I recharge my batteries on the good energy of others, and the keyboard that my son got me for Christmas looks like an old school typer. It’s pretty in pink, and it’s like having a puppy. As I type from my ‘office’ - the Huntington Gardens - I make friends from all over the world, plugging in to the good vibrations of others as I write these columns for you.
We got our own good energy tribe growing right here, and I am grateful.
The longest hours of my life are the ones between the time we finish filming an episode of RadPod, and the time it gets posted. I had an old boss who used to say, ‘news delayed is news denied,’ and I’m brimming with excitement about our latest episode - an interview with filmmaker Jen Senko about her groundbreaking film, The Brainwashing of My Dad. It took me seven years to summon up the strength to watch it, because it hit a little too close to home. She tells the story of her father - who never had an unkind word to say about anyone - whose brain was co-opted by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t until I met Jen through writing Confessions of a Fox Blonde that I learned her film had a happy ending. Watch the film and the new Ep61 of RadPod when it drops tomorrow to see the mission impossible-style ops her now-102-year-old mother ran to bring her father back to his original, wonderful self. 🥹
Paid members of Bette Dangerous will receive an invite to our next ‘Speakeasy’ Zoom on Sunday, 2/26, where Jen will be our featured guest and members will be able to ask her questions about her amazing documentary and the book that accompanied it. Jen joins such luminaries as Craig Unger, Wes Clark Jr., and Jason Van Tatenhove - who have each been the featured ‘Speakeasy’ guest.
Did you know that Rush Limbaugh started airing on military bases in 1993 because 70 GOP politicians lobbied for that led by a real nutter? Yeah, that’s the kind of intel you will learn from her film. Sigh.
As I am certain many of you know, our beloved President Jimmy Carter is receiving hospice care. My eyes are misting up as a type this because I never fell for the smear campaigns against that wonderful, decent, good and loving man. I was a teenager when he was President, and I loved him then, and I love him now.
He was ahead of his time, in understanding climate justice and the crisis we face. He did so much for good geopolitical relations, and the same network that plagues our world today, conspired to get him out of office. For reference, read my report with Dave Troy - The Network.
And remember that peanut farm? He was so intent on not having any conflicts of interest as a President, he returned from Washington to a business in shambles and spent the next five decades doing good in this world. He was still hammering away to build housing for the less fortunate deep into his 90s.
I want to share this quote from President Carter for you. It means so much to me and I have returned to it over and over again on low days as evidence that the work I do has merit.
“I think a full investigation would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.”-Former President Jimmy Carter 6/27/2019
A former President of the United States said that Trump lost the election and was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf. He knew.
God bless you Jimmy Carter.
Lastly, I would like to share this portrait of President Carter with you, created by a friend of mine who shared a lot of his brilliant Resistance art with me over the years. Each time I would hear of President Carter ailing, I would tweet out this image:
To all the Christian nationalists and evangelicals who vote for enablers of evil and support the fascist creep, welcome to the wrong side of history.
President Jimmy Carter is on the right side of history, and history will be kind to him.
With love and gratitude,
🤍
Heidi xo
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Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine and Substack bestseller. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you, as well, to those who support my work with coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. My reflection, Confessions of a ‘Fox Blonde’ was recently published in Byline Supplement. In a review of my latest ebook, the erotic novella Fox Undercover, I’ve been called “The punk rock Anaïs Nin” and author Greg Olear called it “The Big Sleep 2.0” except with “not so much sleep happening.”
More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
(Jimmy Carter portrait by artist James Silk)
Thank you for your wonderful and heartfelt thoughts on our one of a kind President Jimmy Carter -- they are my sentiments exactly!! We were so absolutely fortunate to have him in our world and I am already missing him so much....
thanks Heidi .... good on a meditative Sunday