Midnight Panic: America's Political Overload

In this episode, Debra, the Experient Explorer,  opens with the comedic clip, "The Natural Side of Depression" by Marc Maron, about =the sinking heartbreak he feels.   The host of No Borders, No Filter shares about what it really feels like to actively engage in the news with the daily destruction of a democracy and emotional toll of today's America—where the news cycle feels like psychological warfare—with special guest Jana Thrift, a grassroots organizer, community radio voice, and truth-teller from the Pacific Northwest, Oregon USA.   

Jana shares her raw moment of breaking down—crying at 5 a.m. while on vacation—after witnessing political hypocrisy up close. She opens up about her path through activism, from the Occupy movement to literally sleeping in homeless encampments so she could advocate from lived experience. And she doesn’t hold back about what this broken system is doing to our collective mental health.

From waking up in tears to questioning your sanity in a world where Trump is still allowed to run for president, egg prices feel like luxury items, and Elon Musk is trying to bribe voters with one million-dollar checks to get more power —Debra and Jana dive deep into the unspoken feelings many of us carry:  passion for equality while having anxiety, and burnout, … and the quiet rage that simmers when everything feels upside down.  So, is it ok to feel this way? Why are so many accepting this new norm?

Together, they ask the hard question:
 “Is it even depression… if everything you're feeling is actually real?” 

Debra reflects on being an emotional woman in a misogynistic culture that demands silence, stillness, and “staying strong” while the country spins out of control.

This episode goes deeper than despair. It’s about rage that turns into action. It’s about empathy, activism, emotional resilience—and reclaiming your sanity in a country increasingly run by fascists in suits and oligarchs with billion-dollar platforms.

💥 Debra and Jana don’t just vent—they get real about turning that emotional weight into action. From boycotting corporations to volunteering in your neighborhood, they offer grounded ways to fight back, feel less helpless, and build something better.

“It’s okay to cry for the world. But after the tears… let’s get back up and do something about it.”

🗣️ Takeaway Quote:

“If you’re not affected by this, if you’re walking around smiling while everything burns—then you need therapy. That’s how I fucking feel.” – Debra Josephson

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Visit Debra’s multimedia website at www.dmeryl.net

Chapters

• 0:00 00:00 Introduction to No Borders No Filter
• 0:00 The Future of Democracy and Environmental Concerns
• 1:56 The Need for Authentic Conversations
• 3:52 Meet Jana: A Voice for the Unhoused
• 7:05 Understanding the Occupy Movement
• 10:46 Community Radio: Amplifying Unheard Voices
• 12:36 Navigating Mental Health and Vulnerbility
• 16:47 The Impact of Social Media and Mental Health
• 19:32 Triggers of Emotional Overwhelm
• 23:47 The Role of Empathy in Activism
• 26:33 Political Landscape and Its Consequences
• 30:55 The Illusion of Freedom in America
• 34:57 The Need for Updated Political Safeguards
• 36:55 Checks and Balances in Crisis
• 40:06 The Role of Government and Social Responsibility
• 44:42 Emotional Expression and Societal Expectations
• 49:01 The Future of Democracy and Environmental Concerns
• 53:32 The Rise of Oligarchy and Wealth Disparity
• 1:00:52 Hope and Activism in Troubled Times

Transcript

Debra (00:24)
Hey there and welcome to No Borders No Filter.

I'm Debra, your host and the Experient Explorer. Experient is for my hands-on lifestyle and Explorer is for living outside of borders and boundaries. I'm here to shake things up, challenge your mindset, spark some critical thinking, and inspire you to live more boldly. I'm not going to sugarcoat my life or my thoughts as I dive into the intricacies of my global life journey.

as a solo Gen X woman. Growing up in New York fueled my wanderlust spirit, driving me to explore the world on my own terms. Expect raw, unfiltered stories with life's toughest truths sprinkled with a touch of sarcasm and plenty of straight talk. If you're curious about maintaining mental health outside of your home country, starting life over in exotic lands and finding meaningful connections, you're in the right place. Tune in.

And let's get started. Hi, welcome and welcome back to No Borders, No Filter podcast. I'm Debra, the host. Today, we will be diving into a topic that I believe we all need. It's about really feeling what's going on in the world and not holding back. It's time for us to really...

get real that the world is just not where we thought it was going to be. And certainly with my guests, we are from the U S and the shit, the cockamamie ignorant whack things that are going on a daily basis. can't help, but need a space to feel, more so talk about it. Do you have anyone to talk about it? I don't. And when I.

heard my guest have a basically shout out on her social media. I couldn't help but reach out to her and have her want to share the story. This is something to think about before I introduce. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with your heart pounding, maybe your tears streaming out of your eyes, feeling like everything is falling apart? Do you have the feeling of the weight of the world with dealing with

maybe the politics, climate issues, and just the day-to-day injustices that are happening right in your neighborhood, maybe right out your door you see this. You're not alone. And today we're going to talk about it more. So right now I'm going to allow my guest introduce herself. I'm not going to do too much. However, I will share her name is Jana and I knew of her.

When I was living in the Northwest at the time where I was doing my thesis work in journalism with the unhoused community there. So please keep listening because she has a wealth of information to share with us. Jana, please introduce yourself and let us know who you are, what you do, what you do for work, for money, as well as all of the wonderful community service.

that you're doing right now. Okay. I am Jenna Thrift. I am a mother of six children and 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I'm 53 and I got really involved when I was young thinking I could make a difference in the world. I got a paralegal degree. thought maybe I'd represent because I felt my lower income class of people doesn't seem well represented in our country. So.

I had some really eye-opening experiences that scared me off. When Occupy came along, I was like, I really do believe that corporate greed is hurting our planet. And I wanted to be like, if there's a revolution, I'm going to show up for it. So all that happened in Alaska. Then I moved to Oregon, back to Oregon. I was born in Oregon. I lived in Alaska for about 20 years. Came back to Oregon.

