voicesofnebraska

As some of you know, I have been trying to get our Secretary of State Bob Evnen to give a clearer explanation of what it is that he means when he is telling voters that write-in votes for candidates "will not be counted" when the vote totals don't meet or exceed the 5% threshold. I have addressed my concerns about this in several previous posts, to which I will link below for anyone who would like to view them for reference. In this video, I discuss those concerns and why I believe Nebraskans who are seeking to restore integrity to our elections should not let this issue go until our government provides us with clarity and with answers. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/live-not-by-lies-and-a-response-from-the-ag-s-office-regarding-write-in-votes https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/why-does-evnen-keep-saying-write-in-votes-will-not-be-counted-statute-says-they-shall https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/does-secretary-of-state-evnen-not-know-that-the-write-in-votes-for-governor-must-be-counted

We cannot permit the foundation of our nation to grow weaker and still expect that when the storm comes, we will be strong enough to withstand it. For anyone who is interested in the "Live Not by Lies" essay by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn which I reference in this video, you can find the link to that essay, as well as my commentary on it at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyPY7d208lk

In this video, I give an update on the response I received back from the attorney general's office regarding questions many have had about why the reporting of the total votes in the race for governor is not reflecting the number of eligible write-in votes. I also ask anyone who is interested to read the essay (link below) titled, "Live Not by Lies," by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. And then I ask that, after reading that essay, you think hard on the matter and put pen to paper in answering the question, "Where is my red line?" Only you know that. But I think it is a question which everyone should know the answer to. https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies If your "red line" has been crossed and you are ready to become a participant (if you aren't already) and not just an observer, then I will be suggesting soon some actions which I think we should be taking to hold our elected officials to account. Accountability doesn't necessarily mean that we will get the answers that we want. That doesn't absolve us of our own responsibility to press our elected officials until an answer is made clear. In doing so, we may root out those in our government who may still have some integrity left in them, but who have thus far failed to speak up on our behalf (perhaps because they believed a silent majority would remain silent and not support them). Or we may discover that such integrity is nowhere to be found. But we owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to future generations to find out. You can find my previous correspondence to Secretary of State Evnen (which I reference in my correspondence with the AG) on this matter here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/why-does-evnen-keep-saying-write-in-votes-will-not-be-counted-statute-says-they-shall https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/live-not-by-lies-and-a-response-from-the-ag-s-office-regarding-write-in-votes

The worst thing that any conservative could do right now is to disengage and move on now that Election Day has come and gone. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/when-the-going-gets-tough-the-tough-get-going

In this video, I discuss the numbered points below. As I have said from the time that I first became actively involved in politics, the answers are only going to be found in us. I suggest some steps which we could take, and I offer to be a coordinator of visits to elected officials, but what would be even better is if others took this mission up for themselves and organized their own efforts to keep our elected officials accountable. The key to true "winning" for the people is going to be found in accountability--self-accountability and accountability from our elected officials. I will offer some specific ideas which I have for things we should be doing, but nothing about what I am proposing is "mine." These ideas are meant to be shared, expanded upon, and debated by others. I hope that people will also be thinking of other ways that we can hold our elected officials accountable as well. THAT is how we work in unison, even when we are engaged in different efforts. But it has to all be rooted in accountability--again, from our elected officials AND from ourselves in doing our part in the protection of our own freedom. Without that, nothing is going to change. The watchfulness of the citizen is the salvation of the state 1. Abandon all use of the phrase “Silent Majority.” 2. Stop staying silent when you know you should speak out. 3. Stop accepting excuses from your elected officials (and from yourself). 4. Commit to one face-to-face engagement with an elected official. (Even better, find a friend or two to go with you.) 5. Stop believing that lawfare in a two-tiered justice system is going to make things right. 6. Stop outsourcing the protection of your freedom to Trump or anyone else. The responsibility for the protection of your freedom is your own. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/my-meeting-with-candidate-for-attorney-general-senator-hilgers-to-discuss-election-integrity-concerns

I'm not sure I can even call this "post-election" commentary. Are the elections really over? I mean, they should be, right? But here we are, two years after the November 2020 election, and nothing has changed for the better. This is part of a series of video commentary in which I discuss where I discuss what I think we should be doing next. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/the-watchfulness-of-the-citizen-is-the-salvation-of-the-state

I recently met with Senator Hilgers to discuss some of my concerns regarding what I believe has been an insufficient response from our government when it comes to taking seriously our election integrity concerns. If you wish to read my commentary on this meeting with Senator Hilgers, you may do so at this link: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/my-meeting-with-candidate-for-attorney-general-senator-hilgers-to-discuss-election-integrity-concerns

In this video, I explain why I will be voting my conscience and why I think that you shouldn't be afraid to do the same--no matter who it is that you vote for. I'm not voting for Jim Pillen, and I've not been hesitant to tell people why I am not voting for him. But there is a difference between pointing out reasons why I am not voting for him (and why I think others should not either) and making purely emotional arguments that lack any substance and are rooted in nothing but fearmongering and shaming by telling people that they MUST vote for Pillen--or else. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/to-those-who-are-trying-to-shame-and-guilt-people-into-voting-for-pillen-shut-up

