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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.
Joe Getty
The faa, which is overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a real winner. That's guys, a real winner. Do you know how badly everything's run since he's run this Department of Transportation? He's a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground and he's a disaster now. He's just got a good line of bull. The Department of Transportation, his government agency charged with regulating civil aviation while he runs it, 45,000 people and he's run it right into the ground with his diversity.
Guest
There you go. So it got personal between Trump and Mayor Pete yesterday, what he did in Indiana. Oh, wow, we're dipping way back.
Jack Armstrong
And now Mayor Pete has migrated to Michigan where he wants to run for the Senate.
Guest
Right.
Jack Armstrong
He's going to be based on his achievements and, you know, things.
Guest
So the headline around the, the flying thing, just the brief headline, is lots of acknowledgement that Reagan Airport, like every airport in the country, has like half as many air traffic controllers as they're supposed to, including the night of the crash. And right leaning media is willing to say, is that because Di. And left leaning media is pretending. I wonder why that is. So that's kind of where we are today. But before we get to more of that, here's a former Blackhawk pilot yesterday laying out on CNN a few things that they think went wrong that caused the crash.
Former Blackhawk Pilot
So three is a minimum crew for a Blackhawk helicopter. In my opinion, when you're going into visual flight mode in a crowded airspace like this, it should be a minimum of four until you have a pilot on each side for visibility, whether they were on night vision goggles at that time or not. It is a very cluttered airspace with a lot of lighting and the lights reflecting on the river. And so with that, it's easy to kind of get a little disoriented. As far as the height, they were supposed to be at 200ft, but they were not. Reportedly, the incident happened at around 350 to 400ft as the airliner was descending. They were at the wrong height. So that's a pilot error. The first would be a policy error. Air traffic control said, do you have the CRJ in sight? Well, there were two aircraft in their field of view and actually only one was really obvious to them. And that was the, if you watch the video, the aircraft taking off in the foreground is probably the one they were facing. The pilots were facing and said, yeah, I got it. The air traffic control should have said, do you have the aircraft at 5 o'clock? So they were looking at the rear. If they had done that, the Blackhawk is maneuverable. The Blackhawk could have moved out of the way quickly. They can move on a dime and make that happen.
Guest
Yeah. If you've seen there was.
Jack Armstrong
Go ahead.
Guest
If you've seen that new video that came out that helicopters flying for a long time straight toward the plane and as that woman just pointed out, there they were looking at a different plane. When they said, you see the plane? Oh yeah, I see it. They were looking at a different one.
Jack Armstrong
And a couple other factors. There was quite literally half the number of air traffic controllers there usually is that time of night. There was one instead of two. There are supposed to be one dealing with helicopters, one with planes. But for some reason the supervisor let somebody go home early. Second thing that I learned yesterday, and it's funny, I learned this quite early in the day from an associate who is ex military. And he announced to me with great certainty that initially I wasn't sure where he got it, but that these were VIP pilots whose job is to ferry VIPs back and forth from the Pentagon to the local air base and et cetera, et cetera. They have to have a certain number of minimum night flying hours to stay certified. And that was the training mission. It was VIP pilots getting their night flying in so they could stay certified. It seems insane to me that you would do that in one of the most crowded airspaces on earth and most protected. But you know, I'm sure that that policy will be looked into.
Guest
Right. The this may not have contributed to it, but if anything comes out of this crash, the why do we have half as many air traffic controllers as we're supposed to? Let's get to the bottom of that. And if it turns out that a lawsuit from last year by a thousand people joining together saying they applied for the job but got turned down because of race, if it turns out it wasn't going to look enough, it wasn't going to look enough like the rainbow up there in the control tower, so we turned these people down, that's a big problem.
