1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: To night. Michael Brown joins me here, the former FEMA 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: director of talk show host Michael Brown. Brownie, no, Brownie, 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: You're doing a heck of a job The Weekend with 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:12,120 Speaker 1: Michael Brown broadcasting from Denver, Colorado. You've joined The Weekend 5 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: with Michael Brown. Glad to have you joined the program today. 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and you're now ready 7 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: for the holiday season where nobody does anything. Nobody works 8 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: until after the first of the year. I'm always fascinated 9 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: by this time of the year when you know people 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: are taking off work or they're traveling and doing things, 11 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: and everything just seems to kind of slow down, and 12 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: then January one comes around, everybody gets hung over, and 13 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: then boom, January two. Right back to work. Now, misrecognize 14 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: there are a lot of people that still work during 15 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: the holidays, and I appreciate those that do. All the 16 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: first responders, the military and everybody else. Thank you for 17 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: everything that you do. We appreciate it. By the rest 18 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: of you know, everybody else goes around and goose off. 19 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: So you know, we have some rules of engagement for 20 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: the program. The most important one is if you want 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: to text me tell me any thing, or ask me anything. 22 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: The text lines always open. That's three three one zero 23 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: three on your message app three three one zero three. 24 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: Use the keyword Mike or Michael and you can TMA 25 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: or ama and then do me a favor. You know, 26 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: our podcast numbers are really good, but I'm always looking 27 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: for more. So I'd like for you to subscribe to 28 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: the podcast on your podcast app. Simply search for the 29 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: Situation with Michael Brown, the Situation with Michael Brown, hit 30 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: that subscribe button, leave, of course to leave a five 31 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: star review because that helps us with the algorithm, and 32 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: then that will download all five days of the weekday program. 33 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: Plus it will get you the weekend program too, so 34 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 1: you get all of the Michael Brown. So I want 35 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: to talk about or Well, George Orwell. Eighty years ago 36 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: he wrote an incredible essay Politics and the English Language, 37 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,279 Speaker 1: and I think that it still is a quintessential piece 38 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: of writing and quiet Frank, it's a pretty good instruction manual. 39 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: There's a strength kind of a strange liturgy to American 40 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,679 Speaker 1: politics right now. I don't mean a liturgy in the 41 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: religious sense, though it may tap into that same kind 42 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: of instinct, but in the way that people, you know, 43 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: use specific phrases, and they use these phrases with absolute 44 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: confidence and generally no understanding at all. There was a 45 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: recent column by Peggy Noonan. She had read Kamala Harris's 46 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,359 Speaker 1: book One hundred and seven Days, and she noted that 47 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: Harris referred to illegal immigration, which I refer to as 48 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: well illegal immigration, But those who commit illegal immigration I 49 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: refer to as illegal aliens. And the reason I do 50 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: that is that's the actual language in the federal statute 51 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: that designates people that cross our borders without authorization. Those 52 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: are referred to in federal law as illegal aliens. Well, 53 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: Peggy Noonan's column, and look, I've got great respect for 54 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: Peggy Noonon. She was a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan. She 55 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: does a weekly column in the Wall Street Journal. I 56 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: read it religiously, and I agree with it. I was 57 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: gonna say half the time, but as scotten now where 58 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: I agree with her maybe a third of the time, 59 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: and two thirds of the time I'm like, no, I think, Peggy, 60 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: your way off here. But when she wrote this particular article, 61 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: as I said, she noted that Kamala Harris had referred 62 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: to illegal immigration as irregular migration. Irregular migration Now that's 63 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: a euphemism that is so gently ridiculous that it practically dissolves, 64 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: like you put you know, you poured salt on a 65 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: snail or something. But I think that's the point. I 66 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: think that's why Kamala Harris. Harris uses lang like that. 67 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: Irregular migration doesn't have any sort of harshness to it 68 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: at all, does it. It's kind of like oatmeal pablum. 69 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: It's kind of like, you know, mushed up baby food 70 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: irregular migration. But I think that's her point. I think 71 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,679 Speaker 1: that's exactly why Kamala Harris uses that phrase. It sounds softer, safer, 72 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: less politically radioactive. It's not going to tick off people, 73 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: except when I think what she doesn't understand is those 74 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: of us who use our words a lot it is. 75 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: It does tick me off. I see it constantly. The 76 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: public vocabulary is just full of words and phrases that 77 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: signal some sort of urgency or righteousness or moral sophistication, 78 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: and it doesn't ever require anybody to say something concrete. 