Sick of this Pod

Artist: Laamar

Visit abolishice.live to donate to organizations directly assisting individuals, families, and small businesses across the Twin Cities. Beneficiaries include:

* Rent Fundraiser — Supporting Neighbors Helping Neighbors in paying rent for hundreds of families across the Twin Cities metro

* Eat Street Fundraiser — Direct support for small businesses along Eat Street recovering from recent events

* Immigrant Law Center — Providing critical legal services and advocacy for immigrants and families

* South Minneapolis Families Fund — Supporting families in need in South Minneapolis

Your donation will go directly to Minneapolis families, small businesses, and immigrant communities impacted by ICE operations.

Thank you Laura Tompkins, StandUp12, Victoria Viste, Monica M 🇨🇦, GenUpDemocracy, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Actions You Can Take

* Check out the new: Sick of this Shop!

* Check out the new network and affiliate calendar: BroadBanner

Submit questions, feedback, and artwork for Notes of the Week with Nick and Walter:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:

* deflock.me

Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:

* Orders Project

* Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

Artist: Chutes

Visit abolishice.live to donate to organizations directly assisting individuals, families, and small businesses across the Twin Cities. Beneficiaries include:

* Rent Fundraiser — Supporting Neighbors Helping Neighbors in paying rent for hundreds of families across the Twin Cities metro

* Eat Street Fundraiser — Direct support for small businesses along Eat Street recovering from recent events

* Immigrant Law Center — Providing critical legal services and advocacy for immigrants and families

* South Minneapolis Families Fund — Supporting families in need in South Minneapolis

Your donation will go directly to Minneapolis families, small businesses, and immigrant communities impacted by ICE operations.

Thank you Laura A. Drury, StandUp12, Stacy💫🧿♓️, Monica M 🇨🇦, Jinx Corle, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Actions You Can Take

* Check out the new: Sick of this Shop!

* Check out the new network and affiliate calendar: BroadBanner

Submit questions, feedback, and artwork for Notes of the Week with Nick and Walter:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:

* deflock.me

Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:

* Orders Project

* Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

Join virtually on the joint AbolishICE.live livestream or in-person in Minneapolis, MN for a free tribute concert—headlined by the Dropkick Murphys.

This event will be a celebration of life—honoring the lives of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti—and all the communities members no longer with us.

Thank you Kelly, Monica M 🇨🇦, Jessie, Sara L., and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Come join in with me next Friday, March 6 virtually on the joint AbolishICE.live livestream or in-person in Minneapolis, MN for a freetribute concert—headlined by the Dropkick Murphys.

This event will be a celebration of life—honoring the lives of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti—and all the communities members no longer with us.

Thank you Nick Paro, Courtney 🇨🇦, TEOTWAWKI, Oddwood, Diana Feather, and many others for tuning into my live video with Beth Cruz, Soso's World, and Jack! Join me for my next live video in the app.

There is a mistake that well-intentioned men often make when rejecting fragile masculinity: they retreat—they soften their language—they avoid conflict—they speak carefully, quietly, defensively. In this process they are trained to confuse restraint with passivity. That mistake is no longer sustainable—and in truth, it is actively harmful.

Intelligent masculinity is not merely a response to bad masculinity. It is a replacement for it—and replacements do not necessarily win by being polite—and replacements never win by being timid.

Fragile masculinity thrives when intelligent men stay reactive—consuming the void left by timidity—feeding on grievance, certainty, and spectacle—while it advances precisely because it goes on offense while others hesitate. This outdated, reactionary masculinity does not wait to be invited—it is insidious, seeking to assert itself when not wanted, recruiting by shifting blame and removing accountability from the source—intentionally normalizing harm through the repetition of dominance, over growth through stewardship.

When intelligent masculinity limits itself to critique and explanation without concerted action, it willingly cedes ground. Leaving space for louder, simpler, more dishonest narratives to dominate men who are searching for meaning, direction, and belonging. This is why neutrality is not a virtue—silence is a position—and our absence is a gift to the worst actors in the room.

Going on offense does not mean becoming the thing we oppose. Offense has never been the acts of aggression, dominance, humiliation, or coercion—it is not an excuse to engage in rage or cruelty—and it is not a set of strict ideological purity tests. Going on offense means we take the initiative—defining masculinity clearly and publicly, before others do it for us. We openly model strength without apology—directly confronting harm as it happens rather than offering endless explanations. We offer alternatives—intentionally building opportunities instead of only criticizing failures.

Where fragile masculinity requires us to wear a mask and fight without reason—intelligent masculinity demands directed growth and actionable results.

Across every conversation in this series, one truth has become unavoidable: intelligent masculinity is calm—but it certainly is not quiet. It is a discipline that is measured and ethical while never being hesitant or timid. At its core, intelligent masculinity unapologetically asserts three things:

* Accountability is non-negotiable. Harm does not become acceptable because it was traditional, emotional, popular, or authorized.

