The Late Great Virgin Mary

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "The Late Great Virgin Mary"

Release Date: December 9, 2024

In the episode titled "The Late Great Virgin Mary," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a range of pressing geopolitical and societal issues, offering insightful analysis and engaging discussions. The episode predominantly focuses on the tumultuous developments in Syria, the intricate web of international relations involving Russia and Iran, and critical commentary on the United States' healthcare system and social dynamics.

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1. The Collapse of Bashar al-Assad's Regime in Syria

Timestamp: [03:24] – [09:37]

The episode opens with a significant development in the Middle East: the unexpected downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Armstrong and Getty discuss the ramifications of this collapse, emphasizing its surprising nature and the swift change in the region's power dynamics.

• Guest Insight: Dr. Jeff McCausland, a CBS News Military Analyst, provides expert analysis on the situation.

  • Quote: "The civil war seems to have frozen about four years ago. And suddenly in 11 days, they have collapsed." ([05:00])

• Geopolitical Impact:

  • Russia: Historically a staunch ally of Assad, Russia faces a geopolitical setback with the loss of significant military bases in Syria, namely the naval base at Tartus and the airbase at Lakatia.

    • Quote: "They made a few airstrikes but quickly backed down... Assad's application for asylum in Russia." ([07:58] – [08:41])

  • Iran: As Syria has been a crucial conduit for Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, the collapse disrupts Iran’s regional influence.

  • United States: The U.S. military presence in Syria, comprising 900 troops and ongoing airstrikes, raises questions about future involvement and strategy in the region.

    • Quote: "Now when things become difficult, they were unwilling to do that. They made a few airstrikes but quickly backed down." ([07:58])

• Potential Outcomes:

  • Extreme Regimes: Dr. McCausland warns of the possibility of an extreme jihadi Islamic government emerging in Syria, likening it to post-conflict Afghanistan.

    • Quote: "No one will weep for Bashar Al Assad... but if you end up with a very extreme jihadi Islamic government in Syria, well, that won't necessarily be good either." ([05:00])

  • Israel’s Position: Israel views the collapse as an immediate strategic advantage but remains cautious about the influx of weapons and the potential rise of extremist groups.

    • Quote: "Certainly don’t want to see those things being acquired by one or another of several extreme groups that operate in the region." ([08:46])

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2. U.S. Military Involvement and Future Strategy in Syria

Timestamp: [03:24] – [09:37]

The discussion shifts to the United States' military strategy and the challenges of intervening in Syria's complex landscape.

• Troop and Airstrike Overview:

  • Quote: "We have 900 troops there and 75 different airstrikes." ([03:52])

• Diplomatic Efforts: The possibility of forming a viable government in Syria through diplomatic means, involving various regional and international allies, is explored.

  • Quote: "Can we get them to work together to come up with some kind of viable government?" ([06:22])

• Russian Weakness: The episode highlights Russia’s diminished capability to influence outcomes in Syria, attributing it to their strained resources, especially in light of their ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

  • Quote: "They did practically nothing. Really goes to show how weakened they are by their efforts in Ukraine, doesn't it?" ([07:35])

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3. U.S. Healthcare System: Challenges and Controversies

Timestamp: [27:05] – [35:50]

Transitioning from international affairs, Armstrong and Getty engage in a critical analysis of the United States' healthcare system, focusing on the intertwined relationships between government policies and insurance companies.

• Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO:

  • The hosts discuss the shocking assassination of a UnitedHealthcare executive, linking it to broader frustrations with the healthcare system.

    • Quote: "A man was assassinated on the street for having committed... even direct crime, depending on who you ask." ([29:37])

• Healthcare Policy Critique:

  • Obamacare’s Impact: They argue that Obamacare has limited the flexibility of insurance companies, making them heavily reliant on federal policies.

    • Quote: "Number one, the incentives and disincentives that Obamacare put in place for insurance companies... they have little flexibility." ([32:08])

  • Medicare and Medicaid Issues: The episode delves into the financial strains of Medicare and Medicaid on healthcare providers, leading to practices like cost-cutting that adversely affect patient care.

    • Quote: "Medicare thing and Medicaid is built on an absolute mountain of lies... they lose money on every patient." ([32:04])

• Systemic Failures:

  • The hosts express frustration over the lack of public understanding regarding the complexities and flaws inherent in the U.S. healthcare system.

    • Quote: "The fact that practically nobody knows of this unholy, dishonest relationship between the government and the insurance companies frustrates me." ([32:08])

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4. Social and Cultural Commentary

Timestamp: [37:10] – [43:51]

The hosts shift their focus to contemporary social issues, critiquing governmental involvement in cultural and identity politics.

• Pansexual and Panromantic Pride Day:

  • Armstrong and Getty mock the establishment of such observances, questioning their necessity and the government's role in promoting them.

