Rolling & Trolling

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: Episode Summary - "Rolling & Trolling"

Release Date: March 11, 2025
Host/Authors: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty engaging in their signature banter from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio. The hosts set a lively tone, discussing the current socio-political climate with a mix of humor and sharp commentary.

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Rolling & Trolling: The Tesla and Political Statement

Jack and Joe delve into the cultural symbolism of Tesla vehicles, particularly focusing on public figures like Hannity and Trump using Teslas as statements more than practical transportation.

• Joe Getty (01:31): "It’s really becoming a statement sort of thing. Well, it always was. It always was a statement thing way more than a practical thing for a lot of people."

They explore the idea of personalized license plates, joking about provocative choices like "Doge" and "TRMP," highlighting how such choices serve as political statements.

• Jack Armstrong (02:10): "Are you just gonna stand there, somebody slashing your tires? But they might slide by tires."

The conversation shifts to the potential backlash of such statements, including vandalism of vehicles, reflecting the polarized nature of current political sentiments.

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Economic Policies and Tariffs

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the impact of tariffs and protectionism, particularly under the Trump administration's policies aimed at countering globalism and protecting American workers.

• Katie Green (12:05): "The White House is using tariffs to restore manufacturing and data suggests it will take some time."

• Jack Armstrong (04:53): "What an interesting topic that is. The whole tariffs and protectionism... It's definitely a complex weave of predictions and economic principles."

Joe and Jack critique both the effectiveness and the disruptive nature of these tariffs, referencing insights from David Drucker and NPR's nonpartisan perspectives on the long-term benefits versus short-term chaos.

• Joe Getty (08:16): "I don't. I doubt it. I doubt it."

They also discuss the ramifications of trade tensions with Canada, emphasizing the challenges of navigating relationships with allied nations amid protectionist policies.

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Geopolitical Tensions and International Relations

The hosts touch upon escalating tensions in international relations, particularly focusing on joint naval drills among Iran, China, and Russia, and Ukraine's drone attacks on Moscow.

• Joe Getty (13:33): "From the Free Beacon, Ukraine launches biggest drone attack on Moscow..."

Jack expresses frustration with media labels and alliances, emphasizing misunderstandings and the complexity of international politics.

• Jack Armstrong (13:59): "They have participated in NATO in decades, and then when you call them out on it, you've upended the alliance."

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Social Issues and Campus Activism

Katie Green introduces a segment on Columbia University professors canceling classes in solidarity with pro-Hamas activists, sparking a debate on free speech and academic responsibilities.

• Joe Getty (14:25): "That's part of the process of answering that question. So it's not necessarily about this guy. Let's work through it, then start booting people out."

Jack and Joe discuss the nuances of campus activism, free speech, and the balance between protecting individual rights and maintaining academic integrity.

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Cultural Commentary: Dylan Mulvaney's Memoir

The hosts critique the media coverage of Dylan Mulvaney's memoir, questioning the literary value and the nature of tribal signaling in contemporary media.

• Joe Getty (15:53): "Nobody who is honestly motivated to read that book because they want to know about that person's life."

• Jack Armstrong (16:21): "Katie, how do you feel about the term uterine?"

Their humorous yet critical takes highlight the intersection of media sensationalism and cultural discourse on gender identity.

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Technological Advances in Healthcare

Katie Green shares a story about a Tennessee cancer clinic utilizing hologram doctors to serve rural areas, showcasing advancements in medical technology.

• Katie Green (16:33): "The hologram doctor will see you now. This is a story about a Tennessee cancer clinic that is beaming doctors out to rural areas using holograms."

Jack and Joe briefly discuss the implications of such technologies on healthcare accessibility and quality.

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Sports Analysis: Baseball's Fastball Problem

A detailed segment analyzes the shift in baseball towards high-velocity pitching, discussing its impact on the game and player health.

• Jack Armstrong (19:55): "Baseball is utterly fascinated and fixated on statistics... They just want guys who are, who can just bring fire."

• Joe Getty (21:53): "So if you're not a baseball fan, you know what this means. But Garrett Cole... out for the year. Tommy John surgery. May never pitch again."

The hosts lament the loss of traditional pitching artistry in favor of raw speed, citing increased injury rates and the decline of offensive play.

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Pharmaceutical Innovations: Weight Loss Drugs

The conversation transitions to the latest developments in weight loss pharmaceuticals like Ozempic and Wegovy, discussing their benefits and drawbacks.

