You Useless Idiots

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "You Useless Idiots"
Date: October 8, 2025
Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

Overview

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty tackle intense cultural and political flashpoints, focusing on pro-Hamas rallies on U.S. college campuses, Western responses to radical Islamism, a bizarre attempted attack on Supreme Court justices, issues of free speech and therapy law, and political missteps by California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter. The tone is incredulous, often combative, with a mix of biting satire and dark humor as the hosts critique perceived hypocrisy in media, academia, and politics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pro-Hamas Rallies and Media Response

[00:49–06:28]

• Widespread Pro-Hamas Rallies: Armstrong and Getty highlight a surge of pro-Hamas demonstrations, notably on American college campuses and in New York City, coinciding with the anniversary of the October 7th attacks.
  • They criticize not just the rallies but also what they see as a lack of critical media coverage.
  • Quote: Jack Armstrong: “You can march in the street declaring all Jews must die and nothing happens.” [03:58]
• Media & Societal Double Standards:
  • The hosts compare the muted coverage of anti-Israel protests with the extensive coverage of white supremacist rallies, suggesting a media reluctance to confront left-wing or Islamist extremism:
  • Quote: Michael: “New York Times, Washington Post, all of you people. What do you have to say, you liars?” [05:50]
• European Perspective:
  • Armstrong notes that in Britain, criticism of Islam brings police scrutiny, while open anti-Semitic or radical Islamist rhetoric isn’t similarly policed.
  • Quote: Jack Armstrong: “Europe, Britain in particular, is terrified of Islamists and is bowing before them. That's the long and short of it.” [03:26]

2. The "Red-Green Alliance" and Contradictory Alliances

[06:46–09:07]

• Strange Coalitions: They discuss the alliance of Western far-left groups (the "Red") with Islamist radicals (the "Green"), referencing the historic linkage in Iran and modern DEI ideology.
  • Quote: Michael: “That’s how you end up with queers for Palestine… It not only doesn’t make any sense, it’s the opposite of making sense.” [07:27]
• Iranian Political Refugee Testimony:
  • An Iranian-Canadian refugee gives a first-hand warning about the process and dangers of leftist-Islamist alliances in free societies.
  • Quote: Refugee: “And I know how it starts and I know how it ends. And it always starts with…the unity of left and Islamists. And it scares me.” [08:06]

3. Contradictions at Campus Rallies: "You Useless Idiots"

[09:07–11:45]

• Street Interviews Highlight Confusion:
  • Armstrong and Getty praise the clarity of a campus interview showing an LGBTQ+ pro-Palestinian protester, whose views result in logical collapses regarding trans rights under Islam.
  • Quote: Michael: “I hope that poor confused little fella doesn't end up with his throat cut. I mean, because there are plenty of militant Muslims who would hear that and kill him for it.” [10:51]
• "Useful Idiots":
  • The hosts argue that many progressive activists allying with Islamist causes are being cynically used.
  • Quote: Michael: “The people who are using you useless idiots know precisely what they're doing. And they are. They have nothing but contempt for you, but you're useful to them.” [11:37]
  • Armstrong bluntly: “That guy is an idiot.” [11:45]

4. Populist Backlash & Western Societies’ Tensions

[12:22–13:11]

• Populism in Britain: Comment on the rise of working-class pushback against both Islamist extremism and elites seen as appeasers.
  • Michael: “People are standing up…We want England back. And, of course they're portrayed as bigots…” [12:25]
• Potential for Civil Unrest:
  • Armstrong warns: “At some point things are going to turn really ugly.” [13:03]

5. Air Traffic Controller Staffing & Media Narratives

[14:13–15:23]

• Skepticism Toward Shutdown Panic Stories:
  • The hosts lampoon mainstream media’s portrayal of government shutdown impacts, particularly the air traffic controller “crisis.”
  • Armstrong: “The we can't go to work because I got childcare duties and car payments is completely bogus.” [15:17]

6. Supreme Court "Red Mass" Bomb Plot

[16:03–22:20]

• Attempted Attack Overview:
  • Armstrong recaps a foiled bomb plot outside the annual Supreme Court Red Mass, highlighting the attacker’s mix of far-left and anti-religious grievances.
  • Quote: Jack Armstrong: “He said he's a 41-year-old bearded dude looks crazy...I have explosives.” [16:32]
• Dark Comedy in Failure:
  • They detail, with gallows humor, how police arrested the suspect while he was urinating behind a tree, having left his bomb-laden tent.
    • Michael: “Did not see that coming.” [21:32]
    • Armstrong: “So you're in there...This is your big moment, man, do I got a whiz.” [21:43]
• Lesson:
  • Armstrong notes even those with deranged views can be operationally dangerous: “doesn’t mean he couldn't have been successful.” [22:20]

7. Interview Meltdown: Katie Porter’s Gubernatorial Campaign

[23:07–28:35]

