Are We Living in a Surveillance State? | Negligent Discharge Friday | 7.17.26

Summary

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Episode: Are We Living in a Surveillance State? | Negligent Discharge Friday | 7.17.26

Host: Andy Stumpf
Co-Host/Guest: Michael
Date: July 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively Friday episode of "Cleared Hot," Andy Stumpf and Michael catch up on current events, personal anecdotes, and—most centrally—society’s steady drift toward a surveillance state. The show mixes humor, reflection, and genuine concern over issues like mass surveillance, government overreach, AI, and the role of individual agency. Throughout, they intersperse big-picture commentary with side discussions about UFC fights, wild animal encounters, and (less seriously) shirt sizes and fashion mishaps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up and Banter (00:00–05:05)

• Start with lighthearted banter about shaving, beards, and pet ownership responsibilities.
• Discuss Lord Hovington—a much-loved dog who, despite his intelligence, is selectively disobedient:
  Andy: "He knows exactly what you want. And he will look at you and just show you his butthole and walk off into the sunset." (03:43)
• Segue into responsible pet ownership and anecdotes about pets escaping.

2. UFC Reaction—Hype vs. Reality (05:07–14:12)

• Review of the most recent UFC fight, including discussion of Conor McGregor’s controversial loss and injury:
  • Speculation about fighting while injured: "Is that a conspiracy or is that just part of the job?" (06:00, Andy)
  • Michael notes disappointment in McGregor’s performance and the short, anticlimactic match.
  • Both hosts express admiration for top-level fighters but disapprove of McGregor’s recent out-of-ring behavior due to public allegations and legal issues.
• Satisfying quick fight: Praise for “the Patty necktie” (Peruvian necktie submission): Andy: "His jiu-jitsu is just next level." (09:44)

3. Respecting Wildlife—Natural Selection and Tourist Fails (15:01–23:35)

• Shift to cautionary tales from America’s National Parks:
  • Discussion of tourists’ reckless behaviors near bison, elk, and rams leading to serious injuries. Andy: "Please respect the outdoors and the animals. They are not pets...you may see some animals that have been slightly if not completely habituated to seeing human beings. Nowhere in what I have just described should you attempt to treat them like a pet." (16:41)
  • Stories recalled where visitors have been gored or seriously burned in hot springs—emphasizing the need for respect and awareness in nature. Andy: "Go buy a postcard taken by a professional photographer and use AI to put yourself in the picture... Are you going to get launched 10ft in the air by a bison? No." (23:35)

4. Legal Controversies and Team Mentality (24:14–32:34)

• Reaction to civil court developments, specifically E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit and Trump’s civil penalty: Andy: "I think it's okay to view people both personally and professionally, and when there is overlap, you view both... what I don't understand in the current political environment is how we've gotten into a place where you either have to accept and agree with 100% of everything on your team's jersey or you are a traitor." (26:36)
  • Discussion of how society treats figures accused of wrongdoing—challenge of separating personal and professional conduct.
  • Problems with tribal thinking in politics; call for balanced, critical thinking and separating individual policies from personal failings.

5. The Ever-Expanding War Footprint (32:34–44:44)

• Increasing normalization of U.S. involvement in decades of overseas conflicts (focus on Iran, but referencing Middle East and Balkans as well). Michael: "I don't think I've ever been alive where we weren't in conflict." (35:02)
• Frustration with lack of clear objectives and communication from leadership.
• Reflection on societal habituation to war and public apathy toward constant military operations.

6. Are We Living in a Surveillance State? (44:44–66:15)

• In-depth conversation about mass surveillance, mind control, and AI:
  • Social media as "the greatest propaganda system":
    Michael: "Social media is the greatest propaganda system that we could—the government could ever have." (44:44)
  • Platforms as commodities:
    Andy: "If the platform is free, then you are the commodity." (47:05)
  • AI shaping opinion and potential for subtle manipulation, if not outright control.
    Michael: "You can be hyper targeted for specific propaganda... It's near mind control." (45:27)
  • Generational differences in susceptibility to online manipulation.
• Real-world example: Georgia Power and data centers acquiring land via (potential) eminent domain: Andy: "Eminent domain is real. Eminent domain is a real thing for sure." (53:57)

  • The rapid proliferation of AI-powered "Flock" surveillance cameras and their close ties to law enforcement—implications for privacy: Andy: "I don't know how far we are from—not the minority report... but I mean 100 percent overlap of no privacy once you leave your home." (60:03)

  • Candid admission of not knowing where this trend leads, but concern over fragility/resilience of privacy in the digital age—and the impossibility of "turning it off" if it becomes pervasive.

  • Reference to the (often misquoted) Benjamin Franklin line about liberty versus safety:

    Andy (quoting Franklin): “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.” (65:38)

7. Shirts, Fashion, and Life’s Real Questions (66:15–71:27)

• Episode closes out with a humorous diversion into Michael’s limited t-shirt wardrobe.
  • Joking about the audience sending him crop tops and Andy promising to finance a proper wardrobe.
  • Quick-fire Q&A about shirt fit preferences and ideal colors.
  • Light, self-deprecating humor as a counterweight to the heavier topics.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andy on political tribalism (26:36):
  “What I don't understand in the current political environment is how we've gotten into a place where you either have to accept and agree with 100% of everything on your team's jersey or you are a traitor.”

• Michael on growing up in perpetual war (35:02):
  “I don't think I've ever been alive where we weren't in conflict... that's all I ever knew about our military actions.”

• Andy on passive surveillance (60:03):
  "I don't know how far we are from—not the minority report... but I mean 100 percent overlap of no privacy once you leave your home."

• Michael on social media as propaganda (44:44):
  "Social media is the greatest propaganda system that we could—the government could ever have."

• Andy on public apathy (43:43):
  "I think we are so bombarded by what seems to be existentially threatening information that people are almost paralyzed or immune to the information coming in at this point."

• Benjamin Franklin (via Andy) (65:38):
  “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.”

• Andy, philosophically on the surveillance state (63:08):
  “I wonder how close or how complicated it would be to turn that metaphorical key and if it's ever turned on... How do you ever turn it off?”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Banter/Pets and Shaving: 00:00–05:05
• UFC Fight Recap: 05:07–14:12
• National Park Wildlife Mishaps: 15:01–23:35
• Legal Issues & Political Teamism: 24:14–32:34
• Perpetual War/Civil-Military Disengagement: 32:34–44:44
• Surveillance, AI, Social Media, and Eminent Domain: 44:44–66:15
• T-Shirt/Fashion Comedy Closeout: 66:15–71:27

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Summary

Andy and Michael traverse a broad spectrum of modern anxieties—AI, surveillance, legal system cynicism, and global conflict—tying them together with their signature blend of humor and realism. From the “nature is not your friend” reminders to frank admissions about the allure and damage of social media, the episode is both cautionary and oddly comforting.

The message: There’s a subtle but inexorable pressure to trade individual agency, privacy, and reason for convenience, “safety,” and team loyalty. The antidote is skepticism, engagement (both local and intellectual), and refusing to let distraction—by design or by default—numb us to what truly matters.

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Transcript

[A]

Okay, I got the red smoke. Sun run north or south? West of the smoke. West of the smoke. Okay, copy. West of the smoke. I'm looking at danger close now.

[B]

Oh, what are they to give it to me. I mean.

[A]

It cleared hot. Copy.

[B]

Clear.

[A]

Not that. And apparently, the sound of ice cubes in yeti tumblers. Really?

[B]

I feel like that doesn't happen that often. The ice cubes in the yeti, I

[A]

don't think for us. I hear that as a common criticism of Joe's show.

[B]

They often.

[A]

You'll hear the ice circling around, and I suppose that I get it, you

[B]

know, but also could be annoying.

