Letting Go of the Fear That Controlled Me: Lisa Ekman, MSW, JD on Escaping the Progressive Cult

Lisa Ekman (MSW, DU & JD, Georgetown Law School) spent her career in D.C. working in the policy space around disability services advocacy, working for at one point US Senator Ted Kennedy. And then one day, she , in her words, she began to experience an awakening while experiencing what she calls a dark night of the soul. In 2020, she retired, bought a farm in Virginia, bought a gun (or more), experienced a relationship with God the Creator, and decided to write a book about her journey of "escaping the Progressive cult." The book is called "Deprogramming Democrats," available as a physical copy to be created and sent on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on her website here https://deprogrammingdemocrats.com/ The full title and subtitle of the book is "Deprogramming Democrats and unEducating the Elites: How I Escaped the Progressive Cult" (Liberty Hill Publishing, 2024). The Republican Professor is a pro-escaping-the-"progressive"-cult podcast. Therefore, welcome Lisa Ekman ! The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Michael M. Uhlmann, LL.B., Ph.D. was my mentor in Constitutional Law for over a decade and convinced me not to go to law school but instead to study public law as a Ph.D. student, which I did. Here, we do an excursus on the Chevron Deference Deep Dive series on The Republican Professor podcast. We have Uhlmann on a book by Peter Wallison called "Judicial Fortitude: The Last Chance to Reign in the Administrative State." It's about Republicans calling for a revival of the non-delegation doctrine for the purpose of protecting individual liberty. We're going to make a fair use and do a transformative reading of the piece. Dr. Uhlmann died just months after this was published and so we are unable to have him as a guest on the podcast. We'd like to thank Claremont Review of Books for publishing Mike's "Full Court Press," the piece we interact with here, on Wallison's book. Go to ClaremontReviewofBooks.com for subscription options, and throw some support their way. You can find Summer 2019's "Full Court Press" written by Dr. Uhlmann there. We'd like to thank the late great Michael M. Uhlmann for his mentorship and professorship and for writing this, bringing this wonderful Wallison book to our attention. Go out and buy a copy of the Wallison book -- his books are excellent. What Wallison was calling for in that book partially took place last year when Republicans on the US Supreme Court reversed 1984's (no pun intended) Chevron decision. The Republican Professor is a pro-separation-of-powers-protecting-individual-liberty podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

This is a continuation of a transformative reading and fair use of Chris Caldwell's "The Age of Entitlement" published by Simon and Schuster in 2020. We continue chapter 2, Race, today, the sections "What did whites think they were getting" and "What did blacks think they were getting." We'd like to thank Chris Caldwell for writing it, Simon and Schuster for making it available, and encourage you to purchase your own physical copy of the book so that you can follow along. Please support brick and mortar book dealers, you local book dealers. I'd like to thank my former political philosophy student Matt Stone (Phil M03: Social and Political Philosophy at Moorpark College, Spring 2008) for purchasing my copy of the book for me and supporting TRP podcast. Let's foster a culture that values good authors and good books, physical books, and honors and rewards publishers for making those books available for us to read and to think about. Please support this author and this publisher. The Republican Professor is a pro-political-phenomeonology-done-right podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

This is Part 7 in a series noting that 2025 is the 40th Anniversary of Harvard University Press' 1985 publication of Richard A. Epstein's "Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain." We continue our celebration of this anniversary with a fair use and transformative reading, continuing and now beginning chapter 4 in a new section which Richard calls ""Takings Prima Facia," which makes the analogy between private law takings in the common law harm tradition and the public law takings where the government is a defendant. He titles chapter "Takings and Torts," because he's taking a look at political philosophy and the American constitutional order, how these things interact using argument by analogy with the common law/private law tradition, ensconced as it is in the purpose of the Constitution. That moral purpose is the protection of individual liberty against claims by a simple majority in a democracy, or by the government in a taking of private property. Excellent stuff here. Excellent. Every college student should read this book. It's a superb introduction to the political philosophy of the American regime. Praise the Lord. We'd like to thank Harvard University Press for making this material available and Richard Epstein for writing it. Make sure you buy the book and follow along. It's very important for you to have your own copy on your own bookshelf, and to begin to master this material. Support your local book dealer. See if they have a copy of it, or if they'd mind keeping an eye out for you. I always encourage buying physical books, objects you can have, hold, cherish, learn from, display on your bookshelf as a topic of conversation, things you can pass on to the next generation with your notes in them, things that do not depend upon electricity. Toward that end: Go to Harvard University Press for more selections available for purchase. Please support the publisher and your local booksellers. This special episode includes readings from "Streams in the Desert" January 16th (Cowman Publications, Los Angeles Los Feliz Station, 1925) and Psalm 25 at the very end of the episode. The Republican Professor is a pro-correctly-contemplating-property-rights podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor

