Send the Dullards on a Long Quest

Summary

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Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Send the Dullards on a Long Quest"

Date: July 20, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles the collision of pop culture and politics—from the massive new "Odyssey" film to the shifting ideological tides among America’s youth and within the Democratic Party. Armstrong and Getty examine how modern interpretations of socialism are sold to young people, why classic stories like "The Odyssey" still matter, and the worrying state of national security as conflicts flare in the Middle East. The hosts mix humor, urgency, and skepticism, drawing links between trends in entertainment, education, and global politics, with plenty of pointed commentary and memorable moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. IMAX Blockbuster "The Odyssey"—Is the Spectacle Worth the Hype?

• Discussion of new film "The Odyssey," filmed entirely in IMAX (03:05–04:53):
  • Hosts marvel at the visual scale and popularity of the film, with Joe planning to see it soon.
  • Joe remarks on the technical choice:

    "He definitely filmed it with the idea that you should see it in the IMAX format. That's the point of the way he made it and spent a lot of money on it being that way." (03:32, Joe Getty)

  • Ticket prices and moviegoing costs are humorously criticized, calling out the "giant virgin horse popcorn thing."
• Is there a “conservative” message?
  • Joe mentions that some pundits call it one of the most conservative movies in years, but says,

    "I don't really think about those things. So somebody would have to ask me and then I would have to think about it to come up with a was the message from this movie this or that?" (03:45, Joe Getty)

• Later, more in-depth analysis of why stories like "The Odyssey" persist (19:49–22:59):
  • The film is seen as upholding the Western Canon, which has been under attack in academia.
  • David French’s tweet: “I just watched the Odyssey. Glorious. Incredible. So much to unpack. I'll be thinking about it for days. But if I had to sum up the narrative arc in one sentence, it would be this heedless people, you will pay for what you've destroyed.”
  • The hosts debate film vs. book adaptations, noting that movie condensation is inevitable.

2. The New Appeal of Socialism—Serious, or Just Social?

• The “30-second pitch” for socialism, and its flaws (04:56–07:24):
  • The hosts play a street interview with a young man who equates socialism with community and social events.
  • Joe reacts:

    "Two thirds of what he talked about has nothing whatsoever to do with socialism." (07:01, Joe Getty)

  • Jack calls it insidious how loneliness is leveraged to attract the young to socialism:

    "They're using that loneliness to sell them on a totalitarian form of government, which is clever and insidious." (06:35, Jack Armstrong)

  • They both stress that the “social” in socialism shouldn’t be confused with hanging out:

    "The word social is in there, but don't be confused, Johnny. They're not even close." (07:24, Jack Armstrong)

• Hasan Piker and Mao Zedong praise (07:27–10:05):
  • The hosts highlight leftwing influencer Hasan Piker's controversial comments praising Mao as a great leader.
  • Jack challenges this worldview:

    "How you can look at Mao Zedong though, and say that went well...you've got to seriously, seriously be delusional." (08:45, Jack Armstrong)

  • Joe adds,

    "Well, none of the people you mentioned you can point out their mistakes include 70 million people dying." (09:50, Joe Getty)

3. The Democratic Party at a Crossroads

• Bill Maher interview: “Democrats are cowardly” (10:06–12:28):
  • The hosts play an excerpt of Bill Maher lamenting the party’s capture by radicals and political cowardice.
  • Maher:

    "Every day I hear about a new very radical...I can't sit and just not notice stuff which people seem to want to do because it's all about my team or your team...There's some crazy stuff. You know, when we're cheering for the intifada, I'm out." (10:29, Bill Maher)

  • Armstrong interprets this as a warning that the party hoped to co-opt radical energy, but now risks being overtaken.
  • Joe maintains:

    "The first time I see George Stephanopoulos... talk to one of these DSA candidates and say, so your platform says you want to replace the Constitution and do away with capitalism. Do you stand by that? ...But so far, they're not calling them out at all." (11:56, Joe Getty)

• Will mainstream Democrats push back?
  • They discuss whether the “green shoots” of opposition to radicalism will flourish or die on the vine (12:28–12:54).

4. Global Turmoil: Conflict in the Middle East

• Iran and the Strait of Hormuz (25:23–34:51):
  • News recap: ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, bases getting hit, and rising American casualties.
  • Armstrong notes Iran’s technological improvement:

    "Iran has actually upped its game missile wise and their missiles seem more capable and sophisticated than they did even in recent memory." (26:11, Jack Armstrong)

  • Joe points to Russia and China’s possible aid:

    "...They might be getting help from China and Russia. I don't know how we handle that. That's a pretty big deal for China and Russia to help Iran kill US Soldiers." (26:24, Joe Getty)

  • The hosts discuss the complications of blockading or opening the Strait of Hormuz and potential for wider, uncontrollable escalation.
  • Critique of mainstream media’s priorities—how war news is sometimes buried beneath pop culture coverage (33:39–34:51).
• U.S. Preparedness & Political Consequences (30:08–32:53):
  • Discussion of a Washington Post report that the U.S. may not be prepared for wider regional conflict due to low munitions and vulnerable base infrastructure.
  • Joe is alarmed by hints the White House may be unaware of these deficiencies, recalling historic Afghan War “happy talk” scandals.

