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13-36 Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

By Dr Mark | September 9, 2023 | Comments 1 comment

Show 13-36 Summary: We welcome back Pastor Richard Peil from Victory Baptist Church in Bend, Oregon. Last time we’d talked about getting Christians involved in society and especially politics. This continues that discussion, taking a look at the societal pressures for churches and Christians to conform to a woke society, not the other way around. The media reports are the Church of England and the Catholic Church — at the urging of the Pope no less — are bowing the knee to woke. Except that’s not the whole story. Plus, there are strong and fascinating evidences for a Creator from a surprising source you won’t want to miss.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021 — Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

Original Air Dates: September 9th & 10th, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

This Week – Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

A few months ago, we interviewed Pastor Richard Peil out of Bend, Oregon, who’d come to our attention when he led a group of two dozen pastors to Salem to speak against the onerous HB2002, which was filled with far-left ideology. We wanted to talk to him about activating the Church and how to get Christians out of their pews and into the streets.

This week is largely a continuation of that discussion. We also talk about the state of the church — including attempts to secularize the Church of England and the Catholic Church. And attacks already here in the U.S. But it also includes scientific evidence that points to a Creator. Strongly so. And if there is a Creator — what then?

The last couple weeks’ news has been filled with reports of how churches, protestant and catholic, and even the Pope have determined that churches are ”backwards” and out of step with modern civilization. The emphasis is, at least we’re being told, church goers want more of a woke approach to Christian teachings rather than true Biblical instruction. But while the media might want that to be true, there’s more to the story.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Pastor Peil’s church is Victory Baptist Church. Their website is victoryforyou.church

Scientific Evidence for a Creator

God Is . . . Bigger Than We Know | Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe, via YouTube, March 29, 2023)
By Design: Behe, Lennox, and Meyer on the Evidence for a Creator (Hoover Institution, October 15, 2022)
We Challenge All Evolutionists to Watch This Video! (Answers in Genesis, June 30, 2022)

Articles Mentioned During the Show

Pope Francis calls US Catholic Church ‘backwards’ (NY Post, Aug 30, 2023)
Do Most Church Leaders Even Believe the Bible? Poll has Shocking Answer (Gateway Pundit, Aug 4, 2023)
Church of England Priests Say Premarital, Gay Sex Not Immoral (Breitbart, Aug 30, 2023)
Fr. Frank Pavone: Going Backward, or Staying Faithful? Pro-life Leader Responds to Pope Francis (GWP, Sept 5, 2023)

Additional/Related

No, Romans 13 is not about obeying the governing authorities (Craig Greenfield, May 11, 2018)
Should Christians Always Submit to the Government? (Crossway.org, Apr 24, 2022)

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

By Dr Mark | June 17, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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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.

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.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Farehlee Nilsson’s organization is Unify Oregon – but the website is not yet available. Even so, you can visit UnifyOregon.net and bookmark it to visit it later.
For now, visit NextGenerationRestoration.org.
- For more information about their Free Cuba Dinner on July 29, 2023, visit their Events page
- See their current activities — like stop the vaccine mandates — on their campaigns page.
Earth First via Activist Facts, Earth First! via Activist Facts. Activist Facts is a project of Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE)
VIDEO: Farehlee goes from Communist to Conservative Christian in 3 years. (ForestsForOregon, Rumble, June 7, 2023)

13-23 The Truth about the Oregon Republican Senator Walkout | HB2002

By Dr Mark | June 10, 2023 | Comments 2 comments

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Show 13-23 Summary: Unsurprisingly, the Oregon democrats and their media have been spinning a lot of lies about the Republican Senators walkout. They’re saying Republicans are refusing to come to work. A dereliction of duty. A vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. Weird. What do democrats call not showing up for work when public unions do it? Could it be a “strike”? But the democrats are also lying about why the republican senators walked out. HB2002. The democrats are claiming this is an important, emergency abortion rights bill, given the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. But they’re lying about that too. HB2002 is perhaps the most extreme, Far Left bill ever passed in Oregon. Tune in and keep reading to find out why.

