When news first broke that a vaccine for Covid-19 was around the corner Donald Trump was president and it was a few weeks before the 2020 election. Many people believed President Trump was rushing the vaccine as some sort of "October surprise" to win the election, as if he was the one making the decision about when the vaccine would be ready. There was a lot of distrust and skepticism fed to the public at this time about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, and many of the people who are currently trying to get the public to trust the vaccine were the very people instilling distrust in the vaccine back then. This includes the current President and Vice President of the United States, and many others in mainstream media. Some of these people who doubted the safety of the same vaccine back then have come so far to say it should be mandated today, despite the fact that the vaccine has only been approved under an emergency use authorization and has not received full FDA approval. They say they have tried the carrot, and now it's time for the stick. How are these people hypocrites for changing their stance on the vaccine based on who is president, and how are they tyrants for now supporting mandates for the same vaccine they previously questioned? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #94.

According2Sam Podcast

According2Sam #94

According2Sam #93

The game of chess is a competitive board game that developed in Europe in the 15th century. The game evolved from similar and much older games from Asia. However, the main twist on the game of chess is the influence of feudal Europe. The pieces of the chessboard represent the systemic structure of feudalism. The king and queen represent the absolute monarchs of Europe. These monarchs carved out fiefdoms in their kingdoms and established an aristocracy as lords in their realms. These feudal lords are represented by the knights. The rook represents the castles, or castle towers in the kingdom, and the serfs and lowborn in the kingdom are represented by the pawns. The bishop represents the Roman Catholic Church, which played a very significant role in the feudal system. Feudalism never could have existed for as long as it did without the divine right to rule which the church bestowed on European monarchs. It was a business decision for the church, which depended on the monarchs for protection. It was a win/win for everyone except the pawns that suffered under this arrangement. Where did the idea of the bishop originate, and how and why did those early ideas of the bishop change? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #92.

According2Sam #92

In Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress he said, “We the people are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant capitol. Not some powerful force that we have no control over. It’s us! It’s ‘We the people’.” This was a profound restatement of the relationship between the American citizen and the American government. Biden was implying the two are synonymous, and that your dreams are the government’s dreams, and your desires are the government’s desires, and that you and the government do the same work and make the same sacrifices to make your dreams and desires a reality. It’s reminiscent of when President Obama said, “You didn’t build that”, implying that the government was there with you making your dreams come true. It’s a far cry from what Ronald Reagan said about the relationship between the individual and the government when he said, “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” Who is right about this relationship between the people and the government, Biden or Reagan? How does the idea of the separation of church and state prove Joe Biden is wrong, and how do the Bill of Rights also reinforce the fact that the government and the people are separate? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #91.

According2Sam #91

In the middle of the Third Century the Roman Empire was in decline and on the verge of collapse. Many issues were contributing to the nadir of the great empire. It was a period of political instability, with many usurpers seizing the title of emperor. There were slave and peasant revolts, and parts of the Empire breaking off to declare their independence, which lead to civil wars. There was high taxation, economic depression, and debasement of the currency. All of this weakened the Roman Empire, and the barbarian tribes from the north seized the opportunity to invade. This only added to the crises. Several men worked to restore the Empire beginning with the Emperor Claudius Gothicus in 268, but it wasn't fully restored until the reign of Diocletian nearly 2 decades later. Diocletian initiated many reforms during his reign and created they largest bureaucracy that the Empire had ever known. One such reform that scholars refer to today as 'tetrarchy', was the most notable. It means the rule of four, and it was Diocletian's plan to share power throughout the massive empire. It also laid out a plan for secession to ensure the peaceful transition of power. How were the Founding Fathers of the United States influenced by Diocletian's reforms, and what impact does this history have on our lives today? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #90.

According2Sam #90

The word “woke” has become part of the English vernacular. You can even find its use in British and Australian media these days. It’s a fairly new word to the proper English speaking world, those who communicate grammatically correct, and use correct syntax and sentence structure. However, if you have spent time around people who speak improper, broken, English you’ve heard the word before. The correct English word is 'awoke', the past tense of 'awake', as in to awaken from a deep sleep. The current use of the word “woke” was originally used to denote a cognitive awareness, a higher state consciousness and intelligence. It was like the red pill moment when you see the world as it really is, yet the word has come to denote something else entirely. Now it’s a word that characterizes the most mindless elements of our society. Wokeness has become a disease and it infects every sector of our society. Every institution from the church, the military, certainly education, sports, business, everything has come under the influence of the woke. Even the CIA and intelligence community is woke now! How has wokeness become a front to protect the existing power structure, and how are those promoting wokeism cowards that are being used to reinforce the existing power structure? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #89.

