeled an emergencies or crises. By convincing us that there is some imminent threat, in need of immediate action, policies and actions are taken that would never be accepted as proper exercises of authority in the handling of normal matters. It is time we start questioning whether policymakers intentionally convert everyday problems into emergencies in order to take more power than they are given constitutionally or under other laws, power that they rarely, if ever, give back.
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As we start 2022, it is a good time to take a quick step back to review what made the new American era - our founding - so very special among the creation of nations. This episode explores some of the key foundations of our system and why they are so important for securing individual liberty.
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This episode explores today's willingness to provide an escape from personal responsibility for many in society. As we move away from goals of independence and self-reliance, we risk a society unable to provide for its own needs and one that must rely on government in a way that threatens freedom for us all.
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The United States Constitution is a document that grants our federal government limited, delegated powers. The government cannot act beyond those granted authorities. When it does, it intrudes on authority that was explicitly and importantly left to the States and to the people. Today's Congress regularly legislates on issues for which it has not proper authority and all too often, society is willing to sit back and allow this power grab - despite the risks to the republic it poses - because too many of us have been convinced all problems have a federal, monetary solution.
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By reviewing a brief history of the various infectious diseases that have plagued human civilization through the years and the history of inoculation and vaccine development, this episode explores governments' approaches to mandating the vaccination of citizens and when the severity of the risk to public healthy may be so great to allow such intrusions on liberty and when it is simply not. The episode compares the outbreaks of smallpox over thousands of years to the recent Covid-19 pandemic in discussing these issues.
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Using the Kyle Rittenhouse trial as a means to discuss how the jury system works and the current unwarranted criticisms against it, this episode walks through pre-trial reaction to the events that led to the indictment of Rittenhouse, what was reported, what the facts actually turned out to be, and how unwilling so many were to allow our judicial system to operate as intended or to accept when the verdicts were announced that it had done just that despite efforts to sway the jury and others throughout the process.
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With the off year elections in states like Virginia and New Jersey yielding unexpected results (for some), this episode discusses the reason our founders staggered elections and created a bicameral legislature with different term lengths. It also includes discussion of mid-term elections generally and what this year's elections may tell us about what could happen in 2022.
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When an administration fills its leadership roles based, not on competence, experience and skill, but by checking boxes of diversity and inclusivity, the resulting team has no chance of success and is, in fact, likely to steer the nation in the wrong direction. This situation is just what is happening in the Biden Administration. This episode looks at who is in charge at key agencies and how those President Biden selected are more concerned with their own political ambitions than with what may actually serve the citizens of the United States.
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From supply chain difficulties to labor shortages to inflation, the United States' economic outlook is full of uncertainty and more and more economists are calling for a longer period of higher prices, slow delivery, and insufficient staffing. This episode takes a brief look at several of the things now affecting our economy and how the Biden Administration's current proposals would likely worsen already bad news on this front.
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From the control of information flow and messaging by our own government to the less than thorough work of present day journalists, from the indoctrination found in our educational system and the funneling of select information through social media and search engines engaged in by BigTech, we are constantly bombarded with only those messages certain individuals or groups wish for us to receive and that control of information is influencing many citizens' opinions in ways they don't even realize.
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Facist! The label is hurled on political enemies as a way to claim some evil motive or cruel intention, but all too often those labeled Facists have very little in common with what that term actually means. Indeed, it is often the one's making the claim that another is, indeed, a Racist who favor policies that look an awful lot like those supported by the likes of Benito Mussolini, the founder of Facism.
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This episode revisits some of the government's imposed policies and guidance related to covid-19, specifically as relates to children. It takes a summary look at what the science appears to indicate works and what actions, such as mask mandates for children, may be causing more harm than good. Where children are involved, we should demand our government officials consider the entire picture of their wellbeing and not focus, in isolation, on a virus that poses very little risk of serious disease for younger Americans.
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It appears that Congress no longer cares if the total money it proposes spending is financially feasible or responsible. Instead, the budget process has been converted to a wish list of social and socialist programs that, if passed, would serve to change the culture of America and make the federal government a part of our lives from cradle to grave. This episode summarizes what is in the budget bill now pending in Congress and what its passage might mean for us all.
