Bladder Control and Geopolitics | Negligent Discharge Friday | 4.24.2026

Summary

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Cleared Hot - Powered By BRCC

Episode: "Bladder Control and Geopolitics | Negligent Discharge Friday"

Air Date: April 24, 2026
Host: Andy Stumpf
Guests: Michael, Vaughn

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Episode Overview

This Negligent Discharge Friday episode of Cleared Hot brings a classic blend of irreverent humor and sharp, unfiltered discourse on topics ranging from prostate health and aging to pressing geopolitical issues and domestic corruption. Andy Stumpf, Michael, and Vaughn riff on everything from bathroom mishaps and generational divides to Iran's geopolitical chess game, California’s fiscal absurdities, voter ID controversies, the Moon landing, and the shifting landscape of American leadership. The conversation is candid, funny, and at times deeply reflective, moving seamlessly between personal anecdotes and current events with a characteristic “no BS” tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Memorable Moments

1. Aging, Bladder Mishaps, and Humor

[00:10 - 07:06]

• The show kicks off with banter about the “Negligent Discharge Friday” theme. Vaughn’s bladder troubles become comedy fodder, with honest (and hilarious) stories about incontinence and getting older.
• Vaughn’s recollection of a recent coffee shop accident prompts Andy to threaten a future in a nursing home:

  “I will put you in a home at the end of this episode if you keep this up.” (02:38, Andy)

• The crew riffs on generational realities:

  “I don’t trust a fart anymore.” (00:46, Vaughn)

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2. How Do Topics Get Picked?

[06:12 - 07:06]

• Michael explains his curation process for show questions—usually a mix of news headlines, Instagram DMs, and write-ins from listeners.

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3. Iran, Geopolitics, and American Foreign Policy

[07:06 - 20:02]

• The team dives into the ongoing Iran crisis, evaluating the rationale and consequences of U.S. involvement:
  • Andy questions the absence of a clear strategy:

    “...nobody...I hope that they exist. I’ve yet to see a clean sheet of ‘this is what we’re trying to accomplish...and then an exit strategy.’” (09:04, Andy)

  • Vaughn expresses unease with U.S. rhetoric:

    “Even though it’s not bombs or bullets, the message it’s putting out to the rest of the world, I’m not so sure that’s the message we want to be putting out there.” (11:09, Vaughn)

• Discussion of strategic risks, nuclear threats, and the reliability of negotiated agreements.
• Comparison to historical U.S.-Iran events, such as the Iranian hostage crisis and policy influences on current events.
  • Andy calls out policy inconsistencies:

    “Six months ago we were told we decimated their nuclear program. Now we’re being told...this is to stop their nuclear program. So I would like to know if you were not telling me the truth then or you’re not telling me the truth now.” (18:15, Andy)

• The generational shift in political culture—contrasts made between today’s hyperbolic rhetoric and past presidential conduct.

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4. California Corruption & Infrastructure

[20:03 - 30:33]

• The conversation moves to California’s misuse of public funds, referencing homelessness funding in LA, the Palisades fire, and especially the disastrous high-speed rail project.
  • Andy summarizes:

    “As of early 2026, California has spent...14 to 15 billion...with no high-speed tracks laid. For what?” (24:48, Andy)

  • Laughs at the contrast between Japan’s speedy, cost-effective bullet train and California’s expensive boondoggle.
• Vaughn dryly notes:

  “They’re only building sections of it. And it’s only going to nowhere. No section of nowhere. They literally stopped in the middle of farmland.” (24:40, Vaughn)

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5. Social Media, Conspiracies & The Moon Landing

[31:02 - 34:03]

• Michael brings up the viral video of Buzz Aldrin punching a moon landing denier:

  “Why don’t you swear on the Bible you walked on the moon?...You’re a coward and a liar and a—[punch].” (32:07, Buzz Aldrin video)

• Vaughn and Andy remark on the power and pitfalls of social media amplifying fringe beliefs.
• Discussion on belief, identity, and the psychological comfort in conspiracy.

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6. The Space Program and Reflections on Leadership

[34:03 - 39:49]

• The hosts ponder the purpose of ongoing space exploration. Is it scientific curiosity, survival, or existential progress?
• Vaughn recalls witnessing the first Moon landing:

  “Just everybody’s kind of standing there with their mouth hanging open...We were all so proud and amazed...it was such a leap...” (35:20, Vaughn)

• Reflections on the unique leadership of JFK and the vanishing quality of statesmanship in modern politics:

  “I don’t know if we’ll ever see a leader like Kennedy again...His vision, his way of articulating words...” (36:45, Vaughn)

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7. The Rise of AI and Biological Computers

[39:49 - 45:14]

• The group discusses AI’s trajectory, clarifying that current systems lack true consciousness but excel at complex pattern recognition.
• Michael introduces “biocomputers” combining silicon and lab-grown human brain cells—highlighting a brain-on-a-chip playing DOOM:

  “They made a human brain and its only existence that it knows is DOOM, the video game.” (43:29, Michael)

• Vaughn’s unsettled by the implications:

  “That’s beyond me. Let’s go onto something else. Shit.” (43:35, Vaughn)

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8. Politics, Voting, and Systemic Problems

[46:14 - 65:09]

• The hosts react to international news of a convicted terrorist running for office in the U.K., drawing parallels and questions about election standards.
• Civil War monuments and the complex balance between remembering and celebrating history:

  “Sometimes I think you need to have an example of a mistake or the darker aspects of who we have been as a country. I think you need to have that thrown in your face.” (50:18, Andy)

• Lively debate over voter fraud, requirements for ID, voter access, and shortfalls in the electoral process.

  “If you look at the amount of fraud there's been, it's almost zero.” (62:07, Vaughn)

• Discussion on severe cuts to cancer research funding and the adverse impact on progress.

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9. Closing Thoughts: Camping, Aging, and Life’s Mishaps

[65:45 - End]

• Vaughn shares travel and camping plans, a lost-and-found ID story, and the everyday realities—and indignities—of aging.
• The group jokes about generational differences and the normalization of “dumb” age-appropriate behavior:

  “It’s not dumb. It’s age-appropriate.” (69:13, Vaughn)

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Notable Quotes

• Andy:

  “Are you kind of like a negligent discharge as a person?” (00:35)

• Vaughn:

  “No, that was just runoff. That's anymore. If I even think about pissing, it starts running.” (02:52)

• Andy:

  “Fraud and greed in our government—across the board. How do we stop that?” (20:53)

• Michael:

  “Biological computers or biocomputers...merges living, lab-grown human brain cells, neurons and organoids with silicon chips...” (42:14)

• Andy:

  “I actually think that Trump is a natural extension of our system growing and it being self-correcting to a degree...” (53:09)

• Vaughn:

  “It’s not dumb. It’s age-appropriate.” (69:13)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bladder mishaps & comic banter: 00:10 – 07:06
• Iran/Geopolitics discussion: 07:06 – 20:02
• California corruption & infrastructure: 20:03 – 30:33
• Buzz Aldrin & conspiracy crowd: 31:02 – 34:03
• Space program & leadership: 34:03 – 39:49
• AI, bio-computers & future shock: 39:49 – 45:14
• Political process & voter fraud: 46:14 – 65:09
• Aging, camping, closing humor: 65:45 – End

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Tone & Style

The tone is off-the-cuff, irreverent, honest, and packed with intergenerational humor. Andy steers discussions by combining deep skepticism, curiosity, and willingness to challenge guests—while Michael provides real-time research, and Vaughn supplies comic relief and lived perspective.

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Summary

This episode is classic Cleared Hot: a meandering but sharp-witted session featuring confessions of bladder struggles, a scathing view of political and infrastructure mismanagement, and earnest reflection on the challenges of aging, leadership, and the future. Listeners will walk away laughing, thinking twice about their elected officials, and (maybe) double-checking for their wallet on the way to the bathroom.

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Transcript

[A]

Okay, I got the red smoke.

[B]

Sun runs north or south. West of the smoke.

[A]

West of the smoke. Okay, copy.

[B]

West of the smoke.

[A]

I'm looking at danger close now. Come on with it, baby.

[B]

Give it to me.

[A]

I need it. You're cleared hot campaign. Cleared hot. Michael, what do we call today's episode?

[C]

What do we usually call with just me and you?

[A]

Negligent discharge. Friday.

[C]

Well, we have Vaughn in here now. I don't know what to call it.

[A]

I don't either. Do you have any suggestions?

