Fighting the Deep State Through Local Government Engagement

On this Monday, July 24, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson welcomes Liberty Toastmasters co-founder Brad Beck in studio and national security expert Colonel John Mills by phone to discuss the battle of ideas, fighting the deep state, and how American citizens can reclaim their republic through local government engagement.

Reclaiming the Republic at the County Level

Start listening at 70:03 – Hour 2

Colonel John Mills, retired Army national security professional and former director of cybersecurity policy at the Department of Defense, outlines an action plan for American citizens fighting the deep state. Mills, author of “The Nation Will Follow,” explains that the deep state stands upon the shoulders of the nation’s 3,300 counties. Citizens must ensure their local governments remain clean by engaging with seven critical centers of gravity.

These seven centers include school boards, election boards, county councils, registrars, sheriffs, judges, and prosecutors. Mills challenges listeners to pick one of these seven areas, study the issues, read state laws themselves without relying on lawyers, and show up at meetings to make intelligent, informed statements. He notes that in his experience coaching approximately 800 counties, women disproportionately lead the charge for civic engagement while men need to get off the couch.

Mills also addresses the border crisis, noting that 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl last year, a number exceeding total casualties from 40 years of the Vietnam War and the entire War on Terror combined. He identifies China as the puppet master behind the fentanyl crisis, with the drug now manufactured in northern Mexico under Chinese paramilitary supervision.

“The deep state would not exist if we had clean counties. And that’s where American citizens, it’s your duty to get involved right where you live.”

Colonel John Mills, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy

The Battle of Ideas and Western Civilization

Start listening at 1:15 – Hour 1

Brad Beck reflects on the importance of Western civilization and the ongoing battle of ideas facing America. Drawing parallels to Victor Davis Hanson’s book about the Peloponnesian War, Beck describes how Greeks fought Greeks much like Americans now fight Americans in the arena of ideas. He emphasizes that political correctness and self-censorship have contributed to society’s current challenges, preventing honest conversations about important issues.

Beck highlights a recent Jordan Peterson podcast featuring Douglas Murray, noting Murray’s admonition that people must stop being afraid and speak truth. The conversation touches on how comedians serve as canaries in the coal mine, using humor to expose hypocrisy and challenge wokeism. Beck advocates for the importance of gratitude, noting that grateful people tend to be happier and more engaged citizens.

“You’ve got to stop being afraid. There’s got to be people speaking the truth.”

Brad Beck, Co-founder, Liberty Toastmasters