Past Episodes of Peasants Perspective - 3/3/2021

Taylor had a podcast before his entanglement with the Federal Government. This was the last episode that was recorded. I will continue to upload episodes as time goes on.

I will also upload any audio recordings we do in the future. 

Check out this episode!

A Dream-

 

A dream

-Taylor Johnatakis

One night I dreamed a dream.

Along a pathway I walked, no place to go or be. I traveled without purpose. Others passed me, going to and from, but where or from was not known to me. Some seemed to have purpose, some passed quickly, some at a lingering pace.

I asked within myself, where am I to go, what am I to do? There must be something to give meaning to this journey. Suddenly a still small voice whispered, "ay, see the clearing over there?". I looked and beheld an opening, a meadow. I walked into the opening and saw others toiling in a labor. One was building a foundation, others erecting walls. I heard the voice again and joined in menial labor, gathering stones. I gathered both large and small to pile into the center.

No one spoke to each other of a grand plan. There were no blueprints to examine, no leader to consult. People would come off the trail, look around and see nothing of value. Some would come with hastened purpose and contribute skillfully to the labor. A wall would go up, with craftsmanship to be admired. Some would complete a task, and without consultation one with another, would stand aside. They would pause and wait for another instruction from the voice within, the voice we all seemed to be following. Some would grow impatient and return to the path. Some would linger and soon, without direction, join in another labor.

I watched with amazement (as I gathered stones), at the skill with which the structure was arising. There were many sides, each connecting and turning inward. WIth perfect symmetry it surrounded the pile of stones in the center. Each wall had an opening, where people could come in to admire from the inside. No roof was erected. With the structure near complete I noticed an old woman standing not far off, holding a bundle of sticks. She stood and watched the walls go up. There was no laborer talking.

A masterpiece unfolding without direction from any one man, but contributed to by all. A masterpiece was unfolding.

Soon the pile of stones was tall, seemingly just a pile. Each stone had been picked and placed as the still small voice had uttered. The voice became the master. Soon a slab was selected, different from all the stones. It sat atop the pile and turned it into an altar.

The work complete, the laborers stood back in awe of what they erected. The artistry and craftsmanship was more than any expected. Laborers who contributed greatly had come and gone. Some lingered after their assignment, then started again, without external prompt to begin new work, to bring the creation of the master to completion.

How could so great a thing be built by so many, with seemingly no one to direct them?

By the end we all knew the voice, even without saying. The master's voice, dear to each and every. We watched the lady, old and frail seemingly without much to contribute, walk inside and place the sticks on the altar. What happened next amazed us. Flames shot through the structure, rising well above its walls, such that all the people on the path stopped and saw with amazement. Drawn in, we all heard the voice loud and clear, "Sometimes all that's needed is your testimony, your witness, your flame and my work for all to see!"




Prologue



I have pondered on this dream for many years. I have allowed the "voice" to guide me and it led me directly here. What part in the grand work I contribute, I know not. There are no plans from which to work, no outward direction to follow. I listen to the voice. It tells me the next step to take, what to do, say and write. I trust the voice, knowing I don't know the end from the beginning. I have watched as others came along the way, some mocking my actions and intentions, while others joined the work without request or prompting from me. Our hands worked together for a time, then separated without hurt or anger. When I have tried to force my issues, I have always been met with defeat. When I listen to the master's voice, which I have come to know and love, my labor has led me into prison walls. I know my life is to build an altar, so that the testimony of one can be heard by all.

And the world keeps spinning…

 There’s a beach that I visit that is kind of a “holy beach” for me. There’s never really a lot of people there and it is always so calm. The beach is only 5 minutes from my home and I often visit when I want to think or pray. The kind of prayer that is more like a conversation, the one where you listen more than you talk. January of 2016 I came to this beach with a small group of close friends and my immediate family. It was freezing outside and the water was even colder. In the Pacific Northwest the water is cold most of the year anyways. That day there were eagles circling the beach. They landed in a tree nearby and watched as Taylor and I made an outward commitment to God to do what He would have us do. We were baptized in that cold water and the event was something I still cherish to this day.  I think about how each of us have a glorious path to walk in this life. Sometimes when we hear of great people I think we put a limit on how many great people there can be. The truth is, each of us have our own missions and mine doesn’t take away from yours, or yours from mine. I have homeschooled my kids using a philosophy called “Thomas Jefferson Education”. One of the phases of life and learning is called the “Mission Phase”. Each one of us has a mission, and we  are part of this giant tapestry that is being created. I wonder what the masterpiece will look like when we are done with our part…

Saving you a seat

Elise's Song- Never Be Young Again

Tonight Elise performed the song she wrote last year! You would be so proud.  I'll tell you how it went tomorrow, but you are going to want to see it...I'll save your seat until you get back. She has been working on a bunch of other songs, you are going to love them all. 

