My interview with Pamela Hemphill “The MAGA Granny” had two elements I think are noteworthy: the first is the social power of conformity in the MAGA world over its members.
I was fascinated by her story. She sounds like the typical story told about being drawn into MAGA. I'm proud of her breaking free and standing up to the cult. Very brave. Now we know it can be done.
That was so awesome! Pamela is such a wonderful woman! I hope her words get out there and influence others. I worry this thugs will go after her, though somehow I think she can take care of her self. Thank you Rick!!!
Can't wait to take a listen. We must applaud those who are able to see the error of their ways and take responsibility. It is rarely seen in these times. And maybe just maybe see can point the way on how to help break the hold that is still on so many. Keep up the great work Rick
Rick, thank you so much for the pep talk prior to the podcast. At least once a day, I’m so overcome with emotion, I have to close my eyes and think, my God what have you done? I really needed the heartfelt emotion from you tonight!
So happy you did this interview Rick - Ms. Pamela is truly inspiring. Her ability to self reflect, change, and take responsibility is inspiring. She embodies some of the best of humans. Thank you!
She lifted my hope meter another couple of notches! I'm inspired by her. There are others like her that my compassion kicks in and willing to believe that they to were so horridly used. Well done Rick, thank you 💙☮️
We're on a war footing. Trump just cut off Medicaid and SNAP to the states. It's like Hitler testing the public's tolerance for concentration camps by first going after the "useless eaters."
I am a useless eater.
This is going to kill people. The Democrats better have a plan to stop this.
✊✊✊And on top of everything else you said, the time to resist is not when your opponent has attained their full height of power, but when they’re still climbing toward it. Much of what maga is trying to do is on a fairly shaky foundation. The most important thing will be for more and more of the maga’s to come to see the truth. And will never happen unless we continue to fight back. 💪
It's very telling that Pamela Hemphill recovered from addiction and then spent the next four decades of her life as an addiction counselor, helping others do the same. Addiction, most especially in the socially acceptable form of alcohol, is very much like a cult. You surround yourself with enablers and tailor your social circle to maximize them and minimize critics. You become a virtuoso at rationalization. Your addiction makes you feel good and part of a community of fellow abusers. And when the bottom finally drops out, in recovery you have to reprogram yourself, accept the responsibility for any harm to others you may have caused and make amends for it.
Addiction and recovery are also both totally non-partisan.
Even with that background it took Pamela months after her prison term to make the full turn away from her cherished identity as the MAGA grandma. It took online abuse from her MAGA "family" about what events she knew actually happened on J6. But once the moment came, it was a wide-screen epiphany, doubtless very much like the moment that drives an addict into a 12-step program.
Deprogramming cult members is not easy or always a smoothly linear process, whether political cults or cults of substances. Alcoholics Anonymous has saved many lives, but only has about a 50% success rate. Donald Trump offering her that pardon is like your alcoholic boss buying you an expensive drink at a social function and staring at you, expecting you to drink it.
And drinking it, for a recovering alcoholic, can be the road to suicide. Bravo, Pamela.
I was fascinated by her story. She sounds like the typical story told about being drawn into MAGA. I'm proud of her breaking free and standing up to the cult. Very brave. Now we know it can be done.
That was so awesome! Pamela is such a wonderful woman! I hope her words get out there and influence others. I worry this thugs will go after her, though somehow I think she can take care of her self. Thank you Rick!!!
From Timothy Synder's Book, be as courageous as you can. If you are not willing to die for freedom, then you will die under Tyranny. Please go to https://open.substack.com/pub/matthew9803/p/on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the?r=4hcbuf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true as this is a good post on his book. Thank you.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jasonegenberg/p/learning-from-the-opposition-a-democratic?r=3nm35j&utm_medium=ios
Can't wait to take a listen. We must applaud those who are able to see the error of their ways and take responsibility. It is rarely seen in these times. And maybe just maybe see can point the way on how to help break the hold that is still on so many. Keep up the great work Rick
I want to know more about her therapist that helped her understanding of her wrong doings. We need details!
Expect the GOP Congress people to have the same adherence to the messaging. They will all come back and say the same thing verbatim.
Rick, thank you so much for the pep talk prior to the podcast. At least once a day, I’m so overcome with emotion, I have to close my eyes and think, my God what have you done? I really needed the heartfelt emotion from you tonight!
So happy you did this interview Rick - Ms. Pamela is truly inspiring. Her ability to self reflect, change, and take responsibility is inspiring. She embodies some of the best of humans. Thank you!
With age comes wisdom.
Doesn't seem to have with Mitch McConnell nor that idiot Dumpty.
Thank you Rick Wilson the mountain really does seem too high and your words give me hope thank you.
She lifted my hope meter another couple of notches! I'm inspired by her. There are others like her that my compassion kicks in and willing to believe that they to were so horridly used. Well done Rick, thank you 💙☮️
We're on a war footing. Trump just cut off Medicaid and SNAP to the states. It's like Hitler testing the public's tolerance for concentration camps by first going after the "useless eaters."
I am a useless eater.
This is going to kill people. The Democrats better have a plan to stop this.
So far, going by my emails, it's fundraising. 😑
Update: A Federal judge put a temporary freeze on it. We're talking about three _trillion_ fucking dollars, folks. What a psychopath.
Washington state again. That's 2x.
I need to clarify; the 2nd one is Washington DC, sorry for the confusion.
✊✊✊And on top of everything else you said, the time to resist is not when your opponent has attained their full height of power, but when they’re still climbing toward it. Much of what maga is trying to do is on a fairly shaky foundation. The most important thing will be for more and more of the maga’s to come to see the truth. And will never happen unless we continue to fight back. 💪
It's very telling that Pamela Hemphill recovered from addiction and then spent the next four decades of her life as an addiction counselor, helping others do the same. Addiction, most especially in the socially acceptable form of alcohol, is very much like a cult. You surround yourself with enablers and tailor your social circle to maximize them and minimize critics. You become a virtuoso at rationalization. Your addiction makes you feel good and part of a community of fellow abusers. And when the bottom finally drops out, in recovery you have to reprogram yourself, accept the responsibility for any harm to others you may have caused and make amends for it.
Addiction and recovery are also both totally non-partisan.
Even with that background it took Pamela months after her prison term to make the full turn away from her cherished identity as the MAGA grandma. It took online abuse from her MAGA "family" about what events she knew actually happened on J6. But once the moment came, it was a wide-screen epiphany, doubtless very much like the moment that drives an addict into a 12-step program.
Deprogramming cult members is not easy or always a smoothly linear process, whether political cults or cults of substances. Alcoholics Anonymous has saved many lives, but only has about a 50% success rate. Donald Trump offering her that pardon is like your alcoholic boss buying you an expensive drink at a social function and staring at you, expecting you to drink it.
And drinking it, for a recovering alcoholic, can be the road to suicide. Bravo, Pamela.
needed that pep talk!! thanks!!!