Jack Armstrong
I believe that is exactly true. News Nation with a story where a former aviation FAA official said diversity has nothing to do with hiring in air traffic controlling and it had to do with the crash. And let's see, we hire a lot of people, but it's all about merit. Okay. On the other hand, you have this from an independent journalist who mentions that the air traffic control lapses categorized as significant are up 65% in just over a year. What has gone wrong? Allow me to explain. Then he goes into those statistics. The number of significant air traffic control lapses, its rise. Just take my word for it. I don't want to get bogged down in, in the statistics, but previously the FAA's CTI program, that's their, their certification program, essentially worked with 36 colleges to educate future air traffic controllers. These colleges offered two and four year degrees requiring courses in air traffic control and aviation administration. It also employed a rigorous skills test. The graduates of these programs became qualified candidates for training as air traffic control specialists. The FAA gave hiring preferences to veterans, those with the at CTI program degrees, references from administrators and high test scores. Now those programs still exist, but as we'll see, he writes, other selection criteria have been introduced in order to promote diversity. In 2013, Obama appointed Michael Huerta to the position of FAA administrator. Huerta criticized the existing standards on the grounds that they did not promote diversity. He announced plans to trend, and this is a quote, transform the FAA into a more diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects, understands and relates to the diverse customers. In other words, the FBA was hired, the FAA was hiring too many white guys, and you'll never guess what the proposed solution was. Holding your breath. In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed. They reset what I just said. He announced plans. Okay, I'm sorry, he just restates it with different type. Under Huerta, the FAA stopped prioritizing CTI graduates and introduced a behavioral questionnaire. When this happened, a pool of 3,000 qualified candidates, most of them CTI grads who passed the skills test were purged. 3000 graduated this task, the training program were fully qualified and were told, sit down, you're not going to get H.
Guest
Boy, would that be maddening in addition to its dangers for us all. But how maddening would that be? You're qualified. You took the school. All of a sudden, a change in the political weather and you got to find a new career.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I know multiple people in multiple industries who were told point blank, jim, you're going to have to wait another year. We're getting real pressure on the diversity front. Oh. Anyway, so this behavioral questionnaire under Huerta, this new program, the BQ we'll call it, it's ambiguous for a reason. Its purpose is to select for diverse applicants. As Huerta said, questions include the number of high school sports I participated in, was how Would you describe your ideal job? What has been the major cause of your failures?
Guest
Why would you ever ask that?
Jack Armstrong
Would more classmates remember me as humble or dominant? Stuff like that. Some of it's harmless, I'm sure, but just.
Guest
It might be harmless, but what's it accomplish? Do you have the training to be an air traffic controller? Are you sober? Here's your job.
Jack Armstrong
To make things worse, the BQ actually gives more points to applicants who answer that they have not been employed in the previous three years than it does to those who respond that they've been a pilot or a veteran with air traffic control experience. Complete insanity.
Guest
That's an equity thing.
Jack Armstrong
I've been out of work for three years. I was an air traffic control specialist in the Air Force. Out of work guy. You get the job. Sweet mother of God.
Guest
Because we believe in equity, we're going to try to balance out the world because we're so. We're so smart, we can figure out how to do it.
Jack Armstrong
In 2015, Peter Kirsanow, then a member of the US Commission on Civil Rights, wrote a letter to the FAA. He accused the FAA of diluting its, quote, objective standards of evaluating competence because it didn't like the RAC gender composition of its ATC applicant pool. A says it's particularly odd that the FAA would change its selection procedures when its own studies found that the ATSAT score was the only piece of bio data other than age that was a useful predictor of whether an individual would successfully complete air traffic control or training. In other words, you jettison the only thing that was a significant Standard. Later in 2015, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the more than 3,000 qualified applicants rejected by the FAA. Jack has mentioned that, an attorney for the plaintiff said. We have a statement from a leading FAA official that they made this decision in order to increase diversity. The BQ, that questionnaire was purportedly discontinued in 2018 thanks to representative Randy Hultgren of Illinois, who introduced legislation to eliminate the questionnaire under the first Trump administration. However, a 2019 class action lawsuit representing 2,500 aspiring air traffic controllers claims it still exists. Much like the colleges are still using racial preferences for admission. They're just couching it in different language. The FAA found a way to do this. The career bureaucrats, and then they go into some of the details behind the scenes of congressional actions that make clear that, yes, they are continuing to do the BQ and use it actively. It's a little in the weeds. The FAA is clearly focused on recruiting from, quote, underrepresented instead of finding the right person for the job. According to its DEI page, the FAA's 22 to 26 goals included an emphasis on the importance of recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce. There's more detail. This goes on for some time. If anybody says or you hear anybody say the FAA hires strictly on merit, they are lying to you. That is utterly dishonest. Remember, Marxists lie all the time. They don't expect you to call them on it.
