Let me qualify this post and question by saying this is something I have wanted to ask and write about for quite a while. I often ask this question to people I meet in general life discussion, and I am very interested to hear every response. Today is a great day to ask this…
Think back… So, you are living your life, doing what you and everyone familiar to you are doing in the ordinary and regular way of living your specific life.
Perhaps you paid some attention to the political comings and goings of things, perhaps not.
Perhaps like most comfortably invisible people you were just putting one foot in front of the other, and generally doing the day-to-day things that most would consider ordinary.
Then one day, for some unknown and likely not that consequential reason, something caught your attention. Something piqued your curiosity; perhaps you noticed something you wouldn’t ordinarily have noticed. Perhaps you heard something, or saw something, or were just in a situational space where something itched your brain as you looked at something, heard something or noticed something that just didn’t quite fit or sit right.
Perhaps that little something, or big something, caused you to look just a little bit closer at the story, event or moment with a little more curiosity than before. Perhaps you dug into that specific moment with a little more than a side-eye glance, and you noticed something. After looking at it a little closer, you realized that construct was not at all what it appeared to be on the surface.
From that moment forward, for the first time, you really started to question the ‘thing’ that was in front of you, and from that moment forward, you woke up to recognize that things around you, things you perhaps didn’t pay attention to before, were not what you thought they were. It was from this moment when you really started to pay attention and your political awakening began.
Question: When was that moment for you?
I am always amazed at the replies I get in real life to this question of when the individual awakening began.
For some it was at an early age, for others much later in life. For some it was recently, and for others it was a long time ago. However, for everyone there was that moment when it started, and it is completely unique to the individual.
So, on this day, Sunday February 19, 2023, a generally innocuous day in the grand scheme of things, I pose this question to everyone.
Yes, even all the CTH lurkers who read here and never join the conversation. The comment section is open for all replies with the general rules of on-line decorum still standing. Us old schoolers still use the early internet standards of on-line discussion, and CTH requests polite and civil conversation that enlightens, expands thinking and uplifts the audience.
I am genuinely curious and will be reading every reply because it’s really cool to see what that “moment” was for each person. I’m pretty sure the entire CTH community will also enjoy reading the unique replies to the question.
We all travel a different path. We all come from different, likely comfortably invisible, life experiences. And we all merge into this big melting pot of curious people who are looking deeply at the issues we face. Regardless of how each of us arrived here, the larger dynamic is that we likely share a common curiosity for the reality of our situation. It’s a safe bet to say that almost everyone reading this is in the top-tier of “high information” consumers.
My question is not what arrived you at The Conservative Treehouse, but rather what the moment was when you began looking around and realizing that things just didn’t seem to add up. That’s the origin of the journey. That’s the moment I am inquiring about.
Perhaps it’s a weird way of looking at CTH, but our fellowship is always what has been the most important aspect to this little corner of the internet. It’s not the content of the Treehouse, but the conversation on the porch that matters. You, the readers, friends, people who assemble here, are the important element. Not me and not the site admins.
That’s genuinely the way I have always looked at our fellowship, and that’s also the reason for every detail I put into keeping this little corner of the internet standing.
So, with that in mind, what was that moment in your life when you realized the social, political and/or media narrative, was not at all what it was presented to be?
Love to all,
~ Sundance
For many years the representatives in Congress pushing a bad policy would back down when the American People would flood them with calls. In some cases corruption would get flagged and they would resign. The People appeared to be in charge.
Then I saw a change. No resigning. No bending to the will of the People. Politicians driving their bad laws through in the face of great public outcry. The People were dismissed and rulers were in their place.
That was the turning point for me.
In the 90s when they started to push global warming. I looked into it and discovered Maurice Strongs fingerprints all over it, and knowing his background in Canadian politics, alarm bells went off.
Been warning everyone I know for 25 years that the goal was to control hydrocarbons to subjugate humanity.
Glenn Beck was warning about Maurice Strong years ago.
The day I heard someone named Barrack Hussein Obama was running for President. Not only had I never heard of him, but everything seemed off…different…not right. His name certainly did not sound ‘American’ to me, but that was not the only thing. As we learned more about him, and his past seemed murky, I started paying attention. It had nothing to do with his skin color, but ALL to do with his politics. Yes, I am white, but there are many black politicians I admire.
In my over 7 decades of life, I never imagined how that election would ‘fundamentally transform America’. Obama destroyed the police, instigated race relations, and destroyed the ability for democrats and republicans to live in harmony. Then he literally made propaganda legal to use against American citizens.
Trump’s presidency almost stopped the destruction which really worried ‘the powers that be’- and I don’t think they will allow him back. I don’t believe we have any chance of a true election going forward.
Trump was the one who finally threw opened the curtain. I would still be pretty clueless and may have kept following FOX and all the fake news, instead I started to search for as much info as I could on line, and stopped watching TV and dropped all social media a long time ago.
Now I see so much more evil all around us and around the globe. Was it always there…lurking in the shadows?
I believe so.
We all walk together through the valley of the shadow of death.
Jesus is my strength and I am not afraid because he is always with me.
*In the end…God wins!
Keep up the good fight and keep the information flowing Sundance.
I will be lurking 🙂
My beloved parents gave me the gift of the love to read.
My educational degree consists of an 11 month LPN degree, I have traveled and lived around the world, worked in nursing, education, commodities, and now real estate. You don’t have to have degrees or wealth to grow a bullshit alarm.
The BCCI scandal was my first intro into global criminality, as several international friends lost a lot of money. There were no books at the time for me to read, as I watched first hand their financial devastation from international fraud.
Roll to 9/11 – Mayor Giuliani told us on that very day to return shopping after the WTC buildings imploded, while GWB was lost in flight somewhere over the nation. Seriously? I had already ordered books by Bergen and Chomsky as they spoke on CNN. I should go shopping? Years later to read David Ray Griffin, Michael Ruppert, Thierry Meyssan, Mark Gaffney’s Black 9/11, have to give due to Philip Marshall, and prior to 9/11 Patricia Goldstone’s Interlock. And another 50-60+ books.