• Background:
  • Armstrong introduces Katie Porter as a top Democratic candidate for California governor whose media skills are questioned after an interview fiasco.
• Interview Breakdown:
  • Porter is pressed about whether she needs Trump voters to win, resists the line of questioning, and walks out, displaying inexperience with adversarial media.
  • Quote: Interviewer: “So you're not going to answer questions from reporters?” [26:24]
  • Armstrong: “In a one party state with a compliant media…she’s never had to answer any questions before.” [26:54]
• Consequences:
  • The team speculates the incident will hurt Porter, and use this as commentary on the lack of press scrutiny in single-party states.
  • Michael: “She’s never had an adversarial conversation with a member of the media…” [27:22]
• Sidebar:
  • Armstrong makes a jab about camera angles, which Michael attempts to rein in for taste’s sake.

8. Satire on Crime & Policing

[29:18–32:20]

• Simply Safe Ad Transitions to Social Commentary:
  • While bantering about advertising, the hosts riff on property crime, homelessness, and drug addiction in blue cities.
  • Armstrong and Michael venture into satirical role-play, imagining berating would-be burglars via security cameras:
    • Michael: “What do your grandparents think of you, scumbag, huh?” [29:38]
    • Armstrong: “I'm working behind my bush.” [31:19]
  • They lament lawlessness and the lack of “disincentives” for criminal behavior.

9. "Pansy Gate"—Political Rhetoric & Gender Language

[33:25–33:56]

• Kristi Noem’s Controversial Comment:
  • The hosts play and dissect a clip in which Kristi Noem calls Portland officials “pansies,” triggering uproar (“Pansy Gate”).
  • Satirize the reaction as “pansies looking on with tears brimming in their eyes.” [34:01]

10. Supreme Court Free Speech Case: Salazar v. Colorado

[34:01–39:18]

• Background:
  • The justices are hearing arguments about a controversial Colorado law banning “conversion therapy.”
• Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Questioning:
  • The hosts jeer at Justice Jackson’s grasp of the First Amendment, suggesting she asked whether conversations constitute protected speech.
    • Quote: Michael: “Are conversations protected by the Constitution?” [36:18]
  • The clip is played and dissected, with the hosts expressing disbelief at the quality of Supreme Court questioning.
• Predictions:
  • Michael expects the Court to protect free speech and counseling, warning of a “First Amendment nightmare” if not.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Media Double Standards:
  • “You can march in the street declaring all Jews must die and nothing happens.”
    — Jack Armstrong [03:58]
• On Contradictory Alliances:
  • “That's how you end up with queers for Palestine or transgenders for Palestine. It not only doesn't make any sense, it's the opposite of making sense.”
    — Michael [07:27]
• On Campus Confusion:
  • “The people who are using you useless idiots know precisely what they're doing…they have nothing but contempt for you, but you're useful to them.”
    — Michael [11:37]
• On One-Party Politics:
  • “She's never had an adversarial conversation with a member of the media…”
    — Michael [27:22]
• On the Bomb Plot’s Sudden End:
  • “The guy opens up the tent flap, walks over to a tree and urinates. They run over and arrest him.”
    — Jack Armstrong [21:32]
• On Supreme Court Arguments:
  • “She seriously just asked, is, like, a conversation protected speech, or is it just like, articles and stuff?”
    — Michael [36:18]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening & Sports Banter: [00:26]
• Pro-Hamas Rallies & Campus Interviews: [00:49–06:28]
• Red-Green Alliance, Iran, DEI: [06:46–09:07]
• Campus Protest Contradictions: [09:07–11:45]
• Populist Reactions in UK: [12:22–13:11]
• Shutdown & Air Traffic Controller Shortages: [14:13–15:23]
• Supreme Court Red Mass Bomb Plot: [16:03–22:20]
• Katie Porter Interview Meltdown: [23:07–28:35]
• Satirical Crime Banter: [29:18–32:20]
• Kristi Noem’s “Pansy Gate”: [33:25–33:56]
• Supreme Court Free Speech Case: [34:01–39:18]

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is bracingly critical, irreverent, and at times darkly comedic. Armstrong and Getty’s spirited back-and-forth is peppered with sarcasm, pointed analogies, and outrage at what they see as media hypocrisy and elite complacency. They flag the dangers of ideological blindness on both left and right, and repeatedly highlight absurdities within current political, media, and activist culture.

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Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live.

[Jack Armstrong]

From the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at.

[Michael]

The George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Announcer]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Michael]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

I think you're right. I think we got a Dodgers, Brewers, NLCS headed our way.

[Michael]

That is rulers are in the National League now. Oh, nlc, as you said. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah. That'll be a whale of a series.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and you got the biggest media market in the entire country versus one of the very smallest, so.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Coming up, they caught a nut job, thank God, who was waiting outside a church where all of the Supreme Court justices were supposed to show up for mass. He had 200 bombs with plans to kill them all. And we'll get to that story coming up next segment.

