Hey folks!
Just wanted to let y’all know about the new politics oriented podcast I’ve started, The Controversial Truth. My partner in crime for this project is my good friend David Duley, author of the book I can Fix America.
Why, Robb…why?
Why a politics oriented podcast? Well, 13 years ago when I became aware of this paleo/evolutionary biology concept I knew it could help people but there was not much discussion of the topic. Vegetarianism was being pushed by the media and government, low carb folks had no idea about gut health and systemic inflammation. So I did my best to articulate the science and concepts which appear to now to be transforming our world. Similarly, I do not see many people talking about fiscal accountability, small government and market based solutions to things like food production, sustainability and health care. I’ve waffled on even getting into this shit-pile but when we start talking about how to fix our food predicaments….its a complex, systemic issue. Farm subsidies make for “cheap” low quality food (cheap to the food manufactures, not so cheap to us in terms of redistribution of taxes and the health costs of bad food) which is consumed in preference to healthier options. Health-care costs are going to the moon, largely due to these foods and the diabesity they produce…so into the fray I go. I’ll do my best to keep most of my politics stuff over on the CT podcast, and I will be starting a different blog here which those of you who want to read and engage can do so, those of you who just want info on health and chow can bypass all this onerous politics stuff! But I’d encourage you to listen, participate and debate. As I make clear in my talk to the SUNY Evolutionary Studies department, we have some serious problem ahead of us and they are not going to magically go away.
Looks like its gonna be a lot of fun to listen to Robb! Great work!
Hi Robb. So when can we expect it to be ready for download in iTunes?
Hey Robb. Though I have the feeling that my politics might be a bit different than yours, I’m going to listen to this anyways, mainly so I can hear you use the term “holy cats” in relation to bail outs.
All kidding aside, this is a very brave thing to do, and you should be proud of yourself. Hopefully you won’t get too much flack for it.
Any chance of a special CF episode?
thanks! I doubt we’ll see a CF episode….it does more good than harm and I’ve commented on how to improve it!
Oh, HELL YEAH!
I’m SUPER excited about this Robb! I look forward to it.
It’s about time! We need this discussion. I am glad to see you step up. Of course how many different ways can you tell people the way to fix their problem is eat Paleo. I know, 139 podcasts and still going. I still enjoy the discussion. I fiund it surpising with Healthcare such a hot topic the Paleoshpere has remained relatively quiet on the subject with the exception of Richard Nikoley. I know nobody wants to offend their audience by wading into that debate. Of course we don’t mind offending vegans and PETA do we? I will definitely tune in.
What is the rss link.cant add the feed to my podcast player.
Looks like it’s here:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/5884/
http://www.buzzsprout.com/5884.rss
You can get the RSS feed on this page:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/5884/
Hey, Robb. I listened to episode 1 earlier this week, and look forward to more. You mentioned the negative reaction some folks have when politics seeps in to The Paleo Solution podcast. Hell, politics infects EVERYTHING these days! You can try to minimize it, but I don’t think you can ignore it completely no matter what you’re talking about.
Sorry about Keystone Gato.
How fitting that I came across this during my mid-afternoon bacon break ;-). I think it’s fantastic that you’re starting a podcast for those of us who are a bit over the so-what-should-I-eat question. There’s an added dimension to the issue for those of us in Canada, where we have so-called universal health care subsidized by the government. My son is autistic (gluten-associated, I’m convinced) and there are lots of bio-med treatments that can be very helpful, but none of them are covered, while the government picks up the entire tab for most of the population that is sick from shoveling junk and guzzling beer and sodapop.
Looking forward to this Robb. Listening to the first episode now.
I very much dislike linking politics with the paleo/low carb lifestyle. My politics are different from Robb’s. You (Robb) are hurting your Paleo message when you push your political beliefs, because you are turning off a lot of people. The problem with the government is not that it is big and has vast resources, it is that the government has the science wrong. If the government had the science right, it would have the potential to benefit many people.
If the government spends money on something, it has the right to expect that its money is being spent properly. The dominant belief in the world of nutrition is that low fat is better, and paleo/low carb are suspect. The government is promoting the dominant beliefs from the “science” of nutrition. The problem is with the science of nutrition, not the government.
If the government gets out of the nutrition business, who will take over as the “dominant voice” that most influences society’s nutrition philosophy? Big corporations? How would you like to have companies like Kraft and General Mills having even more influence than they do now regarding what constitutes “good nutrition”? Don’t kid yourself — that situation would not be better than what exists today.
Think this over — you are not helping the Paleo philosophy.
Diane-
I appreciate the comment but I think you missed that I am doing the podcast on a separate site for exactly the reason you are articulating…I’m not looking to shoe-horn my ideas down anyone’s throat. We’ve built a pretty sizable following here but I’m trying to both prevent the impending catastrophe we face while also leaving thde bulk of chatter around here health/nutriton related. BUT it is all connected and must be adressed.
The Government spends a particular type of money, and that is OUR money. They are shitting the bed in this regard and this is not the exception but the rule, especially as gov gets larger, less accountable etc. The original purpose of the FDA was to provide some minimal oversite on food safety and drug validation. the was trying to undo things like what Upton Sinclaire wrote about in The Jungle. Diane, I’m not sure how much you;ve read on all this, but the FDA is nothing more than a fornt for big business! The heads of the FDA work in a revolving door system between the big companies and it’s leadership. Are you aware we could run drug trials with insurance companies as the 3rd party verifier (something that actually makes market sense?)
I have thought this over, and I think it’s likely a bad idea for ME personally. but if no one does anything, what the hell will the world be like for my daughter?
I’ll extend the same offer to you I have several other people. buy this book:
http://www.cato.org/store/books/healthy-competition-whats-holding-back-health-care-how-free-it-paperback
Send me a receipt and i’ll send you $100. Almost a 10x ROI. You can throw the book away, or learn about the market based solutions we could employ to save our collective little red wagon. Either way, the basic blog will be the same, come along on the journey, or don’t your call.
Wow!
“How would you like to have companies like Kraft and General Mills having even more influence than they do now regarding what constitutes “good nutrition”? ”
I just about couldn’t believe I just read that. That is exactly who is influencing what constitutes “good nutrition.”The government (USDA) pays farmers to farm wheat & corn (with our money) and then tells us that is what we need to eat because they are commodities. Are you new to this? I’m hoping someone else has the time to explain in more detail about “farmer welfare” and the “pyrimid scheme” of USDA’s nutrition advice that is only good for the commodities market and making $ for “sick care” and chemical companies.”
Well said, Diane. I concur.
Diane and Janet — it sure is easy to spot the liberals by their comments. If eating Paleo hasn’t taught you to not trust the government to tell you how to live, then frankly I don’t know what will. If the federal government would confine itself to the national defense, as our founders intended, I would be entirely happy with it.
um Scott, you might want to think twice before painting all ‘liberals’ with the same brush. Im liberal bordering on socialist and I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that the FDA is bloated and not doing what it was always meant to do and that farm subsidies are ruining our food chain.
Why not try having a real conversation instead of throwing out what you consider to be insults toward “liberals”?
Diane-
I am sorry you feel that OUR govnt. that has OUR best interest at hand would get the science wrong and it was not in fact a political play by lobbyists to make themselves and grain farmers a ton of money by creating a food pyramid with a high carb (sugar) and nutritionally poor grains as a base to every healthy Americans diet.
I feel trying to get this diet endorsed by the govnt would most definitely be an up hill battle against the Pharmers (Actual farmers and pharmaceutical companies). Why? Because these companies are making so much money with America on a poor diet.
PS
Im still waiting to see the post saying -IF ROBB GETS INTO POLITICS ILL START EATING GRAING AGAIN BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS WHATS BEST FOR ME! LOL
Diane,
You’re right, a big gov pushing the right agenda — based on actual science, and an acknowledgment that there is no one sized fits all approach, that science fucking evolves and mandates a need to incorporate new research / knowledge, re-investigates the assumptions of the past and what tests can actually show, etc. etc. ad nauseum — would be hugely helpful (think Plato’s philosopher-king). But even if that were possible and flexible enough moving forward (leaving that topic aside for the moment), we’re not going to get there sitting on our ass and hoping.
Bottom line is that the current situation is unsustainable, on too many levels for me to address here. Sitting on our ass will not only not make it better, it will 100% no questions asked make grow worse without course correction. Be the change you want to see.
