F.O.M.C. - Fear Of Missing Chickens

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "F.O.M.C. - Fear Of Missing Chickens" Release Date: February 13, 2025

In this engaging episode of the official Armstrong & Getty Show, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a variety of pressing topics, blending serious discussions with their signature humor. From geopolitical tensions and unconventional legislative proposals to technological mishaps and cultural phenomena, the episode offers a comprehensive look at the events shaping our world. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode.

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1. Geopolitical Tensions and U.S.-Russia Relations (00:25 - 10:08)

Discussion Points: The hosts begin by addressing the escalating tensions between the United States and Russia, focusing on former President Trump's approach to dealing with President Putin amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Key Highlights:

• Trump-Putin Negotiations: Jack Armstrong mentions ongoing phone conversations with Putin, anticipating a future meeting in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the war. [00:34]

• Moral Stance on Putin: Joe Getty emphasizes the necessity of moral clarity, labeling Putin unequivocally as "the bad guy" and "the worst guy on earth." [00:43]

• Critique of Trump's Approach: Both hosts critique Trump's strategy, suggesting it's overly accommodating towards Putin without sufficient moral opposition. Jack likens Trump's negotiation style to trying to "flatter an alligator so it doesn't chew your leg off." [01:45]

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Remarks: The discussion references Hegseth's stance on Ukraine’s borders and NATO membership, highlighting a shift in U.S. policy that could prolong the conflict. [11:36]

• Public Support for Ukraine: Joe Getty points out declining public support for Ukraine in the U.S., contrasting it with previous strong backing. [07:50]

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty on Putin: "He's the evil guy. He's among the worst guys on earth." [00:43]

• Jack Armstrong on Trump's negotiation style: "It's like complimenting an alligator on its scales so it doesn't chew your leg off." [11:21]

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2. Unconventional Legislative Proposals and International Rumors (13:00 - 15:35)

Discussion Points: The hosts shift focus to a satirical take on legislative actions, highlighting Representative Earl Buddy Carter's bill to purchase Greenland and rename it "Red, White, and Blueland." They also touch upon rumors of a grand bargain between the U.S. and China involving territorial concessions.

Key Highlights:

• Greenland Purchase Bill: Jack Armstrong humorously describes the proposed bill, which includes renaming Greenland and ignoring the preferences of its current inhabitants. [13:00]

• U.S.-China Grand Bargain: Joe Getty references Mark Halpern's discussion about a rumored deal where the U.S. would gain access to Greenland, and China would peacefully take Taiwan, among other concessions. [14:30]

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong on the Greenland bill: "America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland." [13:51]

• Discussion on the grand bargain: "We won't fight you on Taiwan. We concede. Sorry Vladimir, you get the rights to the Northern Passage through the Arctic." [15:06]

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3. Cultural Shifts and Currency Discussions (15:35 - 17:00)

Discussion Points: Reflecting on Lincoln's birthday, the hosts debate the potential removal of Abraham Lincoln from the penny, exploring the cultural and emotional implications of such a change.

Key Highlights:

• Penny Redesign: Joe Getty muses about moving Lincoln from the penny, considering his status as one of the most respected U.S. presidents. [15:35]

• Public Attachment to Currency: The conversation underscores the sentimental value attached to the penny, with Jack suggesting it's time to "move on." [16:21]

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty on Lincoln's legacy: "If Lincoln isn't the greatest president of all time, he's number two." [15:38]

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4. Environmental Anecdotes: The Beavers of Prague (17:00 - 21:24)

Discussion Points: Jack Armstrong shares a fascinating story about beavers in the Czech Republic autonomously building dams, serving as a metaphor for efficiency and the limitations of bureaucracy.

Key Highlights:

• Beavers vs. Bureaucracy: The hosts discuss how beavers successfully completed a dam project that human officials failed to execute due to prolonged negotiations. [16:39]

• Implications for Human Projects: They humorously consider hiring these industrious beavers to tackle large-scale projects like California's water storage issues. [20:54]

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong on beavers' achievement: "The Beavers of Prague simply built dams themselves. The rodents' fast work saved the local authorities 1.2 million euros." [20:54]

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5. Technology and Social Interactions: AI in Communication (20:00 - 31:06)

Discussion Points: The episode takes a turn towards technology as the hosts discuss the impact of AI on personal communications, highlighting both humorous and concerning experiences.

