Category: Marxism

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

Show 13-46 Summary: A blast from Oregon’s past, the national debt continues to blow up, and story from right here in Oregon about how bureaucrats are throwing themselves on the grenade of success. Plus, environmentalists have traded saving whales to killing them – as long as they get their billions of dollars. And those offshore windmills may not be as green as they’re made out to be.

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: November 18th & 19th, 2023 | Guests: Jonathan Williams & Terry Johnson

This Week – Economics and Wind Farms

We start off this week’s show with a look back to Oregon’s “Exploding Whale” story. It’s as good a metaphor as anything for the state we find ourselves in. As in the general state of affairs but, yes, state of Oregon too.

Why? Because the exploding whale is a great example of bad ideas by government officials that make a bad situation even worse. And, yet still worse, government officials with those bad ideas don’t get fired. They get promoted up the ladder.

Where in reality does this make sense?

Bidenomics

We welcome back a good friend of I Spy, ALEC’s chief economist Jonathan Williams. With the US House once again passing a continuing resolution or “CR” to keep the government open, we see our national debt soar. Jonathan discusses the deficit and debt and why there’s a lot of hope of finally getting our government’s spending addiction under control with the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, who is a former member of ALEC from when he served in the Louisiana House. There is also the matter of Moody’s downgrading the U.S. credit rating with our treasury sales taking a big hit. And a story from right here in Oregon of government throwing itself in the way of prosperity.

Because in Lane County, a factory originally built for $1.6 billion by Hynix, a chip maker, has been sitting idle for 15 years. Now, Stratacache wants to open it to make micro-LED screens (the kind you see as menu boards in fast-food restaurants) and will hire 100s of employees. They were even given a $19 million from the State of Oregon to get going. But Lane County is blocking them. Because they are demanding $2 million property taxes.

Can you believe this? (Well, it’s Oregon, so yes. Yes we can.) Three hundred workers at an average of $40,000 each is $12 million dollars of taxable income. Every year. But that bureaucratic whale-exploding mindset has taken over and they’d rather blow up the deal. Sacrifice $12 million to get $2 million. That’s government.

Hint: empty buildings produce nothing.

CFACT: Save the Whales

Who had “conservative organizations sue the government to protect endangered whales” on their 2023 bingo card? Anyone?

Decades ago, environmentalists — the real ones, not today’s latte crop — fought to save the whales. They would risk their lives to put their boats and rafts between whales and the harpoons of whaling vessels.

But that was then. Now there is 100s of billions of free taxpayer cash to be had. What’s a few endangered whale deaths when you can be given billions. If you support the green agenda. And offshore windmills that aren’t green.

What’s that you say? Windmills not green?

We talk with Collister Terry Johnson, a senior policy advisor about their fight to stop offshore wind farms. CFACT sent the government a 60-day notice of intent to sue. This is a legal requirement, giving the federal government time to correct a mistake or rule violation. In this case, violating the endangered species act by plopping all these wind farms off shore. Right in the middle of whale migration areas. Including the Right Whale, which is highly endangered with only about 350 of them left.

If the government fails to take action within the 60-day window, CFACT and The Heartland Institute, will sue. And this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications. Not just stop the Virginia offshore wind, which it’s aimed at. But even shut down existing wind farms.

These wind farms that only exist because of billions of those taxpayer dollars. But, it turns out, a new study has been released that shows that these offshore wind farms may not be “carbon neutral” after all. In fact, they may be putting more CO2 into the air than they help prevent.

Whoops. There goes the whole point of their existence in the green energy sphere.

We only learned about the study the morning of our interview. But you can bet we’ll dig into it in a future show. You can read it here: How Offshore Wind Drives Up Global Carbon Emissions.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Williams’ Segments (1–3)

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/. And you too can join as a private-sector member!
  • Romney and Manchin Call for Commission to Stabilize US Debt (Yahoo News, Nov 9, 2023)
    • How very brave of two people who are leaving the senate.
  • Oregon income inequality grew again in 2021 (KLCC, Nov 13, 2023)
  • Salem payroll tax failing by large margin (Statesman Journal, Nov 7, 2023)
    • A citizen’s group forced Salem’s proposed tax on the ballot.  When people can actually vote on the outrageous they vote it down.
  • Oregon awarded millions to reopen a Eugene tech factory; a property tax fight could stand in the way (OregonLive, Nov 5, 2023)

Terry Johnson Segments (4–6)

  • CFACT issues “intent to sue” over offshore wind, releases new study (CFACT, Nov 14, 2023)
  • THE STUDY:
  • Collister (Terry) Johnson on “Joe Thomas in the Morning” shreds Dominion’s wind project (CFACT, Oct 12, 2022)
  • Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Latest  News: Release Of Second Video and Calling For Investigation (Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act, No Date)
  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Demonic’ off-shore wind farms are blamed for New Jersey whale deaths: Former SNL star reveals ‘green energy companies’ are sending ultra-loud blasts into water every 10 seconds that make mammals think predators are chasing them (UK Daily Mail, Nov 15, 2023)
  • Oregon tribes push back on offshore wind (Bend Bulletin, November 11, 2023)

Moody’s Downgrade of US Credit

  • Uh oh. Moody’s turns negative on US credit rating, draws Washington ire (Reuters, Nov 10, 2023)
  • Moody’s downgrades US debt rating outlook to negative (The Economic Times, Nov 11, 2023)*“Due to interest rate hikes by the US central bank to curb inflation, the cost of debt for the United States has ballooned, with Washington paying $162 billion more for interest in the last fiscal year compared to 2022.”

