Stay Free - Russel Brand - May 08, 2024


Tulsi Gabbard LIVE: The END Of Free Speech, Nuclear War, Trump’s VP & More! - Stay Free #360

Topics
trump trials & media censorship Possible Veep stakes contenders lobbying in congress lobbyist contributions and stock trading
Hosted by
Russel Brand
Mentioned
Donald Trump Joe Biden Tulsi Russell Brand Bobby Kennedy Mike Benz Joe Rogan Albert Moeller Matt Gaetz Elon Musk George W. Bush Michael Schellenberger Tucker Carlson Chris Pavlovsky Kenneth Starr Jim Earthsea Colleen Pead Charlie Kirk Yoram Hazoni Barack Obama and 22 more
Wait, Did They Just Make The Bible Literally ILLEGAL?! - Stay Free #359 BREAKING: Covid Vax Withdrawn WORLDWIDE After Side Effects Admitted! - Stay Free #361

Episode Stats


Length

1 hour and 4 minutes

Words per minute

167.43

Word count

10,788

Sentence count

601

Harmful content

Misogyny

3

sentences flagged

Toxicity

9

sentences flagged

Hate speech

3

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Tulsi Gabbard is the first woman elected to the US House of Representatives from either the Democratic or the Republican wings of the US political parties. She is a member of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and has been a long-time ally of Bernie Sanders and Joe Rogan. In this episode, we talk to Tulsi about her political views on Israel, the anti-Semitism bill that has been introduced by Joe Biden, and her views on the need for free speech in the 21st century, including her opposition to the "Tik Tok" legislation that was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday. She also talks about why she believes that the internet should be used as a utensil to further censor free speech, and why she thinks that this is a bad idea. Outro music: You're Going to See the Future by Lady Antebellum. Stay tuned for a live version of this episode of Stay Free with Russell Brand wherever you get your favourite streaming platform, streaming wherever you re listening to your favourite podcast. Stay woke! - Russell Brand Thank you for listening to Stay Free With Russell Brand. - our sponsor, and thank you for supporting the show. If you like what you hear, please consider pledging a small monthly donation. We can't thank you enough, and we'll be looking out for you in the future for more great shows like this! - thank you. . . . and keep spreading the word about what you're listening to us everywhere. Love, Russell xxx - Eternally grateful - P.S. - and keep listening to this podcast and supporting us, love you, always, always listening, forever, always - Yours Truly, xoxo, your whole life, your support is enough, yours Truly Amazingly, - Thank you, XOXO, Cheers, EJ & AJ & AJ xx - EJ and AJ & AYO - R.M. and R.A. - E. & A.B. - SEGMENT AND R. ( ) - M. (Thank you, E. (and the rest will be back, EJ) (A.E. ) & J. (NSYNC ( ) - P) - A. ( ), ( ) ( ) & AJ ( ) . ( ) (