Guest
And this is a problem. Whether this is what caused the crash night before last or not.
Jack Armstrong
Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Even if that was not a part of it at all, it's still patently insane.
Guest
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Anyway, a friend was telling me a charming tale about a crazy mishap in his neighborhood and how it was caught on video and he was really glad it did. And I said, you know, that's, that's great. We, we endorse Simplisafe home security on the show and blah blah, blah. And he said that was it. That Simplisafe. I love that system. Honest to goodness had that. The high def outdoor camera. Oh, it's fantastic. And right now, 50% off your new system.
Guest
Yeah, I'm glad I got the sign in front of my house saying that I've got the Simplisafe system in there. Well, it's the sensors and the cameras and all that sort of stuff. And no long term contract. If I decided I didn't want it or there's something better out there, I could just end it today. That ain't the way it works with other home security systems. They lock in because they aren't as proud of their system or comfortable that you're going to like it. 60 day satisfaction guarantee also in this.
Jack Armstrong
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Guest
So that poor crying Selena Gomez is in that trans movie that got the most Oscar nominations. And if you don't know the whole story around that, it is hilarious. It's really entertaining. So I hope you can stick around for that this hour.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Getty I saw that Netflix.
Comedian
Just added a new button that lets you download an entire season of a show at once. I also saw they're rolling out a bunch of other new buttons to improve the user experience. This next button says fast forward past sex scene because watching with parents.
Guest
Yeah. Yes.
Comedian
Next up, this one says fast forward to sex scene because watching alone. This next one says auto replay every 30 seconds because got distracted by TikTok.
Guest
Again.
Comedian
Here's another one. It says make separate profile for mom. So my algorithm isn't all Virgin River. This button says, fine, take money from my kids college funds so I can avoid ads. And finally, this button says, for the love of God, skip all intros forever and stop asking me.
Guest
Yeah, Netflix is in trouble because they had a once in a hundred years thing happen and there were really no streaming services during the 1918 pandemic. But when everybody was stuck at home and watching, binge watching all these shows and they got like stars in their eyes and thought this was gonna go on forever, it didn't any who speaking of technology. So my son says yesterday, yesterday when I pick him up at high school, he said, hey, have you downloaded the new Apple update? Because he's got a the cheapest iPhone. I said, no, I have not. And he said, all the texting is so much better on this. And he said it guesses your words so much better. He and I are always complaining about how you, you know, you text or we're always complaining on the show, you know.
Jack Armstrong
Will.
Guest
It will act like some of the words you're using are just unheard of and fill it in with some strange words.
Jack Armstrong
Right, Whatever.
Guest
Anyway, that is better. But so. So I downloaded the new thing that includes AI and one of the things it does now on the camera, you press the camera button and like you could walk up to any dog, press the camera button and then it will tell you what kind of dog that is, which is kind of cool. Or any animal. So you can do that with any animal or plant and. But like sweet.
Jack Armstrong
And I'm sorry, how. What do you have to do? Like in the camera app, just press.
Guest
The side button on it and just automatically comes up. And then there's something down there at the bottom, a button anywho tells you it. So I did it first with Pop Pop. We go over to him, press the camera there. It says, pug, how handy. You know, I already knew, but so Henry and I were having fun with that. When we came back from eating, I got to still have a pumpkin because it's wintertime sitting out in front of my house because it kind of has a fall look. Anyway, I walk up to it, I press the camera button and it says, a pumpkin, commonly associated with autumn is often used for decorating or cooking during the fall season. It belongs to the squash family and is popular in pies and soups. How handy is that to have that information?
Jack Armstrong
Boy, anybody walking with me is going to get an earful. You could go full cliff claving on them. Oh, yeah, excuse the old reference. Yeah.
Guest
The daisy, a popular flower, you know, that sort of thing.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, God. Can we just look at the daisies?
Guest
But I was thinking, man, if it can so quickly identify. Identify every plant and animal, obviously it's going to be identifying faces very soon. And everybody you walk by, it's gonna meet. There's Joe, you know, or. Well, Joe would be a bad example. It'd be, there's Fred. You worked with Fred in 1996. He has a wife and two kids or whatever. That is so quickly going to happen. For better or worse.
