Climb Into This Tiny Car... You're Clowns!

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode Title: Climb Into This Tiny Car... You're Clowns!
Release Date: March 20, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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1. Entertainment News

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Upcoming Film and Wonka Sequel

The episode kicks off with Jack Armstrong introducing some entertainment news, highlighting Gwyneth Paltrow's upcoming film with Timothee Chalamet. He mentions that the film, a sequel to "Wonka," intriguingly includes numerous sex scenes.

Jack Armstrong [00:02]: "Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that in her upcoming film with Timothee Chalamet, they have a lot of sex scenes. Now here's the interesting part. It's for the sequel to Wonka."

Joe Getty interjects, questioning this unusual twist on a beloved childhood classic.

Joe Getty [00:40]: "Excuse me."

Armstrong expresses a conflicted view of Chalamet, initially wanting to dislike him but ultimately acknowledging his talent and sincerity.

Jack Armstrong [01:00]: "I want to hate that little Tim Chalamet, but he seems to be very talented."

Getty adds his admiration for Chalamet's performance in "Wonka," noting its critical reception.

Joe Getty [00:49]: "I don't know if I mentioned we watched Wonka. I thought that was really good..."

2. Tesla News and Controversies

Vandalism and Safety Issues at Tesla Dealerships

Transitioning to automotive news, Getty reports alarming incidents at a Tesla dealership, where five cars were found fully on fire, alongside other vandalism and damage.

Joe Getty [02:07]: "God, that's just unbelievable that this is happening in America. I'm looking at a Tesla dealership where there are five cars fully on fire."

Armstrong sarcastically urges against vandalizing Tesla vehicles, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Jack Armstrong [17:26]: "Vehicles, new Tesla vehicles. Please don't vandalize. Don't ever vandalize Tesla vehicles."

Tesla’s Cybertruck Recall and Stock Decline

Getty delves deeper into Tesla's woes, mentioning a significant recall of Cybertrucks due to faulty door panels—a rare hardware issue compared to previous software-related recalls.

Joe Getty [19:27]: "Another thing about Tesla, interestingly enough, this is not good news for Tesla. It doesn't help anything..."

Armstrong reinforces the call to avoid vandalism, while Getty connects the vandalism to broader social and political tensions, particularly involving transgender and non-binary individuals.

Joe Getty [20:58]: "Three out of four Tesla facility and Charger vandals so far arrested across the country have been identified as transgender or non binary. And pronouns."

3. Political Commentary

Criticism of Illinois Governor and HB 2827 Homeschool Act

Armstrong launches into a vehement critique of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, labeling him with severe accusations and expressing disdain for the newly passed HB 2827, the Homeschool Act. This act imposes stringent regulations on homeschooling, potentially requiring full-time compliance officers and threatening misdemeanors for non-compliance.

Jack Armstrong [02:12]: "My home state of Illinois... has gone utterly perverse... they just passed out of the Education Policy Committee A Bill HB 2827, known as the Homeschool act..."

Getty agrees, linking the act to broader issues of excessive bureaucracy and politicization of education.

Joe Getty [03:44]: "They have so much flipping paperwork... just a regulatory state period, that causes all this."

Court Case on Gender Identity Policies in Schools

A substantial portion of the discussion focuses on a First Circuit Court case addressing schools' protocols on gender identity and parental rights. The court ruled against parents who objected to schools not informing them about their children’s gender identity changes, emphasizing the perceived authority of school officials over parental rights.

Jack Armstrong [04:13]: "Fair enough. So I dug into this case, the actual decision, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit..."

Armstrong criticizes the court's decision as undermining parental rights and promoting uniform indoctrination over individualized upbringing.

Jack Armstrong [06:33]: "All the questions before us... is our pluralistic society just bizarre and twisted."

Getty echoes these sentiments, expressing frustration over the school's handling of gender identity issues without parental involvement.

Joe Getty [09:11]: "What age was this?... What does that mean?"

4. Social Issues and Societal Observations

United States Happiness Rankings Decline

The hosts discuss the concerning drop in the United States’ position in the World Happiness Report, slipping to 24th place from a peak of 11th in 2012. They contrast this with consistently high-ranking Scandinavian countries, attributing happiness in these regions to cultural values like contentment and benevolence.

Joe Getty [27:52]: "The United States ranked 24th in the world... we are the 11th happiest country back in 2012."