5. The State of Reading—and Civilizational Decline

• Literacy, the loss of “deep reading,” and the fate of The Library of Alexandria (41:23–44:34):
  • Joe shares from The Atlantic’s “The End of Reading is Here”—comparing modern apathy to the collapse of the Library of Alexandria.
  • Quote from the article via Joe,

    "...collective apathy, neglect, and a lack of interest in reading...we may be upon the Dark age again, where people just have lost interest in deep knowledge..." (43:34, Joe Getty)

  • Armstrong links this to growing political ignorance, and the danger of assuming progress only goes one way.
• Statistical decline in reading:
  • Jack laments:

    "...reading is collapsing across every single demographic, even among college graduates, retirees and women who historically read the most. Doesn't matter what group you're talking about, people don't read." (44:34, Jack Armstrong)

  • The hosts joke darkly about survival skills for the coming “AI Socialist apocalypse.” (45:11, Jack Armstrong)

6. Cultural Oddities & Viral Phenomena

• “Jimothy” the deformed raccoon (35:39–36:48):
  • A quick, sardonic back-and-forth about a viral social media raccoon—a symbol, perhaps, of the modern tendency to obsess over memes rather than meaningful issues.
  • Jack on current priorities:

    "Kids can't read, they can't write. They don't know history. But they know Jimothy the deformed raccoon..." (36:39, Jack Armstrong)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They're using that loneliness to sell them on a totalitarian form of government, which is clever and insidious.”
  — Jack Armstrong (06:35)
• “How you can look at Mao Zedong though, and say that went well. I mean, you've got to seriously, seriously be delusional.”
  — Jack Armstrong (08:45)
• “No, they're not calling them out at all.”
  — Joe Getty, on Democrats and media ignoring radical left platforms (11:56)
• On the demise of deep reading:

  "It's not that the disappearance of a library led to a dark age, nor that its survival would have improved those ages. The fact that the library was allowed to die showed that the Dark ages had already arrived." —(43:34, Joe Getty quoting Rose Horowitz)

• On news priorities:

  "I watched ABC and CBS, one of them led with the soccer, then got to oh, by the way, three soldiers died over the weekend in our war. The other network led with the soldiers dying, which I think is the appropriate thing to lead with. That's a big deal." (33:39, Joe Getty)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Topic | |------------------------------------------------------ |----------------------------------------| | 03:05–04:53 | "The Odyssey" IMAX movie discussion | | 04:56–07:24 | Youth pitch for socialism; community vs. ideology | | 07:27–10:05 | Hasan Piker, Mao Zedong praise, radical left critique| | 10:06–12:28 | Bill Maher on Democrats’ cowardice and radical takeover | | 19:49–22:59 | Revisiting "The Odyssey"—film, Western canon, adaptation debates| | 25:23–34:51 | Middle East conflict, Iran's new missile capabilities, US response, media coverage| | 41:23–44:34 | Decline of reading, Library of Alexandria metaphor, statistics on literacy |

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Tone, Style, and Approach

• Conversational, quick-witted, and skeptical
• Candid criticism of political and media establishments
• Dark humor about contemporary issues: “Get good with firearms, develop a taste for human flesh and raise your own hogs. ... Be ready for the coming AI Socialist apocalypse.” (45:11, Jack Armstrong)

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Summary

This episode of Armstrong & Getty is a brisk, sardonic romp through modern America’s cultural, intellectual, and political conundrums. The hosts dissect the way big ideas and history are sold—or ignored—for political advantage, nostalgia, or entertainment. They highlight the risk of shallow interpretations (in films and ideologies), the perils of political cowardice, and the dangers posed by both foreign adversaries and the decline of reading and deep knowledge. If anything unites the hour, it's skepticism toward easy answers, nostalgia for earnest debate, and a warning: amusements and memes are no substitute for the serious work of preserving civilization.

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Transcript

[Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center,

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty. How y' all doing?

[Joe Getty]

I want to talk about the Odyssey. Just some stuff I've come across, reading reviews and like from actual critics and then people who went to the movie. Most people blown away visually. But it's the first major film filmed in all imax. I'm going this week. I can't wait to see, wait to see it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Have you heard how it translates to non IMAX screens?

[Joe Getty]

No, I have not.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm sure it's still fantastic visually.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I mean, he definitely filmed it with the idea that you should see it in the IMAX format. That's the point of the way he made it and spent a lot of money on it being that way. I don't know how many watch it

[Jack Armstrong]

on my phone then criticize it bitterly.