* Strength includes containment. Self-regulation is not optional. Men who cannot govern themselves should not be trusted with power over others.

* Participation is required. Masculinity is proven in community — in work, family, culture, and conflict — not in isolation or online performance.

These are not mere preferences for masculinity—they are the baseline standards. And standards must be enforced to exist.

Going on offense also means being honest about what intelligent masculinity is against—without centering our identity there. We are against:

* domination masquerading as leadership,

* grievance framed as purpose,

* emotional discharge mistaken for honesty,

* cruelty justified as “truth-telling”, and

* men being trained to fear accountability.

Yet we do not build masculinity against these things—we build it to last—aiming for something. That something is:

* stewardship instead of spectacle,

* reliability instead of intensity,

* courage that survives boredom,

* authority that accepts consequence, and

* leadership that creates safety.

This distinction between against and for matters—and is at the heart of this project. Whereas fragile, reactionary masculinity needs constant enemies to stay coherent—intelligent masculinity does not.

If intelligent masculinity is serious about replacing fragile masculinity, it must do the following—consistently and publicly:

* Model. Be the men worth copying. Not louder. Not purer. Just steadier and more openly.

* Interrupt. Call out dehumanization, misogyny, and domination when they appear — especially among other men. Silence is endorsement.

* Build. Create spaces, media, language, and community that offer men direction without grievance.

* Recruit. Stop pretending men will “figure it out on their own.” Show them something better and invite them into it.

* Hold the Line. Do not water this down to avoid discomfort. Discomfort is not harm. Accountability is not abuse.

This is cultural replacement grounded in a lifetime of disciplined growth and understanding—not culture war built on made-up enemies, blameless actions, and shifted accountabilities. This is the way.

There is no future where intelligent masculinity wins by being passive. The men most vulnerable to fragile masculinity are not looking for theory. They are looking for practical orientation—a way to understand their power, their anger, their responsibility, and their place in the world. If we fail to offer men and boys a disciplined, ethical, assertive model of masculinity—someone else will offer them a dangerous one. So this is the shift—from explanation to assertion, reaction to initiative, dominance to stewardship—and go from defense to on offense. Intelligent masculinity does not ask for permission to exist. It shows up, sets standards, and lives with the consequences.

And you know what? That is strength.

~Nick Paro

Actions You Can Take

* Check out the new: Sick of this Shop!

* Check out the new network and affiliate calendar: BroadBanner

Sign the Petitions:

* Demand Congress Subpoena Key Figures on the Epstein Case

* Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

* Mandate that ICE agents show their face and identification

Submit questions, feedback, and artwork for Notes of the Week with Nick and Walter:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Support Ukraine:

* Donate towards generators

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement:

* safedc.info

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

Check out my latest article in the Intelligent Masculinity series — Disciplined & Practiced:

Actions You Can Take

* Check out the new Sick of this Shit Publications Merch Shop!

* Check out Banner & Backbone Media’s new BroadBanner network and affiliate calendar — including all Sick of this Shit Publications branded shows!

Sign the Petitions:

* Demand Congress Subpoena Key Figures on the Epstein Case

* Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

* Mandate that ICE agents show their face and identification

Submit questions, feedback, and artwork for Notes of the Week with Nick and Walter:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Support Ukraine:

* Donate towards generators

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement:

* safedc.info

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Thank you Caro Henry, P. J. Schuster, Under the Golden Boot, Jennifer Wells, Sheryl, and many others for tuning into my live video with Evan Fields, Walter Rhein, and Eric Lullove! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

This poem is reposted on Sick of this Shit Publications with permission from the author, Bee's Free Verse/True Verse. Please like and share the original—Daddy’s Decay of Decorum—and subscribe to Bee's Free Verse/True Verse for more!

They call him Daddy.

Thank you for being here!

Actions You Can Take

* Check out the new Sick of this Shit Publications Merch Shop!

* Check out Banner & Backbone Media’s new BroadBanner network and affiliate calendar — including all Sick of this Shit Publications branded shows!

Sign the Petitions:

* Demand Congress Subpoena Key Figures on the Epstein Case

* Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

* Mandate that ICE agents show their face and identification

Submit questions, feedback, and artwork for Notes of the Week with Nick and Walter:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Support Ukraine:

* Donate towards generators

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement:

* safedc.info

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

~Nick Paro

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

Take a look at Emily Berge’s campaign website for ways to learn more and find ways to support her candidacy: https://www.bergeforcongress.com/

In this wide-ranging and deeply grounded conversation, Walter Rhein and Nick Paro sit down with Emily Berge, a candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, to discuss what authentic, community-rooted leadership looks like in a moment of national crisis.

