Hit The Bricks, Butt Clown

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Hit The Bricks, Butt Clown
Release Date: December 4, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty (iHeartPodcasts)

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on multiple evolving news stories and social commentaries, including:

• The state of social unrest and "civil conflict" in Western Europe, particularly Britain, as explored through the work of historian David Betz.
• Breaking developments in the January 6th pipe bomb investigation, with the arrest of a suspect.
• Frustration with urban issues, particularly homelessness in Los Angeles.
• Recurring themes about societal decline, the reliability of news and social media, and personal resilience. As always, Armstrong and Getty interweave sharp satire, candid opinions, memorable quips, and their signature blend of skepticism and humor.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Minneapolis, Somali-Americans, and Civil Conflict in Europe

[02:00-11:20]

• Opening Commentary: Jack riffs on Minneapolis' image problems and the Somali American community after a positive statement from the city's mayor:

  "Come out to Minneapolis. What you won't find is a hellhole but a beautiful city. ... They are proud to call this extraordinary place home." —Jack Armstrong, [01:58]

• Joe's Searing Satire: Responds to Minneapolis' portrayal with reference to massive government fraud by some individuals in the Somali community, while noting "not all Somalis":

  "You can defraud the government for a billion dollars and get away with it." —Joe Getty, [02:19]

• Britain’s Tipping Point?:

  • Armstrong cites an article in The Free Press featuring Dominic Green's interview with historian David Betz, who warns Britain is already in the early stages of a civil war—what Betz terms "civil conflict" or "extreme civil discord."
  • Betz’s Three-Stage Crisis Model:
    1. State-sponsored mass immigration (especially of Muslims) has transformed demography and societal values.
    2. Government response backfires by creating a two-tier justice system, delegitimizing itself in the process (ex: harsh penalties for those criticizing immigrant crimes online, less for the original crimes).
    3. Majority’s Backlash: Indigenous majorities begin to resist the state, seeking a return to traditional interests/values.
  • Betz anticipates “low-intensity, asymmetric” ‘civil war’ dynamics — “no-go zones,” negotiated policing (police entering only with local permission), social trust erosion, and possible catastrophic unrest across Europe.
  • Hosts draw comparisons between Europe and America (e.g., LA neighborhoods with heavy resistance to law enforcement).

• Memorable Quotes:

  • “Balkanization of Western European societies is now fairly obvious.” —Joe Getty, [06:31]
  • “Areas of negotiated policing” instead of “no-go zones”—a phrase Betz prefers. —Jack Armstrong, [07:06]
  • “Posting things critical, pointing out that you have these no-go zones, can get you arrested in Britain.” —Jack Armstrong, [08:55]
  • “A government that breaks its unwritten contract with the people forfeits its legitimacy.” —Jack Armstrong, [09:10]

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2. January 6th Pipe Bomb Investigation Breakthrough

[13:37-14:07, 17:15-21:01, 29:22-39:53]

• Breaking News:

  • The FBI has finally arrested a suspect in the infamous pipe bomb case from the night before the January 6th riots.

    “So more details on that, among other things on the way. Stay here.” —Joe Getty, [13:37]

  • Suspect believed to be from Virginia, possibly an anarchist from a wealthy background.
  • Hosts ponder: “Is he one of ours or one of theirs?” (MAGA vs. Antifa speculation)

    “What we all want to know—is he one of ours or one of theirs? That’s the whole story.” —Joe Getty, [29:22]

• Misinformation & Narrative Building:

  • Armstrong and Getty note the instant swirl of rumors on social media, with claims citing the suspect as both Antifa and MAGA.
  • Satirical summary of partisan reactions and “narrative-building.”

    “We’ll build a story around that, a narrative and...condemn the other side.” —Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty, [32:34-32:43]

  • Reference to classic skepticism about media reliability, quoting Mark Twain:

    “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read it, you’re misinformed.” —Joe Getty, [32:16]

• Philosophical Wrap:

  • Concerns about confusion in the age of social and AI-driven news.

    “One of the AI geniuses...his version of how AI is going to destroy civilization is just going to be...everybody’s going to be confused all the time.” —Joe Getty, [39:44]
    “We’re already halfway there.” —Jack Armstrong, [39:49]

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3. The LA Homeless Encampment Problem

[21:20-24:34]

• Situation: Recent bulldozing of an encampment in Marina del Rey after a long battle with crime, drugs, sanitation issues, and frustrated residents.

  • Colorful local news coverage and resident anger:

    “They’re defecating in the area like they are choosing to live there.” —Local, [21:33]

• Personal Touch:

  • Joe recounts personal experiences in Marina del Rey and a discussion about the crisis’ persistence, frustrations with bureaucratic inaction, and the surreal standards (“two blocks away, somebody got cited for their mailbox not being painted right” —Jack Armstrong, [23:23]).

