Is it possible Ohio could find itself in a situation similar to Arizona and the other battleground states in the news?

Are Ohio elections really as ‘Secure and Accurate’ as Secretary of State Frank LaRose claims? Is it possible Ohio could find itself in a situation similar to Arizona and the other battleground states in the news with serious allegations of fraud that could affect the outcome of an election?

Do our elected government officials really have the best interests of Ohio citizens when they pass Election laws? Glen and Gail have researched Ohio election information at length, along with many other volunteer patriots across Ohio and are pleased to share our findings.

The reality is Ohio elections are neither Secure or Accurate, and YES, Ohio absolutely could find itself in a situation similar to Arizona. It appears many of our elected government officials DO NOT have the best interests of Ohio citizens in mind when passing Election laws. The ‘machines’ used in Ohio’s elections DO connect to the internet. There ARE phantom votes and dead people voting in Ohio.

It IS possible for illegal aliens to register AND vote in Ohio elections even with the passage of HR458 an ‘Election Integrity’ bill signed into law by Gov. Dewine in January 2023. More information regarding Election Integrity in Ohio can be found on the website ohio4truth.com.  

Join us as we share the uncomfortable TRUTHS of Ohio Elections and learn how ordinary citizens can make a difference in the future of elections in Ohio.

Speaker Bios:

Gail Niederlehner- Gail has lived in the greater Cincinnati area her entire life, began her career in IT, then transitioned into many roles as she and her husband started and operated a small business for over 30 years. Following the 2020 election, Gail knew something was wrong with elections in our country and began researching. She discovered Ohio elections have not been secure and accurate for a long time and it is very possible recent events in Arizona elections could also happen in Ohio. She is volunteering alongside many other patriots across Ohio to inform and educate We The People of our corrupt elections and to bring much needed common sense reforms to Ohio’s election processes. She is instrumental in developing the website ohio4truth.com which provides a wealth of information regarding Election Integrity to the people that they might not otherwise see or hear on mainstream media.   

Glenn Mehltretter is a Butler county resident since 1994 after graduating from ORU with a Film and TV production degree. His family owns a consulting company where he helps companies place the correct people into management roles based on the requisite organization structure. Glenn was a professional flatland freestyle bike rider in his youth and uses that balance learned to achieve skills in many industries.  He flips houses (on house #7 now) sells commercial printing, owns a hand bindery business, and a production company for video and photography. He writes for magazines and corporations as well as does photography in extreme sports like paintball and BMX freestyle. He also runs multiple YouTube channels with multiple millions of views for his content. He started the “Trails of Doom” brand and has studied algorithms for years. When covid hit he had free time which was rare as he is typically so busy. So, he dug into the election integrity situation and what he discovered shocked him. After reading the forensic reports for the Tina Peter’s hard drives in Colorado as well as reading hundreds of affidavits from election officials all over the country. He also read the Maras affidavit which showed there were only 2 companies certified to approve the voting machines, but they lost their accreditation… He has put on the record all of this proof of election issues to the Butler County Board of Elections. As well as given, it all to the Butler County Sheriff. Education of the public is key so he has been vocal publicly as well as online and has proof of government officials shadow banning his comments about the election issues on Facebook.

When art fought the law and the art won.

Why the Jury Verdict of Not Guilty was Correct.  When the Mapplethorpe photos arrived by truck on March 28, 1990, Cincinnati had a widely held and mostly earned reputation as one of the most conservative cities in America.  Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. was waiting for the photographs. In his mind, the photographs were smut, not art.  A collection of challenging photographs and difficult questions about sex and sacrilege, art and obscenity, politics and polemics.   (Simon Leis, Jr. shown below).

The art show, titled The Perfect Moment, opened on a chilly April morning in 1990, and among the first people through the door of the Contemporary Arts Center were nine members of a grand jury who viewed the 175 photographs and deemed seven of them to be not just offensive, but criminal.  Eventually, the question of what free speech is and what is too much would be heard in a Municipal Court room   After a week of explicit and evocative photographs and expert testimony, a jury went into its room for what was expected to be a long haul and a certain outcome.  (Robert Maplethorpe shown below).

H. Louis Sirkin, the attorney representing the CAC and Barrie, said at the time of the decisions: “It’s so intellectually wrong, it’s incredible.” Sirkin continued: “All I can tell you is, if we get an acquittal, we’re absolutely brilliant.”

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Barbara Holwadel is a newly elected member of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee.  She ran for election as a reform candidate.   Barbara will give us an update of the state of the Ohio Republican Party which is a follow-up to the class EmpowerU featured on February 09, 2022 on possible Corruption in the Ohio Republican Party.   Barbara will speak from 7:10-7:30 PM.

 Speaker Bio:

H. Louis Sirkin is one of the nation’s preeminent First Amendment and criminal defense attorneys. Over more than 50 years of practice, Sirkin has consistently defended the free speech and constitutional rights of countless individuals and businesses, including adult entertainment establishments, museums, artists, activists, and ordinary citizens in all types of cases. Lou is both a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.

Born in Cincinnati, Sirkin obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati. He entered private practice and quickly earned a reputation as an effective civil rights lawyer. He achieved national prominence in 1990 when he successfully defended the director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati against obscenity charges for displaying the nude artwork of Robert Mapplethorpe. The controversy was later depicted in the Golden Globe-winning movie Dirty Pictures (2000). He has served as President of the First Amendment Lawyers Association and the Greater Cincinnati Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Sirkin is a true believer and has distinguished himself as a compassionate mentor, a sought-after lecturer, and a tireless advocate. He has represented persons whose message was completely contrary to his own beliefs and has risked both his career and his physical safety to do so. He was once escorted out the rear door of the courthouse to avoid being assaulted by individuals who opposed his clients. But perhaps Sirkin’s most notable accomplishment was his 2002 victory before the United States Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition.

In addition, he has defended on appeal numerous individuals on death row. In total, he has handled more than 125 appeals in civil and criminal cases.

Sirkin frequently lectures to students at the country’s top universities, participating in panels at Harvard University, New York University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Michigan, and Northern Kentucky University, to name a few. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, where he taught habeas corpus law and a First Amendment seminar.

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The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) visits EmpowerU

This presentation focuses on MUFON cases and tools that were utilized in their review of UFO’s. (MUFON – Mutual UFO Network).   A high percentage of programs presented on television, streaming podcasts, or in person presentations focus on the unknown. Whether the field of interest be UFOs, ghost hunting, or the search for cryptids, production centers on creating a product that attracts viewers.  Media, meaning the production crew focuses more on entertainment than thorough investigations.

What becomes lost is all the work investigators and researchers do to identify 80-90% of identifiable cases. This presentation focuses on MUFON cases and tools that were utilized in their review. Tools represented include accessing metadata, importing data into Google Earth, accessing flight data, importing flight data into Google earth, and use of astronomy software to identify celestial and manmade objects. The point of the program is not to debunk all witness sightings, instead add more credibility to those that are classified as unknown.

Speaker Bio:

Tom Wertman: It is said we are all products of our environment. Growing up in the 60’s my environment included television shows such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and The Time Tunnel. Television led to books, then any movie no matter how bad.  Most of this media was only fictional. Providing a grounding effect was the early NASA space programs culminating with the lunar landings. This environment produced an interest in space exploration, the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, and additional dimensions.