July 2002 – Sitting at the bedside of my dying mother, CNN was in the background 24×7 talking about going to war with Iraq over 9/11.
August 2002 – Sitting at the bedside of my dying mother, CNN had moved on to other news topics – no mention of going to war with Iraq at all. Years later I read the Downing Street Memo and learned of NYT article on 9/7/2002 as GWB was following a meticulously planned strategy to persuade the public to confront Saddam Hussein, and per the Downing Street Memo had decided to wait until after Labor Day to kick off their plan.
2003 – Riverbend – I read her blog everyday that year. Baghdad Burning – Girl Blog from Iraq. She surfaced years ago from some encampment and then disappeared again to my knowledge. Look for her blog or book, read it and weep. This is what our nation did to civilians under the pretense of being attacked by box cutters on 9/11.
2005 – Talon News. I watched the GWB news conferences about the Iraq war. Read interesting comments about softball questions to GWB from Jeff Gannon, who was later outed to be a military gay prostitute James Guckert. Comments galore – I picked out one that caught my attention – “maybe there was really a Franklin Scandal”. So I bought two books – one by Nick Bryant and one by John DeCamp. You can’t unsee. This is a rabbit hole that never stops…..Whitney Webb’s books One Nation Under Blackmail may help piecing together the history our nation forgot to tell us.
Fast forward to 2008. I read a lot of Calculated Risk blogs and there is a Compendium of Tanta’s Posts:
https://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2008/12/compendium-of-tantas-posts.html
This was the phase that I was eye level with my cat at her food bowl and said that we may be sharing the same food next month…..fortunately not yet!! Coming soon 2023 after destruction of 100+ food supply and chains, and planned demos on transportation and energy sites.
By this time I knew about Jeffrey Epstein before he killed himself. I knew of his island, pedophiles in governments and monarchy. Blackmail and read another 50-60+ books on CIA, intelligence, governments and war. JFK and the Unspeakable, New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Gary Webb, American Pain, Beth Macy’s Dopesick, Welcome to Terrorland by Daniel Hopsicker (oops – belongs in 9/11 but Hopsicker has lots on drug cartels online), Doug Valentine’s Operation Phoenix, and the book that I read and said OMG every 3 pages: Gold Warriors by Sterling and Peggy Seagrave. Also hat tip to Cathy O’Brien and Fiona Barnett.
2016 – Julian Assange – he released drip, drip emails of Podesta, DNC, Obama’s administration, and of Hillary Clinton. I wept on election day 2016 learning of Marina Abramovic and Spirit Cooking. She happens to be good friends with Bill Gates, oh my!
Fast forward to 2019/2020 – Ft. Detrick closed, unprecedented respiratory virus breakout in fall 2019 in US, blamed on e-cigarettes, Event 201, impeachments to rid DJT from economic success, Russia, Russia, Russia, Zero Hedge knocked off Twitter for 6 months on 1/30/2020 after a Chinese researcher states he knows who may have released the virus. Moving on to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s book The Real Anthony Fauci, Peter and Ginger Breggin’s book – Covid 19 and the Global Predators: We Are The Prey, Naomi Wolf’s book The Bodies of Others, and Anonymous – Turtles All The Way Down: Vaccine Science and Myth.
Yeah, I’m awake 22+ years now (63 yoa). It’s tough to be redpilled. One can’t unsee. I walk in circles of friends, family, and colleagues that are blue pilled and vaxxed to the max 5 x. I’m watching them die everyday and all are PhD’s, Masters, and some wealthy beyond belief. I offered twice to be fired, as I refused the Vaxx.
Treasure each day, seek a spiritual path, and live your life to the fullest. Speak the truth and thank you Sundance for all that you do. I was a life long democrat until 2016. Drank the koolaid in 2008, held my nose to vote in 2012, and couldn’t even fake it in 2016 – realizing that the democratic party was so criminal. Thanks to Trump we learned of the Uniparty and have been awakened of seeing so much corruption at every level of government/media/ and all of our institutions. I came to you during your Trayvon Martin postings. I’ve never left.
I follow parallel societies and states that are seeking to distance from the federal governments via bullion and other measures.
Thanks for your posting and encouraging me to contribute my moment of paying attention.
Big thank you for the list of books. I’m taking note and will search them out. Can relate to everything you outlined except the lifetime Democrat part. I was a lifetime Republican but that is nothing to brag about.
1991. Someone handed me a one dollar bill and challenged me to research and explain the symbols on the back and why is it that the one dollar bill is the only? Bill that hasn’t been updated/changed over time.
That started my awakening…
What a wonderful question u have asked Sundance…..😊
My awakening came in layers over the years. The first time was when I was in high school during the 1972 Nixon/McGovern election. I was not quite old enough to vote, but passionate about politics and issues, like my friends were. I supported my family members who were in Vietnam and sent them letters and homemade cookies. But I did not like the way the war was being handled, and I was a Kennedy Democrat who did not like or trust Nixon. So that year, I used to go to our local McGovern headquarters to help out.
One evening, I remember reading a press release there with a complete speech made by McGovern about his plan for getting out of the war. It sounded logical and reasonable. (And it ended up being pretty much what Nixon did in pulling out our troops shortly after he was re-elected.) The next day, I saw in the newspapers how they covered that speech — cherry-picking quotes out of context, and making his ideas sound crazy, radical, and completely different. I was shocked and angry, saying, “That’s not even what he said!!” And I saw more and more instances of it that year. It’s ironic that my first exposure to “fake news” and bias was with the mainstream media turning on a Democrat candidate. And that was my first exposure to not trusting the news.
