On this Friday, September 1, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson explores two distinct but related topics: Colorado’s little-known weather modification program with Andrew Rickert from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the debunking of climate emergency claims with Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Patrick Moore. The episode also marks Producer Steve’s final day before retirement after four and a half years with the show.

Start listening at 69:15 – Hour 2

Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace and author of “Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom,” dismantles the climate emergency narrative with scientific precision. Moore points out that Earth is currently in a 50-million-year cooling period and that the modern warm period began around 1600 at the peak of the Little Ice Age. The approximately one degree Celsius warming since then represents natural climate variation, not a crisis.

Moore argues that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant but the foundation of all life on Earth. Plants use CO2 to build themselves, and all carbon-based life forms ultimately derive their carbon from atmospheric CO2. He criticizes the characterization of CO2 as pollution, noting that when fossil fuels are burned, they simply release carbon that was originally captured from the atmosphere by ancient plants.

The discussion addresses the Lahaina fire tragedy, with Moore attributing it to downed power lines and poor land management rather than climate change. He emphasizes that climate cannot start fires, noting that the Camp Fire in California was definitively caused by PG&E power lines. Moore criticizes the “green” movement for conflating weather events with long-term climate trends and for promoting policies that would eliminate over 80% of global energy supply.

“So carbon dioxide is actually the basis of life. It is not a poison like they are telling us. They call it a pollutant now when it is the basis of life.”

Patrick Moore, Author and Former Greenpeace Director

Start listening at 31:17 – Hour 1

Andrew Rickert, program manager for Colorado’s Weather Modification Program, reveals that Colorado has been experimenting with weather modification since the early 1970s. The program uses silver iodide sprayed across propane flames to create ice crystals in clouds, adding an estimated 5 to 12 percent additional snow water equivalent to the state’s snowpack.

Rickert explains that Colorado operates seven permitted ground-based programs and one aerial program, with approximately 72 manual generators and 23 remote generators positioned strategically across the state. The program operates from November 1st to April 15th, specifically targeting winter storms to augment water supplies for the drought-stricken West. Lower basin states including New Mexico, California, and Nevada contribute $500,000 annually to bolster Colorado’s efforts, recognizing the importance of Colorado River Basin snowpack.

The program includes extensive safety protocols. Operators monitor storm characteristics including wind speed, direction, temperature, and the presence of super-cooled liquid water before initiating seeding operations. Rickert emphasizes they avoid seeding naturally efficient storms and suspend operations when conditions could cause blizzards, flooding, or avalanches.

“We tend to like to say that we can add 5 to 12 percent of additional SWE, snow water equivalent, into the snowpack. So if we have a storm that’s coming through that’s going to produce 10 inches of snow by itself, just naturally, if we seed that storm, we could get an extra inch of snow out of that storm.”

Andrew Rickert, Colorado Water Conservation Board

On this Thursday broadcast, Kim Monson dedicates the first hour to Liberty Toastmasters Day, exploring what it means to fulfill civic duties as American citizens. Carol Baker, Vice President of Education for Liberty Toastmasters Denver, joins Kim as co-host. The second hour brings tax policy experts Natalie Menten of Colorado Engaged and Brandon Wark of Free State Colorado to break down the deceptive Proposition HH and strategies for fighting property tax increases.

Start listening at 31:27 – Hour 1

Carol Baker leads the Liberty Toastmasters segment, facilitating a discussion on civic knowledge and responsibility. The segment takes an unexpected turn when Rick Rome, a civil engineer and longtime Toastmaster, announces he is running for Centennial City Council. Rome explains that his entire career has prepared him for municipal governance, from understanding city budgets to standing before councils presenting engineering projects.

Terry Goon follows with her own announcement: she is running for Mayor of Longmont. Goon articulates a clear free market philosophy, arguing that citizens who want performing arts centers or rec centers should pool their own funds rather than forcing all taxpayers to subsidize facilities used by few. She points to a 1902 example where 40 individuals in Long Island gathered their own seed money to finance a factory privately, contrasting this with modern expectations of taxpayer-funded development.

