Latest / EnvironMental with Dandelion / The Shadow Architects Part 1: The Administrative Gatekeepers
Transcript
- Aub Wallace: ⁓ Here's 30 seconds of me being serious. Shadow Architects. shadow. These people are influencing our society in a way that is very stressful. Why is this okay? Why are there not more critical thinkers? Even if there were more critical thinkers though, like... The lobbyists. This thing should be just called the lobbyists of it all. It's not because there's a lot more, but... Money. People in pockets. Corruption. Great. Okay, hope you can get from that. ⁓ Note for me to remind you that I, to use staggering images. like this one, a screenshot from this one shouldn't be used immediately on the next thing you're screenshotting for. If that makes sense. Okay. I should put this up because it's like super in my face. Just this one. It's gonna be like. Just this piece. I always fucking have hair in my eyes and I'm always flinging my damn, I'm always flinging it around. it. Maybe having hair in my face is sort of my thing, I don't know. I kind of think someone fling my hair all the time. Okay. Looks bad, so we're just gonna have the hair in the face. All right, let's go. Blankie. Blankie. I have an emotional comfort blankie my aunt made it for me it's beautiful. Okay, for real. ⁓ You're a mixture of the seven people you surround yourself most often. Have you heard this? ⁓ this is too slow. I think we're going to do okay. You're a mixture of the seven people you surround yourself with most often. Have you heard this? So here's a sociology lesson. Throughout history, societies have moved a little bit like this. The high up people and the generals, they're the people with influence. Then there's people who want to be like them. They emulate their actions and take on their beliefs because they trust their leaders. Those people's family and friends trust them and so on and so forth until it reaches you and I and the people around us of which we are a mixture. Make sense? Our society, especially those of us living in capitalism, emulates from the top. So it makes sense that if you want to disrupt group think, you remove the leader. That's literally trust. that's literally taught in criminal justice schools, but it's so deeply instinctual that we don't even think twice about it. Like, when you're in a D &D battle with a group of bandits, what do you do? You just take down the head guy and his right-hand man, and the rest of them will flee. It's in our gameplay because our gameplay reflects society. And don't worry because the flip side is also true. If you're in trouble and you need help, Single out one person and ask that person for what you need directly. It imparts responsibility on that person and accountability for the people around them because that person just became their de facto leader. The leaders we follow set the expectations of the people around them. This makes it simple, not easy, but simple to be an unnamed figurehead. That's what I'm talking about today on Environmental with Dandelion. on Environmental with Dandelion. If this is your first time tuning in, hi, hello, I'm Aub, your host and the chief cultivator here at Dandelion. My team and I are the folks behind the curtain for the brand whose sustainability stories make a difference in the world. And you, honey, you're the eco-curious baddie who's been called an alarmist hippie your whole life and now. world is literally burning. The I told you so doesn't really feel like the flex we thought it would be, does it? It feels so messy. If you ever want to dive deeper into any of the information I share on this episode or any other episodes, you can always find the link to the resource documents in the show notes below. Now, before we start naming names, tap the subscribe button like it's the only other critical thinker in the crowd and you're trying to work your way over to them before you're stuck in the group think spiral for the rest of your life. Done? Cool. Let's go. Cool. Because this month's news podcast research got so out of hand that I got myself all tangled up and I just, I had to turn it into a multi-part series where we're just calling out the folks at the top who are using money and influence to keep society unsustainable. My intention with this series is not to name everyone involved. No, listen, okay, I've read Genesis. The list of names and the family tree are not enough to make me any less of a heathen. My intention with this series is to give you concrete examples of how this works. Oops, this is actually moving a little bit too fast. My intention with this series isn't to name everyone involved. Listen, okay, I've read Genesis. The list of names in the family tree are not enough to make me less of a heathen, so I know that's not gonna help you here. My intention here is to give you concrete examples of how this works and ask you to start questioning groupthink in your area. Let's call attention to how decisions are shaped by the people around us and try to make a change for the better. So today we're gonna talk about the gatekeepers, the folks who legalize the destruction of our world, the administrators, the public servants who aren't serving the public, but who use a mask of national security and economic growth to justify personal waste and environmental dismantling and environmental destruction. In... future episodes, we're gonna cover everything from, I'm