Walter Rhein Podcast

We Will Respond to Their Hate With Love, We'll Answer Their Despair With Hope


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Hello Friends,

Last week, after the brutal and unjustified murder of Renee Nicole Good, I kept my kids at home for a day. The fact that members of ICE refuse to properly identify themselves as law enforcement officers creates a national security risk that endangers the life of your children.

The way it’s going now, there’s nothing to prevent an armed shooter cosplaying as ICE and demanding entry into a school. I’ve worked at enough school districts to know that every one of them has one or two teachers that are MAGA plants. There’s really nothing to stop them from opening a door and allowing these murderers in.

Unfortunately, people with huge platforms have failed to bring up this obvious concern. This is exactly why we need accountability for law enforcement agents. As it stands right now, the only thing ICE is doing is harassing innocent people and running cover for blatant criminality.

It has to stop.

This morning, I noticed my daughter was troubled as I dropped her off at school. I keep telling you that the five minute drive in the morning is worth its weight in gold. It gives us the opportunity to bring up topics that might have otherwise slid under the radar.

Just before dropping her off, she confided that one of her teachers had understood the reason for her absence last Thursday. That teacher had prepared a document so that the students knew their rights.

Essentially, she gave them a brief lesson on the Constitution. But in modern America, we know that the truth is enough to get you fired or killed.

Apparently one of the other students in this classroom gave the document to her MAGA dad. Naturally he flipped out and called up the teacher, the principal, and the superintendent to complain.

I got all this from just a couple minutes of conversation with my daughter, but one thing she said absolutely chilled me. Apparently the dad commanded his daughter, “not to hang out with those people” because “they could get her into trouble.”

How cowardly is that statement? This is a man who is essentially telling his child to leave her friends behind to die in order to save himself. If you didn’t know it before, I hope you realize it now. Cowardice is the fundamental driving emotion of the MAGA movement. They’re terrified. That’s why they cover their faces with masks and their bodies with armor.

They’re trembling toddlers armed with military grade weapons.

It also bothers me that we live in a system where parents can pressure the school district anonymously. It’s unfair that these unhinged MAGA jerks can storm into schools screaming and yelling, but nobody calls me to offer the other side of the issue.

MAGA jerks always work in silence. I knew that from my earliest days growing up when crowds of conservatives would gather together in the corner and whisper while giving certain kids the evil eye.

They’re always the same. They hide what they do, but then they don’t admit they’re ashamed of their behavior.

I could tell that my daughter was frustrated by all this. It probably went through her head that none of this would have happened if my wife and I hadn’t decided to keep her at home. But I had to tell her that’s the trap that evil people set to make you doubt yourself.

We are never responsible for the actions of evil people. The evil people are responsible. A woman was killed last week. ICE continues to target schools. We didn’t overreact. The rest of the country is underreacting.

I told my daughter that there is never any safety in silence. That’s what got us into this mess. For too long we’ve been bowing to the will of deranged conservatives who insist we must teach lies about US history that gloss over all the crimes of white supremacy.

Our children deserve to know that MAGA men are the most likely to be child rapists. MAGA men are the most likely to beat and murder their wives. MAGA men are the most likely to attempt to overthrow the government.

It’s a long list.

We cannot confront them if we allow exhaustion or despair to rob us of our will to act.

We have to elevate our spirits with the knowledge that our weapons are not fear and hatred and self-loathing. Our side uses love and compassion and hope! Today, I’m going to write my own letters to the school. I’m going to make my own phone calls. I’m going to congratulate the hardworking teachers who protect our children and thank them for educating them about their rights.

Our rights are under attack, but if you don’t even know you have rights, then you don’t even realize you have a right to fight back.

These ignorant MAGA zealots have been well-programed to undermine every mechanism in society that might give rise to a true progressive movement. That girl’s father probably thought himself a proud “son of the confederacy” when he called up the school to complain. He’d probably take pride in being called that, not recognizing that it’s a label of evil.

Our entire cultural structure is designed to open the door for malicious, abusive people, and slam it shut for decency. We can change that. All we have to do is start writing our own letters and making our own phone calls. All we have to do is use our voice and demand that we are treated better. We can come together and shout the praises of those that are going the extra mile to protect our kids.

The only reason MAGA has been allowed to steal such power is that they’ve declared nobody can speak, then they go and whisper words of evil in secret. If we all lift our voices, we can drown them out. Even better, we’ll make them realize they are alone, they are weak, and they are unwelcome.

Take our country back. We do it by being loud and fighting injustice wherever it’s found. Now get out there and sing the praises of good people. They need to hear it. I promise you they need to hear it.

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I’m so happy you’re here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.

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Walter Rhein PodcastBy Walter Rhein

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