[Michael]

Also in breaking news, a cabinet secretary has dropped a P bomb on live tv. Christy Noem called the leadership of Portland pansies. The shocking details coming up. Stay with us. If you're a non pansy, you can take it. Also, the Washington Post, in trying was it the WaPo or no, the Journal and trying to explain how the shutdown is already causing problems, made kind of the opposite point. I want to get to that. But first, yesterday around the country, a lot of college campuses in a lot of big cities, including New York, there were big pro Hamas rallies in which the strategies and tactics and beliefs of Hamas were rah, rah. Well, I think Israel has gone a little overboard. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It was kill all the Jews.

[Joe Getty]

And.

[Michael]

Up with Hamas and up with Islam and Islamism all over the country. It's funny how little coverage it's getting. It's odd, isn't it? Here are a couple of examples. The first one is fairly calm. It's an interview of a woman in a hijab, young woman, looks to be college age, maybe a little older, being asked about October 7th and its legacy, etc.

[Joe Getty]

I think freedom will be achieved when the Israelis go back to where they were born, which is probably Americ, Poland.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you mean leaving the state of Israel? Is that what you mean? You don't believe in the state of Israel? No. You don't understand why Jewish students might feel uncomfortable about that on campus today?

[Joe Getty]

No, I don't. I mean, I understand why they might feel like that, but I don't think that their feelings are valid.

[Jack Armstrong]

And there you go. There's the problem. Imagine if that was said about anybody else.

[Michael]

There'd be utter hell to pay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are these protests on this day, the second anniversary of one of the worst terrorist atrocities this century committed against Israelis, committed against Jews by an organization that.

[Michael]

Has said it wants to carry out the same attack day after day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are these protests, to use the PM's words, un British. Because they show, and again, I'm quoting, so little respect for others. And that's before some of them decide to start chanting hatred towards Jewish people all over again. Well, I think there you have an.

[Michael]

Example of it, I'm afraid, clearly from Great Britain, a reference to the fact that if anybody says anything even slightly critical about Islam or Islamism in Britain, they are likely to get paid a visit by the police if they posted their their thoughts online. Europe, Britain in particular, is terrified of Islamists and is bowing before them. That's the long and short of it. Because they can get away with things no other group could, could possibly get away with, which is clearly true.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not even like a close call. I mean, if you've been following the stories at all, you say something a little anti trans or anti Islam in a tweet and the police will come to your door. You might go to jail. You can march in the street declaring all Jews must die and nothing happens.

[Michael]

Right? Right. Yeah. Does anybody know clip87 where that's from? Where that rally is? Anybody? Maybe we can figure it out, but this is a speaker at a very large rally yesterday.

[Jack Armstrong]

We did not act enough. We did not act enough. We did not act enough. Repeat after me.

[Michael]

We did not act enough.

[Jack Armstrong]

If we acted enough. If we acted enough, the headline behind.

[Michael]

Me would read the headline behind me.

[Jack Armstrong]

That has been living. So our work is not done. We must show up stronger than we did the first October 7th. Louder than we did the first October 7th. To make it clear that we are not going anywhere. We will keep fighting until Palestine is free. Until Palestine is free. From the rivers to the sea in our lifetime. Make some noise. That's in New York.

[Michael]

Praised young cultists in New York vowing a bigger, stronger.

[Jack Armstrong]

October 7th. That's the biggest population of Jewish people in the world outside of Israel. New York City, and that guy is standing up on a stool chanting that with people cheering him. In freaking New York.

[Michael]

You got a small number of jackass white supremacists walking through Charlottesville and a giant counter demonstration that dwarfed their numbers. And the world came to a stop. New York Times, Washington Post, all of you people. What do you have to say, you liars?

[Jack Armstrong]

That's the best AB of this that I, I've seen. I mean, that guy in New York City from the river to the sea means you want Jews to die or go somewhere else. And it doesn't get, it doesn't get any reaction whatsoever.

[Michael]

And, and worse, we, the, the Israelis, somebody, the US is supposed to come to agreement with these people, white hicks.

[Jack Armstrong]

In somewhere saying we will not be replaced. National crisis causes Joe Biden to run for president.