79 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: And George Orwell warned about this nearly eighty years ago, 80 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: calling them meaningless words. What he said, quote is designed 81 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: to make lies sound truthful. And murder respectable, and to 82 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. Get that 83 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: calling them meaningless words designed to make lies sound truthful, 84 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to 85 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: pure win. That's from Orwell's nineteen forty six essay Politics 86 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: and the English Language. Now, I know that most people 87 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: have a casual knowledge of George Orwell in his novels, 88 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: especially nineteen eighty four and probably Animal Farm. But and 89 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: he was don't get me wrong, he was an absolute 90 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: wonderful novelist. But he was an amazing essayist. And if 91 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,160 Speaker 1: you have a chance, you can pick up a book 92 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: of his essays, or you can go to the Orwell 93 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: Foundation and read those say's online totally free. But politics 94 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: in the English language is primarily about writing. But still 95 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: what he says goes beyond how somebody might write, and 96 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: describes how words and phrases used in politics have really 97 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: kind of become pointless and tedious, to the extent that 98 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: the words don't have any real meaning. They merely appear 99 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: to have great profundity. It's why when I refer to 100 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: Democrats as Marxists or fascist, because we'll get into that 101 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 1: in a second, I try to explain why what is 102 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: it they are saying or doing that is Marxist or 103 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 1: fascist or socialist. When I refer to, for example, we're 104 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: going to talk if we have time today, we're going 105 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: to talk later about Bill Gates and his kind of 106 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: one one hundred and eighty degree turn about. I chose 107 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: those words very specifically because it conveys that I believe 108 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: that climate change for many people has become a religion. 109 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: Doesn't make any difference. You know, I could talk to 110 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: a climate activist till I'm blue in the face about 111 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: you know, facts, facts, facts, study, study, study, peer review, 112 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:20,239 Speaker 1: peer review, peer reviewed, or real world temperature readings, whatever, 113 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: doesn't make any difference to them because they believe what 114 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: they believe, and no amount of facts poured onto faith 115 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: is going to change their belief. So it does appear 116 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: to me to be a religion. That back to Orwell's 117 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:46,239 Speaker 1: essay Politics and the English Language, because yet holds value 118 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: even in twenty twenty five, he writes the following, Many 119 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: political words are similarly abused. The word fascism. The word 120 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: fact has now no meaning except insofar as it signifies 121 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: something not desirable. The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic 122 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot 123 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: be reconciled with one another. In the case of a 124 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: word like democracy, not only is there no degree definition, 125 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: but the attempt to make one to make one is 126 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,719 Speaker 1: resisted from every side. It is almost universally felt, and 127 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: when we call a country democratic, we are praising it. Consequently, 128 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: the defenders of every kind of regime think that it 129 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 1: is a democracy, and fear that they might have to 130 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: stop using the word if it were tied down to 131 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: any one singular meaning. Words of this kind often used 132 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who 133 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: uses them has his own private definition, but allows his 134 00:08:55,480 --> 00:09:00,440 Speaker 1: here to think he means something quite different. Defa mission. 135 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: You've had conversation with people like that, right, Or I've 136 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: heard news stories where they'll say one thing and I 137 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: just intuitively know they really mean something else. Orwell continues 138 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 1: in just a minute, I'll be right back. Hey, welcome 139 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: back to the Weekeon with Michael Brown. Glad to have 140 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: you with me. It's good to be back with you 141 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: and I appreciate you joining in. This weekend. We're talking 142 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: about George Orwell and his essay about politics and words 143 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,080 Speaker 1: politics in the English language. Now, I was describing one 144 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: paragraph in which he's talking about how words really don't 145 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 1: have any particular meaning. So we'll get back to that 146 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: in one second, but I want to remind you the 147 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,839 Speaker 1: rules of engagement. Text lines always open three three, one 148 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: zero three, keyword Mike or Michael, go follow me on 149 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 1: X at Michael Brown USA. Then I would suggest this, 150 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: if you're traveling about and you've heard this program for 151 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:56,559 Speaker 1: the first time you kind of like what we're doing, 152 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: you can also hear what we do every weekday podcast 153 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: out of Denver, Monday through Friday from nine to noon 154 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: mountain time on this station, which you should go set 155 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: as a preset on your iHeart app or on your computer. 