    • Quote: "What percentage of Americans have ever heard that word before in their lives? That'd be a good question." ([37:43])

  • Government Involvement: They argue against governmental endorsement of identity-based observances, advocating for reduced governmental influence in personal matters.

    • Quote: "The government shouldn't have had... there shouldn't be... the government shouldn't have been involved in this crap at all." ([38:53])

• Transgender Issues:

  • The conversation touches upon the controversies surrounding transgender rights and the influence on educational institutions.

    • Quote: "Get with dudes, get with women, whatever. Just quit sexualizing the little kids in school." ([39:32])

• Media Representation:

  • They criticize media portrayals and misinformation, highlighting examples from reputable sources like CNN and the Washington Post.

    • Quote: "Clarissa Ward is Amazing. She knows no fear for one thing or doesn't show it." ([44:17])

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5. Political Observations and Commentary on Former President Donald Trump

Timestamp: [45:00] – [50:22]

The hosts provide a critical assessment of former President Donald Trump's actions and public perception.

• Notre Dame Reopening:

  • Trump’s presence at the reopening of Notre Dame becomes a focal point, illustrating ongoing support among certain demographics despite widespread criticism.

    • Quote: "Trump is there and all the world leaders are treating him like he's the president of the United States, not like he's Hitler." ([47:00])

• Public Relations Moves:

  • They mock Trump’s promotional activities, such as his cologne, and his interactions with other world leaders.

    • Quote: "There'll never be another election again if he wins." ([47:22])

• Perception and Influence:

  • The discussion highlights how Trump continues to dominate political conversations and influence public opinion, often polarizing audiences further.

    • Quote: "He is so hilarious." ([48:03])

---

6. Closing Remarks and Future Topics

Timestamp: [51:11] – End

As the episode concludes, Armstrong and Getty hint at upcoming discussions and express a desire to continue exploring complex issues in future episodes.

• Upcoming Discussions:

  • They mention plans to invite Mike Lyons to discuss Syria and U.S. involvement further, indicating ongoing analysis of Middle Eastern geopolitics.

• Final Thoughts:

  • The hosts reflect on the interconnectedness of global events and domestic policies, emphasizing the need for informed and critical discourse.

---

Conclusion

"The Late Great Virgin Mary" presents a thorough examination of Syria's volatile political landscape, critiquizes the U.S. healthcare system's fundamental flaws, and provides sharp commentary on current social and political issues. Through expert insights and candid discussions, Armstrong and Getty encourage listeners to engage thoughtfully with the complex challenges facing both the international community and domestic society.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong: "Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow, it's beginning to feel more seasonal in here already." ([00:25] – [00:28])

• Dr. Jeff McCausland: "No one will weep for Bashar Al Assad, a brutal dictator. But if in return you end up with a very extreme jihadi Islamic government in Syria that looks like Afghanistan, well, that won't necessarily be good either." ([05:00])

• Michael: "I thought the jokes were terrible. Just wasn't funny." ([19:53])

• Joe Getty: "Y'all hate us, hate us less because of this." ([28:28])

• Michael: "Life comes at you fast, which is why it's important to find time to relax a little." ([41:30])

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the key discussions and insights shared by Armstrong and Getty.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Michael]

I'm thirsty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow.

[Michael]

Beginning to feel more seasonal in here already.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Michael]

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[Joe Getty]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. And now he's Armstrong. And get.

[Michael]

Our troops east of the Euphrates river, paired with our SDF partners, are there to keep a lid on ISIS and prevent violent extremist organizations from gathering strength and being able to attack the homeland of the United States. ISIS aspires to attack us. As we know, ISIS launched a successful attack against Russia just a few months ago. That's why those troops are there. So any decision to bring them out would need to weigh that going forward. And I'm certain that the new administration will take a hard look on that.

[Joe Getty]

When they come into office.

[Michael]

So Trump said we should have nothing to do with Syria. Obviously, we currently do have something to do with Syria, as we have 900 troops there and 75 different airstrikes. Yesterday in Syria, um, Tom Friedman. Mr. Intervene in the Middle East, Writing in the New York times, they did, Mr. President, a letter to Donald Trump. We need to be very involved in Syria, and here's how. So that's a different point of view. And then you got this LA Times article today in Syria, militias armed by the Pentagon are fighting those armed by the CIA, which makes it quite complicated.

[Joe Getty]

The always confusing Middle East. Major headline, the regime of Bashar al Assad has fallen in Syria. And that is sending shockwaves not only around the region, but globally as various powers are revealed to be stronger, weaker than previously thought. All sorts of stuff to discuss with Dr. Jeff McCausland, CBS News Military analyst. Always a pleasure, Jeff. How are you doing?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Well, guys, it's great to be with you.