[Michael]

So we've talked about the Red Green alliance a little bit. The, the weird coming together of the radical leftist like Marxist types and Islamists, and the history of that, especially in the 20th century, you know, with Iran, the Marxists got together with the Islamists, which we're about to talk about. And then the, the folks who actually came up with critical theory and the whole DEI thing, Michel Foucault French PHILOSOPHER it was all about bringing down modern liberalism and Western society. And those people openly said, hey, you're against Western society, we're against Western society. We will join with you, we will play down your excesses, we'll claim their lies from fascists and we'll work together. And then like all revolutionaries, they figured they would probably get the spoils when the revolution was over and they would vanquish the other side, which is how revolutions go. But it's, that's how you end up with queers for Palestine or transgenders for Palestine. It not only doesn't make any sense, it's the opposite of making sense. It's a bizarre teaming up. And here's an Iranian refugee explaining how it worked in Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm a political refugee from Iran. I've been to prison, I've been under Islamic law. And I know how it starts and I know how it ends. And it always starts with the, for some reason, unity of left and Islamists. And it scares me. So I came here to be free. I chose Canada as my second home to live in a free country. And I'm beginning to get really scared because the way things are going, it looks like they're going to basically appease Islamists just to not raise any ruckus or something. They're just going to appease them step by step, and they're not going to stop. They see it as a sign of weakness. So they're going to take more and more, and I'm against that. I believe Canada should be free. And freedom of speech is something that nobody can take. The college crowd always joins with the Islamists and then he got a pretty big block.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah. And the Islamists rally the Islamic supremacist part of Islam in obvious ways. And then the, the Marxist, the neo, Marxist technique is you get every single group with any sort of gripe from I'm transgender to I'm really overweight and I believe in body positivity or fat acceptance. And just every gripe. You can imagine racial minorities, sexual minorities, and get them all to come together in the eternal omnicause. And then you join together with Islamists because you all agree that you need to overthrow civilization. Then you end up with an absolute nut job. Like we played, what was it, last hour or two hours ago. I almost want to hear that again. Just that clip. 80. This is, this is at a big rally man on the street interview.

[Jack Armstrong]

So is this. This is the trans flag. This is the Palestinian flag mixed with the trans. Okay, what do you say to those who, who say that trans people would be killed in Palestine? I mean, I don't know about that.

[Joe Getty]

But I know that I, I'm standing here today.

[Jack Armstrong]

At least 50% of the Gazan government needs to be trans women. Like Muhammad himself. Muhammad herself was sacked. A trans lesbian. Mohammed was a woman. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Islam is a trans idea.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a trans religion. If Muhamma was a proud trans lesbian in, in Iran, the morality police and, and also in Gaza, they, they kill trans people. Like, do you think that that's not true, or.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, I think they're secretly Jews.

[Jack Armstrong]

If they do that.

[Joe Getty]

All right, so no Muslim would actually do that.

[Michael]

I, I hope that poor confused little fella doesn't end up with his throat cut. I mean, because there are plenty of militant Muslims who would hear that and kill him for it. I mean, Salman Rushdie, we all know his story. Yeah. Boy, these people are so incredibly, profoundly misguided.

[Jack Armstrong]

It.

[Michael]

It boggles the imagination.

[Jack Armstrong]

It really, really does. You can almost picture him, you know, asking somebody, what about the whole. I hear about Muslims don't like gay people or whatever, Is that true? No, no, no, no. Islam is a. Is a pro gay religion. In fact, Muhammad was a trans woman. Oh, okay, cool.

[Michael]

Yeah, the people who are using you useless idiots know precisely what they're doing. And they are. They have nothing but contempt for you, but you're useful to them.

[Jack Armstrong]

That guy is an idiot.

[Michael]

Poor little confused fella who was masquerading barely as a woman. I can just picture him being dragged away to the torture. Ch was with you. I support you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Thank God. So many of these people are crazy that they're too crazy to pull off their crimes. Of course, the guy who killed Charlie Kirk was a little crazy and he was able to pull it off. The guy tried to kill Trump was dang crazy and came close enough. We got an example coming up. A guy got arrested just two days ago in front.

[Michael]

Okay, go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sorry. He's trying to take out the entire Supreme Court.

[Michael]

Yeah. Good Lord. Just one encouraging note. It's great to see the working class in Britain rising up and saying, no. Elites, no. You've been lying to us all along. You're in league with these people. We're not having it. We want England back. And of course they're portrayed as bigots and soccer hooligans and the rest of it. But to me it's encouraging. People are standing up.

[Jack Armstrong]

This could lead to some serious violence in the streets.

[Michael]

Well, that's. See, that's. You're right. You're 100% right. But that's the sentiment that has guided the elites in saying, don't resist them at all. Don't, don't. If they want to do Sharia courts and Sharia divorces and all, we'll just suspend our laws for Muslims. Just don't make them angry.

[Jack Armstrong]

Regular people get a say. At some point things are going to turn really ugly. Okay. We got a lot on the way. It's going to be interesting. Stay here.

[Announcer]

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[Michael]

Well, I read that the air traffic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Controller shortages is causing delays at major airports like Denver, Louisiana and Newark. In response to those, airports have released statements.

[Michael]

For example, Denver Airport said we apologize for the flight delays caused by staffing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shortages and appreciate your patience.

[Michael]

Louisiana's Burbank Airport said, we know that delays are frustrating we're sorry.