Part 6: We continue our timely coverage of Pope Leo XIII 's Rerum Novarum numbers 27 through the end of 31 in his continued condemnation of Socialism and collectivism against the individual rights of employers, workers and families in 1891, when Socialism was increasingly popular in intellectual circles, setting the stage for the statisms of the 1900s. This episode includes a reading from Psalm 6 and Streams in the Desert (1925 non-woke 1st edition, Cowman Publications Los Feliz Station Lost Angeles, Calif.) January 15th. The Republican Professor is a pro-getting-theology's-application-to-public-policy-correct podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. Support the podcast. Buy me a cup of coffee or ten here : https://buymeacoffee.com/lucasj.mather Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor

This episode covers the 24 July 2025 US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Rhode v. Bonta available here : https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2025/07/24/24-542.pdf The issue is being litigated En Banc but the decision here is the right answer and so deserves careful study for voters. Note carefully, the judges with the right answer here are women appointed by George W. Bush, Jr and Donald J. Trump. The Republican Professor is a pro-correctly-articulating-and-defending-the-Second-Amendment podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

I've known 24 year old (counting from birth, not conception) Micah Kunkle from Holy Smokes in Orange County for several years. He's married, works full-time, and serves as a high school debate coach in California. He's also participated in over a half a dozen or so very well publicized Jubilee (YouTube) debates with millions of views. You can follow Micah Kunkle on the following : YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQuAqSZcXY0QpcmRmzXYg3Q Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micahkunkle TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@micahkunkle X: https://x.com/realMicahKunkle Micah went to the Charlie Kirk memorial and shares his experience there. He is a wonderful example of what quality home-schooling can produce in a United States citizen. The Republican Professor is a pro-debating-done-right, pro-mentoring-the-young, pro-homeschooling-done-right podcast. Therefore, welcome Micah Kunkle ! The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Why Gorsuch is wrong in Bostock v. Clayton County Georgia (2020)(part 7 in a series) about his faulty assumption that unexamined and unexplained transgenderism premises about sex and gender are properly included under "sex discrimination" language in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- this is a real hoot. Part 7: We continue our in-depth examination of sex, gender, and separation of powers in the US Supreme Court decision Bostock v. Clayton County, GA 590 U.S. 644 (2020): the Republican dissents, how to understand it, and what to do about it. We cover the Republican dissenting opinion written by Justice Alito (joined by Justice Thomas) through Roman numeral I letter A. Part 7. The Republican Professor is a pro-separation-of-powers-rightly-construed podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor

We begin discussion of an entry in the 1963 Rand McNally publication, edited by Leonard Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, called "History of Political Philosophy." That entry on Aristotle is by Harry V. Jaffa, who famously applied his understanding of Political Philosophy to the history of the Republican Party in American politics, and who, as such, influenced me profoundly through my mentors, who were mentored by him. He is thus one of my intellectual grandfathers. This episode includes a reading from Psalm 84 (KJV) and January 14th (Cowman Publications: Los Feliz Station Lost Angeles, Calif. 1925). The Republican Professor is a pro-getting-political-philosophy right podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor

The Natural Law provides a key to resolving a Republican debate in the 1980s on the normative judicial power, Judicial Activism v. Judicial Restraint. Stephen Macedo published "The New Right v. The Constitution" with The CATO Institute in 1986. We're going to make a fair use and do a transformative reading of the book. CATO offers a free download of the book here: https://www.cato.org/books/new-right-v-constitution We'd like to thank Stephen Macedo for writing the book and to thank CATO for making this material available in publishing it. Consider supporting CATO with a financial donation so that they can continue providing quality resources for discussion. Tell a friend about their resources. This episode includes a reading at the end of Psalm 61 (KJV) and January 13th of Streams in the Desert (Cowman: Los Feliz Station Lost Angeles, CA 1925). The Republican Professor is a pro-appropriate-judicial-activism podcast. Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor