Category: Parents Rights

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.

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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!

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

School Choice Segments

Oregon Censorship Lawsuit Segments

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.

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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.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

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.

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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.

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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
13-31 Communists Among Us | Lessons from a Former Communist Activist

13-31 Communists Among Us | Lessons from a Former Communist Activist

Show 13-31 Summary: Farehlee Nilsson is a former communist activist. She returns to I Spy Radio to give us a deeper peek behind the curtain. She talks about what the Far Left really thinks of America, do they really infiltrate conservative organizations, and all that money from the government. And how conservatives can and need to fight back. Hint: unify!

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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: August 5th and 6th, 2023 | Guest: Farehlee Nilsson

This Week – Former Communist Activist Exposes the Left

We are pleased to welcome back a former communist activist. Farehlee Nilsson joined us a couple months ago to give us an introductory glimpse behind the communist curtain. And to talk about what conservative Oregonians needs to do to win, based on her years of experience and training as an activist.

Farehlee started out as a member of the ecoterrorist group, Earth First, which led to careers at the Norwegian Development Fund, Amnesty International, and World Wildlife Fund before ending up as a lobbyist for Greenpeace. But she had a spiritual awakening and now she’s a conservative Christian working to unite the right. And to use the tactics she learned to help defeat the Left. We take a deeper look behind the curtain, including asking her about something we all hear on social media: have organizations on the right been infiltrated? Or is it just overblown hyperbole?

Vaccine Injuries, Justice for Victims of Covid Mandates

One of the most successful things socialists and Marxists do is sue. They sue the government to force new regulations or enforce old ones. They sue companies. As a former communist activist, Farehlee knows it’s time to use that same tactic against big government. And to hold it accountable.

Politicare is what inevitably happens when you give the government control over health care: Woman denied cancer treatments at OHSU because she doesn’t bow to their woke transgender politics

There is no doubt our healthcare system was misused by our government under covid. She is now seeking justice for those harmed by our government’s mandates. People who suffered vaccine injuries. Those who lost jobs for refusing to take the covid vaccines. People who lost loved ones when they were hospitalized and killed after being forced on remdesivir.

If you or someone you know were injured by the vaccines, or lost a job because of mandates, or lost someone due to medical malfeasance or remdesivir, then you need to contact Farehlee.

How to Contact Farehlee Nilsson: email her at unify-oregon@proton.me. And her websites are Unify Oregon and Next Generation Restoration.

We will be having Farehlee Nilsson back on later this summer. If you have questions you’d like to ask a former communist—drop us a line! See our contact page.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Vaccine injured? Lost a job or your business was shut down because of the mandates? Did you lose a loved one because of remdesivir? Then you need to contact Farehlee Nilsson and Unify Oregon. You can email her at unify-oregon@proton.me. And her websites are Unify Oregon and Next Generation Restoration.
  • $9 Billion Spent on Salmon Recovery in Oregon has Produced “Few Discernable Results (Zero Hedge, Aug 2, 2023)
  • Oregon salmon populations improving, but study finds little direct connection to billions spent on recovery (KGW, July 31, 2023)
    • Despite roughly $9 billion in taxpayer money spent over four decades, the study’s author said he could “not find evidence of an increase in wild fish.”
  • Portland Hospital Denies Woman Cancer Treatment After She Sent a Message Criticizing (Gateway Pundit, Aug 2, 2023)
  • Woman Denied Cancer Treatment in Portland After Criticizing Transgenderism (Red State, Aug 2, 2023)
  • ‘It’s Murder’: Remdesivir Victims Decry FDA’s Shocking New Move (American Thinker, July 28, 2023)
13-25 Education & Capitulation | The One Thing Oregon Parents Have Right Now

13-25 Education & Capitulation | The One Thing Oregon Parents Have Right Now

Show 13-25 Summary: Conservative Oregonians once again are disappointed by the “republicans” in the senate. With victory assured and merely needing to coast down hill to kill off HB2002, the anti-parental-rights bill, they instead managed to steer into a ditch. Now, HB2002 is law. And the Oregon republican party is celebrating this as a victory? We interview Sen. Dennis Linthicum about what happened and why. But first, we speak with Donna Kreitzberg about education freedom for Oregon: school choice. Since we clearly cannot depend on elected officials to defend parents’ rights, school choice in Oregon is the one thing parents can grab hold of. It’s up to us now.