Occupy Eugene happened shortly after I graduated from a multimedia degree and I felt like I could be a documentarian. So the Occupy movement was just a movement started from a small organization that said people show up to protest against what we see as the things that Wall Street does that is affecting our planet in a negative way. That's what Occupy is to me.

A lot of people could give you a lot of different ideas for what Occupy was, but that's why I showed up. And I had just graduated multimedia design and I thought that I would help document what I seen as a historical experience. And what I really witnessed in the park was people from all walks of life showing up, trying to figure out how to create solutions for things that both sides of the table could agree.

are really problematic going on in our world. And that went from lawyers and different degrees of upper and middle class, I would consider, to the homeless and people that are struggling on the streets. And I thought it was fairly miraculous to see different walks of life in the same location, trying to figure out solutions for these very deep problems that we are suffering from. That is what kept me involved in the Occupy movement.

And I made this umbrella of all the different things that kind of fall under this category of corporate greed, destroying the things that are worth more than money in my opinion. So when they closed the parks and said, everybody must disperse. And they're basically telling a lot of people that I had gotten to know that live on the streets. It's time to go back onto the streets where you really have nowhere to go. When we have no ideas for where you're going to go, but everybody go.

And I stayed at the park. I was one of the last people to leave following the story of a veteran who was there, who insisted that he wanted to have a word with the mayor because he felt like somehow he could say something that helped them understand the plight of the homeless, I think. So anyway, I got pretty deep into trying to understand.

and tell people stories from the streets and really understand the issue to the point that as a journalist actually moved into a homeless encampment to be able to like, I'm not going to advocate for something I don't understand. And the thing that really came to me was that no matter who you are and how much you're suffering, you deserve shelter. That's, I just, I don't think it's easy for people to get well.

from whatever they're going through without their basic needs met. And so I was a very big part of the Right to Rest movement in Eugene where we pushed pretty hard and we now have quite a few small encampments made of these little, what they call Conestoga hut shelters or tiny houses that are working to make it so at least people can try to overcome sleep deprivation and then hopefully get that step up they need to get

the rest of the way up off their feet. And my witness of all of that has been support is the number one difference that is, it's the difference between somebody being on the street or being able to get back on their feet. Every time it is a matter of support. And some of us are super lucky and we have those support systems in our life our whole lives and some people don't. So that's super hard for me. I get a little emotional.

Cause that is, that's my story as far as what came before. One of the things I discovered from the Occupy movement is that we weren't controlling our own messaging. We weren't able to share what was, what, why we were there. had somebody saying in a soundbite why we were there and then, and sensationalizing it. And there's so many people doing good work in this world. And so this opportunity came along to help.

grow a community radio station in Eugene. And we've had our community radio station swallowed up by national news and not just the voices of our community. And a lot of what happens is the information that's being received, while there is plenty of national news, then we share on even on our station. But our primary focus is for our community to have the information meant for our community, which is the difference you get when you're not.

having something meant for a wider audience. I think there's a place and time for all these things, but the mission of KEPW was for community voices to be heard that were otherwise left unheard. And I've really resonated with that. And I felt like the work that I did making 200 videos about unhoused stories and unhoused issues and solutions ideas could be really.

well spent by creating a platform where many people could come and have a place to share their good work. People could hear about what's going on, learn ways they can plug in, understand a side of things that aren't really shared as much on other news outlets, which is why it's for voices left unheard. And so I got very involved with the radio station and I have been for quite some time now. Just a quick question. How long has the radio station been going on?

How often are you active on that? And just curious, are you using your degree to make income or what is it that you are doing to support yourself to do the advocating work and the wonderful things? If you want to take it full circle back to support, I'm super lucky. I have an amazing husband that works really hard.

Separate from that, I also give my part. I do lots of different things. I landscape once a week. I am paid a stipend to do an extreme amount of volunteer work for KEPW, which is a very small stipend. It's a hundred dollars a month. I also helped write a grant that helps

put youth on the air and there are a couple positions and I have one of those positions for another $600 a month. So I have my little... For America, it's pocket money. Yeah. That's why I had to explain. My family and my husband is definitely the reason I'm able to be as much a service as I am. I think everybody can give something small.

but I definitely donate a lot of time. Hell yeah. I just wanted to bring that up, not because you should have a job. It's just that the work that goes into really making a difference, you need to dedicate your time to do it. That's part of some of the problems that even I have is trying to figure out how, not only just how to do it, but to balance it in with trying to take care of my day-to-day needs, my finances and so on.

And I think it's heartwarming to talk to someone that is not focused on themselves and saying, I'm too busy to even talk because to lead into our topic about how we are feeling in the depression. And I want you to introduce your story on how I, why I contacted you with that. want Jenna to briefly introduce this topic that we're, going to be talking about, which is when is it okay to feel this way? And.

Jenna, I, again, I don't normally see your feeds, to be honest, which is really, I don't know how often share on Facebook in general, but Facebook has algorithms and I get certain feeds and everyone gets certain feeds based on those algorithms. But for whatever reason, I was able to at the right time, see what you post, see what you shared. And it just touched me deeply because you just put it right out there. So can you share a brief?

of that moment, what happened and what you shared. Yeah. So I do not normally make myself vulnerable on Facebook like that. I've been working hard on my algorithms, putting up positive memes and beautiful places in the world, trying to stay focused on that kind of stuff for quite some time. But what's going on in my country seems like it's changed the need of what I should be saying out loud. So.

I have started sharing things more, it's usually a share. I usually never put things up about my personal life. It just seems like a weird thing to have all in front of the public like that, even though it's very normalized right now. So I did have a moment and honestly, if I look back at it, I would call it a moment of weakness. That's what I said in my podcast when I talked about feeling weak when I first learned I had depression.