Personally, I’ve followed this trend for a long long time (not just paleo but organics, food law, subsidies, travesty of healthcare, etc) and it is increasingly disturbing to me that, almost without exception, I am unable to have a rational discussion about sustainability/health/organics/grass fed beef/even shit like the Artic ice melting without encountering a visceral, almost violent reaction. Hopefully Rob’s podcast is a step in the right direction.
JG
Bravo, Robb, looking forward to how this develops. The rubber is hitting the road.
Can’t wait to hear this!
Looks like it is getting hosted at BuzzSprout.
Here’s that link:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/5884/
And the RSS link:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/5884.rss
Good podcast although it wasn’t that controversial.
City of Reno saved millions of $. If problem of conventional wisdom (in relation to healthcare) is about $ then we would expect to see other cities following suit. If wacko conspiracy theories are correct then we would expect to see Reno’s results NOT copied. 1- it will be ignored. [hmmm.. didnt see any 60 mins piece on success of Reno]. 2- it will be mocked [caveman cartoons?] 3- it will be attacked [J.Kruse bioterrorism charge?]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office
cool logo huh? got the all seeing eye, the pyramid. no conspiracy here, just a coincidence.
Mediterranean diet – The first description of the traditional Mediterranean diet as it was followed in the mid-twentieth century, however, was not in a cookbook; it was in a research study funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and published in 1953.
Rockefeller? coincidence. nothing to see here, move along folks.
1943: The Rockefeller Foundation begins its Mexican Agricultural Program (MAP), marking the start of what will later be called the Green Revolution.
1947: The Rockefeller Foundation, gave formal approval to begin projects based on their Mexican Agricultural Program in other nations.[1]
1950: The Rockefeller Foundation realized that the Green Revolution “was a valuable weapon in the struggle to contain Communist expansion.” [2]
1953: Norman Borlaug receives semi-dwarf wheat seeds that were the key to his breakthrough in breeding high-yielding wheat.[3] He begins using these seeds in 1954.
1962: Norman Borlaug released the first two high-yielding semidwarf wheat varieties to Mexican farmers.[7] These varieties are able to produce exceptional yields if grown with large amounts of commercial nitrogen fertilizer.
1966: The Office of Special Studies becomes the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT)
1971: Norman Borlaug wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Some declare the Green Revolution “over.”[8]
Rockefellers again? coincidence…
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/30/news/companies/rockefeller-rothschild/index.htm
May 30,2012 : Two of the most storied families in the business world — the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers — are coming together in an investment partnership.
————
Know your enemy.
Brother, would you expand this for a blog post?
uh, sure thing man. But you got a good thing going and I wouldn’t want to bring you down to my guttural level, so feel free to delete/modify my words as you see fit.
I just popped a melatonin so I’ll work on something tomorrow.
Awesome, this means I’ve got an extra podcast to listen to! 🙂
Straight from the horse’s mouth:
“For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as “internationalists” and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will.
If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.”
David Rockerfeller, “Memoirs”, 2002. Page 402
—–
Get those tinfoil hats on 🙂
Nice!
It needs to be done even though it’s not good for my cortisol level!
Ideally it’s not stressful as we are not gunning for contraversy for the sake of storing shit! We are going to try to use facts and concepts to help change things.
Hey, sounds great. I have a severe allergy to politics that goes back to my childhood of witnessing the left vs. right madness that I have always been skeptical of. I have avoided all politics and political ideas until getting into the paleo thing, and my current college program, where I had to study some politics.
My current critique of politics are abstract, non-empirical heuristics people use to attempt to use to predict the future of complex human systems that people identify with to the point of a secular religion.
That said, the paleo world has had me begin to lean socially liberal and politically libertarian.
So, cool, I will listen to this!
And…perhaps it’s self serving of me to say, but socially liberal, fiscally libertarian/conservative seems to “work”. It’s VERY empirical instead of emotionality typical of the socialist left and religion social engineering right.
Thanks for the reply, I listened to it and I will follow this alongside your paleo podcast. I may check out Duley’s book too.
Outstanding Robb! I’ve always enjoyed your political “rants” on the paleo podcasts; glad to see you have a dedicated forum now.
Robb,
Loved it. The paleo lifestyle and libertarianism go together like soup & sandwich or chocolate & peanut butter or another combination of foods I no longer eat.
Indeed they do!
Goes together like bacon and dates!
Or Bacon and ANYTHING : )
I definitely concur with your statements on the podcast about government subsidies being actually culpable in our current national health condition. If the government would just get out of the way and let farmers farm and eaters eat, I am pretty sure our collective health would get much better much faster. But with Big Ag, Big Pharma, and Big Gov all vested in the status quo it is hard for us to fix this problem.
I will listen. I actually have found that my mission to make better choices regarding food has opened my eyes to how government and our food system really works. I didn’t think the two went hand and hand but they do. I try not to see the world in political camps or immediately put people into identity groups such as liberal, conservative, libertarian, and so forth. However, I have become a more informed citizen by using health and food as my gateway into the world of politics, as much as I hate politics. Sometimes I wish the news didn’t have close captioning. That way I wouldn’t be tempted to watch and then end up walking out of the house all pissed off in the morning. Good luck to you. Sounds educational.
Great work. I love the tie-in with food and government. I will definitely be listening to these podcasts.
Here’s a little story on how the FDA is just a front for big pharma.
So my uncle was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia eight years ago. Back then, reading up on medical texts, they said that one can live with it, but once it progresses, you’re basically screwed. There was no treatment at the time, only last minute chemo which rarely works. Well, his spleen began to enlarge, an ominous sign that it was becoming acute. His oncologist recommended an Indian herb called neem, because he had a patient that went into remission while taking it. What the MD found was that this neem seemed to keep the cancer cells encapsulated and slowing the progression of the cancer to a point which is unnatural for this stage of it. Later, he was given oral chemo and within a year he was in full remission, and has been since.
This oncologist, because he actually cares, wanted to submit neem for empirical study. To his dismay, the FDA would not let it be studied because it’s not a drug. It’s a cheap herb. So, it’s still a little known herbal supplement. Thanks FDA, I’m sure many with this type of leukemia may not have my uncle’s luck because this herb is not going to be followed up on.
I’m blanking on the name of the former head of the NIH, It’ll come to me. But he left after 19 years, 1 years shy of retirement out of the org as he was so disgusted with the lack of interest, and actual hostility towards “health” related research. The NIH is reticent to fund ANY research that is not disease related. Health and optimization are not on their radar.
i wonder if neem contains amygdalin?
http://www.naturalnews.com/035554_laetrile_cancer_cure_cyanide.html
[Ed Griffin authored a book about the creation of the Federal Reserve (creature from Jekyll island].
– VIDEO interview of G. Edward Griffin on amygdalin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnP9sU1KW4
Dont know the validity of this therapy, but I do NOT trust govt (NIH FDA,etc) one bit!
Hmmm a podcast where you can’t tell us too get more sleep? Count me in!!! Lol
:0)
I know this is my own illiteracy, but can this be put on iTunes? I’m not getting all this “rss” stuff. I know iTunes. It is a page of a bunch of text. Help?
It’ll be on itunes soon! We thought it was.
Will there be written transcripts of the podcast posted? I miss about every fourth word.
We’ll get to that.
I agree that paleo & politics go together. I am backwards from most being that my family has gone paleo for political reasons, and are reaping some health benefits. We are voting against Monsanto, USDA, & FDA with our FORKS! On healthcare, (my husband & I both work in healthcare) I would love nothing better than zero or catastrophic only insurance. Imagine the “cost” of healthcare if you got some quotes, did some haggling, picked a dr. based on his reputation and results, etc. I’m sure I’m not crazy!(?)
Exactly, but instead folks think we will provide “free insurance for all”. Doctors leave the profession, rationing occurs…everyone is “covered” and quality of care goes in the toilet.
I work in employee benefits, specializing in the healthcare industry, so I’ve been living and breathing stuff for over 20 years. What Robb says about doctors leaving the profession, rationing, and healthcare going down the toilet, is 100% correct.
“folks think we will provide “free insurance for all”. Doctors leave the profession, rationing occurs…everyone is “covered” and quality of care goes in the toilet.”
Yes, this is exactly what is happening in Canada (I live in Quebec), along with the development of a two-tiered health care system, where people who have money pay to get things done privately, and the poor suckers have to put up with the public system
I would like to add that I completely disagree with Diane’s comment above that Paleo should be divorced from politics. Food and politics are very intimately entwined, and always have been. Our governments are on a completely unsustainable path when it comes to food and healthcare, so the fact that Robb is willing to put his “brand” on the line to bring this discussion to the forefront is VERY admirable in my opinion!
