Ron Paul

96. Christian-Palestinian: Unveiling the Obscured Narrative with Daniel Bannoura

About this Episode

Get ready for an insightful and heart-wrenching journey as we chat with Daniel Benora, a Christian Palestinian, who gives us an inside look into the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine. With a direct line to the ground reality, Daniel candidly shares the pain and terror experienced by his friends and family in Gaza due to Israeli attacks. Hear the unfiltered narrative of Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, who have been overshadowed in the Western world, as we delve into the complexities of this ongoing strife.

Daniel courageously unravels the obscured narrative of Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, demonstrating the importance of understanding the dynamics of this ongoing strife. How do we stay informed when the Western media narrative leans heavily in favor of one side? The conversation deepens as we probe into the biased portrayal of the Middle East in the media, exposing its racist undertones. Together with Daniel, we dissect the colonial mentality and its aftermath, scrutinizing how it frames the Middle East as backward and violent. We also delve into the implications of Zionism, the British Empire's role in Jewish migration to Palestine, opening up the discussion to the way it's used to justify violence against Palestinians. 

As we draw toward the end of our conversation, we venture into the stormy waters of violence, faith, and pacifism within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Daniel reveals the inspiring ways Palestinian Christians channel faith into nonviolent resistance against injustice. We wrap up by challenging the misconceptions surrounding God and his people, urging Christians to seek truth, justice, and love over violence and ignorance. 

 Join us as we reveal how the media, the US government, and the Church perpetuate this idea, all the while emphasizing the importance of nuance in understanding this conflict. Here's a chance to challenge your perspectives and possibly transform your understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian plight.

Connect with Daniel:

Episode Timestamps:

(00:02) The Israel-Palestine Occupation

Daniel shares the injustice and violence Palestinians have faced, highlighting the terror and pain caused by Israeli attacks on Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

(10:29) Understanding Gaza and Palestinian Identity

Daniel shares his family's 13-generation history in Bethlehem, discussing the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Palestine.

(14:26) Christian Palestinian Identity and Ignorance

Daniel Benora's Christian Palestinian experience, ignorance and apathy in the West, and the complicity of media and pastors in creating and perpetuating this ignorance are explored.

(18:39) Western Media's Middle East Bias

We examine Orientalism, Palestinian Christians, and the colonial mentality of the Western world to challenge racism in the Middle East.

(27:34) Influence on Israeli-Palestinian Occupation by Politics, Media, Religion

Zionism's history, anti-Semitism, British Empire, violence against Palestinians, media, US government, Church, and justice for Palestinians discussed.

(39:59) Violence and Pacifism in Israeli-Palestinian Occupation

We examine Hamas' motivations, self-defense ideology, Israel's surprise, and faith identity in a violent context.

(53:13) The Palestinian Christian Perspective

Palestinian Christians discuss nonviolent resistance, US imperialism, preferential option for the poor, and the way of the cross.

(58:41) Misrepresentation of God and His People

We question God's representation in war, reject the distinction between Jews and non-Jews, and explore faith, not lineage, for righteousness and God's love.

(01:03:08) Jesus and the Old Testament

Daniel discusses Christ-centered Bible reading, repentance for violence, and researching the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.


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95. Was Jesus Palestinian? with Jeffery Stevens

About this Episode

Tune in for an insightful conversation with Jeffrey Stevens, an independent journalist and director of the Azarius Project, as we take a hard look at the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the impact it's having on the Christian and other communities within these borders. Hear firsthand about the misinformation circulating among Christian Americans and learn about Jeffrey's own transformation from being pro-Israel to acknowledging the impossibility of supporting both Israel and the sanctity of life simultaneously. 

If you’re one of us, or you’re new here, you should know that there has always been a personal journey at the heart of The Bad Roman Project. It’s been one that's demanded a complete overhaul of previous beliefs. A path paved with discomfort while challenging long-held perceptions and demanding an honest reassessment of Christian values. As always, there's so much more to the story than what's on the surface and what’s important is that we talk about it. 