156 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: It's KOA. It's at eight point fifty AM or ninety 157 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: four point one FM nine to noon, and it's the 158 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: situation with Michael Brown. So set that as a preset 159 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: and go stream aslive Monday through Friday, nine to noon 160 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: mountain time. So back to George Orwell, and I was 161 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: talking about how people have their own private definition of 162 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: a word, and that private definition means you can use 163 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: the word but the here just the person you're speaking to, 164 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: just here's what they want to hear. So they think 165 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: what they want to think, and it may be quite 166 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: different from what you're trying to convey. He writes statements 167 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: like Marshall Pataine was a true patriot, the Soviet press 168 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: is the freest in the in the world. The Catholic 169 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: Church is opposed to persecution. Are all always made with 170 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: intent to deceive. Other words used in variable meanings, in 171 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: most cases more or less dishonestly are class, totalitarian, science, progressive, reactionary, 172 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: bourgeois equality. I think democracy. Let's pick on democracy for 173 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 1: a second is probably the critical word here, because I've 174 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: likely heard the phrase uttered in some form or other 175 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: in the last I don't know particularly ten years. I've 176 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: heard I've obviously heard of my entire life, but in 177 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: particularly I've heard a lot in the last ten years, 178 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: probably a gazillion times. It has become entirely synonymous mac 179 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 1: Donald Trump. You know, we got to save the democracy. 180 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: You got to save our democracy from Donald Trump and 181 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: for all. For the longest time, it was all about 182 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:58,679 Speaker 1: Donald Trump and the threat that he was to democracy. 183 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 1: But go back just ten years, since twenty fifteen, threat 184 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: to democracy or threat to our democracy has come to 185 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:13,079 Speaker 1: apply to whatever political niche that anybody chooses. You could 186 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: pick from a hat all the threats, well, the Supreme 187 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: Court is a threat to democracy. Certain types of laws 188 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: are threats to democracy. Elon Musk buying Twitter and turning 189 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: it into X. That's a threat to democracy. Climate change 190 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: threat to democracy. Fox News threat to democracy. The Weekend 191 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: with Michael Brown a threat to democracy. The makeup of 192 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 1: the Senate when it's controlled by the Republicans a threat 193 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: to democracy. The Electoral College always a threat to democracy. 194 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: AI a threat to democracy? Why elections themselves? Having an 195 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: election is a threat to democracy. It kind of gets 196 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: to the point where it really does that much meaning 197 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: to most people, who we should remember, don't spend a 198 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: good chunk of their time in any given day, any week, 199 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: a month, or a year immersed in politics, Like you 200 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: and I are thirty percent of Americans thirty a third. 201 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: Let's just say, can I just say a third? A 202 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: third of Americans cannot name all three branches of government? 203 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: That's way too high. Can you say, I'll count to three, 204 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 1: name you name all three? The first one, the second one? Okay, 205 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: do you get the third one, All right, how many 206 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 1: have you got it? And while seventy percent can name 207 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: all three, the problem is that's just basic civics. That's 208 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: not an indicator of your proclivity as it relates to 209 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: daily political life. If only a third know what the 210 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: three branches of government are, what percentage do you think 211 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: know what a discharge petition is? And I choose discharge 212 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: petition because that was a huge phrase used during the 213 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: government shutdown. Remember they had to get to sixty votes 214 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: to invoke cloture. Do you remember what invoking culture meant? Well, 215 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: in the Senate, there's a rule that you can just debate, debate, 216 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: debate until you can get sixty votes to stop debate. 