We've been talking about moving. It's sad to think that you may not walk through our front door again. Who would have thought that when you left right before Thanksgiving that that would be it?  Everyone seems okay with it, except for Ben.  We've lived on this street since he was 9 months old- that is a long time. 

Fisher is saving your spot too :). He started having nightmares and sleep walking after you left, so him and I are roommates now. We watch basketball every night before bed. Sometimes it's Youtube basketball shorts, full basketball games, dunking contest or NBA gossip... He seems to be doing quit a bit better.  I miss watching "King of Queens" and "Seinfeld" with you before bed-that was fun.

Joseph prayed that you would get home soon in our family prayer tonight.  Prayers of children have to count more in heaven than us doubters, right?! Him and Caleb need you...they are crazy! They wrestle all the time, they run pretty hot and cold... best friends or tackling one another... They are crazy!

I'm so glad they have each other.  

Over the years I have dreaded how quickly time passes and have wanted to slow down how quickly our kids have grown up. It's strange now. Of course I feel the same way about our kids getting older, but I would love for the time that you are gone to pass quickly. 

I heard you call in on a vigil tonight. It was great, of course. You sound like you. It's hard to imagine where you really are...in jail.

Miss you

Marie

Washington, DC, a foreign city or our Capitol?

During my jury selection process, something unexpected became painfully obvious. The city of Washington, and the District of Columbia (in theory they are one place) are actually 2 separate things.

The jury pool was made up of residents of the city of Washington, District of Columbia, which does not have a vote in the electoral college, with regards to the presidency of the United States of America. On one occasion one of the potential jurors expressed how disturbed they were around January 6, 2021 with so many 'foreigners in red hats taking over our city and walking around on our streets'.

Almost without exception, the jury pool's personal lives were affected by the events surrounding January 6, 2021. Many of their lives were disrupted by the post J6 military occupation, roadblocks and other evidences of the mass number of people that had been in and around the city. There was a real feeling that the people who attended Trump's rally were foreigners, invading their "home". They were crime victims themselves.

On the other hand, the District of Columbia, DC as it's known to the 50 states, is the federal capitol, "Our Capitol". The residents of the 50 states, unlike residents of the city of Washington, have votes in the electoral college, and send representatives who legislate both for the nation and their districts. Those who traveled from outside the city of Washington, DC, they felt that this is "Our Capitol".

Do you see the distinction? The vast majority of protesters felt like they were on "our Capitol" grounds. We felt like we had a right to finally be there, to finally redress our grievances directly,especially after phone calls, letters and twitter posts had failed. A common chant on the Capitol grounds was, "Who's House is it?!", with the chant reply, "Our House!"

To the jury pool, this was not their belief, I don’t believe. The residents of Washington actually have a license plate that says "End Taxation without Representation", I assume because they actually don't have a vote that counts in the legislature.

By strict definition, all US citizens are citizens of the District of Columbia, OUR Capitol. But the residents who live here call it Washington, THEIR city. In the city of Washington, it feels like a stratified society. There are two job classes, government (or something connected to it, lobbying, nonprofits and law) and the service industry (food service, parking lot attendees or something behind a counter). My impression of DC was there is a giant sucking sound, drawing in tax revenue, but the city of Washington has little or no manufacturing or industry to speak of. And yet, there are brass plated fire hydrants...does your neighborhood have brass plated fire hydrants? I doubt it...

In a very literal sense, Washington is surrounded by 'foreigners', people who do not share a similar understanding of the difference between DC and the City of Washington.

The jury pool is full of people who (I believe) intuitively felt like those in the 50 states did not belong in their city that day, and those in the 50 states felt that they had every right to be in their Capitol.




What a difference these two perspectives can make? People describe Washington, DC as a 'bubble'. Wouldn't you if you lived here? The residents of the city have little at stake with who the President is, they have no representation in that regard. But on J6, the residents could easily see US citizens coming from the 50 states as invaders, in THEIR city, OUR Capitol.

