Butch sits down with the Philosophy teacher of the Loudoun Field Center, Mr Bill Fox, and they discuss the importance of developing good logical and rhetorical at a very young age.

For this episode (a second in a series of three between Paul and Butch), we move on with a conversation about (and with an) Artificial Intelligence… both Julia (The AI) and Paul are sufficiently convinced that she is not SkyNet. Butch at least feigns agreement… the next episode we’ll wrap up the technology discussion with a chat about how we should…

LFC Talks launch episode… Paul Gernhardt and Butch Porter talk about the history and implications of algorithms in social media, what they mean, and what we can do about them. For more of Paul’s thoughts on any number of ideas, check out: https://paulonlife.com

For a special mid-month episode, Butch has a “Great Conversation” with George Leef, the author of The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale: A Political Fable for Our Time… George serves as the Director of Research at the James R Martin Center for Academic Renewal. George and Butch discuss the current political landscape in terms of education and why s…

Butch and Jessica discuss the implications of the loss of Queen Elizabeth II -- one of the longest reigning monarchs in world history, and the longest in British history. They talk about what the UK means to the world, what the monarchy means to the UK, and what Queen Elizabeth has meant to the monarchy, and to the West. Butch refers to an article …

OK... First: Jessica is NOT actually obsessed with porn, but we do talk about it a little bit in terms of how the sexual revolution has shifted how we think about abortion. We spend some time in our follow-up episode on the Dobbs case talking about the spiritual implications of the abortion issue, from Butch's position that the pro-choice (at least…

For Episode 2 of Season 3, Jessica and Butch take on the Dobbs Case and all the implications of abortion regulations. This time we focused as much as we could on the legal aspects of it, and all the implications therein. For our Sept 1 episode, we'll tackle the more spiritual angle. PLEASE find us on any of the podcast services you use at: https://…

Jessica and Butch are back to talk about a variety of topics; mostly “intersectionality.” Opening Article from City Journal on Transsexuality linked to shame over being White. https://www.city-journal.org/the-assault-on-childrens-psyches Dostoevsky and the Pleasure of Taking Offense https://quillette.com/2022/06/17/the-duelist-mentalityon-the-allur…

Butch Porter has a conversation with former Loudoun County (Virginia) School Board member, Debbie Rose about the controversies surrounding the school system involving COVID, race and diversity, LGBTQIA+ issues, including the teaching of CRT in the schools, including the Resolution 8040 issue, and other issues which swirled around last months gubern…

Butch Porter sits down with Patricia Phillips to talk about the Leesburg Nativity Tour and Loudoun Awakening. https://leesburgnativitytour.org

Jessica and Butch take on the topic of "same-sex attraction" and the Christian Church. This is a really dicey topic and is very complex, so we're trying to explore ways in which we can love and care for and welcome those who don't identify in a "traditional" way sexually. This is the beginning of a conversation on the topic, not the end, but we tri…

For our third “Civics and Community” event at the Loudoun Field Center in Lucketts, VA we sat down with Preston Huntington and Tori Carr with Xelevate, a drone training and testing facility right across the street from the Loudoun Field Center, to discuss the burgeoning and blossoming drone industry. We had some kids, parents, and previous guest of…

For our 49th Episode, Butch has a very frank and open conversation with Sophia A. Nelson... a repeat guest to the show. Sophia is an adjunct professor and visiting scholar at Christopher Newport University and recently tweeted a question regarding the son of Superman coming out as bisexual in DC Comics. Following the tweet, a firestorm of madness, …

This week's episode is a wide-ranging conversation between Gary Mears, Pastor of Faith Chapel Community Church in Lucketts, Virginia, right down the road from the Loudoun Field Center; and Paul Gernhardt, the Center's Executive Director. Butch Porter facilitates the discussion, which touches on the subjects of "mega-churches" and on how churches cr…

School is in! And we’re launching IndED’s Civics and Community program at the Loudoun Field Center as part of their new high school alternative in Lucketts, VA. This week we chat with Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars to talk about ag business, ag education and the importance of staying in touch with nature. We were joined by a few middle school an…

Jessica and Butch take on the crisis in Afghanistan. (Ok... when we say "take it on" we don't mean actually... doing anything about it, but talking about it for almost exactly an hour.) What it boils down to Butch on Afghanistan is that we've lost honor in the world by not fulfilling our commitments to the people that we've made promises to for alm…

Bahar Picariello, who was the FIRST guest on the Rules of the Game podcast a little over a year ago, returns to discuss the current drama going on in Loudoun County, VA, regarding gender politics, CRT, the handling of the pandemic year 2+, etc. Along the way, we talk about what Bahar and Butch knew all along: that the public education system has lo…

