Category: Gun Rights

14-49 The Climate Change Scam: Is this the Beginning of the End?

14-49 The Climate Change Scam: Is this the Beginning of the End?

Show 14-49 Summary: This week we talk to Craig Rucker about what we hope is the beginning of the end of the most extensive and expensive scam in American history — the Climate Change scam. (Or Global Warming scam if you’re old school.) With Trump’s election, there was weeping and gnashing at the annual UN confab for global warming, COP29, which Craig recently attended. We look at the impact the incoming administration will have on policies and personnel. And how changes at the top may filter down to Oregon. Including ruining one of its most recent environmental schemes, to make money from doing nothing.

I Spy Radio Coverage Map as of November 2024
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on our network of stations.

Original Air Dates: December 7, 2024 | Guest: Craig Rucker

This Week – The End of the Climate Change Scam

This week we are talking with Craig Rucker about what we hope is the beginning of the end of the most extensive and expensive scam in American history — the Climate Change scam. (Or Global Warming scam if you’re old school.) Under Biden a minimum of $1.5 trillion was transferred from the US taxpayer to Far Left organizations and causes. We start with the weeping and gnashing at the annual UN confab for global warming, COP29, which Craig recently attended. Many at the conference had been literally banking on a Kamala win to continue the funding that’s been flowing their way. Where will their trillions come from now?

MAGA ladies at COP29
MAGA ladies at COP29

Then we take a look at the impact the incoming administration will have on policies and personnel. And how changes at the top may filter down to Oregon. Including ruining one of its most recent environmental schemes, to make money from doing nothing.

And with Trump’s win, we’re able to move away from theoretical, “If Trump wins, what can we expect?” discussions. Now we can talk about what will happen and what needs to happen. We find out more about those tapped for Secretary of Interior, Energy, and for the EPA and what those appointments will mean for downsizing their agencies. And what policies especially need to be stopped that could unravel the multi-trillion-dollar Climate Change scam.

Is this the beginning of the end of the Climate Change scam?

Let the deprogramming begin.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Related Information on the Climate Change Scam

  • Net Zero Land Area (Steve Goreham, YT Channel, May 29, 2022)
    • The problem with Net Zero. A Princeton study found that to go from current 10% to 50% renewable by 2050, requires 228,000 square miles of land. That is more than Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Wisconsin — combined.
  • PBS Climate Change scam propaganda programming. If you don’t believe their scam, something is wrong with your brain. “How your brain stops you from taking climate change seriously” (PBS, January 7, 2019)
  • Exxon’s chief has a warning for Republicans (Politico, Nov 12, 2024)*The oil giant takes a stance before the Trump administration sets its sights on gutting Biden’s climate agenda.*warns republicans not to gut Biden’s climate agenda
  • DOGE Co-Lead Vivek Ramaswamy at CNBC’s CFO Council Summit (CNBC, YT Channel, Dec 4, 2024)
  • Crescent Dunes: Biden DOJ Moved on Election Night to Cover Up Alleged Solar Energy Scandal that Cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions (Breitbart, Nov 25, 2024). 
  • Environmental nonprofit fundraising draws criticism across political spectrum (Capital Press, Nov 14, 2024)
    • IRS filings by 20 nonprofit environmental organizations in the West have total net assets of nearly $2 billion dollars. Often significant amounts are set aside as an endowment to generate additional income beyond donations.
    • Nice. Taxpayers gave Far Left organizations seed money for perpetual income.

 

14-48 Encore Presentation of 12-48, the Mysterious Jewish Sect Behind the Dead Sea Scrolls

14-48 Encore Presentation of 12-48, the Mysterious Jewish Sect Behind the Dead Sea Scrolls

Show 14-48 Summary: This week is an encore presentation of show 12-48, “The Mysterious Jewish Sect Behind the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Essenes.” It’s a fascinating look at the scrolls found nearly 2,000 years after being left behind by a Messianic Jewish sect that had waited for centuries and accurately predicted when the Messiah would come. And, using their religious calendar, have predicted the end of days.

For links mentioned during the show, see the original show page, linked above.

I Spy Radio Coverage Map as of November 2024
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on our network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 26th & 27th, 2022 | Guest: Dr. Ken Johnson

Show 12-48 Summary: Those “400 years of silence” between the Old and New Testaments? It turns out they weren’t. The Essenes were driven from the priesthood by the Pharisees and Sadducees but kept the faith and kept prophesying. Incredibly accurately as it turns out. Maybe it’s because the Essenes correctly predicted the coming of the Messiah. To the year. A Jewish “Deep State”? Find out why they wanted to bury the Essenes, forget the Dead Sea Scrolls, and largely succeeded in driving them from history. Except even that ended up fulfilling prophecy.

14-47 Oregon’s Elections: A Deeper Shade of Blue. Is Oregon Hopeless and Helpless?

14-47 Oregon’s Elections: A Deeper Shade of Blue. Is Oregon Hopeless and Helpless?

Show 14-47 Summary: In 2024, Republicans won the White House, the House, and the Senate. Other states went red. And in county after county, Trump gained support. Even among practically every demographic group. But while so much of the rest of the country went red, Oregon’s elections went a deeper shade of blue—with super majorities now in the house and senate. Is Oregon destined to be California’s mini-me? Or can Republicans save Oregon from itself? And what is on the way for Oregon with democrats in charge of everything? Brace yourself.

I Spy Radio Coverage Map as of November 2024
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on our network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 23rd & 24th, 2024 | Guest: Rep. Ed Diehl

This Week – Oregon’s Elections. What Happened?

While Oregon wasn’t part of it, the rest of the nation voted for a better economy, smaller government, secure borders, free speech, protecting farms, schools that actually teach, and city streets free of crime. Already, Trump’s nominations are causing the Deep State to panic. But he seems committed to keep his promise to downsize and even eliminate agencies.

But not Oregon. For Republicans, Oregon took a disastrous turn as Democrats won all three statewide races (Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney General). And they won a super majority in the state senate and nearly certainly will win a super majority in the house.