Worst Bond Market: Fewer Buyers Willing to Buy US Debt

  • 2022 was the worst-ever year for U.S. bonds. How to position your portfolio for 2023 (CNBC, Jan 7, 2023)
  • 2022: “The Worst Bond Market Ever: By history’s standards, stocks have not performed too badly, but bonds certainly have.” (Morningstar, Nov 21, 2022)
  • Government Bubble Burst: Treasury bond investors have been taking a historic beating. (Wall Street Journal, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “Although most of our national debt was issued when interest rates were low, that debt is quickly rolling over into a high-rate debt environment, and further borrowing continues. Without corrective action, interest costs could total more than $13 trillion over the next decade and $1.9 trillion per year by 2033.”
  • The collapse in Treasury bonds now ranks among the worst market crashes in history (Markets Insider, Oct 5, 2023)
    • Since March 2020, Treasury bonds with maturities of 10 years or more have plummeted 46%,  while the 30-year bond had plunged 53%.
  • Dreadful Treasury Auctions May Continue As Buyers Evaporate (Seeking Alpha, Nov 10, 2023)
    • “The 30-year Treasury auction on Nov. 9 was horrific. It saw one of the widest high-yield to median yield spreads since 1990 as the indirect acceptance rate plunged.”
  • The $24 Trillion Problem Haunting Wall Street (NY Intelligencer, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “When Wall Street sizes up the world’s risks, one way traders make their bets on the future is through the market in U.S. Treasuries.”
  • Demand for 30-Year Treasuries Proves Weak, Sending Yields Surging (Wall Street Journal, Nov 9, 2023)
    • “Primary dealers, big banks who are obligated to finance whatever portion of a Treasury auction isn’t purchased by other investors, bought nearly a quarter of the issuance. [That’s] more than double their average in recent 30-year auctions.”
13-45 Battle Lines Have Been Drawn | Oregon Censorship Lawsuit Filed

13-45 Battle Lines Have Been Drawn | Oregon Censorship Lawsuit Filed

Show 13-45 Summary: A split show this week. First up, we talk about the battle to get School Choice in Oregon on the November 2024 ballot. There’s been some confusion out there about the funding and how the typical strings-attached could impact home schoolers. Except that is not the case in this case. Find out why. But the bulk of the show is discussing the Oregon censorship lawsuit just filed this week. We bring on the lawyer in the case to discuss why it was brought. And what was so incendiary in Oregon’s “election disinformation” surveillance system. Don’t miss the state’s response to some Republican senators who dared question the state. The war is on.

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: Nov 11th & 12th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg and Stephen Joncus

This Week – In the Trenches

There was a flurry of letters this week as opposing sides squared off over our 1st Amendment rights and, what many feel, is Oregon’s government attack on its own citizens. And from an office no less, that is the supposed to be the defender of Oregonians’ rights—the Secretary of State.

Two weeks ago, we brought you the shocking story of the Secretary of State seeking to hire an AI firm to track, monitor, and report anything the SoS Office deems “mis-, dis-, or mal-information” about the elections. (See Show 13-43, “Oregon’s New Surveillance System to Track, Censor “Election “Disinformation.”) The RFP they posted sought an Orwellian tech company that would surveil social media, websites, blogs, podcasts, and even radio broadcasts.

As we continue to cover this developing fight to protect our rights, there have been some breaking news items as the Secretary of State rightly felt the heat. Among the developments are a new lawsuit filed in federal court, thanks in large part to I Spy listeners’ multiple donations and generosity.  A big thank you to all who donated to make this legal defense of our First Amendment possible.

Also, the Republican Senators and Representatives sent a letter to the Secretary of State, admonishing the government’s actions and demanding that they stop.  But, not surprisingly, the government effectively responded with “It’s no big deal, we’re just monitoring.  And oh by the way we did the same in 2022 and see, no big deal. Plus, other states are doing it too.”

Great way to build trust, Oregon.

This week, we take a look at the legal issues behind this horrible idea.

Questions about School Choice Funding and Regulations

Map: Astounding Home Schooling Student Enrollment Increases by State, via Washington Post
Click map for full size

But first up we bring on Donna Kreitzberg to bring us a quick update on the hard work to get school choice  on the November 2024 ballot. I Spy Radio has fielded a lot of questions about the funding mechanism for this ballot initiative. Why? Because we have smart listeners. And people know that whenever there is government funding, there are strings attached. So wouldn’t that mean that stay-at-home parents who home school their children will be facing regulations tied to that funding?

The short answer is no. Not in this case.

Because we really dig deep into how Education Freedom for Oregon’s ballot initiative specifically protects against that. It will add an amendment to Oregon’s constitution that protects the choices parents make about their children’s schools.

That constitutional amendment ensures the funding attached to the children does not open the door to government regulations. This is especially true for home schooling — parents choices will be protected and puts a firewall between parents and government regulation. And that will keep government out of the classroom.

Have you signed the school choice ballot initiative petitions? You can download a single-signature petition or a petition with room for ten signatures. Head here to get your petitions and be part of the solution! Be sure to sign both of the ballot initiatives.

Note: there is a third school choice ballot initiative being floated by lobbyists that would not protect parents and home schoolers. In fact, it will almost likely inadvertently open the door to it and even religious based private schools.

Lawsuit to Block Oregon’s Free Speech Surveillance System

Then we welcome Oregon attorney Stephen Joncus, who filed the Oregon censorship lawsuit suing Governor Kotek, Secretary of State Griffen-Valade, and Elections Director, Woon. We discuss the impact the surveillance would have on Oregonians, the destruction of our privacy, and the suit’s request to put a halt to this contract.

Tune in to hear about the Oregon censorship lawsuit, why it was filed, what was so wrong with the State’s RFP for

To nutshell things, the entire problem is the State operates behind closed doors and is doing its best to keep it that way. They sue people who want to look. Or ask for access to public databases. They keep things behind a wall of secrecy, and now they want to block and control communication and discussion about a situation they have kept hidden. And then wonder why people question the integrity of the elections. And will attack anyone who does questions — to paint them with the Yellow Star of “disinformation.”

Read the Oregon censorship lawsuit, Thielman, et al. v. Kotek, the letter from GOP legislators demanding the SoS cease and desist, and the Secretary of State’s response to the legislators about their Orwellian RFP. As we predicted, it’s “Oh, we’re not really stopping free speech.” Sure. Threats don’t have a chilling effect on speech, does it Oregon?

