
Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran is escalating, US troops are being wounded in large numbers, and the war on the truth is raging—so Paul Rieckhoff is back with a fast, fiery solo episode to help you cut through the chaos, fueled by G. Love & Special Sauce and fresh off a big night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. From new reporting on undisclosed American casualties and oil shocks in the Strait of Hormuz to Trump’s all‑gas‑no‑brakes foreign policy and a Congress with “no plan to stop him,” Paul breaks down what’s really happening, why it feels like Iraq all over again, and what eternal vigilance looks like for you right now.
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Paul Rykoff
I am sick and tired of hearing senators go on TV and tell us stuff that most of us in the know could have anticipated. Trump is going to go further. You don't say Trump might hit Cuba. You don't say Trump might send ice into American streets. You don't say, we know that. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 461. I am your host Paul Rykoff and I am coming to you from New York City, usa. And the weather is amazing. It's kind of nuts. It's really nuts. I mean, not RFK Jr. Kind of nuts, but nuts. Not like. Also not like RFK Jr. In that it's nice. It's very nice. But it is Wednesday, March 10th. Today's artist is G Love and Special Sauce because G Love has a new song with Todd Carey and cashed out called LFG or Let's fucking Go. And that's how I feel today. Because as the weather gets warmer, it's a good time for G Love. If you don't know G Love and Special Sauce, he's behind songs like Baby's Got sauce, blues music, cold beverage, and of course, shoot new, which I hope folks will be doing a lot more of as the weather gets good. I met G Love once. I had a concert security business in college and I worked a lot of concerts and I worked one with G Love in a really small venue in our campus center. And afterward the girl I was dating left with him and that was weird. And it's a longer story for another time. But despite that, I dig G Love's music. It brings positivity, which we will need, especially today. And I'm gonna bring you that positivity and the five eyes like Gluv brings vibes to every day. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. No guests today, just me. And a quick one because it was a late night. It was. I was on with Colbert. If you didn't see it, please check it out. I'll have more on that coming up. But it was awesome and it was fun and it was important and it was big. And welcome to all the new folks that saw me on the Late show last night and are new here. And whether you're new here or you're a plank owner, an old timer, especially right now, it is a time to stay vigilant and we're not going to let the bastards get us down. We're going to win the day. So let's go and let's stay vigilant. All right, top story. The war in Iran is continuing and so is the war on the truth. Earlier today, Reuters, Phil Stewart, outstanding reporter you should follow, was reporting exclusively that as many as 150 US troops had been wounded so far in Iran. That is much higher than any other number revealed by the Pentagon, the president, or anyone else. A few hours later, the Pentagon admitted it. Phil Stewart went on to report that before our report, the Pentagon had only disclosed eight injuries, all of them serious. Now it's up to at least 140, 150. Carolyn Levitt said she's not actually sure, which is disturbing. But first off, I want to thank Reuters for their vigilance, for their important reporting. We're going to need reporting like that more than ever, especially around casualties, because the truth is always the first casualty of war, especially with Trump. We all know how he feels about casualties and wounded vets. Ask John McCain's family, question everything from him and from this government, especially in a time of war, and do it especially for our troops that are in harm's way, that can't question things themselves. I say it all the time. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And now especially is the time for all Americans to pay it. If you're hearing me now, that means you stay vigilant. And if you hear me now, gas prices are up. They went up big. It's something that people think might slow Trump down. I don't think so. Because even if gas prices are up, he's still all gas and no brakes. But there is breaking news that oil prices fell 15% after US Navy escorts are bringing tankers through the Hormuz Strait. Now, that is great, except that now our Navy is escorting tankers like they don't have enough to do. Like our military isn't overextended enough now throughout the Middle east, which is becoming like a military sucking chess wound. And China is celebrating as things continue to spiral. As I talked about last night on the Late show with Stephen Colbert, now, it's a huge show. It's a broadcast show. Stephen's only got a couple weeks left on what's been a historic run. A lot of eyes are on him and a lot of eyes are on that, that show. And I was happy and honored to be on with the great John Lithgow, who was fantastic. He wrote a poem for Stephen. If you didn't see that, check it out. We'll link to it in the show notes. But it felt like deja vu all over again. The first time I was on Stephen's old show on on Comedy Central was when my book came out, Chasing Ghosts Back in 2006, when Iraq was still happening. I was raising visibility about the issues coming out of Iraq. We were talking about emerging the veterans issues like traumatic brain