After Oregon’s Election, Is there Any Hope Left?

If you remember your Greek mythology, curious Pandora couldn’t resist opening the box and let out sickness, death, and other miseries. That feels like what Oregon just did to itself.

After Oregon’s elections, the prospects of a Democrat super majority in both the state house and senate is a grim reality. Every item on the Democrat wish list of miseries for the state is knocking on the box lid. Demanding to be let out. Taxes and more spending for sure, along with more environmental, “green” energy, and carbon scheme mandates to drive up costs on everything.

But they also have a problem.  Biden’s federal cash flow spigot will soon be turned off. No more federal money rolling into Oregon’s coffers to hide the deficit budget problems like PERS’ huge debt that’s causing school districts and county agencies to feel that debt.

So what can Republicans do?  Like the only thing left in Pandora’s box, Oregon has hope. That’s what we discuss with our guest, Representative Ed Diehl (HD-17).  We take a hard look at Oregon’s election and what Oregonians will be facing. And we discuss the national elections, how other states made big changes, what went right in other states, and why didn’t it go right in Oregon.

See Ed Diehl’s website, EdDiehl.com for more about Ed and news and information. Follow Ed on X (formerly Twitter), @Real_EdDiehl

We also discuss the sole remaining (as of November 21) undecided house seat—Tracy Cramer’s in HD22—from Oregon’s elections. A race that will decide whether democrats get a super majority in Oregon’s house. Also, possible election fraud, and what about Oregon’s voter rolls? And what are we likely to see out of a democrat dual super majority.

And then in a future Part II, Ed will come back—likely after the holidays—to discuss changes and new directions to turn Oregon—yes, Oregon—red.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Listen to Mark’s April 2023 speech to the Capital City Republican Women, mentioned in the opener. Pretty much everything he said to needed to win Oregon in 2024, Republicans in other states did.
  • Around the Halls: Scott Brown’s Special Election Victory and the Congressional Agenda (Brookings University, Jan 20, 2010)
  • Ed Diehl’s website, EdDiehl.com for more about Ed and news and information. Follow Ed on X (formerly Twitter), @Real_EdDiehl
  • Biden authorizes Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S.-supplied long-range missiles (NBC News, Nov 17, 2024)
  • Shocking real reason Biden OK’d Ukraine use of U.S. longer-range missiles against Russia (World Net Daily, Nov 19, 2024)
    • This [escalation] entirely has to do with trying to tie Trump’s hands to a war, dampening his ability to achieve the agenda that the American people want him to achieve.” According to Gaub, “This has been in the [Left’s] plan for quite a while, in anticipation of the landslide victory that occurred earlier this month.”
  • SB870: Nation Popular Vote Interstate Compact – (Oregon Legislative Information Services, 2019), (Wikipedia, no date)
    • If enough states had joined before 2024, all of Oregon’s electoral votes would have gone to Trump—thanks to the democrats.
  • Attorney Matthew DePerno and the RNC Stop Thousands Of Duplicate Ballots From Being Counted (Trending Politics, October 30, 2024
  • Drazan selected as new House GOP leader (Oregon Catalyst, Nov 19, 2024)
  • 9 races that could determine the balance of power in the Oregon Legislature (OPB Oct, 22, 2024)

 

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

Show 13-41 Summary: Get some great insight into the Israel-Hamas war and into Israel’s surrounding neighbors. We’re talking with best-selling author, Scott McEwen, co-author of American Sniper, who has a ton of military contacts and special ops insiders he relies on to write his books. We talk about what happened, why it happened, and address some conspiracy theories. And what next? Will Hezbollah attack? What about Iran? Is the two-state solution off the table now? How does Israel build peace with a people who have lied over the last year, saying they want peace when the whole time they were preparing for this attack? And can Israel trust its other neighbors who have also said they want peace?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 14th & 15th, 2023 | Guest: Scott McEwen

This Week – Israel-Hamas War

On Saturday, October 7th, a Jewish Sabbath after Sukkot (better known as the Feast of Tabernacles in the West), Hamas broke through barriers around the Gaza Strip and invaded Israel. They invaded from multiple points, fired some 5,000 rockets into Israel, and attacked by land and air and even by sea.

The operation, which Hamas dubbed, “al Aqsa Flood,” had apparently been in planning for over a year. A year during which Hamas had been assuring Israel that it wanted peace and normal relations. That it no longer wanted to fight.

Making the mistake of trusting Hamas, Israel was caught off guard. Security watch posts were overwhelmed in the early morning hours. Hamas attacked. By the end of the day, some 1,500 Israelis were dead, including women, babies and infants, and elderly. And another 100–200 Israelis had been kidnapped.

Israel responded by formally declaring war on Hamas.

Was it an intelligence failure? Did Hamas simply deceive a trusting neighbor into complacency? And happened to Israel’s Iron Dome? Did it fail? Did Hamas find out the secret to defeating it? Or did Iran give them technology to help defeat it?

Scott McEwen: Israel-Hamas War Analysis

Israel-Hamas War. Golda Meir Quote: "You cannot negotiate peace with someone who has come to kill you."We welcome back Scott McEwen to talk in depth about the Israel-Hamas war. We had scheduled Scott weeks ago to talk about other issues but after the Hamas terrorist sneak attack and Israel declared war, we scrapped that discussion to spend the full hour on Israel’s war with Hamas.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling, American Sniper, and has his own series of military novels and other non-fiction books about the military and combat operations. (See Scott’s full list of books.) And he has a number of military insiders and contacts, including in special ops, on whom he relies to write his books so accurately.

We talk to Scott about what happened but also how and why it happened. We talk about the $6 billion that the Biden administration handed over to Iran — on the 9/11 anniversary no less. Don’t tell me that didn’t have symbolism for our enemies. America is weak and bowed the knee to Islam.

Infuriating! After Hamas’s attack and a bunch of pro-Hamas rallies break out across Europe — now Henry Kissinger says Europe let in too many foreigners? Now he says it? Kissinger and his globalist goons were the ones pushing the mass immigration.