Where are the democrats in all this? U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is against the government monitoring its citizens. So where are other democrats? Unless you speak out against censorship, you’re for it.

And, oh, by the way, it turns out there’s already another surveillance system already in place. That was news to us too. Don’t miss this important show!

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

School Choice Segments

Oregon Censorship Lawsuit Segments

13-44 Green Hydrogen Can Work – Just Ignore Economics and Common Sense

13-44 Green Hydrogen Can Work – Just Ignore Economics and Common Sense

Show 13-44 Summary: People have been chasing the elusive dream of hydrogen as a fuel source for decades and decades. Billions have been poured into it before now. But there’s no such thing as a bad idea as long as the government is willing to pour even more billions into it. But now it’s even worse as they chase “green hydrogen.” Tune in to hear why hydrogen isn’t viable as a mass production “fuel,” how it isn’t even a fuel, and even far more expensive than it already is if we try to make it the way the Greenies want. And remember how CO2 is the enemy? Yeah not so much, apparently.

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: November 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Frank Lasee

This Week – Why Green Hydrogen Doesn’t Make Sense

Hydrogen has been the elusive clean energy society has been chasing for decades. Well before G.W. Bush threw nearly $2 billion at (which went nowhere), scientists were trying to use hydrogen back into FDR’s days and even before then. (The Hindenburg largely derailed the whole idea.) But if clean hydrogen was a pipe dream, green hydrogen is a fanciful nightmare. Especially if you don’t care about things like economics or common sense.

The elusive dream of green hydrogen. Hydrogen is not cheap. And if not handled well, can go boom. See the Hindenburg.
The Hindenburg derailed hydrogen. Rightly so.

In a nutshell, green hydrogen costs 5–6 times more than current methods and does not return as much energy as it costs to produce.

But why let a few dozen billions of narrow-minded taxpayer dollars stand in your way of your grand vision? Especially when states like Oregon and Washington just got handed a billion dollars each of free taxpayer dollars to create hydrogen hubs.

But First: A Big Win!

Thanks to public outcry, which CFACT helped mobilize, Orsted has cancelled its two planned offshore wind farms in New Jersey waters. The Danish company our American taxpayer dollars was funding, pulled the plug. Despite a $100 million penalty for failing to complete delivery. And wrote off a $4 billion loss. Amazing how these “green energy” schemes cannot work without massive government subsidies.

Public outcry works. Don’t be silent. And let’s do that here in Oregon. See Show 13-42 for more information.

Green Hydrogen Defined

We welcome first-time guest, Frank Lasee, a former Wisconsin state senator, president of Truth in Energy and Climate, and a senior policy advisor to CFACT. As you might be able to tell from the name of his organization, there’s not a lot of truth out there in either climate or energy. And nowhere is that more true than green hydrogen.

First off, hydrogen is itself not really a fuel. It’s more akin to a battery because while it has energy, it first has to be created. It would be a bit like creating oil out of various elements first before drilling for it.

Hydrogen must be made; it is not a fuel. It is a storage device, like a battery. If not handled properly, it can go boom! In a great big ball fire.
– Excerpt from “Hydrogen – Will this Green dream prove an expensive nightmare?” by Frank Lasee

What is green hydrogen? The label “green hydrogen” is all about how the hydrogen is made. There are several ways to make hydrogen. One is a simple electrolysis method, applying a current to water that splits the molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.  Your high school science teacher might have demonstrated this. Another is gasification that extracts hydrogen (and other elements) from natural gas with high-temperature steam.

Green hydrogen is extracted from whatever source but must use “renewable” energy to do so. The most common being pushed right now is to use solar and wind as the energy source.

How Green Hydrogen is Made

Except there’s a major problem with “green” wind and solar. They do not produce energy 70% of the time. Barely any wind. No wind. Not enough sun. Darkness. But to make clean, green hydrogen at scale takes enormous amounts of electricity. And water. Lots of water.

To make one kilogram of hydrogen (which has roughly the same potential energy as a gallon of gas), you need 13 kg of water to split. The water is heated to 2,000 degrees. That’s a lot of electricity. And then after it’s split, it has to be superchilled to near absolute zero so it can be pressurized and stored. And that takes another 40 kg of water to cool it.

So for every 1 kg of hydrogen produced, it takes 53 kg of water — and a massive amount of electricity.

What happens if the wind’s not blowing? Or it’s night time? You don’t have to be a paid TV scientist to realize this is not a process you can start and stop because of the unreliability of your “green” power sources. Gosh. You’ll have to supplement all intermittent green energy with coal. Or have massive batteries.

The Green Hydrogen Dilemma

One notion to get past the unreliability of so-called green energy and its unreliability is to tap into hydroelectric dams. Which the Pacific Northwest has plenty of. Except for the last decade, the environmentalists have been busily trying to yank them all out. To “save the salmon.”

Now what? Save the salmon or have green hydrogen?

In fact, the hypnotic allure of billions free taxpayer dollars has put a halt on at least one lawsuit to force the government to pull out dams on the Snake River.

Whoops.

But it’s not just the dams. You’ve got California, which on Thursday emptied 7 billion gallons (7,559,743,200 gallons to be precise) of fresh water from its reservoirs into the ocean. Why? To adjust the salinity levels in a delta to “save the fish.” The Delta Smelt. Of which a grand total of zero Delta Smelt have been seen in annual Fall Surveys since 2017.

Well there goes 142,636,664 gallons of hydrogen they could have made.

Fish or dams for hydrogen? What to do, what to do…

Green Energy: It’s All About Money

Tune in to hear how “green energy” is not green. And it’s not really about energy. What it’s really all about is the money.

And it’s not about “Climate Change” either. Why? Because while we’ve been shrieked at about CO2 emissions for two decades, it turns out they will not only sacrifice fish to get those billions. They’re also willing to emit more CO2 to get those billions.

Just like wearing the inappropriate “green” label for green hydrogen, to get the label “clean hydrogen” all you have to do is not emit more than 2 kg of carbon dioxide per hydrogen produced.