• Jack Armstrong (24:40): "A fast-growing body of research signals potential health benefits of GLP1s... including age-related conditions like Alzheimer's."

• Joe Getty (26:37): "That's the good news for all of this. On this is that if they're paying less in the future... it's in their best interest to have everybody not being overweight."

They explore the economic and health implications of widespread use of these drugs, touching on insurance coverage challenges and long-term benefits versus side effects.

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Department of Homeland Security and TSA Changes

Joe and Jack analyze the DHS's decision to end collective bargaining for TSA officers, critiquing the inefficiencies and performance issues within the TSA.

• Jack Armstrong (29:09): "These people are paid by taxpayers to work full time on union matters."

They discuss how this move aims to streamline operations and improve security screening efficiency at airports.

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Mailbag and Listener Interactions

Throughout the episode, Jack and Joe incorporate listener feedback and emails, addressing topics like university lectures on gender and rationality, and sharing humorous anecdotes.

• Jack Armstrong (31:22): "Our friends at fire the foundation for Individual Rights and Expression are protecting this guy."

They emphasize the importance of listener engagement and diverse perspectives in shaping the conversation.

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Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with reflections on academic ignorance, societal narratives, and the importance of practical knowledge over specialized expertise.

• Jack Armstrong (30:50): "I'll give the Canucks this, man. They decide we need a new leader."

The hosts maintain their characteristic blend of humor, critique, and insightful commentary, leaving listeners with thought-provoking takeaways on the discussed topics.

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Notable Quotes

• Jack Armstrong (04:53): "What an interesting topic that is. The whole tariffs and protectionism... It's definitely a complex weave of predictions and economic principles."

• Joe Getty (15:53): "Nobody who is honestly motivated to read that book because they want to know about that person's life."

• Jack Armstrong (24:40): "A fast-growing body of research signals potential health benefits of GLP1s... including age-related conditions like Alzheimer's."

• Joe Getty (26:37): "That's the good news for all of this. On this is that if they're paying less in the future... it's in their best interest to have everybody not being overweight."

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Conclusion

"Rolling & Trolling" offers a comprehensive look into contemporary issues ranging from economic policies and international relations to social activism and technological advancements in healthcare. Through their engaging dialogue, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty provide listeners with a mix of humor, critique, and insightful analysis, making complex topics accessible and thought-provoking.

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Stay Connected:
For more insights and discussions, tune into future episodes of Armstrong & Getty On Demand and engage with the hosts through their text line: 415295KFTC or visit mailbagarmstronggetty.com.

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.

[Joe Getty]

Enough here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and get it live from Studio C. CL Senior on what I like.

[Joe Getty]

To call little Wednesday in a dimly lit room deeper than the bowels of the Armstrong YETI communications compound. And today we're under the tutelage of our general manager.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tariffs, recession, upheaval, angst.

[Joe Getty]

You know what I think I might do?

[Jack Armstrong]

I might get five sled dogs of the apocalypse. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

I might get a. I might get a cyberbeast and get a personalized license plate that says Doge. And then just get ready to repair all the keying of my car and I'll to carry extra tires in the back because they're constantly being slashed.

[Jack Armstrong]

You'll be rolling and trolling in your monster truck. Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

Rolling and trolling.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

I heard Hannity said he's gonna buy a couple of Teslas and give them to friends. Trump said he's gonna get one. So it's really becoming a statement sort of thing. Well, it always was. It always was a statement thing way more than a practical thing for a lot of people. And so now it's just gone the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Other direction, but a wildly different statement. Yeah, I like this maneuver better when you're a little younger and your fighting days weren't, you know, maybe as far behind you as.

[Joe Getty]

I don't think I'm fighting these, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you just gonna stand there, somebody.

[Joe Getty]

Slashing your t. Eaten, probiotic taken, limp wristed lefties. But they might slide by tires.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, so you're thinking they're gonna have their little linguini arms sawn away at your tires and you're gonna walk up and discover it and just whoop.

[Joe Getty]

You gotta admit, though, the biggest, most ridiculous Tesla they make with a Doge license plate would be pretty good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. From a distance, you could. You could mistake one of the Tesla models for Toyota or who knows what else. Not the cyber truck.

