[r] Vox Populi: Listener Week In Review Vol I, Issue I

Mandeville, LA – Our new mikechurch.com feature [r] Vox Populi encourages listeners to compose reviews and critiques of the past week worth of Mike Church Shows on Sirius/XM Patriot channel. This is done to continue the conversation started on-air and enrich the learning, entertaining and [r]epublican efforts we are all so mightily possessed of these days. Our first contribution is from listener Alan High of Georgia. These opinions are his, his vox populi.

Video Games:

Video Games are not the cause of anything good or bad but a distraction, they are entertainment, escapism, much like books, watching sports, or any of the other “bread and circuses” we humans fill our time with. I’ve been a gamer for a long time and at 47 – that’s pretty damn long – to the point where I “get” all of your archaic references made on air.

Yes games have gotten violent but first person shooters always have been violent – even from the days of Doom. Games have become more “realistic” in that several are set in a “non-fantasy” world where you go after humans.

Forgotten in the mix is the overarching “story” behind some of the more popular games as in saving the universe, battling the “bad guys”, saving the princess. A lot of these games are pitting the player as the “hero” that is fighting for truth, justice, and the American way which seldom gets mentioned.

AG isn’t playing his sports game to achieve “bench warmer” status and collect a comfortable multimillion dollar contract in his sports games is he? Of course not – he’s playing to be the kick ass superstar that wins the game.

The dawn of the online RPG continual world games has been the real development (socially) that people and those that “study” culture have missed out on. These games have massive players bases, team play, intelligent “chess” like play against other players, online economies that are a testament to the free market capitalism model, as well of the ability to create and define team dynamics between not only different people but different cultures.

As an example I played with the same guild across (3) games over 5 years – our leader was a restaurant owner in Israel, the rest of the band of brothers were two guys in Romania, a service member in Germany, my partner and I in CT, a husband & wife team that played from South Carolina, and McDonalds franchise owner in Florida. We had an audio server so we could communicate & coordinate our game play, exchange stories, strategy and ribald jokes about kicking the “bad guys” asses. As a guild and a team we achieved some specular results online and made memories I”ll always cherish.

Against all the “common” talking points the game experience was a positive one and built bridges to people, community and communication on a daily basis.

The meaning of words

You were right to point out the Conservative & Liberal for that matter no longer “mean” what they used to. Politics has corrupted the very understanding of the words and their usage (on purpose) which muddies the water for the “low information voter.

We are a culture (maybe a species) that needs to “define and label things” & politicians (especially liberal & decepticons) know this & exploit it.

Your campaign to stake out the founding fathers “ground zero” little “r” republicanism is the right approach. Beating that drum every day on what it is, what it means, is one of the best things you can do. Your definition and application of “miltia” as it was defined, understood, and used at the time of the founding was insightful, informative and forever seared in my mind (thank you by the way)

I thought Bush was a conservative….hindsight & your show (& it’s attendant eye opening perspective) have taught me differently. Reading the Cheney & Rumsfeld biography filled in the rest. Bush was more of what I considered a “conservative” in his first term because he listened to those advisers, nearly everything in the second term I didn’t like came from Rice and Powell who had taken the lead in our President’s counsel (as shown by the Bio’s)

Before you hammer me for it – now with the “red pill” in my system – I see the fatal flaw in my own perspective & Bush WAS a big R republican from the first term in office (as always was)

I’m a little “r” republican with strong libertarian leanings & like you I think God and his guiding precepts need to be part of that equation.

So Keep up the good work – keep pounding the drum – & I’ll keep recommending you to my friends.

Sincerely,

Alan High

New Georgia resident