• Societal Satire:

  • Calls for “redistributing homeless people” to other states.
  • Arguments for equal distribution of problems, mocking progressive policies.
  • Frustration with reliance on authorities who “do jack squat.”

    “Because they’re butt clowns.” —Joe Getty, [25:03]

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4. Societal Decline & Civilization “Give-away”

[25:31-29:22]

• Rant on Modern Society:

  • Hosts express bewilderment at the normalization of shoplifting, locking up products in stores, and general acceptance of declining standards.

    “Doesn’t it seem weird that we now have to lock up our toothpaste? ... We’ve given away civilization.” —Joe Getty, [25:47]

• Cultural Bullying and Shame:

  • Parallel drawn with Europe’s no-go zones and failure to prosecute certain crimes to avoid offending minorities.
  • Critique of progressives/authorities who “shame the West” into not defending traditional standards.

• Resilience and Personal Conduct:

  • Armstrong describes old-age liberty in public ranting:

    “But I got my arms out and I’m saying...it didn’t used to be this way where you had to get an employee to unlock your deodorant. ... We've given away civilization.” —Joe Getty, [25:47]

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5. Mental Health in the Age of News

[28:52-37:13]

• Advice for News Fatigue:

  • Armstrong shares the “Confucian” suggestion—focus on self, not the external world. Maximize your own virtue and positive influence.
  • “Local, local, local”—put your energy into your school board, your park, your neighborhood.

    “Think small. ... Have an effect.” —Jack Armstrong, [37:13]

• Satirical Wisdom:

  • Highlight tension between wanting immediate answers and the patience needed to wait for truth.

    “I need to know right now! It’s before lunch or I will not be satisfied!” —Joe Getty, [38:33]

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6. Classic Armstrong & Getty Banter, Humor, and Memorable Moments

• On Legal Boilerplate:

  “You can’t just say hit the bricks, butt clown. You have to have terms apply.” —Joe Getty, [13:26]

• Dog Show Color Commentary:

  • Lighthearted discussion about weird standards at dog shows and the virtues of mutts.

    “The whole thing is so twisted and always has been. ... The inbreeding and the cutting their ears and tails off and stuff.” —Joe Getty, [16:51]

• Sheep Impression:

  “That’s Joe’s impersonation of if a sheep could talk.” —Jack Armstrong, [28:18]
  “And scene.” —Joe Getty, [28:23]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Come out to Minneapolis...You won't find a hellhole but a beautiful city..." —Jack Armstrong, [01:58]
• “You can defraud the government for a billion dollars and get away with it.” —Joe Getty, [02:19]
• “Civil conflict in contemporary Western Europe...will be low intensity, asymmetric...on a scale no state can contain.” —Jack Armstrong (summarizing Betz), [04:53]
• "A government that breaks its unwritten contract with the people forfeits its legitimacy." —Jack Armstrong, [09:10]
• “If you read the news, if you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read it, you're misinformed.” —Joe Getty (paraphrasing Twain), [32:16]
• “You can’t just say hit the bricks, butt clown. You have to have terms apply.” —Joe Getty, [13:26]
• “We've given away civilization.” —Joe Getty, [25:47]
• “Think small. ... Have an effect.” —Jack Armstrong, [37:13]

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Important Timestamps by Segment

• Europe’s Civil Conflict & Minneapolis: [01:58-11:20]
• Jan 6 Pipe Bomb Break/Speculation & Media Critique: [13:37-14:07, 17:15-21:01, 29:22-39:53]
• L.A. Homeless Encampment & Social Frustration: [21:20-25:03]
• Societal Satire (Locked-Up Toothpaste, Norms): [25:31-29:22]
• News Fatigue & Localism Wisdom: [28:52-37:13]
• Notable Quotes, Banter, and Satire Throughout

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Tone and Style

• Language: Sharp, irreverent, often humorous and sarcastic, with genuine frustration at decline in social standards.
• Delivery: Conversational, with frequent banter, deadpan wit, role reversals, and playful exaggeration for effect.
• Perspective: Sceptical, often conservative/libertarian-leaning, fiercely independent and distrustful of both media narratives and political elites.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode epitomizes Armstrong & Getty’s blend of topical commentary, comic relief, and social critique. They urge listeners to maintain skepticism toward both mainstream and social media, focus on personal conduct ("be a strong thread in the social fabric"), and not be bullied into silence or passivity about social problems. With characteristic candor and wit, they tackle the breaking news, societal oddities, and philosophical dilemmas of 21st-century America—never missing a chance for a memorable zinger.