Read it for yourself: The National Clean Hydrogen Standard is 2 kg CO2e/kg H2. That’s 2x the amount of CO2 for every one Hydrogen (H2). See page 75 of the H2IQ Presentation from the U.S. Dept of Energy.

Yes. You can emit twice the CO2 you get of hydrogen. So much for CO2 as the enemy.

Don’t miss the show. That’s just one of much of the green hydrogen nonsense.

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

Articles/Info Mentioned During the Show

  • Frank Lasee’s website is TruthinClimateandEnergy.com. Be sure to check out this website for great articles and information.
  • Major wind energy developer scraps two big offshore projects (NBC News, Nov 1, 2023)
    • The move by Orsted, a Danish company, adds fresh uncertainty to an industry supporters see as a way to help end the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels.
  • Read it for yourself! Page 75 of the H2IQ Presentation (Dec 2021) from the U.S. Department of Energy states “clean hydrogen” allows for twice the amount of CO2 emissions as the hydrogen produced.
  • Interview with Frank Lasee: “Biden Sabotaging U.S. Energy Grid, Warns Expert” (Conversations that Matter, via YouTube, March 13, 2023)
    • Great example of replacing a gasoline car with a solar cars. Now you’re paying for 3 cars to get the same reliability you had in one.
  • Hydrogen – Will this Green dream prove an expensive nightmare? – (CFACT, Oct 26, 2023)
      • Hydrogen embrittles nearly every metal it comes in contact with.
    • Needs 13x more water than hydrogen made, 40x to cool it
    • The hydrogen lobby duped Congress into $9.5 billion for hydrogen hubs and $100s of billions more for subsidies to make it. These hydrogen jobs will last only as long as the subsidies do.
  • Great Analysis! Why Hydrogen Cars Flopped (YouTube, April 12, 2021)
  • The decades-long elusive dream: “The Truth About Hydrogen” (Popular Mechanics, Oct 31, 2006)
  • Study: ‘True Costs’ Of Electric Vehicles Far Higher Than Most Believe (The Daily Wire, Oct 27, 2023)
  • Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren’t working (Business Insider, via Yahoo News, Oct 26, 2023)

Oregon’s Green Hydrogen Scheme

More of Frank Lasee’s Terrific Articles & Interviews

  • Bidenomics Is Scarier Than A Haunted House On Halloween (Frank Lasee, Oct 31, 2023)
  • Interview with Frank Lasee from Truth in Energy and Climate (Alliance for Free Citizens, Sept 7, 2022)
    • 8,000 square miles of solar panels to make enough electricity for the U.S. plus 1 million wind mills. We have 75,000 now.
    • Bi directional batteries – so the cars can power the grid, which got its power off the grid.
  • Joe Biden’s Hydrogen Slush Fund Means More Dollars Wasted On The Green Energy Boondoggle (ShoreNews Network, Feb 26, 2023)
  • Don’t Buy Green Hydrogen Hype (Iowa Climate Science Education, Apr 12, 2023)
  • Bidenomics at Work: ‘Green’ Hydrogen Is a Very Expensive Waste of Money (RealClearEnergy, Oct 6, 2023)
  • Frank Lasse article: “The Expensive Impossibility of Green Hydrogen From Part-Time Wind and Solar” (Truth in Energy & Climate, October 25, 2023)
    • “The fact that the world is desperately short of lithium and cobalt for electric vehicle batteries, at the scale they want to force, is dawning on them”
    • “Wind and solar produce little or no energy 70% of the time.”
  • Frank Lasee: Joe Biden’s Hydrogen Slush Fund Means More Dollars Wasted On The Green Energy Boondoggle (ShoreNews Network, Feb 26, 2023)

Related Stories

 

13-43 Oregon’s New Surveillance System to Track, Censor “Election Disinformation”

13-43 Oregon’s New Surveillance System to Track, Censor “Election Disinformation”

Show 13-43 Summary: Oregon has now hired a surveillance partner to monitor, track, flag, report, and censor what the State deems election misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation. This Orwellian surveillance system will monitor social media posts, websites, blogs, YouTube videos, podcasts and even radio broadcasts. This is a war on Free Speech. And we know this is just the first step on a very slippery slope. Where is this headed? And what you can do to stop it.

Don’t be silent! Click here to jump down to contact info for the Secretary of State and your county elections to tell them what you think of their reporting system.

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 28th & 29th, 2023 | Guest: Marc Thielman

This Week – Oregon’s Election Disinformation Monitoring System

We had a last-minute guest cancellation and were all set to air a best-of this weekend. But then, out of the blue, we found out late Thursday that Oregon’s Secretary of State had put out a RFP for vendors, looking for a surveillance system to spy on its citizens. Oregon wanted someone with a surveillance system that had the capabilities to monitor, track, flag, and report back to bureaucrats whatever the State deems to be election “misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation.”

That’s right. Welcome to Oregon’s War on Free Speech.

Want to read Oregon’s censorship RFP for yourself? Scroll down to the Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info section

This tracking system has massive tracking capabilities. Oregon’s RFP stated it wanted a provider to monitor all social media, websites, blogs, videos, podcasts — even radio broadcasts. All to hunt down whatever it determines to be “election disinformation.” Even whatever it deems to be misinformation or malinformation.

The stated goal is to give the State a free speech early warning system. To identify trends. And allow election officials to dispute, respond, and even censor any information that the state doesn’t like.

Oregon’s War on Free Speech

We welcome back Marc Thielman who is the lead plaintiff in an election integrity lawsuit,which is currently before the 9th Circuit. Marc and others wanted to help the state prove there was no election fraud. But the State sued to stop them, thank you very much. Now why would the State stop someone from helping them prove the elections can be trusted?

Censoring "election disinformation"? Tucker Carlson nails it: "Anything you're not allowed to ask questions about is something you should be asking more questions about."
Censoring “election disinformation”? Tucker nails it. (Click for full image)

Because the State tells you not to ask questions. You’re not allowed to ask questions. Do not question your betters. The State telling you, “Trust us” should be enough when it comes to questions about election integrity.