Transcript

Transcripts from "Stay Free - Russel Brand" are sourced from the Knowledge Fight Interactive Search Tool. Explore them interactively here.
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Outro Music.
00:00:18.000 You're going to see the future.
00:00:20.000 Hello, Treasury. Hi.
00:00:24.000 Organic is breaking in. We've got a live shot there.
00:00:26.000 Hello there, you awakening wonders.
00:00:34.000 Thanks for joining us today for Stay Free with Russell Brand, where we do our level best to stream to you live across the world, wherever available, the truth as the best as we can understand it from what we have been shown.
00:00:48.000 You might be watching us on Rumble right now, like The Real Mix or IbizaLiveCam.com.
00:00:53.000 That sounds like an interesting endeavour.
00:00:55.000 Good evening, Russell, they're saying, nevertheless.
00:00:57.000 They're watching us on Rumble.
00:00:58.000 And then there's our Awakened Wonders, people like Mrs. CMS.
00:01:01.000 They're members of our community.
00:01:03.000 They're terrific people, and they get access to additional content, exclusive videos, all sorts of stuff, book clubs, stuff you'll love.
00:01:10.000 You might be here today because our guest today is Tulsi Gabbard.
00:01:14.000 She's coming on In a minute.
00:01:16.000 And the reason I'm excited to speak to Tulsi Gabbard, tell me if you agree with this, is because you've noticed that the categories of left and right are atrophying, fading and breaking down.
00:01:28.000 The reason for that, of course, is because they were not undergirded by any moral principles, but by expedience.
00:01:35.000 These political parties mutate in order to fulfil We'll be talking to her in a moment. 0.99
00:01:39.000 That's not her, that's my German Shepherd Bear.
00:01:41.000 global financial interests and cultures of dominion.
00:01:46.000 So, Toshi Gabbard I think is an interesting figure who has aspects of both of those parties
00:01:51.000 in her personal, social, political and economic beliefs.
00:01:55.000 So we'll be talking to her in a moment.
00:01:57.000 That's not her, that's my German shepherd, Bear.
00:01:59.000 He's joined us, as he frequently does, and if you don't allow him in, he stays outside
00:02:04.000 barking at me with some dreadful expectation.
00:02:07.000 An expectation that I sometimes cannot fulfill.
00:02:10.000 Some of you will be very excited to talk to Tulsi.
00:02:13.000 In fact, we did a poll earlier asking you what you would most like me to ask her, and the results of that are a lot of you want to talk about censorship.
00:02:20.000 I suppose you perhaps saw her on Joe Rogan, did you?
00:02:22.000 Where she sort of said that the TikTok legislation that's been signed away by Biden will ultimately be used as a utensil to further censor free speech in much the same way as we've seen increasing across the world lately.
00:02:35.000 Yesterday we talked about the WHO treaty, didn't we?
00:02:38.000 At some length.
00:02:39.000 Later on today, guys, we'll talk a little bit about the anti-Semitism bill and the problems incumbent within it from a variety of perspectives.
00:02:47.000 If you're watching this on YouTube, we'll be with you for 10 minutes, then we're going to talk about the anti-Semitism bill, then we're going to bring on Tulsi Gabbard and we're going to do our best to have a conversation with Tulsi, human to human, about the state that we're in and what is required for us to create the kind of changes that I...
00:03:01.000 Believe that all of us are beginning to sense our necessary.
00:03:06.000 Ask her about Gaza and censorship, please, says that person that's got a name that's evocative of an Ibiza webcam and for me, redolent of a time where as a young man and a hopeless drug addict, I lived on that Epicurean Isle, looking for pleasure in all the wrong places, hopelessly in love with Amanda Algarro Alejos, demented In my pursuit of hedonic enlightenment and revelry.
00:03:34.000 First of all, let's have a little chat about what you're doing, Gal.
00:03:36.000 Framing us up, because I'm a bit out of focus.
00:03:38.000 Like in that Woody Allen film.
00:03:40.000 Out of frame.
00:03:42.000 You don't try and frame me, man.
00:03:44.000 Don't try and hold me back.
00:03:46.000 I can exist in a variety of contexts, like Tulsi Gabbard, who cannot exist on either the left or right.
00:03:53.000 Melissa148, I remember you then.
00:03:55.000 Them was crazy days, baby.
00:03:58.000 Crazy days, indeed.
00:03:59.000 Let's have a look at...
00:04:01.000 Trump before you know first part of the show while we're on YouTube which of course we love we love you and we love that we have access to this platform indeed we are grateful to whoever it was that created that platform even if it was a deep state operation designed from the get-go to capture information which it may not have been we'll look into that sort of thing we should look into isn't it We love you, but we can't remain legitimately on a platform that is part of a media conglomerate known as the Trusted News Initiative that have an agenda.
00:04:30.000 For example, when you see concerted attacks and smears on media figures, let's face it, alternative media figures, me, Alex Jones, there's been a whole bunch from Joe Rogan, remember, Ivermectin o'clock.
00:04:43.000 Remember when you were naked on that police van?
00:04:45.000 Terrible times, Jim Earthsea, 137.
00:04:47.000 Tragic, tragic, unusually cold, as I always say, days.
00:04:50.000 Let's have a look at Trump, who is potentially facing imprisonment if he doesn't be quiet.
00:04:55.000 And I, for one, am getting a bit sick of seeing Donald Trump in that echoey antechamber. 0.72
00:05:00.000 Are you? 0.98
00:05:00.000 Like, so if you see him and he's behind that little barrier, this is disgusting, this is disgusting, it's all very echoey in there. 0.98
00:05:06.000 Colleen Pead, I want to see the dog. 0.99
00:05:08.000 You'll see the dog.
00:05:09.000 You'll see the dog.
00:05:11.000 Right, let's have a look at Trump.
00:05:13.000 Tonight, former President Trump facing a new threat of jail time at his hush money trial after his 10th violation of the judge's gag order.
00:05:21.000 He's taken away my constitutional right to speak.
00:05:24.000 The judge directly addressing the possibility of putting Mr. Trump behind bars over future violations.
00:05:31.000 The magnitude of such a decision is not lost on me.
00:05:34.000 You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well.
00:05:38.000 Adding, as much as I do not want to impose a jail sanction, I will, if necessary and appropriate.
00:05:44.000 Because nobody is above the law.
00:05:47.000 The law is a new deity now.
00:05:50.000 It is the principle, omnipotently undergirded.
00:05:54.000 It is a legislative god.
00:05:57.000 It's extraordinary, isn't it?
00:06:01.000 Because you have to, I suppose, question whether or not you believe Trump's trials are about the pursuit of justice, and from where is that principle derived?
00:06:10.000 Whose moral authority?
00:06:11.000 Whose judiciary?
00:06:13.000 And not a potent attempt to attack political opponents.
00:06:18.000 You'll notice that RFK is being strongly censored, Donald Trump is being attacked but using the techniques and tools of lawfare, and you'll see continually on legacy media various people, pundits and the like, often with former ties to the establishment, the White House, the defense industry, saying the only way to ensure democracy... I mean there's a...
00:06:40.000 An oxymoron there already.
00:06:41.000 The only way to ensure democracy.
00:06:44.000 What you've got there is a paradox.
00:06:46.000 The only way to ensure democracy is by voting for Joe Biden, a curiously hollowed out individual, a living phantom, a projection, presumably of a conglomerate of interests.
00:07:01.000 Would you assume that?
00:07:02.000 Would you assume that?
00:07:03.000 Let me know in the chat, you lot.
00:07:05.000 Tulsi's coming up soon, but we've got the anti-Semitism bill before that.
00:07:08.000 You know what?
00:07:09.000 Our Constitution is much more important than jail.
00:07:12.000 It's not even close.
00:07:14.000 I'll do that sacrifice any day.
00:07:17.000 The judge fining Mr. Trump an additional $1,000 for complaining about the jury in deep blue Manhattan, saying it's 95% Democrat.
00:07:26.000 The judge saying the former president wrongfully called into question the integrity of the jury.
00:07:31.000 Oh, there you are then.
00:07:33.000 It's interesting, isn't it, to make those kind of inquiries.
00:07:36.000 That's called contempt of court.
00:07:39.000 Are you tensile?
00:07:40.000 You mean a tool, says Frank Dick.
00:07:42.000 That's right.
00:07:43.000 But that is a synonym for that.
00:07:44.000 And I see what you're doing.
00:07:46.000 You're making a joke, which I think is good.
00:07:49.000 The VP search goes on.
00:07:51.000 Do you want me to ask Tulsi Gabbard about that?
00:07:53.000 I see a lot of you were saying Matt Gates, VP.
00:07:56.000 Remember, I remember you lot were all about Vivek.
00:07:59.000 A little while ago.
00:08:00.000 And then you were about RFK for a while. 1.00
00:08:03.000 You capricious maniacs! 0.98
00:08:06.000 Let's have a look at this story about the Veep. 0.94
00:08:10.000 Possible Veep stakes contenders converging this weekend at a donors conference in Mar-a-Lago.
00:08:15.000 At least seven contenders on the shortlist.
00:08:17.000 According to Trump World sources, Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Doug Burgum seeing their stock rising.
00:08:23.000 Governor Kristi Noem seeing hers falling.
00:08:25.000 And Trump praising them and the other prospects in his speech on Saturday.
00:08:29.000 Pretty funny because I suppose obviously the dog shooting stuff ain't going down well.
00:08:35.000 We'll look at that tomorrow.