Transcript

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[Jack Armstrong]

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

[Commercial Announcer]

Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

Come out to Minneapolis. What you won't find is a hellhole but a beautiful city. It is a city and a park. You won't find a community that is tearing down Minneapolis and our Somali Americans. You will find a group of people that is uplifting Minneapolis and is proud to be here. They are proud to call this extraordinary place home.

[Joe Getty]

I'm sure they're happy to call it home. You can defraud the government for a billion dollars and get away with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, you can be born in Somalia, come to America and get rich for doing nothing except steal. Yeah, that's great. Not that all Somalis are that way. Certainly not. But yeah, there's a ginormous problem. That was the mayor of Mini Minneapolis, Jacob Frey. It's spelled like Fry, but he wants to be different, I'm guessing.

[Joe Getty]

Is he denying that the billion dollars were stolen or is he just trying.

[Jack Armstrong]

To.

He'S responding to Trump's hyperbole, polish.

[Joe Getty]

Unfortunate object and try to make it a little better.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, he's just responding to Trump saying that it's a hell hole and they've ruined Minneapolis and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I found this troubling and interesting and absolutely has the ring of truth about it. It's in the free press, for what it's worth. Dominic Green, who's an excellent writer, had a long conversation with a. A well respected historian by the name of David Betts. He's a historian at King's College in London and he is an expert in what he prefers to call civil conflict or extreme civil discord as opposed to civil war, because these things don't start when Fort Sumter is fired upon, for instance. Although he's an expert on our civil war too, interestingly enough.

And you know, it's dramatic, but it would take too long. They spell out a scenario wherein a gas main explodes, small fires break out at substations that supply Britain's capital with electricity. Heathrow shuts down, the lights go off in the tube, the British pound plunges, cell phones go down, et cetera, et cetera. Chaos spreads rumors, blah, blah, blah, craziness. You see mass gangs of white people and Muslims facing off, if your phone still works, burning vehicles. The Prime Minister addresses the nation on the BBC. Though most people can't see it, the King assents to calling out the army. They set in very dramatic form. Chaos.

But it's not Russia that did it. It's not homegrown Islamist terrorists. It's members of the indigenous English majority rising in a nativist revolt against the state, the immigrants in the cities and the Muslim minority in particular. And this David Betz, the historian, says that's how England's civil war begins. And he says it's already underway, it's happening. The tipping point has already been passed.

And.

This guy, he studied civil wars and civil conflicts for 25 years. And he says the civil conflict in contemporary Western Europe, and it's not just Britain, will be low intensity, asymmetric and hit and run, multifactional terrorism and thuggery on a scale that no state can contain. And no, this is not just a British problem. If the classical pattern of civil conflict applies, then according to Betts, Britain, France, Belgium, Scandinavia, Ireland and Germany are all heading for disaster.

[Joe Getty]

It sounds like the Irish Civil War from the early 20th century. Yeah, similar sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And interestingly enough, this guy, for the first 24 years of his academic career, wrote specialty articles on this Stuff and was respected, but not super well known outside academia. But over the last few months, his work has attracted a great deal of public attention. And in contrast to certain other grandstanding fake historians, I think his reaction is telling. He says that was surprising and a little awkward. He's not used to it and he's not a grandstander. So. All right, here is your three stage explanation of Britain's crisis. Obviously, Jack, jump in anytime. First, state sponsored mass immigration, especially of Muslims, has wrought, quote, a mass societal and cultural alteration of values and demography.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, and then you're throwing people in jail for pointing it out on Twitter or whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, we'll get there.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

We will get there. No, you're absolutely right. So can anybody argue that? First.

Statement, State. State sponsored mass immigration has wrought a mass social and cultural alteration of values and democracy. Demography. As a result, the indigenous majority perceives themselves as losers. This sense of displacement, says Mr. Betz, is, quote, a powerful propellant to civil conflict. Then the Balkanization of Western European societies is, Betts says, now fairly obvious. For starters, there are the notorious no go zones. Betts prefers, and this is a great term, areas of negotiated policing.

Because you'd call them no go zones, these heavily Muslim areas. And people say, no, no, no, you can walk through there and all, and the authorities are still there, but they have to negotiate how they're gonna police with the new local, you know, overlords and the new culture and stuff like that. Anyway, French and Swedish police admit that many immigrant heavy areas are beyond state control. They said so.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that's a police thing to say.

[Jack Armstrong]

When police enter, they must either seek permission from community leaders or come in force. In Britain, there are numerous urban areas in which the police operate, quote, under a kind of negotiation.