But we also wanted his military insights into what comes next in the Israel-Hamas War. A Gaza invasion. Will the larger terrorist organization, Hezbollah, join in and attack Israel from the north? What about Syria and Lebanon?

We also address some of the conspiracy theories that are already surfacing. But what does all of this look like in the long-term? Is the two-state “solution” now officially off the table? And how does Israel have normal relations with its neighbors going forward?

And it’s more than Hamas crossing into Israel. What about the incursion on our own Southern border? Could we be seeing terrorist attacks here at home?

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Check out all of Scott McEwen’s novels and nonfiction books on the Navy SEALS, U.S. military, special ops, and more.

Links and Info on Israel-Hamas War

Iron Dome – Did it Fail?

  • Israel’s Nearly Impenetrable Iron Dome Struggles To Stop Hamas’ 5,000 Rockets | Watch What Happened (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Electronic communications jammed?
    • Israelis told him, they “will sit in a bunker for a year if they have to, they want Gaza leveled. No more prisoner exchanges.”

What Now for Israel and Its Neighbors?

  • Great article: “What Israel Needs to Do Now” (American Spectator, Oct 9, 2023)
    • “Israel stupidly exited Gaza in 2005, evicted 8,500 Jews living there, and handed over the entire region to Arab Muslims, all to foster peace. That was Ariel Sharon’s folly and sounded the death knell for the Israeli Left.”
    • Hamas is not some “fringe group” that just happens to reside in Gaza. The residents of Gaza elected them as their leaders.
  • Thomas Sowell, from six years ago: “Why Trading Land For Peace Is Destroying Israel” (Thomas SowellTV, re-posted, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Thomas Sowell: Israel gave up land in exchange for peace; but they never got the peace. So it’s time to retake the land.
  • How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault (Reuters via Yahoo News, Oct 9, 2023)
    • In other words, they will lie to your face. You can’t have peace like that. And if now they say they want peace, how do you trust it? You can’t.

US Response and Responsibility

  • How the Biden Admin’s Foreign Policy Relates to Hamas’ Attack on Israel, with Victor Davis Hanson (Megyn Kelly YT Channel, Oct 9, 2023)
  • US puts special forces on alert to help Israeli forces locate American hostages as hundreds of brave IDF reservists arrive at JFK [Airport] to answer call to fight – after terrorists beheaded babies (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)

Gaza and Hamas

  • One-Eyed Hamas Chief Masterminded Israel Attacks | Who is Mohammed Deif – The Cat With Nine Lives (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Mohammed Deif – Hamas leader who masterminded Saturday’s attack. He has escaped 7 assassination attempts
    • Hamas has dressed up the attack as a response to Israeli incursions around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
    • Security experts suggest hat Deif’s ability to evade Israel’s military can, in part, be attributed to his deliberate avoidance of modern communication technology.
  • Hamas’ Big Offer To Israel Amid Intense Gaza Strikes: “’We Are Ready For a Truce” (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 10, 2023)
  • Israel Vows To Pummel Gaza Even If Hamas ‘Executes’ Israeli Hostages; Netanyahu’s Chilling Warning (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • No electricity, food or water in Gaza as Israeli siege intensifies (Scripps News, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Israel orders ‘complete siege’ of Hamas-run Gaza Strip after massive terror attack (NBC News, via YT, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Why no one likes Hamas: “Hamas supporters in the USA gather to mock a pro-Israel group that had met up to mourn together.”  (Visegrád 24, Twitter, Oct 10, 2023)

Two-State Solution

  • Two-State Solution (Britannica, Updated October 9, 2023)
    • Includes map of pre-1967 borders
    • Arabs allegedly okay with pre-1967 borders. Why? They weren’t okay with the pre-1967 borders before 1967, which is why there was a 1967 war. Why should anyone trust what they say now? Does any reasonable person actually think that once Israel gives up land, they will then be safe?
  • Mapping Middle East Peace Possibilities (Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2017)

2nd Amendment Discussion

In light of the Hamas surprise attack and Israel-Hamas War, will Israel get its own Second Amendment?

  • ‘We Don’t Want to Be Like America’: Will Israel’s Government Adopt New Gun Laws? (Haaretz, February 5, 2023)
  • Israeli gun ownership rising as violence surges (BBC News, March 30, 2023)
  • And then reality hits: “Israel eases gun laws to arm ‘as many citizens as possible’ after terrorist attack” (Just the News, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Israel is easing its gun laws with the goal of arming “as many citizens as possible,” according to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir”
  • Israeli woman Inbar Lieberman, 25, is hailed a hero for saving kibbutz Nir Am from invading Hamas (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Inbar Lieberman led a group of residents to kill more than two dozen advancing terrorists while defending the kibbutz (community) [Nir Am], just a mile from the Gaza Strip. …She quickly realized that the sounds were different to those she heard during the usual rocket attacks on the kibbutz and rushed to open the armory and distribute guns among the 12-member security team. … She killed five terrorists herself, while the others claimed the lives of 20 more over a four hour period.
    • Key: “Nir Am was turned into an impenetrable fortress, while nearby [undefended] kibbutzim’s suffered heavier losses.”

Speculation and Escalation

What about Our Southern Border?

  • Thousands of ‘special interest aliens’ from Middle East countries stopped at southern border since 2021: data (Fox News, October, 2023)
    • “Special interest aliens” is nice-guy code for “suspected terrorists.”