Over time, as the Democrat and Republican parties morphed and the issues changed, I eventually identified more with the GOP. And as a Christian, their pro-life, pro-family, pro-God, and pro-Israel positions cemented my support. However, my second big awakening came through discovering the CTH.
Sundance’s explanation of the Uniparty really turned on a lightbulb for me. It made perfect sense of my growing frustrations with the Republican party — and wondering why, even when they were in the majority, they couldn’t seem to get done the things they campaigned on. I had been used to thinking of the battle lines as Dems vs. Republicans, or liberals vs. conservatives. But at least the Democrats were pretty honest in telling people all the wacky things they wanted to do. The Uniparty “conservatives” were worse, because they would stand up for all the things I was in favor of — and then they would either choke or vote differently once they got elected. It drove me nuts. I would wonder, Are they really that incompetent? Are they afraid of getting bad press for rocking the boat? Do they just need more encouragement from us to do the right thing?
The Treehouse has made me a lot less crazy by spelling it out as globalists vs. nationalists, or Uniparty vs. MAGA. That the social issues are often a front for maintaining the illusion of a two-party system, when the real game is in following the money. And that some of the same money is controlling people in both parties. And President Trump really opened my eyes by exposing the dark underside of the swamp — and showing how few supposed conservatives or Republicans in D.C. are really on the side of the American people. And exposing how corrupt and bought-off so many of our govt agencies and justice folks really are. With the media in cahoots. Sad to realize how much of our system is controlled by fraud, cheating, bribes, and blackmail. It’s like the great line, “I’d call the police, but they’re already here…”
Thank you, Sundance, for your tireless efforts in providing the best research and analysis, and a forum of branches where so many of us can seek refuge and refreshing. God bless you for all the eye-opening you do!
wow – you got an early wake-up call, linderella
took me 40 more years
So, I discovered Rush in the early nineties, saying everything I’d been thinking. It seemed like something to just be aware of; remain, like Rush, the happy warrior in the culture/political battles. Started wondering why the GOP didn’t make a difference like they said they would when we took the house in 2010, the senate in 2012. Signs of things to come.
But it got real in 2013, when they closed down Boston for two terrorists who bombed the marathon. Had we become the people who allow the government to shut down our lives for fear? Signs of things to come. Incremental usurpations of freedom. Not so incremental anymore.
Boston bombing was the first time I had seen the LEO’s in full battle dress, riding in their black battle mobiles, all provided by Zippy. Scared the bejeezuz out of me.
It wasn’t until Hillary’s email / mishandled classified documents scandal with the FBI making her crimes all go away, that I sat up and took notice. The double standard I was seeing angered me to the point that I realized I’d better start paying better attention to what’s happening in our government.
When I started hearing about the Steele dossier, I tried to learn as much about it as I could. My lucky day was when I discovered CTH.
I was born in 1953 and was a hippie in the 60’s. Our saying, along with “Never Trust Anyone Over 30,” was “Question Authority.” I opened my first bank account at the age of 8, deposited my snow shoveling money, and when I saw how much I was paid in interest, I thought this isn’t right and never trusted a bank since. I voted for Perot, and I voted for Trump twice. I got good and red-pilled once Q started posting. Oh yeah, and when AT&T helped overthrow the Chilean government in 1974.
Here we go .. fast-tracking a “legally binding” accord with the World Health Organization (WHO) that would give this Geneva-based UN subsidiary the authority to dictate America’s policies during a pandemic. New international health accord avoids necessary Senate approval
https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-admin-negotiates-deal-to-give-who-authority-over-us-pandemic-policies_5066631.html
So, he’s “negotiating” our freedoms? Screw him!!
Be waiting for the ‘passports.’
Back in high school I read a short book entitled A Nation of Sheep by William J. Lederer, which really opened my eyes. Since then, I have questioned everything, especially anything coming from the Fed Gov. At that time, I also read some John Birch literature and was a huge supporter of Barry Goldwater, although even though I turned 18 in 1964, one still had to be 21 to vote at that time. I knew in short order that the Warren Commission report on the JFK assassination was BS.
I had high hopes for Reagan but the assassination attempt (another ‘inside’ job) really seemed to take the wind out of his sails. I clearly recognized the 20 years of Bush-Clinton-Bush as essentially the same 2-decade-long administration. I realized when Ruby Ridge and the attack on the Branch Davidians at Waco happened, that the US Federal Government had no hesitation to murder innocent American citizens. I knew 9-11 was an inside job almost immediately.
Even though there are aspects of his personality I don’t particularly like, I will say without hesitation that Trump is the greatest President of my lifetime and one of the greatest Presidents this nation has ever had. I would never vote for someone based on his personality. I do believe that God is protecting him and that the Cabal’s days are numbered. I believe this nation will be restored to what it was intended to be at its founding, and I believe that God will make that happen. God uses imperfect people to do His work, and Trump is one of them.
This too is the tail of my journey. It was when HW Bush pulled us into regime change in the Middle East I resigned myself to no longer just question but seek truth in why the US was being done in.
For me it was during the first Obama campaign. I had an acquaintance who vigorously supported BHO, casting him as a “new type” of leader. I heard one of his supporters speak and was amazed that so many were tricked into supporting him. Meanwhile, it was clear that the economy, our country, many peoples’ circumstances, were worse despite all the smoke being blown about progress.
The horrors of Russiagate and non-stop media stories against him in 2017 accelerated my developing suspicions. Like many, my natural skepticism has blossomed into pronounced disgust (or worse) for our “ruling class” and many institutions.
OTOH, Thanks be to God there is revival occurring and God is in charge.
the “him” above is President Trump. God bless him.
I passively paid attention, always voted gop (they seemed to like America more and supported the military). When they crammed Obamacare through…I really woke up.
I’m tired now…to many broken promises by the gop and rinos…they’re a disappointment. Saving myself a lot of headaches now…to get my vote candidates, not only must be MAGA…they must also acknowledge the election was stolen and have a verifiable social media maga history.
