Fred's Front Porch Podcast

Are cameras in the classroom a Dystopian Nightmare, or are they the best means of keeping children safe? Links: https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/scopes-trial#:~:text=The%20Scopes%20Trial%2C%20also%20known,recent%20bill%20had%20made%20illegal https://www.spaghettimonster.org/about/open-letter/

As tyranny attempts to take over, it becomes even more important to preserve liberty. Links are below: https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020 https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/debunking-false-claims-about-john-lewis-voting-rights-act https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/09/what-is-filibuster/ Please support me on Patreon:...

I promise I will return to trying to change the world next week.  It's been a long strange trip to get to the point that, finally, I feel happy with where I have landed in life, and I wanted to celebrate. Sara Niemietz's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SaraNiemietz My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

I'm trying to understand myself a little better.  Why do I create both feelings of love and feelings of hatred in others?  There's much to learn.  Perhaps you'll see yourself in some of these ideas. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

Utopia, of a reasonable sort, is a dream we all pursue when we reach for the stars.  It is often dismissed for being impossible.  It absolutely is possible.  In her book, "One Dear Land," Ellen Hadley shows us, through both a novel and a set of essays, both how it could be done and what it would look like.  I'm taking half an hour to explain it to you.  You would be wise t...

I'm extra proud of this one.  This is delightful. I'm ecstatic that Milne has become public domain! Special thanks to my friend, Kathy Ruiz, who taught me to love this story more than 30 years ago. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

This week, we're having a guest host, my friend and former student, Christian Swoboda.  He's the person who rescued me from California, and he wants to explain why he did.  This is, in some ways, a sequel for "Unlocking The Gate." Check out Christian's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gl4AMDZpCRM54aGH4sMQy Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porc...

Did you ever wonder what a dog is thinking?  Speedy Shine shares his thoughts with us tonight. Please support Speedy Shine and Me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

The Beatles said it first in 1968.  While the world is in better shape than it has been throughout human history, we still have a long, long way to go.   It sometimes seems as though our culture encourages desperation.  It doesn't have to be this way.  It shouldn't be this way. Links: https://rightcarealliance.org/activities/insulin/ Please support me on Patreon: https://www.pa...

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold.  How would the world be if we removed it from the menu? Links: https://fs.blog/bertrand-russell-love-is-wise/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

You get to decide who you are.  How you spend your minutes helps to define that.  What do your minutes tell you about yourself? Please support this show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

We can remake our world, just as Scrooge remade his.  Let's do that together. Links: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/01/how-much-did-war-afghanistan-cost-how-many-people-died/5669656001/ https://www.rent.com/research/national-apartment-rent-price-analysis/ http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/odnirast.html https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattles-minimum-w...

Suicide prevention is more than posting the number for a hotline.  On Fred's Front Porch, I often discuss the idea that was can all Shine in our own ways.  I've never really explained what I mean by that, though.   To Shine means to "be there" for someone, whether that means in person, or in a piece of Art, or in any other way that works for you and them.   I was inspired by my...

Someone went out of her way to remind how it felt to be intensely alive last week.  It's gone now, but I will forever be grateful for the 72 hours of Joy I got to experience. Artwork by Jenn Agnew. Check out her other work here: https://agnewartist.com/my-gallery/ To get rid of commercials: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

We are a divided country.  We gain nothing from hatred and cruelty.  We can disagree intelligently, rationally, and respectfully, in hopes of finding answers to our shared problems. Cover Art by Jenn Agnew, used with permission.  Check out some of her other work below: https://agnewartist.com/my-gallery/

This is my Idealism realized completely for the first time.  It's a Thanksgiving story, but it's also about the world as I would like to see it.  It's a prequel to "Only Through Fire," which was a dark and horrifying example of the dangers of lies and ignorance.  "A Bigger Table" is a look at a world that is shaped by love and abundance.  It's a little girl's quest to bring eve...

The last 3 episodes have been dark.  For "Dimming The Light," I was in the hospital.  For "The Problem of Anger," I was explaining to my California landlord why yelling at me wasn't helpful.  "Unlocking The Gate" told the story of the horrible situation that WAS California. Tonight, I'm bringing us back into the light.  The reason I can even do this episode is because of all th...

If you already heard this on Patreon, you might want to play this version, simply for the improved sound quality, the additional sound effects, and the improved voicing.  I had an exceptional sound engineer, Jenner Zeno, take a run at this, and his work is brilliant. This is as much of the California Story as I will ever tell.  Sunday was my birthday, and my present to myself was to get...

This is the last thing I wrote in California.  It was written to my, for lack of a better term, landlord (although there was never a lease), although it's not addressed to him.  I was thinking of how little good it did him to yell at me so frequently.  If you ask him, he will tell you he never yelled at me until the last night when 3 movers and a friend of mine witnessed it.  ...

Incoming Transmission from Stargazer Central - Posted Without Permission.

This is the classic campfire story told in a way that will almost certainly make you scream.  Enjoy Shocktober. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

Can a Cat drive a man to cold-blooded murder?  Find out in this Edgar Allan Poe classic. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

This may, or may not, be a true story.  It is, however, undoubtedly frightening.   This came to me from a friend who is choosing to remain anonymous. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

This is a completely reimagined version of our classic theater piece from last Shocktober.  There could be no better way to open this year's celebration. Why were we taught to fear witches instead of the people who burned women alive? This is not for the faint of heart. Happy Shocktober! Please support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true

If you ever had a father you loved, this is for you. Art is both Universal and Personal.  The events are very personal to me, but losing a father is a nearly universal experience. Special Thanks to Jenner Zeno for adding the sound elements that make this piece extraordinary. Please consider supporting this show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Freds_Front_Porch?fan_landing=true