Other Related Links

  • Biblical Places on Modern Maps: Jordan (Bible Archaeology Report, 2018)
  • What is Sukkot? (via Chabad.org)
    • “Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt”

 

13-23 The Truth about the Oregon Republican Senator Walkout | HB2002

13-23 The Truth about the Oregon Republican Senator Walkout | HB2002

Show 13-23 Summary: Unsurprisingly, the Oregon democrats and their media have been spinning a lot of lies about the Republican Senators walkout. They’re saying Republicans are refusing to come to work. A dereliction of duty. A vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. Weird. What do democrats call not showing up for work when public unions do it? Could it be a “strike”? But the democrats are also lying about why the republican senators walked out. HB2002. The democrats are claiming this is an important, emergency abortion rights bill, given the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. But they’re lying about that too. HB2002 is perhaps the most extreme, Far Left bill ever passed in Oregon. Tune in and keep reading to find out why.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: June 10th & 11th, 2023 | Guest: Senator Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Truth about Oregon Senate Republicans’ Walkout

Oregon Republican Senators walked out of the legislature in early May 2023. Doing so denied the democrats the needed legislative quorum to pass any bills at all. The reason is simple. The democrats, who lost seats in both the Oregon house and the Oregon senate but still act like they have a super majority, refused to compromise the extreme far left bill, HB 2002. (Sometimes also called HB2002B.) And while HB 2002 alone would have been enough to make any sane person walk out it wasn’t just HB2002. It was also to stop other far-left bills such as HB2005, an anti-Second-Amendment gun grab bill. And bills that would steal Oregonians’ kicker refund. Not just this year but forever.

But make no mistake. The real reason the Republican senators walked out was to stop HB2002.

The Reason for the Walkout: HB2002

HB2002 is perhaps the most extreme far-left ideology bill of all times to come out of Oregon.

Long-time listeners of I Spy Radio already know that under Oregon’s “healthcare transformation,” much of what HB2002 proposes is already in place. Thanks to Oregon’s Healthcare Authority (there’s that Nazi-esque name again), underage girls can already get abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Why and how? Because the OHA changed the insurance rules covering children from FERPA to HIPPA.

Remember when you couldn’t get aspirin from the school nurse without your parents’ consent? That’s because the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (or FERPA), acknowledged that parents have the ultimate say about their child’s health. And the raising of them. But the OHA changed the guidelines from FERPA to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). You might know about HIPPA. Because that’s the health care privacy that guides adult insurance policies.

In other words, the OHA now treats all children as if they are adults. Allowing them to make adult decisions about their own healthcare, including mental health. And parents have no rights to know or to “interfere”. The only right parents have is the right to pay for whatever their child wants.

What Oregon democrats want to do with HB2002 is to codify this extreme, anti-parent, far-left ideology into law. Why? Because laws are much harder to undo.

And let’s not forget. The democrats nearly lost the governor’s office in 2022. This is why the democrats are so willing to sell everything to try to get HB2002 through.

So what’s in HB 2002? Read on.

The Truth about Oregon’s HB2002

The Oregon democrats are desperate to confuse people about HB2002 and what it does. What they say it does is guarantee abortion rights and access. It’s an emergency! Women have to have access now that the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Well. To use one of Biden’s favorite terms, that’s malarkey.

Women already have access to abortion in Oregon. Hell. Women and children can come here from other states and get abortions. For free if they claim they can’t afford it. Those are already in Oregon law. And absolutely nothing about Dobbs or the overturning of Roe v. Wade changed any of that.

If that’s the case, why are the democrats claiming that’s all there is about HB2002 as if guaranteeing “access” to abortion is the sole and only purpose of HB2002. Well, probably they don’t want people to know what’s really in the bill.

What’s in HB2002

So here’s what’s really in the bill. HB2002 would…

  • Lower the age girls could get an abortion without parental consent to, effectively, zero. Girls can already do this as young as 10. HB2002 makes it age 8 but technically could be lower.
  • Allow children from other states to come here and get abortions. Yes, HB2002 is a great boon for human trafficking. If girls as young 12 or 10 or 8 are getting pregnant a crime has occurred. HB2002 hides the evidence from police and from parents.
  • Allow children to get life-altering puberty blockers. without parental knowledge or consent.
  • It would allow children to get permanent “gender affirming” surgeries. On their own. Without parental consent or knowledge.
  • Allow teachers to indoctrinate children about gay, lesbian, transgender, and all the rest. Without parental knowledge or consent.
  • Punish those who oppose any of the above far-left ideologies.
    • If health care providers refuse or attempt to refuse to provide mental health care that affirms a child’s confusion, they can lose their license.
    • Health care providers who refuse to perform permanent, irreversible surgeries on children, they can be fined and/or lose their license.
    • If you interfere with the operation of an abortion clinic, you can be fined or jailed. “Interfere” is open for interpretation. Does that include simple protesting outside a clinic? Or posting critical social media posts about abortion or clinics?

What you can do about HB2002

Speak up! Don’t be silent!

  • HB2002 has already been voted out of Oregon House but there’s no reason to not contact your representative and let them know what you think about this horrendous bill. Perhaps they didn’t know the details about it. (How many times have we seen politicians vote for bills they didn’t reads personally and merely did what their caucus told them do?) Let them know what you think by using the link below.
  • Contact your senator right now using the link below to let them know you oppose this bill. Ask them why they want to take away parental rights. Ask them why are they helping child traffickers. And ask them why do they think children should have adult rights.
    • Ask your democrat senator if they realize removing parental rights to raise their own children was exactly what the Nazis did. Are they trying to be Nazis? Seriously?
    • Tell your republican senator how much you appreciate their bravery and that you support their walkout.

How to do all that? Easy! Just go to this Oregon legislative map, enter your address, and there you go. The link will conveniently give you their contact info, including phone numbers and emails. Start writing, stop being silent. This only stops when enough people raise their voices.

