SummitCast

Dutch farmers are protesting new government regulations that would greatly limit farm output in the country. Estimates are that as many as 30-50% of Dutch farms might be forced to close. Holland is the sixth largest exporter of agricultural products in the world. Why do this when we are facing the prospect of global famine? What is the agenda? And how to the local people see things? Piet van Straaten, our guest for this show, brings a report from Holland. Title image: Flickr / kees torn cc-by-sa-2.0

Julian Assange and Wikileaks published US government documents which exposed war crimes and human rights abuses. The government is now going after him with charges that could result in a 175-year prison sentence. This is an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press–in effect, seeking to criminalize basic journalistic activity. In this vide we explore what is going on behind the scenes, including the role of the CIA and the media cover-up of the case. Links and resources: https://dontextraditeassange.com/ Belmarsh Tribunal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_xxG... A Timeline of Corruption: https://www.frontcompany.net/r2kb1klh... Role of the Australian Government: https://penmelbourne.org/us-hypocrisy... CIA plans to kidnap or assassinate Assange: https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-ass... Operation Mockingbird: In an article titled “The CIA and the Media,” Carl Bernstein exposed the fact that more than 400 American journalists—including reporters for The New York Times, Associated Press and Reuters—doubled as CIA operatives. “Journalists provided a full range of clandestine services—from simple intelligence-gathering to serving as go-betweens with spies in Communist countries.” The story was published in Rolling Stone magazine (note, not the mainstream news media). http://www.carlbernstein.com/magazine... See also David P. Hadley, “The Rising Clamor: The American Press, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Cold War”: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Clamor-... Numbers to call: DOJ Comment Line: (+1) 202-353-1555 DOJ Main Switchboard: (+1) 202-514-2000 EDVA (Eastern District of Virginia, DOJ division handling the prosecution of Assange): (+1) 703-299-3700 White House Switchboard: (+1) 202-456-1414 White House Comment Line: (+1) 202-456-6213 An anonymous whistleblower from an intelligence agency, who goes by the name of E, shared this perspective on the Assange case: "Julian Assange has spent over a decade of his life in arbitrary detention, all because he chose to publish documents proving the war crimes of the powerful, which had been handed to him by those whose conscience could no longer bear the evil they were witness to. He isn't imprisoned for any actual crime. No hacking. No violence. No crime at all. He sits in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison, simply for telling you the truth, when the government and media refused to. The real threat to their new world order is right there. The real threat to their power grabbing, money-loving, nepotistic, atheistic, disingenuous, and loathsome club, is right in front of you. Free him, and you win."

Supply chain disruptions are putting preparedness back in the news. It makes sense to be prepared for shortages of essentials as well as for floods, winter storms and other emergencies that happen from time to time. It's not about being a "prepper." We have car insurance to prepare for an event that we hope won't happen. We have life insurance for the same reason. It's just taking practical steps to prepare for possible eventualities. Here are a few suggestions for resources that might help you get started: ** Water ** 55-gallon water barrel: https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Water-B... Pump for water barrel: https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Disa... Bathtub emergency water storage: https://www.amazon.com/WaterBOB-Emerg... ** Food ** When you go to the supermarket, buy extra of the non-perishable food you use regularly Food for long-term storage: The Cadillac: https://mountainhouse.com/collections... (Look for occasional Mountain House sales at costco.com) https://mypatriotsupply.com/collectio... NuManna specializes in organic: https://numanna.com/ ** Light and power ** Glow sticks: https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Bright-G... Fenix rechargeable lantern: https://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Recharge... Alpenglow rechargeable lantern: https://www.amazon.com/BioLite-Alpeng... Jackery 500 solar-powered generator: https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Genera... ** Heat ** Cabela's -20 sleeping bag: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabel... Lightweight down sleeping bags: https://www.moosejaw.com/search/down-... https://www.backcountry.com/sleeping Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/mr-he... ** Planning ** Resources for many different scenarios: https://www.ready.gov/ A useful guide for keeping safe through civil unrest: https://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Danger-... NOTE: There are a lot of products available in these categories. These are just a few ideas based on our own experience. We don't receive any commission for things you may purchase using these links. Image on Title Screen: https://www.flickr.com/photos/earthworm/5572145701

In this show we talk with Sylvia Arvizu, who served three tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. She talks about * What was achieved in 20 years of US involvement there? * Will the Taliban be more moderate this time around? * Is the chaos of the US withdrawal due to incompetence, or was it planned? * What does the future hold? Sylvia's take on Afghanistan is different from Henry Kriegel's in SummitCast #18. She thinks the U.S. could have stayed in Afghanistan in a long-term peace keeping role, as we have done in other nations (Germany, Japan, Korea). Is that realistic? Hear what she has to say and draw your own conclusions. Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