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In direct contrast to so much of what we are hearing today - that America is not exceptional, that it is nothing special - this episode explores some of the most unique parts of our nation to demonstrate that it is, indeed, exceptional. A society built upon a belief in and protection of natural rights for all men and that the natural tendency of humanity to grab and expand power must be checked resulted in a country that truly is for the people, if only we continue to fight for it.
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With the recall election set for September 14th, 2021, to provide California voters the chance to decide if they are willing to allow Governor Gavin Newsome to complete his term or end it for him early, it is a good time to understand how the recall works and why it has garnered as much support as it has.
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Twenty years after the nation was attacked by al Qaeda terrorists, it is time to remember those who fell that day, those who have since passed from health complications that were caused by conditions at the site of the attacks, and those who have fought since September 11th to disrupt terrorist organizations around the world. With the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is also time to demand more from our elected and unelected officials to ensure our homeland remains secure and to account for why - after these past two decades - we have now turned Afghanistan back over to the very same individuals who harbored and actually participated in terrorist organizations set on doing us harm.
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In the two weeks since the original episode on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the news on how this decision was handled just gets worse. From leaving Americans behind to abandoning U.S. military equipment to the failure properly to coordinate with our allies, whether one supported a full withdrawal, the way this matter was carried out exposes a clear failure of leadership from the President to our military brass. The damage done to the nation and to those who served so honorably to keep our homeland safe is an affront to all American people.
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Now that we are further into the pandemic and are confronting mutations of the Covid-19 coronavirus, it is time to look at what worked, what didn't, what we still don't know, and what we should consider when allowing the government to dictate our behavior. Cries to follow the science have been shown not to be based on any settled science and life has been dramatically altered in ways that may cause more harm than the virus itself.
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Debates can continue whether the war in Afghanistan was a success, a failure, a combination of successes and failures, and what the role of the United States should be in that nation going forward. It cannot be disputed or debated that our service men and women did a remarkable job dismantling al Qaeda and supporting the Afghan people. What cannot be debated is that the Biden Administration's failure properly to plan for the withdrawal of United States troops has created the greatest national security threat our nation has likely faced in 20 years and has done a disservice to our own military members and our allies.
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Where private property rights were a critical aspect of freedom and security, as recognized by our Founders, more recent movements attempt to devalue these rights in favor of more collective rights that do nothing to encourage hard work and independence and instead seek to make use more reliant on government and to allow government access to the fruits of our own labor for their own projects for public good. Where private property rights are lost, so too is freedom.
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The sudden rise of Big Tech companies - Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and a handful of others - raises questions about how much freedom we have voluntarily given to these monopolistic companies. With more recent actions to censor user content, the question what place these companies truly should have in our society is more important than ever. A consideration of the market share now held by Big Tech and the role these sites and apps play in our daily lives, demonstrates how much data is being collected about us to influence our very thoughts and opinions.
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The recent protests of Cuban citizens chanting, “Abajo de la dictadura” (down with the dictatorship), and Libertad (Freedom) have shone a light back on this oppressive country, reminding us of the evils of Communism as they have been imposed there. Where memories of the Cold War have faded - for those who have any such memories at all - it is time to remember just what we are fighting when we oppose Communism, at home or abroad.
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Given the recent calls to end the filibuster, moves by state legislators to abandon their elected positions to deny a quorum for consideration of legislation, and the imbalance created by imposing term limits on only one of the two political branches of our federal government, it seemed a good time to take at least an introductory look into the legislative process. The genius of our founders lies not only in the structure of the government but in the manner of selection; no more has that genius been altered than in the selection of our Senators.
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As the 20th century moved forward, it became accepted dogma that every student should complete high school and complete college. Unfortunately, the decrease in the value of much of what is being taught - or not taught - on our campuses of higher education and the increase in the cost has done a disservice to many. While neglecting to allow students to pursue vocational studies that would have provided them much needed skills for them and our society, this situation has also instilled in many college-educated students an entitlement to some lifestyle regardless of whether they received and succeeded in obtaining a valuable education.