Key Highlights:

• Autocorrect Mishaps: Jack recounts an incident where his iPhone autocorrected "nah" to a racial slur, sparking awkwardness. [27:03]

• AI-Generated Responses: Joe Getty expresses discomfort with AI-suggested responses in heartfelt text conversations, emphasizing the loss of genuine human interaction. [29:36]

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong on the autocorrect error: "I looked like my iPhone wanted to autofill an N bomb." [28:04]

• Joe Getty on AI responses: "If I find out somebody's responding to me with AI, that's weird." [30:34]

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6. Cultural Phenomena: Galentine's Day and Beyond (18:15 - 27:36)

Discussion Points: Exploring modern cultural trends, the hosts discuss the origins and significance of Galentine's Day, a day celebrating female friendships inspired by the TV show Parks and Recreation.

Key Highlights:

• Origins of Galentine's Day: Joe Getty explains how the concept emerged as a way for women to celebrate friendships independently of romantic relationships. [18:15]

• Popularity and Adoption: They note its increasing popularity, even among those who are widowed, divorced, or single, as a means to foster social connections. [19:25]

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty on Galentine's Day: "It's a combination of women who just want to get together for drinks after work or mimosas for brunch." [18:15]

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7. Final Segments and Humor (31:06 - 35:17)

Discussion Points: Wrapping up the episode, Armstrong and Getty engage in light-hearted banter, touching upon topics like music commoditization and relationship dynamics, all while maintaining their humorous rapport.

Key Highlights:

• Music Industry Critique: The hosts lament the lack of creativity in modern pop music, comparing it to commoditized products like corn. [32:00]

• Relationship Advice: Sharing personal insights, Joe Getty humorously attributes the success of his marriage to avoiding dependence on orchestrated romantic declarations. [34:04]

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong on pop music: "It's like corn, but you don't think like a wheat future." [32:38]

• Joe Getty on relationships: "The most romantic times are the ones declared by the Hallmark card company." [34:23]

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Conclusion

This episode of Armstrong & Getty successfully navigates through a spectrum of topics, offering listeners a blend of insightful commentary and entertaining dialogue. From the intricacies of international diplomacy to the nuances of modern social trends, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty provide a comprehensive and engaging listening experience. Whether dissecting political strategies or sharing amusing personal anecdotes, the hosts maintain a balance that keeps the conversation both informative and enjoyable for their audience.

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Notable Quote Compilation:

• "He's among the worst guys on earth." – Joe Getty on Putin [00:43]
• "It's like complimenting an alligator on its scales so it doesn't chew your leg off." – Jack Armstrong on Trump’s negotiation style [11:21]
• "America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland." – Jack Armstrong on the Greenland bill [13:51]
• "We won't fight you on Taiwan. We concede." – Discussion on U.S.-China grand bargain [15:06]
• "The rodents' fast work saved the local authorities 1.2 million euros." – Jack Armstrong on beavers building dams [20:54]
• "I looked like my iPhone wanted to autofill an N bomb." – Jack Armstrong on autocorrect mishap [28:04]
• "It's a combination of women who just want to get together for drinks after work or mimosas for brunch." – Joe Getty on Galentine's Day [18:15]

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For more insightful discussions and updates, visit Armstrong & Getty's website and tune into their latest episodes.

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.

[Joe Getty]

I'll be dealing with President Putin largely.

[Jack Armstrong]

On the phone, and we ultimately expect to meet. In fact, we expect that he'll come.

[Joe Getty]

Here and I'll go there, and we're.

[Jack Armstrong]

Going to meet also probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we'll meet in Saudi Arabia, see if we can get something done. But we want to end that war.

[Joe Getty]

That war is a disaster. It's a really bloody, horrible war. I don't know if we have this clip, but I know Trump was asked specifically something like, you know, is there a good guy and a bad guy in this war? Something along those lines. And he stayed away from that question. I realize he's trying to negotiate with Putin and get him to agree to something, but, dang, I. I think we need moral clarity on. Putin's the bad guy. He's the evil guy. He's the worst guy. He's among the worst guys on earth.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. I wouldn't want to throw out the baby of. Of Trump. The good things he's shaken up with, the bathwater of some of the stuff I don't like. I think, as I said earlier, he's a little too quick to get rid of Chesterton's fence and rebuild it as Trump fence with solid gold. And I think some of the abandoning conventional thinking is probably too much too fast and lacks moral clarity. As you'd said, some of it's great, but this one bothers me. Well, the idea of dealing with Putin the way he is, the idea of.

[Joe Getty]

Even suggesting that Putin could come sit at the White House and meet the president after, you know, bombing schools full.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of kids as they burn to death.

[Joe Getty]

Intentionally.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. What the hell.