[Joe Getty]

I've watched a lot of movies on my phone, which is really cruel to do to the director. I don't care. I just, I don't think about the politics of movies. I just, I don't. It's not something that crosses my mind. But if it does, David French and other conservative pundits have made the argument that it's one of the most conservative movies made in years in terms of a message, if you care about that sort of thing. I don't really think about those things. So somebody would have to ask me and then I would have to think about it to come up with a was the message from this movie this or that? I don't know. I guess I just don't go to the movies for those reasons or something. But we'll talk more about that later. And then I'm going this week and I can't wait. Tickets are kind of expensive. I, I and then you got the giant popcorn thing, that's like 150 bucks.

[Jack Armstrong]

So yeah, the souvenir popcorn bowl, the

[Joe Getty]

giant virgin horse popcorn thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sounds kind of cool. When you say pretty expensive, what are we talking about?

[Joe Getty]

25 a piece? So 50 bucks? I mean, you know, regular movies are like 15 a piece, I think.

[Caller/Guest]

So

[Joe Getty]

here's a dumb guy standing on a street corner, college kid being asked to do a first, First a dumb guy, then a smart guy. Both of them are fans of socialism. One of them, well, they're both dangerous, I guess, depending on how you look at it. Here is like a college kid on the street pitching you on socialism.

[Caller/Guest]

I know, I saw a statistic. Amazing for you guys. More than half of young Americans now prefer socialism over capitalism.

[Joe Getty]

So if you can into the camera

[Caller/Guest]

and give a 30 second elevator pitch on why socialism is better than capitalism. Community. Are you tired of sitting alone and being by yourself and having no one to talk to? Be a socialist. It's all about community. It's about literally sitting down and having coffee with random stranger and talking to them, talking about the game. Hell, I have hugged more strangers in this past summer because of the Knicks game, because of the World cup, because socialism works. It's the watch parties that Zoran hosted. It's about the, the parties that we allow. We don't have cops hogging every single site and saying, oh, you can't be here because there's too many people. Instead of allowing people just being in their nature, a natural element of talking to each other to bond over things we love and share. So that was socialism. It ain't a scary word. It ain't me taking your house. It's about me making sure your house remains in your hands and some million doesn't take it from you. That's it.

[Joe Getty]

How do you argue with that?

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a child.

[Joe Getty]

How do you argue with that? So if he hears the candidate is a DSA candidate, Democratic Socialist of America, he's going to vote yes because of all the things he just said. How do you, how do you argue him out of that position?

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy, that rings so beautifully though, with that piece I brought you last week about the young woman from the Wall Street Journal who went to all sorts of DSA events and said it's all about community and contact and having fun together. Cause all the youngsters are so lonely. But they're using that loneliness to sell them on a totalitarian form of government, which is clever and insidious.

[Joe Getty]

I, I mean, two thirds of what

[Jack Armstrong]

he talked about has nothing whatsoever to do with socialism. I don't want to be a buzz soccer viewer parties.

[Joe Getty]

I don't want to be a buzz kill. But socialism is not getting together with your friends watching the Knicks game. That's not socialism.

[Jack Armstrong]

The word social is in there, but don't be confused, Johnny.

[Joe Getty]

They're not even close. Now here's a guy I don't know as much about, this Hassan Piker dude. I keep hearing his name.

[Jack Armstrong]

What.

[Joe Getty]

What is he? He's an influencer.

[Jack Armstrong]

Podcaster. Yeah, podcaster, influencer. One of the star talking heads in the long left. The young left, rather.

[Joe Getty]

Maybe I should take in some of his stuff because his name keeps popping up. Young people seem to listen to him a lot. Here's him talking up Chairman Mao. I got stopped by a cop who thought I was like making fun of Mao Zedong, which I never would and never will. Mao Zedong is a.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Is a.

[Jack Armstrong]

One of the great leaders of, of this world.

[Joe Getty]

Ok. A man who changed the entire universe. The entire planet.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Come for the evil, stay for the. What the hell are you talking about?

[Joe Getty]

So he knows what he's doing though, right? That first numb nut we heard from who's talking about Nick's parties being socialism just is a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he's a numbskull.

[Joe Getty]

He's a numbskull. Although his vote counts as much as yours. This Hasan Piker guy knows exactly what he's doing. He just wants to upend the system.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he's a Marxist, but he can't. How you can look at Mao Zedong though, and say that went well. I mean, you've got to seriously, seriously be delusional.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I don't know how you get there. People starving to death because you collectivized farming.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I think that the difference between a guy like me and a guy like him is I can tell you what Trump's done right and wrong. In my opinion. I can do the same for Ronald Reagan or, you know, Margaret Thatcher or whatever else. I don't have a religious calling like these people do. That they will tell you in a candid moment. Yes, we will absolutely lie to promote Marxism because it's that important. We can't let your petty bourgeoisie notions of truth and honesty and dishonesty get in the way of bringing about the revolution. You think, you know, the founding, the founding oppressors of this country didn't lie. Occasionally you're a fool. He would say.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Probably.

