Julian Dorey Podcast #369 “Sickening!” — Navy SEAL on Military Corruption, Charlie Kirk & Religion | Mike Ritland

Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Julian Dorey
Guest: Mike Ritland (Navy SEAL veteran, host of the Mic Drop Podcast)

Episode Overview

This episode features Navy SEAL veteran, bestselling author, and podcast host Mike Ritland returning for an unfiltered, in-depth exploration of military corruption, political divisions, generational challenges, religion’s societal role, and the dangers of extremism. Against the backdrop of current events (including the Charlie Kirk assassination), Julian and Mike examine America's trajectory, personal purpose, the influence of social media, and how individuals might restore sanity and connection in a fractured landscape.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. America’s Divisions & Short Political Memory

• Political polarization and short memories: The conversation opens on New York’s elections and the rise of extremist candidates, noting how quickly the public forgets failures of previous administrations (like De Blasio during COVID).
  • Quote: “It only took four years... for people to forget that de Blasio completely turned the city upside down and screwed it over. I don't know how you fix that.” — Mike [11:09]
• Importance of leading with empathy, not division: Discussed in the context of politicians engaging across the aisle and not demonizing “the other side.”

2. Struggle, Purpose & Generational Drift

• Loss of societal struggle and purpose: Mike reflects on how comfort breeds complacency and why younger generations, especially young men, feel a void.
  • Quote: “Human beings are designed and meant to suffer and struggle. They need things to overcome... So when we live in a society where there's very little of that... people default to whatever cause that resonates with them the most.” — Mike [14:08]
• Mandatory service as a remedy: Mike advocates for service (military, Peace Corps, volunteering) before adulthood as a path to personal growth and societal benefit.
  • Quote: “If you don’t have purpose... go serve something else until you figure that out. Because to me it's a win-win... you're figuring out the things that give you that purpose... You're not on food stamps, playing video games in your parents' basement.” — Mike [17:28]

3. Purpose, Passion, and the ‘Goggins Effect’

• Finding a WHY vs. sheer willpower: The duo discusses the values of passion-driven perseverance compared to the Goggins philosophy of relentless suffering.
  • Quote: “For me, I like a little bit more of a happy medium approach... There has to be a balance. I want to be able to celebrate the victories, enjoy the fruits of labor...” — Mike [24:46]

4. Stoicism, Self-Mastery & The Meaning of Life

• Stoic philosophy as an anchor: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and other ancient philosophers are cited for wisdom in turbulent times.
  • Quote: “You have the power to control your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find peace.” — Julian [35:50]
  • Mike reminisces about the stoic culture of SEAL teams, emphasizing leading by example:
    “If I could pinpoint an essence of the SEAL teams, it's that: don't tell me how to be a good team guy. Show me how to be one.” — Mike [45:25]

5. The Power of Example (“Boiling Your Own Pot”)

• Start with yourself: Both stress making local, personal impact and leading by example rather than trying to “boil the ocean”.
  • Quote: “I can't boil the ocean, but I can boil my pot.” — Julian citing Tommy G [48:42]

6. Are Humans Inherently Good? The Role of Religion

• Debating human nature: Mike argues most people are inherently good, influenced by genetics, upbringing, and societal/religious codes—regardless of whether the stories are true.
  • Quote: “You can look at human beings as a species ... and pretty clearly identify... that murder is wrong, stealing is wrong, that transcends all those things... where do those come from?” — Mike [54:01]
• Religion’s double-edged influence: Julian acknowledges organized religion’s flaws but highlights its foundational principles as beneficial, even if the narrative is questioned.

7. Military Service, Moral Conflict, and Corruption

• Reflections on Iraq, Afghanistan, decision-making, and corruption: Mike candidly calls the Iraq war a mistake and bemoans the “incestuous relationship” among senior military, government, and contractors like Halliburton and Raytheon.
  • Quote: “If that's not a conflict of interest and negatively influencing decision making at the highest level possible, I don't know what is.” — Mike [66:55]

8. American Politics: The Money Problem & Systemic Rot

• Campaign finance and lobbying as root causes: Discussion of super PACs, the impossibility of unbiased decision-making, and whether money can ever be separated from politics.
  • Quote: “When it takes upwards of a billion dollars to become president, there's no way to not have a candidate who, once they get into that position, is beholden.” — Mike [72:27]
• Ideas for rebooting Congress: Mike revisits his “grand jury” model—randomly selected, respected citizens—to break money’s hold and restore local accountability (see [74:32] for details).