[Michael]

Well, what's your take over this stunning collapse of the government in Syria?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Well, I think I'd say three things. Quickly. First of all, an amazing surprise. The Assad family had controlled this country for over five decades in a brutal fashion. The civil war seems to have frozen about four years ago. And suddenly in 11 days, they have collapsed. Second of all, of course, this is an amazing geopolitical disaster, particularly for the Russians who supported Assad for many years with military forces and the potential loss for them of two major bases they've enjoyed, a naval base at Tartus and a major air base at Lakatia. And then also a major geopolitical disaster for Iran because Syria is the hub of hubs, as somebody once said in the region was a major conduit for men, material and weapons to their primary proxy in the region, Hezbollah. And now when, you know, things were going bad, Hezbollah was unwilling to support Syria, Libya was, or Iran was unwilling to support Syria. Iran was unwilling to have its allies in Iraq militia groups support Syria. And it collapsed. And last but not least, the United States. You have to beware of so called catastrophic success. No one will weep for Basir Al Assad, a brutal dictator. But if in return you end up with a very extreme jihadi Islamic government in Syria that looks like Afghanistan, well, that won't necessarily be good either.

[Michael]

And for some reason it just popped into my head, whoever's famous for the old saying, you Americans, you feel like you can fix everything, it was bad news for Russia, it was bad news for Iran. What can we do to make sure it's good news for us? Well, I think where can we do anything?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Yeah, it's going to be very difficult. I mean, obviously you don't want a wider military intervention. Those who say, well, we shouldn't intervene might want to look around and realize that as you guys said a moment ago, We've already got 900 troops in Syria, number one, and we just did 75 airstrikes, number two over the weekend. So we were already involved militarily. And now I think it's going to be an effort by us with allies in the region and elsewhere to try to find some mechanism, diplomatically and politically to pull together some kind of a regime in Syria that can bring in together all these various disparate groups. You know, you got at least three major armies, one supported by Turkey, one supported by us in the northeast. And this group, hts, can we get them to work together to come up with some kind of viable government? Or do they turn on each other and end up in some kind of subsequent civil war, bring on greater misery for the Syrian people and more and more refugees?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, whether they can be taken at their word that they'll be pluralistic and fair to religious minorities is anybody's guess. But bears just, you know, Doubling down on what you said, that the inability of Russia to back their client and stave off this attack, I mean, they did practically nothing. Really goes to show how weakened they are by their, their efforts in Ukraine, doesn't it?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Oh, it absolutely does. You know, again, they were instrumental in making sure that Assad wasn't defeated several years ago and had devoted massive airstrikes to make sure that didn't happen. But now, you know, when things become difficult, they were unwilling to do that. They made a few airstrikes but quickly backed down. And so the question now becomes, can they salvage their bases as they try to confine some kind of relationship with the new regime? I think they'll do that. That's going to probably be pretty difficult based on their track record of bombing Syrians, number one. And now they also have accepted Bashar Al Assad's application for asylum in Russia, where he'll likely live out his days.

[Joe Getty]

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, this is also, at least in the short term, a hell of a big win for Israel.

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Oh, without a doubt it is. But again, it could be catastrophic success if you end up with that kind of extreme regime. The Israelis have moved quickly to occupy the so called buffer zone that had been established at the end of the 1973 Yom Kippur War just to make sure that groups did not have a greater ability to transit from Syria into Israel and threaten Israel and everyone. Israelis in particular, are going to be concerned about what happens to the massive stockpiles of weapons left behind as the Syrian army collapsed. What's going to happen to, as we well know, some residual amount of chemical weapons that Assad had at his disposal in the aftermath of his armies collapsing. Certainly don't want to see those things being acquired by one or another of several extreme groups that operate in the region.

[Michael]

Do you think this helps with the pressure Trump's going to put on Putin to come to some sort of ceasefire agreement or end that war?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Go ahead. I don't know if it helps, but it underscores just, you know, how weak I think, in some ways Mr. Putin's position is as well. I mean, we talk an awful lot about the fact on the news that the Russians are gaining more and more territory in the southeastern portion of Ukraine, and they are. They've gained more territory in the last month than they did in all of 2023 by large member measure, but we're doing that at enormous cost. Estimates by the British intelligence is 1500 casualties in any single day now. The Russians exceeded 2000 casualties by most estimates on 28 November. And November of this year may have been the bloodiest month in the entire war for the Russians. So gaining territory, but just at enormous cost. And we're starting to see some of the effects on the Russian economy that we hope for for several years. Inflation rate in Russia right now is 9% or higher. Interest rates over 20% and higher. And the Russian government has now announced reduced payments to families of soldiers who are killed in action or families of soldiers who are wounded, because the cost that they have been bearing for those payments has just become enormous.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, Jeff McCausland on the line. Jeff, final question thought. I know you were deployed to the Middle east in the early 90s, commanding artillery battalion. And tell us just a little bit about that experience. And as you came away from it, what did you understand more clearly about that part of the world?

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Well, that's a great question.

[Joe Getty]

I'm sure you could write a book in answer to the question, keep it brief.

