Hello, and welcome to the ninth episode of Barefooting with Sierra. My name is Sierra Larson, better known as Barefoot Sierra. I am a novelist, comic creator, and independent journalist, and I have been living without shoes since 2010. I created this podcast to keep my audiences in touch with all of my projects, to talk about things I care about, and to interact with the awesome people in my various professional networks. In this episode, I interviewed my good friend Jon Brenan about all those Bernie memes and living in the US as a noncitizen.
I’m going to break this podcast up into four parts - novels, comics, journalism, and barefooting - each representing a different aspect of my professional life. I will give you updates on what I am working on, let you know about any new works you can see, and keep you in the know about when I do free book giveaways on Amazon.
Let’s get started!
First up, novels.
I’m in full blown editing mode on my Red 72 finale, Red 72: Revelation. I’m hoping to really buckle down and go through the entire book to make revisions as recommended by my editor by the end of next week. I’m also still working on the first round edits of my Jessica Hensley crime novel, title still pending. Having multiple projects helps me stay productive while giving my brain a rest from thinking about the same thing over and over.
In novel news today,
Keene, New Hampshire’s public library is hosting a virtual author visit February 10 with three romance novel authors. The event will run from 7 to 8pm local time. Sarah Morganthaler will discuss her novel Enjoy the View, Ann Marie Walker will present Happy Singles Day, and Xio Axelrod will give a sneak peak of her novel The Girl With the Stars in Her Eyes ahead of its April release. You can register for the event at the link in the show notes. https://ci.keene.nh.us/keene-public-library/calendar-events
The American Library Association held their annual conference online instead of in Indianapolis as originally planned. This year’s award winners featured a wide range of diverse writers and characters. This is especially important because libraries have limited budgets and typically select the award winners for purchase in order to meet the reading needs of the most people. You can see the full list of the award winners and honorable mentions in the show notes. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2021/01/ala-announces-2021-youth-media-awards
Now on to comics!
No new comic today. I hit an inspiration block that I just couldn’t get through. It happens sometimes, and try as I might, I just couldn’t force anything to come out.
In comics news:
Talysha Bujold-Abu, an artist from Windsor, Ontario, won a $1000 bursary from Conundrum Press to develop a mini comic. Her comic will explore the politics of Black and biracial hair. In an interview with CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning, she said, “It’s allowing me the space to kind of grow and create within a new facet of my artistic process, as well as kind of stating to Windsor, or Ontario overall, that we are building and creating space for more Black and Indigenous creators where there has not been space before. I’m building a space to see myself reflected in the world around me, and by extension I’m hoping that other Black people of color that experience hair politics will feel represented, and in that same way, hold space for Indigenous creators to also talk about this work in future iterations.” Bujold-Abu has a master’s of fine arts from the University of Windsor.
Dark Horse Comics announced a stand alone mini series entitled God of War: Fallen God. It is set in the timeline between God of War III and God of War (2018). The new series was created by Chris Roberson with line art by Tony Parker, coloring by Dan Jackson, lettering by John Roshell, and cover art by Dave Rapoza. The first issue is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled for a March 10 release.
Alright, next up is journalism.
I’m at the point in my true crime book where I’m waiting on court transcripts before I can go any further with writing, and because of Covid, who knows how long that will be.
Every day in February, I’m going to highlight one influential Black history figure. Today’s Black History Month highlight is Blanche Kelso Bruce, the first African-American to serve a full term in the US Senate. Bruce was born 1 March 1841 to Polly Bruce, an enslaved woman who was impregnated by Pettis Perkinson, who owned the plantation where she was a domestic slave. His father treated him relatively well, allowing him to attend school with his white half brother, and later legally freed him so he could apprentice as a printer. Bruce attended Oberlin College. In 1864, he relocated to Hannibal, Missouri and established a school for Black children. During the Reconstruction, he moved to Bolivar, Mississippi and purchased a Delta plantation. He edited a local newspaper and held various county positions. In February 1874, he was elected to the US Senate. On 14 Feb 1879, he presided over the Senate, becoming the first African American (and only former slave) to do so. Bruce died of complications of diabetes on 17 March 1898.
Now on to today’s interview.
Sierra: Thanks so much for joining me on the podcast. Please tell the listeners a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what you do.
Jon: Hey guys, my name is Jon. I live in Ontario, California and Sierra and I go way back to high school in Florida. I actually was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico. My parents are European and they had lived in Houston, Texas for a little while. They decided to go on a trip through Cancun, Mexico after my dad got laid off and they loved it so much that they decided to stay. Then I was born. I grew up there until I was ten speaking English and Spanish. After that, I moved to Florida, specifically Jacksonville, and then I went to middle and high school, where I met Sierra. We did crew, we were rowing there for a few years. Then after that I moved to Orlando, went to college, subsequently went to China to teach English for a few years, and then moved back to the US, lived in Washington for a couple years, and now I’m in California. And I learned some Mandarin Chinese while I was living in China.
Sierra: Awesome, yeah.
(both speaking at same time)
Sierra: Go ahead.
Jon: Oh yeah, I was just going to say I’m a big gamer boy. You know, I spend a lot of time on the computer, probably a little bit more than I should, you know. Not big on exercise or big social gatherings unless I know everybody. And, uh, yeah, but I have a good time.
Sierra: Good stuff. So, I’m currently in quarantine. I’m ok.
Jon: Oh yes.
Sierra: But they take it really seriously here. How are covid restrictions in your area?
Jon: So, from what I understand, it’s kind of a mixed bag, honestly. In terms of restaurants and sort of public spaces, everyone is fairly good about wearing a mask. In terms of - well, I guess that’s not public spaces, private spaces that are open to the public, right? Those seem fairly good in terms of mask wearing and stuff like that. But from what I’ve seen in public areas, a lot of people don’t wear masks. Or, I did actually work at a different place a little bit ago that was a hotel in a more sort of run-down area of this side of town, and most people didn’t wear masks coming into the hotel. Most people didn’t social distance. They were just living their lives as if nothing were going on really. There were a few people here and there that did, but that was a big risk for me working at that job, so I’m really glad that I found my current job where everyone takes everything very seriously. But yeah. Honestly, I think I haven’t really run into any police interaction of enforcement of mask wearing, so I couldn’t say exactly. I know that there is a lockdown that was put in place where businesses can’t exceed 20% capacity and there were a few other restrictions put in place. But, it’s like, how much are they enforcing it? And a lot of people I know are pissed off because, I believe it was the LA mayor, Gavin, or Gavin Newson? I should know this. (Laugh) But the, uh, he was caught at this restaurant with, like, a bunch of his friends. It’s called French Laundry or something like that. They weren’t social distancing. They were just eating together. So a lot of people are pissed off about that, and they sort of think well if he’s not going to wear a mask and social distance, then I’m not going to do it either. You know?
Sierra: Lots of, lots of special people out there. (Laugh)
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: How have you been managing to stay healthy with all those special people around you?