I believe you need to make a “documentary” too. Please!!! I have friends being sold to vegetarianism b/c of Forks over Knives. Really people!?!!! They need the truth!!!
Thanks Robb!
Already been done: http://perfecthumandiet.us/
Robb,
I’ve listened to your paleo podcasts and read the paleo solution and based on that I was able to see that you are a very reasonable person (as a Libertarian, I could not help but chuckle every time you take a jab at people who think government is good for anything). Anyway, I love to see that we are likeminded in more ways than one. Good luck and I will be listening.
“Health and optimization are not on their radar.”
you can say that again.
—
To help bring about a higher-paid profession, the AMA in 1904 created the Council on Medical Education, which sought to shut down more than half the existing medical schools by rating them on a scale of A to C. In cooperation with state medical boards composed of what Arthur Dean Boran, head of the council, called the “right sort of men,” the AMA succeeded in cutting the number of schools to 131 by 1910, from a high of 166.
Then the council’s secretary N.P. Colwell helped plan (and some say write) the famous 1910 report by Abraham Flexner. Flexner, the owner of a bankrupt prep school, had the good fortune to have a brother, Simon, who was director of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. At his brother’s suggestion, Abraham Flexner was hired by the Rockefeller-allied Carnegie Foundation so that the report would not be seen as a Rockefeller initiative. And Carnegie, whose main goal was to “rationalize” higher education, that is, replace religion with science, saw the AMA cartelization drive as useful. Claiming to have investigated nearly every school in the country, Flexner rated them on suitability. Schools he praised received lush grants from the Rockefeller and associated foundations, and almost all the medical schools he condemned were shut down, especially the “commercial” institutions. AMA-dominated state medical boards ruled that in order to practice medicine, a doctor had to graduate from an approved school. Post-Flexner, a school could not be approved if it taught alternative therapies, didn’t restrict the number of students, or made profits based on student fees.
Why the opposition to for-profit schools? If an institution were supported by student fees rather than philanthropic donations, it could be independent of the foundations. The Rockefeller family had invested heavily in allopathic drug companies and wanted doctors to use their products.
The Flexner Report was more than an attack on free competition funded by special interests. It was also a fraud. For example, Flexner claimed to have thoroughly investigated 69 schools in 90 days, and he sent prepublication copies of his report to the favored schools for their revisions. Homeopaths noted that his authority derived solely “from an unlimited access to the pocketbook of a millionaire.” Homeopaths did not use synthetic drugs, of course. John E. Churchill, president of the Board of Education of New York, called the report a “menace to the freedom of teaching.” Years later, Flexner admitted that he knew nothing about medical education. But he did not need to in order to serve his employers’ purposes.
Flexner’s attack, stepped up by the AMA’s Council on Medical Education and its state medical boards, closed 25 schools in three years, with more over the years to come, and cut the number of students attending the remaining schools in half. All non-mainstream practitioners were targeted. For example, from the early part of the century, consumers preferred optometrists to ophthalmologists on grounds of both service and price. Yet the AMA derided the optometrists as quacks, and in every state, the AMA-dominated medical boards imposed restrictions on these and other “sectarian” practitioners when they could not outlaw them entirely.
I think it is safe to say that we all agree that the USA has deep problems (healthcare,economic,political) and that they’re getting worse.
These problems also exist in many other countries, and if the US collapses, no part of the world will be unaffected.
So we all want to fix this problem. In order to do that it we need to determine the root causes of these issues. Is it corruption? greed? political shortsightedness? some wacky conspiracy?
How do we aquire knowledge? As sentient beings we have the ability acquire information from our environment and use our faculties of reason to make order out of chaos. To make sense. But we dont always have all the information- so we form an opinion based on what we do know; our brain doesnt like ‘not knowing’. Once we form an opinion, that becomes our ‘belief’. When contradicting information is presented our natural tendency is to resist. Our brains do not like admitting that our beliefs are wrong. Beliefs are designed to enhance our ability to survive, they are biologically designed to be strongly resistant to change. Why am I rambling on and on about this? What’s my point? The point is, we need to acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge and beliefs so that in the light of new information, we can modify them and hence make progress. Its like Robb says ‘ok, maybe veganism is superior, try it out in a trial agst paleo and if the results are there I’ll change my prescription’. So, we need to keep our minds open to all possibilities.
One possibility is that there is an active conspiracy about to enslave humanity in a ‘matrix-like’ reality. Too far-fetched? maybe. But when you start seeing evidence about how we (joe public) is being duped and manipulated at every turn by the powers that be you start questioning everything. 9/11 is probably the mother of all lies. If one delves into that topic one reaches a very unsettling conclusion. I dont ask you to believe me- just watch this, if only for entertainment value http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9UwsSXwTYg&feature=related .
There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there (on purpose), research the facts for yourself.
9/11 is important, not only as a stand alone topic, but once one realizes what the elite are willing and capable of, the doors of perception are blown wide open. All is questioned, dogma is scrutinized, rationality prevails.
Hey Robb, check this one out. Dr Alan Sabrosky Credentials
Alan Sabrosky (Ph.D., University of Michigan), is a ten-year US Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of the US Army War College. also a writer and consultant specializing in national and international security affairs. In December 1988, he received the Superior Civilian Service Award after more than five years of service at the U.S. Army War College as Director of Studies, Strategic Studies Institute, and holder of the General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research.
—-
He’s no chump. Check out what he has to say (go to 7:50)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx9gsH43sPE
WOW.
Very cool, I think it’s a perfect idea. My husband will love it (he loves politics) I will tell about as soon as I get home.
He just finished The Paleo Solution and it has totally inspired him to get more committed to his paleo diet.
Thanks,
Lulu
Robb, you familiar with Aaron Russo?
“Russo became involved in political issues in the early-1990s when he produced and starred in the documentary entitled Mad As Hell in which he criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the federal government’s War on Drugs, the concept of a National Identity Card, and government regulation of alternative medicine.[citation needed]
In 1998, Russo took his political interests to a higher level, running for governor of the state of Nevada as a Republican. Placing second in the Republican primary with 26% of the vote to candidate Kenny Guinn, Russo later endorsed the Democratic nominee, then-Las Vegas mayor Jan Laverty Jones, who would eventually lose to Republican nominee Kenny Guinn.[citation needed] Russo was planning to run again for Nevada governor in 2002 as either an independent or Libertarian but was sidelined by cancer.
In January 2004, Russo declared his candidacy for the President of the United States initially as an independent but then as a Libertarian.
On January 14, 2007, Russo announced his full support for US Congressman Ron Paul’s candidacy for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.[3]
Later in 2007, Russo created the political grassroots organization, Restore the Republic (restoretherepublic.com), to fulfill the political ambitions laid out in his final movie documentary, America: Freedom to Fascism. Regarding the organization, Russo said his goal was to “try and get the word out to the public about what’s happening to America — and give them an opportunity to try to change things”.
On August 24, 2007, Russo died at the age of 64 of bladder cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.[4]
—-
awesome documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7bQ7wwGnQQ
tell me what you think
go to 58′ to see Ron Paul
News to me man! I’ll check it out.
Robb:
Looking forward to subscribing when the iTunes feed is set up. Do you plan to have guests on this podcast? If so, I would suggest you hook up with Wes Bertrand. He has his own podcast, Complete Liberty, and he is a proponent of the Paleo Diet.
Yes we are going to have guests and please remind me on this, I;d love to have him on.
Robb,
First, I’d like to say that I love the work that you do with regard to nutrition and physiology. You truly are a valued mind in this, the paleo movement. I listen to your podcasts every week and I really enjoy your wealth of knowledge in nutrition/physiology, as well as your witty sense of humor. You’re cool in my book.
Anyhow, you describe yourself as more of a libertarian. Well, I am what one would call a “radical” libertarian, and I spend a great deal studying (as well as debating) political economy, as well as other related subjects. While you may or may not be as deep into it as I am, I am quite sure that you’ve spent some time delving into theory and becoming familiar with some of the thinkers in the world of liberty and libertarianism. So, I am curious as to who has influenced you in this area. Libertarianism has quite a wide scope, where do you fall into things? I guess that is what I am getting to.
Keep up the great work, and I look forward to your future endeavors: both political and nutritional.
Best Regards,
Joseph Fetz
P.S. I am sorry to hear about Keystone. I have a close friend who recently lost his cat, so I can imagine how you must feel. While I am a dog person, I’ve always been fond of all animals, cats are no exception. Just be thankful for the good memories that you have thanks to that Gato, he will always be a part of you in that respect.