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

I actually did. But what I can't wait knowing that there was the, you know, the wide disparity across the region of various different groups, particularly based on religion, Shiite versus Sunni. The support for Assad in the region had basically been because, frankly, he was ahead of the Alawites, which was a Shiite based group in Syria. So that's why he gained so much support from Iran. These other groups are largely Sunni because the map of the Middle east is really one drawn by Europeans in the colonial era. So consequently, in the aftermath of these particular wars, all those old historical ties and ethnic and religious ties that are so fundamental to people's identity rise to the surface and make it enormously complicated for a country like Syria, which has Arabs and Christians and Sunnis and Shiites and Alawites, whatever, to find some common ground where they can create a structure that they all find acceptable, that can also provide basic social services, pick up the garbage, deliver the mail, provide basic police in the community, those kind of things. So I definitely learned that. And then the other thing you learn when you're in conflicts like this is just the dramatic problem and the plight of, you know, refugees. We saw thousands and thousands of refugees fleeing ahead of Saddam's forces as they move back into southern Iraq. Well, consider the fact that Syria has somewhere around 13 to 14 million refugees, probably 7 million displaced people inside Syria, 5 million displaced people outside of Syria. And we saw massive refugee flows early on in the civil war. So now when we come back in the aftermath of Assad, will this political Conditions in the aftermath create conditions whereby those people can go home and rebuild their lives after 13 years? Or will this set off even more displacements which will be unsettling to the countries in the region and even beyond?

[Joe Getty]

CBS News military consultant Jeff McCausland. Jeff, always interesting. Thanks so much for the time.

[Dr. Jeff McCausland]

Take care, guys.

[Michael]

Yeah, I read about this stuff, have read about this stuff for so many years and I still don't know where I am. For instance, reading David Ignatius column in the Post today. For the moment, Syria is a violent mosaic with Turkish backed groups controlling western Syria all the way to Damascus, A US backed Kurdish militia controlling the northeast, and Jordanian supported militias dominated in the south, along with all kinds of other different splinters of kind of Al Qaeda, kind of isis, kind of whatever. I don't know. Is our history of being involved in these things? Have any success stories?

[Joe Getty]

Boy, getting back to what Jeff was saying and to your point, I wish that, you know, if I were some sort of supreme being, I would say, look, all those borders the Euros drew up in 1917 without a clue in the region or whatever it was. Precisely. No, no. All right, you Sunnis, you're over here. Shiites go there. All right, Kurds, you get your own country. Finally, congratulations. Call it whatever you want, just redraw all those borders and maybe move people or whatever. But enough of the never ending sturm and drunk, you know, final point. And Jeff led me beautifully into this. I was going to bring this up anyway. I was listening to an Iranian Brit who now lives in America. Pick a country, would you? But this woman was talking about how the one thing people don't understand is you remember the whole 12th Mahdi thing, how a lot of Shiites are looking for, you know, the Judgment Day essentially. And the way you bring about Judgment Day is through a war against the unbelievers. Specifically a quote, when the last drop of blood falls from the last Jew. Iran wants to wipe out Israel. Not for mundane geopolitical stuff. It doesn't want their land. It wants the last Jew to be wiped from the face of the earth for religious reasons. How do you, how do you sign a treaty with people like that? And, and if their proxies, Hezbollah or Hamas, are right next door to you, how are you going to have a ceasefire with that?

[Michael]

So we're going to have Mike Lyons on later today. Those are our two go to guys McCausland and Lyons. Usually when there's a story like this and they often don't agree. So I'll be interested to hear what Lyons says about the current situation. I don't know where I am in terms of how involved we ought to be. For whatever reason right now might be the level of coffee I've had. It just I'm feeling more like how about we back out and let them all fight it out for a while and see how things turn out?

[Joe Getty]

Well, I have had precisely the right amount of coffee and I disagree strongly.

[Michael]

No. Okay, we got plenty to talk about today. Stay with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Spaghetti. All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Bartesian Bartesian. It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites too. I just got it for 50 off. So how about a Cosmopolitan or a mistletoe margarita?

[Michael]

I'm thirsty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow, it's beginning to.

[Michael]

Feel more seasonal in here already.

[Jack Armstrong]

If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartesian, because Bartesian crafts every cocktail perfectly in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off.

[Michael]

Tis the season to be jollier.

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Michael]

A man in Canada saved his wife after a polar bear lunged at her and he leapt onto the bear's back shouting, finish her.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow.

[Michael]

By the way, nobody watches Saturday Night Live but me. I watch it every week ever since 1976 or whenever it started. But I thought that was one of the worst cold opens in the history of Saturday Night Live. And I love Dana Carvey. I love David Spade. I just thought it was awful. I thought the jokes were terrible. Just wasn't funny.

[Joe Getty]

I happened to see it after online. It was quaint. It was okay.