Jon: Yeah, so I just do my best to stay at home, honestly. I’ve been ordering a lot more Instacart and a lot more DoorDash, which can lead to some quickly accruing bills, but other than that I just keep some hand sanitizer in the car, keep some fresh masks in there. Go out, get what I need, come back home, you know? Wash my hands, etc. So far I’ve managed to avoid any, you know, direct exposures, which is good. I’ve been tested twice. Last time I was tested was right after our company went work from home entirely. And then other than that, I just don’t go out much.
Sierra: Best way to do it.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: What are your thoughts on those who refuse to comply with the health orders?
Jon: It’s a mixed- There’s a mix of opinions that I have. I think that a lot of people do it out of ignorance and having a care-free attitude to things, which I think is irresponsible. And then there are others who really have this direct irrational antagonism towards authority, where they don’t apply that antagonism on an even basis, right? So, for example, the whole idea when you see people in videos in a store, not wearing a mask and people start telling them, “Hey, you need to wear a mask.” And they go, “Oh, I thought this was America.” You know, it’s like, well hey, you know, in America, in a private business, you have to wear clothes, right? And you have to wear shoes.
Sierra: Nah. (Laugh)
Jon: And if you don’t do that, they’ll probably kick you out, right? You seemed fine with those restrictions for the longest time, but, oh, suddenly they’re asking you to wear one additional piece of body covering. But that? No. You won’t abide that.
(Both speaking at same time)
Jon: Oh, right, right. Oh, I stepped on some toes there. (Laugh)
Sierra: No, it’s, most of them don’t actually care.
Jon: Oh yeah?
Sierra: Yeah. (Laugh)
Jon: Sorry, I made a really terrible pun there.
Sierra: There are a few. There are a few. But yeah, if it’s their rule, then it’s their rule, and you have to follow it or don’t shop there.
Jon: Yeah. What do you, what’s your, what’s your way to deal with that? Do you just now shop there? Or do you, uh-
Sierra: I either put shoes on or don’t shop there.
Jon: Right, ok, fair enough.
Sierra: Like, it’s as simple as that. It’s their private business. They’re allowed to make those rules. It’s only when they make something up and say it’s a health code thing, which it’s not, that I’m like, you’re being stupid. That’s not a thing. But with a lot of the mask restrictions right now, they have turned them into public health ordinances.
Jon: Mhmm.
Sierra: So, that’s not pulling things out of an orifice. (Laugh)
Jon: Right, that has scientific basis.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Certainly.
Sierra: Yeah. I’ve noticed a lot of the anti-maskers tend to have a certain political leaning, shall we say?
Jon: Oh yes, of course. Although there is a little bit of crossover, I won’t deny.
Sierra: A little, yes. Some of them are very liberal, don’t step on my rights, this is my liberal view.
Jon: See, you got a little pinch from the libertarian crowd.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Well, a fairly heavier pinch from the libertarian crowd. And then you get a tiny little pinch from the Bernie crowd, I won’t lie. There’s some, like the more wooey, kind of hippy dippy people. You know, the kind of people who reach for the crystals and stuff like that a lot of times are not too fond of science, unfortunately.
Sierra: Yeah. Well, speaking of Bernie, what do you think of all the Bernie memes lately?
Jon: Oh, I love the Bernie mittens memes. I saw one with Bernie in the mittens, he’s like choking a dude out on the UFC mat. Those are great. Those are amazing. I actually saw some people, it’s really, I don’t understand these people, how they think. It’s, I think it’s a subreddit called Enough Bernie Spam, or something like that. Or Enough Sanders Spam. Enough Sanders Spam. And they were just going off, like, “I can’t believe they’re turning this inauguration into something about Bernie. Why can’t he just get out of the public sphere? This white old man.” So yeah. They’re like, “This is really more about Kamala being the first Vice President.” And like, sure. Yeah, sure, I understand. It’s a very good milestone. But the, the sort of identity politics for identity politics’ sake and direct hatred of Bernie Sanders, who’s like the most loveable, you know, old man, who, like, cares about everyone. It’s just mindblowing how some people interpreted the situation. (laugh)
Sierra: Yeah, there have been some people that have been like, “Enough, stop making it about him.” But, I don’t know, I love it. My favorite one that I’ve been seeing around, like, the rowing group up here in Edmonton, I coached for the Edmonton rowing club, so I’m friends with all of them on Facebook, so someone posted Bernie in the coxswain seat and he’s coxing an eight. (Laugh)
Jon: Yes!
Sierra: I love it.
Jon: I love that. (Laugh) That’s so good. I could also see it if he were in a single, like just holding the oars, right?
Sierra: (Laugh) With his mittens crossed over it, yes.
Jon: That could work.
(Both laugh)
Sierra: That would be amazing. Yeah.
Jon: Awesome.
Sierra: So, I’d like to get your reaction to this post by birdiehalll on Instagram regarding how Bernie’s kind of blown up lately.
Jon: Ok.
Sierra: So, it says, “I seriously hope this image goes down in history as one of the most endearing, sad, and brilliant photos of a man who, wearing the same jacket he always wears and mittens knitted by a Vermont school teacher, acknowledges his position as a public servant and not a celebrity entertainer decked out in exorbitant performance costumes. He’s wearing the same cheap, ugly blue surgical mask we all have to wear. He seems to understand how absurd and disconnected pop grandiosity can be in the midst of a pandemic where most of the population doesn’t have $400 or health insurance or the money to stay safely home. He is still sitting strong in true moral solidarity with the working class and all disenfranchised people of this country. Long live brother Bernie Sanders.”
Jon: Awesome. Yeah. I love that. I really do think that’s a true reading of what’s going on there. I think that Bernie Sanders is not one for frills, is not one for bs-ing, you know. He doesn’t overstate his own goals or his own goals in the whole political landscape. He;s simply a person who has been in office for a long time and he believes in working within the system to change things. And I can certainly respect his ability to build political capital and use that political capital effectively. We may not be happy with how quickly he’s been able to use it or how much change he’s been able to make in the system up til now. But that’s just the nature of the American political system, you know? You’re not going to have a revolution of policy overnight. And unluckily, you’re going to have Republicans coming in every once in a while and re-pilfering out all of those things that we did. And certainly that’s a problem. I even think that he gets so much attack even from the far left, which I would consider myself pretty far left. I’m not- I would say I’m further left than Bernie Sanders in some respects. And I understand the frustrations of wanting more socialist leaning policies, or like trying to transition more into worker owned businesses and things like that, right? But there’s hatred from those people towards Bernie because he is buddy-buddy with Joe Biden and he’s buddy-buddy with other members of the Senate because he’s been working with them for so long. But I think that Bernie is doing things the way that he knows how to do them. He’s already been working at that for decades, you know? And I think that he’s a very noble soul. He doesn’t try to make himself wealthy off of it. He’s really just a public servant in almost the truest sense of the word.
Sierra: Well, and you have to work within the system that you have.
Jon: Certainly.
Sierra: You can’t just burn it down and start over from nothing.