Original Air Dates: June 10th & 11th, 2023 | Guest: Senator Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Truth about Oregon Senate Republicans’ Walkout

Oregon Republican Senators walked out of the legislature in early May 2023. Doing so denied the democrats the needed legislative quorum to pass any bills at all. The reason is simple. The democrats, who lost seats in both the Oregon house and the Oregon senate but still act like they have a super majority, refused to compromise the extreme far left bill, HB 2002. (Sometimes also called HB2002B.) And while HB 2002 alone would have been enough to make any sane person walk out it wasn’t just HB2002. It was also to stop other far-left bills such as HB2005, an anti-Second-Amendment gun grab bill. And bills that would steal Oregonians’ kicker refund. Not just this year but forever.

But make no mistake. The real reason the Republican senators walked out was to stop HB2002.

The Reason for the Walkout: HB2002

HB2002 is perhaps the most extreme far-left ideology bill of all times to come out of Oregon.

Long-time listeners of I Spy Radio already know that under Oregon’s “healthcare transformation,” much of what HB2002 proposes is already in place. Thanks to Oregon’s Healthcare Authority (there’s that Nazi-esque name again), underage girls can already get abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Why and how? Because the OHA changed the insurance rules covering children from FERPA to HIPPA.

Remember when you couldn’t get aspirin from the school nurse without your parents’ consent? That’s because the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (or FERPA), acknowledged that parents have the ultimate say about their child’s health. And the raising of them. But the OHA changed the guidelines from FERPA to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). You might know about HIPPA. Because that’s the health care privacy that guides adult insurance policies.

In other words, the OHA now treats all children as if they are adults. Allowing them to make adult decisions about their own healthcare, including mental health. And parents have no rights to know or to “interfere”. The only right parents have is the right to pay for whatever their child wants.

What Oregon democrats want to do with HB2002 is to codify this extreme, anti-parent, far-left ideology into law. Why? Because laws are much harder to undo.

And let’s not forget. The democrats nearly lost the governor’s office in 2022. This is why the democrats are so willing to sell everything to try to get HB2002 through.

So what’s in HB 2002? Read on.

The Truth about Oregon’s HB2002

The Oregon democrats are desperate to confuse people about HB2002 and what it does. What they say it does is guarantee abortion rights and access. It’s an emergency! Women have to have access now that the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Well. To use one of Biden’s favorite terms, that’s malarkey.

Women already have access to abortion in Oregon. Hell. Women and children can come here from other states and get abortions. For free if they claim they can’t afford it. Those are already in Oregon law. And absolutely nothing about Dobbs or the overturning of Roe v. Wade changed any of that.

If that’s the case, why are the democrats claiming that’s all there is about HB2002 as if guaranteeing “access” to abortion is the sole and only purpose of HB2002. Well, probably they don’t want people to know what’s really in the bill.

What’s in HB2002

So here’s what’s really in the bill. HB2002 would…

Lower the age girls could get an abortion without parental consent to, effectively, zero. Girls can already do this as young as 10. HB2002 makes it age 8 but technically could be lower.
Allow children from other states to come here and get abortions. Yes, HB2002 is a great boon for human trafficking. If girls as young 12 or 10 or 8 are getting pregnant a crime has occurred. HB2002 hides the evidence from police and from parents.
Allow children to get life-altering puberty blockers. without parental knowledge or consent.
It would allow children to get permanent “gender affirming” surgeries. On their own. Without parental consent or knowledge.
Allow teachers to indoctrinate children about gay, lesbian, transgender, and all the rest. Without parental knowledge or consent.
Punish those who oppose any of the above far-left ideologies.
- If health care providers refuse or attempt to refuse to provide mental health care that affirms a child’s confusion, they can lose their license.
- Health care providers who refuse to perform permanent, irreversible surgeries on children, they can be fined and/or lose their license.
- If you interfere with the operation of an abortion clinic, you can be fined or jailed. “Interfere” is open for interpretation. Does that include simple protesting outside a clinic? Or posting critical social media posts about abortion or clinics?

What you can do about HB2002

Speak up! Don’t be silent!