Unfortunately, this interest had to be put aside to build a career, raise a family, and earn a bachelor’s degree in business and master’s in education. Now with the children grown up and pursuing their own careers it was time to return to the lifelong interest in the unknown. The first step was in 2008 by joining the Ohio based group the Cleveland Ufology Project (CUP). CUP is primarily a discussion group that provided an avenue to explore various fields associated with ufology. In 2018 as co-director a departure was necessitated to dedicate more time for private UFO research. CUP provided valuable networking contacts and through these a greater understanding of UFO case studies. The second step, also beginning in 2008, was becoming a certified field investigator for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). It’s one thing to read a book or watch a television show about UFO sightings. Quite another to conduct the actual investigation and try to determine what the witness observed and why. Who would have known that 15 years they would amass a total of 527 cases investigations in Ohio with one of the most interesting involving two fisherman who experienced over three and one-half hours of missing time. In addition to investigating Ohio cases an additional 239 investigations were conducted in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico as part of the Case Assistant Group.

If that was not enough, now as State Director new duties included conducting over 300 community outreach programs, being a featured guest on radio and television shows, participating in five documentaries, playing an alien in a short film, and hosting two streaming talk shows.

Ron Rothhass, Specialist in Plant Health Care and Tree Preservation Joins EmpowerU

What provides many benefits to people and the communities they live in?  How does weather and climate affect our trees and their care. Weather and climate are very complex, and it affects our trees and how we care for them, especially in hostile urban environments with the urban heat island effect and alien soil environments.   

Ron Rothhaas, an ISA Board Certified Arborist who will join us tonight.  He does not necessarily buy into a climate doomsday scenario, but changes are occurring in our climate whether or not it is cyclical.  Ron Rothhaas is a frequent quest on In The Garden With Ron Wilson on 55 WKRC and IHeart Radio.

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Have you been considering homeschooling; wondering what it would take to be successful? You can do it! Hear from Thea Shoemake, EmpowerU’s Homeschooling Expert who has started a new initiative- Homeschool Ready or Not!  The mission is to mitigate real and perceived barriers to entry for families considering the homeschool lifestyle and support them throughout the journey.  Thea will speak from 7:10-7:30PM.

Speaker’s Bios:

Ronald Rothhaas is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® and principal owner of Arbor Doctor LLC, specializing in plant health care, tree preservation, consulting, and landscaping. Ron is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Horticulture and Natural Resources Interpretation and  Cincinnati State College with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. He is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture and the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky ISA Chapters.

Ron is a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists and the Ohio Green Industry Association. He is the author of the OGIA Plant Health Care Newsletter. He has achieved the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification and the ASCA Tree and Plant Appraisal Qualification. 

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Thea Shoemake chose to settle and raise their family in Cincinnati over 20 years ago.   In addition to her political involvement supporting unbridled liberty in education, Thea kept quite busy in her two favorite roles as homeschool mom and tutor in both home and traditional school environments.  A recent empty-nester, Thea continues to tutor and frequently helps other families considering the challenging but extremely rewarding lifestyle of home-centered education.   Thea is also the founder of the Podcast Everything is Political.   This can be listened to on Apple, Spotify or Spreaker:  https://www.everythingspolitical.org/podcasts.   You can also get more up-do-date information at www.everythingspolitical.org.  Her Homeschooling website is www.HomeschoolReadyorNot.com   

The amazing story of one family’s escape from Germany in 1939.

The ‘amazing story’ of Lisa Mac Vittie and her family’s plight to flee Europe in 1939.  Lisa will recount her own personal journey taking you to Germany where it began, life for the family before Hitler’s reign against the Jewish people, life for the extended family that left and those who didn’t, and the barriers they faced escaping to China only to arrive just after the Sino-Japanese War.  When the family embarked from the ship in China Lisa’s mother said to her father “what have we gotten ourselves in to”. 

Living in China for ten years before immigrating to the United States was much like life in Europe when they fled except for the threat of being sent to a concentration camp.  Her younger sister and brother were born in China, her sister Marion died at the age of 2 of diphtheria.   See Lisa’s family below:

Lisa’s father was always optimistic about their future only to be murdered just before the family was close to making their final journey to the United States.  How fortunate for America that Hitler missed Lisa and her family resulting in many descendants that can call the United States home.  Lisa is now 90 years young and still going strong.

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Many of you have driven past an old stone building in Camp Dennison on the way to Milford. Ever wonder what it is and the history behind it? Come listen to the three-part history of the Christian Waldschmidt Homestead and be prepared to be enthralled.  In 1794, Christian Waldschmidt, a veteran of the American Revolution, moved his family to a site on the Little Miami River and built a new community called New Germany.

In 1804, he built his home, which included a store. Waldschmidt was a businessman and encouraged new settlement, staffing a church and helping to find a school, and beginning industries vital to the survival of his new home, such as Ohio’s first paper mill, a cooperative distillery, woolen mill, sawmill, and a blacksmith shop.

During the Civil War, the house and surrounding grounds were part of Camp Dennison, used primarily as a general training center, recruiting depot, and hospital post, and named in honor of Governor William Dennison. The main house, now known as Waldschmidt House, served as the headquarters for General Joshua Bates.

Speaker’s Bio

Lisa Mac Vittie- Lisa was born Liselotte to Kurt and Elizabeth Isaack in Berlin, Germany, in 1932. In 1938, when Lisa was 6 years old Kristallnacht occurred sealing her parents’ decision to flee Germany.  In the summer of 1939, Lisa, her parents, 7-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother readied to make their escape fleeing to China as it was the only open port in the world where they could go without questions being asked.  In 1949, Lisa, her mother, sister and brother immigrated to the United States settling in New Jersey.  In 1954, a 23-year-old Lisa became an American citizen, and shortly thereafter joined the United States Air Force as an academic instructor. 

She met Herbert Mac Vittie, who was a technical instructor in the Air Force, and in November 1955 they were married.  In March 1957 Lisa left the military due to being pregnant with their first child.  They spent three years in Germany where there first two children were born, and then sent to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, where their 3^rd and 4^th children were born.  While raising her children and working full time with the Civil Service she received her degree in accounting.  Herbert retired from the military in 1974, and Lisa’s Civil Service job transferred her to Cincinnati in 1993 where she worked for the Corps of Engineers, retiring in 1998. 

Lisa has always supported the Air Force as a civilian, been an active member of her eastern Cincinnati community, and has devoted her free time to serving the American Legion and speaking at elementary schools to children about the Holocaust.  She is a member of the color guard with the American Legion and insists on carrying the POW/MIA flag when it is used.

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Darlene West has been involved with the Christian Waldschmidt Homestead for over 10 years serving as a trustee, docent, and special event coordinator. Having been a middle school teacher for longer than she cares to admit, transitioning to a docent/event coordinator was an easy process. She made a living talking to English students. Now she has the chance to talk about history to a much more eager audience. She is a 50+ year resident of the Cincinnati area, received her BS at the College of Mount Saint Joseph on the River and did her graduate work at Wright State university. She and Jim, her husband of 53 years, have three sons, and 10 grandchildren.

How the public presentation of the COVID-19 data was used to amplify fear and compliance..

From the official start of the pandemic in Ohio, data has been cited heavily by the DeWine administration, local authorities and other institutions to justify a plethora of restrictions and mandates. The authorities used a series of metrics, particularly the colorful Ohio Public Health Advisory System (aka “The Map of Fear”), in order to influence the public’s perception of the severity of COVID in Ohio.