Here is a snippet of a back and forth exchange I had this past legislative session during one of my many trips to the capitol to try to get our senators to address the problems that we have with our elections. I would venture to guess that this brief public exchange likely exceeds any that Pillen has had with Blood as a candidate for governor. If Pillen doesn't have enough faith in himself to debate his opponents as a candidate who is seeking the job of becoming our next governor, then why on earth should we put any faith in him either? Such a coward as Pillen cannot be relied upon to stand up to the overreach of the federal government, nor can he be relied upon to put any pressure upon our do-nothing legislature to accomplish the things that Nebraskans want done. That Carol Blood is a sneaky snake, as you can see her demonstrate the tactics she uses in her arguments--tactics which are probably what have Pillen running so scared. She is a crafty one, that is for sure, always trying to throw people off their own message. But it is unacceptable for Pillen to be so arrogant as to think that HE is the one who should get to decide the terms of the interview process for the job he is asking us to give him. The voters expect a candidate to debate as part of the process, and those who refuse reveal both their arrogance and their weakness. Is Pillen a guy who has YOUR back, or a guy who is only concerned about his own backside? Nebraskans deserve better. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/to-those-who-are-trying-to-shame-and-guilt-people-into-voting-for-pillen-shut-up

People should be careful what it is they ask for when it comes to raising the minimum wage. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/vote-against-minimum-wage-initiative-measure-433

Sharing the video of my comments from the Voter ID initiative hearing, as this is better quality audio than what I previously shared. I would like to clarify one thing that I said in my comments regarding how it was that Voter ID came to be on the ballot. I said that it didn't happen because of Nebraskans. In no way do I mean to diminish the efforts of Nebraskans who did work tirelessly to try to get initiatives (this one or any others) on the ballot. I myself was one of those people. What I am highlighting is the fact that we need more people like those who are willing to put forth the effort, and the sad fact is that we don't have enough people in our "Second House" who are willing to engage in the process. That is why the only two initiatives which got enough signatures to get on the ballot are the ones that were funded by people who flooded our state with out-of-state paid circulators. They had to do it, because it was never going to get done solely on the efforts of the people. But, for political reasons, they wanted to prioritize Voter ID so that they could claim to be "doing something" with regard to concerns people have about our elections. Voter ID is a no-brainer measure which we should have had in place long ago; however, it serves more as a deterrent to fraud. In no way is it enough to secure our elections. What people want to see addressed is the use of corruptible software that is being used in our elections. But instead of moving us away from the use of software, our Unicameral instead voted in April to amend the definition of "voting system" in our state to now permit "any software or service" to be used in our elections. Why would they do this? And despite the NEGOP acknowledging that "corrupt software" is being used in our elections, they somehow failed to include in their Legislative Plan for 2023 any legislative goals to work toward getting the software removed from our elections. One would think that if they believe that we are using "corrupt software" (their words) in our elections, they might have prioritized that in their Legislative Plan. Why didn't they? And why did the NEGOP praise then-Senator Mike Flood for proposing the change to amend our definition of "voting system" to now include "any software or service?" I believe those are some questions to which conservatives deserve answers. If you are interested, I share more of my thoughts regarding my public comments at the Voter ID hearings here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/don-t-pee-on-my-leg-and-tell-me-it-s-raining

That is a question that was left under a Facebook post of mine in which I said that I believe that we need to turn to God in prayer to guide us as to who it is we should vote for in the upcoming election. Well, as someone who has been a candidate myself, I would not have ever described myself as "Godly" (and certainly not capitalized, as it was in the question that was put to me). I do understand how the word "Godly" was meant as it was asked, but I cannot answer that question without pointing to my own discomfort with one meaning of the word being the equivalent of "divine." It just isn't a word that I would ever feel comfortable using to describe myself. Having said that, this is my clumsy answer to that question. In short, my answer is to ask this question: Where are the godly (lowercase "godly") people in our country? If we had not been so idle and negligent, our country would not have fallen into the current state which it is in. This is the Facebook post that is referenced: I understand the fear that people have. But I believe that until we put our faith back in God and cast our votes for people based on who we believe has the most integrity (even if we may not all agree on who that is), then we will continue to reap what we sow. And I do believe we are in for tough times ahead, but if we sincerely want to chart a new and better path, then I think that we have to find the courage to be willing to accept the consequences of what our negligence has brought upon us. Government should be of, by, and for the people, but when we withdraw from our responsibilities and fail to engage, then our government becomes something else entirely. That is where we are, I think, and I think the only way back is through--not around. Many are hoping for shortcuts to escape our own accountability. We are not entitled to God's protection. I believe we must seek it in earnest, and that may very well mean that we do have to endure some of the pain which we have brought upon ourselves. We should not be so arrogant as to think that we can escape that judgement. BUT... I've never had God fail me, and I believe that we are being tested to demonstrate faith over fear. Will we pass the test? I don't know. That is my perspective on things. I trust that God's a better "chess player" than I am, and I believe that God knows better than I do what "winning" looks like. I will do as I feel called and leave the rest to God. IN GOD I TRUST. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/the-values-of-the-republican-party-are-non-existent-if-they-are-not-lived-by-those-who-profess-to-represent-them