While mainstream media often skews the reality on the ground, our conversation challenges those narratives and scrutinizes the role of the US and Israeli governments in perpetuating the inhumane policies of the occupation. In this uncompromising discourse, we're asking the hard questions, discussing who gets to define terrorism, examining the treatment of Palestinians (both Muslim and Christian), and unlocking the transformative power of relationships to remedy bias in our perspectives.

But our journey doesn't stop there. In this episode, we're bringing the focus back home, because change starts on your doorstep. We discuss the importance of evangelizing in our own neighborhoods and fostering a personal relationship with Jesus. Be prepared for a lively debate on what Jesus' stance would be of his birthland today and the recognition that the world is indeed larger than just the United States. So, buckle up and come along for an enlightening, perhaps life-altering ride with us. 

Connect with Jeffery:

Catholic Workers Project

Azarias Project

Arab American News

Catholic Wordsmith

Episode Timestamps:

1:05 Correct framing as the illegal Occupation vs. the Israel-Palestine Conflict

  • Joe Chadburn Episode

  • Importance of independent journalism

  • Importance of reframing the language we use to describe a topic

  • Unpacking beliefs about Israel in Christian upbringing

  • Used to cover Vatican news until 2009 began covering Israel-Palestine 

4:52 Who is Jeffery Stevens?

8:08 Conviction of USA and Israel as the “good guys” against terrorism

  • Post-9/11 

  • You can respect veterans and still be critical of USA’s imperialism 

  • Jesus Christ would not approve of what is happening in the Middle East no matter who is doing it

  • Governments can often be found to act more in accordance to the definition of terrorism than those we call the name

  • Military bases and proximity to oil reserves

    • Syria

  • Smedley Butler (Joe Chadburn)

  • French Concrete Company sued for assisting ISIS — millions of dollars the US government kept it

  • Should Christians care about what is happening in the birthplace of Christianity?

15:16 Where the End of the Earth Begins article on The Catholic Wordsmith

  • Acts 1:8

    • Popular Christian evangelical verse, we seek to evangelize in frogmen lands and forget to do so in our own neighborhood

    • Christians only on Sundays?

  • “Jesus would have to cross 15 Israeli checkpoints and a 30-foot wall to get to Bethlehem”

  • Americans fail to understand what “occupation” means

  • Palestinian Christian population over time and occupation’s influence on their decline

  • Israeli Occupation forces and desire for all Jewish state, turning Al_Asqua Mosque into a temple

    • Bible bans Jews from 3rd Temple

    • Far-right drive

    • Texas cows flown to Israel

28:10 Who is funding Israel?

  • Palestine of all religions suffer at the hands of this funding under an occupation

  • Trump and Israel

33:44 Jenin [on] the Fourth from Arab American News

48:51 The World is Bigger than the USA


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85. Journey to Freedom with Jared Wall

About this Episode

Jared Wall of the Best Practices podcast joins Craig for the series's latest installment, where Craig invites guests with their own podcasts to discuss their projects. Jared's podcast offers listeners interviews on expert ways to own and operate their industrial facilities and commercial properties. While they do discuss the Best Practices podcast, some of the most interesting parts of the conversation are when Jared shares his insights on starting a legal cannabis enterprise and what it is like to be an anarchist and then meeting Jesus in the gospels. Jesus' teachings were so exciting and inspirational that people dropped what they were doing and voluntarily followed him in the thousands; no wonder the Romans killed him.

The conversation begins with his journey from Republican to Libertarian Party activist, then to conceptualizing freedom as personal development, entrepreneurship, and earning wealth to become geographically free. It moves on to how he befriended anti-war activist Scott Horton and worked as a researcher on a few of his books. Jared tells about how hard it is to run a business that focuses on cannabis, as even when it is legal, it is difficult to find stable financial institutions that will work with you. Jared talks about looking for a mentor who could teach him to be a better father and unexpectedly arriving at Jesus. Then they finally discuss the Best Practices podcast content and what any would-be listeners can expect from it.

Connect with Jared:

wall.jared@gmail.com

Best Practices Podcast

Episode Timestamps:

1:35 – Who is Jared Wall?