[Joe Getty]

Well, none of the people you mentioned you can point out their mistakes include 70 million people dying.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure.

[Joe Getty]

That's a heck of a mistake.

[Jack Armstrong]

Too big an admission to make, huh?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

All right, so Bill Maher is an old school Democrat. Nobody hated George W. Bush more than Bill Maher or Reagan or. I've been following Bill Maher for many, many years, going back to the 70s, actually. He is a Democrat. He does not like conservatives, but he doesn't like the wackadoos that are taking over his party. Here's him doing an interview over the weekend. You get some Democrats.

[Caller/Guest]

Democrats are cowardly. Yeah, they're cowardly. Their party is being taken over now by, you know, every day I hear about a new very radical. I feel very good about like 10 whenever years ago. Like I did lose fans because, you know, I wasn't going to go along with some of this crazy stuff on the left, too. I didn't change really on what I thought about the right, but just I can't sit and just not notice stuff which people seem to want to do because it's all about my team or your team. But yeah, there's some crazy stuff, you know, when we're cheering for the intifada, I'm out. The talking point is that, well, it's not communism, it's socialism. Okay. I've read the quotes from the DSA platform from their own mouths. Don't tell me I'm not seeing what I am seeing.

[Joe Getty]

He's in such a minority, though.

[Jack Armstrong]

His first point about the Democratic Party is cowardly. They're being taken over and they're not saying anything. I'm definitely getting hints that people are waking up and realizing, hey, we're. We haven't infused our party with somewhat wacky but energetic young lefty youngsters and we'll bring them around. No, they're. They're serious and they're winning the game.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it hasn't.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll see what the mainstream Democrats do in response.

[Joe Getty]

It hasn't made it to mainstream media either. The first time I see George Stephanopoulos or what's her name? Face the Nation or Margaret Brennan, if I see them talk to one of these DSA candidates and say, so your platform says you want to replace the Constitution and do away with capitalism. Do you stand by that? First time I see him ask that question, I'll believe they're. They've switched to Bill Maher's side, that we're not going to go along with this. We're going to call these people out. But so far, they're not calling them out at all.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I'm talking about green shoots, as they say. I'm seeing green shoots, but whether that grows up in flowers into a. All right, we got to hold on to our party in the face of these lunatics. Who knows? These people just want power. And if they think, you know, we could get power by harnessing that energy, they'll use it.

[Joe Getty]

That's so crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, because those will be the first people up against the wall when the revolution comes. 100%.

[Joe Getty]

I hope you're right. I hope this is growing. And by the time we get to election day in November, all these DSA candidates have been shocked to find out that they went on abc, talked to the New York Times, whatever, and started getting asked hard questions about. You really believe capitalism's a bad idea? You really believe the Constitution needs to go. You need to, you really believe we need to get away. Get rid of the Senate, for instance,

[Jack Armstrong]

to release everybody from the prisons and not have police anymore.

[Joe Getty]

Why didn't I start there? That's the best part. Wide open border. Don't even get to that. Other complicated stuff. You really believe we shouldn't have prisons or police? Make them answer that question. Yeah, hopefully that like, takes off. I mean, we're in the doldrums of summer by the time that we get to November and voting. I hope they've all had to answer that question because that's a bit. We're not making this up. It's on their website, the. The DSA website. All these candidates that are winning these elections, you hear about. Their website says that's their platform.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy, my life's been one big doldrum since about 2016.

[Joe Getty]

So anyway, one never ending doldrum. Boy, do my life is Argentina yesterday. Never even get to the other side of the field. Oh, and defending myself.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

Now the rough side of Joe's tongue.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the thing about soccer, which is a game I love, or do you call it football like Tom Cruise? That was interesting. Anyway, O is that. And I've defended soccer from charlatans. Just jackasses.

[Joe Getty]

I've been mocking soccer forever criticizing you

[Jack Armstrong]

for the lack of scoring. Correct. Because every goal is so impactful. Getting close.

[Joe Getty]

One goal in 125 minutes.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will get there. I will get there. Every goal is so impactful. Getting close, setting it up, crossing a ball, having a chance is incredibly exciting. And each goal matters a lot. So when a goal is scored, it's just pandemonium, right? Well, the problem is in the World cup final, it's a one and done thing. Both play, both teams play. Like I said before, like those bike races in the Olympics where everybody goes real slow and just are watching each other. Is anybody going to start? They go real slow, just crazy, crazy cautious until right at the end they try real hard, but it makes for dull viewing. As an alternative, I give you playoff hockey, which is intense end to end action from the moment the puck drops. It's feverish action. It's fantastic. And often a little higher scoring than the regular season because they try so hard. It's just. That's my one criticism of soccer. They've got to play so conservatively.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I got into it this year. I actually enjoyed the yesterday. I found it very exciting even though it was one nothing. So hey, you got to have the.