But what was the reality? How did the presentation of the data distort the public’s perceptions of risk and influence their willingness to submit to unheard of interventions in their daily lives? Most importantly, how can we look at the data presented to us with a critical eye in order to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families in the future.

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In 2020, after leaving state government working on the Ohio checkbook initiative, Lauren has led a project to hold government unions and teachers’ unions accountable as Ohio director of the Freedom Foundation. This work has involved illuminating the corruption in Ohio politics connected to government union money. As Larry Householder stands trial for the largest political bribery scheme in the Ohio House and conservative leaders were hoodwinked out of the speakers gavel in January of 2023, the nefarious manipulation and scheming by government unions has never been more obvious. While these discrete ties are unfortunate, Lauren feels it is imperative that Ohio stakeholders and parents know the truth about how and why their voice is being silenced at the Ohio house. Because of how loud government union money talks. After this presentation, she hopes you will have clarity and understanding about the reason that policy and legislative priorities that are important to the people of Ohio, get sidestepped in state government. Despite being promised differently during campaign season.

Click HERE to Read Lauren Bowen’s article, “Union Money, Not Ohio Voters, Decided the State Agenda”.

Speaker Bio:

Kathryn Huwig attended Case Western Reserve University and Stanford University, double majoring in Planetary Geology and Evolutionary Biology. Her evolutionary biology degree focused mainly on different aspects of human evolution, including a graduate course focused solely on the epidemiology and evolution of human diseases. The degree was also heavily focused on the history and philosophy of science, or how we know what we know, how science succeeds and where it fails.

During the pandemic, she watched all of Gov. DeWine’s and ODH’s press conferences while dissecting the Ohio COVID data, showing how the data was being manipulated to create a false narrative of fear while teaching others how to analyze and understand their own local data, empowering them to approach their local institutions with confidence. She shared her common sense analyses in her Facebook groups, including Understanding Ohio COVID-19 Data (now censored) and Beyond the Data.

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Lauren Bowen: Ohio Director- Lauren is a lifelong Ohio resident and calls Cincinnati home. After earning a master’s degree in international politics from Wright State University in 2014, she led an innovative, first of its kind, digital government accountability and transparency project, called the Ohio Checkbook. Through that leadership experience, Lauren developed a fierce determination to undermine government corruption. She has since joined the Freedom Foundation as State Director to fight union tyranny and oppression. In her spare time Lauren enjoys collecting early American antiques and trying new restaurants with her husband.

“Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property; together with the right to support and defend them.”- Samuel Adams

This Class Has Been Sponsored by John and Becky Costello

Learn about the extraordinary time when our Country was founded.   Thomas Jefferson asserted that “Samuel Adams was that Man” who was the leader of the Revolution.   John Adams thought his cousin Sam was the most “sagacious” or shrewdest politician of all.    Adams put together what could be said to be the greatest campaign of civil resistance in Civil History.

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Stacy Schiff, and her new book “The Revolutionary Samuel Adams”, helps us walk through the life of Samuel Adams who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution.   Adams helped package and amplify—almost like using social media– the Boston Massacre which was the beginning event that first shook the colonists.   He helped mastermind the Boston Tea Party.   You will learn how Adams, hid behind his many masks and stratagems and build consensus for a new Nation.

Also, get to know Adams and his incredible band of brothers.   John Hancock, the President of the Second Continental Congress and first signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Paul Revere, an American silversmith, engraver and Sons of Liberty Member. 

What happened on famous ride of Paul Revere who rode to Lexington in 1975 to warn Samuel Adams that he was about to be arrested for treason?  Much of the prelude to the revolution took place in the City of Boston and Massachusetts.  Learn why Boston played such an important role.  What about General George Washington, how did he figure into the growing discontent with the monarchy and Great Britain?  What caused Washington to lead the fight?

Tonight, Dan will take you back to the founding of the Country, where you will learn about the true spirit of the Men who fought to liberate America.  The tactics, their strength, and spirit and the one man that led the way, Samuel Adams.

Speaker Bio:

Dan Regenold: Dan first became active in Government in 2003 when he became involved fighting Eminent Domain and helping stop it in Evendale and in Norwood, Ohio. In 2006, he was one of the founders of WeDemandAVote.com which successfully fought and stopped, by ballot initiative, a sales tax increase in Hamilton County, Ohio. Later WeDemand stopped Red Light Cameras in Hamilton County.   

Regenold spoke at the CPAC Convention in 2008 to discuss major Grassroots initiative actions across the United States.   In 2009, Dan was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring accountability to the Federal Government’s finances with a citizen lead initiative WeDemandABalancedBudget.com (the bill was introduced to the United States Congress).  In 2010 Regenold was one of three leaders of the initiative to End Ohio’s Estate Tax which happened in 2011. The Tax Foundation called the repeal of Ohio Estate Tax one of the most important Tax accomplishments of 2011. In 2011 Regenold founded EmpowerUAmerica.org (starting it’s 25th semester in Fall 2022), a Free University offered in the Greater Cincinnati area with the goal of “empowering” citizens. 

In 2014, Regenold was one of the leaders of the effort to separate Music Hall from a County Wide Sales Tax which helped the Museum Center renovation get passed by the voters of Hamilton County.   Dan has recently concentrated his efforts on the mess of Public Education in Ohio and specifically on topics like School Choice and Critical Race Theory.   Similarly, Dan helped led an EmpowerU initiative InGodWeTrustProject.com to teach students about the history of our National Motto.

Dan is a lover of Liberty and enjoys speaking to EmpowerU classes about subjects he is passionate about.  Recently he has discussed:  Milton Friedman, Saul Alinsky, Net Neutrality, D-Day, The Deficit, How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps,  Public Education, Winston Churchill, President Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Sowell at EmpowerU Classes.   Regenold is founder and Chairman of FrameUSA.com, a Made-In-America picture frame manufacturing company in Springdale, Ohio.

Nearly one in five Americans lives with a mental health condition.

Mental Health is an incredibility important part of our overall health.  Only until more recently, mental illnesses and mental health disorders were taboo topics.  People were uncomfortable talking about these subjects or their mental health struggles.  As a result, rumors and misunderstandings about mental illnesses ran wild. 

The media has played no helping hand with exaggerated stories and extreme cases being showcased regularly.  Although there has been progress, there are still several misconceptions about mental disorders that many people still believe.

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When it comes to gambling, everyone knows about Las Vegas and most know about Northern Kentucky.  But did you know about an extremely popular supper club located in Branch Hill/Loveland Ohio that preceded both?  This is the story of the Arrowhead Inn. While it was only in operation for a few years, it had a major impact on the characters who eventually built Las Vegas into the mecca of gambling in America.  The Arrowhead Inn is now mostly forgotten, even by the people of Loveland.  However, you can still find remnants of the old Inn where the Arrowhead Apartments now reside.  

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Speaker Bio:

Richard Rutz is a psychiatric nurse practitioner who has worked in mental health for 25+ years.  His career has taken him around the country working in a variety of rural and urban settings. His experiences have included working as a nurse, hospital administrator and nurse practitioner in hospital, residential, and outpatient care settings for all ages and a variety of diagnoses.  He currently works as a nurse practitioner at NeuroPsych Center of Greater Cincinnati helping coordinate care for individuals and families with a holistic and collaborative approach with other providers. 

Rich’s current focus is, but not limited to anxiety, depression, mood disorders, eating disorders and trauma.  For the last 10 years, Rich has been precepting medical, nurse practitioner and physician assistant students for their psychiatric rotations.  