  • Works in energy efficiency

  • Supported Ron Paul 2012

    • Got into libertarian activism

  • Tried to get a Republican candidate on the ticket

    • The Republican Party took them to court

      • Decided the Republican Party was a waste of time

  • Listening to Tom Woods and Mises 

    • Started thinking about entrepreneurship and personal development

  • We are not going to get freedom from begging politicians for it

    • Earn wealth and become geographically free

  • Kenyan wife

    • Want their kids to be able to spend some of their time growing up in Kenya

  • Working on side hustles is the best way to bring freedom to one's family

15:20 – Scott Horton

  • Jared is friends with Scott Horton

    • Patient with the left while holding onto his ideals

    • Reached out to him for a list of reading books and got to talk to him instead

  • Built a business around legal weed

  • Helped with Scott Horton's book Hotter than the Sun

  • The church is not anti-war

    • Never paid attention to what the presidents were doing in other countries

  • Jesus is anti-war

  • No one speaks to anti-war as well as Scott Horton

28:03 – The cannabis industry

  • Jared launched Hemp Spot in 2021

  • Banks are weary of doing business with anyone in the cannabis industry

    • Perhaps they are scared of having to fight politicians and bureaucrats in courts that they own

  • PayPal confiscated $600-$800 overnight because they don't work with people in the cannabis industry

    • Now his E-Commerce website couldn't accept payment

  • The bank did the same thing

  • Eventually found someone who could work with 'high-risk' businesses

    • But had lost their customers while down

  • Bank changed their compliance requirements which became expensive

    • Time to try something else

  • The cannabis plant is stigmatized entirely because of the state

    • In the 1800s, it was regularly used for medical purposes

    • The social stigma is being eliminated these days though

  • Cannabis grows well everywhere

  • Every part of the plant is useful

    • Can make textiles, rope, plastic, and cement out of it

  • There are a lot of vested interests that would suffer if it were widely available

  • Health benefits

  • There may be legitimate concerns about it being a gateway drug

    • But that doesn't mean the state should pass laws or lock people in jail

    • The solution is to intervene at the family or church level

42:50 – Jared's religious journey

  • Jared was forced into religious life as a child

    • He left it once he had the choice

  • He was looking for someone who could role model what being the best father looked like for him

    • His wife told him to read just the gospels

      • Found the mentor he was looking for in Jesus

  • Next stop: learn to pray

  • Jesus was so cool

    • He just walked and preached and people followed Him

    • That must have threatened the Roman government

  • Coming at the gospels with anarchist roots was great

  • Libertarians need something more; that something could be faith

  • The teachings of Christ should be exciting

53:02 – Best Practices Podcast

  • Expert ways to own and operate industrial facilities and commercial properties

  • Episodes on industrial lighting and other parts of industrial facilities

  • Episodes on asphalt and concrete repair services

  • Episodes with Chris Polk

  • Developing mutually beneficial economic relationships and opportunities is Jared's focus


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71. Agorism is Practical Anarchy with Lily Forester

About this Episode

Lily Forester, of HBO’s “The Anarchists” documentary series fame, joins Craig to discuss freedom, anarchism, and agorism. Lily is a trailblazer of agorist activity, putting anarchist and agorist ideas into action in her own life.  She was a part of the Fireweed Universe City anarchist community in Detroit until her and her boyfriend John moved to Mexico and joined the Anarchapulco community. She ran a restaurant and farm from her house until John was killed in a shooting. These days she keeps herself busy training in circus arts, crocheting custom orders, blogging, building websites, and working with Anarchapulco and Anarchoforko.  

Craig and Lily discuss their frustrations with self-proclaimed anarchists who don’t act like anarchists. Both the ones that go back to the Libertarian Party to try to work through the state and the ones who abuse the title, complicating explanations of anarchist philosophy. Craig and Lily define the term agorist and discuss where it overlaps with anarchist as well as the differences. Where anarchists may shy away agorists tend to follow through on anarchist activities. They are the ones asking themselves how far they are willing to go and using their skills to build healthy communities of voluntary exchanges. Lily gives some advice on becoming an agorist, how to find an agorist community and using crypto-currency.

Where to find Lily:

Episode Timestamps:

5:15 – Who is Lily Forester?

