REVEREND DEAN: (00:00)
I am the Reverend Dean Becker guardian of the drug war. Moral high ground prohibition has no benefit. It is a fascist tool. It seeks to gain control of all our rights, the future of mankind. This is cultural baggage. Hello, my friends. Thank you for being with us here on, uh, today's cultural baggage. I am Dean Becker, the Reverend Moai. We've got two guests today. We're hoping that Zoom lets us continue to have two guests for the whole show. We have from, uh, the West Coast. We have Mr. Phil Smith of Stop The Drug War and Drug Sense, a long time, uh, uh, contributor to the Drug Truth Network. And on the East Coast where we're gonna start today, we have Mr. Sanho Tree of the Institute for Policy Studies. Before we begin today's show, I want to share with you a tribute to Richard Lee, who passed away last month from Law Enforcement Action Partnership. This is the Patriot, the hero, the founder of Oaksterdam University, Mr. Richard Lee. 

Rev Richard Lee: (01:11)
The one big opponent we have is law enforcement. In general. We see the sheriff's associations and the police chief's associations who are, uh, against pending cannabis prohibition. But we also see some, some more law enforcement coming out and, and seeing the futility, futility of it. They realize that it's, it's not working. And, uh, so we saw like law enforcement in Washington state, uh, being in favor of, uh, I 5 0 2, their legalization referendum that passed last year. And we have, um, leap, uh, organization, law enforcement against Prohibition. And, uh, your listeners can look them up and support them. They are a, um, group of law enforcement that, uh, realizes prohibition needs to end 

REVEREND DEAN: (02:03)
The following. Abbreviated message from leap, now known as Law Enforcement Action Partnership, is directed to Oaksterdam University. It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of Richard Lee on July 27th, 2025. Though today, we mourn this loss. We also celebrate a life lived with unwavering commitment, pioneering activism, and generational impact. Richard was foundational, not just in his own right, but as a cornerstone of the collective efforts by LEAP and other organizations to end the damages caused by the failures of drug prohibition. Under Richard's leadership, and with the inspirational commitment of Dale Sky Jones and Jeff Jones of Oaksterdam University, he helped turn California into the first major state to legalize medical marijuana. To you, Richard, we say you have done more than your duty. You have changed lives. Patient, activist, judicial, entrepreneurial, you helped forge justice, compassion, and equity where none existed under old drug policy, you healed California and beyond. We in Leap Judge Jim Gray, Stephen Downing, Kyle Kaan, Diane Goldstein, Neil Franklin, and so many others stand on ground. You prepared with gratitude, respect, and a commitment to carry your torch forward. We honor your vision and mourn your passing rest in power. Richard Lee, thank you for everything. And, um, let's just start right there, Sanho, how you, how you doing today? 

Sanho Tree: (03:46)
You know, all things considered, you know, living in an occupied city. Other than that, I'm, I'm doing okay, I guess better than most, 

REVEREND DEAN: (03:52)
Right? And that, that's where I wanted to begin is talking about that occupied city that Trump has sent in the troops, so to speak, to quell the violence in your city. Uh, according to him, what is going on in DC Mr. Tree? 

Sanho Tree: (04:06)
Well, last night, there's a neighborhood called Not Pleasant, which is very Hispanic. Um, cops there and, and federal agents last night gathered in front of a, a poster that was, uh, celebrating immigration where they took a selfie, they tore down the poster and put a in its place. . They just happened to be carrying a in their tactical vest, apparently. Uh, but this is the crime emergency Donald Trump was talking about. Uh, and that's what they're doing. They're parading around downtown, uh, on the National Mall, nowhere in the neighborhoods that are actually affected by crime, but they're doing this to show tourists, uh, and cameras, uh, look what a hellhole DC is. And it took Donald Trump to come save the day. It's a ridiculous waste of resources. DC's cri violent crime rate is at a 30 year low, and I've lived here since 1987. I've lived through all of that. I do remember when DC was the murder capital of America, so-called, uh, where we had, you know, 400 and 450 murders per per year. Uh, that those were bad days. This is not nowhere near that. 

