Episodes

  • Writing Our New Story Together - From Divide-and-Conquer to Unite and Thrive

    Writing Our New Story Together - From Divide-and-Conquer to Unite and Thrive
    Dec 19 2024
    “Truth lives in our hearts. Beliefs lie in our heads.” – Swami BeyondanandaSome years ago I wrote an article for a progressive publication about Fox News and their propensity for spreading outright lies. I called the article “Come On Baby, Fight My Liar,” and I ended it by saying that conservatives obviously like being lied to – whereas progressives prefer lying to themselves.Needless to say, I got some pushback on the piece – and also some knowing nods of “yes, I know exactly what you mean.”What did I mean?Well, I had just been with a group of people where someone brought up the idea that the 911 Twin Tower attacks might have been an inside job. In response, one woman said – with a completely straight face – “Oh, no. If it had been an inside job I would have heard about it on NPR.”I think back over the past couple of decades when I presented some inconvenient truth that was outside the comfort zone of some of the spiritually-inclined folks I knew. They would put up their hand and say, “I don’t want to go there.”And my response would be, “Too late. THERE has already come HERE.”For years, I have watched otherwise compassionate, intelligent people take comfort in the phrase, “conspiracy theory” – the all-purpose catch-all that takes folks off the hook from having to look the heart of darkness in the face.It’s still operative, although I take heart that there are people waking up. I’m also cognizant of the old Navajo saying, “You can’t awaken someone pretending to be asleep.”So I will give you an updated example. Shortly before Thanksgiving, I published a piece on “How the Right Got Right, and the Left Got Left” – surprisingly I got only one piece of negative feedback from a reader who voiced her opinion in one word: Goodbye.In other words, I was canceled, which seems to be the go-to strategy of those unwilling to face a bigger reality than the one they are habituated to. Speaking of “canceled”, I was a bit shocked – although not surprised – to get two very similar emails from two women in response to that same post. One woman wrote:“THANK YOU SO MUCH...It’s refreshing to hear you say what I also think myself but have not the courage to speak out and then have to endure the wrath of the progressives I know. I was fairly traumatized by the reactions I got from dear old friends during the ‘scamdemic’ for questioning and not getting jabbed.” And from the other woman:“I would be very afraid to tell any of my friends or family that I voted for Trump because I would probably be ostracized. Same as for my stance on the poison shot. My friends and family have all gotten COVID and are still getting it even with the shot and the boosters.”“It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my thinking which seems to coincide with your views. You are a very brave man to put those thoughts out there. I guess I am a coward keeping all those kinds of thoughts to myself. Keep on keeping on, you brave souls!!” Please allow this to sink in.Inside the corral of the party dedicated to “saving democracy,” the issue of free speech never comes up – because people have learned to self-censor, or else.Talk about irony deficiency!And that brings us to this week’s Front and Center podcast, where we address both the “awful truth” and the awesome opportunity. The opportunity – as I suggested in the “How the Right Got Right …” post – is to leave the safe harbor of inside-the-corral narratives and seek to create a new story together. In other words, step off the political battlefield, and onto a cooperative playing field.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho5QfnhEIFsPlease watch this video where Cenk Uygur – founder of the ultra-progressive podcast Young Turks – suggests that it’s time for left and right to come front and center to create a true populist movement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD4QVT8ws_8&t=3s). Uygur, who is not at all beholden to the Democratic Party apparatus speaks out about – well, about how difficult it is to speak out. This is surely a sign of the “upwising”, given the opportunity for collaboration around RFK, Jr.’s Make America Healthy Campaign, which largely reiterates progressive talking points from 20 years ago.Mainstream media, meanwhile, continues launching “dismissal attacks” on RFK, Jr. – anything to prevent the Democratic Party faithful from “trance-ending” the trance of separation – and from rallying around the functional aspects of his program. When I hear friends now referring to Bobby as a “sexual predator,” I know the media talking points they are parroting.Once we step up above the battlefield to see a broader view, we take another important step – seeking the whole truth together. This means, releasing our dependence on our side’s narrative and becoming familiar with unfamiliar ideas, so we can discover for ourselves how much of what is ...
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    58 mins
  • How the Right Got Right, and the Left Got Left - Lessons From An Abusive Relationship

    How the Right Got Right, and the Left Got Left - Lessons From An Abusive Relationship
    Nov 25 2024

    “When you find yourself on a vicious cycle, for goodness sake, stop pedaling and get off.”