Rich obtained his undergraduate nursing degree from Purdue University and his Master’s in Nursing from University of Kentucky.  He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University.   He is an active member of American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), having been previous North Carolina APNA Chapter President.

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Dan Peterson began his career at Procter & Gamble in sales retiring after 34 years in various executive capacities in both domestic and global roles.  After retirement, he began his 2nd career, leading sales development and training for a handful of large, major companies. Dan finds passion in helping people improve their business skills.  Additionally, he teaches sales classes as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati as well as help coach the varsity sales team.

Dan is heavily involved in Loveland.  He serves on the Historic Preservation and Planning Committee, is on the board of the Loveland Legacy Foundation, manages social media and performs historic story telling for the Loveland Historic Museum.  He is married to Suzanne and recently celebrated their 40^th anniversary.  They have two children (Lauren and Steven) and one grandchild (Audrey).  Dan loves to play tennis as a member of Harpers Tennis Club.  Both Dan and Sue enjoy traveling and have visited all 50 states and 55 countries.  He has an undergraduate degree in Marketing and an MBA from Christian Brothers University in Memphis Tennessee. 

The human costs of the long conflict were harsh for all involved. 57,939 members of U.S. armed forces who died or are missing as a result of the war.

This is a Virtual Only Class

Vietnam. Even in the present day, a half century after the end of American involvement, the word itself conjures up images in the public mind of horrific jungle warfare in a faraway land that cost tens of thousands of lives and shattered domestic tranquility. It is a word that rightfully revives heartbreak in mothers and fathers across the country.

So many sons were lost in a war that many Americans feel should never have been. But the conflict that dragged on for years was based on flawed theories, like monolithic communism, containment, and the domino theory, all while the government lied to the American people about what was really going on. It was, for good reason, the most unpopular war in US history.

Speaker Bio:

Ryan Walters- Originally from Ellisville, Mississippi, the “capital” of the famous “Free State of Jones,” Ryan S. Walters is an independent historian who currently teaches American history at Collin College in North Texas. 

He is the author of The Last Jeffersonian: Grover Cleveland and the Path to Restoring the Republic, Remember Mississippi: How Chris McDaniel Exposed the GOP Establishment and Started a Revolution, Grover Cleveland: The Last Jeffersonian President, Apollo 1: The Tragedy That Put Us on the Moon, and The Jazz Age President: Defending Warren G. Harding.

He has appeared on CSPAN, Breitbart Radio, the Dennis Prager Show, the Tom Woods Show, the Mark Davis Show, the History Unplugged Podcast, and many others. He has written for Townhall.com, LewRockwell.com, AntiWar.com, Mises.org, Confederate Veteran magazine, Chronicles magazine, FEE.org, and the Abbeville Institute, and has spoken at a number of venues, including the Abbeville Institute Summer School and the Ludwig von Mises Institute.

The Details Behind the Largest Seaborne Invasion in History!

This Class has been sponsored by Dave and Anita Freeman

*Special 2 Hour Class- This class starts at 6:30pm*   *Veterans, Children and Homeschoolers are Welcome*

Daniel Regenold to Perform Neil Young Songs Starting at 6:15 PM

We Encourage You To Attend This Class in Person–For Maximum Enjoyment!  It will be LOUD, and Fun!

“Back then people closed their eyes and listened to music” – Neil Young

Neil Young is one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists of his generation, known for recording such favorites as ‘Old Man,’ ‘Harvest Moon’ and ‘Heart of Gold.’  Born in Canada in 1945, Neil Young arrived in the U.S. in the mid-1960s and co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield. He earned fame both as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSN&Y) and as a solo artist, writing and recording such timeless songs as “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Heart of Gold”—a No. 1 hit.

Nicknamed the “Godfather of Grunge” for his undeniable influence on that genre.  In the 1960’s Neil began making the rounds on the Canadian folk circuit, rubbing elbows with other up-and-coming Canadian musicians, including fellow folk singer Joni Mitchell and the rock band the Guess Who.   In Los Angeles in 1966, Young ran into Stephen Stills and soon thereafter, Young, Stills, Palmer Ritchie Furay and Dewey Martin formed Buffalo Springfield.   They debut self-titled album including the hit “For What It’s Worth” became a Top 10 hit.  In 1968 a strain inside Buffalo Springfield led him to strike out on his own.  Buffalo Springfield was shown in this picture in 1965:

In 1969 Young signed with Reprise Records 1969 and released his self-titled debut album to mixed reviews.  But Young followed up just a few months later with Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, a signature album, on which drummer Ralph Molina, bass player Billy Talbot and guitarist Dan Whitten, collectively known as Crazy Horse, backed him up. With their raw sound serving as the counterpoint to Young’s distinctively melancholy and untrained voice on such tracks as “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down by the River,” the album climbed up the charts to No. 34, and eventually went gold.

Young joined the trio, which was renamed Crosby, Still, Nash & Young and they began to perform and record, playing the legendary Woodstock Festival in August 1969 (This was CSNY’s second performance ever—Young would not allow himself to be filmed for the movie). The band’s subsequent tour and album release, 1970’s Déjà Vu, catapulted them to fame—so much so that they were at times referred to as the “American Beatles.” However, Young’s relationship with his bandmates quickly became contentious, and he left the group to focus more exclusively on his solo work.

“There is an edge to real rock ‘n’ roll.  It’s all that matters.”

In 1970 his album After the Gold Rush broke into the Top 10 and featuring such Neil Young classics as “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Tell Me Why” and “Southern Man.” (The latter, a condemnation of racism that angered many Southerners, would inspire Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” in which Neil Young is called out specifically.) Young outdid himself the next year with Harvest, a hallmark work that contains the songs “The Needle and the Damage Done,” and “Old Man”.

“With Crazy Horse, it’s all one big, growing, smoldering sound, and I’m part of it It’s like gliding, or some sort of natural surfing.”

Neil Young is one of the most prolific recorders of music in the History of Rock and Roll with over 40 albums recorded since 1969.  Young was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.    In our session at EmpowerU you will learn about Young’s different groups that he’s played with.   His complicated love-hate relationship with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.   The impact on Young of the death of Crazy Horse guitarist Dan Whitten.  The inspiration behind such hits as “Old Man” and “A Man Needs a Maid”.  His contributions to the Benefit for Farm Aid, his countless charitable efforts, and his ownership of Lionel Trains.    And the straw that finally broke the back of CSNY, David Crosby’s comments about Neil’s marriage to actress Daryl Hannah in 2018.

Learn about Young’s incredible impact on Rock and Roll as we look as his music and listen to music—through video and discussion– in a way that you will enjoy.   It’s going to be a loud night at EmpowerU –tell your music friends and don’t miss this one!  

Come early around 6:15 pm and Daniel Regenold, the lead guitarist for the Vims will open up the night with a 45 minute set dedicated to Neil Young.   We will be serving draft beer, soft drinks and water at the event and feel free to bring beverages of your choice.

Speaker Bio:

Dana W. Gore: Dana was born January 28, 1953 in Shreveport, LA. His father was in the military and we moved many times in the early years.  They lived in Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, and then finally in 1962 they settled in Falls Church, VA.  This is where music started to change his life forever.