[Joe Getty]

Or abduction.

[Jack Armstrong]

We didn't even get to the.

[Joe Getty]

Abducting the tens of thousands of Ukrainian kids that they've taken back to Russia, taking them from their families, turning them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Into loyal little Russians. Yeah. Instead. And we didn't even get to this story. I think it was in the Wall Street Journal about the systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners. How the guards were told, take off your body cameras. We're suspending that regulation. Make it as hard as possible on them. Inflict pain whenever you can for any reason. Systematic torture with the goal of, what, breaking their will, rendering them shells of human beings. Kill them without killing them.

[Joe Getty]

You can't have a guy like that sit down at the White House with the president and being treated unless We're. Unless we're luring him to a, you know, a country like ours to arrest him, I don't think he should be able to leave Russia.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I don't think you need to worry about it because Putin would never do it. Way too much security risk for him. It'll never happen.

[Joe Getty]

How much does that help him, though, if he can play if his news agency, because it's the Putin news agency in Russia, gets to run a clip of President Trump talking about Putin coming to visit the White House?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I think Trump would tell you that stuff doesn't matter. All that matters is the deal we strike. I'm working on a deal.

[Joe Getty]

But. Well, if that, if that's true, then why do you got to flatter the guy? He's going to. He's going to do whatever is in his best interest, whether you call him the devil or your best friend, isn't he?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I think so. And again, I'm not arguing this on my own behalf. I'm just trying to understand the way Trump might be approaching it. I think he's approaching it the same way he'd approach trying to get a spit of land on the coast of Ireland to build a golf resort on. You're going to flatter the mayor and the local council people and the farmers and say nothing but great things about them and how excited you are and how we could really have a great deal until, you know, it comes time to get down to brass tacks.

[Joe Getty]

God, how heartbreaking must it be for Zelensky who's, you know, had to be at the top of all this and so many families in Ukraine, if to hear that Putin could be treated like that, treated with that level of respect and dignity, oh, my God, it's got.

[Jack Armstrong]

To be astonishing and horrifying.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, real politic. It's absolute worse. Now, I also think Trump said something yesterday about when they was being asked about Putin and Zelinsky. Well, Zelinsky's poll numbers aren't very high. Have you seen. So, like, took a shot at him while he was flattering Putin. I just, that whole act, I do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not like if behind the scenes, Trump is communicating with Zelensky and saying, trust me on this, it's going to look crazy, but trust me, that would be fine. Okay. But, yeah, it's tough to take.

[Joe Getty]

To flip it around, though, as we'll play some more clips about this, because this was all the talk yesterday. You had the SEC Def Hegseth saying they're not going to get their land back. They're not going to get their 20 pre 2014 land is not coming back and becoming part of NATO is off the table. So he announced those things just flat out yesterday, which is kind of interesting from a negotiating standpoint.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would not use the word interesting. I'd use insane. Unless you've got some crazy strategy I don't know about. You would never take stuff off the.

[Joe Getty]

Table preemptively like that, even if it's clearly true. Just to get to the real negotiating. I mean, I don't know. I'm trying to think of an example where I'd be negotiating where we both know X isn't true isn't going to happen. So there's no point in pretending it is leverage because it's not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but even if you have a little uncertainty in a negotiation like that, you can exploit it and overplay that hand intentionally to get other concessions. It happens all the time.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. I'm trying to come up with a scenario where I think it would makes sense, but what was I saying? Oh, so that was. This was a talk all day long yesterday, Hegseth announcing that and then Trump talking about meeting with Putin there and here and everything else. So it's, it's a big story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh.

[Joe Getty]

I was thinking, to be fair to Trump's point of view on this, if I wanted to end the war and I thought it was in the United States best interest to end the war, do I believe that? And this might be a separate topic if I thought it was in the best interest of the United States to get this war off the table? I don't know. Is there any point in bad mouth and Putin as you head to the negotiating table? Probably not.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I could come up with a rationale for it, but you know, my meanderings and musings, who needs them? It's. It's unconventional. I'll say that. And I'll tell you what, and I don't believe this, but I am willing to entertain the notion that, as I've said before, Trump's Gaza lago idea, which is just flat effing looney Tunes, will take over Gaza. We'll clear out the rubble, we'll rebuild it as a groovy Mediterranean resort. The Palestinians can live in tracked homes over there. They'll have a lovely. Will you build them a park? It'll be great. I mean, it's just.