[Joe Getty]

No, no, no, no. Definitely not. And. And if it becomes like a rolling middle finger to the idea of big government, that might be my car and that might be where it's going, man. I watched the interview with Elon yesterday and we're gonna have a whole bunch of clips of that. But first of all, my phone dinged. Let me turn that off, please.

[Jack Armstrong]

Silence your devices.

[Joe Getty]

He was talking about the number of death threats he gets now and just how difficult it is to travel around and everything like that. And one of the reasons he's posting everything online is he wants people to say, okay, you're so angry at me. You're hearing I'm a Nazi. You're hearing all these things. Go to the website and then tell me which of these things that I say we ought to cut that you disagree with, and we'll argue about it. You know, which of these things do you think I'm wrong about? And then we can have a conversation about it. That's what I'm trying to do. He said, I'm concerned somebody out there who doesn't pay attention to this is gonna hear, I'm a Nazi and kill me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Yeah. It's another great example. And this is so troubling. It makes me just want to vanish into the woods and watch the squirrels cavort, as usual. But the idea of we choose a narrative and then we choose our facts based on our choice of narrative is so true in so many of the big topics going on right now, including the Doge thing or the Ukraine thing or the pro or the Israel Hamas.

[Joe Getty]

Thing or even the tariff thing, which lefties usually are in favor of. But now all of a sudden, it's, you know, definitely awful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Right. Yeah. What an interesting topic that is. The whole tariffs and protectionism, if you want to call it that, or responding to the terrible disservice globalism did to a lot of American workers. It's definitely a complex weave of predictions and economic principles, which are imperfect at best. Hence the nickname for economics is the dismal science.

[Joe Getty]

Is there anything?

[Jack Armstrong]

And it has everything to do with the huge pivot in history that the globe might be taking.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Can you think of anything more provocative than Doge as a personalized license plate on the cyberbeast? That's pretty good.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's good.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's pretty good. Especially where I live.

[Jack Armstrong]

How about TRMP? Oh, wow. 4 KN G. Or is that too many letters? Trump for King.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, my God. Yeah, that would be just being provocative. I couldn't back that up with my own rhetoric. I believe in Doge. I do not believe Trump should be king.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, well, all right. You've got to be more specific in your instructions.

[Joe Getty]

All right, let's see. Oh, my God. That would be horrible if something.

[Jack Armstrong]

How about something that spelled out lib tears where you live? Big college town. Anyway, sorry, back to. Back to sense.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I was gonna get to say something dark. We don't want something dark. Let's start the show officially. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Tuesday. We're already into March 11, the year 2025, where Armstrong and getting. We approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's begin then, officially, according to FCC rules and regulations, the show starts at mark.

[David Drucker]

And I guess we're gonna find out who was right. Right. If Donald Trump is right, then over the course of the next couple of years, this thing will end up paying off. And if he's wrong, then voters are gonna say, I elected you to bring down prices. You're clearly fixing the border. That's good, but you're not bringing down prices. You're making my life harder, and I'm upset with that. And there's an election coming up next year, and that's when people can register their disagreement.

[Joe Getty]

So that was on MSNBC last night. Our old friend David Drucker, who's now with the Dispatch we used to have on all the time, they, they weren't really digging some of the things he was saying because he was giving out the possibility that this might work and, and, and be a good idea. And of course, they were not digging that on msnbc. But in the way that David Drucker always did on the show, he laid it out pretty plainly. Well, if Trump is right, in a couple of years, we see that this works, it's going to be really great.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Right. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised on a similar topic. I was listening to NPR briefly to punish myself for the terrible things I've done, and they had a surprisingly frank, nonpartisan guest on who explained, you know, in similar fashion that, look, this may well be a very successful strategy, but we need to find what we're seeking is a new equilibrium, which I thought was a good term to throw around in that we're going to restructure the nature of imports and exports, domestic production, and consumer spending in a way that does not necessitate being dependent on China. And it will absolutely be disruptive. But eventually we'll come to a new equilibrium. And the trick is to convince people that that investment and the, you know, chaos. Too strong a word, but, well, the, you know, the upheaval that comes with it will pay off in the long term, and we'll all be better off and hang in there. The problem being the timetable, though, you know, Drucker said a couple of years. Can that even conceivably work out in a couple years?

[Joe Getty]

I don't. I doubt it. I doubt it. And I think Trump's argument would be, or the people that are backing this would be, this is going to happen anyway, just in a different way. We're going to be forced into it suddenly at some point when the big dust up with China comes, or we can kind of do it on our own and have more control over it, I think would be the argument.