Next door to him lived a boy who was much older than him, but despite the age difference they still became very good friends, initially through their love of sports.  This is where it happened.  He vividly remembers the boy’s record player in his living room and the day he pulled out this album with a huge wave on the front, with a surfer on his board.  It was the Beach Boys “Surfin’ U.S.A”.  The title cut opens the record, and that was it, he was hooked.  Then he showed him a record by someone named Chuck Berry titled “Chuck Berry is on Top”, and played the song “Johnny B. Goode”. He couldn’t believe my ears.  It was truly a magical moment.

The final piece of the puzzle fell in to place on February, 9, 1964 when the Beatles made their 1^st appearance on Ed Sullivan.  Like so many others, this was a defining moment for him. From that day on, until today 50+ years later, music was the one constant in his life.  From elementary school through high school, college, marriage, children, grandchildren, and lifelong friends, music has been with him for the entire ride.

Starting with his 1^st concert in the spring of 1969, with Led Zeppelin opening for The Who, and up until his last concert on May 6, 2017 in Tampa, FL when Joe Walsh opened for Tom Petty, he has been blessed.  But of the hundreds of bands and concerts he has seen, none brought him back again and again more than Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  Close behind, Neil Young who will be the focus of tonight’s class.   Dana had a long career in the record business with Penguin Feather Records in Virginia and served for 29 years as the President of Posterservice, Inc, a sister company of Frame USA.

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Entertainment

Daniel Regenold, lead guitarist for the well-known Cincinnati Band The Vims, and local performer, will entertain and perform Neil Young songs from 6:15-7:00 PM.   Come early and listen to Daniel’s 45 minute set and have a beer!

**This Class has been Cancelled**

**This Class Has Been Cancelled**

Hear Roger Grein’s Story on Making a Difference

An inspiring story of a mother who didn’t accept her sons’ limitations due to his disability. Join us for a viewing of the inspiring documentary about the life and legacy of Roger Grein, a successful local businessman and philanthropist. “Roger Grein: An Empowering Philanthropy” details Roger’s extraordinary life of humility, service, and perseverance. We all have something to learn from Roger’s determination to thrive in the midst of adversity, disability, and loss, with the support of his community, sheer grit, and his faith.

The many twists and turns in Roger’s life led to a special calling: in 2008, Roger started Magnified Giving, an educational nonprofit that empowers over 5,000 young people to be philanthropists each year. Come to this class to watch an inspiring documentary, and then hear directly from Roger about why he’s devoted his “third act” of life to educating, inspiring, and engaging youth in philanthropy.

Speaker Bio:

Roger is a successful businessman, long-time philanthropist, internationally recognized softball coach, and founder of Magnified Giving. An entrepreneur since age seven, Roger made his first, significant philanthropic contribution as a young teenager and has been freely giving of his time, talent, and treasure for the past sixty years.

He founded Magnified Giving to engage young people in philanthropy, and since 2008, Magnified Giving has granted $1.2 million dollars to local nonprofits through the hands of over 35,000 youth. In 2022, Roger was honored with the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by the Rotary Club of Cincinnati. He also received Redwood’s 2022 Shining Bright Award, recognizing how he has overcome the barriers of Cerebral Palsy to be a role model to those in the community with distinct abilities.

Learn how highly intelligent elephants are with their complex emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awareness.

To Watch a Complete Recording of This Class–Click Here

Required Reading: Midsize Banks to Feds:  Insure All Our Deposits for Two Years

Elephants represent strength and good fortune. They also symbolize health and happiness and are thought to promote spiritual wellbeing in our daily lives. Elephants are strong and nurturing, they are loyal to their family and are determined and protective.

In this class we will learn the basics on the different species; body structure, physiology, eating habits, environment, family structure, social behaviors, mating, reproduction, and rearing their young. 

Elephants impact the environment; planting trees, digging wells, changing the world around them which is why they are called a “keystone species”.  We will learn how they interact with humans, their current status, threats against them, and what we can do.  The Cincinnati Zoo elephants project is to be completed in 2024.

Speaker Bio:

Mike Biere is a 1964 graduate of Aiken H.S., USMC 1966- 1968, Vietnam 1967 – 68 B.S. and M.S. in biological sciences.  He worked as a conservation consultant and field biologist before switching to work as an IT technical consultant.

Retired in 2016; currently doing volunteer education and research projects at the Cincinnati Zoo.  In 2023 he was offered a part-time position as an assistant elephant keeper at the zoo.

He teaches free guitar classes at Springdale Nazarene Church on Tuesday evenings. He has been a guitarist/vocalist since 1962 in various bands plus lots of solo work.  60’s music.

Take 20: Education Reform in Ohio with Troy McIntosh

To Watch a Complete Recording of this Class–Click Here

Required Reading:  Why Republicans in Red States are Joining Democrats to Resist School Choice–The Daily Wire

Required Reading #2:  Ohio Senate Passes Education Overhaul

Learn About What the Ohio Freedom Action Network Can Do For Ohio!

Wondering what’s happening in America, and what you can do about it? Here’s what Tom Hach, Free Ohio Now says: · Axiom: If people don’t want to be free, they won’t be, because every generation includes those who want to rule over all the rest! · Corollary: If people DO want to be free, they have to earn it! But today there’s no place for us to invest our time, effort and money to earn our freedom.

The goals of the Barnstorming Tour are to help people understand what we are confronting as a nation by using three videos he developed as teaching tools, and to then encourage them to up their game as sovereign citizens by taking action by supporting one of three Ohio Freedom Action Working Groups below or other worthy causes.

• Ohio Election Integrity Network: For free and fair elections
• The Ohio Roundtable (roundtableohio.com): Media powered by citizen journalists.
• Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition: Support constitutionally minded school board members

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Hear from Troy McIntosh with Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio Christian Education Network.  Troy is back to visit with us again with the latest Ohio News in education to include;  Educational Choice, Status of the Backpack Bill, School Choice progress across the country, 3^rd grade reading guarantee, and SB1 and school board reform.   Also to be discussed is the Governor’s proposed takeover of the Ohio Board of Education.

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Speaker’s Bios:

Tom wears many hats including being the Executive Director of Free Ohio Now and the State Director of Ohio Freedom Action Network (OhioFAN).  Through these positions, he has worked hard alongside many dedicated people to bring together like-minded leaders and individuals from across Ohio to facilitate communication and coordinated actions in the cause of perpetuating our God-given inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

After many years, Tom retired as an IT program manager, and he also retired from the Navy Reserve after a 21 year career, during which he served in Iraq from 2006 to 2007.  Additionally, Tom is in his third term as a school board member.  

He has a BS in Chemistry from Miami (Ohio) University, and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.  He lives in the Cleveland-area, and enjoys a good cigar once or twice a week!

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Troy McIntosh is Director of CCV’s Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN). Troy comes to OCEN after serving 27 years in Christian education as a teacher, principal and, for the last eight years, as head of school at Worthington Christian School in Worthington, Ohio. Prior to his time in education, he worked in the Ohio House of Representatives in the Legislative Services Commission Fellowship program.

Troy’s time at Worthington Christian, he served the broader Christian school community as an Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Regional Council Member and Accreditation Commission Member, accreditation team chairperson, and conference presenter. For the last 15 years, he has held various roles with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), including President of the Central District Athletic Board and Vice President of the OHSAA Board of Directors.

Troy is a graduate of Wheaton College (B.A. Economics) and The Ohio State University (M.Ed. Education) and is a Colson Fellow with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He and his wife Julie live in Westerville, Ohio and have three grown daughters.

Learn about the stealth government working behind the scenes focusing on issues that only matter to them.