Joe-
I love cats and dogs…but man, Keystone was like the best of both. It may be hyperdramatic, but his loss is a gaping wound….I honestly pretty depressed, but my little girl pulls me out of my funk. I’m super lucky for that.
Shoot, influences….I had an econ teacher in long beach (cannot remember his name) that had me so fired up about econ I almost went that route in school. Hayeck, mandelbrot, Freidman, Devany…I think I arrived at this a bit more from the decentralized mathematics side of things, and then started piecing together the social liberty elements. I’ve also always been a sucker for standing up for the underdog. The only time I’ve really gotten beaten up was when a black kid was going to get jumped by about 5 cowboys at the local county fair. His main offense? Being black. I got a broken nose, popped the cartilage off a couple of ribs, and likely saved that kids life (A few 10 gallon hats were not so perky after that…me and that kid held our own pretty good!). Whenever you see how large organisations, particularly the gov treats people, it’s reminiscent of that fight…someone getting picked on for just being alive.
Ok, that sounds good. It really isn’t that difficult of a political philosophy to get your head around. Basically, if you are against the initiation of force or violence against persons and property, then you’re a libertarian. Most of the theory and all of that is mostly justifications of that position. Obviously, many people seem to make an exception for the state when it comes to these principles, which is where libertarians draw the line. We don’t see the state as any more allowed to kill, maim, steal, etc than any other entity. In fact, some of us libertarians even prefer to not have a state at all and have the market provide the system of courts and security forces (the market being an entirely voluntary system of exchange).
In any case, people come to it from different angles, and it is more of a continuum than anything else. I’m glad to see that you see the problems of centralized power, as well as seeing the initiation of violence as unjust. You’d think that this stuff would be common sense.
P.S. While political philosophy and economics are two separate subjects, they do share a lot of commonality. If there is one book that I would recommend that you read, it would be ‘Man, Economy and State’ by Murray Rothbard. It’s a whopper of an economics treatise, but it changed my own worldview economically, as well as politically.
Just ordered it!
Wow, that’s awesome! I didn’t expect you to just take my word for it, especially so quickly. I mean, you don’t know me from Adam, so I feel honored that you’d respond so positively. Thanks.
You won’t be sorry, and it will definitely serve to improve your knowledge, which will obviously give you a lot of background for your new podcast. Like I said, it’s an economics treatise and it is quick a large book, so don’t expect to just sit down and plow through it in like a week or so. Take your time and read a bit here and there, if it takes you a few months, so be it. You certainly won’t be sorry.
Just out of curiosity, did you get the version that includes ‘Power and Market’?
If you have no state, how would you maintain a nationwide standing army? How would a loose connection of private militias w their own interests and no central chain of command respond to a threat from say, china?
Dude, I’m not going to attempt to condense years of study into a post here (Robb’s blog). If you want to actually learn about political theory and philosophy as it relates to libertarianism, then look into some books/articles written by Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Murray Rothbard, Albert Jay Nock, David D. Friedman, Roderick Long, etc. Actually, a friend of mine wrote a book called ‘Chaos Theory’ that pretty much explains how a private law and private defense system might work, you can read it for free: http://mises.org/document/3088/Chaos-Theory
However, if I were to attempt to explain how a stateless system would work in as few words as possible, then here is what I would say: Privatize Everything! Obviously, if you aren’t steeped in economic theory, that might sound absurd, but once you understand that there is no function of the state that isn’t based upon and rooted in violence, coercion, theft and force; then it becomes very clear that the arena of voluntary exchanges (the market) is the only just system of governance.
Thanks man. I actually am myself on the libertarian side of soiopolitics, although some of the more radical interpretations of it (ie privatize everything) seem laudable but i have my doubts as to their practicality. I’ll need to do some reading up.
Eight years ago I was in the Navy and was a strict conservative with a constitutionalist bent. Seven years ago, I was a strict constitutionalist with a classical liberal bent. Six years ago I became a minarchist, and left the Navy. About four years ago I became what is called an anarcho-capitalist. Obviously, if you would have asked me eight years ago if I thought that privatizing everything was a good idea, I would have looked at you like you were completely insane (and would have said so). It isn’t something that you arrive at without having spent a great deal of time studying economics and political philosophy, and even still you might not come to that conclusion. I remember when it finally did hit me, I took a step back and thought, “holy crap, I’m an anarchist!” It really surprised me that I could actually come to the conclusion that the state is unjust. Personally, I don’t like the word “anarchist”, because it gives the impression of no governance and complete chaos. Of course, that is not the case. I still believe that security (police/military), courts, firemen, teachers, roads, etc are all important, but I don’t think that having a monopoly entity being in charge of them is the most just system of governance. I prefer the term “anti-statist”, because it is obvious that I believe in the rule of law and governance, I just don’t believe that the state is the best means of achieving these ends.
Of course, most of us went to government schools where we all were brainwashed to think that “the state=good while the market=bad”. So, it is no surprise that it takes a great deal of study and being open to learning new ideas in order to change one’s perspective on things. Pulling the wool from one’s eyes is not an easy endeavor, that is for sure.
Holy crap, Joe Fetz may be the most ubiquitous man on the net! Excellent to see a familiar face, Joe. This is my first stop off here at Robbwolf.com. I followed a link from somewhere liberty minded and am very glad I did.
I just want tO be clear, I’m not against any race religion or group, I’m only interested in an open and honest discussion of the facts. I don’t believe in wild theories that are unsupported. Aliens for example. Maybe they exist, maybe they don’t , i keep an open mind but I haven’t seen any proof.
Let’s assume our govt was involved in nefarious activities. If the Truth was far fetched and incredulous would they tackle it head on and debate it based on facts? Of course not. They would manufacture and/or support other outlandish theories so that the casual observer would just lump ALL those theories in the trash. I’ll tell you right now, majority of info out there is false or partly false (partial truths are a main weapon they use to obfuscate the truth). But there are nuggets of truth out there. Does this make any sense? Look at it from a diet point of view. A typical American may want to shed a few pounds and gain more vitality. He knows he needs to eat right. He’s tried SAD. What does he encounter online? Everything under the spectrum- vegan ism to Atkins in all it’s meat and cheese glory to “caveman” diet to dr oz. diff groups say diff things. He throws his hands up in frustration and exclaims that it’s too confusing and that no one knows anything, “the scientists keep changing what they say everyday”- so they eventually give up- they watch football drink beer and become even more filled w apathy.
But WE know there Is a diet that works. That gives health and vitality and is sustainable. That is backed by Good Science.. And we are starting to see how paleo is being roadblocked, and not being gIven a fighting chance. Robb,
I remember when you were so discouraged by dr oz. you felt like “what the hell am i doing all this for?” You were depressed bc you thought, you really believed paleo was about to break thru… To the other side. And it should’ve – in a rational and same world…
Obfuscation, misinformation, disinformation , appealing to our limbic brain, propaganda, distractions– these are their weapons. Their Achilles heel? Logic, reason. Not much of that being taught in public schools huh?
It all seems so daunting.
But in the end it doesn’t matter if we win or lose , it’s how we play the game. I’d rather put up a good fight and lose than cheat and win.
Kind of like Rocky I . He technically doesn’t win, but he does win.
My big problem with most of the conspiracy theory stuff (and Iz luvz conspiracies!) Is that it implies a level of control, and more importantly UNDERSTANDING that I really do not think exists. Can a gov machinate something like Pearl Harbor? Sure, but I don;t think it;s the norm. i think we stumble around, fudging things up, with actually very little plan, and typically atrocious results.
AND it completely ignores the fact we now have a choice how we respond (foreign policy like “let Israel take care of Israel” ala Ron Paul)
You into economics too Robb. I’m no expert but I dabble in it. The cyclical boom bust nature of the economy is a main point of debate amongst the diff economic groups. The Keynes group advocates a stronger govt role. Austrian group, including Murray rothbard, advocate the libertarian view- less govt, return to gold std.
Return to gold std solves the problem of fractional reserve lending which artificially inflates the money supply. I agree w this.
Ok, conspiracy time!
The elite are not stupid. One of their tactics is controlled opposition. This works thru a Hegelian dialectic. Basically you set up 2 sides of an issue and play them off against each other. The key is they avoid the real crux of the matter. It helps for each side to have elements of truth. A lie w a bit of truth is a more effective lie. What the heck am I getting at? Well, the libertarians, such as rothbard, conveniently skirt the issue of “interest” as a means of inflating the money supply. This is key to their power. Remember back in Abe’s time they had a gold standard too.