Increase in Individuals Eating Alone

Another social trend highlighted is the rise in people eating alone, as reported by Gallup. Armstrong and Getty interpret this as indicative of increasing social isolation and lifestyle changes, reflecting broader issues of loneliness in modern society.

Joe Getty [28:30]: "The increasing number of people who eat alone in the United States, that number going up..."

5. Final Thoughts and Reflections

Impact of the Internet on Humanity

In the closing segment, Armstrong shares a poignant quote from Caitlin Flanagan, reflecting on the Internet's overwhelming and detrimental impact on human connection and happiness.

Caitlin Flanagan [33:04]: "The Internet did not arrive like a wave... It arrived like a flood and we've been drowning in it for more than a quarter century..."

This thought underscores the recurring theme of societal decline in personal happiness and connection, tying back to earlier discussions on happiness rankings and social isolation.

Additional Commentary and Humor

Throughout the episode, Armstrong and Getty intersperse their critiques with humor and sarcastic remarks, addressing topics like Trader Joe’s recall of mineral water bottles, March Madness demographics, and references to Jake Tapper’s book on Joe Biden. Their banter provides a blend of serious commentary and lighthearted jest, maintaining engagement while conveying their perspectives.

Joe Getty [27:25]: "Trader Joe's is recalling bottles of imported mineral water because the glass could shatter."

Jack Armstrong [34:31]: "It was the death of Joy Jack."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Armstrong on Chalamet’s Talent:

  [01:00] Jack Armstrong: "I want to hate that little Tim Chalamet, but he seems to be very talented."

• Getty on Tesla Vandalism:

  [20:58] Joe Getty: "Three out of four Tesla facility and Charger vandals so far arrested across the country have been identified as transgender or non binary. And pronouns."

• Armstrong Critiquing Homeschool Act:

  [02:12] Jack Armstrong: "...HB 2827, known as the Homeschool act, which imposes layers webs of regulations and requirements on homeschoolers."

• Caitlin Flanagan’s Quote on the Internet:

  [33:35] Caitlin Flanagan: "The Internet did not arrive like a wave... It keeps taking our souls away from us."

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Conclusion

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, the hosts delve into a mix of entertainment news, critical political analysis, and societal observations, interwoven with their characteristic humor and strong opinions. They highlight significant issues such as overregulation in education, the impact of gender identity policies in schools, corporate challenges faced by Tesla, and the declining happiness and increasing social isolation in the United States. The final reflections on the Internet's influence encapsulate their overarching concern for societal well-being amidst rapid technological and cultural changes.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Switching gears to some entertainment news. Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that in her upcoming film with Timothee Chalamet, they have a lot of sex scenes. Now here's the interesting part. It's for the sequel to Wonka.

[Joe Getty]

Excuse me.

[Jack Armstrong]

That would be an odd interpretation of the childhood classics by Raul Dow.

[Joe Getty]

Man, it's bird flu.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's bird flu.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if I mentioned we watched Wonka. I thought that was really good. I don't know why it didn't win a bunch of awards and stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

Haven't seen it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's pretty good.

[Jack Armstrong]

I want to hate that little Tim Chalamet, but he seems to be very talented.

[Joe Getty]

You hate him.

[Jack Armstrong]

I. I would like to, yeah. I was very pretty and young and wealthy.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I, I cannot. Because he seems to be sincere and working hard at his craft. Yeah, I don't give a damn what he thinks about politics, but he seems not to want to jabber about it.

[Joe Getty]

So he went to some super famous, like, art school in New York where talented kids go to. I read a thing about him after I watched the Dylan movie. And when he.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fame, I want to live forever. That school, probably.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that exact school. He went to that school. And when he did his tryout, the, the board said he. They actually said he's the most talented person we've ever had trialed for this school. And that's something.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's astounding.

[Joe Getty]

It really is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Sorry, was there another follow up? I feel like I interrupted.