Nothing says “trust” like suing people who want to trust you.

But now, the State has gone off the deep end. It wants to proactively hunt down what it, in its sole discretion, deems to be election disinformation. No questioning the elections.

Marc and Mark go through this chilling and blatant attack on free speech. With this RFP, Oregon’s Secretary of State has effectively announced the State will now monitor everything people say online or over the air about elections so they can be alerted to it. And yes. They will undoubtedly seek to censor differing opinions. And even report “evildoers” spreading “election disinformation” to the FBI. And we know where that will head.

But where is this headed? What lies further down the censorship slippery slope? If the goal is to censor election disinformation, what’s next? We know the Oregon and the Biden administration worked with Big Tech to censor important information about covid and the vaccines. Information that could have saved lives. And even before that, the Biden campaign and his Deep State allies blocked and censored information about the 2020 election that would have cost Biden the election. The Hunter laptop and Joe’s corruption schemes.

Fighting Back Against Oregon’s Surveillance

If Oregon is allowed to monitor, profile, track and spy on you, with the goal of censoring or even reporting you — for your opinion — they will not stop here. You know they won’t. So, Marc Thielman has announced he will once again sue the State to stop them. And they absolutely need to stop.

Fighting back isn’t cheap. It costs $5,000 just for the filing fee. Head to Marc’s Battleground Oregon website to donate and to help him fight this attack on your right to free speech. It’s your right. Your opinion. Your right to say whatever you want to say. And the State should not be allowed to prevent you.

That’s the point of free speech.

And a reminder for Big Brother Oregon: it is the government’s job to protect free speech. Not censor or it.

What You Can DO About Oregon’s Election Censorship

We know from last week’s show about fighting offshore wind farms that public outcry is a huge part of stopping government’s plans and overreach. That’s why it is critical that you speak up. You cannot be silent on this. Or before long, you won’t have any choice but to be silent.

How? By contacting election officials and — politely but firmly —tell them you are opposed to this monitoring of free speech. Here are Marc’s suggestions for an effective email: keep it simple. Tell them you just found out about this election disinformation monitoring system, ask if they know about it (some county clerks may not have been told yet), and tell them it should not be implemented and needs to stop immediately.

Contact Information for Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division

Email – elections.sos@sos.oregon.gov​

Secretary of State
​​Public Service Building Suite 126
255 Capitol St. NE
Salem OR 97310
503-986-1518
Fax 503-373-7414

Contact Information for Oregon County Elections Officials

Here is a convenient list to contact your county clerks: Connect with County Clerks

Don’t be silent—or you will be silenced!

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

  • Read the documents! Oregon’s Election Disinformation Monitoring & Censorship RFP and its four attachments (all files are PDFs):

The RFP, S‐16500‐00007470, “MDM (Misinformation, Disinformation, and Mal-information) Analysis Platform Services
Attachment A – “Solution Requirements
Attachment B – “[Sample] Information Technology Services Contract
Attachment C – “Administrative Proposal Form
Attachment D – “OregonBuys Vendor How-to Guides

 

 

13-42 Winds of War: Billions from Offshore Wind Farms – and Fighting Back

13-42 Winds of War: Billions from Offshore Wind Farms – and Fighting Back

Show 13-42 Summary: Do you remember how environmentalists used to want to “save the whales”? And they were angry at “greedy corporations”? Now, those same environmentalists have figured out they can make billions from taxpayers by forcing states to take definitely-not-green offshore wind farms. Whales be damned. Calling it “green” doesn’t make it environmentally friendly. Calling it “saving the planet” doesn’t make it less greedy. This week, learn about the expensive, inefficient, and environmentally damaging wind farms the Biden administration is eager to shove down states’ throats. And how to fight back. Because right now, they’re trying to shove a windfarm off Oregon’s Southern Coast.

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 21st & 22nd, 2023 | Guests: Craig Rucker & Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – The Lunacy of Wind Farms

It’s always easy to spend someone else’s money. Just ask any politician. It’s even easier to spend it if those billions (trillions!) you’re spending are going to people who will help re-elect you. Ever since I Spy Radio’s first year in 2011, we recognized that the environmental movement had become anti-development, anti-free-market, and decidedly anti-American.

It just so happens another organization got its own start with much the same realization: The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. Or CFACT. CFACT started back in 1985 and since then, they have grown into one of the most trusted, most respected sources of real information and real action to push back against the Far Left environmental movement. And win.

Right now, the Biden administration is giving out billions of free taxpayer dollars in a spending spree making the $130 billion (and counting) to Ukraine look like pocket money. Biden is shoving 100s of billions into wind farms. And, in particular, offshore wind farms.

CFACT on Offshore Windfarms

This week, we welcome Craig Rucker, the president and co-founder of CFACT, to talk about green energy, the billions the Left is making from it, and the billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on these offshore wind farms.

If you are not familiar with CFACT, you should be. Check out their great work, articles, videos, and a lot more on cfact.org.
And if you’re looking for good, reliable, and real facts about “green energy,” Global Warming, and more, be sure to visit CFACT’s Climate Depot.

It turns out these offshore wind farms are most definitely not environmentally friendly. On the East Coast, where there are already more than 3,000 wind farms spread out of 2.3 million acres. And since then, whales have been washing ashore, dead, in unprecedented numbers. Including the highly endangered Right Whale, of which there are less than 300 animals remaining. Why? Here’s a hint. It’s not Global Warming. The only thing that changed in their environment were these wind farms.

But what can we do to stop these? Especially here in Oregon, where greedy developers and government bureaucrats eager to spend 100s of billions of mandated taxpayer dollars have their sights on Oregon’s beautiful Southern Coast.

Tune in to hear how CFACT is successfully fighting back. And how the economics of “green” isn’t green when they start losing taxpayer subsidies.

Don’t miss: Conservation Nation’s (a CFACT project) video, “Save the Whales from Ocean Industrialization.”