injury and toxic exposure, stuff that it took us decades to get the government to recognize and support and that now at least 140 troops will probably be also suffering from as we see new wars, new wounds coming out of this new war in Iran. But I was back with Colbert talking about another deadly unpopular American war in the Middle East. And it was like deja vu all over again. We got to it a little bit. But back in 2006, I also advised Stephen Colbert and his team as they took his show on a USO trip to Iraq. Actually went all the way over to Iraq when a lot of folks weren't going. General O'Dierno, you may remember, on the order of then President Obama shaved Stephen Colbert's head. He had an all military audience. And it was really important because Stephen had the guts to go over there. He took his whole staff. I briefed them on what to expect and how to deal with Sensitive issues. And he was also one of the first people to interview some Medal of Honor recipients like Sal Junta. And he always did a really, really great job. So Stephen has been there before, during and after. This got edited out, but I wanted to commend him for his vigilance, for his support, for his dedication to our troops, to our vets, and especially to our democracy. But, you know, it did feel like deja vu all over again. And we talked about many of the same issues. Shifting rationales for war, an unpopular war, the politics, whether or not we could believe what was happening. And it was important, but I hope it helped us reach many more new people. We also got to talk about our critical work with Independent Veterans of America. So if you're hearing about that and you're new, welcome, you will hear a lot more. And there was something I want to share, too, which was the joyful energy that surrounds Stephen and that show and everybody in the band and the crew, they are the nicest bunch of people, and I've been on almost every show. But they are nice, they are kind, they are warm, they are thoughtful. They are a reflection of him as a leader. And the late show is also has a great band. Louis Cato is there, and they're now called the Great Big Joy Machine, which is important because, as I've often said, joy is a form of resistance. Also ran into my old friend John Lampley, who is an amazing trumpet player. He's played with Louis Cato and John Baptiste, and I met him back in the day when he was performing with our friends from OAR who also went overseas to perform for veterans and troops. Have been huge supporters. Big shout out to oar, But I want to thank everybody for the warm reception, for all the support, and I hope it gave people some hope. I hope it gave you some inspiration. I hope it brought you into this movement which continues to grow. And I didn't get to it last night, but I want to put it out there. I did challenge Stephen to something very important. He's going to have a lot more free time on his hands in the next couple of weeks. And there is a really shitty, unpopular, terrible senator in his home state of South Carolina, Lindsey Graham. I think if Stephen Colbert ran for Senate as an independent, especially against Lindsey Graham, he would win. So it got edited out last night. They didn't have enough time for it. But I'm going to launch it. I'm going to put it out there. I say we should draft Stephen Colbert. His state, his country, our world needs him. And Importantly, he presents an alternative narrative to the world on behalf of reasonable, thoughtful, caring Americans every day. And it's more important than ever if you dismiss somebody like Stephen Colbert running. Remember, Al Franken won. Jesse Ventura won. Ronald Reagan won. Arnold Schwarzenegger won. And a comedian who might be one of the most important courageous leaders in the world right now. President Zelensky of Ukraine was once a comedian. So anything is possible. People of all backgrounds need to rise and meet this moment. Step up, answer the call, including Stephen Colbert, including you. If you want to run for office, if you're a senator, if you're aspiring to be a senator, or you're aspiring to serve on your school board, especially if you're an independent veteran, step up, serve and answer the call. And help us all stay vigilant. So Iraq was unpopular back in 2006, and so is Iran. But even Iran wasn't this unpopular. There's new polling out that shows that most Americans don't support Iran and they support it less than any recent war. The New York Times has this Gallup poll that was conducted. Let me go through the list. In World War II, 97% support Afghanistan after 9, 11, 92% support Persian Gulf War, 91, 82%. Panama in 89, 80%. The Iraq War only at 76%. But that was still very high. Higher than Korea, which was at 75% at the start of the war in 1950. Kosovo in 1999 did not have great support, 58%. Grenada in 83, 53%. The Libya intervention in 2011, 47%. And Iran is lower than all of them at 41%. Now, they didn't have public approval at the start of the Vietnam War, but this is a historically low, unpopular war. But as I've often said, Trump doesn't care. He really does not care. I don't think he cares about public opinion. I don't think he cares about free and fair elections. I think he's all gas, no brakes, until he runs out of energy and father time gets him. He is going as far and fast as he can until the wheels come off. And they're going even harder into Iran today. They are saying that today will be the most intense day of strikes on Iran. Check out this clip from Hegseth from today. Most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever.