HB2002 has already been voted out of Oregon House but there’s no reason to not contact your representative and let them know what you think about this horrendous bill. Perhaps they didn’t know the details about it. (How many times have we seen politicians vote for bills they didn’t reads personally and merely did what their caucus told them do?) Let them know what you think by using the link below.
Contact your senator right now using the link below to let them know you oppose this bill. Ask them why they want to take away parental rights. Ask them why are they helping child traffickers. And ask them why do they think children should have adult rights.
- Ask your democrat senator if they realize removing parental rights to raise their own children was exactly what the Nazis did. Are they trying to be Nazis? Seriously?
- Tell your republican senator how much you appreciate their bravery and that you support their walkout.

How to do all that? Easy! Just go to this Oregon legislative map, enter your address, and there you go. The link will conveniently give you their contact info, including phone numbers and emails. Start writing, stop being silent. This only stops when enough people raise their voices.

When contacting your representative and senator, remember: be firm. But be polite.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Why we’re denying quorum in Oregon’s Senate (Washington Examiner, May 29, 2023)
Read the June 2023 ORP Legislative Update (PDF), which discusses HB2002 and other horrible bills worth walking out over
Dennis Linthicum Newsletter: Irreversible Harm (May 29, 2023)
From Senator Bonham: Protesting the Unconstitutional Actions of the Majority Party (May 9, 2023)
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek hasn’t convinced Republicans to return to Salem as walkout continues (OPB, May 23, 2023)
- “ Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, pledged his members would return on June 25 — the day the session is scheduled to adjourn under constitutional deadlines — in order to pass ‘lawful, substantially bipartisan budgets and bills’.”
Cutting Early Kicker Checks part of negotiations with Boycott Republican Senators (KATU, May 30, 2023)
Kicker theft SJR 26 would be blow to charities (Taxpayer Assoc of OR, June 1, 2023)
- “…the May revenue forecast predicted the 2024 kicker rebate would grow to a record $5 point 5 billion dollars. But some [democrat] lawmakers want to ask voters to end the annual taxpayer payout.”
Boycotting Oregon senators believe loophole will allow them to win another term (OPB, May 30, 2023)
Paychecks, perks continue for absent senators amid GOP-led walkout (Oregon Capital Chronicle, May 30, 2023)
Federal Subpoenas Issued to State Agencies (Willamette Week, June 7, 2023)

America needs its Faith Warriors. Time to Activate the Church

13-21 It’s Time to Activate the Church | Christian Soldiers for the Win

By Dr Mark | May 27, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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Show 13-21 Summary: This week, we speak with Pastor Richard Peil out of Bend, Oregon. Pastor Peil is trying to wake up Christians to what is happening in politics and to motivate churches and Christians to get involved and stop hiding from society. America not only has a moral vacuum problem, the Left is filling that vacuum with secular state morals. As in dictated by the state. Some, like Oregon’s HB2002, mandating your beliefs are not allowed if it interferes with political ideology. It’s time to activate the church. But why do some pastors keep their churches silent? Even advocating they stay out of politics. Is that really what the Bible teaches?

Original Air Dates: May 27, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

This Week – Activate the Church

Throughout history, when society loses its moral compass, the Church has stepped into the fray. From early Christians displacing Rome’s debauchery to Colonial times when Christian revivals paved the way to America’s founding. Christians and the Church have led the way on morals and societal ethics. So where is the Church now when America is under siege? Why so silent? Are Christians, and pastors, really going to sit out this fight for America’s soul? As the political Left assaults our children with every kind of immorality? Really?

It’s time to activate the church. And that means more than just prayer.

Where is the Church When America Needs Her?

This week, we talk with Pastor Richard Peil who leads the Victory Baptist Church in Bend. He came to our attention when he and two dozen other pastors spoke out against Oregon’s horrid HB2002 bill on the steps of the capitol. HB2002 would codify what is already being done via administrative rules dating back to Kitzhaber’s “Health Care Transformation.”

Yes. While people are shocked that HB2002 will allow girls as young as 8 to get abortions without parental knowledge or consent, long-time listeners of I Spy Radio know that has been going on for years. Kitzhaber’s Oregon Health Authority changed insurance and required disclosure from FERPA to HIPPA. Under FERPA, parents had to be told everything that was done to their child. (Remember when you were in school and you couldn’t even get an aspirin without your parents being consulted? That’s why.) But under HIPPA, state agencies and schools treat kids like they’re adults. Parents not only don’t have to be consulted. They have no right to know.

