STARRS Podcast

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Gen. Mike Flynn: Why Voting Turnout is National Security Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

23% turnout in a key primary. That’s not a footnote, it’s a flashing warning light and at the STARRS “America at a Crossroads” event in Arizona, retired Army Lt. General Michael Flynn uses it to make a bigger point: if we keep waiting on Washington, DC to fix what’s broken, we’re going to keep getting the same results. He talks about patriotism as a culture, not a slogan, and why the American people, not the federal government, end up carrying the real burden in moments of national stress.
From there he zooms out to the long game: cultural capture, propaganda, and the idea that today’s fights didn’t start with the last election. Flynn connects dots between “the march through the institutions,” information warfare, and China’s strategic thinking, including the concept of unrestricted warfare where economics, media, and social pressure matter as much as conventional force. The practical takeaway isn’t to panic, it’s to build judgment and discernment so we can spot manipulation, demand facts, and stop drifting into apathy.
Then he gets specific about what to do next. Local politics is where leverage lives: school boards, city councils, county decisions, and sheriffs as real checkpoints inside a constitutional republic. If you care about public education, parental rights, taxes, cost of living, or community safety, he lays out a simple framework: control what you can control, get off the couch, and show up consistently where decisions are made.

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Two Veterans Warn: American Principles Under Assault By Radical Ideologies Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

In this presentation at STARRS “America at a Crossroads” event in Arizona, STARRS leaders retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle and retired Air Force Colonel Ron Scott, PhD, make the case that America is at a cultural and constitutional crossroads.

Arbuckle, a Vietnam veteran and former Army commander, opens by tracing the "American Creed" back to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — arguing that the nation's founding promise of a government "of, by, and for the people" is under threat from two fronts: an external one from China's "unrestricted warfare" strategy, and an internal one from the spread of Marxist ideology through American institutions.

Scott, a 31-year Air Force veteran and strategic analyst, shares his personal journey into researching critical race theory and DEI policy after a controversial 2020 Air Force Academy video, walking through the ideological roots of DEI from Marx and the Frankfurt School through its formal adoption in U.S. military policy — and the effects he argues it has had on military readiness and cohesion.

The two then turn to the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America, historical warnings from figures like Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan, and the human cost of socialism and communism throughout the 20th century, before closing with a call to civic action ahead of the upcoming midterm elections — covering education, local politics, law enforcement, and media engagement.

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Kim Miller: Patriotism Should Not Be Partisan Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

America IS at a crossroads, and at the STARRS event in Arizona, “America’s Women” President Kim Miller doesn’t talk about it like a pundit. She talks about it like a mom, a citizen, and the founder of a fast-growing grassroots organization. From the start, she traces how a simple text chain among eight women turned into America’s Women, now tens of thousands strong, organizing around children’s innocence, real education, women’s sports, parents’ rights, and practical civic engagement where it counts most: schools, communities, and state legislatures.
Kim makes the case that loving your country shouldn’t be a partisan statement. She shares why this fight is personal through her daughter’s path from the United States Naval Academy to training as a naval flight officer in Norfolk, Virginia, and what it feels like to watch young service members step forward for a nation they believe in. That story opens a bigger conversation about trust, human dignity, and why a strong military must stay nonpolitical while families and communities rebuild shared confidence from the ground up.
She also discusses the cultural forces she believes have shaped decades of anxiety, division, and confusion, especially among women, and why she prefers a steadier model of leadership rooted in strength and dignity. The most actionable part is her simple blueprint: get informed, get engaged locally, and vote. She closes with U Plus Two, a turnout strategy built on relationships that turns one vote into three and individual concern into a movement.

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Amy Shepard: Strengthening American Institutions by “Stocking the Pond” Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

A college junior had never heard of the Berlin Wall and that one detail tells a much bigger story about civic education in America. At the “America at a Crossroads” event in Arizona, Amy Shepard from Arizona State University’s Center for American Institutions talks about what happens when students get ideology instead of an education, and what it looks like to fight back with something more durable than outrage: real history, critical thinking, debate, and civil discourse.
Amy walks us through Don Critchlow’s long-range vision for strengthening American institutions by “stocking the pond” with trained students and teaching fellows. She gets specific about the Political History and Leadership program, how the Center identifies standout students, and how those graduates move into law, business, campaigns, government roles, and military service. If you care about leadership development, constitutional literacy, and building a healthier pipeline of civic-minded citizens, this is a practical look at how that work happens inside a major public university.
Amy also discusses the Center’s National Commission reports on culture-shaping issues, including DEI in classrooms and DEI in the military, plus a behind-the-scenes story of how one military civics report found its way into the broader public conversation. She closes with a clear “now what”: educate yourself, use resources, talk to your neighbors, and vote the entire ballot.