Offshore Wind Farms off Oregon’s Southern Coast

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has targeted Oregon’s pristine Southern Coast for one of Biden’s costly offshore wind farms. We bring back Jennifer Hamaker, the president of Oregon Natural Resource Industries (or ONRI), to talk about this multi-billion-dollar windfarm project.

Jennifer, whose family on her dad’s side were commercial fishermen, talks to us what it’s like to grow up in a fishing family. What the way of life means to them. And how these offshore wind farms will endanger that way of life, the fish and birds and mammals in the sea, and the coastal communities.

And for what? A multi-billion-dollar wind farm that will only generate about 1.2 gigawatts of electricity. So greedy green companies can make billions, endangering the marine life environmentalists claim they want to protect, only to generate not even 10% of Coos Bay’s yearly electric? Really?

Help Stop Oregon’s Planned Offshore Wind Farm

ONRI is helping organize resistance to the offshore wind farm scheme. They have gotten the word out about public meetings. And are alerting people to get their public comments in to oppose this windfarm.

Screenshot public comment page for BOEM's offshore wind farm off Oregon's Coast
They kind of hide the comment button. (Click for full size.)

And it’s been working. There has been so much push back, especially at these public meetings, that the bureaucrats have pushed back the deadline for public comments until October 31, 2023.

Submit your public comments today about the planned offshore wind farm off Oregon’s coast. Go here for the main page to read the document if you’d like. Note that they kind of hide the comment button (see the picture before you head there). Or just go here to jump directly to the comment page.

Don’t be silent! Public outcry has been proven to stop these ugly, expensive, colossal taxpayer swindles. Skeptical? Then listen and learn.

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

Craig Rucker from CFACT (Segments 1–3)

  • Craig Rucker’s organization is The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow or “CFACT.” Visit them at cfact.org.
  • Be sure to read Craig’s excellent op-ed in The Hill: “A New Study Zaps Biden’s Plan to Transform the Electrical Grid” (Craig Rucker, The Hill, October 3rd, 2023)
    • “The problem is not the addition of wind and solar. The problem is the subtraction of coal, gas and other dispatchable resources [that] we need during this transition…The grid has to have power being fed into it every second of every minute of every hour of every day to keep the lights on.”
  • Want good information to push back against Climate Change insanity and the cult of Global Warming? Then you definitely will want to go to Climate Depot, a project of CFACT.
  • Don’t miss: Conservation Nation (a CFACT project) video, ” Save the Whales from Ocean Industrialization.”
  • “Save the whales” CFACT boats protest offshore wind construction (CFACT.org, Rucker, July 25, 2023)
  • Green cannot survive without massive taxpayer dollars: “New York denies offshore wind developer request to raise rates, throwing more projects into doubt” (Just the News, Oct 13, 2023)
  • Bill Gates sees ‘a lot of climate exaggeration’ out there (Fortune, Sept 20, 2023)
  • Climate Activists Cutting, Burying Trees (Epoch Times, Oct 13, 2023)

Jennifer Hamaker on Oregon’s Offshore Wind Farm Scheme (Segments 4–6)

 

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”

 

13-40 Can We Trust Our Elections Again? Election Solutions To Do Just That

13-40 Can We Trust Our Elections Again? Election Solutions To Do Just That

Show 13-40 Summary: Nothing breaks trust quite like the way government does. It’s one thing when someone close to you lies. It’s quite another when government lies and then sues you if you dare question them. And this after telling you “trust us, there’s nothing to see here.” Really? So why not let people look. Trust in government is at an all-time low. (Perhaps it has something to do with threatening and jailing people who dare question them.) But elections absolutely should be something we can all trust. Including, and especially, the losing side. So why is government trying so hard to not build trust? But there are election solutions to rebuild trust. Listen to find out why a return to hand counting can rebuild trust in our elections. And help restore (a little) trust in government.

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 7, 2023 | Guest: Marc Thielman

This Week – Election Solutions

Trust in government is at an all time low. Perhaps because it is now suing, fining, and/or arresting their political opponents. And threatening people who dare question them. But elections absolutely should be something we can all trust. Even the losing side. Especially the losing side. Shouldn’t they have faith that they may have lost but it was fair, open, and trustworthy?

So why is government trying so hard not to build trust? Especially trust in our elections.

But there are election solutions. And one of the biggest is also a simple one: return to hand counting.

Election Solutions that Would Restore Trust

We welcome back Marc Thielman, a former Republican candidate for Oregon’s governor, and current political activist. Marc was also the superintendent for the Alsea School District during Covid, which the State of Oregon tried desperately to close down but Marc stood firm against their mandates. During that time, Alsea saw their enrollment swell by 500%. And they also never had a case of covid be traced back to their school. Funny that.

As a political activists, Marc is currently involved with getting real school choice on the 2024 ballot and is one of the lead plaintiffs in an election integrity case against Oregon and which is currently in front of the 9th Circuit.

But this week, we’re talking about trust and election solutions. And how those two intermingle.

Return to Hand Counting Ballots

On Sunday, October 1st, I Spy Radio host, Mark Anderson, attended a hand count training with Linda Rantz, who spearheaded a real hand count in Osage County, Missouri. He was able to see first hand how hand counting not only can be done but should be done. On this week’s show, Mark walks people through the process, how efficient it is, and how this election solution has trust designed right into it. Yes, there are potentials for human error. Just like there are potentials for human-caused errors in machine counts. But this hand-counting system is designed for transparency and trust. Because it recognizes the potential problems and makes it easier for many eyes on them to prevent them.

Which is entirely different than what blue states do. Hide the errors and attack people who dare question them. States like Oregon and California. The latter of which just passed a law to block hand counting. Now, why would you do that unless you want to make it easier for the state to cheat and keep things hidden?