[Michael]

It seemed like it just did. See, it seemed like an anachronism. It seemed like something that somebody would have found funny in the early 90s, maybe.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm tempted to keep discussing the Middle east and Syrian religious fanatics and the impossibility of negotiating with them, but I won't. I also won't go too far down this road. We'll do it another time. But how? Trump and company are going to attack the problem with America's universities becoming these indoctrination centers for postmodern neo Marxist madness. And we'll do that in full at some point because it's all through accreditation, which is going to be really interesting. Look, if you're, if you're not teaching, you're. You're. You're perverting all your teaching and all your science with this woke crap. We're not going to credit you. So that could be a good cudgel to get Them to come to or come around, come correct whatever phrase you want to use. But came across this. This is from Yale. The Ivy League, Jack. The elite of the elite. Didn't Yale just. Or was it Princeton? I guess just past Harvard as number one. As if I give a crap about any of that.

[Michael]

No, I refuse to dignify that comment.

[Joe Getty]

Agreed. Percentage of A's in their various concentrations. Economics, it's just over 52% A's. Math, for instance, it's 55% A's. We'll just cut to the bottom. Or the top, rather. Women's gender and Sexuality Studies, 92% A's.

[Michael]

Oh, my God. There's no room for a final nail in the coffin of higher education, but I guess I'll have to squeeze another nail in between these two. I mean, that's just throw a rock at it. That's just embarrassing. You should be embarrassed for yourself. You made up a major that has no relevance to the real world or anybody's needs, and then you give everybody an A.

[Joe Getty]

Well, right. And to repeat a point that I made a while back, and it's one of the cleverest things I've heard about this. When these professors, whether it's Claudine Gay at Harvard or whoever else, gets busted for plagiarism, of course they're plagiarizing. They are repeating the incantations of a cult. They're not trying to innovate. There's no science in women's gender and sexuality studies. Except maybe around the edges. It's the repeating of their doctrines.

[Michael]

They're not.

[Joe Getty]

They're not. Of course they're plagiarizing. That's what they're supposed to do.

[Michael]

Wow. Everybody who takes that major gets all ace Pretty much.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, that's just whatever. What do you have to do to get a B?

[Michael]

Never mind a C. And then when.

[Joe Getty]

I shoot the professor, I get a B.

[Michael]

And then you go off to some lesser college and teach, I suppose, is what you do. Oh, whatever.

[Joe Getty]

More minds.

[Michael]

I guess we're pro assassination now. Stay tuned.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Partisan.

[Joe Getty]

Partisan.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails. Plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites, too. I just got it for 50 off, so how about a Cosmopolitan or a Mistletoe Margarita?

[Michael]

I'm thirsty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule. Choose my strength and wow, it's beginning.

[Michael]

To feel more seasonal in here already.

[Jack Armstrong]

If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartesian, because Bartesian crafts every cocktail perfectly in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got it for $50 off.

[Michael]

Tis the season to be jollier.

[Advertiser]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Michael]

Kick will come from Matthew Wright. This is for the division for the Chiefs.

[Joe Getty]

And in for the division Divisions.

[Michael]

It's the D for the division for the Chiefs.

[Joe Getty]

Oh my goodness. Then they shot their opponents. So the machine Gundam.

[Michael]

The Kansas City Chiefs, the most hated team in the NFL right now, except for by Chiefs fans because they always win on the last play, often on something crazy. They've the other team the game I was at last Friday. The other team fumbles the snap before they're going to kick the winning field goal, block a punt this the bounce it off the uprights and it went.

[Joe Getty]

Through doink for the division. Thank God have mercy on his soul for saying that.

[Michael]

Oh my God. And Patrick Mahomes almost looked embarrassed afterwards. Just kind of. I know, I know, I know.

[Joe Getty]

Everybody hates this. Wow. Wow. NFL season is definitely heating up. Big fun.

[Michael]

So I don't know how to talk about this correctly. This is the assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Oh, the moment it happened and when we first talked about it, I thought this is going to be ugly. This is going. People are going to talk about the way they hate insurance companies and that's going to be the focus of the story. And it has been for a lot of people, including a lot of the crowd out there who's happy the guy's dead and things that needs to happen more often. Then you gotta factor this in last week and I don't have the notes in front of me. Whichever health insurance group came out and said we'll now double the amount that we pay for anesthesia. And was that a caving to threats like so you don't get assassinated. The timing of it was a little uncomfortable.

[Joe Getty]

At the very least, I'd say that that was a frightened response to the mood.

[Michael]

Right?

[Joe Getty]

Y'all hate us, hate us less because of this.

[Michael]

Oh boy. So that's rewarding an assassination, right?

[Joe Getty]

Well, and I don't know, there's kind of a fevered mood in the land because it was. Who was it? Blue Cross said, hey look, we're going to put in time limits for the amount of anesthesia for various procedures. And the jokes, which were pretty good jokes were about, hey, we're at 10 minutes, turn off the gas in the middle of your amputation. You know, it's a nightmare, right? It's horrifying. You're getting heart surgery or something like that, and you're like, hey, what. What's going on here? Sorry, dude, the meter ran out. That's not what they meant. It's just have to get into the weeds, into these things.