  • Girl with a fake name

    • Arrested for cannabis related stuff in Ohio

  • Raised by agorists: practical anarchists

    • Mother was actively a fugitive in Ohio

  • On the fringe of the Anarchapulco community

  • Started Anarchoforko

  • Had a restaurant and farm at her house

  • Boyfriend murdered in 2019

  • Trains in circus arts

  • Features in “The Anarchists” documentary

7:58 – Frustrated with anarchists

  • Why do anarchists go back to working with libertarian parties?

    • Anarchists should be principled

      • When they aren’t, Craig is disappointed

      • This drew him to Lily’s words in The Anarchists

    • Anarchapulco in The Anarchists seemed to be all about partying

  • Shed the term anarchist for agorist

  • Fireweed Universe-City in Detroit is the most truly anarchist community Lily has lived in

    • Fixing abandoned houses

    • Growing food

    • Community garden

  • Agorists are practicing anarchy

    • Changing their lives

    • Unlicensed businesses

  • Winters in Detroit were hard, so Anarchapulco was appealing

  • Anarchists don’t all live their stated philosophy

    • When times get hard, some go back to the state

      • Or run for President

    • Some use the label to treat people poorly

      • “Don’t tell me what to do, I’m an anarchist.”

      • Manipulating people

  • Anarchists that believe the ideas and try to practice have overlap with agorists

    • They will face hardship

18:04 – Anarchists paying taxes

  • Anarchists do not “pay taxes” they are forcefully taken

    • It’s self-defence

    • It’s not voluntary

    • No one wants to live in a cage

  • Anarchists who run for office are not anarchists

  • Elections are like the movie “Groundhog Day”

  • Lily campaigned for Ron Paul

    • Became an anarchist after he failed

    • Craig was booing him off stage 

  • It’s hard to take anarchists seriously when they discus changing laws or using the libertarian party

  • What Donald Trump calls anarchy is not anarchy

  • Explaining the actions of some self-proclaimed anarchists is not easy

    • Complicates explanations of anarchy

  • Agorists tend to shy away from calling themselves anarchists for this reason

  • Agorists build healthy communities through:

    • Using their skills

    • Voluntary interactions

  • Agorists need to ask themselves:

    • What laws are they willing to break?

    • How far are they willing to test the IRS?

  • Anarchists say stop paying taxes and don’t vote

    • Don’t always follow-up

  • The mark of a good community is how they respond to crisis

    • When John was killed agorists were there for Lily

    • Anarchopulco failed

      • They were a bunch of broken people calling themselves anarchists

      • They couldn’t get along with each other

    • When the police were called they took everything from Lily

      • Her dogs

      • Solar panels

      • Vehicles

    • In the US police conduct “Asset Forfeiture” and do the same

  • Barry Cooper ex-cop fled the US and founded NeverGetBusted

  • Anarchists are suspicious of police officers

33:04 – How to become an agorist

  • Replace goods and services with people who are agorists

  • Do what makes you happy, produce things

    • Accept payments in crypto currency

  • Buy from people who are building the counterculture

  • Cryptocurrency

    • Monero

    • Find ways to transact without having to turn it into fiat currencies

    • A tool to send and receive money that may hide your identity

    • Behaves like a regular market with booms and busts

    • Is unregulatable

      • Decentralised and worldwide

    • A stepping stone to seeing the state collapse

    • The IRS can’t see it

    • Buying and selling services with agorists

    • Crypto wallets are untraceable with a VPN

    • Some businesses accept it

    • There is a whole community building and using it

44:56 – Spirituality

  • Psychedelics have been a part of Lily’s journey

  • Prayer works

  • No face or name or doctrine or worship

    • There is something out there who helps good people

    • People personify the unexplainable

    • Something is keeping Lily out of jail

  • The world is not completely random

  • Human Design

    • Focus on being good people

    • Doing things in ways that use your best modes

    • Makes life easier

  • A taro reading suggested a female lawyer would help and then one contacted her

  • Jesus said to love your neighbor and love your enemy

  • Lily got involved with Anarchopulco and they went from enemy to friend

    • Building what she wants to see

    • Now there are more people from various religious camps now

    • No more drunken parties, like in the past

    • Bringing people together who are actually doing stuff

    • More families, chill people, and business people come now

55:37 – Food

  • Lily’s guac recipe

  • Mexican guac is just avocado, cilantro, white onion, jalapeno, salt, and lime

    • Tastes cheesy

  • Texans believe beans don’t belong in chili

  • White people are the worst

  • Hot dogs go on every food in Acapulco

1:02:35 – Close the interview


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70. Pawns of the Military-Industrial Complex with Jamie Cain