[Joe Getty]

That's crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is, it is. And you know, just to depart from the European situation. That reminds me a little bit of some of the efforts to enforce immigration law going into, say, parts of LA where the local populace rises up and won't permit it to happen and harasses, threatens, shoots or just interferes with the, the ICE guys. Anyway, so that's the first stage. In the second stage, and this is what I've been yelling about in Britain now for a long time. The state's effort to control social fracture backfires. By delegitimizing it in the eyes of the majority, the government, the state delegitimizes itself. In Britain, that means a two tier justice system that placates Muslims while downgrading the rights and suppressing the Objections of the majority. Exactly what you're talking about, Jack. Posting things critical, pointing out that you have these no go zones can get you arrested in Britain. Yeah, and this leads to a decline in social trust and an increase in lawlessness.

[Joe Getty]

There are some high profile examples of, for instance, a Muslim immigrant committing a crime, then somebody commenting harshly about it online and the person who commented on it getting a stronger penalty and more time in jail than the person that committed the crime.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, great example. Man burns Quran, Muslim stabs him for it. The penalty for the burning was much more severe than the stabbing anyway. So where were we? Okay, so the state tries to placate Muslims, two tiered justice, prosecuting people for posting online, etc. A government that breaks its unwritten contract with the people forfeits its legitimacy. And that leads to the third stage. The majority will attempt to force the elites to return to its historic pattern of serving their interests and values. This, Betts believes, is where Britain and Western Europe now are. He's not alone in fearing the worst. In July, the Financial Times, and there could be no more serious news outlet than the Financial Times, described parts of Britain as, quote, a tinderbox and a powder keg.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, told the New Statesman that the cities of northern England are so tense they could go up in flames.

Man.

[Joe Getty]

I subscribed to the Financial Times for a while, but it's pretty dang expensive and I stopped, but maybe I should jump back in.

[Jack Armstrong]

So dry. The possible sparks are obvious. In 2005, two young men of Malian, Malay, Malian and Tunisian extraction were electrocuted to death as they ran from police in the Paris suburb of unpronounceable. Three weeks of rioting followed in 274 towns across France. Did you hear that? Three weeks of rioting in 274 towns across France. The rioters targeted police and firefighters, injuring 126 of them. In 2011, London police shot an armed mixed race gangster in his car after a pursuit. The resulting protests turned into five days of rioting across the country. I asked Bets if given Britain's inflammable social mix, its security services have sought his advice. He replied, no, they have not.

There's a great deal more dear, a deal more detail to this. We can post the link. You may get paywalled.

I think he makes an outstanding case.

In Britain's August 2024 riots, gangs of black clad Muslim men marched through their towns in northern England chanting Aloha Akbar. Police officer caught on camera advising them to return to their, their weapons, to the mosque so they don't, so the cops don't have to do anything. All sorts of examples.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

Wow, that's cool. The sizzle all the way. I like that name.

[Jack Armstrong]

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So that, that prevents you from saying I bought 3 cents worth of products and now I would like my $35 off. Right. I mean that's, that would be stealing from them and they should tell you to pound sand. They're far too courteous at all stakes to do that. But they just say go to hell, you scumbag. But if you utter the magic incantation.

Terms apply.

That prevents it, you're off the hook. Lawyered up, America.

[Joe Getty]

You can't just say hit the bricks, butt clown. You have to have terms apply.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? That's the magic, the magical incantation. Here's your break, silly. On both ends. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

If there are more details, we'll get them to you coming up. But do you remember when January 6th happened? One of the great mysteries around January 6th and the uprising in the capital and all that sort of stuff was there were some pipe bombs planted at the RNC and the DNC and people have been wondering Conspiratorially, for a long time. Who put those bombs there? Were they real? Did the FBI plant them? Or blah, blah, blah. Anyway, the FBI has arrested a suspect in that investigation. Finally, finally. So more details on that, among other things on the way. Stay here.

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[Jack Armstrong]

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Auto Parts. The old English sheepdog. 80 pounds of hair and 2 pounds of actual dog hair. As I have said before, if the judge picks through all of that hair and finds only one eye, he's got the wrong end of the dog.

[Joe Getty]

Was that. What was that? Was that actually from the dog show? Yeah, yeah, the guy who played Jay Peterman from Seinfeld doing a little color commentary for the dog show.

[Jack Armstrong]

The great John o'. Hurley. Oh, Elaine.

[Joe Getty]

So they got the. The biggest dog show of the year is on Thanksgiving. I don't know if you knew that. And if you're not watching football, somehow it ended up on our TV for a while at our family gathering. It's like all the dog shows, you got.

Women in very bland, sensible outfits and flat shoes jogging around with some sort of weird concoction that they call a dog.

[Jack Armstrong]

And.

[Joe Getty]

And then some regular dogs, you got just like every once in a while you'll just have a beagle or something you recognize. But most of them are just freaks.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and then you got the final decision between some monster thing that's half A horse and then a tiny little fur ball. And they. They say the fur ball is better at being a furball than the horse things at being a horse. And that's your best in show, I guess.

[Joe Getty]

The whole thing is so twisted and always has been. It's amazing that it continues. The inbreeding and the cutting their ears and tails off and stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just.