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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: June 24th & 25th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg & Dennis Linthicum

This Week – Republican Capitulation

Two weeks ago, we interviewed republican Senator Dennis Linthicum. And it was exciting. Republican had won. Their walkout had worked. They had killed off HB2002, the democrats’ anti-parental-rights bill. The bill that would allow the state to indoctrinate kids with leftist propaganda, permanently mutilate children to fulfill the weird sex fantasies of the adults in their lives, and punish people who did not bow to their extremism. It was dead. All hail the republicans!

And it wasn’t just HB2002. Horrible gun bills. Ranked choice voting. The republicans had stopped hundreds of far left bills in their tracks. All they had to do was stay out of the building and the bills were dead. All of them.

But then, less than one week later, the republicans inexplicably gave it all back. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

What on Earth happened? We talk with Senator Linthicum again this week to try to make sense of the mess.

Also This Week: Parents Rights and School Choice

Republicans claim to be for parents’ rights. They claim they want to stop radical far-left woke ideology, especially in schools. But we just witnessed them capitulate on HB2002, which puts the state between parents and their own children. So if republicans can’t be trusted to stand up for the values they claim to hold, what then?

Parents Rights - Case Studies Counts - Effects of School Choice Programs
Click for full-size. Note: some rows totals are off due to some studies have multiple findings.

Thankfully, there is a solution for parental rights when it comes to their child’s education. School choice. And because politicians of both parties can’t be trusted to put parents’ rights over the state, the ballot initiatives for school choice in Oregon goes around the politicians. The school choice initiatives will put school choice and the funding for it directly in Oregon’s constitution. No politicians needed. And politicians won’t be able to easily undo it if there is a change in political control.

Actual rights. No politician needed.

Check out this huge list where they are gathering signatures!

We welcome back Donna Kreitzberg to discuss how things are going, and some of the big events they will be at this summer. To qualify for the ballot, the deadline to turn in the signatures is July 5, 2024. Tune in to hear how you can help.

And did you know there are three main “cases” for school choice? The liberal, the libertarian, and the conservative? We most often hear about the first two. But it’s actually the conservative argument for school choice that experts have found to be the most persuasive. Why? Because it focuses on parents’ rights.

Imagine that.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Linthicum Segments (4–6)

  • Bills moving forward after republicans end their walkout: Anti-gun bills, I-5 bridge, tax credits (Taxpayer Association, June, 21, 2023)
  • Post-walkout, another win for democrats: Oregon rent control bill passes out of Senate, heads to House (Portland Biz Journal, June 20, 2021)
  • Oregon lawmakers make deal to end Senate walkout. Here’s how key bills were changed (OPB, June 24, 2023)
    • Not only did republicans get little or nothing, they wiped out the careers of all those senators: “all 10 are expected to be blocked from running for reelection under a ballot measure passed by voters last November.”
    • And there’s this: “The deal is contingent on the GOP agreeing to waive normal procedural rules, a step that will allow Democrats to fast-track hundreds of bills awaiting passage in the Senate.”
  • Oregon lawmakers rush to pass bills backlogged by GOP walkout before end of session (OPB, June 22, 2023)
  • It’s not just Oregon: How to Arrest the Government – Trump’s indictment puts pressure on GOP aspirants to propose sweeping reforms. (Kimberley Strassel, WSJ, June 15, 2023)
    • “The indictment was the straw that broke the elephant’s back, the kick the party needed to get serious [about reforming government].”
13-24 What a Former Communist Activist Can Teach the Right about Winning

13-24 What a Former Communist Activist Can Teach the Right about Winning

Show 13-24 Summary: At a time when Oregon Republican senators had the win locked up, but chose defeat instead, maybe a former communist can teach them something about winning. Farehlee Nelson, a former activist for Earth First and a lobbyist for such organizations as Greenpeace, joins us this week to tell us about her conversion story and her efforts to unify conservatives in Oregon.