217 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 1: That's called invoking cloture. Once you invoke cloture and you 218 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: stop debate, you still need another vote before you can 219 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: even vote on the bill, and that is to have 220 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: a discharge petition, meaning that it just comes out of committee, 221 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: goes straight to the floor for a vote, and nobody 222 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: can interfere with that. I would guess that the majority 223 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: of Americans have no clue what a discharge petition is. 224 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: And I would even go one step further. I'm not 225 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: sure they need to know, I certainly wish they knew, 226 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: because the more they understood about the minutia of politics, 227 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: the minutia of our legislative process, then they would understand 228 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: why it is, for example, that some people vote for 229 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: something and then when it you know, initially, and then 230 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: as it gets amended, they vote against it. You know, 231 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: maybe they voted for it because they wanted to get 232 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: to the floor where it could be amended so they 233 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: could try to get their amendment in. They fail to 234 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: get their amendment in, and so they vote against the bill. 235 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: So remember, I think it was John Kerry who once 236 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: famously said something about I think it was like a 237 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: climate bill, or or maybe it was the I think 238 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 1: it was the war in Iraq that you know, I voted, 239 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: I voted, you know, for it before I voted against it. 240 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: It's that kind of thing. So when the average person 241 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: does tune in, which is usually getting close to an 242 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: election or there's some big crisis or controversy going on, 243 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: and they become inundated with the phrase threat to democracy 244 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: at every turn, have you ever thought about what impact 245 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: that has because I think about it a lot. Trump, 246 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: after all, despite everything that went down on January sixth, 247 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: the investigations, all the indictments, the convictions, the promise to 248 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: be the retribution for his voters. He still won. He 249 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: went back all the states that he lost in twenty 250 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: twenty that he won in twenty sixteen, and then picked 251 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 1: up Nevada as well, while convincing seventy seven million people 252 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: to vote for him, three million more than voted for 253 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: him back in twenty twenty, and a whopping fifteen million 254 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: more than in twenty sixteen. And one could say, but 255 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,000 Speaker 1: Michael Trump, Trump is a threat to democracy. Well, wait 256 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: a minute, isn't everything I just described isn't that a 257 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: democratic process? It may not be democracy as we might 258 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: define the term, but it was a democratic process, and 259 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: he won that democratic process. Read what Orwell said about 260 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 1: the word fascism, as noted, people have chosen to apply 261 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 1: that raised, as Orswell Orwell said, to something not desirable. 262 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: Go look up any of the examples, and you'll find 263 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: a lot of examples, and not among the fever swamps 264 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: of the far left, but from even mainstream journalists, think tanks, 265 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: other institutions. The electoral college is the greatest threat to 266 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: our democracy. The electoral colleges, they threat to twenty first 267 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: democracy that comes from the Aspen Institute. The Electoral College 268 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 1: is a ticking time bomb. William Galstons for the Brookings Institute. 269 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: The nationalist right, the new right, whatever you want to 270 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: call the right side of the political spectrum, does something similar. 271 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: When they talk about a republic politician they don't like, 272 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 1: they become a neocon. Have you thought about what a 273 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: neo con is? Tyler Bauer of Talking Point USA, I'm sorry, 274 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: Turning Point USA playing white Knight for JD Vance, who 275 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: he says is getting attacked and that means criticism for 276 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: some people. The anti Trump movement wants to nominate someone 277 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: other than Jay Events for president. The most likely outcome 278 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: of attacking JD. Evans is far more neo con, terrible candidate, 279 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: useful idiots. What does that really mean? Has anybody ever 280 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: really stopped to think about what does that really mean? 281 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: I'm not sure they have. It's The Weekend with Michael Brown. 282 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 1: Hang tight, I'll be right back tonight. Michael Brown joins 283 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: me here, the former FEMA director of talk show host 284 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 1: Michael Brown. Brownie, No, Brownie, You're doing a heck of 285 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,479 Speaker 1: a job. The Weekend with Michael Brown. Hey, welcome back, 286 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Hope everybody's having a 287 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: great holiday. Appreciate you tuning in as you do on 288 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: the weekend. I always appreciate the audience tuning in on 289 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: a Saturday. If you like the program, be sure to 290 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: let other people know about the program too. Don't forget 291 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: text lines always open. I read them all the time, 292 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: even when I you know, sometimes when i'm just you know, 293 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: having I'm grabbing a diet coke or something, I'll kind 294 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,639 Speaker 1: of glance down at my phone because I keep this 295 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: on a separate message app, and I'll