[Jack Armstrong]

And we promise to be at full capacity soon. And finally Newark Airport said, oh, you.

[Michael]

Thought things were bad before?

[Jack Armstrong]

Buckle up, princess. We barely had air traffic control to begin with. Now we're not getting paid. You want to take off? We accept cash, Venmo and Vape juice. Anyway, before you, you might want to.

[Michael]

Rewatch the movie Sully and take notes. Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

And of course, the news nugget that they, while they're technically not being paid, in reality they are being paid and that they haven't had. They've missed a check yet. Their check comes out on the 14th and if the shutdown ends before then, they'll get their pay in the normal schedule.

[Michael]

Nothing will have changed.

[Jack Armstrong]

The we can't go to work because I got childcare duties and car payments is completely bogus. All right.

[Michael]

So is amplified by the media. Yep.

[Jack Armstrong]

So coming up, this woman that I'd forgotten her name, barely know who she is, Katie Porter, who is like the leading candidate to be governor of California, which is a very big deal. She's a Democrat, obviously. She had an interview that just went haywire yesterday, may have doomed her. And it's, it's all about these people in a one party state have never been questioned before and she handles it very poorly. We'll get to that next segment. Quite entertaining. So there is humor to be had in this next story, although it could have been very, very non humorous if the guy had been successful and for instance, killed all nine Supreme Court justices with his homemade bombs.

[Michael]

Good God, that would have been a dark, dark day.

[Jack Armstrong]

He definitely seems like half a lunatic. But oftentimes successful saboteurs, murderers, terrorists are crazy. So, you know, that doesn't negate the threat. Anyway, so I had never heard of this, I don't think, but there's something called Red Mass. It's a yearly event, been going on forever. They have a Mass the first Sunday of a new Supreme Court season at one of the churches in Washington D.C. and all or some of the Supreme Court justices usually attend. It's just kind of a nice tradition. It's got to be interesting for the godless crowd that the Supreme Court goes to mass to kick off the new season. But anyway, this guy had set up a tent on the steps and somebody started asking him some questions like, oh, what's the dealio with the tent here? You can't really have a tent here. The Metropolitan Police Department showed up and said, what's going on to the guy? And he said he's a 41 year old bearded dude looks crazy. He said, you might want to stay back and call the federales. I have explosives. Okay. So the metro cops immediately called federal authorities and thought, okay, we got a live one here. During attempted negotiations with the officers, he handed them a notebook and. Which espoused hatred for the Catholic Church, the Supreme Court, Jews and ice. According to the document, the cathedral was, you know, all ramped up for red mass, but they immediately ended it. No Supreme Court justices then showed up and they canceled the mass while they're trying to figure this guy out. And they called the bomb squad in and said, hey, do you. Would you actually have bombs or whatever? The bearded lunatic said, how much time, Michael?

[Michael]

30.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not even gonna get close to the good part. Crap, I didn't know I didn't have enough time. I got, they got like minutes worth of great details.

[Michael]

Oh, well, I can't wait to hear the rest of them.

[Jack Armstrong]

The way they. I guarantee you the way they nabbed him is a surprising ending to this plot to kill all the Supreme Court justices. We'll pay that off real quickly when we come back. And then get to a candidate blowing up their own opportunity to be governor of California.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Did the top candidate to be governor of California completely derail their campaign in a interview that went haywire? We'll play that for you in just a little bit, but I wanted to finish off this story because it's got a pretty amazing ending. So a guy is in front of a church in Washington, D.C. sunday for something called Red Mass. First Sunday of the new Supreme Court session. The Supreme Court justices come to this mass and the guy Had a tent set up there. And police show up and say, yo, what are you doing here? You can't be here. He said, I've got explosives. And, you know, I hate the Supreme Court and I hate ice and I hate all kinds of different things. And so it goes from there. They bring in the bomb squad for obvious reasons, by the way, it turns out that he has what seemed to be functional weapons. And he's being charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction. That's what he's being charged with. So it's, you know, it was. It's not. Not a. Not serious thing anyway, in an effort to de escalate. So the guy is in his tent. He says he's got all these bombs. You better back off or a bunch of people are going to die. So please show. Please go up and talk to him and agree to read from his notebook to try to calm things down. So he hands him a notebook through the tent flap there in front of the church. The Supreme Court has been called off coming to the church. Mass has been called off. At this point, the notebook was titled written negotiations for the avoidance of destruction of property via detonation of Explosives. Okay. The sergeant opened the tent flap after noticing a butane lighter and another object in his hand. He said, all right, if you want to do it, let's do it now. Like, I'm gonna blow you all up. And then they backed off again. He proceeded to pull out multiple capped vials containing yellow liquid with explosive tape. To him, turns out to be the same stuff that the Oklahoma City bomber used that took down the. The big federal building there and killed a whole bunch of people. Step away. There's going to be deaths. Police retreated to a far enough away. The guy opens up the tent flap, walks over to a tree and urinates. They run over and arrest him.