[A]

It could be. If that's the largest annoyance that you're dealing with. Congratulations to you, sir or madame, because your life is going okay. Yeah, that's, you know, not bad. It isn't bad. Or as far as things that are bad goes, it's not that bad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What do you have for today, Michael, other than a freshly shorn face, which I'm not sure I'm a fan of? Show the audience. Show them. Look at. Yeah, look at your camera.

[B]

Directly at the camera.

[A]

Unbelievable.

[B]

It's just been a while since I've been freshly shorn, so I was like, yeah. You know, in.

[A]

Well, as somebody who can't grow a beard, I mean, I look like Abe Lincoln. I could go undercover with the Amish, and that's about it.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[A]

Churning butter.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What's your deciding factor for when you feel like you need to shave?

[B]

Well, fully shave. Yeah.

[A]

Like you did the other day when you showed up to. To jiu jitsu. I was like, what have you done to yourself?

[B]

Yeah, I. I literally just haven't been fully shaved in a long time, so.

[A]

That's what I'm saying. How did you decide that day?

[B]

It was kind of just a whim. There was really no one deciding thing that I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do this.

[A]

I just woke up, looked in the mirror, and said, today?

[B]

Yeah, today's the day.

[A]

All right.

[B]

It'll grow back. It's already. It's getting there.

[A]

Does it increase or decrease your dating likelihood?

[B]

Honestly, I think decrease. I think the beard is more popular if I'm.

[A]

Leah and I have talked about this.

[B]

Wait, why?

[A]

Hold on. Before you fill in the gap, which I realize I kind of left a cliffhanger there a little bit. We think what you need is a wean of your own to walk around town as a conversation starter with young women that could be. Not too young, because that's illegal, but

[B]

that Would be illegal. Yeah. I've considered getting a ween. I do. I like them. They're great.

[A]

What is holding you back?

[B]

I don't know. It's just like an extra. Extra thing you got to worry about.

[A]

Very true.

[B]

Yeah. Like, it's not a child, but it's. It's a responsibility for. Sure.

[A]

Everything you've said is true so far.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where do you sit on this? If you were to ratio it out? 50. 50. 60. 40.

[B]

Oh, man. Probably like 40. 60, honestly.

[A]

40 you want to. 60 you don't.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, that's not bad.

[B]

Yeah. So getting up there every time I spend time with Lord Hovington, it, like, bumps it up a little bit, you

[A]

know, that dog is so smart.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And such an.

[B]

He's so smart, yet he doesn't use his smartness to listen.

[A]

No, that's. I believe what you are doing is making a mistake there because he is choosing not to listen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He is just indignant to what it is that you want.

[B]

He knows what you want.

[A]

He knows exactly what you want. And he will look at you and just show you his butthole and walk off into the sunset.

[B]

Yep. That's classic hobby. That's why I always. Whenever we go on walks, always on a leash. I don't.

[A]

God, yes.

[B]

Yeah, I.

[A]

When we pull up into the house and he's in the car with us, he'll have his little, you know, possession harness on his bondage harness. And I will just put him on the ground in the driveway. And Leah is like, oh, my God. So far he hasn't run off to his death. He'll usually hide under a tree and go take a piss and come out whenever he's ready. Not when I call him, but he goes to the front door, so that's about as far as I will go. The very end of the driveway is as far as I would go without a leash.

[B]

Yeah, I think. Well. Cause there has been a time when. I think. I texted you guys, the door didn't close properly. And he was just wandering around when I was. And I don't know how long he was out there for, but he didn't go far. He was just around the house.

[A]

Lord having. Doesn't seem to roam very far when he's free.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Let's not test that, though.

[B]

No, I would never on purpose test that. Oh, he also escaped from the fence.

[A]

We thought that, you know, that's just a dog thing they do that there's a larger world outside beyond the fence that they have to explore a little Bit. I would feel the same way.

[B]

Yeah. But again, he really didn't go far. You just kind of like, I wonder what's around here. Yeah.

[A]

What do you have for today?

[B]

All right. Did you watch any of the recent ufc?

[A]

Yes. Watched the entire thing.

[B]

Did you? Okay.

[A]

Yeah, I watched the whole 14 second conversation.

[B]

Yeah, it got cut a little short.

[A]

There were some conspiracies. Abound conspiracies. I was going to say there were some pissed off people. I think more than anything, they were just disappointed.

[B]

I think people actually, I was super disappointed.

[A]

I think people actually want to see Connor at least approach what he used to be before he seemingly lost his mind.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I know that the. The draw and the place was packed, but I think most UFC's are generally packed.

[B]

They.

[A]

I think they were pretty bumped. I think they would have hoped it at least made it to the 60 second mark as opposed, what was it, 19 seconds? Something like that.

[B]

Not long.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

At all.

[A]

What is the question around it? Oh, look at that. Nice branding right above Connor's head.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Nicely done.

[B]

My. Okay, so there's a lot of conspiracy that he came into this fight injured.

[A]

He has gone into other fights before injured. And a lot of other fighters do that as well. Is that a conspiracy or is that just part of the job sometimes?

[B]

Well, I mean, I guess you can say it's part of the job. But

[A]

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[B]

I guess for me, when you're hyping yourself up that much and you're creating as much buzz around it as you are to walk in and nobody knows this for sure, but to walk in potentially being already injured and then immediately do a move that immediately exacerbates that injury.

[A]

I feel like a lot of the hype and buzz to begin with isn't based off of truth anyway. They all, every fighter says it's going to be a tk. Not every fighter, well, it's based off

[B]

of his past performance, though.

[A]

It is. But also, to use a Tim Kennedy phrase, they tell fish stories when they're talking about how dominant they were if they had fought the last time. What? You know what I mean? So the whole, the whole buzz thing building up to this, sometimes it's fake beef, sometimes it seems to be real beef where the fighters don't actually like each other. Sometimes they actually, I think, have known each other for a while or maybe have fought and do respect each other, but they understand they need to draw leading up to the fight. I have to play. You're the antagonist, I'm the protagonist. We're gonna play our game. I think a lot of the stuff leading up to all of the fights is BS anyway.

[B]

I agree.

[A]

And as we're rank hobbyists in a portion of this is mixed martial arts. We like to participate in jiu jitsu

[B]

in one very small portion of MMA.

[A]

How often have you ever been truly at 100%? Almost never.

[B]

Rarely.

[A]

And it's not that it's a Catastrophic injury. But a little. Like right now my shoulder's a little bit tweaked, you know, which is going to be fine. It's not a crazy injury. But if I was looking at doing this and this is what you did professionally, am I going to mention that? No. Could it potentially have a consequence on the outcome if it required something crazy like an overwrap?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Much like the Patty, the baddie.

[B]

That was a great fight.

[A]

That was an amazing fight.

[B]

That was amazing.

[A]

His jiu jitsu is just next level.

[B]

It's insane.

[A]

Point being, though, like, say you try that move and you injure yourself and you can't continue to fight. I feel like that's part of the game, the BS being impenetrable. least presenting yourself that way, I think that's part of it. Now, knowing that you're injured and may not be able to continue the fight, because the injury that I think was. I don't know the.

[B]

I don't know what the exact injury is.

[A]

All the ligaments, but it's in his knee, we'll just say is one of his. One, if not all of his knee ligaments might have been damaged. I don't know where that works because they're selling them being there. But if you're unable to complete the fight, what are you really selling? You know, I don't know.

[B]

Yeah. McGregor's team. Let's see. Formal diagnosis has not been released.

[A]

It's gonna be one of the tendons for knees compromised.

[B]

Experts antic. Anticipate. ACL or meniscus. Yeah.

[A]

Which he's already talking about trying to come back. I don't know, man. I think that might have been the end of the end for him.

[B]

Yeah. Which is like. It's a sad end for sure. But at the same time, it's like you're. What's he, 14, almost 40 now. And in the fight world, that's pretty old.

