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Good morning, everybody. This is Beth with Talking Purple – and I want to put into writing what I’ve been saying into this little microphone here in Kingwood, Texas.
Because if you’re anything like me, your phone is dinging all day long with “breaking news,” breathless headlines, and forwarded screenshots… and half of it is flat-out fake. The other half is twisted just enough to get you mad, scared, or divided from your neighbors.
That’s why I started this podcast – and that’s why I’m writing this.
We’re Living in a Weaponized Information Age
We are living in a time where information is being weaponized.
And it’s not just “the left vs. the right.” It’s the left doing it to the left, the right doing it to the right, and everybody using social media as a battlefield. Once something goes out into the echo chamber, it never comes back.
If someone posted tomorrow that “Beth murders puppies on the weekend,” there is no way for me to pull that back. I can deny it, I can explain it, I can scream from the rooftops – but once the lie is out there, it sticks to you. That’s the world we live in.
And the worst part? Half the time we can’t even tell what’s real and what’s not.
Silly Examples… That Aren’t So Silly
Every day I watch nonsense go by my feed:
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“Gilmore Girls reunion confirmed.” No, it’s not.
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“New season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Not happening.
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“Macaulay Culkin is dead.” No, he’s not.
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“Neil Diamond cancels all concerts. Alan Jackson cancels all appearances.” Fake, fake, fake.
You’d think that kind of stuff is harmless, just silly internet gossip. But it’s training people to live in confusion. Real, fake, half-true – it all gets thrown in the same blender. And then we move from fake celebrity news to fake political news, and that’s where the damage gets very real.
We just watched it with the latest Epstein document dumps and the way both sides twisted names, redactions, and half-truths to tell whatever story they wanted people to believe. Facts don’t matter. Narratives do.
You Can’t Get an Audience Unless You Say Something Crazy
Somewhere along the line, people figured out that if you want clicks, likes, followers, and donations… you have to say something outrageous.
If you don’t have depth, knowledge, or the ability to connect with people, you just light a fire and hope the flames bring attention. The louder and dumber the statement, the better the engagement.
This is my eighth episode of Talking Purple, and I’m grateful it’s getting traction – hopefully because people are hungry for someone who will just shoot straight. I’m not perfect, but I know what I believe and why I believe it, and I’m not afraid to defend it. I also don’t need to lie to you to get you to listen.
Kingwood, Flooding, and Dan Crenshaw
So let’s talk about something close to home: flooding in Kingwood and my congressman, Dan Crenshaw.
Someone tagged me on social media, suggesting I’m still a “fan” of his like I’m some blind groupie. No. What I am is a fan of my community getting the help it needs. We have a serious flooding problem here. That’s not theoretical, and it’s not national headline stuff. It’s real people losing homes, businesses, and lives.
Because our federal government has its hands in everything, a local flooding issue ends up requiring approvals and action from Washington. FEMA, HUD, the Army Corps of Engineers – you can’t get anything done without them. Like it or not, we need a representative in Congress who understands that and actually fights for us.
Dan Crenshaw has done that for Kingwood. You don’t have to like him personally. You can disagree with him on a dozen issues. But this district cannot afford to pretend flooding isn’t a life-or-death issue just because some wealthy outsider with political ambitions wants to play games online.
And then comes the latest rumor: a so-called “travel ban” on Dan Crenshaw. My phone blew up with people panicking. Guess what?
There. Is. No. Travel. Ban.
He can get on a plane and go wherever he wants in the world. This was nothing more than a political hit job – a made-up story fed into the media machine, amplified by a local talker on the radio, and swallowed whole by people who never stopped to ask, “Is this even true?”
Pay-for-Play Media and the Outrage Business
Let me pull back the curtain a bit.
A lot of the people you see on TV, hear on the radio, or read in the paper are not just reporting. They’re performing. They’re getting paid – directly or indirectly – to push certain narratives.
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That “outraged” radio host? Sometimes he’s being paid to attack or promote specific candidates.
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That glowing feature article about a “remarkable business leader” or “award-winning expert”? Many times, they PAID a publicist to place that story.
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Those “honors” and “awards” some people brag about? I get emails offering those to me all the time, for a price.
This is called pay-for-play, and it’s everywhere. It blurs the line between news, advertising, and propaganda until the average person has zero idea what’s real. And while all that’s going on, real people are dealing with flooding, crime, addiction, and loss – with no spotlight and no help.
The Catholic Church, Immigration, and Hard Truths
Now let’s talk about another third rail: the Catholic Church and immigration.
I’m Catholic. I was born in a Catholic orphanage, adopted, brought to the United States, and I still go to Mass every week. I love my faith. But that doesn’t mean I turn my brain off.
Recently, the bishops came out condemning Donald Trump over deportations and immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, the Vatican has a wall around it, and you and I can’t just stroll into Vatican City and set up a tent in St. Peter’s Square.
This country has had millions of people walk in, unvetted. That is a problem. It’s not “anti-Christian” to say so. It’s common sense.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that those who find themselves in another country should respect the laws, contribute to society, and carry their share of the civic burden. That means:
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Don’t commit violent crimes.
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Don’t live off the system if you’re capable of working.
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Seek legal status where possible.
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Respect the culture and laws of your host country.
Now here’s the catch: there is no clear path to legalization for many of these people. That’s on Congress. Instead of blocking ICE and crying on television about deportations, maybe pick up the phone and ask your representatives why they haven’t created a workable, realistic path to legal status that doesn’t automatically hand out voting rights.
But let’s be honest: both parties would rather campaign on the problem than solve it. Democrats think they’re importing future voters. Republicans think they’re scoring points by yelling about the border while doing nothing meaningful long-term. Meanwhile, people are dying, families are broken, and communities are strained to the breaking point.
NGOs, Money, and the Moral Mess
Here’s another uncomfortable truth: a lot of so-called compassion is funded.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receive federal money to “do what the government can’t do.” Sounds noble. Until you see how much money is flying around and how little accountability there is.
When the bishops or Catholic Charities get upset, very often it’s not just about souls and theology. It’s about grants, contracts, and funding streams drying up. That’s your tax money. That’s why I say people need to start following the money – in politics, in churches, in media, and in every organization that claims the moral high ground.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
I know this is a lot. I’m fired up because the consequences are real:
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People have died in our floods.
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Families have empty seats at Thanksgiving because of crime, border chaos, and policy failures.
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Communities like Kingwood are left holding the bag while the political class plays games with narratives and headlines.
Here’s what I’m asking you to do:
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Stop believing everything you see online.
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Do your own homework. When a story sounds too perfect, too outrageous, or too convenient… pause.
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Hold your own side accountable. It’s not just “them.” Sometimes it’s your guy, your party, your favorite host.
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Demand solutions, not slogans. On flooding, immigration, crime – all of it.
There is no travel ban on Dan Crenshaw. There is, however, a full-on assault on truth, nuance, and adult conversation in this country.
That’s why I’m here. That’s why Talking Purple exists – to try to have real conversations in a world that would rather scream.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Share this with someone who’s tired of being lied to and ready to think for themselves.
And maybe, just maybe, we can start putting truth back on the table.
