172. Bonnie Carroll. How Do We Make Sense Of All This? 19 Kids Massacred In Texas. Our Nightmare Normal. Ukrainian Children And Families Of The Fallen. Finding Hope In Tragedy. Memorial Day 2022 In A Broken America.

“They f***ing failed our kids again.” 

How many more times?

How many more times?

That’s our friend and a conscience for America, Fred Guttenberg. 

His 14-year-old daughter Jaime was murdered in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018. 

Fred is again a conscience for America, a hero, a helper. But he shouldn’t have to keep doing this. It’s just not fair. To our children, to our fellow citizens, to him. He joined us back in Ep99 for one of our most powerful pods ever. 

Fred is angry. And we should all be angry. 

Because if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention. 

But being angry isn’t enough. Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. We have to be like Fred, and turn that righteous anger into positive impact. 

This week, in an address to the nation, President Biden was focused, measured, empathetic, righteous and strong. After all the tragedy he’s experienced himself, this week is a moment Biden is built for. We need him to be at his best now more than any other time in his Presidency.

Because mass shootings are–and continue to be–our greatest national security threat.

This IS a national security issue. And it’s time to start treating it like one. 

Ukraine is sending America condolences. That’s how bad it is.

For the last couple of years this show has highlighted the ways that our political system is broken. We’ve explored how partisan primaries push us further apart, how elections are designed to make independents fail, to convince people that the choices we face are binary. Us or them. Red blue. Good bad. And most importantly, we’ve explored how the system is designed to divide.

And during those years, our political system has continued to devolve. Failure after failure. By both parties. On almost every single issue. In poll after poll, the truth is obvious. The politicians aren’t representing the will of the people on either side of the aisle. From gun control to women’s reproductive rights to our schools, nothing that our broken binary system touches survives. Now more than ever, this is a time for change. Now more than ever, this is a time for Independent Americans.  

And as America mourns the latest horrible tragedy, we’ve got a perfect voice to help us all navigate the pain. Bonnie Carroll (@Bonnie_at_TAPS) is a true helper and she has helped to guide so many people through similar awful journeys. Grief is an unbearable burden and Bonnie and the amazing volunteers that she works with at TAPS help the survivors to learn how to carry that weight. They’re helpers. And as we head into another Memorial Day weekend with heavy hearts, we all could use some help.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, TAPS is there, helping them deal with the grief. Helping them navigate their pain. And she takes time out to join us for a very special episode, to help us all as we struggle to process the seemingly endless cycle of senseless violence that has occurred over the past few weeks.

Every episode of Independent Americans is independent light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that call themselves independent. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and vets issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics and inspiration. 

-Get extra content, connect with guests, events, merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon

-WATCH video of Paul and Bonnie’s conversation.

-Check #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours. 

-Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.

-Hear other Righteous pods like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm

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