REVEREND DEAN: (05:09)
Thank you for that Sanho. I, I, I see that the, um, I, I don't know these guys. They look so much like Mexican, uh, cartel members. Many of these, uh, uh, ice and and other federal troops, again, they, they look almost identical to what the, uh, uh, the cartel members wear in Mexico and, and I suppose further south as well, just kind of, um, you know, got the vest on and a bandana across their face. And, you know, who knows what kind of hat they're wearing. They just look like criminals to me. Your thought there, please, sir. 

Sanho Tree: (05:43)
Well, I predicted this on day one, that if you allow these officers to get away with concealing their identities and wearing just any kind of tactical vest, uh, and a mask over their face, uh, it won't be long before criminals copy those behaviors. And of course, that's exactly what they did. Anyone can go down to a local surplus store, get a tactical vest, uh, put, you know, some ab, you know, obscure police sign or, or whatever three letter agency you want, and go and rob people and rape people and abduct people. And that's what they've been doing around the country. 

REVEREND DEAN: (06:14)
It's, it's just a sad state of affairs. Alright, and again, we have on the West Coast, Mr. Phil Smith with, uh, drug Sense. Uh, Phil, you're in kind of the, the boonies out there, aren't you? Uh, do you see any instances of, uh, you know, um, deportees or soon to be deportees getting, uh, arrested or hassled out there by the, the troops? 

Phil Smith: (06:39)
I work with some immigrants in my current job, and I talk to them regularly about, uh, what's going on in our, in our neighborhood. And it's very quiet here. There's no signs of, uh, ice enforcement actions around. 

REVEREND DEAN: (06:55)
Well, I, I guess that's a good thing that the portions of the country still aren't being affected. But, um, do either of you remember, was it $85 billion that the, the government was allocating towards, um, development of ice? Uh, it is a huge number. Uh, I think it's in the 80 billion range. Does it anyone remember 

Sanho Tree: (07:17)
In total, uh, they got $171 billion spread over five years to carry out these, uh, racist enforcement policies. So a hundred, 171 billion over five years, put that in perspective. The mil entire military budget of Russia, which is fighting a vicious war in Ukraine, is only $145 billion per year. So Stephen Miller got even more than that to raise a standing army to go against people inside the United States of America. 

REVEREND DEAN: (07:47)
That's just horrible, horrible. Yeah, 

Phil Smith: (07:50)
I was saying it, it makes ice the largest law enforcement agency in the country, and it's a pretty frightening prospect when you see the way these goons operate, you know, whether it's LA or DC or, uh, other places across the country. Uh, it's really disgusting. 

REVEREND DEAN: (08:04)
My listeners know that I'm a big fan of these First Amendment auditors, and I I watch them, uh, every day, really? And, and they are subject to rules and constraints and, and, uh, uh, following the law. They, they cannot just hassle people on the street with, uh, no warrant, no reason. And, uh, many times they do, but many times they get caught. They go to court, they get convicted, they get fired on down the line. But these guys, these ice agents, and I guess the DEA and all the other agents that are, uh, out there doing this work, seem to be able to get away with, uh, just ignoring the Constitution. Uh, your thought there, Mr. Tree, 

Sanho Tree: (08:50)
You know, , uh, the constitution's thrown out the window. Um, they, you know, their, their practice now is to break the law first, as the old Catholic saying is, it's better to ask, uh, forgiveness than ask permission. And so they break the law and they say, well, we'll settle it in court later. Uh, and this is what one of the reasons why Trump's strong armed these big law firms into giving him millions of dollars of pro bono legal services. So not only does he have the Justice Department to back him up, but he's got these private law firms now who can do his bidding and, and carry out his persecutions legally, uh, and wage lawfare. Uh, so yeah, this is the, you know, this is where we are today. 

REVEREND DEAN: (09:28)
What I, I wanna point out is that we won't have time to get into several of these things that are ongoing daily, but, uh, you know, the wars, uh, the, you just mentioned, the attorneys, uh, giving money because they don't wanna be singled out, I suppose Harvard University and other universities being leveraged and manipulated. Um, media is being canceled and, and, um, giving money to Trump because they, they want to get on his good side. I guess that's what it is. Um, uh, Trump's wanting to get a Nobel Prize. He seems to want that real bad. Uh, and he doesn't know if he can believe in the Constitution anymore. Uh, it's, it's just, uh, it's maddening, uh, to me that he can get away with this. And his people still believe in him. Your response, either of you to that thought that he just gets away with whatever he wants to. 

