Author/Producer Richard Botkin / ADF Prez Michael Farris - The Tami Jackson Show

The 405 Radio

Another Tuesday night and I have two heavy hitters on the Tami Jackson Show*! In the first 1/2 hour I will be speaking with frequent guest, Rich Botkin. Rich, a retired Marine officer, served four years active, eleven in the reserves. Botkin is the author of Ride the Thunder: A Vietnam War Story of Honor and Triumph, a magnificent work of military history centered on the Easter offensive and the American and Vietnamese Marines. The tome highlights many brave men, including: Col G.H. “Gerry” Turley, Col John Ripley (“Skipper”), and Maj Le Ba Binh, who fought in a war demonized and undermined by the Mainstream Media and The Left. Ride the Thunder tells the story of American Marines, Covan, and the TQLC, a story not well-known by so many Americans, and made the USMC Commandant's Reading List (required reading for Marines). The 603 page book offers a sweeping view of the conditions throughout Indo-China prior to the Vietnam war, including the war between the Viet Minh and French forces, the Geneva Agreements begun in May 1954, the apportionment of the north as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Communist), the south as the Republic of Vietnam (non-communist). When people such as Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland spoke of Vietnam and the war, they never mentioned the bloody Communist purges between 1953 and 1956. Botkin's book recounts the history through the eyes of the American and South Vietnamese Marines and their wives, personalizing a much misunderstood conflict. Richard writes on page 17: No accurate details exist for the number of people disposed of during this period, nor was there a record of those eliminated during their attempts to leave or intimidated from moving to the south. As there was little in the way of press coverage, news of massive purges were only gathered by word of mouth when it reached the south and given scant attention in Western media. Ride the Thunder is the result of 5 years of writing and 4 trips to Vietnam, and was made into a motion picture in March of 2015. You can follow the movie progress at RideTheThunderMovie.com. Rich wrote an article in October 2017 titled, Will Ken Burns' Twisted Version of Vietnam War Endure? The article begins: “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” Richard Nixon’s 1994 post-war observation remains as prescient as ever. With the release of the Ken Burns/Lynne Novick epic 10-part PBS documentary on the war last month, it is safe to say that the misreporting and misremembering have only been compounded and exacerbated. Sadly, the American taxpayers have funded the Burns/Novick series which only continues The Left's distorted narrative of the Vietnam War. Click the picture to go to the Amazon video page! Botkin writes in his article: If nothing else, the release of the Burns/Novick work has ignited a firestorm of passionate response from those men who honorably served. And it was their stories, including those of our South Vietnamese allies, that went largely untold in 18 long, tortuous hours. Ride the Thunder movie is NOW available on Amazon video: the HD digital movie is free to Amazon Prime members (or can be rented or purchased by those who are not Prime members). In addition, Ride the Thunder movie DVDs can be purchased at Amazon. Our hope is that perhaps a backlash will occur, that thousands will obtain copies of the Ride the Thunder movie, and that the light of truth will reveal the Burns series to be a terrible misrepresentation of the war and those who honorably served. ******************* In the second 1/2 hour I will be talking to Michael Farris. Michael P. Farris is President, CEO, and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom. In January 2017, he became only the second person to occupy that position in the organization’s 23-year history. He brings to the role a remarkably diverse background as an effective litigator, educator, public advocate, pastor, and communicator, and wide recognition for his successful work on both the national and international stage. Farris was founding president of both the Home School Legal Defense Association (1983) and Patrick Henry College (2000) and continues to serve as chairman of the board of HSLDA and chancellor emeritus of PHC. He graduated from Western Washington State College, magna cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, followed by a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University (with honors). At Gonzaga, he was articles editor of the Law Review and winner of the Linden Cup Moot Court Competition. He also earned an LL.M. in Public International Law (with honors) from the University of London. Farris has specialized in constitutional appellate litigation. In that capacity, he has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, eight federal circuit courts of appeals, and in the appellate courts of 13 states. He is also the author of numerous amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court. Farris also has substantial experience in international human rights advocacy. He served for nearly a decade on the board of Christian Solidarity International—a Swiss-based human rights organization. He served as International Vice President of CSI for a number of years and participated in missions to the former Soviet Union and Romania. He has also engaged in private diplomatic missions to China and the Czech Republic. Farris is nationally known as a pioneering leader of the modern homeschooling movement. His leadership of HSLDA has taken him to nearly every state and a growing number of other nations. As the founding president of Patrick Henry College, he helped launch a highly regarded Christian educational institution founded on a strong commitment to biblical truth and the classical liberal arts, the twin pillars of education for the founding generations of the United States. At PHC, Farris has taught constitutional law, public international law, and coached the Moot Court team to nine national championships between 2004 and 2016. Farris is the author of over 15 books, as well as law review and other scholarly articles, and countless pieces for the popular press. Michael and his wife, Vickie, have 10 children and 20 grandchildren. Listen in as Michael and I discuss the victory of the Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer SCOTUS ruling: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of ADF's client Trinity. Mike and I will talk about the repercussions of the ruling on, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and about President Trump’s proclamation recognizing Jan. 16 as Religious Freedom Day. Farris commented: Americans have always treasured their ability to freely live out their faith. The president’s proclamation of Religious Freedom Day today comes at a time when that freedom has perhaps never been more threatened, so we join him in encouraging all Americans to consider the importance of religious freedom—and to celebrate it. As the president’s proclamation says, ‘No American—whether a nun, nurse, baker, or business owner—should be forced to choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the law.’ That’s precisely why we recently argued on behalf of cake artist Jack Phillips before the U.S. Supreme Court. Americans should be able to peacefully live and work according to their beliefs without fear of punishment by the government. Follow Michael Farris on Twitter at @michaelfarris, and me at @tamij AND tweet your questions/comments during the show using hashtag #tjrs. *Sponsored by Rentacomputer, your premier source for Sound System rentals , by ROBAR® Guns, a True Custom firearms and firearms finishing shop located in Phoenix, AZ, and found online at RobarGuns.com, and by Dispatches, your site for the BEST conservative resources to fight and win the information war.