For Episode 21 of Season Two, Jessica and Butch talk about the gains in efficiency (based on his latest article on Great Conversation(s)) brought on by the modern age in general, the pandemic in particular, and some ways in which efficiency can come at a cost... in terms of how we work, eat, worship, and live. There is a lot of talk about prayer, a…

For our 20th episode of Season 2, Jessica and Butch discuss what it means to be an "adult"... we have a tendency to focus on the stuff and things that adults need to DO, as opposed to the qualities and characteristics they need to BE. So we talked a little about "kids these days" and some of the things that makes the upcoming generation(s)' experie…

Jessica and Butch seek to understand the "anti-tribalism" phenomenon a little more. We talk about Tanner Cross... racism vs. prejudice... what the word "systemic" means... and we ask the question: who are we supposed to love and respect the humanity of if not the person we find the most unappealing and "deplorable"? ________________________ Indepen…

For our 41st Episode, Jessica and Butch start out chatting about the Terrence Mallick film, The Tree of Life, and quickly switch gears (to dig in deeper at a later date) to "What it means to be a Southerner?" It's a conversation about "values" and "value sets" and what it means for a southern (especially a southern Christian) when they hear things …

"What is up with the real estate market?!?" is a question a lot of us have been asking lately. Butch has a "Great Conversation" with his good friend (and the best Real Estate agent in the Milky Way Galaxy) Pamela Jones with Extraordinary Transitions in Loudoun County, VA. We talk about what's going on, why it's so crazy here and elsewhere... a litt…

Jessica and Butch continue a conversation started with our special guest in the previous episode with a question of, "From where do people get their moral foundations if not from religion?" We explore the issue thoroughly in terms of online communities, and the workplace and the #metoo world as well. Notwithstanding the conundrum of finding moralit…

Local business consultant, Debbie Gee, is a special guest of Butch Porter, and they talk about powerful women in the workforce, the "battle of the sexes" and culture wars in general, the #metoo movement, among other topics involving men and women. The rule for this episode is little bit of a crib from Heather Heying: "Come to me as a human being fi…

For Episode 37, Jessica and Butch have decided to dive deep into the dilemma of: Truth vs Unity. Is it more important to be RIGHT, or to be UNITED? Is it more important to admit what the real "truth" is or to get along with your fellow man? Do we have to choose between, say "evangelism" vs. "ecumenism" in our religious conversations? We talk about …

For our 36th episode, Jessica and Butch discuss the nature of terms of the intellect. The journey of Jordan Peterson is a big topic, as well as the concepts of fasting and feasting, intellectual humility vs. "skepticism" and of course the proper way to do theology: apophatically. The Rule for the day is: "Tell stories that are True..." ____________…

Jessica and Butch chat about the importance of human connection and how much it's been compromised for the last year. Sure the pandemic is serious, but just like anything else, there are tradeoffs, and the cost of losing human connection has been really high, while the benefit is very hard to define or prove. For weeks we were told how (we're still…

Jessica and Butch spend some time talking about the future of education, in terms of what education means, what its purpose is, and what a teacher is. We talk about how the most important thing to teach kids is WHO THEY ARE; also what our responsibilities are as parents, as a community; and the goal of a multi-generational community which needs its…

Butch welcomes Special Guest Stella Morabito, who is a senior contributor at the Federalist to discuss one of her latest articles on the Cuomo nursing homes scandal. We talk about how, in addition to the simple cost of precious human lives, the callous and dismissive treatment of the elderly has an even greater cost in "cultural memory." In additio…

For our 9th episode this season, Jessica and Butch discuss the topic of gun control and gun rights. The goal is to get a grasp on what each side of this debate is not seeing of the other one, and get to the heart of the matter: protecting communities. Our rule is "Be prepared to serve... " and do your duty to your community. The rights are one thin…

Butch and Jessica are finally digging in and talking about religion (GASP!), and we spend this podcast focusing on the ways in which we access and seek spiritual Truth. Through art and music, through study, and through an ascetic and prayerful approach during the Lenten season as well. The rule for the day is: "Pursue Truth with every tool at your …

For our first "Independent Education Spotlight" of 2021 Butch has a productive conversation with Tim Gardiner of Gamepoint Athletics. We talk about fitness, both before and during the age of COVID-19; we discuss the importance of character and how coaching for athletics and sports is applied to character in life. In addition to exploring a little b…

Jessica and Butch do a deep dive into the concept of "leisure" and specifically the book by Josef Pieper, "Leisure: the Basis of Culture" which came out in 1947 in Germany... a rather counterintuitive approach considering the close of a generation or two of war. Pieper (and we to the best we are able) distinguish between leisure and "idleness"...An…

Jessica and Butch tackle the topic that is at the top of everyone's mind: the extinction of the human species, and our responsibility (or lack thereof) towards preventing it. It's not that we don't CARE about what is happening on Pennsylvania Avenue... it's just that at this point, we're sort of over it. Instead we talk about Jessica's Rule (as exp…