[Jack Armstrong]

Having said that, just briefly, I don't know why we're jacking Canada around like we are.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's hard. That's one, that one's a little hard to do.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's, that's, that's his trade agreement that he's saying is wildly crazy and we've got to punish Canada and whipsaw an ally back and forth. Trump, he did that agreement.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, do we have that new guy that's going to be prime minister, man? He's, he's, he's a way better spokesman for Canada than Justine Trudeau was.

[Jack Armstrong]

Crazy smart guy. Yeah, well.

[Joe Getty]

And just, he just sounds like a man. I mean, I hate to be just that base, but he sounds like a man. He said Canada stands up for Canada. Nobody's gonna push us around when Justin Trudeau says that sort of things like, yeah, whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

I can't call you homophobic because Trudeau is straight, allegedly. You're wasophobic.

[Joe Getty]

I am wasophobic. Especially for national leaders, for a leader of a country. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

So he's a bit limp of wrist and delicate of panty and feathery of hair. Does that make him a bad leader?

[Joe Getty]

So he's, so he's somewhat laced of undergarments. So we got headlines on the way from Katie. We got Mailbag this hour and we'll hear from some of Elon and his interview, which is pretty interesting stuff. God, there's so many big. The Ukraine thing, they're, they're meeting in, where they meet in Saudi Arabia or someplace to try to work on that. So many big things going on right now and who knows how they're going to turn out. But anyway, stick around. Our text line is 415295KFTC.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

On recommendation from. I don't remember who. I've been having the worst sleep of my life. Just can't sleep at all. I can sleep, get to sleep, but I wake up and then I'm awake for hours and hours and hours, sometimes all the way till morning. And it's been driving me. Absolutely not. I dread going to be. Anyway, on the suggestion, I ordered some valerian root, which is a popular thing to take, and magnesium, which is a popular thing to take. Anyway, I don't know which of those are both in combination, but two nights in a row I've Slept the entire night with just that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

No. No doctor prescribed drugs? No, you know, giant pharmacy company something or other.

[Jack Armstrong]

What is this called?

[Joe Getty]

Valerian root. Is it valerian or Valerian? Valerium, I think. Anyway, they smell. My. My son has been taking them for a while. It's funny. He's been taking them for sleeping and I never thought maybe I should try it. It is. I do have an anti hippie bias. It's weird. I'm way more likely to take something that comes from some big pharmacy company than Sackler family than I am. Yeah, than I am for something that, you know, hippies recommend me. That you can get at the gnc. Anyway, what was the other one?

[Jack Armstrong]

Magnesium.

[Joe Getty]

Magnesium. But my son calls it Stinky Feet. The valerium root because it smells awful. You open up the bottle and you think, I don't even know if I can take this pill. You gotta get it down fast. But I've slept all night long. It's been awesome.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good.

[Katie Green]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I hope that's news.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I hope it's news you can use.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hope it doesn't cause, you know, brain bleed or anything crazy.

[Joe Getty]

I forgot to mention that I'm bleeding out a number of orifices. I was just going to ignore that side effect.

[Katie Green]

I woke up twice last night. Once in the middle of the night and the second time 15 minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off.

[Joe Getty]

That's so maddening.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, you feel like you're cheated.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Damn it. Hey, let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie?

[Katie Green]

Well, we'll start with NBC. The White House is using tariffs to restore manufacturing and data suggests it will take some time.

[Joe Getty]

I. Yeah. Trump is both the greatest political messenger of all time and then sometimes the worst. I wish he would in a. Maybe you should have somebody else do it. Give a speech. Like really explaining the plan, how long it's going to take. You know, don't be frightened off by the, you know, the six month long or year long or whatever, disruption of the stock market or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wish he'd give a speech like that. Yeah, exactly. Well, yeah, and why it's worth it. Just what. What this great endeavor is that we're doing. I've read an interesting account of a couple of builders, like small time builders who are just getting whipsawed by the tariffs. And here they come. So they buy up a bunch of lumber and have to store it. Then the tariffs are pulled back again. And these are small business people who are just, you know, they're, they're not at despair at this point, but they're highly discouraged and confused at what Trump's doing and why he's doing.

[Katie Green]

Sticking with tariffs. From Breitbart.com Ontario imposes 25% tariffs on electricity exports to United States in response to Trump planned tariffs.