gonna cover everything from technocrats and investors to the military industrial complex to influencers. Yeah, maybe I was right with 12 and I can just cut out. In future episodes, I'll go ahead. I will cover everything from the technocrats and the investors to the military industrial complex and influencers, because I want to fingers. want to name names because there are people behind these industries and we should know who they are. We should be talking about who they are, partially so that we know who not to follow, but also just to like point that finger. Okay. I do feel like this is a really long intro. I hear you. But before we actually start naming names, I wanna give a special shout out to the guy who spawned this series. You see, there we were in France at a beautiful mountainside spa. Absolutely so chill. Well, I was chill until you walked in to the full... You see, there we were in France at a beautiful mountainside spa. Absolutely so chill. Well, I was chill until you walked into the full silent hot sauna and literally just started talking. And no, not about the beauty of the mountain or how good the slopes were. No, no, no, no. About the private jet, the drinking. and the partying and the jet setting you've been doing for the whole winter and upcoming spring season. All I could think about for the rest of my spa time and really for the rest of, and obviously till now, was how fricking rude that was and how you're the problem. It got me thinking about how we always talk about the industries. Big oil. agriculture, fast fashion, or you know, we bitch about a president or a bill. But the presidents aren't the only people involved in fucking up our planet and screwing up our planet. So thank you, entitled, rude, mid-30s white bro who still thinks bragging about banging chicks and getting wasted in public places is cool. Thank you. Okay, I'm ready. You ready? Sometimes, listen, sometimes you have to take a deep breath. Let's go. Private Jets versus Commercial. So this started with the Private Jet guy, which meant I really wanted to look into the Private Jet information. It will be relevant to the administration call-outs real soon, I promise. You hear about private jets a lot, so I looked into it. analysis from Transport and Environment found that private flights are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger and 50 times more polluting than trains. Despite this, private jet emissions have increased 46 % between 2019 and 2023. With that in mind, Epstein and Taylor Swift aren't the only folks with private jet problems, are they? I found a website called Celebrity Private Jet Tracker. It's brilliantly named, very clear, good job. And guess who comes out on top? Trump. I can't get away from this guy. No matter where I focus this podcast, he comes up. Why? Why? Anyway, I just figured I'd call that out. And you know, maybe I even shouldn't try here because We're talking about influence, which is the only kind of economics that actually trickles down. I can't get away from this guy no matter what I focus this podcast on. And maybe in this episode I shouldn't try because we're talking about influence, which by the way is the only kind of economics that actually trickles down. I'm going to talk about the USA government here because let's be honest, they make it easy. Okay. But I also have degrees in both criminal justice and community governance and advocacy from the USA. So that is the system I know more about. So that's a bit easier for me to talk. If you've got examples from your own government branches, please drop them in the comments because this is not limited to the USA by any stretch of the imagination. Now, despite what I said before, I'm not going to talk about the president very much here. He's an easy target. I mean, really. And I also think that if you're interested in the way societies move at all, the Trump impact has already been documented with bringing out overt racism and consistently calling climate change a hoax. starting a war after promising not to and actively engaging in a global sex trafficking cover-up and still somehow maintaining an insanely loyal following. This guy has had a cult following since the 80s and at no point, at no point has he been a positive impact on the world. But I only bring that up to say that this is the tippity top of influence. Even before the presidency, he was that bankrupt millionaire jet setter surrounded by young women in power. That's what he represents. And he did a great job of amassing influence. And because of that, that's what society idolizes. Gives you a little idea into the original guy, huh? This is a gateway into ugliness for other people who have power and control. Case in point, Kash Money Patel, the joke, sorry, the director of the FBI. Now I told you that the jet thing would come back into relevance. Yeah, so as long as... Yeah, it's like kind of. There's a lot of, not a lot of spacing here and I think I need to go through and do some spacing. Hang on. Sometimes there's like too much spacing and sometimes there's none. Case in point, Cash Money Patel. The joke, sorry, the director of the FBI. Now, I told you that the jet thing would come back into relevance. We're already there. It is a longstanding thing, and by longstanding, I mean since 2011, that the FBI director can't fly commercial. I think that's waste in our government. I mean, if you were gonna... be on