Thinking on this and I come up with three moments and they all included a Bush. First was as a teenager watching Ronald Reagan’s contested 1980 Republican National Convention where George H W Bush was forced in as VP candidate. Next, was a you’ve got to be kidding me—this is our how we do politics momentum, GHW Bush’s reelection campaign and that mess with Ross Perot’s daughter’s wedding being threatened by the Bush campaign. Then in 2000 when I was seriously considering John McCain (I know, I know) who had just won the New Hampshire primary, and with South Carolina next W’s team pulled out the, “Hey, did you know John McCain has a black daughter?” line through; push polls, flyers, local media and such. Back then I was surprised and disgusted but now it seems oh so tame.
November 2008 when Obama got elected. His political career history and incompetence made him basically ineligible. But there he was. It just all went sideways then.
I got physically ill when Obama won. I had this dread in my stomach — and it wasn’t wrong. That’s where “trust your gut” comes from, methinks!
It was a few days after the 2020 election while watching a TV news story about issues with the Dominion voting machines in a number of US locations. I looked at the screen and said,”Holy cow, I voted on that machine!”
At that moment my mission for my now retirement came into focus. Some colleagues and I launched Tennessee Voters for Election Integrity and we’ve been upending the election status quo here in Williamson County Tennessee ever since.
God has opened a lot of doors for us because He gets the glory for all we’ve accomplished.
We began to think things weren’t quite what they should be when Clinton was president and too many scandals kept popping up, but it really wasn’t until Obama ran for office with his promise to fundamentally change America that we began to question and observe. At that point, we began to look for accurate and truthful information about what was happening in our government. We discovered CTH and you, Sundance. Thank you for this website and your efforts and diligent work.
When the crooked democrats pushed
Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActObamacare through, voting at night on Christmas Eve 2009 to avoid the terrible bill falling into the hands of a new Congress … and getting away with it … that was a shocker … that was the moment … a realization that America had, perhaps forever, changed for the worse.(It was the 1st time since 1895 that Congress convened to vote on Christmas Eve..)
When the crooked democrats pushed
Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActObamacare through …——–
… better known as DeathCare.
Assassination of President Kennedy, then Viet Nam war, assassination of RFK and MLK, Jr., all obviously not what they seemed or were said to have been.
Trump’s election 2016. I didn’t like his tone. I remember him saying ‘fake news’ a lot. I just didn’t like him. But the incessant drone of all the news stations saying he didn’t have a chance of winning stands out in my memory. Over and over they said it. All of them. I didn’t believe he would win. And then he won. It’s as if their rigging the election wasn’t enough rigging. He overcame the fix and boy they didn’t like it one bit. That’s when I started paying attention. They were trying to get rid of him for ridiculous nonsense. By now I’m awake and paying attention. Then the Brett Kavanaugh nonsense with Christine Blasy (sp) Ford. Then the 2020 election. This time I voted for Trump. I liked his policies. Everywhere I went I saw Trump signs. The rallies! Everywhere! Then the midnight bullshit. You wake up to find he lost after he was winning the night before by a large margin. I knew nothing was right. Now the whole world is upside down. Right is wrong, good is evil, self sufficiency is bad, dependence on government is good. My husband woke up long before me listening to Rush. He would come home from work after listening to Rush on his way home, all worked up and frustrated with government. I asked him why he listened to it if it made him feel so angry. Now he’s numb or doesn’t talk politics anymore and I am the one all worked up. I can’t stop paying attention. I pray a lot for our nation and my precious grandchildren. I hope and have faith in God and his divine mercy.
Watergate.
I’ve been reading the comments in this post all day. I have been so absorbed, I finally started supper dishes at 10:30 p.m. While scrubbing pots and pans, all I could think of was Bluto’s big speech in “Animal House.” We are awake and aware. Now what? To quote Bluto, “Nothing is over until we decide it’s over!” Go fill your pockets with sand and let’s go!
The year was 2000 and was my first data point. I was 40 years old. It was the year of the dot com crash. The SEC was suppose to regulate and oversee that companies were legit and actually had revenue. But instead it was a free for all pump up and away garbage dot com stocks….then came the dump. My family did not have dot com stocks, but we had stocks. The whole stock market was brought down and that was my hmmm moment.
Of course, the next year was 2001, the year of 911.
Then it was a matter of connecting a procession of dots. Booms and busts, wars that did not make sense, the election of a Marxist as president, the operations against PDJT.
And the Year 2020 was when the real evil came in to view….covid, lockdowns, mandates, riots, coups.
The year 2021 brought the vax, passport ID push, coercion and wave after wave of fundamental transformation.
MSM sure made it clear what was in the works and became more shrill about it year after year.
I voted for Reagan after waiting in line to buy gas. I was young and saw some things. I remember Bush Sr. At the debate in Richmond looking at his watch. He seemed to be phoning it in. Then around that same time a guy at work recommended Rush.
The pivotal event was J6. I was there and few months later I told person that is a lobbyist and then the conversation got real weird. She talked about how the capital was a sacred place. Then I asked her about the shooting of Ashli Babbitt? She said she should not have been there. It was all about the money.
I think the final straw was Tucker’s segment on JFK I never thought about it, it was so long ago. But that was the final thing that opened my eyes completely.
Thank you- Sundance, may God bless you and your family.
For me it was the 2008 Democrat primary. At the time I was supporting Hillary. I could not believe how the Dems and the media totally rigged the primary for Obama. It was so obvious. I couldn’t believe more people weren’t shocked by it. I started watching Fox because they were tho only ones giving Hillary a fair shot and that’s when I noticed they were covering news that the MSM were totally leaving out, and there was the time that they busted NBC for editing a Bush quote (leaving out part of the middle of a sentence) to make it sound like the total opposite of what he really said.