About this Episode

Jamie Cain, host of the Liberty Uninterrupted podcast, joins Craig to discuss the military-industrial complex as someone who lived as its pawn. Despite his father’s warning that he would not be fighting for freedom but rather for lobbyists and bankers, at 17 years old, liberty-loving Jamie joined the military. A few years later, Jamie left the military out of his love of liberty, having learned that war is a racket. Since then, he has had some success talking young people out of joining the military by exploring their reasoning for doing so and turning their patriotic logic on its head. Other times, shocking young people by being brutally honest is the only way, but Jamie is not scared of awkward conversations. 

With Craig equally likely to blow up comfortable public narratives, these two could write the book on conversations guaranteed to ruin Thanksgiving dinner! In this episode, they share their views on the military-industrial complex, its propaganda, recruiting and indoctrination techniques. The Military-Industrial Complex is the murdering wing of the state. It indoctrinates and enslaves young Americans as pawns in wars for the financial gain of special interest groups and politicians. 

Craig and Jamie envision a world where America’s competitors act the way America has, policing the world in the name of democracy, bombing critical infrastructure and setting up occupying forces and military bases. Of course, if anyone tried it, Americans would be rightfully angry. With military recruitment figures at crisis levels, maybe after 20 years of illegal wars it is time to bring the troops home.

Connect with Jamie:

Website

Liberty Uninterrupted podcast on:

Episode Timestamps:

2:23 – Who is Jamie Cain?

  • Podcast host at Liberty Uninterrupted 

  • Voluntaryist with a libertarian podcast

  • Joined the military at 17 years old

  • War is a Racket – Major General Smedley Butler

  • Dad’s advice at the start of his military career:

    • Remember that you are not fighting for freedom

  • Wanted to join the army since he was seven years old

  • Rich people all over the world send the poor to fight their wars

    • After getting rich from taxes

    • Their children do not join the military

9:15 – Why shouldn’t people join the military?

  • The praise that military men receive helps keep people signing up

  • Financial benefits help too

  • More veterans have committed suicide than soldiers died in Afghanistan

  • Military men believe they are doing the right thing

  • Shaming soldiers is not going to change their mind

  • Shame the Military-Industrial Complex, not the people involved

    • They don’t get to choose the jobs they do

      • End up in military prison if they refuse a job

  • Soldiers sign a contract to become the state’s property

    • Even state military guards are misused

  • During covid, citizen’s liberties were restricted but no help came from the military

  • After six years, Jamie realized he had been lied to

    • Clung to protecting his buddies

  • Jamie was woken up by Ron Paul in 2012 Presidential Election speeches

  • Ron Paul’s “Giuliani Moment”

  • We should write a book on how to ruin Thanksgiving dinner

  • The United States Government has killed a holocaust worth of people

  • The Middle East are angry because we are occupying their land

    • Children dying

      • Bombing hospitals

      • Bombing water supplies

      • Bombing weddings

    • Imposing sanctions

  • We are not a “Christian Nation.”

    • Anarchism is what Jesus would do

  • What would happen if other nations treated Americans the way we treat the Middle East?

    • We would not remain peaceful

  • The US made Al-Qaeda recruitment easy through:

    • Drone strikes

    • Dropping bombs

    • Killing families

19:54 – Everyone has a man crush on Ron Paul

  • Christians don’t vote

  • Even Ron Paul, who:

    • Used the platform honorably

    • Woke many people up

    • Influenced culture

    • Used the system against itself

  • If Ron Paul couldn’t change the system, no one can

  • Anarchists don’t vote

  • The state and military are backed by Satan

  • Power corrupts even the best of intentions

    • Be it political or military

  • Jamie’s dad’s speech annoyed him

    • But it helped him to understand Ron Paul’s words

    • Left him open to the truth

38:30 - Should we pull the troops back and simply defend the US?