[Joe Getty]

But he doesn't believe that, right? I mean, that's just.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. So, but. So as crazy as that is, though, all of a sudden the leaders in the region are saying, no, we're not doing that. Let's come up with a good, solid plan we can do. It's like, hey, welcome to the party, boys. 60, 70 years down the line. Oh, now you want to be productive and kick in some money and actually solve this thing. Well, lovely. And it took Trump's crazy ass idea to get him off the Schneide.

[Joe Getty]

I would like to see some polling on this. The support for Ukraine has dropped bit by bit. It's almost. It'll be three years, what, like a week, that the war started. And it began with very high support for helping defend Ukraine, giving them what they need. Joe Biden said over and over again, to Zielinski's face, we're with you to the end. You can count on us. While he would hold back the things they needed to keep their people alive.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

And now it looks like we ain't with you to the end at all. We're gonna wrap this thing up. You ain't getting your land back.

[Jack Armstrong]

And, you know my final thought? And then I'll shut up. One of the more interesting things that really stuck with me about a particular class I took years and years ago was we were talking about the difficulty democracies have in ending wars, because there will be political costs, often enormous political costs for the people who end the war, particularly if it doesn't end in glorious victory. Because if it ends in glorious victory, it ends itself. And so a dictator can end a war and say, we've won. It's a glorious victory, even though clearly it's not. Nobody says anything about it, and it is over. In a democracy, it is much, much harder, which is perverse and counterintuitive, but it's true if you think about it.

[Joe Getty]

No doubt. And then there's a political price to pay if you didn't end it in the right way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Exactly. Yeah. Or like Joe Biden, maybe it was time to get out of Afghanistan. But the way he implemented it was horrifically stupid. Reminds me of Trump of Bush in Iraq. Anyway, to get back to the main thread of things, it a guy like Trump would say, he would ask his advisors, like he's asking his foreman building a golf resort. If we hang in there and the Ukrainians hang in there for another six months and we go hard, can we materially change their prospects and then negotiate? Getting bored. And his experts would tell him no, which is no. It's probably true.

[Joe Getty]

Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a stalemate. Trump would say, all right, we end it now. Let's get to the table. What's not have any more bloodshed.

[Joe Getty]

What's the upside of making noises about standing up for democracies and everything if nothing's going to get better? That's not a horrible argument.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no. It's a very cold hearted analysis of things that sometimes can cut through democracies not wanting to end a war when they should. For instance, I think Trump goes too far sometimes. He disrespects things that actually do matter. But I am more than willing to let these things play out and then say, wow, I didn't see that coming. I was wrong. I know that makes me a bad talk show host, but we'll all find out together.

[Joe Getty]

I want to hear how ABC summarized this last night.

[Jack Armstrong]

President Trump on the phone with Russian President Putin for 90 minutes, agreeing to start negotiations immediately to end the war in Ukraine. Trump choosing to talk with Putin first. The President agreeing to meet with Putin, saying their first sit down could be in Saudi Arabia in the near future. But Trump also suggesting he may go to Russia and that Putin might come here. Trump saying the Ukrainian president would likely be involved in a second meeting. Zelensky posting this photo of their phone call today saying, together with the US we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let's get it done.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's a very upbeat, positive spin on the story of the day there from ABC Evening News.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just think Trump's trying to flatter Putin and say, hey, I'm willing to work with you, I respect you, I like you, I get you. Let's work together. He's trying to play Putin, which is fine, but again, it's like complimenting an alligator on its scales so it doesn't chew your leg off.

[Joe Getty]

One more clip. This is Sec. Def Pete Hegseth on the future of Ukraine.

[Jack Armstrong]

We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.

[Joe Getty]

So many lives lost and nothing accomplished by anyone good.

[Jack Armstrong]

I am mystified by this because Zelensky said something similar himself lately. I don't understand why you go big and blunt with it like that.

[Joe Getty]

Well, there will be a book written in a couple of years that will probably explain it would be my guess. We got more on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty Too much news.

[Joe Getty]

Needs to be some sort of federal law on the amount of news every day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Five stories a day, maybe five big ones and five small ones and a sports story. Right. And. And like, one puppy saved by brave fireman. That can be a bonus one.

[Joe Getty]

And who won this week's Westminster Dog show since it seems to be a weekly event.

