The Arrogant Independent

Shawn Havens

5.0 (1)
Society & Culture
Updated Daily

They say silence is safe — but safe never changed anything. The Arrogant Independent is a movement of thinkers, skeptics, and truth-seekers breaking free from media control. From politics to pop culture, censorship to faith, we question everything — and we’re not afraid to say what others won’t. Join the rebellion of reason.

3d ago

CHAPTER 27 — NEVER BECOME THE ENEMY YOU FOUGHT

INTERRUPTED BY GRACE PART VIII — BACK TO BETHEL: THE RETURN OF MEMORY CHAPTER 27 — NEVER BECOME THE ENEMY YOU FOUGHT I'm sharing Chapter 27 now because I previously posted Chapter 28, The Outsider and the Record, out of sequence. Chapter 27 provides important context for understanding the events and questions explored in Chapter 28. After twenty years of military service, including combat in Iraq, I never imagined that I would find myself questioning why some people seemed to take satisfaction in another veteran's difficulties. Chapter 27 examines workplace encounters that reminded me of earlier experiences, including behavior I interpreted as attempts to provoke anxiety, references to my private life, and questions about my mental health. But the deeper subject is not simply what I experienced. It is why anyone would want to humiliate another person, interfere with his ability to work, or use his military trauma against him. I also reflect on racial prejudice, group loyalty, and the courage it takes to stand against injustice—even when doing so means disagreeing with people from your own community. Jackie Robinson's story reminded me that overcoming discrimination required more than endurance. It also required people who refused to participate in injustice. As a Christian and combat veteran, I keep returning to one principle: We cannot condemn cruelty, discrimination, and oppression while finding excuses to practice those same behaviors against someone else. Chapter 27 establishes the moral questions that carry into Chapter 28, where I examine my subsequent police report, the workplace interactions that followed, and the importance of accountability and a fair hearing. Interrupted by Grace is already published, but I am continuing to expand the memoir through Back to Bethel: The Return of Memory. The book is published. The journey continues. 🎧 Listen to The Arrogant Independent on Spotify: #InterruptedByGrace #BackToBethel #NeverBecomeTheEnemyYouFought #TheArrogantIndependent #CombatVeteran #Veterans #CivilRights #JackieRobinson #Faith #InstitutionalAccountability
4d ago

SNEAK PEEK — CHAPTER 28: THE OUTSIDER AND THE RECORD

NTERRUPTED BY GRACEPART VIII — BACK TO BETHEL: THE RETURN OF MEMORY SNEAK PEEK — CHAPTER 28: THE OUTSIDER AND THE RECORD What happens when someone finds enjoyment in humiliating a combat veteran who is simply trying to work, recover, and rebuild his life? That is one of the difficult questions I explore in Chapter 28 of my expanding memoir, Interrupted by Grace. After twenty years of military service, including combat in Iraq, I never imagined that some of my most difficult experiences would come while trying to establish a normal civilian life. Recently, I encountered workplace behavior that reminded me of troubling experiences from my past. When I questioned what was happening, one employee responded with a derogatory reference to schizophrenia. Another, knowing I intended to contact law enforcement, told me, “They will get sick of seeing you.” I was not afraid. I was trying to understand why anyone would treat another person's mental health or personal hardships as something to ridicule. The experience raised larger questions about prejudice, group loyalty, and the way people perceived as outsiders can struggle to have their concerns heard. In this chapter, I also reflect on the racial injustices surrounding the Scottsboro Boys, the 1964 Mississippi civil rights murders, and Jackie Robinson's refusal to remain silent about discrimination. Their historical experiences were different from mine, but they illustrate an important principle: An accusation, a damaging label, or someone's standing within a community should never replace evidence and a fair hearing. I continue documenting my experiences and seeking answers while working to rebuild my life and remain present for my children. No one should have to surrender their dignity, employment opportunities, or right to seek help simply because others question their credibility. Interrupted by Grace is already published, but the story continues through Part VIII — Back to Bethel: The Return of Memory, where I explore recovery, faith, accountability, and the search for truth. The book is published. The journey continues. 🎧 Chapter 28 Podcast — Coming Soon #InterruptedByGrace #BackToBethel #TheArrogantIndependent #CombatVeteran #Veterans #CivilRights #JackieRobinson #InstitutionalAccountability #VeteranMentalHealth #Memoir
Oct 11