00:08:36.000 There's such a lot of funny content about that lady's relationship with man's best friend and her main target practice focus and it's fantastic stuff.
00:08:46.000 Let's have a look at Jen Psaki saying that how Joe Biden should handle this presidential campaign is by pitching his wits against that unfavourable coliseum of opinion that is The View. 0.74
00:08:57.000 On both sides of working as a press secretary, but also now being in the media, and there's been a lot of criticism of Biden, most recently from the New York Times, that he's held the fewest interviews and press availabilities of any president since Reagan.
00:09:11.000 I personally think it would help dispel some of the concerns about his age if he did more.
00:09:14.000 What would your advice be to the White House in terms of his accessibility to press?
00:09:18.000 Well, I think the benefit of the media environment right now, there's a lot of challenges, but I'm sorry, the optimistic side, is that there are so many choices.
00:09:25.000 And when you're communicating from the White House, I mean, respect for freedom of speech and freedom of the press is important, but you're also really just trying to communicate with the American people.
00:09:35.000 So my view is, he should come on The View before he does a press conference.
00:09:44.000 Do you notice that everything is becoming banalized and desacralized, stripped of all meaning and even the potential for meaning?
00:09:52.000 The legitimization of Joe Biden's brevity being that it's a more expedient and effective way to communicate.
00:10:01.000 We got too much.
00:10:02.000 We're too busy with our busy lives to listen to complex political perspectives and political manifesto.
00:10:07.000 Let's just get him on the view where he can be crisp and succinct.
00:10:13.000 Obviously, one might assume that this is an attempt to mask his inability to cogently communicate for periods of time because of a number of reasons, which in a sense makes him the perfect candidate, don't it?
00:10:27.000 Let me know what you think.
00:10:28.000 We'll only be available on YouTube.
00:10:29.000 In fact, we're going to have to leave YouTube now.
00:10:32.000 Because, I'll tell you why, because Tulsi Gabbard's coming up in about 10 minutes and before that I want to cover this anti-semitism bill that makes parts of the Bible officially hate speech.
00:10:42.000 Let's have a look at that.
00:10:43.000 If you're not on Awake and Wonder yet, you can use the code ISURRENDER to get one month free as an Awake and Wonder.
00:10:48.000 You better join us live for our conversation with Mike Benz.
00:10:50.000 Have you seen that guy?
00:10:51.000 He helps you to understand how the deep state works.
00:10:54.000 You can join us for our book club.
00:10:55.000 Where we do readings.
00:10:56.000 At the moment I'm reading Mere Christianity.
00:10:58.000 It's a brilliant book by C.S.
00:11:00.000 Lewis.
00:11:00.000 You've probably heard of it.
00:11:01.000 I'm also looking into The Reason for God.
00:11:02.000 That's fantastic.
00:11:03.000 Just click the link!
00:11:05.000 Okay guys, let's have a look at this.
00:11:06.000 We've been promising you this story for a little while and it's time to get into it before we engage with much delight and gratitude with the impeccable and incomparable Tulsi Gabbard.
00:11:17.000 So, first of all, we know that this week the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act has finally passed.
00:11:26.000 Now there's a number of complexities around the passing of this bill.
00:11:31.000 Where has the language and the principles behind it been derived from?
00:11:35.000 Let's get into it together.
00:11:38.000 The House passes a bill that conflates criticism of Israel with anti-semitism.
00:11:42.000 That is indeed one of the components of this bill.
00:11:44.000 The criticism of Israel is deemed to be anti-semitism.
00:11:49.000 Double standards towards Israel is regarded to be anti-semitism.
00:11:53.000 And in a minute we will talk through Through a curious aspect, one of the people that came up with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's set of principles of what constitutes antisemitism himself says this oughtn't be utilised in a legislative context.
00:12:08.000 It's a set of principles to guide us, not something that should be utilised for law.
00:12:15.000 This is from antiwar.com.
00:12:16.000 The legislation adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, IHRA's definition of antisemitism, which lists drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis as an example of antisemitism.
00:12:29.000 The IHRA also defines antisemitism As applying double standards to Israel by requiring of it a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
00:12:41.000 I suppose an example of that would be that if you believe that the United States is a settler colony or Australia is a settler colony you would have to hold them to the same standards that you might hold Israel to. 0.68
00:12:55.000 Currently There are no actions, military or otherwise, are there by Australia or the United States of America that could be compared to, for example, Israel's actions in Gaza.
00:13:07.000 But in a sense, you can see what this is designed to do.
00:13:11.000 The IHRA are ensuring that we know what antisemitism is and that antisemitism should be prevented.
00:13:18.000 But what's common and has been common in the last few years during the pandemic is under the auspices of protection, legislation has been passed That ostensibly is there to protect people from being persecuted, whether that's vulnerable people during a pandemic or ethnic, racial or religious minorities during times of an apparent rise of anti-semitism.
00:13:39.000 What we have to be aware of is the potential for this legislation to be deployed to control, persecute, imprison and shut down free speech.
00:13:49.000 I guess that's an important aspect of this conversation.
00:13:54.000 And also denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor in and of itself.
00:14:03.000 Matt Gaetz pointed to another part of the IHRA's definition that lists claims of the Jews killing Jesus as an example of antisemitism.
00:14:10.000 The gospel itself would meet that definition under the terms of the bill, he said.
00:14:17.000 Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk had a little online conversation about that and agreed that The whole of the New Testament potentially would become hate speech under this new definition.
00:14:29.000 Let's have a look at some articles that further help us to understand.
00:14:33.000 The first one, this complex idea, the first one is by Li Fang.
00:14:36.000 Kenneth Stern, an antisemitism expert who helped develop the IHRA definition of antisemitism, has since criticized efforts to enshrine the definition into law.
00:14:45.000 There was never any idea that this would be used as a de facto hate speech code on campus.
00:14:50.000 Stern told the Times of Israel you wanted to train police officials on it and so forth but to curtail speech on campus in particular is something that was never contemplated.
00:14:59.000 Presumably part of the function of this bill is to control, curtail, interrupt and disrupt ongoing pro-Palestine activity on various university campuses.
00:15:09.000 A debate over the appropriate bounds of free speech has roiled the Republican Party since October the 7th.
00:15:14.000 For years, conservative pundits and politicians had claimed the high ground on free speech, accusing the left of suppressing conservative voices and ideas in the media and on college campuses.
00:15:24.000 Many of those same figures on the right are now pursuing the repression of anti-Israel speech with equal vigor.
00:15:29.000 It continues...
00:15:31.000 The article continues.
00:15:32.000 The Israel-related legislation is just the latest saga of the American speech debate that has pulsated through political and media discourse in recent years.
00:15:40.000 Over the last decade, left-leaning groups have attempted to suppress speech perceived as crucial of non-white minorities, transgender people and immigrants.
00:15:47.000 The Biden administration circulated plans for the Department of Homeland Security to
00:15:50.000 police online content concerning racial justice under the banner of combating misinformation
00:15:56.000 and hate.
00:15:57.000 So on that basis, this is not a particularly unique piece of legislation, except in so
00:16:01.000 much as it uses one of the religious doctrines which undergirds what was formerly known as
00:16:07.000 Christendom, Western democracy, is now newly defined as hate speech.
00:16:12.000 And we now have to re-enter the debate of how humanitarianism, rationalism and secularism
00:16:19.000 undergird their ethics and morality.
00:16:21.000 why is a human being sacred?
00:16:23.000 Why is human life sacred?
00:16:25.000 Why do we have to love one another and protect one another?
00:16:28.000 All of these moral and ethical ideas assume a kind of Let's have a look at the next piece that we have on, this is by a theologian.
00:16:34.000 word religious for me is in inverted commas because even if you are an atheist and still
00:16:39.000 claim that human beings by virtue of consciousness or their sentience or their relationship to
00:16:44.000 nature have some kind of unique position, that ultimately is a religious paradigm. You
00:16:51.000 would have to agree. Let's have a look at the next piece that we have on. This is by
00:16:56.000 a theologian. Curiously, Michael Schellenberger made some great points about this.
00:17:02.000 He queries how the legislation will ultimately be deployed and utilized and whether it will have utility beyond its current application.