“I believe you should fund and work for your priorities while I do the same for mine.”

Terry Goon, Mayoral Candidate, Longmont

Start listening at 71:14 – Hour 2

Natalie Menten, creator of Colorado Engaged, exposes how Proposition HH uses deceptive language to mask its true purpose. The 48-page measure claims to offer property tax relief, but Menten reveals it will actually gut Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds. Government insiders have called the money-funneling scheme “a game of Plinko,” referencing the unpredictable game show where outcomes are random.

Menten emphasizes that the Blue Book description is critical because it reaches every registered voter household. She is testifying at the legislative hearing to demand clearer language: “state retention of TABOR refunds” instead of the misleading “retain state revenue.” The so-called property tax cap in the proposition is actually a soft cap that excludes all school districts and home rule jurisdictions, and remaining governments can simply hold a public hearing to waive it.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to take our TABOR refunds, gradually grows the size of government by one percentage point, taking money from the private sector, our pockets, growing the size of government, yet they’re trying to pass it off as meaningful property tax relief, which is a joke.”

Natalie Menten, Creator, Colorado Engaged

Start listening at 76:48 – Hour 2

Brandon Wark, founder of Free State Colorado, outlines actionable steps citizens can take. He urges voters to find their county assessor’s website, type in their address, and discover the full list of taxing authorities charging mill levies. Most people are unaware of how many government entities they pay property taxes to, from park and recreation districts to fire districts to schools.

Wark emphasizes that local elections in 2023 offer an immediate opportunity for impact. With national attention focused on 2024, citizens can make outsized contributions to municipal races. He encourages contacting city council candidates directly to ask: “Will you lower the mill levy if elected?” The Skewer Prop HH Barbecue at Sloan’s Lake on Saturday brings together liberty activists from the Libertarian Party of Colorado, Americans for Prosperity, and other organizations building coalitions to defeat HH.

“It’s so flashy to focus on the national level politics, but really where the rubber meets the road, where the action is at is in your local community. You can have such an impact.”

Brandon Wark, Founder, Free State Colorado

On this Wednesday, August 30, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson explores the devastating consequences of tax policy with economic historian Brian Domitrovic, then exposes the alarming CO2 pipeline land confiscation scheme with sixth-generation farmer Trent Loos, revealing how both Republican and Democrat leaders are complicit in threatening American property rights and economic freedom.

Start listening at 31:51 – Hour 1

Brian Domitrovic, Richard S. Strong Scholar at the Laffer Center, breaks down 110 years of income tax history in his new book “Taxes Have Consequences: An Income Tax History of the United States,” co-authored with Arthur Laffer and Jeanne Sinkfield. Domitrovic argues the 16th Amendment ratified in 1913 was a catastrophic mistake, explaining that taxing income predictably produces less of it.

The economist points to the explosive growth of the tax code to 70,000 pages as evidence of collusion between big business and government. Large corporations can afford to navigate the labyrinth of exemptions and escape hatches while small businesses cannot, creating an inherent advantage for corporate giants over entrepreneurs. Domitrovic warns that Biden’s plan to hire 87,000 new IRS agents will mathematically target the middle class, since the least experienced agents cannot defeat wealthy taxpayers’ sophisticated legal teams.

On the BRICS nations exploring alternatives to the dollar, Domitrovic remains optimistic but notes that 17% inflation under Biden has depreciated the dollar’s value, prompting global searches for currency alternatives. His prescription: return to the gold standard and eliminate barriers to investment.

“If you want to hire 87,000 IRS agents, well, by definition, they’re going to be the worst IRS agents on your field because you already hired the best ones, and corporations will have a field day defeating them at the bar.”

Brian Domitrovic, Richard S. Strong Scholar at the Laffer Center

Start listening at 75:15 – Hour 2

Trent Loos, sixth-generation farmer and rancher, exposes the massive CO2 pipeline scheme unfolding across six Midwestern states. Over 200 South Dakota landowners have received eminent domain papers, with 93 more in Iowa, all to accommodate pipelines that will funnel $17.6 billion annually in taxpayer money to just three companies: Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator (84% owned by BlackRock, 14% by United Arab Emirates), and Wolf/ADM.