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: June 17th & 18th, 2023 | Guest: Farehlee Nilsson

This Week – A Former Communist Defects to the Right

Here on I Spy Radio, we’ve interviewed many people who’ve made studying and researching and dissecting and exposing the Far Left their life’s mission. Ron Arnold, Trevor Loudon, JoAnne Nova, Ron Rychlak and Lt. Gen. Ian Pacepa, and too many others to list. But it’s rare that we get to talk directly to a former communist. Who now wants to expose the Left. And teach the Right how to use some of the same successful tactics to win.

Win. In Oregon? Yes, it’s possible. Tune in to hear her journey getting deep into the Left. And her conversion story that woke her up to what the Left was all about.

We’ll have Farehlee back as soon as we can after the Fourth of July. We’ll dig even deeper into tactics and operations. And one thing we’d definitely like to know about: infiltrating your enemy.

Because something is seriously wrong with Oregon’s elected “Republicans.”

Oregon Republican Senate Walkout Update

After last week’s show with Senator Dennis Linthicum, things were looking great to stop HB2002. Not to mention stopping a bunch of other terrible bills Oregon’s democrats were ready to shove through with their slim margins.

All Republicans in the Senate had to do was continue to deny quorum and the bills were dead. Just hang on for another couple of weeks.

But then out the blue, Senate Minority Leader, Tim Knopp, gave in. Strike the colors and raise the white flag. He and at least two other republicans gave the democrats the bodies they needed for quorum.

What happened?

Don’t miss next week. We’ll talk with Sen. Dennis Linthicum to find out what happened.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

13-18 An Unforced Error Opens Oregon to Change | Shemia Fagan Scandal

13-18 An Unforced Error Opens Oregon to Change | Shemia Fagan Scandal

Show 13-18 Summary: The Shemia Fagan scandal broke this week and could have some far-reaching impacts — even the effort to get school choice in Oregon. Remember, the secretary of state oversees elections. And that means ballot initiatives like school choice. We ask Donna Kreitzberg about school choice’s ground game, some of the obstacles they have to overcome, and some of the reaction they’re already getting from signature gatherers out in the field. And, perhaps the biggest challenge ahead: countering the misinformation the other side has already been and will be putting out there in the months ahead. And then, a big political scandal rocked Oregon this week. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan was forced to resign. But is there more to Shemia Fagan scandal than what we’ve seen in the mainstream media?

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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: May 6th & 7th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg & Marc Thielman

This Week – Shemia Fagan Scandal

For those who knew Shemia Fagan, the scandal that rocked Oregon politics this past week is probably no surprise.

In case you missed it, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan got caught in a highly inappropriate side hustle. She was accused of taking $10,000 per month from a company her office is supposed to be overseeing. And she even did an audit of them. She did recuse herself from the audit. Except she lied about when she recused herself, not doing so until after the audit was completed. Oh, and did we mention she was also getting $30,000 per contract she secured for them?

That’s quite a bit of money for someone only making $77,000 per year. More than her entire salary. What could possibly be wrong with that? Well, pretty much everything from an ethics standpoint. You don’t take money from a company you’re supposed to be overseeing. Because that looks like a bribe. And you should not lie about your interactions with them. Because for someone who has (had) her law license, she definitely should have known better.

And isn’t that weird too. She suddenly re-applied for her law license back in February, a month before news of this broke into the public. Did she know the proverbial writing was on the wall then? Again, she should have known better—and, one assumes, did know—the moment she took the money.

Democrats and their Long Knives

democrats fight fascism by being fascistsA one-time rising star in the democrat party, democrats suddenly turned on Fagan. After initially denying any wrongdoing, democrats pushed Fagan to resign. Which she reluctantly did, Because even on the way out the door she still didn’t see anything wrong with what she did.