[A]

I can appreciate the Conor McGregor that steps into the ring. I have no appreciation for the person he is outside of it. So on this I agree. And this one, I invest no real emotional capital because, again, as an athlete stepping into the ring, I can appreciate who he has been in the ring and what he has been able to do in the ring, because I can respect what it is that they're doing, but that is where any level of respect for the human being actually ends.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. There are some. I don't know if you've seen this. Pretty serious allegations against him.

[A]

Not only are there serious allegations. I know he escaped Some criminal findings, but has been found guilty in civil court.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So let's just say that it's not even a closely held secret or even. It's just an open reality of his behaviors outside of the ring. Can speak for themselves. I don't need to say anything on them.

[B]

Go look it up. It's not great.

[A]

Yeah, go to town.

[B]

But anyway, this is the actual clip of him.

[A]

No, I mean, I watched it real time and then they played it back and people can watch if they want to. It looks like. I mean, when he. So he's typically. After suffering an injury to his right

[B]

knee on the very first. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, he was pushing off of it to leap into the air, like. I don't know, man.

[B]

I don't know. And we'll. That's the thing too, is, like, with such dynamic movements, it's hard to even predict what's going to happen.

[A]

He almost always starts his fights with a really wild way like that. And I wonder if that's an emotional thing for him or a psychological thing to get moving to build that momentum after five years off. And again, I'm not a professional fighter. Neither do I coach them, nor do I know what I'm talking about. But that's an optional move.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You know, I would have liked to have seen how it would have gone if they had just squared up and.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And gone.

[B]

Me too. Yeah.

[A]

And I don't know how I would have called that the Patty fight.

[B]

To me, fight of the night. It was.

[A]

Did he. Did they get fight of the night?

[B]

Actually, I don't know. To me, it was fight of the night.

[A]

They're trying to rename that move like the. The patty because it's very close to a Peruvian necktie.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But they're calling it like the Patty necktie or whatever it is.

[B]

It was amazing.

[A]

I. Right after that, who was I rolling with? I did it to them several times just to see if I could. We'll leave their name out of it because I did, in fact, replicate it several times.

[B]

I feel like I know who you did it to.

[A]

Yeah. It was very tight.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Tough to get your legs out in front. So the change in the tension when you.

[B]

When you do. Yeah. Well, I didn't think he had it at first because it.

[A]

He had the darts for sure.

[B]

The guys. Who was it?

[A]

French guy.

[B]

The French guy.

[A]

I mean, I'll murder the name.

[B]

Forgot his name.

[A]

He had his Saint Duple or something like that.

[B]

Du Plessis. Right. I don't know. Again, he had his Arm all the way down. So I was like, oh, I don't think he has it.

[A]

He had his arm all the way down. I don't know if he did.

[B]

It was. Anyways, it didn't look to me tight. But then when Patty adjusted. Yeah. And went forward and threw his legs over, I was like, oh, yeah. He just cinched that.

[A]

It might not have been tight to begin with, but if you look at it, he buried that thing to the shoulder. And so, so much of his hand was up. Even though his arm might have been there when he locked that up. It may not have been super tight in that moment, but I don't think he was going to get out of that. I think that Patty could have just continued to ratchet that.

[B]

Yeah. That was another quick fight, but a satisfying quick fight.

[A]

Yeah. My man had no intention of tapping.

[B]

No.

[A]

Here's the deal, though. Blood choke. Go out if you want to.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You'll wake up and say, hey, how did I land?

[B]

What happened?

[A]

Yeah, you can see, too. And the ref was holding him and he woke up, he was like, yeah, yeah. Fuck, yeah.

[B]

Yeah. It all comes flooding back.

[A]

Yeah. Were there some other.

[B]

There was another really good fight. It was on the main card. Those two goes to young guys. I mean, relatively young for.

[A]

Yeah, they were banging it out. Right. Wasn't there one that. Yeah.

[B]

I don't remember exactly who, but really good fight. I think it was. It was the guy that had gotten multiple fight of the nights before.

[A]

Cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, no, it was entertaining. Okay.

[B]

All right. The freeze frame of this video of the guy flying into the air.

[A]

Okay. Can we just talk about the wilderness for a little bit? I understand that so many people are not lucky enough to live in places like we do. Now. This is a picture of Yellowstone.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Which doesn't. The southern. Is Yellowstone in the southern areas of Montana or is it down a little bit farther?

[B]

Yeah, it's in the corner.

[A]

Where?

[B]

Wyoming. Okay. And it's part of. It's in Wyoming.

[A]

Yeah. A lot more of Yellowstone is actually in Wyoming and out of Montana.

[B]

I believe so.

[A]

Okay. So we have Glacier National Park. And so the parallel I'm drawing is there is similar wildlife in both parks.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I get that the vast majority of people do not live around wild animals like this bison that even in this picture, I am going to say is the size of a small fucking suv.

[B]

Huge.

[A]

Yeah, it is huge. I get that you may not have exposure to that. And that also while you are visiting these beautiful national parks, which I think everybody should, that you may See some animals that have been slightly if not completely habituated to seeing human beings. Nowhere in what I have just described should you attempt to treat them like a pet. Should you put your children on their back? And by the way, everything I'm about to list 100% has happened and there's video of it. Either yourself, try to get on its back like a horse, put your child. And by the way, all of these were for pictures or for videos. Put your child on the back, try to hand feed it, try to walk backwards while taking a selfie with an elk or a bison, try to feed them out the window of your car or. And I don't know what started this, but what I can say is this is a relatively elderly man that appears to be freeze frame running away from a bison that. I don't know what the bison thinks he is, but he's really interested.

[B]

Real interested. Yeah. The bison is not a fan.

[A]

No. Look at how big that thing is.

[B]

It's huge.

[A]

Please respect the outdoors and the animals. They are not pets. I saw this. There's a place in Colorado, I forget the name of the city of course right now, but they have this majestic herd of elk that like hangs out on the golf course because it's a preserve.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know how more people don't die per year at that point. Yeah. Elk are walking around with a head rack most of the year full of fucking razor sharp points. And they will use those against you.

[B]

Yeah. If need be.

[A]

Go ahead and hit play. My man gets nuked. God.

[B]

This free. So he's fine. I mean he's in surgery. Do you think broken femur, I think.

[A]

Okay, put yourself into his shoes. Do you try to break fall? What do you do? Do you tuck and roll?

[B]

I feel like naturally I would try to break fall.

[A]

Did the, did the bison, is that a bison or a buffalo? It's a bison.

[B]

I think it's bison.

[A]

I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know the difference between the two.

[B]

But yeah, bison.

[A]

Did it just keep going like it just gave him the college shock?

[B]

I think so. Let's see.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Oh, no, it did not. But it doesn't do anything after it looks like, Looks like he's just kind of hanging out.

[A]

65 year old grandfather in Yellowstone National Park. There is. Look how high there is a. There is no plausible landing configuration for 65 year old bones that are going to terminate in anything other than a life flight for this man.

[B]

This freeze frame is so funny. Look how fucking high he gets.

[A]

I mean let's. How high do you think he is? I'm going to say that's 10ft.

[B]

Yeah. It's got to be at least 10ft

[A]

from the ground to like let's say the. His shoulder.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Maybe not his hand, but from his shoulder I'd say that's 10ft.

[B]

He gets up there. Yeah. It's so insane.

[A]

Oh, one more time.

[B]

Yeah. So he. From the beginning, looks like he lands on this side. So it gets agitated here. Okay. And he's like trying to hold back.

[A]

Hold on. He. Look at this. He's bobbing and weaving through the trees. I respect that. It's like not today. Haha. Oh God.

[B]

Hands on his side, it looks like. Yeah. Honestly, probably the best landing in that configuration is on your side.

[A]

Well, that metal box was, I'm sure is a bear proof garbage can. Really robbed us of seeing.

[B]

Yeah. Seeing what happened after that.

[A]

That sucks. This happens every. Not this, but people get hurt by what.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was in Glacier national park up at the very top. What do they call that? It's not. Now Highline Trail is something that starts up there, but this is the. What do they call the lookout up there? The going to the sun road comes all the way to the top. And what's that? You're not helping at all.