Not the best quality, as I had to record this myself, but our government doesn't like transparency, so they bury the recordings of hearings that take place in the capitol and only livestream them. Blink and you'll miss it--and they hope that you do. I would like to clarify one thing that I said in my comments regarding how it was that Voter ID came to be on the ballot. I said that it didn't happen because of Nebraskans. In no way do I mean to diminish the efforts of Nebraskans who did work tirelessly to try to get initiatives (this one or any others) on the ballot. I myself was one of those people. What I am highlighting is the fact that we need more people like those who are willing to put forth the effort, and the sad fact is that we don't have enough people in our "Second House" who are willing to engage in the process. That is why the only two initiatives which got enough signatures to get on the ballot are the ones that were funded by people who flooded our state with out-of-state paid circulators. They had to do it, because it was never going to get done solely on the efforts of the people. But, for political reasons, they wanted to prioritize Voter ID so that they could claim to be "doing something" with regard to concerns people have about our elections. Voter ID is a no-brainer measure which we should have had in place long ago; however, it serves more as a deterrent to fraud. In no way is it enough to secure our elections. What people want to see addressed is the use of corruptible software that is being used in our elections. But instead of moving us away from the use of software, our Unicameral instead voted in April to amend the definition of "voting system" in our state to now permit "any software or service" to be used in our elections. Why would they do this? And despite the NEGOP acknowledging that "corrupt software" is being used in our elections, they somehow failed to include in their Legislative Plan for 2023 any legislative goals to work toward getting the software removed from our elections. One would think that if they believe that we are using "corrupt software" (their words) in our elections, they might have prioritized that in their Legislative Plan. Why didn't they? And why did the NEGOP praise then-Senator Mike Flood for proposing the change to amend our definition of "voting system" to now include "any software or service?" I believe those are some questions to which conservatives deserve answers. If you are interested, I share more of my thoughts regarding my public comments at the Voter ID hearings here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/don-t-pee-on-my-leg-and-tell-me-it-s-raining

I'm sharing this, not to put a target on the backs of our county election commissioners (I'm quite sure they are just doing as they were told and as they were trained to do), but to highlight what I think is a very real problem that we have with regard to how our votes are being counted. There is no real human oversight of the counting of our ballots--not even when votes are written in by hand. Note how many times in my conversation with my county election commissioner she references the "programming" that is involved in counting the write-in votes. Programming, huh? Done by software of which "we the people" are granted no oversight, and programmed by election software companies who insist upon non-disclosure agreements with our Secretary of State (who foolishly agreed to such a lack of transparency). "Electionware" needs to go.

FAITH OVER FEAR. This is a discussion of some of the comments which I shared when I gave public comment on the Voter ID initiative at the final public hearing in Lincoln. When I get the chance, and if the quality of the audio is good enough, I will share the recording of my public comments. My comments at last week's hearing in Omaha can be heard here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/my-comments-from-the-public-hearing-on-voter-id Oh, and I'll let you know if Senator Hilgers (who is a candidate for Nebraska AG) keeps to his word to hold a meeting with me next week. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/the-negop-is-more-interested-in-holding-on-to-political-power-than-they-are-in-securing-our-elections * For clarity, the ballot initiative measure is 432. I referred to it as 423 at the beginning of the video. Apologies for the typo in the text as well. I need more sleep.(sigh)

Today I spoke at the public hearing on the Voter ID initiative which will be on the ballot in November. I support Voter ID, but until we remove the vulnerable machines from our elections, our elections will not be secure. What I sought to bring to light--which many voters may not even be aware of--is that this past spring, our Unicameral (in an amendment proposed by then-Senator Mike Flood) changed the definition of our "voting system" to now include "any software or service" in the "creating, casting, and counting" of ballots. Do you want software helping you CAST your vote? (I don't.) https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/so-why-then-did-flood-think-that-adding-software-to-our-elections-was-a-good-idea https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/the-negop-is-more-interested-in-holding-on-to-political-power-than-they-are-in-securing-our-elections