My moment came when I could not vote for Obama. A democrat my entire life until that election.Something just didn’t seem right. Hope and Change sounded good. At almost the same time another amazing thing happened. While driving one day, I heard Rush on the radio. My first thought was to change the station, but I left it on and listened to him, even though I thought he was a jerk. His message and the way he spoke intrigued me enough to not change the dial. I returned home to tell my husband about him. He made sense. Still blows me away. Wish I “found him” earlier. I’m a patriotic conservative now.
Rush would have loved to hear your story. He knew he could reach good people if they would only listen for a few minutes. Thank you for your company here.
Never underestimate the power of Rush Limbaugh. I miss his daily message and upbeat approach. However, many more have emerged to carry the torch.
I’m 34 years old. I’ve had several awakenings over my life but the most recent, permanent and completely profound awakening happened in 2015.
My first awakening happened in high school when I was 15 after Bush the 2nd declared war on Iraq. I wasn’t super involved with politics at that point being a kid but I remember that event having a significant effect on me. It didn’t feel right and that’s when I discovered that governments lie to you and have their own agendas.
I tapered off of politics after Obama became Presidency. I suppose I was more interested in girls and enjoying my college career at the time. However, I did have a second kind of “mini” awakening when I saw Obama light up the White House in rainbow colors. I remember seeing that and thinking “what the hell is that all about? The President of the United States is doing this?” I discovered liberalism at that point and my first gut instinct in response was a feeling of disgust.
My third and final awakening came shortly after Trump announced he was running for President. I didn’t particularly care about Trump (or even like him really) prior to that. I always thought he was kind of a sleazy businessman type. However, I listened to one of his speeches (mainly looking for entertainment) and something just clicked. He actually made a ton of sense. The overall feeling I felt after listening to him was “You have all been lied to for decades and I’m here to change that.” After listening to that speech, I started reading online about things Trump was talking about. I learned about globalism. The uniparty. How truly corrupt and criminal our politicians and institutions are. Everything in modern American life was a facade. A smokescreen. There’s no unlearning that now. I’m permanent changed by it.
Needless to say, this has been a life changing experience for me. In many ways, I’m glad it happened. In other ways, ignorance is bliss. At times, it can be downright brutal knowing the truth and watching the state of our country unfold the way it currently is. However, I’d rather be awake to resist than live with my eyes closed and be a sheep.
My turning point was also what brought me to Treehouse so I can’t really divorce the two
The George Zimmerman trial, April 2012
Before that, I stayed reasonably well-informed, print subscription to Newsweek, I remember reading the issue covering the bombing of our US Marines’ barracks in Beirut (1982)
But the Zimmerman trial is what alerted me that the mainstream media just flat-out lie to us in support of an agenda … Democrat agenda, a racist black-supremacist agenda (or anti-White agenda, if you prefer), etc
I had just retired and had time during the day to watch live TV coverage of the trial … on CNN, natch
CNN had their commentator panel of talking heads seeded with Trayvon’s family and lawyers, and they were going on and on about “he tracked that poor Trayvon down and shot him like a dog yada yada”
But then I also saw trial testimony from the guy with a ground-floor apartment with sliding glass doors and he described “the guy in the hoodie” straddling the chubbier guy and raining blows down on him “martial arts style”
And I knew right then that CNN wasn’t giving an honest and impartial story, that they weren’t an honest broker
And from the witness account, I thought to myself “Gee, this sounds like an open-and-shut self-defense case”
Which is exactly how the jury ruled
So I learned that it’s not enough to be simply well-informed, one must also choose their information sources carefully
And during the trial, I saw a comment on a news bulletin board with a pointer to the Treehouse
Followed it and found the major inside-baseball coverage that Sundance and his crowd-sourcing audience were portraying – the “DeeDee” “girlfriend” subterfuge, the outright lie of the portrayal of the 12-year-old cherub in the Hollister shirt, etc
So 2012 and I guess I have George Zimmerman to thank
(and Sundance and Treepers too, of course)
Remember live-watching Bernie reading the Treehouse on his laptop. You could see the old site page with the bricks up both sides. 😀
What did you guys used to say?
“Hi Bernie!”
who else?
Hello Donaldus Maximus!
😉
That’s right! 😀
Good story… My pastor made an observation once that much of the division in this country comes from people getting their info from different sources, and the sources one group trusts are conflicting with the sources the other group trusts. Years ago, I used to believe that the “brand name” news sources could automatically be trusted — that it was a legal thing that they had to report the truth if was straight news, and not commentary. Finding out otherwise over the years has given me a permanently arched eyebrow… 🙂
Years ago, I used to believe that the “brand name” news sources could automatically be trusted — that it was a legal thing that they had to report the truth if was straight news, and not commentary. Finding out otherwise over the years has given me a permanently arched eyebrow…
Yep – I was in that same boat before my awakening
My brother had a more ‘conservative’ outlook and raised my very smart niece right
She was trying to tip me off at lunch one time about the hopelessly Leftist media, but sage older uncle me tried to counsel her:
“No – they’re moderate, that’s why they’re called “mainstream” media, after all”
It was only 6 months later that I had my illumination
Ha!
Not so smart after all, older Uncle
For me it was 911. I never believed the official story. It made me skeptical about the people who run this government.
When I learned what really happened on 9/11, in particular from Judy Wood’s work. Sundance, you often talk of how people like to pretend, well, I can think of no better pretending then what we all (me included, for a time) engaged in just after 9/11.
The implications of understanding 9/11 could have only been carried out by well-funded, siloed military and intelligence operators using directed energy weapons and other experimental technology, were enormous and rather horrifying. These people were more than willing to literally turn 200 floors and thousands of people to dust in less than 20 seconds.
Anyway, it was after this, I was Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Rand Paul and then Trump. Largely because I now see neocons as parasites upon America who just use us as fodder for Israel. But with Trump’s Presidency, everything has shifted away from the Neocon stuff to a general establishment uniparty.
