The episode explores the American Cultural Crisis through a sweeping conversation with Lt. Col. Bernie Flowers. From gratitude and family collapse to political manipulation, immigration pressures, national security concerns, and energy policy, the discussion exposes a nation at a crossroads and urges a return to clarity, responsibility, and disciplined citizenship.
Families gather, meals are shared, and yet the deeper question remains: What holds a nation together when gratitude fades and complacency takes root?
On this episode, the conversation turns from Thanksgiving warmth to the cold realities facing America. Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bernie Flowers returns to confront the cultural, political, and spiritual fractures that have left communities vulnerable to manipulation, dependency, and division.
From Malcolm X’s warning about political exploitation to the collapse of the nuclear family, Flowers challenges listeners to see how victimhood has replaced responsibility, and how elites have profited from chaos while everyday Americans bear the cost.
Callers press the hard questions: where is black leadership, why are communities hollowed out by policy failures, and how did government incentives dismantle the very families once defined by strength and faith?
Flowers argues that national security begins in the home, that spiritual clarity demands courage, and that freedom requires energy independence, educational reform, and term limits that restore accountability.
At every turn, we call citizens back to the fundamentals: God, country, and family.
The crisis is real, but so is the path forward for those willing to shoulder the duty of rebuilding what complacency has eroded.
The message is simple: lead in your home, stand firm in truth, and refuse to become a victim of the Vanbōōlzalness Crisis.
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Mira la izquierda, mira la derecha. ¿Qué ves? ¿Dónde estás? In a world that changes daily, what will you do next? Welcome to The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez, a starting point for discussion y un poco de dirección.
Buenas tardes, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you had a phenomenal Thanksgiving. I know I did. Bob, I am sure yours was great too.
Bob:
Very nice. But three Thanksgiving dinners?
Peter:
Yes. Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for the big family dinner. I enjoy it. The kids come home, the grandkids come over, and then we go get our Christmas tree at Stokie Farms. Our family has grown so much we filled half the tractor trailer.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a great guest today. Someone we had on right before Thanksgiving. When leaders show values like God, country, and family and talk about defeating the mindset that keeps us enslaved, we bring them back.
I cannot keep a retired lieutenant colonel waiting. The Honorable Bernie Flowers. Señor, thank you for joining me again.
Bernie Flowers:
Peter, you treat me too well. Who is that guy you are talking about?
Peter:
People say I go overboard with titles, but I only use them when earned. Not everyone showing up with lip service deserves honor. There are too many who only appear when it looks good. I cannot feed egos anymore.
Bernie:
I appreciate that. We have something good in this country. That is why people want to come here. We must protect it or we will lose it, and our generation will be responsible.
Peter:
There is a push to separate God, country, and family. The mission of this show is to help people find balance in faith, politics, and entrepreneurship. Whether Christian, Muslim, or worshipping Donald Duck, whether Republican or Democrat, people do not even know what these labels mean anymore.
I want to read something from Epoch Times, by Wood and Brooks, titled Gratitude and the Virtue of Recognition. He writes:
“Gratitude begins with recognition, the modest awareness that the things we enjoy are not entirely our own making. Life, family, friendship, opportunity, love, beauty—these are received more than achieved. To be grateful is to acknowledge that we live amid these gifts.”
You have a national perspective from Afghanistan, Ukraine, NORAD, and other agencies. Why does society not recognize its gifts, yet promotes victimhood?
Bernie:
We have become complacent. History shows complacency breeds contempt and failure. People take this life for granted. They do not understand the effort it takes to keep our country balanced and functioning. Everyone must participate.
You mentioned cooking for your grandchildren. I have grandchildren too. I want them to live well. We must put in the effort. Even the food on your table depends on a long chain of people working. When folks become lazy, weakness grows, then contempt, then failure.
Peter:
I want to play something from Malcolm X. The speech is called The Political Football.
(Malcolm X clip plays.)
That was Malcolm X after his pilgrimage to Mecca.
You are a Project 21 ambassador, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, author of Black Values Matter. Why does that speech still matter today?
Bernie:
It is one of my favorites. Most black people, most minorities, do not know their history. Malcolm X said we were political footballs. We still are. The elites—liberal and conservative—are at the same parties and feeding troughs. They use division to keep communities fighting.
If we are people of faith, skin color should not matter. Our beliefs should matter. Malcolm X knew it. MLK knew it. People forget the Ku Klux Klan was the militant arm of the Democrat Party. They held the black community down then, and manipulation continues today.
I am not saying all Democrats are bad. I am saying white liberal elites are dangerous.
Peter:
You are pitching straight into my strike zone, sir.
Before the break: when we return, I want to discuss what “black values” means.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK — MINIMIZED]
Peter:
We are back with retired Lieutenant Colonel Bernie Flowers. Keith is on the line.
Keith:
Malcolm X died in February 1965. The next month Nat King Cole died. In the minority community, deaths often come from violence or health problems. African Americans face this repeatedly. Also, when I ask black individuals about Project 21, none have heard of it. You need outreach. I ordered your book, by the way.
Peter:
Colonel?
Bernie:
Thank you for ordering it. I am not here to sell books. I am here to push American values. Our children and grandchildren deserve liberty.
Project 21 is relatively new. Terrace Todd invited me recently, and I joined because I trust his leadership. We need new minority leaders. The old guard—Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson—have been in charge too long, and their results have not been good. Many are coordinating with people who want to destroy the American dream. We need to recruit and grow flag-waving minority patriots. Many believe what we believe but are afraid to speak.
Let us join hands and build an America we can be proud of.
Peter:
Keith, anything else?
Keith:
Yes. The black community must be built up. Also, the left-leaning media dominates what African Americans hear. Outreach is necessary.