[Michael]

Well, one of my favorite podcasts were. Was appalled at the idea of even discussing high insurance costs because that makes it seem like it's justified even bringing it up.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Yeah.

[Michael]

So I don't know how to approach this.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, it's interesting. I just. I think the Pandora's box is open on the discussion. I see their point exactly.

[Michael]

I mean, you're basically saying, like, I don't.

[Joe Getty]

I shouldn't have to even have this argument. A man was assassinated on the street for having committed. No, at least direct crime, depending on who you ask. But. Oh, it's worth pointing out. And this is a note from somebody or other, Henry, who pointed out that this dude was born in 1974, the son of a grain silo worker. Got an accounting degree from Iowa, married his college sweetheart, has two kids, worked his way up, joined United Healthcare, worked his way up there. Big supporter of the Special Olympics, you know, not some evil character out of a novel. He's a hardworking Iowan. Now, are there problems with health care and insurance companies and stuff like that? Yeah, but the idea that you just murder him in cold blood on a sidewalk is just.

[Michael]

But it's tough. Well, yeah, it's obviously awful. It's awful. And if you go down that road even this much, it's a disaster. Where you're going to try to affect policy, either in the government or private business, by threatening people, by them being scared of you. I mean, everything falls apart at that point. And I mean everything. The whole thing falls apart.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Some executive at Ford says, hey, we're losing so much money on electric cars now that the federal mandate is gone, we're going to offer like one or two, but that's it. We're going to go back to doing what we do best. Then somebody guns him down on the sidewalk for reasons of climate change and climate disaster. Easy to picture.

[Michael]

Well, if that happened, I certainly wouldn't be okay with then having a conversation. Well, maybe we ought to take another look at electric cars. That wouldn't be cool, right?

[Joe Getty]

Why are we talking about this? And the other thing that bothers me, and again, I want to get Craig the healthcare guru back on to chat with him about this. But what people don't understand Because I was reading some of the specific gripes online on Twitter. I read a story that included a bunch of them. Why people are mad about healthcare. And it has to do with the whole delay, or, I'm sorry, deny delay, defend thing where. And it could be argued by some. And here we are entering the discussion, and that guy.

[Michael]

And that's. Those are exactly the words that were on the shell casings of the bullets.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, he had a bit of a. He said depose instead of delay. But anyway, a lot of what's going on and people don't understand this is because of two things. Number one, the incentives and disincentives that Obamacare put in place for insurance companies, they dance to the federal government's Pied Piper. They have little flexibility. Granted, they're big, giant, nasty corporations that have lobbyists, too, and bribe politicians like crazy. That's still true. But the point is, they are so interwoven with government policy at this point. And secondly, and Craig's talked about this a fair amount, the whole Medicare thing and Medicaid is built on an absolute mountain of lies, the end result of which is doctor, surgeon, hospital gets paid, like, 60% of their costs to see a government patient. They lose money on every patient. And Congress said, you gotta see him or we'll put you out of business. You're gonna lose money on it because we don't have the guts to tell Americans how much tax they actually have to pay to get the benefits they're getting, which is why we have a deficit every single year. And the hospitals and doctors said, well, we'll go out of business in about 10 minutes. And so the government says, well, what you do is you gouge the crap out of anybody with private insurance. They're gonna pay five times what a med. Medicaid patient pays for the same procedure. But they won't really notice it because it's all baked into their insurance from their employer or whatever. So Congress gets away with that. You guys are going to make money, and we're just going to soak the crap out of people with private insurance. And so the insurance companies say, well, we're paying for a lot of that, so we've got to see if we can limit these costs. Sometimes they do it in a way that's awful and unfair. Sometimes not. And again, I'm not going to go down that road because I'm not an expert in it. But the fact that practically nobody knows of this unholy, dishonest relationship between the government and the insurance companies frustrates me. So you're okay to have people innocent men gunned down in the streets but you have no idea how the system works.

[Michael]

Well the other aspect is I assume that most of these people that have very strong opinions pro of this guy being assassinated they should all be scared. I've seen that sort of thing.

[Joe Getty]

They are that lunatic Taylor Lorenz actually putting the name and birth date of the head of Blue Cross I think it was or something like that and whenever she was born 1971 and then it was left blank as if. Yeah, let's fill that out. Taylor freaking Lorenz is a monster. Anyway back to you and was a.

[Michael]

Columnist for the Washington Post and the New York Times.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Which gives you an idea progressive mind.

[Michael]

But I assume that crowd their answer would be government health care. You actually believe now the cost will be lower. At least it will seem lower because it'll all be in taxes.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Michael]

But do you if you actually believe you're not going to be denied when the government is running health care or.

[Joe Getty]

Delay you think they're going to be responsive and have great customer service and be looking out for you.