What was going on? And is there more to this story? And what now? As Secretary of State, Fagan had her fingers in a lot of pots. Including the Tim Sippel case, whom Washington County had sued to block the release of a voter database. Fagan swooped in out of the blue to join the lawsuit to block the release. Because nothing screams open, honest, and trustworthy like blocking the public from seeing what’s inside a public database. No. Nothing to see there. Peasants.

We talk with Marc Thielman, the former superintendent for the Alsea School District and candidate for Oregon governor, about the Shemia Fagan scandal. Was Governor Kotek using the scandal to eliminate a political rival? Don’t forget, the news about the Shemia Fagan scandal just happened to break in the Willamette Week. A paper Oregon’s attorney general’s husband just happens to own.

Gee. Weird coincidences.

We also talk with Marc about the school choice ballot initiatives, of which he is the chief petitioner.

Get involved! Head to EducationFreedomforOregon.com to download petition signature sheets and help them with a donation. Real school choice will bring desperately needed generational change to Oregon by breaking state-sponsored indoctrination in Oregon’s education system.

School Choice: Boots on the Ground

Before we talk with Marc, we talk with Donna Kreitzberg, who is spearheading the effort to get real school choice on the November 2024 ballot.

To get school choice in Oregon, it will be an uphill battle. Not least of which will be the financial hurdles. They will need at least $15 million to combat the misinformation, lies, and distortions the education lobby will put out there to desperately keep the status quo. Meaning they don’t want parents to decide where to send their children. Why is that, exactly? Shouldn’t everyone want parents to make the best choices for their children? Including the best education that best suites their children’s needs?

Donna talks to us about the operational and practical side of the fight. Like, what are her signature gatherers hearing from people about school choice? Yes, this will be a battle. Like, at a recent presentation in Portland, some liberal moms were initially opposed to the effort. But after the meeting, they came up and asked Donna how they could help. Tune in to find out what brought them around.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

The Shemia Fagan Scandal

 

13-17 What are Oregon Democrats Up to Now? | Legislative Lowlights

13-17 What are Oregon Democrats Up to Now? | Legislative Lowlights

Show 13-17 Summary: Oregon democrats continue to find new ways to emulate Nazis. You, your children, and certainly your money belong to the state. Democracy dies when democrats are in charge. It’s our monthly legislative update with Sen. Dennis Linthicum — hitting all the highlights and lowlights. Okay. There really aren’t any highlights. And the democrats STILL want to rob Oregon families of an average $5,200 kicker refund because they’ve discovered new ways to spend.

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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: April 29, 2023 | Guest: Sen. Dennis Linthicum

This Week – Oregon Democrats: Killing Democracy

Have you noticed that when democrats get in charge of something, the first thing they do is want to kill democracy?

But it didn’t always used to be this way. Democrats used to be about individual rights, civil rights, free speech, and so much more. Even Robert F. Kennedy recently pointed this out. Modern-day democrats have destroyed what the party used to be for.

Now, put them in charge, and their inner Nazi suddenly comes out. Democracy is about all voices. But democrats want to eliminate opposition. (Like the FBI going after Trump before, during, and after his presidency.) And not just politicians. Even every day citizens who don’t fall in line. (Like all those parents targeted by the FBI for daring to stand up to woke.)

The democrats hate being called Nazis. That’s their term for everyone else. But they hate it because it’s so blazingly true. That’s what they hate.

Monthly Legislative Update with Sen. Dennis Linthicum

This week, we talk with Senator Dennis Linthicum about the latest from the legislature. It’s not pretty. Not least of which because Oregon democrats, like Senator Dembrow, are steamed that things like democracy are happening. He’s ticked that republicans are slowing down the 1000s of bills democrats want to ram through. Dembrow hates that republicans have any say at all, apparently.

We talk parents rights. (Oregon democrats want to take them away.) And taxes—democrats can’t get enough of them. The business climate in Oregon. (Oregon democrats are trying to drive businesses out, apparently.) And we talk about that kicker refund. (Democrats want to spend it.)

There’s a business poll that came out recently and we get Sen. Linthicum’s take on it. It is not pretty. The thing is, Oregon democrats seem to not understand even basic economics. But why do you need economics if the government can just take everything, control the means of production, ensure only party loyalists are in business, and then tell people what they can and can’t buy.