And yes, there has been generous funding by Rockefellers to the Austrian school. I can look up the articles if you’re interested.
They’re damn cunning, I’ll give them that. In a perverse way I even admire them.
Do the research yourself, keep an open mind, use logic and reason–that is their only weakness.
Btw, you’re much vaunted double blind randomized paleo trial? We know it will be a success, but don’t get depressed when it gets thrown down the memory hole.
You keep saying paleo is gaining traction, I would say at a snail’s pace. If it does hit critical mass, watch for attacks in the msm as well as plants within the community who are well funded and espouse weird ideas. And THEY will get airtime on dr oz, not you.
I’m not hoping for this, I’m just anticipating it.
Pleaset try a little preparation and post-production editing to make it less “conversational” than TPS.
Bob-
No dice, the sound quality sill suck on any activity I undertake.
Theories shmeories! We need published peer reviewed science! Not Internet bs!
Here you go: http://www.benthamscience.com/open/tocpj/articles/V002/7TOCPJ.htm
How’s your Danish? The lead author, Niels Harrit, in a TV interview – explains the study. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o
[hey Robb, i dont know what you think of all these posts- interesting? funny? offensive? idiotic? I just want to say I look up to you, your work has really had a positive impact on my life. You’re a smart guy and I sense you’re after the truth and want to help people. My background- im not religious, have no agenda. Im very curious though and always seeking new knowledge. Im skeptical by nature and try to base my beliefs on facts (so yeah, no aliens, no extradimensional lizards :). I know you’re a busy guy but if you ever want to correspond privately let me know. If im distracting you or going off topic you can tell me off or delete any/all posts- no offense will be taken. Thanks for all you do man, and keep up the good work! -Sonny.
PS thanks for the floor press tip! i’ve exceeded 1.2x BW (never could exceed that on flat bench)!]
LEGIT! Love the posts.
I hate to burst your bubble, but you should indeed be aware of the fact that the results of any scientific inquiry and testing is indeed called a theory. So, you’re incorrect to attempt to distinguish peer-reviewed science as somehow being superior to scientific theory, because theory is what you get from the peer-review process. What you are saying is analogous to saying, “sound shmound, what we need is vibrating guitar strings”.
Point taken, but context is important. When I said theories shmeories I was referring to It’s common usage as in “conspiracy “theory”. When ppl use this definition they mean it in a disparaging way, not in the way a scientist uses it.
Another example is 2 black friends who refer to each other as N words. It is used in an endearing manner. Yet if you say it, I will bet they will not find the term v endearing – try it out if you don’t believe me.
I find it interesting that you chose to “burst my bubble” by going into the semantics of what I said as opposed to criticizing the study i cited in a logical manner– a successful repudiation on that topic would have burst my bubble.
That’s because I didn’t even look at what you linked to. First impressions are important, and yours wasn’t very compelling.
After having now looked at the link I will say that I’m already aware that nanothermite was found in the WTC dust. You’re not exactly exposing anything new here (this info is a few years old). So, obviously there is nothing for me to “criticize” regarding the study. Further, I used the phrase “burst your bubble” entirely consistent with its common usage (i.e. to correct an ignorant belief). Obviously, if somebody uses the words “theory” and “peer-review” in the same statement, it would be a logical leap to conclude that such person was *only* referring to “conspiracy theories”. In fact, it would be entirely logical to conclude that the person saying such things was indeed referring to scientific theory. If you meant “conspiracy theory”, perhaps you should have been more clear from the outset.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you want to be taken seriously by me or anybody else, I highly recommend that you be more thorough and rigorous with your statements. This is, after all, a public forum in which your statements are permanently etched into the digital record for all to see, and more than likely this record will be maintained for generations. Then again, perhaps that is why you wish to remain anonymous (you’re fearful of taking full responsibility for your statements). Unfortunately, that is common in today’s day and age.
You’re right, my original statement wasn’t very clear. I’ll try to be more Precise in the future.
To be taken seriously? actually I don’t really care. I’m just seeking stimulating debate. I find it helps me to resolve an issue by playing devil’s advocate. It would actually be kind of cool if many of my statements were refuted. Then I would learn something new.
Anyways, sorry again Joe
No problem, man. I am just kind of anal retentive about details, and I can come across as kind of an asshole (I come from a long line of untactful people who speak their minds in a blunt way). I personally do like to be taken seriously, and I have very strong opinions, so I tend to use my real name on the internet. The way I see it, if I want to have such strong opinions, then I better stand behind them openly. It’s a principle thing, I guess.
Thanks for keeping the politics separate–I might be interested, I might not, I appreciate the choice. The political climate is so ugly that sometimes I need to avoid it all just to keep healthy.
Thanks Gail.
On a HUMOROUS note, I strongly recommend all believers in bigger gov’t watch the Monty Pythonesque comedy “Brazil” starring Robert De Niro, Terry Gilliam and Jonathan Pryce. Laughter and satire will often do a better job persuading than dry recitation of ‘the facts’
Although anxious for iTunes downloads to start, I managed to finish episode 1 of CTP via an MP3 download with sync to iPhone. Awesome first start.
On the FDA front, two conflicting but related issues:
(a) Regulatory Capture by ‘Big Pharma’, ‘Big Ag’, etc (key scary music)
(b) Public Relations (key scary music)
At the links are two different Stanford University Hoover Institute write-ups about the FDA being an obstacle to innovation even when patients are staring at near-term absolute, certain death. FDA is the gov’t and they are not there to help. Long story short, if the FDA does not approve either the human-trials or the widespread release of a drug/device then the FDA avoids having their agency on any death certificates. Must not have a poster child ‘die’ due to an FDA mistake even though the poster child was going to die anyway, very soon, very painfully.
Here are the links:
(1) “A Taste of Government-Run Healthcare” – http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/120951
(2) “Fire the FDA Now” – http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/67041
thanks Luke, i was a subscriber to the Hoover Digest for a long time, need to re-up that.
# 1 was great!
A few random thoughts on the advisability of your new venture:
Quoting some guy name Franklin: “A republic, if you can keep it.”
The USA has been flunking prosperity 101 for quite some time…
‘Eating’ the easter bunny is fine (& paleo); believing in him because he brings ‘free’ goodies?
CT will be good.
I look forward to some of the discussions about healthcare/Obamacare. The whole thing is very confusing to me. I honestly don’t know what to think about it. It is hard to listen to a decent discussion because the conversation quality goes down pretty fast with all sorts of tirades. Then I lose track with what people are saying and at the end of day I am still confused. And you have to mention at least one “Holy Cats!” It is even funnier on paper.
Hi Robb. . .listened to the podcast–good stuff! I’ll definitely pick up Dave’s book, too. I think it will transcend political leanings because it’s just practical.
Sad to think that Personal Responsibility is a controversial topic, but I guess that’s where we’ve come. . .
“My big problem with most of the conspiracy theory stuff Is that it implies a level of control, and more importantly UNDERSTANDING that I really do not think exists. i think we stumble around, fudging things up, with actually very little plan, and typically atrocious results.”
I respect your thoughts Robb, but your’re ‘thoughts’ are not backed up by any evidence. This is akin to debating a vegan and the vegan says “well, I get your point but I just dont think sat’d fat is good for us”.
My contention is that there is a higher level of control than the Oval Office. A secret group that pulls the strings and controls the agenda. Do I have solid proof? no, but I have presented compelling evidence that would warrant further thought and discussion. 9 11 is one major example. Please tell me, how did 2 planes bring down 3 skyscrapers? How to explain the presence of military grade incendiary chemicals found in WTC dust as reported in a scientific paper?
These are facts, ‘i dont think’ just doesnt cut it. Logically refute them and I will change my mind.
“AND it completely ignores the fact we now have a choice how we respond ala Ron Paul)”
No, it doesnt ignore the fact. 1.Is RP on the ticket? (y/n) 2.will RP get enough votes?(y/n) 3. will the vote counters accurately ascribe RP those votes and allow him to win? 4. will RP be honest and actually carry thru his promises? 5.will congress cooperate w him? 6. will RP escape assassination attempts? 7. will legislation ACTUALLY BE PASSED INTO LAW AND CARRIED OUT? (such as ending the Fed, no support for Israel)
You could answer ‘yes’ to all of the first 6 questions and still my contention of a ‘hidden cabal’ would not be disproven. It is only with #7. If that happened, my contention would sound v silly, and I would retract it.