Loos reveals that Republican governors Kristi Noem, Doug Burgum, Jim Pillen, and Kim Reynolds are championing these pipelines despite campaign promises to protect property rights. Summit Carbon Solutions contributed $50,000 to Governor Pillen’s campaign, and Noem’s inaugural ball sponsors included Poet Nutrition and Summit Carbon Solutions. The easements being forced on landowners extend far beyond the pipeline path, potentially covering entire sections of 640 acres where landowners cannot plant a tree without permission from the easement holder.

The CO2 captured from ethanol plants will not even be used for the claimed purpose of enhanced oil recovery. Loos explains the CO2 must remain entombed for 12 years, and Navigator plans to sell much of it for commercial uses including jet fuel production. Meanwhile, atmospheric CO2 at 430 parts per million is already at critically low levels for plant growth.

“I have to tell you about Kristi Noem. She’s the biggest fraud of all 50 governors in the nation.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer and Rancher

On this August 29, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson examines how America’s green energy policies enrich China while everyday Coloradans struggle with rising property taxes. Daniel Turner of Power the Future exposes the hidden costs of the Inflation Reduction Act, while realtor Karen Levine and mortgage expert Lorne Levy offer strategies for navigating the challenging housing market.

Start listening at 33:27 – Hour 1

Daniel Turner, founder of Power the Future, exposes how environmental policies have become a massive giveaway to America’s chief geopolitical rival. Turner explains that China manufactures 70% of wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, while controlling 90-95% of the raw materials markets needed for these products.

The problem extends beyond manufacturing. Even when materials originate in places like Chile or the Congo, Chinese companies own and operate most of the mines. Turner notes the Biden administration has blocked domestic mining operations like Twin Metals in Minnesota and Pebble Mine in Alaska, forcing dependence on foreign sources in the name of climate policy. This creates what Turner calls a “vicious circle” where the government mandates products requiring rare earth materials but prohibits domestic extraction of those same materials.

Turner points to Colorado as an example of how blue-state migration has transformed energy policy. A decade ago, the state had none of the “environmentalist lunatic regulations” now hampering its oil and gas industry, the very sector that drove Colorado’s growth from 2000 to 2010 as the fastest-growing state in America. When energy workers earning $120,000 to $150,000 annually lose their livelihoods, entire communities built around those jobs collapse.

“Every time the president says we’re going to go green, we’re making these huge investments, we’re really just writing a huge check to China and buying this inferior foreign-made, usually slave labor-made product.”

Daniel Turner, CEO and Founder, Power the Future

Start listening at 61:47 – Hour 2

Karen Levine, award-winning REMAX Alliance realtor, addresses the property tax protests that have Coloradans up in arms. She explains that homeowners who received denials on their valuation protests can now appeal to the Board of Equalization, with Jefferson County’s deadline falling on September 15th.

Levine cautions that current valuations reflect data from 18 months prior, at the peak of the real estate market. While homes may not be worth those amounts today, the relevant question is whether they were worth that during the study period. She warns homeowners with unpermitted finished basements to consider whether appearing before the Board might reveal improvements the county doesn’t know about, potentially increasing their tax burden.

Both Levine and Lorne Levy express concern about Proposition HH, which purports to offer property tax relief but actually eliminates TABOR refunds permanently. As Levy observes, if they genuinely wanted to lower taxes, “they’d probably do it in a paragraph” rather than 48 pages of legislative text.

“The burden always falls on to somebody else. And we are seeing that that burden continues to fall on the middle class, which deteriorates the middle class. And that’s what America had above all other nations was a strong middle class.”

Karen Levine, REMAX Alliance Realtor

Start listening at 71:25 – Hour 2

Lorne Levy of Polygon Financial Group reports that most mortgages now carry rates in the 7% range, a stark change from the 2% and 3% rates available just two years ago. This creates a housing market squeeze: buyers face higher rates while sellers refuse to give up their low-rate mortgages, constraining inventory.

