"I'm Glad You Said That" - Jim Minnery Talks Faith & Politics

Mike Shower is a no-nonsense, former fighter pilot who speaks with the kind of confidence and clarity that is as refreshing as it is rare.

He is existing right now in a three-member Alaska State Senate Minority because, once again, the Republicans in Juneau couldn't play together in the sand box. Despite having a majority, they gave power to the Democrats and sequestered the most conservative members to a small island.

At least we know who is willing to stand for what they campaigned on and hold the line on conservative principles that the party platform articulates. Showers along with Senators Shelley Hughes (Palmer) and Robert Meyers (North Pole) are in a very small minority but because of an allied Governor and House Majority, they have plenty to do in terms of stopping some of the worst legislation and possibly even getting some things across the finish line.

Senator Shower is on the show today and, as always, has a lot of energy. 

Hope you can join us.

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Alaska Senate Minority member Shelley Hughes, a Republican from Palmer, has always been someone I have deeply respected.

She articulates her position with passion and clarity and grace whether sitting as the Senate Majority Leader or as a member of a micro-minority of just three (3) as she is now.

Today, on "I'm Glad You Said That", we'll chat about what she has in store for this second half of the Alaska legislative session including bills she has introduced regarding concealed carry in public schools, artificial intelligence, sex trafficking and how she will be holding Senators accountable for simply throwing more public funds into public education without any accountability for improvements.

Hope you can join us.

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I've worked alongside and have had the privilege of being friends with Bernadette Wilson for a long time.  When she told me she was getting out of politics for awhile to go make "real money" in the private sector, I knew she could thrive in the business world.  I didn't think she's be gone long for the world of civic engagement.

It's in her blood.

She's still building her business but her real passion, a love for our state and it's ability to be a prosperous home for future generations, has been re-ignited...again. This time leading the Alaska Policy Forum, our state's think tank zeroed in on expanding freedom and reining in Government. 

Hope you can tune in.

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Tami Jo Watson and Victoria Ross, Executive Director and Deputy Director of Alaska Adoption Services, know first hand of the challenges and joys of adoption. They both have adopted children and are engaged in that arena every work day.

I'm thrilled to have both of them on the show today.

Every year in Alaska, somewhere between 1,200 and 1,900 pre-born children are aborted primarily because of inconvenience. It is hard to estimate how many of those children would be alive today had the mothers and families involved had more information about adoption as an alternative.

I think it's safe to say many.

Adoption has an enormous role in how God laid out His plan to redeem humanity.

As John Piper describes, "Adoption is one of the most profound realities in the universe. I say “universe” and not “world” because adoption goes beyond the world. It is greater than the world, and it is before the world in the plan of God, and it will outlast the world as we know it. Indeed it is greater than the “universe” and is rooted in God’s own nature."

CLICK HERE to read the compelling piece by Piper as to how integral adoption is to God's good work. 

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Excited to talk today with Sarah Montalbano about two recent articles she wrote about education -

"How We Spend Matters More Than What We Spend"

"Charter Schools Are Public Schools"

Sarah hails from Wasilla and is the Policy Manager for Alaska Policy Forum. where she writes about education, healthcare, state fiscal issues, and more.

She is a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum and also the Northwest Regional Leader and writer with Young Voices. Graduating from Montana State University with a B.S. in computer science with minors in economics and data science, she was a 2022 Robert L. Bartley Fellow in editorial features at The Wall Street Journal.

Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Examiner, and The American Spectator.

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Michael Dowling has a story to tell.

His own and through the books he now publishes.

While holding an MBA degree from Columbia Business School in New York and an engineering degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, MIchael is also a professional "ghost-writer" and has written several children's books, including  "Frog's Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables" that World Magazine has called one of the 6 best Christian picture books of the 21st century!

From Michael...“When I was in my thirties and living in Boston, I was into cults like Silva Mind Control and EST (Erhard Seminars Training),” says Michael. “I went to psychics, studied A Course in Miracles, and practiced positive thinking, extrasensory perception, visualization, and meditation.