[Joe Getty]

No, I got some Tesla news in addition to the fact that I'm looking at the television. God, that's just unbelievable that this is happening in America. I'm looking at a Tesla dealership where there are five cars fully on fire.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Not to mention the ones that have just been, you know, keyed and damaged and that sort of stuff. But we have some Tesla news for you coming up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, so a bit of a yin and yang here. My home state of Illinois, which is like my. My best friend from high school who is now a drug addict and a thief and a wife abuser as far as I'm concerned. I have so much affection for Illinois, but it has gone utterly perverse. Led by the crooks in the legislature, it's dominated by Democrats. J.B. pritzker is a monster. And a child groomer and an experimenter on child's genitals. I couldn't hate him anymore. And they just passed out of the Education Policy Committee A Bill HB 2827, known as the Homeschool act, which imposes layers webs of regulations and requirements on homeschoolers. And if they do not comply properly with the, you would need like a full time employee to make sure you were in compliance. If you don't, they could face up to a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's a lot harder than you'd think it would be to meet the homeschool standards they want. Well, they, this is one of the reasons I actually, in the public school we're losing so many teachers is they have so much flipping paperwork that they have to fill out about everything to meet. It's, it's just, it's just a regulatory state period, that causes all this. Then you add in the politics of you want to make it hard so.

[Jack Armstrong]

That the teachers unions want to make it impossible.

[Joe Getty]

They want to make it hard so that you'll say, well, I just can't do this. I guess I'll put my kid back in school.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Right. It is utterly obscene.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it really is sickening.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I could get into it more, but I want to go back to something we talked about a little while the ultimate couple weeks ago.

[Joe Getty]

The ultimate argument being that we don't trust you to homeschool. So we need an awful lot of oversight to make sure you're meeting our expectations.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that's the excuse. The raw politics of it is, oh, there may be some well meaning do gooders who, who actually mean what you're saying. But the raw politics reality is the teachers unions have said you crush homeschooling, you crush school choice, you crush charter schools, and you crush them fast. And so the politicians are jumping to do their evil bidding. So Jonathan Turley wrote about this while back and I brought it up, that first circuit court case that held that parents have no right to know about their 11 year old changing gender in school. And this unwritten policy was viewed as overriding parental rights. The decision is defended as a reflection of our pluralistic society. The court wrote our pluralistic society assigns those curricular and administrative decisions to the expertise of school officials charged with the responsibility of educating people. And of course, as Turley points out, there's no more cherished right than citizens possess than to raise their own children. And the idea that your excuse for insisting all children get indoctrinated in the same way at public schools and the parents aren't told about it. Your excuse for that is our pluralistic society that lets people believe what they want to believe is just bizarre and twisted. Fair enough. So I dug into this case, the actual decision, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and it is so interesting and instructive to actually dig and disturbing to actually dig into the decision. And they mentioned in the description there are a bunch of Latin terms involved and I'm going to bore you with them or try to sound show offy because I only understand about half of them anyway. Courts nationwide have faced all manner of important litigation involving matters of gender identity and gender expression, including the use of folks preferred pronouns. Today's case falls under that broader heading. More specifically, it presents for our review challenging issues arising from the Ludlow School Committee's protocol requiring its staff to use a student's requested name and gender pronouns within the school without notifying the parents of those requests and unless that student consents. Our appellants are the parents of a Ludlow student who chose at school, but not at home to go by a different name. The kid did. And to use different pronouns than those given to them at birth. The parents assert that Ludlow's practice of accommodating and concealing their child's requested name and I credit the court, at least for the intellectual honesty to say they are doing something affirmatively. They are not just not telling the parents, they are actively concealing the child's request and pronouns while at school interferes with their parental rights as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Ludlow counters that its protocol is appropriate and necessary to ensure a safe and inclusive school learning environment for students. How many times have we heard that utterly meaningless greeting card phrase safe and inclusive?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, sure, let's allow you to do a lot of things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, well said. Well said. In what way would saying, hey, your son is asking to be called a girl at school. In what way would that be unsafe? Are we to that old canard that, well, the dad might beat the hell out of the kid when he gets home so he can't tell the parents what's going on that whole because one parent out of a thousand is a monster argument and inclusive. In what way would it be exclusive to say to the parents, hey, your. Your son is asking to be called a little girl. That phrase is utterly meaningless. So that's how they describe the questions before us. Here's where it gets really, really interesting. You tell me whether this is a school trying to be safe and inclusive. Or a school indoctrinating a child. This is from the court, from the actual decision. Keeping in mind the first circuit said no, no, parents don't get to know school gets to raise the kid. They describe Baird Middle school in Ludlow, Massachusetts. Early in the 2021 school year, 6th grade students at Baird, including 11 year old BF. The student was given an assignment by the school's librarian to create biographic videos about themselves. Sounds great so far.