[Jack Armstrong]

No kidding. I wonder if there's going to be a run on those giant schnauzer. Well, of course there are. Of course, the. The dignified giant schnauzer, they call it. Is there like an undignified giant schnauzer breed as well? Like the clowny, you know, kind of loser giant schnauzer that just wears a wife beater around the house and poops where it wants? Yeah, I don't know. So this is one of my favorite moments in legislative history. A House Republican, Representative Earl Buddy Carter of Georgia. Natch. I'm gonna move to Georgia just to vote for Earl Buddy Carter. He introduced a bill this week that would enable President Trump's efforts to purchase Greenland and rename it Red, White and Blueland. Oh, that's awesome. The bill would also require the federal government to refer to it as such unofficial maps and documents. Never mind what the Denmarkians and Greenlanders say as part of the bill. America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland. President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority and will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation ever exist when our negotiator in chief inks this monumental deal. Also considered as names for the new state, Cold, af, Sylvania, Polar, Barrington, Simply Ice, Ice, baby. And my favorite, North. North. North Dakota. Oh, now we're gonna have nice cooperation with Greenland. The Arctic and those passageways are going to be incredibly important in the next 50 years. And it's a good thing.

[Joe Getty]

Do you remember? I should do it again. In case anybody didn't hear it. The biggest rumor in Washington, D.C. according to Mark Halpern. And he talks to all the players.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

The biggest rumor in the world, persistent and omnipresent, is the talk of a grand bargain between the United States and China that involves reduced tariffs, U.S. access to Greenland, China's peaceful taking of Taiwan, oh, and several provisions and players to be named later. It seems implausible to many ears and eyes, but the talk of this deal is everywhere, says Mark Halpern.

[Jack Armstrong]

This sounds like it could be a moral horror to me, but I'm trying to understand it. We won't fight you on Taiwan. We concede. Sorry Vladimir, you get the rights to the Northern Passage through the Arctic and the rest of it as a zone of influence and security, and let's get it on and we call it a deal. Yeah, yeah. And a couple of players to be named later.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I got a question. So yesterday was Lincoln's birthday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, sir.

[Joe Getty]

And Lincoln is on the penny. The penny was the most. My whole life. Omnipresent piece of currency that existed. It has since lost its usefulness. Yes, we all agree with that. But if Lincoln isn't the greatest president of all time, he's number two. So, I mean, you know, everybody agrees on that pretty much. Right. It's either him or Washington. They're in the top two. And do we move him to another? Doesn't it seem. I mean, we're eliminating the most dominant currency that existed for my whole life with him on it. So that's a lot of Les Lincoln bouncing around. And they're talking about putting, you know, Harriet tubman on the 20 or whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

They've been talking about that for a long time.

[Joe Getty]

Gotta move, Link.

[Jack Armstrong]

Still got the. He's got the five dollar bill.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a fine, you know, piece of currency, the fin, the five.

[Joe Getty]

It ain't like a penny, though. Everybody had a penny in their pocket my whole life. Lincoln was in their pocket. Your whole life. No more.

[Jack Armstrong]

You got to move on.

[Joe Getty]

I just feel like he's getting downgraded and I don't. Like.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what to tell you. You know how I'm always predicting a planet of the beavers because human beings are going to die off because we're not reproducing? Fascinating story. The Czech Republic was trying to build a dam project for years and years and years. And while they were arguing about it, beavers actually dammed off the river and accomplished what the government couldn't.

[Joe Getty]

That's a pretty funny story.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're ready to take over. Armstrong and Getty. The intensity really developed after the election. So what's important to remember about Mark is that it's unprecedented.

[Joe Getty]

He was passed up for three prisoner swaps.

[Jack Armstrong]

Two in 2022 and one in August 1, 2024. Passed up by who? By the Russians or by Biden? By both sides at the end of the day.

[Joe Getty]

And I don't know how that all shook out. That's. That teacher that got let loose by Russia came back this week.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fogle. Yeah. From what I've gathered, the Biden administration did not declare him a wrongful detainee because he was caught with allegedly, you Never know with Russia. Hippie lettuce allegedly 17 grams of medicinal marijuana entering Russia. I say if you smuggle a drug, you know to be illegal into a foreign land, man, you have made a terrible, terrible mistake.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know that your home country needs to trade some super bad guy to that country to get you back because you couldn't be in Russia without getting high.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And again, if that is true, but. And I was all prepared to be outraged because he was already being held when Brittney Griner did her thing. And immediately all of America rushed to her aid because she's a basketball player. Although she just had trace amounts on her vape pen, evidently. And this dude had 17 grams, which is a significant amount of pot. Allegedly.

