Ep. 57: Joana Cotar - Fighting for Freedom in German Parliament

My guest today is Joana Cotar, a German politician who has been a member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) since 2017. Originally part of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Joana is now an independent representative promoting Bitcoin and empowering individuals to take control of their financial and personal freedom. In this episode, Joana shares her unique journey - from growing up in communist Romania to entering German politics, resisting Covid measures and mandates and championing freedom through Bitcoin. We discuss her experiences navigating the Bundestag, where she founded the “Bitcoin in the Bundestag” initiative to educate fellow MPs about Bitcoin's potential to empower individuals and solve real-world challenges. While she unpacks the dangers of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), Joana explains how Bitcoin can counteract these risks and why its adoption represents a beacon of hope in the face of increasing state control. ► If you got value, please like, comment, share, follow and support my work. Thank you! -- SPONSORS -- ►► Get your TREZOR wallet & accessories, with a 5% discount, using my code at checkout (get my discount code from the episode - yep, you’ll have to watch it): https://affil.trezor.io/SHUn  -- SPECIAL OFFERS – ►► Enjoy the Little HODLer products, learn about sound money while having fun! use code EFRAT for 10% off on non-sale items: https://thelittlehodler.com/  ►► Get 10% off on all books, inc. “The Inverse of Clown World”, using the code EFRAT https://bitcoininfinitystore.com ►► Join me in any of these upcoming events:https://www.efrat.blog/p/upcoming-events  -- LINKS – Joana’s Twitter: https://x.com/JoanaCotar  Joana’s Website: https://joanacotar.de/  Joana’s Nostr npub: npub1td3zad8qcgvd7x9uht6sdnfdg5amjcy96d274rla70ldlcemy9gspgm693  Efrat's Twitter: https://twitter.com/efenigson Efrat's Telegram: https://t.me/efenigson Watch/listen on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/yourethevoice Support Efrat's work: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/efenigson   ⁠Support Efrat with Bitcoin: https://geyser.fund/project/efenigson -- CHAPTERS -- 00:00 Coming Up… 00:54 Introduction to Joana and Her Political Journey 03:14 The Importance of Political Freedom 06:18 Left vs. Right in German Politics 09:48 The Role of Education and Parental Responsibility 12:20 Advocating for Bitcoin in the Bundestag 17:51 Dangers of CBDCs and Government Control 26:02 Why Should People Own Bitcoin? 31:45 Stablecoins vs. Bitcoin - The Future of Money 33:51 Bitcoin Awareness in Germany 36:03 The Need for Political Change and Responsibility 39:24 Pushing Back on Global Organizations and Their Agendas 41:50 The Power of the People and the Importance of Action 44:14 Final Thoughts: The Better Story of Freedom