SNEAK PEEK — CHAPTER 26: THE ANATOMY OF A FALSE NARRATIVE

INTERRUPTED BY GRACE PART VIII — BACK TO BETHEL: THE RETURN OF MEMORY A New Section of My Published Memoir SNEAK PEEK — CHAPTER 26: THE ANATOMY OF A FALSE NARRATIVE Sometimes, one ordinary encounter can bring years of unanswered questions back into focus. Recently, an older gentleman sat beside me at work and began singing a military cadence. At first, I wondered whether the animosity I experienced was connected to my years as a drill sergeant, NCO, and combat veteran. But it raised a much larger question. Why had I experienced so much hostility, and could false narratives about my character have been used to undermine my credibility and silence my concerns? For years, I have experienced circumstances that affected my family, employment, financial stability, and health. I reported concerns about violations of my privacy, sought help through Veterans Affairs, and continue working with law enforcement. As I recover memories and examine my experiences, I am asking difficult questions about possible whistleblower retaliation, institutional accountability, and why my brain injury and memory loss were attributed to military service. Could misinformation have been used to discredit an innocent man rather than address the wrongdoing he was reporting? Chapter 26 explores these questions, the possible motives behind the treatment I experienced, and my continuing search for answers. Interrupted by Grace is already published, but I am expanding the story through Part VIII — Back to Bethel: The Return of Memory, a journey through faith, recovery, truth, and accountability. The book is published. The journey continues. 🎧 Chapter 26 Spotify Sneak Peek — #InterruptedByGrace #BackToBethel #TheArrogantIndependent #Veterans #WhistleblowerRetaliation #CivilRights #MemoryRecovery #InstitutionalAccountability
Oct 3

Am I My Brother’s Keeper? — The Return of Memory

In this deeply personal chapter from Interrupted by Grace, Shawn Havens describes the unsettling experience of fragmented memories returning through familiar people, places, conversations, and events. While trying to rebuild his life and begin a new job, he finds himself confronting memories that do not always align with how others describe the past. Rather than claiming to have every answer, this chapter documents the tension between memory, evidence, conflicting accounts, and unanswered questions. It is an account of trying to reconstruct a personal history while continuing to work, function, and move forward. Am I My Brother’s Keeper? is a chapter about memory recovery, identity, trust, and the difficult search for clarity when pieces of the past begin returning before the full story does.
Oct 1

Carried By the Cross — Audiobook Edition | Narrated by Shawn Havens

Carried By the Cross is a memoir of fatherhood, faith, military service, war, loss, and survival—told in the author’s own voice. From a childhood shaped by instability and the steady influence of a Colorado farmhouse, through a career as a Combat Engineer, Drill Sergeant, and combat leader in Bosnia and Iraq, this story follows the experiences that formed a soldier, a father, and a man learning how to endure what could not always be fixed. This audiobook is personally narrated by Shawn Havens, bringing added emotion and perspective to the events as they were lived. It is not a story of easy victories or perfect endings. It is a record of service, sacrifice, broken relationships, loyalty, faith, and the determination to keep moving forward when life does not unfold the way you expected. Carried By the Cross: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Faith, and the Cost of Service.
Jun 25

Do our actions reflect the principles we publicly profess?