[B]

You.

[A]

You're. You're kind of like a negligent discharge as a person.

[B]

Talk about discharge. Now, these meds, pure fluid. Oh, don't.

[A]

I don't think anybody was asking about.

[B]

Oh, that. Well, I just. You know me. I. I don't. I don't trust a fart anymore.

[A]

Let's talk into the mic, not around it.

[B]

Okay. Yeah.

[A]

For the love of God.

[B]

Sorry.

[A]

Oh, Michael, could you script it to be any more up?

[B]

You don't have to. You just present. This is it right here. Here's your opening.

[A]

As I said, we just did it. You are often a negligent discharge.

[B]

Oh, God. Actually, I'm working on that.

[A]

For people watching and listening, the. The volume with which you just heard that phone ring and is dwarfed only by the volume that he talks into the phone on speaker in public. You still have it? Not on vibrate. Just so you know, I just heard that notification come through. Do you know how to put it on vibrate?

[B]

No. Well, most of the time it's not in my pocket.

[A]

What does that have to do.

[B]

Well, how. If I know what's vibrating,

[A]

Michael.

[C]

Also, the listeners won't be able to appreciate how loud it is because it'll get cut off by the limiter on this.

[A]

It was really loud for that section.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Since we're talking about negligent discharges, would you care to tell the story about how you urinated in your own pants in the coffee shop?

[B]

Where did I do that?

[A]

What?

[B]

When did I do that?

[A]

When Casey and Jason were in town. And the urinal was taped off and you didn't see it. So instead of pinching it off, you walked to the toilet. I have security camera footage of you. Yeah, with your entire leg pistol. You don't remember doing this?

[B]

I kind of do.

[A]

I will put you in a home at the end of this episode if you keep this up. Casey, when you're listening to this research, Shady Acres. We have got to get a hold of this. If you can't remember that you pissed in your own pants.

[B]

No, that was just runoff. That's anymore. If I even think about pissing, it starts running. I mean, it's amazing. Getting old is just. I mean, in the last year, just the mention of water running in. Jesus Christ. It's horrible.

[A]

Remember you got in your car, Casey, and I thought you had had a stroke because you were frantically, like, walking out of the coffee shop and we're like, what is going on? Do we need to take you to the hospital? You're like, no, I just pissed myself. Because you didn't see the sign that said the urinal was closed off.

[B]

Yeah, well, that's. Yeah, I just was ready and it was full load and I didn't have nowhere to go. I can remember my dad. I can remember my dad having these same things. We'd be driving somewhere and we'd be sitting there. He says, jesus, I just pissed myself.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yeah. My Clarence.

[A]

At what age?

[B]

Oh, he was in his late 60s.

[A]

I mean, he didn't feel it building.

[B]

Shit, you know? What can I tell you? Yeah, actually, you don't. It's all of a sudden you just got a piss. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You should probably get that checked out.

[B]

No, it's not. It's normal. I've talked to my doctor about it.

[A]

Pissing your pants is normal for my age. Today's episode is brought to you by Firecracker Farm. You want to talk about things that integrate into my life? This product right here might be one of the easier ad reads that I do. I am putting this hot salt on just about everything. And I'm being the first to tell you, I don't understand the chemical reaction and how it's able to pull the flavors out of everything I'm putting it on. From eggs in the morning to avocado toast to steak to just about everything. I'm not a psychopath. I don't put it on fruit. I haven't tried that yet. I don't understand how it does it, how it pulls the flavors out, how it makes everything that I eat taste better, but it does. My recommendation to you is to head over to Firecracker Farm to check out what they have to offer. Because they have legitimately very spicy hot salts, but they also have new stuff like the vanilla heat flavor, which I'm pretty sure Alex's daughter had the idea for. They sent me some. It has been my absolute go to. And then everything in between, it's gonna come in these stainless steel push button grinders. All you gotta do, drive the plunger down with your Thumb. And you can control how much. I don't have a crazy heat tolerance, so I'll generally use one or two pumps. But you can go as insane as you may like. So you can get them on firecracker.com or we actually sell these in the coffee shop here locally in Kalispell. Or if you live somewhere that has a black rifle coffee, you can get them in store as well. Alex and his family are creating these products together at their small family farm. So this is your opportunity to really level up your seasoning game, but also support the American dream for a family that is all in on this and they're doing it together. So it's an amazing opportunity. The best way to do so probably for most people, head over to Firecracker Farm, check out what they have to offer. I would. I would suggest the vanilla heat. You won't regret it. Back to the show. I don't think that's why I wear

[B]

a lot of dark pants.

[A]

Well, this one had a. This one certainly had a dark leg. Michael, what do you think? Insert image overlay. I can do it in post.

[C]

Yeah. If I don't have it on hand,

[A]

but I have it on my phone, so I don't even know where we go with an opening like that. Literally, I could not have scripted that phone ringing.

[C]

That was so funny. That was good, Vaughn. Yeah, that was good.

[A]

So on these episodes, Michael.

[B]

Oh, I've been on one of these.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. So I don't really know what we're going to talk about, but we'll do about an hour. Ish. Which for us, the three of us, we might get through a question. But Michael, what is actually. How do you search for these, by the way? What's. What's your process?

[C]

It kind of depends. Sometimes I'll just see something in the news or on Instagram and that would make a good topic. Okay. Sometimes you or people will write in or just message me on Instagram.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Give me some. Actually, there's been a few good ones from that. Actually, the hacky sack one was a ride in. Remember that guy?

[A]

I do, Yep.

[C]

So, yeah, it's a hodgepodge of different mediums.

[A]

Excellent. Fire away, sir.

[C]

Okay, well, let's just. We've been doing this the past couple shows of the kind of Iran situation.

[A]

The what situation?

[C]

Iran.

[A]

Okay. Just want to make sure you weren't pulling a Brian Cowan Iran, you know.

[C]

So the latest.

[A]

Iran says it seized ships in the Strait of Hormuz and US blockade continues amid cease fire.

[B]

Are you.

[A]

Don't break that thing. All right, you are the person with the. That struggles with this the most. I don't understand. You see it has a mechanical arm in front of you, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Look, watch, watch. Okay, now, we're not gonna be able

[B]

to hear you, so this is what we're reading here.

[A]

Also, when you talk, you got to talk into the microphone.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So go like this. Like, pull it a little bit so you can, like, talk across to the 45. We're learning new things today.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. Michael, what is your question here?

[C]

I mean, just general thoughts. Just because we have been kind of.

[A]

What's your thoughts? Updates on this, on Iran. Iran. However, phonetically you're supposed to say it.

[B]

Oh, gosh. You know, I think anytime you go to a place like this, the odds of breaking it, rather than fixing it are worse. And what are you going to do when you break it? And we're stuck in a place right now that I don't know if there is a easy way out. Probably easy is the wrong word. But, you know, it seems like if I might be reading this wrong, but I believe Iran has got more of a control of that strait than we do, you know, geographically for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And if they. I just don't know what we're going to do. I don't know if we're going to rest, drop the trade stuff or what have you. But I was. I'm still not really certain why we even went in there. You know, the.

[A]

It would help if they had laid out. Well, they'll say, you know, and these things are true. What I'm about to say, they are true. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism.

[B]

Accurate.

[A]

They have been saying things like, death to America for 47 years. Accurate. However, comma, for the first 20 years, in the 2000s, we had very large American presence on the. Both the east and western border of Iran, which probably would have been a better time to handle that. It's only now that we're focusing on that. I don't think anybody wants to see a nuclear Iran. So there's that aspect of it as well. But as far as. Yeah, strategic objectives, I think one of the issues is that people are not nobody. I hope that they exist. I've yet to see a clean sheet of. This is what we're trying to accomplish. These are the tools that we're using to measure metrics of success and then an exit strategy. Because I agree the US Military is good at breaking things. It's by design, not designed to. Not to use the same word twice. In a row. It is not by design supposed to be a building organization. It struggles in that. And Iraq and Afghanistan are proof of that as well.

[B]

Well, it's. I mean, it's a culture that, again, we're not familiar with. I mean, we're familiar with it, but they approach death and religion and everything in a much more radical way than I. We do. And I don't mean radical in a bad sense.

[A]

Some of them. There are different. There are different versions and sections of Islam.

[B]

Yeah, but you know, it's like if we. I just don't see Vice President Vance as a very good negotiator.

[A]

He's a bit in the room.

[B]

No, I just. First impressions. Just the way I've listened to him talk.