Do we have any historical precedence for #6? Indeed we do:
During the Civil War (1861-1865), President Lincoln needed money to finance the War from the North. The Bankers were going to charge him 24% to 36% interest. Lincoln was horrified and went away greatly distressed, for he was a man of principle and would not think of plunging his beloved country into a debt that the country would find impossible to pay back.
Eventually President Lincoln was advised to get Congress to pass a law authorizing the printing of full legal tender Treasury notes to pay for the War effort. Lincoln recognized the great benefits of this issue. At one point he wrote:
“… (we) gave the people of this Republic the greatest blessing they have ever had – their own paper money to pay their own debts…”
The Treasury notes were printed with green ink on the back, so the people called them “Greenbacks”.
Lincoln printed 400 million dollars worth of Greenbacks (the exact amount being $449,338,902), money that he delegated to be created, a debt-free and interest-free money to finance the War. It served as legal tender for all debts, public and private. He printed it, paid it to the soldiers, to the U.S. Civil Service employees, and bought supplies for war.
Shortly after that happened, “The London Times” printed the following: “If that mischievous financial policy, which had its origin in the North American Republic, should become indurated down to a fixture, then that Government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without a debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous beyond precedent in the history of the civilized governments of the world. The brains and the wealth of all countries will go to North America. That government must be destroyed, or it will destroy every monarchy on the globe.”
The Bankers obviously understood. The only thing, I repeat, the only thing that is a threat to their power is sovereign governments printing interest-free and debt-free paper money. They know it would break the power of the international Bankers.
The North won the War, and the Union was preserved. America remained as one nation.
Of course, the Bankers were not going to give in that easy, for they were determined to put an end to Lincoln’s interest-free, debt-free Greenbacks. He was assassinated by an agent of the Bankers shortly after the War ended.
Thereafter, Congress revoked the Greenback Law and enacted, in its place, the National Banking Act. The national banks were to be privately owned and the national bank notes they issued were to be interest bearing. The Act also provided that the Greenbacks should be retired from circulation as soon as they came back to the Treasury in payment of taxes.
No United States president since Abraham Lincoln dared to go against the system and create his own money, as many of these so-called elected presidents were actually only instruments or puppets of the Bankers. That is until President John F. Kennedy came into office.
President Kennedy was not afraid to “buck the system”, for he understood how the Federal Reserve System was being used to destroy the United States. As a just and honorable man, he could not tolerate such a system, for it smelled corruption from A to Z. Certainly he must have known about the Greenbacks which Abraham Lincoln created when he was in office.
On June 4th, 1963, President Kennedy signed a presidential document, called Executive Order 11110, which further amended Executive Order 10289 of September 19th, 1951. This gave Kennedy, as President of the United States, legal clearance to create his own money to run the country, money that would belong to the people, an Interest and debt-free money. He had printed United States Notes, completely ignoring the Federal Reserve Notes from the private banks of the Federal Reserve.
Our records show that Kennedy issued $4,292,893,825 of cash money. It was perfectly obvious that Kennedy was out to undermine the Federal Reserve System of the United States.
But it was only a few months later, In November of 1963, that the world received the shocking news of President Kennedy’s assassination. No reason was given, of course, for anyone wanting to commit such an atrocious crime. But for those who knew anything about money and banking, it did — not take long to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For surely, President Kennedy must have had It in mind to repeal the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, and return back to the United States Congress the power to create its own money.
It is interesting to note that, only one day after Kennedy’s assassination, all the United States notes, which Kennedy had issued, were called out of circulation. Was this through an executive order of the newly installed president, Lyndon B. Johnson? Was President Johnson afraid of the Bankers? Or was he one of their instruments? At any rate, all of the money President Kennedy had created was destroyed. And not a word was said to the American people.
—–
Are you a patriotic American? Do you admire JFK? Im not. American that is. Im Canadian but I highly repect JFK as a man of integrity and intelligence. Here’s JFK in HIS OWN WORDS talking about conspiracies. (Dont listen to me, Im just some internet schmuck, listen to what the President himself said) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaaUC8Mtjw4&feature=fvst
I dont mean to be repetitious, but there is a lot of half truths and misinformation out there. This is by design. Its to hide the real nuggets of truth, such as JFK’s speech. That’s a FACT. His assassination is a FACT.
I dont get the controversy w safe starches. One word answer: Kitavans. That’s a FACT. Yeah, there are details, but that’s the main point. That starches can be safe. Its a FACT.
2 planes hit 2 buildings and 3 buildings fell. Thats a FACT. I may have made a spelling mistake in this post or have been grammatically incorrect but that doesnt change the facts.
Prove me wrong. I dare you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWSx0bBiNIs 🙂
Hey, Robb!
Good move! I’m seriously thinking about starting a blog myself, exactly about politics, too. My urge to do this has recently been fuelled after I’ve watched a ton of very wise speeches from a few really independent thinkers. Those Youtube clips are all in German, I’m afraid. But I’m highly motivated to share with you what I’ve learned, I’m sure it gives you ideas, too. For a start I can center the findings around some very basic questions:
What is money?
Simple: It’s trust. It’s trust that I’m going to get something useful, something valuable in return for the colourful piece of paper you hand me over.
More important: Where does money come from?
That’s a good one. Nobody knows, even though we use it daily and take it for granted. The simple yet stunning answer is: Banks make it. Out of nothing.
Don’t take my word for it, check it. And while you’re at it, check why the nations of this planet have a combined debt of 32 trillion Euros, and who they owe it. You might be surprised (check on the Fed as well, and their status as a private company).
My core point is that I got the impression that there’s one fundamental error in our economic system that causes all the deviations and problems that are all over the news. Interest.
Interest based money demands ruthless economic growth, ruthless economic growth exploits people and the planet.
I also enjoy conspiracy theories, but I agree with you that most of them seem to need a too high level of control and sophistication to be implemented and to come close to reality. Based on what I wrote above, I’d rather expect that interest groups just use a fundamental flaw in our economic system to gain an advantage. A flaw that maybe was implemented just out of a habit, without any idea about its massive and decades-long consequences.
Thanks in advance for your effort, and some feedback. 😉
Axel
“I’d rather expect that interest groups just use a fundamental flaw in our economic system to gain an advantage” an ‘advantage’?”
Is that what you call a 32 trillion dollar entry in the right side of the ledger? bit of an understatement no?
“My core point is that I got the impression that there’s one fundamental error in our economic system that causes all the deviations and problems that are all over the news. Interest.” – WE HAVE A WINNER!!! That’s why the return to a gold standard is a step in the right direction, but not the complete answer.
“A flaw that maybe was implemented just out of a habit” – no, a group of individuals conspired together to make it happen. This is documented. They even took out 2 presidents who dared to repeal these unconstitutional laws.
Hey when you gonna hook up w Slash again?
Ok Robb, since youz luvz the conspiracies try this one on. All im saying is give it 30 days.
I dont believe everything I read, but some stuff is interesting if only for entertainment value. Anyways, there are claims by some that major events have been predicted in the past,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o (go to 0:30)
Remember, this show aired on ABC in March 2011!
Must be a coincidence right? Supposing it were true(ie beyond mere coincidence), we should have some predictive power over future events. There is one big one coming up actually. What? false flag terror event. where? london olympics.
Some have reached this conclusion thru numerology, symbolism, etc. I dont really believe it myself. And I hope to God nothing does happen! But if it does, you’ve heard it here first. give it 30 days, see how do you feel how do you think how do you question.
Oh dear…
yeah i know, its scary as fudge. Like i said, I hope to God nothing happens, and i dont know if it will. But if it does, dont be bamboozled by the spin the msm puts on it.
Here’s the intro to a series the BBC put out a few years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOffyyBtHTY
Wow…I’m jumping in late in the game here, but here goes anyway.
Awesome news, Robb! So glad you’ll be adding your knowledge, wit, and personality to this discussion in a more formal way.
I came into all this from weight loss and health, but over time, my perspective has evolved into the politics and economics too. (Although I’m nowhere near as well-versed in it as you are.) I understand there are folks who are solely interested in the food and health side of things, but I just don’t get how they think eating this way *isn’t* related to our political and economic machinery. After all, one of the biggest “complaints” or arguments against Paleo for the masses is that “it’s too expensive.” Well, there are *reasons* organic lettuce and grassfed beef are more expensive than corn flakes and pancakes, and those reasons have nothing to do with those of us who eat this way being “elitist.”