00:17:11.000 He says here, As a basis for political censorship, the Department of Homeland Security, which played a large role in creating the censorship complex behind suppression of dissent around COVID-19 and the 2020 election, is exploiting pro-Hamas incidents at universities to expand its influence over academic curricula in the name of fighting disinformation.
00:17:36.000 It's not hard to see how DHS limitations on academic freedom may be weaponized against other political positions in the future.
00:17:43.000 Do you find it helpful To try to remove what the argument is, what the subject is, what the issue is, it doesn't matter whether people are talking about vaccines, it doesn't matter which cultural religious group people are talking about, then you can identify whether or not you have a principle.
00:17:58.000 For example, if you believe in free speech, that free speech is only relevant, as this headline suggests, if you defend it for people you hate.
00:18:05.000 The words of this theologian are also very useful in helping us to understand who might ultimately benefit from legislation that further undermines the idea of living life from a religious, or in this case, of course, specifically Christian perspective.
00:18:20.000 Christians know that some of this language, he refers to the idea that Christ was killed by Jews, which of course is literally scriptural and some would argue historical as well as liturgical language.
00:18:38.000 Some of this language has been used throughout history as an anti-semitic context.
00:18:41.000 So here, Albert Moeller doesn't deny that that is an anti-semitic trope or has been used as one.
00:18:46.000 Not that it fundamentally, universally is one, but that it has been used as one.
00:18:50.000 At the same time, orthodox biblical Christianity, even the simple preaching of the gospel, could
00:18:56.000 be directly targeted by this kind of legislation or language.
00:19:00.000 For that matter, by this loose logic, the entire New Testament can be targeted as hate
00:19:04.000 speech just start with the Gospel of John.
00:19:07.000 It's almost as if this definition has been constructed to serve the ends of liberal theology.
00:19:12.000 It will be even more dangerous in the hands of modern secularists and I feel that what the writer Albert Moeller is pointing to here is the potential that ultimately all of our ethical and moral and spiritual principles will ultimately be stripped away until not only will we own nothing and be happy materially, we'll believe nothing and be happy spiritually.
00:19:32.000 Without the possibility of choosing a path Surrendering, finding a God of your own understanding, which, as you know, in my case, is Christianity.
00:19:42.000 As of recently, I've been a Christian way... how many minutes now?
00:19:45.000 And already look at what we're into!
00:19:47.000 The idea that that kind of ideology, theology and scripture can be legislated against, even though perhaps Matt Gaetz was being facetious in raising it, is significant because it is not ultimately the project of secularism and materialism, the stripping away of divinity, the stripping away of our individual and communal connection to higher principles and our right to be born again, our right to change, our right to grow beyond the limitations of the material world,
00:20:17.000 Our right to seek atonement in another figure, potentially a religious figure, the idea that this language can be legislated against is a dangerous precedent.
00:20:26.000 Even as Albert Moller points out, conservative activist Ben Shapiro has come out against the bill noting massive problems with the definition of antisemitism.
00:20:35.000 His concerns are both accurate and honest and powerful, coming from a prominent Jewish voice.
00:20:39.000 He concludes, Yoram Hazony, one of the most important Jewish intellectuals of our time, posted on X, anything that relies on the confused IHRA definition of antisemitism is a problem.
00:20:49.000 I especially appreciate one of his posts from 2022, says the writer, when he stated, orthodox religious traditions, Christian and Jewish, are the only things that will survive the blast furnace of ongoing cultural revolution.
00:21:02.000 Make sure you're on the right side of this struggle.
00:21:04.000 The writer says he truly understands what's at stake.
00:21:07.000 Our ability to find, define, determine, interact with and live by meaning is what is potentially under threat, as well as further empowerment of the censorship industrial complex.
00:21:21.000 This empowers all the wrong forces within American and global political life.
00:21:28.000 And the fact that this is just another one of these bills, just think about how many bills have just whisked through Congress in the last couple of weeks and been signed away.
00:21:35.000 Section 702, $95 billion more for war, TikTok's banned now, all just Whooshing through in a political torrent in a smash and grab fire sale of policies.
00:21:47.000 It seems to me something extraordinary is happening and it's going to require new relationships and it's going to require new alliances and a new emboldening of all of us as But that's just what I think.
00:21:57.000 Let me know what you think in the comments and the chat.
00:22:01.000 Before we get to Tulsi Gabbard, I would like to say that by all possibility, your very phone is spying on you right now.
00:22:09.000 In fact, it's made all the more likely by the passing of Section 702.
00:22:15.000 Surveillance is just part of American and therefore global life now.
00:22:18.000 Here's a quick word from our sponsors and then I'll be with Tulsi Gabbard passing on your questions.
00:22:26.000 I'm happy to tell you that Airtek are the only published, peer-reviewed, patented EMF protection solution.
00:22:31.000 That means electromagnetic field.
00:22:32.000 Do you know that?
00:22:33.000 Trusted by experts, neuroscientists, doctors, biohackers, and profiting athlete cage fighters, its effectiveness has been proven in real time using EEG brain scan demonstrations.
00:22:45.000 Remove the fear.
00:22:46.000 and unknown levels of daily exposure and have peace of mind with Airstek LifeTune Protection.
00:22:52.000 Over 20 years invested in research and development, Airstek technology creates synergy between you and
00:22:57.000 your devices by modulating and transforming chaotic frequencies to match our own biological energy.
00:23:04.000 Unlock better wellness. Go to airstek.com and use the code RUSSELL30 for 30% off your entire purchase.
00:23:12.000 Have one of these in your area.
00:23:14.000 And remember, if you're on AwakendWonder, you can see in our 5G video exactly why this stuff is so important.
00:23:22.000 So take advantage of this offer.
00:23:23.000 Click the link in the description.
00:23:25.000 Let's get back to the content, baby!
00:23:28.000 What is most exciting about Tulsi Gabbard, a woman who's dedicated much of her life to the US Army and to Congress, is that she perhaps defines in her career the new fissures that are appearing politically and the impossibility of old taxonomies in describing what's happening at the heart of American life.
00:23:46.000 Tulsi's here because she's got a new book, her first book, For the Love of Country, Leave the Democrat Party Behind.
00:23:52.000 It's just been released.
00:23:53.000 It's available now.
00:23:54.000 We'll put a link to it.
00:23:55.000 In the description.
00:23:56.000 I'm afraid we'll probably post it on Amazon One.
00:23:58.000 It's just easier, isn't it?
00:24:00.000 That's what they've done.
00:24:01.000 They've made globalism so easy.
00:24:03.000 There's no way around it.
00:24:04.000 We're gonna have to probably do it.
00:24:06.000 I mean, you could go and buy it from a bookstore, but, you know, we know how commerce works these days.
00:24:10.000 Now, it's an exciting guest.
00:24:12.000 You've posted your questions.
00:24:13.000 A lot of you want to talk about censorship.
00:24:14.000 A lot of you want to talk about the military.
00:24:15.000 A lot of you want to talk about Corruption within the Democrat Party.
00:24:19.000 You can follow Tulsi using her handle at Tulsi Gabbard across all social media platforms.
00:24:25.000 Tulsi, welcome to Stay Free with Russell Brand.
00:24:28.000 It's great to see you again.
00:24:28.000 Thank you, Russell.
00:24:29.000 Great to talk to you.
00:24:30.000 I'm very excited to speak to you.
00:24:32.000 And among the many things that you've achieved mastery in, promotion is perhaps chief among them.
00:24:38.000 Your ability to place your book in shot is mesmerizing.
00:24:43.000 I watched you on Joe Rogan.
00:24:44.000 I'm learning.
00:24:45.000 It's very good.
00:24:46.000 It's very good.
00:24:47.000 Having dedicated so much of your life to the American military and having dedicated so much of your life to the Democrat Party, I mean I suppose the title of your book gives a pretty clear indication where your alliances lie and how you have evolved, but you must love to a degree both of these institutions and yet one of the main reasons you've left the Democrat Party is because you say they are a party of warmongers now.
00:25:12.000 Can you tell me how the establishments for Well, thank you, first of all, just for the purpose of clarity.
00:25:18.000 My love is for our country and the reason why I serve in our military now for over 21 years, serving as an officer in the U.S.
00:25:23.000 of the American military?
00:25:25.000 Well, thank you, first of all.
00:25:28.000 Just for the purpose of clarity, my love is for our country.
00:25:33.000 And the reason why I serve in our military now for over 21 years, serving as an officer
00:25:38.000 in the U.S. Army Reserve currently, is motivated by that love of country and wanting to be
00:25:43.000 of service.
00:25:44.000 My time over 20 years in the Democratic Party, I joined in 2002.
00:25:48.000 I was 21 years old.
00:25:51.000 I saw back then a party of free speech, a big tent party that welcomed people with different backgrounds, different religions, different views, that stood up for civil liberties and free speech, even for people they disagreed with.