[Joe Getty]

Happy Galentine's Day. Still trying to wrap my head around this. Maybe you all knew about it. I didn't. I'd never heard about it in my life. We're still getting text about it. Galentine's Day. So it comes from the TV show Parks and Recreation. It was a joke. Kind of like in the way Festivus was a joke on Seinfeld. People still talk about it. Galentine's Day caught on and it seems to be a combination of women who just want to get together for drinks after work or mimosas for brunch or whatever. And then we'll celebrate Valentine's Day with a dude or we've gotten a number of texts from people say those of us who are widowed or divorced or have no man in our lives, we like Galentine Day to get together with the gals. I don't know. Katie, you celebrate Galentine's Day. So I, I have before and it's.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's a good time.

[Joe Getty]

Hang out with the girls and it's a reason to drink together early. Sure. Do we. Do we need more reasons or is Thursday not a good. Thursday was always a good enough reason? For me that seems like a pretty damn good reason. It's Thursday or Tuesday or Wednesday morning or whenever you sound like mayorkas. Tuesday, Wednesday, I will get together with friends to drink on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, well, and so on.

[Jack Armstrong]

And if we have a very busy schedule. The first I heard about it recently was from an email from a gal who said. And she was a very Katie like woman. Katie very down to earth practical. Who said, no, this is just more people aren't getting together. This is. Nobody is interested in romance. But I don't. Hell, I don't know and I don't particularly care. I don't think we're headed for a planet of the beavers and I've come to accept it. Which reminds me, so seriously now. For years, officials in the Czech Republic, which is absolutely beautiful, had pushed a dam project to protect a river south of Prague and the critically endangered species living in it. But the project, hamstrung by land negotiations, stalled. In the meantime, a group of chisel toothed mammals, renowned for their engineering skills and work ethic and unencumbered by bureaucracy, decided to take on the task. The Beavers of Prague simply built dams themselves. The rodents fast work saved the local.

[Joe Getty]

That's a band you follow around and you smoke dope. Even if they go to Moscow. The beaver frog. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Really rock hard, dang dang, chicka, chicka, chicka chicka, that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Last time I saw him, they played a 15 minute version of Czech River. It was unbelievable. A 12 minute chainsaw solo. Anyway, they simply built the dams themselves. The rodents fast work saved local authorities 1.2 million euros, according to a news release from somebody or other. So wait, can they do anything else and can we hire some of them in California?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. No kidding.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Can they increase water storage in California? Gavin Newsom hasn't, Jerry Brown didn't in generations. As the population doubled. Maybe we hire the. The Beavers of Prague.

[Joe Getty]

The Beavers of Prague. Their original drummer choked on his own vomit, but the new guy is pretty good, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, you know what?

[Joe Getty]

I want to get this on. This is Elon Musk doing a zoom call overnight for someplace in the Middle East. Does he ever sleep?

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, between him and Trump, no wonder they're buddies that they need no rest. They run 24 hours a day. We do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave part of them behind. Because if you leave part of them behind, it's easy. It's kind of like leaving a weed. If you don't remove the roots of the weed, then it's easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed, it doesn't stop weeds from ever growing back, but it makes it harder. So we have to really delete entire.

[Joe Getty]

Agencies, many of them clearly, clearly true. And I heard it described last night on msnbc comparing government workers to weeds, you know, that sort of thing. Shut up. And that is the proper response. But other than his, you know, renaming himself Harry Balls, every time I hear him talk, it's in very measured, reasonable tones. No, we need to look at these agencies and go through the books and see what they're Accomplishing and whether they're, you know, the employees, all the employees are needed or not. How is that not completely reasonable?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, when you see the response that is frantic and illogical and fake Civil rightsy, you understand that it's not about principle. If it were, you know, you'd be 100% right. There's no way to object to it. All of the things you've said on this topic have been 100% reasonable and patriotic and smart and the rest of it, which just shows you the true nature of politics, the what's legal and.

[Joe Getty]

All that sort of stuff. I don't know. And that'll get worked out in the courts. Oh, and again, what? Trump defies the courts. A constitutional crisis. He stated specifically he will abide by the court rulings and they'll fight it in the courts. He said it out loud, but you still have a roundtable on cnn. And what will we do if he ignores the courts? He just said he's not going to. But what if he does?

[Jack Armstrong]

What will we do?

[Joe Getty]

Fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I wanted to get into the whole fake. We're having a constitutional crisis when J.D. vance tweeted the other day that we will not allow the judiciary to essentially intrude on legitimate executive power. And everybody went crazy on the CNN panels. Jack's talking about and was talking about how, oh, Trump's gonna defy the courts and it's a constitutional crisis and the rest of it. When what Vance said is, well, it's the stuff of a Yale law student. No, he was saying there are legitimate provinces of discretion within the executive branch and we plan to exercise them. And if a court limits us, we will fight that and we will win. So it was a testament to respect for the system, not defiance. I mean, you really had to stretch to interpret that as, yeah, let the John Roberts come over here and enforce his ass himself, because that's not what he said at all.