What is new is HB2002 wants to not only codify that into actual law — not just and administrative rule — Oregon democrats in the legislature want to be able to fine anyone who doesn’t agree with their ideologies and “morals.” Do democrats really think cutting parents out from a parent-child relationship is the right thing to do? The moral thing to do?

Apparently so. Like we said. Now is the time to activate the church!

Romans 13

Pastor Piel got politically activated when Oregon’s authoritarians and wannabe dictators tipped their hand during covid. As a pastor, he saw first hand what the state wanted to do. And how they felt they had all the rights and churches had none. Despite the First Amendment. He watched as pastors at some churches willingly obeyed the government without question. And now, some of those churches have closed permanently. That’s why he’s working hard now with other pastors to activate the church and get them involved. Before it’s too late.

But that experience led him to dive deeper into the Bible. Especially on the proper roles between the church and government. Some Christians and even pastors believe the church should submit to the government. And they cite Romans 13 as the source for that argument. But what does “be subject to” really mean?

Marxism in the Church? Yes!

Pastor Peil also spent 10 years in the Navy, working for naval intelligence, back during the Cold War. His job was to intercept and monitor Soviet communications. And he got to see up close and first hand the threats communism and Marxism pose to America. Little did he know that experience would prepare him for the ministry. Or the current fight.

Why? Because he’s seen the influence of Marxists infiltrating churches and seminaries to destroy — or at least disable — the church from within. Because if they can hamstring the church, and replace Godly morality with secular immorality, America won’t be able to stand. The Founders knew that the Church was necessary for society. The government didn’t, and shouldn’t, set the moral tones of society. They always saw that as the church’s role.

And that’s why we need to activate the church. America needs its faith warriors.

Attention Christians! America needs you to get involved in politics. Now more than ever.

Things Christians can Do — Right Now

As mentioned during the show, here are three things you can do right now:

Sign the petition to stop Oregon Department of Forestry’s disastrous plan to abandon forests for 70 years. It takes 30 seconds to do. Go to OregonStrongerTogether.com and sign! Why? It will take state forests offline from timber harvests, removing 10s of millions of dollars every year from beneficiaries that depend on those timber harvests. Where will the state make up that money? More taxes, more fees. And don’ think the Leftist democrats aren’t eyeing ways to tax churches.
Download and sign the petition to get the school choice initiatives on the 2024 ballot. Give parents the option to take their child out of woke, anti-Christian, anti-American schools. Woke teachers can’t indoctrinate kids who aren’t there. Head to EducationFreedomforOregon.com. Note that because these are ballot initiatives, digital signatures are not allowed, and the petition sheet must be printed and mailed back. Hundreds of thousands of signatures are needed. You can even be a signature gatherer! See website for details.
Contact your state representative and senator and tell them NO on HB2002. Don’t know who they are or need their contact info? That’s easy. Just go to this Oregon map, enter your address, and there you go. Start writing, stop being silent.

BONUS “to-do”: donate to both of those organizations! They are both raising funds for an advertising campaign. $25 or $50 or more will help them buy an ad, which in turn will be seen or heard by 1,000s of people!

Don’t wait. Act right now.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Pastor Peil’s church is Victory Baptist in Bend, Oregon. Their website is VictoryforYou.church. (Live services are streamed if you don’t have a home church.)
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.
No, Romans 13 is not about obeying the governing authorities (Craig Greenfield, May 11, 2018)
- Romans 13… [has been] used to make sure we are all being obedient citizens, which historically has led Christians into all KINDS of problems
Should Christians Always Submit to the Government? (Crossway.org, Apr 24, 2022)
- “Governmental tyranny is a potential evil, but so is anarchy. “Subjection” means recognition of authority and compliance with it.