You know. Just like the Nazis.

Oregon Democrats: Stealing your Kicker Refund

Oh, and that kicker? It’s not chump change. It kicks in whenever the state rakes in more than 2% above what they had budgeted. This year, it was 4% more. And the way it works is that it’s not based on what you paid. Instead, the giant pie (some $2 billion this year) is divided evenly among Oregon taxpayers. And this year, that’s about $5,200 per family.

But Oregon democrats have come up with new things they just have to buy. With your money. So watch for them to delay handing it back right up until the budget needs to pass. By law, the budget must be balanced. (Thank God Oregon democrats can’t just print money!) And legislators must balance it before the legislature can adjourn. So watch for Oregon democrats to try to strong arm republicans to spend all or some of the kicker to make up the difference or they can’t adjourn and go home.

Don’t miss this week’s show. Lots to discuss. Including Oregon democrats gleefully opening the door to Oregon becoming a “deathstination.” Happily willing to provide abortions and euthanasia for people from other states where killing isn’t allowed.

Get involved! Don’t be silent! It’s easier than ever now to let your voice be heard on bad — and the occasionally good — legislation. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov, type the bill number into the search bar (upper right), and you can send in your testimony.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Critics shred Biden for claiming ‘our nation’s children are all our children’: ‘Absolutely wrong’: Biden’s claim echoed Hillary Clinton’s ‘It Takes a Village’ (Fox News, Apr 24, 2023)
  • But what about Oregon? Parental Rights Bills Sweeping the United States (The Epoch Times, Apr 22, 2023)
  • Former Trump appointee: ‘Bureaucratic administrative state must be brought under control’ (Legal Newsline, Apr 5, 2023)
  • Actions to Protect Our Kids: Combating the Woke in our schools and institutions (Cody Benson, March, 2023)
  • How does Oregon’s ‘kicker’ tax rebate work? (KGW, Apr 7, 2023)
  • The Death of a Proposed Beer and Wine Tax Highlights Vast Differences in Oregon’s Taxes on Intoxicants (Willamette Week, Mar 29, 2023)
  • But, wait! It’s not dead yet! “Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission considers doubling tax on hard alcohol” (Oregon Capital Chronicle, Apr 17, 2023)
  • Legislature logjam as guns, abortion, rent control bills percolating (Bulletin, Apr 24, 2023)
  • Amid uncertainty in leadership, some PCC faculty are worried the nursing program could close (OPB, Apr 23, 2023)
  • HB 2002B – seeks to codify government-sanctioned secrecy between parent and child by providing abortions and “gender affirming” interference for children. Without a parent’s knowledge. Compliments of the Oregon democrats. (Note: Senators like Kim Thatcher, writing in her newsletter, aren’t quite correct on this. That level of secrecy already exists in Oregon statutes thanks to HB3650, which ushered in the grand, “Oregon Healthcare Transformation.” Which she and a bunch of other republicans voted for.)

That Oregon Business Climate Survey

  • Survey: Small Businesses Feel Overtaxed and Overwhelmed (OBI & Oregon Chamber of Commerce, Mar 2023). Some of the lowlights:
    • 41% of respondents say they’re considering closing, selling or moving their businesses because of taxes, Oregon’s regulatory environment or a combination of the two.
    • Only 18% of respondents believe that state lawmakers care about the success of their businesses.
    • Only 7% (wow!!) of respondents believe the state’s business climate will improve in the coming year.

Not discussed but you might find interesting…

13-13 Fixing What Ails Oregon | Education, School Choice & Election Integrity

13-13 Fixing What Ails Oregon | Education, School Choice & Election Integrity

Show 13-13 Summary: It’s about education, school choice, and voter integrity and how all of that is being undermined — but what we can do to fix it. Our guest is Marc Thielman, who has his hands in all of those pots and doing the stirring. So much of what ails Oregon right now can be fixed by better schools that teach real civics and history. To get there, the path is Real School Choice. And to get there, we need election integrity. What it really boils down to is we need education freedom in Oregon.