[Joe Getty]

Yep.

[Jack Armstrong]

According to the parents complaint, the librarian, Jordan Funk. Yeah, I shouldn't make any jokes because this is sickening. The librarian Jordan Funk encouraged students to include their pronouns in their videos. F you right there. That is imagination into radical gender theory.

[Joe Getty]

F you right there. I'm thinking I gotta get my kid out of this school.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Right. Don't play the pronoun game. That is getting the camel's nose under the tent of getting you to get. Go along with radical gender theory. Explain it at length another time.

[Joe Getty]

I hate the idea of. What age was this?

[Jack Armstrong]

11 years old. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I hate the idea of you even starting that conversation. To where the kid. My kid's gonna say they told me to use pronouns. What does that mean?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm a dude. It's he just.

[Joe Getty]

Just teach math and reading. That's what I want. God, that makes me mad.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gets better. The parents complaint does not state how the student designated the female sex at birth. No, sex is not designated 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. That is language straight out of critical theory. Radical gender theory that was invented by them. Nobody ever used that terminology until. Well with the exception of the teachers colleges which have been left of Stalin for a very long time, nobody has ever used that terminology until radical gender theory caught hold of idiots imaginations. First Circuit Court be better than that. Anyway. The parents complaint does not state how the student designated the female sex at birth responded to the school assignment. But in the months that followed the assignment, the student's school Google account started receiving quote unsolicited LBGTQ themed video suggestions on their school issued computer. So they're getting indoctrination clips on their school computer. I'm so by this unsolicited, somebody started sending all the kids videos that for instance, said you know, it's okay if you, if they claimed you were a boy to be a girl because they get it wrong at birth all the time. I will, I will read the simple text of the decision.

[Joe Getty]

God, once you say that to a small kid, you've warped them forever.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, you have. And they know it. It's intentional. All right. I'm just gonna read from the decision because you know, well, I keep going off. But in the months that followed the assignment, the students school Google account started receiving quote unsolicited LGBTQ themed video suggestions on their school issued computer. After watching these clips, the student began questioning whether quote they might be attracted to girls of course and whether they quote had gender identity issues. Of course this had never ever, ever been a thing in the family. He says, departing from the decision again until it was it was suggested and promoted by the school. By December of 20, the student sought out their teacher Bonnie Manchester to have a meeting to discuss some personal issues. At that meeting the student indicated they were depressed and strugg insecurity. What is an 11 year old girl? That's never happened before. Low self esteem, poor self image and a perceived lack of popularity. Oh no. Again a first in history. The student told Manchester they needed help but they were unsure of how to ask their parents about getting that help. Manchester offered to call the student's parents and after reviewing the student situation with other teachers during school planning meeting, hearing other teachers agree that the students seemed depressed, Manchester contacted the parents. Then they talked about the depressed thing and may have been attracted to members of the same sex. And mom was grateful that Manchester reached out so that she and the father could address the mental health issues. Then at some length it gets to unbeknownst to the parents I'm skipping a bit. In February 28th of 21 email sent to Baird's teachers and the school counselor Marie Claire Foley and to superintendent Gasta, the student announced I am gender core queer. This is an 11 year old prepubescent girl or pubescent girl. According to students email declaration that meant that the student would use any pronoun other than it it's and it also meant that the student preferred a name change. They asked to go by the name, you know, Rick instead of Betty or whatever. Upon receipt of the email and after meeting privately with student they decided essentially it's it's not necessary to tell the parents and indeed call her Betty and she when communicating with the students but during school it's Rick and it's he him.

[Joe Getty]

God, I would be so beside myself with anger. You'd have to put it aside because you got to deal with your kid. But they introduced this otherwise none of it would have happened. None of it. And then I'm doing it would be so difficult, could take years and could really damage your relationship with your kid.

[Jack Armstrong]

And we're up against a break but just to fully you know, sketch out what happened here. When it was depression, low self esteem, the teachers quite appropriately said, hey, we ought to let mom and dad know this is going on. But the moment it became radical gender theory, gender bending madness, it was time to hush up and keep this between us. Insidious, effing evil Armstrong and Getty. It's absolutely bizarre.