To Watch a Complete Recording of This Class–Click Here

Required Reading:  Tucker Carlson–Article on Ukraine Responses from Republican Candidates

Why all the craziness in today’s society?  Have you been wondering why so many companies, organizations, and politicians do not seem to be operating in the interest of their most loyal customers or supporters these days? Why does Disney produce movies and shows that are so family-unfriendly to the average family? Why do utilities that burn coal and companies that produce fossil fuels promote how green they are?

Why does it seem like every car ad is for an electric vehicle? Why does the NFL plaster political slogans all over their fields and their players’ uniforms? And why does the Republican Party in Ohio seem so oblivious or resistant to the desires of its most reliable supporters on issues like Critical Race Theory and the Backpack Bill?

The uncomfortable truth is that a “stealth” government is at work behind the scenes, and it has been working on and implementing its plans for over 50 years. Now, this strange new “government” does not need to remove existing elected officials or boards of directors. It simply uses its vast amounts of money and its thousands of key influencers in the corporate, academic, media, and not-for-profit spheres to coordinate those of like mind and to intimidate the rest into acquiescence with their plans. Those who resist are removed from their positions. This strange “government” only focuses on issues that matter to them and they leave local government leaders alone to make normal, daily decisions.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), which meets in Davos, Switzerland and the UN coordinate this “government’s” operations, which are massive and span the industrialized world. This class will look at what these organizations reveal about their goals and their progress. It will also show that many of the major corporations and non-profits in the world have literally signed onto the programs of the WEF and the UN. And that explains why they act as they do.

The class will not deal in speculation. It will deal only in facts that have been obtained from the websites of the WEF, the UN, and about 10 other partners.

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Flock Cameras & Your Privacy 

Did you ever wonder why there are cameras literally everywhere? What happens to your privacy? There are cameras being installed in various Cincinnati townships recording people entering and exiting the area. How does this impact our rights to privacy? Dan Unger will give a short presentation on Flock Surveillance cameras and why he thinks they are not in the best public interest.   Dan will be speaking from 7:10-7:30 PM.

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Speaker’s Bios:

Tom Hagedorn has been studying American history for over 30 years. Some of his study has focused on education. Eight years ago, he published “Founding Zealots: How Evangelicals Created America’s First Public Schools, 1783-1865.” It tells how those first schools came about and what they were like. But it also describes in detail how this story has been ignored and distorted by the progressive historians who have a very different vision for American schools, society and government than did our Founders. Since he published his book, he has been focusing on the increasing role of socialism and socialists in American institutions, what some have called “the long march” of western Marxism through our institutions.

Tom has been providing investment advice to individuals for four decades. When he was not researching and writing Founding Zealots and studying history, he was involved in various political, charitable, and community activities. He remains active in all those things and in the fight to return the schools to a traditional role in American society, in service to their parents and to their parents’ values.

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Dan Unger was reelected in 2021 to a second term as a Colerain Township Trustee. He also served two elected terms on the Northwest local school district Board of Education and was a volunteer member serving 11 years on the Hamilton County tax levy review commission. He values liberty and freedom above all else and believes that if additional government spending would solve society’s problems, our problems would have been gone long ago.

Vivek Ramaswamy to Join EmpowerU Program and Speak at 6:40 PM! Special Start Time!

This is a Virtual Only Class

To Watch a Complete Recording of This Class — Click Here

Required Reading #1:  Property Tax Relief Amendment FAQS–1851 Center for Constitutional Law

Required Reading #2:  SVB Doesn’t Deserve a Taxpayer Bailout– by Vivek Ramaswamy, The Wall St. Journal

*Update- Class Starts at 6:30* Vivek Ramaswamy joins Empower U to talk about the Presidential run 6:40- 7:00.

Maurice Thompson is the Executive Director of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a non-profit, non-partisan law firm dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of Ohioans. Tonight, Maurice will join us to discuss a range of important topics starting off with a proposed Ohio Amendment for Property Tax Relief.  How would this work?  Who would it impact? 

Also to be discussed is, requiring supermajorities to increase taxes of any kind, and a few other ideas that aren’t in the amendment. Our class will be almost a “Focus Group” class as Maurice is seeking input from EmpowerU on the changes being considered.   Maurice will be speaking from 7:30-8:15 PM

To Read the FAQ and the Text of the Proposed Property Tax Relief Legislation–Click Here

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Matt Mayer has a Florida/Texas vision for Ohio.  Mike DeWine and John Husted were just re-elected and most likely their second term will mirror their first term which is why Matt is beginning now to explore if Ohioans will support his agenda.  Matt will talk about his agenda in this class, how he will fight the big fights and paint with Ronald Reagan’s bold colors.  His agenda can be found at www.ohiomatt.com as he’s putting it out there now so that we the people can hold our elected officials accountable for what they do and don’t do in the coming years. 

Matt is a political outsider with an impressive bio and accomplishments however as an outsider he needs a lot of time to build grassroots support and funding to run and win a Republican primary.  He has been in the trenches fighting the big policy battles his whole career at the highest levels, he’s raised billions of dollars and been part of top national races in the past, so he has experience and knows what he is doing.  Do you want our children’s education to be the best in the country?  Do you want to grow our economy, shrink spending and taxes?  Register for this class to learn more about future possibilities for a better Ohio.   Matt will be speaking from 7:00 -7:30 PM.

Speaker Bio:

Maurice Thompson is a constitutional rights lawyer, author, commentator, speaker, and founder and director of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law. Maurice fights for liberty across Ohio in high-stakes constitutional rights cases and provides legal support for freedom-oriented ballot issues. He has defeated state and local governments and agencies to protect property rights, taxpayer rights, free speech, parental rights, entrepreneurs’ rights, privacy rights, freedom to contract, and healthcare freedom. Maurice specializes in the Ohio Constitution.

​​Maurice comes from a long line of Wood County, Ohio farmers. Since growing up in Northwest Ohio, he has lived in Oxford, Cleveland, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Columbus, running his own businesses and working in a diverse array of organizations including the National Taxpayers Union, the Sam Adams Foundation, and the Buckeye Institute. He moved back to Ohio to start the 1851 Center in 2008.

To read more about the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law–Click Here

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Matt A. Mayer is the President of Opportunity Ohio and weekly contributor on Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati radio.  In his role, he develops strategic policy positions, advises policymakers on a wide range of issues, designs and evaluates public opinion surveys, creates educational videos and collateral material aimed at key constituencies, engages with all elements of the media, conducts fact-finding missions, and speaks to groups in America and Europe on a variety of topics. Mayer led a nine-state campaign to stop the expansion of Medicaid and has conducted strategic policy summits for top state and national groups. Opportunity Ohio’s targeted educational videos have received more than 18.4 million views on social media in the last seven years. Mayer accurately predicted BREXIT, the election of Donald Trump, the budget deficit in Ohio in 2017-2018, the enormous enrollment in Medicaid that surpassed government estimates, Ohio’s continued mediocre private sector job market, and the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris 2020 Democratic ticket.

Mayer has written and spoken extensively on the importance of competitive federalism in renewing the American promise. Previously, Mayer served as a monthly columnist for The Spectator USA and U.S. News & World Report, a Visiting Fellow for the American Enterprise Institute, and a Visiting Scholar for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. where he wrote extensively on national security issues. You can follow him on Twitter (@ohiomatt) and all of his op-eds can be found on his Substack page, The Patriot Mind.

