Joe Rogan is a Progressive

There are many different definitions of a progressive. In one google search, you’ll find many people arguing over what it means to be a progressive, and who has the right to call themselves a progressive. Since the Bernie Sanders movement has become what one might consider mainstream, being a progressive has become rather trendy. It is now seen as a good way to get the vote of the younger generation. And it would be…if the candidates were actually progressive. More often than not, they’re neo-liberals who self identify as progressive when it’s convenient.

So what makes a progressive? In my mind, a progressive is someone who continues to move in the direction of progress. Often people conflate progress with identity-based policies, like legalizing gay marriage. Politicians love it when we argue over identity politics because it doesn’t do much to threaten the establishment. A true progressive is someone who wants bottom-up social and economic change for the most disenfranchised. Progressives understand the importance of getting money and corruption out of politics and distributing wealth, enabling everyone to make a living wage. They are also anti-war.

I considered Bernie Sanders to be a progressive. After selling out to endorse Joe Biden, now, I’m not so sure. I don’t think a true progressive would ever endorse a warmonger. I think FDR was the last truly progressive president we had, and he wasn’t enough.

A meme popped up on my social media feed earlier in the week making fun of Joe Rogan and his audience. It said something to the effect of “‘Don’t get all your news from mainstream sources!’ Says man who exclusively listens to fight commentators podcast for news”. It features a generic white man and a picture of Joe Rogan. I can certainly find the humor in it. However, it’s obvious that the person who posted the meme, as well as the creator, were definitely not familiar with Joe Rogan or the people he interviews on his podcast.

Of course, the negative view of Joe Rogan is totally understandable if your information on him comes from mainstream news sources. There’s also a good chance that even if you have listened to Joe Rogan’s podcasts or if you only listen to one episode (depending on who he’s talking to), you may get a false impression of who Joe actually is.

The first time I ever heard a Joe Rogan podcast, I was outraged. I can hardly remember now what he was talking about, but I believe it had something to do with the role of transgender women in sports. Truly, I was infuriated. Here sat this middle-aged straight white dude who was a retired UFC commentator of all things. I was sure he spent more time lifting weights than he did reading up on transgender issues.

In case you’re not familiar with him, Joe Rogan is known for his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and other things like being an MMA fight commentator, the host of Fear Factor, and playing Joe on the show News Radio. He is a true Jack of all trades. On his podcast, Joe is uniquely known for talking to anyone and everyone that he’s interested in. For obvious reasons, this has sparked some controversy. In the history of Joe’s podcast, he’s talked to everyone from Alex Jones and Ben Shapiro, to populists Krystal and Sagar, to author and journalist Matt Taibbi, and even Bernie Sanders himself. Despite slander from the media, when you look through Rogan’s collection of podcasts, it seems obvious that he isn’t biased about who he’s willing to talk to. The only driving factor in who Joe decides to talk to is whether or not he’s interested in what they have to say.

Months ago, Joe Rogan gave a quasi endorsement to Bernie Sanders, and the ultra woke crowd went crazy, similar to the way I had upon first listening to Joe’s podcast.

“I think I’ll probably vote for Bernie. Him as a human being, when I was hanging out with him, I believe in him. I like him. I like him a lot,” said Rogan, in a podcast episode back in January. Bernie later accepted the endorsement and received criticism from the left. How could Bernie accept an endorsement from such an alt right-wing conservative like Joe Rogan? He was racist, transphobic, sexist, and homophobic, according to the mainstream media. But then why, would Rogan endorse Bernie if he was such a conservative?

Turns out when you actually listen to Joe Rogan on a regular basis and don’t take things out of context, he’s generally pretty progressive. Look, I won’t pretend like he hasn’t said some stupid things. I think we can all agree (from a progressive standpoint) that not everything he says is “politically correct”. He’s a comedian, a fight commentator, and as he’ll be the first to point out, just a regular average guy (as much as one can be with a net worth of more than $100 million). He’s not a politician or a political commentator, nor does he pretend to be an expert on policy. That being said, when Joe Rogan talks about social issues, and politics, he tends to lean culturally left.