I think it's a generation thing. We're generation X and we don't, we don't do that. We just don't put it out there. Yeah. It just, it's such a, it particularly like I would put it out there to my friends and family, but on social media anyway, only to the closest and dearest. So I had this moment of weakness where really what happened was I woke up and I'm like thinking about things and

I looked at my phone, which is probably a way to stay less depressed, but also I believe in staying informed. So how do you balance that? That's how I feel. So I'm being informed. like being a thinker, woke, educated person. Call me radical. Yeah. Isn't that something that being awake or conscious should be a bad thing? But anyway, so I posted.

an experience that I was having because after about a half hour of realizing I was having trouble stopping crying because this is not okay and it's very normalized and I have a lot of fears and I would say that probably was what led to my post and I know that I have a lot of people that love me and so I probably did expect that I would hear some positive things in return. Some ideas for how to...

address your mental state when you're having a struggle with something that seems very real. And so what I said was the truth, which is that I had started crying and I couldn't figure out how stop. And, and I was more or less crying as I was formulating what I thought I might post. I posted all that. And then I also reflected about something that my therapist had said when I was like, if

you have this impending feeling of doom, she's like that is a sign of depression. I'm like, is it depression if there is really doom impending? It's like you feel it coming. I felt it coming for quite some time. during the first round of what seemed crazy, I can't believe anybody is like, there's this giant January 6th moment and still people support.

something, like I hear, I literally listen to people talk about how they care about the planet and they care about the constitution and they care about all these things. And I don't understand how one-on-one doesn't equal to for people that I dearly love and care about that I know are good people. That is a struggle for me. And probably a big part of where my mind was when I posted that. Yeah, that was jam packed. And for me, and I think for many others, it was a way to connect.

We are told, I know what you're saying, like you don't want to put things out there because there's trollers and just as bad people, like not bad people, they just want attention so they'll just write something mean back or whatever just to get attention. But I think that we are using social media incorrectly and we're making this illusion on Facebook and Instagram and all these spaces that everything, I'm okay. Life is, all this shit's going on. I'm okay.

I don't want to upset you and la la la. And I think that's just the wrong way to go. I'm not saying we have to go always deep all the time. The only way that I'm going to get to know someone is if they're going to be a little authentic, share something that I can feel like a human being. Because I believe that if we were a little bit more real with each other on social media, then we wouldn't feel as lonely as we all do on a regular basis and increasing heightened

feeling of anxiety and depression due to social media. Maybe we should be thinking about, maybe we should share with our friends at least what's going on in our minds. But like we will get into that Trump topic of like why one plus one doesn't equal two, because I don't really get it myself. Like it's so out there, we are in a visual world at this point. We're not photoshopping this scenario and putting it into a newspaper. It's actually right in our faces and people are just like.

I don't know, whatever's going on up here versus what they see here is just not connecting. So what was the one thing or was it, you feel like it, it a cumulative that just came over you or was, or did something happen the day before or that week that brought on that crying, just being totally flooded with emotion? Was there anything or it's just everything? That's interesting because I believe that we bring a certain amount of baggage into our day.

Right. And this is what I was taught in anger management when I went there with my three teenage sons was you start with a certain amount of baggage and then there is usually this thing that it really hits you emotionally. And there's probably two things that day that I could really touch on, but there's definitely all this baggage that came first.

And one thing is the obvious. We have this thing going on in this country where every single day you're seeing all of these different things happen. And these are just the things that are being highlighted. There's a lot of things happening in the background too, that are threatening our democracy and the survival of a lot of people that depend on things like their social security to stay housed. And there's a lot of fear. And I think that people, pick up on that from each other for sure.

There's also a particular incident that I think is really a super big deal going on where this person that had a visa, but participated in an anti-war protest last year, Khalil, was taken from his eight month pregnant wife. And I participated in an ACLU discussion about a know your rights and trying to understand what does that mean if for no reason, but the fact that he practiced

what something I value greatly as part of my American dream, which is the freedom of speech. practice the number one each right. And now he's targeted and he's a legal person. has a visa and he's only, he was just the first person I heard of this happening, which in my opinion, was like top of the list. Red flag for us in this country. We're not talking. And I have a lot of.

compassion for anybody. I don't care if you're an immigrant desperately trying to get your kids to safety, like whatever. But we're talking about a lot of people being like, the illegals. This is somebody with a legal visa that really was targeted because he used the freedom of speech. And that is a big deal in my opinion. So that was probably one of the things. And then

I went with this elder woman, I was helping her and she needs to use the restroom and we pulled up to a community center and they were just packing up after an obviously very large Trump rally. And there was a giant banner in the front that said, U.S. for constitutional rights or something for our constitution. can't remember exactly, but that was the point of the banner. And for me, I'm like,

do you not see this constitution that we are holding onto by a shred, it seems like to me, being seriously violated by the person that you are promoting here? And that, it was definitely a big trigger for me. I ended up, I'm with this water woman from a Native American church, and she helped inspire me to find the right choice, which I do believe was the right choice, which I was...

light a smudge. Like I stepped outside of my van while she was using the restroom and I just burnt this smudge and truly prayed for this situation and for everybody involved because I think that it is, it's just as sad for people that don't know their way enough to realize how wrong it is, what's going on and be the people committing.

what I consider atrocities or the people that are supporting it without really maybe understanding what we have at risk the same way I do maybe. I really was triggered by those two things happening in the same day. And that's my trigger. Thanks again for the details and understanding that because like people, as you say, want to listen to sound bits, but if you really want to get to know somewhat like why people

have such strong emotions, you need to allow them to get it out and hear what's going on. And it's that situation you talked about, but that all the years of everything else, probably that this was just like the cake topper of everything else. it just like your body needed a release, like literally needed a release. And was your husband there at the time when you were?

Yeah, we happened to be sleeping in a, I was on vacation to be honest. I was thinking this special person whose dream was to go to Hawaii. And so we went for her 77th birthday to Hawaii, lifelong dream to be there. And in doing that, my husband and I had given them the private room and we were sleeping in a dorm in two separate beds. So I'm not sure how in the know he was.