[B]

The. Was it the chalet up there?

[A]

It's not a chalet. It's just the visitors center up there. And then it has the boardwalk you can go out onto.

[B]

Yeah, I'm not sure.

[A]

This was years ago. And we're up there and we walked out onto the boardwalk a little bit with family and we were coming back and there was. I think it was a ram, one of those things with the, the rolled horns. I'll call them.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

With crazy eyes. Crazy sheep eyes. Yeah, it's eating. We're on the literal wooden boardwalk. It is eating its way very. This is an animal that has habituated, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Eating its way towards the boardwalk. It eventually steps onto the boardwalk, crosses it and there's a little collection of trees and it's sitting there just mowing down on some grass. There was a woman who. I shit you not, got to within three feet of this thing, pulled out her phone, lowered herself down to eye level with the animal that was making eye contact with her and was taking pictures. I'm there with my sister who is a lot of. Spent a lot of time as an ER nurse. I, I just looked at her and I said, I'm leaving because I'm not being a first responder. To this. And Casey said she's just like, let's get the hell out of here. Why?

[B]

What? I don't. Was it one of these?

[A]

No.

[B]

Or it was an actual ram?

[A]

I think so. Why did you put in goat? I never said the word goat.

[B]

Well, because I didn't know if that's what you mean.

[A]

Yeah, that's what it was.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's even crazier to do that too.

[A]

Eye level. Lowered herself down to eye level, Phone extended. And the thing's chewing. And they have crazy eyes to begin with. Full eye contact. And I'm just sitting there waiting for it to do what it does to other rams on her forehead, in which then you can call life flight. And they're gonna come say, hey, come pick up your shit.

[B]

Yeah. God, that's so crazy.

[A]

I am dead serious when I say I want people to visit national parks, but please have respect for the environment. You know how many people have died or injured themselves going into the hot springs?

[B]

The.

[A]

The boiling hot water? Also, a ton of pets have been lost in them, too. People will jump in after their pets. And then your skin starts sloughing off. Yeah, gnarly. Let's just remember at the end of the day where we are and what we're doing. That's all I'm saying. Yeah, that's all I'm saying.

[B]

You mean the Yellowstone hot springs?

[A]

Yes, yes. Where Old Faithful is.

[B]

Sulfur springs, the boiling hot.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Many, many people. Here's a little Google. Why don't you just Google how many people have died in the sulfur springs hot water there alone? Yeah. Because I guarantee the number's probably bigger than you think. Now we know this because Leah makes me listen to ridiculous history books when we do cross country drives.

[B]

At least 20, 22 people have died from SC or falling into thermal features in and around Yellowstone National park since 1890. Yeah. Damn, that's crazy.

[A]

Listen, I'm not, You know, nobody wants to die. Spoiler alert for everybody. We're all going to. I don't think you want to die like that.

[B]

No. That sounds terrible. Yeah. Especially the sulfates.

[A]

Well, then they also don't necessarily die immediately. You might make it to a burn center where your body's just going to absolutely shut down over time due to the shock and your skin basically just falling off like paper mache.

[B]

That is also terrible.

[A]

Indeed.

[B]

So, yeah, fun little.

[A]

Respect the Nate. Respect the outdoors, respect the animals. Go buy a postcard taken by a professional photographer and use AI to put yourself in the picture. You know, that's a good idea. Is it going to be perfect? No.

[B]

No.

[A]

Are you going to get launched 10ft in the air by a bison?

[B]

No. No, you are not going to.

[A]

Indeed.

[B]

Indeed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. This one's a little. Not as fun. Egine Carroll paid 5 million after jury found Trump guilty of. So, I don't know.

[A]

Writer Eugene Carroll has collected over 5.6 million that a jury awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump. Court records and her lawyers say the payment representing the $5 million jury award plus interest, was made Monday from an account where it had been held in escrow since 2023. Because I'm assuming there was a. I

[B]

think there's an appeal or something. Yeah.

[A]

We are pleased to report that she received the damages payment. Okay. I mean, it sounds like that they. I'm sure. I'm assuming this was a civil case. Yeah. They've continued to appeal. He deposited the money in the escrow account after the jury rule, which makes sense. I think you're contractually or legally obligated to do so. Civil. Yeah, it was a civil verdict. So it looks like they appealed it and it looks like they didn't win the appeal. So she got her money.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I don't think people realize how often this is the case where you. You want to talk about a tremendous sum of money that's never been paid to anybody. I just watched, again, the Alex Jones documentary where I think it was over a billion dollars in damages, and I think an exact goose egg has been paid.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Even though it shows them at the end being in court, you know, for this family, I think it was 48 million or 52. And 28 million $0 has been paid because, again, they appeal. I think he is claiming bankruptcy.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It sucks, but it's. I think people believe, and maybe sometimes it does happen, you get the verdict and you leave the courthouse and funds are transferred immediately. But I think this is far more likely. So.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What was your point in bringing it up?

[B]

My point in bringing it up was. I don't know. Obviously, nobody can really know what happened in this situation or what the truth is. Yep. But having a jury find a sitting president guilty of sexual assault. I don't know. It's not a good look.

[A]

No, it's not a good look. I think it's important to remember, and I'm not a legal scholar, but I believe there's a different threshold when it comes to the preponderance of evidence between civil and criminal.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I believe that the finding Is not that it matters, but I believe in civil court the requirements of proof are less. I feel like that's coming out wrong. But there's a difference between the two. You know what I mean? Yeah. This fits back into the Conor McGregor philosophy for me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think it's okay to view people both personally and professionally, and when there is overlap, you view both of those and then of course you can have the separation. What I don't understand in the current political environment is how we've gotten into a place where you either have to accept and agree with 100% of everything on your team's jersey or you are a traitor.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I think, and I believe, and I try to hold myself true to this criticism of an action doesn't have to mean that you are vilifying the person who took that action. Sometimes I think you should vilify the person. But what I'm saying is it's not like an intrinsic tie. You could, let's say you're on the right, be critical of where the administration is not living up to the standard of what I think most people want. Here is a modern day example of that, perhaps the war in Iran and how things are progressing there and how it is. I believe the technical description of what is currently going on there is an absolute fuck show.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So criticizing that, I think is completely acceptable. And you can still be on the right and support the right, but just be an honest broker and call balls and strikes. I don't know much about Trump as the man, but when it comes to courts of law, and I see this all the time, if people get the opposite verdict of what they want, they say that the courts are flawed and our criminal justice system is flawed. And I'll ask them, if you had gotten the verdict that you wanted, would you have accepted that in the court system? They say yes, of course. Like, okay, then the issue isn't with the court system. You just don't like it didn't go your way. And that's how it goes sometimes, and that's how it probably should go sometimes. So you don't get to pick and choose and claim that the legal system is flawed when it doesn't net the result that you want. But you sit there and you are promoting how awesome it is when it presents to you the verdict and outcome that you do want. You don't get to play that game. So, yeah, stuff like this, I mean, wasn't there, I don't know. I want to have faith in our system. If a jury of his peers and you could probably argue. And again, I don't even know if this was a jury trial. Right. Like, I literally know almost nothing about this. Some of Trump's policies I like. A lot of what he is doing seems to me to be an utter and absolute hot mess.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But the reality is this. I just want our country to be successful.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I would say I am fiscally conservative, but socially very liberal, which is a lot of people are that. And I've heard the term libertarian associated with that. But let's say you're on the right and a Democratic president is elected in this next cycle. Do you really want them to fail?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because if they do fail, that means we all fail, because this is our country. You can be as critical as you want, but at the end of the day, the. The jersey color that I am wearing is red, white, and blue. I just want the country to be successful, and I want the best for its citizens. I don't understand and subscribe to this blind allegiance to either side, because that is the most idiotic thing that I've heard of in recent history.