00:26:04.000 And it was a party that fought for the little guy.
00:26:07.000 You fast forward to where we are today, that party has become wholly unrecognizable.
00:26:12.000 And so just as my being part of the Democratic Party was driven by my love of country and my desire to serve, so too was my decision to leave the party because it has become a party that stands diametrically opposed to the fundamental principles of freedom that make this country the great country that it is.
00:26:32.000 I've spoken to a number of West Point veterans, military personnel and former and current, and it seems to me that there is a pervasive sentiment throughout the US military that of powerful anti-establishment feeling, that they believe that the government is out of control, that numerous wars that your country has been involved in and remains involved in either through aid or direct military involvement are put in it succinctly corrupt Do you feel that there's a real danger that the military could become an anti-establishment force?
00:27:07.000 That patriotism in America now means not the love of your government, but as you have described, a love of your nation, distinct, discreet, and very definitively separate from your government.
00:27:19.000 Yeah, I think that the prevailing sentiment is because oftentimes those who serve and wear the uniform, they understand the costs of the decisions that politicians make and have the clarity to be able to see that even as we have a civilian-led military, as we should, when you have politicians, too often from both political parties, who are putting their own self-interests first, who are putting the party's interests first, Or as we see very often, the interests of the military-industrial complex first.
00:27:51.000 Nothing could be more offensive and insulting to a service member willing to lay down their lives in service to our country, to have a politician who has the power to send us to war, not caring about our country at all, and not asking the most basic question is, is this decision?
00:28:09.000 Do we get involved in this war or that war?
00:28:11.000 Do we go and wage this war or do we choose peace and diplomacy?
00:28:17.000 Those decisions are not very often being made answering the question, does this actually serve our national security interests?
00:28:23.000 Does this serve the interests and the well-being of the American people?
00:28:29.000 Bobby Kennedy and Donald Trump, in their own ways, of course, to a different degree, are enjoying extraordinary success.
00:28:37.000 And perhaps it's reductive to say that both are regarded as anti-establishment figures.
00:28:42.000 I know that there are detractors of both who would deny that. 0.99
00:28:45.000 And I know that the Biden critiques of Trump would be that he's crazy. 0.82
00:28:49.000 And so and the establishment critiques of Bobby Kennedy would be that he's a crazy pro-vaxxer and all of that kind of stuff.
00:28:56.000 But does not the rise of both of these figures suggest that there is a steep yearning for significant change in American cultural and political life?
00:29:07.000 No question about it.
00:29:08.000 I know that both of these parties are at least purported to have courted you, your support and your membership, maybe even as vice president in both cases.
00:29:18.000 I wonder if you believe that either one of those purviews could represent the kind of change that America requires on the basis of your analysis of deterioration during the time that you've been involved, in particular with the institution of the Democrat Party.
00:29:34.000 Yeah, you know, it's very telling.
00:29:35.000 There was a Gallup poll that was done a couple of weeks ago that showed 43% of Americans don't identify with either party.
00:29:45.000 We've seen how that number is growing over time.
00:29:48.000 And really, so it shows the minority of Americans identify with the Democrat Party or identify with the Republican Party.
00:29:54.000 And even those who still identify with those parties.
00:29:57.000 I meet people all the time, talk to people almost every day who are disenfranchised Republicans, who are disenfranchised Democrats.
00:30:05.000 Most Americans very frustrated because we see too often a system and currently the party that's in power again, who is not looking after the interests of the American people.
00:30:16.000 So how this election season shakes out, we will see.
00:30:20.000 But I agree with your analysis that more Americans recognize how deeply rooted the corruption and the rot is within our government, both in elected officials as well as those who've either been appointed or are bureaucrats who are acting for their own self-interest instead of the interest of the people. And so while that is a very bad thing, the
00:30:43.000 fact that more and more people are waking up to it because they're seeing the consequences
00:30:47.000 impacting their everyday lives, their families, their communities, the hope is that, my
00:30:53.000 hope is that this is an election where we can actually bring about serious change. Plainly, you'd
00:31:00.000 prefer either of those candidates to the current incumbent of the White House.
00:31:07.000 Which would you vote for?
00:31:09.000 I'm focused on, in my book, in delivering the message of my experience within the Democratic Party, the danger that the Biden-Harris administration pose to our fundamental rights and freedoms and how they are undermining our democracy.
00:31:28.000 Once we get a little bit closer to election day, I'll share my plans.
00:31:32.000 Oh, really?
00:31:33.000 Yeah, that's something you have to be careful about because it's still divisive.
00:31:36.000 And do you suppose that even between Trump and RFK now there will be more hostility rather than a kind of alliance based on the idea that in spite of Each instance indicators that in some regards they are supporters of establishment edicts such as Trump voting for that 95 or being supportive excuse me of that 95 billion dollar aid bill and Bobby Kennedy's position perhaps on Middle Eastern conflict that ultimately they will turn on one another.
00:32:09.000 I don't know much about how your politics works particularly when it heads into the sort of white heat of November.
00:32:15.000 Is it for you a difficult thing to get involved in?
00:32:19.000 Well, for me it's more so about where I feel that I can make the most positive impact.
00:32:26.000 I left the Democratic Party.
00:32:27.000 I have a message that I can deliver that shares my experiences, that talks about the very, in detail, the very real consequences.
00:32:35.000 Not of saying, well, you know, the Democrat approach to education versus the Republican approach to education.
00:32:41.000 For example, I tackle these issues like freedom of speech, like the rule of law, how increasingly the Democratic leader fomenting racism in our country and tearing us apart.
00:32:55.000 Looking at each of these issues in detail so that voters can recognize the problem first of all.
00:33:02.000 In order to be able to find a solution, we have to first correctly diagnose the problem.
00:33:06.000 And I left the Democratic Party because they are the party that is undermining freedom and willing to sacrifice the rule of law, our democracy, and so forth in their pursuit of power.
00:33:18.000 There's been some back and forth between President Trump and Bobby Kennedy.
00:33:22.000 I know both of them.
00:33:26.000 We'll see how things shake out, but it's clear that President Trump, as the presumptive Republican
00:33:31.000 nominee, is in a far better position and a far stronger position to defeat Joe Biden
00:33:39.000 than Bobby Kennedy.
00:33:43.000 Having spent a good number of years within the system, do you have anything that you
00:33:49.000 can share with us about the actual practical abilities of a man like Joe Biden?
00:33:55.000 Because someone like me, who's just anti-establishment in the most broad and sweeping way, would assume that whoever were in the White House, whether it was a A socially capable individual like Barack Obama or George W. Bush, who at the time was kind of regarded, you know, attacked as being a kind of a dope and a joke and stuff like that.
00:34:16.000 I wonder how much actual executive power is wielded by a figure like Joe Biden.
00:34:23.000 And the recent claim that he speak only in soundbites and do less PR and much short speeches seems to be an indication They're acknowledging his senescence and cognitive decline.
00:34:36.000 What's your feeling about this man who once was a sort of a pretty potent firebrand, albeit a career congressperson and seemingly pretty corrupt in a bunch of ways based on what I've learned.
00:34:48.000 He at least seemed cogent.
00:34:50.000 How much actual power is that person capable of wielding?
00:34:54.000 How can he make decisions?
00:34:55.000 How can he direct power?
00:34:58.000 He has an incredible amount of power.
00:35:00.000 And over time, we've seen how, and this is something that Congress has either allowed to happen or willingly executed, which is an increase of a transfer of power away from the legislative branch and into the executive branch, into the hands of the White House and the President of the United States.
00:35:19.000 It's an unfortunate thing because our system of governance, of course, is set up with three co-equal branches of government.
00:35:26.000 But on the issue of war and peace, for example, we've seen that the last, uh, we have been in many wars and many conflicts, and yet Congress has not exercised its constitutional responsibility to be the body that actually declares war before that action can take place.
00:35:43.000 They've given that over to the president and the executive branch because they don't want to be held responsible for it.