[A]

But hold on, so you're basing that off of the result? Because we're not actually hearing him negotiate. He's just coming out of the. So that's what I'm saying. We don't know if he's a good negotiator because he only has control over his side of the table.

[B]

I understand. I just have the feeling that, to be honest with you, I've not paid an awful lot of attention to it, but at the same time have paid a lot of attention to it because

[A]

I don't think he can use a sentence like that.

[B]

Well, it's, It's. I don't know. It's just frightening. It really scares me. It's just.

[A]

That is very reasonable.

[B]

Yeah. You know, when we use the. The rhetoric we use is frightening. And even though it's not bombs or bullets, the message it's putting out to the rest of the world, I'm not so sure that that's the message we want to be putting out there.

[A]

Yeah, it's interesting. On the negotiation side, I honestly, I wonder. So let's say they come to an agreement, right? They're going to come to an agreement of some.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

How long are they going to live up to it? It's like, what are we, two weeks? What do we do?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[A]

I mean, there's. They are supposedly under a nuclear non proliferation treaty, I believe, but everybody says they're enriching uranium beyond a level that you would use for a civilian capacity. So it's like, okay, it doesn't really matter what's on the written contract if you're not going to. So then we're just kind of like wasting each other's time, you know what I mean? So I don't know how this is going to end up.

[B]

Well, that's the way the whole thing has been ran. It's, I mean, you read, you read, you listen, you know, and we go in there with Israel and how much of an influence they had on our decision making, I don't know. But you know, it's just we got to be careful with who we partner up with and those kind of things worry me. We're just in a really, oh gosh, instable place in many places, our own country there, you know, other places you look at what was it the dictator that was just voted out that was in Hungary. Hungary. You know, he's been here a long time. Oban or some o' Bannon or something.

[A]

That's an interesting one too. He was very closely tied to the current administration, I would say. He had policies that were, and I'm not an expert on his politics by any stretch. I've read a few articles about this. They would describe, the articles that I read would have described his policies as being in line, not necessarily identical, but in line with our current administration. And from all intents and purposes it seems as if the Hungarian people have got to a place where they said enough is enough. In fact, this is too much. Wasn't he voted out, Michael, by the largest margin in their history of their democracy?

[C]

Yeah. Let me look. I believe so, though.

[B]

Yeah. It was huge. It's.

[A]

I, I mean, I think if you pay attention enough and look around again, not that that is a double blind study of what is happening in the US but I think there are similar parallels and I think oftentimes you can find some of the answers to the tests. These, you know, some policies executed to that level of extreme are going to end up influencing. And it's not the people who are ideologically like Team Blue Jersey, they're never going to be changed. Team Red Jersey is never going to be changed. I think it's the Mal people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I don't mean malleable negatively, but they will move based off of how they feel are going to be pushed in one way or the other.

[C]

55 to 36 or something.

[A]

That's generally not probably pretty good.

[B]

Well, you know, one of my biggest fears and still is, is that Iran would blob a missile into an aircraft carrier or a cruiser or something.

[A]

I don't know if they have the capacity.

[B]

I don't either. You know, that just, it came to my thought without any qualification. I'm going, jesus, what would be the ramifications of that?

[A]

You mean you're talking about a nuclear response?

[B]

No. Well, I don't know, I don't think

[A]

there would be a nuclear.

[B]

I don't think so either. But those.

[A]

So just so you know, those platforms and I am well dated at this point but even when I was in have very robust self defense equipment.

[B]

They've got like Gatling guns or big

[A]

monsters that are CWiZ systems I believe radar guided, sometimes optically. Optically guided. It would be difficult and again I was never in the fleet military but I'm pretty sure they also layer the way that vessels are out there so it wouldn't be like a direct shot

[B]

covering fields of fire everywhere.

[A]

Yeah. So I think the. I mean it's plausible that they would, if they even had that type of weaponry left that they could do that. I would find it to be very unlikely that it would actually hit one of those vessels.

[B]

I guess to summarize how I feel and it's just me personally, it's not how I wanted us to show ourselves to the world. You know, it's collectively it just. I've been very. What do you mean by that? Well, you know, talking about destroying a civilization.

[A]

So that's one person.

[B]

I understand that's a big person. That is our, the leader of our country.

[A]

I understand that. But I also think, and this is a total hypothesis, I have no data to support this. The crazier the things that that individual says.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I think the more that the rest of the world is realizing that the vast majority of people in America do not talk like that and they don't believe that.

[B]

I completely agree with you. I don't disagree. I guess it doesn't make us look

[A]

spectacular but I think that, I think that people are smart enough to realize that maybe that type of communication is the anomalous aspect.

[B]

Well, you know I'm old enough that I've watched Iran back in the Carter administration before that when we had the Shaw of Iran in there and then.

[A]

Which we had no hand in whatsoever. Yeah, we haven't around and found out at all.

[B]

And then the Alatolas came in and you know they kept I don't know, 300 of our correspondents and embassy workers and what have you for it was, it was a significant number.

[A]

The Iranian hostage situation. I mean there was a fantastic Ben Affleck movie about.

[B]

I saw it, I saw it. Yeah.

[A]

That was about a smaller group of people. Was it a Canadian, Canadian consulate house, yeah. I don't know if it's 300 people.

[C]

How many people were.

[A]

How many Americans were held hostage by Iran?

[C]

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[A]

But that's weird.

[C]

Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try.

[A]

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[C]

See full [e-mail] 52 for 400.

[B]

Wow. I thought it was. Well, my bad.

[A]

That's okay.

[B]

But I remember being able to look shit up. I know. Yeah. Yeah. But it's. I've, you know, it's been a part of me growing up watching this stuff. Yeah.

[A]

If the choice was between a nuclear Iran or the United States taking action, which side of that do you fall in?

[B]

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't was six weeks or six months before. Didn't we just say we?

[A]

I'm not. Well, I'm just saying. Yes. And so I have an issue with that.

[B]

You can't have a nuclear.

[A]

I agree. So actually, so I agree that there is a time and place for action. I do not want to see a nuclear Iran. And then what you were just saying is something that I bring up often too. Six months ago we were told we decimated their nuclear program. Now we're being told that what's happening is to stop their nuclear program. So I would like to know if you were not telling me the truth then or you're not telling me the truth now.

[B]

Just don't know.

[A]

That would be the answer I would actually prefer.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Because. Because I believe that would be the most honest answer. I don't know if that word in politics are synonymous. I mean, in your generation, did you ever hear a president swear on the news.

[B]

Oh, God, no.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

You know, I'm trying to think.

[A]

He called a woman. I believe. I believe this could be AI. I think he called a woman a cunt. One time at a press interview, I

[B]

saw him do that. Yeah. Grabbing. You know, I mean, this guy's not the same thing. Yeah, well. Yeah, well.

[A]

And that was before he was president that he said.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is not to excuse that.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

But yeah, that was that. That came up when he was running

[B]

for the first time, you know, getting into it with the Pope. And I mean, it's. There are some things you just learn to avoid. You know, it's just where we are right now. It's just the temperature of the water.

[A]

Yeah. I think we're going to be okay.

[B]

I do too. I agree completely with you.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not saying that one of the tires might not get like towards the, the little turtle heads where you're like up as you're driving, but I think we're going to be okay.

[B]

Well, I mean, do I feel the Democrats are any better? Shit. No, they're, they're, these are bird, these

[A]

are, these are wings of the same bird.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you hearing. I was listening to something today. You and I, I mean we were. I was born and raised in San Cruise. I was born in the same. I was born in the same named hospital as you. But not the same hospital.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Didn't they move Dominican?

[B]

Oh, yeah. I was, I was born in the one that was across the street from San Francisco.

[A]

Same name but different building.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Same place. Some of the information coming out about California and the fraud associated with that hospital. No, no, no, not from. What the fuck are you talking about? Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz that has like six people in it. No, I'm talking about the 400 plus million dollars that is like allocated towards homeless in just Los Angeles and the fraud associated with that and what they're paying for buildings. All of the money that was raised for the Palisades fire, which almost none of that money has gone to anything other than nos.

[B]

Which of that. Myself. Yeah.

[A]

Holy cow.

[B]

Well, that's what's where we are. The fraud and the greed in our government across the board.

[A]

How do we stop that?

[B]

I don't know if I'll ever see it in my lifetime. It's going to take a long.

[A]

We'll see it in the next three years.

[B]

Nah, maybe because I don't think the Democrats get the joke.