9. Lawfare, Political Prosecution & Precedent

• Condemning the normalization of prosecuting opponents: Both argue that “lawfare” sets a dangerous precedent regardless of party.
  • Quote: “...it just sets a precedence by doing the thing you were bitching about four years ago, it solidifies it... now that becomes the norm...” — Mike [79:58]

10. Media, Technology, and the Slippery Reality

• Social media’s toxic influence: Politicians now serve as celebrities, more concerned with likes than governance; foreign propagandists and bot farms worsen division.
  • Quote: “The entire planet in a very nefarious way has direct access to every single American citizen all of the time...” — Mike [90:42]
• Fact vs. perspective: With AI/manipulated content, Julian and Mike lament it’s nearly impossible to trust anything—especially in the Israeli-Palestinian and Ukraine conflicts.

11. Charlie Kirk Assassination: A Societal Rubicon

• Reactions reveal America’s sickness: Mike is especially disturbed by the public celebration of Kirk’s assassination and draws a parallel to how combatants view mortal enemies.
  • Quote: “Almost by deductive reasoning, what that tells me is that there are a subset of our population that views political opponents as mortal enemies... as soon as you dehumanize people, there's really no lower form than that.” — Mike [148:54]
• Both sides guilty: They note attempted cancellations and retaliatory outrage from both left and right.

12. Restoring Sanity: Families, Example & Perspective

• The nuclear family, not as a panacea but as statistical advantage: Emphasizing two involved parents and modeling emotional regulation, not coddling or overindulgence.
  • Quote: “The percentage chance for producing productive members of society is to have... nuclear families. It's not a guarantee... but the stats don't lie.” — Mike [129:17]
• Living by principles: Whether by the standards of ancient stoics or simply imagining you’re always being filmed (“Joe Rogan’s camera test”), model the behavior you want to see.

13. Culture & Storytelling: Cinematic Perspectives

• Fun but philosophically relevant chat about Gladiator, Dark Knight, Interstellar, and how creative storytelling subtly reflects societal anxieties and aspirations.

14. China & America’s True Enemies

• China’s status as top external threat, but self-destruction looms larger: Mike argues internal division is a bigger risk than any foreign adversary.
  • Quote: “It's a tie between them and ourselves. I'm more worried about just like in the Roman Empire, the collapse within more so than... them being able to defeat us...” [123:20]
• Rebuilding institutions: The need for strengthened families, manufacturing revival, and political reforms to reclaim resilience.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments (by Timestamp)

• On the danger of comfort/complacency:
  “That comfortability piece... that is the catalyst that kills everything. When people are comfortable, they get complacent. Bottom line.” — Mike [10:45]
• On purpose and serving others:
  “If you don't have purpose... go serve something else until you figure that out.” — Mike [17:28]
• On stoicism and focus:
  “You have the power to control your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find peace.” — Julian [35:50]
• On military-industrial corruption:
  “If we go to war with Country X, my net worth is going to skyrocket by 20-fold in six months... if that's not a conflict of interest... I don't know what is.” — Mike [66:55]
• On outrage and lawfare:
  “...now you can probably expect that every new administration is going to go after the previous one, and that is a horrible place for our society to be in.” — Mike [79:98]
• On Charlie Kirk’s assassination as a symptom:
  “The thing that bothered me the most about it was... on both sides of the aisle, we’re considering political opponents mortal enemies, where we’re cheering someone’s death... That was by far the most worrisome aspect.” — Mike [148:54]
• On leading by example:
  “It starts with each individual... if everybody lived their life like Joe Rogan said, like somebody’s following around with a camera and it’s being broadcasted...” — Mike [124:28]

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• [01:09] Navy SEALs, terrorism, and evil
• [10:23] Political amnesia in NYC
• [16:07] Young men, purpose, and struggle
• [22:41] Transitioning out of the military
• [31:30] Service, fulfillment, and meaning
• [35:50] Stoicism and personal control
• [45:25] SEAL culture and leading by example
• [54:01] Are humans inherently good? Religion’s influence
• [61:07] Military service, morality, and questioning orders
• [66:55] Government contracts and military corruption
• [72:27] Money in politics and campaign finance
• [79:58] Lawfare and prosecuting political opponents
• [90:42] Social media, propaganda, and bot influence
• [94:58] Truth, AI, and the distortion of war
• [123:20] China’s threat vs. American self-destruction
• [129:17] The nuclear family and societal health
• [148:54] Charlie Kirk assassination: dehumanization and precedent

Final Thoughts

This episode masterfully blends hard-won pragmatism with philosophical depth. Mike and Julian dissect military and political headlines with an uncommon mixture of humility, honesty, and—most importantly—a call to sober, personal responsibility. In a media ecosystem dominated by outrage and groupthink, their steady insistence on serving others, leading by example, and reclaiming perspective is a quiet but powerful counteroffensive.

For more from Mike Ritland, check out the [Mic Drop Podcast].

For more conversations like this, subscribe to [Julian Dorey’s channels].