Sanho Tree: (10:27)
Well, you know, uh, I think he understands his base very well. There is, there was a great Twitter, uh, uh, a satirical Twitter account called Werner Twit Zo that tweeted in the voice of, uh, you know, uh, direct famous director Werner Hertzog. And he said, uh, back in 2017, uh, he said, dear America, you are waking up as Germany once did, to the realization that one third of your countrymen would gladly kill another third while the other third sits by quietly and watches. Um, so the way I put it is that we live in a one third rike right now, uh, that no matter what Trump has done over this past decade, um, there is always that bottom one third that will always stick with him because he understands what drives them, which is a lot of racism, uh, and ignorance and resentment, uh, and the politics of anger and rage. 

Sanho Tree: (11:17)
So that's what he milks. And this is why the Epstein, uh, uh, controversy is so damaging to him for the first time in a decade. Uh, there is something that has broken through and actually hurt him. Um, and what people forget in the normal world is that one third of MAGA is Q anon. Uh, so they really do believe that Democrats are, you know, sex trafficking children to suck the adrenal CHRO out of their brains and all this nonsense. Uh, but nonetheless, um, it, it, it, it, it, it, it has really separated Trump from, uh, an important part of his base. Thank 

REVEREND DEAN: (11:50)
You for that. I, I, I think of the, the, the situation with the economy, uh, Trump with his tariffs just screwed the world over. I mean, my, my, uh, stock account went down, you know, about 9%. It's now come back, but, but the whole point is he shook up the whole world with his idea that he's an economist, he knows how to tariff correctly, and that he's, you know, going to fix it for the United States. Uh, any response from either of you on that? 

Phil Smith: (12:20)
Well, it's absurd. Uh, and it's gonna be very destructive. We are just beginning to see the impact of the tariffs. I mean, they're not even really in place yet in a lot of cases, but, hey, we're headed for tough times, and it's all on Trump. Uh, I don't know if that'll get through to his mega base or not, but, uh, once they can't afford bananas or coffee anymore, maybe they'll think again. We'll see. 

REVEREND DEAN: (12:42)
Exactly. Exactly. Um, yeah, I, I, my grocery store I go to has I, I shop online now. It's much easier, and it's easy to go back to January. When I bought groceries, I'm gonna say it was $105, and it's now $135 for the very same items. And, and this, this is just an example of, as you say, the tariffs haven't even really gone fully into effect, and they're not being realized as yet. And yet the, uh, the prices are going up, inflation's going up. Trump just yesterday was talking about how inflation's down and doing so well, and, and yet it's gone up again. And it's just, he gets to lie. And the major media is now fascist, as far as I'm concerned. They have joined forces with him, with the, the, the, our speech he gave in DC uh, the other day. They, they took portions from the first 20, 30 minutes of it. They didn't, they ignored the last half hour, which was a bunch of babbling. And, and yet, um, you know, they, they, they didn't present that on air to the populace. So they can realize this guy has lost his mind, uh, either response from either of 

Sanho Tree: (14:00)
You. I think there's an elephant in the room, uh, when we're talking about tariffs. And this is what Trump has hinted at. Um, and he kind of proudly suggests it from time to time, but I think even he is afraid to say it out loud, uh, very bluntly, because it's insane. What he wants to do with tariffs is replace the income tax. He has said many times, what a great country this was back in the Gilded Age in the 1890s when Robert Barons ruled the country and before the progressive income tax was introduced in 1913. And so what he's trying to do is basically, uh, use tariffs as a way of raising revenue, a very unpredictable way of raising revenue, because tariffs are meant to induce behaviors and change behaviors. And so you can't really fund a government off of that, but that is what he is trying to do, take the load off of, of billionaires and rich people by relieving them of income tax and replacing it with a consumption tax, uh, which are tariffs, which are paid by working people, consumers, and, and manufacturers. Uh, and I think that's what we have to talk about, is that he wants to bring us back to the Gilded Age. 