For seniors feeling financially squeezed, Levy highlights reverse mortgages as an underutilized tool. Beyond simply tapping home equity, he describes the “reverse for purchase” strategy where a homeowner selling a $500,000 property can leverage that equity to purchase an $820,000 home with no mortgage payment. The buyer puts down their sale proceeds, the reverse mortgage covers the balance, and they pay only taxes and insurance going forward.

Levy criticizes the Federal Reserve’s approach to cooling inflation, noting that “to these guys, they’re not people, they’re numbers.” The disconnect between Washington policymakers and working families echoes Turner’s earlier observations about energy policy being made by city-dwellers disconnected from rural communities.

“You can also use a reverse mortgage to buy a home, which a lot of people don’t know. You can sell your home now and leverage it almost two to one, get $400,000 out of the house you sell and buy an $800,000 house and have no mortgage.”

Lorne Levy, Mortgage Expert, Polygon Financial Group

On this Monday broadcast, Kim Monson explores two critical fronts in the battle for individual rights: access to legal representation and health freedom. Lisa Bennett and her daughter Nicole Bennett discuss their grassroots effort to reform attorney licensing in Montana, while Leslie Manookian of Health Freedom Defense Fund shares major legal victories against corporate vaccine mandates.

Start listening at 32:00 – Hour 1

Lisa Bennett and her 12-year-old daughter Nicole Bennett expose a crisis in legal representation affecting rural Americans. Their Montana ballot initiative aims to transfer attorney licensing authority from the state Supreme Court back to the legislature, where it resided more than 50 years ago. The initiative responds to a chilling effect on legal representation: attorneys fear disbarment if they take cases against government agencies, leaving ordinary citizens without recourse.

Nicole Bennett reveals troubling statistics about legal access. Twenty-three Colorado counties qualify as legal deserts, meaning fewer than one attorney per thousand residents. Crowley County has no lawyers at all. When corporate attorneys, government prosecutors, and nonprofit counsel are factored out, the available pool of Main Street lawyers willing to take on government cases shrinks further. The initiative requires 75,000 signatures by June 2024 and seeks 750 volunteers to gather 100 signatures each.

The Bennetts also address a recent Montana court ruling on climate change, where a judge found the state violated young plaintiffs’ constitutional rights by promoting fossil fuels. Lisa explains that Montana’s 1972 constitutional language about a clean environment gets interpreted by liberal judges in ways that threaten the state’s agricultural and energy economy.

“23 counties in Colorado are legal deserts, and a legal desert is when there’s less than one lawyer for 1,000 people. And that’s a big problem. In 23 counties, 40% of Colorado is a legal desert.”

Nicole Bennett, Ballot Initiative Advocate

Start listening at 73:00 – Hour 2

Leslie Manookian, founder of Health Freedom Defense Fund, reports significant legal progress against corporate vaccine mandates. Her organization successfully defeated the federal travel mask mandate and now pursues damages against Nike, Disney, and the Los Angeles Unified School District for their vaccine policies. The Nike case achieved a major milestone when a federal judge denied the company’s motion to dismiss, allowing discovery to proceed.

The Nike lawsuit involves employees fired for refusing COVID shots despite religious and medical objections. Nike denied accommodations even though employees offered to work remotely, undergo testing, and wear masks. One employee was terminated while on approved medical leave for an immunological condition recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Another relented at the last moment, got the shot, suffered a severe adverse event, and had to leave the company. Manookian argues that forcing corporations to pay damages will deter future mandate violations.

The LAUSD case challenges the foundational 1905 Jacobson v. Massachusetts precedent that government has used to justify vaccine mandates. Manookian notes that subsequent Supreme Court cases established bodily autonomy rights that conflict with that century-old ruling. The school district continues displacing unvaccinated employees despite overwhelming evidence that the shots do not prevent transmission. Oral arguments are scheduled for September 14th in Seattle.

“No one has the right to tell you what to do with your body. No one. And there is good law that says that.”

Leslie Manookian, Founder, Health Freedom Defense Fund