just read through 296 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: the messages one zero three keyword Mike or Michael. So 297 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: the nationalists, right, the new right, conservative right. I mean, 298 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: it's just it goes by so many different names, and 299 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 1: when when the new right, the nationalists right, the conservative right, 300 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: it just doesn't make any difference because again, even those 301 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 1: words are losing their meaning. But they start using the 302 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: word neocon, or they'll use the term rhino republican in 303 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: name only. And some people can be a rhino one 304 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,399 Speaker 1: day and then the next day they vote or say something, 305 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:39,640 Speaker 1: and suddenly they're God's gift to conservatism again, whatever conservatism 306 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: means to that individual, and then the next day they're 307 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: a neocon, and they just go from one label to another, 308 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: to another to another. And I think that's the point 309 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: that George Orwell is trying to make, is we use 310 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: the terms, but we don't really define the terms, so 311 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,679 Speaker 1: that whatever we're saying people get to hear whatever it 312 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 1: is they want to hear. I find it fascinating in 313 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: radio that now when I'm doing, you know, when I'm 314 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: doing three hours a day like I do, there's obvious 315 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 1: times that I miss state something or I miss pronout 316 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: Jefferson the Barbary pirates and how the Barbary pirates was 317 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: very much like what's going on with the drug dealers 318 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 1: coming out of Venezuela. And I just, without even thinking, 319 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: I said, you know, and Thomas Jefferson, I think I 320 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: think I was joking and said Tommy Jefferson was our 321 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: second commander in chief. Huh. I didn't even realize I'd 322 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: said it until somebody called me out on the text 323 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: line and said Jefferson wasn't the second commander in chief, 324 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: he was the third commander in chief. And I looked 325 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: at it and I thought to myself, well, I know 326 00:20:54,040 --> 00:21:00,919 Speaker 1: that Washington Adams, Jefferson, Madison Rowe. Yeah, yeah, oh, I 327 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: did say number two. We often get, at least I do, 328 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: get so wound up in what I'm talking about that 329 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 1: my mouth, my brain's like four steps ahead or where 330 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,680 Speaker 1: my mouth is, because I'm already thinking about the next 331 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: thing I'm about to say, following on what I'm saying 332 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: right now. And sometimes I misstate things. The inverse of 333 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 1: that is I'll say something exactly the way that I 334 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 1: want to say it, mean exactly what it is that 335 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 1: I think I'm conveying, and then I'll go to text 336 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: message or an email or somebody. I'll post something on 337 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: Twitter or x and I'll be like, you said xyz, 338 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: and I'll think, yeah, that's exactly what I said, And 339 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: then the response will be you are totally wrong about XYZ. Now, 340 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: I always take those with a great assault, and by 341 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: that I mean I read them because I really want 342 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 1: to know did I miss something, Did I say something wrong? 343 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:02,880 Speaker 1: Did I miss a fact? Did I leave something yet 344 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,920 Speaker 1: that I didn't mean to leave out? But I'll go 345 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: back and I'll read what it is as they say 346 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,919 Speaker 1: I said, and I'll think to myself, yeah, I think 347 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: I said exactly that, and then I'll read what they 348 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: say they think is wrong about it, and I can't. 349 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: I can't connect the two. I simply can't connect them 350 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: at all. And that's because people heard what they wanted 351 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: to hear, not what was actually said. And you have 352 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: to learn in radio, for example, that I don't know, 353 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 1: for example, right now, don't I have no clue what 354 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,679 Speaker 1: you're doing at this very moment. You could send me 355 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: a text message and lie that you know are leftovers 356 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,399 Speaker 1: and going out. The dressing has gotten bad. I'm doing whatever. 357 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: When you're doing that, whatever it is you're doing, there 358 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:53,719 Speaker 1: will be a split second, a micro second, where your 359 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: brain goes to something else. I know. Everybody thinks that 360 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: they can multitask. Everybody thinks they can multitask. But what 361 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:09,360 Speaker 1: you're really doing is you are micro secing. In microseconds. 