[Joe Getty]

It's horrible.

Anyway.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's amazing how unpopular mutts are when it's so much better an option in so many ways.

[Joe Getty]

In so many ways, including how cheap they are to start with.

The FBI has arrested a suspect in the January 6th pipe bomb case. If you're into the conspiracy stuff, you've probably been following this for a while because a lot of the conspiracy people think that the FBI planted this or was part of a deal or Thousand Trained Mules or whatever that one documentary was.

Fed. Officials today arrested a man who is believed to be the person who planted the pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters the night before the January 6 run riots. The arrest could bring closure to this mystery that has vexed law enforcement for five years and spawned many, many conspiracies. Despite interviewing more than a thousand people and having video footage showing a person sitting on a bench removing what appears to be a pipe bomb from their bag, they've not been able to solve the crime. The suspect is believed to be from Virginia. That's the only thing they know so far. A couple of people who are familiar with the investigation leaked to the Washington Post. I'm sure we'll find out more later today. Pam Bondi is going to have a press conference and we'll probably get all kinds of details then.

[Jack Armstrong]

So one of theirs are one of ours. Come on. Philippines.

[Joe Getty]

That's what everybody wants to know, right? Was it a MAGA person or an anti mega person?

[Jack Armstrong]

But he bombed or tried to bomb both. Right?

[Joe Getty]

All right. So the FBI has said that the bombs were capable of hurting people had they been detonated. They weren't. That's always been a mystery too. Why did you make bombs that were capable of going off? Take the time to plant them and then they didn't go off during one of the craziest things that's ever happened in American history. And that the discovery with these bombs apparently diverted law enforcement attention from the Capitol before the mom mob breached the Capitol. So were they just there to be found and distract law enforcement to make it easier to get into the Capitol? That leads you to believe that.

They'Re working with the proud boys or somebody who had a plan to do this. Right, Trump. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what they said. The lack of arrests as the Washington Post has spurred baseless claims among Republicans, including President Donald Trump, with many suggesting that the FBI did not want to solve the case because a member of an anti fascist group, not a Trump supporter, planted the bombs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Huh.

[Joe Getty]

It's hard to imagine why Antifa would plant those bombs to distract the cops from the. If that's indeed what happened. Yeah, that's the only thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Although they are down with all of Western civilization, including Republicans and Democrats. So that would make sense, actually. And TIFA are violent Marxists.

[Joe Getty]

Dan Bungino, who's a current FBI director Deputy director, had been saying for years on his podcast that he believed that the FBI knew the identity of the bomber and that it was an inside job with the FBI. That was his take before he was with the FBI. Now he's with the FBI. It'll be interesting to see what the FBI has to say.

[Jack Armstrong]

Turns out it was Jeffrey Epstein planted the bombs.

[Joe Getty]

There's a twist.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was reminded the other day. You remember the giant anthrax scare which included some attacks that killed people with anthrax. They never caught that person.

[Joe Getty]

Back to this one. FBI officials have said that the investigation was complicated by a number of factors, including that the incident occurred during the pandemic. I'd forgotten that. And that the bomber was wearing a mask, which did not raise alarms for anyone who might have seen them because you know, the whole pandemic thing. So you could walk down the street with a mask on in a backpack and plant bombs without anybody wondering why is that guy got a mask on? Good point. Additionally, the person placed the pipe bombs hours before they were discovered, leaving plenty of time to escape. So that was the goal, was to get out of there. Was the goal to not have them go off though? Sure seems like it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't know. I'll be looking forward to facts emerging.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, quite. The homeless camp in one of the nicest areas of LA that we want to tell you about. And residents finally got fed up with that and decided to do something about it. You can't blame them. And other stuff on the way. If you missed a segment, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Commercial Announcer]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Fox 11 LA Reporter]

Long awaited movement in Marina del Rey. Bulldozers ripping through a homeless encampment that had grown out of control. Full of trash, booze, furniture and much more.

[Commercial Announcer]

They are defecating in the area like they are choosing to live there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Once you had your first report, some movement happened, so hopefully that will continue and this area will be cleaned up. Kating, you say defecating? I suspected as much as.

[Joe Getty]

That's Matthew Seedorf of Fox 11 LA talking about this homeless camp in Marina del Rey, which is a very nice area that I have stayed many times, including deep sea fishing with both my sons. A couple of different.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did you defecate there? And I did not question.

[Joe Getty]

I did not have bottles, tents or. Nor did I defecate. Well, I defecated, but in a normal sort of civilized way.

[Jack Armstrong]

In private?

[Joe Getty]

Yes. I'm not going to claim I don't. That'd be weird.

Let's get back.

[Jack Armstrong]

I retract the question. Sorry.