[Michael]

Oh, boy. Did not see that coming.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. How's that for an ending?

[Michael]

And you already got a bunch of tubes with yellow liquid in them. Do the math, brother.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you're in there. Yeah, this is your big moment, you know, and you got all your. You're made your weapons of mass destruction and all this different sort of stuff. This is your big moment, man, do I got a whiz. There's a tree right over there. Did he. As soon as the cops ran at him while he's whizzing behind the tree, did he think, oh, why didn't I think of that?

[Michael]

All right, the cops, the cops. I forgot they were here. All right, I can't leave the tent.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or I'll get arrested. What?

[Michael]

I mean, obviously he's one brand of crazy or another, but he kind of had the leftist list.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yep.

[Michael]

He was against the Supreme Court and Jews and Catholics. Who else? Ice?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he, you know, doesn't mean he couldn't have been successful. So we'll see what the charges end up being or how serious that turns out to be.

[Michael]

Oh, speaking of the Supreme Court, just real quickly, Hansen did. Were you able to get the audio I wanted from Katanji Brown Jackson? I listened to about a third of the oral arguments yesterday. I listened to the rest today about that. The Salazar case in Colorado, about the. The horrific Colorado law that says you can't even if the kid wants to, you can't talk to a boy about staying a boy because that would be conversion therapy. It's bizarre. But anyway, old KJB asks a couple of questions. I'm like, did you even go to undergrad, never mind law school?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, really? Okay. So you've never heard of Katie Porter? I barely have. And I live, you know, in California and follow politics for a living. If you live somewhere else in the country. Anyway, she is one of the leading candidates to be governor of California. She's a Democrat. You're gonna have to be a Democrat to win, obviously. She had an interview go sideways yesterday, Charles C.W. cook. I came across the link to the interview on his site. Lots of people were forwarding it around because it went really poorly, as you're about to hear. But Charlie Cook said, is Katie Porter the least likable politician in the entire world? She makes Elizabeth Warren seem like Dolly Parton. Anyway, she sits down for an interview and this is how it goes.

[Joe Getty]

What do you say to the 40% of California voters who you'll need in order to win, who voted for Trump? How would I need them in order to win? Well, unless you think you're going to get 60% of the vote. You think you'll get 60%?

[Jack Armstrong]

All.

[Joe Getty]

Everybody who did not vote for Trump will vote for you. That's what you're in a general election. Yes. If it is me versus a Republican, I think that I will win. The people who did not vote for Trump. What if it's you versus another Democrat? I don't intend that to be the case. So how do you not intend that to be the case? Do you. Are you going to ask them not to run?

[Announcer]

No, no.

[Joe Getty]

I'm saying I'm going to build the support. I have the support already in terms of name recognition and so I'm going to do the very best I can to make sure that we get through this primary in a really strong position. But let me be clear with you. I represented Orange County, I represented a purple area. I have stood on my own two feet and won Republican votes before. That's not something every candidate in this race can say. If you're from a deep blue area, if you're from LA or you're from Oakland, you haven't, you don't have an experience. But you just said you don't need those Trump voters. But you asked me if I needed them to win.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. And this is where it turned goes sideways a little bit.

[Joe Getty]

You don't think this is unnecessarily argumentative? What is your question? The question is the same thing I asked everybody, that this is being called the empowering voters to stop Trump's power grab. Every other candidate has answered this question. This is not, I support it.

[Jack Armstrong]

So.

[Joe Getty]

And the question is, what do you say to the 40% of voters who voted for Trump? Oh, I'm happy to say that it's the do you need them to win? Part that I don't understand. I'm happy to answer. Answer the question as you have it written and I'll answer it. And we've also asked the other candidates, do you think you need any of those 40% of California voters to win? And you're saying no, you don't? No, I'm saying I'm going to try to win every vote I can. And what I'm saying to you is that, well, to those voters. Okay, so you, I don't want to keep doing this. I'm going to call it. Thank you. You're not going to do the interview with us? Nope. Not like this, I'm not. Not with seven follow ups to every single question you ask every other candidate has answered. I don't care. I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation which you ask me about every issue on this list. And if every question you're going to make up a follow up question, then we're never going to get there and we're just going to circle around. I've never had to do this before, ever. You've never had to have a conversation to end an interview. Okay, but every other candidate has done this. What part of I'm me, I'm running for governor because I'm a leader, so I am going to make. So you're not going to answer questions from reporters.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it goes on for quite a while.

[Michael]

I was enjoying it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I know and, yeah, so I think I. Well, I think that hurt her a lot. And, you know, in one party states, politics doesn't change. There are other people that want to be governor that are Democrats that are going to tear her apart over that. Yeah, probably should.

[Michael]

But unless she has been anointed by the, the public employee unions as their choice, then they dare not.