I got up and left the room at a certain point because there were also other people in that dorm. So when I say crying, probably should, I wasn't wailing. was, tears would not stop. Probably, you know, that, that small pitiful sound that you make when you can't stop your sadness from continuing. I do it on a regular, but not.

to that extent, what you're talking about, yeah, that happens. But sometimes you need the sound in your voice to come Next time, I hope I have more privacy. But I did get up and leave the room and go out to the parking lot to finish my post, to be perfectly honest. And then call my representatives. So we had those five o'clock in the morning Hawaii time, by the time all that had worked its way through.

But like I felt like I really want to hear that the representatives that I voted for that say they believe in the same things I believe in. I want to see them on my thread. I want that stream coming in that they're doing their very best, you know, to figure out how to save the country from seems like a takeover. love everything you're saying.

But there was some good news today. The Wisconsin Senate seat went to a Democrat. After all that money, Mr. Musk could not buy. 20 million, I believe he put into it, right? A lot of money. he gave million dollar checks to individuals revolving. Well, the campaign. in Wisconsin again. Revolving on the Wisconsin thing. I'm pretty sure for voting. Don't quote me because.

There's so many different things, but my understanding was that revolving around that Wisconsin campaign, he put a lot of money into trying to change that seat. You know, what's interesting, because I do want to talk, let's get into that a little bit. The current administration, what they're actually doing, because we can see it, it's in the news, their faces are there, talking the talk. Republicans aren't a party of hiding anymore.

They started back in the Reagan time with the trickle down, which is the big thing that is the catalyst to what everything's happening now to defunding mental health and the veteran programs and things that put, you say, so many more, again, patriots on the streets and without their needs. And we can start there, but they've been slowly.

crawling to this point. is not a, let's just say, this is not something that's just really out of the blue if you're staying like in the know a little bit of what America's system has become for the last 40 plus years. I guess after Carter. I think that things went down. It's disgusting. Yeah, it's been going downhill for the majority, but the illusion has been that things are getting better for most.

Because people will be like, economic things are going up and this and that. But there's just so much more to it that people just don't see. And unfortunately, because of the news, just we're in a state of misinformation and no guidance on how to navigate for the average person. It's causing more issues because this is why the sound bits that Trump does that all his party does gets in the ears and the minds of people who are not able to.

differentiate between things and they know it, they know how to play the game. And unfortunately, why Democrat values, let's just forget about parties, Democrat values are getting lost is because we're, as a party, we're not doing the right sound bits or we're not getting the messages out there in a way that counteracts all this other stuff that's going on. I remember a couple of years or a few years ago, I remember Elon Musk announcing

that he went from Democrat party to the Republican party saying that the Democrat party or something was angry and he wanted to be, he no longer wanted to be part of it. You know, this was during Trump number one time and I'm like, what do you mean? Everything that comes out of Trump's mouth is angry and negative and sexist, misogynist. You're a smart man, Elon. What are you talking about that the Democrat party is angry, being too angry for you? And now I understand.

He was setting himself up for this moment right now. That's what it sounds like to me. Sure does seem like it. It sure does seem like it. I hardly, some of it just leaves me speechless. First of all, I just want to clarify. Yes, I was correct. I looked it up. Those checks were revolving around the Wisconsin judicial election where he gave an individual person a million dollar check. Supposedly it was for voting. And my understanding is that

He was in fear. There are some fear that is that bribery? Like what is happening? Right. And that they changed the promotional thing that they were promoting it with and took out a small piece that said about the voting piece for the exact reason that he knows exactly what it was. It was this idea that his money could buy an election, which it seems like in some ways, maybe that is what happened.

And how Trump made it into office again, I don't know. But my opinion about this country is that we've, this person from out of this country said this to me once. And they said that they feel like in America, people believe something even when reality is so obviously different sometimes. And- It's a cognitive dissonance? Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

And it seems like we all are raised to believe in freedom as what this country was founded on. But we also negate to recognize the fact that was not freedom for everyone. That was freedom for rich white men, really, know, landowners in particular. You didn't get to vote if you weren't a landowner and you weren't white and you weren't male. And that's part of what the country was founded on.

But what happened was that a lot of people who care a lot put a lot of energy into making some major changes in this country and finding freedom for Black rights and finding and really believing in the ideals that were presented to them and really changing things in my opinion to represent that a lot more, including environmental issues, including

all of these different movements that have gone on and people that have put their life work into trying to care about different things. Not just in our country, if we're talking about the US, I feel like that has happened here. I think that there's also been some major powers that be that have pushed back for a long time trying to not allow that to happen and then conceded when it did happen and then...

found their way in through little things like Citizens United, which is almost impossible for me to describe, but I know that it is all about an unlimited amount of money that somebody can give to somebody as a representative, which is part of the struggle we have right now. And so there's just all of these things that have been building up and building up and priming the country to have like people.

that believe the same things. There's a problem with the government, right? We definitely see there's a problem. And it reminds me of Occupy where people have all these different ideas about how to solve it. And I think people that voted for Trump really believe that's going to be, they're reaching out, trying to find this something different that will solve it. And

I just try to go by my experience and the facts and how I see things laying themselves out. And when I listen to the man talk, I'm like, I don't feel like he's saying. And I felt like that right from the beginning. Well, the experts called him extreme like narcissist or whatever their clinical terms are incoherent, possibly, as you say, like maybe have some Alzheimer's or other related, but more so they did not.

say he is fit for being in a leadership position. So your opinion is based on actual science. The experts did go on camera to share that. And yet there's just so many things, but the root issue of let's say government and how someone like him gets in is we all have to live by some guidelines on how to get a job. Even in this day and age.

But you have to be qualified in some way. College education doesn't necessarily need it anymore. But certainly if you've been working as anything for 10 years and you can go there and prove, I've been doing this job for 10 years and I'm qualified to do it, you can be considered for the job. He has no background in, in government before the first time. He was found to be a felon this time.