a plane, would you recognize the FBI director? Maybe, but then, like, who cares? Because let's put a face to this name here, right? Kash Patel. According to the FBI, the private jet thing is for national security. But then he also like goes to the Olympics and out clubbing. Very intoxicated in public. He's been tweeting. Yes, I'm saying tweeting because Xing makes me feel weird. He's been tweeting sensitive information in ongoing investigations. And that's well documented. He even had a personal leak from an Iran hacker site in March, like a couple months ago. This guy clearly does not care about national security. His defense of himself for using the FBI jet, aside from that he has to, is that he deserves a private life. Fine, but he's not being private. He's in public, wasted. and wasting taxpayer money to hands out custom engraved Woodford Reserve bottles with the FBI shield on them. This is the ultimate example of treating a public office like a private party. Also, also what truly well-meaning civil servant is out and about like that? Do I think that FBI directors should have a private life? Yes, a private life. Not that you asked me. Not that you ask me, but do I think FBI should have a private life? Not that you asked me, but do I think that FBI directors should have a private life? Yes, a private, private life. Because let me tell you right now, I was raised by a cop and a social worker. Yes, it's true, different podcasts, very interesting childhood. I went through years of not being allowed to talk about my parents' jobs in school. I didn't get normal holidays because civil servants work those days. We would never take public vacations and I would certainly never ever put anything about their work online. So do I think the director, the director of the FBI should live a public life like this? Hell no I don't. I think Kash Patel is a bad choice for this job. I think he shows up wastefully and he boasts about using taxpayer money to go do things that most people would never even be able to afford. Like he's gonna go hang out at the Olympics and he's gonna take his country star girlfriend on public dates using the private jet, along with a myriad of other examples from less than one year, less than a year. He's been in this position. Also look at some of those pictures. He looks like he's fucking tripping anyway. But because he's a public figure with power, he sets an example of what men in powerful positions look like. Even though he's been getting backlash right now because of his absenteeism and his open intoxication, there's a silent majority of people that think of the behavior as a precedent being set. Like he's just doing what FBI directors have always done in an age where everyone and everything is on social media. We're being shown that it's okay to waste each other's time and resources for personal gain. This has an impact on the people who work under him, their families and the people like you and me who see the waste and see how he's treating the resources of people he's sworn to protect and, ⁓ and who see the cover up that Kash Patel is obviously part of. I'm calling you out, buddy, and I'm not sorry. I think a lot of people are calling Kash Patel out right now, so okay. Moving on. To this channel's number one enemy, Lee Zeldin, Mr. Sleazy-Leezy himself. Okay. Are we ever gonna stop taking shots at this guy? Well, no, because he's actively working on dismantling the EPA, largely for this race to the bottom of an oil barrel coupled with AI power. It's his literal job to make way for a weird dystopian technocrat run society, which we're gonna put a pin in right now because I'm gonna talk about the technocrats in part two. Since we last spoke. Pam Bondi was fired from her position as attorney general. It's old news, but can you believe that that was like a month and a half ago? That was a month and a half ago. Like so much happens. This is not a political podcast though, although sustainability is really political. It touches everything. The US government, sorry, the US president says he's considering sleazy-leazy. as Pam Bondi's replacement. Sleazy-leazy as Pam Vondie's replacement. Now, Sleazy had a lot to say to the Spectrum News about being the attorney general. Insert clip. What stood out to you there? Because what stood out to me was the quote, we all serve at the pleasure of the president. Fucking what? What? No, honey, you are supposed to serve the American people and help heal the planet. Because the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. That's a quote from their website. I don't make this shit up, you guys. I don't make this shit up. Okay? Go to this link, which you can also find in my resources, documents, and the show notes. and read what the EPA is supposed to do. Is that what they're doing? No. Where does it say anything about serving the president? It doesn't. It doesn't. Whatever, whatever. He says he likes his job right now. You know, that job where he gets to cut funding and pull apart protections for all of us and the president to make money and gain power. He's just, that's what he does. Look. I think just being named as a potential candidate gave this guy a massive chubbo. And I'm sorry for the visual, but look, that clip makes me physically sick. So you get to have the visual too. Cause here's the deal. Sleazy isn't on the Epstein list. Okay, I checked. Simply put, he is not important enough. He