13-19 The Left Ruins Everything | How DEI and HCP kill what they claim to help

By Dr Mark | May 13, 2023 | Comments 1 comment

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Show 13-19 Summary: This week, it’s two examples of woke ideologies destroying what their proponents claim to be trying to help. The Left’s destructive helpful policies. But do they really care about results? And is there a perverse incentive to fail? We talk DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and its impact on corporations and organizations. Especially the military and how DEI is sabotaging things there — and on more levels than just military readiness. Then we talk about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s HCP (habitat conservation plan) that it schemed up. It’s a disastrous plan for Oregon’s forests that definitely will not save them and will lead to huge economic losses. Not to mention catastrophic forest fires. This must be the Left’s George Bush-ism. “We must kill the forests to save the forests…”

Original Air Dates: May 13th & 14th, 2023 | Guests: Christian Watson & Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – The Left’s destructive helpful policies

King Midas had the “golden touch.” The Left has “the death touch.” Killing everything it touches. Especially things it claims it is trying to help. Look what they’ve done with race relations. Look what they’ve done with women’s equality. Or any number of programs that do far more actual harm than actual good.

To talk about the Left’s destructive helpful policies, we welcome first-time guest, Christian Watson. He is the national spokesman for Color Us United, a non-profit whose mission is a color-blind America. One of the more recent attempts to “help” minorities and other woke demographics is DEI. Diversity, equity, and inclusion. Christian walks us through what it’s supposed to do. But also what it really does. And it’s not pretty.

One of the worst impacts of DEI is the impact it’s having on the military. And military readiness. Not to mention the impact it’s having on racial minorities. You know. The people DEI is supposed to help. Tune in to hear why this is boomeranging on Left. They’re like Wile E. Coyote that way.

ONRI Fights HCP

There’s no end of acronyms this week. DEI. ESG. ODF. HCP. And ONRI. Oregon Natural Resource Industries, an organization dedicated to activate and support the grassroots within the natural resource industries. We welcome another first-time guest, Jennifer Hamaker, the president of ONRI, to talk about this scheme from leftists within the ODF. And nowhere is the Left’s destructive helpful policies more on display than their environmental policies.

Like, “let’s lock up the forests and stop harvesting trees!” And then the forests burn down because there’s been no management. Oh, but it’s Global Warming! Really? If Global Warming is making everything drier, then you should be doing more forest management not less. And the latest of the Left’s destructive helpful policies is a HCP that Oregon’s Department of Forestry schemed up. An HCP. A “habitat conservation plan” that will do far, far more damage than good.

Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan

Make no mistake. This is a disastrous plan. On every level. Economically, environmentally, and logically. The Oregon Department of Forestry’s HCP (habitat conservation plan) will take Oregon’s state forests offline for 70 years. It will impact 634,000 acres. And by not logging, it will strip millions and millions of dollars from entities that currently receive shares from Oregon’s timber harvests.

Check out this list of 222 schools, counties, ports, emergency services, and more who will all lose funding if the HCP goes through. Beneficiaries of timber harvest revenue that will be DEFUNDED if the HCP is accepted.

Be sure to join us next week as we continue our discussion about this disastrous HCP. Next week, we’ll dig into the details. Especially the personal impacts this will have across Oregon.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Christian Watson Segments

Christian is the spokesman for Color Us United, an organization dedicated to a color-blind America. We are all for that.
Christian’s article mentioned: DEI’s new battleground: the U.S. military (Washington Examiner, Apr 30, 2023)
IN THE NAVY: U.S. Navy Hires Active Duty ‘Non-Binary’ Drag Queen to Boost Recruitment (The First TV, May 3, 2023)
Gallup Poll: Worsening Race Relations (No date but after 2021)

Jennifer Hamaker Segments

Jennifer is the president of ONRI. Visit ONRI.us to learn more about what they do. And please help them spread the word with a donation (look for the link under the “shop” tab).
ONRI’s Facebook post on the current beneficiaries that will lose funding if the HCP is adopted.

Related Info on the Left’s destructive helpful policies

Christian Watson from “Color Us United,” a group whose mission is a color-blind America (Michelle Tafoya via YouTube, Nov 8, 2022)
2021 Total System Electric Generation (California Energy Commission, 2022)
Satellite Data Shows No Global Warming For Eight Years, Nine Months (Principia Scientific International, Apr 13, 2023)
Excellent article: “The wind and solar power myth has finally been exposed: The necessary miracle doesn’t exist” (UK Telegraph, May 10, 2023)
- Solar and wind “plans have a single, fatal flaw. They are reliant on the pipe-dream that there is some affordable way to store surplus electricity at scale.”
- “Wind farms cost about $1.5 million per MW. So the cost of battery storage would be astronomical: 80 times greater than the cost of the wind farm! A major additional constraint would be that such quantities of batteries are simply not available. Not enough lithium and cobalt and other rare minerals are being mined at the moment.”