Joe Rogan strongly supports LGBT+ rights, is pro-choice, is anti-war, and pro-drug legalization, and he believes that we need serious economic reform. In many ways, he’s more progressive than the Democratic Establishment.

He often exhibits culturally conservative behavior. He’s a hunter, a mixed martial artist, he associates with many right-wing conservative people, and at times he may come across as old-fashioned. However, if we are the people that we associate with, Joe Rogan is quite an eclectic mix, based on his friends.

I highly encourage everyone to listen to a Joe Rogan podcast if given the chance. Currently, they’re available on Spotify and YouTube, and will soon be available exclusively on Spotify, (with short clips available on YouTube.) Joe Rogan is an interesting guy, and on his podcast, he talks about nearly everything including but not limited to mixed martial arts, history, politics, anthropology, science, and even gut health. Regardless of your interests, I’d wager you’ll find at least two very interesting conversations on the subject within Joe Rogan’s podcast library.




CBD Oil is Legal in Certain States and Federally Illegal – Officially Schedule 1

Is cannabidiol (CBD) oil illegal? Well…what country do you live in? If you answered the United States, the answer is yes. CBD oil and any “extract containing one or more cannabinoids that have been derived from any plant of the genus Cannabis” has (as of December 14, 2016) been given a new controlled substance code by the DEA and firmly classified as a schedule I substance. So, illegal.

But wait! There’s another question, guys! What state do you live in? Obviously,  if you live in a state where marijuana is legalized in all forms or in a state with legalized medical marijuana, CBD oil is freely available. There are also 16 states that have passed laws specifically allowing the prescription (super illegal by federal standards) or the study of CBD oil in the case of patients experiencing seizures, muscle spasms, and epilepsy. This leaves about 6 states where marijuana is illegal in any form. Oh, but remember, even in the states where it is legal, it is illegal to possess it in any building or facility managed by the federal government.

Why Does It Have To Be So Confusing?

CBD is available with a prescription in Australia and Canada and the U.K. Oddly enough, CBD oil is listed in the cosmetic ingredient database in the E.U. In the U.S., it’s illegal to have or use CBD oil in Idaho, for example. But every surrounding state allows it. Get your head in the game, Idaho!

The U.S. federal policy on marijuana is nonsensical. Marijuana is not legal because of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD oil is not legal, even when tested to ensure the trace amounts of THC are below a certain threshold (which varies, although the smallest amount allowed seems to be .3%). Hemp is not legal according to the final rule released from the DEA in 2016, as it is in the genus Cannabis and classified as a schedule I like heroin (oxycontin is a schedule II drug, for reference). Not banned? A schedule III synthetic version of THC known as Dronabinol is currently accepted for medical use.

Covering Your Ass, DEA-Style

More than half of Americans believe medical marijuana should be legal. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took away the federal government’s ability to fund prosecution of people using medical marijuana according to state laws. In the words of former attorney general Eric Holder,

You know, we treat marijuana in the same way that we treat heroin now, and that clearly is not appropriate.”

With support for medical marijuana growing in the United States, why is the federal government dragging its heels?

The government claims there is not enough research to be sure that CBD and other cannabinoids have medicinal benefit, which is kind of a cop-out, as the research itself is illegal. The government ignores the countless stories and videos showing the amazing effect CBD oil has on people and children suffering from epilepsy, seizures, and neurological disorders. The denial of marijuana as medicine also directly contradicts the government’s Investigation of New Drugs (IND) program founded in 1978 (the program has since been closed to new patients). Under that program, there are still a tiny number of people (3) receiving medical marijuana from the federal government. So while the federal government has labeled marijuana a schedule I substance, they are also still legally dispensing marijuana to patients. But they still claim it can’t be legalized because they don’t have enough “research.”