In closing, here’s an interview Trump gave on 9/11 where he tries to make rational sense of what happened with the Towers given their design. While ultimately, there were no bombs, his underlying reconciling is accurate.
Then finally, Judy Woods presentation on 9/11, which will make you look at that entire day in an entirely new way.
That was a fascinating and disturbing presentation. I have never heard anything like it. Breakthrough energy directed to turn massive amounts of twin towers people and matter into dust (dustification)as they fall down. Dust doesn’t make a surface wave. Where was all of the rubble from the twin towers falling down? They were turned to dust.
Yeah, disturbing is the right word. But it’s interesting what happens when one just simply gathers information and presents it.
Thank you for posting the videos. I hadn’t seen either one of them. PDJT questions how the planes could get through the outer walls of steel. I will be watching Ms. Woods’ video for the answer.
Somewhere in the early 2000’s. The country did not feel right to me via the media, pop culture, etc. Around the same time I came across Phyllis Schafly and her newsletter. What she had to say rang true to me and I never looked back..
For Politics in general: when the 2nd plane hit on 9/11. At first, I thought it had to have been an accident, the 1st plane I mean. the 2nd one, at that point I knew, the world had changed forever.
For my current outlook: 3 things, 4chan predicted #NextFakeTrumpVictim, and the Democrats rolled them out as expected, did the same playbook against Roy Moore and Brett Kavanaugh.
The 2nd was this site, talking about how the polls flipped in 2016, and how it doesn’t happen, but it did, and I knew they were BS.
3rd when John McCain killed #RepealObamacare, and the Republican House and Senate wouldn’t give money for the Wall.
1968 I realized that politics was camoflauge for te wealthy to screw everyone else.
Why is it whenever I attempt to comment I end up awaiting approval?
Because the last time you commented you used the username “GA”. Now that you’ve changed it, our software sees you as a new commenter….hence the initial moderation.
In 1964 I had a crush on my outspokenly conservative 9th grade history teacher. He recommended I read National Review when I began questioning him. The crush is long over, but I am still on that less-traveled road.
Working for the court system in my mid 20’s I hated seeing the politics. After 14 years I left and never paid attention, until March 18th 2019. The day I was told my place of employment was being shut down due to C-19. It was a nice little vacation at first, I’m a homebody, but then the money started to run out. Was difficult getting assistance. But what really made me question everything is when our government starting selecting winners for a lottery if you got the jab. That’s when I started researching trying to find answers. My gut just told me something wasn’t right and there was a lot not being said. And how right I was, and what wasn’t being said is scary, and no one wants to hear it, but if they don’t we won’t be able to turn back. I want a good life for my kids and my grandkids. I’m scared it’s too late.
I hate lies and I don’t trust their owners. For me 2009 was the year my eyes and ears tuned into the ‘marketed’ Climate Change bilge spilling into our daily lives.
Some examples: The trashing of “carbon dioxide” as a pollutant. The use of the word “carbon” instead of “carbon dioxide”. 97% of scientists believe in climate change – proven lie. “Peer review” becomes “pal or self review”. CLIMATEGATE evidence – hacker broke into the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit’s computers and found manipulation of evidence; private doubts about whether the world really is heating up; suppression of evidence; fantasies of violence against prominent Climate Skeptic scientists; etc etc.
Australian politics (my husband and I are EX-Liberal Party members/branch office holders). Liberal Party calls itself a “broad church” hence invaded by pumped up lefties. In 2015, the “bedwetters” as we call them knifed our EXCELLENT Prime Minister Tony Abbott in his first term and inserted Malcolm Turnbull a lefty and a disastrous PM.
Labor Party is now ruining the country – PM Albo probably rings up Biden-obama every morning to get advice on how to run a country into the ground in preparation for the WEF (World Economic Frankensteins) to take over.
What is happening to the world now is mind blowing. We are living through a revolution not of country or countries but of the whole world. Thank heavens we and the sane parts of the world, have President Trump.
At 13, I became somewhat aware when JFK was assassinated and saw the total meltdown of a nation because of it. I then withdrew from the political scene due to immaturity. As I became older and grew up in the Viet Nam era, I followed the news sort of, but wasn’t concerned about going to Nam until I went to college and received a 1A classification and draft notice.
I said the hell with that and joined the Air Force. As luck would have it my first duty assignment out of tech school was to Viet Nam working “Forward Air Control” aircraft. I came back totally disillusioned and wanted nothing to do with politics after seeing friends and thousands die a useless death. Why? Because the “powers that be” had a another plan! To allow the Communists to takeover Nam and to hell with the 55 thousand who had lost their lives. I was one of the lucky ones. But the shock of having fellow Americans spit in my face put me over the top! I was even done with voting, but bitched endlessly about politicians and their stupid decisions.
The nation was divided yet I continued to serve my country for another 4 years. After I was honorably discharged, I tuned out until I married a real warrior for the truth and America.
She told me point blank to shit or get off the pot as she was weary of my complaining. I began to pay attention although my military background kept me somewhat blinded to reality only for a while because things didn’t add up on many levels.