Hand Counting Demonstration

Election Solutions: Ballot hand counting demonstraiton and luncheon. Hosted by Clean Voter Rolls and Oregon People's Vote
Click for full size

If you’d like to see how hand counting ballots would work and could restore trust in the elections, Marc Thielman will be co-hosting an event in Salem on Saturday, Oct 14th, from 10am to 2 pm. The cost is $13 for the spaghetti luncheon. See flyer at right for more information.

Marc will be joined by election integrity expert, Joe Oltmann, from Colorado.

Please RSVP at 503-757-0670 or www.CleanVoterRolls.com.

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

13-39 Marxism in America | Cultural Marxism in our Schools and Spending

13-39 Marxism in America | Cultural Marxism in our Schools and Spending

Show 13-39 Summary: Thanks to Joe Biden and the party formerly known as “democrats,” Marxism in America is on the rise. In our economy and in our society. We see it in our schools, as states push woke ideology on our children. And now, Marxism is a a core part of teacher hiring practices. We see it in government regulation. And a key element of Marxism is to break a country so it can be refashioned into a socialist utopia. Except they don’t exist and have never existed. But with our out-of-control government spending, we’re about to go broke.

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: September 30th & October 1st, 2023 | Guests: James Hirsen and Joe Penland, Sr.

This Week – Cultural Marxism

In the wake of World War 1 and the disaster of Russia’s Marxist revolution, which left millions of dead Russians, Marxists the world over began to realize Marx focused too much on economics and not enough on culture. So they began infusing Marxism into culture, like how it was “greedy” to be successful. Or that the family unit needed to be attacked and torn down. So people would turn to the State as their family. And on and on it went. Until we arrive at today’s situation. Where Marxism in America is everywhere, even if you don’t know it.

But cultural Marxism isn’t just in Hollywood films and classrooms. Now it’s a hiring criteria for teachers. We check in with best-selling author, James Hirsen, about yet another new Marxist attack on our country: “Cultural Marxism Being Used in Teacher Hiring.”

That’s the title of James’s terrific new article—among many others. Check out all of his brilliant and insightful commentary on his website, JamesHirsen.com.

Marxism in Our Government

Thanks to FDR, who flooded the federal government with socialists, and to Harry Truman, who flooded the federal government with National Socialists (a.k.a., “Nazis”), our federal government — wait for it — is flooded with Marxists. Socialists, communists, and full-blown Marxists.

As a result, the conversion of our one-time-American government to Marxism is nearly complete. And we’re quickly speeding down the tracks to the last stop on the line.

Marxism in America isn’t always hidden. Sometimes, it’s right in our faces. Like our spending on socialized giveaways.

Our federal government has been spending trillions outside of its budget. Whenever you spend more than you budgeted, you have a deficit. And we’ve been spending about 20-30% beyond our budget every year for decades. Our national debt, which stands at $33 trillion (and growing fast), is the accumulation of all those years of spending more than our income.

We welcome first-time guest Joe Penland Sr., a successful businessman who also has over 26 years of banking experience. For the last year, he has been trying to wake Americans up to the tipping point of debt we are fast approaching.

All that debt and for what? When a business borrows, it’s typically to buy land or equipment. Hard assets. Which they will then use to generate more money. Effectively, they are borrowing the means to pay off the money they are borrowing. Not so with government. We are giving money away and getting no assets in exchange for those giveaways. (Unless you consider votes for more giveaways to be an asset.)

We talk to Joe about the hard decisions ahead.

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.

Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Joe Penland’s Segments

Related Marxism in America Info

  • The Deep State Behind the Deep State (Liberty Sentinel, Sept 26, 2023)
  • Marxism hates the family structure. Check out this article: “AI girlfriends are ruining an entire generation of men” (The Hill, Sept 26, 2023)
    • It’s the statistics here that are so troubling: “America desperately needs people to have more babies, but all the signs are pointing toward fewer relationships, fewer marriages and fewer babies. There have been 600,000 fewer births in 2023 in the U.S. relative to 15 years ago. The number of children per woman has decreased by more than 50 percent in the last 60 years.”
    • “In 1940, there were 42 workers per beneficiary of Social Security. Today, there are only 2.8 workers per beneficiary, and that number is getting smaller.”

 

 

13-38 Get Educated – School Choice, Woke in Corporate Boardrooms

13-38 Get Educated – School Choice, Woke in Corporate Boardrooms

Show 13-38 Summary: This week, it’s about getting an education – and pushing back on the woke society is pushing on us. In our school systems and pushing back on woke corporations, like Disney, that think they know better about what society needs than what we Americans think. But what happens in those board rooms? And just how much power do activist shareholders have — who want to make a company go woke or, conversely, stop a company going woke? We also catch up with the effort to get real school choice on the ballot here in Oregon. And how a terrible personal accident has reignited the effort.

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: September 23rd & 24th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg and Scott Shepard

This Week – Get Educated on Woke

This week, we are talking about woke in the corporate boardroom. And its negative impact on a corporation’s share prices and profits. So why do they do it? And when it comes to going woke even when it hurts shareholders, there is no better example of Bob Iger’s transformation of Disney and marching to the Left’s ideology. And did he set up his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek — only to swoop in and clean up the mess he himself left?

But first, we talk about real school choice. We catch up with Donna Kreitzberg to hear how things are going to get real school choice on the ballot for Oregon’s 2024 general election. Education Freedom for Oregon just came through their summer events. So how did they do? How far along are they in their petition drive?

Have you signed one yet? Head to this link to download a signature form — then print it, sign it, and and mail it back.

We also wanted to talk to Donna because she recently had a horrible accident, that required her to be life-flighted out of the Montana wilderness. Hear how this personal tragedy has reignited her passion to get this on the ballot and to help kids get out from schools where they feel trapped.

And did you know real school choice will not only help kids trapped in bad schools but it can help free teachers too. Tune in to find out how.

Get Educated: On Woke Corporations and their Boardrooms

The Supreme Court recently overturned affirmative action as a gate for higher education. But what impact with that ruling have on woke corporations and their DEI initiatives? DEI being “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” DEI also being Leftist codespeak for, “exclude people who don’t share our political ideology.”