    -- Swami Beyondananda


    Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXBh9F8Iunk


    From Steve Bhaerman:


    One of the biggest challenges for me in the wake of the election results has been speaking into the field of grief, anger, profound disappointment, hopelessness and despair so many of my progressive co-hearts have been experiencing.


    And …I’ve been watching this slow-motion train wreck for nearly four years, so I was not surprised.


    I began this election day by taking my own advice and following my conscience. I abstained from voting for President. My choice was neither of the above. My prayer was for the American people to make the wisest choice possible – and I let it be with that.


    I went about my business peacefully, spent time in nature, watched inspiring, entertaining and educational programs Tuesday night and went to bed without following the “hearse-race.”


    In sharp contrast to my rage and horror when it happened in 2016, I awoke to the news peacefully, and – please hear me out – relief that uncommon common sense prevailed, and the American people soundly rejected what has passed as “progressivism” in recent years.


    Am I pleased Trump was elected? Well …there’s a reason I didn’t vote for him. (Check out Bill Maher’s rant on this very topic)


    Where to begin?


    I keep thinking about a conversation I had just over a year ago with a long-time friend who was such a rabid anti-Trumper that if he bit you, you’d have to get a shot. After he informed me that Trump was evil incarnate, that anyone who supported him was evil, and anyone who didn’t believe he was evil was evil as well, I asked him a few questions.


    We’ll call him DINO, which stands for Democrat In Name Only.


    “DINO,” I asked, “How do you feel about ‘woke’ and all of the new language we are being told to use?”


    “I hate it!” he replied. “I hate people telling me what I can and can’t say.”


    “And transgender?” I inquired.


    “I can’t even comprehend it. Absolutely fucking nuts!” he said.


    Then I asked, “What’s your take on the immigration issue?”


    “Are you kidding?” he responded. “You can’t just have open borders and let everyone in!”


    This was at the time that gangs of youngsters were descending on stores and stealing everything they could get their hands on, and no one was being prosecuted. “How about the ‘catch and release’ policing?”


    He rolled his eyes. “Incomprehensible,” he said.


    I said, “DINO, I don’t know how to tell you this, but … you’re a Republican. The only thing keeping you in the Democrat fold is …Donald Trump.”


    He didn’t say anything. What could he say? Several months after that, when he found I was supporting Bobby Kennedy’s campaign, he called to officially terminate our 40+ year friendship.


    There’s a lot more that can be said – and you can go deeper into the conversation by watching our Front and Center podcast, where Michael Maxsenti and I explore both the critiques of the Harris campaign and Democrats through the sharp eye of Bill Maher (the closest thing we have to George Carlin these days) and the heartfelt words of reassurance about the Trump administration from Aubrey Marcus.


    Bottom line -- 51% of American voters now identify as independent. That is the future of politics in America, if we are to have one. There is no “political savior” on any side … rather what will save us is the collective wisdom of we the people.


    Join the upwising!


    Support our work at Front & Center, where we set three parameters for a wise and independent body politic:


    From political battlefields to cooperative playing fields.


    Seek the whole truth together.


    Put government on the side of the people.


    We have met the solution – and it is us!
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    47 mins
  • Beyond Censorship – Mind Control. You Can’t “Know” What They Don’t Show You

    Beyond Censorship – Mind Control. You Can’t “Know” What They Don’t Show You
    Nov 1 2024

    “If a speech falls freely in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, is it still free speech?” – Swami Beyondananda


    Watch here on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v5l72zy-beyond-censorship-mind-control.-you-cant-know-what-they-dont-show-you.html


    Watch here on Locals: https://frontandcenter.locals.com/


    In 1974, the satirical troupe, Firesign Theatre, put out a comedy record, Everything You Know Is Wrong.


    Now, 50 years later …looks like they were right.


    When we think of censorship, we think of overt repression of views, like book banning, or even book-burning. But in these times, where so much of what we think we “know” comes from digital sources, the censorship is so silent and stealthy that we haven’t a clue how the information we receive has already been filtered and focused by someone unknown to us. And how we are convinced we are “thinking our own thoughts” but are in fact parroting planted narratives.