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Kendall Qualls on DEI, Marxism and their War on the Black Community Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

In this powerful address at STARRS “America at a Crossroads” event, Kendall Qualls — U.S. Army veteran, businessman, and co-founder of the Christ-centered nonprofit Take Charge — shares his journey from poverty in Harlem to building a movement aimed at reconnecting Black Americans with their historical roots of faith, family, and self-reliance.

Qualls traces the real history of Black America, highlighting that nearly 80% of Black families remained two-parent households from the Civil War through 1960, despite segregation and hardship. He spotlights overlooked figures like Booker T. Washington and Thomas Sowell, and shares a personal story about Command Sergeant Major George Rogers as a symbol of resilience.

He argues that 1965 welfare policy incentivized single-parent households, triggering a steep decline in Black marriage rates and a surge in fatherless homes — now estimated at 80% nationally and nearly 90% in Minneapolis. Qualls connects this breakdown of the family to broader social and economic disparities seen today.

The speech takes aim at DEI initiatives, academic institutions, and advocacy organizations he says exploit Black Americans to advance a socialist agenda — including efforts to lower academic and professional standards. He includes video clips of Black commentators pushing back against these trends.

Qualls closes with a call to unity, using a football team analogy to argue that all Americans should embrace shared values, history, and tradition rather than division — ending with a rallying cry to live up to the promise of "the land of the free, the home of the brave."

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Col. Rob Maness: We Cannot Defend Liberty by Pretending Evil is Rare Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

America turns 250, and Col Rob Maness (retired USAF) argues that anniversaries don’t protect a republic, people do. Speaking at the STARRS “America at a Crossroads” event, he frames the American Creed as more than a slogan: constitutional government, equal rights under the law, and a clear line against any ideology (like Sharia) that demands higher loyalty than the Constitution. The throughline is unmistakable: civic drift is still drift, even when it feels polite.
Maness also recounts a gripping first-person 9/11 story from inside the Pentagon, including the long arc of recovery and reunion with an officer who survived catastrophic burns and returned to public service. That memory becomes the foundation for a broader national security argument about “failure of imagination,” insider threats, and what happens when institutions downplay warning signs. From aviation screening to public trust, the conversation keeps circling back to a single question: what do we refuse to see until it’s too late?
Maness then tackles the Fort Hood shooting, military justice, and accountability, by making a blunt case for naming motives of Islamic ideology and following through on lawful sentencing of Nidal Hasan. Maness then shifts to civic engagement at the local level, urging listeners to pay attention to school boards, courts, and city councils, and to treat public office as a serious trust tied to an oath.

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Maj. General Bentley Rayburn: Why a Free Society Needs Faith and Virtue Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

America doesn’t lose freedom all at once, it loses it inch by inch when truth gets replaced by feelings and self-government gets replaced by someone else governing for us. At the STARRS “America at a Crossroads” event in Scottsdale, Arizona, Major General Bentley Rayburn, a veteran Air Force command pilot and chairman of the STARS Board of Directors, delivers a blunt, values-driven talk on what keeps a republic standing when the culture feels unstable and the stakes feel existential.
Rayburn explains why he believes the country is at a crossroads, then move straight into his central claim: faith, family, and freedom are not separate talking points, they’re connected supports. He explains why faith must be anchored in facts, not emotion, and why rights can’t be treated as favors granted by government. From the Declaration of Independence to the practical meaning of freedom of conscience, the conversation keeps circling back to one question: what makes liberty sustainable over generations?
Rayburn also unpacks Os Guinness’ “golden triangle of freedom,” the idea that freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, and faith requires freedom, like a three-legged stool that collapses if any leg is removed. The most actionable moment comes when we bring it home: virtue is taught, first and best, around the kitchen table. If families stop forming character, the state grows to fill the vacuum, and the bill eventually comes due in lost liberty.

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USAFA Board of Visitors Meeting - October 16, 2026 Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

The US Air Force Academy Board of Visitors held a meeting on October 16, 2026 at the Air Force Academy and livestreamed it to the public. Since they only showed one camera angle and not the slides on the livestream, STARRS decided to post it as an audio for you to listen. You'll hear from the new leadership at the Academy.