Mayer has worked in public policy and politics at both the state and federal levels. He was a senior official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where he provided DHS leaders with policy and operational advice as the Counselor to the Deputy Secretary, including participating in crisis management activities following Hurricane Katrina. He also headed the $3.5 billion terrorism preparedness office charged with developing initiatives to transform America to meet the demands of a post-9/11 environment. Mayer engaged in bilateral counterterrorism exchanges with the United Kingdom and Israel, did briefings in The White House Situation Room and at NATO, and headed America’s largest full-scale national exercise focused on a pandemic virus attack (fifteen years before the COVID pandemic).  For a complete bio and accomplishments please go to https://ohiomatt.com/about/

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Vivek Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company, in 2014, after a career as a successful biotech investor. A 36-year-old first-generation American, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. Vivek became a hedge fun partner in his 20’s, and grew up the child of immigrants in the small town of Evendale, Ohio.  He now lives with his wife Apoorva and their son Karthik.   Vivek took on the nation last year and published his book Woke, Inc. which takes you behind the scenes of corporate boardrooms.   Vivek will share with us what has happened since the publication of Work, Inc and also share information about his new book which comes out in September 2022 called Nation of Victims. 

Mr. Ramaswamy serves on the board of directors of the Philanthropy Roundtable and the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.  In his new book Woke, Inc. Vivek takes you behind the scenes into corporate boardrooms and five-star conferences, into Ivy League classrooms and secret nonprofits, to reveal the defining scam of our century.   The book begins as a critique of stakeholder capitalism and ends with an exploration of what it means to be an American in 2021.  Vivek is a graduate of St. X High School and has recently been turning heads on Tucker Carlson’s show and on the Opinion pages of the Wall St. Journal.

Cold War 2.0: The Renewed Rise of the "Middle Kingdom" and a Grand Strategic Failure of U.S. Policy. Is the U.S. and China in a new “Cold War”?

To Watch a Complete Recording of this Class–Click Here

Required Reading #2:   How Fauci Lied

Required Reading:  Ex-CDC Chief Says Fauci ‘Sidelined’ Anyone Who Dared Question Him On COVID

Greg Lawson’s presentation tonight will describe the history of contemporary U.S.-China tensions as well as outline considerations for future strategy to deal with the challenges posed by these tensions.  After over a century of falling behind the Western world after centuries of being the dominant power in Asia, China is now poised to reclaim its global position as the “Middle Kingdom,” a central power in the world unto which other nations are expected to pay appropriate respect.

This rise to a near peer status with the United States was greatly facilitated by the United States as unwise economic considerations took over from what were initially cold, strategic calculations that drove the Nixon opening to China over half a century ago.  Now, in the wake of a “reserve Opium War” where illegal fentanyl largely originating in China floods the United States, the massive loss of billions in intellectual property rights, the lies about the initial spread of COVID-19, as well other major geopolitical issues, the U.S. and China seemed locked into a new Cold War that risks going hot over things like the status of Taiwan. Further, a technological competition is underway the likes of which have not been seen in a generation. 

Together all of these factors make the issue of China one of the most significant global security challenges the U.S. has ever confronted since its own rise to global power status.”

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Remember early television? Karen Cartier will present points from the life and ministry of Fred Rogers. He taught children using “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” how to cope with their own feelings in an honest, straightforward way, always truthful.  He spoke to a child’s level of understanding how to distinguish fact from fiction and to know that feelings are mentionable and manageable. We all can take a page from his life’s ministry.   Karen will join us from 7:10-7:30 PM.

Speaker’s Bios:

Greg R. Lawson is a Research Fellow at The Buckeye Institute.  In this role, Lawson works with all members of the Buckeye research team with a particular focus on local government and education issues. He is also Buckeye’s main liaison to the statehouse where he educates policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches on free-market solutions to Ohio’s challenges.

Prior to his position at Buckeye, Lawson served in the Ohio General Assembly as a Legislative Service Commission Fellow. He then went on to several government affairs roles focusing on numerous public policy topics, including Medicaid, school choice, transportation funding, and Ohio’s Building Code. He also has a background in PAC fundraising, grassroots organizing, and communications and served for five years on the boards of two Columbus-based charter schools.

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Karen Cartier: Karen is an avid reader, writer, learner, wife, and mother of two.  She has worked in IT as a technical writer for over 30 years and is currently working full-time in IT.  Outside of her paying job, she serves as an officer in Toastmasters International as well as a volunteer Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Less government in business and more business in government”. A campaign promise by President Harding in the 1920’s.

To Watch a Complete Recording of this Class — Click Here

Required Reading:  Ohio Senate Passes Education Department Overall –The Capital Journal — Click Here

This is a Virtual Only Class

The Harding Story: The story of President Harding, our 29th president, is not widely known. Harding has been relegated to a footnote of history, but he has a multi-faceted story which needs to be aired.

Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites Manager Sherry Hall will tell the fascinating story of his rise from humble beginnings to U.S. Senator and President. She will outline what he accomplished in his brief, 29-month presidency and what went wrong when his legacy took shape.  An historian who specializes in the lives and times of Warren and Florence Harding, Hall is the author of the 2014 book, “Warren G. Harding and the Marion Daily Star: How Newspapering Shaped a President.”

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Current News on Ohio Politics

Tom Zawistowski will join EmpowerU to discuss the problem with the Republican Party for people who consider themselves Republicans and vote Republican. We will discuss recent issues affecting the Ohio Republican Party and the National Republican Party and how together they affect our ability to have a Representative Government that will help restore our Constitution, the Rule of Law and protect our Individual Freedom, Liberty and Prosperity.  Tom will be joining us from 7:10-7:30 PM.

Speaker’s Bio:

Sherry Hall has been site manager of the Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites in Marion, Ohio since 2009. Prior to that, she managed the education programs for the site for nine years.  She also authored a video script about the Hardings, designed education programs about the Harding era for schoolchildren and adults, and has written numerous newspapers and magazine articles. Hall is a former journalist, working as a reporter and editor at The (Canton) Repository, Canton, Ohio; The Marion Star in Marion, Ohio; and the Alliance Review in Alliance, Ohio. She is a graduate of Heidelberg University and a native of Marion. She and her husband, Kevin, have two grown children, Brett a history teacher in Marion, and Tricia, a geologist in Bangor, Maine.

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Tom Zawistowski- Tom, is the CEO and Founder, with his wife Nanette, of TRZ Communications, a 38 year old technology company based in Akron, Ohio.  In 2009 he was one of the founders of the Portage County TEA Party, for which he became the Executive Director in 2010, a position he still holds.  

In 2011, Tom was nominated by liberty leaders around the state to head a group of volunteers that was challenged with the task of putting on the first ever state convention for liberty minded citizens.  His “We the People” Convention which was held at the Columbus Convention Center during the 4th of July weekend of 2011 was attended by over 1,000 Patriots.

He has been recognized as one of the top liberty group leaders in the nation for his efforts to defend the legal right of Liberty groups  across the nation and he produces the popular We The People Convention Podcast which is Posted Every Friday at wethepeopleconvention.org.

Free speech, is it about to become history? Who’s censoring our speech? If you value free speech be sure and attend this class.

To Watch a Complete Recording of This Class–Click Here

Required Reading:  Biden’s New Industrial Social Policy

We recently learned the U. S. Government has been censoring our speech; for example, the Twitter files revealed the FBI has been directing the news media and social media platforms to censor particular facts, narratives, and people.  The government also has been intimidating us into self-censorship; for example, the DOJ has threatened to unjustly prosecute parents over their speech during school board meetings.