[B]

Well, yeah, that's the problem with the modern climate is you pick your guy and you start from the top down, you pick him, you say, okay, I like him, and then you cherry pick the things that you like about him, rather than starting with a foundation of, okay, there's this, this, this, this, this, and building up to your opinion. You have your opinion chosen, and then you're starting to find things that support that opinion.

[A]

Hey, I'm not a perfect person. It's. And nobody is. So I think it's okay. Again, this goes back to, you can criticize. There are plenty of actions I have taken in my life that should be incredibly scrutinized and criticized. I've fallen short of the man that I want to be. I've fallen short of the leader that I want to be. All of these things, you can 100% address those things, and I can tell you about. Talk openly about my failures and what I have tried to learn from that and built from that. If you want to, you can judge me on that failure, or you can judge me as the totality of that. It doesn't mean you should ignore it, though.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So, I mean, that isn't a good look to your point. Yes, it sucks.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. It sucks that a. That happened. And what I'm. I am taking this article again. I'll be the first person to say I don't know a tremendous amount about it. And so I'm just Taking the article and saying, hey, if that happened, which it seems like it was adjudicated in civil court and she was found to be in a place where she was deserving of that award, that sucks, right? And those actions should be criticized. Does that mean you have to flush the toilet on everything else that that person has done in their life? No, because I don't think anybody wants that optic turned back towards them because then all of us would have our lives flushed because we all fall short of the person that we want to be. I'm not saying excuse the behaviors, but it's the same thing again, as the political environment. I personally believe what is going on in Iran right now is an absolute shit show. It's back and forth. I think we're going to end. And this is a total hypothesis based on no operational information or intelligence. And by that I mean personal intelligence, not military intelligence. I think it's going to go back to being almost exactly what it was before, except for the loss of life and a tremendous amount of capital. That should be criticized. We need to learn from this. We need to change the authorizations that allow this to happen if it didn't do anything for our country other than cost us money, life and standing in the world. But that doesn't mean that I want to tear down everything that that person is doing because again, at the end of the day, I want this country to be successful. I'm on Team usa, not Team Left or right.

[B]

Yeah. No, I agree. Speaking of the war in Iran, it seems like it's back on.

[A]

Technically, we haven't declared war since World War II.

[B]

Oh, of course. Terribly sorry.

[A]

The US And Iran are. Did you say Iran?

[B]

I think that's how you pronounce it. I'm not really sure though, I said Iran. But again, let's look up the proper pronunciation.

[A]

Okay. The U.S. and Iran are in an escalating conflict centered around the Strait of Hormuz. I know. It's I,

[B]

Iran, Iran, Native Persian or Iran or Iran.

[A]

Listen, I'm not Iranian, so I'm going to do the best that I can.

[B]

Perfect.

[A]

Okay, just what are your thoughts again? You're the younger generation here. You're the one. You know, your generation is looking at this as into the. The United States and the world that you are inheriting day by day. What are your thoughts?

[B]

I think this is insane.

[A]

Let me ask you this. What is it that you believe we are trying to accomplish there?

[B]

I don't know if I had to. I mean, there are multiple things far conspiratorial pressure from Israel to attack Iran.

[A]

That's more along the lines of the why though, why we took the action.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And this isn't a trick question. This is what I struggle. This leads me to why I struggle with what's going on. Because I've heard everything from nuclear program was minutes away. But then we heard that last year when we did the persistent strikes on that as well. So were you lying then? Are you lying now?

[B]

And five years before that and five years before that?

[A]

Was it regime change? Was it the control of the Straits of Hormuz, which we as the United States do some research on how much oil that we get in this country that passes through there? Almost none, if none. But it does have great economic impact on our near peer adversaries like China and Russia. So an argument could be made for that. The reason I asked you that question is I'm not sure exactly what it is we're doing.

[B]

Well, there's been no clear communication about that.

[A]

That was the point that I'm getting to, that it makes people. What's worse is I think almost everybody is just habituated to this country being in some state of war and they're not paying attention.

[B]

Yeah. No, it's like I, I don't think I've ever been alive where we weren't in conflict. I mean probably 99 and 2000 and I. Even then we may have been in something. Right.

[A]

Because we were involved in 2005.

[B]

Right, 99.

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay, whatever, whatever. You just pick a year and we'll go with it.

[A]

I get to pick a year. Be 2010. It's about how you act. But were we in a sustained theater of war? I mean something.

[B]

There was something in the Balkans in that time. Right?

[A]

It was. So what I can remember is I remember Desert Storm 1.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I remember Black Hawk down small non multi month or multi year engagements after 9, 11, 20 years of sustained combat, or at least combat or presence in a. I'll call mature theater of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And then also though now bases, whether they be FOBs or remote operating areas in, you know, many places in Africa, in the Middle East, Syria. It's different. It's different than that. I remember the distinct. I'll call it beginning and end of Desert Storm 1. The distinct beginning and end of the Black Hawk down incident. I don't, I mean, is the global war on terror still ongoing?

[B]

Again? Who knows?

[A]

Like if it is, that's 25 years plus.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of sustained kinetic operations globally. And I'm not going to claim that, you know, pre 9 11, that there weren't kinetic operations taking place at a much smaller scale. But at the size, scope and scale of what seems to be going on now, I don't even. Are we just so habituated to this being the case that people don't care anymore?

[B]

Yeah, well, I think there's definitely a case for that. Especially for my generation because again, like, we grew up, my whole life essentially was, oh, yeah, we're at war in the Middle East. Yep. And that's all I ever knew about our military actions. And like, for a long time I didn't even know Iraq and Afghanistan were two completely separate things. I just grouped it all in because. Yep, we're more in the Middle east and that's that.

[A]

And what country sits between those two?

[B]

Iran.

[A]

Very good.

[B]

I'm. I'm pretty good geographically.

[A]

Pretty good, that is. Where's Morocco?

[B]

Right below Spain. All right.

[A]

If you had asked me that, I wouldn't have had the answer. I was just hoping to ask you a question.

[B]

Sorry, I shouldn't say blow south of Spain.

[A]

I mean, I understood what you meant. Most people are going to orient the map with north up.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Actually, if you orient a map south up. You're weird. What's.

[B]

You're Australian, probably.

[A]

Now I feel like they still do north up.

[B]

No, they do, but it's like a joke in Australia to like reverse the map so they're on top.

[A]

Whatever. Prison colony.

[B]

Yeah. I think the proper term is penal colony, which is so funny.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what. Again, I say the same stuff. I don't understand or maybe I haven't sought out myself. Looking for the clear metrics is this I could see an argument for, hey, the Straits of Hormuz is an economic play that has large term impact against our near peer adversaries. Like I said, China and Russia being specifically the volume of oil that they get for their countries. The regime change. I've never seen any level of regime change that occurs with just aerial bombing. The nuclear stuff, the terrorism, which. What is it? It's. The jocko talks about this really, really well in his book Extreme Ownership. And it's. If you want people to buy in, especially on things that they may not inherently understand. Taking the time to explain the why. And of course there is a time and place to do this. If you're on target and you ask somebody to do something, there is no time to explain the why. But in the planning process or in the time Leading up to that, if people have questions, comments, concerns or uncertainty or they're not bought in because they don't understand by explaining the why, you can get a tremendous amount of buy in. And absent that, what do you expect? People are going to the Internet. And I forget who I was having talking with the other day, but if you a B test everything on the Internet, it leads you one of two places. Aliens or porn. That's it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so what you're going to end up finding is the things that are elevated to the top are conspiratorial in nature, like along the lines of aliens, even though I'm not talking about that. Or porn. That's literally, if you a B test enough, that's where you end up. Neither of those are great places for an understanding of the world.

[B]

No.

[A]

So I don't know, Michael.

[B]

Yeah. And it frustrates me when they're the administration or like spokespeople for the administration, like, oh, I can't believe Iran just did this, or whatever. And I'm just like, I can't. We started this whole thing. This was our. We started this fight. And you're acting surprised that Iran is fighting back. Like, is that not what you expected? I mean, this is insane.

