Kindness Matters Podcast

A few different events got me to thinking lately.

The first was a school board meeting in Tennessee that had medical professionals attend, invited, to explain the need for masks as the schools go back to school safely for the staff and children.  As the meeting broke up and the professionals headed for their cars, they were surrounded by angry parents, yelling obscenities and "we'll not comply".  Some parents got into the faces of the doctors and nurses and told them, "We know who you are."

The second event was my daily copy of "Letters from an American."

It is written by Heather Cox Richardson is an American Historian and Boston College professor of history.      
Letters from an American is a daily newsletter with a rundown of the last day's news, primarily political news, she will discuss it and compare it to other parts of history in the U.S.
In this particular issue she is talking about fascism and how politicians use the "street brawlers" (like the anti-Catholic thugs in the 1830's, the KKK in the 1860's and the Union busters of the 1880's).

My research was interesting (spoiler alert; did you know there was a plot to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt in 1933??).  I hope you enjoy this episode and it sparks a conversation. 

Please be kind and if you know someone who has been talking about having their home or office windows cleaned, have them see my friend Andy at Kahuna Window Cleaning.

Sources;
The Fascist Game
Trump's Homegrown Fascism
Letters from an American
Wikipedia  Fascism in North America
Wikipedia  The Wall Street (Business Plot)
  Great Courses Daily 

We all do it.  from the moment we are born, each one of us is moving towards a point in our lives that looks very much like the point we started at.  Unable to care for ourselves and dependent on others to help us. 
My guest on this episode, Julio Briones, has spent much of his adult life in the senior care industry; from recruiting employees for his Mothers' senior care facility at fifteen, to running a consulting group helping other entrepreneurs start and succeed in the senior care industry, his insight and understanding are invaluable.  

In this episode I am looking at the Native American Residential Schools here in America.  Ever since June, when the graves of 215 Indigenous School children were found at the site of the Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia and, weeks later, 751 unmarked graves were found at the site of the  Marieval Indian Residential School in  Marieval,  Saskatchewan , attention has been drawn to similar boarding or residential schools for Native Americans here in America.   

Although the concept of residential schools can be traced back to 1634 Maryland, they did not gain the support of the U.S. Government until 1879 when Richard Henry Pratt opened the Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

While it's impossible to teach every good and bad thing in American History in school, I believe we need to look at it all.  As Americans we have a lot to be proud of, but we also have a lot to learn from.  We should be having these conversations.  Maybe not all of them in school but sometime, somewhere, so that we can learn from them.

Please don't forget to check out my friends at Kahuna Window Cleaning for all of your home care needs. 

If this show brings any value to your day, please consider showing your support.  It would be greatly appreciated.

In this episode I once again tackle the news.  From the January 6th Select Committee, to COVID anti vaxxers, to Minnesota State Representative John Thompson. 

A couple updates from this episode that had not played out at the time of recording.

Woman Drives Across Capitol Lawn
John Thompson press conference.
Sartell-St. Stephens superintendent responds to accusations about equity survey. 

This episode is sponsored by Kahuna Window Cleaning.  Local and veteran owned make them you go-to for all your home maintenance needs, from window and gutter cleaning to pressure washing and holiday lights instillation. 

In this episode I pretend to be a journalist.  The key word is pretend.  I simply cannot deliver the news without comment.  I've tried.  Trust me when I tell you it is impossible.  We talk about some items making the news a the beginning of the week.   
Talks on President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill in the Senate have come to a stand still after a bi-partisan group (11 Republicans and 11 Democrats) attempted to pay for a portion of the bill through enforcement or tax laws.  Anti Tax Republicans (is that redundant?) said NOPE.

In June, eight students sued Indiana University over its' policy mandating anyone planning on attending the Fall 2021 semester in person must be vaccinated or apply for and receive a waiver on ethical, religious or medical grounds.  The mandate applies to students, faculty and staff.  If a waiver is approved, the student must wear a mask and submit to more frequent testing and must either quarantine or head home in the case of an outbreak.  A federal judge has denied the students motion for a preliminary injunction.

Also don't forget to let our friends at Kahuna Window Cleaning know you heard their ad on today's show.  

My guest for this episode is Rebecca Desens a woman who is, in no particular order, a warrior princess, the Director of the Anoka County (MN.) Historical Museum, an Amazing wife, and a friend and advocate for all those who suffer with invisible disabilities.  We talk about her struggles with and diagnosis of EDS in 2018.  What it's like to live with a disability that most people can't see, and the support that she gets from various sources.


Resources:
Aruma

Invisible Disability Project.

Invisible Disabilities Association

Also, please give my sponsor, Mr. Darcys' Cows,  a visit if you are looking for "Off the hoof" beef for your family.  Let them know you herd it hear (see what I did there?).

In this episode I speak with Brandon from the Starting Nowhere Podcast about Critical Race theory.  Is it dangerous to teach our kids this or is it just another made up culture war?  Are K-12 schools actually teaching it?  We delve into all of this and more. 

Get more info from NPR here, here and here.

In this episode I dig into the recent Pew Study that uncovers the fact that less than fifty percent of Americans say they belong to a Church, Synagogue or Mosque.  Why are people leaving churches? 

BARNA study on young adults leaving the church.

Also, if you belong to this church, I will pray for your eternal soul.

In this episode I speak with Tracy Pierce, the Co-founder of Acorn Housing Services, LLC.  They help individuals in Minnesota who are on Medical Assistance or MA find and maintain stable housing.  

I learned a lot from this conversation and one of the things I learned came fro m Tracy herself when she said. "Housing is Healthcare".  I never thought about it that way.  

In this episode I speak with Eric Ebner.  Eric is a Veteran who started Protocol 46, a cyber security firm in St. Paul, MN.   Eric and his team of mostly Vets keep their clients' systems safe from hacker and ransom ware attacks.

We talk about his motivation for starting this company his deep and abiding love for his country and his sense of honor and duty.  It was a great conversation and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed speaking with him.