When contacting your representative and senator, remember: be firm. But be polite.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Why we’re denying quorum in Oregon’s Senate (Washington Examiner, May 29, 2023)
  • Read the June 2023 ORP Legislative Update (PDF), which discusses HB2002 and other horrible bills worth walking out over
  • Dennis Linthicum Newsletter: Irreversible Harm (May 29, 2023)
  • From Senator Bonham: Protesting the Unconstitutional Actions of the Majority Party (May 9, 2023)
  • Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek hasn’t convinced Republicans to return to Salem as walkout continues (OPB, May 23, 2023)
    • “ Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, pledged his members would return on June 25 — the day the session is scheduled to adjourn under constitutional deadlines — in order to pass ‘lawful, substantially bipartisan budgets and bills’.”
  • Cutting Early Kicker Checks part of negotiations with Boycott Republican Senators (KATU, May 30, 2023)
  • Kicker theft SJR 26 would be blow to charities (Taxpayer Assoc of OR, June 1, 2023)
    • “…the May revenue forecast predicted the 2024 kicker rebate would grow to a record $5 point 5 billion dollars. But some [democrat] lawmakers want to ask voters to end the annual taxpayer payout.”
  • Boycotting Oregon senators believe loophole will allow them to win another term (OPB, May 30, 2023)
  • Paychecks, perks continue for absent senators amid GOP-led walkout (Oregon Capital Chronicle, May 30, 2023)
  • Federal Subpoenas Issued to State Agencies (Willamette Week, June 7, 2023)
13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

Show 13-12 Summary: When it comes to the democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon, they can be summed up by borrowing (pun intended) from an old video game: “All your money are belong to us.” We check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum about their plans for socialized medicine, the tools Republicans have to stop bad bills, and whatever happened to that $5,200 kicker for Oregon families?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: March 25th & 26th, 2023 | Guest: Senator Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon

This week, it’s our monthly check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum to talk about what’s happening in the capital. The democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon are legion.

Democrats' socialist plans for Oregon - All your money are belong to us
“All your base are belong to us”

To sum up the democrats’ socialist plans, your money doesn’t belong to you. And we’re not taxing you enough to give away all this free stuff. And Oregon continues its lurch toward socialized medicine with SB704 which would create single-payer health care. Because it’s worked so well in other countries. Like Canada. Where it’s worked so well that people are dying to escape it. Literally. Canada is now actively encouraging the elderly and people with long-term health problems to kill themselves. Not kidding. And they’re not even hiding it. They want people to kill themselves because their care is expensive. And killing themselves will save the system money.

Please, democrats. By all means. You go first.

And that’s just one among other disasters.

Fighting Back against the Democrats’ Socialist Plans

We welcome back Senator Dennis Linthicum (Klamath-28) to give insights into the democrats’ socialist plans. In case you missed it, last year’s democrats spawned a ballot initiative, Measure 111, to make health care a “fundamental right.” It’s not. Anymore than if they had pushed out a ballot measure that made owning unicorns a fundamental right. But now Oregon has it in its state constitution.

Catch Sen. Dennis Linthicum’s previous legislative updates: 13-04 (Have Democrats Learned the Lesson?) and 13-08 (The Mad, Mad Spending)

Now, democrats are using that ballot initiative to make socialized, single-payer, universal healthcare the law of the land. Except while the legislative initiative that created Measure 111 may have urged socialized medicine, that’s not what the ballot measure actually said. It just required “universal access” and cost-effective. We already have “universal access.” Sick and show up in the emergency room with no money? Guess what, you get treated. As for cost-effective, how is $54 billion for “free” healthcare cost effective? So why are democrats determined to lurch down the road to socialized medicine?

Because, as usual, it is about bringing more money and more control under the government’s sway. Now, not only will your money not belong to you. But neither will your own health.

Oh, and what’s the deal with the kicker? All that and more but there may be some solutions to at least some of it.

Get Involved! Don’t be Silent.

olis oregon legislature submit testimonyWe are in this mess because too many sane people stay silent. While the insane shriek their weird opinions at the capitol. Did you know that it is now easier than ever to submit testimony against bad bills and for good bills. Don’t let “testimony” scare you. It just means your opinion.

All you really need is the bill’s number. And if you don’t know the bill number, you can still find it on the site (see steps below). Or use your favorite search engine.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov.
  2. Select the bills icon at the top right of the page
  3. Type the bill number in the popup. Select it the correct one. (If you don’t know the bill’s number try a word search in the “bill text” tab.)
  4. At the top of the bill’s page you’ll see a “submit testimony” tab. That brings up a form.
  5. Enter your name, your city, your comments in the text window, select whether you oppose or support and – boom you’re done.

See how easy that is? You don’t need to be elegant (although do be polite) or have a thousand unassailable facts. (Hey. The democrats just have feelings.) Just be heard. It’s your opinion. No excuse to be silent.

Remember: silence has never changed anything. Don’t be silent.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Get involved. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov. to submit your testimony — you opinion — about bills. Good or bad. See the steps above for a walk-through.
  • Measure 111, passed in 2022, via Ballotpedia
  • $200M homeless package heads to governor’s desk (Statesman, Mar 21, 2023)
    • 7 Republican Senators voted against the pkg, Linthicum was one of them
  • Where did the $400M Oregon allocated last year for homelessness go? (Statesman, Mar 19, 2023)
    • “At least 14,600 people are experiencing homelessness across Oregon”
    • Julie Fahey (D): “That $400M was a ‘catalyst” for the larger set of goals we have.”
  • Cascade Policy Institute Research Finds School Choice programs Can Boost Public School Performance (Cascade Policy Institute, 2023)

Just a few dangerous bills

  • SB 85 – Dennis Linthicum mentioned this dangerous bill during the show.
    • Senator David Brock-Smith says, “This bill deals with CAFO’s and has democrats attacking our dairies, chicken and cattle farms and ranches. As they do, the bill itself is just a “study” but the amendment goes far beyond that and will shut down current farming operations.” Under this bill, the State Department of Agriculture would not issue or renew a license or permit to allow the construction or operation of: “(a) A new industrial confined animal feeding operation; “(b) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing industrial confined animal feeding operation; or “(c) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing livestock farm if the addition or expansion would cause the livestock farm to become an industrial confined animal feeding operation.”
  • HB 2004 – Establishes ranked choice voting as voting method for selecting offices of statewide races: the President, U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Attorney General and Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries.
  • HB 3509 – Establishes ranked choice voting for selecting winner of nomination for and election to nonpartisan state offices and county and city offices except where home rule charter applies.
  • Oregon lawmakers consider new gun legislation (Oregon Insider, Mar 21, 2023). The three bills are:
    • House Bill 2005 bans the sale, manufacture and importation of so-called ghost guns with homemade parts that are untraceable;
    • HB 2006 raises the age of legal purchase and possession of firearms from 18 to 21, but allows exceptions for hunting and shooting; and
    • HB 2007 extends to cities, counties and special districts the authority that the 2021 Legislature had granted to public schools, community colleges, and universities regulating or barring firearms from their buildings and grounds, including people with concealed-carry licenses.
12-51 They’re Spying on Us | Government Immunity, Royalty, and the Rest of Us