[A]

It's so weird. You're shocked that the Iranian regime is not doing what they said they were going to. Color me not incredibly so. It's just.

[B]

Yeah, but I don't understand it. What do I. And how much money have we spent on this when this, you know.

[A]

Good question. What is the. What is the current number? Today's episode is brought to you by hexclad Man. Summer is finally here. We had a very, very bizarre spring into summer, but I'd say it's final. Finally here. Temperatures are good. Sun is out, white puffies are around. So what does that mean? It's grilling season, and I love grilling in the summer. Steaks and burgers are awesome, but what do you do when it comes to challenging things like perhaps fish or vegetables? Food sticks. Vegetables can disappear through the grate. Fish falls apart when you're trying to flip it. And somehow cleanup takes longer than the actual meal itself. And that's why I've been using the hexclad barbecue collection. The hexclad barbecue grill pan combines the searing power of stainless steel, the durability of cast iron, and the convenience of non stick all in one versatile grilling pan. So far, I've used this thing for green beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and a couple of other Things that I can't remember off the top of my head, but it's been great. If you're looking for a complete summer setup, hexclad offers the Barbecue Bundle, which features their barbecue grill pan, a hybrid cutting board, and a carving set. So you have everything you need to grill, prep, carve and serve without constantly running back and forth to the kitchen. You're going to get even heating across the entire cooking surface. Dishwasher safe and super easy to wipe clean. Heat safe up to 900 degrees. Also, every Hexclad product comes with a lifetime warranty, so it's quite literally the last piece of cookware and grill gear you're ever going to need to buy. So if you're planning on spending time behind the grill this summer, don't make it harder than it needs to be. Stop losing food through the grates. Stop fighting Cleanup and upgrade your backyard cooking set with Hexclad's barbecue collection. For a limited time only, listeners get 10% off your order. With the exclusive link in the show notes, just head to hexclad.com clearedhot.com support the show and check them [e-mail] cleared hot. Make sure to let them know that I sent you back to the show.

[B]

Range from 100 billion in direct military spending to over 1 trillion in broader long term economic impacts.

[A]

Yeah, I could buy both those numbers, actually.

[B]

I mean, maybe instead of doing this for, I mean, literally pointless. We have gotten no benefit from this. We could reinvest that into our country, maybe upgrade our bridges that are, last I heard, not doing very well. Upgrade. I mean, there's so many things that we could.

[A]

Let's go ahead and use the term bridges loosely here. I'm sure some bridges are doing better than others, I'm sure.

[B]

Yeah, but that's like, why are we not reinvesting into the country is my biggest thing. If we want to be America first, how is this America First? The only way this is America first

[A]

is I think we are so bombarded by what seems to be existentially threatening information that people are almost paralyzed or immune to the information coming in at this point. Yeah, I think for the average person. Yeah. If they were to put down their phone for a month and look around and invest, whether that be time, money, effort, whatever it be, if an entire community did that. And like Kalispell where we live, there's some damn potholes. There's some big ones. I mean, also we have a huge temperature swing and the winters and all that stuff. I get It. I'd so much rather see my tax callers go to that stuff. And I would rather. And the reality is though this, I don't participate in our local government to try to drive that to happen either because I am also distracted and bombarded by. By life. You know what I mean? I guess the question is, and this goes right back to the A B test and conspiracies, is the distraction intentional?

[B]

I would argue, yes. I would argue social media is the greatest propaganda system that we could. The government could ever have.

[A]

And it's voluntary and it's complete.

[B]

That's the thing. We set it up ourselves. Like we all voluntarily went on got phones, we voluntarily downloaded Instagram, we voluntarily spend time so that you can be. And now with AI and algorithms, you can be hyper targeted for specific propaganda and you. That will subtly change your mind and you have no idea that you're even thinking something else. I mean it's literally an argument can be made. It's near mind control. If you spend time on those, you're

[A]

at a 10 right now. Let's back you off to like a 6.

[B]

How. How is that not mind control?

[A]

Show me an example of how my mind is being controlled.

[B]

You. Every time you see something on Instagram, every time you.

[A]

Are you talking?

[B]

Maybe not you specifically, but for somebody who, let's say, spends even an hour a day on Instagram.

[A]

Those are rookie numbers.

[B]

I know. Then that's why I said an hour a day, because I know there are people that spend way longer on that. Every time you see something, it subtly shifts. Even if you don't actively buy into what it's. Yeah, saying it subtly shits. It subtly shifts your viewpoint. And you.

[A]

Maybe it does. And you see that don't speak for everybody, Michael. You barely can speak for yourself.

[B]

For the masses. I'm saying just generally, are you the

[A]

mouthpiece for the masses? No, but that's damn right you're not there.

[B]

Then somebody.

[A]

Well, let's be fair. Some people are more susceptible to that than others.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I think it depends on how much context you have of the greater world around you. I also think it depends on what you're doing with the rest of your life. Are you engaged in interacting in a social nature outside of those devices or are the devices the only interaction that you have? I think those lend to very different world viewpoints. It is fair to say that these platforms are paying attention. They monitor where you stop scrolling.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What you click on. I've heard people say that they know the camera is constantly.

[B]

It Monitors your eye movements.

[A]

I don't know if that's true. I've heard that. I know if that's true.

[B]

I don't know if it is either. But it's not a stretch.

[A]

It would not surprise me at all. Right. I'm sure that. Probably not in the terms of service somewhere, but again, I'm not saying that it would surprise me. It is 100% a goal to keep you on the platform for as long as possible. Because at the end of the day, you and I have both said this many times. If the, if the platform is free, then you are the commodity. And I think it would help people if they took a second to process that. If the platform is free, you are the commodity, and the commodity specifically is your time, your attention. The least conspiratorial approach to it would be your money, because they want to serve you ads and get you to buy things. The most conspiratorial would be mind control.

[B]

Yeah, I mean all it takes is for one of the like meta to, to let the. What, what, whatever CAA or FBI say, hey, we're going to inject this into your algorithm and spread this among a certain population. That's. I mean it, it would literally be that easy.

[A]

What would the end state of that be though?

[B]

I don't know. I mean, to shift public viewpoints into a more favorable or, or not even more favorable, but just a viewpoint that the CIA or that the government at large wants the public to have so

[A]

you could present and promote an error. And there are demonstrables, examples of this where they're either suppressing one narrative or promoting one over the other, which can in fact make people believe that an act or an event would perhaps be more measurable than it actually is. I think that's real. I don't know if that's mind control. I'd say it's certainly propaganda.

[B]

Mind control may be a strong word, but perhaps for sure propaganda. But I don't know, viewpoint control or opinion control.

[A]

So the question becomes, how do you fight it?

[B]

Don't be on those platforms.

[A]

Or start with the recognition that if it's free, you're the commodity and you operate from that platform.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Not meaning the social media platform, but the platform of understanding. Listen, this actually doesn't have my best interest in mind. Maybe I do need to be a part of this to either be a part of my business or this is how I can communicate with people at a greater sphere in my life that I'm not geographically located with. But if you at least Never forget, hey, I'm the commodity here, and this is an unequal exchange of value. It might help a little bit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you see your generation using the social media platforms? More or less. Do you see people that are. And I'm sure the answer to this is it probably depends on who you're talking about. But they're just chronically online and can't get off.

[B]

Not really. Honestly, a lot of my circle doesn't really use it a lot, which is good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, I don't know. There are those circles that are.

[A]

Just depends on the person, too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I just. I'm curious.

[B]

Chronically on, you know, TikTok or terminally online. Yeah. And, yeah, I don't know that that's honestly where you're most susceptible to having your mind shifted subtly.

[A]

Oh, that's where I go back to. I think it depends on what they're doing with their time offline.

[B]

If.