What is happening right now in Afghanistan is a complete disaster. And it was very predictable. Beyond that, what's the big picture? How did we get here? Henry Kriegel has been closely studying Afghanistan there since the Reagan years, when he was the executive director of the Committee for a Free Afghanistan. He worked with key Afghan leaders at that time as well as leaders in Washington D.C., including briefing the President on what US policy should be in Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal. The problems of Afghanistan didn't grow overnight, and the mess we find today is partly the result of US policy mistakes over the last 30 years. What can we learn from all this? And where might Afghanistan go from here? Washington Post: The Afghanistan Papers Documentation that the American political and military leaders continually lied about what was really happening in Afghanistan https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphi... The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini A fictional account, but true to history, of life in Afghanistan in the years of the Soviet invasion and subsequent rise of the Taliban. Charlie Wilson's War Quite an accurate account of US involvement in Afghanistan during the 1980s https://youtu.be/NLGT-zvHVxY Title image: US Air Force C-17 transporting 640 Afghan citizens from Kabul, August 15, 2021. (Air Mobility Command Public Affairs) Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

Julian Assange is being prosecuted, at this point, entirely on the basis of having published evidence of US war crimes (which included the murder of journalists, women and children). He is currently in the UK, and he won his extradition case. But the US Department of Justice is throwing true justice aside and continuing to appeal the decision and force Assange's extradition. They are after the legal precedent to prosecute and imprison anyone who tries to shed light on what the government is really doing. We must not allow them to win this fight. Journalists everywhere should be up in arms about this. Unfortunately, the response of some has been very tepid. But injustice should never be met by silence. Something you can do is to make a phone call. Ask that Julian Assange be given the same protection as other journalists, as guaranteed under the First Amendment and the principle of Freedom of the Press. Without a free and independent press, the democracy is in danger. Call the following numbers: DOJ NatSec Division (They Oversee the actual case!) (+1) 202-514-1057 DOJ Comment Line: (+1) 202-353-1555 DOJ Main Switchboard: (+1) 202-514-2000 Also call the White House and your federal representatives. Image of Assange: Cancillería del Ecuador (CC BY-SA 2.0) Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

Our second conversation with Ed Setters, a student of Marxism from the UK. Ed explains how Marxism from the early 20th century has evolved to become something that looks very different today, but which has the same goal. Where is this all heading? James Lindsay podcast, "Antonio Gramsci, Cultural Marxism, Wokeness, and Leninism 4.0" https://youtu.be/VdsSIWh_VkQ Looking for a pathway to spiritual freedom? Check out www.keepersoftheflame.org Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0 Title image: Wikimedia Commons / Roo Pitt Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

In this show we have a conversation with someone who was active in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. It was a time of tremendous change in race relations in America, and tremendous progress. But the full hope of the movement has not yet been realized. Where did things go wrong? And what can we learn from the movement that can help the struggle for equality today? Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: CC-BY 3.0

Socialism is on the rise. Why is that? What is the appeal? is that a bad thing? Movie with Will Smith: "The Pursuit of Happyness." Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Image for title screen Wikimedia Commons / Jonathan McIntosh (CC BY 2.0)

Surprisingly mainstream people calling for a revolution in America right now. They want to "burn the system down." But history tells us that revolutions don't always turn out well. While they may overthrow a tyranny, they often replace it with something much worse. Robespierre said "The government of the revolution is liberty's despotism against tyranny. How can you tell which way a revolution will go? The French Revolution and the American Revolution hold a lot of lessons for us today. Want to be part of a revolution in higher consciousness? Check out https://www.keepersoftheflame.org/ Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The chaos and violence in America's cities is like nothing we have seen for many decades. Yet some who have studied the cycles of American history predicted this time would come. What can we learn from past times of crisis? What does the future hold? Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this show we speak with a 12-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department about what is really happening in our police forces and what steps need to be taken to address the problems. Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC BY 3.0 Image of police officer by BodyWorn by Utility / Pixabay

In this show we talk about the economy. We cover a lot of ground here, including: • What's going to happen with all the money that is being printed? • What is the real inflation rate? • Is the gold standard the answer? • What will it take to put the economy on a sound foundation again? Ultimately, it is the spiritual foundations that are key to positive change, and we can all start with our own decisions about our personal economy. To find out what the real numbers are for inflation and unemployment, go to Shadow Government Statistics: http://www.shadowstats.com/ Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