[Joe Getty]

Let's get Back to the Fox 11 report.

[Fox 11 LA Reporter]

Last month we exclusively reported on the tent city sandwiched between lanes of the 90 Freeway. How many people do you estimate are living over there?

[Commercial Announcer]

One day I can see 150. Some days there's only 30. Shooting up drugs right there.

[Fox 11 LA Reporter]

Open drug use, burglaries, violence. Then flames pushed fear into nearby neighborhoods.

[Commercial Announcer]

I would like to live in a society where, you know, we don't have. Have to hound repeatedly to get just some basic, you know, community services done.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ruin the entire country. Nome 2028.

[Joe Getty]

So this, you know, nobody likes this. When it happens anywhere, when it, when it happens someplace nice, then people, some people are like, h what? How could this possibly be here? I feel that way when they're anywhere. Like, how could this camp possibly be here full of dogs and tents and defecation and everything like that? How is this possibly society?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. And in some places, you know, two blocks away, somebody got cited for their mailbox not being painted right.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. Yeah. And let's hear the rest.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or you failed to get your rabies shot for your cat.

[Fox 11 LA Reporter]

Last summer we were with Governor Gavin Newsom as he cleared an encampment and urged cities across the state to do the same. This Marina del Rey homeless campsite on.

[Jack Armstrong]

State land, we have already had two fatalities with people coming and going from that area along the freeway.

[Fox 11 LA Reporter]

Louisiana Councilwoman Tracy park says she has urged the state to do something for more than a year.

[Jack Armstrong]

My fear here is that when the state's work is done, this encampment is just going to return. I have asked the state and the governor and Caltrans for those long term solutions, but so far we have not been able to find the path forward.

Come on, Texas. Come on, Florida. You want this, don't you?

[Joe Getty]

We need to not redistribute wealth. Redistribute homeless people from California. We have the half the homeless people in the entire country are in one state.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not fair. Question of fairness.

When will the states that are rich with junkies pay their fair share?

That's so incredibly frustrating. That's the modern age. We've been told, don't deal with anything yourself. Call the authorities, don't defend yourself against a bully, tell an adult, blah, blah, blah. But then the authorities do jack squat.

[Joe Getty]

Because they're butt clowns.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's a word of the day. I think Katie was just feeling too polite. It's probably because she's with child. She didn't want to say ass clown. Are you trying to clean up your act for. Okay, I'm doing my best, Little Jack. Joe. Michael. Michael.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Because you shouldn't have a kid around and you can't use your usual.

[Jack Armstrong]

Vocabulary. So much cleaning up to do so much cleaning.

Well, the.

[Joe Getty]

Just the. The given away civilization is such a weird thing that. Who saw that coming? Who saw it coming? Giving away civilization? As I gave my loud lecture at the CBS the other day, to the horror of my kids, to everybody standing around in the aisle, everybody's looking at me like I'm a crazy person.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good for you.

[Joe Getty]

I do this a lot. It's one of the great things about being old. It just don't care about this sort of stuff. But I got my arms out and I'm saying, and there's, there's people now and they're all looking at me like, is this guy gonna hurt me? But, you know, it didn't used to be this way where you had to get an employee to unlock your deodorant. Never been this way. We managed to go hundreds of years without needing to do this. All of a sudden, now we have to do it. Doesn't that seem weird? Doesn't it seem weird that we now have to lock up our toothpaste Z? Doesn't that bother anybody? We've given away civilization.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And I think it's of a piece. We were talking about the coming British civil war that may have started already. And I was thinking more about the idea of negotiated policing zones and no go zones. And like the giant rip off in Minneapolis. We've been talking about the Somalis who were ripping off the state for a billion dollars and the taxpayers. And anybody who started to ask questions was told, don't anger them, don't anger the Somalis. You'll a lose their vote. Bad things could happen to you. Blah, blah, blah. That's a zone of negotiated like law enforcement. It's another great example of you got Britain where the authorities and the media conspired to keep it quiet that Muslim gangs from Pakistan were raping their little girls and teenage girls. If a society has been bullied and cowed into silence when their girls are getting raped, you can see why people would resent that a little bit and start to feel like they've been betrayed. That's kind of a different aspect of the same thing. But, but we've been shamed. We the West, Western civilization have been shamed by progressives on the one hand or you know, the, the progressives in concert with some of the religious minorities in saying no, you don't get to stand up for your principles. That makes you a bad person to stand up for civilization. Shame. Not shame. I'm not ashamed. Not even a little bit.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it is kind of funny that everybody looked at me like I'm a crazy person. I'm the crazy person for pointing out that we've now lock up our toothpaste and you have to get employee to unlock it. Now it's normal to just accept it, keep your mouth shut and just.

Let civilization fall apart. It's so people.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not saying anything. Don't say anything crazy man.

