A New Normal Kelley Lynch, Obaidul Fattah Tanvir, Cindy Sealls

This time on the podcast, the story of an invisible war. Shots are fired. Injuries sustained. But how do you fight an enemy you can't see — one that may not even exist?

An armchair safari to a place where humans and elephants are engaged in a deadly conflict over resources — and the one man who can communicate with both sides.


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Much of the music in this episode is from the Free Music Archive by:


Bruce Miller (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Broos) CC BY-NC-NDVinod Prasanna (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vinod_Prasanna__Okey_Szoke__Pompey) CC BY NCSiddhartha Corsus (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Siddhartha) CC BYPodington Bear (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear) CC BY NCTheme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Confederate soldiers never reached the US Capitol during the Civil War, but the "Confederate flag" (which was actually the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) finally arrived in the building on January 6. Join us for a deep dive into the question: why does that symbol still speak to people so long after the Civil War? The answers lie in another disinformation campaign — one that took root in this country 155 years ago, and still impacts us today. This time on the podcast: America’s original Lost Cause — and the real cost of alternative facts.

Cover art:
A printed poster from 1896 celebrates the Confederacy more than 30 years after the end of the Civil War. It features (center) Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson, PGT Beauregard and Robert E. Lee along with three versions of the flag of the Confederate States of America and the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. Surrounding them are Confederate notables including President of the Confederate State of America, Jefferson Davis, Vice President Alexander Stephens, and storied army officers James Longstreet and A.P. Hill. 

For photos and resources, visit our website: anewnormalpodcast.com

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Much of the music in this episode was from the Free Music Archive by:
Lobo Loco (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco) CC BY-NC-SA Cletus Got Shot (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Cletus_Got_Shot) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Shake that Little Foot (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Shake_That_Little_Foot) CC BY-NC-SA 3.0The Joy Drops (https://freemusicarchive.org/search/?quicksearch=the+joy+drops)CC BY

The divisions that have taken hold of the country are playing out not only in our public lives, but also in some of our closest relationships. 

What drives the tensions are our very different answers to that perennial question: What do you do when you believe your country is heading the wrong direction? 
In this episode, we look to history — and the story of a man who has been called “one of the most troubling figures in American History”— for insight. 

Note: The cover image of John Brown is from a painting called Tragic Prelude, a mural painted in 1937 by John Steuart Curry for the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka.

Portrayals of Brown have changed over time. "From 1890 to about 1970 John Brown was insane. Before 1890 he was perfectly sane, and after 1970 he has slowly been regaining his sanity." —from Lies My Teacher Told Me, Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, byJames W. Loewen

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

The music at the end of the episode is
Battle Hymn of the Republic Medley by Marisa Anderson
Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US

Is Santa real? You bet. These days he goes by the name Mike Gray, a retired jack of all trades who lives not at the North Pole, but in a recycled house in the Arizona desert—when he’s not with the Lakota on Pine Ridge or the Seri people in Mexico. He's given up the red suit for a work shirt, jeans and a straw hat. And he's stopped making toys in favor of making gardens, building houses and furnishing clinics for people who need them. The sleigh filled with gifts? He traded it in for a van full of tools he also uses to carry people and art—and he is the gift. 

You can watch the film on the Seri (Comcaac) people that Mike mentions in the podcast on YouTube. It's called Seri-People Live by the Desert and Sea

And while I wouldn't normally reference Wikipedia, the entry on the Seri people has some basic information for the mildly curious as well as a lot of resources for anyone interested in a deeper dive.

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Other music in this episode by Podington Bear from the albums Meet Podington Bear and  Liquid Gold; Licensed under CC BY-NC

In the first of our “be the change” stories — stories about people who are being the change they want to see in their own communities — we talk with Matt Marasch, former infantry paratrooper and green beret turned potter and healer. 

A couple of years ago, having lost a number of veteran friends to suicide and struggling to reinvent himself, Matt started looking for a way to bring veterans together to learn new skills and build the kind of close relationships they missed from their days in the military — and Veteran Potter’s House was born.
Veteran Potters House on Facebook
Veteran Potter's House on YouTube

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0