[Joe Getty]

Trying to figure out what's going on with the giant aircraft carrier the Truman that crashed into a pretty good sized ship in the Mediterranean Sea. And it just happened, like in the last hour or so or broke in the last hour or so. I hope it's another, not another black eye for the Navy, where it looks like we don't quite have our act together, like has happened a few times in recent years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Again, maybe it's a timely warning before the pooh has hit the fan. We realize, hey, we got to sharpen up this, that and the other.

[Joe Getty]

That's true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe Pete Hegseth will get to the bottom.

[Joe Getty]

If we're not sharp, it'd be better to find it out now than when we try to stop China from taking Taiwan or something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's undeniable that the captain of the aircraft carrier's career will be over, unless it's a really, really weird circumstance. On the other hand, the guy in the other ship. How'd you miss a 1200 foot vessel?

[Joe Getty]

Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's as big as a skyscraper. What. What are you doing in the way?

[Joe Getty]

So I saw the headline yesterday. People are rushing to buy chickens around the United States. And then I, I googled it and I started to Google rush to buy chickens to see and a whole bunch of different headlines came up from Chicago and Seattle and you know, name wherever in this. In the country where people are buying chickens because egg prices are so high and you're all of a sudden going to be a chicken farmer. It just seems like a lot. Do you need eggs that much? I don't know. You must need eggs more than I do.

[Jack Armstrong]

But Michael, I know how busy you are, but how many times have chickens been mentioned in the last week? And there's one particular clip that has not been played, not even once. Jack, back to you.

[Joe Getty]

But when I went to Google Rush to buy chickens, the suggestions that it put up there, you know, because Google gives you the most popular chicken related questions currently being asked was why are so many people buying chickens? Really, a lot of you Google that. So you're aware that people are buying chickens, you're not aware that egg prices are up, where you feel like you're serious enough to inquire and you feel like you're missing out. All my friends are buying chickens. Is this the hot thing? I feel like, I feel like I got fomo.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's f. Fear of missing chickens. Yeah, I don't know. I'm. That, that's. That's very odd. That's very meta. That's very Internet age.

[Joe Getty]

It is. It is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, Michael, we do have our infamous chicken clip.

[Joe Getty]

Here you go on Fox 5 Sky Guardian and then check that seven day to make your weekend plans. Takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, Nick.

[Jack Armstrong]

I guess that's me. Keep that chicken. Okay. I'll do all right when we continue. So stupid.

[Joe Getty]

Let me continue. Did we ever nail down why he said that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or precisely what he said? Was that an unnecessary censorship? No, that was real.

[Joe Getty]

But he actually said it, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he actually said it. He wanted to say plucking, but he. But he dropped the F bomb. That's. That's an odd mistake to make. I've been doing this job for many, many years and I've yet to, you know, fumble the ball quite that serious.

[Joe Getty]

Now that I know he actually said that, I would like to hear it again so I can hear how they all react and try to move on. Put that on Fox 5 Sky Guardian and then check that seven day to make your weekend plans. Takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, Nick.

[Jack Armstrong]

I guess that's me. Keep that chicken. Okay, I'll do.

[Joe Getty]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

When we continue.

[Joe Getty]

So the other guy's like, okay, I'll do that. You can hear because the way it's bleep. We've got the in there. So. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, it's legit.

[Joe Getty]

I would have been when you go to commercials. Okay. Hey, Jim, what the hell was that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, you know, well, and you'd think, wait a minute, did I just hear that? Last night, I'm sitting there with my son, who's visiting along with my oldest daughter, the youngest soon to arrive, and little D texted me a question, and I answered it. Nah. Nah. And that's my youngest daughter, Delaney. And I glanced down and I was like, wait a minute. Wait. What did my brain just do? Because it looked like my iPhone wanted to auto fill an N bomb.

[Joe Getty]

What?

[Jack Armstrong]

And I'm like, wait, wait, whoa, wait. I didn't. I didn't imagine that I could. That's too freaking weird. And so I did it once or twice more, and for some reason, like, the third time I did it, it tried to autofill nagger, the infamous south part, south park bit. But, yeah, it actually, I typed nah. And my iPhone tried to say nagger.

[Joe Getty]

So.

[Jack Armstrong]

An expression I have never used in any concept, any context, except describing the infamous South Park.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Boy don't like that. No.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was shocked. And again, it must have been like hearing the. Your co worker drop an F bomb. You'd be like, did I see. Did I hear that?