911 which I saw immediately as a BS story based on my knowledge of aircraft and aircraft structure
Pan Am flight 800 was clearly shot down by a missle strike, as the fuel pump narrative was pure BS
the demolition of the WTC and Building 7 in plain sight
Oklahoma City – the blast was a directed blast which would have been impossible with just a fertilizer bomb – the blast radius would have been 360 degrees, not to one side
the Iraq war based on a lie the clown in office had the audacity to make fun of while people died – Americans died
The so-called “Patriot Act” which destroyed our rights and freedoms
Obummer and his tranny bride – Rush Limbaugh sagely said if he was elected he would set race relations in America back 75 years – and he did!\
Stolen elections
corrupt politicians – better labeled as the swamp
Marxist indoctrination in our schools
hacked voting machines
LBGTQ+ BS
transgenderism
deviate sex ed for our children at all ages
drag queen shows for pre-schoolers
sex trtafficking
human smuggling
transhumanism
MK Ultra
the disgrace of the Afghanistan retreat under Biden
Use of experimental vaccines in clear violation of the Nuremburg Code (Article 1)
Big Pharma and Corporate hospitals using Remesdivir although previously banned by the FDA because of the known death rate it had in Africa (where it was tried out under Fauci)
weaponization of the FBI, DOJ and NSA against Americans
a blatantly stolen election in AZ not once but twice – the second time in broad daylight and openly done
A completely corrupt judicial system on almost every level from city to state to federal
and the desperation of the left to silence and stop the one man who actually had America First
open bordersi
llegal aliens
drug lords who run states
fentanyl
smuggling
known gangs allowed to enter the country
geo-engineering
Agenda 21/2030 Green New Deal and now renamed to Health One
I could go on and on, but I believe you get the picture. I am fully awake and fighting back – the country i Love is worth it! The oath I took when I entered in to the military still means everything to me now as it did then – even if those arm chair politicians did everything they could to kill off the nations best and turn mititary men against the country. True American Patriots will ALWAYS fight for truth and Justice and the country we love. ARlington is filled with those who did and the nation is filled with those who still will.
Duplicitous UK politicians, saying one thing at election time and doing the diametrically opposite, when elected, had bugged me for a number of years. I couldn’t fathom how bare faced they could be and still have no shame.
I was in the US on vacation in mid 2015, which allowed me lots of free time to research US politics (I was not US politically savvy, at that time). Breitbart was the site I followed mostly, Drudge (a little).
Candidate Trump was making the upcoming election for President fun and engaging. I wanted to learn more. CTH was regularly referenced on those sites and I would wander over to get more of a political fix.
After all my reading and watching, it didn’t take a genius to work out who the best man in the race was. Although all my family and friends (not so well read), couldn’t believe my prediction that Donald Trump would become President. They took on the regular media garbage and replied with the same media lines about him.
In summary, I have been a long time sceptic of politics (at least since mid 1990), who was desperate to find a reliable, well reasoned commentator, who is accurate and humble. I found what I needed at the CTH with Sundance and friends.
God bless the righteous in their fight to find truth and clarity. God bless the weary that they find strength. God bless DJT (and his supporters) as he leads the fight back and God bless the CTH, Sundance and all staff and Treepers. May we all rest in the Vine.
To the immediate question, this wonderful Treehouse made it all clear. It began gradually, but the events of 2015/16 — Hillary’s emails and RussiaRussiaRussia — were the turning point. Since then, with your outstanding analysis and commentary, it’s all been brutally obvious.
Two earlier events in my life had fed my natural skepticism and “primed the pump”. First, was reading Colin Wilson’s The Mind Parasites, in 1969. I had been immersed in 60s Berkeley and experienced the rampant social pressures. Second, in pursuit of some contracts with the City & County of San Francisco in the 80s, the Boy Scout in me got slapped hard. The phenomenon of sophisticated bribery was astounding. I wondered, “What must it be like in DC?”
Even in high school (1971-1975) I was interested in government/politics from the city/county level up to national and international. At 18 it became time to register to vote. I registered as a Republican mainly because my parents both were (in Oregon back then – Republicans controlled the state and were actually regarded as moderate and environmentalists like Gov. McCall and Sen. Hatfield). Then Nixon/Agnew won the election. Then Agnew was indicted and resigned. Then Ford was “appointed” VP. Then Nixon resigned in disgrace. Then Ford became an unelected, hand picked, appointed POTUS! So much for faith in the system. It went steeply downhill from there. Still recall the George Carlin monologue about our nation’s leaders being members of “a big club” and one that I would never be allowed a membership in. (Cleaned up a lot but a concept familiar to CTH devotees for sure!) For DECADES I prayed that it was not so but always feared the worst only to have Clinton, Bush and Obama confirmed my worst fears. Truly – ANYBODY – could be “installed” as POTUS – provided that “the club” selected them and made it happen. I admit to having SOME faith restored when Trump managed to defeat the most heavily favored candidate in my lifetime (Clinton II) only to have the power of “the club” totally exposed for the world to see with the never ending lawfare attacks and political crimes “the club” used to bring Trump down and then replace him with the most corrupt AND inept POTUS in history. With well over half the country apparently willing to believe that Biden received MORE ACTUAL VOTES than any POTUS in history without ever seriously campaigning to win the office – what else is there to say. We’re cooked.
“Clinton, Bush and Obama”; the three stooges. And, Biden is Shemp.
I realized I was being duped in late 2007 after reading the Last Waltz of the Tyrants and watching Zeitgeist and Thrive. I then watched the 2008 presidential debates and realized Ron Paul was the only truly honest guy in the room. Up until then I was a young immigrant woman brainwashed to believe that democrats were the kind party and that republicans were racist. After 2008 I never looked back and it wasn’t until 2015 when I heard Trump make the Rosie O Donnel comment that I realized that a very special entity had just entered the stage . I’ve been reading CTH since 2008.
It was Fall 2008. I read the book Obama Nation by Jerome Corsi. I started listening to Glenn Beck on my way to work each morning and attended my first Tea Party rally on tax day April 15, 2009. I became informed and involved and one of my greatest thrills was attending President Trump’s inauguration January 20, 2017. Can’t wait for the next one. FJB
The Tea {arty Movement
Could not understand why republican party did not embrace.
The Republican Party crushed the Tea Party movement because we were a threat to them! Just like the America First movement is a threat to them today so they must be eliminated.