[Michael]

We spend a little time reading about NIH in Great Britain or Canada or any place on the way those health care systems work. You get denied all the time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well.

[Michael]

Well it's the DMV becomes your how do you like it when you go to the DMV and they tell you you got the wrong form. Come back tomorrow with a different form. That's what all health care will be like. You're not going to be happier. That's nice.

[Joe Getty]

Or it's well, right. Or again read about the various, you know, federal health plans in other countries where there are only certain number of doctor so it's going to be 18 months and see a cancer doctor. Excuse me. The cancer is growing. Get in line. Anyway, more on that to come. Football season is heating up. Our friends at Prize Picks remind us best place to get real money sports action while watching football with over 10 million members billions of dollars in award and winnings Prize Picks has made daily fantasy sports accessible to all. It is easy.

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[Michael]

I don't know how many of you all celebrated National Pansexual and Panoramatic Pride Day, which was yesterday.

[Joe Getty]

I had a moment of silence.

[Michael]

Now, we. We often mock the various days and say, you know, whatever. National Strawberry Day or National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day or whatever, right?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

A lot of those are just dumb, completely made up by calendars or websites. Some of the government. Some of them are actual government ones. And this one is. This was. This is a post from HHS yesterday.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Michael]

HHS.gov you paid for everything that went into this. It's probably ridiculous how much money was involved in this. This was their post today on Pansexual and Panoramatic Pride Day. What percentage of people could tell you what the hell that was or have ever heard that word before in their lives? That'd be a good question. What percentage of Americans have ever heard that word ever in their lives before? Reading this government tweet panel.

[Joe Getty]

What does this day? Oh, well, of course, yeah, but what do we got? A tree? Is there carols to sing? Gifts? What is there a parade?

[Michael]

How do we celebrate today on Pansexual and Pan Romantic Pride Day? Everyone deserves to feel seen, respected and supported, no matter who they love. Create a world where everyone feels proud to be themselves. And then a rainbow and a big something or other. The government does not need to be involved in this at all. The government shouldn't have had. There shouldn't have been a vote to declare this. That there shouldn't be. There are probably people who make their living dealing with the messaging around this or the role. The government. The government should not be involved in this crap at all, on any level. Not one taxpayer dollar.

[Joe Getty]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Is that Rachel Levine character, the former dude in charge of hhs? No. Xavier Becerra. She's undersecretary of something, right? What does she do? It doesn't matter. Yeah, the whole transgender madness thing. Stop it with your pansexual. Whatever. I don't care. Get with dudes, get with women, whatever. Just quit sexualizing the little kids in school.

[Michael]

Well, I actually got that. I think rumors might have been from Elon or Vivek's website. It was just another. Why is the government involved in this? The government? We need to shrink the government. Yeah, if the government is big enough that you got time for that. The government's too big.

[Joe Getty]

Good Lord. No kidding. Yeah, that's a good point, too. Oh, speaking of that sort of thing, clip number 82. Michael, this is the good folks at Gays Against Groomers who are quite appropriately saying, hey, gay rights has got nothing to do with trying to convince little kids that they're the wrong sex. That we're not them, they're not us. It's lgb. You get to the Q and the T, you got weirdness going on. Good for you. People standing up and saying it. Go ahead, Michael.

[Jack Armstrong]

And what age do you think most trans kids determine that they're trans? Violet told us when she was one and a half. She's been telling us since she could speak. So she knew since birth.

[Michael]

Not a freaking chance that that's true. Not even the slightest chance that that is true.

[Joe Getty]

I love the bit of wisdom. Yeah, a trans kid's like a vegan dog. We know who made that choice as.

[Michael]

A one year old. Your kid who has no concept whatsoever of gender sexuality has been, you know, making it clear. Oh, give me a break. Merriam Webster's Dictionary is out with their word of the year, among other things. On the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and pared all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Partisan.

[Joe Getty]

Partisan.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites, too. I just got it for 50 off. So how about a Cosmopolitan or a Mistletoe margarita?

[Michael]

I'm thirsty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow, it's beginning to.

[Michael]

Feel more seasonal in here already.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Michael]

Tis the season to be jollier.

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[Joe Getty]

You can see these little girls here as well. Okay. They said they're very happy. Has fallen.

[Michael]

That's Clarissa Ward of cnn. And she was in this traffic jam near the border of Syria and everybody was so happy. Like a level of happy most of us will never understand because we haven't had family members disappear or tortured by the government. And then the government has fallen. But those little girls were just thrilled. I also thought you speak whatever language.

[Joe Getty]

That is they speak.

[Michael]

That's interesting. How'd you learn that?

[Joe Getty]

Clarissa Ward is Amazing. She knows no fear for one thing or doesn't show it. Secondly, I just hope those little girls aren't don't have their lives ruined by Islamist nut jobs take over. We'll talk to the terrific Mike Lyons about that next hour. Hope you can stick around. If not, subscribe to the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Michael]

Couple of quick things. Webster's Dictionary is out with their word of the year. They went with polarization. Okay, fantastic. No, I got nothing to say about that. I thought this was an interesting article in Politico about how Biden is Trump is already the president in many people's eyes, including Democrats in Washington, D.C. more on that.