doesn't warrant attention at that level, but baby, he wants to. Okay, he wants to be that important. And this is the dangerous influence we're talking about here because that want, that greed, that influence is how you get to, we all serve at the pleasure of the president. He exists to do what the president says because he wants, he covets that power and the influence. He doesn't care how he gets it. So when the president... says I want AI data centers, more oil fields, less renewables, and the built environment to be easily permitted and not to be cleaned up. What does Lisa Lisey do? He sets about dismantling the EPA and the protections of the environment. And the rhetoric around this is so damaging for the people who look up to this agency. The Environmental Protection Agency is calling all of the eco-curious wizards out there part of the climate cult. And saying that the green new scam is costing billions of dollars for no reason because the science was overstated. That's inciting, negative, violent language that can sway group think. Now, people who care about the climate are the enemy of the EPA. They made them the enemy because us versus them thinking is the best way to get people to side with you. If we weren't watchdogging them and you were just a general passerby, the language around dismantling of the EPA to make way for the artificial intelligence future and American energy dominance, quote, would feel like the head of the EPA is making perfectly rational decisions right now, which he is not. The EPA is not making rational decisions right now. That is so slimy and gross. This is the type of societal movement that is, yes, fascinating, but terrifying and actually really predictable. We just accepted the loss of our rights of clean air, water, and a safe environment because we trust the Environmental Protection Agency and with it, Lee Zeldin. ⁓ I don't trust Lee Zeldin, that guy sucks. And this is one reason why I hate this so much. I work in storytelling and marketing language, okay? I know how it's moved and framed towards purpose and this kind of bold-faced non-lie omittance. And polarization is how we become divided as a people. And that creates space for our rights to be removed and our environments to become unsafe. You know what? I could keep going on the executive branch, but I'm going to stop here because the stories are all the same. And you get my point. These appointed officials in the executive branch hold influence that is untethered and unchecked. They set wasteful examples from the top that at best blatantly disregard the environment and at worst actively seek to harm the protections people in the planet deserve. We have another part of the administration to cover. Okay. ⁓ actually, I wanted to shout out. I want to shout out the DOJ tracker right here. Is that what it's called? Yes. ⁓ where did my thingy go? here. If you want to know more about the DOJ and all of the protections they're dismantling and how dangerous they are, go check out thejusticeconnection.org for their DOJ tracker. It is listed in my resource documents, but we have another part of the administration to cover. Okay. It's the legislative branch. Congress. These are elected officials by us, you and me. And yes, I vote in US elections. I'm an American citizen and a Dutch citizen. And yes, I vote in both. And yes, it makes me feel really special. Okay. Anyway, I've never been more disappointed in a branch of government than this legislative branch right now. And I'm not talking about party lines. Honestly, I believe that once you're in the role, it shouldn't be about party lines anymore. It should be about representation of the people who put you in power. The people, the people, the people who put you in power. I'm not represented by this Congress. And I think we should refuse to pay taxes because the USA was founded on principles like no taxation without representation. Remember that time? I mean, we don't remember that time. I don't, but I know enough about it. Do you feel represented? Because nothing has happened. They work less days than most Americans I know. Like, do you feel represented? Because nothing's been going on, nothing's been happening. This Congress works less days than most Americans I know. I know a lot of, anyway. They always get full pay and benefits. They accomplish very little because they're more concerned with party lines than representing the health and well-beings of their constituents, which is their jobs. It's like... It's like, guys, what's happening? What is happening? You're all in the files. You've all had dirty dealings and you're being blackmailed. Let's just stop for a second and look at what you're doing to the people of your state. How about your country? How about the world? At best, you've been lazily allowing war crimes and standing idly by while your constituents' rights are being taken away. Cute. And at worst, you've actively chosen to approve of kidnapping, murder, sex trafficking, war crimes, rights removal, and environmental disaster. You know what I call that? Waste. It's a waste of time and resources and taxpayer money. Again. And do they care? I mean, maybe this is like a do what I say, not what I do situation. Because the people in Congress are influential. They campaign and they make people trust them and they trust their word that they'll take them into consideration in the decision-making process. And then