362 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: You're going from one task to another. Your brain is 363 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: thinking about this, and then your brain says, oh, reach 364 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 1: over here and pick up your diet coke. And as 365 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: you reach over to pick up your diet coke, you 366 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: miss one word, two words, three words, depends how long 367 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,679 Speaker 1: it takes you pick up your diet coke of what 368 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: I said, And so you miss something and the interpretation 369 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: becomes entirely different. It's why when and I know this 370 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,399 Speaker 1: drives my friends crazy, But when I sit down with 371 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: people at dinner, or we're having a lunch meeting, or 372 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm in a meeting and I'm not bored to death, 373 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: I truly try to be an active listener. And I 374 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: think that's just my training as a lawyer, to listen 375 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: to what people actually say, because oftentimes they don't really 376 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,120 Speaker 1: mean what they say, and they don't really say what 377 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,720 Speaker 1: they mean, or they themselves aren't really sure about what 378 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 1: they are saying, and so I try to listen intently 379 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: to what people say. But even when I'm doing that, 380 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: something something makes me get distracted. I'm in a conference 381 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 1: room in this building at iHeart and something happens outside 382 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: the window and I look out for a brief second 383 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: that takes my mind, even for a microsecond, off what 384 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,919 Speaker 1: that person is saying that I'm listening to. And I 385 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 1: think this fills in or fits in with what George 386 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: Orwell is saying about. We hear what we want to hear, 387 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,640 Speaker 1: and we use words that we don't really know what 388 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: we mean by them, or if people want to be 389 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: really disingenuous. They know what they mean by the word, 390 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,480 Speaker 1: but they know what somebody else thinks about the word, 391 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: so they use that word to convince them to their side, 392 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: knowing that you're really not You're really not communicating, you're 393 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:10,199 Speaker 1: really not being persuasive, You're just arguing. Go back to 394 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 1: the term neo Khan. A lot of people use the 395 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: term neo con as a pejority, but do they really 396 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,879 Speaker 1: have an idea what it actually means, because neo con 397 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: is just a short version of neo conservative. And you 398 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: could probably ask I don't know ten people twenty people 399 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:36,120 Speaker 1: aligned with Tyler Bauer from Turning Point USA, the person 400 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: who's tweet I told you about Jdvans earlier. You could 401 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,119 Speaker 1: ask ten or twenty different people align with him politically 402 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: to define neo conservatism, and you'd probably get ten different answers. 403 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: Just like our tax returns, you can take one set 404 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,880 Speaker 1: of facts to ten different accountants and you'll get ten 405 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: different tax returns, and all of them might be wrong. 406 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 1: Might claim that a neoconservative is a warmonger. I hear 407 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: that a lot, or your pro war or your pro 408 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: interventionist likely to be the constant thread among the responses. 409 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 1: If you ask somebody what a neo con means, they 410 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: use the term to describe any Republican who holds an 411 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:22,920 Speaker 1: interventionist philosophy and foreign policy. But does that make them 412 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: a neoconservative or a neo con Now, I don't want 413 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,919 Speaker 1: to get into all of what it means, but you 414 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: might go listen to Jonah Goldberg, who I don't necessarily 415 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: agree with a lot. He has a podcast from I 416 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: think maybe a year ago called The New Neo cons 417 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 1: and he goes into detail about the origin of the term, 418 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:48,119 Speaker 1: how it evolved, and essentially how it became. As Orwell says, 419 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,119 Speaker 1: the term for just something I do not like. The 420 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: ultimate goal of using particular words and phrases, as Orwell said, 421 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: is an intent to deceive. When people say, for example, 422 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,719 Speaker 1: which drives me crazy, that the Supreme Court is a 423 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: threat to democracy, what are they really saying? You know 424 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: what they're really saying, Well, I don't like the rulings 425 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,160 Speaker 1: of the current makeup of the court and how they're 426 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: issuing it. You know, when the War in Court was around, 427 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,720 Speaker 1: I didn't necessarily like the decisions from the War in Court, 428 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:20,640 Speaker 1: but I didn't think they were a threat to democracy. 429 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:24,400 Speaker 1: I thought, oh, this is a bad decision. We've got 430 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,680 Speaker 1: to get Congress to figure out a way to overrule 431 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 1: that decision with legislation, or we've got to change the laws, 432 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: or we've got to somehow appeal this, or at some 433 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: point they'll they'll reverse the decision. Whatever. I didn't think 434 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: it was going to be the end of civilization, but 435 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: many people, and sometimes I'm prone to that too. I think, Oh, 436 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,160 Speaker 1: this next step that we take in our politics might 437 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,679 Speaker 1: be the end of the country. But is it really 438 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 1: Probably not. So we came with Michael Brown. Hang tight, 439 00:27:55,040 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: I'll be right back. Welcome back to the Weekend with 440 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: Michael Brown. Glad to have you with me. Text line 441 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,680 Speaker 1: as usual was always open three three one zero three 442 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,400 Speaker 1: three three one zero three on your messy jap keyword 443 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: Mike or Michael, do me a favor, go follow me 444 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,440 Speaker 1: except Michael Brown USA. We're talking about Orwell's essay from 445 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 1: almost eighty years ago entitled Politics and the English Language, 446 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 1: and one of those stories I kind of wanted to 447 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 1: do on a weekend like this because it gives me 448 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 1: a chance to just talk about something other than specific 449 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: issues in politics. Because the ultimate goal of using particular 450 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: words and phrases. According to Orwell, is an intent to deceive. 