[Joe Getty]

Wall Street Journal had a piece on that, too. Yeah, it's notable.

[Michael]

Oh, I'd say. But I don't know if you saw Trump yesterday in France. He was at Notre Dame for the reopening. Their first mass since they rebuilt it and everything like that. And it absolutely looks fantastic. I really want to see that in person. They scrubbed that church. You know, it's, it's not been cleaned in 900 years. So these pillars, like, if you've been to Notre Dame, I know a lot of you have.

[Joe Getty]

I haven't.

[Michael]

But those pillars that were like gray were actually gold and painted with beautiful paintings on them all these years. And nobody knew it. So if you didn't know it, you didn't see it. I mean, so they scrubbed the whole dang church. So the whole thing gleams and looks like it probably did to people centuries ago. And if you saw the 60 Minutes piece a couple of weeks ago, they brought in all these artisans around the country, woodworkers, glass workers, masons that, you know, get to work at the county fair and show off their crafts usually got to go into Notre Dame and actually do the old timey work to do it just the way it was done throughout the centuries and bring it back to life. So it looks really cool. But anyway, Trump is there and all the world leaders are treating him like he's the president of the United States, not like he's Hitler. Including Joe Biden sitting there talking to him and smiling. And that got a lot of attention. Of course, Joe Biden one seat away. And they, they look to be getting along really well. And then Trump puts out an ad on his Truth social about his cologne, which is called his cologne, which is called Fight, Fight, Fight. And it said something like, look, my cologne even attracts Jill Biden or something.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Michael]

What a Trump thing to do. Just hilarious.

[Joe Getty]

I just, I can't get past the hole. He's literally Hitler. Oh, he won. So how you doing, Donald?

[Michael]

Come over for tea, right? No kidding. No kidding. There'll never be another election again if he wins. Hey, I'll sit here and laugh and joke with you as we're waiting for the mass to start. But. So he meets with Macron, the leader of France and everything like that. Afterwards. Trump says in an interview, he said he's a good man. He did a good job with the church. I told him, you have no idea how. What a good job you did on that chapel. That's very hard to do. Painstaking Trump thing to say.

[Joe Getty]

I love trumpet. Notre Dame, named after the late, great Virgin Mary. Many people are saying not a virgin. I don't know. No, not my type.

[Michael]

The late, great Virgin Mary. Him saying to McCrone.

[Joe Getty]

A lot of people, you have no idea how good a job you did. Very painstaking. Yeah, I do. I have a pretty good idea. Spent years at this.

[Michael]

Thanks, though.

[Joe Getty]

I guess it's a compliment. Sure, it's a Trumpian compliment. He is so hilarious. Oh, we ought to talk about that AI video I sent to the team of Trump and Dr. Jill. Looking at each other, then getting into a fist fight generated on by AI and totally realistic.

[Michael]

Looked ridiculously real. We're going to talk to Mike Lyons about Syria and US involvement in our.

[Joe Getty]

Three Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, we're all set for the party. I've trimmed the tree, hung the mistletoe, and paired all those weird shaped knives and forks with the appropriate cheeses. And I plugged in the Partisan.

[Joe Getty]

Partisan.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a home cocktail maker that makes over 60 premium cocktails, plus a whole lot of seasonal favorites too. I just got it for 50 off, so how about a Cosmopolitan or a Mistletoe Margarita?

[Michael]

I'm thirsty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Watch. I just pop in a capsule, choose my strength and wow, it's beginning to.

[Michael]

Feel more seasonal in here already.

[Jack Armstrong]

If your holiday party doesn't have a bartender, then you become the bartender. Unless you've got a Bartesian, because Bartesian crafts every cocktail perfectly in as little as 30 seconds. And I just got for $50 off.

[Michael]

Tis the season to be jollier.

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[Michael]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Michael]

Oh yeah, because now they could listen.

[Joe Getty]

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[Michael]

An enormous library of popular audiobook titles, including Romantasy, Autobiographies, True Crime, and more. Suddenly, listeners didn't mind sitting in traffic.

[Joe Getty]

Or even missing their flight.

[Michael]

Amazon Music Unlimited now includes Audible. Download the Amazon Music app now to start listening. Terms apply.

[Advertiser]

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Here's to the holidays. To baking cookies in matching pajamas. To decorating the house with paper chain garland. To gathering around the table for the holiday toast.

Cheers.

And the Chinette brand is here to share in the joy of it all with the Chinette Crystal Collection. Your holiday table is perfectly coordinated so you can achieve elegance with less cleanup, letting you focus on what really matters. Here's to the traditions that bring us together year after year. Here's to us, all of us. Find a local retailer at Mychinette Combination.