  • No one is going to come and kill Americans

    • There are 400 million guns in the US

  • Taking guns from everyone does not make sense

    • More money and power will go to the state

    • Gun control is a means of controlling people

  • Other countries have no interest in attacking the US

    • There is no advantage to doing so

  • We can’t put military bases across the world without upsetting some people

    • There is no such thing as peacekeeping soldiers

    • They appear as an occupying force

  • Our government is our biggest threat

    • China isn’t taking half my pay

    • China is not taking our guns away

    • China is not killing my neighbour for smoking weed

  • Those who don’t vote have the right to complain about who is in power

    • Voters give power to the system through participation

    • They love it when their side is in control but not when the opposition has power

  • Murray Rothbard – For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto

48:55 – Talking young people out of joining the military

  • Jamie meets a lot of young people

    • They ask him for advice regarding joining the military

    • He asks them, “Why do you want to join the military?”

      • Establishes their reasoning

    • Often they say it because they feel they should

      • This is due to propaganda

    • Follow-up questions revolve around their answers

      • If they say they feel that they should, he asks “Do you come from a patriotic family?” and “What’s so patriotic about joining the military?”

    • Maybe it is more patriotic to stay home and build communities and families

      • Use their own reasoning and apply it to them not joining up

    • “What’s so exciting about getting your leg blown off for oil?”

    • Blow up their narrative

    • Every war since WWII that the US has been involved in is illegal under the constitution

    • Who wants to kill people they don’t even know?

54:58 – Do the police help?

  • They didn’t prevent the slaughter of children in Uvalde

  • The Supreme Court says they have no duty to protect anyone

  • In an anarchist society, there is no monopoly on protection services

  • Covid proved that police exist to protect the state

    • And politicians

  • Libertarian views might not be socially appropriate

    • But we should open our mouths anyway

    • Be honest

  • The military treats individuals like trash

    • Pawns in wars

    • No life skills outside the military

      • People get stuck

1:00:19 – We won’t all agree

  • If you ask Craig a question, you will get his honest answer

  • People do not all agree

    • If a voluntary society came tomorrow, people would still argue philosophy

    • Life is not black and white – Craig

    • There’s room for nuance – Jamie

  • The military-industrial complex is the murdering wing of the state

    • It’s using Americans to build an agenda

  • The Army military recruitment is down tremendously


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23. Scott Horton - The United States Empire - Genocide in Yemen and Beyond

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In this episode, Craig digs deep with Scott Horton about the US government’s direct involvement with the war of genocide occurring in Yemen and the general stirring of the pot by the US in the Middle East. In addition to being the editorial director at antiwar.com, Scott, a self-proclaimed Ron Paul libertarian, is also the founder of The Libertarian Institute and author of the book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Scott shares his insights regarding the culture war aspect in partisan politics and how every president since George H. W. Bush has been the same product with a different brand name. 

Is the war in Yemen designed to create famine? And if so, how did we get there, why, and what should a Christian’s response be to their government’s involvement in such heinous atrocities? 

Timestamps for further exploration: 

1:22 Scott Horton’s background 

6:20 The Culture War Aspect 

11:45 Craig’s transition, beginning in 2000 

13:00 Bill Clinton’s role in the hate for the US found in the Middle East 

  • Are we required to defend Clinton because of patriotism? 

  • Bush’s blue blood 

  • Carole Quigly 

23:00 Trump’s relationship with Wall Street 

25:45 Exploring the problems US involvement causes  in the Middle East 

  • the effect of sanctions 

27:30 What would it take for a libertarian to become president?

32:20 Biden: Zionist agent of a foreign power 

36:50 Yemen: Why are we there? 

  • the effects of US involvement 

Do people have to decide where their priorities lie? God? Or the state? 

Additional links:

The Great Ron Paul, Interview Transcripts