He has 34 indictments and like I'm giving like small things. So he's, he's been guilty with rape or whatever related with the porn star. And there's just so many things. Him being not even be able to handle money in his own businesses. He's been bankrupt seven or eight times at this point. So he's a felon who is sexist, misogynist, rapist.

supports the proud boys, KKK, all of these things, which by the way, I heard that the KKK supported him in this election specifically. We can go on and on because this is all not opinion. And my show is about, if you have an opinion, it's based on at least experience, if not evidence and facts. And we have all this information about our leader. And yet by law, he is allowed to run for president.

with the kind of- He could barely do a job at McDonald's. Like, you put him in. I'm just saying, let's just say this. If he was even that fryer, that, you know, that doing the fries at the window, I guarantee he would burn himself or like whatever. He would not be able to function because he has no practical skills on these things because he has his women and servants to take care of him. So he has no idea on basic things.

But we're giving him the most powerful role in our country. The rules of becoming a president need to be updated. I'm sorry. I can't even believe there aren't rules. I found out that they could have imprisoned him and he could still be the president from prison. We don't have any rule against that. It's insane. I'm just saying like the main rules or like the main things that you have to be president.

of the United States is one, you have to be over 35. Two, you have to be a born citizen of this country. That's it. That's it for the most powerful position in the country, let alone being the representative of our country to the world. That is all that is required. No experience, no. It's a lot. No other. And the last thing is guards is watching what's happening right now with the lack of safeguards.

is startling to know that we have so little safeguards that somebody can come in and just say, we're not going to have a Department of Education anymore. We don't care about our child's education or anybody else's education anymore. And I remember hearing him talk about defunding the, like that was one thing I did hear him promise from the beginning was I heard him when he was rallying saying to defund it and allow the states to do whatever they want.

And people were like, like people in their audience didn't have any reaction. like, do you have any idea what's going to happen when you don't have regulation on education? You're going to bring back what you're going to put up a cross in the classroom, not to separate church and state. What do you think is going to happen to your children's education without someone overlooking what, you know, what are the basic things? We support these programs for a reason.

And it's an awful lot. It's an awful lot. I'm just saying like we're going into it, but it's just like how we're not having the checks and balances. As you say, we have all these branches. How is everything like by the snap of the fingers, these things being defunded, these things dismantling the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, like everything, there's no checks and balances on anything that he's doing right now. And again, as you say, we have a checks and balance that the leader of our country is not.

a king or queen, they have to follow these regulations. But the thing is we Democrats, know have no power in any of this. So maybe they're just giving the thumbs up, go for it. I don't know what's going on. It's just, there is people, the guy that just spent 22 hours talking because he felt like the only guy was to keep it on the floor for as long as he was physically humanly able. think that.

I think we have more power than we may realize in some situations and less than we should in many others. I do really believe that one of the problems that we're having right now is that the executive branch is literally saying, don't have to respect the judicial branch whatsoever or listen to anything the judicial branch has to say.

which is super problematic because that's a huge piece of the checks and balances on the executive branch, right? That's what that branch is for. And if you talk about people being not only not qualified to take all these positions that they have been given, but the opposite, if you put people in charge of something that they have been outspoken about,

They would like to see the demise of that department. Don't kid yourself that the intention is to demise the department. It's interesting the reality of the situation, not really being quite understood when, and I think a lot of people think, we really want a smaller government. That piece of the Republican agenda does make sense. There is a lot of overspending. There are things seriously wrong with the way things are spent.

But you're not taking the word of the people who understand how the system works and then going in and trying to get rid of things that can be got rid of with the integrity of the department still intact. That's not what's happening. And that's really the biggest part of the problem besides the fact that somebody unilaterally has the ability to just say, I want that over freedom of the press. think it's over. I'm going to put somebody in charge of the FCC that doesn't want to hear it.

but one message and the message that I want to hear, and that's the only message that should be allowed to be heard, is what I'm hearing. And for me, freedom of the press is that another very important piece of the checks and balances system. So if you say, I don't want anybody to hear anything but my narrative, then you are basically trying to demolish this giant piece of our checks and balances that is super important.

And I know there's a lot of people trying to do what almost failing to figure out what can we do. I've been involved with social organizing and all these different people trying to help all these different causes, be it the cause for our planet or for clean water or for unhoused people that figuring out how to have solutions that work for everyone and get people the human rights that everybody deserves. All of these different things.

And I don't think people quite understand how much of that, if you want to talk about a real trickle down effect, that is going to be the real trickle down effect. When you start eliminating the parts of the federal government completely that support all these other things that your will depend on when you become an elder that can't work anymore. You know, what will happen to the money you put into social security that you thought would make it possible for you to remain housed.

And so that is what I think this whole trickle down, if you give all the money to the rich people and then they're going to what pass out a pittance doesn't seem to Yeah, they're going to just share it. They're just going to be kind and just, They're just becoming more and greedy. They everything, not just, and I don't even understand the mentality of it. Why somebody would want it all and then see a fellow human being that can't afford to put shelter.

over their heads or feed their kids or protect their family from violence. I, well, that's the thing that I talked about with my previous guests is about how disconnected wealthy people, for that matter, I would, in my experiences, I don't see it even in the middle class. Like everyone is worried about themselves. It really takes a concerted effort to put yourself in the shoes of people. Like I have to be honest with you. I don't think that.

people that are so disconnected could ever have this welling up of emotion, as you say, and pouring out of sadness because they're so removed from the reality of what's really happening in America that it's easy for them to make these decisions because they have no clue what is really happening. They might.

hear a statistic, but again, it's just a piece of information to them. It has nothing to do with who they are. And we cannot build empathy and compassion from just hearing sound bites of information. You need to go in and see what's going on. And that's why, you know, I'm a heart for Bernie is because he's been for his whole adult life.

going in and talking to the working people, going and marching with Martin Luther King, going in and being immersed in the realities of what's happening in America. And the reason what fuels him is that because he continues to do that, he is not sat back as an 80 year old man, just being like, I've done my job and I do have enough money to retire. He could easily be enjoying his life, but his life purpose to me is exactly who you are.