    On this episode of Front and Center, Michael and I review and unpack an eye-opening interview with psychologist and journalist Dr. Robert Epstein, on what he calls the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME). Epstein, a former editor of Psychology Today, has written extensively about how Google’s algorithms elevate the data they want you to see and suppress what they don’t. It explains why when you Google “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” you have to wade through pages of negative articles before you can get to anything that Kennedy actually said or wrote.


    Recently, Epstein reports, the same has been true of Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren – who has been critical of Google and their bias.


    An example of how this works. Just go to Google search and put in the letter “a” – what comes up but Amazon, Google’s biggest advertiser.


    More disturbing yet, Epstein shows how this distorted distribution of information has impacted elections – shifting undecided voters from 50-50 to 90-10, by sending them one-sided information and burying the other point of view. Epstein, a Democrat himself, shows that this silent programming is being done to support selected Democratic candidates and squelch dissent.


    Here’s another example. When RFK, Jr.’s independent campaign was surging, he went from 25% support to single digits – all because of how the “news” was being skewed.


    This is how elections are “stolen” without going near a voting booth or ballot box.


    But we don’t know any of this – and we don’t know that we don’t know -- because we never get to see it.


    We DO know this now because we have the ability to monitor exactly what they are doing, thanks to Dr. Epstein’s platform The Tech Watch Project (https://techwatchproject.org/) that is holding Big Tech companies accountable by monitoring internet content with the first ever nationwide "Digital Shield."


    As I’ve said before, these are apocalyptic times when the veil is being lifted on evils of all kinds. We might not want to look, but to get through this difficult passage for humanity, we must. As the Swami has said, the truth shall UPSET you free.


    It’s natural to be upset when you’ve been set up. Knowledge is power.


    Please watch this podcast to find out what you don’t know, and need to know.


    Explore the data and analysis on Epstein's monitoring system at https://americasdigitalshield.com/


    Review Epstein's privacy tips at https://medium.com/@re_53711/seven-simple-steps-toward-online-privacy-20dcbb9fa82


    Learn more about the Tech Watch Project at https://techwatchproject.org/


    RFK, Jr Podcast interview with Dr. Robert Epstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y1YKFdgL5c
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    44 mins
  • Why Free Speech Is a Life Or Death Issue - It’s Time to Wake Up and Smell the Coffins