[Joe Getty]

Imagine a new mom holding her beautiful baby and a nurse pops in and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Says, mama, you're doing great. By the way, is baby a questioning lesbian? I mean, this is the kind of stuff. This is why so many Democrats flock to vote for Donald Trump. Because the left is so far left. I mean, they're out in orbit.

[Joe Getty]

What was that story we had, Katie? Do you remember what it was or do you remember?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, still have it. Yeah. Blue states, including New Jersey. Yeah. Your newborn baby. They ask, what gender is your baby? Is your baby gender fluid or gender queer or a lesbian or whatever? A newborn infant.

[Joe Getty]

No, wait, what the. The gender one. Well, they're all ridiculous. But, sir, you surely can't ask if your baby's a lesbian. They were born six hours ago. I don't know if my baby's a lesbian. Yes, Katie, if my, If a nurse.

[Jack Armstrong]

Asked me that, I would look to my husband and go, here, hold my baby.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. I'm gonna need both hands free for this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. The form requires parents to identify their baby as male, female, transgender, gender, queer, additional gender. Which of the following best describes your baby? With answers including lesbian or gay, straight, bisexual, self describes, unquestioning, unsure, prefer not to answer.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, I don't. You know, I don't buy this, but you could make the argument that you could answer, not sure yet. I don't believe that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why are you effing asking me?

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, it's ridiculous, but to answer definitively yes, this is a. A trans woman lesbian based on looking at your 8 hour old baby is insane.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. Can you imagine? You're sleep deprived. You've just been through, you know, a trying yet joyful experience, and somebody brings that s into the. The room.

[Joe Getty]

You think I'm at the wrong hospital is what I'm at.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm thinking, honey, is can you bail me out? Have your mom bail me out, because there's about to be trouble. Anyway, just my final follow up. I love that Katie. That's priceless. Final follow up. I think on that court case I was telling you about, this librarian funk in the story, who. The minute the kid having introduced the idea of maybe you're not a girl anymore, the minute the kid expressed doubt, this absolute groomer, classic groomer, radical, indoctrinating recruiter, quote, spoke with the student one on one about gender identity and provided the student with LGBTQ related resources. Then the school told me, told her, you can use whatever bathroom you want. Trying to conform with Massachusetts law, they say, right. These people are sick.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. So the United States has slid in the world happiness rankings. I've got some comment on that. It's kind of interesting. Also I'm pissed off. Violence against Tesla, some new wrinkles on that if you haven't heard. So stay tuned.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Tesla stock is way down, almost disastrously. So people, people have been vandalizing Tesla.

[Jack Armstrong]

Vehicles, new Tesla vehicles. Please don't vandalize. Don't ever vandalize Tesla vehicles.

[Joe Getty]

And so taken by many as kind of a wink and a nod of feel free or isn't that great or whatever. How about the crowd cheering that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. That gets back to that incredible divide we have in American society and politics now between a certain crowd, young, female, college degreed, et cetera, mostly grad students and everybody else.

[Joe Getty]

Well and then, but just then, you know, the what interests rank above what other interests? Because that crowd at Jimmy Kimmel, I guarantee you, is almost entirely. Climate change is the biggest problem we've got in the world. People who, a bigger percentage of Jimmy Kimmel's crowd there drives an electric car by a hundredfold than the average population, I guarantee you. Yet they're cheering the demise of, or their hope to demise of the most really the only popular electric car company that's ever existed in America, which is just so, it's so weird, the politics of it. So you've, you've ranked hating Donald Trump because I don't actually believe you're that concerned about government cutbacks. I don't believe it, no. So it's just, it's just the old fashioned.

[Jack Armstrong]

You hate Trump, so you have hypocritical and stupid.

[Joe Getty]

You're ranking your hatred of Trump above climate change, which you've been trying to tell us for a long time is the biggest threat to mankind that has ever existed. And if you don't take it seriously, you're some sort of crazy anti science weirdo, a monster. So you got that angle of it which is really interesting. And of course if anybody on the right did a wink and a nod toward destroying, I don't know if Sean Hannity is, did the same thing about Target back when Target had trans bathing suits in it or whatever. Don't destroy Targets, I mean, really don't destroy them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ha.