REVEREND DEAN: (15:08)
Thank you for that, son. Ho I, it, it, it occurs to me that, you know, we have had the great, I don't know, battles, uh, in Congress on the, you know, in the, in the nation about the Second Amendment, the right to own guns, the, the ability to, uh, protect ourselves. And, and I think what many of these billionaires, and maybe the Red Hat types don't realize is that, uh, Democrats own guns too. Um, that, that we, um, eventually will object strenuously. I, I, I'm glad to see that people are holding back, they're maintaining their cool, they're not reacting to this. Because what Trump wants more than anything is a violent, uh, reaction from the populace. So he can go full tilt, uh, response from either of you, please. 

Phil Smith: (15:57)
I think you're absolutely right, Dean, uh, have to, I have to resist those impulses myself. You know, I watched these videos of ice jumping on people and beating them down, and you're committing all kinds of violence, and I really wanna respond, and I think you're absolutely right that it's, I would be playing into Trump's hands by doing so, but we do have to figure out ways to, to respond in ways that can make a difference. Uh, you know, I envision a campaign of mass civil disobedience, you know, people sitting down in front of those ice vehicles and things like that. And that needs to be, be going on, on a massive, nationwide basis. 

REVEREND DEAN: (16:32)
Indeed, Sanho, 

Sanho Tree: (16:34)
Oh, there's a lot. I can speculate about this, but, uh, I don't wanna get any visits from, uh, three letter agencies or anything. But, um, but yeah, we are quickly moving toward that, uh, that, that that time when, when, you know, when, back in 2024, a movie came out called Civil War, right? It's before the election. And I, I went and saw it, and I thought, oh, this is kind of silly. This will never get there. This is, you know, it's all fantasy. And now I think of that final scene, um, you know, in the White House. Um, and it it's beginning to look like a lot, a lot like foreshadowing, uh, of how we get there. Um, I always thought that this might degenerate into violence, sort of like paramilitary style, similar to Northern Ireland, the troubles rather than an outright, uh, civil war. But the way Texas and other states are moving, um, it's forcing blue states to, to react and it's set setting the stage for a larger conflict somehow, how that's gonna end, I don't know. 

REVEREND DEAN: (17:33)
Yeah. Let's, let's hope it ends peacefully and quickly, or whatever. I agree. Um, just notice today, and he's been talking about it for, well, quite some time months, I think, but, uh, there's a mention in, uh, today's news that, uh, they're now planning their attacks on the Mexican cartels. Uh, they, um, I, I think that's about the most foolish thing they could possibly do, uh, response from you guys, what you think 

Phil Smith: (17:59)
It's not gonna work, uh, it's gonna Mexico is, uh, really as stupid idea. I mean, it appeals to the macho side of maga, uh, but I hope it's just talk. We'll see, 

Sanho Tree: (18:15)
You know, I, I participated in a, in a war game, uh, a tabletop simulation in Congress with the progressive caucus back in February about this particular issue of Trump possibly, uh, ordering strikes on Mexico to go after cartels. And, you know, we had people from, uh, former members of various three letter agencies from the White House, from the Mexican government. Uh, I played the role of, uh, uh, drug cartels together with a, with a, with someone else from a three letter agency. Uh, and we game this out, and guess who won? Uh, we did the cartels because, uh, we are not bound by the rules of engagement of, of standard military forces. Uh, we can do ruthless things that militaries can't do to their own people. Um, and we know this because they've been doing it for the past quarter century in Mexico and Columbia and other places. 

Sanho Tree: (19:05)
Yeah. That the tactics they use against their own rivals and against the police are vicious to the extreme. Um, this is known, this is not news to Mexicans, but it is news to most people in North Amer, uh, in, in, in the United States. Um, you know, when they murder and string up their rivals, uh, from bridges and hang signs over their necks, uh, around their necks saying, this is what happens to people who, who cross us. Uh, they can do that sort of thing. Uh, you know, with knobs on, they can raise it, raise the stakes, uh, immeasurably that we can't even begin to, to, to, to, to contemplate what they could do if it really became an existential crisis for them. So that was one of the big questions during this war game, uh, for, for us playing the role of cartels. Is this a performative stunt to make him look tough and to score a few points with maga? 