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Athletes competing in the Olympics - though no longer amateurs - should understand that the Olympics allows them to shine individually but while serving as representatives of their country. They are not there for their own achievements alone, but as part of an international competition. What happens as a part of this series of athletic events affects international policy and relations such that only those proud and supportive of America should be permitted to don the red, white, and blue to represent her.
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From shifts in educational priorities to the continuing relaxation of social mores to guide public behavior and to protect childhood innocence, we now live in a time where are children are regularly exposed to conduct and ideas that serve only to harm them and leave them ill prepared for the future.
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In this episode, you will hear the entire text of the Declaration of Independence and a list of those great men who signed it.
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As many of our current policymakers and political activists push for a more socialist society, the protections of the First Amendment to the Constitution related to religious freedom are being curtailed in ways inconsistent with the amendment's language and history. Where new social movements conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs, all too often society is willing to sacrifice rights to the free exercise of religion to further these new social standards.
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From before our country's inception, George Washington was put in command of a fighting army. It was known then, as it should be now, that to be effective a military must be trained and disciplined. We are slowly chipping away at proper training and discipline in our armed forces for the sake of diversity - a diversity that serves only to weaken our military and to threaten our national security.
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In recent years, a push has come from within our own government voluntarily to give up some of our autonomy in favor of decision making by transnational organizations. These kinds of decisions erode our nation's independence and remove the legitimacy of any standards imposed upon us from outside influences. Those seeking a more global government are moving us further from our own American ideals and freedoms in a way that endangers the future of America.
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Today's progressive Democrats are pushing an agenda that is in direct contravention of the system and principles the founders instilled in our Constitution. The push for fundamental changes that devalue the individual in favor of some elite-defined community good threatens to take away individual freedoms in a way that cannot continue if the United States is to survive to further its great experiment as the most free nation in history.
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With questions swirling about President Biden's mental and physical health, Americans and the rest of the world continue to witness awkward and troubling moments of his confusion and the unwillingness and inability to answer questions such that the question must be asked: who is really in charge? With the most progressive agenda since FDR and Lyndon Johnson - if not more so - Americans are entitled to know whether it is truly their elected leader or some other person or group who is advocating for changes that would so alter the American system that it would be unrecognizable to our founders and likely to cause extreme damage to the country.
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The history of the area now known as the Middle East has all of the characteristics needed to set up centuries of warring factions and conflict, given the large empires that often held these lands together through force and genocide. Though the modern era should have brokered in the opportunity for peace and stability as people gained their independence from the Ottoman Empire and then from the British and French who controlled much of the region, the support and rise of terrorism and Islamic extremism has created a breeding area for anti-western and anti-freedom populations, controlled by terrorist groups and rogue nations.
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Though history has included periods where the United States and China worked together as allies, the modern era brings a Chinese Communist Party with the primary goal of becoming the one superpower in the world and to do so at the expense of the United States. From trade deficits to military build-up and human rights abuses and from complex propaganda campaigns to the theft of intellectual property, if China's actions are not taken seriously we risk a real threat to the national security of all U.S. citizens.
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The complicated nature of our tax system has allowed our government officials to include numerous credits, deductions, and other provisions that seek to pander to certain groups to gain their approval. What has resulted is a tax code that is hard to understand and that actually makes it easy to hide from us how much we are actually paying into the system and also fails to make transparent how much of our tax burden already falls on the top income earners, such that continuing cries to tax the wealthiest among us can still be used to seek to sew further divisions among us by perceived class.
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Allowing more power to be retained by the states and the people was key to the acceptance of the new system of governance established by the U.S. Constitution. Over time, we have allowed a slow destruction of federalism that has stopped the ability of local solutions and makes those officials farthest removed from the people to control of more and more decisions with a dangerous nationwide, uniform approach that was never intended on so many issues.
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The lie of systemic racism seeks to divide us by race, using fear and anger to allow the greatest political power grab in the country's history. The fact of our history with slavery does not support the conclusion that today the country is anything but free and equal, full of equal opportunity for us all. Media and political focus on police shootings - that are not only statistically rare but occur more often with white suspects than minorities - is being used to control, distract, and segregate us rather than unify us around America's great promise of equal rights for all.