[Joe Getty]

Like I was saying, that incoming new prime minister is talking tough. You want to fight whether it's, he said, you want to fight, whether it's hockey or tariffs, we're going to win. And everybody cheered like crazy.

[Katie Green]

Gloating From Fox News, Ukraine launches biggest drone attack on Moscow, killing two as U.S. talks begin. From CNN, Iran, China and Russia launch annual joint naval drills as Trump upends Western alliances.

[Jack Armstrong]

Iran got like half a dozen, you know, speedboats.

[Joe Getty]

Who's that headline from? CNN upends Western alliances. God, that makes me so mad. So they haven't participated in NATO in decades, and then when you call them out on it, you've upended the alliance. Whatever. Yeah, yeah.

[Katie Green]

From the Free Beacon, Columbia University professors cancel classes in solidarity with pro Hamas activists in ICE custody.

[Joe Getty]

That's an interesting one. I saw a good deep dive on the whole, you know, free speech on campus versus what this guy's been saying thing yesterday. It's, to me, it's not 100% clear cut. What do you think?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, it's not. Actually. You've anticipated one of the conversations I want to have. Our friends at fire the foundation for Individual Rights and Expression are protecting this guy. Saying what he said does not cross the line. Interesting, I think, and it's funny, this is, is always presented as zero sum. It's a battle in the media, I think asking the question, when do people on visas cross the line into advocating for terrorist organizations and can we boot their ass out? This is part of the process of answering that question. So it's not necessarily about this guy. Let's work through it, then start booting people out. It takes a couple of hearings or court rulings or whatever. That's fine.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Post, Dylan Mulvaney's shallow, narcissistic, nauseatingly pink memoir is an insult to women.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I read that review. I'm surprised. I would think if Dylan Mulvaney wrote a memoir, it would be like a tree falling in the forest. You know, knock yourself out, have a good time with your garage full of unsold books. But CBS gave him five and a half. Him, her, Whatever. M. She was a dude. Now as a girl, I am this.

[Jack Armstrong]

And become a girl. It's impossible.

[Joe Getty]

This in the time change, I can't.

[Katie Green]

Remember which direction does not have a uterus.

[Joe Getty]

But the CBS gave the book full coverage like it was a major literary moment. Dylan Mulvaney's memoir.

[Jack Armstrong]

There is nobody who is honestly motivated to read that book because they want to know about that person's life.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is all tribal signaling.

[Joe Getty]

Sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie, how do you feel about the term uterine?

[Katie Green]

Uterine?

[Jack Armstrong]

To describe what you are. You're a uterine.

[Katie Green]

Just shove it.

[Joe Getty]

No, it's not sexy.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm trying.

[Katie Green]

For the Wall Street Journal. The hologram doctor will see you now. This is a story about a Tennessee cancer clinic that is beaming doctors out to rural areas using holograms.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cool.

[Katie Green]

Yeah. And finally, the Babylon Bee quote. Ladies and gentlemen. We got him. RFK Jr announces Seal Team 6 has neutralized the Kool Aid man.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Classic double tap right above his big black eye. Oh, wow.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, that's horrible. We've got some more news of the day. Stock market had a bumpy, bumpy day yesterday. We'll see how today starts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wasn't bumpy. It was just straight down. Much more to come.

[Unnamed Reporter]

Armstrong and Getty, they're setting fire to various Tesla charging stations near Boston. Shots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon. Various non violent shots fired.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not a metaphor.

[Unnamed Reporter]

Shots fired. Yes. Downtown New York. Marching. Marching against the Tesla showroom. Your stock is way down. You've been criticized left and right, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Look on the right side.

[Unnamed Reporter]

I mean, why are you doing this?

[Joe Getty]

It's just funny for me personally as a guy who drives a Tesla. I got so much crap from all my right wing, you know, friends and family members. And now it's gonna flip completely all politically, just. It's interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, the hatred was political, and now the hatred on the other side is political. And the love's gonna remember people taking.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like really mean public shots at you over it. Right.

[Joe Getty]

I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now those very people are rushing out to buy them to show their loyal. And you just wanted a really fast car.

[Joe Getty]

They had a good stero and it was super fast.