Jack Armstrong
I was at a social gathering just last night in which there were many interactions with people I run into once every six weeks. And my chance of, like, remembering names and biographical details of somebody I run into once every six weeks is practically nil. It's not that I don't want to remember it. I just lack the capacity.
Guest
Yeah. So starting in like a month, probably you're going to be able to be at a party. You get out your phone, kind of hold it up where they can't see it, click the camera button. It gets Fred's face. It immediately goes to Fred's LinkedIn and Facebook page. You now know his wife, his kid's name, all the places he's worked, where he went to high school.
Jack Armstrong
Fred, how's the semi autographical novel coming along?
Guest
How's work? Sure. Better than when you were over there at that other place from 1992 to 1998 as Vice President of sales. Huh.
Jack Armstrong
They think you're a witch.
Guest
That is going to happen, though.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Judy especially has enjoyed the apps where you can identify insects and plants and leaves and stuff like that, but it's a little cumbersome to have to find it and open it.
Guest
Have you done it with the stars? Oh, that. Those are amazing. You hold it up to the sky and it shows you all the. What? Everything is so cool.
Jack Armstrong
Yep. Bunch of planets lined up right now. Check it out. Look at the sky. It's beautiful.
Guest
We got some fun Oscar talk.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Guest
You haven't seen Amelia Perez the movie. Nobody has. Even though it's been nominated for the second most Oscars of Any movie in motion picture history and is up for best picture. And according to Vulture magazine or website, it's currently the most likely movie to win best picture. Of course it is. It stars a trans person. The Hollywood's not gonna give a trans movie best picture. Are you kidding me?
Jack Armstrong
Currently 24 on Rotten Tomatoes. 24% ranking, which is abysmal.
Guest
You tried too hard with this one.
Jack Armstrong
Well, this. It's being hailed, Jack, as the greatest, most nakedly Oscar baity movie ever produced.
Guest
Yeah, they went too far.
Jack Armstrong
Like I said.
Guest
Yeah, they just went over the top with it.
Jack Armstrong
But not only that, the real. And this is. Let me depart for a second. This is the final fatal self beclownment of Hollywood and I am more delighted than I can tell.
Guest
Oh, yeah, it's awesome.
Jack Armstrong
Anyway, so half of the story is that it is the most blatantly Oscar Beatty woke movie Hollywood has ever come up with. But the hilarious part is it's also terrible. But they've still rewarded it with this stunning number of nominations, including the first ever nomination for best actress for a trans woman. That's a dude, by the way.
Guest
Yeah, it's gonna get me to watch the Oscars because I. I want to hate watch it when they stand up there and give their acceptance speeches and everybody just standing ovations all over the place. Remember that one year, the super bowl, where all the ads were so woke and you got some little girl climbing over the border wall to get a Coca Cola or whatever it is, Right?
Jack Armstrong
Oh, my God, this is gonna be.
Guest
That kind of Oscars.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Charlie Cook of the National Review recently unleashed a screed that contained roughly these words. The idea that we should restructure our constitutional order because George Floyd died is a. Is not a very compelling argument anyway. But pop culture is more than willing. They're feverish to win the approval of their. Their lefty overlords. Anyway, where was I? So it is just nakedly Oscar bait. It's unwatchable. It's hilarious. It's bombed in Mexico. Here is the plot, friends. Oh. Oh. You know what I wanted to say you were talking about you want to watch the Oscars, The Oscar night. Here's your drinking game. You have to take a shot every time someone utters the word brave.
Guest
Oh, good one.
Jack Armstrong
About to have EMT standing by.
Guest
You got to do a keg stand for every standing ovation. You're going to be knee walking drunk.
Jack Armstrong
All right, so here's the deal. The movie, if you haven't heard this or even if you have, is About a Mexican drug cartel head, an El Chapo type who is secretly a woman inside and becomes to be. And longs to become transgender and has.
Guest
Been tortured by it their entire lives.
Jack Armstrong
Right.
Guest
And.
Jack Armstrong
And his. Her girl boss, Mexican lawyer who helps her achieve, quote, unquote, her. Her true, you know, calling as a crusading feminist, Mexican drug cartel, transgender person. Ho hum. Another one of those. Come on, boy meets girl.
Guest
Please formulate.
Jack Armstrong
Anyway, anyway. As if the coffin needed another nail. It's a freaking musical. That's right. And not only is it a musical.