I’ve started getting somewhat disgusted when I see a certain portion of my paycheck going toward health insurance I rarely to never use, and my premiums mostly go to cover other folks who are on endless streams of largely useless meds for conditions that are mostly caused by what said folks are cramming down their pieholes. So you’re damn right that this all connected. (I really need to see if my insurance co has a catastrophic only deal, and if so, whether it would even save me anything or not. Note: I am not dead-set against insurance. But it should be just that: a safety mechanism for when something *really awful* happens so people don’t lose their homes and life savings, not to prop people up on 40+ years worth of blood pressure control…)
Rock on.
I’m baffled at the comments where people think you’re going to basically ruin your life by doing the other podcast, and cheers for doing it separately so we can participate or not. I appreciate everyone who is trying to effect change as they see fit and from a positive/helpful attitude (versus the no, no, no we hear a lot these days) whether I agree with their beliefs or not. I will def check it out since I don’t pay for cable tv and live by podcasts, and so far yours is my fave so the other one can’t be too bad ; ) I hope you find it’s a fruitful endeavor. Hey, maybe you’ll even get Ron Paul on for an interview, wouldn’t that be something?
The part (j) is critical:
Executive Order 11110 TRANSCRIPT
AMENDMENT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 10289 AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS AFFECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY.
By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code, it is ordered as follows:
SECTION 1. Executive Order No. 10289 of September 19, 1951, as amended, is hereby further amended
– (a) By adding at the end of paragraph 1 thereof the following subparagraph (j):
(j) The authority vested in the President by paragraph (b) of section 43 of the Act of May 12, 1933, as amended (31 U.S.C. 821 (b)), to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the Treasury not then held for redemption of any outstanding silver certificates, to prescribe the denominations of such silver certificates, and to coin standard silver dollars and subsidiary silver currency for their redemption,
and (b) By revoking subparagraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph 2 thereof.
—
That’s right, issuing notes, backed by a metal (Ag), and CIRCUMVENTING THE FED. Voila, interest free debt!
For that, they took him out, as well as his brother, and his son.
Hey Joseph, thanks for the free link for “Chaos Theory”. I’ve read half of it so far. I too am libertarian by nature, but this ‘no govt’ radical form of libertarianism is v interesting.
Couple points though, the author presumes a ‘free press’. That’s what we supposedly have in the US presently but does Ron Paul get equal treatment in the free press? Are questions of 9 11 given a fair shake in our ‘free media’? Nanothermite may have been known to you, but most ppl are unaware of it. Or is 99% of major media controlled by the money powers? What Im saying is, even in a purely libertarian society, the free press could be co-opted by the rich. Could be and WOULD be.
Also, he says the need for govt agencies would be redundant bc youd have for profit insurance companies in which the safety of ppl would be in their interest. Ex: airlines would be kept up to safety stds or else insurance companies wouldn’t underwrite their policies. Then how come right now in America we dont see insurance companies jumping on the paleo bandwagon? They stand to save millions if not billions in health care costs. What gives? Where are the insurance industry ads urging ppl to give up grains and processed foods? Why are the results of Reno not being emulated by other major cities?
The way I see it – PURE govt a la Soviet Russia was a failure. My guess is the opposite extreme – NO govt, just wouldnt work.
A constitutional republic w many checks and balances embedded is not perfect, but prob better than any other system. US was at one time, and was a shining beacon of light unto the world. Now, no free press, govt does not issue own money.
Founding fathers put the 1st 2 amendments there for a reason– they are already both under attack. Canada and Europe has restricted versions of these rights.
Robb,
“My big problem with most of the conspiracy theory stuff (and Iz luvz conspiracies!) Is that it implies a level of control, and more importantly UNDERSTANDING that I really do not think exists. Can a gov machinate something like Pearl Harbor?”
I love it! I remember my dad saying something very similar about government conspiracies once: “These are the people that brought us Watergate. Do you really think they could keep an alien landing secret?”
I listened to the podcast and enjoyed it quite a bit-I felt hopeful after listening; usually I just feel homicidal after listening too long to anyone talk politics. Interesting that you’re taking this on, but I’m glad that you are. Keep it up, I’ll keep listening.
Seems like a nice effort, I will be following it too. My interest in politics and economics preceded paleo. I have been quite libertarian in the past, but seeing the whole economic crisis unfold, governments bailing out banks who gambled like there was no tomorrow, the inordinate, unregulated power of the global financial markets, the damages that the IMF economic model is incurring to my country, Greece, and its spectacular failure I have been leaning towards the social left. Self-organisation, the need of a state that can provide for the basic needs to its citizens (healthcare, education, energy), that can provide equality through income distribution etc. Of course all this may sound positively communist to your American ears, but your particular brand of extremely corrupt governments and the corporatism that goes with it, has no equivalent here in Europe. In any case, I will be following the podcast, because it makes no sense to close your ears to other arguments.
PS. If you haven’t done so already, look up Karl Polayni and his critique on the Austrian school of economics and the roots of classical liberalism.
Occam’s Razor leads you to the paleo solution, and it should also lead one politically to the libertararian/cato institute type systems of belief. There is no free lunch, you don’t get something for nothing, and no amount of alchemy can change that. Government alchemy only serves to distort the timing of issues. (and create accelerants, thanks to the artificual setting of interest rates.) On top of Cato, I’d highly recommend James Grant for a more specific view of how the government makes everything worse, not just nutrition.
I’ve been in this camp for quite some time. Living in New York I often feel like quite the pariah. I’ll tell you this, comments like Diane’s are nice in the academic sense, some sort of naive altruism, but are impossible to successfully execute. The government has the right to expect that their money should be spent properly? LOL!!!!!!! Where have you been?!
More importantly, let’s breakdown the key part of that sentence, to get at the crux of the issue “has the right” this is a familiar refrain amongst big government types. What they are really for is redistribution, and are almost always the ones looking for more. (We can call them the “takers.”)
Sorry for the red herring, but I couldn’t resist. With a graduate degree in economics from one of the top business schools in the country, I feel justified in my views. More importantly, aside from the pigskin, I read about these issues constantly, and have debated them endlessly.
Rob’s libertarian views are what many of us find appealing for the long run positive benefits for society. His interest lies in making things better, just like his passion for helping people through nutrition. If you like his work in nutrition, and you think he’s got his heart in the right place, you should give this a try.
Or, we can go full steam ahead towards the European Social Welfare state with high tax and low growth, and unsustainable debt burdens that are CRUSHING them.
That story ends in tears.
Robb has his finger on the pulse.
I would mention one thing to the last poster, Panagiotis. Your comments are interesting, but there is a HUGE HUGE false assumption that you must address.
“The inordinate, unregulated power of the financial markets.” It is ESSENTIAL that you understand that we have not had unregulated markets in ages. I am not talking about leverage and capital ratios, I am talking about the fed setting artificial interest rates and creating massive bubbles. That’s one thing, but it’s a doozy. It’s sort of like “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
Robb, I appreciate your intent, and I am glad that you are doing this. As you know, you will lose followers and friends. As you also know, that’s a small price to pay for trying to move this discussion forward.
If there is any way that I can help or contribute, please let me know.
I’d also recommend, Panagiotis, the 3 hour podcast of Charles Calomiris on econtalk.org from a few years ago, on the financial crisis.
Robb, if you listen to that podcast and comment on it, I’ll contribute $100 to the charity of your choice.
Best luck
Jim
@Panagiotis – The damage the IMF has done to your country? LOL if you don’t like their terms, don’t take their money! (and try paying taxes) Here is my favorite greek anecdote: In trying to collect taxes, the government in greece finally tried to link energy bills to homeowners. The result? Generator sales, through the roof! and you blame the imf. LOL!!
I wouldn’t have taken their money. I would just declare bankruptcy and let the investors take their losses. But then again, government all over the world are trying to save their precious banks instead of doing exactly what the Swedish did during their bank crisis in ’92. Nationalise, throw out the incapable leadership who made a mess, privatise and make a profit while at it. But this presupposes that you can increase the amount of currency, something which is anathema to the elites in the EU.
Regarding your little “anecdote”, I suggest you use other sources. The state did not want to link homeowners to energy bills. The state arbitrarily and unconstitutionally decided to levy an one-off tax on ALL private property homeowners to cover a part of the ridiculous demands of the troika but it did not have the tax mechanism to do it, so instead it uses the national energy provider, PRECISELY because every homeowner is linked to energy bills. People with a 20000 euro annual income were expected to pay up to 2000 euros and if they didn’t the power supply would be cut. It was therefore cheaper to buy a generator, because in the end the state would cut off the power supply, something that it clearly unconstitutional and was recently overturned in the Supreme Constitutional Court of Greece. Not paying this unfair tax to the state was also a form of resistance because since 2008 the GDP has dropped almost 20% (the second largest depression in peace), almost 1mil people have lost their jobs but the Greek public sector has not lost a single employee.