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With climate change advocates vilifying fossil fuels, while alternative energy sources prove unworkable, the United States is moving back into a position of energy dependence on foreign nations that seeks to harm our own citizens without any real scientific reason for the failure to rely upon our own natural resources. Rather than preventing use of what energy sources can be found domestically, the focus should be on continued efforts to extract and refine those natural energy sources more cleanly and efficiently.
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This episodes discusses the ever increasing bias in the main stream news media and in the entertainment industry to explore how this bias - in the light of false claims by those in the media that they are actually objective - serves to indoctrinate our citizens by presenting mere opinions as fact. This issue spreads misinformation and misunderstanding among our communities.
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As the trial of Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, continues, we check in on the testimony and evidence so far, the crimes with which he has been charged, and what evidence may still be to come.
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This episode reviews the far shift to the Left that American education has taken through the years and the extreme damage now being done by the refusal to allow an open discussion of differing points of view in our schools. Rather than teaching our younger generations to think for themselves, too many school curricula and requirements are using propaganda to indoctrinate and intimidate students into one way of thinking.
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The path toward women's rights is an interesting one, and not one that has kept as its motivation establishing an actual equal playing field for women. Instead, it is a one-sided move toward a political agenda that does not respect, but seeks essentially to erase, women. This episode explores the history of women in America and the rise of feminism, along with the more modern trends to eliminate gender altogether.
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This episode explores the history of the United States' role in the world and how the direction of its current foreign policy may be causing harm to America while also underestimating the true risk of some of the most critical threats to our national security.
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This episode explores the constitutional division of responsibility for election laws between the states and federal governments, discussing the evolution of the Constitution itself in terms of who could vote, and discusses both historical and recent concerns about election fraud and integrity. A review of the 2000 Presidential election and the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore, along with some thoughts on the most recent election, are used to highlight that though we may not really know how widespread election issues are, they do exist.
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Immigration is a desirable thing, when it is done legally. The failings of our current immigration system bring to light the dangers caused when emotion guides policy and when those who enter illegally are ultimately permitted to benefit from that unlawful entry. This episode discusses the history of immigration in the United States, key legal changes through the years, and the need for action now on the crisis faced on our southern border.
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A look at the history of the Bill of Rights and why it was added to the Constitution, specifically the Second Amendment, helps to understand the individual right embodied in that amendment and its importance to our country from its early days through today. Though some regulation may be warranted, the attempts to significantly limit gun ownership and access pose a threat to any and all other freedoms.
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This episode discusses the issues created when courts overstep their judicial role and act in the place of legislatures and the people in creating and amending legal rules. As the courts become more politicized, the people lose their voice on key policy issues. A commitment to the text of our laws is the only way to ensure the rule of law endures and we do not become a society ruled by the whims of men.
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With a historical review of the 1918 Spanish Flu and some consideration of proper emergency authorities of the President, this episode walks through the country's struggle through the recent pandemic, while reminding everyone that limits continue to exist on government authority even in times of crisis.
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This episode delves into the separation of powers established by the founders and their attempt to avoid any concentration of power in one branch of government. With this understanding, the episode explores the use of Executive Orders over the years – the history of such directives, the questionable use of them in recent years and the issues raised by attempts of any President, unilaterally, to change laws and policies without going through the proper procedures set out in our Constitution.
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This episode explores the increasingly prevalent tendency to push Americans into groups - to identify ourselves not based on our individual character and qualities, but based on membership in some class. The episode further discusses the damage caused to the country as a whole by this movement and especially to our children, who are more and more the focus of efforts of identity politics. This push toward identity politics serves only to separate and divide us, not to unify us around valuable American principles and ideals.
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This episode explores the importance of free speech to any free society, the history surrounding speech - especially political speech - that led to the drafting of the First Amendment, and the risk posed to freedom by recent attempts of censorship, both public and private. The episode will also discuss the importance of open discussion of issues, the relationship between the freedoms of speech and the press, and the dangers of current attempts to punish anyone who has a counter opinion.
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This first episode of the Defending American Exceptionalism podcast explores the dangers of recent attempts to rewrite history as it relates to the founding of the United States and highlights the deterioration of many of our founding principles resulting from these attacks and outright falsehoods. This episode provides a foundation upon which later episodes will explore key issues facing the country and the need to look to the Constitution and history as a starting point for addressing those issues.
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