[Joe Getty]

Would have been called out. Another thing about Tesla, interestingly enough, this is not good news for Tesla. It doesn't help anything. And you'll hear it on the news all day long today. Cause it just broke Tesla to recall most cybertrucks because of. And I saw this on the news the other day, this panel that falls off the door. So this isn't. So it says in this Wall Street Journal article. This is the eighth recall of the cyber truck since it came out. I think all the rest of them are software things. So they fix them. I get things fixed through the software on my Tesla every night while I'm asleep. I don't even know what happened. But they call that a recall even though it's not a recall. They just update the software, they change. But this. So a part of the door is actually falling off. And so this will be great fodder, guarantee you. I'd be shocked if all three hosts don't make a joke about that tonight on the late night talk shows, because that's a bad look. You know this stat. Most alleged Tesla Charger vandals have one thing in common. She. They pronouns. Three out of four Tesla facility and Charger vandals so far arrested across the country have been identified as transgender or non binary. And pronouns.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. What I was talking about yesterday, Neo Marxism radicalizes every minority, including sexual minorities, for instance, guys who enjoy masquerading as women. Three out of four. That's amazing, isn't it?

[Joe Getty]

You don't think that's noteworthy? I mean, I don't think that's noteworthy with a tiny percentage of people that are trans. That 75% of the people who are attacking Tesla dealerships are. Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mentally ill. We got an email, guys. Whatever happened to the term female impersonator? So you got a bunch of mentally ill female impersonators who've been radicalized by this idiotic European critical theory crap going around committing acts of domestic terrorism.

[Joe Getty]

I'm glad you just, you know what?

[Jack Armstrong]

Arrest them. What's that?

[Joe Getty]

I'm glad you just used that term because I've been using the term vandalism, which it is not. Here is John Miller, formerly of the FBI, now a commentator on cnn.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you take all the politics out of it and you go by the pure FBI definition of domestic terrorism, it is the use of fear, violence, property destruction to coerce somebody on a political issue. So if this is to attack Elon Musk because of his relationship and actions on behalf of Donald Trump, it would qualify based on the definition.

[Joe Getty]

How about John Miller feeling terrorism? How about John Miller feeling like he's got to put the qualification. If you take the politics out of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

What if you take the politics out of political violence. In other words, what John is, is saying like some sort of Stockholm syndrome suffering abductee, don't hurt me for this. But.

[Joe Getty]

Right, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Even though it's against Trump and he cringes and covers himself up. This is domestic terrorism.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

He had you arrest these people, you put them in federal prison, and ladies, you got a schwantz. You're going to the men's prison.

[Joe Getty]

Isn't that something he had to throw in that qualification? Which is exactly what you just said. I hate to say this, please don't kill the messenger, but this is domestic terrorism. Even if you hate Trump putting aside.

[Jack Armstrong]

The politics of political violence. Well, yeah, that's. That's right. No, you don't get to say, on the other hand, I'm right. No, John, that's not a thing. But again, he's terrified by, you know, his co workers and probably his friends.

[Joe Getty]

The New York Times blaming Musk for the terrorist attacks directed at him with a paragraph about all the attacks that have happened on Teslas and Tesla dealerships and charging stations across the country. For some, the deal breaker came when Mr. Musk made a gesture that resembled a fashion salute while speaking at a rally for Donald Trump. So the New York Times saying, well, how's the deal breaker? And you. They're insinuating that, yeah, you can't blame him. I mean, come on. Because Elon, you know, he made the Hitler salute so Nazi German.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, that, that.

[Joe Getty]

Hasn't that been debunked enough with all the instantaneously. How could you, the New York Times include that? I mean, if you want to say people are angry about Doge. Just to explain the climate that we're in, fine, but you're leaning way too hard toward. Elon brought this on himself. Just very. There's not good.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's being wrong, there's being wildly wrong, then there's being a clown. The New York Times has completely beclowned itself again.

[Joe Getty]

Honk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Joe Getty]

All you climb into this tiny car.

[Jack Armstrong]

You'Re clowns, and get the hell out of here.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know where this is going. I really don't know. I don't know. I don't know if this will like substitute substantially damaged Tesla, like really put a dent in it or this. The, you know, it'll be A phase. And it'll go away. I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

That reminds me. To our previous discussion. I texted this to the crew and retweeted it as well. It writes itself, wrote the guy who posted this. The. The headline is Woman arrested after explosives discovered at Tesla dealership. And there's a dude, a guy, a grown ass man in the picture. Woman arrested. Why? Because the grown ass man said, yeah, I'm a woman. Okay, he's a woman. Seriously, Nobody, but nobody thought that way, like two weeks ago. No, it was laughable. It was absurd. It was idiotic. Guess what? It's still laughable, absurd and idiotic. But you have mainstream publications. Woman arrested after explosives discovered a Tesla dealership with a full grown man right there in the picture.