And the government has been trying to distort our concept of free speech; since the DHS’s Disinformation Governance Board was shuttered, we’ve received a torrent of propaganda designed to normalize the idea of restricting hate speech, hurtful speech, and disinformation. Taken together, these actions seem designed to prepare the public to accept laws that restrict our speech. Could this be why European Commission VP Vera Jourova claimed during a January 2023, Davos panel that America soon will pass laws criminalizing hate speech? 

In this talk Mr. Mercier will cover the following: he’ll walk through the evidence that our free speech rights are under severe assault by our government; he’ll illustrate how a surprising number of Americans are passively accepting this notion of restricted speech; he’ll explain how this acceptance increases the risk of speech-restricting laws being passed; and he’ll make the case for why we must take individual responsibility for combating this assault, including educating others about the history, rationale, and need for absolute free speech.

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The Four Pillars of Ohio’s Business First Caucus

George Lang will be joining us from 7:10-7:30 PM.

In 2018, Senator Lang and several of his Senate and House colleagues created the Business First Caucus to help small businesses in Ohio thrive and become more successful. Since then, the Business First Caucus has grown to be the largest bi-partisan, bicameral legislative Caucus with a vast network of supporters including entrepreneurs and also public and private organizations throughout the state.  Senator Lang will introduce the four pillars of Ohio’s Business First Caucus.

Tax Reform– We believe the key to a strong and prosperous economy is continuing to fight for lower tax rates and returning tax dollars to the Ohioans who earned them.

Regulatory Reform– One of our primary goals is to remove unnecessary restrictions on hardworking Ohioans, free small businesses from unneeded regulations, and make Ohio more attractive for both workers and businesses.

Smaller Government– Our focus is on reducing the interface government has in the daily life of workers and businesses and believe that government should only step in when it is necessary to ensure fair play.

Workforce Development– We believe that incentivizing workplace development, providing pathways for advancement and educating our future workers is necessary for facing the challenges of tomorrows economy.

“We believe supporting businesses should be at the forefront of policymaking. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, which is why we put businesses first”- Senator George Lang

Speaker’s Bios:

Michael Mercier is President of Screen Education, which provides research, training and consulting on the impact of information technology on human well-being. His research has examined the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences of digital addiction, as well as its impact on academic performance and workplace productivity and safety. He has spoken to schools, corporate audiences, colleges and summer camps, as well as at numerous conferences. Mr. Mercier has presented his research to members of Congress, and to the legislative aids to numerous Senators. He holds a BA in Psychology from Vassar College, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan, and an MS in MIS from the University of Cincinnati.

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Senator George Lang is currently serving his first term in the Ohio Senate representing the people of the 4th Senate District, which covers the majority of Butler County. He previously served two terms in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Senator Lang graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1985 with a major in Communications and a double minor in Marketing and Speech. Since moving to West Chester in 1990, he has been an active member of the community, including more than two decades in public service. After serving seven years on the West Chester Board of Zoning Appeals, he ran for and won the election for township trustee in 2003, where he served until being appointed to the House.

Following eight years spent in various sales and managerial positions at Procter & Gamble, Senator Lang left to start his own business in the financial services industry and has started numerous businesses since. Today, more than 100 people are employed by businesses he helped to create. 

Lang and his high school sweetheart, Debbie, have been married for 36 years. They have two daughters, Amy and Alicia, and live in West Chester.

135th General Assembly Committee Assignments: 
– Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee (Chair) 
– Finance Committee
 – Government Oversight and Reform Committee
– Insurance Committee

This class has been postponed**

This class has been postponed due to a health problem with the Speaker.  The speaker is committed to teaching this class and we will try to reschedule it in early May or June.   If you want to be put on a list to contact you when the class is rescheduled please sign up with the link at the bottom of this class.

Love is overwhelming.   After a loved one’s death, a divorce, an injury or disease, or another major life change, recovery often seems daunting, if not impossible.

Life After Loss is the go-to resource book for anyone who has suffered a major loss.   With great compassion and insight, Bob Deits provides essential wisdom and practical exercises for navigating the uncertain terrain of grief and recovery.  (Bob is shown below with his wife Nancy Meise).

Now in its 6^th edition this guide is fully updated with advice on catastrophic losses, and guidance on using technology to maintain support networks.   After a destabilizing change, Life after Loss helps you to find positive ways to put together a life that is necessarily different, but meaningful.

Tonight is your night to hear from the expert about this very important topic and ask your individual questions about a loss you might be dealing with and get direction on how to move forward.

“A roadmap for those in grief.”—Lawrence J. Lincoln, M.D.

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Attorney Rachel Citak joined us in 2021 to discuss Cancel Culture and joins EmpowerU tonight to catch us up-to-date and let us know about her new podcast: Attorney at Law, Advocate at Heart!  Hear from Rachel Citak from 7:10-7:20 PM.

Speaker Bio:

Robert Diets – For more than 40 years Bob has specialized in helping people cope with major loss experiences including death, divorce, relocation, traumatic injury, sexual abuse as children and job loss.

Bob’s book, Life After Loss, has become a classic in the field of loss and grief. It is highly respected by professionals and deeply appreciated by those who have experienced a major loss.   Bob is also the co-author of the children’s book, When Your Grandma Forgets, with, Maryann Makekau. The book helps children and adults understand more and cope better when a loved one has Alzheimer’s Disease.  Dr. Earl Grollman describes the book as, “One of the classics in the field of crisis intervention.”

He has been a frequent speaker and Conference Leader on a wide variety of subjects related to the many aspects of loss and grief recovery. He has done training sessions for hospice workers, nurses, Stephen Ministry programs, grief support group leaders, military chaplains and others. He has appeared on nationally syndicated radio and television programs and was the keynote speaker at the World Burn Congress. Bob has been a pastor in the United Methodist Church for 54 years.

Bob was married to June Deits for 64 years before her death in 2016 after a 12 year battle with Alzheimer’s. In 2018 he was married to Nancy Anne Meise, a retired RN and Senior Advocate. Nancy is also a widowed person. She helps Bob lead Grief Support groups and works with him at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Arizona.

Bob is a graduate of California State College, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. He holds a Master of Theology degree from the Claremont California School of Theology in pastoral counseling and psychology. He has three children, ten grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren!

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EmpowerU guest Rachel R. Citak Ohio-licensed attorney and owner of her own legal practice, RACHEL R. CITAK, ATTORNEY AT LAW LLC. Her firm services clients across Ohio in multiple practice areas. Additionally, her conservative advocacy and public relations work has included appearing on Ohio news stations and testifying at the Ohio Statehouse. In addition to publishing op-ed articles as a member of the Cincinnati Enquirer Board of Contributors, she has also authored op-eds in the Western Journal and Columbus Dispatch—with a feature by Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire. Prior to opening her firm, she specialized in Criminal Law with a focus on prosecution in law school while clerking for the Ohio Attorney General and Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Rachel has extensive experience working in Columbus as both a registered lobbyist and in-house counsel. She currently serves as a board member for Cincinnati Right to Life and Stand With Cops. As passionate firearms enthusiasts, Rachel and her husband Rob are active members of the second amendment community in addition to serving as advisory attorneys for the USCCA network. When she’s not servicing her clients, you can find her participating in equestrian sport, hanging out with her German Shepherd and Cavalier Spaniel, or shooting her Glock 42 on their outdoor range at home.