[Joe Getty]

That's Joe's impersonation of if a sheep could talk.

[Jack Armstrong]

I thought that was self evident.

[Joe Getty]

And scene.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think my art speaks for itself, sir.

[Joe Getty]

Your art?

[Jack Armstrong]

I gotta say something here, Jack. You're not gonna die of sickness or disease. You're gonna die just because you couldn't take life anymore. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Oh yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

You just couldn't take it.

[Joe Getty]

Oh yeah. Yeah. His head will explode.

[Jack Armstrong]

As will mine. Although I, you know, I vent by, you know, fighting against this stuff. Oh, that reminds me, I should have gotten to this earlier.

We hear semi regularly that following the news, especially if you follow it a lot, begins to really stress you out. Stress people out. Stresses me out, it's true. And I came across some really good wisdom about how to deal with that. And I mean it's, it's really good. Undersells it. It's brilliant. We could get into that hour four if we wanted. I don't know. It's loose. It's very loose.

[Joe Getty]

So we got the breaking news story of today. They finally arrested somebody in the whole pipe bo bombs the night before January 6th story. Those of you who've been into the whole January 6th conspiracy thing are been on that story forever. What's the deal with the pipe bombs? Somebody put actual Working pipe bombs at the DNC and the RNC the night before. They didn't go off. They've never arrested anybody. What's the deal? Well, they've arrested somebody. The name is out. Doesn't mean anything to anybody. It's Brian Cole of Virginia. What we all want to know, is he one of ours or one of theirs? That's the whole story. Does he own a MAGA hat, did he email? And does he have an antifa sticker on his coffee mug? This is what we need to know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is he on Blue sky or Twitter?

[Joe Getty]

Exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. So more details as they came as they come out. A special message to the folks of Marina Del Rey or the junkie camp was. Or anywhere, particularly in blue states, although everywhere really needs simply safe where you want to protect your loved ones and your stuff against break ins. The amazing thing about simply safe, well, one of the amazing things is that they, they protect you before there's a break in. Not just when you're broken into. An alarm goes off. You got your AI cameras to detect threats early. Then they immediately alert the live agents, real people who speak directly to the intruders. And if they don't leave immediately, the cops are on their way. That's common sense. That's real security. That's simply safe.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, the sensors and the cameras and all the different sort of stuff and catching people before they get in, that is simply safe. It's simple to set up, it's simple to no contract because they're so confident that you're going to stay with the program like I have.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it's not expensive, it's less expensive and like 50 times better than the old systems. Simply say for both believers, it's great. And this month take 50% off any new system. It's one of the best prices you'll ever see for Simplisafe. Don't miss it. It's simply safe.com Armstrong Again, simply safe.com Armstrong to lock in your discount. There's no safe like Simplisafe.

[Joe Getty]

God, Twitter is hilarious when stories like this come out. So they arrest this guy named Brian Cole and you got all kinds of videos of people that may or may not be him, probably aren't at this point saying all kinds of different things to back up whatever your narrative is and you're hoping to get out there, you know, before the truth has chance to put on its shoes, as they say.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you've got like accounts claiming that he's a schoolteacher from Bellingham, Washington, known antifa member. And then you got accounts saying, yeah, exactly. He's a guy from Arkansas and he hosted a Trump rally.

[Joe Getty]

Okay? Yep, yep, that's exactly right.

[Jack Armstrong]

You unplug the Internet, you predict.

[Joe Getty]

Reminds me, I came across a Thomas Jefferson quote about the news the other day that I'd never heard before. We quote the Mark Twain, which I just referenced a little bit ago. Mark Twain. If you didn't catch that, on the whole.

If you read the news, if you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read it, you're misinformed. There's even a better version of that from Thomas Jefferson. I'll dig that up. We'll get to that when we come back. And also we'll have more details on. Brian Cole is one of ours or one of them of one of theirs. CNT for maga. We need to know this.

And then what we'll do, we'll build a story around that, a narrative and.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'Ll condemn the other side.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. They're wrong, they're evil. We're right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Look at them. He's a perfect example of them or.

[Joe Getty]

Us or not us. Stay tuned.

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Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

So they've arrested somebody in the whole pipe bomb story from January 6th. The night before January 6th, couple of pipe bombs were laid down. If you're into the conspiracies, you've been following that for a long time. And so.

I'm trying to figure out what's happening. It's all breaking news right now. They got a guy, they got a name, he's from Virginia. At least some pictures I just saw that look to be from a legitimate news site. He was arrested at his parents home. He's 30 years old, looks like a really nice neighborhood, like super big giant rich people homes. Wow. And there was a description in one of the nut. You gotta take this with a giant grain of salt because this is early moments. But one of the news sources saying he's described as an anarchist. It would not be surprising if a rich 30 year old who still lived with his parents in a giant mansion was an anarchist who got involved in this stuff somehow.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's funny. I was just reminding myself to post up in the studio the Matt Taibbi quote I love so much. We're in the upper class twits promoting revolution space.