[Jack Armstrong]

True, that's a good point. But as Joe pointed out earlier, what's going on there is in a one party state, she's never been questioned before. In a one party state with a compliant media that agrees that the Democrats should run everything, she's never had to answer any questions before. And so I've never had to do this before to end an interview. That's because you've never really done any interviews. You've never had to. And you're hoping to cruise into being governor without ever having to.

[Michael]

Yes, she's never had an adversarial conversation with a member of the media, which is why Gavin Newsom is. I just can't wait till he's actually running for president because he's, he's a college team that has only had inner squad scrimmages and imagines he's ready for the Rose bowl or whatever, and he's just going to get obliterated when he goes up against actual opposition. And Katie Porter is the same thing. She is the anointed, you know, choice of the unions and attorneys that run the state of California.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is, I realize, sensitive and mean and I. You shouldn't vote for people based on how they look, and I would never. But her advanced team did her no favors in the angle of the shot for the interview.

[Michael]

Oh, oh, oh. I, I don't think we need to go there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I'm just saying if, if it's me, I mean, I have more flattering angles and I have less flattering angles. In fact, there are many, many unflattering angles. But if I was running, I would say, how about we put the camera over there or over there, but not here. And. And she needed to do that with someone.

[Michael]

Oh, I see what you're saying. Yes. So, okay, fair enough.

[Jack Armstrong]

When she sits around the capital. When she sits around the Capitol, she's around the capital.

[Michael]

No, no, no. I was gonna praise you as being genuinely there.

[Jack Armstrong]

I laugh.

[Michael]

I. I should have known better. That is ridiculous. I disavow. I disavow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will eat those Republicans for lunch and dinner and breakfast the next day.

[Michael]

Oh, boy. Hey, why don't we interject a word from Simply Safe Home security here, so innovative, so different. Your old systems, which were expensive and crappy, would only like, go off when somebody's already smashed their way inside your house. But that's too late. Real security should stop a crime before it even starts. And that's why you trust Simply Safe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, with all the AI cameras and all that sort of stuff, they can detect a problem before it happens. They can actually speak to the reader intruder, like in your backyard or lurking around the front door or whatever it is. That's really cool. I've got the cameras and the sensors and all that sort of stuff. Simply Safe is the best. And it's a money back guarantee. I mean, you can return it if you want to, so why not try it out?

[Michael]

I swear I would do that job for no pay for Simply Safe. You know, the AI cameras alert me and I, I see there's the, the Armstrong house and there's some scumbag junkie about to climb in the window. I. I would do this job for free. Hey, jackass. Yeah, I'm talking to you. Hey, how about you give up the drugs and get a job like normal people? What do your grandparents think of you, scumbag, huh?

[Jack Armstrong]

I like that. I like that. Make them feel bad about themselves. I see you lurking in the bushes, you loser.

[Michael]

Oh, I would leap out of bed every day waiting to go to my job if I did that for a living. Anyway, simply save 60 day money back guarantee. No long term contracts. They earn your business every single damn day. And right now, you good folks can save 50 off simply safe Home security systems. A new [e-mail] Armstrong that's simplisafe.com Armstrong there's no safe like simply safe.

[Jack Armstrong]

I gotta go with the long discussion. See, see him lurking in the bushes. So, hey, sir, I can see out there. And you're hoping to break into this house. So what are you hoping to get? 5, $10,000 worth of stuff?

[Michael]

Oh, what's.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, that would be a huge.

[Michael]

That'd be a dream come true. Yeah, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably gonna get, maybe you get a grand worth of. What are you going to do with that? What are you going to retire to an island for the rest of your life on a thousand dollars?

[Michael]

No, man. I'm going to score. I got a score.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you're a drug addict, in other words. Is that what you're telling me? I suggest you get some sort of help and get off the drugs.

[Michael]

You know, learn the city I live in makes something like super comfortable to be a Junkie. And so we just wake up and get high, then go eat a free meal and get high more and nobody ever hassles us, man.

[Jack Armstrong]

That would be the actual answer. I really enjoy being high and thus far there's no reason for me not to be high all day.

[Michael]

Right. There are no disincentives for my aberrant behavior.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's working out pretty well for me, to be honest. What'd you do today? Get up and go to work? I'm working behind my bush. I'm gonna get.

[Michael]

Reminds me when Katie was checking out at the grocery store and a bunch of thieves were carrying out armloads of goods and said yalls paying in line are suckers.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it's hard not to feel like one.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Other than, you know, you have to have a working society.

[Michael]

And then I would have to just go with, well the cops are on their way and they're gonna whack you in the head with a stick and then put you in jail. So enjoy your whacking. Having been discouraged by my discussion with the junkie boy and realizing that society is turned toward lawlessness. Blues, blue places.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think he would be good at that job. Yelling at people who are about to break into homes.