[Jack Armstrong]

You get 15 seconds to bring it over to the center line. Rule shot clock. Do it. Do it.

[Joe Getty]

So you can't just go four corners kicking it around.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, you can't play. Keep away for 45 minutes. It's dullsville, daddy.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, more on the way. Stay here. Armstrong and Getty.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Summer is here at Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you to Getting started is fast, convenient and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

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[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

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[Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Joe Getty]

So the Odyssey made a lot of money over the weekend. Almost $300 million worldwide. And it's a very famous director and it's got big stars in it. So it's got the whole I'm filmed at IMAX thing. That is unique. So I don't know what's drawing people to it. The fact that it's a 3,000 year old. I like when people say 30 centuries. That makes it makes you under. It's easy to throw out three, 3,000 years, you're right. But you say 30 centuries and you really realize how long that is.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm doing the math and it checks out.

[Joe Getty]

That's stunning. How long ago that is and why it's still a story. And I like the people that are making the point that it stands up for the Western canon to a certain extent. The fact that this is being redone as a movie since the Western canon has been under attack by the Marxist crowd in academics for so long, they hate that anything that's Western civilization. I mean this is like core Western civilization stuff. David French tweeted out over the weekend. He said, I just watched the Odyssey. Glorious. Incredible. So much to unpack. I'll be thinking about it for days. But if I had to sum up the native narrative arc in one sentence. It would be this heedless people, you will pay for what you've destroyed. Another, a conservative commentator I like said I haven't seen it, but my favorite comment should be is that the golden rule is real and you better believe it seems to be the. The story of the whole movie. I. I've never read the Odyssey. I'm somewhat embarrassed by that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think there are half a percent of the people gathered here at this moment who've read The Odyssey.

[Joe Getty]

Charles C.W. cook said the anti Odyssey crusade by some no more constitutes movie criticism criticism than last summer's freak out over Sydney Sweeney's denim commercial. And he really liked it. There is the whole it's not as good as the book crowd, which you've always railed against. Anybody who says that. I've said it many times in my life and sometimes I see a movie and it's not as good as the book and it bothers me. But you can't. There are certain things you can't do in a movie that you can do in a book. It's just a fact. I was reading our friend Tim Sandifer really didn't like the stuff that was left out of the movie. But it sounds to me like stuff that you couldn't put in a movie. It'd be impossible.

[Jack Armstrong]

I can't remember whether it was Chris Columbus or I'm bad at directors. One of the guys who directed some of the Harry Potter movies was responding, this is early on in that series to the criticism that there's so much not in the book. And he said if I were to dramatize the book on the screen, this movie would be 37 hours long. Something to that effect because there's just so much more volume in a book.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. Yeah, that so. So from that standpoint, it's always an interesting criticism if you have an. I think it's an 800 page book to read the Odyssey. Well, how long did it take you to read that? And then you expect that to be.

[News Reporter (Martha Raddatz)]

Not.

[Joe Getty]

Not leave anything out even in a three hour movie.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right.

[Joe Getty]

If it took you 40 hours to read it, obviously it doesn't quite make sense. Right. I can't wait to see it and I'll talk about it when I do. But if it's. If it's the golden rule, come to the screen. I like the idea of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Looking forward to that myself. Some more blows to land against. Against socialism. And it's time we all started doing it. Because man, it is coming on like a freight train.

[Joe Getty]

Stay with us, Armstrong and Gettys.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com podcast taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

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[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

Every week the Snap Judgment Podcast drops you inside someone's biggest decision. The kind of decision you can only make once with everything on the line. What do you believe? What do you want and what would you risk to get it? Find out Snap Judgment New episodes every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Have you ever found yourself craving a cold snack?

[Caller/Guest]

Yep.

[Jack Armstrong]

Montucky makes my favorite cold snack. It's a cold, snackable beer. Montucky is a light American lager from Bozeman, Montana.

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[News Reporter (Martha Raddatz)]

circulating online appearing to show projectiles falling over the base. Some intercepted but others making a direct hit. Sources telling us one of those strikes hit a housing containment unit, raising questions among some military experts about Iran's capabilities despite the administration saying the Iranian military was decimated.