Sanho Tree: (19:54)
Or is he serious about, uh, posing an existential threat to cartels? If it's the latter, then they can use a whole bunch of tools in their tool chest, uh, that we haven't even thought about. There are thousands, tens of thousands of US citizens in Mexico, whether they be retirees, expats, uh, corporate executives, uh, embassy officials, et cetera, who can be taken hostage. They could send a limb back, you know, once, uh, one limb, uh, one finger per week. Um, imagine Jimmy Carter lost the election in 1980 because of 50 some hostages, uh, in Iran. Imagine how many hostages these cartels could take and how long they could stretch out these media cycles. Um, you know, releasing or, or, or killing one person a week or a month, or whatever they choose to do, they control the timeline. Moreover, there are indications now that in Mexico and Columbia, there are private citizens, quote unquote signing up, uh, to fight in Ukraine and in Russia, uh, on both sides, learning drone tactics. 

Sanho Tree: (20:59)
Now, anyone who's followed the war in Ukraine, uh, the Russian invasion knows that drones have transformed warfare completely and utterly. Uh, they have made traditional navys very vulnerable armored vehicles like tanks, uh, don't last very long in these environments now, uh, and that with a, a drone costing 500 to a thousand dollars, you can take out a multimillion dollar tank very easily. And so now these cartels, uh, and mercenaries and private citizens are going to these countries, learning these tactics, bringing them back to Mexico and Columbia, uh, where they can be used not only in fights against the police, um, and rivals, but also as weapons of assassination. This is going to change the security situation throughout this entire hemisphere, both from a US perspective in, in terms of what Secret service is afraid of, but also in Latin American politics that armed actors can now pose very serious threats. 

Sanho Tree: (21:54)
You can't outrun one of these drones, and you can't jam them now because they're using fiber optic guided drones, so they don't rely on radio waves to, to communicate anymore. And these fiber optic cables can, uh, basically the fishing string can go up to 30 to 50 kilometers of range, uh, which blows my mind. But this is the new wave of the future. So back in 2011, I tweeted, uh, you know, my biggest fear was that cartels would use these little hobbyist drones, attach a bit of C four to them, and use them as a poor man's assassination weapon. Wow. Well, the war on Ukraine has completely transformed that. Now drones can lift up to a ton and move it, you know, a hundred miles or more. Uh, so not only are they assassination weapons, but they're also very good smuggling tools, uh, that can hop back and forth over that stupid wall, uh, over and over and over again. 

REVEREND DEAN: (22:46)
Wow. Okay. And I, that's actually in a way, good news that they're showing, they're show the, the cartels and, and the technology is showing the DEA and whoever that they're prohibiting up a rope or whatever that phrase is. Okay. Um, I, I want to talk about Alaska. You know, Putin arrived first, I think, um, his, his plane landed first, and then Trump came in and they got the red carpets rolled out, like it was, uh, you know, some royal marriage or something prohibited. And, and, uh, it, it, it just, to me, it just seemed so pointless, really, because they knew flying in, nothing was gonna get done. Putin wanted Trump to just bow before him. And I, what, what chapped me more than anything was as Putin was walking from his plane, Trump was clapping for him as if he had done something wonderful. What, what was y y'all's response to that visit in Alaska? 

Phil Smith: (23:49)
I love rolling out the red carpet for war criminals. We should do that more often. 

REVEREND DEAN: (23:53)
and, and sand. Ho what's your thought? 

Sanho Tree: (23:57)
Putin gave Trump quite a, a, a tongue bath yesterday. Um, he told them the, the few sound bites Trump really needed to hear that, oh, uh, it's true, Mr. Trump, had you been president, uh, and, uh, you know, I would never have invaded Ukraine, et cetera. Uh, or that, yes, uh, a mail-in ballots. Of course, those are rigged. You can't allow mail-in ballots. Um, and, you know, so part of me thinks that's what Trump wanted out of this. A couple of sound soundbites. Um, but also he got played by Putin. Uh, so he gave Putin everything he wanted, which is a remittance back to the, uh, international community, uh, you know, the red carpet treatment meeting with the US President on US soil on, on basically on Putin's terms. Um, and he got nothing out of it, uh, in, in return. And he's gonna sell out Ukraine. 

