The Rustic Spirits Podcast

If you think the Government, or some tech bro is going to swoop in and save you from what's clearly happening in the world right now, then this might not be the conversation for you. The truth is, we've been let down - by our leaders, by industry, by those who were supposed to be looking out for us, and tbh, by our own hubris. We can either cower in the corner and hope that it's someone else's problem, or we can pay attention, speak up where it counts, and at the same time, put things in place to look out for yourself, your family and your immediate community. That's what we're doing anyway.Links that we mention:Make sure you subscribe to Gather Right Here for more conversations like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHUf7RidISBk0LECGk1qtoADr Shane Simonsen interview about creating truly resilient food systems on Canadian Prepper: https://youtu.be/Rgzwdl0Fp_A?si=o6V6_VImGNX2NHSJMichael Shellenberger after his meeting with Australian Labor staffers: https://x.com/shellenberger/status/2109858705252725031/video/1

Why are AI giants suddenly screaming for regulation, and how does that connect to your food security?
We track the stories that we're paying attention to this week.While we spend our days managing the spring cycle here on the homestead, the global news cycle never stops - so between the birth of new piglets or policy changes that affect our autonomy, we connect the dots between our homesteading lifestyle and the broader issues impacting our right to speak and live freely.
Check out Fridge Power from Bluetti: https://rusticspirits.me/bluetti-fridgepower. Make sure you use RSHFP6% for an additional discount at checkout.J
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Links to things we mention this week:
Scott Kuru - It's Already Worse Than Anything They've Told You About Our Fuel — And It Doesn't Stop Here: https://youtu.be/KioeF0NEXoE?si=PKl8y2s_t2qgSlcU
Aus vs the Agenda on X - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denies explicitly linking Labor’s censorship regime to combating “misinformation and disinformation”: https://x.com/ausvstheagenda/status/2102972404645654850
David Shoebridge Statement: https://x.com/MikeNayna/status/2102723262488957166?s=20
Free Speech Union's Submission on the Digital Duty of Care Bill: https://x.com/FSUofAustralia/status/2102541725210460445?s=20
David Koch's open letter to the RBA: https://x.com/CampbellNewman/status/2102231822000439737?s=20
Canadian Prepper's post about Trump renaming AI: https://x.com/PrepperCanadian/status/2102419104313352543
NPR interview with Tucker Carlson: https://youtu.be/pHhJM3Fg9jw?si=UGJC2V6erjJvbjy2

0:00 Homesteading Life and Springtime Arrivals
1:56 The Shift in Public Conversation
5:47 Why Your Dollar Isn't Going Further
10:02 Off-Grid Power and Fridge / Freezer Security
13:32 Missing Subscriptions From Your Feed?
20:09 Oil Crisis
27:22 Local Food Networks
43:21 Digital Duty of Care Bill
58:25 Medicare Hack and AI Security
1:10:14 Our approach to using AI

Three stories converging this week — and all of them land on your dinner table, your fuel tank, or your right to talk about either.The Digital Duty of Care Bill has the Coalition opposing it, submissions closing Monday, and a blanket clause that lets the government define new "harms" outside the normal parliamentary process. The Middle East has lost its last two workarounds for getting oil out. And the heads of the biggest AI labs have suddenly started asking to be regulated — which should make you ask why now.James Glissan - They Don't Have to Ban Anything, Big Tech Will Do It For Them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKzG2G9qCvEJames Glissan - The End of "Free Speech" in Australia? This Case Could Change Everything: https://youtu.be/Ka8hxIsbhok?si=ocEtYKzCKrrIazl-Melbourne Teenager 6 months jail: https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/2100167811918401727?s=20John Anderson - Australia Is NOT Cohesive Anymore" - Highlights From the ABC National Forum | John Anderson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbm1xvku-8Y(A.I Documentary)A.I in Context - You really should, unfortunately, be worried about Sam Altman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eYTkvZqbnQTopher Field on The Karl Stefanovic Show - The Fabian Society’s ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ Strategy Explained: https://youtu.be/CzVHSnuD86E?si=gUL-H4FJD1k3uGV9Topher Field - Digital Duty of Care Legislation is just another Fabian scheme. Topher Project Ep 476: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfGrydlrFt8&t=3sHow to make a submission about the Digital Duty of Care Bill: https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2026/09/15/digital-duty-of-care-submission-guide/📄 SOURCESCoalition opposes the bill: https://www.liberal.org.au/2026/09/10/coalition-opposes-labors-digital-duty-of-care-bill-its-current-formLegal analysis of the delegated powers: https://www.gtlaw.com.au/insights/australias-digital-duty-of-care-takes-shape-from-algorithms-to-everything-elseWhat's in the bill: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-08/labour-s-social-media-algorithm-choice-duty-of-care-bill/107130100East-West pipeline attack: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/attack-on-key-saudi-pipeline-is-blamed-on-iran-backed-militias-in-iraqWhy the pipeline matters: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/14/why-saudi-arabias-east-west-pipeline-matters-for-global-oilHouthis take Perim Island: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/sep/11/gulf-oil-threatened-anew-as-houthis-reach-key-islaHow much oil is actually getting through Hormuz: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/3/how-much-oil-is-going-through-hormuz-how-data-doesnt-match-us-claimsAustralia's fuel vulnerability: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/hormuz-closure-brings-australias-layered-fuel-vulnerability-to-the-foreDiesel margins squeezing farmers: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-18/diesel-crack-spread-filling-oil-refiners-coffers/107159068Rabobank on fuel and fertiliser: https://www.rabobank.com.auEl Niño declared: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-16/nsw-bureau-of-meterology-declares-el-nino-weather/106776598METR's independent investigation into the Hugging Face incident: https://metr.org/blog/2026-08-26-openai-hugging-face-incident-investigationAmodei's essay and the Altman/Musk response: https://qz.com/anthropic-amodei-ai-slowdown-altman-musk-091426Musk, 2014: "summoning the demon": https://techcrunch.com/2014/10/26/elon-musk-compares-building-artificial-intelligence-to-summoning-the-demon

The government wants power to decide what counts as "harmful" online, no vote required. We break down the Digital Duty of Care Bill, the Strengthening Enforcement Bill that just passed, and why Labor keeps using kids' safety to sell control.Two separate bills, both amending the Online Safety Act, are moving through Parliament right now. One just passed the Senate. The other is a draft everyone's arguing about, and most people online are mixing the two up.We break down what each bill actually does, the "disallowable legislative instrument" clause that lets the Communications Minister add new "harms" without new legislation, and why the government is blaming "the algorithm" for its own falling popularity instead of its content strategy (or lack of one).We're going to be following this closely as it goes towards a vote.Links we mention during this episode:Anika Wells interview: https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/media/2026/09/05/anika-wells-interviewPeta Credlin segment including different interview with Anika Wells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5DQCYkpIsEMichael Shellenberger on Australia's new proposed legislation and participation in global censorship. Follow this thread: https://x.com/shellenberger/status/2097854587646464227If you want to watch ad free, this episode is available for free on our Patreon: https://rusticspirits.me/membership

Is it better to live in blissful ignorance, or fully plugged in to the 24 hour news cycle. After finding ourselves almost at our limit, and due to take a holiday anyway - we conducted a little experiment ... what really happens when you switch off for a few days .. or even weeks.