[Joe Getty]

Have you had any experiences like we were talking about yesterday of the AI, suggesting replies to long texts? I had another one last night. We're having fairly lengthy text conversation with somebody, and it was. Was like. It suggested I say, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe it'll work out or something like that. Like, this is a heartfelt conversation. I shouldn't be just taking your suggestions of how to continue it. It's weird.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Tim Cook. Maybe there are people who actually want real human interaction removed from their lives completely. I'm not one of them. I think that's really one of the only things worth living for. So I'll handle it. Thank you.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I don't know how I feel about. If I find out somebody's responding to me. If I send a heartfelt, complicated dealing with kids or marriage or whatever it is and I find out the replies were just. I just went with the AI suggestions.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack, you'll live through this. You'll gain wisdom from it and you'll value these years. Trust me on that. Don't be a nagger.

[Joe Getty]

And I'll say, hey, thanks. That really helped me in a hard time. They'll say, I don't know. I just pressed send.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't even look at what it said. But I'm glad to hear it.

[Joe Getty]

Come on, we'll finish strong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Next, Armstrong and Gettys, y'all grabbing the dizziness and just a nap of Chili's famous Presidente Margarita. Chili's. It's a lifestyle choice.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, my God. I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hanging out and having a great time song promoting Chili's Presidente Margarita. And it's as good as any actual pop song because it's as formulaic 100.

[Joe Getty]

As good as comfrey hips that are. It's the most. I don't know when the last time music was this homogeneous. I suppose. I suppose it always was.

[Jack Armstrong]

But no, no, no, no. I ought to write a lengthy piece. It would be like a thousand words if it's for national review. It'd be 10,000 if it was for the Atlantic. But talking about how there was absolutely creativity and some anarchy and just wild explorations within, quote, unquote pop music for a while, but it's a commodity that's fairly valuable in the marketplace. And so it became commoditized and now it's. It's just. It's. It's like corn, but you don't think. Like a wheat future, but you don't.

[Joe Getty]

Think it makes its way through different genres. Like, I feel like all 90 early 90s hip hop sounded exactly the same. And then there was a period of, like, in the 70s, there was the kind of music it was all sounded the same.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, sure, yeah. And then somebody breaks through, whether it's Nirvana or Elvis or whatever. And then quickly the corporate guys grab hold of that and commoditize it again. And then you got to find your.

[Joe Getty]

Creativity elsewhere but modern country, and I'm a country fan, so that hurts more. But it. Oh, it's hard to take.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, you want a happy ending. I'm Jack Armstrong, and you'll get final. Now that's Genre bending genius right there.

[Joe Getty]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap up the day. There is our technical director, Mike Michelangelo. Michael. You know, I'm still getting compliments about my cheese dip. Had I known I was gonna get this much love, I, I gotta create another food because, you know, I've never felt so good.

[Joe Getty]

I've never felt so good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, we've known various DJs who've like sold their, their barbecue sauce or whatever, made a few bucks. You ought to do that.

[Joe Getty]

All right, Katie Greener. It's not like Sammy Hagar's tequila is significantly different than anybody else's. Please the branding man, Katie Green, our.

[Jack Armstrong]

Esteemed newswoman has a final thought. Katie Jo, I would love for you to go to your lovely bride and.

[Joe Getty]

Pitch a golf in Times Day.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm gonna take on, you know, I'll jump the gun and say my final thought is, I think one of the secrets to our happy marriage is we're perfectly comfortable with we do us stuff and then I do me stuff and she does her stuff and we come together and do us stuff again. It's great. Jack, final thought.

[Joe Getty]

Well, the important thing is that the most romantic times are the ones declared by the Hallmark card company.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And that's when, if it's not a perfect day, your relationship is, or at least should be ruined and ended. Yes. Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Elon Musk has to come and pull your relationship out of the ground like a weed. So many people. Thanks. A little time. Go to armstrong yeti.com. pick up some a and G swag at the store. You, you can listen to the podcast, the [e-mail]. check out the hot links.

[Joe Getty]

We'll see tomorrow. God bless America.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not efficiency, it's Armstrong and Getty. Our message is clear. We're going to stand up, we're going to speak out, we're going to march, we're going to do anything we need to do. Wow. I got nothing for you on that. So let's go out with a bang. All right. All right.

[Joe Getty]

The reason I don't know is I pay no attention.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I was just surprised to find out you pay no attention when it's not normal. Bye bye. Armstrong and Gettysburg.