Guest
Is it in Spanish. Is it a foreign language film?
Jack Armstrong
It was made by French filmmakers in Spanish. Mexican audiences. One of the reasons poor little confused fame was the worst thing that could have happened to her. What's her face?
Guest
Selena Gomez is one of stars, right? Remember she had a meltdown earlier in the week, posted a video about kids being deported or something like that by the evil Trump administration. And she cried.
Jack Armstrong
Right, exactly. Anyway, she was born in Texas. She's of Mexican heritage, but doesn't really speak Spanish. Spanish. Or didn't. And Mexican audiences were laughing at her Spanish. And there's some speculation that the crying jag was to kind of regain her bona fides as an up with Mexicans person. I don't know. I just think she's a young woman with mental health. Health issues. Anyway, having said that, so you got your transgender cartel boss, girl boss, crusading feminist, something or other musical. And if the songs were any damn good, that might save it. But this is what it sounds like.
Guest
Hello.
Jack Armstrong
Very nice to meet you. I'd like to know about sex change operations.
Zoe Saldana
Men to woman, a woman to man, man to woman. From penis to vagina. Is it for you?
Jack Armstrong
For me?
Zoe Saldana
What would you like to know about it, Ma?
Jack Armstrong
I want to know it all. What is the protocol, the techniques and the risks? How many operations? How much time do you need?
Zoe Saldana
Mammoplasty.
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Zoe Saldana
Vaginoplasty?
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Zoe Saldana
Rhinoplasty?
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Zoe Saldana
Laryngoplast?
Jack Armstrong
Yes. Mammal?
Zoe Saldana
Plastic.
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Zoe Saldana
Fashionable.
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Zoe Saldana
Laryngo plastic control. Laryngoplasty.
Jack Armstrong
What is that?
Zoe Saldana
Adam's apple reduction?
Jack Armstrong
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Guest
What?
Jack Armstrong
That is the great Zoe Saldana, by the way, known for the Garden Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Guest
But.
Jack Armstrong
And yes, I was doing the Trump dance during the song.
Guest
Were you off the day we played this, Katie? Because we played this earlier in the week. It's hilarious. It's like it's a. It's like it's a joke that I.
Katie
Was just gonna say that sounds like something I would have heard on Family Guy, right?
Guest
Yes. It sounds exactly like Family guy when Seth MacFarlane mocks musicals by just basically, you know, talking through songs about what. What the plot is.
Katie
I can't believe that's real.
Guest
I know.
Jack Armstrong
Getting back to the final fatal self becloudman of Hollywood. That song is impossible to parody. You cannot do an exaggerated version of its. Of its ridiculousness and terribleness.
Guest
I'm thinking of getting a sex change. Do you know what that means? Yes, it's getting rid of my vagina and getting a penis. I mean, what kind of lyrics are those?
Katie
Give it an Oscar.
Guest
Yes. Second most dominations of any movie in movie history.
Jack Armstrong
Yes, yes, yes.
Guest
In other words, it's one of the all time great pieces of cinematic art. It's just a coincidence that at this moment of trans hysteria this movie has come along.
Jack Armstrong
That's just unbelievable.
Guest
You know, thank God.
Jack Armstrong
And this moment of great sympathy for drug cartel bosses as well. You know, I feel like I went to Hollywood and said, I'd like to. I'd like to finally kill your cultural influence. And Hollywood said, oh, we'll commit suicide.
Guest
If I was at a less busy point in my life, I would go to that movie and sit through the whole thing just for. Just to be able to talk about it on the radio.
Jack Armstrong
I will go if I can find it playing anywhere.
Guest
Good point.
Jack Armstrong
But I've got to go incognito. I don't want to be seen in it.
Guest
So I don't know if you know this aspect of the whole Oscar thing. I didn't in late in life when I became aware of how dog eat dog vying for the awards it gets leading up to Oscars. They all take out ads and then try to knife each other to try to get the votes of the academy and everything like that. So that star who is singing the song there, the trans star, the Amelia Perez star currently campaigning for an Oscar, apologized yesterday after her her Islamophobic, anti Asian and anti black former Twitter posts resurfaced. So somebody dug up some old stuff that they could damage her with and got it out. And then she had to apologize yesterday, hoping not to lose the. Oh, darn it. Now we got a problem singing about a trans person, but has Islamophobic Twitter posts from the past. Oh, how do I vote as an enlightened woke member of the Academy?