Yes, Bud Light gets the attention when it comes to “go woke, go broke.” But Disney is the true leader when it comes to going woke. Think about it. Did Bud Light ever have the pro-family, pro-America reputation that Disney once had. And Disney is now actively pushing a woke, transgender ideology at kids. Bud Light isn’t exactly pushing their products at kids.

Woke for thee but not for me. Disney reports DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusiveness for its employees but not its own board members or executives
Disney’s DEI for employees—but not the board? (click image for full size). Source.

We talk with Scott Shepard, the director of the Free Enterprise Project, which is the original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of American corporate life. Disney is back in the news as its revenues continue to crater, losing money on woke, box office flops, and bleeding Disney+ subscribers. And even at its parks, its one source of profits, attendance is down.

Could it be because they’re pushing transgender at kids even at their parks? Nah! Couldn’t be that!

We also talk with Scott about a broader view of corporations and their boardrooms. If, say, an activist shareholder wanted to take a corporate woke, could they? Just how much power do they have? Or what if a shareholder wanted to protect a pro-America company from an activist board?

You never knew corporations and free enterprise could be so interesting and entertaining.

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

Donna Kreitzberg’s Segments (1–3)

Scott Shepard Segments (4–6)

Articles from National Center and the Free Enterprise Project
Disney’s Corporate Wokeness
Bob Iger: Determined to Take Disney to Ideological Ruin
  • Disney CEO Bob Iger: Marvel Diluted Audience’s Focus and Attention by Making So Many Disney+ TV Shows (Variety, excerpt via Slashdot.ord, July 17, 2023)
  • Bob Iger Reveals His Master Plan to Restore the Magic at Disney (Bloomberg, Feb 9, 2023)
  • Bob Iger Isn’t Having Much Fun: Eight months after returning as Disney’s CEO, he is straining to put out fire after fire, including streaming losses, an activist investor and TV woes (WSJ, July 14, 2023)
  • Is Bob Iger screwed up at Disney because of woke content, the removal of Disney+ content, and the possible sale of Lucasfilm? (David Mullich, via Reddit, June 15, 2023)
  • Politicization of Disney Gives Bob Iger Path to White House (Real Clear Politics, May 14, 2022)
    • Iger is (or was) considering a run for the presidency.
  • Bob Iger Lambasted For CNBC Comments About Strike: “He Came Out Of Retirement To Make $54 Million In Two Years And Says This” (Deadline, July 13, 2023)
    • One tweet: “Hollywood writers, on average, are paid $69,510 a year. Bob Iger is paid $74,175 a DAY.”
  • Disney Is in a Death Spiral and I Don’t See Bob Iger Reversing It (The Street, July 14, 2023)
    • A marked decline in attendance for Summer 2023 at Disney World and Disneyland
    • “According to boxofficemojo.com, Disney only has three of the top 10 grossing films thus far in 2023.”
Related
13-37 Fraud, Fraud, Fraud | How Judges Often Enable It

13-37 Fraud, Fraud, Fraud | How Judges Often Enable It

Show 13-37 Summary: This week, it’s all about fraud. Election fraud. And the lawsuit to get Joe Biden’s emails where he used fraudulent names to conduct his “business.” Elections matter. Not only because you are giving someone else legal authority over you. But because trillions of dollars are at stake. If absolute power corrupts, how much corruption will 100 trillion buy? Could Joe Biden’s fraud emails crack open the door to his corruption business? And will the 9th Circuit finally be the first to take election fraud seriously? And when it comes to fraud, all too often it’s judges who are enabling it. It’s yet more evidence of our two-tiered justice system. Imagine if Trump was emailing his kids with government information to profit the family.

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Original Air Dates: September 16th & 17th, 2023 | Guests: Chuck Wiese and Kimberly Hermann

This Week – Fraud and More Fraud

It’s all about fraud this week. We usually have Chuck Wiese, a scientist and meteorologist, on to talk about the fraud of Global Warming. Which has become a multi-trillion dollar fraud scheme. But what’s another trillion to the debt when it’s among co-conspirators, right? But this week, we have him on to talk about their election integrity case, which is currently before the 9th Circuit. Why there? Because the Oregon judge didn’t have the backbone to look at it and denied it on “lack of standing.”

What a cop out.

Think about that. The Left shrieks about every single vote must be counted. But why is it when any one voter has their vote devalued through fraud, somehow that single vote no longer matters. But there’s even more to it. Weak judges claim there’s no evidence of voter fraud. How do they know when they keep denying appellates the chance to look? There may be tens of thousands of fraudulent votes. But we’ll never know because they never actually look.

For an election system that claims there is no fraud, isn’t refusing to let people look just a little telling?

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Joe’s Fraudulent Email Aliases

Then we talk to General Counsel, Kimberly Hermann of Southeastern Legal Foundation. Her client is John Solomon, Executive Editor, of Just the News.

After years of hearing about secretive emails between Hunter and Joe Biden, and their potential content revealing fraudulent and corrupt money schemes, Southeastern Legal sued the National Archives to release those emails. Kimberly discusses how they knew about them in the first place and what they suspect the emails reveal.

Why use aliases to conduct “business”? Didn’t Joe say he never talked with Hunter about his business dealings with foreign entities wanting to buy influence. Okay. Maybe Joe didn’t talk to him. But he sure emailed a lot. More than 5,400 of them. That are known.

And where does this trail of evidence—while Joe was VP—lead? How far up does it go? What agencies knew about it? Why does the National Archives have these in the first place? Was Joe using government computers to send emails about his fraud schemes? Is this why our billions keep going to Ukraine, to keep them quiet from revealing their own evidence?

So many questions! Tune in to get the answers!

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Chuck Wiese (Segments 1–3)

Kim Hermann (Segments 4–6)

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    • Because there aren’t enough opportunities for voter fraud already in Oregon?
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  • Alan Dershowitz says attempt to get Trump off 2024 ballot is a ‘grave danger’ to the Constitution (Just the News, Aug 22, 2023)
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