Surviving Genocide and Defending Freedom at Home and Abroad

On Friday, November 7, 2025, Kim Monson explored threats to American values from multiple angles with Paula Sarlls of the USMC Memorial Foundation, worldview expert Dr. Alex McFarland, Second Syndicate co-founders Teddy Collins and Alicia Garcia, and Rwandan genocide survivor Pastor Christine Coleman.

USMC Memorial Foundation Veterans Day Ceremony

Start listening at 6:10 – Hour 1

Paula Sarlls announced the upcoming Veterans Day ceremony at the Marine Memorial on Saturday, November 8th at 2 p.m. The event will feature Jesse Clay, a Navy corpsman turned Navy SEAL and four-time heavyweight world champion Kumite fighter, as the guest speaker. Young Marines will perform the color guard duties, and the foundation will collect donations for Toys for Tots.

Sarlls also highlighted the Pathways of Service brick program, where supporters can purchase engraved bricks to honor military veterans. The program has helped over 200,000 children receive toys through the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots initiative. Due to the government shutdown, some planned activities including troop swearing-in ceremonies had to be cancelled.

“Well I’ve heard that from a lot of people and everybody is very humble that serves I haven’t really known anybody that wasn’t and these bricks you know the name and where they serve, their rank, whatever.”

Paula Sarlls, USMC Memorial Foundation

New York City Election and the Battle for American Values

Start listening at 28:08 – Hour 1

Dr. Alex McFarland, director of worldview for Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, analyzed the election of a Muslim mayor in New York City, calling it deeply ironic given that nearly 3,000 residents died in the September 11 attacks perpetrated by Islamic terrorists. McFarland noted the additional irony that the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel elected an openly anti-Semitic mayor, and that a city with 105 known billionaires elected a mayor who advocates against wealth accumulation.

McFarland emphasized that the philosophical foundation enabling the Constitution to function is objective morality rooted in Judeo-Christian values. He cited John Adams’ observation that the Constitution is unworkable apart from belief in morals that come from God. The conversation revealed that atheist Christopher Hitchens was a staunch pro-lifer who argued that if natural rights can be arbitrarily denied to the unborn, nothing prevents denying rights to other inconvenient populations.

“The 13th largest economy in the world, Manhattan, is now in the hands of a Marxist.”

Dr. Alex McFarland, Worldview Director, Charis Bible College

Protecting Schools and Second Amendment Rights

Start listening at 58:00 – Hour 2

Teddy Collins and Alicia Garcia, co-founders of the Second Syndicate, discussed the election’s impact on gun rights and their partnership with FASTER Colorado to train and equip educators who want to carry firearms in schools. Collins noted that several newly elected school board members want to disarm security and police from school campuses entirely.

Garcia detailed their GiveSendGo fundraiser offering a custom-engraved Springfield 1911 to donors, with every five dollars earning an entry. The FASTER program costs approximately $1,000 per educator, and the Second Syndicate aims to cover these costs so teachers can receive training and appropriate equipment without financial burden. Garcia urged gun owners to openly advocate for their Second Amendment rights.

“It’s time to be open about your gun ownership and your support of the Second Amendment, because this right was in place to hold tyrants accountable.”

Alicia Garcia, Co-founder, Second Syndicate

Surviving Rwanda’s Genocide and Fighting Tyranny Today

Start listening at 77:13 – Hour 2

Pastor Christine Coleman shared her harrowing story of surviving the 1994 Rwandan genocide. On April 6, 1994, she made a last-minute decision to leave her sister’s house and travel to the countryside. Within six hours of her departure, President Kagame’s forces rounded up and killed her sister, her sister’s husband, their three-month-old baby, and their maid. Over 800,000 Rwandans perished in the genocide.

Coleman fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she worked with the International Rescue Committee before eventually immigrating to the United States. She has dedicated her life to human rights advocacy, speaking before the State Department about conditions in Rwanda under Kagame’s 25-year dictatorship. The Rwandan government has now designated her a domestic terrorist for her advocacy work, though Coleman expressed confidence that the charges are politically motivated and will backfire.

“But the voice of God kept telling me, there is a reason why you survived.”

Pastor Christine Coleman, Rwandan Genocide Survivor