Doomer Optimism

In this election day special, Jason talks with Jon Council, candidate for County Commissioner 3 in Watauga County of Western NC (Jason’s home county) and Sarah Davis, his campaign manager, to talk about local issues in the region, including environmental protection, affordable housing for the working class, and mutual aid. In particular they talk about the impacts of Hurricane Helene in the region, how it changed the nature of their campaign into one of disaster relief organizing, and the challenges and opportunities moving forward. They are both active members with Down Home NC (https://downhomenc.org/ ) and it’s local chapter Keep WNC (and Watauga) Home (https://keepwnchome.org/ ) A profile of Sarah Davis can be found here: https://medium.com/reclaiming-rural/calling-watauga-home-a8608d9d36d7 Jon’s campaign website can be found here: https://www.councilforwatauga.com/ About Jon: Born and raised in North Carolina, I have grown to appreciate the diverse communities and nature that surround us, especially here in the High Country. My wife and I have lived on the Watauga River for the past six years after living and working in other communities around the area.  We have witnessed firsthand the areas where our local government has fallen short. Our county's working people deserve access to safe and affordable housing, environmental protections, clean water, a voice on our local boards, and much more. I have faced these same issues daily and am dedicated to making a difference for our county. I aim to become a public servant, not a politician. To learn more about my involvement in our community and the issues I am running on, check out this interview with the national publication, Barn Raiser Media (https://barnraisingmedia.com/appalachia-carpenter-watauga-county-development-organizing-minimum-housing-standards/ )

In this episode, Casey Spinks, editor at Front Porch Republic, and Ashley discuss philosophy, theology, and the challenges in contemplative and active lives. Casey Spinks is a contributing editor for Front Porch Republic. He lives with his family in Waco, Texas, where he teaches theology and philosophy at Baylor University. https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/author/caseyspinks/

Small Town Mayor James Decker w/ Ashley and Nate

In this episode, Nate talks with Robert Hirschfeld, the director of water quality at the Illinois Prairie Rivers Network. They discuss the water quality crisis in the midwest, chemical pollution in the water and air, pesticide drift, and why despite the common sense that everyone wants “clean air and clean water” we continue to allow polluters to destroy what should be a healthy commons. They also talk about what can be done and how we can move beyond passive acceptance or theatrical protest.

In this conversation, Jason talks with Rust Belt Kid (@rustbeltkid1 ) about the decline and signs of a potential revival of American manufacturing and agriculture. He talks about his experience growing up in the Midwest, his day job in manufacturing, his aspirations to become a farmer and early successes on his recent 20 acres, and ideas he has about combining the two in new and innovative ways, while also drawing heavily from the knowledge of the old timers and from old photos about how things used to be done Rust Belt Kid’s Twitter Profile: https://x.com/rustbeltkid1 Manufacturing and Agriculture. Terry Redlin American. Midwest's Greatest Archive Browser. Company: gatorbar.com Two prior DO episodes were mentioned in the episode, including: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5F29SVjpME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npQ1m38V6Hc&t=97s

Alice, Dylan, and Ashley discuss using government funds for regenerative agriculture, building bioregional food hubs, and their upcoming Heritage Food Festival this November. Alice Melendez- I was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains between Clay City and the rolling fields of central Kentucky. I grew up on the farm, went to small-town schools, and learned to drive on winding country roads with lots of blind spots. I went away, like a lot of people, and came back. “Away” took me to Dartmouth College, Philadelphia, and then six or so years in Houston where my kids were born into a big Mexican household. I studied the way that economies social agreements and hard physical realities interplay in actual places (not models). I worked at a delivery business and a refugee resettlement agency. I ran a handyman business and for a short while a grain elevator. I thought for a while that 'the climate movement' might generate political will for a massive transformation in how humans relate to the natural world, and I worked on that. Now, I think it's time to focus on regenerative agriculture in our Ohio River Valley to ride through whatever comes our way. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e1duQMt65R-EeAMVzZzhpsVwQuBfYet0/view?usp=drive_link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uxg83U_IQ6RXOUQVCOz3H-MlkCt6EzP0/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=115071514593909738663&rtpof=true&sd=true http://heritagefoodfest.org http://mtfolly.com http://mtfolly.com/for-farmers

In this emergency podcast, DO hosts discuss the upcoming US Presidential election as well as plans for yanking Western society back from the precipice of certain total destruction.The conversation doubles as a drinking game. Take a drink any time a host:refers to wokeness (approvingly or disparagingly)mis-pronounces “Kamala”uses a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings metaphorcomplains about Twittercomplains about “neocons”expresses fear of AI and/or transhumanismaccuses another host of conspiracy theorymentions “authoritarianism” or “totalitarianism”gets googly-eyed talking about Thomas Massiedisagrees on the relevance of RFK joining the Trump campaignFinish your drink (and open another) any time a host mentions:cosmo-localismepistemologymeta-modern ______“hive mind”“techno-feudalism”“The woke/postmodern Right”“I'm not telling you who you should vote for”“___ is morally depraved”

In this episode we discuss Chris Smaje’s recent article: Off-grid: further thoughts on the failing renewables transition Chris can be found at chrissmaje.com and on Twitter at @‌csmaje

An excellent conversation on topics of mutual interest. Can be found on Twitter at @‌Hispeedlowdrug: Lightly brain damaged 6ft 2in white trash polymath I've heard all these stories about people with twitter connections meeting IRL and forming beautiful friendships and relationships. I would like that. I'm a mid 40's handyman with a strange bio and a young son in Western MA. Interested in schizo bros and cute single mothers.

Austin and Nate discuss Austin’s recent book Barons, concerning consolidation and corruption in the food system. With a focus on the midwest, Austin and Nate discuss how the rise of industrial agriculture has degraded the heartland, how it was allowed to happen, who has been responsible, and most importantly, how to move forward with a different, more humane agriculture that values the health of people and places. They spoke about the necessity of a two prong approach, one involving building capable mid-sized farms and the other taking a hatchet to the monopoly industrialists who have been allowed to seize our land and our resources. Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.