Is there no defense against the ignorant rich?

[Joe Getty]

And I brought up this just because taking in news and trying to figure out what's real and what's not. This Thomas Jefferson quote that I don't know if I'd Ever heard before. Similar to the Mark Twain quote that came many years later. The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them in as much as he who knows nothing is near to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

That'S just like your opinion, man.

[Joe Getty]

So it's always been that way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. It's always been difficult to find the truth. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and, and the fact that because I've run in this to myself, somebody who doesn't look into these stories is easier to talk to than somebody who does because their minds are filled with falsehoods and errors, as Thomas Jefferson just said.

[Jack Armstrong]

I ran into that recently. Somebody whose mind was so completely made up in the wrong direction about a certain controversy, I was like, oh man, unpacking that would take a long time. Never mind.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

So I'm gonna go with Brian Cole as an anarchist and on their side.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, so the, the news can be frustrating and stressful, right? The never ending, everybody at everybody's throat and such. And I came across a couple of pieces of wisdom lately that I thought were really, really good and fairly easy to understand. You can do your own research to, you know, get the 300 level course, if you will. But here's the first day in class intro. Two things, Two things. And this is like a superpower practically.

You follow the news, you're stressed, frustrated, whatever. Two techniques. Number one, the Confucians would tell you. Not that I'm no Chinese commie lover, but the philosophy of Confucius was interesting in a lot of ways. I don't know much about it, but one of the things they suggest is master yourself. Don't try to master the world or worry about the world. Work on you. Think about what your priorities are, what, what the ideal you would look like, and work on that. And goodness will flow probably outward into the world if you do that. Second thought, local, local, local, you're not going to do anything about likely, you know, the, the violence in, where's the, you know, whatever, or, or the, the, the, the, the horrors of the controversy over there. But you can affect your local school board, you can clean up your local park, you can volunteer and mentor some kids who might be teetering on criminal or productive citizen. Look to your, your small town, look to, to where you live. It's super empowering. For one thing, I've done enough of it to know it makes you feel great. And you realize, oh, instead of just fretting and flipping through Twitter, which is a Good way to make yourself insane.

Have an effect. Think small.

[Joe Getty]

Back to the breaking news. Steve Bannon. Steve Bannon is doing his live podcast now and he says that the guy has ties to it Antifa. So you can take that to the bank.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks, Steve. Now a lot of people won't believe it just because it came out of your maw.

[Joe Getty]

Oh boy. Or it's. Yeah, it's either true or it's 100% not true. And then this other news source, some well known person on Twitter says the pipe bomb was planted to distract cops on January 6, more bad news for Maga. So that'll be the battle all day long.

[Jack Armstrong]

As Thomas Jefferson said, social media is useless. It'll make you nuts.

[Joe Getty]

It's almost got to be tied into the uprising on January 6th though, doesn't it?

[Jack Armstrong]

I was thinking, it's funny you should bring that up. I was just thinking, how wild would it be if the guy's like, no, I'm like a save the whales guy. I had no idea there was something going on on January 6th. I'm pissed off about the whales.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. There's no chance it's not related. So I suppose in a sense it is bad news for. Well, not maga, but whoever that crowd was that thought over hanging Mike Pence was a good idea.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have no problem with waiting to find out.

[Joe Getty]

I don't. I need to know right now. It's before lunch or I will not be.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe my speculation bone is in the shop or something. But I just. Just tell me when you find out.

[Joe Getty]

It'S something that.

It was true enough for Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain to make those comments about reading newspapers back in the day. And it's, you know, I hate the term on steroids, but it's that on steroids now with, with the social media and everything like that, that it is so much work to know what's real and what's not. I heard one of the AI geniuses not to bring that topic up that I've bored you all with again, but one of the AI geniuses saying his version of how AI is going to destroy civilization is not quite as exciting as others. It's just going to be. Everybody's going to be confused all the time. There are going to be wars break out that countries don't even know why they're at war or if it's really the reason and you don't know if it's actually happening or not. And every news story is going to be suspect and just everybody's going to be constantly confused.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that is troubling. And, yeah, probably right.

[Joe Getty]

And a difficult way to run any sort of society.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're already halfway there.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's what I thought. I thought we're pretty close to that now. And, you know, you. You amplify that and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hell, yeah. Yeah. Unless it'll be interesting to watch again. Take care of yourself. The Confucians believe the health of the society is a social fabric, and you are a thread. And the strength of every thread matters.

[Joe Getty]

So there you go. If you miss a segment an hour, get our podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand. Confucius said that.

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