they just kind of do whatever the people who paid them to put them in power ask them to do, right? But they're powerful. They have representative power to the everyday person. And then they spend their time in fighting along party lines. They're creating more division and hatred among the population while the executive branch just like is over there. going off, like going off, I don't know. And the party line vitriol is relatively new. I mean, there's always been some contention because there's legitimately different opinions. But when it came down to it, Congress has always been meant to work together. That's why they create different groups from different parties. But influence trickles from the top, remember? And look at the rhetoric there. It's all division. It's all blue be red. And that language is showing up everywhere right now. There's no working together. It's all us versus them. And again, you're just saying that cult shit. This isn't a sustainable government system. It is a huge waste of resources. Where's Doge? Where's Toge when you need it? No, I had to save that part so I could get through this because this series is about influence. And yes, I'm a sustainability pundit, but sustainability is a complex topic that touches everything. Because I'm not just talking about the planet here. I'm also talking about the people that Hold on. Okay, I'm not just talking about the planet here. I'm also talking about the people, the everyday people that language and decisions impact. But I'm also here right now to name names because you see again, again, all of that. It's so easy to blanket, to just say that Congress is an issue. A member would listen to this episode and be able to point their finger across the aisle and say, see? you're the problem. So let me give you, so let's give you a few examples of how this legislative branch could actually gaf. I talked about this in my water episode, HJ Res 140, also known as the watershed bill here's past me explaining it. So here's the update. The bill passed the House and the Senate on April 16th of this year. So let's talk about the sponsor of the bill, Pete Stauber, representative for Minnesota's 8th congressional district. Now, I'm really not gonna talk about who's blue and who's red here. I really want you to understand the people behind this. The guy sponsored a bill that will unequivocally harm, unequivocally harm his home, the people in his home, and the people and the environment around the whole Great Lakes area. And why? Because he's the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, where he remains committed to maintaining American energy independence and ending reliance on foreign minerals. That's a quote. How much does this sound just like the EPA stuff from earlier, right? Or like in past episodes? Pete Stauber is an ex-cop and they're in a military family, which doesn't vibe with me because he simultaneously wants like a safer community, but he's willing to kill folks by slowly poisoning the water supply. Brilliant. So, but believe me when I tell you, I know this person and I know his voters. I was raised in the Midwest, military family, cop dad, though I would never associate my dad with this bonehead because my dad cares a whole heck of a lot more about the environment than the farce of oil independence. Anyway, this guy holds power because oil and gas PACs pay into his election funds. He's touted as an all-American Catholic dude with six kids who's tough on crime and fighting for the American way of life and energy independence. Now, I'm not here to rail on his personal life or even his politics. He has the right to his views as we all do. The point is that this is a guy that people... Trust. he worked hard for that. And he uses that trust politically to normalize agendas that are impossibly damaging to his constituents. He worked hard his whole life to be a guy that people trust. But like, what pays to keep him in a position of power also gets a say in how he votes. And I would say more than just a say. They choose how he votes. Pete Stauber is a supporter of ICE and Doge, and he uses vilifying language around things like HJRES 140, calling it illegal and feeding into a propaganda machine that causes his language to trickle into his way of life for the people around him. This is how bullies get their way, not respectable, objective politicians who want the best for the people they represent. But Pete Stauber and HA Res 140 is only one example that passed. Yeah, but there's a new, and I would say even worse bill in the pipeline right now. It's called the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act. It was introduced to the Senate on April 16th, 2026 by Wyoming representative Harriet Hagaman. Am I saying your name wrong, Harriet? Harriet Hagman, you know what? If I'm saying your name wrong, ⁓ that's okay. I have to be okay with that. Harriet Hagman and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This bill would grant, you know, let me start over there. Blah, blah, blah, blah. But Pete Stauber and the HJ Res 140 is only one example. It passed, okay, and that sucks, but there's also a new, and I would say even worse bill in the pipeline right now. It is literally called the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act, and it was introduced to the Senate on April 16th, 2026 by Wyoming Representative Harriet Hagman and Texas Senator Ted Ted Cruz. Did