News Reporter/Commentator
The Pentagon also says Iranian ballistic missile attacks are down around 90% since the operation started.
Paul Rykoff
U.S. strategic Command bombers recently dropped dozens of 2,000 pounds GPS penetrating weapons on deeply buried missile launchers.
News Reporter/Commentator
But Iran is launching new strikes against Gulf neighbors, damaging residential areas like this building in Bahrain. The regime has also threatened to block oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Paul Rykoff
I said it last night. I'll continue to say it. The most important story in the world is that Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen. And nothing is stopping him. Nothing. There's no plan to defund the government. There's no plan to impeach him. You don't hear about the Democrats or the Republicans doing anything. And I want to call out Senator Blumenthal again, because it's not just him, but he does something that I think a lot of senators do. They come out of briefings. And he said he's worried about boots on the ground. He's worried about more violence in Iran. He's worried that Trump can go further. And he doesn't offer a plan to stop him. Senator Blumenthal, what is your plan to stop him? Any other senator, Republican, Democrat, a few independents like Angus King. What is your plan to stop him? And more importantly, are you a reporter or are you a senator? I am sick and tired of hearing senators go on TV and tell us stuff that most of us in the know could have anticipated. Trump is going to go further. You don't say Trump might hit Cuba. You don't say Trump might send ice into American streets. You don't say, we know that. The question is, what are you going to do about it? And that includes if he invokes the Insurrection act, especially if there's an attack on US Soil or some other reason, because we know he wants to invoke the Insurrection Act. It's just a matter of if and when and how. So it's another area where we need to hold all politicians accountable and demand.
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Paul Rykoff
that they all stay vigilant. All right, you can hear my voice is still not, not really coming back. I'm going to keep pushing anyway, as we all have to, because Hegseth continues to be despicable, I think, in so many ways. And we know that they don't care about women. And Professor Tamalj on X posted something I think is really important. She wrote hegseth insistence on referring to US Service personnel as only my brothers, guys, men, et cetera, is so incredibly disrespectful to all the women who have served and died in combat, including Sergeant First Class Nicole Armour, who was killed in Kuwait last week. This is very important and 100% true and unacceptable because Hegseth is always the acting Secretary of Culture War. This is typical of him, even in a time of war with women warriors serving in harm's way and dying. This is who he is, always. This administration, and especially him. They are always political. They are always partisan. Partisan politics usually stops at the water's edge of our military in the Pentagon, but not with these guys. They dive right in and they give zero fucks about norms or nonpartisanship. And there's another example. Stars and Stripes has some breaking news that Erica Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, will be added to the Air Force Academy Oversight Board. She is the newest member of the board, filling a seat that he held for about five months before his assassination. She was reportedly appointed by Donald Trump. Look, there's no doubt that Charlie Kirk was an overtly political figure. His murder is still a tragedy and demands accountability. There is no excuse for political violence, but there's also no excuse for appointing overtly extreme political people for what should be nonpartisan roles like the Air Force Academy board. It's just unacceptable. But this is who they are always, even as a human cause continue to pile up. You know, there are stories that continue to come out. The Washington Post had a story about a combat veteran who now understands what it might be. A combat veteran now understands what Uncle Sam might ask her 18 year old son to risk. She voted for President Trump partly because he pledged he'd end wars. And now her young son Justin is having a going away party. It was very powerful stuff. I urge you to check it out the pieces by Danielle Paquette as the Washington Post continues to do great reporting. Dan Lamoth may join us again later this week. Again, our returning champion. But it's getting very real for people this week especially war will do that. I'm hearing from a lot of folks who are die hard Trump supporters and they're checking out because he said no regime change, wars, no more wars. And he's at nine and counting and all Americans are pushing back. I think this is a moment of unity, a unique moment of unity because that high percentage of Americans don't support this war. War will do that. And there will be many more stories like this. If the war drags on, the pain will continue, the human cost will continue and sadly, so will the outrageous and infuriating shit from politicians. You want to hear some really crazy shit? I got it for you, Chris. We might have to play the asshole song again for this one, but we got an asshole of the week that is absolutely going to blow your mind.