[Jack Armstrong]

How dare you? Don't you know that cars are for political signaling? Strange times. So, speaking of transportation, a handful of stories from the domestic scene that I thought were interesting. Bags no longer fly free on Southwest Airlines. Very soon they will start charging passengers for checked luggage. Sell basic economy tickets as Southwest is becoming much, much more like its competitor airlines.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And just wasn't making money.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And I wonder if that's going to work for. I have no idea. I so so, well, the one thing they aren't like other airlines is there's no, you know, business class, first class, anything like that. So what you could do prior, if you're rich or a business person or whatever you know, is, is get some sort of get on the plane first thing. But if that goes out the window, I don't, I don't know. I don't know if people are still.

[Jack Armstrong]

Going to take it. Loyalty status. And if you're in whatever tier, you can get one bag free or if you buy the priceiest tickets, you'll get two bags free. But that's if you're a child or a fool if you don't understand the flaw in that sentence. Yes, if you buy our pricier ticket, you can have bags for free.

[Joe Getty]

Come on now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, moving along, completely different topic. Baseball has a fastball problem. Namely, it's become infinitely clear statistically speaking. And if you're a longtime baseball fan, you know, baseball is utterly fascinated and fixated on statistics, always has been. For whatever reason. It's one of the reasons batting average is figured to a thousandth of a percentage or whatever.

[Joe Getty]

That's one of the reasons a lot of people really like it is.

[Jack Armstrong]

But. So they've decided that absolutely throwing very, very hard is the most effective way to pitch. You know, I just worshiped guys like Greg Maddox, who, baseball fans remember who, who didn't throw terribly hard, but he was a master of, of deception and breaking pitches and hitting his spots and that sort of thing. He is. His sort of pitching is a rarity these days. They just want guys who are, who can just bring fire. The problem with that is the human arm has limits. And so these young hard throwers are just ruining their arms one after the other. And, and, and they're not sure what to do about it. Also, batting averages are, are dropping enough that the offense is going out of the game. Because, I mean, for instance. Well, they point out that, yeah, that's getting too much into the weeds. I'll just go with these stats at the Perfect Game national showcase, which is America's biggest gathering of high school talent. It's like where all the scouts are, okay, in 2015, there were five guys who could throw even a single pitch at 95 miles per hour. Five guys. And I guarantee you in 1990 it was zero. Anyway, or maybe interesting one freak five guys last year was 36. And pitchers are getting hurt at an alarming rate.

[Joe Getty]

So are you saying that that dudes. So when people weren't throwing that hard, they just weren't trying putting fitness technique.

[Jack Armstrong]

And just you know, more or less throwing as hard as you possibly can.

[Joe Getty]

Which you do always do. Just throw as you don't swing a golf club just as hard as you can or you know, because it's hard to keep it under control.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right, yeah. And there's something to be said for having, you know, one little more gear in case you need overpower somebody. But. But the problem is if you did that all the time, you'd ruin your arm and everybody knew it.

[Joe Getty]

Well, like did you see. And again, if you're not a baseball fan, you know what this means. But Garrett Cole, who the Yankees spent a gazillion dollars on, he threw like five pitches the other day in you know, before baseball league, whatever they call it, the Grapefruit League. And he's out. Out for the year. Tommy John surgery. May never pitch again.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is the lead of this story. Yeah, as a matter of fact. Yeah. The total number of pitches recorded at 100 miles per hour or more has gone from 214 in 2008 to 3,300 last season. Oh wow.

[Joe Getty]

That's a major change in the game. And I remember when it was a really big deal if anybody could throw a hundred ever.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that's going on 30 times as many. Yeah, so. And it's changed the game and not necessarily for the better. You know what they do about it.

[Joe Getty]

I always wanted, I've always wanted to like be able to see 100 mile an hour pitch. But it's gotta be some sort of machine that I can guarantee isn't going to hit me. But I would love to stand there in the plate and see 100 mile an hour pitch. Just see what it looks like.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Like 93, 94 and as like an 18 year old and I was like oh Lord. I mean it was terrifying and nigh on.

[Joe Getty]

Well the idea of being able to like pick up the spin of the ball and make a decision whether I'm going to swing or not just seems crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It's an instantaneous judgment that 1/100th of percent of the population can do effectively. It's hitting a major league pitch is, is way harder than it looks Anyway. Of more significance perhaps to us in our real lives. The, the new weight loss drugs, your ozempics and wegovies, the GLP1s semi glutides. I think maybe something like a new wonder drug.