00:35:51.000 This administration, the Biden administration, there are certainly challenges.
00:35:57.000 There are certainly questions about his state of mind and his ability to be present and focused in the decisions that are being made.
00:36:07.000 But ultimately, I hold him responsible.
00:36:10.000 I have no doubt about the fact that he is surrounded by people who have They're handing him the note cards and they're shaping the
00:36:18.000 We see over and over how they go in and he says one thing and then they come back and
00:36:18.000 agenda.
00:36:22.000 say, well, no, he didn't actually mean that and say the exact opposite.
00:36:27.000 His handlers have a lot of power.
00:36:28.000 There's no doubt about it, but he was elected as president of the United States.
00:36:32.000 He is making the decision to run for re-election.
00:36:35.000 He is the person that we as American voters must hold responsible for the decisions that are being made and the very dangerous consequences of those policies.
00:36:46.000 We're continually invited to regard the haunting and ghoulish figure of Donald Trump as a kind of reincarnation of the militaristic despotism that blighted the 20th century, but it's my belief, Tulsi, that what we're Sliding into is a new kind of technological dictatorship, a despotism that is kind of that bears the aesthetic of bureaucracy that owes more to Kafka and to Huxley and Orwell than Hitler.
00:37:22.000 Or Stalin, through the increasing power of the censorship industrial complex, through the ability to shut down protests, through the ability to shut down free speech, smear political dissidents and opponents, use the judiciary as a tool of weaponry, shut down the campaigns of active political opponents, whether it's through censorship or lawfare, Seems to me that the thing that we are being instructed to fear in the form of Donald Trump is already upon us in the form of this technocratic yet technological dictatorship.
00:37:58.000 It's already arrived.
00:37:59.000 Do you feel that?
00:38:01.000 Yes.
00:38:02.000 Yes.
00:38:02.000 It's more than a feeling.
00:38:03.000 It's fact.
00:38:05.000 The evidence backs it up and it's a very intentional strategic move for the Democrat elite's narrative to be Warning the American people saying crazy things like if you vote for Donald Trump, if he is allowed to win this election, it'll be the last election the United States ever has, that he will be the dictator-in-chief, painting this dark, bleak picture that you've just outlined when the facts and the evidence show that they have already created this.
00:38:33.000 And this is exactly the problem.
00:38:35.000 They are weaponizing our public institutions.
00:38:38.000 They're using the Department of Justice and law enforcement to go after their major political opponent and Donald Trump, but also going after our fellow Americans.
00:38:46.000 You know, when President Biden said, you know, over half the country, I think he said 76 million voters in America are MAGA extremists and they pose this greatest threat, domestic threat to our democracy.
00:39:01.000 He painted a target on the backs of tens of millions of Americans who voted against him and for the other guy, voted for Donald Trump.
00:39:09.000 And President Biden spoke to the country saying they are the greatest threat we face.
00:39:13.000 When you look at the kind of implications that has on our society and you look at the reality that parents are getting arrested for going to Board of Education meetings and standing and very passionately speaking about their child's education or their fear and anger around the fact that their gentleman in Loudoun County in Virginia, where I happen to be today, he stood up and his daughter was sexually assaulted by a boy who claimed to be a girl in the girl's bathroom.
00:39:42.000 And instead of the school and the Board of Education actually doing something about it and holding this kid and his family responsible for this, they quietly transferred him to another school without saying anything, without telling the parents of this girl who was sexually assaulted.
00:39:58.000 And guess what?
00:39:59.000 Within a very short period of time, this boy went on to sexually assault another girl in the girls bathroom, even as he claimed to be now a girl.
00:40:08.000 There are so many examples of how Donald Trump is the face of this figure who is being targeted.
00:40:16.000 They are throwing everything but the kitchen sink, trying to tie him up in court, drain him of time and money and resources, smear his character, put out this narrative that they hope will cause voters to turn away from him and throw up their hands and say, well, I guess Joe Biden's the only option.
00:40:32.000 But it's also happening to Americans who you will likely never know the names of, the consequences of this and the precedent that it sets.
00:40:43.000 And you're exactly right.
00:40:44.000 It is the elected leaders.
00:40:47.000 It is the bureaucrats.
00:40:48.000 It is the administrative state, many layers down, who are executing And the dangerous thing is they're doing this in the name of democracy.
00:40:58.000 They're telling us we have to do this to save democracy.
00:41:02.000 They are so terrified of free people in a free society getting the information wherever we want to get it, discerning that information and making up our own decisions, particularly as it relates to this upcoming election, that they're trying to get Donald Trump off the ballot.
00:41:20.000 That over 32 states tried to unilaterally remove Donald Trump from the ballot, so we wouldn't even have the choice to vote for him.
00:41:27.000 And their excuse for that is essentially, well, we are trying to save our democracy.
00:41:32.000 We are too afraid of voters making the quote-unquote wrong choice in this election that we have to undermine and destroy our democracy in order to save it.
00:41:42.000 Save it from who?
00:41:42.000 Save it from the American people from actually exercising our freedom.
00:41:47.000 That's how twisted their mindset is, and it paints that picture of exactly where we will go as a country if they're allowed to do this and get away with it.
00:41:58.000 And it creates that certainty for me and for others paying attention.
00:42:06.000 If they're allowed to stay in power, this country that I love, that we love, will be gone.
00:42:11.000 It'll be unrecognizable.
00:42:13.000 Yes, I understand that you're saying that we already face a far greater threat and many people point to the four years that Trump has already had in office and his record on war and a variety of other issues as indicators that the level of polarisation and hysteria You've referred to the culture war and the significant power and disruption that it caused around a variety of issues.
00:42:44.000 You mentioned the issues around gender and how that plays out culturally.
00:42:51.000 One thing I thought that was interesting that Trump said when referring to abortion, and this caused a degree of controversy, was that he would leave it to individual states.
00:43:03.000 I took that to mean that decentralisation and federalism could be part of the solution to this increasing polarisation, this growing contempt Between people on both sides of the aisle, even though you are an indicator that those taxonomies are starting to melt with positions that previously have been attributed to one party now migrating.
00:43:24.000 The issue of free speech, the issue of war being but two of the issues that have altered and they continue to flip and change.
00:43:31.000 As protests in the colleges currently around matters in the Middle East demonstrate and reflect.
00:43:38.000 I wonder, given that it's unlikely that post the November elections we're unlikely to see a happy and gracious secession of power, do you feel that federalism and decentralization may at least in part hold the solution to what seem to be pretty seismic problems Yes, I do.
00:44:03.000 And it's something that I've seen throughout my time serving in Congress and have understood how destructive it has been and counterproductive at best it's been when you have this big brother, big government overreach into into our lives, into our schools, and into our communities.
00:44:29.000 And going back again and looking at the Federalist Papers, looking at the thoughts and the intent behind our country's founder's vision as they crafted our founding documents, it really was.
00:44:42.000 Our Constitution speaks to the very real limitations of government, the federal government, And it's intent that power be decentralized really to the lowest level possible where people know their communities.
00:44:56.000 My home state of Hawaii is vastly different from California or New York or Montana or Texas or Florida.
00:45:03.000 Every state has its own unique culture, has its own unique constituency.
00:45:08.000 Our communities are best served and best able to impact decisions that are made, important policy decisions that are made when they're made at the lowest level.
00:45:19.000 We have this deep loathing that many of us feel for institutional, political figures and lawmakers from across the spectrum because of the assumption that they are investing in stocks and shares that they have the ability to regulate and therefore benefit from.
00:45:36.000 The assumption that companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon wield incredible power over American foreign policy, including the participation in wars that simply wouldn't happen if a more diplomatic perspective were allowed to thrive, or even, let's face it, a more democratic or representative perspective.
00:45:59.000 What have you experienced of that?
00:46:01.000 Are there, like, points where you feel like, well, I know this, that this bill's likely to be passed, I should buy some stocks in Lockheed Martin?
00:46:08.000 Or are there, like, what's lobbying like on the ground?