12-51 They’re Spying on Us | Government Immunity, Royalty, and the Rest of Us

Show Summary: The Twitter files exposing government agents spying on and censoring Americans. And, there is clear evidence of election interference. Which, given the lengths they went to in 2016 and during all of Trump’s presidency, should surprise no one. So much of government’s malfeasance comes down to one issue: government immunity. It is prohibitively hard to hold government and government officials accountable. But recently, there have been some surprising rulings by the Supreme Court on constitutional issues, especially 2nd Amendment rulings. Could we be seeing the dawn of the return to the Constitution?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: December 17th & 18th, 2022 | Guest: Jonathan Emord

This Week – Overcoming Government Immunity

The Twitter files exposed government agents spying on and censoring Americans. Many of us who have been banned, blocked, suspended, censored, and shadowbanned already figured this out.

Election interference? Elon Musk: "Unequivocally true. The evidence is clear and voluminous."
Election interference? “Unequivocally true” (Click for full size)

But we figured it was Twitter employees gleefully banning, etc., their political opponents. Only a few of us suspected what was really happening. Which is way worse: government agents working directly with, and directing, those Twitter employees to ban, block, suspend, censor, and shadowban the government’s political enemies.

So there you have it. Government agents clearly committing First Amendment violations as they colluded with Twitter employees to interfere in the 2020 and 2022 elections.

Which, given the lengths they went to in 2016, and during all of Trump’s presidency, should surprise no one.

Nixon? Watergate anyone?

Recently, there have been some surprising rulings by the Supreme Court on constitutional issues, especially 2nd Amendment rulings. Could we be seeing the dawn of the return to the Constitution?

The Authoritarians by Jonathan Emord
Order The Authoritarians on Amazon

We talk with Jonathan Emord, one of America’s top constitutional lawyers, about what is happening and what could (and should!) happen to these government agents who abused their power. The big question is how do we get past government immunity?

Fortunately, there have been some pro-constitution rulings by the Supreme Court of late. Especially on the 2nd Amendment. Overturning New York State’s onerous restrictive gun laws, which is very encouraging for Oregonians fighting the recently passed Measure 114.

Could this be a signal the highest court in the land is finally returning to and embracing the sanctity — and sanity — of the Constitution?

Programming Note

This is our last live show of the year. We will be re-airing our show with Dr Ken Johnson about the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since that originally aired Thanksgiving weekend, we’re sure it didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved. We’ll get that to you by no later than Thursday the 22nd.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Emord’s must-read book is The Authoritarians: The Authoritarians: Their Assault on Individual Liberty, the Constitution, and Free Enterprise from the 19th Century to the Present.

Jonathan Emord’s article: Rogue Virginia ABC Sends Police to Enforce COVID Lockdown (Townhall, Dec 4, 2022)

Elon Musk: Unequivocally true tweet (Elon Musk, Twitter, Dec 9, 2022)

Now What? (American Greatness, Dec 12, 2022)*Big Tech drastically suppressed information damaging to Joe Biden…before election day.*the FBI engaged with Big Tech executives on a routine basis to do the Biden family’s bidding in advance of the bombshell coverage in the Post and elsewhere.*Elvis Chan, one of the bureau’s conduits to Silicon Valley, admitted many conversations were conducted on Signal, an encrypted chat application, which allows for disappearing messages.

The Brief: A Handy Cheat Sheet of the Many Lies Exposed by Musk’s Release of the Twitter Files (Gregg Jarrett, Dec 14, 2022)

8 Times Our Federal Government Ran A Protect-Biden Racket (The Federalist, Dec 14, 2022)

For Years Fact Checkers Have Been Targeting Conservative Media – This Week We Learned the State Dept. Was Funding Them (Gateway Pundit, Dec 14, 2022)

Tucker Carlson Points Out “For Some Reason Twitter Seems to Need an Awful Lot of Spies” (The Gateway Pundit, Dec 14, 2022)

FBI May Have Violated Free Speech Rights: Legal Experts (NTD, Dec 14, 2022).

Dupe or Designated Defendant? The Criminal Case Against Jack Dorsey (Jonathan Turley, Dec 11, 2022)

 

12-41 It’s Not Just Politicians. It’s the Real Issues on the Ballot

12-41 It’s Not Just Politicians. It’s the Real Issues on the Ballot

Show Summary: Elections. Although politicians might get all the attention, it’s never just politicians on the ballot. It’s the issues on the ballot. Sometimes, like Oregon, there are direct ballot initiatives (like Measure 114, what the NRA calls the most dangerous gun law in America). But it’s the issues beyond just that politician that are up for vote. The economy. Crime. Education. Our rights. It’s the direction those politicians want to take us.  That’s what you have to focus on. We’ve seen where Democrats want to go. This week’s show looks at what’s at stake.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 8th & 9th, 2022 | Guests: Marc Thielman & Alek Skarlatos

This Week – Issues on the Ballot

We welcome back Marc Thielman, former candidate for governor, who is doing it right. Too many politicians disappear when they don’t win. Instead, Marc has stepped up his game, focusing on the real issues on the ballot.

Because its the issues that matter. Not just the politicians. It’s what they will fight for. And what they will ignore.

We’ve seen the direction the democrats running for office want to take us. More taxes. More spending. More crime. Lower standards for education.

Join us as we talk about two key issues Marc is focused on. One is the real school choice initiative, an issue that will directly be on the 2024 ballot. This will give all parents a real choice in their child’s education. It won’t just be the rich that have a choice where to send their kids to get a good education. And Oregon’s public schools will either have to improve, or lose out.

Not surprising, democrats are not happy with the prospect your kids will get a quality education.