[Joe Getty]

Oh wow. For, for other things in weight loss.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or weight loss, it may be like a. I hate to overstate this an amazingly effective. I almost said magical, but I'm a grown ass man. I'm a. I deal with facts, Jack. All right, all right. This is not some sort of card game geeks play in her mom's basement, okay? This is serious talk about pharmaceuticals.

[Joe Getty]

And the strong pushback came out of nowhere here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Against myself. Yeah. So a fast growing body of research signals potential health benefits of GLP1s. We all know what they are. That includes age related conditions like Alzheimer's, osteoarthritis, certain cancers and even mortality.

[Joe Getty]

Well, as the words came out of my mouth, I realized the flaw in what I'm saying is that it's obviously true because a gazillion horrible things happen to you if you're overweight. So if you're not overweight, all of those things improve, obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Including some kind of two step. Not the delightful country dance, but you know, two steps down the line effect because. Well, let me read this sentence and then we'll fill in the blanks. Let's see. Last year wegovy won a new Food and Drug Administration approval to reduce the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. And Ozempic was recently improved, approved to help kidney disease patients. The most important part of this is that, and this is partly because it helps with weight loss and eliminating obesity, is that excess weight can trigger chronic low grade inflammation, which has been linked to increased risk for a host of conditions from heart disease to dementia. Obesity drives aging, says one scientist who's very famous in this field.

[Joe Getty]

How fat you gotta be to get on those. And the insurance covers it. That's the problem. Right. For insurance to cover it, you have to be a certain level of obese. And then if you just. And even then, I think it's pretty expensive for a lot of you. We've taken texts on this over the last year or so and a lot of you are paying four figures a month, which is a lot. If it improves your life in the way that it could, it might be worth it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well. And decreases your illness in the way that it could, which is directly to the insurance company's bottom line. So they will save money, pain. Oh, so there.

[Joe Getty]

There you go. That's the good news for all of this. On. On this is that if they're paying less in the future for whether it's a knee replacement or blood pressure medicine or whatever the hell it is, it might be in their best interest to have everybody not being overweight. That's fantastic. And then I was also thinking four figures a month. Who would spend that well. There's a lot of people with car payments that high or approaching that high. Would you rather drive a nice car or be thin every day I'd drive a crappy car and go with the thinner.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and getting back to the, the, the, you know, because it's, it's much more than being thin at this point, researchers at Case Western Reserve University found. Which sounds more like a wine than a university. Case Western Reserve. Have you tried the 2018?

[Joe Getty]

I'll have the case. This is a special evening thing. Let's have the Case Western Reserve.

[Jack Armstrong]

They found that among older patients with type 2 diabetes, semi glutide, semaglutide, these drugs was associated with a 40 to 70% lower risk of Alzheimer's diagnosis over three years than other diabetes medications.

[Joe Getty]

You know, it's funny, yesterday when we were talking about kids and all their problems with, you know, what causes autism and all these different things, and somebody threw out obesity and I thought, yeah, it could be maybe obesity is Alzheimer's or anxiety and depression in kids or.

[Jack Armstrong]

All these different things.

[Joe Getty]

Who knows? This is a new way for, for the species to live and procreate.

[Jack Armstrong]

For what it's worth. They quote a couple of scientists saying, hey, you know, this has a drawback or two that are fairly significant. So we need to study it in healthy populations and get an idea.

[Joe Getty]

So your pants can't hold your mud. Is that the drawback?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. To the toilet humor. They don't say that specifically. Lean muscle, mass loss, et cetera, but it's certainly a promising area for church.

[Joe Getty]

You're much less likely to have type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, you can't hold your mud.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, gee, money, get a cork or something. Wow. What's the matter with you? This is, I find important medical breakthrough talk.

[Joe Getty]

Right? But I find you're dressing me down much more disgusting than my original comments.

[Jack Armstrong]

What? I will let the people be the judge of that. You crap. And one more brief story. The Department of Homeland Security back to the whole Doge thing and then Trump and the rest of it. Some of it is making me nuts, but a lot of it is making me very happy. The DHS said it is ending collective bargaining for TSA officers. In a release obtained by Fox Business, DHS said the TSA has more people doing full time union work rather than performing screening functions at 86% of U.S. airports. So these because of like federal worker laws and 60 minutes had an awful piece. I couldn't even watch it on up with the public employee unions the other night. But these people are paid by taxpayers to work full time on union matters. It's part of the collective bargaining agreement. And the department cited a recent TSA employee survey which found that more than 60% of poor performers are allowed to stay employed and not surprisingly, continue to not perform. And a lot of them just work on union stuff anyway at taxpayer expense. And they're mean and surly and it takes forever to get through security. So they're working on it.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. We've got Mailbag on the way and of course you can text anytime. I, I just have. I can feel it in my bones. Gonna be a good show today. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty talk a little of.