Taylor

January 6

I thought I would share this here on the blog, in case anyone was interested in subscribing to the website. Thanks so much for keeping in touch with our family!

THIS IS OUR FIRST NEWSLETTER THANK YOU ALL FOR SUBSCRIBING! THESE NEWSLETTERS ARE NOT AUTO-GENERATED AND I WON’T BE SENDING OUT MASS AMOUNTS OF THEM, I JUST WANT TO KEEP IN TOUCH.

TODAY IS JANUARY 6TH. I talked to Taylor yesterday, and it’s a difficult time at the jail. The inmates in the J6 pod get a few news stations.  It’s been hard to hear the narratives that are being played on TV and it's a stark reminder of the conditions they are in and what they are up against. I can’t help but think that something good must come out of this. There are many men with him, some that have never experienced the criminal system or dealt with the DOJ. It has been quit a learning experience for the inmates and for us as their families. I pray that this experience will be used for some good some day. TODAY INMATES (INCLUDING TAYLOR) WILL BE CALLING IN LIVE FROM JAIL AT 5:00PM EST, I WILL POST THE LINK ON THE WEBSITE WHEN I GET IT (PEASANTSPERSPECTIVE.COM) WHAT CAN YOU DO? -Please share the website with friends and family and have them subscribe: peasantsperspective.com -An letter was written by a friend at the jail and was published by Gateway Pundit. Please read and share. It’s eye opening to read Reed’s perspective: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/letter-dc-gulag-anniversary-january-6th/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=letter-dc-gulag-anniversary-january-6th -There’s a new section in the menu bar on the website titled “What Can I Do?”. Here you can find suggestions of things to write to your congressman.  Wouldn’t if be amazing if they received floods of letters or emails on the abuses surrounding J6. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, lets get really loud with our letters and emails :)! Thank you all for giving me a few minutes of your time. I so appreciate it. Marie

1/02/2023 Messy

I was able to go to Boise last week to visit family. It was nice to see my kids doing things with cousins, and getting lost in the fun they were having. I found myself enjoying so much of it, but also dreading the inevitable, that I would have to come home to our home that was missing one very important person. It’s haunting.

There are so many decisions to be made and it's not getting any easier.

Losing someone to jail is an odd thing. It almost feels like the person has died. I have to keep reminding myself that he will come home. Our home is still full of the same things. Our bedroom still has all of our things mixed together and there are reminders of Taylor everywhere. Of course there are… I am glad there are, but that in and of itself is painful. I feel for people who have lost a spouse. Sometimes I wonder if that would be easier. I’m so grateful that's not the case, but the mind goes there.

As I have started to try to fill in the holes that have been left behind by his absence I have become keenly aware of how impossible that is. It’s impossible to make things be just as they were. There are some roles I will have to fill, but I could never do what only fathers can do. I miss his red diesel truck pulling up the drive. I miss his good advice and the long chats we would have while I was finishing up whatever thing I was doing. I miss Friday night date nights and walking up and down our neighborhood street. I miss him wrestling the little boys and taking the kids out on boat rides. I miss splitting up who is going to take who to sports or scouting events. I miss his presence. It’s just not the same. I miss my friend and my love. I miss the times he would step in with the kids, and give that fatherly advice or lay down the law…he did such a good job at that. I have mainly been the disciplinarian in our home, but he steps in when the dad’s solid voice is what is needed. I miss that. None of that can be replaced by me.

This journey isn’t unique to us. It’s a good thing to get a glimpse into this part of the human experience. I realize that the way I look at our situation and the injustices I see isn’t unique to me or history either. And, what I see is not what my neighbor sees. Who tells the story and who decides who was on the right or the wrong side? Does it even matter? Does it justify some sort of pride that you have or does that pride just crumble away anyways? It’s all so messy.

I wonder where this will take us. What new things await to be learned. I know we will do it and we will come out better for it.




It’s good to feel and it’s so good to be alive. I thank God for all that I do have. I thank God that Taylor is alive and I know that he is making the best of the situation…he’s like that.




Our family dog passed away Christmas Eve- I feel like I'm living the lyrics to the most pitiful country song... Can you hear it?...My dog died on Christmas Eve, my husbands in jail, what else!

It's so sad, that it's kind of funny. My goodness!!