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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: April 1st & 2nd, 2023 | Guest: Marc Thielman

This Week – The Wrong Kind of Power

Oregon does not have an independent, superintendent of state schools. Thanks to John Kitzhaber and easily duped Oregon voters, that elected position was removed and absorbed under the dictator’s office. Oops. The governor’s office.

But that’s what really happened, isn’t it? More and more power consolidated under wannabe kings and queens. What is it with the Left and democrats — who claim they want democracy — grab all the power under a single person’s rule.

But can you believe that even with all that power in one person’s hands, now they want even more power. And it truly is just about control.

What’s Needed: Education Freedom in Oregon

So much of what ails Oregon right now can be fixed by better schools that teach real civics and history. (Two of the things socialists hate most.) To get there, the path is Real School Choice, which would allow parents to use the money already assigned to their child and send them to a school that works best for their child. And to get there, we need election integrity.

Join the fight for education freedom in Oregon! Get Real School Choice on the 2024 ballot. Head to Education Freedom for Oregon to download petition signatures and donate — even just $10, $25, or $50 is a big help!

This week we talk to Marc Thielman who is actively involved with all three of those issues. If you remember, Marc is the former superintendent of the Alsea School District. Which, we might add, was the one and only school district standing up to the governor’s and state’s overreach during covid. Marc defied the state and gave teachers and students options. (How dare he!) He did not enforce mask mandates (what?!). And kept kids in school (the outrage!). Oh. And they had a 500% enrollment increase. And not one covid case traced back to the school.

Marc Thielman on Education, School Choice, and Election Integrity

Perhaps its because Marc Thielman and the Alsea school board defied the state — successfully — that Tina Kotek think she needs even more power over schools. This, a recommendation from Melissa Goff. Who, if you didn’t know, was the superintendent of the Greater Albany Schools District. “Former” because she was such a little tyrant and bully that she was run out of her position. But now she is Kotek’s “education adviser.”

That’s like Stalin advising Chairman Mao.

Tune in to hear Marc talk about this power grab, the school shooting at The Covenant School, the damage transgenderism is doing to people, and, of course, election integrity. We saw blatant cheating in Arizona in 2022. Just in your face cheating. But the Arizona supreme court upheld one of Kari Lake’s complaints and sent back to lower court for review.

How much cheating has to happen before the courts take notice and uphold the law? Could this finally be the foot in the door?

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

Show 13-12 Summary: When it comes to the democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon, they can be summed up by borrowing (pun intended) from an old video game: “All your money are belong to us.” We check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum about their plans for socialized medicine, the tools Republicans have to stop bad bills, and whatever happened to that $5,200 kicker for Oregon families?

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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: March 25th & 26th, 2023 | Guest: Senator Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon

This week, it’s our monthly check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum to talk about what’s happening in the capital. The democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon are legion.

Democrats' socialist plans for Oregon - All your money are belong to us
“All your base are belong to us”

To sum up the democrats’ socialist plans, your money doesn’t belong to you. And we’re not taxing you enough to give away all this free stuff. And Oregon continues its lurch toward socialized medicine with SB704 which would create single-payer health care. Because it’s worked so well in other countries. Like Canada. Where it’s worked so well that people are dying to escape it. Literally. Canada is now actively encouraging the elderly and people with long-term health problems to kill themselves. Not kidding. And they’re not even hiding it. They want people to kill themselves because their care is expensive. And killing themselves will save the system money.

Please, democrats. By all means. You go first.

And that’s just one among other disasters.

Fighting Back against the Democrats’ Socialist Plans

We welcome back Senator Dennis Linthicum (Klamath-28) to give insights into the democrats’ socialist plans. In case you missed it, last year’s democrats spawned a ballot initiative, Measure 111, to make health care a “fundamental right.” It’s not. Anymore than if they had pushed out a ballot measure that made owning unicorns a fundamental right. But now Oregon has it in its state constitution.