    Why Free Speech Is a Life Or Death Issue - It’s Time to Wake Up and Smell the Coffins
    Oct 18 2024
    “It’s not vicious lies they are looking to censor. It’s those vicious truths they’re worried about.”– Swami BeyondanandaWatch the most recent Front & Center with Mike and Steve podcast here.https://rumble.com/v5j2ln9-why-free-speech-is-a-life-or-death-issue-its-time-to-wake-up-and-smell-the-.htmlhttps://frontandcenter.locals.com/Last week I wrote a post suggesting that free speech censorship was the gravest existential threat to democracy. I was heartened by the positive response, although I found something very curious about the few pushback emails I got. Not one of them objected to any of my points about free speech, or even addressed them. All of the negative feedback boiled down to: “Donald Trump is worse!”That’s the problem with “lesser evil-ism.” We accentuate and amplify the evil on the other side (in this week’s podcast you can view the contrast between what mainstream media said that Trump said and what he actually said), while refusing to acknowledge the lies and contradictions on our own side.That’s how evil prevails.So I want to try a thought experiment. Imagine there’s no Donald Trump.(Imagine there’s no Donald …It’s easy if you try …No red-hat wearing MAGA’sThe red team runs another guy …)OK, OK. Enough of that. You get the idea. Seriously, I want to take the topic of this post and elevate it out of “lesser evil land.”So last week, I declared “free speech” an existential issue for democracy. I’ve spoken to people who’ve said, yes but it’s not a life-or-death survival issue like let’s say climate change or nuclear war.Well, I say it is. And what really brought that home to me was a book released this week called The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer’s Crimes Against Humanity.https://www.amazon.com/Pfizer-Papers-Pfizers-Against-Humanity/dp/1648210376Like Daniel Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers (https://www.npr.org/2023/06/16/1162158609/daniel-ellsberg-obituary-pentagon-papers) published more than 50 years ago that lifted the veils on the War in Vietnam, this new work – based on Pfizer’s own documents that were supposed to stay secret for 75 years – blows the whistle on what has to be one of the most toxic perpetrations in human history.As soon as the Biden-Harris administration took office in 2021, just prior to the release of the COVID vaccines, they began a concerted campaign to de-platform any potential critics. They used a shadowy organization with the Orwellian name Center for Countering Digital Hate that identified the “Disinformation Dozen” (individuals that as I said in last week’s post were actually providing missing information intentionally left out of the official narrative). What followed was a relentless propaganda campaign involving every show biz personality and media influencer they could find to promote the shot as “safe and effective.” We all remember the likes of Rachel Maddow assuring us that if we took the shot, we wouldn’t get the infection and couldn’t spread it to others. It turns out they were wrong, and not only were they wrong, those running the campaign KNEW they were wrong before the shots were even available, based on the Pfizer trial documents the FDA was allowed to see, but the public wasn’t. As you will hear when you watch the Naomi Wolf interview with Del Bigtree (https://rumble.com/v5iclf9-dr.-naomi-wolf-reveals-shocking-details-in-the-pfizer-papers.html), when FDA director Rochelle Walensky saw the report, there was a panicky call with other health officials and the result was a 17-page script to spread the REAL disinformation, the “safe and effective” story.No one would know because the actual report was not to be released for 75 years. But then a funny thing happened. A group of scientists and medical researchers sued the FDA under FOIA to force release of hundreds of thousands of documents related to licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.This document that was supposed to be “cryogenically frozen” until the end of the century, all of a sudden became available for all to see. And as Naomi Wolf will tell you in the interview (https://rumble.com/v5iclf9-dr.-naomi-wolf-reveals-shocking-details-in-the-pfizer-papers.html) not only were there 1,200 deaths during the trials, but the shots severely compromised women’s reproductive capabilities, and did in fact cause blood clots and cardiovascular issues.Please remember that all these injury reports were being made prior to the documents being released, and they came up against a wall of denial and de-platforming. (By the way, we aren’t even going to attempt to post this episode on YouTube – our assistant wrote, “I checked the content guidelines on YouTube and for sure this would get a content strike. They specifically mention most of what Naomi and Del are talking about as not allowed.”)So …what’s wrong with this picture? Are you grateful you are being “protected” from this ...
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    40 mins
  • The True Existential Threat to Democracy - And Why It’s So Hard for Some People to See