00:46:11.000 What's it like to get lobbied?
00:46:13.000 Is it true there are two lobbyists for every member of Congress?
00:46:17.000 And where does the lobbying take place?
00:46:19.000 And how does one, what is the prophylactic against lobbying?
00:46:24.000 Okay, this is a huge one.
00:46:26.000 There's a lot of questions there.
00:46:27.000 There are far more than two lobbyists per member of Congress.
00:46:31.000 Many, many, many more.
00:46:32.000 I couldn't even begin to count.
00:46:32.000 Many more.
00:46:36.000 One of the first things that happened is every member of Congress, you get elected, you go through what they call orientation briefings.
00:46:42.000 And first they happen in a bipartisan sense where you have Democrats and Republicans, you go and sit in a room and, you know, you get a brief on ethics, the ethics rules, you get a brief on, you know, here's how the process works, you get briefs on here's the big issues of the day.
00:46:58.000 That you should be somewhat educated on, kind of a 101 introduction.
00:47:03.000 And then they break us off into two different places and rooms and buses.
00:47:08.000 Democrats go one way, the Republicans go the other way.
00:47:11.000 And the briefings that I got as a new Democrat in Congress at the end of 2012, sworn in early 2013, were very much the same as those that my Republican colleagues got in a few distinct ways.
00:47:22.000 Number one is I remember they had a PowerPoint slide up showing how your average day would look.
00:47:30.000 And it was shocking to me.
00:47:31.000 I got to find that image because I remember capturing a picture with my phone.
00:47:35.000 But the predominant amount of time, hours in the day, spent lobbying or spent at fundraisers with lobbyists or on the phone calling lobbyists and asking for money was the majority of the day.
00:47:50.000 Really, so the amount of time you spent in your committees doing policy work or on the House floor for votes, on average, let's say it's four or five hours a day.
00:47:58.000 The rest of the day you are spending fundraising.
00:48:02.000 I went and I saw, okay, go to two different fundraising breakfasts every morning.
00:48:07.000 You'll sit around a table with a bunch of lobbyists and, you know, you talk about different issues or whatever, and you leave with a bunch of envelopes with political campaign contributions.
00:48:17.000 And then on average, a member of Congress will go and have one or two lunches.
00:48:21.000 Same situation.
00:48:22.000 And then you'll probably go and have another fundraising dinner on any given day of the week and make sure you go in and pop in and make sure that, you know, get those phone calls to make sure that people show up to the next days of fundraisers.
00:48:32.000 And this is how people raise tens of millions of dollars all in the course of a day's work.
00:48:41.000 I saw this, I experienced it when I first got there, and I was just like, man, this is wrong.
00:48:45.000 I don't like this at all.
00:48:48.000 And so I stopped taking any lobbyist contributions and political action committee contributions.
00:48:55.000 And I loved it because I saw how my day was completely freed up.
00:48:59.000 I was able to focus on my policy work and substantive work in Congress,
00:49:02.000 talking to my constituents in Hawaii, but I saw the contrast.
00:49:06.000 And one of my friends who was a lobbyist for a renewable energy industry,
00:49:11.000 she told me, she said, oh, wow, you're not taking any more money from lobbyists?
00:49:16.000 I said, no.
00:49:18.000 She's like, well, you're obviously never running for any higher office ever again.
00:49:23.000 Your political career is done.
00:49:24.000 You are where you are and that's it.
00:49:27.000 I talked to some grassroots organizers who were working on different issues who came and visited me and they said, oh my gosh, Tulsi, you stopped taking lobbyist money and PAC money.
00:49:38.000 You must obviously be running for president.
00:49:41.000 And it was just a funny contrast that happened in the course of a couple of days between the Washington insider perception, which is you will never go anywhere in politics unless you take our money.
00:49:53.000 And the opposite coming from people who were like, you know, the $5, $10 donations, the small dollar donations to support the candidate that they like going out and knocking on doors and making phone calls, joining the cause of actually bringing about grassroots change.
00:50:08.000 And their perception was exactly the opposite.
00:50:10.000 Like, oh, thank God you don't have anything to do with those, those corrupt Washington insiders.
00:50:15.000 Uh, it is the power of the people who will prevail.
00:50:21.000 I want to talk about the stocks, because this is a big one.
00:50:26.000 This is a big one.
00:50:29.000 To answer your question directly, I never sat there and looked at a vote coming up and saying, hmm, I wonder how Microsoft is going to react to this vote.
00:50:36.000 Let me go and buy some Microsoft stock.
00:50:39.000 I saw the opposite.
00:50:41.000 I went in knowing that perception is reality.
00:50:44.000 And I did not do any stock trading at all of any sort for the eight years that I was in Congress, because whether or not they are acting on insider information, or it's just some happy coincidence that they, you know, buy a million dollars of stock that magically goes up 200% within the next week when a vote is taken.
00:51:04.000 It doesn't really matter because perception is reality.
00:51:08.000 Members of Congress, elected leaders are held and should be held To a higher standard, uh, and should not, should not be in that position where there's even a perception that you are acting in your own self-interest.
00:51:22.000 So I introduced legislation when I was in Congress that would have prohibited a member of Congress, their spouse or their senior staff, their chief of staff from trading in any stocks, because you have access to information that the public does not have, whether you're acting on it or not.
00:51:41.000 Uh, perception is reality and, um, it's just wrong.
00:51:45.000 It's just wrong.
00:51:47.000 Both sides are doing it.
00:51:48.000 They're making a lot of money.
00:51:50.000 I've seen those, those memes that people put out that show different members of like what their net worth was when they started.
00:51:56.000 And obviously the longer they're there, the more wealthy they become.
00:52:00.000 And they're no longer really truly representing the interests of the people.
00:52:04.000 How did that legislation go?
00:52:06.000 What do you think?
00:52:08.000 What do you think?
00:52:09.000 They're still doing it, if that answers your question.
00:52:13.000 Yeah, in a way, that's an indication of the kind of systemic problems that need to be Addressed, obviously.
00:52:21.000 You said before that you're economically populist and it seems to me that populism oughtn't be, as it has become, a kind of dirty word conflated, as many things are, with racism and the right, but it ought be A contract between the people and their elected officials and lawmakers.
00:52:42.000 Do you feel that part of what we're experiencing, whether it's with the TikTok ban
00:52:46.000 or the antisemitism bill, is the understanding in the houses
00:52:51.000 and institutions of power that what currently yet exists with social media,
00:52:57.000 even impeded as it is, with the rise of independent media,
00:53:01.000 with the phenomenal ability to generate and spread counter narratives,
00:53:06.000 is first of all the requirement of categories that didn't even exist, like malinformation,
00:53:10.000 which obviously I know I've heard you talk about it.
00:53:12.000 It means information that's true, but it's really inconvenient that it's true.
00:53:16.000 Do you feel that, in a sense, the underlying agenda of power
00:53:22.000 is currently to ensure that no populist movement that opposes the real interests
00:53:29.000 that are masked behind the masquerade and charade of American political life,
00:53:35.000 as you have just described it, never get any purchase, never have any impact?
00:53:40.000 Yes, and it speaks to that elitist mindset of people in Washington who do see populism or populists as a bad word.
00:53:49.000 They see it as a bad word because they think that they know what's best, and they and they alone should be able to make the decisions that the rest of us have to live under.
00:53:59.000 They're afraid of us actually having access to information that we can gather, opinions or views that may not be sanctioned or They're not constructive for the objectives of the Washington elite and the power elite.
00:54:14.000 They may not be helpful to the corporate elitists or the political elitists.
00:54:21.000 And so they are afraid.
00:54:22.000 They're afraid of a free people in a free society because we actually pose the greatest threat to their power.
00:54:31.000 We in this country, our country was built upon We the people.
00:54:37.000 And we have the authority to choose whether or not we want a government of, by, and for the people.
00:54:43.000 The power is in our hands, but unfortunately, and I get it, it's justified in many ways, why so many people don't even vote.
00:54:51.000 They throw up their hands and say, well, my vote's not going to count.
00:54:54.000 The system is too corrupt.
00:54:56.000 The elections are are already rigged.
00:54:58.000 I'm just going to stay home and, you know, complain about it and talk about it.
00:55:03.000 And I know the problems, but not actually use my voice and my vote to bring about change.
00:55:07.000 And that is my call to action in my book, is exactly that.
00:55:13.000 We are only powerful if we choose to use our power.
00:55:16.000 We can only bring about change in this system and in our government if we choose to make that happen.