According2Sam #89

On the same day the verdict was reached in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, for killing George Floyd while attempting to take him into custody, an unarmed 26 year old California man named Mario Gonzalez lost his life while Alameda police were attempting to take him into custody. The similarities between what happened to Mario Gonzalez and what happened to George Floyd are staggering! However, there are some major differences as well. Some of the similarities are that both men were resisting the officers and where in a struggle. They were both placed in the prone position, handcuffed, and were held down by several officers while knelling on them with their body weight. They both died in that position. Some major differences are that there was no viral cell phone video to capture Gonzalez's last breath. There were no marches, riots, or looting for him either. Gonzalez's death isn't being talked about 24/7 in mainstream media, and there are no demands that the officers be 'held accountable'. It's as if no one cares about Gonzalez outside of his family. One other major difference is that George Floyd was Black and Mario Gonzalez was not, perhaps this difference explains why Floyd's death was more valuable. How do the race pimps decide which cases they are going to exploit and make them high profile, and how are they getting rich by tearing America apart? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #88.

According2Sam #88

When Black Lives Matter (BLM) cofounder, Patrisse Cullors claimed to be a "trained Marxst" there were many assumptions about what she meant by it. Many believed it meant she and the organization she founded were against the capitalist economic system and were committed to bringing it down. Many believed it meant she and her movement supported the abolition of private property, and the overthrow of the ruling class --- the bourgeoisie. Many took it to mean that she believed in sacrificing personal self interests for the interests of the collective. However, we recently learned it did not mean any of those things. It has recently been discovered that Patrisse Cullors is very fond of capitalism and private property, and she is more interested in her own self interests and those of her family than the interests of the collective. As she put it, the interests of her family are "first and foremost" on her list of priorities. This has come to a surprise to those who don't really understand Marxism, but Cullors is demonstrating the true nature of this dangerous philosophy. As George Orwell forewarned in his brilliant satirical masterpiece, 'Animal Farm': "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." How has Patrisse Cullors managed to anger the most ardent supporters of BLM, and discredit her movement in the process? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #87.

According2Sam #87

The new election law in Georgia has stirred up a lot of controversy, but many of the criticisms of it have been outright lies. The new statute that is getting the most attention is the law making it a felony to offer food and drinks to people waiting in line to vote. This statute has been propagandized and embellished so much that the true intent of the law has been suffocated in a gasp of lies. Stacey Abrams said of this statute, "It makes it illegal to show compassion." It is hard for me to think of a more ridiculous claim about this statute. In fact, many solid blue states have the same law, including California, New York, and many others. The law actually only makes it illegal for campaigns, or groups campaigning for candidates and issues to serve food and drinks at the polls. It makes a lot of sense when you consider the true intent, but this statute has been intentionally mischaracterized to slander the entire bill, thereby slandering the Republican governor and state legislature. The people telling these lies are using race to further divide the country by resurrecting rhetoric about Jim Crow, and by calling the Georgia bill 'Jim Crow 2.0'. Joe Biden even called it, "Jim Eagle". Whatever that means. What is the real reason they object to this bill, and who is behind the effort to use this to destabilize America? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #86.

According2Sam #86

With the recent rise in news stories about the spike in attacks on Asians it also raises a few questions about the narrative being promoted. For starters, which group of Asians are being attacked? Asia is the largest continent on the planet. Saudi Arabia is in Asia, Turkey, Iran, Papua New Guinea --- Russia is in Asia! Are they saying that there is a spike in attacks on Russians? They are claiming these are racial hate crimes, but how is Asia a race? Then there's the who, as in who is attacking Asians? A few weeks ago Teaunte Bailey, a 26 year old Black man from Oakland was arrested for the brutal attack and murder of Pak Chung Ho, a 75 year old man from Hong Kong whom Bailey robbed and left brain dead. Bailey was also charged with breaking into a senior living facility to violently rob and attack 72 year old Zhi Cheng Shi, an immigrant from China. It was less about race for Bailey and more about how he saw elderly Asians as easy marks to rob, but most of these attacks have taken place in the urban communities of Oakland, Watts, and Brooklyn. How does that fit the narrative that these attacks are encouraged by White supremacy and Trump saying, "China virus"? Finally, are we supposed to condemn all attacks on Asians, or just some? When Asian reporter Andy Ngo was beaten to near death in the streets Portland, Oregon his story got very little attention, because his attackers were Antifa and we're not supposed to talk about Antifa. Are we to assume that attacks on Asians like Andy are okay? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #85.