Catch Sen. Dennis Linthicum’s previous legislative updates: 13-04 (Have Democrats Learned the Lesson?) and 13-08 (The Mad, Mad Spending)

Now, democrats are using that ballot initiative to make socialized, single-payer, universal healthcare the law of the land. Except while the legislative initiative that created Measure 111 may have urged socialized medicine, that’s not what the ballot measure actually said. It just required “universal access” and cost-effective. We already have “universal access.” Sick and show up in the emergency room with no money? Guess what, you get treated. As for cost-effective, how is $54 billion for “free” healthcare cost effective? So why are democrats determined to lurch down the road to socialized medicine?

Because, as usual, it is about bringing more money and more control under the government’s sway. Now, not only will your money not belong to you. But neither will your own health.

Oh, and what’s the deal with the kicker? All that and more but there may be some solutions to at least some of it.

Get Involved! Don’t be Silent.

olis oregon legislature submit testimonyWe are in this mess because too many sane people stay silent. While the insane shriek their weird opinions at the capitol. Did you know that it is now easier than ever to submit testimony against bad bills and for good bills. Don’t let “testimony” scare you. It just means your opinion.

All you really need is the bill’s number. And if you don’t know the bill number, you can still find it on the site (see steps below). Or use your favorite search engine.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov.
  2. Select the bills icon at the top right of the page
  3. Type the bill number in the popup. Select it the correct one. (If you don’t know the bill’s number try a word search in the “bill text” tab.)
  4. At the top of the bill’s page you’ll see a “submit testimony” tab. That brings up a form.
  5. Enter your name, your city, your comments in the text window, select whether you oppose or support and – boom you’re done.

See how easy that is? You don’t need to be elegant (although do be polite) or have a thousand unassailable facts. (Hey. The democrats just have feelings.) Just be heard. It’s your opinion. No excuse to be silent.

Remember: silence has never changed anything. Don’t be silent.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Get involved. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov. to submit your testimony — you opinion — about bills. Good or bad. See the steps above for a walk-through.
  • Measure 111, passed in 2022, via Ballotpedia
  • $200M homeless package heads to governor’s desk (Statesman, Mar 21, 2023)
    • 7 Republican Senators voted against the pkg, Linthicum was one of them
  • Where did the $400M Oregon allocated last year for homelessness go? (Statesman, Mar 19, 2023)
    • “At least 14,600 people are experiencing homelessness across Oregon”
    • Julie Fahey (D): “That $400M was a ‘catalyst” for the larger set of goals we have.”
  • Cascade Policy Institute Research Finds School Choice programs Can Boost Public School Performance (Cascade Policy Institute, 2023)

Just a few dangerous bills

  • SB 85 – Dennis Linthicum mentioned this dangerous bill during the show.
    • Senator David Brock-Smith says, “This bill deals with CAFO’s and has democrats attacking our dairies, chicken and cattle farms and ranches. As they do, the bill itself is just a “study” but the amendment goes far beyond that and will shut down current farming operations.” Under this bill, the State Department of Agriculture would not issue or renew a license or permit to allow the construction or operation of: “(a) A new industrial confined animal feeding operation; “(b) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing industrial confined animal feeding operation; or “(c) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing livestock farm if the addition or expansion would cause the livestock farm to become an industrial confined animal feeding operation.”
  • HB 2004 – Establishes ranked choice voting as voting method for selecting offices of statewide races: the President, U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Attorney General and Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries.
  • HB 3509 – Establishes ranked choice voting for selecting winner of nomination for and election to nonpartisan state offices and county and city offices except where home rule charter applies.
  • Oregon lawmakers consider new gun legislation (Oregon Insider, Mar 21, 2023). The three bills are:
    • House Bill 2005 bans the sale, manufacture and importation of so-called ghost guns with homemade parts that are untraceable;
    • HB 2006 raises the age of legal purchase and possession of firearms from 18 to 21, but allows exceptions for hunting and shooting; and
    • HB 2007 extends to cities, counties and special districts the authority that the 2021 Legislature had granted to public schools, community colleges, and universities regulating or barring firearms from their buildings and grounds, including people with concealed-carry licenses.