We're Still Here with Simon and Julie

The John Fugelsang Podcast

Crossover Media Group

News, Religion & Spirituality, Sexy Liberal, John Fugelsang, Sanity, Arts, Sexy Liberal Podcast Network

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of We're Still Here, John Fugelsang welcomes Indigenous advocates Simon Moya Smith and Julie Franciello to a dive deep into the troubling issue of identity appropriation, spotlighting the controversial case of former Border Patrol chief Greg Pavino, who falsely claimed Native American identity in a legal context. The conversation explores the broader implications of such appropriations, particularly in professional and legal settings, and the harm they cause to genuine Indigenous representation. The hosts discuss the absurdity of cultural capital and how individuals often exploit Indigenous identity for personal gain, while also addressing the historical context of such actions. They also highlight a recent inspiring victory for Indigenous rights at Brigham Young University, where student Jaron First Charger fought for his right to keep his cultural braids, emphasizing the significance of hair in Indigenous spiritual and cultural practices. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the complexities of identity, representation, and the ongoing struggle for recognition and respect in today's society.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Sirius in progress. We are with Simon Moia Smith and Julie Franchella for another episode of Still Here.
0:26.7	And we welcome your calls. Lame white people or cool indigenous people or anybody at 866-997-47-48.
0:34.0	Simon and Julie, I am so confused by this story.
0:43.9	The guy who used to run Border Patrol, Greg Pavino, he's the one who shops at the Luftwaffe Nazi outlet store.
0:57.6	He just got fired and demoted, and he once claimed during a legal battle that he was native, and he considered himself part of the Cherokee nation despite not being registered with any tribal roles. This makes me so angry and I don't even know why, but I mean a federal official
1:04.2	allegedly claiming native identity in court, how common is that kind of identity appropriation?
1:13.6	Yeah, it is. And oftentimes people will say, oh, well, I checked off a box because there was a grant
1:22.5	that, you know, if you're a minority, you get to, you know, apply for this grant. And I've heard
1:26.6	people say to me out loud, you know, somebody told me to, you know, apply for this grant. And I've heard people say to me out
1:28.2	loud, you know, somebody told me that, you know, I might have Cherokee ancestry. So I checked off
1:33.3	the box, I self-identified, even though they have no knowledge of this whatsoever, just so that they
1:38.2	could get, you know, a grant, you know, for school or something. And this Greg Bevino, he reportedly claimed that he's Cherokee
1:45.5	during a court fight, you know, when minority status might have helped him, I guess that was
1:50.7	his thinking behind it. But the thing is, the Cherokee have not claimed him. And I don't think
1:57.8	that it is true that he has status, but apparently he weirdly handed out tomahawks to top performers at Border Patrol, which is, yeah, it's in, yeah, it's in the start.
2:08.1	It's so freaking weird.
2:09.1	Oh, my God.
2:10.1	It's boy scout shit.
2:11.1	Yeah.
2:12.1	Yeah.
2:13.1	Yeah.
2:14.1	It's especially grotesque, though, coming from a man who became one of the faces of Trump's aggressive
	...

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