Bernie:
Agreed.
Peter:
I want to shift slightly. You were on Newsmax discussing the murders of the guardsmen in D.C. A former CIA agent took offense at your comments about immigration. She seemed more concerned about Afghan refugees than American soldiers.
Bernie:
The elites from Ivy League schools—white liberal elites—are embedded in government. These are the people Malcolm X warned us about. They must be challenged. These mindsets dominate states like New York, where leaders offer token gestures instead of real solutions. For example, people receive random payments of a few hundred dollars instead of meaningful tax relief.
Peter:
Let us talk about your book Black Values Matter. I struggle with labels built around race. Rochester has over 1,000 nonprofits that supposedly serve black and Hispanic families, yet nothing improves. When we focus solely on race, we create fragmented solutions that fit no one.
Why the title? What are black values?
Bernie:
Let me read the back cover:
“Blacks are among the most conservative ethnic groups in America. Somebody needs to tell them because they are not voting like it. Most blacks I know care about crime, inflation, the economy, taxes, school choice, and similar issues. Most want equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. Democrats treat black Americans as voiceless support. Republicans are not much better, offering few alternatives.”
That is the premise.
Peter:
We are back. I appreciate you being here, Colonel. Mike is on the line.
Mike:
Where is black leadership regarding the devastation in black communities caused by illegal immigration? Chicago protested briefly, but it died down. Also, I do not see many black individuals at pro-immigration protests. Am I right?
Bernie:
You are right. This is controversial, but it is the truth: there is a lot of money in chaos.
NGOs receive huge payouts for handling the influx. Many black leaders are bought and paid for. Look at Jesse Jackson’s assets. Look at Al Sharpton’s contract with MSNBC. These individuals sold out the black community long ago.
Black Americans are naturally conservative. They go to church more than any other group. Yet they support liberal causes like abortion and gender ideology without reading what those causes promote. We need to wake people up.
The elites want to replace American minorities with populations loyal to the global ruling class.
Mike:
I agree. And our education system keeps American kids undereducated, creating the excuse to import talent.
Peter:
Exactly. I met a 17-year-old who works with the city. I asked what she knew about Frederick Douglass. She only knew the surface. The deeper meaning was never taught.
Let us shift. In 1959, 55 percent of black Americans lived in poverty, but 75 percent of children were born to married parents. Today, poverty is 18 percent, but 69 percent of children are born outside marriage. The breakdown of the family is the nuclear weapon of our time. Is that a national security threat?
Bernie:
Yes. Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society destroyed the black family. Benefits were structured so that a man could not be present. Today only 27 percent of black women are married. Children grow up fatherless, without structure, creating chaos.
Peter:
Some argue that a father is unnecessary because government programs replace that role. Masculinity is labeled toxic. Scripture about husbands and wives is taken out of context.
How do we counter that narrative?
Bernie:
I grew up in a traditional household. My children were raised in one. These biblical models worked for thousands of years. Government incentives undermine them. We must advocate for school choice and support families who want faith-based education. In many states, the money does not follow the student.
Peter:
In New York the system insists government knows best. Community schools push state values over parental values.
Let us shift. You are also a national security expert and candidate for Congress. One of your priorities is nuclear energy. You argue that America’s national labs have the technology to transform our energy future. Why is nuclear energy essential to freedom?
Bernie:
Energy is the backbone of national power. Costs are rising while wages stagnate. Data centers are also consuming massive amounts of electricity. Wind and solar cannot meet demand. Meanwhile, nuclear-powered carriers operate safely around the world using decades-old technology. We could use similar systems domestically, but political leaders refuse.
Peter:
In New York, the electric bill includes delivery fees higher than usage. People cannot afford it. And our governor pushes all-electric mandates with no infrastructure.
Tim from Irondequoit left a comment saying we need a “black Charlie Kirk” in schools.
Bernie:
Charlie Kirk is a strong advocate for free speech. A black counterpart will require courage. That person will need to be raised up by the Creator.
Peter:
Before we close, Michael Hennessey reminded us on the last show that Psalm 100 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” Some say turning the other cheek does not work. I believe it takes strength.
Bernie:
Turning the other cheek requires maturity. Christ was a pacifist except when cleansing the temple. Modern society is ugly, and it takes discipline not to lash out. Gratitude is a vaccine against discontent.
Peter:
We are down to our final minutes. You support term limits. How long?
Bernie:
Three terms in the House. Two terms in the Senate. Twelve years for each is enough. Supreme Court? Twenty-year terms.
Peter:
Next steps advice for listeners?
Bernie:
Stand for God, country, and family. Be responsible. Pray for those fighting on the front lines. Visit my website, BernieFlowers.com, if you feel called to support us.
Peter:
Ladies and gentlemen, that was Lieutenant Colonel Bernie Flowers. Thank you for your work and your witness.
Mira, be a leader for your family. Be a leader for God. Be a leader for liberty. God bless these United States of America. Until tomorrow.
Bernard (“Berney”) Flowers
Project 21 Ambassador Berney Flowers: Security and Freedom
Berney Flowers, a Project 21 Ambassador, is an Air Force veteran, former Department of Defense leader, and author of “Black Values Matter.” He served nearly 21 years on active duty, deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, and was on Air Staff when the Pentagon was attacked on 9/11. After retiring as a lieutenant colonel, he worked in banking before returning to DoD, serving with USCYBERCOM and later as a senior technical advisor for NORAD and USNORTHCOM. He also assisted in refugee resettlement on the southwest border. Appointed to Maryland’s District 9 Judicial Nominating Commission and later to UNC Pembroke’s advisory board, he now serves on the Howard County Republican Central Committee and hosts the “Loyal Opposition” podcast. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor, he remains active in his community.