The generally accepted beliefs in these circles were that all spiritual paths are equally valid, truth is what you experience, and Jesus was an enlightened teacher who came to show us the path to enlightenment. Back then, the thought systems that captured my attention were on the fringe of the culture, but today they are even infiltrating many churches. That’s a major reason why I wrote Frog’s Rainy-Day Story."

So privileged to sit down and visit with Michael on the show today. As always, if you can't tune in live on radio, be sure to go wherever you get your podcasts and listen at your convenience.

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Josie A is on the show today. It's a pseudonym.

Jodie is the compiler of a recent book, Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans. (PITT)  She also helps to manage a substack with the same name. From their site...

"We publish stories written and edited exclusively by parents with first-hand experience in the upside down world of gender ideology. Send your story to [email protected].

PITT is a space for parents that have been impacted by gender ideology to share their uncensored stories, experiences, and thoughts, while remaining anonymous to protect themselves and their families. Our objective is to inform the public about the devastating impact of gender ideology on our families through our personal experiences.

We believe that, when people understand the true picture, they will join us in ending the medicalization of identity for children, teens and young people."

As always, if you can't tune in live on radio, be sure to go wherever you get your podcasts and listen at your convenience.

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Ole Larson is a salt of the earth guy who is running for MatSu School Board as an incumbent and former Board President. He worked in an arena, prisons and youth detention facilities, for decades and has a refreshing no-nonsense style free of pretension and manure you'll often find on school boards.

I get to interview Ole today on the show but in many ways, it's as much about his opponent, Diane Shibe, as it is about Ole.

As my friends Suzanne Downing in MustRead Alaska (HERE) and Joel Davidson in The Alaska Watchman (HERE) have reported, Shibe is banking on Valley residents being dimwitted.

While casting herself in conservative red campaign colors and school choice slogans, Shibe is rolling in dough, the most in MatSu Valley School Board race history, from a legion of liberals including outside DC funding groups, the NEA, Anchorage School Board President Margo Bellamy, former Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Pat Chesbro, Tom Klaameyer, the current president the National Education Association in Alaska and Ted Swanson, the only current progressive, woke member of the Mat Su School Board.

She even has the gall to say on her campaign website that she's in favor of school choice. The NEA, Shibe served as President of the local chapter in the Valley, is without a doubt the biggest opponent of school choice in America today.

President Abraham Lincoln noted with wonderful clarity that "No man (or woman) has a good enough memory to be a successful liar."

Oh Diane and your donors, the tangled web of deceit you weave. Valley voters...beware.

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Peter Murphy and the group he represents called Invest In Education believes that school choice is something that is beneficial to all children.

The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a federal piece of legislation he is working hard to advance, is a $10 billion scholarship tax credit to expand educational freedom and opportunity for up to two million students throughout the nation.

Under the bill, individuals and businesses contribute to non-profit scholarship granting organizations who make scholarship awards for tuition, tutoring to address learning loss, special needs services, and education technology among other uses.

Scholarships are funded with private donations, not federal money, and donors receive a federal tax credit. The ECCA respects federalism, protects religious liberty, and ensures private school autonomy.

I am honored to chat with Peter today on the show.

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Did you know that the Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, an archery term for “missing the mark”?

Making Christ the Target of Our Lives is the slogan and vision of a wonderful group I've come to discover called CenterShot Ministries. 

Using archery as a means of reaching more people for Christ, CenterShot Ministries, when asked why, says...

• It is affordable. 
• It levels the playing field. 
• It can be done year-round. 
• It is completely safe.
• It promotes a growth mindset. 
• It is fun, exciting, and adventurous.
• It promotes fitness and endurance.
• It is inclusive of all ages and abilities.

I am blessed to have Kim Welch, the State Director of CenterShot Ministries on the show today. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her spirit is overflowing. It will be a joy to converse with her and I hope you can join us.

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