[A]

If the vast majority of their information and social engagement is online and they're not bouncing that off of what they see with their own eyes. I could see you becoming very, very susceptible. The people who are the least susceptible, at least, and this is anecdotal, and I'm not claiming this to be proof of anything, but the people I have seen who are the least susceptible to are the ones who spend the least amount of time online.

[B]

Oh, yeah, for sure. 100%. You still have that exposure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That is needed for all that.

[A]

What else do you have, Michael?

[B]

Okay, let's see. Speaking of AI, Georgia family says they're forced to sell home to help AI power its data centers.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, God. So this is actually imminent domain?

[B]

Yes, because it's not actually for a data center. It's for the power lines to supply power to the data centers.

[A]

Oh, man. Utility giant Georgia Power is planning to build a new transmission line to in part help power new data centers. Is it data or data? Who cares?

[B]

Don't care. Don't know.

[A]

It estimates 70 to 80% of the power on the new line will help serve data centers.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And the remaining 20 to 30% of the power will still serve the state's growing residential and commercial demand. Okay, go down. According to the company, increasing demand has outpaced the capacity of its existing grid. I think that is. You want to talk about something that's fragile, dude?

[B]

Power grid or power grid? Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Has outpaced the capacity of its existing grid. And building a new transmission line requires acquiring more than 300 parcels of land, including residential properties. Ansley Brown's childhood home in Coeta County. Hopefully I said that correct. What she said was built when she was five or six years old is just one of the properties. It's ours, she told cbs. It's our family. We belong here.

[B]

So. Wow.

[A]

Brown's mother recently came to an agreement with Georgia Power to sell. If she didn't, Brown said the utility could have sought to acquire the property through eminent domain, which is legal process that allows private property to be taken with compensation for projects determined to serve a public purpose. Okay, so hold on before I say anything else. This is literally all I know about this. So I'm basing what I'm about to say off of what I'm reading in the article. You can't say it's theft if you came to an agreement to sell and then say, well, I had to, or they could have potentially or possibly taken my property because they didn't do those things. You're just hypothesizing that they would have tried to and would have been successful.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Without pressure testing that.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So there's some bullshit involved in this. They may not have wanted to, but if you really didn't want to fight for what you believe in.

[B]

Yeah, I could see that. But also they would have been left with no other choice.

[A]

Is that a fact or an assumption?

[B]

An assumption, because, you know, who knows what actually would have happened. But eminent domain is.

[A]

Eminent domain is a real thing for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know if you're catching this, but people's sentiment around these AI data centers doesn't seem if it was a needle moving towards pro or con. The pro needle might have pegged out and is like creeping back a little bit towards the conversation.

[B]

It's not. I don't think it ever went towards pro.

[A]

Listen, in my made up meter, right, that I am in complete control of, you stay out of my metering exercise. It was at some point in time a little bit towards the pro. Yeah, I think people are really opening up to the natural resources involved in some of this. Have you seen some of the water demands just for cool?

[B]

It's terrible.

[A]

Now what I don't understand in that because I haven't researched it, is do they. When they use that much water, which we're talking about millions of gallons per day, is it destroyed or they just need it for that time period and then it.

[B]

So they basically need it to cool and then it goes back out.

[A]

But the problem is it's a huge demand. You still have to.

[B]

It's a huge demand and some of the stuff I've seen, once it goes through, it basically gets contaminated with a lot of harmful substances. And so now that's going back out into your regular water.

[A]

My point is this, though. I think public sentiment about this is actually trending in the other direction. You get enough people who are presented with this who come together and band together. It's not as easy as they want it, so they're going to take it.

[B]

Yeah, I agree and disagree because obviously the one you heard about, the one in Missoula, that just got shut down. Yeah. So there are situations like that, but there are also situations in which there was, I. I think someplace in Missouri there was a town council that like basically approved all this. A data center. Yep. And I mean every member of the public was against this. And it's like. Yeah, I don't know it that I think you can definitely have some movements against this.

[A]

But here's what I'm saying. If this is me, before I start screaming theft at the top of my lungs, I am going to make them attempt to steal it from me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Using the words here, Brown's mother came into an agreement with Georgia Power to sell. If she didn't, she then said the utility could have sought to acquire property through eminent domain. You. I'm not. And again, I'm not putting any judgment on this person. I am just saying this is where headlines become more salacious than the actual. Is eminent domain possible? Yes. Is that what happened? No, because they voluntarily chose to sell because they told themselves if we don't, it's going to get taken from us anyway. That's not theft yet. That's a choice. That's all I'm saying.

[B]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, I agree with that opinion. To us, it's theft.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's literally building up, stealing land from smaller people. And again, like, like you were saying, it's not stealing. But you know, she. They may not have had a recourse in the future, but they may not have. Who knows? Yep. Who knows?

[A]

If you're going to sell to the power company.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is your last act to take a massive deuce in your living room right inside the threshold of the door as a bon voyage, if you will.

[B]

That would be pretty funny. Or do something to the property that makes it just incredibly difficult to renovate.

[A]

Such as?

[B]

Oh, I don't know. I feel like.

[A]

Don't come to me with these half baked ideas.

[B]

A ton of. A ton of. Really? What? What are those? The things you put in concrete. You lattice under concrete.

[A]

Rebar.

[B]

Rebar. A ton of rebar with huge concrete. Just like 10 foot stubs of concrete all around your property.

[A]

Do you have any idea what this costs?

[B]

It would be really expensive, but so funny.

[A]

I guess humor is in fact in the eye of the beholder. I like where your head's at. I think the power deuce idea is just a little easier.

[B]

It's definitely.

[A]

I feel like they're going to rip down the house anyway.

[B]

Well, that's the thing is they probably won't even see it. They're going to demolish the house and go, okay, bye.

[A]

It's still an emotional victory. You would know.

[B]

Yeah. You would know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Sucks. Eminent domain is real.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm not. Well, the thing about eminent domain too is it says it's for the public good, but how is it for the public good if 80% of the power on those lines is going to a data center?

[A]

I'm sure there would be some really obscure argument about what the data center would be used for. And in some ways, arguably, yes. But even then in the arguing for surveillance, it would be for your own safety, security, therefore, the greater good.

[B]

This will not be used against you ever at all.

[A]

Yet.

[B]

How about those flock cameras? Have you been hearing about the flock cameras?

[A]

Kind of. I'm reading. I've read or saw a headline of an article saying that there are Flock cameras and there are a ton of them. What specifically is a flock camera?

[B]

So it's a camera and I think Flock is the actual company, but they set them up all over on street corners and stuff.

[A]

The company itself, Flock does or people pay to set up, I believe Flock

[B]

contracts to certain, like, police departments.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then I don't know if they actually come out and do it.

[A]

Are they. Is this somehow tied to a law enforcement infrastructure?

[B]

Yes, because to.

[A]

Essentially what I've heard is there are a tremendous amount of these and the number is rapidly growing.

[B]

Yes. Thousands of police departments across the US Use Flock safety cameras. Safety cameras.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The system acts as AI powered search engines that capture vehicle details such as make, model, color, license plate. Cross reference them in real time with local national crime databases like Amber alerts or warrant lists.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Police use the network for investigations, including finding stolen vehicles, locating missing persons, and solving violent crimes. Despite their widespread popularity in law enforcement, the technology faces scrutiny from privacy advocates. LAPT have temporarily halted or reviewed their contracts with the company over concerns regarding how this vehicle data is stored and audited.

[A]

Yeah, this is really edging up against. Notice how I use that term, appropriately use the term or Take the term edging in its current usage, however you would like to. The recipient can go with that. The Fourth Amendment. And I don't know, I mean again, I'm not a constitutional scholar, but. And again, in public, do you have the. Should you have the expectation of privacy. License plate readers on police vehicles is nothing new. They're here in Montana. Some police cruisers or what we have here more is trucks have them as well. You know, SUVs and trucks and stuff like that. It's an interesting discussion. I don't know how far we are from. Not the minority report. Hey, we're going to tell the future. But I mean 100 overlap of no privacy once you leave your home, let alone ways that devices in your home could be manipulated to violate your privacy without you knowing it. Which is of course a total breach of the fourth amendment. But.