In this episode, I take a thoughtful look at Mike Pence’s book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience, and ask an important question: Do our actions reflect the principles we publicly profess? The discussion explores the relationship between: • Faith and biblical justice• Constitutional rights and individual liberty• Religious freedom and human dignity• Family, fatherhood, and personal responsibility• Accountability for those entrusted with public leadership I also share my own perspective on why these principles matter to me as a veteran and a father, and why I believe justice, truth, and equal protection under the law should apply to every American—not only in theory, but in practice. This is not a discussion about politics alone. It is a conversation about conscience. If we believe that our rights come from God, that every person possesses inherent dignity, and that justice should be applied equally, then those principles should remain constant—even when they are difficult to uphold. I invite you to listen with an open mind and decide for yourself. What responsibilities do leaders—and all of us—have to defend truth, liberty, and justice? #MikePence #WhatConservativesBelieve #FaithAndFreedom #Constitution #ReligiousLiberty #Justice #Veterans #BiblicalJustice #ConservativeConscience #RuleOfLaw #Leadership #Podcast
Jun 25

Statement on Justice, Liberty, and Biblical Responsibility

In this episode, I take a thoughtful look at Mike Pence’s book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience, and ask an important question: Do our actions reflect the principles we publicly profess? The discussion explores the relationship between: • Faith and biblical justice• Constitutional rights and individual liberty• Religious freedom and human dignity• Family, fatherhood, and personal responsibility• Accountability for those entrusted with public leadership I also share my own perspective on why these principles matter to me as a veteran and a father, and why I believe justice, truth, and equal protection under the law should apply to every American—not only in theory, but in practice. This is not a discussion about politics alone. It is a conversation about conscience. If we believe that our rights come from God, that every person possesses inherent dignity, and that justice should be applied equally, then those principles should remain constant—even when they are difficult to uphold. I invite you to listen with an open mind and decide for yourself. What responsibilities do leaders—and all of us—have to defend truth, liberty, and justice? #MikePence #WhatConservativesBelieve #FaithAndFreedom #Constitution #ReligiousLiberty #Justice #Veterans #BiblicalJustice #ConservativeConscience #RuleOfLaw #Leadership #Podcast
Jun 17

Constructive Exile Podcast

Constructive Exile Podcast Constructive Exile explores how people can be socially isolated without formal exclusion through rumor, reputational sabotage, bad-jacketing, gaslighting, public humiliation, and unwritten community rules. Bad-jacketing is the practice of damaging a person’s reputation through false accusations or manufactured suspicion. Historically, these tactics have been discussed in relation to efforts used against civil rights activists, anti-war organizations, political dissidents, and groups such as the Black Panther Party during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Allegations of these tactics are often associated with programs such as COINTELPRO, which sought to disrupt and create distrust within targeted organizations. Through history, personal experience, civil rights perspectives, and discussions of dignity, truth, and accountability, the podcast examines how labels, suspicion, and social pressure influence the way people are treated. The artwork reflects the central theme of Constructive Exile: the struggle between rumor and truth, exclusion and dignity, pressure and perseverance. The open book symbolizes the pursuit of truth explored throughout the series and reflected in Shawn Havens’ book, Interrupted by Grace. 📖 Interrupted by Gracehttps://a.co/d/03kmsGzq 🎙 Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-arrogant-independent/id1827796252?i=1000773179344 🎙 Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/6KWDZ1GrpXPeWiPrJg2iP4?si=KnpgKNP7QC2SvpN7xMhs8Q #ConstructiveExile #TheArrogantIndependent #InterruptedByGrace #TruthOverRumor #CivilRights #PersonalResilience #Dignity #Podcast #FaithAndPerseverance

They say silence is safe — but safe never changed anything. The Arrogant Independent is a movement of thinkers, skeptics, and truth-seekers breaking free from media control. From politics to pop culture, censorship to faith, we question everything — and we’re not afraid to say what others won’t. Join the rebellion of reason.

Creator

Shawn Havens
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

164
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Shawn Havens
Show Website

The Arrogant Independent