I say her name wrong? Don't care. This bill would grant sweeping. This bill would grant sweeping permanent legal immunity to the fossil fuel industry for their role in the climate emergency. The language on the bill says it's to prohibit liability against those engaged in the mining, extraction, production, refinement, transportation, distribution. marketing, manufacture, or sale of energy for damages or injunctions of other relief from their use. ⁓ whoa. or sale of energy for damages or injunctive or other relief from the use of their products and for other purposes. Yo, this is a legislative get out of jail free card for the people who knew for decades that their industry would heat up the planet and destroy countless habitats, sending our planetary cycles into this chaotic, unpredictable tailspin. It kills thousands of species and endangers the lives of people the world over. Those people, yeah, this new bill would prohibit us from suing them for damages they knew they were causing. Okay, what the actual fuck? Please go look at my resource documents. I've linked the 5calls.org website where you can go and call your senator right now. If this passes, we will never, ever, ever see the accountability for the harm, the real transition to renewable energy. If this passes, we will never see accountability for the harm and the real transition to renewable energy will be set back. And I say, this is literally to set back renewables because if you actually, excuse me, if you actually read the purpose behind this bill or any of the language from Hagman and Cruz about it. You'll see that they are primarily talking about energy independence and to promote the production and use of affordable, abundant, and reliable energy resources. Quote, do you know, do you know what is reliable, affordable, and abundant? Wind, water, solar. They are intentionally cutting it out of the picture here, which I talked about in December's Shifting Power Come Power podcast. Here's past me. And let's just look how they're framing it in the language they use here. Start with the name. Shakedown. Right from the jump, this bill frames taking accountability as extortion. Is taking accountability for the harm they knew they were committing and took zero steps to mitigate and in fact spent billions on lobbyists, lawyers and politicians to commit extortion? Maybe to Hagman and Cruz. Just like Pete Stauber, I checked the OpenSecrets website to follow the money and guess who the top contributors are. ⁓ you don't have to guess. Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway, for Ted Cruz, it's pretty cut and dry, big oil situation. And honestly, while I think Ted Cruz has been more radical over the past like 10 years or so, if you look at his voting records, where he stands on various issues and how he operates, the decisions Cruz is making don't really come at much of a surprise. Cruz campaigns on being the fighter for Texas and his first sentence on his website is from the oil fields of West Texas. So there's a mention there, but at no point throughout his campaign or through his website does he remind people who trust him that they aren't his primary concern. And remember, influence trickles down. the oil fields, immigration, and the jobs doctrine is so much a part of Texas that it's the only thing Texas is internationally known for. But for Hagman, things feel more nuanced. And I think they look damn nefarious, I mean, really, you But for Hagman, things feel more nuanced. And I think they look damn nefarious if you ask me and you're here, so you are asking me. And this isn't just a comment on her like general evil queen vibes, which on a normal day, I'm all for, because it's like pretty good look. But Hagman legit freaks me out, man. Her platform is Wyoming strong. And generally she's showing up as the old ranch woman who understands the everyday Wyomingite. I love the word Wyoming. Wyomingite, by the way, so cute, right? It's good, her website's good. It says that she has a reputation for standing up to federal overreach, protecting private property and water rights, exposing the failures and working to curtail federal land and wildlife mismanagement, and challenging unconstitutional acts by both federal and state agencies. I need a minute. Okay, do you remember last year when we talked about public land being for sale in the big beautiful bill and how it sets a precedent for dismantling protected wild spaces in the USA? Well, we did, we talked about that last year when it was happening. She was an open supporter of that measure. She's also in open support of the fossil fuel industry and clearly because she's pending a bill that makes sure that they are never held accountable for destroying wildlife habitats, clean water, or standing up to the federal overreach when she's using federal power and taxpayer money to shield a harmful industry from private or public accountability. And who pays for her? I'm gonna do that again. Cause there's a lot. Okay. Do you remember last year when we talked about public land being for sale and the big, beautiful bill and how that sets a dangerous precedent for dismantling protected wild spaces in the USA? She was an open supporter of that measure. She's also a supporter of the fossil fuel industry, clearly, because she's pending a bill that makes sure they aren't, ⁓ make sure that they aren't, held liable for destroying wildlife habitats, clean