Jon: Yeah, and he’s been the- He’s turned so many people further left over the, since 2015, you know? In only five years, there’s been a huge resurgence of left-leaning thought in the United States.
Sierra: For sure. How do you think Biden is doing so far as President?
Jon: Better than I expected. Honestly, I’ve been kind of like- So I haven’t been fully scrutinizing everything he’s been doing. I do want to be very, uh, I don’t know if I want to say aggressive, but I would say that I want to be vigilant of what Biden is doing because it’s an opportunity to call out the neoliberalism that he represents, right? So I would like to, in conversation with other people who lean Democrat, I would like to say, “Look, you know, Biden’s certainly better than Trump. We can all agree on that. Right? But he’s still this neoliberal corporatist kind of guy, right? And he’s still looking for foreign policy conflicts that we might get ourselves entrenched in, and he still supports Israel in their encroachment upon Palestinian lands, which may be a controversial topic to some, but I think that we should have a peaceful resolution to that situation instead of continued encroachment upon other peoples’ land, etc. And those kind of things where I want to point out, look, this kind of neoliberal politician who rides the line, is basically almost a centrist with some socially progressive flourishes, let’s say. This is not the solution that we need. The solution that we need is someone closer to Bernie Sanders, someone who really wants to enact a lot of social welfare policies and policies that allow American workers to unionize, to collectively bargain for their own benefit, you? And then I would take it further and say to own their workplaces, to own the means of production. But the, it can be a good tool to point out to liberals that they should probably move a little further left, whereas maybe the conventional wisdom, of at least some left-leaning people, is “Oh yeah, just let Trump win, let him burn it to the ground. Then we’ll start a revolution.” But that’s too short-sighted. You’re thinking like, do you really think we’re going to win the revolution if there were a revolution? You pit leftists against fascists, who you think is gonna win? I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be the leftists.
Sierra: Obviously. They seem to not have morals. Yeah. So, you and I were both born outside of the United States. Both of your parents were born abroad. I have one parent who not born in the United States. I got citizenship when I was 5. You’re not a citizen.
Jon. Yeah.
Sierra: I get a lot of people telling me that I need to just keep quiet about US politics because I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m not from the US. How do you respond to people saying things like that, that our ideas are unamerican and that we should not have an opinion about American politics?
Jon: That’s pretty funny to me, I think. Honestly, nobody ever says that to me, because I live in the United States and they just assume that because I’m white that I’m an American citizen.
Sierra; Of course.
Jon: And because of my accent, I guess. So they just assume. I’d like to preface just a bit in terms of getting my own citizenship, it was something that when I was in my younger years, I was ashamed to try to call myself an American because in 2000 I saw the way Bush was elected, and I saw all the aftermath of that. And I was sad about 9/11, I thought it was terrible, but I didn’t think the Iraq war was the solution to that, and I didn’t think that any of the following mass murder of civilians was a great time and a reason to be proud to be an American. And so I really pushed back against that wanting to be an American citizen for a really long time, and then it was just forgotten for a time. And more recently I have been thinking that I probably should try to get my American citizenship. I think I’m going to get it this year. But your question was more what do I think when you shouldn’t talk about American politics as a non-citizen. I think that’s absurd. I think that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Even if you don’t live close to the United States, US policy affects your country. The US is in, I believe, over a thousand bases across the world. I don’t know the number, but there are US military bases all over the world. The US is a major player and will be trying to affect policy in every country that they see fit. So why would you not involve yourself in the politics of a country that might affect yours? And for us especially - you live on the border, not on the border, but you know, one border away from the United States. I live within the United States. US policy affects me every day, you know? I’m still, you know, paying taxes. My taxes go to all these policies that I don’t agree with. And you are right next door. All the trade policies that occur here affect you. A lot of the oil drilling policies and all of those things are tightly knit between the US, Canada, and Mexico, even. You know, that’s what the NAFTA and “USMCA” are all about. You know? So it’s very, very silly that people think that you shouldn’t concern yourself with the US political landscape. Anyway. (Laugh)
Sierra: Yeah. I like that you brought up the oil, because the Keystone XL…
Jon: Mhmm.
Sierra: ...stuff is going on.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: A lot of people up here in Canada are pretty upset about that. The Premier of Alberta, which is the province I live in, it’s kind of like the equivalent of a governor, sent kind of a threatening letter to Biden, being like, “How dare you cancel that without consulting me?”
Jon: (laugh)
Sierra: Which, um, like, would be like if some, some, MP in the UK tried to send the President some “How dare you not send a shipping route over here?” It’s like, what are you thinking, dude? It’s funny.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: Yeah, it’s all intertwined, and being aware of other countries issues and their government, especially a country that borders yours, and especially because I’m a citizen of both countries-
Jon: Absolutely.
Sierra: For me, it’s, like, I vote in US elections, but. Yeah, it’s important.
Jon: Even if none of that were the case - I should be educated on the politics of every country in the world. Honestly, we all should. You know, especially as a citizen of the US, or a resident of the US, or even Canada, you should know what kinds of things are affecting the countries that you trade with, what sort of things are affecting, you know. Because we have such a globalized world at this point. We’re trading with all these different countries. We’re changing the ways in which their labor is formed. And if we were to know, oh, this country has these labor practices. Oh, my clothes were made in Malaysia. Oh, let’s see what the labor laws are like in Malaysia. Oh. That’s really bad. I should probably pay more attention to this. It’s all connected at this point. There’s no reason not to.
Sierra: For sure. We definitely, we definitely need to be aware and there’s no excuse not to be.
Jon: Yep.
Sierra: So where do you think the United States needs to go from here to heal from all of the, just, division and pain that it’s gone through?
Jon: It’s really difficult. Honestly, I don’t like the unity rhetoric from Joe Biden. It seems to be milktoast. It seems to be very, oh yeah, Republicans, it’s ok, come back to the table. We’ll be nice.
Sierra. Mm.
Jon: Like, at a certain point, you have to say, alright, you tried. You did some pretty awful stuff. Stay back. We’re gonna do stuff. If it really does bad things to you, speak up. If it really affects you negatively, speak up. I think that’s good. You know? But I don’t like the unity rhetoric. It always seems like a cop out. I think that there’s been an exceptionally criminal attempt at pushing through those right leaning policies, those anti-immigrant, xenophobic, even, like, internally racist, transphobic, and so on policies, that I think, you know, Joe Biden’s doing a decent job removing those. Perhaps not all of them, but a decent number of them when he first came in. But I think that a real unity requires a whole paradigm shift. It requires people to hold the same reality again. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon. (Laugh) I don’t see the Q-Anoners, I don’t see the flat earthers, the Pizza Gate, all these massive conspiracies-
Sierra: Oh gosh, Pizza Gate (laugh)
Jon: All these nutjob ideologies, I don’t see these people returning to normalcy, returning to reality anytime soon. And it’s just, what do you do with people like that? They are, for all intents and purposes, like, mentally ill, but worse than your average person with mental illness. It’s like they have brain worms, you know? (Laugh) How do you get rid of brain worms? (Laugh) Without, like, lobotomizing?