[A]

Did you?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

That was your life.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I know. Stop it or I'll piss my pants right here.

[A]

First off, do you want to tell any stories since you're talking about kissing your pants, being seated at a blackjack table and not wanting to get up so you just piss on the floor.

[B]

I was winning. I couldn't get out. But I don't think the Democrats are going to win. I think the Republicans are going to lose it. You know, I guess the same result.

[A]

But I understand what you're saying.

[B]

But you know what's interesting is what's going on in California with the governor's race because it's a open primary. Well, he's not. Yeah, he's termed out and. Yeah. So they've got two Republicans, very conservative Republicans are running and a shit pot full of Democrats and they're only going to keep two. Yeah. So if the Republicans come up and put more votes in, the only candidates they'll have to vote.

[A]

Oh, they can make it Republican or Republican.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. That's really interesting what's happening there.

[A]

Well, the problem though is that the voting populace in California, the density is basically California. Basically votes. San Francisco and Oakland combined.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Los Angeles county in San Diego County.

[B]

Yeah, those.

[A]

I mean that's the densest.

[B]

That's the hubs. Well.

[A]

And it's very, very deeply blue.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But if you go inland 15 miles, it starts getting incredibly red. But I don't know if that red would be enough to make it to Republican candidates.

[B]

I don't know, it's just, well, you know, how about term limits and get rid of Citizens United? You know, just get everybody gets the same budget for an election. You know, I don't know if the

[A]

system is actually self correct. I don't think the system can be corrected from the top anymore. I don't think term limits are going to fix it. I don't think that any regular, I don't, first off, I don't think these people will put policies into place that are against their own self interest. Self interest. I actually think that this is going to be a generational fix and it has to come from the bottom up. I do not think that a top down approach is going to work.

[B]

Yeah, you know, it's. Well, if you just look at our government as a business, well, it fails every metric, every metric that they're, I mean, what's it costing us a day in Iran? $2 billion.

[A]

I bet it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's, I bet 1.2 billion a day. That's, I'm a guess, Michael might save $10 million. I don't know.

[C]

850. 850 to over 1 billion per day.

[A]

Okay, so let's call it down the middle. 900 million.

[B]

Yeah, right over. Yeah, well, I'm with you. I think that we, we will, we have weathered horrible storms before. You know, the resilience.

[A]

We'll get through it.

[B]

We'll get through it. I, I, I agree with you. Yeah.

[A]

I don't know what it's going to look like, but we'll get through it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Michael, we just completely did not talk about Iran. What other topics do you have that we cannot talk about?

[C]

Well, actually I didn't initially have this planned, but when Vaughn brought up the mass amounts of corruption In California.

[A]

I brought that up.

[C]

Or yeah, you.

[A]

He thought we. We were talking about the hospital that I was born in.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That is for clarity a two story building.

[C]

Yeah. Well, here's another insane source of corruption which is their high speed rail.

[A]

Oh yeah. Isn't it costing like a billion dollars a foot or something like that?

[C]

More than that, yes.

[B]

And they're only building sections of it. And it's only going to nowhere. No section of nowhere. They literally stopped in the middle of farmland.

[A]

Check this out. As of early 2026, California has spent approximately four years, 14 to 15 billion. For the people listening, that is 1,500 million dollars. That's 1500 million on the high speed rail project with no high speed tracks laid. For what?

[B]

Holy. Well, you can drive up Central California on 5 or 99 and there's these sections of elevated. Where it's going to sit.

[A]

Oh, it's just concrete stanchions.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

And they're not even. They have.

[B]

No.

[A]

This is amazing. Hold on. Construction is focused on 171 mile Central Valley segment, which is what you're talking. So the five does go. Five goes all the way to Sacramento, right?

[B]

Yes. Okay.

[A]

Merced to Bakersfield.

[B]

Which is nowhere. Well, I was gonna say literally nowhere.

[A]

Critical trade route which costs. With costs for the full phase one line now projected between 100 to 135 billion. So here's a question. Why can't somebody look at that and say no, like again, to look at this like a business. If you were to have to run this as a P. L and it's like we have to spend. This is going to be.

[B]

They wouldn't even get out of the ground.

[A]

115 billion and right now, massive cost overrun. We've been at this. We have nothing laid out. And at the end of this it's going to accomplish nothing. Why are they still doing this?

[B]

You know, I saw a piece on it and to be honest with you, I forget what the conclusion was. It was so full of.

[A]

My guess is that the contracts are already awarded and the money is already allocated.

[B]

There must be something along those lines.

[C]

So in comparison, Japan's entire bullet system.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Train cost $7 costs 60 billion which is spans the whole country. It's completed and it's now generating revenue.

[A]

Did you ride it?

[B]

I did.

[A]

How fast was it?

[C]

Insanely fast.

[A]

Like a speeding bullet.

[C]

It's like 260. Maybe not 260. It's at least 200 miles per hour.

[A]

Did you get like a cool seat?

[C]

They're all kind of the same seats?

[A]

Not the one in the very back or the very front.

[C]

I mean, I didn't get to go to the conductor's chair.

[A]

Did you ask?

[C]

No, actually, they may have left me.

[A]

You miss every single missed opportunity.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

They've got a rail train in France too, that's fun to ride.

[C]

Well, I mean, that's the same thing. In most of the eu they have these.

[A]

See, to me that makes sense. I mean, again, I don't know how. 60 billion. I don't even understand numbers that are that.

[C]

Right.

[A]

But the fact that it is built, it connects the country. How many miles is it? Can you look that up?

[C]

Which one?

[A]

The Jap. The Japanese one. I'm just trying to get an idea. So this one is 171 miles in California. I'm just trying to get an idea for perspective. But yeah, it's cash flowing like. Okay, this. What?

[B]

It makes no sense. No, I. I hear you. And.

[A]

And Also why those two spots?

[C]

Why 1800 miles of bullet train rail.

[A]

1800 miles?

[C]

Yes. For 60 billion.

[B]

They can. What's it called? Eminent domain. They can go in because it's just farmland and they. All these other things are going.

[A]

The farmland is actually producing something. This look right now looks like concrete.

[B]

I understand. I mean, you wouldn't believe how well that's over. They're putting that over one of our largest natural oil reserves out there in that basin. Bakersfield. And all that area is huge oil reserve underground.

[A]

I just don't understand. I mean. Oh, is this what you're talking about? Those.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Even if they finished it.

[B]

Look at that. Yeah, the steel's rotted. I don't even know how.

[A]

How long have they been. That'll buff out. How long are they. How long have they been working at it, Michael?

[B]

Well, it's been years, isn't it?

[A]

How long have they been working at it? And what was the original estimated completion date?

[B]

Okay,

[A]

give the Michael's finger as a workout today.

[B]

Yeah, they'll go in there with a sandblaster and just clean all that.

[A]

I don't know what they'll probably do is just wrap that in concrete and call it good.

[B]

Yeah, well, it's already disease. It's the problem.

[C]

Nearly 30 years.

[A]

30 years was the estimate.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

No, that's how long they've been working on it.

[A]

What?

[B]

30 years.

[C]

The California has been in active development. So maybe that's not building. Okay, I'm sure that's planning and architectural formal planning, 1996. Active funding and detailed design, 2008. Okay, work accelerated after villagers approved heavy construction. 2015.

[A]

Okay, so 10 years.

[C]

10 years going on 11. Still a long ass time for nothing to have happened.

[A]

And besides some columns, even if it

[C]

finished as of April, roughly 119 miles of the system are under active construction in the Central Valley.

[B]

Yeah, it's.

[A]

You're telling me that we don't have something. I mean, you and I have driven in California. The roads could use some upkeep. The infrastructure could use some upkeep.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How about we lateral a few billion dollars of that and expedite the building process for not only the Palisades area, but we put that into, I don't know, things where you can clear brush in the other neighborhoods in Los Angeles that are just waiting for the Palisades to repeat themselves again.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

If people think that the Palisades is the only place that has that level of like, fuel source, they're out of their minds.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

They're not doing any fire prevention by getting any of that deadfall out of there. All of those fuel sources. I mean. I mean, in the Santa Ana, people, you know, reported. Oh, it was a unique event. No, it's not. It happens.

[B]

It happened in San Diego years ago when Jason first was.

[A]

It happens every year. It's not always as bad as it was that particular year. But the Santa Anas, there's a reason why a. Everybody knows what that is, who lives there, there. And they're called that because that's the direction they're coming from. East to west. Feels like a hair dryer. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

What else you got, Mike?