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

By Dr Mark | May 6, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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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?

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

A 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.

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.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Head to EducationFreedomforOregon.com to download petition signature sheets and help them with a donation. And why not volunteer?
Education Freedom Report Card: Oregon (The Heritage Foundation, 2023)
- Heritage Foundation’s education scorecard ranks Oregon #40 overall. But wait there’s more. Take a look.
Parental Rights Bills Sweeping the United States (The Epoch Times, Apr 22, 2023)
Charter schools are now the last best hope to save US public education – (NY Post, Nov, 21, 2022)

The Shemia Fagan Scandal

Shemia Fagan Resignation: What happens next? (OregonLive, May 2, 2023)
Republican Leader Calls for Kotek & Fagan to Return Contributions (Willamette Week, Mar 31 2023)
Republican Leaders Demand Kotek Include La Mota (Willamette Week, Apr 17, 2023)
Kotek demands ethics investigation (KLCC, Apr 28, 2023)
Everything We’ve Learned About Shemia Fagan’s Moonlighting (WWeek, Apr 28, 2023)
Fagan took on the work even as her auditors were examining OLCC (WWeek, Apr 27, 2023)
Cannabis Audit Was Substantially Finished (WWeek, Apr 28, 2023)
Fagan Spoke to Connecticut Lieutenant Governor About Cannabis (WWeek, May 1, 2023)*One of those $30,000 contracts…?
Election SQL Database is Target of Trial (Northwest Observer, Sept 20, 2023)

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

By Dr Mark | April 29, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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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.

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.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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…

Oregon Tolling (ODOT webpage, ND). Weigh in on tolls!
Capitol Rumor: They may delay tolling (Oregon Watchdog, Apr 25, 2023)

13-16 Advancing Freedom | Taking Sides in the War on the American Republic

By Dr Mark | April 22, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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Show 13-16 Summary: This week, it’s all about advancing freedom. We have two guests. One is Kevin Stark from Hillsdale College, talking about his book, War on the American Republic, and how the political Left has managed to seize power while convincing the Right to give up power. Plus, an inside look at prosecutors and DAs and attorneys general with Indiana’s former AG, Curtis Hill. But what brakes are there for rogue prosecutors like the Manhattan DA who indicted President Trump? If any. And a weird case of Nazism meets adoption. Right here in Oregon.

Original Air Dates: Date, 2023 | Guests: Dr. Kevin Stark & Curtis Hill

This Week – It’s a War on the American Republic

It’s not just a title for Dr. Kevin Stark’s new book, War on the American Republic: How Liberalism Became Despotism. There really is a war on the American Republic. As we say so often here on I Spy Radio, the fight for freedom is an everyday fight.

Dr. Kevin Stark from Hillsdale College joins us this week to discuss the origins of this fight. And how the Left has gone from a political movement that embraced essential freedoms like individual rights and freedom of speech to one where they will lock you up if you speak up.

Weaponization of the Justice System

Speaking of war, there’s a war within our justice system. It’s been weaponized. We welcome Curtis Hill, the former attorney general for the state of Indiana. While there, he prioritized fighting corruption. If only rooting out corruption within the justice system was a priority of the justice system.

We ask about the structure and controls within the justice system. How it operates. What kinds of controls there are. Who oversees whom, and so forth. And what kind of brakes are there in the system to deal with prosecutors like Alvin Bragg? Who make political enemies their highest priority rather than actual criminals on the streets.

Are republicans and democrats treated differently? And is the way to fix the system is for republicans to treat democrats the way they treat republicans?