Sierra: Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know.
Jon: Yeah, so the only way I see forward is to enact good policy for good policy’s sake and hope that some of them see, like, hey, my life’s getting better. Woah. Is this? (Laugh) Oh, is this what they wanted the whole time? Cool, cool. (Laugh)
Sierra: “Wow, amazing!”
Jon: But, yeah, that’s the best thing I’ve got.
Sierra: We can hope.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: And we gotta hold the politicians accountable.
Jon: Yeah, and there’s so much conspiracy theory about “Joe Biden’s a communist,” uh, “communist China’s in control.”
Sierra: I’ve heard that one, yeah.
Jon: These people don’t understand. These people don’t understand what communism is. These people don’t understand what socialism is. It’s like, uh, there’s another subreddit called Conservatives Threatening Us With a Good Time.
Sierra: Oh, I’ve seen that one. Yes. (Laugh)
Jon: And it’s, like, all these memes that they make talking about Joe Biden being a communist and Kamala Harris being a communist, and, you know, enacting all these crazy policies. Or, there’s a great one. What was it? It’s like, with AOC and the squad with all these absurd things, this list of things they wanna pass, well absurd to the Fox News viewers anyway. And then you read it and you’re like, dang, that sounds pretty baste! (Laugh)
Sierra: I wish!
Jon: Right?
Sierra: (laugh)
Jon: Yeah, I wish they were trying to get all that passed right away. Anyway, yeah, that’s how I feel about it.
Sierra: Yeah, that’s one of my favorite subreddits. It always gives me a giggle. (Laugh)
Jon: Definitely.
Sierra: Well, it’s been-
Jon: Did you have a different perspective to how we get through this, or is that about where you’re at as well?
Sierra: Um, I think we need to hold politicians accountable who are doing awful things. Like, a lot of, I think a lot of the- A lot of the Capitol riot was stirred up by so many of the Congress people saying that the election was invalid.
Jon: Yes.
Sierra: And those people need to be held accountable. People died.
Jon: Agreed. Agreed.
Sierra: Like, that’s, that’s not ok. And no one has faced any consequences out of anyone that was in Congress.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: Like, I, I watched all of them through their electoral votes debates, and over and over they were like, “Oh, these were invalid votes and there was voter fraud!” Over and over in courts, they disproved this. There were maybe like three fraudulent votes. Like, it happens, but not anywhere near enough to make the entire election invalid.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: And, like, it’s just ridiculous to keep claiming this when it’s been proven in court over and over again to be false, without evidence. Just stop because you’re riling up these people who are out of touch with reality to the point that they are dangerous.
Jon: Yeah, I really think disinformation should be criminalized in some way. Like, it’s hard to say, because free speech and everything. Like, I’m for free speech, but it basically borders on incitement.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Because you’re pushing this false narrative over and over and over again that eventually it leads to, the logical conclusion in your brain is, there’s nothing other than some kind of violent attack or some kind of insurrection to get this to stop.
Sierra: Yeah, yeah. And it is illegal to incite riots, so there needs to be consequences.
Jon: Yeah, so like, Ted Cruz and Lyn Woods, Rudy Giuliani and Trump, you know, all of those fools. Definitely need to see something in court.
Sierra: Well, we’ll see, I guess.
Jon: Don’t bet on it.
Sierra: I’m currently preoccupied. I’m a registered voter in Utah and that state government is currently trying to pass a no permit concealed carry law. So anyone can just concealed carry a gun without a permit. So I’m kind of preoccupied with that right now, trying to stop that. But… (laugh)
Jon: I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve been turned a bit more pro-second amendment over time, but I don’t know what the implications. I would have to read up some scientific study to see what are the effects of having a, having that policy, to see if that leads to having higher gun deaths, then I would probably be against it.
Sierra: Right now the current law is that you have to be 21 and you have to undergo, like, a mental health screening-
Jon: Fair enough.
Sierra: -to get the permit, so.
Jon: I’m one of the people who wants the, uh, community arm- community based armories. So, it’d be more, you wouldn’t just have a gun in your home, but if there was ever the need to go and defend yourself from a threat, you would have a way to be empowered against tyranny in some way.
Sierra: That makes sense to a point. My biggest concern is people not having the skills they need at that point and injuring themselves or other people.
Jon: Right, well, I think it would also come with, you would need to be trained. You would need licensing.
Sierra: I like how Canada does gun regulation. It’s not perfect, but you have to demonstrate skill with a firearm and have two references to attest to the fact that you’re not going to like, go shoot up a mall or something as soon as you get your permit in order to get your permit. And then in order to get handguns, it’s a bit trickier, and then you have to get a specific permit to transport them, in addition. So, it’s a lot of paperwork, and they know exactly who owns legal handguns. Our biggest issue with gun crime is guns coming in illegally across the border with the US, which is another issue. (Laugh)
Jon: That happens, that happens in the opposite direction- or, at least, not in the opposite direction, but to the other border a lot as well.
Sierra: (Laugh) Yeah.
Jon: Illegal guns into Mexico, illegal drugs into the US.
Sierra: Yep, well…
Jon: Speaking of, I also want to legalize drugs.
Sierra: Yes, or at least decriminalize.
Jon: Certainly, at the very least.
Sierra: And get everybody who’s in jail on a drug sentence out, because that’s just stupid.
Jon: Absolutely.
Sierra: Don’t criminalize addiction. Yeah. We’ve kind of devolved from the original questions.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: But it’s been good chatting with you.
Jon: Definitely.
Sierra: Good catching up.
Jon: Yeah, thanks for inviting me to do this. I really appreciate it.
Sierra: For sure. Stay safe.
Jon: Alright, I will. You too.
You can find Jon Brenan on Instagram @treeesgram (that’s treesgram with three Es)
Last but not least, let’s talk about barefooting!
I’m still in quarantine and my only barefoot adventures today consisted of going to the apartment lobby to get my Uber delivery order. Hooray for Uber, because I was out of milk.
Let’s jump into the barefoot news.
Jamie Lynn Spears, younger sister to Britney Spears, shared an Instagram photo today of herself pumping gas barefoot. The caption read “Pre-pandemic pic. Casually getting gas without wearing a mask or shoes.” This is something I’ve done many times myself, and while some people in the comments found it gross, I think it’s great to see so many celebrities normalizing being without shoes.
Police in Whitefish, Montana are searching for persons of interest involved in a shooting that led to a man ending up in North Valley Hospital with gunshot wounds in both of his feet. No charges have yet been filed and the investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this, you can send it via email to tips@flathead.mt.gov.