If I’m Wrong, I Don’t Want to Know About it

So, to recap: CBD oil is banned federally due to the psychoactive compound THC (which it has in super small quantities if any) and a lack of research supporting medicinal claims, but a synthetic drug that is basically THC is legally available, and certain patients from an older (That’s where the research went!) government program have access to legal medical marijuana…from the government. Why? The current federal stance on marijuana (medicinal or otherwise) is about control of the medical marijuana market. If companies manufacturing medical marijuana extracts like CBD oil are able to control which products get through to market, they have the potential to create a monopoly. Once again, profits and market control are higher on the list of government priorities than providing medical relief to patients who truly need it.

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Statesmen Against Mandatory Vaccines

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” –Nelson Mandela

Medical care has never been a tough sell as long as the public believes the benefits outweigh the risks. Vaccination has remained popular due to this belief. In reality, the benefits accrue to the pharmaceutical companies and the salespeople (medical staff) who administer them. There is no risk for the vaccine manufacturer, as they are immune to all liability. The risk is borne solely by the patients and their caretakers. All vaccines have a risk of severe side effects, including death. If there are, in fact, benefits to vaccines, they have not been proven. Vaccines generate antibodies, but this does not equate to meaningful protection, resistance or immunity.

Also check out Doctor's Against Vaccines and Scientists Against Vaccines.

Thousands of industry-funded, pseudo-scientific studies have been failing to convince all of the public that vaccines are safe and effective. When the placebo is another vaccine, only the uninformed fall for the hype. Unfortunately, some of the most poorly informed people are often medical professionals. With the advent of the Internet, information is just a click away. Stories of vaccine fatalities, pharmaceutical company corruption, and vaccine-injured children are all over the Internet. Doctors like to counter these criticisms of vaccines with a dismissive “you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet”, but then again you shouldn’t believe everything you hear on TV or any other source of media. To those willing to do the research and hear both sides of the argument, the truth is out there.

Other government plans to both track vaccine compliance, and impose new mandates on vaccines are currently underway.

Both in the past and the present there have been influential leaders willing to speak out against either the vaccine schedule or vaccine mandates. And there is one statesman who has always been opposed to vaccines of any kind, for any reason.

Mahatma Ghandi against vaccinesMahatma Ghandi

Mahatma Gandhi is well known for being a civil rights activist and leader of the independence movement in India. He espoused the use of non-violent protests and fasting as a means of civil disobedience. He studied law in London and at home in India. In particular, he is known for the Salt March, a public display of civil obedience against Britain’s Salt Laws, which prohibited Indians from gathering salt. This brought international recognition to his cause and resulted in him being named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1930. He was also outspoken against vaccines, writing about them in his book, A Guide to Health.

The original theory was that a single vaccination would suffice to keep a man immune from this disease for life; but, when it was found that even vaccinated persons were attacked by the disease, a new theory came into being that the vaccination should be renewed after a certain period, and to-day it has become the rule for all persons-whether already vaccinated or not-to get themselves vaccinated whenever small pox rages in any locality, so that it is no uncommon thing to come across people who have been vaccinated five or six times, or even more.

…Its supporters are not content with its adoption by those who have no objection to it, but seek to impose it with the aid of penal laws and rigorous punishments on all people alike.

…No one can say that small-pox will necessarily attack those who have not been vaccinated; for many cases have been observed of unvaccinated people being free from its attack. From the fact that some people who are not vaccinated do get the disease, we cannot, of course, conclude that they would have been immune if only they had got themselves vaccinated.

…As has been well said, cowards die a living death, and our craze for vaccination is solely due to the fear of death or disfigurement by small-pox.

…Vaccination, instead of doing good, works considerable mischief by giving rise to many new diseases. Even its advocates cannot deny that, after its introduction, many new diseases have come into being.