Musician/Singer
You so not awesome.
Paul Rykoff
There is a senator blocking veterans benefits right now over the cost in dollars and cents. Senator Ron Johnson, Republican from Wisconsin, blocked a recent attempt to pass the Major Richard Starr Act. You know what he said? He said it would cost too much. Yes. For several years veterans groups have been putting this, pushing this important legislation. I support it. It's got really unified support. It ensures that wounded combat veterans receive both disability benefits and retirement pay, which they're both entitled to. The Richard Starr act would solve that. It was named for an army major who died of lung cancer linked to burn pit exposure. And the legislation took aim at a federal rule against double dipping. One veterans advocate argued that it has been wrongly applied in two different federal benefits. But the legislation has had some uphill fights recently. It failed to advance because one senator blocked it. Senator Ron Johnson. He said we have to look at the reality of the situation in dollars and cents. We have 39 trillion in debt. Over the next decade, we'll probably go to 60 trillion. We have to look at the dollars and cents. That's what he said. This should make your blood boil because there's always someone in Washington that shamefully wants to nickel and dime our bets, even in a time of war. Someone who cares more about dollars than lives, even when troops are coming home wounded and in caskets. That person today is Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who is of course not a veteran himself. He's a disgrace. And of course he's pushing for the war. But everyone should let him know he's a disgrace and make him famous. Let's go further. Anyone know a strong independent veteran from Wisconsin who's up for running against him? We're recruiting now, so hit me up. Go to independentveteransamerica.org I've got some ideas, too, including one guest on this show that I'm going to reach out to. But let's replace this partisan chicken hawk with a real leader in Wisconsin, someone who will never betray our troops like this hack. Someone we can be proud of. And of course, we need to stay vigilant. All right. Ice, of course, is the opposite. It continues to disgrace us. Trump is waging war against the free press and including on Stars and Stripes. We'll have more on that later in the week and Dan Lamoth will join us. And also just bringing attention to another part of the world, Venezuela. Remember that little war? No boat strikes revealed today in that area. No seizures of oil tankers so far. But CENTCOM is posting new videos. Today. CENTCOM posted a video of Iranian strikes. The US Forces are degrading the Iranian regime's ability to project power at sea and harass international shipping. So now they're posting videos of naval operations in Iran. We're never going to see that video from the September 2nd boat strikes, are we? And the whole war crimes thing. The war continues to spread around the world. Trump's forever war. And meanwhile, Ukraine is fighting their own war that's still ongoing. We will keep our attention on it. Today is day 1448 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. And check this out. There is an exclusive from Axios that the US Dismissed Ukraine's deal for anti drone technology last year. Seven months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to sell the US Their battle proven tech for downing Iranian made attack drones. They even made a PowerPoint presentation that Axios has showing how it could protect American forces like the ones who were killed this weekend. But the Trump administration dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week because of the more than expected drone strikes. It's absolutely ridiculous, one U.S. official said. If there's a tactical error or mistake we made leading up to the war, this was it. You don't say. This was predictable, preventable, and nobody could help us more right now than Ukraine. If you haven't heard my episode with Nolan Peterson from about a week and a half ago, we focused on drones, especially. If you're new here, check it out. Because the way the US has been treating Ukraine is despicable, disgraceful, and strategically stupid. But Putin loves it. Putin is watching, licking his chops, just like the Chinese are. And it's another reason, not just on Iran, not just on the Middle east, but globally. We all have to stay vigilant, all right? We gotta stay vigilant when it comes to politics. I will continue to highlight independent veterans who are stepping up. I'll have more in the days to come. As I said to Stephen Colbert last night, the Republicans, in my view, are morally bankrupt and mean and stupid, and the Democrats suck and will not save you and are weak. But independent candidates are the people's champions. We're not just moving the needle. We are the needle. And we are rising to meet the moment. So if you're new here, if you're still a partisan, if you're part of the 27% of Americans that are Democrats or the 