Few people have distilled down what is happening across our culture: from DEI to gender ideology to queer theory to postmodernism. They may seem unrelated, but they share DNA as off-shoot ideologies under a Marxist umbrella or genus. To think of Marxism as simply an economic theory would cloud your ability to see this connection. To grasp Marxism, you have to understand that it is a way of defining what it means to be human: answering the questions around the ontology and telos of man.

James Lindsay - author, mathematician, philosopher, founder of New Discoursesblog/podcast and social media provocateur - has dedicated this season of his life in unpacking Woke Marxism. He joined me for a two-hour interview to talk about why Marxism isn’t just a theory but rather a religion — a gnostic perversion of Christianity that is in the lineage of the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

This interview could have gone on for a couple more hours as Lindsay is a wealth of knowledge. We barely touched on Maoism, Fascism, etc.

But in this interview we do cover a lot of ground, including Lindsay’s through-line moment, a time in which a person makes the connection between an axiom they hold dear and a political agenda. For Lindsay, it was several key moments, including times when science was made a mockery in the name of the feminist political movement.

What has happened to our K-12 education system, specifically the cultural decline bringing it down?  Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent, talks to me about how he's changing education in the Sooner state. Walters previously served as the state’s Secretary of Education and he was also a history teacher for 8 yrs. Oklahoma ranks 49th in reading in education according to EdWeek in 2021.

In this podcast, we discuss:
-- The legal standing behind Walter's support for the 10 Commandments displayed in all schools. 
-- Why religious liberty allows for tax-payer dollars to fund a Catholic Charter School.
-- How the teaching of history has moved from foundational truths to a perverse hatred of American values and institutions. 
-- How Oklahoma has banned DEI and any teaching of sexuality in the schools. 
  

Some 70% of teachers are part of a teachers union. Most likely NEA (National Education Association) or AFT (American Federation of Teachers). That means our kids and their education are beholden to what is essentially an interest group supported by our government. But their interests don't appear to be aligned with many parents. For instance, NEA President Becky Pringle roused the audience with a preacher-like sermon on standing up for the truth against persecution. That truth to her is that abortion is a right and that sex isn't binary, and that kids could be taught pornography in elementary school. If these sounds like value systems that don't fall along the lines of academic courses, like you know - math and reading, it's because these are value systems. 

So much for the separation of church and state. In my interview with Michael Hartney, who's studied unions and their hold on education, we talk about the following:
- Why teachers unions got so powerful
- Why Catholic Schools perform better than public schools
- How government essentially subsidizes unions
- How the pluralistic value systems of public schools caused many to lose the attraction of parochial schools, which is a value system grounded in respect, community, honor and acknowledgement of a higher being. 
- As a way to compete against emerging schools, the teachers unions are trying to stand for a mission. Unfortunately, that mission is something many parents don't like or want. 

Today’s topic is 20th century French philosopher - Jean-Paul Sartre and his idea of “man reconstructing himself.” Sartre was the doyen of existentialism. Existentialism, according to Dictionary.com is "the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will." 

Sartre, however, was also a Marxist. He wrote the preface in Frantz Fanon's book "The Wretched of the Earth." In the preface, you find Sartre’s view of reconstruction. This is important because of his influence on society’s view of human nature, which at its simplest - is that man is his own God, and salvation comes through some sort of rebirth through a violent overturning of those in control. This is man’s path to in Sartre's words: “reconstructing himself”. If it sounds a lot like being reborn (like Christians are reborn - or born again), it’s because it is. It is Sartre’s playbook on how to gain salvation. 

I pull out 10 points covered in this preface from Sartre. The points show how the evolution of man inside a colonial system. The first point is when Sartre defines two sets of men: elites and natives. The other points cover the natives waking up to their plight to the justification of the natives’ violent uprising, to the realization that man is reconstructed or reborn through this violent process. This rebirth is similar to man being reborn in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Two different polar opposite paths. One embraces violence, the other embraces the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, etc. Which path do you want to take? 

Sean Kouplen started 94xmovement as a platform to help people connect in the workplace.  At a time that mental and behavioral health companies are targeting corporate America to help workers with their mental health, 94x is bringing prayer and Jesus Christ into the workplace.  Studies have shown that religious people live longer than non-religious people. Religion and prayer are far more powerful than mental health activities designed to help people stay resilient and positive. 

94x started at Regent Bank, a bank Kouplen started over a decade ago.  

Strive Asset Management is a newly-formed asset management firm with $1 billion in assets under management, an impressive milestone crossed in September 2023 for such a young company, founded in 2022, by Vivek Ramaswamy, a rising star in the Republican Party. 

Strive's CEO Matt Cole spent time with me to talk about Strive's approach to investing. Some call the approach anti-woke or anti-ESG. The ESG (environmental, social, governance) push is largely driven by Black Rock's Larry Fink and World Economic Forum's Klaus Schwab -- ironically, two white guys fighting for social justice and equity so white guys don't rule the world.  We talk about the controversies around ESG; the lost debate around fossil fuels; the position of the left that their view of climate science is incontrovertible.  We also talk about the ESG value system, which is a new faith-based morality that Schwab articulates in his book The Great Narrative. 

Back to School PA is a political action committee dedicated to keeping schools open in Pennsylvania. Clarice started the PAC when she noticed Covid was being used as a political weapon to keep schools locked down. The organization is growing, having given $10k checks to 50 local PACs that support 300 School Board Candidates. 

Clarice talks to me about how to empower our school boards to fight state restrictions and how we can take control of our schools away from politicians!   

Obama says we're entering an epistemological crisis. But we may already be in one. This crisis is fueled by Obama and Trump. Both men with larger-than-life egos plus animus and jealousy toward one another play a big role in the distortion reality. The two promulgate division just like warring parents having a divorce and spewing their own version of truth. Obama can help this crisis because he's eloquent and communicate effectively. Here's my advice for him. 

Plus book reading of Chapter 6: The case for Judeo-Christian faith (pages 141-151)