…The vaccine is a filthy substance, and it is foolish that one kind of filth can be removed by another.

… The fact of the matter is that it is only the self-interest of doctors that stands in the way of the abolition of this inhuman practice, for the fear of losing the large incomes that they at present derive from this source blinds them to the countless evils which it brings. There are, however, a few doctors who recognize these evils and who are determined opponents of vaccination.

…Those who are conscientious objectors to vaccination should, of course, have the courage to face all penalties or persecutions to which they may be subjected by law, and stand alone, if need be, against the whole world, in defense of their conviction.”

Ron Paul

https://youtu.be/E2Gi47Hd8xQ

Ron Paul is known for being a libertarian-leaning Republican politician. After graduating from Gettysburg College, he attended medical school at Duke University and specialized in obstetrics-gynecology. He served in the Air Force and National Guard as a physician before entering politics in the 1970s. He was a Representative for Texas for a total of twenty-four years and has run for President numerous times, most recently in 2012. He also published three books back in the 1980s. Representative Ron Paul has been outspoken on his beliefs for less governmental control, and he is critical of the war on drugs. He is adamantly against mandatory vaccines, believing it will lead to further governmental control in other areas.

If I were still a practicing ob-gyn and one of my patients said she was not going to vaccinate her child, I might try to persuade her to change her mind. But, if I were unsuccessful, I would respect her decision.

…Those who are willing to make an “exception” to the principle that parents should make health care decisions for their children should ask themselves when in history has a “limited” infringement on individual liberty stayed limited. By ceding the principle that individuals have the right to make their own health care decisions, supporters of mandatory vaccines are opening the door for future infringements on health freedom.

If government can mandate that children receive vaccines, then why shouldn’t the government mandate that adults receive certain types of vaccines? And if it is the law that individuals must be vaccinated, then why shouldn’t police officers be empowered to physically force resisters to receive a vaccine? If the fear of infections from the unvaccinated justifies mandatory vaccine laws, then why shouldn’t police offices fine or arrest people who don’t wash their hands or cover their noses or mouths when they cough or sneeze in public? Why not force people to eat right and take vitamins in order to lower their risk of contracting an infectious disease? These proposals may seem outlandish, but they are no different in principle from the proposal that government force children to be vaccinated.

Rand Paul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlWcDDZ1w38

Rand Paul is known for being a political activist and U.S. Senator from Kentucky since 2010. He attended Baylor University before obtaining a medical degree from Duke University like his father, Ron Paul. He specializes in Ophthalmology and provides free eye services for those in need through a charity, Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic, that he founded. He also performs free eye surgeries through another international charity. Rand Paul joined the political arena in the 1990s in Kentucky through an activist organization, Kentucky Taxpayers United, which focused on taxation and spending issues within the state of Kentucky. After campaigning for his father in 2008, Rand Paul became a Senator in 2010. He is currently a Republican presidential candidate. He has been outspoken against the current vaccine schedule and vaccine mandates.

I guess being for freedom would be really unusual. I guess I don’t understand the point of why that would be controversial.

…I think vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs that we have. I’m a big fan and a great fan of the history of the development of the small pox vaccine for example. But you know, for most of our history, they have been voluntary. So I don’t think I’m arguing for anything out of the ordinary. We are arguing for what most of our history has had.

…I don’t think there is anything extraordinary about resorting to freedom. I’ll give you a good example. The hepatitis B vaccine is now given to newborns. We sometimes give five and six vaccines all at one time. I chose to have my [children’s vaccines] delayed. I don’t want the government telling me that I have to give my newborn hepatitis B vaccine—(the CNBC reporter tried to cut him off here)

…Which is transmitted by sexually transmitted disease and/or blood transfusions. Do I ultimately think it is a good idea? Yeah. And so I had my [children’s] staggered over several months. I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines. I’m not arguing vaccines are a bad idea. I think they are a good thing, but I think the parent should have some input. The state doesn’t own your children. Parents own the children. And it is an issue of freedom and public health.”