[Joe Getty]

That's Martha Raddatz reporting. Yesterday we struck Iran for the ninth night in a row, but they were striking back at all kinds of different stuff. Some of our military bases we had three killed over the weekend, including they just released the name of one private Isabella Gonzalez, 19 year old girl from Carlton, Texas. Man, small towns keep our military going.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, oh yeah. Came across some analysis that was talking about how Iran has actually upped its game missile wise and their missiles seem more capable and sophisticated than they did even in recent memory.

[Joe Getty]

And where are they getting help from? And their targeting is better. And yeah, that's why the reporting over the weekend was they, it looks like they might be getting help from China and Russia. I don't know how we handle that. That's a pretty big deal for China and Russia. To help Iran kill US Soldiers. Martha Raddatz goes on.

[News Reporter (Martha Raddatz)]

This nearly five month long war, which began with the US And Israel launching strikes on Iran, appears to have once again brought traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz to a crawl market. Data shows only eight vessels navigated the strait on Friday, although Energy Secretary Chris Wright is disputing that.

[Joe Getty]

Almost all the public data I've seen is incorrect.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's flow through two routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

[News Reporter (Martha Raddatz)]

The renewed fighting spiking the cost of oil and gas. A gallon of gas now $4.

[Joe Getty]

So Trump declared the straight open. Remember that week and a half or so ago? It ain't open. It's a long way from open. Ian Bremmer made the point and I think he's right. We have the ability to blockade the strait which hurts Iran. Well, we don't have the ability to open the strait so we can blockade it and keep it closed, you know, basically blockading their blockade. But we can't open it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not in the short term. No. It would take a war effort to do that. It's not a task, it's part of the great task.

[Joe Getty]

We'll get to our capabilities.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not a task we should do.

[Joe Getty]

I should say we'll get to the capabilities we've got. According to the Washington Post in just a minute. But like right at this moment, air raid sirens are going off in Bahrain because Iran is firing missiles into Bahrain. The WHO speaking of navigation of the seas, this is new news too. The Iranian backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen, remember them, has announced a total ban on maritime navigation by Saudi Arabia under the principle of a blockade for a blockade, citing their full readiness to respond to any reckless acts by the Kingdom of Saudi. So the Houthis are saying they're blockading that waterway over there because we're blockading the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia is on our side. So there you go. In terms of whether or not it's going to turn into a greater war or not, does Saudi Arabia flex their muscles against the Houthis and say, no, we get to do what we want in our little area.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd be shocked if it didn't expand given what We've heard today. I don't. What, what's the off ramp? The New York Times with a hilarious headline that. Excuse me. The United States and Iran offered hints today that they were willing to restart talks.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, I just saw that. Yeah. There's some talk of mediators trying to get some sort of ceasefire going so we can talk about this. A ceasefire which would only benefit the Iranians.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And lead to what? An agreement.

[Joe Getty]

If they agree to a ceasefire, it's because they're waiting to like, fix this or that or get a shipment of something from China or Russia. If they agree to a ceasefire, it ain't because they have any interest in, you know, not getting a nuclear weapon or, you know, no longer wanting Israel to go away or any of those things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. Marco said that if that door opens, we'll be happy to see it open. But he added that Iran's behavior has to change in order for ours to change. In other words, what are we talking about?

[Joe Getty]

Right. Mentioned this earlier in the show, but the Washington Post, and you never know if it's true or not because the Washington Post hates Trump. And this is a. An official speaking on the condition of anonymity, not authorized to speak to the media. The US Is planning for a wider war, said this US Official with internal administration discussions. He's got knowledge of that, adding that the Pentagon was increasing the number of military aircraft in the region. That is known. This official, speaking anonymously, cautioned that the expansion of US Operations will be limited by dwindling stockpiles of air defense and long range munitions and constraints on the ability to surge more troops and aircraft into the area. Because of battle damage, we do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don't think the White House is aware of that. This official said. I find that one hard to believe, that last part. Yeah. Is somebody not telling the White House the trouble we're in or the reality or just the facts? I find that hard to believe. Could be.

[Jack Armstrong]

There have been plenty of examples of lying up the chain of command, but, man, that's a big one. Oh, yeah, we have plenty of room for the troops here at recently bombed air base. I mean, that's troubling.

[Joe Getty]

Military experts have said that in addition to the toll taken on US Equipment and munitions stocks, the US Is unprepared for possible ground operations inside Iran that Trump last week refused to rule out. The recent US Troop deaths have revived questions about the safety of forces at our bases. And a lot of talk about how some of them are living in tents or thin metal walled buildings that are very vulnerable to Iranian attacks.

[Jack Armstrong]

That statement that we're not prepared for a. What did it call it? An invasion or whatever, that's a little phrase that says a lot. No, we're not ready for a land war in Iran, a large scale invasion of that country.