27% that are Republicans, now's the time. Declare your independence. Be a part of the future. Join our movement. Leave the herds. Run with the pack. Declare your independence and help us all meet this moment. Drive a new movement forward that can meet it and stay vigilant. All right. Rounding the bend in culture. This is interesting. Dr. Dre is finally a billionaire, according to Forbes. Seems like after a dozen years after he declared himself hip hop's first billionaire, it's official. He's on the Forbes 2026 list. Dr. Dre said in May of 2014 they need to update the Forbes list. Shit just changed. Well, now it has officially changed. A very long list and a very big demonstration of the vast earnings gap between the 1% and everyone else. This is from Variety. Dr. Dre is tied for 3,332nd on the world's richest list, along with who? Jared Kushner, Rihanna, Steel Magnet, Richard Teets, and lots of others. I don't know if Dr. Dre is an independent, but I hope he is. I'm obviously a big fan, and maybe now that he's a billionaire, he can donate some money to elect some more independent vets. Also on that list, Elon Musk tops the list for a second year in a row. He's now the richest person ever recorded with an estimated 400. Sorry, 800 pools. 839 billion. It's the year of the billionaire Chase. Peterson Withharn, the Forbes senior director editor of wealth, said the Planet added more than one billionaire per day over the past 12 months. Check that out. Isn't that crazy? Also, Donald Trump's fortune increased by 27%, no surprise there, to an estimated 6.5 billion, thanks largely to crypto dealings and his New York fraud penalty being kicked out. So President Mayhem is also President Prophet. The Washington office of President Trump is open. So is Mar A Lago disgracefully, shamefully open for business. Another reason why we need to all stay vigilant. All right, some good news to end your day. Something good is going to be Sports. The Paralymptics has started and it has been awesome. If you've never seen USA Sled hockey, they are awesome. It's Paralympics version of hockey. They're on a goal scoring tear in the Winter Olympics. They won 13 to nothing over Germany in the group A matchup. They are back in action. They are crushing it. They've iced the back of the net 27 times in their first two matchups. They're just ranking up the goals. And as a reminder, if you don't know, they won the gold in 2022 in Beijing, 2028 Pyongyang, in 2014 in Sochi and in 2010 in Vancouver. So big shout out to our Paralympic team. The hockey, men's hockey team and the Olympics was amazing. The women's hockey team was amazing. But I got to say our Paralympic team is even more amazing. So check them out. Also, speaking of amazing, the World Baseball Classic has been amazing. Aaron Judge, the whole team crushing it. They won last night. 5, 3 and I want to shout out Paul Skeens, the amazing pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates who brought the entire Air Force baseball team to Houston to watch him pitch against Mexico. Not only is Keane's the best pitcher of all time, total class act, true patriot, looking out for our vets. I love this and I love the WBC because we need the fun and unity that is happening right now across this country, around the World Baseball Classic and around the Paralympics. It is a contrast to everything coming out of Washington. We just absolutely need to keep Kash Patel the hell out of the locker room. It's another reason we all need to stay vigilant. All right. You know, my voice is not there yet. I'm trying, folks, but you've been hanging with me. Thank you again to Stephen Colbert for having me on last night and to his entire team. They really are amazing. Welcome to all the new folks. My voice doesn't always sound like this, I promise, but you can be a part of this movement and, and you can watch me on TV. I'll be on Ari Melber today around 6:00 clock tomorrow, big day of TV. On Wednesdays, my weekly hit on News Nation at 3 with Connell McShane, Mississippi. Now either 4 or 5 with Nicole Wallace. 7:00 clock on CNN with Aaron Burnett. I'll be pulling my own hat trick like the Paralympic. Guys. Guess coming up, some big news later this week. We will have Dan Lamoth again from the Washington Post. Very important, digging into everything happening out of Iran and around our military. Next week, Admiral James Stavridis will be back. And next Friday, Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphy's is going to join us. That's going to be awesome. Tune in for that. And our old friend Jeffrey Wright, the iconic actor will be coming up in the next couple of weeks. Lots of great guests coming up from all backgrounds. We are daily. Now, if you don't know this show is daily, we hit 36 on the charts a couple of weeks ago. If you're new here, follow and subscribe right now. Hit that subscribe button, especially if you're watching on YouTube where we are blowing up thanks to the Colbert folks. Subscribe. Go to Independent Americans US where you can get the Independent