That’s all for today’s show. I’ll be back tomorrow with another interview, this time author and illustrator Mark Fearing. Thanks so much for listening in. If you have any questions or comments, you can send them to sierrathebarefootgirl@gmail.com. You can find me on Instagram @sierrathebarefoot, on Facebook as Sierra the Barefoot Girl, on Twitter @sierrabarefoot, and on TikTok @sierraisbarefoot. All of my books are available on Amazon, and my comics are available on Instagram @worldofpossums and patreon.com/possumpete. Thank you to Lesion X for the intro and outro music. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re listening. Until next time, this has been Barefooting with Sierra
I’m going to break this podcast up into four parts - novels, comics, journalism, and barefooting - each representing a different aspect of my professional life. I will give you updates on what I am working on, let you know about any new works you can see, and keep you in the know about when I do free book giveaways on Amazon.
Let’s get started!
First up, novels.
I’m in full blown editing mode on my Red 72 finale, Red 72: Revelation. I’m hoping to really buckle down and go through the entire book to make revisions as recommended by my editor by the end of next week. I’m also still working on the first round edits of my Jessica Hensley crime novel, title still pending. Having multiple projects helps me stay productive while giving my brain a rest from thinking about the same thing over and over.
In novel news today,
Keene, New Hampshire’s public library is hosting a virtual author visit February 10 with three romance novel authors. The event will run from 7 to 8pm local time. Sarah Morganthaler will discuss her novel Enjoy the View, Ann Marie Walker will present Happy Singles Day, and Xio Axelrod will give a sneak peak of her novel The Girl With the Stars in Her Eyes ahead of its April release. You can register for the event at the link in the show notes. https://ci.keene.nh.us/keene-public-library/calendar-events
The American Library Association held their annual conference online instead of in Indianapolis as originally planned. This year’s award winners featured a wide range of diverse writers and characters. This is especially important because libraries have limited budgets and typically select the award winners for purchase in order to meet the reading needs of the most people. You can see the full list of the award winners and honorable mentions in the show notes. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2021/01/ala-announces-2021-youth-media-awards
Now on to comics!
No new comic today. I hit an inspiration block that I just couldn’t get through. It happens sometimes, and try as I might, I just couldn’t force anything to come out.
In comics news:
Talysha Bujold-Abu, an artist from Windsor, Ontario, won a $1000 bursary from Conundrum Press to develop a mini comic. Her comic will explore the politics of Black and biracial hair. In an interview with CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning, she said, “It’s allowing me the space to kind of grow and create within a new facet of my artistic process, as well as kind of stating to Windsor, or Ontario overall, that we are building and creating space for more Black and Indigenous creators where there has not been space before. I’m building a space to see myself reflected in the world around me, and by extension I’m hoping that other Black people of color that experience hair politics will feel represented, and in that same way, hold space for Indigenous creators to also talk about this work in future iterations.” Bujold-Abu has a master’s of fine arts from the University of Windsor.
Dark Horse Comics announced a stand alone mini series entitled God of War: Fallen God. It is set in the timeline between God of War III and God of War (2018). The new series was created by Chris Roberson with line art by Tony Parker, coloring by Dan Jackson, lettering by John Roshell, and cover art by Dave Rapoza. The first issue is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled for a March 10 release.
Alright, next up is journalism.
I’m at the point in my true crime book where I’m waiting on court transcripts before I can go any further with writing, and because of Covid, who knows how long that will be.
Every day in February, I’m going to highlight one influential Black history figure. Today’s Black History Month highlight is Blanche Kelso Bruce, the first African-American to serve a full term in the US Senate. Bruce was born 1 March 1841 to Polly Bruce, an enslaved woman who was impregnated by Pettis Perkinson, who owned the plantation where she was a domestic slave. His father treated him relatively well, allowing him to attend school with his white half brother, and later legally freed him so he could apprentice as a printer. Bruce attended Oberlin College. In 1864, he relocated to Hannibal, Missouri and established a school for Black children. During the Reconstruction, he moved to Bolivar, Mississippi and purchased a Delta plantation. He edited a local newspaper and held various county positions. In February 1874, he was elected to the US Senate. On 14 Feb 1879, he presided over the Senate, becoming the first African American (and only former slave) to do so. Bruce died of complications of diabetes on 17 March 1898.
Now on to today’s interview.
Sierra: Thanks so much for joining me on the podcast. Please tell the listeners a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what you do.
Jon: Hey guys, my name is Jon. I live in Ontario, California and Sierra and I go way back to high school in Florida. I actually was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico. My parents are European and they had lived in Houston, Texas for a little while. They decided to go on a trip through Cancun, Mexico after my dad got laid off and they loved it so much that they decided to stay. Then I was born. I grew up there until I was ten speaking English and Spanish. After that, I moved to Florida, specifically Jacksonville, and then I went to middle and high school, where I met Sierra. We did crew, we were rowing there for a few years. Then after that I moved to Orlando, went to college, subsequently went to China to teach English for a few years, and then moved back to the US, lived in Washington for a couple years, and now I’m in California. And I learned some Mandarin Chinese while I was living in China.
Sierra: Awesome, yeah.
(both speaking at same time)
Sierra: Go ahead.
Jon: Oh yeah, I was just going to say I’m a big gamer boy. You know, I spend a lot of time on the computer, probably a little bit more than I should, you know. Not big on exercise or big social gatherings unless I know everybody. And, uh, yeah, but I have a good time.
Sierra: Good stuff. So, I’m currently in quarantine. I’m ok.
Jon: Oh yes.
Sierra: But they take it really seriously here. How are covid restrictions in your area?
Jon: So, from what I understand, it’s kind of a mixed bag, honestly. In terms of restaurants and sort of public spaces, everyone is fairly good about wearing a mask. In terms of - well, I guess that’s not public spaces, private spaces that are open to the public, right? Those seem fairly good in terms of mask wearing and stuff like that. But from what I’ve seen in public areas, a lot of people don’t wear masks. Or, I did actually work at a different place a little bit ago that was a hotel in a more sort of run-down area of this side of town, and most people didn’t wear masks coming into the hotel. Most people didn’t social distance. They were just living their lives as if nothing were going on really. There were a few people here and there that did, but that was a big risk for me working at that job, so I’m really glad that I found my current job where everyone takes everything very seriously. But yeah. Honestly, I think I haven’t really run into any police interaction of enforcement of mask wearing, so I couldn’t say exactly. I know that there is a lockdown that was put in place where businesses can’t exceed 20% capacity and there were a few other restrictions put in place. But, it’s like, how much are they enforcing it? And a lot of people I know are pissed off because, I believe it was the LA mayor, Gavin, or Gavin Newson? I should know this. (Laugh) But the, uh, he was caught at this restaurant with, like, a bunch of his friends. It’s called French Laundry or something like that. They weren’t social distancing. They were just eating together. So a lot of people are pissed off about that, and they sort of think well if he’s not going to wear a mask and social distance, then I’m not going to do it either. You know?
Sierra: Lots of, lots of special people out there. (Laugh)
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: How have you been managing to stay healthy with all those special people around you?
Jon: Yeah, so I just do my best to stay at home, honestly. I’ve been ordering a lot more Instacart and a lot more DoorDash, which can lead to some quickly accruing bills, but other than that I just keep some hand sanitizer in the car, keep some fresh masks in there. Go out, get what I need, come back home, you know? Wash my hands, etc. So far I’ve managed to avoid any, you know, direct exposures, which is good. I’ve been tested twice. Last time I was tested was right after our company went work from home entirely. And then other than that, I just don’t go out much.
