Addressing the Racism Narrative and Democrat Governance Failures

On August 20, 2021, Kim Monson examined the false narratives dividing America with U.S. Senate candidate Peter Yu, who shared his immigrant family’s story of achieving the American dream, columnist Rick Turnquist, who delivered his annual assessment of Democrat governance failures, and Hal Van Hercke of Castlegate Knife and Tool, who discussed supporting veterans amid the Afghanistan withdrawal crisis.

Confronting the False Racism Narrative

Start listening at 18:33 – Hour 1

Peter Yu, a U.S. Senate candidate from Colorado, pushes back against the claim that America is systemically racist. Born to Chinese immigrants who fled communist China through Hong Kong before arriving in the United States in 1969, Yu and his six siblings all achieved success through hard work. He rejects the narrative that people of color are automatically oppressed and that white Americans are inherently racist.

Yu recounted his experience speaking at the Log Cabin Republicans in July, where he declared that systemic racism is a lie based on his 49 years of experience in America. Yahoo News and other outlets attacked him relentlessly for this position. He noted the absurdity of identity politics, pointing to the University of Wisconsin removing a boulder because it was deemed racist. Yu argues that pushing narratives like critical race theory and the 1619 Project onto children is heartbreaking and must be stopped.

“We are now living in a society now, Kim, where everything where it includes a person of color or whoever it may be is now automatically considered racism. And I think we are just taking this to a whole new level, because I think that’s how a lot of people decide to win elections, because that’s how you basically tell someone what to be scared of and then who to blame.”

Peter Yu, U.S. Senate Candidate

Supporting Veterans Amid Afghanistan Crisis

Start listening at 25:17 – Hour 1

Hal Van Hercke, owner of Castlegate Knife and Tool in Sedalia, Colorado, reflected on the devastating week following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Just seven days earlier, Kabul was in a different situation, and the rapid deterioration deeply affected veterans and humanitarians who served there for 20 years. Van Hercke described it as a difficult week for freedom and individual rights.

He highlighted how Joe Biden admitted in an interview that he believed the chaotic withdrawal scenario was unavoidable no matter what he did, suggesting the administration simply ignored planning for success. Van Hercke announced an incoming shipment of Medford knives, handmade custom knives from Phoenix whose staff consists almost entirely of veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. Castlegate continues offering a 10% discount for all military, veterans, and first responders.

“It’s not a good week for freedom, not a good week for being a humanitarian and for caring about people and individual freedoms and individual rights. But it’s impacted me very indirectly, but still I can only imagine how it’s impacted people who have committed so much there.”

Hal Van Hercke, Owner, Castlegate Knife and Tool

Still Unfit to Govern

Start listening at 30:01 – Hour 1

Rick Turnquist delivered his companion piece to last year’s “Unfit to Govern” column, documenting the real-world results of Democrat leadership. He presented data showing the best and worst ten states economically, with Republican-led states consistently outperforming Democrat-led ones. Colorado has slipped from 18th to 20th in economic outlook since Democrats consolidated power.

Turnquist detailed how Democrat legislators treat citizens as supplicants rather than as the people they serve. He described Capitol hearing rooms where lawmakers sit elevated on a dais, allowed to eat and drink while ordinary citizens cannot. Hearings are scheduled at inconvenient times, panels replace individual testimony, and sessions run all night to prevent everyone from speaking. During the 2019 Family Medical Leave hearing, Democrats kept the Capitol open during a historic blizzard that killed a state trooper.

The Democrats have surrendered to their socialist base, Turnquist argued, using division as their primary tool. They call themselves progressives but are actually regressives who want to return America to tribalism and disunity. Their vision reduces citizens to servitude rather than protecting life, liberty, and property as the Founders intended.

“The power dynamic is all wrong. They clearly think that they’re in charge and that we’re supplicants. And the language of the building says that and the way they act says that.”

Rick Turnquist, Columnist