water, or standing up to federal overreach when she's using federal power and taxpayer money to shield a harmful industry from private or public accountability. And who pays for her? Real estate investors, APEC, of course, the Israel Connection, Quantum, a private energy investment company, and also Indian Gaming. Real estate, casinos, private investment, Israel. That's literally a money laundering playbook right there, babe. But all almost-jokes aside, Hagman is abusing the reputation she cultivated and using her influence as a woman in a male-dominated industry to seem caring while she's part of creating an unlivable environment. Yo, please, they are literally... an unlivable environment. Yo. Please. They are literally legalizing the ability to pollute with impunity and leaving you and me to pay for the property insurance hikes, the medical bills from toxic air, and the infrastructure repairs from extreme weather. When a leader like Hagman or Cruz tells their constituents that this is about protecting their protecting the economy, they are grooming society to believe that corporate profit is more sacred than the water we drink or the air we breathe. That is the group think we have to break right there. And look, this episode is already really long, okay? But these are only a few examples. I can keep going, but I think you get it. And I bet, I bet you can find it in your own state or country or even just around in your municipality. Drop a comment below and let me know what you found in your search. I'd love to know more. So where does that leave us? We've looked at the executive branch where people like Kash Patel use national security as a cover for personal luxury and Lee Zeldin that's using economic growth as a scalpel to dismantle our protections. We've looked at the legislative branch where Pete Stauber, Ted Cruz and Harriet Hagman use their elected powers to prioritize the very industries that are poisoning the people they represent. These are the gatekeepers. They sit at the top of the hierarchy. ⁓ actually, let me say that word. These are the gatekeepers. They sit at the top of a parasitic hierarchy deciding what is legal. And right now they're legalizing devastation. But remember what I said at the start, everybody will flee when you cut down the headbandit. And I'm not saying we're going to take them down today, but you and I are going to stop emulating them. We're going to stop believing that American energy dominance is worth a dead Great Lake. We're going to stop believing that a private jet is a sign of success rather than a sign of parasitic footprint. And we're going to learn how our actions can make a difference in the future. Here's how you can make a difference. Here's how you can help change the parasitic hierarchy we're living in in 25 seconds. Here's how you can make a difference to change the parasitic hierarchy we're living in in 25 seconds. Do your research. Look at the laws and regulations in your local and state government. Understand who the players are and where their campaign funds are coming from. Because remember, they earned your trust, but they used someone else's money to do it. Reach out to your representatives. Remind them that they represent you and what you care about. Vote. Vote. Vote with your dollars. Vote with your ballots. Vote with your conversations. I can't stretch this one enough. These people, the ones I just talked about who are using your trust against you, they're in office because we put them there. The lobbyists who paid for their campaigns have money because we give them ours and the people who still support them, who support them blindly are victims of group think, and it's up to us to impart critical thinking wherever we can, because you are one of the seven people in your network's network, and you can make a difference. Woof, okay. This is a long environmental podcast. I just couldn't stop, and you know what? This is only the first one. I'm gonna keep going. So right now I'm gonna pause guests in environmental so that I can cover the spheres of influence. Who's in charge? Who's stopping forward movement to the transition to a more sustainable future? Because this shit is, it's all connected from fossil fuel industry acts to AI and ICE to the gutting of the voters rights act and the undercurrent of consumption. I'm gonna root it out. And in the next one, we're gonna go deeper. we're moving from the people who legalize the destruction, the gatekeepers, to the people who design the systems of devastation, the architects. We're talking about the technocrats, baby. Musk, Teal, Zuckerberg, Andreessen. This is just part one of the Shadow Architects series. Be sure to describe, ⁓ my God, why? There's not enough space. need, Aubrey, add space. We're moving from the people who legalize the destruction, the gatekeepers, to the people who design these systems of devastation, the architects. We're talking about the technocrats, baby. Musk, Teal, Zuckerberg, Andresen. This is just part one of the Shadow Architects series. So be sure to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss the rest of these episodes. I think there might be like eight of them, guys. Until then, keep your eyes open. Question. all the rhetoric and for the love of everything green, please do not talk in a silent spa. I will see you next time and I will see you in the dirt. Bye. I think I got it all. I've also just been...