Sierra: Best way to do it.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: What are your thoughts on those who refuse to comply with the health orders?
Jon: It’s a mixed- There’s a mix of opinions that I have. I think that a lot of people do it out of ignorance and having a care-free attitude to things, which I think is irresponsible. And then there are others who really have this direct irrational antagonism towards authority, where they don’t apply that antagonism on an even basis, right? So, for example, the whole idea when you see people in videos in a store, not wearing a mask and people start telling them, “Hey, you need to wear a mask.” And they go, “Oh, I thought this was America.” You know, it’s like, well hey, you know, in America, in a private business, you have to wear clothes, right? And you have to wear shoes.
Sierra: Nah. (Laugh)
Jon: And if you don’t do that, they’ll probably kick you out, right? You seemed fine with those restrictions for the longest time, but, oh, suddenly they’re asking you to wear one additional piece of body covering. But that? No. You won’t abide that.
(Both speaking at same time)
Jon: Oh, right, right. Oh, I stepped on some toes there. (Laugh)
Sierra: No, it’s, most of them don’t actually care.
Jon: Oh yeah?
Sierra: Yeah. (Laugh)
Jon: Sorry, I made a really terrible pun there.
Sierra: There are a few. There are a few. But yeah, if it’s their rule, then it’s their rule, and you have to follow it or don’t shop there.
Jon: Yeah. What do you, what’s your, what’s your way to deal with that? Do you just now shop there? Or do you, uh-
Sierra: I either put shoes on or don’t shop there.
Jon: Right, ok, fair enough.
Sierra: Like, it’s as simple as that. It’s their private business. They’re allowed to make those rules. It’s only when they make something up and say it’s a health code thing, which it’s not, that I’m like, you’re being stupid. That’s not a thing. But with a lot of the mask restrictions right now, they have turned them into public health ordinances.
Jon: Mhmm.
Sierra: So, that’s not pulling things out of an orifice. (Laugh)
Jon: Right, that has scientific basis.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Certainly.
Sierra: Yeah. I’ve noticed a lot of the anti-maskers tend to have a certain political leaning, shall we say?
Jon: Oh yes, of course. Although there is a little bit of crossover, I won’t deny.
Sierra: A little, yes. Some of them are very liberal, don’t step on my rights, this is my liberal view.
Jon: See, you got a little pinch from the libertarian crowd.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Well, a fairly heavier pinch from the libertarian crowd. And then you get a tiny little pinch from the Bernie crowd, I won’t lie. There’s some, like the more wooey, kind of hippy dippy people. You know, the kind of people who reach for the crystals and stuff like that a lot of times are not too fond of science, unfortunately.
Sierra: Yeah. Well, speaking of Bernie, what do you think of all the Bernie memes lately?
Jon: Oh, I love the Bernie mittens memes. I saw one with Bernie in the mittens, he’s like choking a dude out on the UFC mat. Those are great. Those are amazing. I actually saw some people, it’s really, I don’t understand these people, how they think. It’s, I think it’s a subreddit called Enough Bernie Spam, or something like that. Or Enough Sanders Spam. Enough Sanders Spam. And they were just going off, like, “I can’t believe they’re turning this inauguration into something about Bernie. Why can’t he just get out of the public sphere? This white old man.” So yeah. They’re like, “This is really more about Kamala being the first Vice President.” And like, sure. Yeah, sure, I understand. It’s a very good milestone. But the, the sort of identity politics for identity politics’ sake and direct hatred of Bernie Sanders, who’s like the most loveable, you know, old man, who, like, cares about everyone. It’s just mindblowing how some people interpreted the situation. (laugh)
Sierra: Yeah, there have been some people that have been like, “Enough, stop making it about him.” But, I don’t know, I love it. My favorite one that I’ve been seeing around, like, the rowing group up here in Edmonton, I coached for the Edmonton rowing club, so I’m friends with all of them on Facebook, so someone posted Bernie in the coxswain seat and he’s coxing an eight. (Laugh)
Jon: Yes!
Sierra: I love it.
Jon: I love that. (Laugh) That’s so good. I could also see it if he were in a single, like just holding the oars, right?
Sierra: (Laugh) With his mittens crossed over it, yes.
Jon: That could work.
(Both laugh)
Sierra: That would be amazing. Yeah.
Jon: Awesome.
Sierra: So, I’d like to get your reaction to this post by birdiehalll on Instagram regarding how Bernie’s kind of blown up lately.
Jon: Ok.
Sierra: So, it says, “I seriously hope this image goes down in history as one of the most endearing, sad, and brilliant photos of a man who, wearing the same jacket he always wears and mittens knitted by a Vermont school teacher, acknowledges his position as a public servant and not a celebrity entertainer decked out in exorbitant performance costumes. He’s wearing the same cheap, ugly blue surgical mask we all have to wear. He seems to understand how absurd and disconnected pop grandiosity can be in the midst of a pandemic where most of the population doesn’t have $400 or health insurance or the money to stay safely home. He is still sitting strong in true moral solidarity with the working class and all disenfranchised people of this country. Long live brother Bernie Sanders.”
Jon: Awesome. Yeah. I love that. I really do think that’s a true reading of what’s going on there. I think that Bernie Sanders is not one for frills, is not one for bs-ing, you know. He doesn’t overstate his own goals or his own goals in the whole political landscape. He;s simply a person who has been in office for a long time and he believes in working within the system to change things. And I can certainly respect his ability to build political capital and use that political capital effectively. We may not be happy with how quickly he’s been able to use it or how much change he’s been able to make in the system up til now. But that’s just the nature of the American political system, you know? You’re not going to have a revolution of policy overnight. And unluckily, you’re going to have Republicans coming in every once in a while and re-pilfering out all of those things that we did. And certainly that’s a problem. I even think that he gets so much attack even from the far left, which I would consider myself pretty far left. I’m not- I would say I’m further left than Bernie Sanders in some respects. And I understand the frustrations of wanting more socialist leaning policies, or like trying to transition more into worker owned businesses and things like that, right? But there’s hatred from those people towards Bernie because he is buddy-buddy with Joe Biden and he’s buddy-buddy with other members of the Senate because he’s been working with them for so long. But I think that Bernie is doing things the way that he knows how to do them. He’s already been working at that for decades, you know? And I think that he’s a very noble soul. He doesn’t try to make himself wealthy off of it. He’s really just a public servant in almost the truest sense of the word.
Sierra: Well, and you have to work within the system that you have.
Jon: Certainly.
Sierra: You can’t just burn it down and start over from nothing.
Jon: Yeah, and he’s been the- He’s turned so many people further left over the, since 2015, you know? In only five years, there’s been a huge resurgence of left-leaning thought in the United States.
Sierra: For sure. How do you think Biden is doing so far as President?