For Season 2, Episode 4, Butch chats with fellow Leesburger, Bill Fox with U.Group. The topic, of course, is our main geopolitical adversary at the moment: China. We talk about some of the security challenges with "smart" technology (including what televisions we probably shouldn't buy), along with what the implications are with the administrations…

In anticipation of our next episode where we are going to finally move on from the travails in D.C. and talk about ... the important things, Jessica and Butch take the hour and talk about the path forward for the citizenry in dealing with such division and turmoil. Who is to blame? A little of that... but mostly a call to stay healthy (Jessica shar…

For our first session back for Season Two....we talk about the riots and protests at the Capitol the previous week. It requires a return to Butch's FIRST rule: "Two things can be true at the same time..." It can be true that a lot of protesters are legitimately concerned that the Republic is being stolen from them, and it can also be true that the …

For the kick off to Season Two of Rules of the Game, we have Part 2 of Butch Porter's conversation with Muoki Musau (of the "Growing Pains" podcast) on the topic of masculinity. We take a slightly different tack, whereas we decide to watch "Die Hard" (your host's favorite Christmas movie) and talk about the characters there to discover what we mean…

Butch starts this podcast episode out with a public service announcement warning people NOT to go see the new Wonder Woman movie. It's... horrible. After that, Jessica and Butch tackle the issue of vaccines and whether it should be mandatory, and parsing out what is good for society and what is good for families and individuals. _______ Independent…

Butch has a chat with his friend and theologian, Muoki Musau, one of the co-hosts of the "Growing Pains" podcast. The topic of the day is masculinity and fatherhood. What does it mean to be a man in the modern age. One of the focuses is of course how it's looked at generationally, as Butch being a Generation X guy looks at it differently than the M…

(This is our first LIVESTREAM on FB and YouTube. We're hoping to add some Q&A opportunities, so stay tuned for our next LIVESTREAM next Tuesday, December 29.) Today we'll be discussing Butch's recent article regarding Ellen/Elliot Page. It's not simply about respect and care for those who are different, but also for those who THINK different, and m…

We had a chance to visit with a couple fellow Virginians, Flor Flores and her son Fernando, in their home, where we discussed their fine collection of Nativity Scenes (“we stopped counting after 200”)… We apologize for the less than perfect audio, but either way this is of course best experienced through the video, where we highlight some of the na…

SO enjoyed visiting with Sophia over the weekend. She's right. It starts with us. Host Sophia Nelson sits down for a two part interview with Virginia Conservative, political activist, businessman, educator, and PODCAST creator Butch Porter. This is a NOT To miss dialogue on what over 74 Million Trump voters are thinking, how they feel about our pol…

Butch and Jessica take a stab at Thanksgiving, at the draconian regulations of numerous state, county, and city executives in limiting the number of people gathered in a private home for the holiday. They talk about the latest article on the "Great Conversations" blog ( https://www.greatconversations.us/p/lord-we-thank-you-for-lines-not-to ) regard…

This week's rule is an inverse of the rule from Episode 16, which was (courtesy of General Bugs Forsythe): "Don't let anybody ever tell you you can't do something." Wayne Estes instead takes a look at his responsibility as a teacher and says, "Never underestimate what someone else can do." Kids will surprise you...adults will surprise you, too, in …

Jessica and Butch take some time to discuss the results of the election, and the implications of Donald Trump's efforts to fight the results. They also talk about what they look for in a President, what we should for, and how that applies to State and local positions. #elections #trump #biden #politics #election2020 ___________ Independent Educatio…

For the 8th and last #LoudounRules episode for 2020, we're back in the Library at Dodona Manor, with General Hugh "Bugs" Forsythe. We talked about Veteran's Day, the state of the military in the U.S., a little foreign policy, and the challenges of leadership. The General's Rule is: "Don't let anybody ever tell you you can't do something." Veteran's…

We're back at Kahvilla Coffee House with local legend, Suhile Alami, creator and Chief Hands Bringer at the Real Husbands of Loudoun County (RHOLC) group. We talk about Suhile' immigrant experience, the Foundation that RHOLC created, as well as (again) things that Butch is really bad at, like dieting, working out, and playing golf. We also touch on…

Butch and Jessica reconvene over various topics, including Covid, local races, and of course... the big decision this coming Tuesday, and that is who we are going to vote for and why for President and Vice President. Both Jessica and Butch voted third party in the previous election, but now we have to make a choice....and own it. (This is the free …

What do you get when you get a guy who is fairly obsessed with politics and also sees it as his sport, and a guy who is obsessed with sports and sees politics as his reality television? Butch Porter, your host, and special guest Geoff Crawley, host of "Voice of the Fan," (formerly and soon to be rehabilitated). We talk about sports, politics, the p…