You may follow the link below to see my comments about a recent post on Twitter from the NEGOP which should alarm you if you are someone who believes that we need to get machines out of our elections. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/and-this-right-here-is-why-you-should-not-trust-the-negop If you thought that the "takeover" of the NEGOP meant that you were getting new people in there who were going to put the interests of the people above doing whatever it takes to win elections (for their own sake and not for yours), then you have been snookered. The recent claim from the NEGOP that Mike Flood should be praised for "helping write legislation" that "gives the Secretary of State the authority to remove corrupt software from our election equipment" is absurd! The amendment proposed by Flood and then passed by our legislature revised the definition of our "voting system" to now include "any software or service" (ANY!) in the "creating, casting, and counting" of ballots. In no way whatsoever did Flood's adopted amendment move us closer to restoring integrity to our elections. In fact, it moved us in the opposite direction. But what really stinks to high heaven about the NEGOP's cheering of Flood is their suggestion that Flood has helped to grant Secretary of State Evnen the authority to rid us of "corrupt software." WHAT A JOKE! For them to make such a claim very clearly indicates two things: 1) that they haven't got a clue that the revision of "voting system" leaves our elections WIDE OPEN to the use of "any software or service," making them MORE vulnerable, and 2) that they haven't got a clue that Secretary of State Evnen has ZERO intentions of ridding us of any "corrupt software," as is indicated in his public comment given before the Government Affairs committee. Or maybe they do know. Maybe they aren't so clueless. Here's what I know. I know that Governor Ricketts office has told me that the change in how our voting system is defined was done to permit the Secretary of State to have more oversight. I am guessing that the amendment proposed by Flood to add "any software and service" to our voting system came at the suggestion of Evnen himself. But listen to Evnen's public comment, and then you tell me if that man is EVER going to give up the ES&S machines. All Flood did was grant MORE authority and oversight to crooked Secretary of State Bob Evnen. So much for that "new guard" replacing the "old guard" of the NEGOP. They cheer on this bullshit and they beg for Republicans to vote for Pillen. And all the while, they don't even TRY to make Pillen a better candidate. The NEGOP should be demanding that Pillen get his ass out of the basement that he's hiding in and debate his opponents. But they don't. Instead, all the NEGOP cares about is winning elections, and the "new guard" is no different than the "old guard." Winning elections is good, but if they were sincere about restoring power to the people, they would insist that Republican candidates respect the voters enough to work to EARN their votes. Instead, they let them run amuck and make excuses for their bad behavior.

I am calling upon Charles Herbster to please consider filing to run as a write-in for Secretary of State. Evnen should never be allowed to run unopposed for that position in the general election. Herbster has the name recognition, the money, and the backing of Trump. If anyone could succeed in a write-in campaign, Herbster could do it. And he would be doing Nebraskans a favor to rid us of Secretary of State Evnen, who has taken our election process hostage. Our elections will never be secure with Evnen being the one providing oversight of them. At the very least, SOMEONE should run as a write-in against Evnen. I am proposing Herbster for the job because I believe he could succeed at it. And he would be doing Nebraskans a favor if he took on Evnen in this way, because the write-in votes cannot be read by machines, so having a write-in candidate would ensure that more eyeballs were involved in the counting of the votes. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/charles-herbster-should-run-as-a-write-in-for-secretary-of-state-of-nebraska https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/why-i-am-convinced-that-herbster-was-falsely-accused-by-senator-slama