Jon: Better than I expected. Honestly, I’ve been kind of like- So I haven’t been fully scrutinizing everything he’s been doing. I do want to be very, uh, I don’t know if I want to say aggressive, but I would say that I want to be vigilant of what Biden is doing because it’s an opportunity to call out the neoliberalism that he represents, right? So I would like to, in conversation with other people who lean Democrat, I would like to say, “Look, you know, Biden’s certainly better than Trump. We can all agree on that. Right? But he’s still this neoliberal corporatist kind of guy, right? And he’s still looking for foreign policy conflicts that we might get ourselves entrenched in, and he still supports Israel in their encroachment upon Palestinian lands, which may be a controversial topic to some, but I think that we should have a peaceful resolution to that situation instead of continued encroachment upon other peoples’ land, etc. And those kind of things where I want to point out, look, this kind of neoliberal politician who rides the line, is basically almost a centrist with some socially progressive flourishes, let’s say. This is not the solution that we need. The solution that we need is someone closer to Bernie Sanders, someone who really wants to enact a lot of social welfare policies and policies that allow American workers to unionize, to collectively bargain for their own benefit, you? And then I would take it further and say to own their workplaces, to own the means of production. But the, it can be a good tool to point out to liberals that they should probably move a little further left, whereas maybe the conventional wisdom, of at least some left-leaning people, is “Oh yeah, just let Trump win, let him burn it to the ground. Then we’ll start a revolution.” But that’s too short-sighted. You’re thinking like, do you really think we’re going to win the revolution if there were a revolution? You pit leftists against fascists, who you think is gonna win? I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be the leftists.
Sierra: Obviously. They seem to not have morals. Yeah. So, you and I were both born outside of the United States. Both of your parents were born abroad. I have one parent who not born in the United States. I got citizenship when I was 5. You’re not a citizen.
Jon. Yeah.
Sierra: I get a lot of people telling me that I need to just keep quiet about US politics because I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m not from the US. How do you respond to people saying things like that, that our ideas are unamerican and that we should not have an opinion about American politics?
Jon: That’s pretty funny to me, I think. Honestly, nobody ever says that to me, because I live in the United States and they just assume that because I’m white that I’m an American citizen.
Sierra; Of course.
Jon: And because of my accent, I guess. So they just assume. I’d like to preface just a bit in terms of getting my own citizenship, it was something that when I was in my younger years, I was ashamed to try to call myself an American because in 2000 I saw the way Bush was elected, and I saw all the aftermath of that. And I was sad about 9/11, I thought it was terrible, but I didn’t think the Iraq war was the solution to that, and I didn’t think that any of the following mass murder of civilians was a great time and a reason to be proud to be an American. And so I really pushed back against that wanting to be an American citizen for a really long time, and then it was just forgotten for a time. And more recently I have been thinking that I probably should try to get my American citizenship. I think I’m going to get it this year. But your question was more what do I think when you shouldn’t talk about American politics as a non-citizen. I think that’s absurd. I think that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Even if you don’t live close to the United States, US policy affects your country. The US is in, I believe, over a thousand bases across the world. I don’t know the number, but there are US military bases all over the world. The US is a major player and will be trying to affect policy in every country that they see fit. So why would you not involve yourself in the politics of a country that might affect yours? And for us especially - you live on the border, not on the border, but you know, one border away from the United States. I live within the United States. US policy affects me every day, you know? I’m still, you know, paying taxes. My taxes go to all these policies that I don’t agree with. And you are right next door. All the trade policies that occur here affect you. A lot of the oil drilling policies and all of those things are tightly knit between the US, Canada, and Mexico, even. You know, that’s what the NAFTA and “USMCA” are all about. You know? So it’s very, very silly that people think that you shouldn’t concern yourself with the US political landscape. Anyway. (Laugh)
Sierra: Yeah. I like that you brought up the oil, because the Keystone XL…
Jon: Mhmm.
Sierra: ...stuff is going on.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: A lot of people up here in Canada are pretty upset about that. The Premier of Alberta, which is the province I live in, it’s kind of like the equivalent of a governor, sent kind of a threatening letter to Biden, being like, “How dare you cancel that without consulting me?”
Jon: (laugh)
Sierra: Which, um, like, would be like if some, some, MP in the UK tried to send the President some “How dare you not send a shipping route over here?” It’s like, what are you thinking, dude? It’s funny.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: Yeah, it’s all intertwined, and being aware of other countries issues and their government, especially a country that borders yours, and especially because I’m a citizen of both countries-
Jon: Absolutely.
Sierra: For me, it’s, like, I vote in US elections, but. Yeah, it’s important.
Jon: Even if none of that were the case - I should be educated on the politics of every country in the world. Honestly, we all should. You know, especially as a citizen of the US, or a resident of the US, or even Canada, you should know what kinds of things are affecting the countries that you trade with, what sort of things are affecting, you know. Because we have such a globalized world at this point. We’re trading with all these different countries. We’re changing the ways in which their labor is formed. And if we were to know, oh, this country has these labor practices. Oh, my clothes were made in Malaysia. Oh, let’s see what the labor laws are like in Malaysia. Oh. That’s really bad. I should probably pay more attention to this. It’s all connected at this point. There’s no reason not to.
Sierra: For sure. We definitely, we definitely need to be aware and there’s no excuse not to be.
Jon: Yep.
Sierra: So where do you think the United States needs to go from here to heal from all of the, just, division and pain that it’s gone through?
Jon: It’s really difficult. Honestly, I don’t like the unity rhetoric from Joe Biden. It seems to be milktoast. It seems to be very, oh yeah, Republicans, it’s ok, come back to the table. We’ll be nice.
Sierra. Mm.
Jon: Like, at a certain point, you have to say, alright, you tried. You did some pretty awful stuff. Stay back. We’re gonna do stuff. If it really does bad things to you, speak up. If it really affects you negatively, speak up. I think that’s good. You know? But I don’t like the unity rhetoric. It always seems like a cop out. I think that there’s been an exceptionally criminal attempt at pushing through those right leaning policies, those anti-immigrant, xenophobic, even, like, internally racist, transphobic, and so on policies, that I think, you know, Joe Biden’s doing a decent job removing those. Perhaps not all of them, but a decent number of them when he first came in. But I think that a real unity requires a whole paradigm shift. It requires people to hold the same reality again. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon. (Laugh) I don’t see the Q-Anoners, I don’t see the flat earthers, the Pizza Gate, all these massive conspiracies-
Sierra: Oh gosh, Pizza Gate (laugh)
Jon: All these nutjob ideologies, I don’t see these people returning to normalcy, returning to reality anytime soon. And it’s just, what do you do with people like that? They are, for all intents and purposes, like, mentally ill, but worse than your average person with mental illness. It’s like they have brain worms, you know? (Laugh) How do you get rid of brain worms? (Laugh) Without, like, lobotomizing?
Sierra: Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know.
Jon: Yeah, so the only way I see forward is to enact good policy for good policy’s sake and hope that some of them see, like, hey, my life’s getting better. Woah. Is this? (Laugh) Oh, is this what they wanted the whole time? Cool, cool. (Laugh)
Sierra: “Wow, amazing!”