451 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: How many times do you, in response to your kids, 452 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 1: or your spouse, or a coworker or somebody else, you 453 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: phrase something so that you kind of mislead, but you're 454 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: not actually lying to them. I mean, I hope you 455 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: don't just outright lie to them, but I understand that 456 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: sometimes you just don't want to deal with the issue, 457 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: or you don't want to hurt somebody's feelings. You're just 458 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: not in the mood to get into the middle of 459 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 1: the debate, so you just say, yeah, that's interesting. That 460 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 1: tends to be my phrase, Oh well, that's interesting. That's 461 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: my way of saying I need to really think about that, 462 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: or I think you might be absolutely nuts, but let 463 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 1: me think about that and give me time to come 464 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: up with a good retort to That's that's kind of 465 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 1: my go to phrase occasionally. So it really is. And 466 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 1: am I trying to deceive? I suppose in the actual 467 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: term term deceive, I probably am trying to be deceitful. 468 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: It's true, I find it interesting, But is that the 469 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: entire context of what I'm what I mean, No, I'm 470 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: trying to get you to just drop the issue. Let 471 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: me think about what you said, and when the time 472 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: is appropriate, if I have a rebuttal or retort or 473 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 1: an agreement, then i'll tell you. But I'm tired, i'm busy, 474 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: i'm distracted, whatever it might be, So I'm not going 475 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: to tell you exactly what I think. Oh so that's interesting, Yeah, 476 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,760 Speaker 1: that's interesting, And sometimes I'll do that when i'm just 477 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: like not interested. So think about doing that. Someone's talking 478 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: to you about something and you're really you're at a party. 479 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,959 Speaker 1: It's the time for office parties, right, You're at a 480 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 1: party and you get cornered by somebody that's a coworker 481 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:33,719 Speaker 1: or maybe it's a client or who knows what it is, 482 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:36,959 Speaker 1: and they're droning on and on about something that just 483 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: doesn't interest you, like you might be. See, this is 484 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: what's hilarious about this topic is like, right now, some 485 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: of you may have zero interest in this topic. Now 486 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: you may have already tuned out other people who do 487 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: have an interest in this topic because it applies to 488 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,200 Speaker 1: them too, and they're thinking to themselves, yeah, I've been 489 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: exactly what you've done. They're listening, But am I upset 490 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 1: with the people who got bored and tuned out. No, 491 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: because I'm talking about what I wanted to talk about 492 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: and I find it interesting, but you may not. But 493 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: I would never say to someone I shouldn't say never. 494 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 1: That's probably a little harsh, but I would never say 495 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: to somebody in casual conversation, who's trying to tell me 496 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: a story about something. Now, I'm not interested in that, 497 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: you know, basically telling somebody, hey, shut up, I don't 498 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: want to talk about that. I'm not interested. It's our 499 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: words that we use trying to convey something that may 500 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: be a little deceitful, maybe by omission or comission, but 501 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: we're being slightly deceitful about something if you can. If 502 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: deceitful is something that you can either be slightly deceitful 503 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:51,080 Speaker 1: or fully deceitful. I love words. So go back to 504 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: the court. The Supreme Court is a threat to democracy. No, 505 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: it's actually not, because if the Supreme Court were indeed 506 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: a threat to democracy, this country would have gone down 507 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 1: the crapper, you know, one hundred years ago, or probably 508 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: within the first ten years, or with the very first 509 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:13,880 Speaker 1: decision in Marbury versus Madison. The Court makes decisions based 510 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 1: upon the makeup and the judicial philosophy of the nine 511 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: Justices at the time that a case comes before them, 512 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: and that case may remain on the books and may 513 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 1: remain precedent for decades, if not a century, and then 514 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: eventually gets overturned. For example, separate but equal was seen 515 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: as non racist. So the Court said, as long as 516 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: schools are desegregated but are segregated, as long as the 517 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: segregated schools are equal, well that's okay. So you can 518 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: put all the black kids over here and that's okay, 519 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: and the Asian kids over here, and the Caucasian kids 520 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:00,200 Speaker 1: over here, but as long as they have the same education, 521 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: then that's okay. And then comes along Brown versus Board 522 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: of Education, and the Court says, that's crazy, that's absolutely crazy. No, 523 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:16,240 Speaker 1: that is segregation. You are segregating based upon immutable characteristics. 