Jack Armstrong
Damn it. It just keeps getting better and better. That is a delightful development.
Zoe Saldana
What would you like to know about, by the way?
Jack Armstrong
Zoe Saldana stars as the girl boss lawyer standing up for her transgender cartel, crusading feminist, transgender boss man.
Guest
You went too far with your.
Jack Armstrong
So funny.
Guest
Yeah, like when the Hurt Locker came out in the midst of our wars and our conversations over wars, and it had a. You know, a fair amount of. America causes as many enemies as. As friends. You know, at least it was subtle enough. It was a good war movie. I mean, you weren't hitting me over the head with it, but during the trans discussion that's going on in America right now, to come out with this is just too much.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. I want the specifics on what the. The nominated, newly minted, quote, unquote woman said about these various groups. I don't. I don't want my. I. I hate when quotes are characterized because then the. The characterizer is in charge of, you know, what I think about them. But.
Guest
But the fact that the leading light, who is probably counting on standing ovations at the Oscars as tears stream down their face for being so brave having this show up. Yes. Ah, crap. That's right. I said some bad things about the Asians. Well, it's.
Jack Armstrong
It's great. The beast is eating itself.
Guest
Oh, my God.
Jack Armstrong
I mean, that's why I'm enjoying it so much. It's. It's. I went there to kill it, and it's in the midst of self destruction.
Guest
Has anybody actually seen this movie? If you have, and I doubt you have, but if you have, you could text us at 415295, KFTC. Is that song nominated for best.
Jack Armstrong
It's got.
Guest
They have to have a song nominated for best song. There's no way you get the most Oscar nominations, second most ever, without best song being in there somewhere.
Jack Armstrong
I don't know, Katie. Can you look that up? That'd be great.
Guest
But that song is hilarious. I mean, I can't even wrap my head around it. Give us a little more, Michael. All right.
Jack Armstrong
What I take from that song is that. Wait a minute. That many surgical interventions are required to make me who I really am. That does not make sense.
Guest
Why did they decide to go with a cartel leader?
Jack Armstrong
I can't imagine. He asked me to crawl inside their crazy heads. I don't like it in here.
Guest
Were they just trying to bring too many different things together? It's like way back. If you remember the Sopranos, Christopher wanted to be a, you know, a movie maker, and he makes. He combines Saw with the Godfather, too. It seems kind of like that you're combining whatever, a cartel, some sort of immigration thing with the trans story and putting them Together. All right.
Jack Armstrong
Well, Jack, the way I interpret it is that a cartel boss would have to be so brave. So brave.
Guest
Oh, right, That's.
Jack Armstrong
That's two shots to. To embrace their real transgender self in spite of the pressures given to put upon them by Mexican society and their tough guy image. But it's important that you go ahead and have 50 surgeries if you feel like a girl.
Guest
Yep. Standing up to the macho culture. What do you know about this, Katie?
Katie
No, I. I actually popped back in because I need to know what I need to be looking up.
Guest
No, whatever for you guys. Whatever. Are they nominated?
Jack Armstrong
Oscar nominated. Best songs. Okay. Anything from this horror show are included.
Guest
A. Speaking of being woke, a not surprising development from the Ibram x Kendi center for Anti Racist Racist Research. If you haven't heard this, it's also delicious. Where everything's going our way lately and other stuff on the way. Stay here.
Jack Armstrong
I'd like to know about sex change operations.
Former Blackhawk Pilot
Armstrong and Getty.
Guest
Man, Wokeism has had a rough couple of weeks basically since Trump got elected and certainly since he got inaugurated. We'll get into a variety of things that have occurred around that issue. To kick off hour three, if you don't get that, grab the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand cannot wait.
Jack Armstrong
And in a related story, a follow up on the Oscar bait transgender drug cartel movie musical, Amelia Perez looking at Rotten Tomatoes. You want to recognize Oscar bait? Look at the difference between the critics poll and the audience polls. The tomatometer, which is critics 74% positive. That's. That's pretty good. The popcorn meter. Actual movie viewers, 19%. Wow. From renegade auteur Jacques Odillard comes Amelia Perez, an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. I do like artsy movies, but through liberating songs and dance and bold visuals. Liberating wasn't the word that came to mind when we listened to that last song. This odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Amelia enlists Rita, an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead end job, to help her fake her death so that Amelia can finally live authentically as her true self.