[C]

All right. I don't know if you guys have seen the video of Buzz Aldrin getting confronted because. Oh, it's a, you know.

[A]

Please tell me it's a flat Earther.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[C]

Well, moon denier. At the very least, possibly flat earther.

[A]

Denies that there is a moon or denies we went.

[C]

Denies that we met to the moon. He thinks Buzz Aldrin is basically an actor, just some random conspiracy guy.

[B]

Oh, gosh.

[C]

But he confronts Buzz Aldrin.

[A]

All right.

[C]

The results are quite fun to watch.

[B]

Yeah. Why don't you swear in the Bible that he walked on the moon? Police is that we pay.

[A]

Why don't you swear in the Bible

[B]

that you walked on the moon? It doesn't. Sir, I don't. I have nothing to do with this. I see that solicit.

[A]

I was.

[B]

You're the one who said you walked on the moon when you didn't. Calling a kettle black. If I ever thought I would say get it away from me. You're a coward and a liar and a. Yes, you're a coward and a liar and a. Oh, nice shot.

[A]

So many pre violence indicators. You see his hand falling up like he slowly dropped his stance back. Okay. As much as I can joke about that and be like, you know, I love that that guy did that. I mean, at the same time, he's gonna have to work his way out of that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Legal wise, but what an asshole.

[C]

Still awesome. I mean, what a great video.

[B]

So would we call this an example of social media? What this here, this kind of stuff. I mean, I don't know anything about it. I don't watch this kind of stuff.

[C]

This is a video somebody took.

[A]

Yeah. Social media is generally. Would be considered your platforms like Instagram.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Tick tock, Twitter, things of that nature.

[B]

This may have been just how many. It appears unsettled people that are out there. It seems like it's growing.

[A]

What do you mean unsettled?

[B]

Just, you know, people like this. I mean, he's not. Yeah, he's, you know, he's not a homeless person or anything, but he's got these attitudes that are so far out there, I think. And it's not new. That stuff's been.

[A]

It's not new. I think that people, if they can grasp onto a belief, it helps them whether the belief is grounded in reality or not. I think it helps them navigate through their life.

[B]

Something they can hold on to.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, imagine if you couldn't find anything to believe.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I would never. It's first off, okay, put your hand on the Bible and swear that you walked on the moon. If Buzz Aldrin had been lying about walking on the moon for what, 50 years now?

[C]

A long ass.

[A]

Do you really. And he's lying to everybody. Do you really think that he's going to all of a sudden change his tune because he puts his hand on the Bible? It's like, come on. No, I don't know what, what people's deal, people. I mean, again, I'm not here to tell anybody how to party, but.

[B]

So is there any end to our space program?

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

Well, you look at the billions upon billions of dollars we spend for it, which is amazing. Yeah. But what's the end? What are we looking for?

[C]

Well, we just did a flyby of the moon.

[A]

I think it depends on who you ask. If you talk to somebody like Elon Musk, he basically says that at some point in time, colonizer, not well colonized, I guess. Yes, To a degree. But. And I'm paraphrasing things that I've heard that the. For the survival of the human species, we have to leave our planet at some point.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think that there are people who believe that. I think there are people who are purely based, from a scientific perspective, trying to understand more about the universe, more about humanity, more about life in general.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And probably everything in between.

[C]

I think it's just the next next step. Next obvious step.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, it was amazing how long that those flights been in between have been delayed. I mean, it had been considerable amount of time.

[A]

Well, we took that. It just shifted from being our focus.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

You know, Vaughn, how old were you when we went to the moon the first time?

[B]

I was 22.

[A]

What was walked on the moon?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where did you watch it live?

[B]

I did. Mark and I were in Precious. Precious. We were in Lake Tahoe's. Had a buddy of his. We were coming back from Reno.

[A]

How did people respond to it?

[B]

Kind of did it. Well, just everybody's kind of standing there with their mouth hanging open and. And we're all college educated. But it was. It was hard to put words to it. I mean, we were all so proud and amazed and just. I mean, just. It was such a leap because, I mean, you look at Kennedy, he started that space program in Texas, and we didn't even have one. And in like, 10 years.

[A]

Earplug or your hearing aid?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Like, in 10 years, we went from not having a program to walking on the moon. Yep. I mean, it was. You know, I mean, it's just. I don't know if we'll ever see a leader like Kennedy again. His vision, his way of articulating words. I forget who asked me that about Kennedy. I actually think it was Carter. Yeah, I think it was. Carter called me one night. He was doing a paper and asked me what I thought about Kennedy. And. Yeah, what an incredible leader. We don't seem to have that talent base anymore. Of course, his dad was a rum runner during the depression and, you know, accumulated a fortune and, I mean,

[A]

he had some good leadership characteristics.

[B]

Well, he had.

[A]

From what I've heard, he was banging everything that was in the other.

[B]

If it had a skirt on. He was up at. Right at the. He was. I mean. Oh, yeah.

[A]

You got to look at the whole picture.

[B]

Well. And people don't realize he was on prescription drugs. He was wired all the time.

[A]

What kind?

[B]

Pain pills for his back. He really hurt his back when he was on that PT boat. Yeah. And that's why he was always in a rocking chair. You don't see him stand a lot,

[A]

but rocking chairs aren't that comfortable.

[B]

Well, that's what he had at the time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And his vision, I mean, him and I'd have loved to hear, love to hear the conversations of him and Johnson because he brought Johnson on board to win the state of Texas. And that's why you come on board and we'll put the space program in Texas. I mean, that's probably a generalization, but it's a lot of truth to it.

[A]

Today's episode is brought to you by AG1. Well, guess what? We're into February. How many of you are still just jamming on your New Year's resolutions? I think the the data shows that most people are done with them by about 21 or even 14 days. I've talked about this man for well over a year. My goal to dial in the macro and micro, but oftentimes the micro elements of my hydration and supplementation game. And this is where AG1 comes in. I use it in the morning to hydrate and it helps me dial in all the micronutrients that I honestly just don't pay attention to. AG1 is the opposite of complexity. It takes about 20 seconds. One scoop boom into the water in the morning. Eight ounces is what I go with. You're done drinking it first thing in the morning before my coffee helps with my hydration, before I even check my phone. And boom. That microhabit helps anchor me throughout the remainder of the day. They've added a new next gen formula with more vitamins and minerals than ever clinically proven to fill the common nutritional gaps. Plus daily energy support powered by superfoods and B vitamins to help you avoid that winter slump and immune system support from antioxidants, probiotics and functional mushrooms to help you stay your best this winter. AG1 has over 50,000 verified 5 star reviews and comes with a 90 day money back guarantee for a limited time only. Go to drink ag1.com cleared hot to get a free ag1 flavor sampler. That's how you can check out their flavors and AGZ Sampler, which is their evening drink to try all the flavors plus free vitamin D3 plus K2 and AG1 welcome kit with your first AG1 subscription order. This is a limited time offer only available while supplies last. That's Drink ag1.com Cleared Hot Drink ag1.com Cleared hot back to the show. I wouldn't say I think we have. I think we have a. An overwhelming amount of great leaders in this country. I think the vast majority of them are nauseated.

[B]

They're not in the participate politics.

[A]

Yeah, how can you blame them? If you look at. It's not even anymore about the person running, they will try to destroy your entire family and everybody that you know who wants to sign up for that.

[B]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's turned into warfare. You know, it's. It's always been a kind of a dirty business, but there were rules, you know, there was respect. Gosh, I don't see hardly any of that anymore. The vitriol in our political system is, you know, a lot of things, not just the political system. Yeah, it's just, it's overwhelming, you know, but I look at like you do young people and I see a lot of potential there. You know, there's a. That's the future. This AI thing scares the shit out of me. I don't know a damn thing about it. But when you create something, correct me if I'm wrong. That is thinking for itself. And I don't know if thinking is the right term.

[A]

I don't think it's at that point yet. My understanding of AI is that it is trained. It is a highly complex, powerful operating system that is trained on the information that you provide it. So it is not thinking. It is collating and assessing and pulling from its available memory and data source and providing you the answer that you're looking for. I don't think. Correct. I mean, Michael, you can look at, but it's not thinking. Correct. It's

[C]

not real. I mean, it depends on what you mean by thinking.

[A]

I mean thinking.

[B]

Thinking.

[C]

No, I'm. Well, in a human way. No.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I mean. It's.