[Joe Getty]

We're miles and miles and miles from

[Jack Armstrong]

being ready for it.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I'd say in that whole little couple paragraphs of bad news, the biggest one is if the White House is unaware of how unprepared the military is, that would be really, really bad. I hope that is not happening.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hard to imagine that knowledge would come via an anonymous source in the Wall street, in the Washington Post.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if it's that hard to imagine. If it were going on and you really cared about the military and everything, you'd want to get the word out they aren't telling the president things are not good.

[Jack Armstrong]

That would be an enormous horrific scandal. I'm not saying it's not happening because I don't know, but that would be terrible.

[Joe Getty]

Well, remember toward the end of the Afghan war when the Washington Post again had that quite explosive story at the time that people been misleading Barack Obama for years on how successful things were going in Afghanistan?

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's systemic in the Russian military. You'd hope it's not happening in ours, but yeah, that's that. That's a bad, bad thought. So what is Pete keeping it a secret? Is nobody telling Pete Hegseth the situation?

[Joe Getty]

Don't know. But I just hope that's not true.

[Jack Armstrong]

No kidding.

[Joe Getty]

And if China and Russia is either giving them better rockets and missiles or better targets so they're able to hit our bases, man, that's going to get the public's attention real fast. I mean, I was horrified that I watched two evening newscasts just to kind of get an idea of. And I realized nobody watches the news anymore like this. But I just try to get an idea of what the biggest news outlets think are the important things going on on any given day. And one of the news, I watch ABC and cbs, one of them led with the soccer, then got to oh, by the way, three soldiers died over the weekend in our war. The other network led with the soldiers dying, which I think is the appropriate thing to lead with. That's a big deal. We could easily have a week where 100 people are lost with these rockets hitting bases because they're firing them at us all the time. And either the technology of the rockets is getting better or their ability to Point them in the right direction is getting better thanks to Russia and China. But that's going to get America's attention. God dang it. It's not going the right way.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, it is not. Where did I. Where the heck did I put that? There's a great editorial in one of your more conservative places. I know I have. Oh, here it is. It's Alicia Finley, I think.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure enough, Alicia Finley is talking about your mention of checking the big news outlets. The big news outlet is TikTok.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Alicia Finley pointed out Chinese election interference that the president was talking about. What the hell about TikTok? It's the leading source of news for young people, and it is expressly pro China, and we're allowing it in the country. And we're worried about Russia having some Facebook post that 43 people looked at.

[Joe Getty]

Before we take a break, have you been following the story of Jimothy the raccoon?

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yes. It's a deformed raccoon.

[Joe Getty]

I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't get the modern world.

[Joe Getty]

I don't either. When I first.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

They're.

[Joe Getty]

They can't stop putting with a spinal condition.

[Jack Armstrong]

So it's weirdly shaped and it's become a meme or something.

[Joe Getty]

It's.

[Tony Ayo]

It's.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's like, you know, sometimes it happens with human beings. You get all twisted up. You're born that way or something happens to you. Are you supposed to stare and point at those people? No.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

It's very there but for the grace of God here with the raccoon. They keep putting it on various news channels. Look how cute. This is a little raccoon. It's got a deformity running across the yard.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

What the.

[Jack Armstrong]

People have given it a weird name online. Yay.

[Joe Getty]

Kind of a story is that. You're right. I don't know what to do with the modern world.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kids can't read, they can't write. They don't know history. But they know Jimothy the deformed raccoon,

[Joe Getty]

even if you can't. Not deformed raccoon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

People can read, but they don't read the Atlantic with a big piece on the death of reading that nobody read.

[Jack Armstrong]

That stupid. Nice job writing a really long article about how nobody reads. Good thinking.

[Joe Getty]

Think about it for a second, dude. Freed Zakaria had the author of that article on. She had a couple of things that were horrifying to me yesterday about reading and the young people. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. There's got to be a pony Internet somewhere. Where's the good news? We need some good news.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh boy.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, talk about the look at me kind of interesting. Among other things on the way. Stay here. Armstrong and Gettysburg

[Advertiser/Announcer]

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The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues until now. The X Games League Championship is live From New Orleans, July 24 through 26. Three days of elite action sports, plus performances from metro Boomin, Jid Subtronic and Bunt Watch on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. Stream on the ESPN app Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

I'm Glenn Washington. This is Snap Judgment from kqed. When everything is falling apart, what do you do? Hurricane Helene shut everything down. No roads, no cars, no way through. But his daughter was getting married and somehow, someway, he was going to walk her down that aisle. All systems down. A new Snap Judgment miniseries from kqed. Wherever you get your podcasts, have you

[Jack Armstrong]

ever found yourself craving a cold snack?

[Caller/Guest]

Yep.

[Jack Armstrong]

Montucky makes my favorite cold snack. It's a cold, snackable beer.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Montucky is a light American lager from Bozeman, Montana. Go to montucky cold snacks.com snack-finder to find Montucky Cold Snacks and a retailer near you. And if you're looking for some Montucky merch, use important snacks all one word for 20% off their merch store.