Guest
There you go. No, I love art movies. Last year's winner I saw. And one of my favorite movies ever. The everything all at once, all the time, whatever. I mean, you can't get much more arty than that movie. That is not a mainstream film. You got some force, Katie.
Katie
Yeah, just. Just to let you know, if you don't want to Be seen going into or out of the theater. This gem is on Netflix.
Guest
Oh, you can watch it at home. Okay. Yes, that's better. That is good to know. Yeah, I'll be sure to draw my drapes. This. This story is getting a lot of attention. We haven't commented on it yet.
News Anchor
The president today also moving to create a migrant facility at Guantanamo that can hold 30,000.
Jack Armstrong
This is not the camps. You're not putting criminals in camps where ISIS and other criminals.
Katie
There's a reason this is a temporary.
Jack Armstrong
Transit to humanely move illegals out of our country.
News Anchor
The president's memo says the space at Guantanamo US Naval Base should go to high prior criminal aliens. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described it as a site for the worst of the worst. The Cuban president criticized this decision, calling it an act of brutality in an illegally occupied territory.
Jack Armstrong
Shut up, you commie.
Guest
So. So obviously it was an opportunity for mainstream media who's completely out of touch with Americans feelings on this topic. I'll say for the 1000th time, 85% of Americans want criminal illegals booted out. 85%. Anyway, the media pretending. And now we're treating them like terrorists by putting them in Gitmo. Well, you gotta put them somewhere until we, until we can get them to their own countries.
Jack Armstrong
It's a spit of land, all right? It's a place.
Guest
Ian Bremmer, who I think was trying to make a point with this, tweeted out some Reuters numbers. Cost of a one way first class ticket on American Airlines from Texas to Guatemala, around 800 bucks. Cost to fly the same migrant on military deportation flights. Almost $5,000 per immigrant. Well, the problem would be I don't think you can take known child rapists and put them on a United flight with a ticket and, and, and just send them to wherever they're going and say, sorry passengers for making you sit next to a known child rapist.
Jack Armstrong
Well, at the very least, make them fly coach. Right?
Guest
Yeah, that's a good point. Well, how come I gotta stand in line for the regular tiny bathroom and child rapist up there gets the first class bathroom. This doesn't seem right anyway.
Jack Armstrong
I was gonna say any sort of. They're treating them like terrorists are bringing them to the same place as Al Qaeda is the analysis of idiots. And we don't have time for you people anymore. I just want to. Subject to the scrutiny that all government action should be, is this the best, most cost effective solution?
Guest
Right.
Jack Armstrong
If it's just grandstanding, then it's dumb. If it makes sense. It makes sense.
Guest
And the fact that you know you're gonna have to break some eggs to make this omelet in all kinds of different ways expense or people getting caught up who don't deserve it or all kinds of different things. Yeah yeah we we laid the groundwork for a really big mess to clean up and you either clean up the mess or you don't but if you clean up this mess and it is a mess there's going to be a lot of unfortunate things happen. Shouldn't allowed it in the first place is the whole thing.
Jack Armstrong
If you create a disaster it's going to be disastrous. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. We'll try to make it as as non disastrous as possible but it's going to be nasty.
Guest
Boy we got some good stuff to kick off hour three bad news from Ibram x Kendi which I hate to see that happen it hope you can catch hour three if not get the.
Jack Armstrong
Podcast Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "Could We Just Look At The Daisies!?"
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Host/Authors: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Platform: iHeartPodcasts
In the episode titled "Could We Just Look At The Daisies!?", hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty discuss a range of contemporary issues, primarily focusing on controversies surrounding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), diversity initiatives within governmental agencies, and critiques of modern Hollywood productions. The conversation is marked by a critical tone towards current administrative policies and cultural trends.
Secretary Pete Buttigieg's Leadership
The episode opens with Joe Getty expressing strong disapproval of Secretary Pete Buttigieg's management of the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Joe Getty (00:23): "Do you know how badly everything's run since he's run this Department of Transportation? He's a disaster."