[Joe Getty]

I want to hear the Jimmy Kimmel. One more thing. So listen. Listen to the crowd cheer. The fact that their electric car hero company is suffering, and then his insinuation that it's okay. Tesla stock is way down, almost disastrously. So people. People have been vandalizing Tesla vehicles.

[Jack Armstrong]

New Tesla vehicles. Please don't vandalize. Don't ever vandalize Tesla vehicles. And so what's the visual? He. He had to wink there.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Or just look at the crowd. Yeah, that's something.

[Jack Armstrong]

If we had said that at the height of the target thing, our careers.

[Joe Getty]

Would end, we would have lost our.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jobs and probably appropriately.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, because we were. Yeah, because we were encouraging domestic terrorism.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

God, he should be called out.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's okay. Because it's against the right.

[Joe Getty]

It's against Elon, the world's richest man. You got to throw that in all the time. Like that matters.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, sorry, I left that out. Who. Who. The last step, or the final straw, was when he gave us loot that appeared to be. Oh, for God. Seriously, Put on your size 27 red shoes and flop out of here.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Squirt water out of your lapel and get out of here. Nah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tell you what, it gets me up in the morning fighting against these lunatics.

[Joe Getty]

I want to mention this. United States sliding down the happiness scale.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. You've been holding out on us, and it hasn't made us happier.

[Joe Getty]

It's most. It's mostly dumb. But there is one nugget in there that's disturbing. Anyway, that's next. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. Some business news. Trader Joe's is recalling bottles of imported mineral water because the glass could shatter. People were like, yeah, that's pretty much how glass works. I can't believe this bracelet.

[Joe Getty]

That's right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trader Joe's is recalling bottles of imported mineral water. Tough news for your office's most annoying co worker.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, no kidding. The United States has fallen to its lowest ever place in the world. Happiness report. Who asked you? Which highlights the positive effects benevolence and social connections have on people's life satisfaction. It says here in the summary on.

[Jack Armstrong]

CBS News, all about the big B benevolence.

[Joe Getty]

The United States ranked 24th in the world, one place lower than our rating last year. We're getting less happy and far from our previous peak of 11. We are the 11th happiest country back in 2012. Most of your happy countries are your tiny little Scandinavian countries.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and as we discussed at length, it was really interesting. Finland always tops the list and they are a rather serious endure people. They also there is a culture of contentment. Be content with what you have and be a good person. That's happiness there.

[Joe Getty]

I was reading one analyst's view of it who doesn't like this chart in the way it's portrayed in that some of these countries just their culture is to be positive if they're in the middle of a world war and a depression, that's just their culture. And you know, there's no doubt that our culture is more I need everything all the time yesterday. Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure. Or I'm unhappy. But one nugget out of this that stuck out to me is from Gallup, the increasing number of people who eat alone in the United States, that number going up, the number of people eat alone. And obviously it's not just the eating alone part, it's the what?

[Jack Armstrong]

Finally the spotlight's off. Drinking alone. Finally.

[Joe Getty]

It's not the fact that you're dining alone because that in itself is no big deal. It's just if you're regularly eating alone, it says a lot about your lifestyle.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Which like I wonder how many times I should ask my parents, I wonder how many times my dad's ever eaten alone in his life. Because you know, back in the day when you got married young or my mom would be a better example. She had me when she was 22. She may never going from parents to college to married with kids, as opposed to, you know, you stay unmarried maybe forever or in your 30s or 40s and no kids and don't date and lots and lots and lots and lots of meals. Eating alone, which means watching TV alone, which means going to bed alone, which means waking up alone, which might mean vacationing alone, all kinds of different things.

[Jack Armstrong]

And you're not living A version of like Friends where you're constantly meeting your friends at the coffee shop cafe and probably not. Yeah. Oh man, where's. I just came across another great think piece about how we become a nation of loners. And I can't remember what the term was they used, but yeah, things are weird. You know. My final thought today. I'm actually going to cede my final thought to the next for the next two days to one of my favorite authors, but addresses some of this.