In part of this audio, you'll hear Senator Slama scold me for using "the F word." If Senator Slama were as interested in policing our elections as she is in policing my use of "the F word," our elections would be secured in no time! I will never permit someone to label me as something which I am not. Senator Slama is very much suggesting, and in some instances directly stating--things about me which are NOT true. In the audio of the meeting that I had with her yesterday, I reminded her that she has accused me in the past of "trying to overthrow the government." What she has said about me is unreal. And FALSE. She said that what I was describing to her--when I was asking her to uphold and protect our Constitutional rights--"qualifies as" an attempt to overthrow the government! This is not a statement from my senator that I take lightly, particularly given the many injustices that are taking place against patriots in our country right now at the hands of our own government. I would note that Senator Slama can be heard in the audio of the meeting asking me why I did not speak up (about my concerns about the changes to how "voting system" is defined) when I gave public comment on LB 843 at the capitol earlier in the year. The reason that I am pointing to this now is because this is yet another example of gamesmanship that our politicians play. Slama appears to be mistaken on her dates in several of the instances to which she points in order to suggest that the timeline of things mattered in absolving her of her responsibility to represent the concerns of her constituents. She asked me why I did not speak up sooner, and the answer is that I did not because I had no knowledge yet of Flood's proposed amendment until after the legislative session was over. I don't even think that Senator Flood's amendment had been proposed yet at the time of the hearings where Slama suggests I should have spoken up about my concerns. The better questions to ask, I think, is why it is that Senator Slama has taken no action against me if she--as she claims--believes that I pose a threat to our government. Is she not be derelict in her duties to ignore such a thing, if she TRULY believes it to be so? What she has claimed about me trying to "overthrow the government" is no small thing, and words such as that from our government should never be directed toward us unless they are true. What Senator Slama accuses me of is NOT true, and I think that if she truly believed that it was, she would have a duty to follow through and report me. Again, I do not fear such allegations because I know that they are false. Senator Slama knows it too. This is an example of how some in our government will use the power of the positions that they hold in order to intimidate others. I will not be cowed into silence. Also, I don't mention it in my video commentary, but in the audio of the meeting (during a portion which is difficult to hear), she actually makes a reference to an incident which never took place as she describes. She claims that, at the Nemaha County GOP Convention, I was two inches from her face and she alludes to my use of "the F word" as if I were cursing directly at her (as in, F-you, or something). Anyone who has followed the videos that I have posted in the past knows very well that I shared (long ago) all about the incident that took place on the day that she is referencing. It was not an insignificant event to me, because it was the moment when my own senator claimed that I was trying to "overthrow the government!" Was I "two inches" from her face. No. Absolutely not. Just as Senator Slama claimed that Charles Herbster touched her at a crowded event, she is now claiming untrue things to suggest that I engaged with her inappropriately during a conversation that she and I had which took place in a room full of people at my county GOP convention. The audio of that event was recorded in its entirety and I have shared it in the past--with no shame or hesitation whatsoever. The truth is that I *WANT* people to know that Senator Slama believes that patriots are dangerous. I *WANT* people to see that her concerns are to protect her peers in the government instead of to provide representation to her constituents and to protect our rights. What actually happened is that AFTER Senator Slama had just claimed that I was trying to "overthrow the government," I told her that I was only trying to appeal to her as my senator for representation and that she was essentially telling me to "fuck off." I can assure you that I was far more offended by her having just accused me of trying to overthrow the government than she was by my use of "the F word." I will post the link below that includes the audio of that exchange and people may decide for themselves which of the two of us, Senator Slama or I, poses the greatest threat to our government. Those are but a few of the reasons that I now believe that her allegations against Charles Herbster were made up. (I cover more of the reasons in the video.) I was always skeptical of her claims given the timing of when they came out, but up until recently, I had been willing to presume that there might have been an inkling of truth to what she had said. Maybe