What started out as a back-and-forth discussion on Zionism has now resulted in a smear campaign from someone I once called a friend. In response to my criticism and my attempt to have a real conversation with him about my thoughts, he has indirectly addressed me on other people's comments, calling me an antisemite and claiming I deny the rights of Israel and the Jews to exist, and has ignored me when asked to show where I have ever made such statements.

In this episode I address these allegations and challenge my friend, who has refused to sit down with me in the past, to join me on an episode of Remnants and Rye to make his argument that I hate Jews. I am willing to bet that it never happens, but this shit must be addressed.

I was recently in a situation in which I believe my constitutional rights were being violated. Having just graduated from Northwest Vista College with a degree in journalism, with my most recent studies focused on constitutional law, and having been a victim of circumstances that led me to become a journalist in the first place, I decided to take this matter into my own hands. In this episode I explain what happened, as I remember it and am investigating, and I'm getting ready to deliver the paperwork to the Runnels County Sheriff's Department, documenting this case for the record.

I have recently become obsessed with the idea of the American Dream and what it actually means. I have a final college assignment that has started a conversation I cannot stop having with myself.

So instead of going to AI for a quick made-up formulation of what the programmers at ChatGPT and Anthropic want me to believe the American Dream is, I am coming to you, my friends.

I am conducting a social experiment, and I could use your help. It is not like we are not all already part of a bigger experiment anyway, but I promise this one is a lot more fun and I am not going to force you to take a vaccine.

Tell me what the American Dream means to you.

I joined the US Army 20 years ago on April 19th 2006 and I think about this day a lot. My name is Flip Barrientos and I am relaunching my podcats, Remnants and Rye iwith the idea of being able to sit and talk about the events, decisions, mistakes, victories, and everything in between that have made me who I am and shaped how I see the world around me.

This is an introduction to the new and improved Remnants and Rye. A show built on honesty, chaos, bad decisions, hard questions and conversations that might make some people uncomfortable.

Sponsors: Edward From Garden City, Tx (I owe you a burrito)

I decided to go live yesterday to talk through a few topics I’ve been thinking about lately and some recent news. That included the Sean Ryan and Crenshaw situation and questions around censorship and accountability, the release of new Epstein related photos by the House Oversight Committee, ongoing concerns about veteran suicide and failures within the VA system, and the role of media figures like Bari Weiss in shaping and shutting down public narratives.

I am not dead, nor I have committed any new felonies since the last time we talk. We have a lot to catch up on.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to talk with Halle Tarvin, a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology at SMU whose work focuses on how people with mental health conditions use psychoactive plants as therapeutic tools. She's involved in academic research, currently working on an NIMH-funded project on early psychosis and substance use, and also plays a key role in cannabis advocacy as the Director of Research and Analysis for the Texas Cannabis Collective. I reached out to her because she sits right at the intersection of science, policy, and lived experience, and I wanted to explore how cannabis use, mental health, and legislation collide, especially here in Texas. This conversation opened up a lot of necessary questions about stigma, education, and where we go from here.

Download The Advanced Cannabis User’s Guide to Healthy Consumption, written by Halle and her colleagues:

https://linktr.ee/halletarvin?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

Erowid is an online library of user experiences and research-based information on psychoactive substances focused on education and harm reduction.

Erowid

Sources:

Texas Cannabis Policy Center. “Texas House Public Affairs Committee Hearing on Chairman Ken King’s HB 46 - 89TxLege.” YouTube, 17 Apr. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCfMAQRZ54. Accessed 5 May 2025.

Russo, E., Cuttler, C., et al. (2024). Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, field trial. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66879-0

Episode 1: Resurrection

Welcome to Remnants and Rye. I’m Flip — a combat veteran, convicted felon, and college student with curious thoughts about life's big questions. This first episode isn’t polished. It isn’t scripted. It’s just me, a microphone, a cup of old coffee, and my thoughts. I unpack the story behind my struggles with identity, faith, prison, substance abuse and purpose, and why I have decided to open up about my life. This is an introduction of what’s to come from Remnants and Rye.