Robert Kennedy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSwXNkcOWKc

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a successful environmental lawyer. He has published numerous books, including the New York Times’ best-sellers The Riverkeepers (1997) and Crimes Against Nature (2004). He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University before finishing law school at the University of Virginia and then receiving a Masters Degree from Pace University in Environmental Law. He currently teaches at Pace University’s Law School. In the past, he has served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City and has worked on political campaigns for Al Gore, Edward Kennedy, and John Kerry. Though he supports vaccination and has had all six of his kids vaccinated, he is against the use of thimerosal in vaccines and is strongly against mandatory vaccines.

Vaccines are big business. Pharma is a trillion-dollar industry with vaccines accounting for $25 billion in annual sales. CDC’s decision to add a vaccine to the schedule can guarantee its manufacturer millions of customers and billions in revenue with minimal advertising or marketing costs and complete immunity from lawsuits. High stakes and the seamless marriage between Big Pharma and government agencies have spawned an opaque and crooked regulatory system.

…Big money has fueled the exponential expansion of CDC’s vaccine schedule since 1988, when Congress’ grant of immunity from lawsuits suddenly transformed vaccines into paydirt. CDC recommended five pediatric vaccines when I was a boy in 1954. Today’s children cannot [attend] school without at least 56 doses of 14 vaccines by the time they’re 18.

An insatiable pharmaceutical industry has 271 new vaccines under development in CDC’s bureaucratic pipeline in hopes of boosting vaccine revenues to $100 billion by 2025. The industry’s principle spokesperson, Dr. Paul Offit, says that he believes children can take as many as 10,000 vaccines.

Public health may not be the sole driver of CDC decisions to mandate new vaccines. Four scathing federal studies, including two by Congress, one by the US Senate, and one by the HHS Inspector General, paint CDC as a cesspool of corruption, mismanagement, and dysfunction with alarming conflicts of interest suborning its research, regulatory, and policymaking functions.

…The corruption has also poisoned CDC’s immunization safety office, the research arm that tests vaccines for safety and efficacy. In August 2014, seventeen-year CDC veteran, Dr. William Thompson, who is author of the principal study cited by CDC to exculpate mercury- preserved vaccines from the autism link, invoked whistleblower protection, and turned extensive agency files over to Congress. Thompson, who is still employed at CDC, says that for the past decade his superiors have pressured him and his fellow scientists to lie and manipulate data about the safety of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal to conceal its causative link to a suite of brain injuries, including autism.

Thimerosal is 50% ethylmercury, which is far more toxic and persistent in the brain than the highly regulated methylmercury in fish. Hundreds of peer reviewed studies by leading government and university scientists show that thimerosal is a devastating brain poison linked to neurological disorders now epidemic in American children. My book, Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, is a summary of these studies, which CDC and its credulous journalists swear don’t exist. Although Thompson’s CDC and vaccine industry colleagues have created nine patently fraudulent and thoroughly discredited epidemiological studies to defend thimerosal, no published study shows thimerosal to be safe.

Donald Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AffuKjGV6BA

Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and aspiring politician, graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1968 with a degree in Economics. He is known for his many successful and unsuccessful real estate ventures including the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City and Trump Tower. Donald Trump has filed for corporate bankruptcy four times in relation to hotel and casino properties in Atlantic City that were over-extended. He is also known for his reality show, Celebrity Apprentice and other media ventures. Trump is currently on his third marriage. He has openly admitted that he supports vaccinations, but on a more spread out schedule and has had his children vaccinated on an extended schedule. Currently a Republican presidential candidate, he attempted to run for President in the 2000 election, the 2012 election and he is currently the frontrunner in the Republican party for the 2016 presidential election.