Americans merch and you can chip in a couple bucks to fuel this independent media and join our Patreon community. Be sure to subscribe wherever you are and know that America is more divided than ever before. But at least here at Independent Americans and around the World Baseball Classic and around the Paralympics and around Iran, we are uniting. There is unification happening, folks, and I'm working to keep that going. Add in light to contrast the heat of all the other political shows out there. If you're among the now 45% of Americans who are independent. Maybe a few more after Colbert last night. This is your show because our independent movement is hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo and fueling a new movement that if you're listening, you are now a part of. Because hope the hope that you're bringing and sharing and that I hope to give you out of this show is the oxygen of our democracy. If you enjoyed this episode, share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence, especially now. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And it's a price we got to pay, especially during war. No, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant. We're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in to Independent Americans. I will see you or you will hear me tomorrow. Happy Tuesday. It's hard out there, folks. Be sure to get out and soak up some of that sun if you can. Let it fuel you. Because like I told the team last night and the great band at the Colbert show, Lewis Cato and the great big joy machine. Joy is a form of resistance too. Don't let them steal your joy. Stay frosty, stay positive, and most of all, stay vigilant. I'll see you soon.
Musician/Singer
Tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good choice trouble they can bring he says the red and blue are dead and independent is an attitude an island in the sea of rhetoric and right Our dreams without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow.
Paul Rykoff
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I'm freaking out.
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In this solo episode, Paul Rieckhoff offers a hard-hitting, unfiltered analysis of mounting U.S. military casualties in the ongoing war with Iran, media transparency, escalating political tensions, and the challenges of holding leaders accountable. Against the intense backdrop of the latest battlefield updates, Rieckhoff reflects on his recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and outlines the urgent need for vigilance, unity, and independent leadership in a time of war and deep partisan division.
[03:20–07:50]
“The truth is always the first casualty of war, especially with Trump. We all know how he feels about casualties and wounded vets. Ask John McCain’s family.” (05:25)
[08:15–13:10]
“Iran is lower than all of them at 41%. This is a historically low, unpopular war. But as I’ve often said, Trump doesn’t care.” (11:33)
“Most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever.” (12:14, quoting military commentators)
“Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen. And nothing is stopping him. Nothing.” (13:04)
[13:10–15:00, 19:48–23:40]
“What is your plan to stop him? Are you a reporter or are you a senator?” (13:34)
“If Stephen Colbert ran for Senate as an independent…he would win. So it got edited out last night…but I’m going to launch it.” (09:55)
“There’s always someone in Washington that shamefully wants to nickel and dime our vets—even in a time of war. Someone who cares more about dollars than lives.” (19:48)
[16:24–18:10]
“Hegseth…is so incredibly disrespectful to all the women who have served and died in combat…This is very important and 100% true and unacceptable.” (16:44)
[23:40–26:20]
“If there’s a tactical error or mistake we made leading up to the war, this was it. You don’t say.” (25:14)
[27:00–28:20]
“We are the needle. And we are rising to meet the moment. If you’re new here…now’s the time. Declare your independence. Be a part of the future.” (27:17)
“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And now especially is the time for all Americans to pay it.” (06:23)
“Partisan politics usually stops at the water’s edge of our military and the Pentagon, but not with these guys. They dive right in and they give zero fucks about norms or nonpartisanship.” (17:07)
“Joy is a form of resistance. Don’t let them steal your joy.” (31:00)
“Republicans, in my view, are morally bankrupt and mean and stupid, and the Democrats suck and will not save you and are weak. But independent candidates are the people’s champions.” (27:24)
[07:50–09:45, 28:21–30:50]
[30:00–31:28]
“Hope…is the oxygen of our democracy. If you enjoyed this episode, share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence, especially now. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” (30:58)
For new and returning listeners, the message is clear: vigilance, truth, and independent action are urgently needed in a time of war, political upheaval, and media confusion.