Getty criticizes Buttigieg's tenure, alleging mismanagement and negative impacts, particularly related to diversity initiatives.
FAA Staffing and Air Traffic Control Issues
Armstrong and Getty delve into recent FAA mishaps, highlighting a significant reduction in air traffic controllers.
Jack Armstrong (03:31): "There are supposed to be one dealing with helicopters, one with planes. But for some reason the supervisor let somebody go home early."
They discuss how reduced staffing levels might have contributed to recent aviation incidents, emphasizing the potential dangers of under-resourced air traffic control.
Expert Insights and Pilot Errors
A former Blackhawk pilot provides an analysis of a recent helicopter crash, suggesting that pilot error and policy lapses were primary factors.
Former Blackhawk Pilot (02:01): "They were at the wrong height. So that's a pilot error. The first would be a policy error."
Key points include inadequate crew numbers, miscommunication with air traffic control, and insufficient visibility protocols in crowded airspace.
Impact of Diversity Policies on FAA Operations
The discussion pivots to how diversity initiatives within the FAA may have impacted hiring practices, potentially compromising operational efficiency.
Jack Armstrong (07:49): "It is still patently insane."
Armstrong and Getty argue that the FAA's shift towards diversity over merit has led to a decline in qualified hires, referencing a lawsuit filed by over 3,000 rejected applicants.
Historical Context and Policy Changes
Armstrong outlines the evolution of FAA hiring practices, noting that former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta introduced behavioral questionnaires to promote diversity.
Jack Armstrong (08:03): "The BQ, that questionnaire was purportedly discontinued in 2018... but a 2019 class action lawsuit... claims it still exists."
He contends that these changes have diluted the effectiveness of hiring standards, favoring diversity metrics over qualifications.
Critique of Behavioral Questionnaires
The hosts criticize the behavioral questionnaires (BQ) as ineffective and counterproductive for selecting competent air traffic controllers.
Guest (08:39): "Do you have the training to be an air traffic controller? Are you sober?"
They argue that such questionnaires prioritize personal traits over professional qualifications, undermining the FAA's operational integrity.
Overview of the Controversial Film
Armstrong and Getty shift focus to the Hollywood film "Amelia Perez," critiquing its premise and Oscar nominations.
Guest (18:16): "It's really entertaining... the most likely movie to win best picture."
They mock the film's plot, which centers on a transgender cartel boss, and question its artistic merit despite numerous Oscar nods.
Satirical Take on Industry Practices
The hosts employ satire to highlight perceived flaws in Hollywood's award nomination processes, suggesting that political correctness drives cinematic choices over quality.
Jack Armstrong (19:18): "They stopped prioritizing CTI graduates... it's still patently insane."
Smartphone AI Enhancements
The conversation briefly touches on recent AI updates in smartphones, such as improved text prediction and camera functionalities.
Guest (15:35): "Press the camera button and then it will tell you what kind of dog that is."
They discuss the practicality and potential privacy concerns of AI-driven identification features.
President's Plan for Migrant Detention
Armstrong and Getty critique the president's initiative to create a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay, viewing it as a solution for detaining high-priority criminal aliens.
Jack Armstrong (33:11): "Shut up, you commie."
They argue that this approach reflects a lack of empathy and effective policy-making, expressing skepticism about its implementation and cost-effectiveness.
Economic Implications of Deportation Methods
The hosts reference a tweet by Ian Bremmer highlighting the exorbitant costs of military deportation flights compared to commercial ones.
Guest (34:15): "The problem would be I don't think you can take known child rapists and put them on a United flight with a ticket."
They emphasize the inefficiency and ethical concerns surrounding the proposed deportation methods.
Throughout the episode, Armstrong and Getty maintain a critical stance on governmental and cultural developments, particularly focusing on the FAA's operational challenges and the perceived decline in merit-based hiring due to diversity initiatives. Additionally, they offer a satirical critique of Hollywood's award-driven filmmaking, using "Amelia Perez" as a primary example. The hosts conclude by reinforcing their skepticism towards current immigration policies and technological advancements that they believe compromise societal standards and operational integrity.
Notable Quotes:
This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the key discussions and viewpoints expressed in the "Could We Just Look At The Daisies!?" episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand. It is intended to inform those who have not listened to the episode about the main topics covered and the perspectives offered by the hosts.