[Joe Getty]

Paul Pelosi has received at least eight driving citations in the last decade since his recent hit and run, including speeding, going through red lights, DUI and driving down a one way street. His excuse? He says he was rushing to get in his stock trades under the wire. That's a pretty good joke. Um, I hate to work this side of the street, but it's true. You're a young black man, young Hispanic dude. You get to run all those red lights, speed, drive drunk, do all that stuff all those times and have no problems like Paul Pelosi.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a hell of a Record, I mean, that's practically impossible. You don't see cops, traffic cops anymore. You'd have to drive like a psycho to get that many citations.

[Joe Getty]

It seems that he does.

[Podcast Host (Glenn Washington)]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Getting over you old crackpot. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

One goal in an hour and 25 minutes. No, 125 minutes was longer than that. It's not enough goals. So I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's a. Here's a goal. Score some goals.

[Joe Getty]

Here's a goal. Entertain me.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a goal.

[News Reporter (Martha Raddatz)]

Goal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get after a Cheese Louise, you can have a shot clock.

[Caller/Guest]

Get it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get that soccer ball over the midline or you lose a guy or something. Your goalie's got to put on a blindfold. Something you can, you know, work out the particulars. I don't know in.

[Joe Getty]

Tie one of his hands to his one foot. The opposite foot.

[Caller/Guest]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I really, really, really, really, really enjoy reading. It's among my favorite things to do. But those of us who like to read, we are a dying breed. Like they call it deep reading now. You have to separate scrolling on your phone. You are technically reading, but that's not what we're talking about. Like deep reading. I don't know if you count long magazine articles. I suppose you would. But like books in general, it's just gone off a cliff, people reading. And there's an article in the Atlantic right now written by a woman named Rose Horowitz called the End of Reading is Here. And she uses the example of the Library of Alexandria, which I did not know this. The famous Library of Alexandria, which was Alexander the Great, put together the greatest repository of knowledge in the history of the world at that time. Like everything that was known was in one amazing library. And then the story forever was that when Caesar conquered that area of the planet, they burned it down. And so many things were lost. Like they were on the fact that the planets went around the sun and not the Earth, you know, thousands of years before it may. But the Dark Ages, the old story was. Came upon us because all this knowledge was wiped out. When we've worked down the Library of Alexandria, they've discovered in recent decades, I guess, that that is not what happened at all. People lost interest in reading, so nobody funded the library anymore. And all the books just disintegrated. Eventually it burnt down, but the books disintegrated. Just nobody cared about reading anymore. They lost interest in it. So nobody. Back then, you had to rewrite stuff on a regular basis because the paper would disintegrate, and they just stopped funding scribes and nobody cared that they weren't funding scribes and just nobody wrote it down anymore and it all went away. And the point of this Atlantic article is that we're basically doing the same thing. The, the story that all the knowledge was wiped out in a sudden catastrophic, catastrophic fire is a myth. What happened was collective apathy, neglect, and a lack of interest in reading. And that is what we are doing now. It is not that the disappearance of a library led to a dark age, nor that its survival would have improved those ages. The fact that the library was allowed to die showed that the Dark ages had already arrived. And she's making the article that we may be, you know, upon the Dark age again, where people just have lost interest in deep knowledge of those things. We just want to be kind of entertained for a little while or outraged with stuff that may or may not be true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Partly because in public schools we don't study history in a serious way, even when we were kids. I did not know until an embarrassingly advanced age that the dark ages came like post fairly enlightened periods, it hadn't occurred to me. I did not know that progress is a two way street. That frequently civilizations go backward and badly. Yeah, it's worth remembering when, I don't know, lunatics with a lunatic political point of view start to take over and

[Joe Getty]

then combine that with the fact that people don't read. Reading is collapsing across every single demographic, even among college graduates, retirees and women who historically read the most. Doesn't matter what group you're talking about, people don't read then. I've seen the stats about but the average person hasn't read a book in however how many years and blah blah, blah compared to, and I mean you compare it to a couple of decades ago, it's a off a cliff reading, which is disturbing. We're going to give away the enlightenment to another era of illiteracy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like I said earlier, get good with firearms, develop a taste for human flesh and raise your own hogs. You got three things on your to do list.

[Caller/Guest]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Be ready for the coming AI Socialist apocalypse.

[Joe Getty]

Two of them. I can already kind of do that. Third one's gonna be tough. If you missed a second, we get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Tony Ayo]

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Wasn't that delicious?

So good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your bill, ladies.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

I got it.

[Joe Getty]

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[Advertiser/Announcer]

I insisted first.

[Joe Getty]

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[Caller/Guest]

Okay.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Joe Getty]

Rock, paper, scissors.

[Advertiser/Announcer]

Shoot.

No.

[Joe Getty]

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