[C]

No, it is.

[A]

It has access to the data set that it is trained on the information. It has access to massive amount of information. Yeah. And I think it can refine itself and advance itself, but I don't think it's actually thinking. It can provide some pretty incredible results for sure.

[C]

Well, AI excels at rapid pattern recognition and data processing. It lacks human consciousness, emotions, and genuine.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

So it's not actually thinking, but I think we're headed in that direction.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Well, have you guys seen the computers they make out of brain cells of mice?

[B]

What I didn't even know they made

[C]

their biological computers is what they call them.

[A]

What are they capable of doing?

[C]

Playing. So let me just pull up the actual definition and I'll kind of explain it a little bit.

[A]

Okay. Biological computers or biocomputers are an emerging technology that merges living lab grown human brain cells, neurons and organoids with silicon chips to process information. Known as wetware, these systems, such as the CL1 by Cortical Labs offer massive efficiency and adapt adaptability compared to traditional AI aiming to revolutionize artificial intelligence, medical research and disease modeling. I'll be honest, I don't get it. It's like I don't understand what you're. So you're just pairing a computer processor with human tissue. I don't understand.

[C]

So what it's doing is essentially using the neurons that are already in brain cells.

[A]

So it's offloading some of like the computation powder to the actual brain cell.

[C]

Yes, but the scary aspect of this is like, obviously those individual brain cells aren't conscious. But if you, for example, with this Doom thing, which they made this human. So 200,000 living human brain cells grow on a silicon chip. It now plays the 1993 original Doom.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Basically they made a human brain and its only existence that it knows is Doom, the video game.

[B]

Oh God, that's beyond me. Let's go on to something else. Shit.

[A]

You need to understand this because when you're in the nursing home, these are the systems that are gonna take care of you, that are gonna deliver your pudding. It's right around the corner. It's closer than you think. And I don't mean the computers, I mean the nursing home for you.

[C]

So the scary part is essentially this thing's whole consciousness and you know, who knows? It's. It likely is not conscious at all. Yeah, but you could imagine a point where you can make an actual brain and it's only conscious.

[A]

Ten years, man is Doom. What are we going to do in 10 years?

[B]

I can't imagine what 10 years is going to look like.

[C]

I can't either.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, just for a lot of things, just.

[A]

But I also think that's true for every generation.

[B]

This is a little out there, you know, I mean, the other generations didn't have the experience that we have now. So it is going to grow and widen.

[A]

I think this generation that existed during the phase that had no flight and then actual flight or electricity and the Internet.

[B]

I used to talk with my grandfather, Grandpa Chip about that because he grew up when they were horse and buggies and then. And he was a master mechanic. And then they, you know, created the combustion engine.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To the point where, you know, we're flying, you know, in jets. Commercial. Jets. He.

[A]

I mean, I feel like they would Describe that era or those leaps and advancements in largely the same way we would.

[B]

But I don't know if they had the same consequences that we have today with what's going on. And again, I think there's a correlation there always to some extent. You know, it's.

[A]

I bet at that time with the new technology, they couldn't even fathom what the consequences could be. And that's probably the phase we're in right now.

[B]

Yeah, that's pretty accurate.

[A]

We'll get a handle on it. Or it'll be the end of the human race. I mean, it'll be fine.

[B]

Yeah, we'll be fine.

[A]

We could possibly go wrong, in which

[C]

case it won't matter to any of us, I guess.

[A]

What else you got, Michael?

[C]

This one's interesting.

[A]

Oh, dear God. Whoa, what a headline. Convicted terrorist who plotted Consulate Church Bombings to run in UK election. What? A Muslim activist who served a prison sentence for his role in an overseas terror plot is now seeking elected office in Birmingham, Britain's second largest city, as local elections approach amid heightened communal tensions.

[B]

So was he not convicted as a felon?

[A]

He was so. Well, hold on. I'm not sure if the legal system was. I don't know if.

[C]

Yeah, I also believe this was in a different country that he was convicted.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

In Yemen.

[B]

In this country he couldn't run.

[A]

He's not running in this country.

[B]

That's what I mean, I'm just basing.

[A]

Well, he was convicted in Yemen, so actually, I don't know know how that would work in this country if somebody has a criminal background in another country and they immigrate into the US which would probably be very difficult to do if they had a criminal background, unless they short circuited that process. But, but then that would be difficult to do if you're running for elected office.

[B]

I mean, are we to the point where we just accept everything now?

[A]

It depends on who you ask.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, run for office if you want to. I think what would be more interesting is who's gonna vote for him.

[C]

I think Birmingham has a very large Muslim population.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. But there's a lot of strains of Muslim ism as well. I mean, they're the pacifist, the activists, all kinds of, you know, different groups

[A]

who, Again, sometimes I think the tests or the answers to the tests can be out there for you to pay attention to. The UK is they have different policies, they have different court system, everything. Yeah. And they're handling immigration and they are allowing things inside of their country that I think people should be paying attention to whether you support them or disagree with them. There are things happening that I think the. You can learn from.

[B]

Yeah. And that's been going on for a while. Yeah, they're.

[A]

They're out there. They're out there on the front leading edge of some of these policies, man. Does it say, Michael, in the article how the election is going for him?

[C]

I don't know if it's actually.

[B]

Well, see, he's a preacher, He's a religious man.

[C]

I think he's just a candidate at this point.

[A]

He maintains his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced through torture and the evidence against him was planted. I mean, it's a convenient answer. Perhaps it's true, though.

[C]

Although torture does get a lot of false confessions.

[B]

I don't even read these things anymore. It's just.

[A]

What do you read?

[B]

I. A lot of sports. I. I dig up, like. I'll have a question of history. You know, I like the Civil War. Different things. Reconstruction.

[A]

You were there almost. Yeah. Lived through it.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Go back through your diaries.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, just the debate in this country of whether you take down Civil War statues, you know, and

[A]

what are your thoughts on that?

[B]

That's if. If you really peel it back, those were awarding people recognition who were traitors. They literally. What do you. How do you say it conspired against the United States. And I don't feel that what we need as a culture, are they great individuals? Do they need to be in the history books? Does it need to be explained? But, you know, it was like in my war, you know, you'd have a whole group of guys going by with the tanks or APCs, and they'd be flying the stars and bars, you know, and it's. It's something that's a culture. Again, like, we talk about cultures in other country. The Southern cultures are really very beautiful, sacred thing to them. So it's, It's. It's more than just a. You know, they don't see them as being someone who conspired against the United States.

[A]

I don't think we should hide our mistakes.

[B]

I don't absolutely.

[A]

I'm not saying it should be celebrated. I don't know where I land on those, because, God, sometimes I think you need to have an example of a mistake or the darker aspects of who we have been as a country. I think you need to have that thrown in your face.

[B]

Yeah, I completely agree.

[A]

I don't know where I land on that one.

[B]

Yeah, it's tough because it's, you know. Yeah. I. I brush around the edges of it as well, because I know the sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of men made. And women, too. I mean, I think a woman won the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Civil War.

[A]

I don't think there's ever been a woman who has won Medal of Honor.

[B]

You might be true.

[A]

But also not called the Congressional Medal.

[B]

Congressional Medal of Honor.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just called the Medal of Honor.

[B]

Medal of Honor. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, it's. It's an interesting time. I mean, you follow the Reconstruction after Civil War. It was. It really gives us an indication of where the Southern loyalties are and their appreciation for their culture and what have you.

[A]

I would recommend to people that they read the cessation letters. Yeah, they are pretty on the nose.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's just like reading the letters of the Founding Fathers. I mean, I always felt. People always ask me. I was not a Trump fan, and I said, I don't care who wins, as long as we remain a country of law and order and we follow the Constitution. And he is anything but what the Founding Fathers put into place and all of the guardrails to prevent it, which has been ignored to a great extent. I think that will be corrected with time. I think it's. Yeah, it's just. It's a time of change, Massive change. We've had it before.

[A]

I don't know if it's fair to say that he is the opposite of what the Founding Fathers would have wanted, because it's tough to put words into their mouth.

[B]

No, they said exactly what they didn't want.

[A]

Well, I don't think they could have ever fathomed the size, scope and scale of our nation. So I don't think they could have understand.

[B]

I think the size and scope even made it more critical that we follow their example, because you look at one of the largest in England when they. Our Founding fathers left there in their persecution, which was more religious than anything else. But, I mean, you look at these guys, Benjamin Franklin, the Adams brothers, all of these Founding Fathers. I've read a lot of their writings. I mean, they, like you said, they're right on. They hit it right there. But they get denigrated now. Well, they're slave owners, but. Well, that was the culture. Everybody had slave.