Herbster had flirted with her or something, I thought. But I never believed that he touched her in such a way that traumatized her as she claimed. Never. And Governor Ricketts' call for Herbster to "seek treatment," combined with calls from all of the women in the Unicameral for Herbster to drop out of the race (because they all had publicly declared him guilty) certainly seemed to point to all of this being nothing more than a political witch hunt (with a heaping dose of an abuse of governmental authority behind it). I have always been appalled that many of our elected officials abused their governmental authority by claiming Herbster guilty rather than presuming him innocent. What irony there was that Governor Ricketts claimed Herbster unfit to lead when Ricketts himself was abusing the authority of his elected position to charge ahead with public proclamations of guilt against a man who never was given the presumption of innocence as our laws require. (And Pillen's tacit consent to such an abuse of governmental authority is one of the main reasons I will never vote for him to be our governor.) Until recently, I did believe that there was always the possibility that the allegations against Herbster might have held some truth to them. The evidence of what I have seen and personally experienced myself suggests to me that Senator Slama is no longer deserving of any benefit of the doubt. Today, I do believe that Herbster is 100% innocent of the things which Senator Slama has claimed about him. Will we ever know for sure? Perhaps not. But I am speaking today to the things which I *do* know, and that is that Senator Slama is a person who I know for a fact cannot be trusted to give an accurate account of things or honest answers when she is asked. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/does-your-senator-think-you-are-trying-to-overthrow-the-government https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/updates-on-responses-from-elected-officials-regarding-the-recent-change-in-voting-system https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/senator-slama-s-response-to-election-integrity-concerns-she-is-no-patriot https://southeast.newschannelnebraska.com/story/46298385/gov-ricketts-reacts-to-allegations-against-herbster

Our government needs a spanking. We have to be the ones to discipline them. Their bad behavior has continued because we have NOT been doing that. Most "solutions" that are proposed to the problems we have with our government tend to be ones that do not have us ever holding anyone to account. Instead, we complain about how we have been wronged and then try to find ways to go around the bad actors in our government. They laugh at us when we do that. It keeps us distracted, busy, and out of their hair while they continue on with the bad behavior that they never were made to answer for. We also need to be realistic about expecting to solve our problems at the ballot box by voting in new people when we know damn well that it has been the consequences of our corrupted elections which are the root cause of many of the battles we are trying to fight. The elections have to be secured first, if voting in new people is ever going to be a reliable solution for ANY other issue. If we want accountability from our government, it has to start with US. I have requested to meet with Senator Slama and also with Secretary of State Bob Evnen. I'll update on that when I know more. The letters referenced in the video can be viewed here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/updates-on-responses-from-elected-officials-regarding-the-recent-change-in-voting-system

A silent majority holds no power. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/why-we-must-celebrate-constitution-day https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/we-are-not-counterpunchers-this-is-why-we-keep-losing

Most people in our country have no idea who Jeremy Brown is. What's worse, many of our elected officials likely don't either. But they should. We all should know who he is. He and many others are today's heroes. They are the rare few who demonstrate the courage to stand for what they believe and to never back down from that. I remember the first time I ever learned who Jeremy Brown is. It was in March 2021 in this interview that he did with The Gateway Pundit. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/caught-video-fbi-dhs-attempt-recruit-former-green-beret-infiltrate-spy-oath-keepers-proud-boys-recorded-conversation/ I was blown away that he was saying EVERYTHING that I was wanting to hear so many others say, but that no one was saying. I am sharing this clip of his March 2022 interview with Jim Stroud as my way of celebrating Constitution Day. My website post about Constitution Day can be found here https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/why-we-must-celebrate-constitution-day, and it includes short (one-,minute) clips with Brandon Straka and John Strand who are other people whom I regard as heroes as well. All of them--as well as many others--have been persecuted by our government. Please take a moment today to send up a prayer of gratitude for their courage and for them to remain safe.