Here is the AI description of the meeting:

The Air Force Academy is trying to do two hard things at once: protect what makes USAFA distinctive and rebuild fast enough to meet a future fight shaped by drones, space, cyber, and superintelligence. We hear directly from senior leaders and Pentagon officials on what is changing now, what is coming next, and what still stands in the way.
We walk through the superintendent’s first moves to push authority down, sharpen mission focus across the 47-month cadet journey, and keep standards high without sending mixed signals between academics, military training, and athletics. The commandant explains how deliberate challenge builds resilient warfighters, why competition and teamwork matter, and what it means for the honor system to stay cadet run. On the academic side, the provost details a major core curriculum redesign, including integrated studies, a broader warfighting sequence, and the return of American history and civic education so cadets understand what they swear to defend.
Then we get practical about technology and readiness. You will hear how USAFA is embedding superintelligence and AI into hands-on education, from faster aircraft design tools to multidomain wargaming labs and drone-building work that includes autonomy in GPS-denied environments. We also cover Space Force integration, fitness and nutrition initiatives tied to warfighter performance, and how athletics supports officer development beyond wins and losses.
Facilities are the unavoidable backdrop: USAFA 2050, a long-range plan to reverse decades of underinvestment, and the Cadet Chapel renovation timeline that continues to draw intense public attention. If you care about military leadership development, service academy reform, and what it takes to produce officers ready for modern war, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with someone who follows defense and education, and leave us a review with the one change you think matters most.

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Our Country is at a Crossroads: Interview with Colonels Rob Maness and Ron Scott Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Something big is happening in American politics, and it is not just another loud election season. STARRS & Stripes host retired Navy Commander Al Palmer sits down with Ron Scott, president of STARRS and a former F-4 and C-130 pilot, and member of STARRS Board of Advisors Rob Maness, a former B-1 bomber crew member and host of The Rob Maness Show, to talk about why they see the country sitting at a crossroads ahead of the midterms. Our central question is simple and urgent: what holds a Constitutional Republic together when growing factions openly challenge the guardrails of the Constitution?
We dig into the Democratic Socialists of America platforms, the idea of a “Red-Green Alliance” between Marxism and Islamist political ideology, and why local elections can be the quickest path to national change. From there, we zoom out to the long game: institutional influence, civic illiteracy, and what happens when younger citizens are never taught the basics of communism, socialism, and constitutional structure. We also take on DEI, equity, and critical race theory, focusing on how language and framing shape emotion, define enemies, and steer votes.
Then we get practical. “Affordability” hits everyone, but we challenge the habit of voting by a single price point like gas or groceries without tracking the policy chain behind housing, inflation, labor, and immigration.
Rob also answers the question he hears constantly: What can I do? The takeaway is a blueprint for grassroots activism, organizing, educating, fundraising, and local action that creates national impact, backed by the moral courage it takes to actually show up. This is why STARRS was created.
Want to go deeper with us? Join Rob, Ron, Al and the STARRS team of military veterans along with Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, STARRS Advisor Kendall Qualls and others on October 10 in Scottsdale, Arizona for "America at the Crossroads: Preserving Faith, Family and Freedom", with free in-person attendance or livestream access. For more information and to register, go to: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/october10event/event/america-crossroads/

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Navy Captain Jerry Rovner's Firsthand Experiences Responding to 9/11 in the New York City Area Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

A canceled meeting at World Trade Center Building 7. A view across the harbor as two towers burn. Then a phone call at 11 AM that flips a civilian life into a mission. STARRS and Stripes host retired Navy Commander Al Palmer sits down with STARRS Vice Chairman of the Board of Advisors, retired Navy Captain Jerry Rovner. A longtime deep sea diver and salvage officer, Rovner discusses what the 9/11 response looked like from the greater New York City/New Jersey area when every road was locked down and every hour brought a new unknown.
They walk step-by-step through the real mechanics of disaster response and homeland security: getting activated at Fort Dix, finding trucks and licensed drivers to move medical gear, integrating with the Air Force and National Guard, and using Liberty State Park and a refurbished boat to move supplies when bridges and tunnels were closed. Jerry also shares the kind of details history books skip, like the blunt warning to wear masks because of asbestos, how chaplains became essential support, and why security patrols expanded to protect critical infrastructure.
The conversation turns personal when Jerry’s family story comes forward through a letter written by his daughter years later, capturing what it feels like to watch a parent put on a uniform and drive into the unknown. We close on the lessons: volunteer leadership, less red tape in true emergencies, the danger of forgetting 9/11 too quickly, and why teaching civic memory matters.

0:00 Welcome And Why 9/11 Matters
2:05 From Draft Lottery To Navy Diving
6:50 Rebuilding The New Jersey Naval Militia
11:50 The Morning The Towers Were Hit
17:30 Activated Fast And Sent For Trucks
22:50 Liberty State Park Boat Supply Runs
27:40 Opening Bridges And Managing Chaos
33:30 Guarding Weapons Sites And Lakehurst
41:30 Briefing The Pentagon Then Emergency Landing
46:50 Dog Food Convoys And Fresh Kills Reality
53:20 The Family Cost And A Daughter’s Letter
59:20 Service Culture Education And What We Forgot
1:05:40 Final Thanks And Sign Off

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