REVEREND DEAN: (24:43)
Well, and, and he might be giving minerals, uh, Alaskan minerals to, uh, Putin as well, to bribe him with, right? Yeah. 

Sanho Tree: (24:51)
Yeah. In fact, the Russian media were, were trolling this meeting heavily, saying, Alaska is ours. We could, you know, we took Crimea back, why not Alaska? Uh, so yeah, they, they definitely, um, uh, uh, you know, think of, uh, expansionism in that regard. 

REVEREND DEAN: (25:07)
I, I've noticed, and it seems to be growing the trend within the White House, uh, press room where Trump is, is grooming new reporters and bringing them in to ask the, uh, the, I don't know, the, the easy questions to him, the, the things that Trump wants to preach on. And, and, uh, these, these reporters are just phrasing it up so nicely as if Trump had written a question himself. Y your thoughts on that, guys? I mean, truth is just being eviscerated in this country. Is it not? 

Phil Smith: (25:42)
This is media in a fascist clown state. It's, uh, really pathetic. It's like the Soviet Union in the 1960s or something, or, um, any other alt tree dictatorship where the media knows what its role is, and that's to support dear leader. 

REVEREND DEAN: (26:00)
Yeah. 

Sanho Tree: (26:00)
You know, these things used to be, uh, controlled by the White House Press Association. The journalists themselves would decide who gets to cover what, uh, the seating arrangements, uh, and all this stuff so that it would remain, uh, impartial and not part of a White House communications apparatus. So they would remain separate, and Trump broke them. Uh, one of the first things he did this term was to take away their power to organize things. And so that the Press Secretary now controls everything that goes on in that press room, not the White House Correspondence Association. Uh, and so they filled it with bloggers and right wing, uh, uh, pundits who are all maga. Uh, and that's what they're gonna do from now on, is normalize that kind of behavior that only, uh, those ask kissing organizations will be allowed to cover the President and get the interviews, uh, and the so-called professional press. The mainstream press will be shut out more and more. 

REVEREND DEAN: (26:56)
Uh, well, okay. Um, maybe, uh, Trump will get the Nobel Prize and he'll calm down. I don't know. I, it just, I, I, I think he needs it so badly. I like, he's addicted to it or something, but he likes gold. He, he likes all kinds of shiny things. He's, um, I don't know, just he's, he's addicted to praise, is he not? Um, any and praise you guys want to heap on him before we close today's show. Well, he is a tiny fingered, Bulgarian, I'll give him that 

Sanho Tree: (27:27)
World's biggest a minute. A minute. Uh, you know, Hillary Clinton said yesterday that if he next negotiates peace with in Ukraine, that she would be happy, uh, to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. And I think that is a horrifying thing to say, that if you nominate, if he gets a Nobel piece prizes that would normalize fascism for future generations, nothing is worth that price. 

REVEREND DEAN: (27:48)
Uh, well, gentlemen, thank you so much. I, um, I, I, I don't know what to say other than, you know, uh, fascism isn't good, folks. It's just not, it's not gonna pan out here. You're, you're, you're losing money. Your groceries are disappearing, your rights are being, being eviscerated. And, uh, it's just getting started. And the more we allow this guy to move forward, because that project 2025 had the exact plans, they need to turn this into a fascist nation, just a good old sea, highland, goosestepping, Nazi nation, and you need to do something, listener. You need to stand up, speak up, go to your city council, count, uh, county commissioners, go to your state house, write your, your congressman, visit them, phone them, bug them, make them understand that you're not asleep. You're not going to allow this to happen. And no matter how much they try to control us, we still have the second amendment. I'm gonna leave it at that. Folks, I wanna remind you once again, that because of prohibition, you don't know what's in that bag. I urge you to please be careful. Always remember that, uh, euphoria is a blessing, not a crime.