Autism has become an epidemic. 25 years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control. I am totally in favor of vaccines but I want smaller doses over longer periods of time. Because you take a baby in, and I’ve seen it, and I’ve had my children taken care of over a long period, over a two or three year period of time, same exact amount. But you take this little beautiful baby, and you pump, and it looks just like its meant for a horse and not for a child, and we’ve had so many instances, people that work for me. Just the other day, two years old, two and a half years old, a beautiful child, went to have the vaccine and came back, a week later got a tremendous fever, got very very sick, now is autistic. I’m in favor of vaccines, do them over a longer period of time, same amount, just in little sections.”

A series of tweets further confirms his stance on vaccines.

No more massive injections. Tiny children are not horses-one vaccine at a time, over time.

I am being proven right about massive vaccinations-the doctors lied. Save our children and their future.

I’m not against vaccinations for your children, I’m against them in one massive dose. Spread them out over a period of time & autism will drop!

So many people who have children with autism thanked me-amazing response. They know far better than fudged up reports. 

I’ve gotten to be pretty familiar with the subject. You know, I have a theory, and it’s a theory that some people believe in, and that’s the vaccinations. We never had anything like this. This is now an epidemic. It’s way, way up over the past 10 years. It’s way up over the past two years. “

Donald Trump is well aware of the fact that his views are contrary to most physician recommendations.

But I couldn’t care less, I’ve seen people where they have a perfectly healthy child, and they go for the vaccinations and a month later the child is no longer healthy.”

Conclusion

When a financially significant portion of the public becomes too well informed to routinely vaccinate their children, the results are predictable: either pharmaceutical profits margins take a hit or freedom has to go.

Big Pharma has chosen corporate fascism over losing profits under the guise of the “greater good.” In California and Mississippi, you can no longer refuse vaccines for your children if they attend public school or attend day care. SB277 in California and a similar bill in Mississippi removes religious and philosophical exemptions and makes getting a medical exemption almost impossible. If you need your children to attend public school in CA or MS you have no choice but to inject your children with aborted fetal cells, aluminum, formaldehyde, and other toxins.

Unfortunately vaccine mandates have not ended with children. Section 101 of Senate Bill 1203, named the 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act, mandates vaccines for all veterans. As a lasting insult to those brave men and women who have served the United States, they will no longer have the right to refuse any vaccines, even experimental ones, without risking the loss of their VA benefits. Despite the well founded allegations that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by the experimental anthrax vaccine, there is now no limit to what may be injected into our veterans. They defended freedom overseas, only to return home and be stripped of their personal freedom to decide their own medical treatment.

California legislators have already passed a state bill SB 792 to mandate vaccines for adults. This bill targets those who work at or volunteer at daycare centers, and it offers no exemptions. It also includes criminal penalties for noncompliance.

Introduced by Rep. Wilson, Congressional Bill HR 2232 seeks to remove all vaccine exemptions from all public schools, similar to California’s SB277. This bill seeks to mandate vaccines for all children in all public schools in order for the schools to receive any federal funding.

Other government plans to both track vaccine compliance, and impose new mandates on vaccines are currently underway.

Even those who are pro-vaccine should be opposed to medical tyranny. No medical procedure should be forced on anyone without their informed consent. These ethics were conceived of after WWII, once the horrifying atrocities of Nazi medical experiments came to be known.

If you believe vaccines should be mandated, then we implore you to reconsider your position and to learn more about vaccines. People are far more likely to feign informed knowledge of a topic than to admit profound ignorance. To date, we know of no one without a vested interest in vaccines or anyone else who is well informed on the dangers of vaccines or well read in history who could possibly support such a tyrannical notion. Slavery has always been ubiquitous in human history. It is freedom that has been the exception and not the rule (even in America). Freedom is precious. It is hard fought for and very easily lost. As a nation, we have sacrificed a great deal for the limited freedoms we currently enjoy. It is our freedom that is under siege, not just the right to refuse vaccines. The U.S. has fought for far too long against tyranny, to once again let it thrive within our borders, under the guise of healthcare.

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