[Michael]

Oh again. I mean, it was like when Babe Ruth first stepped on a baseball field. I'm where I'm meant to be, you know. It's a beautiful dream.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got a lot more on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Joe Getty]

One of the things I've been dealing with all day here in Portland is A bunch of pansies that are elected into political office who won't make a decision to keep their citizens safe. This mayor is going to wait until somebody gets violently hurt or killed. He's going to have blood on his hands because he sat around and thought too long, because he's too scared of the political ramifications of making a big decision to keep his city safe.

[Michael]

They're calling it Pansy Gate. Kristi Noem, the secretary of something or other, saying Portland's elect a bunch of pansies to their leadership. It's terrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Her long, luxurious hair flowing over her shoulders as she does her interviews and.

[Michael]

The pansies looking on with tears brimming in their eyes. It was terrible, terrible moment. Speaking of women in politics, I listened to, as I said, about a third of the oral arguments in the horrific Salazar case, First Amendment case before the Supreme Court, where the state of Colorado has a law that says, if a confused adolescent comes to you and says, I'm starting to think maybe I ought to become a girl, you are expressly allowed by the state to say, I think that's a good idea. Let's help you become a girl. But you are forbidden by state law as a counselor, to say, let's talk about this, because a lot of boys feel these things, but end up being happy they're boys. Even if the kid comes to you and says, I need some counseling because this is weird and I'm not comfortable with it, you are not allowed to say that. And the supreme and the 10th Circuit Court, to their eternal shame and discredit, agreed with the state of Colorado and said, no. That's just like saying a medical doctor can't, like, cut off your healthy fingers. It's a regulation. And, and the Supreme Court was not really hearing it. But Katanji Brown Jackson got her chance to ask questions, and here's how it went.

[Announcer]

As I understand it, the First Amendment protects the communication of messages, expression, etc. Am I right about that? I mean, you're communicating and that's what the First Amendment is about, correct? So I guess.

[Michael]

Can you pause that, Michael? Okay, so I'm thinking as I listen to that. You just asked him. So there are three branches of government. Right. And 50 states. Am I right about that? And I'm thinking, okay, that's a kind of embarrassing, you know, opening. But surely she's working towards some subtlety of the First Amendment.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let it roll.

[Announcer]

Just struggling with whether a therapist who is acting in their professional capacity to help someone achieve their goals is really expressing the kind of Message or expressing a message for First Amendment purposes. I mean, I understand if Ms. Childs here were writing an article about conversion therapy or writing or giving a speech about it, but it's just a little puzzling to me that she would stand.

[Joe Getty]

In a different position than a medical.

[Announcer]

Professional who has exactly the same goals, exactly the same interests, and would just be prescribing medication for that rather than her talking with the client.

[Michael]

I don't think, first of all, the attorney knocks that one out of the park, as he should. But she seriously just asked, is, like, a conversation protected speech, or is it just like, articles and stuff, ignoring or being unaware of hundreds of years of First Amendment precedents? I mean, that's. That's an insane thing to ask. Are conversations protected by the Constitution?

[Jack Armstrong]

Is she doing the, like, rhetorical thing of, you know, you. You're like, setting up a point by asking obvious questions and getting the person to say, yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Michael]

Yeah, that's what I was kind of hoping. But no. Then she has the attorney answer her question, but. So she seemed to actually wonder whether a conversation was protected speech, which is really a bizarre question to ask. Go ahead, roll on, Michael.

[Jack Armstrong]

Think that they would have exactly the same goals because. Because this involves a conversation. Yes, there is a back and forth. So this court has recognized many times in cases like McCullen that a one on one conversation is a form of speech, and that's exactly what's going on with Ms. Childs and her clients. So when she engages in those conversations, she's encouraging them to achieve their goals. She's discussing concepts of identity and behavior and attractions and how they fit together. This is an ongoing active dialogue where she's helping them to explore their goals. And that absolutely has to be protected by the First Amendment.

[Michael]

So what Katanji Brown Jackson eventually is trying to do, and Kagan did something similar was. Was argue that, well, because her goals would be the same as, like, someone prescribing a drug, that they. She should be bound to the same, you know, like, regulations. And the attorney and, and the other justices were like, no, dudes. All that's happening here is conversation. It's all speech. It's speech and nothing but speech. Just because the goal might be somewhat similar to another doctor who might have the power to prescribe drugs, which this gal doesn't. She's just a licensed counselor. They're like, yeah, I don't. I don't know. Because that speech has a goal that's kind of like a medicine. I don't know if that's protected speech. I was tearing my hair out. Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

How do you think the. How do you think this is going to go?

[Michael]

They'll. They'll rule in favor of her. It's just a question of. I mean, if there are two or more votes in favor of Colorado, it's. It's a nightmare. It's a First Amendment nightmare that somebody could end up there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's interesting. We have got more on the way, but if you ever miss a segment or an hour, you can get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.