He is so angry, but even though he shows it in his actions, I can't imagine him not having moments where he's just like you, just in the background, just losing his shit. Because I don't know how someone could be so involved and so loving and caring genuinely about something and not be mentally strained, frustrated, and losing his control. And I know he needs to keep strength for all of us. But the thing is, like, when is it okay to

be, as you say, when is it okay to have an outpour of emotion? I mean, in America, that's part of the problem. I think we have drug problems and many other mental health issues is because we're told to keep things in. Even though we're more open about talking about mental health now or ADD or whatever all these mental issues are, we're talking about it. But I don't see an outpour of, again, seeing these people really in those moments of vulnerability, as you say, because Americans think it's weak if we are

emotional to a certain point. And as, course, as a woman, we're being told, you know, it's certainly not okay to be emotional. we can't be leaders. We're too emotional. We'll press the button in a moment. I have to tell you, I would not be nearly as scared if Kamala was in office right now as I am about that with this guy in office. No shit.

But we are such a misogynist, sexist society. She has all the qualifications. And on top of all, she actually had policy in her plans. Whereas again, Trump would just say, I'm going to defund this or I'm going to replace Obamacare. I'm going to do this. He never shared his policies. If I would love any Republican educated one, because there's educated ones, please share.

a bit with me and us on his policies on how he's, you're going to dismantle something, what are you going to put in place that helps you? it's just- project 2025 was his- That was the scariest thing And if you talk to different groups, say it's all what's happening right now is almost a play by play moment from that. Even though-

He tried to separate himself from it so heavily. said, I don't know anything about it. But in many ways, it seems to me that the things he's doing follows what that whole scene said so closely that it's hard to believe that really wasn't his agenda or the agenda of whoever he's fighting. I hate it. I have this thing about looking at the president and being like, this one single figurehead is responsible for it all.

And I truly believe that the fact that we have allowed such a crazy moment to happen, that we have what to me is like the fear of Nazi Germany all over again in our country, honestly. And I felt that way from the very beginning. Like, why does this seem like this is the preambles that was probably what it felt like when you were in Germany before all heck broke loose. And I've felt like that for a long time.

That situation though, in many ways is a symptom of a much deeper problem that we've had festering for a very long time. The fact that people can say that they care about all these things and then witness and support somebody that is doing things that seem very much the opposite of what they say they care about. And I remember reading about this concept where we have ideals.

And when we have representatives, we want to believe that they are going to stand up for our ideals and we vote for them based on that. And then when somebody says something bad about that representative that you have bought into that, it's almost like when you buy into a car and you're like, this is my baby. can't, you feel like it's attacking your personal ideals when somebody says, no, that person isn't standing for that. And you become defensive and people get possessive and capitalism.

has soured a lot of what I believe could be people that would have a lot more compassion for one another. Because if the idea, if the drive is to be the one that can have it all in as much as you can possibly get, and it doesn't have to just be enough for what you need to be comfortable and live happily with your family, you want to be driven for more and more. And it seems like that kind of greed is encouraged by capitalism. And

That just the idea that, you know, that we don't believe that what we're putting our money into is meant to go into a pool that willing increase the beneficial environment for everyone to live in. That is not something that we seem to believe in. And we believe that government should be smaller and we should be paying attention to our budget more. But how do we cut that budget? Do you cut your nose off to spite your face? Like.

It's a saying for a reason. anyway, the, I'm like, get back to the topic at hand. So that's okay. love everything you're saying and it's pertinent. It's poignant and excellent. yeah, it's the thing that play into my mind when I relate to what I see as super scary. And I fear for the future for my grandchildren. I want them to live on a planet.

where they enjoy the same things that I was blessed to enjoy. And we can't say that they're gonna be able to go to the woods and enjoy the trees if we cut them all down. Yes, they might not even be there. Yeah, we're opening up all these lands for corporate money. I've never been a person that has believed that money is my solution. And I'm 53 and life has done a very beautiful thing for me. And I have not been married to the same husband I have been in some

bad relationships and just figured out how to make it very luckily. So mostly with that, I've only lived probably six months in a van and that was trying to get things in order so that I could buy the piece of property that I was trying to buy for a business idea that I had. I believe that you give thanks for

the universe and the things that will bless you and take care of you. And as you do that, you give yourself in the ways that feel right and good in your heart to your community. And it comes back to you. I'm driving a car right now that was gifted to me by a woman who ended up with an inheritance that she

was going to give her car to someone else. And she chose me because she knew that I had been giving a lot to my community for a long time. And I didn't give to my community because I expected that, but that's the natural cycle of life in my opinion. Like you take that extra time, even when you feel like you don't have the time and

you balance it as good as possible because it's easy to become imbalanced. And I'll be the first to say that I am a constant effort with that. But I think that give up an hour of my favorite show once a week so that I can attend something that seems like it could actually make a good difference in the world. Go out and participate in a nonprofit that's trying to help others. And

There is no doubt in my mind that the cycle and circle of life will come back to you and you'll it'll come when you don't expect it. It's about it's a what you say is I believe in the universal like the universal laws, universal rules, which is to me really the laws of nature, you know, because it's for everyone. We are all connected to nature. So like my belief system are.

much more part of the universal rule because it's evident as well. again, I don't believe in, I talk about this, I'm not a person that believes in something without evidence. I have to have evidence-based, experience-based, science-based things. I believe in the 21st century is a time for us to be enlightened, but we are going back to the world. And this is not just America. We are going back to a dark age, a very dark age.