[Joe Getty]

Speaking of authors, I was all excited about Jake Tapper's book which was released today about the inside story of Joe Biden secretly behind the scenes, his brain wasn't working so good and they pulled off a trick and nobody knew. Crazy cover up except for everybody. But anyway, he's got a book out about that and I ordered it, pre ordered it on Kindle and it hasn't shown up yet. I'm quite angry about it. I think it's some sort of breakdown with Amazon because it came out. But hopefully I'll have it tomorrow and have some of the highlights.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some people seem to be getting around. Prohibition by Al Capone. Jake Tapper, you should be ashamed.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I get you. I understand what you're saying.

[Jack Armstrong]

See what I'm saying there?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I understand the point you were making. Back to that the happiness thing. And we talked about this quite a bit a week or so ago in the Dalai Lama's book the Art of Joy and all that is this. It's interesting that as human beings we're built to do all kinds of things that make us less happy. We just are. And you have to like overcome your desire to do things that ultimately will make you less happy, like eating too much or indulging this or that. I don't know if it's an evolution thing or a.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a modern world thing. Keeping in mind that if humans whole existence is 24 hours, the Internet, for instance, smartphones came into being at 11, 59 and 59 seconds.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

The idea that we haven't quite figured it out is.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's not that shocking how much time we got.

[Jack Armstrong]

Michael, let's go to it early because this final thought is worth hearing.

[Joe Getty]

Give it plenty of time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do it. I don't want the show to be over, but I'm ready to listen to the final thought from I'm Strong again.

[Joe Getty]

Here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

That one stresses me out because the guy's so far behind the beat, it's weird. All right. Hey, let's Get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day. There is our technical director, Michelangelo Michael. You know, I've made a real effort to be happy for every little thing that I have. Very, very grateful. But now that Jack has pointed out there's a 98 inch TV at Costco, I. I'm not real happy.

[Joe Getty]

Not until you have ruined it.

[Jack Armstrong]

He ruined it. Katie Greener, esteemed newswoman, has a final thought. Katie, kind of along those lines.

[Joe Getty]

Jack, thanks a lot for that 98 inch TV comment. Because now my husband's aware of it and won't stop. Wait, at least see it. You got to go to Costco this weekend. What do you see in person?

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack, a final thought you'd like to share.

[Joe Getty]

Is March Madness as big as it used to be? I don't actually know statistically. I'm sure I could look into it, but I just saw an ad for March Madness featuring basketball stars. The average age had to be in the low 70s on this ad. You'd have to be my age and older to know who these people are.

[Jack Armstrong]

So kind of feel like they believe.

[Joe Getty]

Their demographics are pretty old.

[Jack Armstrong]

My final thought, I love Caitlin Flanagan, who's a staff writer at the Atlantic. She writes about women and stuff. She's very funny, very smart and very grounded. She says what follows. The Internet did not arrive like a wave, allowing us to take time to think about our humanity before we put our toes in the water. It arrived like a flood and we've been drowning in it for more than a quarter century. It keeps taking our souls away from us. Every passing year, we're less of who we were. Soon there won't be much of us left at all. The only thing that can save us is a great unplugging. But we'll never do that. We live it down here. We love it down here under the dark water.

[Joe Getty]

No, we'll never unplug it. So yeah, and then the generation that remembers pre Internet and smartphones will be dead before you know it. And there will be no freaking great.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was.

[Joe Getty]

There will be nothing to compare it to. No young, younger person will even remember that it was any different.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's the death of Joy Jack. My new quickie talk show host book.

[Joe Getty]

I'm sure I can get you wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm co writing it with Jake Tapper and the Dalai Lama. So many people to thank, so little time. Go to armstrongetti.com the Hot Links are fantastic. Drop us a note if there's something we ought to be sending. Talking about. Send it along. Send us the link. [e-mail]. pick up a T shirt. Come on. Helps to keep everybody on the payroll.

[Joe Getty]

The death of Joy. See you tomorrow. God bless America.

[Jack Armstrong]

The coroner said it was an accident, but it was no accident.

[Joe Getty]

It was Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Our message is clear. Go away.

[Joe Getty]

Are you sure Pocahontas says yes?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty asked the same question of their lit listeners. And here's their response.

[Joe Getty]

Most of their ass. Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was wondering, you know, what you felt about that. I'm good.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Bye.

[Jack Armstrong]

Bye. Armstrong and Gettysburg.