Where does the philosophy of Marxism come from? What is it really all about? Does it work? Or doesn't it? And how does all of this relate to socialism today? Our guest for this show is Ed Setters, who studied Marxist theory at the University of Huddersfield, in northern England, and completed postgraduate studies in political science at the University of Birmingham. Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

Continuing our discussion about solutions to racism in America. In this episode, we talk about Black Lives Matter. What's working? What's not? And what can we do to help bring true equality to America? Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC BY 3.0 Image of BLM mural in New York: Wikimedia Commons / Rhododendrites CC BY-SA 4.0

In this show we talk about some of the issues of racism and race relations in America, and what can be done to move things in a better direction. Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC BY 3.0

A lot of people these days are joining revolutionary movements. What is the appeal? "To a deliberate fomenter of mass upheavals, the report that people are bored stiff should be at least as encouraging as that they are suffering from intolerable economic or political abuses." Eric Hoffer, "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements." It is amazong to see something written nearly 70 years ago so accurately describing what is happening in America today. In this show we look at Hoffer's ideas on why people join revolutionary movements. We look at how coronavirus lockdowns are feeding these movements. We also talk about * Missing rights of passage in modern life * The importance of meaningful work for soul development * How student loans help set the stage for revolution And what can we learn from all this to build a better future? Want to be part of a positive revolution in higher consciousness? Check out https://www.keepersoftheflame.org/ Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Following up on the last show, we look at some of the things that can be done to restore confidence in our election system. Link to Spectator article: https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/11/... Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this video, we can't quite talk about fraud in the 2020 election, since that risks having YouTube ban your video. However, we do talk about the potential problems. Link to the 2012 article from the New York Times talking about the problems with mail-in ballots: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us... Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

One of the major drivers for child sex trafficking is to produce child pornography. The most obvious victims of the industry are those making the content--especially the trafficking victims. But consumers are also victims. Easy access from mobile devices leads to younger and younger teens and pre-teens getting drawn in to some of the most violent and degrading material on the Internet. The consumers can also become addicted to porn--which can be as devastating to a person's life as any other addition. Mary Kehoe joins us again to talk about this important issue. === HOW TO KEEP KIDS SAFE === https://www.ourkidsonline.info/ "Our Kids Online is a one stop shop designed to provide parents with information and resources to help keep children safer online, in particular with regard to their exposure to predators and online pornography." The documentary "Our Kids Online" shows the problem with children's easy access to porn and their vulnerability to online predators. It also includes practical steps parents can take to keep their children safe. === WHERE TO GET HELP IF PORNOGRAPHY IS A PROBLEM === https://www.pornhelp.org/ === TO HELP PREVENT CHILD TRAFFICKING === Support Shine a Light Network. https://shinealightnetwork.org/ Music for titles: Excerpt from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) CC-BY 3.0

Human trafficking survives by hiding in plain sight. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to exploit victims. Some statistics: ● The average age of trafficked persons is 12 to 14 years old. ● Babies as young as 6 months old are sold into sex slavery in America. ● America is the largest producer and consumer of child pornography. In this show, we talk with Mary Kehoe, executive director of Shine a Light Network, about the problem of child and human trafficking. *Resources* ► Shine a Light Network https://shinealightnetwork.org/ The site includes local resources in each state ► National Human Trafficking Hotline https://humantraffickinghotline.org/ *National organizations working to rescue trafficked children:* ► Association for the Recovery of Children https://recoveryofchildren.org/ ► Operation Underground Railroad https://ourrescue.org/ *Articles about children being trafficked by cartels at the U.S. southern border:* https://thetexan.news/texas-sex-trafficking-official-says-border-crisis-is-a-perfect-storm-of-vulnerability-for-children/ https://newstalk1130.iheart.com/featured/common-sense-central/content/2021-03-14-how-the-biden-administration-is-helping-cartels-traffic-young-migrants/ https://nypost.com/2021/03/22/mexican-drug-cartels-use-kids-as-decoys-to-smuggle-members-into-us/

The media have been creating fear of COVID to drive ratings. Public health authorities have been creating fear in order to get people to do what they thought was the "right thing." The problem is, once these fears have been instilled in people, it can be hard for people to get beyond them. The pandemic of fear may have effects that last long after the coronavirus is no longer a threat. In this show, we talk about some of the consequences of fear, and how we can get beyond it. Image from title screen: Tim Dennell https://www.flickr.com/photos/shefftim/49757569337 CC BY-NC 2.0