I was asked recently if I would make a video talking about mass formation psychosis, and on that same day, someone else that I know shared with me the video interview with Professor of Clinical Psychology, Mattias Desmet, who is a leading voice on "mass formation psychosis." In addition to that video interview that I was sent, I will also link to an article from The Epoch Times which is essentially a written summary of highlights from the video interview (for those who prefer to read than to watch a video). I will also include some video clips and a link to a post I made some time back referencing Yuval Noah Harari, who is an author, academic, and reportedly an advisor to Klaus Schwab. So in these videos I just share a few of my thoughts about the phenomenon of "mass formation psychosis." I do believe that this sort of collective hypnotism is real. While I believe that Desmet is spot on in his assessment that the way to break free from a mass formation is to speak out, I think that there are some things that he fails to address. He talks about totalitarian technocracy, but he doesn't ever actually articulate the origins of where the seeds of these mass formations come from. They are not organic, but are manufactured by those who view themselves as elites--and, if you listen to the words of Yuval Noah Harari, these are people who will use the word "tyrant" and believe it to have no negative connotation whatsoever. I will just put it this way. I think that Desmet underestimates those who are behind these narratives of mass formation. They are not "dull" at all, as he has described them. They are quite brilliant actually, and many of those technocrats are playing the world like a fiddle through the collection and manipulation of data. We are being bio-hacked in ways that keep us distracted to the point that we keep going in circles and chasing our tails. Instead of going face-to-face with those in our government who are treading upon us, we keep fighting like cowards, retreating from a direct fight and always seeking ways to go around the people in government who are bullying us. That kind of a response continues to send the message to bullies that they are the ones in charge. Desmet says that the technocratic ideology is one that purports that the anxiety-inducing problems of the world--and he gives examples of terrorism, climate change, and the Coronavirus--are problems that should be taken on, basically, in a way that "follows the science" or the advice of "the experts." The thing I feel that Desmet is leaving out of the discussion is that this sort of a response isn't a reaction to narratives which arise spontaneously or organically, The fear and anxiety-inducing narratives that they plant are all part of a plan to create fears which push people toward an acceptance of "the experts" as the ones who can offer the solutions. Fear is a powerful motivator. This hypnosis mindset that people fall into as a result of their fear is akin to what I have long (since 2020 even) referred to as the "Cult of COVID." And perhaps it is a conversation for academics (and not for people like me who really just want to see results and positive movement), but Desmet's preference for us to focus on "ethical principles or the principles of humanity" instead of on "rationalist" thought results in his argument being made a bit murky and even seemingly contradictory to people like me who are not steeped in the academic arguments of these philosophies. Let's put it this way, I find the language that he uses, which shows his aversion to "rationalist" thought to be potentially confusing to people when his argument is also permeated with the message that people should be pushing back and speaking out against "the irrational." For someone who acknowledges the importance of how language is used, I think that Desmet misses the mark a bit in his own choice of words. In large part, though, the things that Desmet is pointing to are spot on. The "remedy," he says, to end a mass formation psychosis is for people to speak out. I believe he is 100% right about that. That has been the solution which I have been trying to propose through the underlying message and purpose of my Voices of Nebraska website. Our voices are indeed where our power is, but we are failing to speak out in effective ways, I think. I wish that Desmet could offer more specific instruction to people than to just tell us to find the courage to speak out. I mean, that IS what must be done, but Desmet doesn't tackle the problem of why it is that the "unhypnotized" among the masses are still remaining silent. This is a problem that I have spoken about many times before. We have people who believe themselves to be "lions among sheep" who are still only roaring among the other lions. As a collective, we "lions" have not yet directed our roar outside of the circles in which we comfortably tend to remain. I could write for days about what I think of all of this, and much of it has already been shared over months and months in posts on this website and in videos on my Rumble page. But suffice it to say, the answer IS to speak out, but we have to be smart about where it is that we direct our speech in order for our words to be effective. We--as a collective--have not done that, and I believe it is largely out of fear that this has not occurred. We have been cowed by tyrants in our government--the very ones who are behind the chorus of narratives which instill fear in us and which threaten to impose consequences upon us if we dare to speak "wrongly." In my videos I'm sharing today, I speak about what I see as a sort of distinction between the manufactured mass formation psychoses and ones which I see as sort of stemming off or resulting from the manufactured mass formation narratives and taking on a life of their own. I've often spoke of how much we have been stagnating as a nation. I am almost always talking about it in terms of it being a result of a lack of accountability, and why it is so important for us to speak up in effective ways (and outside of our own echo chambers and "safe spaces") to demand accountability from those whom we repeatedly keep letting off the hook. But for years now, the news narratives seemed to have changed very little. All reports point to a two-tiered system of justice and ZERO accountability. I hadn't thought about it in terms of being similar to a "mass formation" before, but from what I have observed over the last two or three years--witnessing an awful lot of bitching and very little actual change resulting from it--I think that perhaps some of the hypnotism that Desmet speaks of is self-induced! I'm not really saying anything I haven't said before. I think this is just a different way to view the problem that ultimately, I believe, is rooted in FEAR. So there are two problems that I am discussing here. One is the problem of the mass formation itself (i.e., the distractions that consume us), and the other is the problem of the barriers that exist which are keeping us from breaking free from the mass formation. Desmet says that "the root cause of the mass formation" (and I think he might only be speaking about COVID here) "was always loneliness" and a "disconnection" that existed before the mass formation started." He says that people can collectively be led down irrational paths because they are seeking out a sense of connection. I tend to think that it ultimately always goes back to being fear-based, and that it is likely that it is fear that drives us to seek out connections and find "safety in numbers," if you will. As I mention in the video, I think that what distinguishes those who are susceptible to falling victim to mass formation from those who are seeing things with eyes wide open is that the "unhypnotized" tend to be (from my observation) people who know God. People who know that they can turn to God do not know loneliness and fear in the same way that others do. That doesn't mean that we don't ever feel lonely or afraid, but I think that when we do feel those things and we turn first to God for discernment and wisdom to see the truth, then we are much less likely to be led astray by outside narratives or self-induced ones that are fear-driven. I'll stop there. There is a lot more I could say, but it really does just make sense to end on the point about God being the answer to all of this. Would have been a good place to start, too. :) That is what it always comes back to. I can't find an embed link to directly post the interview with Mattias Desmet here on this page, but here is the link to the video. I will include the link to the written text summary below as well. VIDEO link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/mattias-desmet-how-mass-media-propaganda-fuels-and-intensifies-mass-formation-psychosis_4710505.html?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy&rs=SHRGFFTV Text summary of video: https://www.theepochtimes.com/new-totalitarianism-led-by-dull-bureaucrats-and-technocrats-psychologist-mattias-desmet_4728025.html The links to the short videos clips of Yuval Noah Harari can be found here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/mass-formation-psychosis-have-you-been-hypnotized