Sorry for the highjacking, but combating ignorance is quite important IMHO.
I don’t get it. How does the average Joe on the street have any say in whether he can agree or disagree with “terms” set by elites?
Hey Robb,
Really enjoyed the podcast and glad you’re getting into this. Now you just need to come to Mises University, mises.org/events/110/Mises-University-2012. Because nothing says fun like Austrian economics in Alabama in July!
One of the things we’ve learned from the paleo movement is to ask hard questions about studies: “Are you talking about a metabolic ward study, or is this just more correlation/causation shenanigans from nutritional epidemiology?”
I’d love to see you guys take a similarly skeptical approach to the numbers that are routinely thrown around in macroeconomics and politics. “Guys, I’ve looked at how this one was done and the numbers here seem pretty sound, because…” It might even be cool to have a statistician or economist on the podcast who can help listeners learn how to think critically about the projections and estimates proffered by the various camps. I’m guessing that economic systems, like the human body, are so complex that the challenges are more daunting than we appreciate.
Anyway, great first podcast!
RE JoelG’s comment “It might even be cool to have a statistician or economist on the podcast who can help listeners learn how to think critically about the projections and estimates proffered by the various camps.”
Anyone really interested in such would benefit tremendously from the weekly podcast, “Econ Talk” (www.econtalk.org), hosted by Russ Roberts.
Econ Talk features one-on-one discussions with an eclectic mix of authors, professors, Nobel Laureates, entrepreneurs, leaders of charities and businesses, and people on the street. The emphases are on using topical books and the news to illustrate economic principles. Exploring how economics emerges in practice is a primary theme.
Thanks, Luke. I’ll definitely subscribe to Econ Talk.
Have you read “Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow” by chance? Seems like the overall subjects of critical thinking and how we make decisions would be logical topics for this podcast as well…
I have recently started following your podcast and blog. I was mainly low carb but was recently introduced to the paleo influence by Mark Sisson.
I do find your podcasts interesting but I’ ll tell you that the politics is a turn off. I’ve noticed a big uptick in many podcasts becoming covertly and overtly political within the last year. My conclusion is that this is an election year, and both sides are marshaling their forces for the battle that has been joined. The sad thing is that these voices that are being prompted to speak don’t realize the influences that they are subject to. Oftentimes they have convinced themselves that they have arrived at their own conclusions but the fact is that propaganda is being purveyed by lots of other outlets besides the dreaded ” mainstream media”.
Is all government bad. Well, in the 1960’s the libertarians were the chief proponents of “states rights”. Most of you are too young to remember those days , but I lived through them. There were states who decided that they had the constitutional right to stop certain groups from voting ( even though the people in those group paid taxes). These states were supported by libertarians. I don’t think that I need to give any more illustrations; suffice it to say that it took the armed might of the federal government to force these states to regard the rights of their own citizens . So is all government bad? Simple look at recent history should convince us that the federal government is not all bad.
As for you Mr. Wolf, I ‘ m sorry to say that I will be unsubscribing from your podcast, and will not purchase your book as I had planned. Unfortunately, as someone who works pretty closely with people, ( I am a psychiatrist ) I do know that it will be virtually impossible to keep your political views from bleeding into your nutritional podcast. I’ ll stick with Mr. Sisson for my info.
Regards,
Pauline
Good to go pauline! You will need to keep shopping as Mark is also a Libertarian and gearing up his thoughts on this too! Mark will be on the controversial Truth in a few weeks :0)
What I find interesting in all this is I have made a CONCERTED effort to separate these things, but for the folks who are so off-put by market based politics I’m now a pariah and anything I say is suspect. that’s fine, and I did anticipate this, but it’s also very, very interesting.
Good for you Robb. I have just started with Mark’s program and actually did laugh out loud when the socialist psychiatrist mentioned Mark. She’s in for a world of hurt is my guess. Hey, Pauline what happens when the federal state starts doing things you don’t approve of? You appeal to the world government? What happens when they start to disappoint you? The Galactic council? After that, the intergalactic federation? When does it stop? Libertarians believe in the non-aggression principle. But, father (the state) knows best, huh?
I find people who love government are loathe to criticize it as it’s the equivalent to them of bad mouthing their mother. Pauline, you’ve drunk too deep of it’s poisonous kool-aid and now paint with just as bigoted a brush from the past those whom you wish to segregate today. Funny how that works.
Hi Robb,
This is my first post.
I’ve listened to all your precious and useful podcasts. I’m overjoyed that you’re doing another show, based on how to be more free, autonomous, prosperous and happy in every area of life.
I highly recommend the following free online resources. I donate heavily to them. Through these and many other sources, I went from a religious fanatic, to strong atheist, to minarchist, to voluntaryist and anarchist.
http://www.freedomainradio.com/
http://completeliberty.com/
http://www.porctherapy.com/
http://www.freetalklive.com/
http://edu-lu-tion.com/
I’ll be back….
Molyneux just doesn’t get the Paleo advantage yet. Hopely one day soon.
As a relatively new first time parent Robb, you may be interested in this.
I think it’s one of the last and most taboo and controversial topics for anyone to discuss publicly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=es2d2c-YXeY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnZjFGFnhtI&feature=relmfu
Nooo don’t quit! I just discovered Controversial Truth- it takes a long time to get to widowed forty-somethings taking care of elderly grandmothers in rural Wisconsin! There has to be a ton of people sick of hearing people complain and point fingers instead of having a research-based dialogue of what is wrong and what we all need to do to fix it. I haven’t even gotten around to the food issues yet-that’s how slow some of us are lol! I just got internet access in rural Wi, so progress is sloooow, but it happens…
Hi Rob,
I listen to your health podcast and very much respect your opinion on those issues. Can’t say the same for your political views. You sound like you’ re channeling Ayn Rand and spending your time watching Fox news. I’d be more impressed if you’d move beyond the simple stereotypes and straw man attacks typical of uninformed opinion. I’m not saying your views are wrong, that’s a subjective thing; I am saying they are unbalanced and undermines the work you do with respect to health. For the record, I have my own business and am not what you would call a welfare bum, even though I’m a Canadian.
In my view, the U.S. is the best example of a country in the modern era that is most libertarian in its policies and is now reaping the deep political divisions and radicalism that come as a consequence. I agree that unions have lots of problems and are blunt instruments to be sure; however, maybe you should set your sights on the military-industrial complex, big Agra and pharma, corporate media, ad infinitum.
Tony-
Have you been asleep at the wheel? big agra, the military industrial complex have been THE focus of my concerns. the uninformed person in this my friend, is you. I am STAUNCHLY against our interventionist military exploits. I am pushing for decentralized, sustainable farming. tony, I’m not sure what you heard, but it was not me, and BTW I think Fox News fucking sucks.
Why don’t you actually take a listen and get back to me?
Hi Robb,
Very sorry for my knee-jerk reaction. I violated some of the core principles I used to teach my social studies students; I should know better and having done more reading on your site and the related podcast site, I admit I was mistaken. Regardless, I was out of line with the tone of my comments; I saw red when I read that you were espousing libertarianism and I jumped to unwarranted conclusions and made some hasty judgments. My bad.
To give you a little background, I follow the political goings on in the U.S. intently and, to phrase it politely, have little regard for the brand of libertarianism that Paul Ryan is trumpeting (hence the Ayn Rand comment in my earlier post). When I think of libertarianism I think of unfettered capitalism and, in my view, the inevitable rise to power of monied interests and military might. When I commented on the libertarianism in the U.S. I had in mind what I see as the almost complete takeover of government by plutocrats and the subsequent loss of freedom, democracy, etc. I’m assuming that libertarianism means something different to you, otherwise I don’t see how it it can lead to anything but tyranny or, at the very least, a modern-day game of thrones.
At any rate, I will continue to listen and read, in part because I can’t help a good political joust, but also because I do think the issues are grave in terms of their implications and…you’re a pretty compelling character ; h
Dave stated that he has a 3 fuel generator. Also he stated you can not store gas.
My question about your generator is many require a conversion be done to run the different fuels. Propain and natural gas run at very different pressures. If you run something with natural gas that is set up for Propain you will destroy it.
Also there are ways to store gas for up to ten years.
If you want detailed info on both look up
Solar1234.com.
It is run by Steve Harris. He is a engineer. He is also very detailed in how things need to be done.