    The True Existential Threat to Democracy - And Why It’s So Hard for Some People to See
    Oct 10 2024
    “They’ve taken the Bill of Rights and boiled it down to just one.You have the right to remain silent.” – Swami BeyondanandaWatch the most recent Front & Center with Mike and Steve podcast here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXL_WYJzrbMIn December 2008, Bruce Lipton and I were writing the final chapter of Spontaneous Evolution. Barack Obama had just been elected President, and I had just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. – where people were literally dancing in the streets.And why not?We were done with Bush and Cheney, the Iraq War, and the neocon con. It was time for hope and change.So in this last chapter, A Whole New Story, Bruce and I proclaimed that Obama’s election was a sign that “evolution” was at hand. Made sense to us. We were, however, completely surprised – shocked actually – when one of Bruce’s colleagues told us that it was a mistake, that we were limiting our audience by taking a political side. We looked at each other incredulous. That woman – she must be … a REPUBLICAN!Although we softened the “endorsement” a bit when we published the paperback edition a year later, still neither of us could imagine it possible that Republicans were even a part of our audience.My perspective sharply shifted during COVID when I saw colleagues I knew and respected being de-platformed, and things I knew to be lies being sold as truth. I felt even more alienated and disheartened when other close colleagues ghosted me because I chose not to take the shot, and they began spouting the phrases implanted by mainstream media (“safe and effective” …“follow the science”) as if it were gospel truth. Given the disparity between what I knew and what I was being told, I felt like the subject in Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments in the 1950s (go here https://signsoftheupwising.substack.com/p/yes-we-do-have-a-choice and read the section on “Herd Immunity Or Herd Mentality”).Those same progressives who supported the free speech movement back in the day, who had been proud members of the American Civil Liberties Union, said nothing when viable treatments were de-platformed from the web, and even a Facebook group for vaccine-injured individuals to share stories and remedies was taken down. A new Orwellian term was invented – mal-information, meaning something that is factually true but “narrative inconvenient.”So, to go back to the opening paragraph of this post, I speak from my own experience of being so blinded by my progressive blinders that I dismissed and discounted any alternative perspective as irrelevant, if not downright dangerous.I was one of those who compared Donald Trump to Hitler, and I have now been humbled enough to see the jackboot is now on the other foot. While I recognize all the “existential threats” of a Trump Presidency, the most important of which is a President who believes himself above the law, we must – all of us – face the clear and present danger of losing our right to free speech, not at the hands of Trump but by the administration currently in power.This loss is invisible to many progressives for a couple of reasons. First, too many insist on only believing what their side says, and instead of investigating the whole story, they settle for listening to what they are told.As the Swami says, “it’s one thing to have smoke blown up your ass. It’s another to have second-hand smoke blown up your ass.” Secondly, censorship is not just what is blatantly broadcast for all to see – like the right-wing book banning in Florida and other red states – but that which is so under the radar, it can be conveniently ignored. So, regardless of who you plan to vote for – or against – this November, I implore you to get the whole story and recognize that free speech is THE existential issue in this election. It’s time to remove the blinders of “our side is right, and therefore we should be able to impose our narrative on everyone else.”We encourage you to watch these video clips to gain a better understanding of what is happening in America.U.S. Senator John Kerry - "First Amendment stands as a 'major block'..."hammer it out of existence...so you're free to implement change…” https://tinyurl.com/45jx9468Hillary Clinton: Censor Speech Or 'We Lose Total Control'! Part of RonPaulLibertyReport. They give many examples of the Democrats demanding that the government crack down on free speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZco2BiII8I&t=249sThe Constitution, Unplugged: Matt Taibbi on DarkHorse This is an excellent podcast where Bret speaks with Matt Taibbi on the subject of the censorship industrial complex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL_lobY3bKMJust tell me the Truth! Debunking The Biggest Lies Told About Trump Amir Odom shows numerous clips of MSM taking out of context remarks made by President Trump and blatantly lying about what he said to fit a narrative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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    35 mins
  • Front and Center “Rescue the Republic” Report

    Front and Center “Rescue the Republic” Report
    Oct 4 2024

    “To make things simpler, they have taken the Bill of Rights and boiled it down to just one – you have the right to remain silent.” – Swami Beyondananda


    Join Steve and Mike as they discuss Mike’s recent trip to Washington, D.C. to be part of the Rescue the Republic rally, an independent political gathering convened by Bret Weinstein, and including luminaries like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Taibbi, Jimmy Dore and many others. Says Mike, “I could never in good conscience ask anyone to vote for Donald Trump – but I can ask them to vote for the only chance we have to end egregious government censorship, put an end to forever wars … and make America healthy again.”

    Independent journalist Matt Taibbi, who helped release the Twitter files on government-sponsored online censorship adds, “Trump is such a blinding figure for people, just not able to see past the trees of Donald Trump to see the forest that lays behind it. It’s a shame because we are on this continuum of disappearing rights, and he is a plot point on that continuum. But he is not really the story.” He continues, “And it’s not easy to get people to see this.”

    If you’re ready to see past distorted narratives, and discover the future of democracy in America – if it is to have a future – please tune in and find out about the only political movement in this country that can impact the 2024 election and give us ALL a future where individual sovereignty and collective wellbeing will both thrive.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4gryqwItI8

    Matt Taibbi : Censorship and Propaganda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9K468KT_JY

    Dr. Heather Heying : Free Our Children - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI4y7JAedJc

    Vani Hari : Our Food - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUG1fUdBJ9k

    Dr. Brett Weinstein : Galvanize the Unity Movement - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTcmcQkuSho

    Dr. Jordan B. Peterson : What is the Story that Unites Us? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnxAPKUPGZ8

    Del Bigtree : Cease Censorship and Propaganda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57rRSm41NVI