Marc is also focused on election integrity, restoring trust in our elections. His group is Battleground Oregon. Tune in to hear what they are finding and doing.

Other issues on the ballot, directly on the ballot in this case, is gun control. The NRA calls Ballot Initiative 114 “the most dangerous gun control bill in the nation.” Visit Stop114.com to find out more.

Alek Skarlartos – The Real Issues on the Ballot

We welcome back Alek Skarlatos who is running for CD4 in Oregon. If he wins, it will flip that seat from a Far Left democrat. His opponent is an even further Far Left democrat who hopes to take the seat even farther to the left.

Is that really what the voters of Oregon’s 4th Congressional District want? More taxes? More economic misery? We’ve seen where the democrats and Joe Biden want to take us. Off the rails. Don’t go with them.

Alek joins us to talk about what he’s hearing from his constituents around CD4. They’re concerned about the economy, first and foremost. And he talks about his opponent’s record. Which includes voting for tax increases on families making just $31,000 per year.

Note to Oregonians in the 4th: If you’re worried about the economy. Val Hoyle’s voting record should scare you to death.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Visit Battleground Oregon for information on election integrity efforts around Oregon and how you can be involved
  • Be sure to visit Stop 114 to help stop the Left’s latest effort to disarm the innocent. Remember. Criminals don’t obey gun laws. This will do nothing to prevent harm. Only innocent, law-abiding citizens will be harmed. Head to stop114.com to see how you can help defeat this horrible bill.
  • You can visit Alek’s campaign site at AlekforOregon.com
  • Good news for Oregon’s Real School Choice ballot initiative! “West Virginia Supreme Court strikes big win for school choice” (Washington Examiner, Oct 5th, 2022)
  • Education Secretary Miguel Cardona: Students Need Access to Abortion to Thrive in School and in Life (Gateway Pundit, Oct 4, 2022)
  • That NEA article: Teachers Leave National Education Association, Say Union Pushes Politics With Member Dues (Epoch Times, Oct 4, 2022)
  • School board members reported mom to employer, DOJ for criticizing COVID school closures (Just the News, Oct 4, 2022)
  • CEO arrested for storing data on servers in China (Post Millennial, Oct 4, 2022)
  • Election Software CEO Arrested Over Data Theft (Epoch Times, Oct 5, 2022)
  • FBI Conceals Chinese Infiltration of U.S. Election Software (Kanekoa, Sept 8, 2022)
  • Hysterical: Now that the CEO of Konnech was arrested (by California, no less) for exactly what True the Vote accused him of, read this gushing write up about Konnech’s lawsuit against True the Vote that was written before the arrest. You’ll LOL. “Lawsuit alleges True the Vote hacked data” (Texas Votebeat, Sept 14, 2022)
Authoritarianism Happening Around the World – Will it Happen Here?

Authoritarianism Happening Around the World – Will it Happen Here?

Show Summary: We are witnessing global authoritarians resist the great push back. People are done with covid mandates, pushing back at never-made-sense masks and more. In Canada, the Freedom Convoy was met with Gestapo style tactics, exposing the lengths authoritarians will go to keep their power. Now Russia tramples Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty. Can this come here? What still protects us? What makes us different than places like Canada, which has it’s own Charter of Rights?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 26th & 27th, 2022 | Guest: Jonathan Emord

This week it’s all about the authoritarianism we are seeing on display in on other countries — Canadian police trampling citizens and freezing bank accounts of people who weren’t even at the freedom protests but merely supported them from afar; Russia trampling on Ukraine’s sovereignty, and even here in the U.S.

Could these happen here?

Possibly, but it will be much harder — thanks to, once again, the wisdom and foresight of our Founders. Top Constitutional attorney, Jonathan Emord, tells us why America really is that shining beacon of freedom.

Jonathan Emord has quickly become one of our top, most-frequent guests. Be sure to check out his previous appearances.

Authoritarianism: Two Must-Read Books

If you only have time to read two books this year, read these:

Jonathan Emord’s The Authoritarians: Their Assault on Individual Liberty, the Constitution, and Free Enterprise from the 19th Century to the Present. You will learn about Marxist/socialist/communist ideology and how took root in America in the mid 1800s and became the justification for slavery. Also, how it continued to spread and flourished until it has now sabotaged our Constitutional republic as designed.

And Disinformation by Lt. Gen. Ion Pacepa and Ron Rychlak. Ion Pacepa The highest-ranking Soviet bloc intelligence official ever to defect to the West, and he was the head of the Soviet disinformation campaign.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Links & Further Info

Oregon Opened But Not Free Yet | The Politics of Not Normal

Oregon Opened But Not Free Yet | The Politics of Not Normal

Show Summary: Politics, not “science” drove Oregon’s shut down. And its reopening. As restaurants and lodging businesses struggle back in Oregon, there is a twisted road ahead through a minefield of politics. Worse, business’s usual ally, Republicans, aren’t up for the fight.

Yet.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

Six Different Times, on Eight Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

Saturdays
8a – 9a: KYKN 1439AM (Salem/Keizer) | Direct Link to KYKN Live Stream
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Mondays
After the show airs on our network of radio stations, you can listen to our podcast either here on our site or your favorite podcast platform. We are now on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and more. See the full podcast list.

Original Air Dates: July 10, 2021 | Jason Brandt & Mike Nearman

We just finished celebrating Independence Day. But we’re not free from tyranny in Oregon. Not as long as there are big-government types who want to—and believe it is their right to—control every facet of your life. And businesses. All must be in line with the great gods of government.

While it’s nice of the Dear Leader to give us our God-given rights back, there’s the aftermath of all that destruction. And there is no light switch to just switch things back on again.

Oregon Restaurants and Lodging

That’s perhaps nowhere more true than in Oregon’s hospitality industry. Apart from churches, these were among the first to bear the brunt of Oregon’s abuse of power. Churches can (mostly) reopen and pick things up again. (Hopefully wiser and less trusting of Big Government.)

But that’s not true for small businesses that have now complicated supply chains. Or hiring part- and full-time workers. Or back rents and leases to pay. Not to mention paying taxes on the little money they did earn. Talk about rubbing salt in their wounds.

