According2Sam Podcast

On August 6, 2001, a month before the September 11th attack, the CIA met with then President George W. Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. They were there to brief the president on an important piece of intelligence about a potential terrorist attack in the United States. The brief was titled, "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US", and it outlined several possible targets for an attack. The most notable target mentioned in the report was the threat that commercial airplanes would be hijacked. The two page report concludes with the sentence, "Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijacking or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York." In the 2006 book, "The One Percent Doctrine", author Ron Suskind writes from an anonymous source that after being brief by the panicked CIA officers the president said, "All right. You've covered your ass, now." What actions did President Bush take to protect the nation after receiving this dire warning, and how did the media help him cover his ass after this secret intelligence report was leaked to the world? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #97.

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Taliban means 'students', and the organization that NATO forces have been fighting for 20 years in Afghanistan started in madrassas in Pakistan. Madrasa is the Arabic word for a school, or any type of educational institution, secular or religious, and there are thousands of madrassas around the world. However, the madrassas in Pakistan that spawned the Taliban were very religious Islamic fundamentalist seminaries, and these madrassas have been breeding grounds of a steady supply of fighters for the Taliban for 30 years. Pakistan has played a significant role in the war in Afghanistan from the beginning. They not only allow these radical madrassas to exist within their borders, they also allow the Quetta Shura and other ruling councils of the Taliban to exist and operate within their borders. These councils have been the central commands for Taliban forces in the war, directing troop movements, supplies, and missions in Afghanistan from Pakistan. Pakistan has been allowing this to happen for years, despite the fact that we have considered them an ally and give them billions in aid annually. Has Pakistan been an honest ally in the war in Afghanistan, or should we be questioning their motives in allowing our enemies safe haven in their country? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #96.

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Islam has been at war since the earliest days of the faith. The Prophet and his followers first made war with the tribes of Arabia, uniting them around himself and his new monotheistic faith, but when he died a succession crises developed and Islam has been at was with Islam ever since. Despite waring with itself and creating many divisions and factions within Islam, they also have a long history of making war with non-muslims and conquering them in the name of Islam. In less than two decades after the death of Mohammad the caliphate had conquered the Persians and the mighty Sasanian Empire, expanding as for east as present-day Pakistan. They also defeated the Roman Empire and conquered Byzantine land in the Levant and North Africa. By the end of the Umayyad Caliphate just 120 years after the death of Mohammad, Islam had expanded to India in the east and to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. They had even pushed the caliphate into Europe. During this time a philosophy emerged in the caliphate that is known as the 'House of Islam and the House of War'. The House of Islam is all of the land under control of the caliphate, and the House of War was all of the world yet to be conquered. How was this philosophy used to justify the conquests of Islam, and how did war within the House of Islam prevent them from conquering much more than they did? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #95.

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

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Joe Biden is the second Roman Catholic president in American history, and he wears it on his sleeve. He flaunts his faith more than any president since Jimmy Carter. He regularly attends Catholic Mass wearing his deceased son's rosary beads, and he often comments on how his Catholic faith helped him deal with the loss of his first wife and son, Beau. Unlike Kennedy, America's first Catholic president, Biden seeks to highlight how devout he is to the Catholic faith and how it shapes his presidency, so much so that the media has given him titles such as, "The Church Going President" and many others reflecting his piety. This image of the 'pious president' is being threaten right now by Catholic bishops who say Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians are at odds with the teaching of the Church. Bishops in America have decided to make a formal statement clarifying the Catholic Church's beliefs, which will most likely highlight how out of step Biden and other Catholics are with the teachings of the Church. Joe Biden and many others could be denied communion, the most important sacrament in Catholicism. Is there any precedent for something like this in the history of the Catholic Church, and how could this challenge Catholics on key political issues? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #93.

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

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

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

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

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

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.according2sam.com