According2Sam #85

The 'Big Lie' is a propaganda technique that was used by the Nazis for political purposes to consolidate power in the 1930's. Adolf Hitler coined the expression while dictating his 1925 book 'Mein Kampf'. He described it as the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously". It was not only used to promote a colossal falsehood, but it was also used by the Nazis to accuse a marginalized group of spreading a big lie to further marginalize them within German society. For example, Hitler accused the Jews of spreading the "big lie" that General Ludendorff was responsible for Germany's defeat in WWI. General Ludendorff was a war hero, and it didn't matter if the Jews actually made the claim, or if the claim was true. By accusing the Jews of spreading the 'big lie' it made them easy targets for persecution in Germany. In the United States today, Democrats have resurrected this Nazi tool by claiming Republicans are spreading the 'big lie' that the 2020 election was stolen. They claim the "big lie" is what lead to the well planned, military style, armed attack on the Capitol. However, this claim is full of big lies. Was there a well planned, military style, armed attack on the Capitol, or are we being targeted with very old and sophisticated Nazi propaganda? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #84.

According2Sam #84

The Ted Cruz scandal is just the latest demonstration of powerful politicians getting caught exercising their elitism. Over the past year several politicians have been busted enjoying pleasures that the rest of us have been unable to enjoy, or advised not to enjoy during the pandemic, sometimes by these very politicians. For example, Governor Gavin Newsome was photographed eating indoors at one of the most decadent and exclusive restaurants in the country after he ordered statewide pandemic restrictions included no indoor dinning. The night after Governor Newsome was caught dinning at the 'French Laundry' the mayor of San Jose, London Breed was caught dinning at the same restaurant. Then Steve Adler, mayor of Austin, Texas urged people not to travel for the holidays due to the pandemic, and then he and a group flew to Cabo San Lucas. The mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi were both caught getting their hair professionally styled at salons, despite the fact that salons and barbershops were shutdown during the pandemic. These are only a few examples of how the elite and powerful see themselves differently from everyone else, and how they exercise their elitism. What are other examples, and how is elitism a larger problem in America? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #83.

According2Sam #83

After a group of amateur traders started buying up GameStop stock and driving up the price a lot of people started freaking out. It started in a chatroom on a social media platform called Reddit, and the chatroom was called ‘Wallstreetbets'. The reason people started freaking out was because big hedge funds had bet against GameStop, and these amateurs were costing them billions. That is exactly what the people on Wallstreetbets wanted, to make the big Wall Street guys pay. They were sick of seeing them get rich off of companies going down in flames, and GameStop was a company they had grown up with. When they saw the stock was shorted above 140% they decided to get together and squeeze the big guys. The media called it David vs Goliath, and David was winning. The big hedge funds that had bet against GameStop were on the ropes, and after losing billions they we nearly out of the game for good. Then the electronic trading platforms that these small amateur traders were using to buy the stock stopped allowing them to buy. By doing this they were basically saving the large funds from certain collapse. Why would these brokers shut down buyers to save the big hedge funds, and how does what they did demonstrate that everything is rigged for the big guys? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #82.

According2Sam #82

The book 'Animal Farm' is a satire and allegory about the Russian Revolution, written by George Orwell in 1945. In the story Orwell uses a farm and the animals to illustrate the harsh circumstances the Russian people lived under before and after the revolution. The owner of the farm is a drunkard named Mr. Jones who mistreats and neglects the animals. Mr. Jones is an allegory of the Romanovs who ruled Russia for 3 centuries, but he is mainly a symbol of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Romanov Emperor who was killed, along with his family during the revolution. Each animal on the farm is used to illustrate different characteristics of workers in Russia after the establishment of the Soviet Union. The donkey, the horse, the cat, and the sheep are all people living under communism, but Orwell uses the pigs to illiterate the leaders of the revolution, the Bolsheviks. The pigs are the smartest animals on the farm, and they represent Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky. What parallels from this brilliant novel can we relate to our society today? If someone was to write a satire about us using farm animals, who would be the pigs? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #81.

According2Sam #81

In the wake of the protest at the United States Capitol during the certification of the 2020 presidential election, the nation's corporate tech giants have flexed their muscles even more. These companies had been imposing their will on the American public long before the protest at the Capitol, by censoring users, deleting accounts on social media, blocking payment services and funding, and even blocking news stories from the nation's oldest and longest published newspaper still in circulation. All of these measures and more have been widely used by these corporate tech giants at their discretion in the past four years, but after the protest at the Capitol they have decided, in concert, to use it as an opportunity to demonstrate their brute power even more when it comes to censoring free speech, free thought, and the expression thereof. Many self described 'liberals' have celebrated these draconian actions by claiming that these are private companies, but Amazon demonstrated the immense power of these tech tycoons when they shutdown the services of a smaller private company, thereby eliminating their ability to operate. How are people in power using censorship to consolidate and solidify their power, and why should you be concerned? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #80.

hubhopper

According2Sam Podcast

hubhopper