I was asked recently if I would make a video talking about mass formation psychosis, and on that same day, someone else that I know shared with me the video interview with Professor of Clinical Psychology, Mattias Desmet, who is a leading voice on "mass formation psychosis." In addition to that video interview that I was sent, I will also link to an article from The Epoch Times which is essentially a written summary of highlights from the video interview (for those who prefer to read than to watch a video). I will also include some video clips and a link to a post I made some time back referencing Yuval Noah Harari, who is an author, academic, and reportedly an advisor to Klaus Schwab. So in these videos I just share a few of my thoughts about the phenomenon of "mass formation psychosis." I do believe that this sort of collective hypnotism is real. While I believe that Desmet is spot on in his assessment that the way to break free from a mass formation is to speak out, I think that there are some things that he fails to address. He talks about totalitarian technocracy, but he doesn't ever actually articulate the origins of where the seeds of these mass formations come from. They are not organic, but are manufactured by those who view themselves as elites--and, if you listen to the words of Yuval Noah Harari, these are people who will use the word "tyrant" and believe it to have no negative connotation whatsoever. I will just put it this way. I think that Desmet underestimates those who are behind these narratives of mass formation. They are not "dull" at all, as he has described them. They are quite brilliant actually, and many of those technocrats are playing the world like a fiddle through the collection and manipulation of data. We are being bio-hacked in ways that keep us distracted to the point that we keep going in circles and chasing our tails. Instead of going face-to-face with those in our government who are treading upon us, we keep fighting like cowards, retreating from a direct fight and always seeking ways to go around the people in government who are bullying us. That kind of a response continues to send the message to bullies that they are the ones in charge. Desmet says that the technocratic ideology is one that purports that the anxiety-inducing problems of the world--and he gives examples of terrorism, climate change, and the Coronavirus--are problems that should be taken on, basically, in a way that "follows the science" or the advice of "the experts." The thing I feel that Desmet is leaving out of the discussion is that this sort of a response isn't a reaction to narratives which arise spontaneously or organically, The fear and anxiety-inducing narratives that they plant are all part of a plan to create fears which push people toward an acceptance of "the experts" as the ones who can offer the solutions. Fear is a powerful motivator. This hypnosis mindset that people fall into as a result of their fear is akin to what I have long (since 2020 even) referred to as the "Cult of COVID." And perhaps it is a conversation for academics (and not for people like me who really just want to see results and positive movement), but Desmet's preference for us to focus on "ethical principles or the principles of humanity" instead of on "rationalist" thought results in his argument being made a bit murky and even seemingly contradictory to people like me who are not steeped in the academic arguments of these philosophies. Let's put it this way, I find the language that he uses, which shows his aversion to "rationalist" thought to be potentially confusing to people when his argument is also permeated with the message that people should be pushing back and speaking out against "the irrational." For someone who acknowledges the importance of how language is used, I think that Desmet misses the mark a bit in his own choice of words. In large part, though, the things that Desmet is pointing to are spot on. The "remedy," he says, to end a mass formation psychosis is for people to speak out. I believe he is 100% right about that. That has been the solution which I have been trying to propose through the underlying message and purpose of my Voices of Nebraska website. Our voices are indeed where our power is, but we are failing to speak out in effective ways, I think. I wish that Desmet could offer more specific instruction to people than to just tell us to find the courage to speak out. I mean, that IS what must be done, but Desmet doesn't tackle the problem of why it is that the "unhypnotized" among the masses are still remaining silent. This is a problem that I have spoken about many times before. We have people who believe themselves to be "lions among sheep" who are still only roaring among the other lions. As a collective, we "lions" have not yet directed our roar outside of the circles in which we comfortably tend to remain. I could write for days about what I think of all of this, and much of it has already been shared over months and months in posts on this website and in videos on my Rumble page. But suffice it to say, the answer IS to speak out, but we have to be smart about where it is that we direct our speech in order for our words to be effective. We--as a collective--have not done that, and I believe it is largely out of fear that this has not occurred. We have been cowed by tyrants in our government--the very ones who are behind the chorus of narratives which instill fear in us and which threaten to impose consequences upon us if we dare to speak "wrongly." In my videos I'm sharing today, I speak about what I see as a sort of distinction between the manufactured mass formation psychoses and ones which I see as sort of stemming off or resulting from the manufactured mass formation narratives and taking on a life of their own. I've often spoke of how much we have been stagnating as a nation. I am almost always talking about it in terms of it being a result of a lack of accountability, and why it is so important for us to speak up in effective ways (and outside of our own echo chambers and "safe spaces") to demand accountability from those whom we repeatedly keep letting off the hook. But for years now, the news narratives seemed to have changed very little. All reports point to a two-tiered system of justice and ZERO accountability. I hadn't thought about it in terms of being similar to a "mass formation" before, but from what I have observed over the last two or three years--witnessing an awful lot of bitching and very little actual change resulting from it--I think that perhaps some of the hypnotism that Desmet speaks of is self-induced! I'm not really saying anything I haven't said before. I think this is just a different way to view the problem that ultimately, I believe, is rooted in FEAR. So there are two problems that I am discussing here. One is the problem of the mass formation itself (i.e., the distractions that consume us), and the other is the problem of the barriers that exist which are keeping us from breaking free from the mass formation. Desmet says that "the root cause of the mass formation" (and I think he might only be speaking about COVID here) "was always loneliness" and a "disconnection" that existed before the mass formation started." He says that people can collectively be led down irrational paths because they are seeking out a sense of connection. I tend to think that it ultimately always goes back to being fear-based, and that it is likely that it is fear that drives us to seek out connections and find "safety in numbers," if you will. As I mention in the video, I think that what distinguishes those who are susceptible to falling victim to mass formation from those who are seeing things with eyes wide open is that the "unhypnotized" tend to be (from my observation) people who know God. People who know that they can turn to God do not know loneliness and fear in the same way that others do. That doesn't mean that we don't ever feel lonely or afraid, but I think that when we do feel those things and we turn first to God for discernment and wisdom to see the truth, then we are much less likely to be led astray by outside narratives or self-induced ones that are fear-driven. I'll stop there. There is a lot more I could say, but it really does just make sense to end on the point about God being the answer to all of this. Would have been a good place to start, too. :) That is what it always comes back to. I can't find an embed link to directly post the interview with Mattias Desmet here on this page, but here is the link to the video. I will include the link to the written text summary below as well. VIDEO link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/mattias-desmet-how-mass-media-propaganda-fuels-and-intensifies-mass-formation-psychosis_4710505.html?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy&rs=SHRGFFTV Text summary of video: https://www.theepochtimes.com/new-totalitarianism-led-by-dull-bureaucrats-and-technocrats-psychologist-mattias-desmet_4728025.html The links to the short videos clips of Yuval Noah Harari can be found here: https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/mass-formation-psychosis-have-you-been-hypnotized

I fear we are being entertained by our own destruction. I also feel like we've reached a point where the kind of government that many are cheering on and hoping for is really not a hell of a lot different than the kind of government which conservatives claim to abhor. https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/nut-up-or-shut-up-we-are-our-own-worst-enemy https://www.voicesofnebraska.com/silent-no-more/we-are-not-counterpunchers-this-is-why-we-keep-losing