    Robert F. Kennedy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-RWaDZffmY

    Tulsi Gabbard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbTkgFeZLw0

    The entire video lineup at Rescue the Republic 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjQ2gC-5yHEu_97KAPrBMcQTa-dKGrPFf

    Robert F. Kennedy announces Unity Government July 12th @Freedom Fest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brxryAswfQ4

    U.S. Senator John Kerry - "First Amendment stands as a 'major block'...so you're free to implement change..." https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/09/29/john_kerry_tells_wef_our_first_amendment_stands_as_a_major_block_against_hammering_disinformation_out_of_existence.html
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    33 mins
  • The New Independents Movement - We the People vs. the Uniparty

    The New Independents Movement - We the People vs. the Uniparty
    Sep 25 2024
    A Front and Center Conversation with Steve Bhaerman and Michael Maxsenti“We have a two-faced one-party system – and we the people haven’t been invited to the party.” – Swami BeyondanandaWhen RFK, Jr. announced he was suspending his campaign to throw his support behind Donald Trump, I had mixed feelings. I had supported Bobby because he represented the “independent” movement, which I recognized as the politics of the future. As most Americans don’t know, 51% of American voters now identify as “independent.”While I could understand his move as a Hail Mary pass to get his agenda noticed by mainstream media, supporting Trump was for me a bridge too far. Re Trump, I could not un-remember conservative Jonah Goldman’s assessment in 2016: Character is destiny.Yes, we have a sociopathic system, but is the answer replacing it with a sociopathic individual, particularly one who seems accountable to no one?I noticed one thing immediately. When Bobby Jr. addressed a Trump rally the day after making his announcement, and when he presented the platform he asked Donald Trump to adopt – curbing governmental censorship, ending the forever wars and shifting funds to domestic needs, and “making America healthy again” by promoting clean food (including new regulations!) and clean soil -- he got a bigger ovation than Trump did. Regardless of whether Trump keeps his promises, Bobby’s message landed with the MAGA crowd. Then something else happened, seemingly insignificant, that flipped my switch.Kamala got endorsed by Dick Cheney.OK, so what? Obviously Donald Trump is such a clear and present danger, such an evil character, that parties from both parties are aligned against him. But then I asked a question. Since when is Dick Cheney such a great judge of character? And then, another. Who or what is Kamala accountable to?My take is she is a Wolfowitz in Sheepowitz’s clothing– a kinder, gentler, more “joyful” face promoting Dick Cheney’s neocon policies of forever wars, and the domestic repression that goes with it.And that brings us to the “uniparty” – a two-faced monster that uses culture wars issues to divide us, left and right. The result is that we the people have been unable to unite and hold our system accountable to the standards that the 90% of us who are not sociopaths would agree on.This two-faced monster has also betrayed us, left and right.Until now, each side has been mobilized against the evils of the other side. To progressives, corporations are the villains. To conservatives, it's the government.Actually the true “dark power” is the two of them intertwined, working together. Mussolini said the more accurate name for fascism is corporatism. That’s what we have now. We have an interlocking directorate – an Everything Industrial Complex if you will – where “regulatory” agencies are captured, and in bed with the industries they are supposedly regulating. This is not Democrat or Republican. It’s the system.There is no political savior or techno-fix that will move the dial – only an organized, coherent movement of independent voters. Regardless of who you plan to pull the lever for – or against – in November, I urge you to become part of this movement.Educate yourself. The people who’ve left the Democratic Party corral haven’t left because they know less. They have had the courage to learn more, and then look the heart of darkness in the face.Allow yourself to see beyond what you’ve been told and begin thinking for yourself. It’s the only way we can “overgrow” the system. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KViP4LNJpZUhttps://www.independentnationalcoalition.com/Here is a short list of recommended podcasts:A Call for Unity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf-0hMjxmlwRescue the Republic Rally and the rise of totalitarianism - https://www.mahanow.org/weinstein-podcastCensorship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF76Z6tqo1gNeed for deescalation of wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wVZ5Az3BvUHow RFK Jr. will fix agency capture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMshg5rguq4A vote for Trump is a vote for Kennedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wl8T1pwSU8Understanding the UNITY approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obQXMIpWDBkA Political Science Experiment: Navy Veteran, Mechanic, & Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlzXp_yCRGwAnd a highly recommended article: https://thehill.com/opinion/4856451-trump-kennedy-alliance-unity/Watch this enlightening conversation with economist and sustainable development expert Jeffrey Sachs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0qFuH4UfKw&t=16sTo get a flavor of how it’s the Republican constituency who are the new peaceniks and environmentalists, watch this conversation with Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard as part of their Reclaim America tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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    53 mins
  • A Conversation with INC Convener Christopher Life