00:55:23.000 And yes, it's got to start with stopping the destruction of our democracy and our freedom that we're seeing right now.
00:55:30.000 But it really happens at every level.
00:55:31.000 We have people at Board of Education and City Council and state legislatures and in Congress.
00:55:37.000 And of course, for president, we have to bring about this kind of change to get the right people in office who are actually focused on serving the people rather than serving the interests of the elite or the bureaucracies.
00:55:49.000 You're obviously a pretty potent and unusual individual having served in two such extraordinary institutions so successfully and for such a long time.
00:56:01.000 How do you feel having served in Iraq?
00:56:05.000 And I know that you were honoured in Kuwait and stuff, or at least for your service in Kuwait as a part of that conflict.
00:56:11.000 When the definition of terrorism seems to be becoming as vague and as applicable according to utility as many of the other vague pieces of legislature that appear to be currently passing.
00:56:29.000 I know that you have said, for example, that you are anti all war except for when it involves, I think you maybe said Islamic terrorism, I know that you'll correct me if I'm wrong.
00:56:38.000 And someone mentioned it in the chat and I feel like it's a pretty important point.
00:56:40.000 But when it seems now that the powerful are able to designate as terrorists their opponents, when we are increasingly seeing in my country and in yours elite deep state units that were set up to oppose terrorism, inverted commas, abroad, deployed domestically to target the threat ultimately of free speech and the kind of unified personal power that you represent and are advocating for in your book, do we have to look Even at the categorisation of terror and what we mean by that, as well as perhaps considering the origins even of specific forms of terrorism such as that which you oppose.
00:57:18.000 Yes.
00:57:19.000 Briefly on my foreign policy views, I see the world for what it is, not the fantasy land that too many of our politicians view, the lens that they view the world through and how they make decisions that ultimately so often end up being counter to the interests of the American people.
00:57:39.000 to peace and to our security. I'm not a pacifist or an isolationist. I just believe that we should
00:57:48.000 exhaust all diplomatic measures, means, outreach before we look at the potential of war. It should
00:57:56.000 be the last result. Sometimes it is necessary. The adversary may change in different situations,
00:58:02.000 but we the people, as well as those who wear the uniform, must be able to trust that our
00:58:09.000 elected leaders are going to do all that they possibly can to prevent war and know that if we
00:58:14.000 are sent into harm's way, it's not going to be a peaceful war.
00:58:17.000 It is for a mission that is necessary, that is unavoidable, and that serves the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.
00:58:24.000 To your second point about the vague use of the word terrorism and how these institutions that were created, many of which were created after the terrorist attack on 9-11 here, in our country have been turned and used against our fellow
00:58:40.000 Americans.
00:58:41.000 That abuse of power, the warrantless surveillance that in the recent legislation that was passed
00:58:46.000 was just strengthened that allows these intelligence agencies to target Americans.
00:58:53.000 There was language in the TikTok bill.
00:58:54.000 I heard you talk about the TikTok bill earlier.
00:58:57.000 Language in the TikTok bill that included very vague language about who the president is allowed to designate, who is a foreign adversary, or who may own a business.
00:59:09.000 that they believe is under the influence of or directed by a foreign adversary.
00:59:16.000 Anytime you do that, anytime you put down in legislation this vague kind of language, there should be no doubt in our minds that it's just a matter of time before it's deployed against a political opponent.
00:59:29.000 So it's not a stretch of imagination.
00:59:32.000 For Elon Musk to rightly say, okay, yep, today it's TikTok, tomorrow it may be X. There's a huge divergence between X and Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Big Tech, these other entities that have been doing the bidding of the Biden-Harris administration, that have gone along, whether willingly or feel they've threatened or bullied or whatever the case may be, they have been actively censoring Free speech on behalf of the Biden administration.
01:00:06.000 Elon Musk has made clear that X won't do that and they won't play that game.
01:00:10.000 And so is it really a stretch of imagination for him to believe that if he's not willing to play ball that their targets may be set on him next?
01:00:20.000 That's fantastic.
01:00:21.000 Also, Rumble and Chris Pavlosky, the CEO there, have been extraordinarily bold on the subject of free speech in Brazil and in France, and certainly in their support of me when I was under attack.
01:00:32.000 Tulsi, thank you so much for coming on our show.
01:00:36.000 If only we had some image of your book's cover that we could Anchor in our consciousness to help us to purchase it.
01:00:43.000 The book For Love of Country Leave the Democrat Party Behind is available now.
01:00:48.000 We'll post the link and you should follow Tulsi at Tulsi Gabbard across all social media platforms.
01:00:53.000 Tulsi, thank you so much for joining us today, Russell.
01:00:56.000 It's been a tremendous pleasure.
01:00:57.000 Thank you for what you do.
01:00:58.000 Thank you.
01:00:58.000 Yeah, thanks, man.
01:01:00.000 There you go guys.
01:01:00.000 Now listen, we've got a little bit of time and we're going to use that time to celebrate what I'm going to call an extraordinarily successful and professional interview.
01:01:11.000 Thank you very much for remaining with us.
01:01:14.000 Now, what have we got to talk about now?
01:01:15.000 We can talk about that lady who keeps shooting her dog and suggests other people shoot their dogs also.
01:01:23.000 Also, we're going to go over to locals in a minute, and if you become an Awakened Wonder, which you can do using the code ISURRENDER, you can get one month, you can cancel at any time.
01:01:35.000 If you think this ain't worth it, I'm not enjoying this experience of being part of a radical movement that encourages spiritual awakening and revolution, you can cancel at any time.
01:01:44.000 But if you join us, You can participate in our conversation with Mike Benz.
01:01:48.000 Do you know who Mike Benz is?
01:01:49.000 He's absolutely amazing.
01:01:52.000 Mike Benz tells you how the deep state are able to manipulate and control Congress.
01:01:57.000 You'll love it.
01:01:58.000 He explains it more articulately and he uses that phrase, the blob, rather well also.
01:02:03.000 You can join us for that.
01:02:05.000 We do a weekly book club.
01:02:06.000 We're talking about mere Christianity. 0.92
01:02:08.000 In fact, I'm like halfway through it and I've been baptized.
01:02:10.000 So that's how effective that book club is.
01:02:13.000 We do a meditation each week.
01:02:14.000 This week, we did a meditation on the value of each day remaining present.
01:02:19.000 And we do an exclusive video that's only available to our members.
01:02:23.000 We did one on Operation Mockingbird.
01:02:25.000 In fact, I think we've got a bit of that.
01:02:28.000 If we've got it, we'll have a look at it now.
01:02:31.000 Because I think you'll like it if you let me know if we've got it.
01:02:34.000 Otherwise...
01:02:39.000 Operation Mockingbird was a still-little-understood operation undertaken by the CIA to convince Americans that Russians were bad.
01:02:46.000 While the full extent of the CIA's reach is still not known, a former investigation in the 1970s revealed 50 journalists at the country's most influential newspapers all had secret links to the CIA and were compensated to run CIA-approved articles.
01:03:01.000 This is one of those conspiracy theories, but not really, insomuch as Well, it's actually demonstrably true that Operation Mockingbird was a thing and may yet be a thing.
01:03:19.000 Use the code ISURRENDER, you can get a month free and see what we're doing.
01:03:23.000 We're going to go straight over there now and do another 10 minutes, have a little bit of a laugh together.
01:03:28.000 And you're right.
01:03:28.000 Yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty hot in here.
01:03:30.000 What do you want me to do?
01:03:31.000 Strip? 0.68
01:03:31.000 You want me to do the show naked? 0.68
01:03:34.000 Is that what you want from me?
01:03:35.000 Well, join us on Locals if you think you've got the stomach for it.
01:03:40.000 Thanks to all of you that have become AwakendWonders.
01:03:42.000 Here they are now.
01:03:43.000 Thanks for supporting us and being members of our community.
01:03:46.000 We appreciate you.
01:03:47.000 Tomorrow we've got a fantastic show.
01:03:49.000 Let us know what you want us to talk about.
01:03:51.000 I'm thinking about the fake meats.
01:03:52.000 The fake meats have been banned.
01:03:53.000 I'm thinking about the TikTok ban.
01:03:55.000 Do you want to learn a little bit more about that and what it's ultimately going to mean for us?
01:03:58.000 I'm thinking that we should talk even more about censorship and you know let me know and you nipples out no chance for phoenix snake uk no way i'll nary do it i'll take it off take it off says brandon esco i won't maybe i will on locals i'm no i'm not doing that it's not only fans we're better than this we have to be better than this uh see you in a minute on local see you tomorrow if you ain't coming remember i surrenders the code there's a link in the description join us stay free