And we ask his opinion on a strange case in Oregon of a woman being denied an adoption because she was Christian. Yes. It’s Nazism in Far Left Oregon.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Guest 1: Kevin Stark, Segments 1–3

Kevin Stark’s book is War on the American Republic: How Liberalism Became Despotism. Order from Amazon or direct from the publisher
- And don’t miss: Dr. Stark also teaches a free online course based on his book, which is available through Hillsdale College.
HIGHLY recommended: Kevin Slack’s “The Constitution and a Free People – Ben Franklin, USA Founder” (The King’s Academy, O’Keefe Pre-Law Studies, via YouTube, Sept 2022)
Kevin Slack article: What The New Right Can Learn From The New Left (The Federalist, April 6, 2023)
Kevin Slack, Author of “War on the American Republic” (NewsTalk 1540 via Soundcloud, Apr. 11, 2023)
Dr Kevin Slack The American Left: From Liberalism to Despotism (Ross Kaminsky show, Feb 7th, 2023)
Hillsdale Dialogues : War on the American Republic with Dr. Kevin Slack (Hillsdale Dialogues via Apple Podcasts, March 24, 2023)

Guest 2: Curtis Hill, Segments 4–6

Abusing prosecutorial power is nothing to Bragg about, (Curtis Hill, Washington Times, Apr 18, 2023)
Project 21 Blasts Chicago Mayor-Elect for Sympathizing With Violent Mob (The National Center for Public Policy Research, April 19, 2023)
Nazism in Oregon: “State of Oregon Denies Woman’s Adoption Application” (Gateway Pundit, Apr 5, 2023)
Find links to a full list of Curtis Hills’ other articles on CurtisHill.com

Mark Anderson speech to CCRW luncheon - How Republicans can win in 2024 by facing the brutal facts

13-10 Major Victories from Major Defeats | How Republicans can Win in 2024

By Dr Mark | March 11, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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Show 13-10 Summary: This week, for once, the host of the I Spy Radio is doing all the talking. Normally, I Spy is all about researching our guest’s topics, asking questions, and letting them do the talking. But recently, the Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women group invited Mark Anderson to be their speaker at a luncheon. His spoke on how Republicans can recover from major defeats, like they saw in 2020 and 2022. Using lessons from history, combined with some pivotal I Spy Radio Shows to illustrate what’s happening, he describes how Republicans can win in 2024. So on today’s show, he gives it again to our radio audience.

Original Air Dates: March 11th & 12th, 2023 | Mark Anderson

This Week – Mark’s Speech to the CCRW Luncheon

Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women invited I Spy’s host, Mark Anderson, to give a speech on Thursday, March 9th. This week’s show, he gives it again to his entire radio audience. Note that we cut about 7-10 minutes from the speech to fit into a a broadcast radio “hour.”

After the show airs on our network of stations, we will post the full-length speech as the podcast version.

How Republicans can Win in 2024

Mark begins the speech with what the Hungarians faced in 1241 when they were invaded by the Mongols. In the wake of a devastating defeat that saw 1/4 of his countrymen killed and virtually all of Hungary’s towns and cities destroyed, King Bela IV had to face the brutal truth: that his country and its army were completely unprepared to deal with invaders like the Mongols.

But, as Mark highlights, major victories can come from major defeats. By facing the brutal facts. Using King Bela’s reforms, combined with pivotal past I Spy Radio shows to illustrate what is happening now, Mark examines how Republicans can win in 2024. And beat the Mongol Marxists destroying America.

Disinformation and Cognitive Warfare: The New Battlefield

Disinformation by Ron Rychlak book cover — Order the book!

One of the pivotal series of shows discussed in his speech was I Spy’s series of shows on disinformation. If you have not yet read Disinformation by Lt. General Ion Pacepa and Ron Rychlak, you need to. It explains so much about what we are experiencing in America today. As our own government uses tools of manipulation, cognitive warfare, launching disinformation campaigns against unsuspecting Americans. Mark explains how we know for sure that the “Russia collusion” hoax was in fact a disinformation campaign.

One last thing. When it comes to fighting disinformation, it requires influencers and the weight of reality and truth. For example, the truth and reality of the January 6th footage. Not the edited versions the January 6th tribunal was releasing The day after his speech, there was an incredible letter from democrat Dr. Naomi Wolf, apologizing for being taken in by the Left’s and the government’s propaganda. It is a long letter, but well worth the read. Because it shows that the spell of disinformation can be broken.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Dr. Naomi Wolf: Dear Conservatives, I Apologize (Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf, March 10, 2023)
My “Team” was Taken in By Full-Spectrum Propaganda
See our shows on disinformation with the co-author of the book, Ron Rychlak
Battle of Mohi (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Battle of Agincourt (Britannica, no date)
PBS still spreading the disinformation about “Hitler’s Pope”: “Vatican documents show secret back channel between Pope Pius XII and Hitler” (PBS, June 7, 2022)
Former Public Health Officials Undermine Public Trust with Conduct Unbecoming Scientists (Epoch Times, March 10, 2023)*”Fauci and Collins owe the country an apology… [Two] of the nation’s top public health officials obstructed the proper deliberative process essential to fashioning proper policy responses to the emergency.”