We are, we have not learned our lessons. We are, our country specifically is a racing history and certainly people, I'm from Jewish heritage. The Holocaust, it's coming back and not just the Jews. It's coming back in many ways that a lot of countries in Europe are becoming fascists like Trump, you know, very much about this, let's say a white Supreme or whatever the belief system is, but still people want to wipe out the Jews. are like.

How many left are of us like when all the Jews, let me ask this, when all the Jews are gone, who are you going to blame after for all the problems of the world? If we're not there, maybe you'll, is it then you'll be like, maybe that's not the problem. You know, it's scary because we are, as you say, and I want to bring this up, the tipping point of our democracy right now. And I didn't think that in my lifetime, in my lifetime that

I would be sitting here today talking to you and saying that based on all that we've just talked about, what the dismantling of everything, the loyalists being put into high positions in our country that have zero qualifications to, to regulate any of the things, they're just there to agree with him. All of this is all pointing towards a fascist, oligarch, monarch type of system. when.

Bernie says that it is, it's because we have the evidence and we have the definition of what an oligarch is. And when you have someone working as your, me, Elon is, has Trump as a puppet. I think that it's like.

Trump knows that he has to do everything that Elon says at this point. Elon's got him by the balls basically at this point. To see Elon in the Oval Office with his son, whom the son mocked Trump to My daughter showed me that. And Trump had to take it. Even though he said something, still he had to eat it because of what Elon...

quintessential like mafioso kind of shit going on right in our face. And when we are allowing it and accepting it, even though we don't like it, you know, I just, I feel so alone. I feel I have every right to feel depressed and anxious and worried and sad about this stuff. I am a human being and a very imperfect one, but by all means.

If I, like as Mark Maron, that comedian I just shared with you, it's like the people that go walking around and smiling and saying, why are you unhappy? I think you're the ones that need the medication. I think you're the ones that need therapy because if you're not feeling, if you're not feeling something about what's going on in your country that is totally inhumane, as you say, no human rights, like lacking human rights.

A person, Elon, saying that we don't need empathy, that's a weakness and all of these things. If it's not paining you, then I think you need to go see someone. That's how I fucking feel at this point. I'm tired of being the one that's going to therapy and trying to deal with things in this world. No, I might still need it, but by all means, if you are not affected by this, you are a narcissist.

Maybe it's those guys, hey how you doing? I don't know, I feel great again. Really, well that's creepy and weird.

Maybe you should be on medication. Clearly you're self-centered, delusional, narcissistic. I don't know, but you're draining me with your happy. Could you move along? Because I'm doing the big work. Creating a planet that functions properly in my brain. So in your mind, do you think that it's okay for people to have these breakdowns publicly without feeling shame?

I definitely do not think people should feel shamed for expressing their feelings. And I think that it's funny because I once had a conversation with somebody was like, you're so always about your feelings. And I really search my soul about that because I think I am very passionate person. And I definitely think my feelings matter a lot. And they guide me.

up and they guide me down. And they are a result of my environment. And I also create my environment partially through the way I navigate my emotions. I truly think that really what we feel and what we have inside is the one thing that belongs. I think that's the one thing we'll take with us out of this world. That is our spirit and our heart.

All of the rest of this is just the outside environment, but how we feel is really who we are. so I shame it should be not even considered when it comes to someone expressing their feelings, in my opinion. I think a lot of people have come to the understanding that this kind of long

generations of this is how you should be and you stuff all that down and you're you don't speak. I think that a lot of us recognize that is not working and not a really good way to grow and learn and be human on this blessing that we've been given of this gorgeous planet. and so, yeah, think it's feelings are so much more important and valid.

I think they make people uncomfortable sometimes, but sometimes people just need to vent and be able to share how they're feeling and just have somebody with that's a good listener. And being there for each other in different ways, whatever way is most needed is how we get more in tune with each other and caring about each other's feelings, I think is a way to really begin to understand.

solutions too. I can't create solutions for somebody who's had experiences that I've never had. That's why it makes absolutely no sense to have somebody who is raised by somebody that's a billionaire and had a very entitled life be able to say they know how to solve the homeless problem. You have to go experience that. And then you get a much better understanding of the things that are the daily struggles and the ways by which

people can find what they need to get past whatever that issue is. So lived experience is key. And I think that's probably the biggest thing that's, yeah, it's the biggest thing that's missing in this administration. Like, my God, I can't even believe the president of the United States has just said this. I was like, fairly horrified about the whole. Again, he'll say it, you saying Trump will say it, but then it's the people.

that will say, he's just joking around or he doesn't mean it or whatever. That's what they do. But if it was Obama or any other, it was like. Yeah. And so you can even say, this is a joke, but it comes from a place that usually starts with a lack of respect because you don't make a joke about things that are serious or that might hurt someone.

Unless you have no respect for the results of your words. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm just wondering, like I brought up about the tipping point. Do you think we can recover from this tipping point of where our country is at right now and where it will be in three and a half years when he's finished, if he doesn't die first? Do you believe that it is possible for America to get back to

some normalcy, some form of normalcy and democratic system. Boy, think and hope, what a fine line that is. It's a difference. Yeah, I mean, there is a difference. The first thing I'm inclined to say, and I usually try to go with my gut most of the time, is I believe in miracles. And I do believe in miracles. So maybe that's hope, maybe that's belief. But I think it's a long, hard road. But I thought that a long time ago.

Like you get involved in caring about things in the world and you start considering yourself, whatever it means when you say social organizer or activist or whatever that means, get involved with your community and your planet enough to really want to put some time and energy into making things better. At least for me in the last 15 years, it has been hard to see. And I have this theory that.

It's not about whether the whole world changes because of the things that I create or the things that I do. I do it for my spirit. I have no idea what's going to happen to the spirit when I move from this body. But what I do know is that if there is something left on the other end, I want to look back and be like, I didn't turn a blind eye. I did what I could. I tried to find balance.

I appreciated the beauty. took time to love and be loved by many people, both family, by blood or otherwise. I have respect for all the creatures in the entire universe in general that I believe. I truly believe that trauma turns into miracles and that I have experienced personally. With all of that in mind.