[Joe Getty]

The reaction to stock market punditry. Things the new Prime Minister of Canada said yesterday around all the tariffs and the stock market drop and all that sort of stuff. In hour two. There's, there's a lot of interesting information out there.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll give the Canucks this, man. They decide we need a new leader, they got one like next week. It's amazing.

[Joe Getty]

No, that's not the way you agonize for years. You gotta have a three year election.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh. Ah, here's your freedom loving quote of the day sent along by DH we're departing from Teddy Ros temporarily just because I like this from Thomas Sowell so much. It would never occur to people with academic degrees and professorships that they are both ignorant and incompetent in vast areas of human life, much less that they should keep that in mind before they vent their emotions and wax self righteous man.

[Joe Getty]

Ah, this, this, this hits me. Okay, well, I know, I know. I, I know a couple people actually with really prestigious degrees. And I mean this. How do I not sound like a jerk saying this? But they aren't near as smart about things as they think they are because they. Because they're absolute top of the world experts in a very specific thing. That doesn't give you any insight about anything else. I mean none, maybe less because you spent your whole life focused on this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Other little thing and Indeed since what, 96% of the population, maybe 99, it makes their living not in academia. And our lives are very, very different from you. Yeah, in, in innumerable ways. Yeah. You just have no idea what it's like out here. Mailbag, drop us a note. Mailbagarmstrongegetti.com I thought this flowed beautifully from the freedom loving quote of the day. Jeremy sent this along. Thought you'd get a kick out of the events at UC Berkeley these days. The School of Social Sciences. Some of the upcoming events. Decolonizing Gender and Sexualities, Epistemies, Subjects, Rationalities, Artivisms, Practices and movements. Oh, good. I was afraid they'd have practices but not movements.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, man. You know, some parent is paying for their kid to go to those classes, thinking that prepares them for the world.

[Jack Armstrong]

Another of the lectures, the Yellow Memoir of a Transgender. Then you have my favorite theory of Water. Theory of Water uses unpronounceable consciousness to dismantle and think beyond the present moment in the face of ongoing genocides, extinct glaciers, police killings, children alone in cages at borders, the resurgence of fascist states, and a dying planet. Simson, that's the lecturer asks, what does it mean? As Rebecca Belmore asks us in Wave Sound to listen to water, what does it mean? As Dion Brand writes, through a diaspora consciousness and by inventorying the quotidian disasters of our time in her epic poem Nomenclature to quote believe in water. There's more. That's like half of it. You know, the beauty of those things is they invent all of their own terminology, then define it, then make you memorize it all, and that becomes kind of the fences of the discussion. And then anybody who comes in, like your parents, and says, you know, you're spouting crap. You haven't learned anything useful, well, they're obviously a fascist or a neocolonializer or something or other.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And then they have kind of a pact with each other. The different professors and everything go to each other's classes and lectures and put blurbs on each other's books and that sort of stuff. And it's all so incestuous.

[Jack Armstrong]

D in Sacramento writes, remember when Biden said inflation is down? Here's the difference between Trump and Biden. Trump said we might have to hurt for a while. Can Trump at least get points for honesty? I'm Facebook friends with several of my former high school teachers. They're extremely liberal, so I like to see their online post for perspective. I've noticed that these teachers have really been struggling with inflation for the past couple of months, yet I've been struggling with it for the past four years. How bizarre. Yeah. All of a sudden they're worried about it and think the government ought to do something about it. Right. Yeah. I love this. It's a bit of a meme. I'm from Germany and I want to make sure I understand Europe wants Germany to rearm, march through Poland and attack Russia. Just want to make this clear so there are no understandings, misunderstandings. Yeah. Got a couple more great emails. Maybe we'll stuff them in next hour.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's like the tweet I saw last week where, you know, maybe the world didn't. Germany rearming for a reason. Has anybody thought about that? If you missed a segment, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.