13-09 Insane Government Spending – 2023 Essential Policy Solutions

By Dr Mark | March 4, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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Show 13-09 Summary: This week, it’s all about insanity. Meaning, our governments’ insane spending that shows no signs of letting up. And that there’s just always more money on the national credit card. So when the inmates are running the asylum, what can we do about government spending? We talk with Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC has just released its 2023 Essential Policy Solutions, which should be required reading for every legislator out there. Listen in for policies, economic and otherwise, that make sense in an insane world.

Original Air Dates: March 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Government Spending. It’s Insane.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. If you don’t know, they work with state legislatures — the 50 test tubes of democracy — to pass legislation that upholds principles of limited government, free markets and federalism You don’t last 50 years if you’re not having successes. And ALEC has had tremendous success stories. Including encouraging states to lower taxes. Even adopting a flat tax.

This week, we talk with Jonathan Williams, ALEC’s Executive VP of Policy and their chief economist, about the insane government spending. After blowing through $1.9 trillion in the “American Rescue Plan” and another $2 trillion with Build Back Better, and still trillions more — in just 2 years — we’re facing a looming showdown over the federal debt ceiling. Addicted to government spending, Biden and the democrats don’t want any spending cuts. Of course not.

Maybe it’s because they just spent $360 billion on “global warming” and climate change in the most recent $1 trillion “inflation reduction act.” None of that money is going to conservatives or conservative organizations. So of course the democrats don’t want any cuts to government spending. That would be cutting off cash to their political cronies.

Government Spending: 2023 Essential Policy Solutions

Fortunately, to tackle this insane government spending ALEC has just released its 2023 Essential Policy Solutions. This essential guide is definitely essential for every state legislator.

Jonathan Williams walks us through some of the more exciting solutions. Not just for government spending but also price transparency for hospitals and health care but also some model legislation for school choice.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Essential Policy Solutions for 2023 – (American Legislative Exchange Council, March, 2023). Free PDF! Download it and email it to your legislators!
RSVP for The Capital City Republican Women’s Luncheon, March 9th, 2023, starting at 11:30am (Mark will start his presentation at noon). To RSVP, send an email to CCRWSalem@Reagan.com. Lunch is $14. Coffee is $2. No cost to just come listen. Location will be sent to you after you RSVP.
US stocks enter ‘death zone’ (Daily Mail, Feb 2023)
- Morgan Stanley issues dire warning to investors who ‘followed prices to dizzying heights’ amid fears S&P 500 could plummet 26% within months.
American Rescue Plan (Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package (Investopedia, updated Sept 21, 2022)

Additional Related Research, Not Specifically Mentioned

Oregon property tax breaks go largely to Big Tech (OregonLive, Jan 26, 2023)
Business: Jobs attracting Oregon’s nonresident workers (Lincoln City News Guard, Feb 25, 2023)
Report: Oregon losing its competitiveness (Oregon Business Report, Feb 28, 2023)
White House Waters Down Plan to Restrict U.S. Investment in China (New American, March 1, 2023)
Holiday sales edged higher in 2022 — but there’s more to the numbers (Modern Retail, Jan 5, 2023)
Biden Hasn’t Helped the Economy. He’s Made it Worse. (Washington Post, Oct 24, 2022)
CBO Confirms Biden’s Agenda Will Worsen Economic Crisis Caused by Democrats’ Failed Policies (Budget House Republicans, Sept 13, 2022)
Manchin joins Republican efforts to thwart federal ESG investing (Just the News, Feb 28, 2023)
Vanguard’s break with ESG investing (Just the News, Feb 28, 2023)
Worst-ever economic crash coming – Nouriel Roubini, the great stagflationary debt crisis will hit markets this year, the famed economist warns (RT, Mar 3, 2023)