524 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: So in Brown versus Board of Education nineteen fifty four, 525 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 1: they overturned the previous ruling and said, no, you cannot 526 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: do that. But guess what happened in the meantime. Yes, 527 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 1: it was awful and there was still segregation, but the 528 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:34,160 Speaker 1: republic continued. So was the original decision truly a threat 529 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: to democracy? I mean, it was a horrible decision. I 530 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 1: disagree with the decision. I think brown board brown versus 531 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: Board of Education put it back where it should be. 532 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: But during that interim, whatever it was, maybe one hundred years, 533 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: it was like, Okay, we still survived. We may have 534 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: been pretty bigoted and pretty racist about it, but we survived, 535 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 1: and we survived to what become better. The point being 536 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: that people agree or disagree with court decisions at all 537 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,160 Speaker 1: levels all the time. However, claiming the decisions that one 538 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:14,360 Speaker 1: doesn't like is a threat to democracy is just bad faith, 539 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,360 Speaker 1: just as it is in describing, say the makeup of 540 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: the Senate, the Electoral College, or legislation or any one 541 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: political party. Do I like the Marxist Party? Do I 542 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: like the Democrats Socialists of America? No? I can't stand them, 543 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,839 Speaker 1: and I actually think they are a threat to democracy. 544 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: But are they today? Maybe not. Only if they become 545 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,319 Speaker 1: a majority party and they actually change us into a 546 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: socialist state, well then it's too late. So at what 547 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 1: point on that timeline do they become a threat to democracy? 548 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: To think about Senator Chris Murphy and the latest continuing 549 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 1: Resolution passed and signed by the President when he reopened 550 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: the government. A few weeks ago, his message on the 551 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:05,719 Speaker 1: spending bill during the shutdown was that, quote, none of 552 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 1: us have an obligation to vote for a budget that 553 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: funds the destruction of democracy. Close quote Oh, I would 554 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:19,920 Speaker 1: like to ask Senator Murphy, what do you mean by that? 555 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: Because it's been several weeks now. The Continuing Resolution only 556 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:28,120 Speaker 1: goes through I think the first week or so of January, 557 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: and we're going to go through this same charade, this 558 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 1: same valley who all over again over government spending and 559 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: will probably survive. So I don't think that the last 560 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 1: Continuing Resolution indeed was the destruction of democracy, but they 561 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 1: won't let up on that kind of phrase. The point 562 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: you come across a word or a phrase, or you 563 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 1: hear someone saying something, including yours, truly, this says something 564 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: that is maybe too generalized or is without a definition, 565 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: or you're not quite sure what I mean when I 566 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:09,200 Speaker 1: say that that is a Marxist policy, you should challenge me, 567 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:14,359 Speaker 1: challenge yourself. How is it a Marxist policy? How is 568 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: that fascism? How is that socialism? How is that small 569 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: r republicanism? How is that a representative government? Piece of legislation? 570 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 1: For example, because if we don't do that, if we 571 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:33,399 Speaker 1: just allow ourselves to just let the words mean what 572 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 1: people mean and never challenge them or even ask them 573 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 1: what you mean by that. For example, I would just say, 574 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,279 Speaker 1: the next time you run into jewing, particularly those who 575 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,000 Speaker 1: are left of center, and they say, oh my gosh, 576 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, I'd love to 577 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:52,080 Speaker 1: see somebody like on MS now or CNN or any 578 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 1: of the liberal outlets, you know, national public radio, would 579 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:59,279 Speaker 1: you explain, please explain to the audience how it is 580 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:03,879 Speaker 1: that Donald Trump or Republicans are a threat to democracy. 581 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: And by the way, could I have specifics, because I'm 582 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: really interested in the specifics. Try it, see how that goes. 583 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,040 Speaker 1: It's the weekend with Michael Brown. Text line as usual 584 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: as always open, hang tight, I'll be right back.