Jason Brandt on the Getting Back to Normal

Let’s be clear. There is no “normal” any more. Not when the governor of Oregon (or any other state) retains ultimate power that is unchallenged by a weak legislature. One held for decades by democrats who were all too happy to play along with the power grab. And be their own little dictator, shutting down access to the People’s House. So much for democracy, eh democrats?

But Jason Brandt is the President and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association. And despite the wreckage caused by the governor’s abuse of power, his job is to help his members try to pick up the pieces of their lives and businesses.

We talk with Jason about the complications and navigating the minefield in the road ahead. Faced with labor shortages and rehiring in the face of ongoing uncertainty, how do restaurants and hotels pick up and move forward. All that and more in the face of ongoing uncertainty.

Because here’s the thing. What happens if she just shuts it all down again?

Mike Nearman: Et tu Brute?

With the democrats power grab, you would think that republicans would stand up to it. But, sadly, this current crop of republicans did their best doormat impression. Sure, they talked. But did very little. And most of what they did do appeared to be cowering in the corner or make backroom deals for cash that bypassed the normal budget oversight.

Basically, they were the camp guards at the concentration camps. Hey. Don’t blame them for just doing their jobs, right?

Did they use the one power they had—walkout and deny quorum—to stop a single bill? No. But they did manage to negotiate a deal with democrats to get millions of taxpayer dollars for their districts in exchange for not stopping bills or even slowing them down. They also got a token “equal” seat at the table on redistricting.

Sure. Because the democrats actually gave up the final say on redistricting, right? Do these self-proclaimed “strategic thinkers” honestly believe they’ll have the final say on a sixth congressional seat?

The Current Crop of Republicans

Perhaps all one needs to see the level of thinking of the current crop of republicans is to see how they managed Representative Mike Nearman.

Let’s review. The democrats shut down the capitol building and protesters showed up, not liking it. They were locked out. And Oregon and Salem police surrounded the building — straight out of Cold War era Soviet Bloc.

Video captured Mike Nearman opening a side door, and walking out, which allowed protesters to enter the building. Democrats then acted horrified that protesters (compare Antifa’s and BLM’s 100+ days of violent rioting against the Federal Building in Portland) had entered their building. And so they demanded Mike be shot. Politically speaking.

And the republicans went along with it. The House resolution to expel Mike needed two-thirds. Which meant at least 3 republicans needed to vote with democrats.

Except they all did.

Political Fallout? In Oregon?

Rep Bill Post, claimed they had no choice. Imagine if the democrats had let Antifa into the building. What then.

Yeah, that’s good excuse making for voting like a democrat. They could have voted to sanction. They could have done all sorts of things. But expelling a sitting member over a misdemeanor in an acting “uniting” with democrats (who let slide misdemeanors and even sexual assault slide by with nary a whisper) was a stupid move.

The problem with politics in Oregon, or any state for that matter, is voters as a group have short memories.

It’s why bread and circuses have such power. Voters will forget that the democrat governor destroyed their businesses. Or their friends’ businesses. As long as voters get a few tidbits (that they’re paying for), they’re fine with status quo.

Will republicans who voted against Mike pay a price? It would be nice if they did. No incumbent is SO vital that they can’t or shouldn’t be replaced.

None.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Links Mentioned

Jason Brant (Segments 1–3)

  • Find out more at Oregon Restaurants and Lodging Association (ORLA): OregonRLA.org
  • The June 26th news release, “Oregon Hospitality Freed from Restrictions No Later than June 30: There is no light switch. It will take years to build back what was lost.” (ORLA Blog, Jun 25,  2021)
  • The data article: Staffing Woes & Technological Solutions (ORLA Blog, July 2, 2021)
    • “Simply put, are there tasks that technology can do (perhaps better than humans) that can be easily and inexpensively implemented? The answer is a resounding yes – with machine learning and artificial intelligence.”
    • “In the end, what I believe will come out of the pandemic is not necessarily higher wages, but a greater reliance on technology as an interface between management and staff as well as restaurants and their customers.”
  • Oregon restaurants push for fewer COVID-19 restrictions (KVDR, Jan 28, 2021)
    • Jason Brandt, the CEO of ORLA says the group is calling on the state to ease restrictions adding the science isn’t there to keep restaurants restricted to take out and delivery only.
    • “The vast majority of the states in our country have indoor dining open right now and they are finding ways to really manage the virus in a multifaceted way,” Brandt said.
    • He says the Oregon food service industry accounts for less than 1% of all workplace outbreaks in the state and 4.7% of Oregon’s overall outbreaks, but operations remain shut down.
  • The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association Is Suing the State Over the Recent Dining Room Shutdown (Eater, November 20, 2020)

Mike Nearman (Segments 4–6)

  • Oregon state lawmaker charged (Statesman Journal, Apr 30, 2021)
  • House Republicans call on Rep. Nearman to resign after new details of Oregon Capitol riot (Statesman-Journal, June 7, 2021)
    • “Ousting Nearman via House Resolution 3 would require two-thirds support. Democrats hold a majority with 37 seats, meaning three Republicans would have to join them in voting in support of the resolution.”
  • One republican’s explanation for voting against fellow republican Mike Nearman (Facebook, June 10)
    • “How would you vote? What if a House Democrat had allowed Antifa into the Capitol? Would you vote to expel him or her? That is what we face. That is why we call for Mike to resign.”
  • Republican PCPs favor expelled lawmaker (OPB, June 26, 2021)
    • Mike Nearman got the most votes from the PCPs who voted for his successor
  • SB 865:  Prohibits person from simultaneously serving as holder of state office and as officer of state central committee of political party. Had it passed, recently elected to the ORP chair and treasurer, Senators Heard and Linthicum, would have had to step down. 
  • Anna Scharf Appointed to fill Mike Nearman’s Seat (Statesman Journal, July 6, 2021)
    • Nearman received the most votes from precinct committee people in HD 23 during the nominating convention heading into this week’s selection.