I think that I believe that it can be turned around. It's similar to climate change. I believe that we're really struggling with what could be seen as a tipping point. Do I believe that we might pull a miracle out of our hat that could change everything and make this situation much better? I do truly believe that. And I do believe in human beings realizing

that no, we can't give something a chance anymore that seems like it's going so dark and we need to do whatever we can. And I believe we have a lot of power in this country when it comes to the thing about capitalism is you have to have consumers. On a side note, people, when they always talk about heroes or people that they like, like someone brought up to me in the recent past about Elon Musk, he has enough money to make the differences to the changes in our country.

and still have plenty left over, he could help the homeless people. He could help all the problems we have and then some, same with Bill Gates, but they don't. They could, but they don't. So what are they doing now? That's what I want to ask people. What are they doing now that why are you revering them? Just because they're a success story financially does not make them someone to revere. I don't understand this reverence to these wealthy people.

What are they doing that makes the world a better place? They have the power to make a difference. I'm not telling them to give up all their money. I wouldn't give up all my money. I need money to live. But I have the mentality of what you have is that if I had this power, if I had this, these resources, I would want to lift people up. I would want to make a difference for others because that's what we are supposed to be doing. It's part of the universal law. What you get, you should give back. It works this way. It is.

part of nature. Let's just keep it simple. You give a plant water, it will grow. You know what I mean? We can't just look at that plant and be like, why are you turning brown on me? Why? Because I have to give for it to give back to us. It's that simple. And it's been time after time, centuries and of the same thing. And we still fall into the same trap. this success person's gonna really help me out. Okay. Okay.

It's the blind, it's so blind and it's enraged, that's the word. How do we stay enraged without losing ourself in grief? I practice my grounding techniques regularly and try to keep things in perspective. I go to a therapist.

That's super smart and amazing that shares different ways for me to work through my emotions. read self-help books that kind of give me clues. I actually really appreciated that post because there were some people that really stepped up there with some genuine ideas for how to navigate. And I think that it is important to remember that this is

Two shall pass, all those different things. There's gonna be a different moment tomorrow. So what do I do today? What do focus on today? If I stay in the now, I'm not, I can focus on what I need to do that I think is important and can make a difference and not focus as much on my fears about what happens tomorrow and my upsetness about what happened before. And I think that.

is really key for being able to keep things in perspective, but to also, it's okay to feel. If we take it back to that, like, it's okay to feel and to really be able to like, feel that rage and sit with it and understand that there are things that are very worthy reasons that comes into my heart, but not to let it be.

who I am because I have to remember that the goal is to create something good. And if I become part of the hate, then I'm not able to focus for one thing, I really lose track of myself and what I really care about and what I really want to be the change you want to see in the world. And so I just forgive myself when I fall down. I try to embrace.

What I love about this planet, I take breaks. And that is the honest truth. I definitely take breaks because as much as it's all corny and people say it all the time, it's hard to give if your comp is empty. But these corny expressions are simple ways to remind us that this is what works. There's a reason. There's a reason that they exist. Corny expressions will be here to stay and they are needed in our lives. And also we need to

Like laugh at things a little bit. think that's also, as you say, to take care of us is we need to laugh. We need to find things like here it is. Younger generations words from the wise. Listen to your gen X. Listen to your gen X. We've been around now long enough instant gratification. There's a time for a place for, but there is time for deep reflection and action. And if you really want to be a voice on social media.

start listening to me, start listening more, talk less and listen more. Ask your parents, ask people some good open-ended questions to listen and get some ways of dealing with your feelings. Cause I know the younger generations are having major issues with that, but it's time for the parents and the teachers and the leaders to help guide these younger people with their feelings instead of just jumping on TikTok to

escape it. I'm going to first, I want to thank you, Jana from the deep of my heart. This was probably the most nurturing, validating, wise interview so far, and I've only done a few. I've enjoyed all of them, but this was really a good emotional, spiritual, mental release. I, again, my lifestyle is very transient. I'm nomadic and

Therefore, I don't allow deep relationships to build in these places because I'm just I move around too much but my dream is to always have a couple of people that I can make sure that I'm not I know that one plus one equals two but I need to be around people that still believe that that we're not alone

We are not We're not alone. That one plus one equals two and that's 1984. One of my favorite songs is by a woman named Jules Graves and she says, there's only a fine line between alone and all one. And if you think about it, it's just the L. That is so corny and awesome. At the same time so true. It's okay to cry for the world, but after the tears, let's get back up and

do something about it. just want to point out that in my YouTube description, I will have contact information for Janna. If you are interested in learning more on how you can get involved to take more actions, if you are from the Northwest, reach out to her and start working with her and help her get things better for you. And I'll also put in maybe a couple of links to her radio show and

maybe organizations that you might want to get involved with. Of course, please check out also, I put in links to YouTube and other sites to go deeper into topics that I talk about and my brand. have a book listed, for example, called the Twilight of American Culture. It really made a big impact on me like around 20 years ago. And it certainly will give you some more insight on what we've been talking about with the.

Unfortunately, the turning of the crumbling of democracy into something else. Remember that the best way of learning is to do. Go out and get your hands dirty. And until next time, I'll see you soon.

And that's a wrap for today's episode. Thanks so much for tuning in and hanging out with me. If you enjoyed this podcast with no borders, no filter, and you feel a connection or a little inspired, please like, subscribe, and share it with a friend. I truly can't wait to hear from you. Let's keep challenging the status quo with an unfiltered perspective.

I'll be podcasting with real stories, interviews, and reflections on my day-to-day and journey. In the meantime, explore your spirit, experience the world. Get to know me more by connecting to my social media at Experient Explorer, found in the description. Also, you can check out my photo website, dmerl.net. That's D-M-E-R-Y-L dot net.

Until next time, the best way to learn is by doing. So go out and get your hands dirty.