Karen Hunt (PART 1) on On the Fringe with Trish Wood - 24 September 2023

I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday morning than 2 hours in conversation with the incomparable Trish Wood. This is the first half of our conversation.

I will always remember that Trish was the first person to interview me on the radio—and how nervous I was! For this reason, I appreciate Twitter because it’s thanks in large part to the many wonderful connections I made on the platform—like Trish— that my readership has grown so much on Substack. Ironically, now that “X” is the bastion of free speech, it feels more oppressive than ever. At least before Elon Musk took over, we knew who our enemies were. Now, it’s murkier and the truth is harder to find.

Recall the thousands who were persecuted, as well as big names like Solzhenitsyn

This is one of the many topics Trish and I discuss, the concept of “Soft Totalitarianism” and how seductive it can be, compared to the harsh totalitarianism of the communist era. “Live not by Lies” is a major theme throughout our discussion. Solzhenitsyn’s words were used by Rod Dreher as the title of his book “Live not by Lies”, that I highly recommend. Yes, the book says it is for Christians, but it’s for everyone who holds the same basic values. Dreher talked about how the way those who were persecuted under communism survived was by building strong communities of like-minded people within your own neighborhood. Those who could be trusted to care for one another. We can see how an effort in the West has been made to destroy the family unit and to isolate people from one another. So, we must come together to fight against that. An inspiring example we see today is how Christian and Muslim parents are joining forces against woke ideology in the school system.

Trish Wood:

Award-winning investigative journalist and interviewer Trish Wood has been blowing up conventional wisdom for decades. A television and radio trailblazer, she’s renowned for chasing organized crime bosses through Tokyo, exposing crooked religious cranks, dodging drunken teens with guns at checkpoints in war-torn Burundi, and setting free innocent men. Trish’s intrepid reporting landed exclusive guests and won her fans, accolades and occasionally, critics.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!