Over twenty states have passed legislation that prohibits the state entrusting the management of state assets to companies that seek to harm the fossil fuel industry. Many of these states have been under attack by mysterious, well-funded, coordinated efforts to discredit those laws and the financial officials who are enforcing them. Right now that backlash is falling hardest against Oklahoma, it's anti-ESG law, and Treasurer Todd Russ, whose job it is to enforce it. Russ talks with Jerry and brings the goods on how Blackrock works against his state's principal industry. He details how, when he attempted to fire Blackrock from managing state assets, out-of-towners with "large briefcases of money" showed up and suddenly there were lawsuits, mysteriously funded studies supportive of Blackrock, and media campaigns launched against the law and himself. Russ explains why it's not just Oklahoma jobs at stake, but the whole world, which needs Oklahoma's energy to stay warm and fed. 

Over twenty states have passed legislation that prohibits the state entrusting the management of state assets to companies that seek to harm the fossil fuel industry. Many of these states have been under attack by mysterious, well-funded, coordinated efforts to discredit those laws and the financial officials who are enforcing them. Right now that backlash is falling hardest against Oklahoma, it's anti-ESG law, and Treasurer Todd Russ, whose job it is to enforce it. Russ talks with Jerry and brings the goods on how Blackrock works against his state's principal industry. He details how, when he attempted to fire Blackrock from managing state assets, out-of-towners with "large briefcases of money" showed up and suddenly there were lawsuits, mysteriously funded studies supportive of Blackrock, and media campaigns launched against the law and himself. Russ explains why it's not just Oklahoma jobs at stake, but the whole world, which needs Oklahoma's energy to stay warm and fed.

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds Podcast

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.

Meeting of Minds

The Battle of Blackrock's Front Moves to Oklahoma

Alliance Defending Freedom is the leading defender of religious and political speech protection in our nation’s legal system. With fifteen Supreme Court victories and over 70 assists since 2011, no other organization has done more in the courts to protect religious freedom. But several years ago, ADF became a victim of cancel culture at Amazon, which kicked the organization out of being eligible for customers to direct gifts on its Smile program. ADF realized that there was another, perhaps even greater, threat to free speech than government – large corporations. In response, they launched a corporate engagement operation, headed by Jeremy Tedesco, and an objective scoring system called the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, www.viewpointdiversity.com. ADF recently released the third annual edition of this index and Jeremy Tedesco joined us to talk about the trends he has seen. While victory is probably far in the future, progress is being made right now, with more companies being covered by the index, more companies participating in the survey and some companies seeing significant improvements. Tedesco also gives helpful advice and an inspiring call to ordinary shareholders to join the fight. Momentum has shifted our way, and Tedesco invites those who are concerned about “woke capitalism” to move from impotent outrage to engagement and influence.

Alliance Defending Freedom is the leading defender of religious and political speech protection in our nation’s legal system. With fifteen Supreme Court victories and over 70 assists since 2011, no other organization has done more in the courts to protect religious freedom. But several years ago, ADF became a victim of cancel culture at Amazon, which kicked the organization out of being eligible for customers to direct gifts on its Smile program. ADF realized that there was another, perhaps even greater, threat to free speech than government – large corporations. In response, they launched a corporate engagement operation, headed by Jeremy Tedesco, and an objective scoring system called the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, <a href="http://www.viewpointdiversity.com">www.viewpointdiversity.com</a>. ADF recently released the third annual edition of this index and Jeremy Tedesco joined us to talk about the trends he has seen. While victory is probably far in the future, progress is being made right now, with more companies being covered by the index, more companies participating in the survey and some companies seeing significant improvements. Tedesco also gives helpful advice and an inspiring call to ordinary shareholders to join the fight. Momentum has shifted our way, and Tedesco invites those who are concerned about “woke capitalism” to move from impotent outrage to engagement and influence.

Corporate America is Gradually Moving Away from Cancel Culture and Towards Viewpoint Diversity

We at Bowyer Research worked with a financial advisor to place a proposal on the annual shareholder meeting ballot of Mastercard. One of the rights that comes with placing such proposals is the right to address the board, CEO, and other shareholders present at the meeting directly and unfiltered.  Usually, the advisors and ministries we work with give this speech themselves, but in this particular case, the advisor delegated it to me. It’s only three minutes long. Given the grave moral consequences of Mastercard’s actions, I was not my usual, quiet and reserved self. Some issues require a no-holding-back approach.

We at Bowyer Research worked with a financial advisor to place a proposal on the annual shareholder meeting ballot of Mastercard. One of the rights that comes with placing such proposals is the right to address the board, CEO, and other shareholders present at the meeting directly and unfiltered.  Usually, the advisors and ministries we work with give this speech themselves, but in this particular case, the advisor delegated it to me. It’s only three minutes long. Given the grave moral consequences of Mastercard’s actions, I was not my usual, quiet and reserved self. Some issues require a no-holding-back approach.

Our Speech to the Board and CEO of Mastercard about Paying for Abortions and Sex Change Treatments with Shareholder Money

In a recent op/ed for the Wall Street Journal, Commissioner of Revenue for the State of Alaska Adam Crum made the case that a recent attempt by blue state pensions to intimidate the board into acquiescing to the demands of anti-oil activists is a violation of the fiduciary duty to put retirees’ life savings ahead of politics. (Exxon Mobil Takes On Climate Extremists - WSJ). He should know. Commissioner Crum is responsible for the oversight of 138 billion dollars in public assets. And as the Commissioner of Revenue, he sits on the boards both of the state’s pension fund and of the state’s Permanent Fund, which receives oil and gas royalties and distributes them and investment earnings as dividends to the citizens of Alaska.After all, it was the discovery of oil and gas, without which, Crum argues, Alaska would never have been permitted to become a state. The Alaska model  has also been a tremendous success for indigenous “First Peoples”, with groundbreaking legislation 50 years ago that allowed them to monetize the mineral rights of their land, creating unprecedented prosperity, while at the same time allowing them to their subsistence way of life such as hunting, fishing and whaling. Crum insists on fulfilling his role on the basic principle enshrined in law and long tradition that a trustee must put financial return for beneficiaries as the one and only end of pension management and leaving politics out of it.

In a recent op/ed for the Wall Street Journal, Commissioner of Revenue for the State of Alaska Adam Crum made the case that a recent attempt by blue state pensions to intimidate the board into acquiescing to the demands of anti-oil activists is a violation of the fiduciary duty to put retirees’ life savings ahead of politics. (<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-mobil-takes-on-climate-extremists-6948185e">Exxon Mobil Takes On Climate Extremists - WSJ</a>). He should know. Commissioner Crum is responsible for the oversight of 138 billion dollars in public assets. And as the Commissioner of Revenue, he sits on the boards both of the state’s pension fund and of the state’s Permanent Fund, which receives oil and gas royalties and distributes them and investment earnings as dividends to the citizens of Alaska. After all, it was the discovery of oil and gas, without which, Crum argues, Alaska would never have been permitted to become a state. The Alaska model  has also been a tremendous success for indigenous “First Peoples”, with groundbreaking legislation 50 years ago that allowed them to monetize the mineral rights of their land, creating unprecedented prosperity, while at the same time allowing them to their subsistence way of life such as hunting, fishing and whaling. Crum insists on fulfilling his role on the basic principle enshrined in law and long tradition that a trustee must put financial return for beneficiaries as the one and only end of pension management and leaving politics out of it.

The Battle of Blackrock's Front Moves to Oklahoma

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