[B]

Well, yeah, I mean this edges up against. What's the phrase? Turnkey totalitarianism or turnkey surveillance. Mass surveillance. Yeah. Where we have all of the necessary parts are in place. All you need to do is put in a key and turn it and it's all connected. And now everything that you do is surveilled and it doesn't even have to be by a person because there's AI

[A]

now most of that is already occurring, whether it's banks tracking all of your transactions, being witting participants in working with intelligence agencies and government. I mean our anxiety rectangle. Right. Let's. Let's take the most conspiratorial approach ever. It is listening to, looking at and making and sending everything that you do say where you're at, location data, all that stuff, you pair that with the cameras, other people's devices that are now when you and I are co located. So in our. Whatever database we're co. Located now. So now our overlapping social circle. So now our devices are talking and they're spreading out not only patterns of humans, but patterns of life and all of this stuff. Yeah. You turn that power, which I think already largely exists. I wonder how close or how complicated it would be to turn that metaphorical key and if it's ever turned on. And let's assume and hope that it hasn't been actually and we just don't know about it. How do you ever turn it off?

[B]

Mass emp. I mean that's really like, that's the only thing like. And also, I mean, how would you.

[A]

Well, that's like very localized though.

[B]

Yeah. I mean I'm kind of being facetious, but like seriously, that's the only. Is to shut off the power which

[A]

has its own problems.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. It's. I don't know where it leads.

[B]

Yeah. Nowhere good in my opinion.

[A]

The willingness to slowly, over time, surrender. I forget the quote, but.

[B]

And it Maybe the Benjamin Franklin one. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Go ahead and pull that up before I butcher it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because it's pretty apt in this particular situation. Yeah. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety or. Nor is what he said not. Or ironically, this is often misquoted. Franklin originally penned it in 1755 to advocate for taxing wealthy landowners to fund community defense. Meaning liberty is required to ensure true safety. The original context. Franklin wrote this phrase on behalf of the Pennsylvania assembly during the French and Indian War. The colonial government was attempting to tax the wealthy proprietary Penn family to pay for frontier defenses. The liberty he referenced was the colonists right to self governance in taxation. The safety was the protection of the frontier. In this context, he was criticizing those who found surrender. He was criticizing those who would surrender their legislative independence in exchange for a bribe of short term protection. Huh. Later usage. Franklin used a variation of the phrase just before the Revolutionary War, asserting that the colonies could not compromise their fundamental political rights for peace. Go down a little bit more modern interpretation. In contemporary times, the quote is frequently invoked as a warning against government overreach and surveillance. Son of a bitch. We've been misquoting Benjamin Franklin.

[B]

Damn it.

[A]

Sasha is in debates over the NSA or digital privacy, suggesting that sacrificing freedom for security results in losing both. Yeah, I think that it does.

[B]

I think that's still pertinent.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can still use that quote.

[A]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Scroll to that picture of Ben Franklin. Powerful forehead.

[B]

Very powerful. Look at that. Good for him.

[A]

You mean you've been drawing pictures over there for quite some time? Mm. I, given multiple lifetimes, I don't think I could paint a picture like that. Man.

[B]

That's kind of insane.

[A]

I mean, and again, who knows how close that is to what he looked like, but I'm gonna say probably pretty close.

[B]

Seems pretty accurate.

[A]

What a skill.

[B]

It is kind of insane.

[A]

Can you imagine the getups that they used to wear? Like I'm in board shorts, flip flops, and a T shirt right now.

[B]

I wonder what the equivalent of our outfits right now. Where in the. In the olden times do you think

[A]

Ben Franklin would be stoked at the idea of a T shirt and board shorts and flip flops though? On the east coast in the summertime. I Think he would be stoked.

[B]

Yeah. He wouldn't have to wear his. His pantaloons.

[A]

Yeah. And shoes with buckles on them.

[B]

Yeah. Sounds terrible.

[A]

And whatever that really thing is around.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Everything seems to be three piece. I don't know.

[B]

Maybe he just dressed up for this portrait. And that's not.

[A]

That's definitely possible. But I also feel like he was probably a little bit more profesh than you and I, so maybe he was, you know, dressing for the occasion, like

[B]

the equivalent of like. Like a businessman in New York. You know, they have the trench coat

[A]

and the suit, but you and I are not.

[B]

We are not.

[A]

No times people have actually criticized you in the comments. They think you only have one T shirt. They think I don't pay you enough. Do you have the same T shirt over and over again?

[B]

Maybe not on purpose, but it could be a case of I just happen to have been wearing the same shirt for every T shirts.

[A]

Do you have. What kind of rotation are we talking?

[B]

I think I have maybe like five or six that I. That I like. And then I have several more that are like workout shirts.

[A]

But you only have five or six shirts.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What size shirt are you?

[B]

Medium to a large? It depends on the brand.

[A]

What do you weigh?

[B]

185. I do. I'm very compact. You have asked that before and you don't believe me. I'm not sure why you don't believe me.

[A]

Because you feel like the weight of a teenage boy when we're rolling. Maybe it's because you don't know how to apply your weight appropriately, but. Okay, let's. Let's get you some shirts. Are there any brands here's.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That you like that? I mean, like, let me help you. Help you.

[B]

Here's the deal with a lot of shirts. For some reason, they make the torso way too long, and it goes down to, like, over my butt, and I'm

[A]

like, where do you want it to end?

[B]

Like, right at my waist or maybe just a tiny bit longer. But these brands, I don't know what the hell their problem is. They're making shirts with super long torsos. It's ridiculous. I also just haven't been shirt shopping in a while.

[A]

I think it's really more that than anything if we're really going to get to the root cause.

[B]

So I recently got this shirt, and it actually, like, only goes down to, like, my waist, and I'm like, perfect.

[A]

Where'd you get it?

[B]

Some Storm Missoula. I forgot what the name of it is.

[A]

You went To Missoula in Montana to get a shirt that says Mexico.

[B]

Well, I didn't go specifically to get the shirt.

[A]

I was just happy whether you went specifically or not. That is the shirt you are wearing right now. So the intents behind it doesn't really change.

[B]

I guess not. I just like the shirt.

[A]

Okay. I'll give you a small raise for you to.

[B]

That's not.

[A]

Let's just double. Let's go to 10.

[B]

That's not the issue. That's not even the issue is like is the. I just am too lazy to go and try on shirts because it's just such a hassle.

[A]

Buy them online like the rest of.

[B]

Then how do I know that they fit? What if the torso is too long?

[A]

You buy one shirt. If you find a brand that you like, you buy a singular shirt.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

If it fits the way that you want, then you are free to buy more. If it doesn't, I. I don't even know what to tell you. Our country is doomed.

[B]

Yep, it's all because of me.

[A]

How long have we been going?

[B]

106.

[A]

Let's close with this. Now that we know what Michael prefers fashion wise from T shirts, they're gonna

[B]

be sending me crop tops now.

[A]

That's okay. I'm saying if you are aware of a brand for an allegedly 185 pound man that's five six then five six. I don't know. How tall are you?

[B]

About five nine.

[A]

It's the same number one's vertical. You could flip it. Yeah, five, nine,

[B]

five, ten in the morning.

[A]

Put it in your comments in the comments please. As to brands you would recommend that aren't gonna be an extremely long torso.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And maybe Michael and I will do some shopping. And by that I mean I will buy some stuff for Michael because the laziness aspect is the key in the sentence that he described.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So do you have anything else for today, Michael? What's your favorite color? So people can. We can shop appropriately.

[B]

I'm more of like a kind of a darker green or like a lighter blue.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Let's leave it there before this gets off the rails.

[B]

Perfect.

[A]

All right.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.