[A]

Well, you have to be able to acknowledge that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And like you said, acknowledge it.

[B]

Yeah. You have to move on. Don't make that the premise of everything.

[A]

I think with the country growing, I mean, if you look at where the founding Fathers were in the size of the country then. I actually think that Trump is a natural extension of our system growing and it being self correcting to a degree.

[B]

I agree.

[A]

I think the framework is still working. It doesn't. It's not always pretty. I think it's. This is. I think this is a natural progression.

[B]

There's growing pains there we needed to have. Yeah, yeah. I completely. I'm on the same ground with you. Yeah, yeah, Yep.

[A]

God, Michael, can you fathom how awesome be to like, time travel back? We grab like half a dozen. Maybe just the guys who sign the Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence. Be like, hey, come with us.

[B]

You read about this.

[A]

Come with us. For a week.

[B]

They would. Yeah, they would go out of the Congressional hall and have duels, you know, and scream and yell. Then they'd go to the pub at night and just get tight and pass all the legislation. Yeah.

[A]

And life expectancy was like 40. And they had wooden teeth, you know?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, I. I know. I mean, just. Yeah, I've loved some of the series. I forget what channel has on. The History Channel, probably. I mean, it's Burns, the. The. The guy does the documentaries, stuff on the Civil War, baseball, all kinds of stuff. There's some great documentaries out there. I'm leaning more and more with my television. Watching. Watching documentaries. I mean, it's. I can't. If I watch too much of the news, I get angry and so much of the.

[A]

How about Instagram? You spend any time on Instagram?

[C]

No.

[A]

Posting any stories?

[B]

No.

[A]

It's a good thing.

[B]

Yeah, I know.

[A]

Yeah, it's a real good thing.

[B]

I had to curb my enthusiasm, if

[A]

that's what we want to call it. So let's tell that story. My dad frantically pulls into the wrong house in the neighborhood, attempts to make entry on the wrong front door.

[C]

I didn't know this part.

[A]

Yeah. Looking for Leah. Help me.

[B]

Help me.

[A]

Tech support.

[B]

I need tech support. Then I. Somebody on the inside. Who are you? And I go, oh, this is the wrong White House. The wrong way.

[A]

Did you open the door and walk in?

[B]

No, no, no. I knocked.

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

I said, sorry, wrong house.

[A]

Yeah, it was. We had full Defcon 3 going on. We're getting text messages.

[B]

Jesus.

[A]

People were messaging me on Instagram like, you need to go check on your dad. Check on your boy. You told us this would happen. That was a very common comment.

[B]

Ah, Jesus.

[A]

What are you gonna do?

[B]

Life is a mystery.

[C]

One more.

[A]

Michael, what do you got? We're close to an hour, right?

[C]

Yeah, we're about 50 minutes.

[A]

Sweet. One more.

[C]

Let's see here. Got a few pulled up.

[B]

Let me just see.

[C]

I think it's a good one to end it off on. So I think Iraq war veterans protested. I don't know if you guys saw this.

[A]

I did not.

[C]

Were protesting, basically, Iran war. Okay. And got arrested for it. Some of them got arrested.

[A]

I know the harm that wars do to civilian populations, but also to our soldiers. I'm talking about the loss of life.

[B]

I'm talking about injuries and lives changed forever.

[A]

I'm talking about PTSD and moral injury, and that's why I'm here today. What were they arrested for?

[B]

Yeah, what were they arrested for?

[C]

I'm gonna see if I can go to that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm just. Well, like, on what charge? I mean, obviously a peaceful process, which. Absolutely. Every part of that looks like is what is occurring. Oh, is it because they were doing it in the Capitol building?

[C]

It could be.

[A]

I mean, you can pause. I mean, I think a part of them.

[B]

A lot of this is the media and how. What they focus on and what have you.

[A]

Well, and people, if you want to.

[B]

Why didn't they focus on a young person, this old gal?

[A]

I'm sure they focus on all of them. Probably there. I don't know the rules on protesting

[C]

at the Capitol, so I think it's because inside a congressional building.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

They should have arrested all the ones who stormed that white.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Keep it on topic. Talk about that next one. There's also. I mean, there's an aspect of this as well, too. The people who are participating in this likely know the rules as well. And they want an end state that is happening right now so they can get their message out to a larger audience. So I understand it. Yeah. Everybody's entitled to their opinion. And it. I wish people who. I wish people would realize that there's a reason that those who have been the closest to war are usually the ones who are saying, be the most cautious.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

It doesn't mean that their opinion is more valuable than anybody else's, but they have been closer to it than most people have been. And, you know, this is. Yeah. They have the right to go do this. It might be illegal to do so inside of the building that they did. I would highly, highly suspect.

[B]

I don't see any other reason why they would be. Because they were organized. Yeah.

[C]

And it is illegal. 66 people were arrested for DC code, whatever. Crowding, obstructing, or incommoding for.

[A]

They probably knew that. And again.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

By this happening they're going to get more attention on their issue of choice. So, you know, where are we with ice?

[B]

What is going on that seems like it had so much press?

[A]

I think they've changed their tactics.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, the organization still exists.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

I believe. Tom. What is it? Human.

[C]

Homan, I think Homan.

[A]

Okay. I knew it was something close. I believe he is now running ice. I think they have backed off and I'm glad to see this.

[B]

The masks and what have you.

[A]

I don't know about the masks. The mask. I tell you what, if we. If we didn't live in a world where your entire family was going to get docs and be put like. I understand why they're doing it, and I also understand why people don't like it.

[B]

Well, you look at the ones that were working in the airport, so they took their masks off.

[A]

And I think it largely depends on the role or capacity that you're filling in time. Yeah, the people who were at the airport were. And I'm not. They weren't there for that long. And I'm assuming you're talking about when they were augmenting tsa.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It seems like they kind of just had a presence. And we're happy. Happy. We're helping with largely administrative tasks, it

[B]

seemed like, because boxes and helping people.

[A]

I don't know if you necessarily need to mask up for that is when they're.

[B]

Oh, that makes. That makes sense.

[A]

Yeah. When they're having an immigration enforcement activity. I think that's a little bit of a different story. But they certainly still exist.

[B]

Well, you know, the other key I'm going to really follow is just what the current administration is going to do with the voting sites with this midterms.

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

Oh, there. I can only just speak to what I've read that, you know, there's designs to try to close them down, limit the voting places.

[A]

Why would you want to close them down?

[B]

They don't want a lot of people voting. And again, I'm not saying that. That's my opinion. I'm just saying this is what I've read.

[A]

Why would you not want people to vote?

[B]

Well, if you're in a specific area that is almost 98% blue. Yeah, they're going to. They're attempting. They want.

[A]

What's it.

[B]

What did he say? Wanted to nationalize elections?

[A]

I don't think so.

[B]

Yeah, I think he's checking out. Michael. I think he did say that.

[A]

National. What is a nationalizing an election?

[B]

I don't know. I just it just again, with some of the things that our, our president

[A]

says, like, yeah, but if we don't understand what they mean, I don't know if we need to get twisted around the axle with them.

[C]

This is according to time. President Trump declared that Republicans should nationalize or take over the 2026 midterm elections.

[A]

What does that mean, though?

[C]

I don't know. I can't find the exact quote.

[B]

They want to take the vote.

[C]

They want to do executive order targeting, mail voting.

[A]

I was under the impression that there needed to be a neutral third party handling those things. Neither party should have a hand in running or counting the elections.

[B]

Well, we have a different leadership now. That ignores a lot.

[C]

So I have.

[A]

He can say that. It doesn't necessarily mean he can do that. He says a lot of wild.

[B]

I understand, I understand.

[C]

I have heard what Vaughn is saying from Trump, which means, I mean, I don't know if anything will actually come of it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[C]

But I have heard of him saying that the. Because there will be so much fraud, quote unquote, we need to take over.

[B]

And if you look at the amount of fraud there's been, it's almost zero.

[A]

Well, you can't say there isn't any because I guarantee you there's been election fraud since the history of elections.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

It comes down to, like you said, how much is it actually influencing? How big is it actually?

[B]

It's like absentee ballots, they've been around forever. And the amount of fraud in that is even less than what there is at the polling places.

[A]

What are your thoughts on voter.