Jon: But, yeah, that’s the best thing I’ve got.
Sierra: We can hope.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: And we gotta hold the politicians accountable.
Jon: Yeah, and there’s so much conspiracy theory about “Joe Biden’s a communist,” uh, “communist China’s in control.”
Sierra: I’ve heard that one, yeah.
Jon: These people don’t understand. These people don’t understand what communism is. These people don’t understand what socialism is. It’s like, uh, there’s another subreddit called Conservatives Threatening Us With a Good Time.
Sierra: Oh, I’ve seen that one. Yes. (Laugh)
Jon: And it’s, like, all these memes that they make talking about Joe Biden being a communist and Kamala Harris being a communist, and, you know, enacting all these crazy policies. Or, there’s a great one. What was it? It’s like, with AOC and the squad with all these absurd things, this list of things they wanna pass, well absurd to the Fox News viewers anyway. And then you read it and you’re like, dang, that sounds pretty baste! (Laugh)
Sierra: I wish!
Jon: Right?
Sierra: (laugh)
Jon: Yeah, I wish they were trying to get all that passed right away. Anyway, yeah, that’s how I feel about it.
Sierra: Yeah, that’s one of my favorite subreddits. It always gives me a giggle. (Laugh)
Jon: Definitely.
Sierra: Well, it’s been-
Jon: Did you have a different perspective to how we get through this, or is that about where you’re at as well?
Sierra: Um, I think we need to hold politicians accountable who are doing awful things. Like, a lot of, I think a lot of the- A lot of the Capitol riot was stirred up by so many of the Congress people saying that the election was invalid.
Jon: Yes.
Sierra: And those people need to be held accountable. People died.
Jon: Agreed. Agreed.
Sierra: Like, that’s, that’s not ok. And no one has faced any consequences out of anyone that was in Congress.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: Like, I, I watched all of them through their electoral votes debates, and over and over they were like, “Oh, these were invalid votes and there was voter fraud!” Over and over in courts, they disproved this. There were maybe like three fraudulent votes. Like, it happens, but not anywhere near enough to make the entire election invalid.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: And, like, it’s just ridiculous to keep claiming this when it’s been proven in court over and over again to be false, without evidence. Just stop because you’re riling up these people who are out of touch with reality to the point that they are dangerous.
Jon: Yeah, I really think disinformation should be criminalized in some way. Like, it’s hard to say, because free speech and everything. Like, I’m for free speech, but it basically borders on incitement.
Sierra: Yeah.
Jon: Because you’re pushing this false narrative over and over and over again that eventually it leads to, the logical conclusion in your brain is, there’s nothing other than some kind of violent attack or some kind of insurrection to get this to stop.
Sierra: Yeah, yeah. And it is illegal to incite riots, so there needs to be consequences.
Jon: Yeah, so like, Ted Cruz and Lyn Woods, Rudy Giuliani and Trump, you know, all of those fools. Definitely need to see something in court.
Sierra: Well, we’ll see, I guess.
Jon: Don’t bet on it.
Sierra: I’m currently preoccupied. I’m a registered voter in Utah and that state government is currently trying to pass a no permit concealed carry law. So anyone can just concealed carry a gun without a permit. So I’m kind of preoccupied with that right now, trying to stop that. But… (laugh)
Jon: I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve been turned a bit more pro-second amendment over time, but I don’t know what the implications. I would have to read up some scientific study to see what are the effects of having a, having that policy, to see if that leads to having higher gun deaths, then I would probably be against it.
Sierra: Right now the current law is that you have to be 21 and you have to undergo, like, a mental health screening-
Jon: Fair enough.
Sierra: -to get the permit, so.
Jon: I’m one of the people who wants the, uh, community arm- community based armories. So, it’d be more, you wouldn’t just have a gun in your home, but if there was ever the need to go and defend yourself from a threat, you would have a way to be empowered against tyranny in some way.
Sierra: That makes sense to a point. My biggest concern is people not having the skills they need at that point and injuring themselves or other people.
Jon: Right, well, I think it would also come with, you would need to be trained. You would need licensing.
Sierra: I like how Canada does gun regulation. It’s not perfect, but you have to demonstrate skill with a firearm and have two references to attest to the fact that you’re not going to like, go shoot up a mall or something as soon as you get your permit in order to get your permit. And then in order to get handguns, it’s a bit trickier, and then you have to get a specific permit to transport them, in addition. So, it’s a lot of paperwork, and they know exactly who owns legal handguns. Our biggest issue with gun crime is guns coming in illegally across the border with the US, which is another issue. (Laugh)
Jon: That happens, that happens in the opposite direction- or, at least, not in the opposite direction, but to the other border a lot as well.
Sierra: (Laugh) Yeah.
Jon: Illegal guns into Mexico, illegal drugs into the US.
Sierra: Yep, well…
Jon: Speaking of, I also want to legalize drugs.
Sierra: Yes, or at least decriminalize.
Jon: Certainly, at the very least.
Sierra: And get everybody who’s in jail on a drug sentence out, because that’s just stupid.
Jon: Absolutely.
Sierra: Don’t criminalize addiction. Yeah. We’ve kind of devolved from the original questions.
Jon: Yeah.
Sierra: But it’s been good chatting with you.
Jon: Definitely.
Sierra: Good catching up.
Jon: Yeah, thanks for inviting me to do this. I really appreciate it.
Sierra: For sure. Stay safe.
Jon: Alright, I will. You too.
You can find Jon Brenan on Instagram @treeesgram (that’s treesgram with three Es)
Last but not least, let’s talk about barefooting!
I’m still in quarantine and my only barefoot adventures today consisted of going to the apartment lobby to get my Uber delivery order. Hooray for Uber, because I was out of milk.
Let’s jump into the barefoot news.
Jamie Lynn Spears, younger sister to Britney Spears, shared an Instagram photo today of herself pumping gas barefoot. The caption read “Pre-pandemic pic. Casually getting gas without wearing a mask or shoes.” This is something I’ve done many times myself, and while some people in the comments found it gross, I think it’s great to see so many celebrities normalizing being without shoes.
Police in Whitefish, Montana are searching for persons of interest involved in a shooting that led to a man ending up in North Valley Hospital with gunshot wounds in both of his feet. No charges have yet been filed and the investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this, you can send it via email to tips@flathead.mt.gov.
That’s all for today’s show. I’ll be back tomorrow with another interview, this time author and illustrator Mark Fearing. Thanks so much for listening in. If you have any questions or comments, you can send them to sierrathebarefootgirl@gmail.com. You can find me on Instagram @sierrathebarefoot, on Facebook as Sierra the Barefoot Girl, on Twitter @sierrabarefoot, and on TikTok @sierraisbarefoot. All of my books are available on Amazon, and my comics are available on Instagram @worldofpossums and patreon.com/possumpete. Thank you to Lesion X for the intro and outro music. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re listening. Until next time, this has been Barefooting with Sierra