    A Conversation with INC Convener Christopher Life
    Jul 24 2024
    The Second Great Independence Movement is the Politics of the Future – If We Are to Have OneA Conversation with INC Convener Christopher Life“Independents of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your Cheneys …and Bidens …and Trumps.” – Swami BeyondanandaThere’s a Buckminster Fuller quote that is perhaps more pertinent today than ever before:“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”So, while the mainstream conversation is focused strictly on the horse race (or is it hearse race?) between Donald Trump and whoever replaces Joe Biden, there is a significant conversation brewing that has the potential to change American politics forever and for better.Polls show that more than 50% of Americans have given up on the two major parties, and now identify as “independents.” The question is, is there anything that can organize these diverse threads and interests into a unified force?This week’s guest on Front and Center, Christopher Life, founder of – oxymoron alert – United Independents, and convener of the upcoming Independent National Conference (https://www.inc24.us/) thinks so, and we think he is on to something. Here is the stated mission of the organization and conference:At the core of our mission is a commitment to catalyze a transformative shift in American politics—away from the divisiveness of party lines and towards a future where governance is truly of, by, and for the people.United Independents envisions a political landscape liberated from partisan constraints, echoing the founding fathers' warnings against factionalism. We aim to foster a United Independent Movement that champions transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, ensuring government effectiveness and authentic public service for the benefit of all.For nearly two decades, Christopher has been involved in bringing forth a “third wave” so that we can grow beyond the two tired and contradictory narratives that have kept Americans from uniting around the virtues and values the 90% of us who are not sociopaths share. After several years he realized that just about every “third party” had some ideological ax to grind that would limit its appeal and ability to unite the American people. “And as soon as I got that,” he says, “I realized what we need right now is not another third party. What we need is a coordination system for these existing political parties.”“And this is the moment for coalition building. This is the moment for a United Independent movement. This is a moment to break the mold and form alliances between the far right and the far left, because we all have the common interest of ending the two party duopoly controlling this country.”Far right and far left?Well, Michael and I attended the 2023 INC event in Austin, where we were heartened to meet Angela McArdle, chairman of the American Libertarian Party and Nick Brana, head of the progressive People’s Party – who had already collaborated to create a peace march to end the war in Ukraine.At this September’s convention, the keynote speaker will be Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – whom Christopher believes is the current space-holder for that which can unify independents. Kennedy’s platform is non-ideological, and instead promises to be radically-inclusive of political viewpoints across the spectrum. As you will hear, Christopher and his team have already initiated a conversation to bring independents from all sides – from Greens to Libertarians – together to support RFK, Jr.“The two major parties run primaries to determine the best candidate,” Christopher reasons. “And … if there were an ‘independent party’ primary, Bobby Kennedy wins that hands-down. While people may or may not like him personally, I think it will become apparent that he is the standard-bearer for the independents movement we call for in our mission statement.”So …regardless of which candidate or party you plan to vote against this November, here is an opportunity to find out about a movement that is gaining traction, particularly in the under-40 crowd – those who want to make sure they and their children still have access to the REAL American Dream – individual freedom in the context of collective wellbeing, where we bring all perspectives into conversation, and find our way together.As Swami Beyondananda tells us, “There are no sides, only angles. And when we see it from the right angle, we’re all on the same side.”Prepare yourself for a heartening, if provocative conversation.Will we continue to be divided and conquered? Or will we unite and thrive?We have a choice.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zggUMCTIfWMIndependent National Convention - https://www.inc24.us/Independents Win - https://www.independents.win/Robert F. Kennedy for President - https://www.kennedy24.com/American Independent Party of ...
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    1 hr and 2 mins