[B]

And I don't know that for a fact. I've just read that. Yeah.

[A]

What do you think about requiring ID to vote?

[B]

Oh, necessary of some sort.

[A]

Yeah. I don't understand what the argument is against that.

[B]

It makes no sense.

[C]

The argument is the peop. The proponents say that it is.

[A]

The proponents or opponents.

[C]

Opponents say that it is difficult for their words disenfranchised people to get id.

[A]

So solve that by solve that problem.

[C]

I agree. I'm just saying this is what they say.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Therefore it's of course racist to say that we need voter ID because impacts black people at a higher rate than white people.

[A]

I mean, at a baseline life level, having a legitimate government issued ID I think is helpful.

[C]

I think the government should just issue

[A]

you solve that issue.

[B]

Like it's a very, very easy issue, you know. Gosh, no. You got to.

[A]

I mean, and for clarity, I'm completely talking out of my ass right now because I have no idea how easy this would be to do, but I feel like this is a real world solution that if we wanted to, we could absolutely have.

[C]

They're able to track everybody's taxes.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yet they can issue an ID to you.

[A]

They can't track what they do with the money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They can track whether or not you.

[B]

It's gone.

[C]

Yeah. It's very convenient.

[B]

Yeah. Frigging gone. Yeah. I was reading an article this morning. I forget what piece was from. How dramatically our research and cancer research has gone down because most of it's done at colleges. And all of those funding, almost all of it's been wiped out.

[C]

Also, it costs $20,000 a year to go to college.

[B]

Well, that's a whole different. I feel like it costs a hell of a lot more than $20,000.

[C]

I know, for. In state.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, this. I've been hearing whispers of this, but. Yeah, the leukemia and cancer, which they were getting close to solving some of these problems. It's. There's no research because the funding's all gone.

[A]

I don't know if that's true. Michael, can you look that up?

[B]

Yeah, I search.

[C]

Yes, federal cancer research funding in the US has faced significant cuts with reports indicating a 31% reduction in national Institutes of Health and National Cancer institute funding during 1Q25 compared to 24. These cuts have resulted in the termination of over 1800 grants and are impacting cancer clinical trials and research projects.

[B]

That's.

[C]

Yeah, it's horrible.

[A]

That doesn't make any sense.

[B]

A lot of times now I don't focus on the big stuff. I just try to fulfill in some of these bits and pieces and chances

[A]

are, pretty big one.

[B]

Yeah. Well, it bought bigger the more I read about it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, it's just. I can understand me, him having a boner for colleges and, you know, but, you know, just to punish them by taking funding away from different aspects.

[A]

I wonder if it was directly to punish them or it honestly might be. That might be a tale in consequence of Doge coming in with a battle axe instead of a scalpel.

[B]

We ever gonna get an explanation of what that was or what they really did?

[A]

I doubt it.

[B]

Yeah, I do too.

[A]

Yeah, I doubt it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

What else you looking forward to this year?

[B]

Oh, good camping season. Where are you gonna go? I'm gonna do a trip up into Canada first.

[A]

You talk about with your trailer and when would you like to get that out of the storage unit first?

[B]

Next week.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. And we're gonna camp with my friends. Friends right down at Lake Mary. Ronan in the campground, down for four days. Okay, say friends that coming from Arizona, but a couple trips to Canada, just a lot of two, three day stuff.

[A]

Is your passport current?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I use as an id.

[A]

Great. Why wouldn't you?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

What happened to your driver's license?

[B]

I lost it.

[A]

Awesome.

[B]

I found it though, so.

[A]

That doesn't mean you lost it then.

[B]

Well, I just can't finish it off. I was in an absolute friggin panic and then I started backtracking. So I go into sites. It was, oh, a couple weeks ago, I go into Sykes and there's the gal standing there and I thought, oh God, she's got it. You know, she. God almighty.

[A]

Did you come out of your wallet?

[B]

Yeah, not out of my wallet. I carry it with my money.

[A]

Why?

[B]

It's convenient to lose. I have lost it once and I don't know how many years recently.

[C]

Well, you have actually.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Can't say that anymore. Yeah, no, it's just getting more active, you know, playing a lot of golf.

[A]

Have you started the season?

[B]

I've gone up, started hitting these medications I'm on. It's really screwed up with my percept. Depth perception.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So which ball am I gonna hit here? That's pretty, you know. Or is it? God damn, that's a long ways away. Okay. You know the.

[A]

So the handicap might take a hit this year.

[B]

Oh yeah. Oh, I don't care. I don't care about handicaps anymore. Biggest thing about these medications, I can't have a cocktail.

[A]

Can't or they frown upon it?

[B]

Well, the. I had the head pharmacist of the VA in Montana on the phone and I said, I only have one complaint. She says, what's that? I says, why can't I drink? She says, how often do you want to drink? I said, as often as I can. Why? And I said no. I said, I don't drink much anymore. She says, well, for. I said, I know. I said I've abstained. I said, I want to get a good reading on this too, but the other day I just, you know, I had a couple of beers and God, what a perfect okay. But I do them between doing my meds. You don't want to do them right after you have a beer and throw down a few antidepressants.

[A]

You know, I'm not you do you. You're responsible for your behavior.

[B]

You wouldn't think so, the way it gets monitored. Well, I love when it tells me you've been your. Where you are at? It's been checked in the last hour or six times.

[A]

It doesn't show you that.

[B]

Yeah, that does sound that to me.

[A]

You know how many times I've checked your life? 360. In the last three weeks? Zero.

[B]

It's not you.

[A]

Well, maybe Leah cares about you.

[B]

I know she does.

[A]

It's almost like you have a history of doing dumb shit.

[B]

It's not dumb. It's age appropriate.

[A]

No. It's irresponsible. No.

[B]

It's age appropriate.

[A]

No. For what age? A child? A toddler?

[B]

No. I'm damn near 80 years old.

[A]

So that means you get to do dumb shit.

[B]

You bet. And it's great. You can go piss yourself in the bathroom and run out the door.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. That's one thing that you can do. Yeah. You can try to make entry.

[B]

Yeah. That was it. Now I remember. I go in there and I. And I've just. Man, I just can't. The lid's gonna come off and I'm looking close. I said I had two choices. Do I go piss in the garbage can right there? I said, I don't want to do that. What are my two choices? That was funny. We were at the sink.

[A]

Wasn't even an option. You considered.

[B]

I couldn't get it up over the edge.

[C]

Jesus,

[B]

I'm in the blue moon, I don't know, month. Two months ago. And it was. The rodeo was over. We'd gone to the rodeo and we go into the bathroom and all the guys are at the urinal. There's this little teeny guy standing there next to me, wanting to get in the urinal. And there was a trash can on the ground sitting there. I just. Hey. I said, hey right there. And he goes. I could just hear him.

[A]

Good mentorship.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm worried about your perception of time

[B]

because you said I don't have any.

[A]

No shit. Because the rodeo, month or two ago, was in the middle of the winter. They don't do winter rodeos.

[B]

Well, we were there for something.

[A]

Well, I tell you, it wasn't the rodeo.

[B]

Well, maybe it wasn't.

[A]

This is why you're monitored.

[B]

No, I think. Well, maybe it was longer ago then because I think Lee and I had gone together.

[A]

This is why you're monitored. Yeah, exactly.

[B]

No, you know, I have enough friends of my age we. We compare what the stupid you guys do.

[A]

We do you got any friends wearing diapers yet?

[B]

No.

[A]

You could be the first. You can be trendsetter.

[B]

If I wore them, I'd warm on the outside.

[A]

But that's. Of course, I would support that.

[B]

Actually, no, it's, you know, I go to old, old boys rugby now. You know, we're standing around the keg having a beer and the number one topic is always with the old boys is bladder control. And half of the guys are standing there have already pissed their pants. You know who's gonna leave the king or you put your pants back up and you continue to dribble talk into the mic.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

You'll get there. This is what you have to look forward to.

[A]

I'm gonna try to do everything I can to make that take.

[B]

I tell you, I did as well.

[A]

Yeah, but now you've really leaned into it. You're really just kind of like, well,

[B]

I found a whole other playground.

[A]

Okay. I don't even know what to do with that comment.

[B]

Nothing to do with it. Just run with it.

[A]

Michael, do you have anything else for today?

[C]

No. We're about 110.

[A]

I feel like people will agree it's time to go home.

[D]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to libsynads. Com, that's L, I, B, S Y N ads. Com. Today.