Had always been since college but the Tea Party was when I really realized Government wasn’t on my side
When I was discharged from the service in he early 70’s, my uncle who worked for the State Department gave me a book to read. It was titled ” A Nation Of Sheep ” by William Lederer. That was the start of my journey. Thank you CTH for all you do. God Bless
Just came across Nation of Sheep yesterday, organizing the bookcases. Placed it next to None Dare Call it Treason, along with None Dare Call it Conspiracy.
Perhaps it was during the fanatic press to remove Nixon, who was a very popular President right up to Watergate. It wasn’t as clear then as it is now that the Intelligence Agencies were behind his removal, but it certainly smelled wrong.
A teenager then, having read the papers and watched the inane TV hearings, kept asking adults, ‘what did Nixon actually do, what are his crimes?’ They didn’t know, because he did nothing wrong.
This was another leftist takedown of a standing president.
I was 18 when Kennedy was assassinated. By the time I was 21 I had read enough to suspect that something just wasn’t right. Add the live on TV murder of Oswald and what seemed like a “just too convenient” known to police addition of Jack Ruby doing the dirty deed, sealing the Warren Commission for 50 years sealed it; that the government was covering up something and it wasn’t for national security. It was downhill from there. Ruby Ridge and Waco educated me on the ways that the Government and the Press used words to establish a narrative, i.e. Randy Weaver’s having a “bunker” eliciting images of a military style compound set up for battle with the Feds when in fact it was just a rural farmhouse. FBI agents killing innocent women and children in both events seemed like outliers at the time but were the first hints of a corrupt federal agency.
Additionally, being raised in a fundamentalist religion, I have always been attuned to signal events that were deemed prophetic. Red Flag moments: China’s most favored status, the signing of NAFTA that was known at the time would hollow out the middle class, rise of the Internet, The patriot Act, and many little events over time that raised my intuitive sense that America was on a bad track. I remember talking to an acquaintance before the 2008 financial crisis about all the things that were wrong with the way government officials and policy, and that no one person or thing could correct it. My comment was that we were doomed. The global response to Covid 19 and the global intensity to normalize perverse behavior and mental illness brought to mind Thessalonians 2:11: And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie. I’ve never had any illusion that Government was “good”, but admit that the speed with which we have arrived at this moment and the depth of the corruption and evil of the deep state has surprised me. I made the mistake of thinking that the pace of bureaucracy moved so slowly that I would die before things got this bad. I have to keep reminding myself that God has put us in place for this time and for a purpose. We live in interesting times.
Amen my friend. We live in truly alarming times. I wholeheartedly fear for my grandchildren in this world.
Similar to PolySi, the JFK assassination, subsequent Oswald assassination, and the blatant Warren commission cover up was my trigger, and my whole family believed the CIA was likely responsible because JFK had called them out. But I was only 11 years old at the time, and didn’t pay much attention to things until the Nixon Watergate event. I began to understand the CIA and FBI were corrupt, and started paying more attention; but I still was not ‘involved’ until Reagan’s administration. From there it ramped up through Bush#1, et cetera. Then came the 9-11 Twin Towers event quickly followed by the Patriot Act; that’s when I started digging deeper for more information/evidence. I’ve been growing/maturing ever since.
BTW, did you know Beijing Biden tried to pass the “Patriot Act” in the 90’s, but the freedom loving Americans weren’t yet scared enough. The legislation has been ready for approval for at least a half decade before the opportunity succeeded.
Regarding the Kennedy assassination, you might enjoy Don DeLillo’s novel “Libra.,” that conservative commentator George Will called:
“an act of literary vandalism and bad citizenship.”(!?) Washington Post, Sept. 22, 1988 [Source: perival(dot)com].
The last straw for me was when Obama announced he was going to “fundamentally transform America” and the audience cheered! I was horrified that this evil man publicly admitted he was going to destroy my beloved country and millions of people were thrilled with that! I became very involved in the Tea Party movement because I felt compelled to do something to save my country from this evil man and his masters.
When President Kennedy was shot I was in the 2nd grade -they sent everyone home from school and I found my Mom crying in front of the TV – my father came home from work early too, and he said, “The CIA killed him.” My mom was shocked and she protested, but my father (who had been in the CIC during the Korean War), said, ” It’ s true, those bastards murdered him!” My father was crushed, because he’d met President Kennedy and really loved him. We were all Democrats, but in College, I was given the book “None Dare call it Conspiracy” and “Trilaterals over Washington”…I didn’t really grasp that our entire government was suspect, but I kept an eye out ever since. Strangely, when Hillary was running against the Republicans-btw, I never really trusted her – but one day while online, I was working on some stuff for a Priest and all of the sudden, my screen changed up to a document of one of the Doctors detailed reports on what happened to Seth Rich and that was such an intriguing story. While researching it, I was eventually directed to the “Q” site, and when I say directed to, I mean just exactly that…I didn’t even have to touch my keyboard! I know everyone says Q was propaganda, and the keyboard incident was always a disturbing thought about surveillance, but that website is what made me vote for President Trump, because I wasn’t watching anyone of those Politicians on either the Dems side or the Republicans side. I was/am registered as an independent, and I think, we need more than a two party system, but I also think most of what our country is going thru, is out of our hands – except for intense prayer and a convicted faith that Trusts God will do what is best for us. He is kind and loves us, so we’re going to get a belt whipping, but it will be for our good!
It was immediately after the election of Donald Trump. I noticed the visceral hatred coming out of the media which was way worse than normal. Then I heard Chuck Scumer proclaim in an interview that the IC was very upset with Trump. That they had ” Six ways to Sunday to get back at him”. I was shocked by that statement. Think about it. The President has to fear the very agencies he is supposed to control ? My suspicion and fears became much worse when we discovered the FBI was spying on Trump during the campaign, his transition and his Presidency. EVERYTHING has gotten worse from there. The corruption lies and gaslighting are off the charts now and in your face. I don’t know when we lost the Republic, but for me I became aware we were in dire straights with Trump’s election. In a way, no matter if you love him or hate him, he was the Great Revealer.