Emily introduces herself not as a career insider, but as the Eau Claire City Council President and a longtime organizer shaped by Indivisible activism after Donald Trump’s first election. She speaks candidly about fear in immigrant communities, the erosion of trust in federal institutions and services, and the need to center the people most directly impacted by government overreach.

The discussion confronts immigration enforcement head-on, including ICE abuses, racial profiling, and the detention of children. Emily argues that ICE has lost public legitimacy and cannot continue in its current form, emphasizing that local governments must protect residents before “shit hits the fan” by refusing collaboration with federal immigration crackdowns.

Nick presses Emily on LGBTQ and trans rights, and she responds unequivocally: trans people are people — and her record includes providing gender-affirming counseling and helping pass a conversion therapy ban.

The conversation also turns toward affordability: rising food costs, rural farming sustainability, Medicare for All, and the broken relationship between corporate money and political decision-making.

Throughout, Emily returns to one central message: leadership means showing up, staying accountable, and building trust through real relationships — not polished talking points.

Thank you Natasha K., Dannys, Ms. H, Courtney 🇨🇦, Mike Harkreader, and many others for tuning into my live video with Emily Berge and Walter Rhein! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Actions You Can Take

Sign the Petitions:

* Demand Congress Subpoena Key Figures on the Epstein Case

* Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

* Mandate that ICE agents show their face and identification

Submit questions and artwork for Nick and Walter to respond to and showcase on Notes of the Week:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Support Ukraine:

* Donate towards generators

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement:

* safedc.info

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

Check out Banner & Backbone Media’s new BroadBanner network and affiliate calendar — including all shows scheduled on Sick of this Shit Publications!

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

~Nick Paro

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck | Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙 ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]

I’m starting a new paid subscriber drive — when Sick of this Shit Publications reaches 250 paid subscribers, I will release the full audio of Lento-Vivo to all subscribers. For every 50 additional paid subscribers I will release another recording (until I’ve run out of music to release)!

Thank you, Stephanie G Wilson, PhD for providing the artwork for this composition!

Meaning of the Music 🎵

Lento-Vivo is one of my favorite compositions — I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This is also the first recording release I’ve ever done — I’m nervously excited.

Let me bring you back in time, 14 years, to 2011 — I was 21, in between my 3rd and 4th years of studying Music Theory and Composition while attending Carnegie Mellon University, and returning to Paris, France for my second year studying at a music-alliance program — I was ready to find my musical voice, my creative expression, and my own personality.

I was also taking influences from my surroundings — it’s hard not to when you have Nadia Boulanger’s student running the program and Claude Debussy’s piano sitting right under your fingertips — it was a creative’s dream — it was amazing. It influenced all of my compositions going forward. I wrote more music that summer than I ever have — I never felt more creative.

Lento-Vivo is an impressionistic composition combining pulsing rhythms, flowing melodies, and the interplay of 3 flutes singing in harmony (and dissonance). The piece itself is composed of 3 main tempos — Lento (slow), Vivo (fast), Lento (slow) — which create the structure for the melodic and rhythmic patterns.

The first section is a melodic counterpoint of voices weaving between the highs and lows of the flute’s range — a song of early morning sunrises and dew covered meadows.

The second section is a rhythmic counterpoint of voices cascading off of each other as the pounding beat builds in a crescendo of sound — a deer suddenly spooked in the morning fog and heart suddenly pointing in anticipation.

The third section is a return to the melodic counterpoint of the stillness and peace, bringing the story to a close — calmness and serenity set back in as the sun burns away the fog to reveal the openness and beauty of the surrounding landscape.

This is one of my favorites — it’s the closest I’ve ever come to capturing the essence of Claude Debussy’s impressionistic style where he told a story through his compositions — he made you feel, see, and understand the picture he was painting — my hope is Lento-Vivo did the same for you!

Thank you for listening and I hope you come back for more!

~ Nick Paro

Actions You Can Take

Sign the Petitions:

* Demand Congress Subpoena Key Figures on the Epstein Case

* Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

* Mandate that ICE agents show their face and identification

Submit questions and artwork for Nick and Walter to respond to and showcase on Notes of the Week:

* Sick of this Shit Community Comment Form

Support Ukraine:

* Donate towards generators

Call your public servants on important issues:

* 5calls.org

Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement:

* safedc.info

Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:

* B. Cognition Labs

Nick’s Notes

I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!

~Nick Paro

Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective

Support as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you

* Forever at 50% off

* Forever at 60% off

A special thank you to those who are a part of the Sickest of Them All

~ Soso | Millicent | Courtney 🇨🇦 | Eric Lullove | Terry mitchell | Carollynn | Julie Robuck ~

For support, contact us at: [email protected]